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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Jan 20, 2015 11:09:58 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2015 11:09:58 GMT -7
we go crashing down
and we come back every time
Andy raised an eyebrow at the thought of what that family dinner would be like at the Longbottoms. She compared it to her own family dinners, which was a cold room with four to five sullen faces and food being delivered from the kitchen. "Anromeda, you really shouldn't take another scoop of those potatoes," she heard her mothers voice chastising her in her mind. The Lestrange girls were expected to be thin and in good shape, at least, what their mother thought was 'good shape'. "Andromeda, get your elbows off the table, this isn't nap time," her mothers voice made her twitch.
But picturing a dinner with Phil and his family... that was an entirely different thought. She could even seen food fights in her future, which was something she had never ever thought about. She saw smiling faces, warm light and a friendly hand on her shoulder. At this moment she suddenly felt a bursting desire to meet Mrs. Longbottom. In fact, the mere thought of having a motherly figure in her life, besides her actual mother, caused her eyes to tremble with tears again. Wow, she was getting teary eyed over a simple expectation to sit down for a family dinner.
As he brought up chores and working with his wife, her eyes lit up a little. She had never done a single chore in her life. Her room would be cleaned while she was gone, and she'd come back to not know where anything was. She smiled, "that all sounds lovely so far, Professor," she exclaimed.
Then he had to ruin the moment.
He had to mention Aurora. But before Andy could think of what to say in terms of that situation, he was delving into an explanation about how he raised his own children and how they were able to be themselves. And how she would be able to make her own choices while she was with him. Well, forever really. She only had another year or so before she was seventeen and then her life would really be hers. Granted, if she had stayed with her parents even that may have slipped away form her. She was Aurora 2.0 after all. If she had stayed when Aurora left... she couldn't think about what her life would have been like after that. She was lucky enough to not be betrothed yet, like her sister had been, but she was sure her parents would have chosen someone horrid.
As this words entered her ears, however, she felt a surge of gratitude which caused her to suddenly lean forward, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around the Professor in a hug. Second of her life now, and they were both with Longbottoms. Strange coincidence. She started to cry again this time, before pulling away and kneeling in front of him, almost as if she was a child listening to a story.
"I want to repay you for what you've done. I'll try," she choked up for a moment, "I'll try to connect with her, I swear," she promised. She looked down at her hands which were now in her lap for a moment, willing them to stop shaking. Her tears turned into a laugh and she looked to the side, wiping her eyes before pulling herself back up into the seat.
"You're a very kind man, Professor," she stated as she regained her composure once again. "I've never really-I mean. I've always been told that questions were a sign of disobedience," she explained. "So, please forgive me if I have a hard time being open with you at first," she chuckled, "Phil might have to translate my behavior on occasion." The mention of Phil made her stomach lurch a little, though she didn't know why. She was probably just excited to tell him about the fact that she was officially a part of the family.
@superluigi64
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Jan 21, 2015 15:08:58 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 15:08:58 GMT -7
Andromeda actually seemed excited at the prospect of chores. Neville repressed a bitter chuckle at this. Most people raised traditionally pureblood expected to be waited on, hand and foot, by house-elves. But the Lestrange girls both seemed excited about getting to do things for themselves. Rabastan was either a phenomenally good parent, or a phenomenally bad one, to have raised two daughters that categorically rejected the lifestyle they grew up in. Not that he was complaining, of course—this was only a good thing, in his eyes. Maybe the Lestranges were the fanatical outliers…well, no, that was actually a rather likely theory…but if the traditions and prejudices of the old pureblood families were becoming distasteful to their latest generation, it was a sign. That way of thinking was dying out, something it should have done long ago, but better late than never. All that was required was for the rest of the wizarding world to remember that they needed to change too. To step forward and offer aid to this generation, rather than step back in distrust. And what better example could there be than a Longbottom reaching out to a Lestrange? Neville wasn’t doing it for that reason, of course, but it was nice all the same.
He was momentarily surprised when Andromeda dove for him, hugging him like a lifeline, but he ran his hands soothingly over her shoulders and back as he felt the shudder of a sob course through her. She was know on her knees in front of him, which made Neville feel rather uncomfortable. There was a bit of a worship feeling from it that set him on edge. Then she was promising to try to reconnect to her sister to repay him for assuming guardianship over her, and that made it worse. He didn’t want her to do it for his sake, but for her own. That troubled him more than he could say, but he knew he couldn’t keep pressing any one subject like that. He didn’t want to get preachy on her on their first day as family. He nodded when she said that questions had a negative connotation growing up, confirming his suspicions, and raised an eyebrow when she said Philip might have to be their bridge. Neville took care to avoid nosing unnecessarily into his children’s life, but he had not been aware that the two of them were so close. Well, maybe he could smooth out the transition for Andromeda then. Merlin knows Alice was not about to make it easy on Aurora. Neville knew he’d have to make talking to Alice a really high priority—like first day of the holidays priority.
But that was in the future. Here and now, he had a different child to reassure. Neville smiled at her. “If you’re afraid to say something and you want to ask Philip if it’s okay, that’s fine. I’m sure he’ll be happy to help.” He knew his son’s answer would always be the same, but if it made her feel better to have him backing her up, Neville didn’t mind, and he doubted Philip would either. …urgh, he really wanted to tell her there was no need to repay him for his actions. But Neville knew Gryffindors. They never asked to be repaid for their actions and hated not to repay others. They did tend to grow out of it in later years though….mostly because it becomes FAR too complex to keep track of who owes who what and why. Partly because they’d done it for so long, partly because oftentimes these days the favors were more for the sake of those outside their circle than within it. He’d let it drop for now. “So, any other questions? And while we’re at it, you’ll want to decide if you’re coming to the Cauldron for the Christmas break. The option to stay at Hogwarts is open, of course, but you’re very welcome to come home with us if you wish. We’d love to have you there.”
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Jan 26, 2015 12:36:06 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 12:36:06 GMT -7
we go crashing down
and we come back every time
Like a classic little Gryffindor, Andy was thinking of more ways to repay Neville for saving her from her family. Although, getting along with Aurora and actually making an effort would be an impressive feat on it's own. Plus, Neville didn't seem like the type of person who would ask for payment. He clearly wasn't now.
She nodded at the mention of Phil, "Thank you for understanding. I just... yeah, I trust Phil to lead me the right direction. Not that you wouldn't!" she said hurriedly with an embarrassed look on her face, "I just mean that Phil is... Phil and we're friends and he's. You know," yeah, she was going to stop trying to make sense of that.
"We'd love to have you there," that was something that threw her off a little bit. Wait, an actual Christmas celebration with like... games, laughter, warmth and all that? Andys eyes widened at the thought, and her mouth gaped open for a moment. The idea was so foreign to her that it almost made her want to throw up, but not because it was bad. Her body just wasn't used to this much good news at one time.
She finally closed her mouth and was able to respond, "Well, about Christmas. I'd love to come. I would love that." Great, now she was repeating herself like a crazy person.
"I do have another question," the mysterious figure that hung int he back of her mind-Mrs. Longbottom. "What does... what does your wife think about all this? About us coming?" she was nervous enough to meet her as it was and she wanted to be fully prepared. She didn't know a single thing about the woman, except that Phil received letters from her every week which already made her 1,000 times better than her own mother.
@superluigi64
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Jan 29, 2015 10:29:22 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 10:29:22 GMT -7
He watched her stumble over her words about his son with a slightly amused expression. She seemed almost embarrassed to admit that they were friends; Andromeda had never avoided Neville to the same extent as Aurora, but she had done so nonetheless, so he figured that attempt at distance was still coloring her words here. She’d get past that, in time. And she did have plenty of time, as long as she chose to stay with his family. After all, Neville had no intention of dying any time soon, and his death was a costly prospect to anyone targeting him. It was not an exaggeration to say that the expected losses from attacking Neville were significant. It was almost not worth the effort, especially considering there was no real way to guarantee success. Most Dark wizards knew the score by now: Harry and the five friends he held most dear in the world were titans. You didn’t attack them directly unless you had a serious death wish.
She agreed to come to the Cauldron for Christmas, which Neville figured Hannah would get a kick out of. If there was a better time to introduce people to her home, Neville would eat his wand. When his wife got to one of the feasting holidays, she cooked absolutely incredible dishes, and since Henry had gone off to Hogwarts, Christmas was even better, as she was in such a good mood having her whole flock back for two weeks. If he could get both girls to be there for Christmas, it would make the whole transition much smoother. Speaking of…Andromeda was asking about his wife. Neville covered his mouth, not quite suppressing a snicker, and shot a lopsided grin at the girl. “My wife and I are equals in our marriage. If there is an unbalance of power, it’s entirely in her favor. And decisions like this, we make. She was not thrilled to learn that I made a decision this big without consulting her. And if I had gone home and told her what happened, and I had made any other decision? I would have spent Christmas sleeping in a greenhouse instead of a bed. Hannah and I both know she would have done the same thing in this situation, so she’s not really that fussed about it.” In actuality, she wasn’t mad at anyone but Rabastan and Morgana. But she was really mad at them.
Neville pulled his wand and waved it behind him, Summoning a picture frame from his office and handing it to Andromeda. In it, Hannah had her arms around his neck, hanging off him with that radiant grin of hers, a crown of flowers sparkling like diamonds on her head, and Neville himself was laughing as he supported her swinging from his neck like she weighed nothing. That crown of flowers had been personally made by Neville. The daisies, the miniature tulips, and the star lilies with their diamond-like glitter, all woven together for her. The crown still existed, and it still bloomed daily. It would continue to do so until Neville died. “Hannah has not once, to my knowledge, refused to rent a room to someone on the grounds of money. If someone could not afford a room, she would provide them with one, and usually a hot meal besides. She isn’t a charity by any means, but compassion and kindness matter far more to her than profit, or decorum, or public image, or respect. I think that’s why we fell in love, honestly—though it didn’t hurt that she is and has always been a beautiful woman, of course. And the next time the Aurors have a function of some kind, I am probably going to have to restrain her to keep her from belting your father straight in the mouth.”
He smiled serenely at this image, wondering if anyone would buy him “clumsily” letting her free at just the right moment.
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Jan 31, 2015 21:01:09 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 21:01:09 GMT -7
Andys nervousness grew into an awkward laugh when the Professor seemed to be amused about something. She leaned forward with wide eyes as he started to explain his wife. She almost mentioned her shock that he didn't consult his wife before hand. She felt a rock in her throat. But, then again, he said that she would have made the same choice. That she would be upset if he hadn't made this choice, even. "Does she-does she make you sleep in the Greenhouse often?" she asked. Then she shook her head, "Sorry, that's not important." She smiled awkwardly at him, but she still was incredibly curious to learn more about Phils mother. Anyone who could kick Professor Longbottom out to the Greenhouse must be... well, it's clear she was not someone to mess with. Andy couldn't decide if that made her more nervous, or more excited.
Soon, a picture was floating into the room and the Professor was handing him a picture. Andy gingerly took it from him and turned it to face her. She was beautiful, Andys jaw may have dropped a little as the picture began to register in her mind. They were happy, really happy. She had never really seen people like that. Sure, she'd seen a bunch of stupid teenagers hanging off each other and snogging in the halls. Sure, she'd seen some couples out in public but she hadn't really noticed them. This was unlike anything she knew. She had never seen real love before. Her eyes started to mist a little as Neville started to describe her even more. She didn't look up from the picture until about halfway through his explanation. Compassion. Kindness. These were foreign concepts to Andy.
They didn't have to be, though. Andy had her chances to make some real friends. But she had been standoffish and pretentious to practically everyone she'd met in Hogwarts these past five years. She could have found people to be kind to her, and compassionate. She could have done the same for them, but she didn't. At least she didn't think she had. Phil and a few others had been kind to her for all of these years and she hadn't even noticed. She hadn't even thanked them. She didn't even try. Until this year when she started trying to make some actual friends. Could she really fit in with the Longbottoms?
At the mention of what Hannah would supposedly do to her father, a huge smile spread across Andys face. Oh yeah, she was definitely going to like this woman. "That's... amazing. All of those things. You two must be very happy," she held the picture frame out to him, "I mean. I'm still a little nervous to meet her. But, not because of her. Because-Because of me," she shook her head a little, knowing how ridiculous she sounded. "I'm just not that good with people. Anyway," she leaned back a little bit, "I guess I was also wondering if, I mean, I don't want taking me-us-in to hurt your family financially."
@superluigi64
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Feb 3, 2015 10:18:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 10:18:38 GMT -7
Neville laughed at Andromeda wondering how often he slept in the greenhouse. “Twice in the last fifteen years. Once, I found out that pregnant women do not compromise on their diets in any way. No matter what they ask for, they get. The other was when I was unable to get in touch and she got too worried about me.” Granted, it was because he hadn’t been able to contact her after a major battle that the Aurors had called him back for that had gone sideways. When he finally was able to get in touch with anyone…well, he, Harry, and Ron had not had good discussions that morning, not at all. He thought Ron got off the lightest—Hermione liked logical explanations, and they really had not been able to contact anyone for hours. He smiled at the look on the Gryffindor’s face when she saw the picture of Hannah. She really could have done better than him, and it was one of Neville’s few points of pride that she chose him over her other options—and she did have options. But out of everyone interested in her, she picked him. Neville had to admit that he’d had a little strut in his step that day.
Andromeda’s worries also extended to her own attitude, as well as the financial side of things. Neville grinned. “You think you’re not good with people? Ask Philip about his big sister sometime.” Neville did not like to speak ill of his children, but you couldn’t be a good parent if you didn’t acknowledge everything about your kids. It wasn’t necessarily a problem, but Alice was a loner by nature and had a prickly attitude. One had to work to make her their friend, put in time and effort. Though Neville personally felt it was worth it. “As to your other question…well, I suppose people do forget about it, which I like because that means it’s not really important, but the Longbottom and Abbott families go back as far as any other pureblood names. And I’m the last Longbottom, save for my wife and children, so the fortunes of my aunts and uncles came to me along with Gran’s. Hannah’s inheritance is considerable as well. Plus, she owns the single most popular bar in Britain, the gateway to Diagon Alley. We don’t spend lots of money on custom, high-quality clothing, but it’s not because we can’t afford to. Money’s not an issue.”
He paused for a moment then, considering her. “Andromeda, I want to be clear—there’s nothing for you to earn here. You don’t have to pass some hidden test. You don’t have to…to…maintain some standard to make sure you deserve this. You don’t have to do something special to avoid being a burden. You needed help. That is all that matters. My only regret in all of this is not figuring that out sooner.” Honestly, Aurora was going to have it harder than Andromeda. Aurora would have to deal with an irate Alice Longbottom, while Andromeda had only a friendly Philip. There was no contest here which was the better situation. And even so, that was one family member. Hannah might be annoyed right now that Alice’s enemy was coming to live with them, but she wasn’t angry at anyone in particular for it. And frankly, he fully expected his wife to melt with a few minutes of speaking to Aurora.
Of course, there was only one way to know for sure.
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Feb 4, 2015 20:40:55 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 20:40:55 GMT -7
Andy was surprised, and amused, when the Professor told her about the times he had actually been banished to the Greenhouose. They both seemed like pretty good reasons to Andy, which made her smile. Andy was sure that if she ever got marred-IF-she would make a very poor wife. She barely knew anything about cooking or housekeeping and she had no idea how to really... love somebody. At least not in a physical sense. She had just experienced hugging for the firs time these past two days. Well, she was sixteen-that wasn't something she needed to worry about now.
As the professor mentioned Alice, Andy cocked her head tot he side a little She didn't know Alice at all, which made sense since it seemed they both weren't very good with people. This didn't make her feel any better. She was going to live with someone who was as much a recluse as she was? If not more-so? Well, maybe they'd just ignore each other. Or maybe they'd have fun. She was starting to feel nervous again. "So, have you-erh-when will you tell Alice and Henry about all this?" Philip already knew, of course, because he and Andy had spent a good two hours talking about it yesterday. Should she have let the Professor tell him first?
As he explained that the money wouldn't be a problem, Andy simply nodded. It made sense now that he had explained it, she was just too frazzled to put two and two together on her own. As he paused, she raised her eyebrows just slightly, wondering what he was thinking. Was he changing his mind? Was he suddenly deciding this was a bad idea? Her panic didn't last long before he spoke. Before he talked about how she didn't need to prove herself... which was a hard concept for a Gryffindor to grasp. She expected that out of herself, of course, but it was.... good to know that he didn't.
"That's... okay. For me," she replied as he mentioned regretting not being able to help sooner. Her thoughts went straight to her sister at that. She never would have been tortured if they had gotten away sooner. She would have been able to like whoever she wanted-whether he was James Potter or not- and wouldn't have gotten punished for it. At least Andy was ignored as a child. At least she wasn't given as much of a detailed plan as Aurora was. Andy shook her head, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment-leaning back, face turned up to the ceiling. Soon, she looked back at the Professor, "Is she... is she happy? I mean, is she going to be?" she didn't say her sisters name, but she was sure that he would know who she was talking about.
@superluigi64
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Feb 24, 2015 12:10:20 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2015 12:10:20 GMT -7
Neville shrugged a bit when Andromeda asked about his other children. Outwardly, he gave nothing away, but inside he was worried about Alice. His oldest was not going to be happy about this, not at all. But if this much was enough to break his ties to his youngest daughter, he didn’t know her—or himself—nearly as well as he thought. Besides, what was the alternative? Stand aside and do nothing, put his daughter’s personal comfort before the physical and mental well-being of two people in desperate need of help? Impossible. He could not bring himself to do it. Not to them, and not to his daughter. Life had been good to Alice, but nobody could have everything they wanted in life. He couldn’t allow his daughter to be selfish here. If she tried to argue the point, he would have to put his foot down. In that respect, this might end up being a good thing for her. But he doubted she would argue with him. If he knew his oldest, she would do her level best to avoid him entirely, probably make a few remarks, and then get over it.
“Haven’t had time, really. Two nights ago, your sister came to me. Yesterday, I talked to you. Last night, I talked to Hannah. I’ll tell them, but their reaction will not affect my decision.” There was always a price to pay to do the right thing, and Merlin help him, Neville could never bring himself to choose easy simply to avoid that cost. He paused, letting Andromeda think in silence as the girl looked up to the greenhouse ceiling. She seemed okay with Neville being late to help her, but then, her sister had been the one to suffer more. Finally, she asked if Aurora would be happy. Neville paused for a moment, considering his answer. “That’s…a difficult question. I don’t know what makes your sister happy. I do know she doesn’t seem comfortable around me. I can’t promise she’ll be happy. But I can promise I’ll do what I can for her happiness. Even if it doesn’t work, she’ll be safe, comfortable, and cared for. As will you.”
“But I do hope happiness factors in, eventually.”
@lestrange
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last online May 3, 2024 17:52:08 GMT -7
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Mar 1, 2015 12:56:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2015 12:56:35 GMT -7
Of course Andy understood that he wouldn't have had time to tell his other kids about this. She didn't have to say anything about being grateful that his mind wouldn't be changed. As a Gryffindor, she wanted to say thank you a thousand times and give him a million IOU's. But, she kept her mouth shut for now. He knew she was grateful, and she would have plenty of time to prove it without cramming it all into one conversation. Still, she was worried what Alice would think... But, knowing Andy, she's probably ignore Alice just as much as Alice would ignore her. Mutual avoidance wasn't so bad, right?
“But I do hope happiness factors in, eventually.” he said, and Andy hoped for the same thing. Isn't that what Aurora deserved at this point? Some moments of peace? Andy knew he meant her own happiness as well, but she wasn't as worried about that now. She would most likely fit in with the majority of the household. "I'll do my part too. To try and make her comfortable," he already knew that, but it was worth mentioning again.
She wanted to make more promises, give more thanks and offer more solutions to the situation, but she was sure that she had stained this topic enough for today. Everything else she'd just need to see herself. "I should be going, Professor," she was still supposed to call him that, right? "I look forward to Christmas Break," she added before standing up from her cozy chair.
@superluigi64
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