Stepping Stones or Sinking Sand (Keir)

[parvati patil macmillan]

January 24, 2026

Even though hers wasn't the worst offense in the history of the school, Parvati had felt compelled to let Brígh O'Dalaigh's father know that she had received detention for hexing a fellow student. It was partly because of Keir O'Dalaigh's occupation—as Head of the Department of Magical Education—and partly because he deserved to know, especially with as much as he (and by extension, Brígh) had been put through the wringer. With that firmly in mind, too, Parvati had chosen her words carefully in her letter to him. She didn't want Keir to worry about the matter or to think that it wasn't being dealt with and monitored to the best of her and her colleagues' abilities.

One letter turned into some correspondence back and forth, and it was decided that she and Keir should meet with one another in person to discuss what had happened. Parvati had tried her hardest to reassure Keir that he really didn't need to meet with her if he wasn't feeling up to it, but his insistence—and his role in the Ministry, to be frank—had won out.

They agreed upon the Three Broomsticks, given its proximity to the castle, and Parvati arrived to the pub in advance of the time at which they had arranged to meet. She found a table that was out of the way of the majority of the patrons and waited there until she saw Keir enter.

She stood from her place at the table she'd found and nodded in acknowledgment of his presence as they made eye contact with one another. "Keir," she spoke in greeting, hoping that she wouldn't be taking up too much of his time on a Saturday.

@keir
OOC: For reference, Brígh serves her detention on January 20.

[Deleted]

It had been a very long time since Keir had last been to the gym. He'd been a young adult, enjoying his career fresh out of school and generally having a great time in life. He'd fallen in love and gotten married with his first child along the way before everything went sour. Before he'd been bitten and his entire life changed. Back in those days he was quite the hot-headed youth and his days at the gym were most commonly spent releasing his aggression on punching bags and savagely attacking them with all his might. Then he'd been bitten and even the slightest signs of aggression were taken the wrong way, written of as distrustful werewolf characteristics. Within a few months every bit of fight within Keir had been defeated to the point he'd considered leaving the magical community behind entirely. At first apprehensive, he'd sought out a job at a coal mine and while the work was long and hard and plenty dangerous, people there had accepted him because they didn't know his secrets. His aggression wasn't taken the wrong way and he'd been able to go to the gym. He rarely did, since the mining kept up his physique and his strength and swings there were seen as hard work, never as the violence of a savage and soulless beast.

Eighteen years, give or take a few months, that was how long it had been since he'd last stepped inside a gym, yet today he'd gone. He'd been too sick, too worried about being misunderstood. There had always been something, until today. He'd left in the morning and had gone to a muggle gym with some of his muggle friends. Around none in the magical community would he dare display even the slightest sign of violence. He would not even be caught doing so much as raising his voice. Yet savage was he as he pounded the dummy, releasing all his worries and pent up stress of years and years. Finally, at long last perhaps, did he relax and allow his frustrations to release in a very healthy manner, through a seemingly violent outlet, before he and his friends left the gym again, full of jokes and banter. Then, it was off to Hogsmeade to meet up with Parvati and talk about his daughter. He had no intention of punishing her, or not quite. He just needed to be certain that she'd be okay. That they hadn't sent her back to school too soon.

He drained a potion that St. Mungo's had created that seemed to help at least keep his condition stable. He hadn't had any serious symptoms in months, just as long as he kept taking the potion. Or at least, that was what he told. The first full moon? It had been a disaster and now he refused to take the draught combined with wolfsbane. It wasn't that anybody had died, he'd never allowed himself to get in a position where that was even possible, but it could easily be said it had been one of the roughest nights of his life and he'd been worried he'd actually die on the godforsaken island because he'd mixed potions. Never again.

He contemplated this as he walked in, spotting Parvati and walking over, nodding briefly. "Parvati." He said politely, but as usual the serious undertone was in his voice, as well as an easily decernable note of concern. He was worried about Brigh and the impact his choices were still having on her. Would it be wiser to pull out of school? He hoped not, but he also hoped that it might shed some light on the situation. Or at the very least clear a thing or two up before he went to speak to Brigh herself. "Thank you for meeting me here." He said as he took a seat. "I'm sorry for the trouble Brigh has been causing. I was hoping you might be able to share some insights on why she's been.... handling things in such a bad manner." He saw no reason to sugarcoat it. He found people on average to be very unaccepting of him trying to soften any sort of blow. Despite many people believing to be better so many still lived with preconceived notions about werewolves. He found it easier to counter them before they existed.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

January 24, 2026

Keir greeted her and thanked her for meeting him there, and Parvati nodded, sitting herself back down after Keir had seated himself. Before Parvati had an opportunity to ask him how he was doing, he immediately started to apologize to her for the trouble that his daughter had been causing. Parvati only hoped that Keir hadn't gotten the wrong idea from her letters. While Brígh shouldn't have attacked another student, Parvati didn't believe for a second that the girl was unruly or incorrigible. She had been hoping that perhaps Keir would be able to shed some light on that subject, if there was anything going on, but he seemed to have left it at that.

Wanting to clear things up from her perspective on the matter, Parvati breathed in lightly before she spoke. "Brígh is a very bright girl," she acknowledged, as she was sure that Keir was already aware, "and I know that she knows better than to behave as she has." Parvati had no doubt that Brígh hadn't lost sight of that, even though she had misbehaved. There wasn't anything to suggest that this was the start of something far worse. She wasn't sadistic or turning into the next Elaine Dupree. "We had… a bit of a chat whilst she was in my office," Parvati explained thoughtfully, "and I think it's stress, more than anything else." She was sure that Brígh had felt some isolation from her peers while she was at home and that coming back to Hogwarts had been more overwhelming for her than she had anticipated, even if she didn't want to admit that that was the case.

"Between revising for her NEWTs in a few months' time, readjusting to life at Hogwarts… Anxiety about the state of the world… Concerns about your health, too, I'm sure…" Parvati elaborated gently, not blaming Keir at all for the fact that he'd been ill. "It's nothing unusual for someone her age," she added, because it was true. It was rarer to come across a student who wasn't affected in some way by something or other. Keir, as Parvati had, had lived through the Second Wizarding War; she was sure he understood those feelings of uncertainty and discomfort. "But I do want to ensure—as the school's counselor and as her Head of House—that she's got the structure and the supports that she needs at the moment," she made plain to Keir. "She's very motivated; she knows what she wants, but she also isn't the sort to ask for help until she's already struggling or to want 'special treatment'. I do think, though, that setting some short-term goals might help her not to feel so overwhelmed, and knowing that her family are supporting her—especially after the past year—can only help…"

@keir

[Deleted]

Keir was not too happy that Parvati seemed to think it was stress related. Not that he blamed the woman sitting in front of him but it did cause him to frown, since he didn't like what that suggested to him. While he knew he couldn't have avoided all stress concerning his health he started to wonder if pulling her out of school might not have been the best choice. Back then he and his wife had figured that if the worst happened and he ended up passing she'd never forgive either of them for keeping her in school despite everything. Perhaps it had been a lapse in judgement on their end and the burden on the young girl had been higher than they'd anticipated. They'd presented a united front but perhaps in their consideration for her, they'd completely forgotten about her own perspective. It seemed to be a very typical mistake for parents, but Keir was mentally cursing himself for making it. He thought he knew what was best, but if she acted out this much he'd made a mistake somewhere.

He nodded as Parvati suggested a course of action, as well as complimenting his daughter on her brain. He smiled a wry little smile. He himself had almost been sorted in Ravenclaw so it didn't surprise him one bit that his daughter was a very clever witch that got good grades. She showed the very best of herself in school and he was incredibly proud of everything she'd accomplished. He smiled a bit wryly. "She's very clever and I am sure she knows perfectly how she's expected to behave. She's always been rather outspoken and I'm glad she still feels as though she can share her concerns, although I worry if she has trouble asking for help. It might be difficult to distinguish what could be special treatment and what is not considering her situation." He noted, since he knew that most students would not be in a comparable situation where they had a very sick and possibly dying parent. He sighed as he considered how on earth they were supposed to handle this in the best way possible. He looked at Parvati. "She has our full support, naturally. I just can't condone her attacking another student, least of all with my condition and position in the ministry. It's difficult to be caught between the burden of a parent and the burden of authority and while I know the ministry will not handle such a dispute since it's luckily relatively minor I have to consider how this reflects on the school as a whole from my job. I know Brigh will never overstep in the way Elaine did some years ago but I need to avoid situations like this where possible. If this were to escalate my political enemies will surely start to ask for her expulsion and it feels excessive. Is there anything you feel we as parents could be doing to further support her? Or to show that we do? Lately it feels like everything I try mostly only stirs up conflict." He frowned slightly. It wasn't easy to be in her shoes but her recent bouts showed a slightly worrying lack of empathy in her moments of judgement. He understood it was difficult but he hoped she'd shown more resilience. Perhaps there was more left for her to learn than he would have thought.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

January 24, 2026

Keir himself noted the complexity of the situation in which Brígh had been placed where "special treatment" was concerned, and Parvati frowned slightly as she heard him sigh. It was a challenge all around, and parenting was hard enough as it was. There was no foolproof way for them to fix things, but they also didn't have the luxury of going through a process of trial and error. With only months before Brígh would be finished with school entirely, time wasn't on their side. It seemed that Keir understood that without Parvati's needing to bring that up, plus no shortage of other factors.

"She has our full support, naturally," he assured her, though he added that his condition—his being a werewolf, Parvati imagined, in addition to his health's being what it was—and his position in the Ministry made it difficult for him to condone the behavior his daughter had exhibited. While he stated that he knew that what had happened wasn't severe enough to warrant the involvement of the Ministry itself and that he knew that Brígh would never "overstep" as Elaine Dupree had, he needed to avoid such situations. He was worried, he explained, that his political opponents could use any escalation as an opportunity to call for Brígh's expulsion. That, as Keir also mentioned, felt excessive to Parvati, but she knew that there were those who wouldn't hesitate to stoop to such levels.

"Is there anything you feel we as parents could be doing to further support her? Or to show that we do?" Keir asked her, mentioning that, lately, it had felt as though everything he tried was stirring up conflict.

"It does make me wish I were a Legilimens," Parvati remarked to Keir somewhat sadly. (Even though using Legilimency against a student would lead to even more moral and ethical concerns than she cared to touch in reality, it was the principle of being able to understand Brígh's thought processes completely that resonated with her.) While she wasn't too happy to hear that he had also faced issues with Brígh's behavior, it helped her to know that the problem wasn't isolated to Hogwarts, frustrating though that might have been for Keir and his wife. "I don't know if there's a perfect solution," she admitted. "I know she's not a lost cause—not by any means—but it's… unfortunate if she's been having these issues at home, too."

As much as she wished that she had the time to sit down with Brígh in a one-on-one setting and ensure that her every need was being met, there weren't enough hours in the day for that on top of everything else for which she was responsible, and that was without having leadership responsibilities to Ouroboros anymore. "It's important to remember that her behavior isn't a reflection of who you and Áine are as people… or as parents," she reminded him gently. It was hard to remind herself of that when her own children were trying her patience, but she could at least pass that along to someone else. "I'm not sure how much can be done to manage her anger, apart from counseling," she stated. "Her friends seem to be positive influences for her, at least," which would be beneficial if they could serve as models of the behavior that was expected of her, "but I don't want to put any additional pressures on you." It was clear from what Keir had said before that he had been facing prejudice because of his lycanthropy, and his concerns about internal politics within the Ministry were strong enough that he had brought that up.

"If you can, talk with Brígh," Parvati advised. "I think that would be more helpful than writing her," especially with the fact that words could be misconstrued more easily in writing. "Not to punish her," Parvati added, "because I'm afraid that would only worsen her behavior, but just to remind her that you're here and that you do support her." She couldn't ensure that Brígh would react favorably to that, but it was a starting point. If there was anything else going on that they needed to know about, then she hoped that that would become clearer to them, too.

"I'd like to start meeting with her at least fortnightly," she went on, "just to give her that space to express whatever she happens to be feeling, positive or negative." She looked more intently at Keir. "I would offer my office if you and Áine would prefer to meet with Brígh there, but it's probably best not to come to the school directly." It was rare for family members to come to Hogwarts under all but the most difficult circumstances, and there was a chance that Brígh would take that the wrong way. "In any case, I'm dealing with a death in the family myself, so my schedule isn't what it should be at the moment, but I'll reach out to Brígh as well." There had to be some time in both of their schedules that would work for a first meeting, even if that wouldn't be a regular time just yet.

"And if you or Áine need anything, Keir," Parvati finished, "please let me know, won't you?" Though it might have been a formality, she meant it. "I can see that you really do want what's best for your daughter, but it's also perfectly alright to set a few boundaries and prioritize your own health if you feel you need to." Brígh was old enough that she could understand that. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking a step back and letting her know that you'll talk to her again once she has calmed down."

@keir

[Deleted]

Keir smiled slightly as Parvati mentioned being a Legilimens. "Seems a bit unethical, besides, I think I'd be in far more trouble being able to read her mind. She does like her privacy." He said with a nearly wistful smile. He missed the days she'd been a young girl and had trusted him so much more. Growing up came with a lot of challenges it seemed, ones that he hadn't fully anticipated. Simple times were long since behind them, but at times he felt himself lucky that he could still be there for her. All he wanted was what was best for her, after all.

He nodded as Parvati mentioned counselling. "Perhaps, but I don't want to try to force her into that either. I fear she'll do the opposite of anything I advice right now, so I'm just trying to respectfully keep my distance where possible." He admitted, but the concern was evident in his voice. With a frustrated sigh he checked his watch, knowing he had too much to do yet. He'd been working a lot more, especially since Brígh had returned to school so that he could get back into the swing of things. The changes he'd once dreamt of applying to the school system much delayed due to his unknown illness, although he finally felt much better again. Well, mostly. He'd noticed a few symptoms were more... persistent. Rest seemed to have helped but getting back to work seemed to aggravate whatever it was a little again. Hopefully the medication would be enough to keep it all in check.

He nodded as she mentioned wanting to help out and understanding the delicate balance between trying to help Brígh and managing his own health. He sighed deeply. "I'll let you know, but for now I don't want to do too much. I fear she might misunderstand my intentions with everything that is going on. I'll try to talk to her but for the most part I just want to ensure she can finish school without having to worry about her old man too much. I'm sure there will be ample time for us to discuss things post graduation. Hopefully everything will be a lot smoother by then, with her at least feeling more free to enter out into the world with her diploma." He said, wriggling his nose slightly as he considered it. He once again checked his watch. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I really have to go. I still have a fair bit of work waiting for me, and my mind is put at ease for now. I appreciate all you're doing for her, I just hope she'll try her best to walk the line. I fear it might not be in her blood, if she takes after me as much as I fear." He said with a bit of a wry smile. He'd never been well behaved, although only those that had known him in his younger years would know it. He'd been more than well behaved since around the time Brígh had been born and some time before that.

"Please keep me updated if anything severe happens, but I trust you can handle it well enough. I'll talk to her soon, just to put my mind at ease. I'll see you around." He said with a kind smile before he got up and nodded. "I'll take care of the bill. Thank you Parvati. I'll keep in touch."

parvati patil macmillan
[end keir]

[parvati patil macmillan]

January 24, 2026

Keir noted that it seemed a bit "unethical" to practice Legilimency as a counselor, and Parvati smiled a little bit in response. She wouldn't actually go there—and Merlin, when did she have the time to take lessons in that with everything else she had to do?—but there was something appealing about be being able to get into a teenager's head again, certainly. She and Keir had been there; they knew what adolescence was like, but having had that experience and made it through, despite its being part of growing up, somehow seemed all the more alienating when someone was in a position such as Brígh's. Keir also mentioned that he didn't want to force his daughter to attend counseling sessions if she didn't want to, sounding a little worried that she would act out if she were made to do anything.

Counseling sessions weren't meant as punishment; Parvati was in agreement with Keir there, and she could only imagine how frustrated he was based on how he sounded. He seemed tired, and Parvati nodded her head occasionally in acknowledgment of Keir's words as he continued to speak. It was bad enough that he felt that he wasn't getting through to Brígh, and Parvati didn't need to add to that herself. His main concern, he explained, was in making sure that Brígh could finish school without having to worry about him too much. Once she had finished her NEWTs, Keir hoped, he might have more time to talk to her, suggesting that things might be smoother for them once Brígh had her qualifications in hand and the world to explore.

After checking his watch and realizing the time, Keir then apologized and said that he needed to cut things short due to the volume of work that he had on his plate. Fortunately, he said that his mind had been put at ease after their conversation, and Parvati offered him a small smile to reassure him. "I'll keep an eye on her behavior," she promised him. Whether Brígh chose to behave or not, as Keir seemed to imply that she might not based on his own behavior at that age, they would take that as it came.

He told her to keep him updated in the event that anything severe happened but trusted that she could handle it. Parvati hoped that nothing would worsen, but she was inclined to think that it wouldn't get to that point again. Keir said that he would talk to Brígh, too, just for his own peace of mind. He added to Parvati that he would see her around. Just as she was about to open her mouth to reply, Keir added that he would take care of their bill and that he would be in touch.

She wasn't about to go back and forth with him on his taking up the cost of the bill when she knew that he had places to be, and so she nodded her head. "Thank you, Keir," she smiled to him, hoping that the surprise in her voice was enough to indicate that he really hadn't needed to do that. "I'll see you, and take care."

@keir
Fin!