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[temperance elizabeth fleming]

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May 16, 2026
Elijah Theron Fleming

The panic that swept over Temperance’s body when she heard that Hogwarts Castle was on fire made her forget to breathe, forget to blink, and she swore her heart even forgot how to beat for a full two seconds before she finally exhaled. Immediately she thought of her youngest brother Atticus who was in his fifth year at the school, and Eli was nearby at the village. But out of precaution, he texted Calliope as well. Even if she was safe, she should know what was happening. Her visits to the general area had been very few, mainly to see Eli because he’d forgotten something at home. Or to visit the boys on the rare occasion, her schedule allowed it when the students were allowed away from the Castle.

But she walked back into the kitchen, preparing another plate for Atticus whenever he chose to wake up. Elijah was home safe as well, and despite the guilt, she placed on herself for not protecting them, she was also relieved they were home. It wasn’t a fair weight to carry, but her chest tightened as she thought about how would it feel if another person in the family was just suddenly gone. First, their mother, who else could that fire have taken. She took a deep breath and carried two plates back into the dining room, where Eli was already sitting and eating.

”Is your brother still asleep?” Tem asked, setting the plate down and then her own. A very large cup of coffee accompanied it. She’d tried tea per her colleague's recommendations, but nothing compared to a black cup of coffee to give her the fuel to manage everything she did. She looked at her brother, looking him up and down where she sat again to check for any missed injuries. ”Did you get checked out by a Mediwizard?” She had found him in the village and their brother as well in the late hours of the morning. ”You never told me where you were in the village after I’d found Atticus.” She drank as much coffee as she could without burning herself all at once. Her eyes landed back on his face. Something about that smile always made you forgive him, but there was no denying that Eli was sometimes at risk for his head simply rolling off his shoulders, which is why Temperance stuck around to make sure it didn’t go too far.

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[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

THE TRAGEDY OF HOGWARTS DESTRUCTION HAD rippled out through the wizarding community. It was a horrible thing, Eli knew this, but his chief concern had been the animals in the reservation nearby. He'd been there when it had happened, caring for a poorly mooncalf and administering potions every hour. It hadn't occurred to him the true magnitude at first. He'd heard the alarms raised, had seen the smoke and fire in the distance. He had not fled, as others around him had. Eli had not told his father this, nor Atticus. In fact, it was such a horror, Eli had gone home with Atticus when the school was evacuated. Saying a brief goodbye to Cordie's soft duvet cover, and his fellow roommates.

The Fleming house was cold in comparison, though there was a blazing fireplace in most of the rooms and enough luxurious room to house ever Puff in Puff Palace comfortably. And yet, Eli still dreaded the cool morning as he'd rolled out of bed much too early. He'd been sent home from his job for the week by a Healer for 'shock', as he'd been strangely composed when he'd relayed his experience of the attack. In reality, this was simply not the first tragedy Eli had ever seen, and he didn't think it that odd to have stayed on site to protect the animals that could not be evacuated.

Sitting at the dining table, Eli was almost pensive over his breakfast. A plate of runny eggs dripping from a fine silver fork, which matched perfectly with his knife and was artfully engraved as 'real' silver. It was nothing like Puff Palace, where half the cutlery was plastic, and the other half was swiped from various restaurants. He stared at the fork longingly, a piece of cremated toast going soggy below it when Temperance entered the dining room with him.

He was in a daze, blinking his tired eyes as he lifted his chin and began chewing again, like he'd been rebooted. Temperance did not live at home, but Eli was not surprised to see her. She had that stiff, worried look about her face. Eli used to say it made her look constipated, but he didn't say this as he popped his fork into his mouth and chewed. She did not look happy with him, but he couldn't think of a single reason why. "Probably," Eli shrugged easily, a bit of yellow yolk colouring his top lip as he dropped his fork and threw his arms out in a great stretch, groaning theatrically as he did and almost tipping out of his chair. His old bed was solid quality, surely, but still strangely uncomfortable.

Every bone in Eli's body seemed to audibly crack before he relaxed out of his stretch. Frowning at his sister as she spoke, the words barely grazing his ears and settling far too late to be socially acceptable. "Um..." He hummed, his jaw groaning as it turned into a large, unhinged yawn. "What do you mean..?" He asked dumbly, rubbing at a bruise on his arm. Why would he need to see a Mediwizard, he thought, before it clicked and his mouth popped into an 'O'. "I guess- I mean, a Healer spoke to me with an Auror." He lifted his slice of toast and took a crispy bite from the corner, scattering burnt crumbs across the tables surface. "I wasn't in the village," He said around a mouthful calmly, correcting her with an unspoken 'duh'. "I was at the rehab centre." 

temperance elizabeth fleming

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[temperance elizabeth fleming]

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May 16, 2026
Elijah Theron Fleming

Tem might have hoped that the shock of knowing his youngest child and younger son had been in mortal peril while he was passed out on the couch would have done something to curb Theron’s drinking and overall sloth behavior. But it had not. While Temperance had learned to not expect such things, it didn’t stop the disappointment from sitting heavily on her chest. Naturally, he’d been upset, but Tem had helped him hobble to his room and go back to sleep. That had happened earlier that morning and before anyone was awake. Really it was just the boy, even if Temperance herself wasn’t here all the time, especially if Atticus was away for his school year. Having her own place gave her that tiny bit of freedom her sanity needed to survive.

Her fear is coming home and finding the disarray of an unkempt house. Dishes in the sink, dust building up on the ceiling fan blades as thick as the blades themselves, or Eli sleeping on the same set of bedsheets for months at a time. Thankfully she had all but mastered the charms for cleaning—and she’d even wondered with wide eyes what that might have been like without magic. The horror. Her own place was very well kept and easy to maintain, but long hours at work helped with that. Her eyes habitually watched his chair as it leaned back precariously, but Eli didn’t fall. She was ready to help him up if he did and to clean up whatever mess he’d make of his breakfast in the process and then a reminder that he shouldn’t lean back in chairs while eating.

Not that these warnings ever stuck, and when Atticus was here, he’d usually follow his older brother’s lead and add to Temperance’s frustration. Eli confirmed that he had been seen by a Healer, but her gaze lingered a moment before she began to eat her own breakfast. Really, she wasn’t all that hungry—breakfast was not something she ate often, but if she didn’t, she’d be a combination of not only starving but angry by lunchtime. ”Right.” She acknowledged, their brother had also escaped serious injury, and she was thankful her family had survived the ordeal physically in one piece. ”Do you know what happened to the jar of jewelweed I had in the pantry? It was next to the spices.” Temp took a bite of her toast after she asked her brother. Her thought was he had moved it while searching for a snack and had decided to look through every single cabinet again in his quest despite Tem always telling them the snacks were in one single place.

But the dry toast almost lodged in her throat, a crumb going down the wrong pipe, and she coughed a few times. ”You what?” She finally swallowed the toast and put the piece she was holding down. This entire time Eli hadn’t been where it was safe? She had gone over there so quickly to look for the both of them, and he was with the animals.

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[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

TEMP HAD A PERSISTENT LOOK OF NARROWED suspicion and concern when she looked at Eli. From the way he tipped back in his chair, to the way he chewed his food lazily and occasionally choked a little bit. She looked at him as if he were breath away from disaster, and she might have been right, but Eli still found it utterly ridiculous. Though she no longer lived at home, and hadn't for quite some time, she still swept into the apartment every now and again to hurricane around the neglected chores while grumbling about having to 'do everything'.

"Jewelweed?" Eli asked dumbly, tongue prodding the corner of his mouth for crumbs and yoke. "What's it look like?" He asked with a curious lift of his brows. It was a long shot to ask Eli where anything was, he could barely find his shoes by the front door in the morning. Plus, he neglected to mention, he didn't actually live in their dad's apartment anymore. He exclusively paid rent to Puff Palace as of late, but Eli couldn't remember if he'd reminded Temp of this lately. He shrugged it off, poking at his plate with the bitten corner of his toast.

Still somewhat sleep rumpled, Eli was lazy with his speech. He didn't filter it, or consider how Temp might take the things that he said. It was first come, first serve in his foggy, early bird brain. Despite the fact that she'd crashed into the kitchen after him, Temperance was as sharp as ever. She did not hold back her horror at Eli's inadvertent confession. He pulled his head back, blinking at his sister as he tried to figure out why she was so scatty over a simple sentence.

"What...?" He yawned without covering his mouth. "They didn't force me, or whatever." Eli shrugged his shoulders, feeling a bit miffed by Temp's obvious disapproval. He wondered, once again, if Temp felt the same way about his reservation job as their father; decidedly unimpressed. He felt the urge to defend himself sharpening his awareness. "I chose to stay and help them." His breakfast was abandoned, pushing his plate away from him with a frown. "The Fiendfyre smog is really dangerous for vulnerable creatures." He told his sister, as if she were missing something dire in his disapproval. 

temperance elizabeth fleming

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[temperance elizabeth fleming]

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May 16, 2026
Elijah Theron Fleming

The moment Temperance took a break was the moment that everything would probably fall apart—and he just couldn’t have that with her family. Despite her incessant moaning and groaning about messes and disarray, she tried to hold onto the random happy memories they had as a family. The rare occasion that both her parents had been home for one of their birthdays, or the family accompanying Temperance when she was dropped off for her term at school. Sometimes, it felt like a daydream or some kind of feel-good content she produced at Witch TV.

”They’re orange flowers.” Temp answered impatiently. ”I always keep them in the front, but you all keep moving them.” Was it too much to ask that things stay organized in the cabinets? Since Theron was typically passed out and not brewing potions on the side, Atticus at school and Calliope no longer living there—well, it left only Eli as the culprit. And in true Eli fashion, he looked at her with this gigantic curious eyes at her shock. As if he had no memory of the words that had let his mouth and how they connected with her question.

She wasn’t even mildly horrified at the sight of the half-chewed food in his mouth as he yawned, still focused on the fact that he had not gotten himself to safety while a terrorist attack took place at Hogwarts and the nearby village. ”Eli I—“ Temp dropped her toast onto the plate letting out an exasperated sigh as she placed her elbows on the table to rub her face, inhaling deeply at the end. ”I know you care about those animals but there was an attack.” Temp paused, truly wondering if her little brother didn’t see the issue here. ”I just thank Merlin none of you were hurt or worse.” There was a rise of fear in her chest, which she quickly pushed down.

Temp clenched her jaw to force back the lecture her brain prepared for this moment. She was honestly too tired and desperately craving a cigarette. It wasn’t like Eli to be defensive, but Temp knew why. When sober enough to speak, Theron wasn’t shy with his opinions on what his children were doing with their lives. None of them were playing professional Quidditch or even dreaming of a Law Enforcement career. Theron could remember expectations but not their middle names. ”At least your all safe and home now.” Temp mumbled, taking a forced bite of toast—she wasn’t even hungry anymore.

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[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

HUNCHED OVER HIS PLATE, ELI MADE A GENUINE effort to recall the orange flowers Temperance described to him. After a moment of dizzy contemplation, he scratched the side of his neck and shrugged. "Haven't a clue, sorry." He told her, spooning slippery egg into his mouth and leaving a yokey smear at the corner of his mouth as he chewed lazily. "Dad'll've moved them," He mumbled before swallowing, tongue going on a quest at the corner of his mouth. "You know how he gets about the 'pollen count' when he's raving." He made awkward quote marks around the word. "Check the window boxes." He added in an effort to help. it wasn't her fault after all.

Of course, the atmosphere changed as Temperance sighed. It was a great big thing, loud enough and disappointed enough to give the toughest of demeanours immediate pause. He dropped his fork and sat back, preparing for some kind of lecture, though he hadn't the foggiest about what it would be about. "It wasn't an attack on the reservation, though." He said without concern. Open palm questing to understand why that was relevant. "There was a fire, and smoke and- and it's literally my job to keep them safe." He grumbled, a frustrated tightness seizing his chest, appetite paused. She didn't understand, she never understood. This was why he never bothered telling her anything.

"Well, I wasn't." He muttered, sniffing as he tried not to let her concern ruin his mood. It wasn't really her fault, he thought. They just thought different things were important. "There's protocols for that, so you can chill out." He wasn't lying, Eli just hadn't a clue what those protocols were exactly. He hadn't reached that part of the reservations manual yet.

Picking his fork up tentatively, Eli stabbed his eggs and let her stew on her thoughts for a moment. He'd just scooped a large piece of white and yolk into his mouth when she spoke. He closed his mouth around his fork and cringed as he pulled it free to chew slowly. "About that..." He mumbled, taking his time to chew and swallow before speaking this time. "You know I... don't actually live here anymore, right?" He asked her with an innocent, wide eyed stare. "I have a flat share." He smiled liplessly, his cheeks creasing with guilt. "I told dad a couple times." 

temperance elizabeth fleming

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[temperance elizabeth fleming]

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May 16, 2026
Elijah Theron Fleming

Unfortunately, Eli was correct. Their father had strange habits, especially when he found a bottle of tequila rather than his usual whiskey. It was strange but easier not to fight it until he readily passed out and Temp could restore order. ”I’ll check after breakfast.” She responded, making a mental note—after cleaning everything up, of course. One of the last things she wanted to think about was Theron. His lack of regard for his children’s safety was infuriating. Like the last bit of his ability to care had disappeared along with their mother.

Eli responded defensively, which was…different. And Temp could only merely look back at him. Of course, he was right, but no good older sibling would readily admit it. Let alone Temperance. Magical beasts were not her concern. Not that she didn’t care about them, but her concern was for her siblings’ safety. ”Whatever.” She said, shaking her head slightly and focusing on her food again. True to form, she’d rather the conversation end bluntly than admit he was right. But after a moment, where Temp had picked up her fork Eli responded to her sentiment.

Temp blinked a few times while her brother gave her his trademark big eyes. And she sat back in her chair, letting her fork fall on the plate and clatter against it. ”But—“ She began but then just sighed. ”But you’re always here.” She was legitimately a little confused. It wasn’t as if her brother visited once a week for a weekly family dinner. Then Eli mentioned that he’d told their father, and Temp visibly rolled her eyes. ”Eli—you know he’s useless at remembering anything.” How many times had she told him to just tell her directly? Theron would never pass a message because one could not speak when they were passed out. Her instinct was to ask why, but that was obvious, wasn’t it? Like when Calliope had moved out, it wasn’t a warm family home.

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[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

GIVING NO MORE THAN AN ABSENT NOD OF acknowledgement that he'd heard Temp, Eli focused on his breakfast. He made no effort to understand their dad anymore. With his potions and his odd, erratic habits. His feelings about the whole thing where easier to manage from afar, finding himself far more patient towards his father and his rants now that he lived at Puff Palace. Distance really did make the heart grow fonder, or just about.

Defending the reservation, Eli had steeled himself for more of a fight about it. Temperance had such a protective streak, especially since their mom had disappeared. She often forgot how much older Eli was. It was unbearable, but he'd grown to expect it. Apparently, it was too early in the morning for a fully fledged lecture. Maybe that was why Eli found his tongue getting loose around the heavy, silver fork. Thinking it was about the right time to remind his sister that he was no longer a fully fledged resident at their British flat.

Temperance looked pale, and Eli looked guilty as he watched her ruminate over the fact. Her mouth screwing like she'd tasted something sour. He snorted at her answer, lifting his brows in surprise. "So are you...?" He told her matter-of-factly. Plus, he never considered himself home that often. He would stay maybe once a week, mostly because his dad would lock the door at odd times before passing out in the living room with all the lights on. And Eli felt too guilty leaving him when he remembered to say goodnight. Also, Eli had found himself falling into Temperance's home schedule, mirroring her visits almost instinctively as he played buffer between their dad and Temp. She cared about them all a bit too much, but their dad resisted it the most vocally. It paid to play the beater in those arguments.

"I know that..." He bit his lip, feeling chided by her stern frown. Though it was soft as putty, and he wondered if she pitied him for leaving it so long. Like she saw something he hadn't. "That's why I'm here," He told his plate quietly, pushing the rest of his eggs to one side and declaring it a lost cause as he dropped his fork once and for all. "I didn't think he'd tell you, I just... forgot that it mattered." Nothing really mattered apart from Atticus and their poor, sauced dad. It was hard to prioritise everything else. There just wasn't enough room.  

temperance elizabeth fleming

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[temperance elizabeth fleming]

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May 16, 2026
Elijah Theron Fleming

Temp felt as though she carried the world on her shoulders, managing her own schedule and making sure her brothers had what they needed and all the other things she did. But among all those details, she always forgot that Eli wasn’t thirteen anymore. Just as much as Atticus wasn’t a boy anymore. Is this what actual parenthood felt like? Temp mentally frowned. How exhausting to have such anxiety all the time. Well, for the Flemings, it always seemed the opposite. The children wondered where their mother was until she would drop by in between work assignments. Until she just simply didn’t anymore.

Maybe that’s why Temp had opted to stay and work here in London rather than return to the United States with only one sibling left in school. If she was here, she was nearby. Much like the previous night, though nothing Temp could have done would have stopped the school from burning down. Temp scoffed but lightly at her brother’s response. ”Someone has to. I’ve seen how you and your brother keep things clean'. The implication being that “clean” was not, in fact, clean at all. But Temp looked back at her plate. How had she missed this? It was sort of a big deal to move out but not to notice?

Merlin, she was tired. But her thoughts shifted as she listened to Eli and how his voice grew a bit small. With a realization, she softened her expression, though now a pang of guilt hit her in the chest. Temp didn’t answer right away. She wasn’t sure what one said in these moments. These were the moments she read in screenplays and scripts at work. Where a mother, father, or some type of mentor would say just the right thing and push for that happy ending. Unfortunately, life wasn’t that easy for them. ”Of course, it matters, Eli.” She spoke calmly, trying to think back on her actions, but it was impossible to separate from what had to be done at times.

”You could have told me…” Temp trailed off but then added. ”Or yelled it at me like your sister did.” She rolled her eyes before turning in her chair to directly face her brother. Their breakfast was forgotten now. She sighed lightly, exhausted. She’d hardly slept after all the commotion. Not knowing where her brothers were while the world caught fire had put a fear in her that Temp had not felt in a long time. She couldn’t live with any more voids in her heart. There was a lot Temp wanted to say, but she didn’t know the right words for them. Much like work—that was the writer’s job while Temp made sure the show went on. ”So—um—where are you living now?” It was a little bit of work, but perhaps Temp could remain ‘chill’ for a little bit, even if her blood pressure was still high from the night before.

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[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

FOR A MOMENT ELI LET HIMSELF LAUGH AT THE familiar scorn in Temp's voice. How she'd picked on him and Atty as children, her voice shrill and bitter as she picked apart every single attempt they made at chores growing up. Of their torn socks and scraped knees, she'd always been vocally judgemental. It had made misbehaving all the more fun, but it also reminded Eli of their mother. He sighed on the back end of his stifled laughter, dropping his chin and stuffing his mouth to stop himself from saying something irritating.

Temp had a way of making everything sound so serious. He had his head bent low over his plate, stuffing the last of his eggs into his mouth and chewing quickly. It was too early for so much lecturing, he thought, swallowing with the aid of a gulp of orange juice. He shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe." He mumbled, licking his lips messily and rising from his chair hastily. He dumped his plate in the sink without washing it, his cup going next as he wandered back to the table and Temp's stiff posture.

"It's not like I didn't want to tell you." He explained with a scrunched face, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "I'm not keeping secrets." He was keeping plenty of secrets, like how he didn't know who paid the bills in his flat just that he paid Cordie, or that he fancied his roommate, and had been reprimanded at work three times in the last two weeks. "I just forgot." He shrugged again, as if it didn't really matter. Eli was already planning his escape, edging towards Temp's chair with a beatific grin.

"It's on Horizont Alley,"  He told her innocently, confirming just how much he had definitely, absolutely not been keeping secrets. "You can come visit, obviously." He leaned down, slapped a brief kiss to the top of her head and began backing out of the kitchen. "I really gotta go, Temp, work is calling my name." He thumbed over his shoulder, still barefoot as he snatched his jumper from where it was hung haphazardly on a hook by the door. "Tell dad bye for me!" And then he was gone in a flurry of restless motion, free of her suspicious gaze and her pinched mouth.

[END ELI]

temperance elizabeth fleming

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