ghosted | Tammy & alfie

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

July 2026

Life was a trip. Somedays, Alfie felt like he had his shit together and was a decent adult, while other days, he felt like the earth was rotating too quickly he'd never catch a break. Since the demise of Ilvermorny, and Hogwarts following two years after, he decided his heart wasn't passionate about teaching anymore. Alfie enjoyed Herbology but slowly realized he didn't have the patience to be a glorified babysitter anymore. It was time to move on.

After a month of backpacking Nepal studying the healing plants native to the mountains, he returned to the UK refreshed. Alfie immediately sent his official resignation letter to the school and moved any salvageable plants into the empty spare room of his flat. He accepted a job managing an Apothecary in Hogsmeade, but he wasn't sure how long he'd stay. Everything felt temporary these days which put him in a weird mindset.

It was Alfies day off at the Apoethecary, but that never stopped him from popping in. He always struggled with separating personal and work life. There was never a balance. Alfie made it a quick trip, using it as an excuse to drop off coffee and teas for his team as a treat. As Alfie stepped out of the busy shop and onto the cobblestone walkways, he noticed a blonde head of hair coming his way. It was Tammy. Merlin, he had thought about her more than he wanted to admit since dropping everything and fucking off to Nepal. Now that he was back, reality set in, and he wasn't sure what to do.

"Oh, Tammy. Hi-" Taking a deep breath in, the man feigned nonchalance but was suddenly at loss for words. His mouth opened and then shut again. Fuck, he was entirely unprepared for this encounter. He tried to remember the last time he spoke to her. Hell, he never reached out after Hogwarts' collapse. This was about to be...awkward.

@tamatha

[Deleted]

TW/CW: Bereavement

July 2026

Returning to Canada to have a funeral for her younger sister without a body had been devastating for Tamatha, who had burned the events of May 15, 2026, into her memory. She knew that she hadn't been the only person to lose someone that day, but Cameron wasn't supposed to be one of them. Sometimes, when she thought about it, Tamatha was able to delude herself into thinking that it had all been a horrible nightmare. With Cameron's remaining belongings that had been in her flat instead of at Hogwarts returned to their parents, it almost felt as though things had returned back to the way they had been when Cameron was still at Ilvermorny.

Work was all that Tamatha felt she had left, and even that became draining. It was difficult to focus on Quidditch news when there were always reminders of her sister's passing. She had wondered if it would be easier the second time around, having already lost their younger brother years before, but Arthur hadn't had friends from school or teachers around him to mourn his absence. A young, half-Veela woman dying when she should have been entering the adult world resonated more somehow.

Having a day off from the one thing that kept her going made having to run errands a real chore, but Tamatha was on her way to Gringotts when she heard someone speak her name. "Oh, Tammy. Hi—"

Tamatha cursed under her breath in French. It was Alfie, with whom she had gone on a few dates. That he was one of the many men she'd been with in some capacity or another wasn't really the kicker for her; it was pretty typical. What did sting was that he'd been Cameron's teacher, too. She hadn't checked in on him, and neither had he on her. It was going to be a conversation that she really didn't feel like having, but she couldn't pretend that she hadn't heard him.

Instead, she stopped and offered him an expression that was a sort of tight-lipped smile. "Hey, uh, Alfie…" Tamatha spoke, wishing that Disapparition wouldn't be so obvious.

alfie edward o'callaghan

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Alfie could tell by Tammy's tight-lipped smile that approaching her was a bad idea. He left hastily after Hogwarts burned to forget about his problems, during the time he selfishly avoided any obituaries from the school due to the mere fact that it was heartbreaking. The man never considered how such behavior would affect the others around him.

Alfie hated to admit it but he was a sensitive person and could read body language better than he gave himself credit for. Sometimes it was a blessing and a curse being so aware. The approaching Full Moon and emotions never mixed well with anxiety.

Swallowing, hard, his hazel eyes softened as he tried to match her gaze, ”I’m sorry I haven’t reached out and lost contact with you..things have been crazy.” he told her lamely, unsure where to go with this conversation because he felt the awkwardness seeping from his pores. An uncomfortable smile crossed his features as a hand ran through his lazy curls, ” How have you been?” he asked, instantly regretting it. Did he want to know by the way she was looking at him?

@tamatha

[Deleted]

TW/CW: Bereavement

July 2026

Almost immediately, Alfie apologized to her. "I'm sorry I haven't reached out and lost contact with you," he said. "Things have been crazy." That was one way to put it, though Tamatha hadn't expected the apology straight away, either. Then again, maybe she had a reason to be thankful for her Veela blood. When Alfie ran his hand through his hair, however, he changed the subject back to her. "How have you been?"

How had she been? That was a perfectly normal question, but it was a loaded question all the same. "I'm okay," Tamatha replied, still feeling uncomfortable about the whole exchange. It was relative, of course, but it wasn't entirely a lie. She was alive, at least? That was something. "The, uh… The funeral was nice," she stammered, wondering what she was supposed to say anymore without losing her mind. "…As funerals go." It wouldn't be the first time that someone would bring up Cameron, and it wouldn't be the last. Having a prepared response handy already would've been ideal, but there wasn't some one-size-fits-all solution there.

alfie edward o'callaghan

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Alfie carefully studied the planes of Tammy's face. The man couldn't help but kick himself for how different things felt between them. The last time they had gone out, they spontaneously found themselves at the roller disco, which turned out to be one of the best nights he experienced since moving to the UK. Today was a complete contrast to those fun times. There was something off about them and Alfie knew it was his fault.

Tammy shared that the funeral was 'nice', causing his expression to falter. The pained look on the blonde's face was as clear as day. His breath hitched in his throat, "Oh." his mouth snapped shut, suddenly he was struck dumbfounded.. "Cameron?-" Alfie's eyes awkwardly darted to the floor, and back to Tammys gaze, suddenly unsure what to do with himself about the news. His stomach hit the floor as sadness creeped into his core. Talking about the deaths of  his students and staff members was like picking at a scab over and over again, it was why he left for Nepal to begin with.

Alfie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, wishing he could pull her into an embrace but he wasn't trying to burrow too deeply into her personal space. "There are no words to make your pain go away, but I send my deepest condolences to you and your family." he said, feeling lame with how belated the sympathetic message was. "I'm sorry, Tammy. I-I didn't know..."

@tamatha

[Deleted]

TW/CW: Bereavement

July 2026

"Oh." Alfie sounded as though he'd been punched in the gut. "Cameron?"

Tamatha nodded but didn't verbally respond right away. "Yeah," she breathed out. Saying it any louder probably would have led to her crying, and that would only make the nightmare situation even more unbearable. She swallowed but didn't flinch as she felt Alfie's hand touch her shoulder.

"There are no words to make your pain go away," he told her, "but I send my deepest condolences to you and your family."

In spite of the awkwardness, Tamatha appreciated it. She didn't know how she would be able to return to the person she had been before Hogwarts had been destroyed—and she had lived through the explosions at the Quidditch league finals a year prior, too. If some force in the universe really were trying to kill her, she thought, she wished it could have spared both her younger siblings instead. They had been her responsibility, and she knew even more deeply how Cameron must have felt about Arthur's death. It hadn't been under the same circumstances, but that sense of responsibility for what had happened? Tamatha felt that.

"I'm sorry, Tammy. I-I didn't know…"

It wasn't Alfie's fault, either. Breathing in, Tamatha had to remind herself of that. He was only human, and he'd been through the same hell. "…You, um, okay?" she checked, even though it was obvious to her that neither of them were okay.

alfie edward o'callaghan

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Alfie's expression softened as his eyes carefully studied the blonde's face. He felt horrible for not reaching out after the demise of Hogwarts now that he had to face her like this. After everything happened, he was going through his own personal trauma as he processed it all. For him, running away to the woods was the answer. Today he wasn’t prepared to face reality, but it hit him like a freight train. Maybe it was better that way sometimes.

The man knew it was a bold move but he wanted to comfort her in the only way he truly knew how to. He pulled her in for a hug, the pain in his stomach growing as he dwelled on the lost lives of his students. ”Tammy, I’m so sorry.” he told her, again, his heart dropping to his stomach. He was at a complete loss of words. There was nothing he could say to comfort her. Tammy asked if he was okay and he sighed. ”I’m fine. I think I’m still processing it all.” Alfie told her honestly, trying not to let his voice crack like a teenager. Running a hand through his ruffled curls, his face softened. ”Are you okay?” he asked her in return, hazel eyes falling on her with genuine concern. Alfie wanted to be there for her but he had a feeling like ghosting her ruined any progress they made while dating so he wasn’t sure what was appropriate. Everything was so fucking confusing these days.

@tamatha

[Deleted]

TW/CW: Bereavement

July 2026

It was becoming clearer and clearer that Alfie, too, had been affected by the attack on Hogwarts. It wasn't just her as an older sister and guardian of a dead girl. Maybe she had been selfish to think so, but it had been hard for Tamatha to look past her own grief to acknowledge that it wasn't just her cross to bear. Alfie actually pulled her into a hug. Though Tamatha hadn't expected him to hug her and almost felt the need to fight the gesture, she didn't, tearing up as he expressed how sorry he was.

Alfie sighed and said that he was fine when she asked him about it, but he noted that he thought that he was still processing what had happened. Thinking beyond her own loss, he had to have lost multiple students at once, and that couldn't have been easy, either. She didn't have experience as a teacher to know what that might have been like for him, but it must have hurt in some way. He was around those kids during the school year more than someone like her, strange though that was to put into perspective.

While he didn't seem totally "fine" to Tamatha, Alfie was holding himself together better than she was, especially when he checked again if she was okay.

"No," Tamatha answered honestly, the only way she could think of responding to Alfie without snapping. She was tired, and she was angry—more at herself than at him. "I'm tired." She hadn't thought that she could feel so much and nothing at all.

alfie edward o'callaghan

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Alfie knew he shouldn't have went in for the hug but something told him deep down inside that it was what Tammy needed. He felt Tammys body tense as his arms wrapped around her. He expected that, and a bit selfish for it, but suddenly that was the only was he knew how to console someone. Though he knew Tammy probably didn't want a stupid hug from him.

As Alfie pulled away from the embrace, he carefully watched Tammy's expression. Her face was blank, tears in her eyes, and a tightness in her chest as she finally told him that she was tired. He nodded understandably, being someone who dealt with depression most of his life. He was quiet for a moment, considering his words. "Please don't take this the wrong way, Tammy, because I'm saying this as a friend who cares about you." he started, softening his expression. "Have you considered therapy or talking to someone?" he asked, praying that didn't come off as intrusive.

As a teacher, he had a solution oriented mind when he spoke to people and was naturally an empath. Alfie was always trying to solve problems. Truthfully he was a bloody hypocrite and rarely took his own advice.

@tamatha