Mourning Hymn [Temp]

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

▲

Being corralled by Professor Zabini at dinner was easily the most normal thing to happen the evening of March 3rd. Never mind that he was neither her head of house or a current professor of hers, his grim expression wasn't even that strange since he had always looked like that when she'd taken Defense Against the Dark Arts with him. Like the world was always ending and everyone was out to get him. Supposedly acting that way was what saved the majority of the students during the fire, but she'd been paralyzed on the ground and never saw the outcome of his actions. Suffice to say, the only strange thing about being asked to follow him was that she was told she wasn't in trouble and that she 'could not wait until after she was done eating'. Which sucked because it was Friday, and that meant the house elves made pizza. She loved pizza.

Her friends gave quizzical looks as she collected her bag and followed Professor Zabini out of Flobberworm and Lettuce and towards the main school building. Shiloh didn't even know if she'd been in said building once since school began last summer and all of the LIFE students had been given a tour of the new grounds.

Not a word was spoken between the two of them as they walked, mostly because she had always been intimidated by him. There had always been rumors floating around that he'd killed dark wizards during his time at the Ministry, and when she first came to Hogwarts as a third year, that rumor imbedded itself as fact. Even if that wasn't true, he was technically at the school to teach and protect the students. But it was a silent walk into the main building and then she was ushered into what looked to be an empty staff room. All she was told by the professor was that he 'shouldn't be the one to break the news'. Well if that wasn't cryptic at all.

Shiloh awkwardly stood in place inside the room, wondering what sort of news was so important that one of the top professors of the school couldn't tell her. It got her brain going, and the first thing that came to mind was her mom. Had they finally found her? Was she back? The mixture of excitement and panic had her pacing back and forth. If that was the case, then she knew it could be either good or bad. She wasn't naive enough to believe that after being gone for so long that there wasn't a chance of the worst possible outcome. But any chance was better than what they'd had all these years. A bunch of scenarios were running through her head when she heard the doorknob to the room click, the door beginning to open.

temperance elizabeth fleming ● 470 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

What's the difference
between a man and a monster

is it somewhere between
"I can" and "I want to"

March 4, 2028
shiloh elspeth fleming

Temp had lost all sense of time. The two Professors she had spoken to informed her that the students were likely at dinner. Her stomach turned at the thought. A mix of hunger and images was still fresh in her mind. They were sympathetic, offering their condolences while one left to fetch her youngest sister. The other stayed with Temp and walked her to an empty room they could use. In those few minutes, Temp learned neither was Shiloh’s head of house. He was somewhere else on campus. The one that had gone for her sister was head of Slytherin while he was head of Ravenclaw.

She nodded as if it meant anything to her. As a graduate of Ilvermorny, those four houses were the only ones she connected with. Finally, the other Professor—she was informed his name was Zabini exited the room and informed Temp that Shiloh was in there. The first professor, Vector, told her to take all the time they needed. Temp nodded and thanked them. However, she didn’t run into the room. And for a moment, she felt frozen in her spot in front of the door. This wave of bitter emotion—grief and anger washed over her. Things had been non-stop since she found Eli on the floor until now, and Temp had processed none of it. She couldn’t; there was work to do, and she needed to ensure her younger siblings were cared for.

Goosebumps formed on her arm, the sensation traveling up her arms until they met at her neck, and she let out the shuddered breath she’d been holding. Forcing the feelings and the tears behind her eyes back, she opened the door and walked in. With a soft click, it closed behind her, and she met the curious expression of her baby sister. ”Hey, Shy.” Temp felt disconnected from the sound of her voice, but she pushed through. Fucking hell. That scrounging bum again left the job of breaking this kid’s heart again to Temperance. Trying her best to grin casually, Temp took a few steps forward. ”I—um—I need to talk to you about something.” At some point, her heart began to hammer in her chest. ”Here—why don’t you sit.”

Temp motioned toward one of the chairs nearby. She waited for Shiloh to sit down, but Temp opted to lean against one of the writing tables nearby so they could still speak face to face. She crossed her arms tightly. ”That Professor—Zabini, he said you were at dinner. If you're still hungry, I can get you something on the way home.” She didn’t like her thoughts feeling so disorganized. Things like this, mentioning that she had to go home, were supposed to be revealed in a particular order. There was precedent. How many years had passed since their mother vanished? The difference then was a glimmer of hope had lingered. This wasn’t the case now.

template by vee

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

▲

The door opened and her oldest sister stepped in. To say she wasn't slightly disappointed in that split-second to see Temp and not her mom suddenly reappearing would be a lie. That told her that whatever was going on, it was definitely family related and not something to do with school. Which in a way was sort of a relief, because she'd absolutely bombed her History of Magic exam the week prior. That had never happened before and she didn't know if something like that would cause a meeting situation like this or not. With how Temp looked as she walked into the room though, it definitely wasn't because of a failed history test. Her sister wasn't a total history buff the last time she'd checked.

"Hey," she responded in turn, still confused about what this was all about. "Uhh...ok..." Temp asked her to sit down so that she could explain whatever was going on, and Shiloh followed the directions, taking a seat at the nearby table. It was an awkward sit though, one where she immediately wondered if it would be better if she had stayed standing. Her sister had chosen to do so, leaning up against a nearby piece of furniture.

And then she started talking about being taken away from dinner and how they could grab something on the way home. Why were they going home? Once again, her thoughts jumped to the return of their mom. This had to be it. Either she was back or there was definitive proof that she had died at some point. And if she was alive, that they were going to go home so that they could travel back to LA to see her.

The same nervous excitement that had bubbles up only a minute earlier, before the door had opened, was back. There was a distinct tingling in the tips of her fingers as she tried to figure out the best way to ask her sister. She was pretty sure she could handle it fine if this was to tell her that a body had been found. It'd been so many years after all. That had always been a possibility. Still, she felt she needed to ask. "Did they find mom?"

temperance elizabeth fleming ● 372 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

What's the difference
between a man and a monster

is it somewhere between
"I can" and "I want to"

March 4, 2028
shiloh elspeth fleming

That knocked the wind out of Temp, and whatever she’d planned to say floated away. She hadn’t noted it before, but looking at her sister’s light eyes, there was a glimmer. They were bright with hope. Seeing her father’s body had left Temp feeling unsettled. But it was nothing compared to finding Eli curled up on the floor. Now she had to be the bearer of bad news, the messenger, just like she always was. It was on Temp now to crush a dream that followed the Fleming children around like a sad little rain cloud.

Temp regained the composure she’d lost for a split second. Things had to be done, and beating around the bush and lingering wouldn’t reverse anything that had occurred. ”No…” She lightly shook her head as she spoke. ”This isn’t about mom.” The natural progression of these conversations always ended with Temp reminding Shiloh that Mom would probably never be found and it was best to move forward. Like all the other things Temp told her siblings—it was never what they wanted to hear. She still wasn’t used to it. Sure, she was the typical bossy oldest sibling, but she was no parent.

As much as Temp wanted to move on to the subject of their father, she felt the need to address this first. Again. From her spot, Temp grabbed a chair so she could sit in front of Shiloh. ”Shy, I know you miss mom…we all do.” Their mom hadn’t been the warmest or any of those things. In fact, their mother had been harder on Temp than their father. This longing didn’t make sense, not that she had time to decipher it. ”But we talked about this.” Cal would probably—she would have something to say about taking away a kid’s hope. But Shiloh was almost seventeen. Temp sighed lightly. ”This is about dad.” Temp’s stomach did that flip thing again. ”He’s…he’s gone.” Theron had been a complicated man, so Temp braced herself for any possible reactions.

template by vee

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

▲

This was all so confusing. If Temp was here for something important but it wasn't about their mom, then what else could be that important? An accident of some sort? Her first thought to that was that something may have happened to Eli at the animal rehab center, though she also knew that the creatures treated there weren't the dangerous kind usually. Or maybe Calli now that she was working with animals as well. She could feel her brow furrowing more and more as she listened to her sister speak, because it honestly wasn't making any sense.

Watching Temp finally take a seat, it was obvious that this was extremely serious. Shiloh knew she didn't need to be reminded for the umpteenth time about why their mom wasn't coming back, but that tiny sliver of hope had wormed it's way to the surface again because of the situation. She hesitated when it came to asking what this was all about, because it looked like Temp was getting to it. Already she could tell she was holding her breath as she waited for the real reason of the visit.

Her mouth went dry instantly as she tried to process the two most important words that Temp had just uttered: dad, gone. "I-I uhh... Everything felt blank. What did gone mean? Like he finally got tired of playing the parent role he sucked at and took off, or that he was dead? She knew it was the latter, but something in her brain was trying to momentarily protect her from the oncoming shock. Shiloh couldn't even remember the last time they'd said anything meaningful to one another. It was well before the start of the school year. He'd done such a poor job helping her after Hogwarts burned down that she checked out. It was at that point she finally understood how her siblings felt about him.

"W-We need to go tell Eli..." she started to say, attempting to stand up from her chair but finding her legs not wanting to cooperate. "He should still be at the center."

temperance elizabeth fleming ● 347 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

What's the difference
between a man and a monster

is it somewhere between
"I can" and "I want to"

March 4, 2028
shiloh elspeth fleming

The confusion was evident on her sister’s face, and Temp hated that she would be the one to either make it worse or make it all abundantly clear. The words were still unfamiliar when she spoke them. How many more times would she have to repeat this? Her time at Witch TV had already prepared Temp for the stream of people suddenly coming out of the woodwork. Old teammates, maybe some obscure second cousin, and other people who hadn’t thought of Theron Fleming in years, and suddenly, they had to mourn. The thought made her a little nauseous, if only because her feelings had nowhere else to go.

Shiloh hadn’t been much of a target for Theron, fortunately. Temp took the brunt of that, almost entirely numb to his words and abrasive words. Cali stayed out of No Man’s Land, and it didn’t matter what Temp did. He always managed to drag Eli into his path. Not Shiloh, though, unless Temp had missed something. Shiloh tried to stand, she sounded panicky, and Temp could understand why when Eli was mentioned. The pair were close. It was only natural she wanted to check on her brother.

Temp grabbed her hands and got Shiloh to look at her. ”Hey—Shy—just sit down a minute.” It was a lot. The overall response was various levels of shock. She would’ve been convinced Eli was catatonic, but he was still upset and crying just as she’d found him. Even Cal was speechless, which was rare when it came to the family. ”Eli is fine. He’s at home with Cal.” Well he wasn’t fine, but Shiloh had enough new information for now. Temp kept her eyes on Shiloh. She really hated this and hated Theron for putting her in this position. They’d lost their mother in the most horrible way possible because there were no answers to provide closure. And Theron left this world without any resolution to the damage he left behind. ”We can head home in a minute.”

template by vee

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

▲

There were so many different, disconnected thoughts trying to go through her head at the same time that it would have almost been better if it was blank. Each worry she posed, Temp fixed. She heard her sister saying that the other two were fine and at home already, and that they could go there as well in a few minutes. All she did in the moment was stare forward at her sister, eyes focused on nothing. Shiloh hadn't even noticed that Temperance had taken hold of her hands to keep her sitting down. That was probably for the best. She didn't feel like she could stand right now anyways.

"Bag...pack a bag. I need to pack my bag." All she had were the clothes she was wearing and her wand. How many days of clothes would she even need? And books too, that way she didn't fall behind in class. Would she even have time to do any of that before the funeral? The rapid fire concerns only stopped once funeral entered. That was a definitive statement to come forward. Merlin, she didn't even know how he died yet. "How did it..." she didn't finish her question, her throat tightening into a choke. If she did, she knew that was going to be the end of it, and then Temp was going to have to carry her out of the school as a sobbing mess. The shock hadn't allowed for crying yet. She was sure once they got home it would be all she did.

Shiloh stood again, this time finding her legs better, and using Temp's hands as a way to counter balance. "I'm okay," she lied. "Need to get my stuff." In actuality, the house elves would pack everything up and send it to her. But she didn't know that.

temperance elizabeth fleming ● 303 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

What's the difference
between a man and a monster

is it somewhere between
"I can" and "I want to"

March 4, 2028
shiloh elspeth fleming

The look that entered her sister's eyes brought Temp to years ago after learning about their mother. Shy had been so young then as she still was now. Far too young to experience such a loss and gain a wound never destined to close or heal properly. Temp shook her head. " It's okay, Shy. We'll worry about your stuff later." Really, Temp didn't want her sister out of her sight. It already weighed heavily on her that Eli had walked into that situation because Temperance had not been there. All this time and all this work to keep things moving, only for her father to ruin it all—again.

' How did it…' A pressure formed in Temp's chest as her heart sank into her stomach. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Merlin, she hadn't even thought what to say. " I—we—we'll talk about that later." Temp didn't even know where to begin on that topic, aside from the fact they didn't know the details and wouldn't until St. Mungo's called her. Shiloh stood up. Temp didn't let go of her hands. " Your things will get brought home." Temp responded without clarification, not wanting to leave her sister alone. Plus, with magic, such things were trivial. "Let's get you home."

[ end temp ]

template by vee

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

▲

Later. Later meant after she got home and saw Eli and Cal. And they talked about what happened. Her brain still told her that she needed to go and pack a bag, despite knowing that the house elves would handle everything perfectly. "They can't forget Squiggles either," she added, looking up at Temp. Her ferret was a sociable little guy, but completely useless when on his own. He required constant companionship, and she sort of felt like she needed that right now too. Calliope had been holding onto her cat during the school year as well, so she knew she could check in on Beans too. There were so many thoughts that shouldn't have to be thought of right now.

Allowing herself to be lead by her older sister, Shiloh nodded her head that she understood what needed to be done now. Home hadn't really felt like home in the last year anyways. Her dad's presence being that of a ghost already. Now he actually was. Another surge of pressure started to well up in her and she suppressed it again. "Okay...let's go," she said even quieter than she'd been previously. The reality of the situation was starting to break through and Temp was right in trying to whisk her away back home before it got ugly. She didn't think she could hold it back the next time it bubbled up.

[The End]

temperance elizabeth fleming ● 231 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0