Waiting Game [Luna]

[Oliver Russell Blishwick]

Late August 2028

The vacation had been Dad’s idea – obviously, because the fun ideas were always his. Ollie had needed literally zero convincing, because the new term was due to start soon. Not that he didn’t like school, but he also really liked being able to build his own schedule. Every day was completely empty and waiting for a new entry on the spreadsheet, while in LIFE…well, the faculty decided everything. Maybe there would be more flexibility after NEWTs, but Ollie took the vacation for exactly what it was – his last breath of freedom for the year.

Anyway, he and Dad had needed to do some work on Mum. She’d been in a sorta bad mood about work all week. Apparently some cursebreaker hadn’t sorted out his permits before a trip to Iraq and now he was stuck at the border with a magic carpet he swore was legal. Dad had tried some mushy line about the family being together for their last summer vacation, but Ollie’s logic had finally won her over – there was a Gringotts field office in Cornwall and their cottage didn’t have distracting city noises right outside the window. According to the spreadsheet, Ollie had given them an extra long ‘free time’ module before their traditional family dinner. So naturally, all the Blishwicks had spread out.

Mum was in town sending some owls to her goblin liaisons and Dad had muttered something about ‘dragon kites’ under his breath before disappearing into his ideas journal. That left Ollie to scamper down to the beach and walk along the windy shoreline – and maybe pretend in his head that he was in Miami or Athens or Tel Aviv. Y’know, somewhere where it was warm and sandy and felt like actual summer. Not like blustery Cornwall, where it barely qualified as ‘hot’ and the water was still freezing. Still, it was a massive improvement over London and Oliver let himself get lost in his thoughts as he walked along the coastline. He stopped once to pick up a seashell and look it over, and another time to go chasing after his cap when the wind tore it off his head. The chase abruptly ended when he slammed hard into another person. “Bloody hell, my bad,” Ollie swore as he stumbled back a step. It took him a moment to realize he recognized the other blonde.

LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY

[LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY]

Luna did not enjoy her time in the facility. She hated to call it what it was - rehab, but not in the sense that everyone thought. Upon reflection, Luna had no trouble admitting that she had struggled with an eating disorder for much of her life. That she had made a series of bad choices that led her to this very moment in time. But she hated the fact that she had failed her team - even if the Harpies were early on in the season, Luna didn't want to miss out on anything. Though the girls had visited her in the hospital as she'd recovered and regained her strength, Luna noticed that she missed the sense of camaraderie when they were on the pitch. Luna had always been so focused on her own goals, she'd forgotten that she was a part of a team.

When the healers considered her strong enough, Luna had been transferred to a facility on the idyllic Cornish coast. She was to attend a mind healer daily, and start making progress on the rest of her life. She would be able to start fresh - the only thing from her past life that Luna wanted was her team. She didn't want to let them down, more so than she had let herself down. It wasn't a particularly nice feeling, that. So Luna used the techniques prescribed to her by her mind healer and focused on moving past the mistakes she'd made.

The first few days in the facility had been difficult. But Luna was determined to heal. It had been nearly two weeks now, and each day felt as if it was getting easier. Luna felt stronger, not just mentally, but physically as well. She hadn't kept in touch with anyone from her past life, desperate for a fresh start. Her mind healer taught her that to move on was to forgive herself, not to forget. But sometimes, it was easier to forget. Just for a day or two.

The girls in the facility were allowed to spend a day at the beach, though they were to be monitored by magical bands on their wrists. It was for their safety, the mind healers said, but Luna didn't mind. She missed the sharp scent of the sea, the sight of steep cliffs dropping into churning waters. She had forgotten how much she loved the seaside whilst living in the city. The girls split off into pairs, but Luna wandered alone, the briny air caressing the prominent bones of her cheeks, reminding her that she was still very much alive. So deep in her thoughts, Luna didn't notice when a gangly blonde sprinted into her path, colliding with her.

The movement jarred Luna, and she blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected to run into someone she knew - and quite literally too. "Orb?" Luna sputtered, her grey eyes widening in surprise as she took in the former Slytherin who had been two years below her in school. "Merlin, it's been ages." Luna blinked, her lips thinning into a line. But no ill will or bad memories stirred. Today she would forgive - and not forget.

Oliver Russell Blishwick

[Oliver Russell Blishwick]

His mind was almost completely on his cap and not on his wand. Sure, a quick Accio spell would have done the trick – but they weren’t in a magical area, strictly speaking. Ollie thought it was unlikely that they were the only wizard family on holiday, but the whole coast was probably crawling with Muggles and the last thing he needed was to get caught right before his NEWTs. He stretched out his arm, barely felt the tip of his fingers brush his cap…and then he ran straight into something solid. The breach whooshed out of him as he took a few stabilizing steps and his arms automatically reached out to steady the poor person he’d just run into. A moment later, his mind processed what his eyes saw.

“Oh, hey Luna,” he said, still catching his breath after sprinting the last few yards but otherwise pretty close to his usual even tone. Ollie gave a reserved smile at her use of his nickname -- he hadn’t heard it since last term had let out, because only his fellow Slytherins seemed to think it was funny. He waited a little cautiously to see if she’d tell him off, as she’d done quite a few times in the common room over the years. But really, her whole year had something of a reputation for being prickly – and the Slytherin girls two years above him had been a ticking time bomb. Her reaction was unusually subdued, though, and Ollie raised his eyebrows for a moment before deciding that was rude and managing to school his expression into something more neutral.

It'd definitely been ages since she'd decided to drop out right before the entire school caught on fire. “Yeah, we’re here on holiday,” Ollie said with a nod and a thoughtful spark in his eyes, “But I should’ve been more specific about the schedule. I marked us down for free time, see, so they’re both working. If I’d said ‘relaxing time,’ maybe I would’ve gotten a different result.” And he wouldn’t have ended up alone on a beach talking to an ex-classmate wearing something that looked like a prison jumper. But he promised himself not to comment on it unless Luna brought it up first. So instead he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You still in touch with anyone? I did a rather bad job of it after the fire, didn’t send so many letters.” It was sorta a hypocritical question, though. Oliver had gone to America for the school year since they’d needed to rebuild Hogwarts and he’d only rebuilt his friendships after coming back to the UK.

LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY

[LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY]

To concede that Luna had changed drastically from her sixth year at Hogwarts would be an understatement. She’d always been rather aggressive and cold, but since her accident she’d been much more subdued. Perhaps the scars on her mind went deeper than she’d thought, and the mind healer had worked more magic than anticipated. She was lost in thought as she ambled aimlessly along the coast, a breeze lifting her hair off the back of her neck. Luna steadied herself as someone slammed into her, and her brow crumpled in confusion as she recognised him and greeted him.

No ill will surfaced as Luna watched him. A calmness settled over her as she realised she could slowly reintroduce familiar things to her life. Luna glanced out to the overcast horizon. ”It is nice to get out of the city,” she replied simply. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she stifled a smile. ”You have to schedule free time?” That sounded like the facility. Though in honesty, it was helpful to have so much structure. Luna wouldn’t revert to bad habits then. There was a moment of silence between them, though it wasn’t strictly uncomfortable. More thoughtful than anything. Ollie asked if she’d been in touch with anyone, and Luna gave a half hearted shrug. ”Somewhat. Addy Slater and Evy Olivera mostly.” She didn’t mention Simon. Her heart still ached when she thought of all that had gone wrong.

Luna blinked, bringing her focus back to the present. ”Besides, I hardly know anyone who sends letters anymore. It’s all about magic mobiles,” said Luna, some of her old nature returning to her. ”What century do you even think it is?” she added, tilting her head inquisitively.

Oliver Russell Blishwick

[Oliver Russell Blishwick]

Ollie tilted his head thoughtfully as he looked Luna over. He didn’t spend a lot of time reading magazines, but the nature of Quidditch fame meant that league news spread pretty quickly across the wizarding world. Celebrity players didn’t get much privacy, which meant even warlocks and hags living under rocks had heard about her somewhat legendary incident. Nobody had heard from her since then, and Oliver was pretty sure that would’ve been the case for him too if things had gone a little differently. If his dad hadn’t been able to convince his mum to go on holiday. And to be honest, it was less like looking at Luna and more like one of the other triplets. She was unusually reserved, and she hadn’t told him off six ways for not watching where he was going.

But he smiled at her snarky question, which sounded much more like her. “Of course,” he said earnestly, “If I don’t schedule it, then I might unbalance the ratio between productivity and free time. There are four things to do in a ten kilometer radius, but it would be too stressful to do them all at once. Making a schedule means I can maximize how I spend my time here.” It all sounded reasonable to him, and he’d spent a long time planning out the perfect day. They were here for almost a full week, so he’d scheduled productive mornings and lazy afternoons. There was enough time to wake up early for a leisurely breakfast, therefore ensuring that the vacation would be relaxing, but also enough time in the evenings to do his summer homework and double-check that nothing had fallen through the cracks.

In short, he’d created the perfect spreadsheet and Ollie was already excited to color in some green boxes (green of course meant that the activity had been successfully carried out). He snorted a little at Luna’s question about letters, although it was still strange that her tone was curious rather than sarcastic. “Because new is always better?” he shot back – it was something his uncle said pretty often anyway. Oliver shook his head. “A letter shows the other person that you put time and thought into it. Besides, I’m not the one dressed like a World War Two Londoner with coupons.” Okay fine, he’d said to himself that he wouldn’t bring it up first but he’d lied. He didn’t mind lying if it served a purpose. But he never said anything in a heated tone, and it wasn't really meant as an insult -- so the observation was (as with everything else) delivered in an even, somewhat detached tone.

LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY

[LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY]

Luna smirked. "You sound like Slater," she said thoughtlessly, but then her face fell. Thinking of how Addy had replaced her on the Harpies - not that she wasn't proud, in fact she was over the moon for her former captain - was painful. It reminded her of what she had lost, and what she wanted to get back. But in a healthy way, not starving herself into an endless spiral of self hatred and weakness. Luna took a deep breath to centre herself, before meeting Ollie's gaze once again.

Luna had forgotten the wide range of attributes that suited her Hogwarts house. Ollie was as organised as they came - and his mind was no exception. It felt foreign for her to consider planning a holiday so closely. "Are you still in school then? What are you studying?" she asked, forcing herself to be interested. The old Luna would have dismissed Ollie already, but she was really trying here. Opening herself up was one of the main pillars of healing. Allowing herself to be vulnerable. And Luna would do whatever she could to heal - she was nothing if not determined.

Narrowing her gaze, Luna considered Ollie's rebuttal. "Not always. But convenience can be," she replied. Her brows shot up into her hairline at Ollie's next statement. "Well, that was rude," she observed, but there was no malice in her tone. "It's post war chic, actually," said Luna after a moment, the corners of her mouth curling upwards slightly at what was a poor attempt at a joke. "I'm... well, trying to forgo some of my more material possessions. Only hold on to things that really matter. You know?" she said, tilting her head slightly as she analysed the look on his face.

Oliver Russell Blishwick

[Oliver Russell Blishwick]

Aha, an honest reaction. Luna had seemed rather detached for these first few moments of their conversation, and Ollie had gone from wondering if she’d had a new personality installed to simply deciding that she was being polite and waiting for him to leave. He didn’t take it personally, since they didn’t really have enough history for there to be any underlying emotions to their exchange – positive or otherwise. No, they’d just been House mates in the vaguest sense, and he could respect the disinterest. But she seemed put-down at the thought of being replaced, even if she and Slater were supposedly friends. It was honest, even if honesty could sometimes be horrifyingly awkward to admit. He gave her a little smile. “Doing the right thing can still feel like shite, I guess. That’s okay to feel that way.”

He shrugged a little, but the conversation didn’t end there as he’d expected. Her next question meant they’d officially moved into small talk territory, and Oliver accepted the change. So Luna was acting strangely. She was justified in that. “Yeah, I’ve got NEWTs soon...” Oliver felt a light flutter of anxiety in his stomach, but that wasn’t unusual. He had this fear that he could plan everything in his life to the last minute, but it might not have any effect at all on his future. On getting the things he wanted. Despite his deep desire to control everything, he couldn’t control the exams. Hence the anxiety. He shook his shoulders as if he could physically shoo the anxiety away and focused back on the conversation. “I’ve thought about Healing, maybe. As a researcher, maybe.”

It occurred to him that he’d said the word ‘maybe’ twice in two sentences, and he frowned a little at that. But Luna quickly shot back her own remark to his observation, and he grudgingly smiled at how she’d framed her new wardrobe. “I can’t pretend the jumper isn’t ghastly,” he conceded her point that it was a rude observation, “But you still look nice. Suits you.” It suddenly occurred to him why he’d run into her on a beach while he was on holiday and she had no obvious reason for being here. It was the therapy-speak, he supposed. “Sure,” he said with a nod, “Does that mean you’ve figured out what matters to you?”

LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY

[LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY]

Luna made a face at Ollie's comment about doing the right thing. If it was right, why did it have to be so hard? She hadn't been close enough with him at school to get into her demons, and she wasn't about to get into it now. She knew that Ollie was very good at psychoanalysing things - some of the younger members of the Slytherin squad had gone on about how he was so good at understanding their feelings and the root cause of their problems. Well, Luna already had one therapist to struggle with. She crossed her arms more tightly across her chest and directed the conversation away from herself.

"I'm glad I avoided those," said Luna with a slight smile. "All I wanted to do was play Quidditch - even OWLs felt unnecessary," she added after a moment. "But healing, you definitely need a few exams for that one. People's lives at stake..." she trailed off, arching a brow at Ollie. "Responsibility. You can't plan what will happen to other people."

Though Ollie's observation was spot on, it did touch a nerve. Luna shot back a comment about how rude it had been to so blatantly point out the threadbare state of her jumper. "You're right. It is. And you haven't got to lie. It's been..." she paused for a moment, considering how to finish her sentence. "A tough couple of months. You know?" said Luna, her grey eyes meeting Ollie's. "And no. I still have no bloody clue. Think it's the journey that matters though, right?"

Oliver Russell Blishwick

[Oliver Russell Blishwick]

It was easy not to react to something as little as someone making a face at him. He’d grown up with Jimmie after all, and she was the ultimate test in patience. He'd learned how to simply chip away at her so Ollie could get the answers to his questions without losing a limb. Anyway, it was hard to admit that things weren’t working right. He was working through the grieving process himself while he put together his study schedule for next year. The spreadsheets just weren’t working with him, and he was still coming to terms with the terrifying thought of letting his big dream go. So she didn’t answer, and just like with his therapy-resistant cousins – Ollie filed away that observation and put it aside for now. He hadn’t forgotten, but then again, he didn’t have the right to ask again.

Instead, he turned to a much easier topic – exams. It was easy because he’d been obsessing about it the entire summer, and it’d probably get worse as the year went on. “Yeah, there’s a lot of analytics involved,” Oliver said keenly, mind racing with thoughts on the subject -- since he thought about it a lot. “Of course, there is a lot of rote memorization. But it’s bollocks if a Healer doesn’t know how to apply the knowledge to help his patients. So you can’t just read the textbooks, you’ve got to brush up on case studies and trials and…” he trailed off as the thought occurred to him that he’d need to find an excuse to visit St. Mungo’s this year. Shadowing a Healer would be a brilliant way to study.

He tilted his head and scoffed slightly at Luna, even if the smile didn’t slip from his face. “Why would I lie? I hate it when people feed me lines. Like they’re reading from a script or something.” He hated the insincerity of the charade. Small talk was fine, little subjects or big didn’t matter, but why waste his time with the lies? Why waste your own time by lying to yourself, too? It still threw him a bit how calm Luna was, contemplating her answers before giving them like they were discussing the weather. She was just so different from the last time they'd (only sort of) spoken. He nodded a little as she admitted that she still didn’t have any clue what mattered to her – which was fair because he wasn’t quite sure either. He thought he knew but…well, last year he’d thought painting racing stripes on his broom was the coolest thing. So what did he really know?

“I dunno,” he shrugged at her last question. “Some people never need to know, y’know? And others just wanna get to the finish line. But I guess if you’ve decided that you’ve got to search, then the journey is what matters. At least until you feel ready to start chasing it.”

LUNA LACHESIS TRELAWNEY