summertime meet-ups | brody

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

25th june 2025

IT HAD BEEN A FEW days since Yvonne last went outside of her home, especially after the…ruckus she made with Gideon nearby Ollivanders. It was safe to say above all things the two of them…Were somewhat friends now. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to see another familiar face. Brody. Out of bad habits, Yvonne hadn’t actually…Seen him since Gilderoy’s ball, or maybe since graduation for the Seventh Years. She didn’t really need to talk to anyone in between those times. But…Going to the ball with him was kind of fun. Not that she would admit that to his face anyway.

Through owls, Brody pestered her. And to…Dance around the truth again, she was kind of glad he did. Her twin and older sibling had their own friends and because of Yvonne’s own choices, she isolated herself. But it was kind of like Delilah said. Who needed friends when you could intimidate others instead? Since living in the United Kingdom however, Yvonne always wanted to check out London. A city many spoke about but it seemed small from the De Snaijer’s observations. So she simply begged Brody through her ink and quill for the both of them to spend the day there.

And rightfully he accepted.

Arriving outside one of the magical zones, Yvonne brushed down at her summer dress and walked to where she planned to meet Brody — on Westminster bridge. She was sure she was early, and even though she hated waiting, that was her own fault.

brody christopher dubois & hopefully this works!

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[brody christopher dubois]

June 25, 2025

Getting outside of the orphanage for even just a portion of the day was a relief. While Brody was glad that he wasn't actually an orphan or stuck there for any longer than the end of either the summer or the quarantine, he had begun to understand just how much he had taken for granted the ability to go out and do things with his day. He might have been surrounded by his fellow Ilvermorny students who were stuck in the country without guardians—including his own siblings—but it was hard not to miss everyone else.

Among that category was Yvonne, who, ironically, was actually orphaned. Because she and her siblings had been living with their grandmother, they were in England indefinitely—unlike him. Once Ilvermorny opened up again, unless his parents had a change of heart, he would be leaving her behind. It was a strange twist of fate, and he didn't fully understand it. He knew one thing, though: He wanted to make the most of the summer with her while he could. Especially after what had happened at the Quidditch finals, he didn't want to waste any more time. It was fortunate that the universe and whatever controlled it had sent him to Hogwarts at all.

It had taken a few letters back and forth—and the permission of the orphanage's staff—but Brody had arranged to meet Yvonne in a No-Maj area of London so that they could explore the city together. They agreed to meet on Westminster Bridge, which took a little bit of planning from Brody's side of things. He only really knew where Diagon Alley was, so he had had to use that as his starting point and exchange some Dragots for No-Maj money there. Going out through the Leaky Cauldron and into London itself, he then followed the crowds of No-Majes to the point at which he could see Big Ben.

The bridge, Westminster Bridge, was longer than Brody anticipated, and he had to wind his way around some tourists until he finally saw her. "Vonni!" he grinned as he approached her, immediately seeing how beautiful she looked in the dress she was wearing and wishing that he were more dressed up than wearing jeans and a T-shirt. "Hey."

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

HEARING HER NAME, YVONNE TURNED a little too excitedly, grinning once he started approaching her. She knew she was breaking every sort of rule and advice she had developed from Delilah but what could she say? She had gone soft for the boy. Once he was close enough, Yvonne opened her arms, embracing Brody for just a moment, clearing her throat and slightly blushing from her own actions.

”Hey..H-How have you been?…” Stuttering wasn’t a part of Yvonne’s usual things to lean onto…Nor hug a person at all…Or wear a dress…What was Brody doing to her?

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[brody christopher dubois]

June 25, 2025

Brody hadn't expected Yvonne to hug him at all, but he didn't mind that she decided to pull him into an embrace. He hugged her back, then wished that the hug could have lasted longer than it did.

"Hey… H-How have you been?" Yvonne sounded as though she was tripping over her words a little. It wasn't like her, Brody thought, but he understood the feeling. It was the sort of thing that usually happened to him around her.

"I've been good," he replied, not sure if his smile was because of the unexpected hug or simply because he was there with Yvonne again. It had been a little weird to be stuck at the orphanage, but Brody didn't really want to bring that part up unless she did. He knew that he was lucky to have his parents alive, and their being across the ocean didn't change the fact that he wasn't really an orphan. It was temporary housing for him; as crowded and chaotic as it was, he would take it over returning to Maine if it meant that he still got to see Yvonne. "You? You doing okay?"

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

SHE WAS BREAKING. SLIPPING THROUGH every crack that Delilah had advised against. Getting soft for a boy she found irritating for almost two years since knowing him. What had changed now? The hug, while brief, stuck in the De Snaijer’s mind and she felt tempted to do it again — but potentially for a later time. He hugged her back though, which was rather comforting for the younger girl and the blush only grew to a lighter pink shade.

His brief response was enough for Yvonne to nod and smile up at him — curses for him being a lot taller than she could ever reach. Puberty was failing her every day. ”I’ve been…better I guess.” If you count everything that had happened recently, plus finding out your grandmother had colluded with someone else’s mother behind your back to slot you into the Blishwick blind dating. ”Better now that I’m with you..!”

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[brody christopher dubois]

June 25, 2025

Brody's face fell a little when Yvonne told him that she had been better, though it wasn't a stretch to say that things definitely could have been better at that moment in time. There was Hag's Fever and now the deaths of about a hundred people at the Quidditch league finals. It didn't help matters that many of the dead were Americans, including their own Ilvermorny professor Laurel Fawley, or that the British Minister for Magic, Hermione Granger, was also dead. The bright side was that they could go back to the United States, theoretically, but all of the requirements to get permission just to leave the country and re-enter it at the moment were too much of a hassle unless they really needed to travel.

She smiled at him, though, in spite of what she had said before. Brody saw that as a good sign, especially when Yvonne added, "Better now that I’m with you!"

He was glad to know that his being there made things better for her. Even if it was just a little bit, Brody was happy that he could help her out. He already knew that he would have done just about anything for Yvonne, and she meant the world to him.

"Good," Brody answered. He could feel his cheeks reddening as he smiled back at her, but he hoped that he would be able to pass it off as just the result of its being summer. He was relieved that he could meet up with her, too, given the unusual circumstances of his current living situation. Being apart from her had always been weird—even when they were at Ilvermorny—but it would have been even more so if he couldn't see her in the midst of so much chaos. "You ready to go explore?" he wondered. It was a shame that they hadn't really had the opportunity to do that in the United States. His usual type of adventuring was back home in Maine, in the great outdoors, but being a tourist in London for the day would do.

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

DESPITE EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED from the fever to the loss of her teacher and even the British Minster of Magic, things felt normal when Yvonne was with Brody. Not that she wanted to reveal that out loud but she probably had done so to Brody already. Indirectly. She watched as his cheeks reddened as he replied to her, only resulting with Yvonne’s own cheeks turning into a darker pink. Humming softly as a response, Yvonne nodded up at him. ”I’m ready…”

With confidence, Yvonne slipped her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze. ”Where are we off to first?..”

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[brody christopher dubois]

June 25, 2025

Yvonne said that she was ready and asked him where they were off to first, though that part nearly slipped Brody’s mind when he felt Yvonne put her hand in his and squeeze it. They were in one of the world's major cities with no lack of options for things to see and do; they could go just about anywhere and see anything they wanted. (It was a slight exaggeration, since they could do what they wanted as long as they were old enough and had enough No-Maj money on them. Besides that, though? London was their oyster.)

"Is there anything you've been wanting to see?" Brody wasn't sure if Yvonne and her siblings had done some sightseeing with their grandmother or not, and he was truly perfectly content with whatever she wanted to do. He hadn’t seen any of the No-Maj sights—with the exception of King’s Cross, if a train station counted for anything. Brody squeezed Yvonne’s hand in return as he thought. “Big Ben is right here, and I think that’s the place where the parliament is next to it…” He only knew that that was what part of the No-Maj government there was called because a group of owls was also known as a “parliament”, though that was probably too nerdy to mention to Yvonne.

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

SWALLOWING FROM JUST FEAR ALONE, Yvonne held onto Brody’s hand tightly, pale green eyes looking up at him before at the scenery around once more. ”Maybe just that River everyone keeps talking about…I like water…” The De Snaijer mumbled the last part, water had become one of her newest interests. It somehow calmed her enough, especially in a household with an overly joyful Yvette and her older sibling. Since moving to England and nearby London as a whole though, Yvonne has refused every opportunity to explore the city due to potential times like this. Spending the day with someone she cared for…Wait. She cared for Brody?

”’Parliament’?…Like the government and all that crap?” The brunette smiled up at Brody in question, cheeks tinted faint pink once he squeezed her hand.

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[brody christopher dubois]

June 25, 2025

"Maybe just that river everyone keeps talking about…" Yvonne suggested to him, though she didn't sound completely sure of herself. "I like water…"

"The river?" Brody confirmed with her. They were already on a bridge, and the river ran through the entirety of the city, didn't it? At least, Brody was pretty sure that it did; it wasn't exactly a little creek. That also meant that maybe, if they followed it long enough, they would find some nature or some green spaces someplace.

When he brought up Parliament, though, the response Yvonne gave him was more typical for her. "'Parliament’? …Like the government and all that crap?"

He had to laugh. "Yeah," he answered, not that he was too interested in it, either. "I mean, I dunno if they'd even let us in there…" Brody really didn't know how strict the No-Maj government was about that sort of thing. "Do you wanna maybe go on this side with Big Ben and some of the tourist stuff, and we can just follow along the path of the river?" he suggested. Rivers were good for navigation.

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

NODDING UP AT HIM, THE De Snaijer wished her brain would work and she would easily work out the name of the river. "Is it this one?..The one we're standing over?.." She questioned aloud, head turning to look over the left side of the bridge, viewing the water and the rest of the other buildings in the far distance. Geez. London was nice. Yvonne couldn't help but smile and blush a little more as he laughed, the sound of his laughter only cheering her up a little more. She strangely liked the Hufflepuff's laugh. It was light and airy.

"I doubt it...Especially if the muggles are in there trying to discuss more laws..." She squeezed his hand then, gazing up at the size of Parliament and her mouth forming a small 'o' from the look of it. "Big Ben?..." She repeated, nodding at his suggestion anyway. Yvonne noticed a huge clock tower then, head tilting all the way back as she looked up at the very top. "Is that Big Ben?" She pointed, eyes lighting up from the look of it. God, muggles knew how to create some nice things.

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[brody christopher dubois]

June 25, 2025

"Is it this one?" Yvonne asked, and Brody assumed that she meant the river. "…The one we're standing over?"

"Yeah, the River Thames?" he said, pronouncing the "Th" sound at the beginning—not that he knew any better. It wasn't as though they really covered the geography of London at Hogwarts.

On whether or not they'd be able to make it inside the Parliament buildings, Yvonne said that she doubted it, especially if the "Muggles" were in there making laws. Brody thought that it was sort of funny that she was calling them "Muggles" already, though even he had a tendency to switch back and forth between "No-Maj" and "Muggle" when he talked. Being surrounded by lots of people with a slightly different vocabulary did that.

"Good point," Brody nodded. It also wasn't as though they were allowed to show up at the Ministry of Magic for tours to watch what the Wizengamot was doing in there, so maybe it would be better if they just walked?

Then, though, Yvonne echoed, "Big Ben?" and stared up at it. "Is that Big Ben?"

Brody smiled at how in awe of it Yvonne was. The way that she was looking at the clock almost reminded him of the way that he got from looking at her. "Yeah, that's Big Ben," he confirmed. It was definitely big; there was no doubt about that. Why it was called "Ben", though, he wasn't sure. "It's kinda cool, isn't it?" (…As clocks went, he supposed.) "You wanna go check it out, Vonni?"

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

HOLDING BRODY'S HAND TIGHTLY, YVONNE slightly leaned over the side of the pavement they stood on, eyes scanning the river and part of the underside of the bridge. She hadn't realised the river was so...Well. Long. No wonder why it was called a river after all. She looked up as Brody nodded down at her, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Yeah...It is..." She murmured, turning her head to gaze up at Big Ben once more. At Brody's suggestion, the De Snaijer turned to him once more, her lips forming a small 'o' and her eyes a little widened. "Is it even open to tour inside?" She wouldn't of minded if it was, it was always interesting to see No Maj's projects and how they differed from the magical world.

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[brody christopher dubois]

June 25, 2025

Brody watched as Yvonne looked over the edge of the bridge and down at the river below where they stood, taking in the size of it. "Yeah… It is…" She answered him but sounded a little dazed. When he asked her if she wanted to check out Big Ben, however, she seemed more amazed by the idea, her mouth opening in the shape of an "O". "Is it even open to tour inside?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Brody replied to her, nodding his head. "I mean, uh, I think?" It looked like it was. It probably was? "It's a tower," he pointed out. "There must be a staircase or something. Should we go see?"

yvonne rae de snaijer

[yvonne rae de snaijer]

these choices and voices.

FROM SHEER EXCITEMENT, YVONNE NODDED eagerly, squeezing down on Brody's hand. She hadn't expected to find herself like this, nor with him in London, especially during their time growing up together, things shifted once the transfer to Hogwarts was confirmed and the elder De Snaijer was housed into Slytherin. It was odd, considering how she had similar personality attributes to everyone she housed with back in Ilvermorny, but maybe it was the events around her that caused a change.

"Thanks for...agreeing to come on this with me.." She murmured out, cheeks flushing a little red especially as the Slytherin looked down at her feet. "My...Grandma and my older sibling think I'm elsewhere but Yvette knows I'm with you..."

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