Mary "just a little bit blonde!" MacDonald (onthecontrary) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2008-07-20 12:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! [1979-07] july, frank longbottom, mary macdonald |
rp: frank and mary.
Who: Frank Longbottom and Mary MacDonald
What: Mary's Obliviation
Where: Mary's flat in St Ives, Cornwall
When: Sunday mid-afternoon (July 20th)
Rating: S for sadness
Status: Complete
The sky was clear and blue, the sun strong -- weather that was completely at odds with Frank's frame of mind. The disastrous events of yesterday had left their marks on the Order, and Frank had in no way been excluded as he internally reeled at the news of the Prewetts' deaths and -- and oh, how this took him aback -- being directly addressed as a vigilante by Octavius Pepper only minutes after he joined an anxious Alice on her patrol. The pair had exchanged looks of mingled surprise and dismay at this turn of events; misfortune, it seemed, did indeed strike in threes. That he'd even managed to get some sleep was somewhat of a miracle. Pumped though he was with fear and horror and anger at the deaths, and even more anger at the hitwizard's nervy I want in, the task he would face the following day would require a good deal of acuity, and so he got those few short hours he needed to rest, albeit uneasily, so that when he apparated outside Mary's building in Cornwall, he looked and felt far than Mary probably did. Still, Frank hesitated before knocking on her door. Hand curled into the fist that would shortly strike against the wood, his arm hung limp and lifelessly downward as he took a moment to steady himself. He was going to Obliviate Mary. And, Merlin save him, he wished he didn't have to, that Mary had pulled herself together... but she hadn't, and there he was, breathing slowly and readying himself for what he was going to do. "Mary?" The name was uttered as he finally knocked. "It's Frank Longbottom." Mary was distraught. The past three days' worth of events were far too much for the little former Hufflepuff to handle. She was strong. She had a good will, but this was far too much for her. It was hard enough that she was trying to deal with the first anniversary of her father's death, let alone handle the death of her best mate's best mate. And then the heartbreaking new a mere twelve or so hours ago: Fabian, her best and only mate, was dead. It was a like a knife stabbed into Mary's heart and twisted a full 360 degrees. The night with Dedalus was a struggle. Mary had been hysterical the majority of the night. She wasn't even all that upset when she watched Dedalus set her journal in flames. Those flames were the only and last piece of Fabian she had left: the conversations they had. Mary sobbed the entire night. She hadn't managed to get any sleep. It came to the point that Dedalus had to give her a Calming Draught because she would have choked on her tears since she was crying so hard. And everyone in the bloody Order jumped down her throat about it. No one considered the grief and pain she might have- no. She was a foolish, selfish child. Nevermind that she just lost her best mate, the only person in the world who actually believed in her. No. Everyone was concerned about someone else, but she didn't care. She just wanted Fabian back. It hurt so much to know they would never speak again, never see each other again, never make each other smile again. The hurt was too much. Dedalus had left earlier in the day. There were things he needed to do and people he needed to see. Mary was reluctant to let him leave, but she understood. He had to go. Emmeline and the others needed him too. She could not be selfish. Mary thought of Apparating to the farm.. the place she knew Fabian would be if he were alive. Perhaps it was all a dream- a nightmare, rather. Perhaps this really wasn't happening. Mary almost convinced herself to go when she heard a knock on the door. Her heart skipped a beat. It was going to be the twins announcing that it was all a joke. They were alive, and everyone would have a good laugh. But when she heard it was Frank, Mary's heart stopped for a moment. She could feel her entire being deflate, and thought she tried not to, the tears began to leak from her eyes again. It never occurred to her to think it might be odd that Frank was there even though he didn't know where she lived. Nevertheless, Mary navigated through the sea of Kleenex to the door and opened it. There was no energy for passwords or double checks. She simply opened the door and moved back to the couch, where she found a clean Kleenex and blew her nose. She tried to wipe her tears away, but it was impossible. "Come in," she managed to squeak. She had been crying so hard since she found out the prior evening that she barely managed to say anything. All of her pain and sorrow went into the grief and tears. The door was pushed gently shut again before Frank cast a simple protective spell around the flat -- after all of his years as an auror, it was second nature for him to ward places he was in, and in times like these, it was a good, if a bit paranoid, habit to have -- then tucking his wand away in its usual location under his sleeve as he went to the living room. The sight that greeted him there gave him pause, for it truly was pitiful to see Mary as she was; he suppressed the impulse to chastise her about passwords and security (for he'd instruct her on the latter soon enough), exchanging the lecture he could probably recite backwards for a quiet inquiry as he joined her on the couch. "I heard Dedalus stayed with you last night?" As he spoke, he leaned slightly forward, resting his weight on his arms, elbows pressed into the top of his upper thighs for support; his head tilted a degree to the side as he looked at the young woman, taking in the tear-streaked face and the mess of tissues that surrounded her. "I'm sorry for your loss," he finally said, as quietly as before. "I know you were close with Fabian." Mary knew that she ought to be more careful, but in all honesty, she wouldn't terribly mind dying right now. She knew the Order was worried about her and Emmeline, especially, for suidicide. Mary would never take her life, but she had wished for death once. It was a good thing Dedalus spent the night with her, at the very least. It seemed so selfish, but there was so much loss. And she felt completely and utterly alone. She had never felt this alone before. She felt hopeless, and that was never a good sign. Mary cleared several tissues from the little sofa before blowing her nose again. "I'm sorry it's such a mess," she told Frank without much emotion in her voice and face though. "It's been quite a night." She nodded. "Dedalus had to leave early this morning, but yes, he did spend the night. He had other affairs and people he needed to check on." She gulped softly. She was alone. She was always alone. There was always someone else more important than her.. except to Fabian. Fabian always cared about her. Mary felt fresh tears cascade down her face. "I'm sorry," she blurted out as she tried to hide her tears. "He was my only.. my best mate." She shook her head. "I should have known he and Gid would do something like this. The way he was talking last night.. I just should have know. If I would have pressed the iss.. if only we would have gone to th.. maybe they could have been here." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I just.. It's just.. I.. Fabian.. you know.." Mary shook her head again. "Has anyone checked on Molly?" "Mary." With an inner sigh, Frank shelved his hopes of carrying out this Obliviation as soon as possible -- it had been a hope born not out of cruelty, but rather out of a desire to set Mary on the path she'd been designated to as promptly as they could, because time, as they'd been reminded over and over again, was of the essence -- shifting his weight on the couch as he reached out to place a warm hand on the young woman's shoulder. Misery was written into everything about her: her face, her posture, her cracking voice and reddened eyes. She wouldn't remember any of this by the time he would leave the flat, but it suddenly seemed barbaric to simply rob her of her memories without her having had a final moment with a sympathetic companion -- or was his trying to offer some scant comfort more barbaric still? "I expect she has been, but Mary, listen to me. You can't blame yourself for this. Nothing will be gained if you sit here and wonder 'what if, if only.'" He paused, then exerted gentle pressure on her shoulder as he added, "Do you think Fabian would want you to blame yourself? I think that he wouldn't." Mary was taken by surprise when Frank's arm slipped around her shoulder. The last person she expected a hug from was Frank Longbottom. She would assume he might hug other people, but not her. The only one who would give her a hug was the person who was no longer alive. Mary chewed at her lip angrily, trying to stop her tears without much success. She deserved this at least. She deserved her pain. No one could rob her of her friendship with Fabian, and no one could rob her of the grief she felt over losing that friendship. Mary shook her head at the gentle squeeze. A part of her wanted to turn her head and bury it in Frank's shoulder. She wanted to cry until the tears stopped, but they hadn't stopped yet- and when they did finally stop, she knew she would feel emptier and more alone than ever before. Selfishly, Mary did not want the tears to ever stop. "I.." Mary paused, taking in a shuttering breath. "You're right," she squeaked. There was no point in blaming anyone, especially herself. Fabian and Gideon had this in mind for nearly a full day. Someone should have been with them. Someone should have noticed that they were not okay enough to be alone. If Mary blamed herself, then everyone in the Order ought to blame themselves too. "You're right, but it doesn't make it hurt any less," she finally choked out. She wiped her tears again. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I just.. I miss him so much and.. I don't know. I'm just really going to miss him." She shook her head. "I just.. I guess I'm glad the three of them went together, you know? They were always together. I can't imagine Benjy alive without Fab and Gid, and vice versa." She choked back a sob. "It just should have never happened in the first place. They were all so young. We're all so young.." Mary blew her nose. These were thoughts she would save for later. "I'm sorry.. can.. do you want tea? Is there something I can get you? I'm sure you're just as upset as I am. You're just better at.. disguising it." An unfortunate side-effect of the job, Frank wanted to say, but that wouldn't have been at all helpful, and so he swallowed the impulse, instead allowing himself to give Mary's shoulder another squeeze in a wordless gesture of comfort. He wouldn't have stopped her had she succumbed to the urge to sob against him, aware that he was a poor substitute for the person she wanted to hold -- but Fabian was dead, and with him Gideon and Benjy. There was nothing they could do to make this right. "Tea's just the ticket," he finally said, releasing her after a final rub of her shoulder. "For both of us." Which was the truth; certainly he was wearing his work-face, but thoughts that were similar to Mary's cluttered his mind -- someone should have visited the twins in their new residence, so that their plans could've been discovered and stomped out -- and he welcomed the distraction of tea. Preparing it would get Mary moving as he took that short stretch of time to steady himself for what he was going to do; yes, tea would be excellent. "I'll help," he added. He removed his arm from her shoulder and rose slowly to his feet. Mary pushed the hair that was clinging to her wet cheeks away from her face, tucked safely behind her ears. Tea would be a good distraction. She needed tea. She hadn't had tea in quite some time. If she remembered correctly, the tea Dedalus tried to offer her was cast into the fire, china and all. Mary chewed her lip guiltily. Once she felt up to it, she was going to need to make Dedalus cookies or some sort of 'thank you' token. He put up with a lot in the prior twelve or so hours. She was grateful, even if she seemed anything but. "Tea is often the ticket," Mary agreed with a little grin as she reached over to scratch Todd's ears. Her calico cat was as faithful to her as Fabian was. Not many knew about her attachment to the cat, but then again, not many knew exactly how close she was to Fabian either. Mary sniffed one final time as Frank gave her a last reassuring squeeze. She still wanted to bury her face in his shoulder and cry, but.. it wasn't Frank that she wanted to comfort her. She wanted Fabian to be there like he had been for months now. Mary felt her eyes grow watery again at her thoughts. "Are you sure?" Mary inquired as she tried to blink her tears away. It got to the point where she was still sitting and Frank was standing. "You're my guest. I should be serving you." But Mary finally forced herself up, as well. She lead the way through the sea of used Kleenex to the little kitchen. Straight across the road was the sea. It was rather pretty actually. Mary loved the view from her new flat. She put the kettle on the stove before sitting at the tiny kitchen table. "I hope you don't mind boiling water the old fashion way. I find it tastes better." She shrugged before looking out the window. Maybe Fabian would be there and this was all a joke. Mary prayed this was all one big early April Fool's Day joke. "Not at all," Frank replied. He'd sweeped his gaze across the flat as he followed Mary into the kitchen, taking in the layout, the windows, the world outside the windows -- looking not at pretty sight of the sea, but focusing instead on the fact this was a ground-floor flat, and thus wholly inadequate. Another thing that he would need to see to: relocation to somewhere more central, where she could be added to the Order's patrols, for she would continue to be vulnerable, but now in an entirely different way from before. Now, in the kitchen, he slid a hand over the back of an unoccupied chair, as though considering whether or not to sit. Negative; he lifted his hand to gesture at the cupboards. "Sit; I'll fetch the cups," he said, adding as he stepped toward them, "My mum says the same thing." He opened a cupboard door, using it to shield his arm from the line of Mary's sight as he slightly loosened his wand from its snug location beneath his sleeve -- and then reached for cups and saucers. Mary nodded as she watched Frank and sunk a bit lower in the chair to get more comfortable. "Thank you, Frank," she said genuinely. She meant it too. It felt good to have someone there- to have someone caring for her and comforting her in the way Fabian always did. "Alice better watch out. If you keep doing this, I'll have to keep having you come around here more and more.. now that you know where I live." Sighing, Mary tore her gaze from the cabinet blocking her view of Frank and closed her eyes. She rested her hands behind her head as she tipped it back against the back of the chair. Maybe she could forget about everything that had happened, even if it was just for a little while. She heard the rattling of tea cups and saucers, and she felt herself relax but for a moment before she realised he wouldn't know where the tea leaves were. Mary's eyes opened and she stood without hesitation, but when her eyes rose to look at Frank, his arm was extended, wand pointed square at her. "Frank.." Mary gasped softly as fresh tears sprung to her eyes. She shook her head. Was this not Frank? What was going on? "Frank, put your wand down. You're scaring me. Please? There's no need for-" but before Mary could finish her thought, she felt a cold wave wash over her. And then everything went black. He hadn't expected her to stand up. How much time had passed, Frank couldn't be sure (a glance at his watch would've revealed that just under two hours had gone by), but by the time he was finished, the water in the kettle was cold, the cups and saucers were forgotten on the kitchen counter, and Mary's memories of the Order were gone. He hadn't expected her to stand up and plead with him to lower his wand, wishing instead that she'd remained with her back to him, so that he carry out his work without her last moment of awareness being riddled with confused fear; but stand up she did, ridding him of that option -- yet seeing as how he thought it was more a "Plan Do It When Her Back's Turned," and less of a method that kept her thoughts as settled and ignorant as the circumstances allowed, perhaps meeting her eyes as he aimed his wand and uttered the incantation was the better way. The more honorable way. Or perhaps he and everyone else who'd called for this to happen had simply stripped a young woman of memories that could potentially benefit her. No; the Order came first. The Order, with all of its flaws, was worth fighting for, worth dying for; and it certainly was worth the removal and Obliviation of a member whose continued involvement was an increasing danger to the integrity of the group. Perhaps, in time, she could return to them, but for now, this was the only option. He'd cast the spells with great care, wiping most of Mary's Order memories with an Obliviate, while certain others were manipulated with Confundus charms. Frank left Mary with a whole new set of memories and instructions (those at the forefront being, in short: get a new journal, get a new flat, take care of yourself in these uncertain times); he surreptitiously checked the safety wards already in place around the flat, and then, before disapparating, adjusted her memory one final time: he was never here. |