ernie macmillan, head boy. (puff enough for two.) (emacmillan) wrote in caged, @ 2013-08-18 23:08:00 |
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"How has your summer been?" Susan regretted the question as soon as it left her mouth. She knew how his summer had gone. Probably about as well as hers. The small, muggle café, where they were sitting, was quiet with only a handful of muggles inside. This had, apparently, been a favourite of Justin's. Susan glanced over at a nearby couple. As far as she could tell, they were deep in conversation and weren't aware of anyone else's presence. They were blissfully unaware that there was a Dark Wizard out there bent on destroying them. And, her. It wasn't a happy thought, so she turned her attention back to Ernie. It was a loaded question. Things were plain awful, and in the recent past, Ernie couldn't help but think about where his best mate was. He hadn't heard from Justin in a few weeks, and even now, sitting in the favourite cafe of Justin's, Ernie frowned, his thoughts immediately landing on his friend. He absent-mindedly traced a finger along the edge of his cup full of tea, and breathed in heavily. Holding that breath for a moment, his eyes fell on Susan and he slumped his shoulders, in response. "Unpleasant." That was the only word that came out of Ernie's mouth that could sugar coat the circumstances, but state what was in his mind, at the same time. "You wanted to tell me something, did you not?" Of course Ernie would get straight to the point. It had probably been unwise to go anywhere that would remind him of Justin, but Susan hadn’t wanted to discuss anything with other wizards around. “It’s just that... I know you’re worried about Justin, and--” She looked down at her lap, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. “I just don’t want you to be worried about me, too. If I don’t go back to Hogwarts, I’m safe, okay? I need you to know that.” Ernie wasn't sure if what he had heard was what he had understood, or what he understood was, in fact, what Susan had said. He continued to stare at her for a few moments, blinking slowly, as if recollecting her exact words. "You -- are not going back to Hogwarts?" he questioned, speaking slower than usual. "I may be worried about Justin, but I will always be worried about all my friends, whether they are at school -- where they are supposed to be -- or not." “I don’t know. Maybe. My dad is afraid he’ll lose his job because of--you know. So he wants to take me and my siblings and leave, make a new life somewhere else. I told him I won’t go, but he’s my dad. I can’t lose him, too.” She realized then that she hadn’t told Ernie about her mum, and she she shifted in her chair uncomfortably. It wasn’t something she wanted to discuss. She looked up to meet his eyes and gave him a small shrug. “I don’t know. I just don’t want you to worry about me, okay? Don’t.” Ernie didn't glance away from Susan, but he could understand where her father was coming from. Things were bad for the Bones family for ages and if her father wanted to keep them safe, then who was he to question it? Ernie met her gaze, but didn't otherwise move. He hadn't heard from Justin and the worst part of his imagination had him thinking awful things about the state his best friend would be in, but he didn't want to imagine the same thing for the girl sitting in front of him, either. Sighing, Ernie reached for Susan's hand, giving it a firm squeeze in the process. "Are you telling me this may be the last time I see you for some period?" Susan reached over to place her other hand on top of his, unsure of which of them she was trying to comfort. “Well, maybe. It’s not a for sure thing, and I’m supposed to go to Hannah’s party. I think she’d be really upset if I ditch, but, I mean, it’s not really in my control.” She paused then and let out a long breath. She was supposed to lie now, tell him whatever story her parents had concocted, but when she looked at him she knew he couldn’t. “My mum is already gone. She didn’t register, so we’re all going to be in trouble for it, I think. I hate it, Ernie. I just want to go back to school and not worry about this, but even if I go back I don’t really think it’s wise for us to be friends.” Ernie pondered over her words for a few minutes, the latter more so than the former. He didn't want to think about people being on the run, and he certainly didn't want to know what it would be like for one's parent to be on the run. His gaze dropped down to their hands, and he furrowed his brows together, as though he was trying to come up with the words that would make this entire situation quite. No such words came to mind, and he was left with an unpleasant state of annoyance. "Are you saying that to all your friends, or just me?" he finally spoke, a hint of said annoyance seeping through. He didn't want to sound bitter and slightly angry by it, but he had to ask. Susan winced when he spoke. She should’ve expected him to be annoyed. He was one of the most loyal people she knew, so it was a stupid thing to ask. She hoped he would understand. “Just you,” she mumbled. Maybe if she said it quietly, he wouldn’t hear and move past it. “You’re the only one who...” She closed her eyes for a moment. Maybe if she made him mad enough, she would get her wish anyway. It wasn’t what she was going to say, but she said it anyway. “I thought would listen.” Ernie clenched his jaw, loosening the grip on her hand. He left his hand where it was for a few more seconds, but finally had enough sense to pull away and grab a hold of the cup of tea, instead. "I will always worry about the people I care for, whether they want me to, or not. I do not fathom why you think it would change otherwise." He didn't look at Susan when the words came out of his mouth and instead kept his eyes on the tea. "If you would rather be in peace by not associating with me, then so be it." Well, there went her chance of getting a goodbye snog. She moved her hands to her lap and looked pleadingly at him. Don’t be like that, she tried to say with her eyes. “I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me. I’m a bad influence on you, anyway. You have Han. You don’t really need--” But maybe he did. He’d already lost Justin, and when that realization hit, she felt cruel. “I’m sorry, Ernie. I’m so sorry.” A laugh escaped from his mouth before Ernie had a chance to stifle it. She had a bad influence on him? The thought was preposterous. "Look, Sus, I am not interested in making you feel uncomfortable. I want you to be happy. So maybe we should stop speaking to each other, after all." He finally looked up at her, nervously gulping. He wasn't happy with the decision, but after everything Susan had gone through, her feelings would take precedence over his thoughts on the matter. Sus. She liked it when he called her that. “Thank you, but not yet, okay? Talk to me now. Talk to me about anything. She held out her hand for him to take again and hoped he would. “Please?” Against his better judgment, Ernie reached for her hand again, smiling in the process. His thumb graced the back of her hand softly and he looked at it, as though her hand was porcelain and he would break it, if he held on to it too tightly. "I am extremely scared for Justin." Those words weren't spoken at home, if only because he didn't want to bring up politics in front of his parents and worry his sister some more. “I know.” She paused a moment to gather her thoughts and figure out the right thing to say, the right way to comfort him. But she knew there was nothing. Nothing anyone said made her feel better about her mum, and she didn’t hold out much hope that he was different. “The world is such a big place, you know? And she--they--could be anywhere. I keep forgetting that she’s gone, and I yell for her when I get home or expect her to nag me about my laundry. But then I remember and it’s so much worse because I’ve lost her all over again. I don’t know what I’d do if it was Zacharias or you, too.” He nodded, knowing full well that what Susan was saying was true. They really could have been anywhere. "Your mum will be back. You are correct, Susan. They will be fine and we can only hope for the best." Ernie gave her hand another squeeze, now reaching for the cup of tea with his free hand and bringing it to his lips. "Will you write to me if you do not come back?" he asked, before sipping the drink. Susan’s own cup was growing cold, but she didn’t reach for it. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on his. “Every day, if that’s what you want.” "Yes and no." The response was instantaneous, almost as though Ernie was able to read Susan's mind before she spoke. "I would be grateful to know about your whereabouts, but if you did write to me, and you stopped writing one day...," Ernie trailed off, gulping at the mere thought of the worst. "There is no happy solution either way." Setting down the cup of tea, Ernie brought Susan's hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand softly, now speaking against her skin. "We can only hope for the best, regardless of the situation." She kept her hand in his for a second longer before moving to brush a finger across his cheek. “Do you want to go somewhere more private?” Her intent was to sound casual, but she knew she sounded like she was pleading again. His smile turned into a smirk, at the question she had posed, even if she had all intentions of being innocent. It was not the implication that Ernie could read, and above all things, Ernie was still a teenage boy. "I would not be opposed to the idea," he murmured, slowly getting up to his feet, and pulling Susan up along with him. "How long until you have to go home?" A small smile formed on her lips. Leaning into him, she said, “About an hour. I’m all yours until then.” |