barnaby 'baz' snell (broadcaster) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-09-21 21:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | barnaby snell, rhys cadwallader |
WHO: Rhys Cadwallader & Barnaby Snell.
WHAT: Patronus practice!
WHEN: Backdated to Monday, 18 September.
WHERE: The Gentle Green Bed & Breakfast, Wales.
“Have you done much duelling since leaving school?” Rhys asked him, wand at the ready and warming up by idly casting delicate little shimmers of light with a flick of his left hand. It felt a bit strange to be discussing defensive tactics from a seated position on a polka-dotted deck chair in the back garden rather than in some training gym back at the Ministry, but this, he supposed, was his life now. His old job no longer existed, but while he wasn’t an Auror any more, there was nothing stopping him from trying to protect someone he cared about by helping him to better protect himself. He smiled encouragingly and added, “Do you have a favourite curse or hex?” “I haven’t really done any dueling since I left school,” Baz admitted. He was following Rhys’ lead in warm up exercises, and he smiled at the blue sparks emitting from the tip of his wand. Baz could count the number of duels he’d participated in on one hand. He preferred to rely on his wits rather than his dueling ability, which was practically nonexistent. But he wasn’t completely useless, so he quickly tacked on, “I’m all right at the Reductor Curse, I guess? Most of my favorites are pretty juvenile. Good for having a bit of fun with Gwen and Chelsea.” “Reductor’s good. Juvenile can work, too -- anything that can catch a potential assailant off-guard,” Rhys said, supportive as always. Even something as ridiculous as a slug-vomiting charm could be useful if it gave you an extra few seconds to get away. Deciding that they’d had enough time to warm up, Rhys raised his wand with a sudden, “Think fast!” and conjured a harmless balloon animal in Baz’s direction. The goal, after all, was to practice, not to actually injure his brother-in-law. Baz’s first instinct was to bat the balloon animal away with his hand. But that wasn’t the point of this hand, so he scrambled up to come up with an appropriate spell. Arcing his wand through the air, he quickly muttered the incantation for the Freezing Charm. The balloon animal halted in mid-air, a few inches away from Baz’s nose. He poked at it with the tip of his wand. He flashed Rhys a pleased smile. “How’s that?” Rhys nodded, also pleased. “Awesome. Good reflexes. How about another?” he asked, casting another bigger, slightly more elaborate balloon animal as the first popped back into non-existence. This one looked a little bit like a dragon -- partially because it was a bit more aggressive than the first whatchamacallit, but mostly because Rhys relished the opportunity to show off a little. It floated towards Baz as menacingly as a balloon could float. Baz arched an eyebrow at the dragon before aiming his wand at it. He cast a nonverbal Banishing Charm, smirking to himself as the little dragon began to hurtle in the opposite direction. “I think I’m prepared for the great balloon threat,” he quipped, eyes still trained on the dragon zipping through the garden. “Nonverbal. Nice,” Rhys said encouragingly. “Banishing charms are very useful.” There was a faint pop as the dragon disappeared somewhere in the distance. He made a show of pushing up his sleeves with a cryptic, “You’re right, I think you’re ready.” Then, with a flourish, he conjured an even larger and even more specific balloon creature -- a big, puffy, and far less scarier than the original -- dementor. “OoooOOoooooOOoohhh, I’m here to eat your soul,” Rhys said in his spookiest voice as the thing bobbed toward Baz. Baz barked a laugh at the sight of the balloon dementor. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he stood to his full height, as if he were preparing to do battle with an actual dark creature rather than a balloon. Then, a little nervously, “So I just think of my happiest memory?” Laughter -- Rhys thought with a smile -- was a good start. “Yep! Happiest memory, anything you like! It doesn't matter what, just has to bring you back to a time that brought you joy. Don't overthink it -- you've got this, mate.” he said encouragingly, more cheerleader than teacher. A thoughtful expression passed over Baz’s face as he scanned his memories. The day he moved in with Chelsea and Gwen was a good one, with laughter and free-flowing alcohol. The day he received a job offer from the WWN. His first trip to Rio de Janeiro, with his mother and his sister at his side. Finally, he settled on a thought that kindled a spark of happiness in his chest. He pointed his wand at the balloon dementor. “Expecto Patronum!” Nothing happened. Confused, he looked to Rhys. “Am I doing it wrong?” Rhys was unfazed. “No, you’re doing it perfectly. It’s a very difficult charm, and no-one gets it on the first try, no pressure. Just remember, even an intangible one is good.” he said helpfully, drawing circles with his own wand as though he were about to attempt to cast one too. Baz nodded. After a deep breath, he repeated the incantation and accompanying wand gesture to no avail. He could feel his frustration with himself mounting after every unsuccessful attempt. Harry Potter can do this, he thought to himself, and he’s only a teenager. Finally, after his fourth attempt, something silvery shot out from the tip of his wand. It was almost nothing, barely a wisp. He couldn’t make out what it was supposed to be, but at least it was something. Grinning wildly, his eyes met Rhys’. “Can I see yours?” Rhys meet Baz’s enthusiastic grin with one of his own. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I knew you'd be a natural.” he said proudly. Had it been any easier, he would have gotten up to give him a congratulatory hug. At Baz’s question, however, he was slightly more hesitant. “Sure, why not?” Rhys said, though he didn't sound as sure as he would have liked. It had been a year since he'd been an Auror, and he hoped he wasn't too out of practice. Did a Patronus charm atrophy from lack of use? He took a deep breath and parsed through his happy memories: his wedding day, marrying his best friend and soul mate… becoming an Auror, years of hard work finally… well, no, that one was no good any more. His family… who worried about him… no. Nora -- laughing with Nora, sharing his life with Nora, Nora always being there for him when… Rhys knew he'd failed even before he said the incantation. He hoped, he twirled, and… nothing. Not even a wisp. “Well, this is a good teaching moment, I suppose.” Rhys sighed, looking slightly defeated. “Negativity has a nasty little habit of creeping in and ruining everything.” He paused and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment to steady himself before adding, “What do you think? Should we both give it another go?” Baz nodded. “Let’s.” He cast back through his memories, a smile blooming across his face as he recalled his chosen happiest memory: his first Quidditch match. The thrill of watching athletes soar through the air, the roar of the crowd, the salt of the popcorn. Just thinking about it made him feel six years old again. He eyed the faux dementor and when he recited the incantation, his voice was untroubled and joyful. Another silvery tendril snaked its way through the air. Baz tried not to feel disappointed as he watched it — this was probably as close as he was going to get to the genuine article. Today, at least. Baz’s joy was contagious, and Rhys put his own nerves aside, following suit. This time, he focused not on any particular moment, but on the one person who made him happiest of all: Nora -- just the idea of Nora and every perfect thing about her -- concentrating on the culmination of all those memories they’d forged together. His heart swelled with love for her as he enunciated the words clearly this time, his tone bright. This time, unrestrained by worry and overthinking, Rhys’ Patronus emerged fully-formed: a big, shaggy, silvery bear, which lumbered forward as though to boop the fake dementor with its nose. Rhys let out a loud laugh of relief; sappiness, at least, was apparently still a secret weapon he could use. Both of Baz’s eyebrows arched up in surprise as he took a few steps back, as if the bear would turn its attention on him. “Whoa,” he said. “That’s incredible.” Rhys turned to him, smiling warmly. “I guess it’s kind of cool,” he said, not really one to brag. He let both the balloon dementor, then the bear shimmer and fade, looking pleased by both his and Baz’s success. He didn’t dwell on it for long, though -- he segued quickly back into encouragement mode. “You’re almost there, though! I think I almost saw an outline of something! I bet it’s going to be awesome. How do you feel?” Baz considered the question for a moment, raking a hand through his hair as he let out a thoughtful ‘Hm.’ Twirling his wand in his fingers, he finally shrugged. “I feel okay, I guess.” But he was downplaying it — happy, excited energy was vibrating off him in waves. “I hope mine is something cool like a bear and not, you know, a vole or something weird.” “It’ll be the coolest thing ever,” Rhys assured him, still grinning. “Yours is going to make mine look like a runty puffskein, I can feel it.” “Hey, I heard about what Carrot and Pea did to that snatcher,” Baz replied with a laugh. “Puffskeins are no longer that runty in my book.” “They’re fierce. They take after Nora, I think.” Rhys joked, feeling considerably more relaxed than when they’d started. Baz felt a rush of affection for his sister. “Yeah, they do.” Beat. “So I’ll consider myself lucky if I get a puffskein for a Patronus.” |