Nora Cadwallader (safekeep) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-04-29 18:39:00 |
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Nora pulled another box down from the shelf and opened it gingerly. The more boxes she sorted through, the more she marveled at every little thing her parents had kept over the years, and at everything they had managed to shrink down and save when they fled to Brazil. She and Rhys wouldn't have that. They'd already lost almost everything. But that didn't matter right then. Nora's head was filled with images of the state her little brother might be in. She saw enough as a mediwitch that she barely had to imagine; she didn't know the details of Baz's injuries, but it wasn't as if she could do anything to help them from the other side of the Atlantic. She should never have— "It's got to be in here somewhere," she muttered aloud, but the search through this box proved fruitless as well. Rhys watched her with an expression of sympathy and concern; he was helpless to do much to help his brother-in-law from the other side of the world, but he could, at least, be here for Nora. He couldn’t imagine what she was currently going through. What if it had been his brother? “Love? What are you looking for? I’m here. I’ll help,” he offered, sitting down on one of the containers that had already been rummaged through. He levitated another box down from the shelf and brought it toward himself. He opened it carefully, though he was unsure of what he was supposed to be finding. "Mum said it would probably be here somewhere," Nora said without quite realizing she hadn't answered the question. She moved over to the box Rhys retrieved, rummaging carefully through the collection of Hogwarts letters (Hogwarts letters? Really?) that filled the box to see if what she sought was stuck in below them. "I want to send it to Baz. He—" Her throat hitched, and she swallowed hard. Rhys reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave it a comforting squeeze. “It’s okay, love. It’s okay,” he assured her gently. “What are you sending to Baz? We’ll find it.” "It's not," Nora insisted. "It's not okay. He's—we should have made him come with us. I should have. He was going to and I just left him there." She curled into Rhys, burying her face into his shoulder before she started to cry again. He wrapped his arms around and held her close, leaning his head against hers. He fell silent, just letting her cry for a moment, not wanting to interrupt. It was important to get it out. “I’m sorry. I tried to convince him, but maybe I should have tried harder. I wonder if Jeremy would bring him now,” he said softly. “Once he’s well enough to travel.” "I was trying—" A hiccup rippled through Nora. She took a breath and tried again. "I was trying to respect his choices. I didn't want to—I don't know." She pulled away from him. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and kept them low as she struggled to put to words what she was afraid to ask aloud. "Do you think Clem went after Baz because we—because—" Rhys looked down at his hands guiltily. “Yeah. Maybe. But what choice did we have?” he said, crossing his arms. He paused, took a deep breath and asked, “Do you think we should go back?” Nora shook her head without hesitating. "No. No. We can't go back. They—" They would try to kill him again. They might succeed, next time. "No." She was resolute in this, but then, softer, she added, "Maybe I could go back there and get him and bring him here." Rhys shook his head immediately. “You can’t go alone. They’ll kill you,” he said firmly. “I could go. I could disguise myself. Maybe I could polyjuice as someone more fit. Or I could fly there. How long would it take to fly there? I won’t let them hurt you again.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself a little before adding, “Jeremy should just bring him here. Then he’d be safe, too. We could all be safe.” "Rhys, you can't—" She stopped herself, because Rhys had heard enough about what he couldn't do in the last year and a half. He knew he wouldn't be able to fly back home from there, puffin wings or not, and he didn't need her telling him that. Instead, she sighed. "I'll talk to Baz again when he's… We'll figure something out." She didn't believe Jeremy would leave his brother (just as she never should have left hers) but there had to be something. She just needed to talk to Baz. Baz needed to be okay. Flustered and still unable to help in any real way, she pulled out another box and set it down. Rhys bit his lip, wanting desperately to help, but unable to come up with anything even moderately helpful. “Maybe we could talk to the Order. Get him to a safehouse or something where they can’t find him.” "We—" Nora's shoulders slumped at one more can't. "I don't even know what condition he's in. He might need more care. I don't—we can't do anything from here." Her tone edged on bitter; this was one more thing that just wasn't fair. She pulled the lid off the box. "Oh!" And there, sitting right on top, was a round ball of faded yellow fur. Baz's constant companion, the golden snidget stuffed animal. "This is it," she said, gently lifting it out. For people who hated that feeling of helplessness, the Cadwalladers had felt it more than their fair share. Rhys sighed and rubbed at his temple, though he watched Nora’s discovery with curiosity through squinted eyes. “Oh? What is it?” he asked. "It was his favourite," Nora said softly. It was smaller than she remembered; older and well-loved. "When we were kids. He used to take it everywhere. I thought it might be comforting but … I don't know. Maybe it's stupid." Rhys couldn’t help but to crack a small, sad smile. “It’s not stupid at all. I think it’s nice. And smart, too. He’ll love it,” he said with a decisive nod. Nora nodded. She hugged the snidget close to her chest, and a half-hearted smile appeared, then disappeared just as quickly. She should be with her brother herself, not just sending him some little toy in her place. "This sucks," she said, again, because there wasn't anything else to say. “Yeah,” was all Rhys could say. “This does suck. I’m sorry.” He moved to sit down beside her, draping an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry there isn’t more I can do. I’m sorry he isn’t here with us. I’m sorry Death Eaters ruin everything.” "I should get this in the post," Nora said abruptly, before she let herself fall into the series of horrible hypothetical questions (like What if Clem finds him again or What if he dies there alone because the rest of us ran away) that brewed just below her surface. "It'll still take a bit to get there, but the sooner we send it … I hope it helps, a little." Rhys nodded. “Yes, let’s get it sent. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” He leaned and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek, hoping this would make her feel better, even if only for a moment. She hugged him and held on for a moment. "I'll take care of it," she said. Glancing back at the box, she retrieved another old friend. "You can keep Matilda Fluffs company," she said, handing her own beloved childhood relic—a faded purple bunny that was short an ear—over to Rhys. "Matilda saw me through a lot, so be nice." Rhys gently took Matilda Fluffs and cradled her like a baby, giving her a kiss on her fuzzy purple head. “I think we’ll get along just fine.” he smiled. Nora watched the paternal way he cared for the stuffed animal and she smiled for the briefest moment, but that was another matter and she had to focus on Baz, now. "I'll be back in a bit," she said. She headed out to send off the package, praying silently again that Jeremy was right and that Baz would be okay and not dead by the time it arrived. |