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Tweak says, "They're coming to take me away"

Florence James (missj) wrote in incipimusiterum,
@ 2023-06-05 21:19:00

Entry tags:

inactive: florence james, location: scotland: hogwarts

Quiet Contemplations

WHO Florence James and Oliver Bones. WHERE Astronomy Tower.
WHEN June 5th.
RATING E for Emotions. | Thoughts about the future

Sat with a blanket around her shoulders on the cold floor of the astronomy tower, Florence was barely noticeable as she huddled in the alcove belonging to one of the smaller windows. Try as she might, she just could not settle enough to sleep. Then again, if she was honest with herself, this was hardly a new issue in the last few weeks. Try as she might to keep herself focused on her exams, to stay positive and upbeat, she could not help but be keenly aware that the last few grains of sand were falling through the hourglass that marked her time here at Hogwarts.

When she had arrived at the school all those years ago, fresh-faced and almost vomiting from nerves, 7 years had somehow felt like an eternity. Yet as she looked back over her time at the school, it felt like it had somehow disappeared in the blink of an eye. In a matter of weeks, she would be gone from the place she had called home for the last few years, and it was a feeling she was altogether not ready to leave. Hogwarts had been a wonderful place for Flo, a place of wonder, of intrigue. She had learnt about magic, and more importantly, had learnt things about herself she had never even realised.

Most importantly of all, it had given her a family. That was not to say that she did not have a family of her own, but with the constant high expectations, it was sometimes hard to relax around her family. Here though, she was accepted by her friends, she felt as though she could be herself, completely unapologetically. It was why the thought that she would no longer see all of her friends, and get to spend carefree spring afternoons by the lake was enough to make her eyes softly glisten with tears.

Of course, she was not naïve, she recognised that everyone had to grow up sooner or later, and yet for all of her books and lessons, she somehow did not feel prepared. In her mind, in so many ways, she was still the frightened 11-year-old who had arrived at the school. She might know more magic than she once did, but somehow that didn’t make her feel any more prepared for the outside world. Especially a world that seemed to be going darker with hateful rhetoric and literally terrorist acts, with each passing day. Walpurgis had been a massive wake-up call for her, watching as Lizzie recovered from more injuries than an 18-year-old ever should.

And yet, as much as she didn’t want any of this to be true, she knew that there was no fighting this much longer. Whether she wanted to leave or not, the passing of time would soon force her hand, and she would find herself climbing on board of the train for the last time, trunk in hand.

Hearing a small noise at the stairwell, Flo dabbed her face quickly with her blanket, trying her best to hide the emotion from her features, unsure of who was about to ascend the staircase.

© tessisamess

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bluebones
2023-06-06 04:05 am UTC (link)

"After this, we can call it a night."

Oliver nodded in response, loosening his Hufflepuff tie with one hand while his other hand held a lit wand. He'd never minded evening rounds. It was quiet in the empty halls. Almost peaceful. His co-prefect was a bit chatty as they wandered the grounds looking for troublemakers and students out past curfew, but she’d never minded when he didn’t contribute much to the conversation. He got updates on school news, her NEWTs, and silly dining hall gossip. Besides, these days, every activity had the added shine of perhaps being the last. The last time he'd be able to snack on biscuits in the kitchens, House elves scurrying busily around him. The last time he'd spot a large tentacle creeping out from the Great Lake on his way to the greenhouses. The last time he'd walk up the stairs on evening rounds. It felt bittersweet - the excitement of a new challenge, new surroundings, and independence battling it out with both the pressure of expectations and something else. Disappointment. A strange sense of foreboding. The world he'd be entering into as a Hogwarts graduate wasn't the world he'd expected... it was more violent, more cruel. Maybe it was selfish to want something for himself, to think of other possibilities for himself than the DMLE in a world like this. Maybe it wasn't just expected - maybe it was owed.

He heard a soft rustling noise and stopped to listen more closely. The Astronomy Tower was always popular with students - particularly couples looking to find a place to be alone. He rolled his eyes and started up the stairs. “It’s after curfew.” He said, loud enough to be heard from the top. “You shouldn’t be-” He trailed off as he reached the last step and recognized the small figure wrapped in a blanket. “Oh. Hello Flo.” He finished the climb up and gave her a small, crooked smile, as though he were a little embarrassed to have caught her. “I thought… can’t sleep?”

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missj
2023-06-06 05:44 pm UTC (link)

Looking up to see Oliver’s figure in the doorway, Florence’s cheeks coloured a light pink shade at being caught out after hours. Really, she should have known better, she was a Prefect herself, after all. Yet, with so few days between now and leaving this place forever, she just couldn’t bring herself to abide by the rules that she knew should have been guiding her actions. She needed this, she needed this moment of quiet to try and absorb the rush of emotions she felt every time she thought about leaving Hogwarts.

“No amorous couples tonight,” she responded, offering him a small knowing smile. Of course, she very well knew what he had likely expected to find when he came up to the Astronomy Tower. She had broken up her fair share of couples over the years too. She wasn’t sure what it was about the tower, but it seemed to attract a ridiculous amount of couples up there, no matter how many detentions and loss of points were issued. Still, she could hardly say anything, after all, she was there after hours herself too.

Releasing a corner of her blanket a little so it dropped to the floor, she smoothed it out a little to give Oliver something to sit on other than the cool stone floor, should he want it. “Nope, couldn’t quite settle. Didn’t want my dormmates to murder me for having the light on, so thought I’d go for a small walk. Next thing I knew I found himself in here” she explained gesturing down at her blanket. “How about you? Rounds go quietly tonight?”

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bluebones
2023-06-12 09:16 pm UTC (link)

“I- uh. Yeah.” Oliver gave a quick glance back towards the steps he’d come in from before settling in on the corner of Florence’s blanket, pulling his long legs in towards his torso until his elbows could rest lightly on his knees. “They were all right.” He replied once he’d settled in. “Everyone’s preoccupied with exams and summer hols.” He turned his head slightly to look at Florence seated on the blanket next to him. He understood feeling restless, especially lately. It was as though a cloud of tension had fallen over the castle, with students buried under tall stacks of books at the library and stumbling blindly through the halls with their noses in their notes. “Anything in particular keeping you up?"

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missj
2023-06-16 05:33 pm UTC (link)

Shuffling over slightly on the blanket, Florence angled herself to face him a little better, not wanting to come across as being ignorant. “I know it's stupid, but I’ve been kinda trying to take in every last moment we have here. I feel like I’ve spent so many years with my head in a book, but I’ve never really appreciated this place, not properly at least. I’d always planned on it, but now we’re leaving in just a few short weeks and that just isn’t long at all,” she attempted to explain to him. “I guess there was just a part of me that naively thought that I would be here forever”

Her cheeks turning a light shade of pink, she looked down at her knees, before bashfully turning her gaze towards him. “How are you feeling about it all? Do you know what you want to do yet when you escape?”

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bluebones
2023-06-25 03:39 am UTC (link)

Even in the dim evening light of the Astronomy Tower, Oliver could see Florence’s blushing face. They’d known each other for a long time now. Back in first year, they’d been about the same height, equally dwarfed by their large schoolbags. He’d been quiet. Terrified. Scared to speak out loud and scared that if he didn’t, he’d disappear - hidden in the tremendous shadow his brother and sister had left behind. Sometimes, he felt like it might be better that way. If people didn’t notice him, they wouldn’t assume that he was slow just because he was quiet. They wouldn’t look at him with surprise - “You’re Eddie’s brother?” - considering how it would likely take three of his scrawny eleven-year-old arms to make up just one of Eddie’s muscled biceps. They had both grown, but Florence reminded him of those early Hogwarts years just now, looking down at her knees with pink-cheeked embarrassment. “I don’t think that’s stupid.” He responded, his tone matter of fact. It was polite, the sort of thing a person might say automatically, but that didn’t make it any less true. “You’re not a stupid person.”

Oliver was quiet for a moment. Not ignoring her, but simply collecting his thoughts. Forming the sentences in his head before proceeding. “I used to want to be an Auror. Like Edgar. But now… I can’t tell if that’s something I want for myself or if I still just want to be like him.”

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