ernie's bad news.
WHO: Ernie MacMillan & Hannah Abbott (with an appearance by Jean MacMillan, NPC)
WHAT: Ernie finds out his father passed away.
WHEN: August 17th
WHERE: A hotel room in Canada.
RATING: PG
STATUS: Done




Ernie wasn't sure how Hannah managed to talk him into a trip to Canada of all places. Honestly, what was even in Canada? Still, Ernie had enjoyed spending some time alone with his best friend. It had been a long time since it was just them. He didn't want to lose her to adult life.

They had settled in for the evening at the muggle hotel so Ernie was flipping channels on their telly. He still wasn't used to it, but it fascinated him all the same. However, as the phone rang loudly, he jumped. That he would never grow accustomed to.

"Hannah? Hannah!" Ernie sighed, realizing she must have been showering. He looked at the phone like it might jump up and strangle him, but slowly made his way over. He picked it up like he had seen Hannah do. "Hello? Ernie MacMillan speaking."

He frowned as he heard nothing but static. "May I help you?" He asked impatiently. "What? Mum? How---"

On her line, Jean sniffled. "I went to visit Hannah's father, love. I would have sent an owl, but thought it might bring attention to you and…" She closed her eyes tightly. "Sit down, sweetheart."

"Mum, what's going on?" Ernie remained standing, still in disbelief that his mother was on the other side of a telephone.
"Sit!" Jean commanded. "Honey, please, now."

Amazing that she knew he wasn't. Sighing in irritation, Ernie perched on the bed. "Alright, Mum, what is it?" He tried not to betray the fear in his voice, but he knew there had to be bad news for Jean to be calling.

"I wish I was there, darling, but I couldn't go, not with your siblings here and…" Her throat caught. "Your father suffered some sort of attack, sweetheart. The healers did all they could, but…" Tears streamed down her face as she thought not only about her husband, but not being able to comfort her youngest child. "He didn't make it, Ernie. I am so sorry, darling. So, so sorry."

On his end, Ernie went stock still. "What?" He fairly whispered. "Mum…no…that's…impossible." Ernest was fine. He had been fine before they left!

"I am afraid it's not, love. Ernie, please, you have to come home." Jean heard her baby's desperation.

"B-but…no…" Ernie's eyes filled with tears. He had cried only one other time in five years --- at the war's conclusion. "No." He shook his head before he threw the phone across the room. It beeped loudly, but didn't bring Ernie back to his senses. "No!"
Hannah wasn't sure how she'd managed to talk Ernie into joining her, either. She really had intended on spending the week alone, finally having a few moments of peace. But Ernie wasn't one to crowd her and she'd loved having him along in the end. It was sort of amusing introducing him to so many muggle things, too.

She stepped out of the bathroom, still toweling her hair dry. It was too nice outside to be bothered with a dryer, even if it did make her giggle watching the look of horror on Ernie's face at the sounds coming from such a small piece of equipment. She didn't expect the scene in front of her, though. Her best mate in tears. That was a sight she'd rarely, if ever, seen. Blinking in surprise, she stepped forward. "Ernie?" she asked quietly, then noticed the telephone sitting innocently on the floor, beeping off of its hook. Slowly, she approached it, putting it back together, still watching him in stunned amazement. She knew the phone was one of those things that surprised him, but she didn't think it was exactly something that would bring him to tears. "Ernie?" she asked again, feeling stupid for talking twice when there was really no reason to.

Ernie shook his head. Tears dripped down his face, but no sounds escaped. He pointed to the phone and then shook his head a second time. He stood up suddenly and went to the drawer where he had left his clothing. He dug around until he found a small leather wallet. He always hid it there when he was in the room. He still didn't entirely trust the muggle staff. He flipped it open, searching for the one of his smiling parents. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. It wasn't...Helga, why was the phone ringing again? "Mum," he whispered hoarsely. "I think I cut her off when..." He stared at Hannah, his lips trembling.

"When..." Oh, goodness, this wasn't like him. She wasn't used to Ernie in pieces this way. He was the strongest person she knew. He was the one she went to when she was in pieces. If whatever had happened was this bad, it wasn't something she was prepared for. Hannah picked up the phone and held it in her lap, looking down at it with a worried expression. "Hello?" she said softly. She'd almost answered it 'Mrs. Macmillan?' but it could be her own father, or one of the staff.

"Oh, Hannah, darling." Jean was barely holding it together, but she was doing her best. "Is he alright? Where is he?"

Jean Macmillan was nearly as close to her as her own mother had been. To hear the worry and the hurt in her tone scared Hannah like few other sounds could. "He's... No, not really. He's here." Looking through his wallet, which surprised her. "Mrs. Macmillan, what's wrong?" Her eyes looked up at Ernie, confused and afraid.

On the other side of that phone line, Jean closed her eyes. "Sweetheart, Ernie's father has passed away. We need him home. I am so sorry, darling, I wish there was a better way to tell you this than..." She cast the phone a dirty look. "I just couldn't leave the family."

Oh. No, no... This wasn't happening. Oh, God, no wonder he looked so torn apart. "I'll get him there just as soon as we can. Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do?" Oh, she hated those words. She'd heard them time and again and never knew how to answer, but now she knew how automatic it was to say them.

"No, love, just take care of him, please." Jean shook her head, trying to think of everything she needed to get in order. Where to even start. "Do you want to talk to your father?"

Across the room, Ernie glanced back to Hannah. The truth was in her face. He said nothing, merely clutched his wallet and went to lie on the bed, his face buried. He had never felt such pain in his life.

Almost instinctively, Hannah shook her head and remembered it wasn't necessary. You couldn't see through the phone, after all. "No, that's all right. Just let him know I'll be home soon." She said a quiet goodbye, knowing her dad would take as good of care of Jean as he could. She set the phone gently back into its cradle and stared at it for a long moment before making her way over to Ernie's bed. Perching at his side, she rested her hand lightly on his back. "Oh, sweetheart... Ernie, I'm so sorry." Tears were filling her own eyes, but it was him her heart was with just then. She'd mourn later, when she didn't have to be strong for Ernie's sake.

Ernie tensed at the touch, but he didn't pull away. If anything, her hand reminded him of the pain. How many times had his father comforted him that way when Ernie was a mere child? But at least feeling agony made him feel real. It was real. Hell, it was real. His body shook as sobs overcame. He didn't even have it in him to worry about feeling embarrassed. He had lost his father. He had lost him. Out of nowhere. He said nothing though his brain admonished over his bad manners in not checking to see how Hannah was holding up.

She felt the tension in his body when she'd offered what little comfort she could. But she couldn't hold that against him. She couldn't hold anything against him. Hannah knew how painful it was. There was nothing worse than losing someone so close to you, and so unexpectedly. And to find out from so far away. For a moment, she didn't speak. There really weren't words that would make this go away.

She let him cry for several minutes, knowing he needed it. Hopefully, nothing would ever hurt more than this. "Sweetie, we've got to get home. Your mum... She needs you now. Your sisters, they all do." Oh, why? His sister had just gotten married. This was supposed to be the happiest time of her life.

Ernie shook his head. He felt the tears seeping into the pillow; the saner part of him even cringed at what a mess he made. "Not like this. Not yet." He took several shuddering breaths before hoisting himself up. "I am sorry." He couldn't meet Hannah's eyes as he fished around for a tissue.

He didn't need to fish far. Hannah kept a box on the nightstand, and had since she was a little girl. The small travel pack would have to suffice for the moment, but she offered it to him before sneaking one for herself. "Don't be sorry, Ernie." How could he think she'd need an apology from him? Heaven knew he'd been there enough for her while she'd cried. And she did it plenty more often than he did. "She didn't... How?" He'd been fine when they'd left. Hadn't he?

"I don't know. She said he suffered some attack and that the heal---" He swallowed hard before blowing his nose. "The healers couldn't..." Merlin, he couldn't say it.

There was no need to make him say it. Hannah nodded slowly. She took the hand not clutching the tissue and held it tightly in hers. She couldn't tell him it was all going to be okay because it wasn't. Things weren't ever going to be the same again. "We need to see about getting a portkey home. It'll be faster than trying to get a flight out." That wasn't necessarily true, but with Ernie's emotional state, she couldn't put him on an airplane. It'd be almost cruel.

"My father's company has one. I...you can call your dad and ask if Mum's still there. She can get it. Well, we can get it from over here. She just needs to okay it." Ernie held her hand tightly. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"No," she agreed, her voice quiet. She reached out, brushing lightly matted hair off of his forehead. "It wasn't. Not to him."

Ernie leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. "I need him, Hannah. I need him so badly."

Oh, God, if anything would break her, it was that. How many times had she cried that she needed a mother? As wonderful as her dad was, he wasn't her mum, and she knew Ernie would be thinking the same thing over and over through the years to come. "I know," she whispered, continuing to smooth his hair with a soothing touch. "And I'm so, so sorry he won't be here." Her voice caught, and she held her breath for a moment before she could continue. "You're going to be an amazing man because of him. That's something he'd be proud of."

"But he's not here to see it..." Ernie wiped at his face with the back of his hand. "Dad...Dad would have done anything for anyone and now..."

It was a hard moment for Hannah. Her faith was what kept her going through those dark moments; as far as Hannah was concerned, she'd see her mum again some day, and she'd know everything Hannah had done since they'd been separated. But not everyone felt that way, and it was sometimes hard for her to comfort others where she would have been. "He knows," she said quietly, instead. "That's what he worked so hard for. To make you into a man who was every bit as good as him."

"Neville will be upset," Ernie announced abruptly. "I should be the one to tell him. I hope he hasn't heard...I wonder who has..." He wasn't even forming coherent thoughts never mind sentences.

"We'll figure all of that out, just as soon as you're home, okay?" She gave his hand a squeeze and stood, starting to gather their things. "There'll be owls to send out, people to see. I imagine your mum's going to handle most of the arrangements, but she may need help..." Oh, gosh, and now she was babbling like an idiot.

Ernie didn't know if he could be good help to anyone, but he'd try. He had to for his mother's sake. His poor mum. His parents had been so happy together. Ernie also started pulling things out and stuffing them into his suitcase. "Right. One thing at a time." He tried desperately to follow his advice.

Pausing in her frantic packing, Hannah looked up at him, concern in her eyes. "You're not alone in this, Ernie. I promise. You're never alone. Got it?"