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Megan Jones (keepingjones) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-01-07 01:11:00

Entry tags:

!1998: 01, eloise midgen, megan jones

January 7, 1998
Characters: Megan Jones and Eloise Midgen
Setting: 7th year girl's dorms. Evening.
Summary: Megan seeks out Eloise after this.

Megan's heart had honestly sank when she saw Eloise's request. The handwriting was exceptionally off and immediately the girl knew something was wrong. She didn't waste any time shutting her journal after her best friend responded with her whereabouts. Megan had been in the common room watching a pair of third years play exploding snap and trying to occupy her time not doing homework. It was here that she'd realized the seventh year Hufflepuff girls were in need of something...not thought provoking to start the near year right. Course...Eloise's call for aid threw all of that out of mind.

The quickened speed walk to the girl's dormitory was almost an instant one that needed no thought at all. Megan hadn't even bothered to excuse herself from her company.

Entering the room she called a cautious, "Eloise?" She immediately made note of Eloise sitting on her four poster. Megan approached quickly with a tilted head of concern. She tossed her few belongings that were in tow on her own four poster next to Eloise's.

"Luv, whats wrong?" she asked as she sat down on Eloise's right so that her good shoulder could be offered for crying on if necessary. Curiously, enough, the girl didn't seem to be in a mess of tears. Eloise was reading. Reading a familiar romance novel that Megan had borrowed once a few years back.

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offandrunning
2010-01-07 09:14 am UTC (link)

While Eloise had known Megan was coming, for some reason her rapid entrance into the room took her off guard. She twitched slightly at the sudden sound of footsteps, looked up from her book, and then back at the page. This was her favorite part, in a book that never ceased to make her laugh. It was one of the most ridiculous things she'd ever read, all florid descriptions of bulging muscles, heaving bosoms, shuddering breaths, and ripping bodices. She knew some women loved these things for their own personal fantasties, but Eloise just found them to be high comedy.

Sadly, the narrative hadn't been having quite the desired affect. With an owl from home arriving late this afternoon, not long after classes had ended, a dark mood had settled on Eloise. Her mother had gone in to register on January 5th, against the wishes of her family, and of Megan's father, and of what Eloise was positive was the advice of other friends. That night, she hadn't returned home at the normal time. Her parents had called St. Mungo's, where it was reported that Lynnette Midgen had been in for her shift and left as usual. No on had an inkling of her current whereabouts.

Eloise would have liked to think her mother had wised up and gone into hiding. But she wasn't stupid. She knew her mother wouldn't have done such a thing without at least telling her father. The fact was, there was no way to find out where she'd gone, or if she'd done so willingly.

Needless to say, the rest of Eloise's day had been spent in something of a stupor, and she'd only just gotten back from crying in the bathroom twenty minutes ago. Not that anyone would have been able to tell.

She looked over at Megan when she sat down next to her, looking rather blank. "Hey you, thanks for coming up so fast." Eloise tipped her head and rested her temple affectionately on Megan's shoulder for a moment before straightening back up. Her voice was so steady, even she was surprised.

"I don't know where to start..." she continued, conversationally. It sounded like she was going to talk about the weather. "It's...Megan." She turned her head suddenly and looked right at her friend, unblinking. "Megan, my mum's gone."

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keepingjones
2010-01-09 03:35 am UTC (link)

Eloise's strange ability to remain calm, cool, and collected when she spoke made Megan exceptionally uncomfortable. Though she and Eloise had been close friends for years it was always odd talking to the girl about serious matters. Being that Megan was one who couldn't exactly control her emotions when it came down to it - it was odd to be consoling someone who kept things bottled inside.

When Eloise brought up her mother Megan knew the seriousness of the situation. She remembered full well the conversation she'd had over the journals with Eloise about the girl's mother going in to register. She also remembered the very lengthy conversation she had with her father about going to see the woman both before and after he'd done it. To be entirely honest Mr. Jones hadn't felt comfortable when Megan asked him to speak with Mrs. Midgen. Obviously, even though he had, something hadn't clicked in the woman's head.

"Gone....how? Megan made a point to ask cautiously. Furrowing he brow slightly as if having trouble deciphering the message. Which she sort of was having trouble. Was the woman gone to another country? Dead? Missing? Gone...fishing?

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offandrunning
2010-01-09 06:03 am UTC (link)

Eloise pressed her lips together in a tight line, the signs of a small frown appearing on her forehead. She realized she still had the book open in front of her, and rather than seem rude or distracted, she laid it face down across her lap. To be honest, she didn't know where to begin, or even if talking to Megan was the best idea after all.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Megan - of anyone here, Eloise trusted her most of all. And she did want to talk to her. Still, Eloise hated to feel like she was burdening someone else with her problems, especially when she was perfectly capable of dealing with them alone. She was never one for talking things out, being more of a listener when someone else needed to vent. Almost inevitably, Eloise tended to feel silly for "needing" someone to lend an ear.

But this was different. Maybe. Megan has already tried to help, at that.

"Hrrmmm," Eloise began again, stealing a glance at Megan's face before becoming intently focused on the bedspread. "Gone...like she went in to the Ministry to register and didn't come home from St. Mungo's that night."

There, she'd said it. She returned her gaze to Megan, studying her reaction and trying to gauge where to go from there.

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keepingjones
2010-01-09 10:28 am UTC (link)

Megan's response was one of obvious sympathy. She looked at Eloise and let out a heavy sigh. "Eloise, I'm so sorry... Are you alright?" she asked as she placed her good hand on Eloise's upper back. Tilting her head to get a better read from the girl.

Unlike Eloise who obviously thought it improper and silly to express ones self, Megan had grown up in an openly emotional home home. The Jones for the most part were an exceptionally open family both in truths, opinions, and emotions. If you had to cry you cried and someone was always there to hold you. If you laughed someone was likely laughing with you. If you needed to get something off your chest...there was always someone in the family who was willing to lend an ear and even advice. Bottling things up was never encouraged and being such a close knit family it seemed that...getting things out of each other was important too.

Megan knew that not everyone liked talking about things or being prodded to discuss one's feelings. But Eloise had asked to talk to her. So obviously Eloise wanted to talk. Surely she hadn't called Megan up there to share this horrible news like some sort of common news fee. It was obvious by the girl's body language that she was far from okay.

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offandrunning
2010-01-09 09:27 pm UTC (link)

"Definitely not," Eloise breathed. She sounded dazed, but while she wasn't an especially emotive person (at least not when it came to negative feelings), Eloise rarely toed around the truth. Of course she wasn't all right, and she knew Megan knew that, but had needed to say something. Suddenly Eloise felt much better about having asked Megan to talk.

She carried on, hands in her lap now. "I feel a bit better than I did earlier today. I had a pretty good cry in the bathrooms a while ago..." An uneasy grin spread across her face. "If you can envision that one."

Was she seriously making a joke about herself? Next to her bed, she heard the two rats scuffling around in their cage, shredding something. Must be nice to be a rat about now - they didn't have to worry about any of this stuff. Eloise gave Megan an appraising look, the strange smile still there. "Although, perhaps I didn't get it all out, so be careful...I might drown us all."

She knew she was probably making this hard for Megan, and wished she had an easier time with these things. As though in apology, Eloise bent her head to the side and rested it on Megan's shoulder.

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keepingjones
2010-01-11 07:13 am UTC (link)

Wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulder as Eloise's head positioned itself Megan rested her own noggin on her friends. "It's alright," she told the girl with a minor grin. "I used compete in a community swimming league back home, remember? I'll swim us to rescue."

She'd caught on rather quickly that Eloise was desperately trying to make things light hearted when they quite frankly were not. But, given the fact that Megan understood the uncomfortable-ness that was crying in front of people not your family...she obliged the witty banter for now.

Rubbing Eloise's arm as they huddled together Megan didn't think it appropriate to speak for a few moments. For one, she didn't know exactly what to say. And two...if Eloise wanted to talk she'd say something. Right?

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offandrunning
2010-01-12 03:01 am UTC (link)

Eloise rested there for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and the comfort of a friend's arm. After a minute or so had passed like that, she sighed heavily.

"This makes me so angry," she said quietly. Her face was set. "Is that weird? I feel like I should be sadder, or something. I'm just...mad. I hate that there is nothing I can do about this."

She flopped back onto her pillow, sprawling one of her arms over the edge of the bed, her knees bent. "I mean really, any of it. My mum. Other people's mums, and dads, and everything."

It scared her, too, but she didn't say that. Eloise thought they all must be scared, and it was something that went without saying.

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keepingjones
2010-01-13 08:46 am UTC (link)

Megan understood what Eloise was trying to say. Course, she didn't exactly know how to respond. She knew Eloise was expecting her to say something but.... it took her a moment to think of anything at all.

"Yeah," she nodded slightly. "I think out of everything a lot of people probably feel....really helpless. It's like things are happening and we can't do anything about it. Mostly because we're stuck here... and even if we weren't I don't think many of us would know where to begin to make it better."

Alright, so maybe that wasn't helpful at all. But it was the only musings that seemed appropriate at that particular point in time.

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offandrunning
2010-01-13 05:38 pm UTC (link)

"I know..." Eloise continued. She heaved another sigh, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face and rubbing her hands over her eyes vigorously.

When she removed them her eyes were bright, as if they were tearing up a bit. Her voice, however, didn't indicate anything out of the ordinary. "And it sounds like such a cliche, but we really are just kids, even if most of us are 'of age', or what have you. It just feels like a waste if all we can do is sit here and wait for them to oust Headmistress McGongall."

That was what was most worrying for Eloise, aside from her family troubles. What was going to happen when the Ministry got its fingers inside of Hogwarts walls? McGonagall couldn't hold this off forever, and she'd been flirting with trouble for months now. It seemed to Eloise that she could wake up tomorrow with the professors gone and a Ministry official at the head of each classroom, taking down names of Muggleborns and halfbloods.

"I don't want to wait."

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keepingjones
2010-01-17 07:03 am UTC (link)

"Well," Megan shrugged absently reply. "I don't what else to do..."

It was the only thing she could offer. The hufflepuff wasn't exactly the most diplomatic of people and she certainly had varying opinions on the subject of the current politics. Though she understood where Eloise was concerned and what was being said - Megan didn't know how to fix it or what to do about it. She honestly thought that laying low and staying out of the way was the best of options.

Her father had suggested exactly and that's what Megan was going to do. Course, she was more than aware that sharing that sort opinion with someone who was suffering from a lost family member wasn't the brightest of opinions. Instead...she kept it to herself.

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offandrunning
2010-01-17 09:42 pm UTC (link)

This made Eloise smirk, for some reason unbeknownst to even herself. "Ohh, Megan, don't worry. Even we can't possibly have all the answers."

Such as, what could have happened to my mum. As she smiled, a few tears did come to Eloise's eyes again - and here she'd thought she'd gotten them all out before. Still, she didn't feel very sad. Talking to Megan had helped, even if they were just where they'd begun. Sometimes all you could do was vent, and admit aloud that you didn't know what to do, and that maybe there was nothing you could do. Not yet, anyway.

She brushed the tears away with the back of her hand, inspecting it as though wondering how that had happened. "Well look at that. The flood begins."

Sitting back up, Eloise shrugged and seemed to be considering something seriously. "You know, though...sometimes I find it hard to imagine that someone here isn't already doing something. Secretly? Maybe I just like to think that because it makes me feel better, but who knows. It'd be pretty wicked."

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