When to Let Go PV Dennis Tumberton Finished

Dennis stretched and looked at the clock in the library. Time for a break. Ever the studious…student…the Ravenclaw made the library his second home. Spells to learn, potions to botch. For a school that was dedicated to whimsy, it came with a lot of parchment. No matter what, school is a lot of work. The redhead reveled in it though; always feeling productive when homework got done! Typically for his break, he’d play some prank to kill the time, or take a walk on the grounds, but today he didn’t have a lot of time to plan or walk to either activity. He settled for stepping outside in the courtyard. Perhaps something miraculous would materialize.

However, his jovial mood of a well earned break dampened slightly. A girl now well known to him sat lost in her own thoughts. Avery. The Gryffindor was having quite a hard time this semester, putting it lightly; caught in a struggle between obedience to her parents and love for her grandfather. It was a dilemma he was unfamiliar with but her plight sat heavy on his heart. He took a minute to figure out what to do.

In the moment of pause, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a student carrying too many books for his own good. A well place tickle charm would teach him a lesson. Now, Dennis was caught in his own problem: did he go to Avery or scare the boy into never holding books again?

His soft heart won out in the end and Dennis approached quietly and placed a calming hand on Avery’s shoulder. He sat down, hand still on shoulder, and said meekly, “Hey Avery.” It was obvious she was going through something so he sat quietly looking at his other hand that was on his lap for awhile. “Did you make it home?”

@Avery Gray

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 04/04/25

Word Count: 354

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Avery was so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't even realized a familiar presence walk into the Courtyard. Her eyes closed as she allowed the sunlight to bathe her in warmth. Though, all she felt was cold. It wasn't too cold out though. It was just in her mind. She shuddered as she replayed the events of the past month in her head. She hadn't told anyone. Not even her best friend because she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. She also didn't want anyone to think she was weak. A Gryffindor that was supposed to be the image of bravery was broken down and crying at the possibility of losing someone close to her. Yep. Didn't look too great. Though she did know she would have to tell someone eventually. A gentle hand on Avery's shoulder shook her out of her deep train of thought. She didn't even have to glance up to know who it was. All she could do was stare at the ground. Unsure of what to say or do. She didn't want to mess things up. She was hurting, and she really didn't want to ruin something else. Avery glanced at Dennis and gave him a weak smile when he greeted her. It was all she could muster at the moment. Anything else seemed impossible. Dennis continued to keep his hand on her shoulder as he sat down. Then he asked if she had made it home. She bit her lip. Holding in her grief and tears as she nodded. "I did. Thanks again for telling about the floor network. It was nice to see my grandfather again, but it wasn't easy at all." She said as she pointed her face towards the sky, closed her eyes, and sighed. She knew she had to tell him. He was the first person to hear about what had happened to her family nearly four years before, so he deserved to be the first to know how bad things were with her grandfather. She just had to muster up the courage to speak the words without crying again.

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Dennis contemplated quietly why he chose not to prank the boy and sat down with Avery. It seemed like the touch he thought might be reassuring ended up bringing her close to tears. He obviously wasn’t very good at this comforting thing. When it was clear that it wasn’t helping, Dennis removed his hand and just kind of sat there shoulder to shoulder with Avery and clasped his hands together in his lap.

He was happy to hear that she was actually able to make it back even if the circumstance wasn’t happy at all. It was bound to answer many questions that she had that could only be answered by going to see him. “Sometimes hard things are necessary,” Dennis replied finally after she said seeing her grandfather had been hard. “I am sure seeing you was such a relief for him after all this time. It’s best we remember loved ones as they’d wish to be remembered: the good times.”

Dennis wasn’t at all sure if any of this was comforting but the silence was awkward to the boy who filled every moment with some sort of meaning, no matter how silly or stupid. Finally he said softly, “Did you find out what you wanted to find out?” Referring to when she told him about the argument his mother hand and the circumstances of their leaving.

@Avery Gray

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 04/04/25

Word Count: 399

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Avery nodded her head when he said that hard things were sometimes necessary. She agreed. Even though it hurt in the moment, it would make her a lot stronger in the long term. She was grateful that Dennis had chosen to sit with her. She knew that he could have done anything else, but sit here and listen to her. It made her realize that there really were people that wanted to be there for her, and didn't want her to face everything alone. "Thank you for sitting here with me. You know you don't have to." She commented. Not wanting him to be forced to stay because he felt sorry for her. Avery sat there with Dennis in silence for a moment. The silence filling the space between them. She wanted to tell him, but she didn't know how to. Luckily Dennis had spoken before her. For that she was thankful. She had no idea what to say just yet. He had asked her if she had found out what she wanted to find out. She paused for a moment before speaking when she realized what she meant. She sighed and rubbed her hand over her face tiredly before saying, "No. The moment I got there, they acted as if nothing had happened. It was like the entire argument had never existed." Avery paused again for a moment to let him respond as she mustered up the courage to tell him the full truth. She knew she was ready. She had to rip the band-aid off. It would be better for her in the long-term. Even though the pain was still raw in her mind. "I. . . I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it. My grandfather has dragon pox. So far is still alive, but I don't know for how much longer. He's been refusing treatment for awhile, and I don't know why." Avery's hands clenched into fists. The only way for her grandfather to get better was to accept the treatment. She knew that, but what she didn't know was why he refused it. It made no sense. That one thought kept her up way past the time she should have been asleep at night. The fact was, she couldn't sleep. All she could do was think about what could happen if things actually went the right way in her life.

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OOC Note: Super sorry for the late response! This week left me completely swamped with schoolwork, tests, and a competition. Luckily I'll be able to respond a lot faster this week.

Dennis could have been doing literally anything else, Avery was right about that. However, he decided to sit down with her and once his mind was made up there wasn’t much use changing it. A friend in need is a friend indeed, whatever that meant, Dennis just knew he had to be there even if he didn’t have the right words to speak.

Avery continued to tell him that she was unable to figure out what the argument was about which would frustrate him more if he were her. He wasn’t sure how to express that sentiment without feeling like he was escalating the situation. So he continued to sit and listen. Avery continued to confound him with the information about dragon pox and refusing treatment. That seemed really mindboggling to him. Why not seek treatment if it was available. The Ravenclaw felt quite helpless in the moment. None of what she was saying made much sense to him.

After awhile, Dennis took a breath, tried to collect his thoughts and said, “It sounds like they are trying to protect you from something.” A thought came to Dennis. She talked about her father and her grandfather but this whole drama seemed centered around one figure in particular. “Have you spoken to your mom? This seems like something she might know more about since she was there too?” Dennis asked softly. Seems Avery’s mother was the cause of the drama, from Dennis’ perspective so she should know what it’s all about.

@Dennis Tumberton

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 04/04/25

Word Count: 251

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Avery tensed slightly at the mention of her mother. Deep down, Avery knew she had to confront her about all that had been happening, but she also knew that she would hit a dead end. Her mother was like a wall of no emotion. No matter how hard Avery tried to get her to talk about that day, she wouldn't tell her. That's what started the rift between her and her mother. Avery nodded. Maybe they were trying to protect her from something, but she didn't know why. She was old enough to handle whatever they were hiding. She would be thirteen in September. A teenager. Old enough to understand that something bad was happening behind the scenes when Avery wasn't watching, and she had to know what it was. Avery sighed before saying, "I wish I could ask her. I've actually tried in the past, but it's like I'm talking to a wall. Ever since that day, my mom has been. . . different. It's as if she's a completely different person. She's always working, and whenever she is at home, she traps herself in her room and refuses to speak to me saying that she is busy when I know the truth.. ." Avery sighed again and rubbed her hand over her face. She was getting tired of all the pain and suffering she was facing. She needed a break. "Sorry again for burdening you with my problems. Maybe the next time we meet I'll actually be myself." Avery laughed a little.

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Dennis had struck a nerve when he brought up the only other person that might be able to tell her what it was about. However, it seemed like the angle was pointless as the mother wasn’t talking about it either. It left Avery at an impasse and Dennis couldn’t find any other way to help her. She seemed entirely overwhelmed by the situation and he wasn’t going to make any progress. Dennis was still really out of his wheelhouse. He thought for a moment how to potentially change the conversation to help perk up her spirits.

“The Spring Ball is coming up and a few days later is spring break! Do you have any plans to go to the ball or visit friends during the break?” Dennis asked when it was clear Avery was done with the conversation, but he wasn’t about to leave her in her feelings like this. He felt like this was a good enough time as any to segue into a lighter topic. Dennis had a bunch of plans for both and was hoping that it was going to be a better discussion and wouldn’t lead to her thinking more about family. If it did, he might have a solution for her.

@Avery Gray

Interacting with: @Dennis Tumberton Mentioning: N/A Date: 04/04/25

Word Count: 248

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Avery loosened up a little when Dennis asked about the ball and spring break instead of pushing the topic about her mom. The one thing Avery wasn't ready to share just yet was the story of her mother. She was waiting to tell her bestie about that. Lya would understand what was going on since Avery recalled possibly hearing Lya say something about her mother before and how she wasn't exactly on the best terms with her. But, then again, that may have been someone else. Avery could barely think straight with everything that had been happening to her lately. "Well, as far as I know, I'm meeting up with some friends and we're going to hang out together at the ball. My date never showed up, so It will be nice to spend more time with my friends." Avery said. She paused before continuing, "For Spring Break, I'll probably go back to Swansea. Though, who knows what my mother will think of that. What are your plans for the ball and Spring Break?" Avery asked. Hoping to take the attention off of her mother. While Avery waited for Dennis to respond, she breathed the fresh air in deeply. It seemed to help calm her nerves. She really needed to spend more time outside. Maybe she would actually grab her broom later and spend some time practicing for Quidditch. She needed to be ready for her first match coming up. She couldn't let her team down. Not again.

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Dennis wasn’t sure where to take the conversation after her response still lead back home and to her mother. He really was bad at this comforting thing and all his angles seemed to just lead them back to the same place. Dennis did however perk up when Avery said she had a date who didn’t show up. He didn’t really think they had the kind of relationship that he could ask, especially in this moment, if she’d like to go with him. Maybe next time under better circumstances! Even though he didn’t seem particularly talented at helping her, he still liked the time they had together.

“I don’t really have anyone to go with either. But I hear they will have dancing cards so that we can keep track of who we dance with, that will be awesome! I really love to dance. How about you?” Dennis asked, trying to keep things light and of course away from family. “For Spring Break I have some plans to meet up with friends but other than that I’m excited to see my siblings.”

He paused. It was now or never to offer it, and who knows, maybe distance would do her good? It was worth the ask at least, “If you don’t have any other plans, you are more than welcome to come spend some time with my family over the break. We live in Edinburgh and there is always a ton we could do there!” He wasn’t sure if that was the right move, but the offer was genuine. Some friends were already coming but he didn’t see why she wouldn’t be welcome too, his sister was around her age anyway and he was sure Lizzie would love to meet someone to share more about Hogwarts!

@Avery Gray