Help Yourself Fin PV Willow and Lydia

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood
Mentioning @Lydia Cooper

When Willow and Flash first started talking about a group for students to come and talk about their thoughts and feelings, she was all in. While yes, she did want to help the students through the various traumatic reoccurring events of Hogwarts, friendship drama, crush crises, all which seemed to be never ending problems throughout the student population. Willow also took it as an opportunity to see a different side of Flash, maybe one that would tell people a little bit more about his issues, but also to see someone that cares so much about hosting this kind of group. It was another reaffirmation of how good of a decision it was to make up with him and rebuild their friendship.

Although, everything got put on hold with the ball. What was supposed to be a fun night ended up with her getting ditched three separate times, barely getting a dance from someone she really wanted to dance with, attempted theft, then getting stung by mosps. It wasn't exactly her idea of a great night out. She had been emotionally and physically injured all around and there was no way she was capable of being there for others when she could barely be there for herself.

Luckily, as time passed and the wounds healed she was starting to settle back into her chipper self. Repression was a powerful tool for her. So when she finally got an owl from Flash inviting them to a formal meeting for the club, Willow couldn't be more ecstatic. After class she ran back to her dorm, made up some tea, wrapped up some cookies, threw three flower crowns on her head, attempted to carry the tea and cookies carefully balance in her arms and bounced down to the classroom. Which... wasn't a great travel method for tea. She only spilled a little bit, thank goodness for cloaks to protect your arms from being burnt off from boiling water.

As she entered the classroom, she peered in to find her brother sitting by himself. She was surprised to see that Lydia hadn't arrived before her but, Willow was sure she couldn't be far behind. "Flash~!" Her voice came out singsong as she greeted him, bouncing over to him and laying out the goods that she had brought. Including, the mug that she had since designated specifically for his tea. "Your normal tea! I thought it might be nice for this meeting!" She went around behind his chair to give him a hug with one arm, and sneakily grab one of the flower crowns from her head and put it on his. "I also made daisy chains for crowns today during lunchtime." She moved around to the front of him, a bright grin on her face as she adjusted his hair and the crown. "You look so cute! Do you like it? These should be part of the official Hogwarts uniform in my opinion." She took a seat next to him and took her own tea to sip, a mango white tea. She preferred fruitier teas anyway, but especially in the afternoon.

-Interacting with: @Willow Anderson , @Flash Holmwood -

One month.

That was how long it had taken Lydia to start her mental healing process. Sure, it wasn't as if the events of the Ball were now put behind her, but at least she had found it a little bit easier to sleep at night, going from only a couple of hours to four - a pretty impressive change. Her mealtimes had gotten slightly better as well, and now the red headed girl looked less like a ghost and more like her old self, even though she wasn't quite there yet.

When a couple of months before Willow had approached her with the idea of being part of a "psychological support group" for the students, Lydia had accepted quite happily the offer; she had always loved helping people, and the idea of being there for someone that was going through hard times, well, it made her feel as if she could really make the difference and help others.

Everything got put on hold after the Ball. The three of them had all gotten stung by those mosps, and Lydia hadn't been exactly in her right mindset to face them. She felt guilty because they got hurt and they had been in grave danger because of something she had organised, but if she was being honest with herself, the red headed girl also felt quite upset and hurt by Willow's behaviour. The whole situation regarding Rafael had been a mess right from the beginning of the night, when Aurelia had talked with her about him; from then, it all got worse, and after that night, Lydia had spent a couple of weeks avoiding the boy, until she had realised -also thanks to Ruka and her punching him- that she really needed to sort things out with him. That whole conversation had been... exhausting and interesting, surprising even, but it had helped her understand why Willow had done certain things
and now she was ready to apologise to the girl, and listen to her.

So that day, right after her classes, Lydia had walked back to her dorm and changed out of the school robes; it was already way too hot to wear those thick cloaks, so she decided to wear a simple pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt; then, once she realised that she was, yet again, late for the meeting, she hurried out of the Hufflepuff Common Room. She had been feeling particularly anxious since the moment she had received Flash's owl, but she also knew that this meeting had to happen, sooner or later.

Once she reached the classroom, she gently opened the door with the hand that wasn't bandaged up -it was getting better and better everyday, even if incredibly slowly- and walked inside. Flash and Willow were already there, and as she looked at them, the red headed girl gave them an apologetic smile.

Maybe you shouldn't have changed after class, you would have been on time at least this time.

Her mind was trying to go wild once again, making her feel bad for things that she couldn't change anymore, so she tried to shut it off, and instead walked up to the duo and sat on a chair on the other side of Flash. "Hi guys, I'm sorry for being late," she apologised, her cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment. "Those look really lovely," she added then pointing at the flower crowns sitting over Flash and Willow's heads.

The unsteady steps in the hall outside heralded the arrival of Willow, having an armful of treats to womp onto the table. He was glad he decided to prop the door open, but the sleeves of her cloak seemed like they had already bore the brunt of some boiling tea. Flash stood up to help her, but she had relinquished the burden quickly after arriving. Even his mug, who stayed in the Hufflepuff commons with her for when she made him tea in the morning.

She greeted him sweetly, her face shining with affectionate recognition. Though Flash had started out slightly anxious, it melted away at the sight of her smile. She pointed out his cup triumphantly, scampering over to give him a behind-the-back hug in his chair. Flash couldn’t help but laugh a bit, Willow’s energy was a bit sudden, but also very welcome. If she was trying to put on a brave face, it was certainly working. She had a singular ability to be genuinely cheerful even in the darkest moments.

Flash felt her fingers gingerly place something on the crown of his head, mussing a bit with his hair as she explained. He admittedly didn’t know what ‘daisy chain crowns’ were, but given what she was wearing herself and the words themselves, it was hardly difficult to deduct. Flash absentmindedly pawed at the adornment, feeling how it was actually real flowers laced together. It was… very cute, really. How thoughtful.

”Yes, I love it. Thank you.” Flash’s smile not only found him, but was beaming.

She moved across the table to admire her work, continuing her jovial dialogue much like any time they spent time together. She was always bustling with thoughts and ideas, Flash was always interested and listening. He loved to hear her talk so spiritedly like she did, so many people lacked the kind of spice for life that she seemed to bustle with.

Speaking of, Lydia arrived at the doorway not long after Flash had poured himself a cup looking pink all over. That was, she had changed into a pink shirt and her face was flush with embarrassment. She likely changed so she would be more comfortable in the arid heat that started to permeate the castle walls. Even though it was fairly well insulated by thick stone, it wasn’t as though Hogwarts had air conditioning. Many of the students spent their free time outside in the fresh breeze, or sitting as still as possible while wearing as little as they could get away with.

Flash loved the warmth of summer. It reminded him of Rafael, actually, how when they first met he had been suffering under the oppression of winter’s cold. Though from what Flash had picked up from investigating the events of the ball, it hardly seemed like Rafael was relaxing and enjoying himself in the summer sun. He had wanted to hear Lydia’s perspective on that as well, though that wasn’t strictly the reason he brought them together.

”It’s alright Miss Lydia, you haven’t caused any inconvenience. This isn’t some sort of formal meeting.” Flash stood up to greet her, but sat back down after simply nodding his head and gesturing to a chair.

Flash peeked back at the teapot… hot tea on a hot day. They were British, so it wasn’t entirely unusual to drink tea regardless of the time of year or the weather, but something cold might have been a bit more refreshing.

”In fact, I hope you’ll relax. I want you to feel like you can talk to us without feeling judged. That’s the point, right?” Both Flash's smile and voice were cheerful, Willow's influence still lingering. "To talk about the ball, about how we're doing. So...?"

@Willow Anderson @Lydia Cooper

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood @Lydia Cooper

Willow playfully swatted Flash's hands away from touching the delicate crown. "No touchy! You have to let it fall apart on its own!" She smiled brightly at him. He always seemed to go along with her childish whims despite being someone that you would always expect to be the most formal one in a room. Even in their first meeting, he was polite beyond any standards that she had between two students in the same year. Not to say that one couldn't be formal and childish at the same time, he seemed to have mastered a mix of it whenever he was with her.

Her eyes moved from him to the door as it swung back open to reveal Lydia. "Lydia! Hiya! I made you tea! And I also brought cookies, oh! I also made one for you!" Willow bounced back to her feet and moved the second daisy crown on her head to gently rest atop Lydia's hair. "Aw, we look so cute with matching crowns." Willow returned back to her seat, one hand curled around her tea mug and the other quickly snagging a cookie and taking a small bite as she listened to Flash talk. She threw in supportive nods as he spoke.

As he mentioned the ball she couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. "I mean, at least we're physically ok now. I mean, the sting was pretty awful. But it's all cleaned up now. But... I never want to see that dumb Gryffindor Ruka ever again." She huffed. "Who accepts someones invitation to a dance? Shows up, spends time with them for approximately ten seconds, ditches them twice. One time to get sticks and the other time to go dance with her brother." A glare was tossed Flash's way, one that immediately softened when it reached him. "And Rafael! What was wrong with him? I go to see why he's looking under tables and all of a sudden I'm part of a weird convoluted plan to steal a bag? Then he ditches me the second danger hits. I mean, no offense Flash, but boys are dumb." She finished off the cookie with a vicious bite.

"I just wanted one real dance. Rafael only danced with me to get close to that other boy that was with Opeila. That's the point of a ball right? To dance. At least you got a dance Flash." She couldn't help but sigh wistfully, thinking of what it would be like to have actually danced the night away. "What about you Lydia? I don't even know who your date was. Your date was Evelynn, right Flash?" Willow had a nagging suspicion that Rafael had been Lydia's date, but there was no solid confirmation and everything in her hoped for her to say a different name.

-Interacting with @ Flash Holmwood, @Willow Anderson -

Flash's kind words somehow made her feel better, and she gave him a small smile, before her attention got stolen by Willow and the pretty flower crown she had placed over the red headed girl. "Oh- thanks Willow!" her voice showed her surprise, but she gave her friend a smile, noticing only then the cookies and teas on the table; she was tempted to get a cup of tea as well, but then decided to wait.

Once the Slytherin boy mentioned the Ball, Lydia felt the guilt pervade her all over again; her shoulders lower than before, her eyes fixed over her shoes, she listened to Willow's words. She confusedly looked at the girl when she talked about her brother, only then realising she was talking about Flash. Also, Flash had danced with Ruka? Did she really punch one of Flash's friends in the face?

Well, now she felt even worse.

And if that was not enough, Willow's words about Rafael and the whole mess with Vladimir got a sigh out of her. When it was her turn to talk, she took a deep breath before looking up at the duo.

"I want to say that- I'm sorry. For everything that happened at the ball, for the dangers we have put you guys through, and... and for not having visited any of you in the Hospital Wing," Lydia bit her bottom lip, almost as if by doing so she could prevent her heart from flying out of her chest. "The truth is, I was so caught up in my head that- I couldn't face my mistakes, and I'm sorry that you guys got hurt. One of the mosps got me as well, so I know how much their stingers hurt. As for the dates, I didn't know you were there with Ruka, or that you knew him. I have to say, I only met him once and well, he's quite peculiar," a little snort left her mouth, before she continued. "Raf was my date, so I guess I understand how you felt Willow. I got abandoned quite early in the night as well. But- I talked with him and..."

Lydia didn't know how to finish that thought; her and Rafa hadn't exactly left things in a clear way, not after the kiss, but at least she got to understand why he had behaved that way back at the ball.

"He told me why he did what he did, and even though I agree that boys can be pretty dumb, so can we girls. Speaking of which, I met Evelyn at the ball, she seemed lovely!"she said, turning her head to look at Flash, a tentative smile on her lips. "She was really sweet and got concerned with how Raf treated me. I have the impression she doesn't like him too much,

"Did you at least have a nice time at the ball, before it turned to hell, Flash?" she asked then, hoping that at least one of them had a good time, even for just a little bit.

As Willow placed another crown on Lydia’s head, the trio transformed into something that looked more like a conference of fairy children. It helped that the air was filled with the aroma of sweets and hot tea, though Willow had created this warm and welcoming environment, not him. He would have to thank her for putting in the considerable effort where he had failed to attempt anything. Normally he would have made sure everything was set properly to encourage the relaxation he was hoping would open discussion. It was nice that he could rely on someone else to pick up the slack when he wasn’t at peak performance.

Even luckier still, Willow took the reigns of the discussion as well, providing no dip of silence, and instead laying her feelings bare like unravelling a large picnic blanket for the lot of them to sit down upon. They had all been stung by mosps, and knew the pain and profuse bleeding that followed. No need to diminish it when they were likely all feeling a phantom pain where the hole their stingers made had been healed over with magic. Lydia’s eyes were cast down as Willow spoke, her cheerful voice bringing little levity to the gravity of what had all happened. It was better to get it out, like ripping off an adhesive bandage.

Flash had his own rush of guilt when Willow turned to give him a momentary stink eye. He shrank reflexively, really having no excuse for taking up Ruka’s offer aside from wanting to be accommodating, assuming he had some important reason for doing so. He hadn’t, he had simply wanted to be involved. He should have admonished Ruka for not paying more attention to Willow, he should have stayed by Evelynn’s side. Still, the draw between the two wasn’t strictly logical. In fact, the last conversation he had with him ended so badly that even the mention of his name sent a chill down Flash’s spine.

”I’m sorry…” No need to give silly excuses.

She quickly softened and continued anyway, moving on to talking about what she had been doing with Rafael. Looking under tables… convoluted plan… Flash hadn’t been tracking their actions during the ball, he had been keeping an eye on Opeila and Vladimir at that point, only diverted by Rafael’s bold, failed attack. In a sense, it had single handedly ruined any chance the Slytherins had of extracting useful information out of Vladimir, something they had been desperate for. They had sat around a table sharing information, making plans, only for the thunderbird to crash through and turn the gathering violent.

Rafael had come under plenty of scrutiny for the act. More often than not, Flash defended him, though it was a weak defense. He didn’t begrudge Rafael for wanting to do something, or for making rash choices, but he still had to personally live with the consequences of them. There was still some lingering bitterness, wondering what would have happened if things were different. Would Victor be safe, unharmed? Would Selim have stolen things out of Vladimir’s bag? Would Opeila have been able to get Vladimir to say something revealing at all anyway, or had it always been a useless endeavor? Flash tried not to dwell on regret. It was better to learn from mistakes and move forward. He hoped Rafael did the same.

Flash didn’t have much to say on the topic, not particularly wanting to illuminate his own ‘convoluted plans’ that had fallen through. Luckily, Lydia chimed in instead, though she sullenly apologized for the whole thing. Flash had nearly forgotten that she had been one of the people standing beside Opeila greeting guests at the start of the ball. Accepting culpability for everyone getting hurt seemed like a step too far, but Flash could also admit he might feel the same in her position. He had never considered the secret ball to be a good idea, but there might have existed a scenario where it hadn’t gone so badly, and everyone simply had a nice time.

Lydia snorted a bit when she mentioned her experiences with Ruka. Flash let out an involuntary laugh as well, though he felt a bit embarrassed about it. Peculiar was right, though now wasn’t the time to commiserate about the three’s combined confusion about the Gryffindor’s daily behavior. Both of them had been abandoned by a Gryffindor who had a much more vested interest in drama than in providing their invited guest with a good time. Flash, on the other hand, had facilitated it and abandoned his own Gryffindor. He wasn’t exactly coming out of this looking good.

Lydia even brought it up, mentioning Evelynn herself, and how she had talked to her. Concerned with how Rafael treated her… it was the same as when he first met her as well. She had asked whether Burnett was okay, after Flash had vaguely mentioned that Rafael wasn’t very happy about being signed up for the talent show. She didn’t like him… Flash hadn’t really considered Evelynn’s relationship with Rafael at all, he assumed she just knew things about him. She seemed like an attentive person like himself, simply knowing things about people. Everyone.

Flash had been tuned in, paying close attention to all the information being shared, but Lydia passed the torch to him. He flustered a bit, not really enjoying the light he was being cast in. Not that it mattered, he needed to atone for his bad decisions, if he wanted to look better, he should have acted better.

”A nice time… unfortunately not.” Flash said honestly, looking sadly into his mug of tea. ”Evelynn was lovely, I should have stayed with her. I don’t know what I was thinking, dancing with Ruka…”

How he had used Ruka to get closer to Opeila, how he had asked Rafael to find him for a dance as well… those were things he didn’t want to admit. They would only muddle the conversation anyway, they weren’t important, wouldn’t help any of them feel more understanding. It was good that these things were getting aired out, instead of furtive, guilty glances in the hall. He needed to stoke the part of the gathering that brought them closer together, instead of only dwelling on what went wrong.

”Lots of people made bad choices that night. Holding the ball might have ended up being a bad decision, but it was because you wanted to bring everyone happiness, right?” Flash looked from Lydia to Willow. ”And I can’t say I understand why you did it, but you probably shouldn’t have asked Ruka to be your date. You should have picked someone who you knew would enjoy the ball with you.”

Then, sighing, Flash fumbled with the handle of his mug. The tea was still too hot to drink.

”Rafael shouldn’t have tried to tackle Vladimir. I shouldn’t have abandoned Evelynn. I’m sure if we got everyone at the ball together, they would all have regrets.” Flash was now avoiding eye contact, looking into the dark brown liquid that rippled with even the tiniest interruption. ”I was hoping that those sorts of regrets wouldn’t change what we wanted to do before. To form the AURA club and help the other students.”

Flash lifted his head again then, he wanted to see their expressions when he asked. ”Do you both still feel like you could do it? My feelings are unchanged, but I would understand if… it would be too much.”

@Willow Anderson @Lydia Cooper

Interacting with @Lydia Cooper @Flash Holmwood

As soon as she sent the accusatory glare at Flash, she regretted it. She was still learning to talk about the issues she had before getting mad, but his meek apology only made the guilt worse. Anger was not something she was exactly adept in dealing with, and it was moments like this when that inadequacy shined through.

The small Hufflepuff curled into her chair with the mug held tight to her chest with her hands wrapped cozily around as she listened to Lydia. As if Willow's face could get any softer and sadder, her face fell even more hearing Lydia's guilt for the whole event. They were all holding a lot back, weren't they? She hadn't really thought about the guilt lying on the shoulders of those who planned it in the first place, but after the horror that took place... she couldn't imagine not feeling that in their place. Words of protest for the feeling died on the tip of her tongue, there was no use in denying the incredible danger they had all been put in. But, it was their own choice to attend. Willow's mouth completely dropped open when Lydia mentioned that Rafa was her date.

"Oh my God and Goddess, did I steal your date Lydia? Looks like I can't exactly be mad at Flash for that. I didn't mean to, I mean, I didn't even know. Oh goodness, I'm so sorry. I guess I was the uh... dumb girl." A bright pink blush colored her cheeks in the embarrassment of just calling Flash out for what she had apparently done to Lydia. "I'm glad you two... talked at least."

She couldn't help but slightly raise her eyebrows in a sort of 'I was right' gesture when Flash questioned dancing with Ruka, taking a subtle sip of tea to halt those exact words from spilling out of her mouth. "I didn't know who else to take! And... I thought I could maybe, be his friend. But... that seems to be a failed mission." She mumbled into the still piping tea, "I even made him a dumb painting to ask him..." Flash was always one that had insight and wisdom when it came to different things, and it didn't stop now. Willow couldn't deny that it seemed like everyone would have regrets. Even now, she kind of regretted leaving Bre on the dance floor like she did. Maybe if she had stayed with her, none of the injuries would have happened. But she didn't exactly have the ability to turn back time.

"I think the regrets make AURA more important now than ever, don't you agree? I mean... what would we have done if we didn't talk about this? Bottle it up forever, and never address it with each other? I think this stuff has only made me realize how much we actually need a club like this, rather than wanting to drop my involvement from it." She sighed and set down her mug. "Maybe it will be too much at first, but that's why we have each other through this. Right? We just gotta make sure we're looking out for ourselves and the others who come to this club."

-Interacting with @ Flash Holmwood, @Willow Anderson -

As the conversation kept going, Lydia felt herself relax a little bit more; talking about their experience, how they were dealing with their emotions, it certainly helped with the red headed's sense of guilt. It wasn't as if it was magically gone, it was still there, hoovering over her heart like a vulture, ready to just feast over and over again on her feelings; but at least knowing that neither Willow, or Flash, were holding any resentment towards her felt nice.

Every little hope that at least Flash had a good time during the ball shattered into a million pieces when he admitted that he, as well, hadn't been able to enjoy his time during the event. It seemed like the positive intent behind the whole thing had badly backfired: instead of bringing joy and happiness and a night for people to forget about their problems, the Secret Blossom Ball only managed to bring destruction and sadness to everyone that attended it.

For a second Lydia got lost in her thoughts, her mind almost getting lost into that dark place that she had found herself in right after everything had gone to hell. Then, she managed to pull herself out of it -something that she wouldn't have been able to do that easily a couple of weeks prior- and she looked at Willow, shaking then her head. "It's alright Willow, really. I- I definitely over-reacted that night. Of course, right then and there I was really upset but once Rafa had explained what was going on... well, let's say that I realised how childish and selfish I was being. That, plus the mosps, definitely put things into the right perspective," she gave Willow a small smile, as she tried to show her that she was not upset anymore. "Things with Rafael are..." she paused for a second, trying to find yet again the right words to describe the situation; they were on speaking terms, even if they hadn't actually talked since their last chat. "I think they are alright, so really, don't worry too much or put too much blame on yourself. There are no hard feelings from me," she said and then looked from Willow to Flash.

She nodded when the boy talked about why he thought they had come up with the Ball idea, "After the fire in our common room, and the spiders in yours," she gestured towards him, "we thought that the students deserved a moment to just relax, spend some time with friends, maybe dance with their crush. It was supposed to be something good..." A sigh left her lips, as her eyes found their way, once again, to her hands. She listened to Willow then talk about the regrets they all had and how A.U.R.A. was important, now more than ever.

"I think we all need a group, a place like this; us students are going through so much, we deserve a safe space where we can voice out worries, regrets and problems without the fear of being judged," she gave both of her schoolmates a smile. "I'm still sure I want to be in this club. We haven't had our first official meeting yet, but it feels like it has already helped us. Or at least it did for me," he smile grew a little bit more, reaching her eyes as well.

"I'm sure that if it will get too much, we can help each other out, as long as we are willing to communicate,"

Things were starting to be said, lines of communication opened. Flash sipped on his still-hot tea as his eyes went form one to the next as they explained some of their more complicated feelings. Willow apologized for taking Rafael’s attention away from Lydia, though technically, both in the case of Rafael and Ruka, it was them doing the asking and pulling away from others, technically. There wouldn’t be much of a point in insisting that point. Regardless of who said what, they still all felt bad about how things had gone. The important part was sharing, not being right.

Flash was surprised Willow said she had no one else to take, and it showed on his face behind the cup. What about the girl she danced with on the dance floor, or Miss Astrea, or Miss Mildred? Perhaps Willow didn’t want to go to the ball with a friend, though it wasn’t as though Ruka was more than a friend. If anything, he was less. As far as Flash knew, the only positive interaction was when he helped console her for a breakdown that he helped cause. He could admit that he didn’t know everything though. She did invite him to her birthday party, and he left there before he could have a chance to see if Ruka stayed and had fun.

Lydia on the other hand was calling herself childish and selfish, which also seemed like it was taking it a bit too far. Perhaps all three of them were actually the type to try to make people around them happy, only to take responsibility once things went wrong, deserved or not. It made Flash slightly uncomfortable feeling like he should say something, but the topic was a bit too vast to throw in with all the already mired emotions. He stayed quiet instead, letting the two of them let it all out. He wondered idly what Lydia and Rafael’s relationship really was, since it seemed they were still talking quite a bit. He also wondered what Rafael thought of him, though partly he figured he must not have thought about him much at all. Whatever reason he had for inviting Flash to begin with must have been some kind of mistake. Maybe he figured no one else would ask and was just being nice. Lydia was a very sweet young girl, so she was a much better choice. Flash was a mess.

After they had released some of the tension they were holding on to, they both seemed to agree heartily with going forward with the group. Flash was relieved, his cup nearly drained from the nervous sipping.

”I’m glad you two feel that way.” A calm smile spread across his face. ”In that case we’ll start it up at the start of next year. We'll support each other, and keep open communication.”

None of them knew exactly what to expect, but they were all caring, mature students in their own way. All of them wanted to help in whatever way they could, though most of the time the attempts were bumbling. This was a good idea, though, they could see it in each other’s faces. The three of them continued to talk about particulars-- rules and settings, and what kind of boundaries they could set up. Flash knew they had very little to worry about so long as they had each other. The future was bright.

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