You Drive Me Insane pv. Prat Pass

date ; summer mentions ; @siobhan mccarty languages ; english | thoughts

Killarney ; location 1470+ ; wordcount ; ooc notes

XXXXX Prat had spent the better half of the night inside what muggles in their world referred to as a Car, a rather ingenious little box made of metal and some applied mathematics that managed to move people hundreds of miles while requiring absolutely none of them to hold a broomstick. Unlike many purebloods his age, he neither feared nor dismissed muggle inventions. His aunt made certain of that years ago, much to the horror of certain elderly relative of theirs who still believed anything without an inherent magical attachment was either inefficient or actively plotted against wizardkin.

If work smarter not harder was a person, they'd be his opposite.

Personally, Prat found cars to be rather comfortable, particularly the expensive ones his parents had insisted he travel in. The journey from London all the way to Killarney stretched close to a good eleven hours , and yet none of it unpleasant.

The first stretch of the divine remained uneventful. London slowly surrendered itself to quieter countryside as Oxford disappeared behind them, followed by Birmingham, Stafford and countless rolling fields that all looked vaguely identical once enough hours had passed. Still, Prat found himself watching through the window with amusement. This was becoming something of a tradition for the lad, every holiday seemed to carry him somewhere new instead of being trapped inside the familiar walls of his family estate. And while he loved home well enough, adventure was significantly harder to resist.

The family had spent the previous few days exactly as one would expect of them. His mother had fussed over packing enough clothes for a week despite his insistence while his father reviewed travel arrangements with a military precision he was renowned for. The sibling however, had demanded all of his available time, down to the very last second for herself before reluctantly allowing him to leave; only after she'd extracted several impossible promises regarding a few certain souvenirs.

His parents had even gone so far to produce an itinerary. Prat treated it less like a schedule and more like inspirational and totally optional reading material. The greatest hurdle in his journey wasn't even the logistics.

It was convincing two very traditionally raised pureblood parent that would allow their son to spend an entire week living with a muggle family, ensuring that it wouldn't somehow unravel centuries of magical civilization. Fortunately for him, both had grown considerably more reasonable over the years. However, the entire arrangement remained carefully hidden from one particular set of eyes.

Grandfather.

Prat could already picture the old man's expression if he discovered his only heir voluntarily staying inside a muggle household with a muggle girl and her family. The estate might genuinely require structural repairs afterward.

Thankfully, his parents understood some information simply never needed to reach certain ears.

His escort throughout the journey had been Sophia, one of the family's butlers and perhaps the most sensible and fitting choice imaginable. Barely into her thirties, possessing snow-white hair, striking blue eyes and enough experience navigating both magical and non-magical society to make the entire journey appear effortless, Sophia had served the family for about half a decade, give or take after entering service through the Head Butler himself. Being half-blood allowed her to move naturally between both worlds, making the arranging international travel remarkable uncomplicated.

Inside, the car resembled less a vehicle and more a travelling sitting room. Soft leather seats, enough space for Neoth to comfortably curl beside him, refreshments tucked neatly away within polished compartments....Prat could hardly complain.

The ferry crossing proved considerably more interesting. Rather than remaining inside, both he and Sophia stepped onto the deck where the cool air greeted them alongside endless stretches of water broken only by distant seabirds and the occasional fish breaching the surface. Sophia pointed out landmarks along the coastline while Neoth enthusiastically investigated every smell available before eventually deciding Prat's shoes remained the safest place to sit.

Somewhere after leaving the ferry behind, exhaustion finally caught up to him. Supported by a travel pillow, wrapped beneath a blanket and accompanied by the comforting weight of Neoth sleeping against his side, Prat surrendered to sleep with a lack of resistance.

Sophia woke him roughly an hour before their destination.

Morning sunlight filtered through the windows while Ireland slowly unfolded outside in brilliant shades of green. They stopped briefly at a countryside inn where all three travellers freshened up. Neoth received an enthusiastic brushing after collecting entirely too much fur during the drive, Sophia disappeared long enough to emerge looking as impeccably professional as ever, while Prat enjoyed a hot shower before changing into fresh clothes.

Breakfast followed shortly afterwards.

A full english was certainly tempting, but he ultimately settled on something hearty alongside an aggressively oversized chocolate milkshake that Sophia silently judged him for without ever actually saying so. Then they continued. The now rested boy found himself considerably more awake than he cared to admit, though excitement remained something he'd never willingly confess aloud.

Seeing Siobhan again after weeks apart...well. It was nice. Entirely normal so. Probably. Before arrival, inspiration had struck as he hastily borrowed parchment from the hotel, produced what could generously be described as the world's least elegant Braille message and dispatched an owl carrying exactly three words.

Get the door.

Nothing else, not even a hint of explanation. Perfect, it was all so perfect.

By the time the owl reached its destination, their car rolled quietly to a stop outside what Prat could only assume to be the McCarty household. Even before he could make his approach, Prat could hear voices spilling through the walls. Loud and animated as entire conversations somehow occurred simultaneously.

It did lack the rigid order he'd grown accustomed to inside his own house, where conversations occurred one at a time and interruptions bordered on social crimes. But this was oddly pleasant too.

Then a particular sentence drifted through their door as his lips betrayed him immediately.

"Siobhan, is that from your boyfriend?"

A grin appeared before he could prevent it and moments later came the exact response he'd expected. "He's not my boyfriend! He's just....a friend!"

Mhm, sure, all friends routinely held hands, blushed around each other and exchanged kisses after all.

Entirely platonic behaviour. And Prat would be wise to keep those observations to himself.

He waited another few seconds, estimating she'd be approaching the front door by now, before knocking loudly enough to announce his arrival. Several heavy knocks into the house door. Almost immediately came what sounded suspiciously like someone face planting.

Oops.

The door swung open, standing before him wasn't Siobhan; instead stood a younger girl as she stared excitedly before immediately turning back towards the house. "Mamyr! Papa! Siobhan's boyfriend is here!"

"...I'm not her boyfr—" Too late, she'd already disappeared.

Sophia meanwhile offered Prat a deeply amused smile from driver's seat before smoothly turning the car round and driving away without the slightest of intentions to rescue him from the social catastrophe she'd left him in. The owl too departed alongside her. Bloody Traitor.

Neoth proved significantly more loyal. The half-crup bounded enthusiastically through the open doorway the instant permission presented itself, disappearing into the house with unmistakable enthusiasm of a being searching for Toaster.

Prat, meanwhile, found himself face to face with Siobhan. Still dressed in her pajamas. Still looking remarkably like a startled deer caught in carriage lanterns. He couldn't help himself as a smile tugged at his lips. "Good morning," he greeted warmly. "You look awfully homely today. Quite a sight."

After allowing the joke exactly enough time to exist, he gestured politely towards the entrance.

"May I come in?"

Receiving no objection, he stepped carefully inside before placing his suitcase neatly beside the doorway, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle from his sleeve almost automatically.

Only once he'd entered did he properly register the audience. Quite a lot of audience. Presumably the McCarty family. Every pair of eyes seemed directed somewhere vaguely in his direction. Prat simply smiled.

Years of formal dinner, Ministry galas and aristocratic gatherings had prepared him for significantly more intimidating rooms than this. Offering the family a courteous inclination of his head, his posture remained perfectly straight.

"Good morning," he said with a polished ease. "My name is Prat Pass. I'm Siobhan's friend from Hogwarts. It's a genuine pleasure to finally meet all of you. Siobhan's talked a lot about you all. Thank you very much from welcoming me into your home."

xx

𝐒𝐓𝐀 𝟕 | 𝐄𝐕𝐀 𝟏𝟎 | 𝐒𝐓𝐑 𝟔 | 𝐖𝐈𝐒 𝟕 | 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝟕 | 𝐀𝐂𝐂 𝟏𝟑 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 | 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 | 𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 coded by elena clark | banner by esme hestridgexx

x

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Stats: sta 7 ⊹ eva 9 ⊹ str 7 ⊹ wis 10 ⊹ arc 8 ⊹ acc 7 | Date: 22/07/26 | Time: | CC:#2E8B57
────────────────────────────────

"May I come in?"

Prat's voice was directly across from her and Siobhan was dressed in her oldest pajamas. Well not old to her per-se. They where new to her this summer, but they had been Agatha's only a week or so ago and as far as she knew these might have been from nearly two summers back. Siobhan could already feel the morning crispness break at her wrists from the lack of length the sleeves had any more. The shorts only came down to about knee length but if she moved too quickly they would rise higher to her thigh. Had perhaps she remembered that today was the 22nd of July, then maybe she would have been dressed and not looked like a rat had climbed through her hair as she had slept. But lack of sight unfortunately does mean a lack of physical calendars.

Before Siobhan could shove Prat out of the mudroom, her family had already appeared at the summons of her younger sister's excited scream. Her mother likely had Kaitlyn firmly held against her so that she could not run over to Prat and begin to bother him.

Listening to Prat's greeting sounded less like words and more like the sweet sound of tinnitus as she lost the only other sense that made sense for a blind girl. She was sure that he was utilizing some sort of devious charming aspect to move her parents into thinking he was less of a Prat than he was. It wasn't until she felt the worn out hand of her father on her shoulder that she was brought back into the realm of the present and her father's voice permeated the plans she had to keep everyone away from everyone.

"Any friend of Siobhan's is welcome here lad. My name is Niall and she's Ophelia. You're free to call us by our names, or by Mr. and Mrs. McCarty-"

"Oh Niall, hush. You can call me Ophelia, hun." Her mother interrupted, waving whatever her father said off. Siobhan hid her face in her hands as if she could save herself from the amount of people around them. Eoghan and Declan greeted Prat quickly before they left with her father to continue their morning work and Ophelia ushered the rest of the kids out of the hall. Leaving Siobhan and Prat standing alone in the front room.

Siobhan didn't say anything for a minute. As soon as she opened her mouth though, the loud heavy sound of her Bernese Mountain dog, Porter, came barreling into both herself and Prat, barking as he chased Toaster and something else. If she had to guess it was probably Neoth, Prat's adorable crup. Who was also nearly 1/4th the size of Porter and likely scared out of his mind. Siobhan whistled at Porter, a mistake, and was subsequently knocked back on the floor by her dog who attacked her with slobbery kisses.

"Porter! Porter! Gow sheese dty lhiannoo!" She half-scolded the dog as she managed to push the nearly 120lbs of furball off of her. Porter rolled over and quickly padded over to Prat in a much more dignified manner like he hadn't just chased Neoth and Toaster into the room and barreled into Siobhan.

"Sorry about Porter. His main form of socialization is sheep. Let alone a puppy like Neoth. He's really a sweet dog, just... fluffy and a little lick-heavy." Siobhan offered as a half-apology. She was pretty confident that Prat had a look of utter disgust on his face over the amount of drool that Porter tended to exhibit. Thankfully, it was as if her father could sense the plight that her dog was causing the poor kid and his call of "Madra tréada!" sent Porter after the sheep to keep them from wandering over the knocks.

The day was already quickly getting on but thankfully with the open door and the morning wind chill it reminded Siobhan that she still needed to get dressed and that standing in the middle of the walkway wouldn't stop the march of time. Aside from quite literally just rolling out of bed, she was being a terrible host. Even if her guest perhaps had been neglectful in reminding her that he was showing up in any other way than "get the door."

"You probably need a minute to decide if you're running away. I know my family can be a lot and being cuddled by my dog probably wasn't any help." Siobhan offered sincerely. She did mean it too. From the minimal amount of information she had about Prat's family, he probably wasn't used to this many people in one go. When the sound of departing running did not meet her ears, Siobhan turned and gestured to the more interior areas of her house.

From the outside, the McCarty home looked very much like a traditional country cottage. Inside was a mishmash of personality, an attempt at a cohesive theme, and life. Housing a family of eight and soon-to-be ten wasn't easy the farther out in the Irish country you got. However they made it work with well timed scheduling and the acceptance of elbows in faces. The house comprised of two stories- the first floor being mostly kitchen and living room but also housing the oldest of the family, her parents in one room - Eoghan and his fiancee Abigail in the other, and the second floor corralling the rest of them in a girls room and a boys room. They were spacious, but cramped in the way that sharing rooms with a sibling became and selfishly, Siobhan did miss her dorm room and the semblance of privacy that a drawn curtain could offer. It was basically her own room. Alphonse was only there for his books at this point.

"You can have a choice of where you want to stay- normally we let guests stay in the living room but my moir- mum, thought maybe you'd like to stay in my brother's room? She's been very interested in the whole... pureblood culture thing... but like not like that- just" Siobhan fumbled as she walked Prat through the house pointing out the various necessities as best she could. "Declan and Cillian aren't awful just- well- actually I'll let you decide that."

Once they had decided where he would stay, Siobhan excused herself to get dressed and returned only a few moments later in something more appropriate for wandering around outside. She picked up Toaster and walked towards the kitchen where her mother and Kaitlyn were prepping vegetables for the dinner roast and the separate dish that Agatha and Siobhan would be eating. Ophelia looked up at both kids with a smile and gestured to the cut bowl of apples and strawberries. Fresh from the field and the orchard.

"Did you get all your belongings settled hun? I hope Siobhan showed you everything you needed. I don't know what in the house you might not be used to, with us being- what's that word?" She asked looking to Siobhan

"Muggle, moir"her daughter offered quietly

"Right- Muggle. But if you need something you won't be lost for someone to help. Niall and myself are happy to explain or get anything you need. Did you want to call your parents to let them know you made it here safely?"

Siobhan couldn't help the slight twist in her gut as her mother offered the phone on the wall to Prat. Did he know what it was? Or even how to use it? She wasn't sure but even if he did it was more than likely that his family did not own one. As much as she had tried to explain the difference in culture and the worlds apart, her family would always be part of the misunderstanding. All she could hope for was that Prat wasn't offended by anything that anybody said this week.

Despite Siobhan's lack of sight, she knew that the counter space would provide a slight form of cover as she reached for Prat's hand and found his wrist. Her fingers slipped around it and gently signaled for him to follow her.

"We'll be outside. I was going to show him around the land."

─────

────────────────────────────────
|

Manx Translations: Gow sheese dty lhiannoo (Get off, you pup), Moir (Mother)
Irish translations: Madra tréada! (Herd dog!)
𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @Prat Pass

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

date ; summer mentions ; @siobhan mccarty languages ; english | thoughts

Killarney ; location 1640+ ; wordcount ; ooc notes

XXXXX Prat would be lying if he said he hadn't imagined this moment more than once during the long journey across England and Ireland, although every version in his mind had fabricated the idea of Siobhan greeting him after having been awake for at least an hour and looking vaguely presentable.

Reality, as it often enjoyed being with her, had decided to be way funnier than his wildest dream. Standing in the doorway with sleep that still clung to her voice, with hair resembling the aftermath of a duel between a nest of bowtruckles and a particularly determined breeze. Her clothes looked like hand-me-down pajamas, a concept Prat was unfamiliar with but who was he to judge. Yet, despite all this, she managed to still look exactly like herself, only with ever carefully maintained piece of composure temporarily misplaced beneath covers. Prat suppressed his grin before it could grow into something far more obvious.

Perhaps his judgement had become hopelessly compromised over the last few months but he honestly thought she looked quite...adorable.

Before either of them could exchange more than a handful of words, the remainder of the McCarty household seemed to materialize from every conceivable direction he could guess, transforming the quiet entranceway into something resembling the organized chaos one would only expect from a household so vast. Prat straightened instinctively, years of etiquette lessons slipped into place before conscious thoughts of his even had opportunities to intervene.

"My name is Prat Pass," he introduced himself with an easy smile that had clearly been rehearsed through years of diplomatic family gatherings. "My name is Prat Pass. I'm Siobhan's friend from Hogwarts. It's a genuine pleasure to finally meet all of you. Siobhan's talked a lot about you all. Thank you very much from welcoming me into your home."

The first response came from the broad shouldered man whom Prat immediately identified as Siobhan's father. "Any friend of Siobhan's is welcome here, lad. My name is Niall and she's Ophelia. You're free to call us by our names, or by Mr and Mrs. McCarty—"

"Oh, Niall, hush," Ophelia interrupted with effortless warmth. "You can call me Ophelia, hun" Her family was sending mixed signals and Prat could not for the life of them, understand them one bit.

Prat blinked once before he glanced sideways towards Siobhan, only to find her hiding behind both hands as though wishing the floorboards would kindly open and swallow her being entirely. He understood the feeling, families possessed as extraordinary ability to dismantle years of carefully cultivated dignity within seconds.

"I believe I'll stick with Mr and Mrs McCarty for the time being," he replied diplomatically, inclining his head with same polished courtesy his parents had drilled into him since childhood. "However, thank you though, I appreciate it."

Two older boys—Declan and Eoghan if he remembered right; offered brief greetings before departing alongside Niall, likely heading towards whatever peasant work the farm demanded that morning, while her mother gently shepherded the younger siblings elsewhere, finally leaving the entrance quiet enough for Prat and Sio, leaving them in enough solitude for him to believe conversation might actually begin then.

It didn't.

Instead, something approximately the size of a small bear came charging through the hallway at them. The Bernese Mountain Dog collided enthusiastically with both while pursuing toaster and Neoth. Neoth, who immediately demonstrated remarkable intelligence by sprinting for his life. Considering Porter outweighed the young half-crup several times over, Prat couldn't exactly blame Neoth.

"Porter! Porter! Gow sheese sty Ihianoo!"

Whatever Siobhan had just said clearly resonated with the dog and carried authority as the enormous dog redirected most of his attention towards enthusiastically covering her face in slobber instead. Prat took three very deliberate steps backwards.

Absolutely not.

He wanted no involvement whatsoever with the very horrifying exchange of saliva currently unfolding before him, especially while wearing clothes that had survived as eleven-hour journey without incident. His wardrobe had endured enough already. Eventually, Porter abandoned Siobhan's face and wandered towards him instead.

Prat hesitated, but now, the dog looked harmless. Large and imposing but still Harmless.

Against what he suspected was better judgement, he extended one cautious hand and porter accepted the offering immediately.

"...Right," Prat muttered under his breath as enormous amounts of fluffy fur greeted his hands. "You're significantly softer than you have business being."

A few scratches behind the ears quickly evolved into proper pats despite his earlier reservations. "Sorry about Porter," Siobhan apologized. "His main form of socialization is sheep. Let alone a puppy like Neoth. He's really a sweet dog, just...fluffy and a little lick-heavy."

"Fluffy and heavy are definitely the words i'd use to describe him," Prat laughed, withdrawing his hand before Porter could decide to grace the pureblood with some unnecessary drool. "It's alright though. I don't mind him. He's basically a friendly fluffy battering ram."

A louder voice echoed from elsewhere on the property.

"Madra tréada!"

Porter's ears perked instantly before he abandoned everyone present in favour of whatever duties he'd been oh so suddenly invited for.

Prat watched him disappear. "Does he actually believe he's one of them? To think himself another sheep?" he asked curiously. "Or is this some highly specialized career choice?"

Siobhan soon recovered enough composure to continue.

"You probably need a minute to decide if you're running away. I know my family can be a lot and being cuddled by my dog probably wasn't any help."

Prat chuckled softly.

"I'm somewhere in rural ireland with no realistic method of escaping unless I intend to jog back to London," he replied, adjusting the strap of his jacket. "Beside, I quite like it here already. It's different, the air smells nice and admittedly, also considerably grassier than anything I'm lately accustomed to... but I suppose that's part of the appeal."

Following beside her, he allowed himself to observe the cottage properly now that immediate introductions had concluded. By no means was their abode grand or symmetrical, nothing matched particularly well if he was being honest. But it looked infinitely more alive than the homes he'd visited.

"I like this place," he admitted honestly. "You can practically tell who spends time in each room just by looking around. It feels quite lived in."

As Siobhan walked him through the house, explaining where everything was, she evnetually arrived at the inevitable question. "You can have a choice of where you want to stay, normally, we let guests stay in living room..."

Prat shook his head almost immediately. "Whatever causes the least inconvenience for everyone is perfectly fine for me."

"but my moir- mum, thought maybe you'd like to stay in my brother's room? She's been very interested in the whole... pureblood culture thing... but like not like that- just"

That earned her a small laugh from Prat.

"I think she's probably more interested in mystery of it all than the reality." Prat replied. "Pureblood culture sounds fascinating until someone starts explaining the Ministry Politics and then it all feels like jargon."

He shrugged lightly.

"And I'm sure your brothers won't bite." Probably, or so he assumed.

Once accommodation had been settled, Siobhan disappeared upstairs long enough to exchange pajamas for clothes considerably better suited to explore fields, returning shortly afterwards with Toaster comfortable occupying her arms before leading him towards the kitchen once again.

Fresh apples and strawberries occupied the countertop.

Prat selected an apple without hesitation, washing it beneath the tap before taking a crisp bite. Strawberries remained untouched. They looked fantastic but never tasted as impressive. Ophelia smiled warmly. "Did you get all your belongings settled hun? I hope Siobhan showed you everything you needed. I don't know what in the house you might not be used to, with us being- what's that word?"

"No-Maj—" Prat joined

"Muggle, moir," Siobhan corrected quietly. "Right. Muggle." Prat simply smiled. "Everything's been wonderful so far Ms McCarty. Thank you for your generosity."

Her mum continued, "Did you want to call your parents to let them know you made it safely?" He noticed the almost imperceptible tension from Siobhan around him, as though she'd worried he'd somehow be offended by the nature of her mother's question.

Truth be told, why would he?

He believed Sio knew enough about his upbringing to understand telephones weren't exactly commonplace in pureblood households, but assumptions born from kindness hardly qualified as insults.

"That won't be necessary," he answered pleasantly. "Sophia travelled with me, she'll inform my parents that I arrived safely before returning home, so they'll already know."

There wasn't any awkwardness or confusion, just another cultural difference he acknowledged and chose to quietly move beyond.

Moments later he felt her fingers wrap around his wrist. "We'll be outside," Siobhan announced. "I was going to show him around the land."

Prat bowed towards Ophelia. "Thank you again for having me Mrs McCarty. I'll try not to get lost." Whether that promise proved to a truth remained to be seen.

As they stepped outside together, he let his fingers shift naturally until they rested comfortably around her hand, giving it the faintest squeeze before looking towards the endless vast of the countryside stretching ahead. Prat had already asked her to show him where the sheeps were and the boy had but one plan. Roll around with the sheeps.

"So," he asked with a crooked grin tugging at the corner of his mouth," Where are you taking me Miss McCarty? Is this an elaborate plan to lure an unsuspecting London boy into the Irish countryside where no one will find us and you'll clear yourself of all the kiss debt you've accumulated these past weeks? Just like they do in christmas movies."

xx

𝐒𝐓𝐀 𝟕 | 𝐄𝐕𝐀 𝟏𝟎 | 𝐒𝐓𝐑 𝟔 | 𝐖𝐈𝐒 𝟕 | 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝟕 | 𝐀𝐂𝐂 𝟏𝟑 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 | 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 | 𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 coded by elena clark | banner by esme hestridgexx

x