A Simple and Fixable Misunderstanding PV Simon Tilia Finished

Simon was hanging out in the corridor, practicing one of the new spells with a classmate, when he received the news. Apparently, Madi had been seen in the Transfiguration Courtyard, crying. Madi was not usually one to be sad or seen crying in public. She was usually this happy, enthusiastic, frisky girl whose laughter and giggles were often heard echoing through the corridors. Why was she crying? What had happened?

When he reached the courtyard, he found her sitting under that big tree where he had been saving a hurt cat during their previous year. This looked far more alerting though. Something must have happened. He just could not figure out what it was. If someone had been mean to her, she would probably have become mad instead. Not sad.

She lifted her head and when she spotted him she gave him an unconvincing smile. She looked quite gloomy and her eyes were red from crying.

"Hey," he said and sat down beside her.

"Hey. I'm guessing news got to you that I was here didn't it?"

"It did. People were worried. And I got worried when I heard that you were out here all by yourself, crying..." He put an arm around her and placed his hand on hers. "What's wrong, babe?"

For a short moment, he was afraid that it had something to do with him. Perhaps she had conflicting thoughts regarding their relationship? Maybe she was not sure whether she wanted him as a boyfriend or a best friend? He suddenly felt anxious, as if the ground was about to erode beneath him or the world around him being shattered to pieces.

OOC note: Simon and Madison's writers have standing consent to godmod each other's characters

Madi looked up at him and, once she'd calmed down, said "M my mum sent me a letter, replying to the one I sent her about us and let's just say it was not a very nice letter. Me crying isn't about our relationship, because no matter what my mother thinks, it would never stop me from loving you Si. I will always want to be your girlfriend, no matter what anyone says" Madi said, smiling at him and giving him a kiss on the cheek to reassure him.

"There's another thing. You know how um, girls go through a thing each month... well mine started this morning and I got so embarrassed that I didn't know how to tell you, so I kind of avoided you so that I didn't snap at you and make you think I was mad at you but knowing that I made you worried makes me feel like a bad girlfriend, and if you don't want to be around me at the moment I understand" Madison said with a sniffle, knowing that Simon would want to do the exact opposite in terms of making sure she's ok and that she knows he loves her no matter what.

Madi snuggled into Simon's arms and relaxed as she inhaled his scent as they stayed seated underneath the tree. She looked up at him and smiled sweetly, her mood already improving by having him around. She held his hand with a please don't let go of my hand kind of grip.

@Simon Tilia

Hearing that it had nothing to do with faltering feelings was a relief. He instantly felt a rush of gratitude for having Madi as his girlfriend, something he almost had taken for granted recently. A part of him could not imagine being without her but that brief moment of uncertainty was enough to remind him to never give her a reason to leave him. But what about the letter?

Before he had the chance to respond, Madi continued, explaining why she was in such a mood. Apparently it was not just because of the letter. Simon knew perfectly well what she meant, having grown up with an older sister. In his Muggle secondary school, they had talked about it briefly, but his mother had explained it to him in more detail.

The first time his mother talked to him about it was when he was around 8 years old. Clara was having so much pain in her stomach that he got worried, and when he overheard Clara and his mother talk about changing pills he ran inside the room asking if she was sick. His classmate Jonathan had recently lost his dad who had died after being sick and having had problems with his stomach for a while. Simon was afraid that something similar was happening to Clara. But when he entered the room, Clara just screamed at him, asking him to leave her room as if he was the most annoying thing on the planet. His mother followed him to the living room and made sure Clara's state was completely natural. He listened with both fascination and confusion. It felt weird that such a painful state would be 'natural' and it did not seem fair that girls had to go through such a thing and not boys. He was happy he was not a girl, though.

"Hey," he said and gently pulled her towards him, giving her a long hug. "I know what you mean and you have nothing to be ashamed of. It is only natural. You can tell me these things, Madi. I'm your boyfriend... And I love you so, so much. I could never love you any less." He kissed her forehead and caressed her hair. "It's okay if you 'snap' at me. At least, it would be more understandable now that you have explained to me what's going on. I'd rather have you be honest with me about how you feel rather than hide things from me. Okay?"

Some passing students looked at them, probably wondering what was going on, but they were far away and Simon did not really care.

"How are you feeling now? Are you in pain?"

This was the first time he had talked about these things with a girl at his age. He felt quite mature doing so. He did his best trying to comfort Madi and show his support. Then he remembered the letter...

"By the way, what did your mom say in her letter?"

Being close to Simon, having him kiss her forehead and caress her hair made Madi feel so loved and cared for. I could never love you any less, those words went through Madi's head and she smiled at Simon with the smile he knows and loves, staying close to him but sitting up straighter after drying her eyes and having some water. "I love you too Si and ok, I won't hide my feelings from you and I'll be more honest. I'm sorry that I wasn't, I just didn't know how to approach the topic with you" Madi said with a soft giggle. "I'm feeling ok, a little pain here and there but not as bad as it was this morning and even better now that I have you with me" she replied, their lips softly touching as Simon keeps his arm around her, he leans his back onto the trunk of the tree and Madi sits sideways between his legs.

Having Simon with her was a huge comfort for Madi. She held his hand and traced love hearts on them with her finger, her mood lighting up as she feels her joyfulness come back, almost as if having Simon there instantly helped her feel better.

"By the way, what did your mom say in her letter?"

Madi took a deep breath and got the parchment out that contained her mothers letter, which read as follows:

Madi finished reading the letter and once she was done, folded it back up, put it into her pocket, sat between Simon's legs and held his hands "Si, despite what my mother has written in her letter, I will never love anyone other than you, I don't want anyone other than you ok? My dad and brother are on our side and my mother knows, that now she has said her piece, she won't say anymore, I love you Si and only you" Madi says as their foreheads gently press together and she smiles at Simon, with only love for him in her eyes.

"Let's forget about that letter though and just enjoy the rest of today ok, please?" Madi asks him. She knew her mother might one day say something else but for now, all she wanted was to be with Simon and forget about everything else, because nothing else mattered right now.

Madi gave him a soft kiss. He wiped a tear from her eye and smiled.

"It's okay, I understand," he said. "I'm glad you told me, though. Hopefully, you'll feel even better soon. Normally, it's only for a couple of days, right?"

As Madi read her mother's letter to him, his heart sank and he felt his face go pale. This was not the Victoria he remembered meeting in Kensington. Why was it such a big deal that he was a half-blood? If it was okay for them to be best friends, why could they not be together as a couple? He remembered that time in the Clock Tower, when he and Irina Shevel had found a secret box containing information about Irina's relatives and their pureblood mania. Her great grandmother had tried to prevent her grandfather from marrying a non-pureblood. He got the same kind of vibe from Mrs. Bennett and shivered.

"Wow", he said. His mouth felt dry. "Your mother clearly doesn't like me."

But what was even more sad, he thought, was the cold tone and absence of love in the letter. This could not be easy for Madi. She had told him that Mrs. Bennett had high expectations on her but he never could imagine that it was this bad. The only positive thing in the letter was perhaps the small sign of affection when she wrote that she 'cared about' Madi, and the fact that she would not stand in her way.

Madi tried to ease his mind, and to some degree, she succeeded. "I love you too, Madi. Despite what your mum says, I know I wanna be with you and nothing can change that. I hope she changes her mind, though..."

"Let's forget about that letter though and just enjoy the rest of today ok, please?"

"Okay, if that's what you want." He gave her a comforting smile and a quick kiss on her nose. "Class is about to begin. We should head back. But I'll meet you after school and maybe we can just... do something fun, and think of something else? If you're not in too much pain, of course." He stood up and held out his hand for her. "Come on, I'll help you up."

19th October 2023

@Simon Tilia

Madi smiled and nodded "I'm sure she will Si, it may mean you have to work harder to get her approval but I know she'll come round, don't worry. I love you so much and my mother will not stand in the way of me loving you" Madi said, giggling as he kissed her nose.
As she took Simon's hand, stood up and brushed the dirt off her uniform, Madi kept hold of Simon's hand as they walked back into the castle once she had all her things with her.
"What class do you have now Si?" Madi asked, wanting to keep her mind off the letter as they walked to the corridors that surrounded the courtyard.

Madi explained that she had Herbology now but she and Simon agreed to meet up after classes were over to do something together. She gave him one last kiss, a long hug and one of her cute smiles before Simon had to walk to class, whispering I love you to him after their kiss. As Madi walked to her class, she tried not to think about that letter from her mother. She eventually stopped thinking about that letter and thought about Simon instead, how he was always there for her, how he made her feel safe, calm, loved, cared for and beautiful all at the same time. Madi smiled and felt her cheeks turn pink, not even her mothers harshly toned words could dampen her mood now, nor could the pain she was feeling from the fact that it was her time of the month.

All she could, and wanted to think about, was Simon. He really was her rock and someone she knew in her head she couldn't live without. He made her a better person, someone who was more confident in herself and who she is, that's what Simon always helped Madi realise and she loved him so much for it. She knew in her heart, that her and Simon would be together for a long time, not her mother or anyone, was going to be able to pull her apart from him and she was gonna make sure her mother knew that