Summer of '24 Solo Closed

🅵 I N N E G A Nxx🅲 O N N O R
xxxGRYFFINDOR SECOND YEAR SEVILLE

Summer of '24 Summer break 2024

xx

With a firm hand on the boy's back, Owen guided Finnegan through the crowds. The boy that had come back from Hogwarts for the summer break had been quiet and apprehensive, nothing at all like the usual bounding pup. His small, square shoulders were pulled taut like a coiled spring, his eyes downcast, and his mouth sewn shut. It ached to see the change; the boy was growing up too fast. Something now stretched between them like a rubber band, threatening to snap. They found seats in an O'Learys at the terminal eateries and while they waited for their food, Finnegan picked at the edge of the table. "You alright there?" Owen said. Finnegan nodded, but couldn't hide the tremor in his breath. "Aye." "It’s alright to be a bit nervous, you know, first time abroad and all," Owen said, trying to keep the conversation light. "This will be good for you, a bit of sun, some football, a break from magic." "I'm fine, Dad." Finnegan kept picking at the table, scuffing the edge with the back of a fork. "Stop that." Finnegan shifted in his seat, a flicker of something — guilt, perhaps — flashed across his face. Owen narrowed his eyes as he tried to decipher what his son was hiding. It was no use; he'd passed on his stubbornness. Their drinks came, expensive orange juice and a pick-me-up that put them both in higher spirits. "I have something for you," Owen said. "I wasn't planning on doing this until we got to the hotel but, ah well, there's no time like now." He rummaged around his backpack, pulled out a gift-wrapped box and set it on the wonky table between them. "I know it's not your birthday yet, but I've managed to convince your mum that it's the 21st century and that you'll know how to use it responsibly." He gave his son a practiced, dead-on look. "Before you rip it open, I want you to promise me you won't go waving this in Rose's face or brag about it or lose it somewhere." "Sure," Finnegan said, his face contorted into a confused frown. "I promise."

xx

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 4 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10

🅵 I N N E G A Nxx🅲 O N N O R
xxxGRYFFINDOR SECOND YEAR SEVILLE

Summer of '24 Summer break 2024

xx

Arching an eyebrow at his dad, Finnegan pulled the box closer. What on earth had he earned this for? His grades were barely passable, he'd been nothing but a quiet, moping horror to be around, and he'd sauntered and grumbled his way through the first days back home. Besides, he'd just had his Christmas gifts and his thirteenth birthday was coming up in August. "Go on, open it," his dad encouraged. Taking the utmost care, Finnegan undid the ribbon, carefully picked at the tape, and gingerly slid the brown wrapping paper off. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the small, white box in his hands. "Dad— isn't this?" In his hands, he held a pristine white box emblazoned with an Apple logo, the plastic wrapping around it an assurance that it wasn't second-hand like most of his possessions. "—isn't this, isn't this really expensive?" he stammered, heat rushing to his cheeks. He didn't earn this at all. With a gulp, he swallowed down his mounting guilt, slipped off his chair, and rushed to bury his face in his dad's side. His father chuckled warmly and ruffled his hair. "Don't you worry about that, it's yours." After he'd pulled out of the embrace, he examined the box more closely before popping it open. There was a neatly coiled charging cable and a small, folded instruction manual inside, but the pièce de résistance lay smack in the centre, begging to be turned on. Carefully, he turned the device over in his hands and noticed how much lighter it was than his old clunker. His father smiled, clearly pleased to see him happy again. "I know it's been a tough year," he said gently, "but I know you're trying your best, so I hope this makes things a bit better, and you'll be able to keep in touch with your regular friends too—" He wondered if he still had any regular friends. They'd all moved on, and aside from his birthday and the odd playdate during one of his breaks, he rarely saw them anymore. But aye, he supposed he could keep up with his regular friends some more, the ones that he hadn't bled all over.

xx

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 4 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10

🅵 I N N E G A Nxx🅲 O N N O R
xxxGRYFFINDOR SECOND YEAR SEVILLE

Summer of '24 Summer break 2024

xx

Their cab ride consisted of several confused conversations between his dad and the driver in broken Spanish and English, but all he could think about was his phone. He had no eye for the historic cobblestone streets, the vibrant plazas, or the setting sun bathing the old city in a warm glow. He had insisted on putting the box in his bag, squeezed firmly between his legs, where he could watch over it until they finally arrived at their hotel, an odd little corner building that could only be accessed through a courtyard around the back where a lone wisteria had scattered purple over the uneven stone. While his dad made some conversation with the owner after checking in, Finnegan raced up the stairs two steps at a time, pressed the keycard against the lock, and barrelled into the room after the door beeped open. Once inside, he tossed his bag unceremoniously onto one of the twin beds and went digging through his luggage in search of a universal world plug. The room was modest, with two beds separated by an inch and a small, sturdy wooden table to the side, but Finnegan cared little for any of it. After he had triumphantly pulled out the adaptor, he gingerly freed the phone from its sleek, unblemished plastic. Plugged in, the device sprang to life. The springs on his bed squeaked as he belly-flopped onto it and began swiping his way through the setup screens. He hardly noticed his dad knocking on the door to drop off the rest of their luggage. "I'm guessing you can hold the fort here for a minute?" Owen said. "There's a festival just down the street I'd like to glimpse, unless you want to tag along?" "Uh, no thanks." With a hearty chuckle, his dad took the keycard and left again. Once he'd downloaded and installed the Instagram app, he took a moment to think on a good username. Just FinnConnor was too ordinary, finny was too childish, finnyboy too cringy, and finnthelegend was already taken. In the end, he settled on finntastic11, then leapt up from the bed and tried to find a good angle for his first post. His sister Rose would be so jealous.

xx

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 4 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10

🅵 I N N E G A Nxx🅲 O N N O R
xxxGRYFFINDOR SECOND YEAR SEVILLE

Summer of '24 Summer break 2024

xx

Laying sprawled across the soft bedspread, live was good. The springs creaked a little as he shifted his weight around, his eyes fixed to his new phone's pristine screen. With every touch a little joyous Tzzt of haptic feedback confirmed that he wasn't dreaming. I could stay like this forever, he thought contentedly to himself. Sucking in a deep, relaxing breath he tasted the faint tang of cleaning chemicals in the air. Once he'd set up the WiFi he signed in to the App store and downloaded WhatsApp. Finally his friends and family would be able to pester him every precious waking moment of his life outside of Hogwarts; technology truly was amazing. He located the WhatsApp icon and tapped to install. A few seconds passed as the loading bar crawled forward. He closed his eyes, feeling the rough fabric graze his cheek, but when he lazily reopened them, the app had finished installing. It took him a minute to find Rebecca's phone number in his old, beat-up phone and copy it into his new one. A quick glance at the time told him she should still be up, it was only 21:00 and he recalled his dad saying that Spain was 1 hour ahead of the UK. Grinning, he began to type:

xx

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 4 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10

🅵 I N N E G A Nxx🅲 O N N O R
xxxGRYFFINDOR SECOND YEAR SEVILLE

Summer of '24 Summer break 2024

xx

Finnegan placed his phone on the nightstand and reluctantly slid off the bed. Chatting was fun, but he knew he'd better be on his way to bed by the time his dad got back, so he pulled his carry-on bag closer, unzipped it and threw the top flap open. After a bit of digging—doing his best to ignore the new shin guards he got over Christmas—he picked out his pajamas: a simple pair of cotton shorts and an oversized T-shirt. Apparently, his mother still had hopes him of him growing one day, the sweetheart. Clutching his toiletries to his chest, he stepped into the bathroom, flicked on the light and kicked off his shoes. He cautiously tried the shower water with his toe before he decided it was hot enough to get under. Soon, the entire bathroom had fogged up and his tired muscles relaxed under a thick coat of foam. Unbidden, his gaze fell on his stomach and he was once again reminded of that awful night. Why was it that he could never remember any potion, not even after hours studying and this memory, mere minutes—horrible, horrible minutes—had seared itself into his memory? It was unfair, he didn't want to think about it, he wished he could make a forgetfulness potion just to wipe that entire day from his mind. Sighing, he traced a finger across his bellybutton and poked the spot, testing it for the umpteenth time. Just plain skin, nothing else, no scar, no trace, nothing. A muffled noise made him jolt. "Dad?" He staggered over to the nearest wall, pressing his ear against it, trying to hear over the rush of cascading water. "Dad?" he called again, his voice cracking. Silence. Footsteps? Heart racing, his palms braced against the wet tile. The memory of the stabbing flared in his mind, sharp and vivid, a knife twisting again in his gut. The room swirled, his stomach churned with nausea. Someone had broken in, someone wanted him dead, someone was out there right now waiting to- "Are you almost done?" his dad's voice sounded from beyond the door. Puffing his cheeks he sagged down the slippery wall like a sack of potatoes. God... "Finn?" He turned off the shower and called back. "I'll be there now in a minute"1 Deep breath. Easy does it... He quickly toweled off, slipped into his makeshift pajama and unlocked the bathroom door with a toothbrush in his mouth. "Hwow whwas thwe fwestwiwvalw?" "Hmm?" His dad entered looking pleased and ruffled his hair. Finnegan groaned in protest, but knew it was no use. His dad always had to mess it up. "Festival was good?" "Yeah, not bad. Lots of music and good food. You'd have liked it." Owen chuckled, giving Finnegan a tired, knowing smile. Little did Owen know that the comfort of bed appealed far more than a bustling festival full of strangers. "Alright now, off to bed with you, on the double. Finnegan nodded dutifully, brushed his teeth quickly, rinsed, spat and tucked himself in under the fresh sheets with a pleased sigh. "Dad?" he piped up again, just as Owen was about to enter the bathroom. The large, lumbering form of Owen Connor paused near the bathroom door, turning slowly toward him. A funny old look came over the rugged man's face. Oh no. Finnegan knew that look. "Oh, sorry mab, how could I forget?". No, no, no, no, no. This wasn't happening again. Not again, not again! "—almost forgot your goodnight kiss". "Dad, no, I'll kill y—". He wildly reached for the pillow under his head, but it was too late; there was a very ticklish beard in his face all of a sudden. "I'm nearly thirteen," he protested, face flushing red hot. "You can't. Do that. Anymore!" "Love you, son" Boom. Fatality. Death by cringe. Murdered in cold blood by his own dad. Groaning in unimaginable pain he rolled onto his belly, buried his face in his pillow and vowed to never, ever, ever be seen in public with his dad again. "That's the spirit! Get some rest. You've got a big day tomorrow." Owen chuckled. "I hate you so much," Finnegan grumbled. To make matters worse, the bloody oaf had the audacity to dodge the pillow that Finn so righteously threw at his face and now had to get out of his cocoon to retrieve. Meanwhile, the coward had hidden in the bathroom. I'll get you next time. Just you wait... 'now in a minute' = Welsh English turn of phrase meaning 'soon'.

xx

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 4 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10