Just Us Tonight... And Lear PV Hjørdis Jensen

Stifling a yawn, her silverish eyes searched the room. There was... so much food. Far more food than one person could consume. She had tried to keep the quantity of each dish to a small portion but even then, it added up. Carefully, she boxed up the last item. So much food... Well, as much as she could manage to cook and bake within a few hours. It would hopefully be enough. She would just have to cook more tomorrow.

For now, the Head of Slytherin placed the final container in the large box. Lifting it up, she headed over to the tent with it. The journey to the tent took at least an extra four minutes. It was kind of hard for her to see over the box, since it was so large, and she was worried about stepping on something, tripping and ruining everything. Of course, she could have used magic but... if the levitation charm stopped before she got to the tent, everything would get wrecked anywhere. Honestly, where were the strong muscular professors that she normally got to carry these things for her? Oh right, yes, most of them were busy hosting the stargazing event and watching over a group of students - a part of her was so glad that she was not there. Others were likely in attendance there or patrolling the local area for the remaining students and their safety.

Splitting the group was far harder than it looked. But today, Hjørdis had other priorities to focus on. She entered the tent, carefully, placing the box down on a table near the entrance to reduce the risk of damage. Her eyes fell onto him. He had a beautiful smile on his face, at least... for the moment. Hjørdis could not help but smile a little at the sight of his. Solomon Lear was not well, they all knew that. Physically, Caradoc could heal him but the mental scars were harder. They all knew that.

Leaning against the post of the door, she just watched the pair from near the entrance. The whole scene was too cute to actually break up. She had no idea what the story was but she walked in around the time he was talking a bumblebee, a little lassie and Caradoc's kiss. Whatever the story was, it sounded pretty cute. If she had to hazard a guess, it was one of his daughter but she honestly had no idea. Whatever it was, it made the old man smile and that was enough.

Tearing her eyes away, she glanced down at the bengal who had approached and was pawing at the box, "No, that's not for you," She warned him in a softer voice than she would have warned anyone else, as he seemed to be eyeing up the box. Sighing softly, she scooped him up in her arms, "I'm sorry, my love," She whispered she placed a couple of quick kisses onto him, kind of forgetting that they could hear her if she actually made noise.

Knowing that they had probably noticed her arrival by now, if they had not earlier, Hjørdis recomposed herself, placing Jeger onto her shoulder and pretending as though she had not just spoken to her cat. "I brought food, for when you're hungry?" She offered, looking at Lear. It might be far too late in the evening for him to eat - or perhaps it was dinner time. Honestly... she had no idea. In her attempt to make everything, she had kind of snacked on tasting things and never actually sat down to eat dinner herself.

She had asked him earlier, what he wanted to eat. His answer was simple, "lots", he claimed. When she attempted to clarify that, trying to figure out what he wanted to eat lots of, he simply replied with "all". It was for this reason, that there was a huge box full of smaller containers that would - hopefully - be enough for him, for tonight at least. With little guidance to go on, she had made a variety of dishes that probably did not even go very well together. They were not from the same cuisine. She just kept making food and with the use of magic, could easily heat anything he wanted to consume for him. Lear's eyes seem to light up at the mention of food, as though his interest had been perked interestly. A small laugh escaped her, "I guess so..."

Picking up the box again, she moved towards the table and quickly started to take the various containers out, separating them. There were a few baked goods and dessert, kept to the side but the majority was 'actual' dinner. A variety of items appeared on the table. A selection of sandwiches, garlic bread, vegetarian fried rice, macaroni and cheese, Cape Malay curry, fried herring, pork ribs, mutton soup, Norwegian waffles, potato wedges, couscous salad, Kjøttkaker - which was very similar to meatballs and lefse... A box of flapjacks, a chocolate cake and cookies... A bottle of juice that did not really go with everything but would do... Of course, a thermos of tea, because it was her... And then a bunch of cutlery, plates, serving spoons and so on.

Her gaze flickered to Caradoc, almost searching for answers to far too many questions over the shoulder that Jeger was not perched on. "It's peaceful outside. But I can go patrol..." She added, covering her mouth with her hand as she stifled another yawn. She did not want to but... In all honesty... comforting someone was not really her thing. He was much better at it. They both knew that. She did not have a comforting touch or a way with words or stories. She had food. That was all she had. Food was all she could do here and she had done her part. There was plenty of that. Hjørdis swallowed, wondering what to do. She was not on patrol duty tonight but... if it helped him, she could keep guard outside or around the tent. The real question was... What did Solomon Lear need the most right now? If Caradoc intended to keep healing him tonight, then some privacy might be best.

Outfit of the Day

"I- Wha-" She started to mumble as she narrowed her eyes at him. There were protection charms everywhere! Intruder alerts, protective charms, anything to indicate that she was not a random intruder! And she was carrying a giant box, she could barely see, let alone knock. Hjørdis glared at him for a moment before sighing, "You're right. I apologise," Not for his sake but for Lear's. After everything the Headmaster had been through, it made sense to indicate her arrival, even if it caused the food to fall. It would have been wiser.

Before she had finished laying out everything, Lear had already started working his way through the closest dish. She nodded in response to Caradoc's words - acknowledging his signal to step outside - and glanced over to Lear. The man was not going to be making conversation any time soon, with his mouth full of food. If nothing else, it really did wonders to boost her self-esteem to see him enjoying the food but then again, he probably would have appreciated any half decent food at this point. "I'll leave you to it," She said softly, gently squeezing the hand that did not grab the fork, "I'll be just outside if you need me..." She added, so he knew that they were not going to go very far.

The bengal on her shoulder hopped off, walking around the floor and staying by Lear's wheelchair. Perhaps to give him company. Giving the man - and her cat, it seemed - some privacy, she made her way to the exit and stepped outside. before moving towards the exit. Stepping outside, she spotted Caradoc just outside, "Hey... So...? How's it going?" She asked him, pretty sure she was not going to like the answer anyway. But at least, if there was some progress then that would be a good start. That was all she could hope for now - some slow and steady progress towards a better tomorrow.

Outfit of the Day

Biting her bottom lip, she resisted sighing before he even spoke. Pictures paint a thousand words, they say. And they were correct. His expression told her pretty much everything before a word even left his mouth. Bracing herself for the incoming news, she knew it would be some time before he got better. Mentally, this was difficult for anyone. Nodding, Hjørdis took in Caradoc's words. The small amount of hope that the end was pretty much the only joy that came out of his mouth. Her silvery eyes searched his face, landing on the smile, "That's good to hear..." She replied, at least pleased that he was not speaking of permanent doom and gloom. Hope was a rare thing in trying times and she intended on holding onto every little bit of it.

But it was not just Lear's health that concerned and worried her. It was the fact that he had been going through this for months, right on school grounds, right under their noses and they had no idea. No one had seen or found him in that time. And what he went through... It was far more intense and scarier than what any student had but... there was the very real possibility that the same could happen to another at any moment. Any child could face the same dangers. And that scared her even more, filling her heart with far more dread.

"Fine," She replied quickly, as though on autopilot before adding a bit more depth, "The usual, I guess. Tired. Hungry." Hungry? Was that the usual? Oh, right, yes. She still had not eaten. Perhaps... she should have made some food for herself. That would have been smart. Then again, Lear could not possibly consume everything. Her words were vague. There was obviously far more that she wanted to say but did not. Worries that she had, that he likely shared.

Hogwarts was dangerous. There was a reason they had relocated the entire camp to London, as far away from the dangers as possible. But it was only time before students were expected to go back, that the doors of Hogwarts were to be opened again. Less than two months, in fact.

She fidgeted with her hands a little, pulling on the ends of the long sleeves of her black top. She was not one that normally fidgeted but perhaps her tiredness was catching up to her. Far too many night patrols or midnight potion brewing sessions. Running a hand through her hair, she caught the hairband in one finger and tugged it off. Her messy bun, which she had only thrown up because she was cooking, came loose. Hjørdis ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it over to the side and brushing it off her face. Tucking a piece behind the other ear, she sighed softly as she gently pressed her temple before running her hand down her neck, placing it at the base of her neck and shoulder. Gently massaging, she exhaled softly. "I don't know, Cara..." She started again, her voice barely audible enough for him to hear. There was so much going on. Every day it felt like she was discovering something new, uncovering a whole new angle to the story that she had not even realised. There was far too much happening and she did not like where it was going.

She paused for a second, to look back at Lear. He was engrossed in eating. "I'm scared..." She admitted out aloud for the first time when she was sure Lear was not listening - though she spoke so quietly that it would not have reached him anyway, "What if it's a student the next time? I just... I don't know... They can't keep getting hurt. They... It's- Just that... They've been through so much... And it might not- it's certainly not even over. And... They have all been so brave... and stronger than they realise but this isn't okay. This isn't-" She sighed again, not really making much sense. Her jumbled sentences indicative of where her thoughts and mind were likely at. Overthinking everything. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the many thoughts it was having.

Hjørdis ran her hand through her hair again, looking up at the night sky. There were a few stars that her gaze landed on. Right... Most of them were at the stargazing event. It should have been a fun, relaxing event for them. Over the months, the staff had spent so much time trying to help improve their mental health a little. It was not therapy, it was not even close. But if the students could find a hobby or something that helped to de-stress them a little, it was worth it. Embroidery, writing letters, obstacle courses, sleep yoga, makeovers... It did not fight the hags, it did not heal the wounds but it was a step in the right direction. It gave them a moment to try and forget about everything, and to just smile. Summer camp... it needed to be that. A space to just have fun and relax. "I hope the view is beautiful tonight..." She said softly after a few moments, a small smile on her lips as she stared up into the night sky, mostly to herself. There were not many stars here but the team had taken them to a better location, with the proper equipment from what she knew. It was not much, but if the view could give them even one moment of happiness, it was worth it.

Outfit of the Day

"I- Well yeah... That might be the issue," Hjørdis replied, her own laugh escaping her, "Lear was not exactly clear on what he wanted to eat so... I kind of just ended up making a variety and then... forgot to eat?" She offered as an explanation. She had gotten so engrossed in overthinking the menu and if it was good enough for the headmaster, she did not consider pausing for a moment. Besides, she was pressed on time and had a lot to make. There was no real time to stop and eat either. Really. Solomon just wanted to eat "a lot" of "all". For all she knew, he was a vegetarian and she had prepared a whole bunch of meals with meat.

Maybe she could make some more things for him tomorrow. Based on how he was eating it all now, he would probably enjoy that. Running a hand through her loose hair, she nodded as he spoke about seeing after camp. They both were aware of the upcoming tasks that lay ahead of them. Together, they could figure this all out and do something... This was the calm before the storm again. It seemed like that was happening more often than not. The few moments to breathe before another storm started.

The conversation moved on - well her rambles moved on - to the sky. She said something about the stargazing event, a hope for the students to have a better night than they had previously. Whilst the moment had passed, she suddenly realised what he said. It took far too many moments to register. Hjørdis. He did not butcher it, like he did the first time he tried a few months ago. It was said so casually that she almost did not even realise he called her by her birth name. She smiled into the night sky. It had been a while since she heard her name not completely mispronounced. Whilst she did not look at him, she could not help but feel a little better. There was something calming and comforting about him, about their relationship, about the fact that he was trying to get her name right. It was... really considerate. Unexpectedly so. It was not necessary but the fact that he was trying was so him. It was one of the many reasons that he was the nice one.

His whisper reached her ears. It is.... Wh- Hjørdis almost turned around to say something sassy, asking about how he would even know what the sky was like over there. The group was not here. But her opened mouth shut as she felt his fingers brush against hers. A soft gasp escaped her. It all happened within a moment. The briefest moment. She found herself facing him, standing far closer than she imagined being, breathing audibly. Swallowing, she slowly looked up at him, locking her gaze with his.

A million thoughts went through her brain. Far too many thoughts. A complicated surge of emotions. This was... This would not end well. They should not do this. She knew that. He... seemed not to. Hjørdis swallowed. Though they were outside. In the middle of work. Right. This was highly unprofessional. She had to just exeunt right out of this. It would have been a surprise if he could not hear the beating of her heart, it was all she could hear.

Whilst there were no students around, at the moment. There could have been. And they were still working. They might not be on Hogwarts grounds but this was still part of their job. His family situation, their jobs, their friendship... In a moment, he changed the dynamic of their relationship. She did not know what to say or do. All she knew was that their friendship was one of the closest that she had. Everything changed in a moment. There were countless reasons not to do this. Yet, he was doing this.

Her brain was clouded by so many thoughts. On some level, she kind of already knew he might be attracted to her, though he had never said it. But right here, right now, was not the way she expected him to ever voice that - or... act on it, rather. The silence had fallen on them for only a few moments but she felt like it had been a lot longer. "Cara..." She whispered softly. It was so quiet that he would not have heard it if he was not so close.

Right. Right. She should. Say something. Do something. Kill him? Was that an option? He would feel her squeezing his hand, clearly in thought and most likely, overthinking everything as she usually did. The sound of her breath was audible in the air. He would see her opened her mouth to say something but no words would escape it as she closed it.

Her chaotic mind was confusing her. "Cara, I-" She started to say, slightly louder than before. Stopping abruptly, she blinked, "Erm I- Uh, that thing, I'm... Uh wha- I shou- right-" She mumbled out, unsure of what she was actually saying. Her mind went blank. What was she even trying to say? What was she meant to even be doing? There was a moment of panic in her eyes, breaking the gaze as she realised she seemed unable to think for the first time. Her mind was... blank. Her overthinking had stopped. Her head stayed in the same place but her eyes flickered down, away from his gaze. They look everywhere but at his eyes."I uh- We-" What the heck was she trying to say? Why could she not remember?

Closing her eyes, she exhaled softly, trying to calm herself down. She stood there, silently for a few moments. Despite her closed eyes, she knew he moved away a little. "Right. Work. That's the word. That's uh something we should do... I should... go check on... Yeah... We shouldn't do th- Yeah..." She mumbled out, recalling what she was actually trying to do. They were here to help the headmaster. Caradoc should be comforting Solomon right now. Not her. Despite her words, she did not move.

"Right. Yes." She mumbled, as she turned to go in. Her eyes scoured the surroundings. It was quiet. Not a figure in sight, as expected given it was night. Before she got to the door, she felt herself being tugged. Her hand was still gripping his. Whether or not he was holding hers, she swallowed as she realised that she was holding onto it. There really was something comforting and calming about being around him. It was as though his presence was calming. Her mind and heart seemed to be conflicted. She was not the emotional type. She was the type to follow logic, reason, a well thought out plan. This was... none of those things. Yet... their relationship seemed to defy so much of that, constantly finding herself in spontaneous and unexpected situations like witnessing people dancing around her randomly, being surrounded in her very own story or quest, singing and playing the fiddle in a room full of strangers... Before she met him, she never expected to do or see a lot of what had happened. Playing the floor is lava in the potions room? Hell no. Never in a million years.

She released his hand. A small smile appeared on the edges of her lips. Turning slowly, her eyes searched for his. She swallowed, staring at him. "Gosh darnit, Cara..." Despite everything her mind was telling her, she found herself moving closer, throwing one arm above his shoulder and pulling him towards her as she placed the other on the side of his face. Tiptoeing, she pressed her lips against his, leaning into him in almost a jump.

There was something very comforting about being near him, after all. And at that very moment, all she wanted to do was just to be in his arms and be comforted. This was his fault.

Credit for drawing goes to Caradoc | Outfit of the Day

The thing about having a cold and emotionless reputation was that people believed that she could not feel anything, or she did not have any emotions. She was kind of mysterious at times, but people saw her to be so strong or independent that she did not need a partner, that she did not want someone to hold her and comfort her. Or perhaps she was just seen as too scary for someone to show her affection. She did not know. She did not care.

Perhaps it was a moment of weakness or it might have just been the desire to be comforted. Maybe she just turned her brain off for once, caving in and giving in. It could have been a calculated move of manipulation or maybe she actually had feelings for him. Whatever the reason was, it did not matter. In this very moment, nothing mattered. Right now, this was all she wanted.

She stroked his cheek before moving her hand to behind his head, as he lifted her up. It might have been a terrible idea. It most definitely was. There was little good that could come of this, she knew that. His feelings for her were not subtle in the least. Whilst he had not voiced them earlier, she had suspected them to be there for a short while now. If she wanted this, there were plenty of opportunities before now for her to play this card. She had many reasons not to though. Too many reasons not to. This was a bad idea. But for whatever reason, she captured his lips without a care in the world.

Everything felt like it had frozen in place and for once, she was just living in the moment. She pulled away after some time to catch her breath. Finding the floor again, she exhaled softly, as she felt his forehead against hers. A soft smile appeared on her lips, just taking in the silence - that was quickly broken by him. With words that irritated her, of course, as he whispered into her ear and rested his head on her shoulder. She almost forgot how irritating he was! "I- Wipe that stupid smirk off your face. I did not smile," She pouted in a response, knowing that he had his signature smirk - that irritated the hell out of her - on his face even though she could not see it. They both knew she did smile. She just... did not want to admit to it.

Her own head was tilted, leaning against the side of his as her thumb gently stroked the back of his head and the other hand squeezed his shoulder. No matter how irritating his words - and that stupid smirk of his - was... There was something so calming about his presence. She stayed like that for a few moments, before opening her eyes. Sighing softly, they searching the night sky over his shoulder, after checking the area.

It did not matter if it was a bad idea anymore. She just... she appreciated being held. Maybe that should have been her warning. A sign of her showing a moment of weakness - at least, in her own eyes. Ahem. "Right. Work. That is a thing we should be doing..." She spoke up, in a much clearer voice this time, after some moments. Work came first. It always did. Maybe it should not have... Even if it did not, Lear needed them. Lear needed comforting right now, far more than she did. Hjørdis pulled away slowly, "I'm going to go see if Solomon needs anything..." Maybe she ought to apologise. But... she was not actually apologetic. They had something more important to do.

Unwrapping her arms from around him, she briefly touched his cheek with one hand and his chest with the other. Her eyes locked with his for a moment before she looked down, tucking some loose hair behind her ear, "Right..." She added, mostly to herself as she broke the eye contact. With that, she stepped away, quickly turning to make her way into the tent. She paused by the door, turning her head a little without actually looking back at him. Hjørdis opened her mouth to speak, inhaling softly. No words escaped her lips. She just turned back to the entrance and announced her presence to Lear - mostly to prevent him from panicking the way Caradoc had done earlier.

Once she had done, she entered the tent. The Headmaster looked up, almost a little guiltily, as he held an enormous slice of the chocolate cake to his mouth - forgoing any sort of cutlery. Hjørdis laughed softly, "I'm glad to see you enjoy it," She replied to his silent look, making her way over. A quick scan of the table showed that he had worked his way through a decent amount of food. There was still quite a bit left but boy, oh boy, was he trying. He really was. It was rather telling - and what it told was rather sad.

His insatiable hunger and the attempt to try and eat lots of everything showed how much he had suffered. He was hungry, in need of a warm bed and good food. Hjørdis checked the candles around. Whilst they were magical candles that ought to have stayed lit, she did not want to take the risk. There were so many candles that the room was likely even brighter than the badgers' common room. Sleeping in all of the light was not something she had gotten used to. It was far too bright for her, compared to the usually dark and only semi-lit dungeons. But over the past months, she had spent quite a lot of time not sleeping anyway, so that was not something new at the very least.

The light of the candles continued to glow without restraint. Hjørdis pulled up her sleeves, it was hotter than she anticipated it being. Her eyes searched the room to see if Caradoc had followed. Looking back at Lear, she picked up an almost finished container, "Seems like I found a favourite..." She put down the container and placed her hand on his free one, giving it a little squeeze, crouching down by his wheelchair, "How about I make you some more tomorrow? And... probably another cake?" She offered as she picked up a tissue and gently wiped some crumbs off his chest armour. His eyes lit up - most likely at the mention of more cake. Lear mumbled something that sounded very much like sounds of the affirmative with a mouthful of cake, "Alright alright alright. I'll cook some more tomorrow. Just eat the food slowly!" Hjørdis replied, before he ended up choking on the cake. Normally, she would have scolded someone for being rude enough to talk with their mouthful. But Lear was an exception. Giving his hand another squeeze, she patted it and then let him finish the slice in peace.

Grabbing her hair, she took the hairband she had removed earlier and put it up in a messy bun again. Hjørdis returned to do what she did best. Cleaning. Gathering the leftovers, she boxed up the empty containers again so she could wash them out. There was definitely enough for her to eat some dinner, most likely enough for two. Maybe she made way too much food for one man... Enough for a week, apparently.

Outfit of the Day