Thread with @Flash Holmwood

Date || August 1, 2020

Today was the day!

According to Willow's incessant texting about his location and how long until he would be there, it would be any minute. Not that Willow hadn't been sitting at their doorstep waiting, listening, for unfamiliar car wheels to approach and deliver her best friend to her. Even though it had not even been two weeks since their teary-eyed goodbye from each other, summer camp, and their first year at Hogwarts being over she missed him as if a part of herself had stayed with him to keep him safe at his house. He didn't talk about home much, but from the bare minimum she knew it seemed vastly different from the life that she led before Hogwarts.

Everything had changed since then. Returning home had been one of the hardest things she's had to do all year. More than forgiving Flash, or jumping down a hole to save Jack Warren, or even shooting incendio after incendio at what she now knew to be mosps that didn't seem capable of dying. For some reason those felt like cake walks compared to facing her parents after everything that she had gone through. What could she say? There was a delicate dance to be had, one that she had never had to perform before, with them. While before Hogwarts she couldn't imagine being without them, now it was hard to envision what it was like to be with them again. It wasn't easy to keep it hidden for long. After one too many nightmares and avoidant conversations she finally broke down and told them as much as she thought they could handle through choked sobs and tears that came in waves.

She had never even really told them that for a period of time she wasn't friends with Flash... until a few days before the trip. Which! She realizes, was definitely not ideal timing. But, she assured them that all was calm, delightful, and lovely between them. She wouldn't have invited just anyone to come visit after all. This was going to be the first person that she had ever brought home, to meet her parents and grandma. Her family would go and see her grandma once a week, and they had planned their weekly visit around the day that Flash would come. It was the first thing she wanted to do with him besides introducing him to her parents. Her grandma was the most important person to her in her life, and now Flash had taken up that position. So it was only fitting that the two were formally introduced.

Owena and Dorion were dressed to spend their morning gardening, usually Willow would join in but she refused to leave her post in waiting for Flash. It was a very serious job, he was expecting her to welcome him after all! Her parents were already wearing daisy crowns, soon to be worn by Flash and Willow as well but that wouldn't be until much later. Instead, Willow was covered in daisy clothes. Flash would probably be able to notice the pattern with how observant he was. If, he didn't get distracted by Willow's new magnificent hair.

As part of Willow's recent rebuilding and rediscovery of herself and who she was, her mom finally caved in and let her dye and cut her hair. It wasn't something that was allowed before because of the school that she went to, at least the dying part, but Willow wanted to chop a decent amount of it off too. A new change and symbol of who she was becoming. Of course, being twelve and especially aware of how she looked, she kept this a secret from Flash. Even though they texted every day, it seemed like a cute fun surprise for him right off the bat, obviously he would care about her hair as much as she did!

Slowly her ears picked up the sound of a car coming by, and she dropped the stick she was using to draw in the dirt and jumped up to her feet. Her parents glanced over but continued to work, it could've been any number of their neighbors. But, Willow's hearing proved her right as an unfamiliar car pulled into their driveway. With how small the town was, it was easy to know what car belonged to who. "Mum! Dad! He's here! He's here! Come on!" She was excitedly jumping up and down and calling out to her parents that slowly stood up, dusted some of the stray dirt off of them and began to walk over. Willow beat them by a landslide, not even waiting for Flash to close the car door before making a running leap and encasing as much of him as she could in a hug. Besides her quickened breathing from the small sprint she did, she was silent for once. Quietly squeaking out after a few long moments, "I missed my brother so much."

"Will, dear, perhaps give Flash a moment to stretch his legs? He's been in a car for a few hours after all." A soft voice spoke from behind them, coming from Willow's mum. She had a soft smile, knees that were imprinted with grass blades, and covered in dirt that they were just walking in. Dorion was standing next to her, jeans that obviously were exclusively used in the garden were deeply stained with deep greens and browns. A more jovial smile graced his soft face. Willow bashfully retreated from the hug, her excitement had taken over once again. She let the parents mingle with the driver person to arrange an exact time for pick up as parents do and give Flash a moment to get his bearings.

After everything was arranged and the driver rolled out, Willow took it upon herself to do the formal introductions. She took his hand in hers and led him the couple steps over to where her parents were. "Flash, this is my mum and dad! Mum and dad this is Flash!" Dorion chuckled lightly, "Also know as Dorion and Owena. I'm, sadly, not the Owena counterpart." Owena rolled her eyes in response, lightly elbowing him in the ribs. "We've heard so much about you, welcome home." A kind smile, the one only a mom could have gazing upon children she was ever so happy to be around, was fixated on her face. "If you need anything, and we mean anything, while you're here. Please let us know. Even if it seems weird or small, I know our house can be a bit... uh, overwhelming and chaotic, maybe weird or scary? To those who aren't used to what we practice. Although, from what our little Will here has told us about you, you two have talked about it quite a bit." She paused, one of her hands lightly waving off the moment. "Ah, I suppose you two are wizards anyway. Maybe it's not too out of the ordinary anymore." Ah, the muggle parent struggle. A small blush came over Owena's face as she looked to Dorion for assistance in welcoming Flash.

While Willow had never brought anyone home, it also seemed like the parents were unsure how to bring someone they didn't know into what they had considered and built to be such a sacred place for them. Dorion, luckily, was there to help lighten the mood. "Honey, you're gonna terrify the kid. Make him think we're practicing some weird type of shi- I mean, weird type of stuff in there." He walked over and ruffled Flash's hair, "Our home is now your home, any brother of my little sapling here, I suppose, is now a child of ours and a welcome addition to the Anderson family." He took Flash's duffel out of his hands. "I'll make sure Owena doesn't touch this with her..." He leaned down and whispered to Flash, "Weird magic or whatever she was talking about." He stood up and gave a sly wink to Flash and Willow. Owena obviously overheard it all and was giggling lighty. "We'll leave you two to catch up. We expect you back in two hours for dinner." Both of the parents looked at the two siblings with bright smiles before intertwining their fingers and heading inside.

If Flash were to look over at Willow at this point she would be utterly embarrassed, refusing to make eye contact. "I am... so sorry for my dad. He can be so weird!" She sighed and turned to him with her usual smile. "How's your summer gone so far? How's home going? Any mysterious attacks or fires yet?" A small quirk of the brow and giggle. Going from Hogwarts to home was incredibly weird, and she hoped that Flash was sharing those feelings too. She started to walk with him around the grounds, her hand unwilling to let go of his.

The car ride was a bit of a long one, made to seem even longer through the stretching power of giddy anticipation. Flash had brought a book with him, and his phone for that matter, but they all proved to be unqualified distractions. Willow was still texting him as he was on his way, neither of them needed to pretend they were less excited than they were-- even though it had realistically only been about four weeks since the Quidditch match. It was longer than they had been away from each other for a while, including the time that they had a falling out.

So excruciatingly, for about three hours and a great deal of change, Flash tried to while away the time in the backseat, the driver not saying a word except the occasional direction or to point out something in the vicinity. Flash wouldn’t have dared asking Darius to take him on the trip, not only not wanting to be in a car with him for almost four hours, but he would have completely eclipsed him at the Anderson house. He would have made friends with Willow’s family as the clearly superior Holmwood, perhaps they would have liked it better that way. Instead, they were stuck with Flash.

Well, no, Willow didn’t see Flash as a burden. Quite the opposite, she might have been the only person in the world who made him feel important. She woke up in the early morning for him, excitedly and abundantly shared things with him, and seemed to be able to talk with him to no end. Even after he told her that he was a wealthy scion, nothing about their relationship had changed. He treasured the spot that Willow filled in his heart, but his security in their relationship didn’t mean her parents would feel the same way.

She had talked about them of course, about how friendly and loving they were, and how they would ‘accept him into the family’. Still, Willow had a way of enjoying any situation she was in, it was hard to gauge how much of it was hyperbole. He had wanted to make a good impression on them, since he intended to be by Willow’s side for the rest of his life, if he could. She had used the word ‘siblings’ on the first day they ever met. It had been more of a joke then, but not long after that, they started using it unironically. Anyone would be lucky to have Willow as a sister, and he was determined to be the kind of brother who deserved her.
Once they pulled up to the house itself, a quaint thing, looking a bit like a cottage out of a fairy tale, he saw Willow making a beeline for the car. Grabbing the single dufflebag he brought along with him and slinging it over his shoulder, he quickly made a move to exit the car, knowing what was coming. Not even seconds after standing up did he catch Willow in his arms, the two of them clinging to each other like wet paper.

Perfect. Flash could feel the worry draining from him, the warmth of Willow’s love melting him all over. He never realized how much tension he was carrying until Willow took it away.

”I missed you too. So much.” Flash’s voice was quiet, like a sigh.

It was only after the much needed hug, and a mutual proclamation, that it dawned on Flash what he had seen as she was running at him. Her hair was a bright pinkish purple hue. Lavender? Mountbatton? Well, regardless, it was quite a change. He set her down and looked at her properly, his face both surprised and amused.

”Your hair… it’s beautiful.” Unconsciously, Flash brushed the hair out of her face, having been mussed by the collision. ”I love it. It suits you well.”

Flash was brought back to the situation at hand by a nearly inaudible voice delicately admonishing Willow for her excitable leap. Right-- her parents. He straightened up, watching them as they went over to talk to Pilar, the driver the family used on such occasions. She took her job very seriously, a strict face that was the last reminder of home before she got back in the car and left for the rest of the weekend. Looking at them, his heart started to beat so quickly that he thought he might be getting lightheaded. Well, that could have also been the sudden activity and the sweltering heat. Still, it was not long enough in the sun to start sweating like he was.

At the introduction of Willow’s fingers wrapping around his hand, he at first inhaled quickly in surprise, but let the breath out slowly and easily. It was okay. She pulled him along over to them, both clearly having just come from the garden, wearing light summer clothes. Overdressed indeed. Her father made a joke, giving their first names. How was he meant to… address them? He knew what he was supposed to do, but wouldn’t it be more rude to not call them by the name they gave? But… they were adults.

”Mr. Dorion… O-Owena.” Flash blurted out, bowing slightly. Well, so much for first impressions.

They moved on effortlessly, the two of them seeming to have an easy time. Owena even said ‘welcome home’, were they trying to make him blush? Luckily for him, they seemed perfectly capable of chatting between each other, explaining that he could ask if he needed anything, and how he might expect the house to be a bit ‘weird’. The muggle magic, most likely, but Flash and Willow had spent so much time together at that point that he was starting to understand it a great deal. It wasn’t exactly a subject he did independent research on, he unfortunately had far too many other pressing things to look into. Still, it was part of who Willow was, so he loved it.

But then, when Dorion spoke up to lighten the warning, he said something truly shocking. ‘Now a child of ours’, ‘an addition to the Anderson family’. Flash’s hand squeezed Willow’s tightly, not having yet let go. It was a bit much for him, it triggered the instinct to want to hide his face, but there was nowhere to hide. They would get a front row view of his flummoxed red face.

”Th...anks…” Well, maybe ‘thanks’ wasn’t the most grateful answer he could have given. Something more like ‘I appreciate your hospitality’ or ‘I’m humbled by your kindness’ would have been more appropriate, but it was a feat that he got anything out at all.

Not missing a beat, Dorion took Flash’s bag from him, a good thing given that Flash was feeling a bit unsure of his feet. He gave Flash another joke and a wink, allowing him to simmer down and laugh lightly. The first hurdle had been cleared, they were nice people, naturally, of course they were. Willow always said so. It shouldn’t have been so jarring, though perhaps that had more to do with the drastic difference between them and what he was used to. He didn’t know too many adults who joked around like that, except maybe Professor Lian, but she was around the same age as Darius, so it had never really thrown him off.

Once the pair had gone inside, holding hands themselves, Flash turned back to Willow, the one with the expertise, but she was also red with embarrassment. Her father was weird? Was he, should Flash be concerned? Perhaps she only meant it in the same way that Darius embarrassed him.

”My summer has been good. No emergencies so far.” Once it was just the two of them, Flash was back to speaking ‘normally’, an excited smile growing on one side of his face like a smirk. Without any real bidding, the two had started to walk together hand-in-hand. ”Tell me about you. Has being home helped?”

The implication being, of course, that Flash knew Willow had been struggling silently. It wasn’t silent to him.

@Willow Anderson

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood

He was here, and everything automatically seemed brighter. Her beloved brother had a talent of brightening her day in a way that no one else could, especially for someone like her who was frequently personified as sunshine incarnate. But people often forgot that moonlight had a gentle illumination of it's own, and he was her moon.

A light blush graced her cheeks as he brushed her hair out of her face. "I was going to tell you about it, but I wanted to wait. I'm glad you like it! The wizard world has nothing on hair dye!" Poor Willow, not even aware that she would learn a hair coloring spell in her 2nd year. She still had her own perceptions about the limits, or lack of, wizarding and while they were expanding she still had some thoughts about what the muggle world did better. She took a second to take him in, his pastel suit absolutely standing out within the earthy hues of her abode, but mimicking the usual style of Willow. "A suit to a cottage, I'm not surprised. Want to make a good impression on my parents or something?" She giggled, idly smoothing his jacket back out and fixing his tie. "I promise they're going to love you" Willow gave him a cheeky wink, followed by a warm encouraging smile before turning around to bring him to her parents.

Her thumb idly rubbed the back of his hand, sensing the stress within him that wasn't something he usually had. Willow knew Flash to be confident, compelling within a room, in control. This was turning out to be the first situation where he seemed to be completely out of his element. Her parent's laidback attitude would hopefully help ease his own anxieties about the situation. "Oh, feel free to call us whatever you like dear." Owena was always the most observant of a person's nervousness, or mood in general. She had a keen eye for other people's emotions, and had always considered herself an empath in denial. "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson is just fine if you'd like, Mr. Dorion, people call him Dori sometimes because he can be incredibly forgetful. Mrs. Owena if you'd like, some people call me Ena. Mum and dad is fine too but no pressure, that might be weird to say to people who aren't your parents. So we completely understand but seriously--" She had a tendency to ramble, and a gentle hand on her shoulder from Dorion had her trail off from her sentence.

"What Ena is trying to say here is, whatever is most comfortable for you. We're pretty easy, I promise. If anything makes you uncomfortable, or we ask you to do something you don't want to do you are in your full right to politely decline. We do prayers for meal times, we have some rituals when starting a fire, et cetera. But, you don't have to participate in any of them. We understand it's not your practice, and we respect that. We will respect your limits as long as let us know where they are. We won't ask questions, within reason of course. We still have to be boring 'ol parents sometimes." This was becoming a super intense welcome. It was becoming incredibly obvious how little people outside of their faith had ever stepped within their house, as they felt like they needed to throw down as many blanket 'we're here to make sure you're comfortable' statements as possible.

Willow looked over at Flash finally once all was said and done and his face could easily hide within the tomatoes and no one would be able to spot him. She didn't acknowledge it for the time being, better to give him time to cool down from her suddenly intense parents about welcoming him, including him in the family, and making sure he was comfortable. But, she settled for a simple. "I've never had anyone over, they're just really excited." To hopefully put some of the situation at ease.

Walking with him felt more like home than her actual home felt. It felt easy and familiar, the only thing missing was two mugs of tea in their hands. She smiled up at him when he said his summer was going well, but was incredibly thrown off when he asked her a prodding question about how she was doing. She should've expected it, Flash was always one to see through her facades. Not only see through them, but ask questions about them too. He would pull it out through clenched teeth and weak words of protest. Her eyes moved to the forest floor, she was leading them somewhere but her footsteps slowed slightly.

"Oh you know, its... good. It's home! How could it not be? You know, I'm back with my parents and-" Grandma. She paused and nodded. "I'm glad to be home." A confirmation to herself that everything was fine, but that wasn't satisfactory for Flash who knew her better than that. He spoke up, dissolving the rest of the fight against the truth she had been ignoring. She never had too much fight against Flash. She sighed deeply, kicking a stick as they walked, and quickly apologizing to it. "I mean it sucks! I can't do any magic that I've learned to show them. I can't tell them anything that happened at school really, but I have nightmares all the time. I just tell them its because of all the creatures we've learned about and they're not a real threat so it's totally ok!" Her hand was slowly gaining a tighter grip on Flash's, her eyebrows creased in frustration. "But I was stung by a mosp, set my friend on fire, was in an explosion, saw moving weird darkness creature things attack and curse my friends. I can't... I can't get past it. I feel like I have to deal with it without them because if they knew they would definitely pull me out of school."

Another deep breath as she attempted to regain composure. "I can't lose Hogwarts, its the best things that has ever happened to me. But I feel like I don't even know how to talk to them anymore. I mean, I kind of did right? I told them some things like... about our fight... and about Jack because he's my boyfriend I guess? Just different dumb friend fight tidbits. But, I'm hiding like half my life from them and it sucks." They had made it to what seemed to be like a natural archway where she stopped dead in her tracks at the entrance. "It is... really hard. To balance between being a muggle witch and like a witch witch. And I thought I had a grip on it until I got home. I mean... I dyed my hair and cut my hair. Isn't that like the movie step one of being in a mid life crisis or something?"

She groaned and stomped her foot childishly. "I'm only twelve." Her eyes gazed down the pathway. They seemed faraway, sad, as contemplative as a young girl could be. "I just hope that she's watching. I wish I could know if she was proud of me, happy for me. She brought us into this world, y'know? This muggle witch world. She started our family on this path, our home had dead grass and weeds everywhere. Look at it now. It's thriving. My family is thriving. We have literally built ourselves from the ground up, together. Just the four of us. Now she's gone, and it's just three left. But how long will there be three left?" There was a pregnant pause, filling the silence between them. Her eyes stayed forward, her body rigid as rigor mortis.

After what seemed like hours to her, she looked at Flash. There were tears bubbling at the surface of her dimmed blue eyes. "I feel like I'm ruining everything that she has built, destroying it. By being at Hogwarts."

Willow did her own fixing after their full on collision. She patted and smoothing out his jacket and readjusted his tie. He appreciated it, though she didn’t let him go without making a remark about how out of place the bright, clean ironed out suit looked against the backdrop of muddied jeans and sandals. It hadn’t exactly escaped his notice either, but he laughed it off weakly.

”I suppose I got a bit over-excited.” He explained quietly, not wanting the approaching parents to hear, even though their love was allegedly assured.

After his misstep with their titles, Owena patiently explained that he could call them whatever he liked-- from Mrs. Anderson to Ena to Mum! That was so much worse, now he had to choose, a decision that would belie his true thoughts. Did she want him to call her Mum, wasn’t Mrs. Anderson too formal? Good Lord, he had no clue which choice was the one that made the least waves. Well, was not making waves even the point? Wasn’t he supposed to be enjoying himself? Dorion himself said to choose whatever made him feel most comfortable, but he was most comfortable when he knew exactly what to do. I’ll figure it out… as I go...

Even though he could easily say he had a lot of freedom at home to do whatever he liked, within reason, it was still a very structured life. There was a right thing to call people and a right way for him to look. Willow’s parents seemed to… have no particular need for such structure. It made sense with the way Willow was, but he wasn’t sure where he fit into it. Would he continue to be the odd one out, holding on to his manners? He wasn’t sure whether that was most comfortable for him or not, he spent very little time considering his own comfort.

It was funny then, when Willow mentioned that she didn’t have people over often. With the way she was at Hogwarts, no one would guess that she was somewhat new to having friends. Perhaps the same could be said for both of them, they were faking it until they made it, as it were. Flash knew the kids in Willen had taken to bullying Willow instead, and that her parents were thought of as strange for practicing magic openly. It made sense that she didn’t have many people over, but he was certainly the first of many. He would have to set a good example for Hogwarts students, lest they be soured on the bunch.

Once the adults were gone, and they had started on their walk, she answered his question falteringly. It wouldn’t have convinced anyone, but Willow was quite a notoriously bad liar. Well, not that she was really trying to ‘lie’, but she tended to want to pretend the darker things weren’t as present as they were. A way to cope, perhaps, but once she recognized that Flash had caught the whiff of something wrong, it was only a matter of time before she’d relent and say what was really on her mind.

”You don’t need to sugar coat it.” Flash said simply, opening the flood gates.

She talked about not being able to show her parents her magic, about having nightmares and needed to cover up the truth, the threat of being pulled from school, not being able to talk to them. Then, stopping suddenly, Flash watched her with worry. She explained the pain of having dissonance between her old life and the one she had now, blaming her new hair color on that.

Flash had to keep himself from chuckling a bit when she started stomping her feet. It really wasn’t because it was all that funny, but more because it was true. They were indeed too young to be dealing with that kind of rift in their understanding of the world, but likely many young witches and wizards went through something similar after their first year. He knew he also felt very strange, though it had more to do with his exposure to a greater diversity of people, and being away from the sometimes isolated nature of his home. The fact that Hogwarts was a boarding school meant the students got time to get used to living there, right before going back home and having to renegotiate all the feelings that it left them with.

And, of course, there were the attacks, and the fire. That was another matter entirely, the reason she was having those nightmares, and the reason she couldn’t talk to her parents openly. There wasn’t much Flash could do about that, besides be someone she could talk to about it. Stay on top of the information, try to keep an eye out for imminent danger. He hadn’t even told Willow what had happened in London after the Quidditch game. How he had seen Victor again, been put in a ring to fight other students. How could he? Even though he always wanted to be honest with Willow, it didn’t mean he wanted to also be constantly dragging her down with him. She had enough to deal with without worrying about him getting into fist fights.

Then, Willow’s eyes looked far beyond, out somewhere unreachable. She was talking about someone… her grandmother? Yes… definitely. She was talking about her family’s history, the roots of not just the house, but the people themselves. Something that her grandmother had tended to and watched grow. Whereas Flash was humbled, impressed by her legacy, Willow’s perspective was different. How long until someone else died… was what she was thinking. It wasn’t such an unimaginable leap to take. Normally kids their age wouldn’t be thinking about things like that yet. Maybe there was no real age that one ended up thinking about what it meant, but experience instead.

Flash had sometimes thought about what it meant to exist, or to not exist, but not what it meant to die. It was a matter of fact, that everything passed on eventually. With Ruka and Willow however, it wasn’t quite so ‘simple’. It was chilling when they spoke about it. Not like a dead rat in a trap, or a horse shot with a gun. Not just ‘how things were’, even though it was how things were. He couldn’t sympathize, and he didn’t know if he ever wanted to. At the very least he could want them to feel better despite the loss. It was at least obvious that death shouldn’t be something that destroys the lives of the living. Certainly Willow’s grandmother was someone who wanted her garden to continue to grow and flourish beyond her.

But Willow cut to the quick, saying something Flash hadn’t even imagined might have been messing with her so badly. He knew she was conflicted about the differences between muggle magic and wand magic, but that it was destroying the foundation of the home her grandmother had built their lives upon? Flash’s gut reaction was to protest and placate her, but he held his tongue. While it was true that they were both still just young children, he didn’t want to talk down to Willow just to give her feelings a temporary bandage. He didn’t like easy, quick fixes.

”She knew you were going to Hogwarts, didn’t she? Was she not happy for you?” Flash honestly didn’t know. Willow spoke about memories she had of her, and about what kind of person she was, but not about what she thought about Hogwarts. For all he knew, it had been a sticking point once the letter had arrived. Though, by the way Willow described her, he couldn’t help but think Willow was beating herself up. He knew the urge well enough himself, it made things easier when there was someone who would shoulder all the blame for everything going wrong. ”Would you be happier if you didn’t have magical talent?”

It was a genuine question. If she was bringing it up, it was because it weighed heavily on her mind. He knew things like that were better said out loud, put into the air. Sometimes when it stayed in one’s head, it started to hide behind other things and pretend to be something else. Better to address the issue directly, that was why she told him, wasn’t it? So he could help sort out the jumble in her head by patiently untangling the knots?

@Willow Anderson

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood

Willow's free hand idly came up to twirl her short hair, a nervous habit she had picked up ever since she cut her hair. Her eyes returned to gaze somewhere down the path. "I mean, she was the one that wanted me to go the most. Mum and dad were hesitant... reluctant even. But... she wanted me to go. She was so excited about this new magic. She wanted to be a part of it so badly." Willow paused and wiped a stray tear that had escaped from the bubble that was slowly dissipating back into her eyes. "I mean, why me right? After generation after generation of muggle. Why is it me who gets to go to Hogwarts? What makes me special?" It was a question that had long plagued her. At least with pureblood families, even half blood, they kind of knew it was coming. It was almost expected. But with muggles, someone had to show up to her house to even explain what magic was.

Would she be happier without this? She didn't know. Now that she had been to Hogwarts, the small badger couldn't imagine a life without it. But maybe it was about the people she had met. She had always had a kind of magic in her life, but there was a new magic. That was in finding community. People like her, that liked her for who she was. Without any further expectation. Of course, there were always people that she wouldn't get along with. Like Percival, Ruka, Jack. But that was normal. What had never been her normal was being surrounded by people who loved and cared for her. "I think... maybe without the magic. But not without the people. I mean, without Quidditch, Hufflepuff, definitely not. You, I couldn't live without you now. But maybe, if I lost the magic I wouldn't be all that sad. I've always had magic in my life Flash. This is just... different magic. Like a new school of it that I'm learning. But I always have had magic in my life, whether people accept that it is magic or not." The people she had met had been the ultimate achievement of her time at Hogwarts. Never in her life had she wanted to bring anyone over, and now she had a whole list of visitors that she had to squeeze in. So many matching friendship bracelets to dole out, and that was magic too right?

"I think she would be happy too. Maybe. For the same reasons, not necessarily for the magic part. But for the second family I've built. We've always just had us. My dad's side disowned him and cut him off completely when he started practicing witchcraft with mum and grandma." Just the four of them, one of each element. Now one element was missing and it seemed out of balance. The air was different, it had left Willow's lungs the day her grandma died, and it seemed like it was just starting to return. With every visit to her grave, every conversation she had with her, and every song she sang to her. Willow was slowly starting to be able to breathe again, and Flash's ever calm energy seemed to help guide even more air into her.

Her feet slowly started moving again, down the path. "In our belief system, there's energy flowing through everything. From the furthest part of the galaxy to the deepest core of the Earth. There's energy flowing, surrounding us. We, as people, have energy. There is a cycle of life and death with a constant exchange of that energy happening throughout our life. My family takes extreme care to constantly be putting our energy back into the Earth. Gardening, tending, making offerings to the Earth. To our Goddess and God." She looked up at him, making sure he was following her words and listening. He had always been a listener for her. Especially today, where the words seemed to be flowing like a never ending waterfall.

"Dying is the ultimate return of that energy. In Wicca, we prefer natural burials. No coffins, no embalming. To let our body be returned to the Earth. My grandma's energy will soon be recycled, in whatever way our God and Goddess see fit for her. She's always hoped to come back as a deer. Those are--were her favorite animal." They stepped into a clearing, a small alcove away from the house and the rest of the town. Daisies seemed to flood the clearing. Although there was a stone path leading up to the grave. Willow paused again at the beginning of the path. "I know you like to know everything that's going to happen. So, walking up I'm going to sing a song for her. Once we reach there, I'm going to sit and talk to her for awhile. You can talk to her too, she'd want to hear all about you. While we talk, I'm going to teach you how to make daisy chains~" She looked down and gestured at her whole outfit and the field. "I don't know if you could notice... but daisies are her favorite flower. Then, I'll say a small prayer to the God and Goddess for protecting her. Then we'll leave and I'll sing a different song. She... she loved singing. So that's just something that my family does."

Her body turned towards the path, and slowly started walking again. A soft sweet voice singing out. It was the first time she had ever sang in front of anybody that wasn't her family. Not only that, but one that held so much meaning and weight for her.

In the circle of Earth and Sky
my heart flies to yours;
we gather, we remember,
and the pattern endures.

She sang it three times, finally settling down and sitting criss-cross at the base of her gravestone. It was simple. It had her name Rowena Anderson, and the years she was alive. "Grandma! I brought a friend, my best friend. Brother really. I've told you about him before. Flash, remember?" She looked up at him expectantly, as she started to pick the flowers around them for the crowns they were to make.

Willow relented on the point she had made at least in part, saying that her grandmother had been excited about her going to Hogwarts. He remembered that Willow had said she and Flash were similar in some ways, that was part of why he had trouble believing she would have something against learning there was a whole world of magic out there. The curiosity would be too great, the wonder at all the things to know. This time it seemed he was right. The real problem Willow was having was accepting that it was her, of everyone in her family. The pressure to be the ambassador between her world of magic and the world of magic accepted by wizardkind. A problem he couldn’t relate to, he had spent most of his childhood fearing he wouldn’t be magical.

Willow’s answer to that conundrum though was a satisfying surprise. She would be content to not be magical, but she would regret not having what she gained in her first year at Hogwarts-- friends. He couldn’t possibly have thought about it that way himself, he wasn’t actually someone as friendly and popular as many thought he was, he spent most of his time trying to encourage people to his favor rather than actually becoming close with them. There were only a very limited number of people that he had felt close to, but of those people…

”I feel similar, about the friends that is. You and I both didn’t really have friends in our last school.” He vividly remembered the fight they had, and how when coming back together, they had related to how little they actually knew about friendship. ”You can certainly say Hogwarts attracts interesting people.”

He didn’t comment on her saying she would be fine not being magical. Flash could get into an entire conversation about that, perhaps one of their walks in the future, nowadays anytime he talked to Willow and found a topic he was particularly interested in, he mentally compiled it into a list of topics that he wanted to expand upon. He did that with other people as well to a degree, but there was no one, perhaps on the entire planet, that Flash spent more time with than Willow. As well as supporting her, he also wanted to know everything about her. Part of their instant connection had been her willingness to share everything he wanted to know, as he attended to her side like a little bird waiting for more breadcrumbs.

And she continued to toss them, always. She said her dad, Mr. Dorion, had been disowned by his family for practicing his craft. That seemed harsh, but Flash couldn’t help but see it as a good thing. If they disliked it so much that they wouldn’t want to see their son anymore, then it was better not to be involved with them. Flash’s definition of family was perhaps a bit more transitive and flimsy than most. He would likely also excommunicate people if they professed to have such a problem with his beliefs, though he knew his methods of interaction could be a bit ‘ruthless’. Mr. Dorion seemed happy this way, after all.

They continued to walk, Flash simply following along with wherever Willow was taking him. She started to describe how energy worked, something Flash understood the basic concept of from their talks, but continued by relating it to life and death, and how she and her family were always trying to ‘put their energy back into the earth’, which was new. It made sense, the gardening fit perfectly into that, as did the idea of death. It was a rather comforting way of looking at it, a lot nicer than Flash’s view of an empty void of nothingness. Perhaps it was both. Flash certainly wouldn’t mind returning to dirt, in that way his body could be useful even after his thoughts were gone. He liked the idea. ‘Coming back’ as something was a new thought, though.

”What do you mean… coming back? Like, her atoms are absorbed and become something else? Or… her energy?” Even though he was usually quick to learn new subjects, the magic that Willow used was outside of how he had always learned how to view the world. He was an open-minded person, so he was always willing to try to see every possibility instead of only the ones that were in textbooks. ”The energy from her body is different from the energy she would put into the Earth by planting?”

Perhaps it was a bad question to ask, Flash didn’t want to make Willow think about her grandmother’s body decaying, but Flash couldn’t always reign in his curious mind. Sometimes he didn’t realize a question might be in bad taste until after he asked it. He usually let his guard down around Willow anyway, so he didn’t think to limit himself. He figured she liked it better that way anyhow. She was also a very open person, at least to Flash.

As they talked, the space opened up to a field of daisies, small yellow dots floating in a sea of white petals, seeming to crawl up Willow’s leg. All around insects were chirping madly, as the roads and street signs disappeared behind him. Flash felt practically transported. He had been able to stretch his legs a bit, and breathe in some fresh air, feeling the hot wind of summer on his face. He took the opportunity to remove his jacket and tie it around his waist, as well as rolling up his sleeves. He reached out for Willow’s hand again once the task was completed.

Thankfully, Willow calmly described everything that was going to happen. They were at her grandmother’s grave, and they were going to interact with ‘her’. Flash could accept it, especially in knowing what to expect. Ironically, talking to a dead person was going to be a lot easier than talking to her parents, but he didn’t want to say that out loud. Why was that? Because he didn’t have to worry about seeing her face if she was disappointed in him? He wondered if her energy might come out of the forest as a deer and simply attack him if she didn’t like him enough. Hopefully not.

Willow started to sing her song, a short verse that was repeated. It was simple, but also profound. He knew he would be honored if someone cared so much about his own memory, to gather and remember. To continue to talk to him. It was things like this that made Flash love Willow so much, how much she cared. Though he couldn’t work up the confidence to sing along to the third verse, having not been told he was allowed to, he did quietly hum along with the now familiar tune, sitting down alongside Willow and looking at the grave.

With that, though, the conversation turned very casual, as though Madame Rowena was actually there. Flash didn’t mind such a situation, he could adapt to it easily. It reminded him of how Willow said she sometimes talked to plants when she was sad, and how it helped her. He already knew talking was cathartic, so it made sense to talk to the dead as well.

”Hello Madame Rowena. It’s a pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you as well. Willow is very fond of you.” The last bit made him smile, he was already enjoying himself. Being around Willow, time flowed so easily. Existing beside her was its own form of comfort. ”I’m quite fond of Willow myself. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how wonderful she is.”

Flash turned back to Willow, who had flowers in her hands and dirt under her fingernails already. ”Are we making a daisy chain for her? What’s a daisy chain?”

@Willow Anderson

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood and a literal decaying grandma.

At the mention of not really having friends, Willow froze up for a moment. It was a facade that she tried to carry throughout her time at Hogwarts. Seeming like the bubbly girl that was always surrounded by people who loved her, because that's what she desired. Sometimes she forgot that Flash was the one person she let see through all of them, there was no need to keep them up for him. He was always the one to see right through her masks, like the one just a few minutes earlier when he knew she wasn't having the grandest time at home. It's almost like as her Grandma left, Flash appeared. He provided her much of the same calm, understanding, listening, and sometimes a hard call out when she needed it. Combined with being the one person she wanted to spend the most time with, she sometimes wondered if the spirit of her grandma was now walking alongside her and Flash. To help them heal and understand one another, to understand themselves.

A small giggle came out when he mentioned Hogwarts and it's population. "I mean, muggle witches are pretty weird too sometimes. Must be something in the magic I think." On the Gods, there were some pretty bizarre people that she had met in group rituals during important holidays or moon phases that her family chose to participate in with others. They were lucky to live so close to London and be able to participate in those bigger rituals. They were something that fueled their whole family up with a community they lacked with it just being the four, three, of them practicing together. It was like going home to a second family. Now Willow had joined a third, a family at Hogwarts.

"Uh.. um, how to explain this.. So. our bodies are energy. Right? With the um, atoms and stuff. While we create energy to put into the Earth by growing plants and stuff. I personally think plants have more energy because of just their pure purpose in their life to serve the Earth in the way it knows how. While humans often have some taint to them. Whether that be morally, or just maybe they're mean or something." She paused, making a small hum of contemplation as she tried to explain something that had always been kind of an innate understanding. "Oh! So, think about like, a water bottle as our life span. Throughout our life the water slowly pours out of the water bottle and then you're left with an empty water bottle. Empty water bottle as... a corpse? Yeah sure. So, basically you're left with this um, bottle." At this point her hand had idly released from Flash as she tried to visualize and gesticulate where she was going with this, which... she didn't even know.

Bottles as corpses, what a beautiful metaphor to think about. "So! Ok, so you're gonna recycle right? Well, you better be recycling or else I'll hunt you down. So it's kind of like... recycling energy? Because the bottle still has purpose, it still has energy to put back. That's kind of what dead... bodies are. Um, does this make sense? So, yes it's different. The body itself is the purest form of human energy. We believe the kind of life you lived is the kind of energy you put back. My grandma was one of the more caring, loving, kind, generous women ever. I'm sure my God and Goddess have accepted her with open arms. The Earth, grateful for what she is giving it. I would never suggest a natural burial for someone who is like a... bad person. Like that Slytherin that made me throw up slugs once, I don't think the Earth would want his slug energy."

Her hand wiggled it's way back into his. She looked up at him to see if it made any sense whatsoever. "We can ask my parents about it later too. You're about to be spending time with two experts that love teaching others. If there are any questions you've been holding back, they are the ones to ask. Especially my dad, goodness, he's so good at telling stories. If you want to know about the myths and legends I'd ask him. But if you have questions about spells and energy, I'd ask my mom." Her parents had their specialties, and Willow could only hope to find hers someday.

As they walked towards her grave site, she heard the small hum coming from Flash. She kept her eyes forward but a brighter smile couldn't help but come over her face as he was already participating. Not that she doubted he would. It did surprise her though, when Flash started to talk to her so easily. It took forever for Willow to feel comfortable doing it, even in private. Let alone in front of her parents. She did lightly bump his shoulder with hers when he called her Madame. "If you don't call her grandma, she might honestly crawl out of this grave and bap you on your head." To everyone that knew her, she was grandma. If anyone tried to call her by her name, or especially Madame she would have a fit. The amount of people that would show up at her doorstep for tea and advice, even all the way in Willen... was astounding. It was why she continued to live in a separate home and just spend most of her days at the Anderson household. She didn't want Willow to be in harm's way, just in case anyone had ill intent. Or just to heard the heart wrenching cries of some of those who would visit her.

She handed off the flowers to Flash that she had collected. "Oh, you remember the crown I made for the first AURA meeting? Those are daisy chains. They can be called crowns or chains. I use both of them." She slowly started to show Flash how to make it, adjusting his as need be as she continued talking to her grandma. "We saw a deer a few days ago, a baby one. For some reason in the summer, rather than spring. We were hoping it was you. It seemed to look at us for so long, even after the mother had run off. I'd like to believe that you'd return to us so soon, but another part of me believes that you're stubborn enough to hang around and try and visit everyone one last time." She paused, with a look of concentration to fix something on her daisy chain. "I kind of feel like you at least led me to Flash. I mean, it was just two months after you died when I found him. He's so much like you grandma. I think he's kind of like air, like you. I didn't have much time without someone there for me like you were there for me when I found him. I mean, I've always asked for a brother haven't I?" She giggled and looked up at Flash with admiration.

"Of course you would've led me to the best of the bunch." There was no one in her life that matched the way she loved Flash. It was a unique feeling of warmth and security that came from being around him. She felt like in every dark moment he ended up being there for her in some way, even with the moment between them. She was always looking, checking to see if he had shed their bracelets but he never did. Never once had he left her side when she had left his.

It made Willow think of the time that she shunned witchcraft. She wanted nothing to do with it for about a year. Through that year she lost her connection with her grandma. Later, while looking back on the memories of that year, she was still always there. She had supported giving her some space, while leaving tiny gifts in her room. Flowers, pretty rocks, nothing that was innately tied to witchcraft but was still a reminder of that connection. Rowena had quickly flipped the stories that she had told Willow to bed at night. From powerful witches and wizards, to powerful princesses and princes, with small elements of magic scattered throughout. While she supported her decision, she didn't let Willow forget where she came from. Ultimately, that support and space to make her own decision about witchcraft is what slowly led her to come back full force to be the best witch daughter that she could be. With Flash, she was trying to be the best sister she could be through whatever challenged them. Which at Hogwarts? The challenges seemed to be never ending.

Flash couldn’t help but wonder if it really was magic that made Hogwarts more colorful, given what Willow said about muggle witches. Magic certainly had lots of possibilities, opened doors into insight that one might not have seen otherwise, but it wasn’t like there weren’t also very boring wizards. Flash had to deal with the difference between the students at Hogwarts and the ones from Durham School during his first year, where his conclusion had been that his last school had lacked diversity. Of course, Hogwarts also had werewolves and half-goblins, but mostly, he thought of it as a diversity of background. Millionaires’ children like him mingling with homeless children, purebloods mingling with muggleborns. Perhaps the muggle witch community was much the same-- in that magic brought people together despite where they were coming from.

Flash listened attentively as Willow started to explain the energy in bodies as she understood it. Bodies are energy, which he could accept. He knew from his science classes about the cycle of life-- that the bodies of dead animals decompose and enrich the soil. Atoms were the same, they never disappeared, but instead became something else. The way Willow’s description differed from his scientific understanding was this apparent purity. It was easy to follow her logic when she explained plants’ existence being one where it ‘served’ the earth, though her argument fell apart a bit when she tried to describe why a person’s energy might be tainted.

For Flash, he figured someone’s body would technically have the same nourishment for the soil whether they were mean or not. Perhaps it would be better to ask her parents, as kids they weren’t really meant to be fully grasping topics like life and death anyway, only the fundamentals, the building blocks to grow their future understanding on. Still, he didn’t see how someone’s devotion to the earth would change the amount of energy in their body. If anything, he wondered if it wouldn’t be more practically sound to fatten oneself up with nutrients artificially instead.He couldn’t pretend to be an expert on the subject.

Then, Willow used a helpful metaphor to shed some light on the image. The body being a vessel for energy, and the vessel being recycled. It seemed like sound logic, though he wasn’t sure he would ever see water bottles the same again. Still, it didn’t help him with the part which he was having trouble with. He felt a bit reticent to ask Willow, not wanting to put her on the spot, but she knew how he was. Always asking questions.

”So… if we are all water bottles, and an empty one is a corpse… how is one bottle ever different from another? How would the way you dispensed your water change your bottle? Isn’t it the same end product no matter what you do?” Flash face went through a few motions, not wanting to come off as though he wasn’t paying attention, but really not grasping the concept. ”And for that matter, why wouldn’t you want to recycle the body of a bad person? Isn’t it better to recycle everything regardless? Does something they do… make it impossible to recycle? Does cursing people… poison your plastic?”

Flash shook his head. ”Ah, right. I should ask your parents. I think I would really like to hear your dad’s stories… and your mom’s explanations. Also… you got cursed?”

Flash tried not to show his vexation, he also didn’t want to nitpick too much, they were in front of the witchy matron herself, so he feared some sort of spectral admonishment. It didn’t help when Willow alluded to the fact that she might rise from the grave to scold him for not addressing her properly. His reaction was one of clear fear. He was far too open-minded to take it as a joke.

”I’m sorry… uh…” Flash’s throat didn’t want to produce the words, it seemed somehow wrong to address someone as grandma, it was a title he didn’t hold much love for. He kind’ve hated his own grandma, a bit. Still, it was what Rowena preferred, and when he thought of fulfilling her wishes, it became a bit easier, “... Grandma.”

Willow gave Flash some of the daisies she had been picking and started to explain. She had given him one before, so he recognized what she meant. He diligently followed her instructions to learn how to weave them together. It took a bit of concentration, but the concept was simpler than he thought. It took just a bit of getting used before he could grasp the pattern. It almost reminded him of the errands at Hogwarts, learning new skills and crafts he would have no reason to learn otherwise. He wondered how many of the skills he would actually remember, and how many would fade with the passage of time.

Willow began to speak to Grandma as well, alluding to a baby deer sighting. Staying around and visiting… coming back as an animal with will enough to watch their family… it still seemed like a far off concept to him, but he at least understood its basis. It didn’t cause him any discomfort to hear Willow talk about her continued will past her death, even though he was not yet entirely convinced of it. Flash was a bit taken aback however, when Willow admitted to thinking that she had led her to Flash, as though she somehow knew the two of them were right for each other, and used her ghostly will to tie them together.

That was something Flash couldn’t accept at all. Perhaps he was similar to Grandma, perhaps she would have loved him just as Willow said, but he didn’t know if he was as good for Willow as she thought he was. Of course he wanted to protect her, loved to talk to her and spend time with her, loved being her brother, but… he didn’t know if it was what she needed. He didn’t have as much faith as she did, he was always struggling to make the future he wanted with blood and sweat, he didn’t believe in forces bringing things together. That was the kind of thing he worked tirelessly to achieve… though perhaps it only proved more how similar he and Grandma were. If he would be able to do what he did now, without having the burden of a body… frankly, it seemed too powerful.

Perhaps Willow only felt that way as a means of coping with the loss of having such a wonderful and influential person in her life. That, or this muggle magic was a gateway into an extremely efficacious afterlife. Well, it was likely quite complex, really. Faith was something Flash never really dealt in. He worked in things he could prove, things he could see with his own eyes. Even though his brother Darius was religious in some sense, most of his family focused on practical, earthbound things. Their faith was in themselves, to be agents of change and goodness. He never heard anything about that paying off in any way beside ‘making the world a better place’. It had always made sense to him, but it was far more in the service of humanity than it was the earth. Ostensibly, the betterment of humanity was part of the betterment of the world. Less wars, less pollution… what would Willow think of his family’s values, he wondered.

Still, it was a nice thought, that Grandma might have guided the two together that day, an act of loving wisdom. Perhaps that was part of what faith was, what magic was. Perhaps it was believing in the thing you wanted to believe in, the thing that made the world more beautiful and meaningful, without feeling the need to prove it. After all, if everyone involved believed it was true, it was. That’s how the truth was, depending on those around it acknowledging it. Well, it was a bit much for Flash to wrap his head around. It was lighting up his brain regardless, threads and connections being made and conclusions being drawn. Willow was merely opening a window, and Flash could do little besides look out if it from the inside, trying to comprehend the vastness of the world outside it with only that tiny glimpse.

When she called Flash ‘the best of the bunch’, Flash was recalled away from his nebulous thoughts back to the ground upon which the two of them were sitting. He had to blush with the suddenness of the feelings it brought him-- too quick to even analyze. The best… he wasn’t the best at anything. No matter how hard he tried, he was always simply adequate. Doing what was expected of him. Always a bit too young, too late… was he really the best brother she could have been given, when he couldn’t even treat his own real life little brother with respect. The feelings were… anxiety. Fear of disappointment. He tried to combat them, he wanted to feel the same way she did, secure in their relationship. Most of him, however, was screaming out in revolt. I’m not the best. I’m not even good.

He couldn’t let the doubt overtake him, he was somewhere safe and happy, with someone who loved him. At least for now, and perhaps that was good enough. His flustered expression softened into an embarrassed smile as she looked on him admiringly.

”Please… I’m not that great…” Flash concentrated his eyes on the crown in his hands, fiddling with it more than he needed to. ”If Grandma really did bring us together, I hope I don’t end up disappointing her. I want… to be remembered as fondly as she is.”

After a moment of silent reflection, Flash’s first ever flower crown was finished. He presented the finished product in his hand like it was a priceless piece of jewelry.

”Is this adequate?”

@Willow Anderson

Interacting with @Flash Holmwood

Sometimes Willow felt like she might talk too much. Especially when it came to her practice and her family. There was always something in her that told her to pull back, let people ask questions and guide the conversation. But she couldn't help but continuously word vomit everything that she wasn't able to talk about for the school year of being at Hogwarts. Flash was always the person most interested, always asking questions that showed that he was actually paying attention and wanted to know. Whether that was for his own curiosity or to let Willow know that he would listen even if he didn't care about it. She had never really stopped to ask what he thought of her practice as a whole, whether or not he thought it was weird. Whether or not it made her seem weird. But, it wasn't a question that she necessarily wanted to ask. The fear of the answer was greater than the fear of the unknown.

For now, she let herself get lost in her mini lecture of energy. Flash was listening as always, while his fingers worked diligently at braiding the delicate stems of the daisies that they were drowning him. There was a thrum of energy in her heart that felt at peace in this moment. Having her brother and her grandma by her side provided a sigh of relief in her deep belly that she didn't know was tense. As if she was holding her breath waiting for this moment of the first friend her Grandma met of hers, and it was going well. She could almost feel the whirlwinds of her grandmother's love surrounding the both of them, as if she was hugging them both. Willow briefly wondered if Flash could feel it too.

Something else she admired about Flash was how he always pushed her to question her own lines of thinking and the why of things. Sometimes one answer wasn't necessarily good enough, or one answer would open up ten more doors of questions. She always tried to listen as well as he did, and put his thoughtfu considerations through their own tests in her mind. This one, pertaining to the water bottle model of energy, had her sitting back on her heels and looking up towards the sky with a furrowed brow in focus. A small melodic hum of a peaceful thought rang in the air around them. "I mean... I never thought about it like that. But, I guess maybe those bottles could be considered pure plastic. Taking thousands of years to decompose, while I guess the more energy work you do the more recyclable you are I guess? I think my mom would have an answer to this. I'm just learning about the details of energy work when it comes to um... returning to the Earth." She gestured to the grave in front of them. This was obviously a lesson her parents weren't planning on teaching her anytime soon, but it got shoved up in time in the curriculum.

At the mention of getting cursed she huffed. "Yeah this stupid... Slytherin. I mean, no offense. But that's literally all I know about him. Is that he was a Slytherin. I don't even know his name! But he was older. I was trying to just... make a friend, and study with someone and he got all angry and started yelling. Then got mad when I offered him a friendship bracelet, which is starting to not surprise me. Some people really don't want friends. Then he cast um.. what was it... Slugulus erectonum? Or something? I just started puking slugs literally everywhere and it was so gross feeling and just," She paused and shuddered making a grossed out groan. "I passed out because it was just so gross. It is a spell I never want to use on anyone except him, and then maybe this other Slytherin named Hanako." She paused and narrowed her eyes at Flash as if he would have the answer. "Do Slytherins secretly hate Hufflepuffs?" Even if it was true, she knew Flash definitely wouldn't be one that hated them. I mean, his sister was one. That would be pretty awkward.

Her eyes softened when she saw a fear flash across his eyes when she mentioned her grandma rising up from the dead. She playfully bumped her shoulder against his. "She's not actually going to do that. Us Wiccans may believe in some wild things, but zombies aren't one of them. But, thank you for calling her Grandma." It was just another thing that made him truly feel like a part of her family. He was struggling, with the addressing of people, with the overwhelming nature of her family, but he was trying. It was probably the nicest thing any one had done for her. To try and work to love all parts of her.

As she finished her crown she shuffled herself closer to him to rest her head on his shoulder that was still moving bcause he was solidly still working on his crown, but she didn't mind. She let her head rock to the steady movement of a tentative creation. She couldn't stop her head from popping back up when he said that he wasn't that great. Her brows now furrowed in something that looked akin to her being angry, but was more out of a place of concern of how he thought about himself. "Grandma could never be disappointed in you. I will never be disappointed in you." She paused when he presented his finished flower crown, a small smile appearing as she nodded. "It's perfect Flash." She gingerly took it out of his hands, not really knowing if he did a good enough job to keep it together, and placed it on his head.

Soft hands took his, as she looked steadily into his eyes. An intense fierceness of love alighted with the usual kind crystal blue. "Flash, I love you. You're my best friend, you're my brother. There was something about you that just... made me want to be there for you. After the fight, the mosps, after everything we've gone through. Everything would've been so much worse if I didn't have you. Even if you don't think you're great, I think you're amazing. I can believe that enough for the both of us, until you're able to believe it yourself. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my brother. You're..." She paused, her face scrunching up in thought on what to say next. "Without you... I don't know if I would've returned to Hogwarts. But you make me want to stay, to do better. You've always seen the best in me, when no one except for my family has and you show me that." While she had just told him otherwise about her return to Hogwarts, when she really thought about it... Flash had been her biggest support through the last semester of absolute horror. The emotional badger couldn't help the new bubble of tears that appeared on her lash line.

"You took me back even when I threw you away at the first sign of things being hard. You tell me stories when things get scary at Hogwarts. You listen... you listen to everything I have to say... all the time. You ask me questions, you show that you want to know more about what I love. So let me tell you about something I love, someone." Her hands released from his and gently caressed his face, that intense look in her eyes. "You, Flash Holmwood, are someone I love so much. If there were volumes about you I would study them like a Ravenclaw going into finals. You broke the rules and went into a greenhouse with me just because I was worried about some plants, you barely knew me. You have so much care in this tall boy body of yours. Seriously, why are all the boys so tall." She shook her head, clearing that thought.

"You are the first person I have ever brought home to my family, because I know you love me, and you won't judge me or my family. Also, you can definitely just call them Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. They will be just fine with that, you're not exactly sly with what stresses you out when we're holding hands Mr. Stress Ball." Her hands dropped from his face to fold shyly in her lap. "I've shared more with you than I have with my family. And that's... scary. It's scary. Because I've never let someone in like this, you know that. We're both trying to do it, it's new to us." She sighed. "The point is, you're great because you try Flash. You try harder than anyone I know. I don't know why you do it. But, I don't need to. You'll be remembered fondly because you're trying, even when you don't have to, and even when no one expects you to." She stood up and offered her hand down to help him up.

Whether or not he took it, as soon as he was upright she would wrap him in another hug. "I love you, Flash. If there's nothing else in this world that I know or that seems certain, I at least know that I love you." She pulled away and looked up at him. "Let's head back and make dinner, yeah?" She would turn and say a quick prayer under her breath, before taking his hand and leading them out with a different song of mourning.

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

Willow did her best to explain how energy might make one’s body different, though it sort’ve destroyed the metaphor. Nothing about what was inside it would change how recyclable plastic was, but he resolved to ask someone more versed in the topic. He couldn’t blame Willow for not having a perfect grasp on it, there were lots of things that Flash took for granted only to realize he didn’t understand it as well as he thought. Even if the metaphor wasn’t perfect though, he understood that the idea meant that giving back was supposed to make your body more accepted, as far as the earth was concerned. At least that’s what he gathered.

When she divulged what had happened with her impromptu cursing, Flash’s face stretched in an attempt to stop a chuckle from escaping. It wasn’t exactly news to neither him nor her that she sometimes barreled into situations and asked questions later. Flash often found it endearing, it was the spirit of discovery and adventure in her, but he had to admit it often came with its own punishment. Even though Willow’s depiction of the scene involved her doing nothing wrong, when he heard Slytherin, studying, and friendship bracelet, he imagined she may have stuck her bracelet somewhere it wasn’t wanted.

Of course, that was only an assumption. No one deserved that terrible, disgusting slug curse. He was nearly traumatized seeing it happen to Rafael right in front of him. No matter how much Willow may have been pestering the study bug, jinxing was an over-reaction. Also, strictly against the rules. Either that Slytherin had an itchy trigger finger, or Willow had been acting outrageously out of line. Flash tended towards the prior, though he liked to remain unbiased, given that he knew so little. Flash actually did laugh out loud however when Willow mentioned Hanako.

”I don’t know if anyone deserves that wretched jinx. Not even…” Flash made an undignified sound as his attempt to stifle another laugh failed. ”... Hanako.”

Gathering his composure back after allowing himself a giggle, Flash’s smile beamed. ”I don’t know if hate is the right word. Slytherins tend to be very prideful, try not to take it personally.”

Flash’s worries were once again eased as Willow explained things further. She wanted him to be comfortable and happy, which was more than he could say for most people. Not through any failing of theirs, but through his own stubbornness to be the one in charge of making everything comfortable for everyone else. Around Willow, he could relax that ever-present need of his. The need to control every tiny detail, to know everything and be intimately involved. With Willow, it was more mutual. They both wanted to be involved, and neither wanted to control. A much needed balance that Flash rarely found.

As the conversation continued, Willow snuggled up to him, which he silently accepted. The conversation was winding down, and the two of them had been so abuzz with excitement at seeing each other again that she had likely winded herself. The atmosphere too was calm and serene. He felt like if the two of them laid back in the daisies, it would have been easy to fall asleep. The mood changed quickly when Flash had tried to be humble. Willow snapped to attention, having none of it. She said Grandma and her would never be disappointed in him, though such a sentiment seemed short-sighted. Even her appraisal of his flower crown was overflowing with undeserved praise. It was impossible for his first attempt to be ‘perfect’.

She placed his crown upon his own head, taking his now empty, dirty hands into hers. Looking right into his face, she told him she loved him. Somehow, it triggered a panic in his heart, wanting to look away, or hide his face, but his hands were being restrained. Instead, he bit the inside of his lip as she continued, talking about the deep connection that they shared in no few words. How things would be worse without him, how she thought he was amazing. Her words weren’t simple, or vague. They were strong and direct, and Flash was unable to fight them off. Instead it had a completely unforeseen effect-- he started to get choked up. When she started to cry, tears of his own started to well in his eyes.

She began to describe the things he did for her-- things he did with no intention of being owed anything in return, things he did without even thinking of it for another second, and he started to see himself through her eyes. It was strange, confusing. While one could argue he was a bit obsessed without how other people saw him, he never thought of what it meant to be a person in someone’s life. To have a great impact. She touched his face, detailing her love and making light jokes. Flash choked a laugh when she lamented his height, a crack in the dam that let loose the choking sobs of tears. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, gripping her tightly into a hug as he heaved nearly-silent tears into her pink hair.

She continued talking, taking note of his stress and lauding his efforts. He hadn’t realized it all mattered so much to her, it all happened so naturally that it didn’t feel like any effort at all. It was only a short time before his outburst cleared up, like a summer storm, and he released her from his clutches to wipe away the salty mess from his eyes. She stood up, offering her hand. He took it, even though he stood up mostly on his own, and they embraced again, Willow saying she loved him for the third time. It was really starting to sink in.

”I love you too.” Flash managed with a creaky, astonished voice.

When she offered to take him back to the house for dinner, he nodded. He needed to clean his face up a bit more, despite the Anderson family’s apparent full acceptance of him. He still had to try to make something of a good impression, after all, he needed to represent Willow’s taste in friends for all future guests. He dotted his face with the sleeve of the jacket hanging off his waist, now also covered in smothered flowers, and waved his hands in an attempt to dry off any excess wetness, taking in a deep breath and sighing the stress away. After that, he took her hand gladly.

@Willow Anderson