A summer of dreams and nightmares
Banner by Camille De VarenneBe aware that this solo though it might start sweet, deals in grief and a traumatic moment. Take care of yourselves you lovely people < 3
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He was met by his whole family when disembarking from the train. All three of them were there. His mother glowed with joy, instantly fussing over him and asking more questions than should be possible in a single breath. A few tears were shed too, though Max would swear until the day he died that none were his. His father was quieter, but nonetheless happy. He ruffled his hair and made a few comments about how it was good to have him back. The biggest reunion was with his sister, Drew. Before he knew it he was drawn into a bone crushing hug. Nothing was spoken aloud, but the sparkle in her eye as they let each other go said it all. He had been missed. Hurried goodbyes were exchanged with his classmates, and the family were off.
They had set up camp near a large lake, the water reflecting the hills and trees around them. The plan being to stay there for the whole summer. It was beautiful, isolated and lots of resources for them to harvest. If the idea of paradise on earth was real, it would be this place for sure. Max could think of no place better to spend the days ahead.
They ate well that night. Cramped around the campfire, telling stories of moments big and small that had not yet been shared through letters. Drew told of a fox that hid around the outskirts of the camp for weeks. Max told many a tales of mischief, most of whom were met with laughter and eager questions. The many detentions he had served through the year, and guilty shared in letters, were not mentioned by a single word. The unbelievable fact that he was named prefect towards the end of the year was both speculated, and joked about. They all stayed up late before crawling into bed. It was odd not being surrounded by friends and classmates. Still, it was a good feeling to be home. With the steady breaths of his sister in the bed next to him, he drifted off with a smile.
A few weeks passed. Days filled with excitement, exploration, learning and a whole lot of fun. Max caused chaos with his sister, helped his mother harvest plants, showed his father the entire play by play of his hockey game from this winter, including the bloody nose he managed to give the third year on the opposing team. He also shared his so far unsuccessful attempts to impress the current quidditch team. Drew offered to train with him, and his father offered more strategies to help. The main point of which was to not think of showing that he was good. Just be.
Of course there were lots of other things to occupy his time too. After the near accident in his father’s potions lab over Christmas, he was not let anywhere near it. He still managed to laugh as he shared stories of the many near-disasters he had caused in potions class through the year. He even managed to put a dent in the mountain of homework he had been assigned for the break. Even though other things called for his attention, many of which were way more exciting, it was way easier than he thought it would be to get it done. Perhaps due to all the help he got from the whole family.The day in question started like any other that summer. It was a beautiful day. Clear skies, bright sunshine and calm water. A trip to the local market had been planned out in detail. It would hopefully be the only one of the summer, so everyone joining would need to keep their head straight. Not all they needed could be found in their surroundings, and needed to be bought. The potions brewed by Max’s father were to be brought along as well, having found a buyer.
Max was not initially supposed to go, wanting to spend the day swimming instead. But he had been slowly going out of his mind the last week. Being just the four of them was nice, but it now seemed too quiet. There were rarely silence, but he grew impatient. He supposed he had gotten used to having people around him at Hogwarts through the year. He needed something to happen, something to do that wasn’t… well, just like normal. So they laid out the plan. Max would go with his dad. Together, the two of them should be able to handle all the supplies. Drew and their mother, Rose, would stay behind. They had been talking of doing a girls day anyway, whatever that meant. Drew promised she would wait to swim until they got back.
The market was busy. People talking, yelling and haggling all over. They did a delivery first. All the potions brewed so far this summer was given to a vendor at the outskirts of town. Then for the market itself. Max enjoyed it. A year ago it would have been overwhelming, making him giddy with the excitement, then exhausted. He hadn’t realized Hogwarts had had such an impact on him. They slowly made their way through, using the better part of the day.
What awaited them back at the campsite was nothing more than a catastrophe. Where father and son expected to find the two girls laughing and braiding each others hair, or whatever it was they normally did, nothing but emptiness met them. They looked around for a while before the sounds of soft cries drew them around the lake. Drew was there, burying her face in a towel and crying her eyes out. It took longer than anyone would have liked, but they eventually pieced together what had happened.
Mother and daughter had taken it upon themselves to find a better spot from which to jump into the lake. On the opposite side of the camp they had found just the thing: A thick branch stretching out over the water. It even supported both of their weight. They had had a great deal of fun jumping together, seeing who could create the bigger splash. It was while Drew was climbing up to jump once more, that their mother decided to head toward the center of the lake. An urge to really stretch out, or maybe it was instinct of some sort. She had been pulled under.
Drew hadn’t noticed at first, being too busy having fun. Nevertheless the lack of response caught her attention before long. The events were difficult to piece together through tears, fright, and generally Drew not knowing. Jonathan put it together eventually. Apparently a few grindylows were disturbed, and grabbed Rose as she swam out. Drew spotted it while diving down and swam after. Their mother did something that resulted in Drew being shot out of the water and onto the shore. Their mother did not come above the surface to draw breath again. The only things left of her on the shore was her towel, that Drew had been sobbing into, and her wand. The possibility of dark creatures had not struck any of them, so she had left it on dry land for her swim.
An afternoon unlike anything Max had ever experienced followed. It was filled with both terror and dread, mixed with a strange numbness that he didn’t know how to put into words. Max brought his sister back to camp to help her calm. He itched to go with his father instead, but knew now was not the time to argue. Jonathan launched a frantic search. Every inch of the surrounding area were combed through by air and by foot, before he with dread unlike anything turned to the lake. It took a good few hours, but some time after the sun had long since gone down, and a darkness thicker than the time of year would allow enveloped them, he returned to camp with the only traces of Rose that were left.The next days and weeks passed in a way that Max couldn’t quite fathom. The world seemed to be standing still, narrowing in and holding its breath for their next move. Max found himself wishing it was all a dream. How badly he wanted to just wake up… But no such luck was granted. All three of them hovered around each other, everyone just as scared of what else might break if the everlasting silence was broken. Normally their days were filled with tasks that needed to be done for them to thrive. Max couldn’t even bring himself to look at a plant, much less go on as usual.
They did a funeral of sorts. An honorary pyre was lit by the edge of the lake where Rose Elizabeth Kenneally lost her life. They sent out a couple of letters to the members of family Rose had still been in contact with. They did not wait for a response. The flames burned bright, embers being caught in the wind and carried out over the water. Max caught himself wishing the whole puddle would catch on fire. It wouldn’t bring his mom back, but at least then he’d know for sure that none others would meet their end in the same place.
It was like a fog had settled. The sun shone just as brightly, and the noises were just as many. Somehow it all seemed dulled. Not that he really minded it. What was the point when such a wonderful person was gone? Drew had gone near silent. His usually cheerful twin closed in on herself. The most noise she let go were soft cries as night set in. Their father went silent too, but in a different way. He simply withdrew. Spending hours with his potions, keeping his hands busy. At some point he stopped looking at his kids, and seemed to now be looking straight through them as if they weren’t even there.
Over the course of the next month he transitioned from being numb, not wanting to do anything other than just sit and stare and think, to itching to do something. Anything. It was too still, too quiet, too… empty. He did his best to fill the space. He talked, laughed and ran around. It was so forced it hurt. A deep pain that seemed to radiate through everything that made him him. But it was better. Better than the nothingness of before.
August came crawling, a reminder that time kept on moving even with a loss so great that every feeling thing would have the sense to halt. Being in and around the tent became increasingly more difficult. Everywhere he turned and his mother failed to appear with her usual smile was a constant reminder that she was gone. So he did the only thing he could. His father was ever busy with his work, and so he made it his mission to drag his sister away. That was something they normally did every day, explore their surroundings. But Drew had become weary of going too far. As if loosing sight of camp would cause another disaster. They didn’t go far, as Max wanted. Not on any day. But they made due.
This lasted for a couple of weeks. Then one day, his father finally put down his work, left the potion station, and gathered his kids for a chat. Max could see he was overworked, and he understood it all too well. Being still left time and space for feeling. If he actually felt all that he was carrying, he would… He didn’t actually know what would happen, only that he didn’t want to find out. Jonathan tiredly explained that even though they had some money saved up, they as a family needed to make some changes. Max paid as much attention as he could, but still his mind drifted. The choice was made nonetheless: The family would move north. Jonathan had a friend with a shop there, and he was hoping to find more stable work. It also offered more official schooling for Drew. The consequence was that they would be more tied down, more dependent on others. Max didn’t really see anything wrong with that, he knew loads of trustworthy people from school. But he also knew his parents didn’t easily trust others, having been burned one too many times.
Slowly, August came to a close. They moved to Sligo, and set up camp well outside of the small town. It was far enough that walking there would take a good couple of hours. Jonathan claimed it wouldn’t be an issue though. Since their camp were to be permanent, they would see about being connected to the floo network. It wasn’t all that different from how they normally lived, so Max didn’t really mind. He and Drew explored their new surroundings. Drew still didn’t want to go too far from camp. For once, he didn’t argue. Walking anywhere would bring the coast into view. He normally loved water, took every chance he could to swim. Now the sound of waves made him nauseous.
The last few days before September dragged by at the speed of snow melting in winter. If Max felt guilty for leaving his sister behind the year before, it was nothing compared to now. But the mere thought of remaining made him want to heave for breath. No, that was no solution either. He made a stronger promise of writing, and set off. He looked the same. Same brown hair, same freckles covering his face. His shoulders were perhaps a bit broader, but he looked every bit the boy that left Hogwarts at the years end. On the inside, everything had changed.
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio