Advent in Kenmare
Date: Sunday, 17 December 2000
Time: 8 am to noon
Location: Finnigan’s in Kenmare, Ireland
Characters Involved: Seamus Finnigan, NPC Beven Finnigan
Rating: G
A family should worship together during Advent. That is what Beven Finnigan, overprotective mother to Seamus Aidan Finnigan believed in her heart. She and all her menfolk went to early mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kenmare. Her son, Seamus, came to Finnigan’s to attend mass with them and then stayed until lunchtime when he needed to get back to The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. It was an exceptionally busy time of year for a Pub, and Finnigan’s Pub and Guest House was no exception. The family made Sunday mornings their time to prepare for Christmas. It fell to Seamus to help his mother with most of the cleaning as it was an Irish tradition to scrub down the house in preparation for the happy day, and then to get out the finest linens and best tableware they had to celebrate on the big day itself. Since both Seamus and Beven could use their Scourgify spells and Scouring charms to make the place shine before Christmas, they did the bulk of that work, leaving the care and running of the pub and the Guesthouse to Cian, Frank and William. They’d done all of the pub and most of the guest rooms already and were concentrating on the family rooms today.
Seamus took the opportunity to do more than avoid his mother’s usual probing questions about all his “friends” in Diagon Alley; particularly “friends” who might also be “girls”. Charlotte would be here in a week, and while he was anxious for his mother parents to like her, he was even more anxious that Charlotte not be made uncomfortable by a Spanish Irish Inquisition conducted by his mother. He broached the subject after they’d finished up most of the cleaning and when he knew she was going to send him out for the holly. It was traditional to decorate with live holly boughs and his mother was known to place holly nearly everywhere: on the tables, over the doorways, tucked into holiday arrangements, etc. She had just told him to be sure to get branches with holly berries as these were particularly prized.
“Aye, Mum,” Seamus agreed, but touched his Mum on the arm and bid her to sit for a minute so they could talk. “Aye, Mum, I’ll be after the holly, and best then with berries, but I’ll also be after my gift soon for Charlotte. Well then, she’s been after a dog, Mum, not a pup but one to be helpful to her at her bookstore.” They’d discussed the vandalism Charlotte’s bookstore had suffered earlier in the fall when reports had appeared in The Daily Prophet. “Right, canst I be after keeping it here then, Mum?” Beven was fond of pets so he didn’t expect her to object, but he did expect her to take the opportunity to inquire about Charlotte, and Beven did not disappoint. She raised an eyebrow at him and simply said, “So tell me about the lass, Seamus.” Which from Beven was tantamount to saying either: "Is she trying to steal my BABY?" or "How soon can I expect grandchildren?" It was uncertain which.
Seamus curbed his natural instinct to roll his eyes, as he often did when they were communicating by Journal. “Right, the lass is a friend of mine, Mum, just as I said then.” She waited, with the patience of a witch who knew her son had more to say, and he squirmed under her patient and watchful eyes. “Right, we’ve had a couple of dates, then, Mum, but ‘tis naught to be told yet what might come of it or no.” The more he squirmed, the more her eyes twinkled and the more her eyes smiled the more he became concerned about what she might say to Charlotte next weekend.
When a small inscrutable Mona Lisa smile graced her expression his own face hardened into one of determination and Irish stubbornness. “Aye, Mum, friends we are still, so restraint is in order then. ‘Tis a kindness and a pleasure for her to come, nothing more, are we agreed then? Mum?”
Beven Finnigan readily agreed with her son. If he wanted restraint, that’s what he’d get from her, for he was bringing the lass here next weekend and then she would see for herself what to make of this “friendship”.
Seamus brought back the holly and helped his mother place it throughout the Guesthouse and even put some in the pub. He had to rush back to The Leaky Cauldron to help out during the lunch rush, but after he Floo’d back to Diagon Alley, there were hummed Christmas Carols to be heard as Beven Finnigan placed the traditional mistletoe within the holly over the front door at Finnigan’s. They might only be “friends” but that didn’t stop her from placing a mistletoe sprig in the holly over the door of the guestroom of Miss Charlotte Aurelius.
Time: 8 am to noon
Location: Finnigan’s in Kenmare, Ireland
Characters Involved: Seamus Finnigan, NPC Beven Finnigan
Rating: G
A family should worship together during Advent. That is what Beven Finnigan, overprotective mother to Seamus Aidan Finnigan believed in her heart. She and all her menfolk went to early mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kenmare. Her son, Seamus, came to Finnigan’s to attend mass with them and then stayed until lunchtime when he needed to get back to The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. It was an exceptionally busy time of year for a Pub, and Finnigan’s Pub and Guest House was no exception. The family made Sunday mornings their time to prepare for Christmas. It fell to Seamus to help his mother with most of the cleaning as it was an Irish tradition to scrub down the house in preparation for the happy day, and then to get out the finest linens and best tableware they had to celebrate on the big day itself. Since both Seamus and Beven could use their Scourgify spells and Scouring charms to make the place shine before Christmas, they did the bulk of that work, leaving the care and running of the pub and the Guesthouse to Cian, Frank and William. They’d done all of the pub and most of the guest rooms already and were concentrating on the family rooms today.
Seamus took the opportunity to do more than avoid his mother’s usual probing questions about all his “friends” in Diagon Alley; particularly “friends” who might also be “girls”. Charlotte would be here in a week, and while he was anxious for his mother parents to like her, he was even more anxious that Charlotte not be made uncomfortable by a Spanish Irish Inquisition conducted by his mother. He broached the subject after they’d finished up most of the cleaning and when he knew she was going to send him out for the holly. It was traditional to decorate with live holly boughs and his mother was known to place holly nearly everywhere: on the tables, over the doorways, tucked into holiday arrangements, etc. She had just told him to be sure to get branches with holly berries as these were particularly prized.
“Aye, Mum,” Seamus agreed, but touched his Mum on the arm and bid her to sit for a minute so they could talk. “Aye, Mum, I’ll be after the holly, and best then with berries, but I’ll also be after my gift soon for Charlotte. Well then, she’s been after a dog, Mum, not a pup but one to be helpful to her at her bookstore.” They’d discussed the vandalism Charlotte’s bookstore had suffered earlier in the fall when reports had appeared in The Daily Prophet. “Right, canst I be after keeping it here then, Mum?” Beven was fond of pets so he didn’t expect her to object, but he did expect her to take the opportunity to inquire about Charlotte, and Beven did not disappoint. She raised an eyebrow at him and simply said, “So tell me about the lass, Seamus.” Which from Beven was tantamount to saying either: "Is she trying to steal my BABY?" or "How soon can I expect grandchildren?" It was uncertain which.
Seamus curbed his natural instinct to roll his eyes, as he often did when they were communicating by Journal. “Right, the lass is a friend of mine, Mum, just as I said then.” She waited, with the patience of a witch who knew her son had more to say, and he squirmed under her patient and watchful eyes. “Right, we’ve had a couple of dates, then, Mum, but ‘tis naught to be told yet what might come of it or no.” The more he squirmed, the more her eyes twinkled and the more her eyes smiled the more he became concerned about what she might say to Charlotte next weekend.
When a small inscrutable Mona Lisa smile graced her expression his own face hardened into one of determination and Irish stubbornness. “Aye, Mum, friends we are still, so restraint is in order then. ‘Tis a kindness and a pleasure for her to come, nothing more, are we agreed then? Mum?”
Beven Finnigan readily agreed with her son. If he wanted restraint, that’s what he’d get from her, for he was bringing the lass here next weekend and then she would see for herself what to make of this “friendship”.
Seamus brought back the holly and helped his mother place it throughout the Guesthouse and even put some in the pub. He had to rush back to The Leaky Cauldron to help out during the lunch rush, but after he Floo’d back to Diagon Alley, there were hummed Christmas Carols to be heard as Beven Finnigan placed the traditional mistletoe within the holly over the front door at Finnigan’s. They might only be “friends” but that didn’t stop her from placing a mistletoe sprig in the holly over the door of the guestroom of Miss Charlotte Aurelius.