Visiting Mum and Apartment Hunting // Open
She stood outside the small house in the small but pleasant neighbourhood she'd grown up in. Her mother still was terrible at keeping the flowers going, every other lawn and garden was perfectly manicured but her mothers looked like someone had dowsed it with fire, not water. At least some things are the same.
In the driveway she saw a few familiar neighbours and a few new ones. Cards lining the road it felt so blissfully normal. None of them know about the Burning Man. None of them know about magic. As a youth she hated living in a muggle home but it was lovely here now. Kids playing gingerly on the road, hockey she thought, but couldn't be sure. This could have been a nice life.
AS she approached the door Angelina remembered she'd left her keys the last time she was here. It hadn't been a good farewell and was certainly not something she wanted to relive. But knocking the door was the first step so she did.
"In a minute." She heard her mother's voice from the other side of the door. "Jermaine, if that's you I already said I'm not interested and I don't want anymore-" As the door opened Caroline Willcroft, formally Johnson, stared with shock at her daughter.
"Hi Mum." Angie said with an awkward smile.
"Angelina?"
"Who's Jermaine?" She asked but her mother didn't answer with words, instead wrapping her arms around her daughter. The embrace had startled her, more than she thought, but Angie hugged her mother back as she felt her sob softly.
"Where in God's name have you been?" Caroline snapped. "I have been writing you, even tried calling though your phone was cancelled in Canada, and I heard from Katie that you had been at the reunion and with all this burning man business, I couldn't even get a hold of you-"
"Whoa now," Angie interrupted pulling away from her mother. "I'm fine Mum. Absolutely 100% whole and okay."
"I know, I knew. I just..." She hugged her again before leading Angelina inside.
"Where are you staying?" She asked, preparing some tea. The house looked pretty much the same, not a trace of magic anywhere. There was a fire going in the living room, and the air smelt of smoke.
"I've been staying with Fred."
A steady knowing silence followed.
"On his couch." Angelina snapped back to the kitchen as she approached the fire. Pieces of paper were in the coals. "Are you burning your mail?" she asked, seeing empty envelopes on the table. There were still some closed and sealed, but as she reached for them she heard a crash in the kitchen, her mother running to the living room quickly.
"It's nothing." she sputtered. "And why aren't you staying here? I still have your room ready and-"
"Burning letters? What the hell Mum? That's kind of crazy." And like she had never left she felt the tension in the room rise.
"Angelina, this is not your concern." Caroline crossed the room and snatched up the rest of the letters and without reading them tossed them into the fire. There was no return address but the name blazed clearly on the front read 'Angelina Johnson' in a painfully neat cursive writing.
"Merlin Mum!" Angie cried. "They have my bloody name on them, what are you doing?" Angelina tried to fish one from the fire but her mother quickly retrieved her wand and with a few quick words burnt the letters instantly.
Stepping back Angelina stared at her mother, jaw gaping.
"I don't have to explain myself." Caroline muttered, replacing her wand on the nightstand. "This is something I have to take care of."
"You used magic?" Angelina said still in shock. "You never use magic. For, my lord, I can't even remember the last time I saw you use magic!" Caroline looked uncomfortable and started to make her way to the kitchen as the last of the embers in the fire swallowed the bits of paper up. Following her mother Angelina stared at her cautiously.
"What's going on Mum? What..." The last time she used magic was... "What's wrong?" Images of her father found their way to the forefront of her mind, and with the look on her mothers face Angelina was sure Caroline had come to the same conclusion.
"It's better you don't know." Caroline said with a tone of finality. Walking across the kitchen Angelina felt her mothers arms wrap around her again. "Can you trust me to deal with this?" She asked her daughter and Angelina felt herself nodding. There were parts of her own life she forgot she'd left behind.
"Good. Now, tell me, how's Fred and George?" Like nothing had happened, her mother changed the subject and cleaned up the spilt tea. An unsettling calm fell over them as they chatted and caught up avoiding the living room at all costs.
"Are you looking for apartments?"
"A job first right now."
"Quidditch?" Angelina nodded and her mother took a judgemental slurp from her tea cup. It brought a sly smile to her face s she laughed at Caroline.
"Yes, Quidditch. I don't think I have any other marketable skills."
"you could get a normal job."
"By normal you mean?"
"Muggle." Angelina rolled her eyes like she was sixteen again. Only her mother could make her feel like she'd never grown up.
"I don't even know what I would-"
"I could get you something at the office." Her mother was a damn good legal assistant to the largest firm in their small town. "It wouldn't be nearly as exciting but money is money."
"Not what I want."
"Well, Angelina, " she started in a tone all too familiar. "maybe you should be thinking about what you need and not what you want right now. Being a wizard isn't exactly safe these days, specially an old Gryffindor."
As the words tumbled almost clumsily from her mother's mouth Caroline winced and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry love, I know that Wood boy was a good friend of yours." But that wasn't what sent chills down her spine. Gryffindors. Had they all been Gryffindors? Caroline reached out. "Maybe this is a good time to try living a muggle life, just for a while until this Burning Man is caught." The concern in her words were genuine and Caroline had obviously been worried sick. "I mean I'm pleased and thankful Fred's taken you in, but is that really the safest place for you? The Weasley's are always caught up with Harry Potter, who I know is also a friend of yours dear, but not the safest friends to have when-"
"Mum!" Angelina protested, yanking her hand away. "They haven't done anything wrong!"
"I'm not saying they have, or that they ever did, but darling I don't... I don't like to think of you in harms way and they are not safe friends to have. Especially now." Crossing her arms defensively Angelina shook her head, washed in disbelief of her mother's words.
"You love the Weasleys!"
"I never claimed not to. Hell for a while I thought you and Fred-"
"Okay, not now Mum."
"I'm just saying," she retorted with a knowing look. "I would love for you to come home. I worry about you. The last we chatted you were Captain and doing so well in Canada, far away from all this. There was also that Keeper, what was his name, Darren?"
"Derek."
"Right, Derek. You and Derek were getting serious from your letters. And then all of a sudden I can't reach you, Katie tells me you're back in town and then like magic you're at my door?"
"Mum, it's complicated. Right now I just need-"
"Stability." Caroline finished for her and Angelina couldn't disagree.
"A job, i was going to say a job."
"You had one! A good one! Why on earth did you-"
"I couldn't stay with the team. I just couldn't okay. Can you drop it." Angelina felt tense and began to regret coming home. Her mother could read her well and offered a console tap on the arm, leaning over the table.
"I'm sorry dear. But you know you can talk to me, if you ever need to. I'm your mother." Part of her felt the need to blurt it out but as she looked on her mother's face Angelina could see time wasn't as kind as she remembered. Caroline looked tired and with everything going on, the last thing Caroline needed to hear was the last thing Angelina wanted to face. Why she left. Why she quit. Why she was aimless. This has to be the worst year of my life. She thought bitterly while forcing a smile to her face.
"I know Mum. When I can talk about it I'll come to you." The words didn't seem to comfort Caroline much, but she nodded nonetheless.
After a small lunch and a few hours of chatting with her mother Angelina decided it was time to find an apartment, or at the very least start looking. A small classified section of available lofts in London was folded in half with most of the units crossed off. Looking down at the paper she was so engrossed with what the next place's address was she didn't pay attention to the body she collided with.
"Oh Shit!" She half yelled, falling back onto her butt with a wince. "I'm so sorry!"
In the driveway she saw a few familiar neighbours and a few new ones. Cards lining the road it felt so blissfully normal. None of them know about the Burning Man. None of them know about magic. As a youth she hated living in a muggle home but it was lovely here now. Kids playing gingerly on the road, hockey she thought, but couldn't be sure. This could have been a nice life.
AS she approached the door Angelina remembered she'd left her keys the last time she was here. It hadn't been a good farewell and was certainly not something she wanted to relive. But knocking the door was the first step so she did.
"In a minute." She heard her mother's voice from the other side of the door. "Jermaine, if that's you I already said I'm not interested and I don't want anymore-" As the door opened Caroline Willcroft, formally Johnson, stared with shock at her daughter.
"Hi Mum." Angie said with an awkward smile.
"Angelina?"
"Who's Jermaine?" She asked but her mother didn't answer with words, instead wrapping her arms around her daughter. The embrace had startled her, more than she thought, but Angie hugged her mother back as she felt her sob softly.
"Where in God's name have you been?" Caroline snapped. "I have been writing you, even tried calling though your phone was cancelled in Canada, and I heard from Katie that you had been at the reunion and with all this burning man business, I couldn't even get a hold of you-"
"Whoa now," Angie interrupted pulling away from her mother. "I'm fine Mum. Absolutely 100% whole and okay."
"I know, I knew. I just..." She hugged her again before leading Angelina inside.
"Where are you staying?" She asked, preparing some tea. The house looked pretty much the same, not a trace of magic anywhere. There was a fire going in the living room, and the air smelt of smoke.
"I've been staying with Fred."
A steady knowing silence followed.
"On his couch." Angelina snapped back to the kitchen as she approached the fire. Pieces of paper were in the coals. "Are you burning your mail?" she asked, seeing empty envelopes on the table. There were still some closed and sealed, but as she reached for them she heard a crash in the kitchen, her mother running to the living room quickly.
"It's nothing." she sputtered. "And why aren't you staying here? I still have your room ready and-"
"Burning letters? What the hell Mum? That's kind of crazy." And like she had never left she felt the tension in the room rise.
"Angelina, this is not your concern." Caroline crossed the room and snatched up the rest of the letters and without reading them tossed them into the fire. There was no return address but the name blazed clearly on the front read 'Angelina Johnson' in a painfully neat cursive writing.
"Merlin Mum!" Angie cried. "They have my bloody name on them, what are you doing?" Angelina tried to fish one from the fire but her mother quickly retrieved her wand and with a few quick words burnt the letters instantly.
Stepping back Angelina stared at her mother, jaw gaping.
"I don't have to explain myself." Caroline muttered, replacing her wand on the nightstand. "This is something I have to take care of."
"You used magic?" Angelina said still in shock. "You never use magic. For, my lord, I can't even remember the last time I saw you use magic!" Caroline looked uncomfortable and started to make her way to the kitchen as the last of the embers in the fire swallowed the bits of paper up. Following her mother Angelina stared at her cautiously.
"What's going on Mum? What..." The last time she used magic was... "What's wrong?" Images of her father found their way to the forefront of her mind, and with the look on her mothers face Angelina was sure Caroline had come to the same conclusion.
"It's better you don't know." Caroline said with a tone of finality. Walking across the kitchen Angelina felt her mothers arms wrap around her again. "Can you trust me to deal with this?" She asked her daughter and Angelina felt herself nodding. There were parts of her own life she forgot she'd left behind.
"Good. Now, tell me, how's Fred and George?" Like nothing had happened, her mother changed the subject and cleaned up the spilt tea. An unsettling calm fell over them as they chatted and caught up avoiding the living room at all costs.
"Are you looking for apartments?"
"A job first right now."
"Quidditch?" Angelina nodded and her mother took a judgemental slurp from her tea cup. It brought a sly smile to her face s she laughed at Caroline.
"Yes, Quidditch. I don't think I have any other marketable skills."
"you could get a normal job."
"By normal you mean?"
"Muggle." Angelina rolled her eyes like she was sixteen again. Only her mother could make her feel like she'd never grown up.
"I don't even know what I would-"
"I could get you something at the office." Her mother was a damn good legal assistant to the largest firm in their small town. "It wouldn't be nearly as exciting but money is money."
"Not what I want."
"Well, Angelina, " she started in a tone all too familiar. "maybe you should be thinking about what you need and not what you want right now. Being a wizard isn't exactly safe these days, specially an old Gryffindor."
As the words tumbled almost clumsily from her mother's mouth Caroline winced and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry love, I know that Wood boy was a good friend of yours." But that wasn't what sent chills down her spine. Gryffindors. Had they all been Gryffindors? Caroline reached out. "Maybe this is a good time to try living a muggle life, just for a while until this Burning Man is caught." The concern in her words were genuine and Caroline had obviously been worried sick. "I mean I'm pleased and thankful Fred's taken you in, but is that really the safest place for you? The Weasley's are always caught up with Harry Potter, who I know is also a friend of yours dear, but not the safest friends to have when-"
"Mum!" Angelina protested, yanking her hand away. "They haven't done anything wrong!"
"I'm not saying they have, or that they ever did, but darling I don't... I don't like to think of you in harms way and they are not safe friends to have. Especially now." Crossing her arms defensively Angelina shook her head, washed in disbelief of her mother's words.
"You love the Weasleys!"
"I never claimed not to. Hell for a while I thought you and Fred-"
"Okay, not now Mum."
"I'm just saying," she retorted with a knowing look. "I would love for you to come home. I worry about you. The last we chatted you were Captain and doing so well in Canada, far away from all this. There was also that Keeper, what was his name, Darren?"
"Derek."
"Right, Derek. You and Derek were getting serious from your letters. And then all of a sudden I can't reach you, Katie tells me you're back in town and then like magic you're at my door?"
"Mum, it's complicated. Right now I just need-"
"Stability." Caroline finished for her and Angelina couldn't disagree.
"A job, i was going to say a job."
"You had one! A good one! Why on earth did you-"
"I couldn't stay with the team. I just couldn't okay. Can you drop it." Angelina felt tense and began to regret coming home. Her mother could read her well and offered a console tap on the arm, leaning over the table.
"I'm sorry dear. But you know you can talk to me, if you ever need to. I'm your mother." Part of her felt the need to blurt it out but as she looked on her mother's face Angelina could see time wasn't as kind as she remembered. Caroline looked tired and with everything going on, the last thing Caroline needed to hear was the last thing Angelina wanted to face. Why she left. Why she quit. Why she was aimless. This has to be the worst year of my life. She thought bitterly while forcing a smile to her face.
"I know Mum. When I can talk about it I'll come to you." The words didn't seem to comfort Caroline much, but she nodded nonetheless.
After a small lunch and a few hours of chatting with her mother Angelina decided it was time to find an apartment, or at the very least start looking. A small classified section of available lofts in London was folded in half with most of the units crossed off. Looking down at the paper she was so engrossed with what the next place's address was she didn't pay attention to the body she collided with.
"Oh Shit!" She half yelled, falling back onto her butt with a wince. "I'm so sorry!"