All Will Be Well [Oliver]

Guest

What surprised Serenity most was not that such a young boy was offering to take on older Slytherins. It was not that he expected them to stop because he was talking to their victim, nor was it that he thought being decked in red and gold meant you were braver than someone in other colours. No, it was that he was willing to do that for her. All her life, she'd been the one doing things for others, doing what they said and nothing more; and now here was someone who just met here willing to jump to her defense?

It didn't make sense. It didn't make any sense, and she tilted her head as she tried to figure it -- him -- out.

Why would anyone do that, let alone for a stranger? Besides, she wasn't quite sure that it would stop these bigger boys. They wanted a fortune, a glimpse into their future, and if the presense of a Ministry elf didn't deter them, nothing would -- save per, perhaps, an adult Professor who could give detentions or punishments.

But still, it was an odd feeling to have someone care -- nice, but odd nevertheless -- and she found herself wanting more of that feeling, whatever it was. Not allowing herself to think too much of the consequences, she took a deep breath and said, "Carson. Daryl. Eyan. Joey."

What good Oliver would do, though, she couldn't figure out.

She listened intently to what he was saying. Fun? She almost blurted 'how' at that last one, but managed to hold back. She could tell from the slight frown from before that it wasn't a normal question, and already she had a reputation of being odd.

Florrie was different, because she was different as well and they understood each other without needing words -- literally, since Florrie could read her mind.

But having fun with someone outside of classes other than Florrie sounded... nice. Weird, but nice. She wasn't used to it. Sure, she had fun with Aunt Sally at times, when they went to the beach or the lake or forest, but those days were rare, and were more of a reward than anything. To be told that she could have fun whenever she wanted, with whomever she wanted was a concept she was finding slightly difficult to wrap her mind around.

There is harm in trying, she thought. Or if not harm, a consequence. She couldn't keep her thoughts to herself, though, needing to know the answer. So, softly, hesitatingly, she said, "If we fight or if people say nasty things because they don't get along, that hurts -- though I'm still not sure what hurts -- so isn't that harm? And if the cause of the fight is trying something that doesn't work, doesn't trying harm?"

She was about to continue, to say more, when there was a chorus of 'happy birthday' that echoed in her ears, and she blinked to find herself staring at a younger version of the male before her. There was an impression of joy, of love, and of belonging, although what these last two were she didn't quite understand.

There was a cake with six candles, and, upon seeing the words on it, in the real world, Serenity frowned a little, eyes glazed over. "X-men?" she murmured, unconsciously. "What is that thing with the knuckle-claws? Is he hurt?"

There was a shift and then Serenity was staring at young Oliver on a red bike, face in a grin as he rode down the path.

Blinking, she found herself back in the room of rewards, Tammie next to her. Quietly, she said, "I'm okay. It's not bad. It was a ... a nice one." With a nod, the house elf moved away, back to a position where she could watch without being in the way. Serenity turned a little to look at Oliver, saying nothing, wondering if he'd figured it out.

Guest

Oliver took in the names that he was given with a small, hesitant smile. He knew those boys, they were older than him, and a fair bit bigger. But, he had meant what he'd said and he would not back away from the promise he'd made the witch. "Thank you." Oliver replied softly, a small smile on his lips even though the witch was avoiding meeting his eyes throughout the conversation.

Serenity looked ready to counter his words about being friends - or not - couldn't hurt, but in the same moment, her eyes seemed to lose focus, her body tensing. The Hufflepuff boy didn't really know what was happening - much less what to do - but the Elf seemed to know, and moved to the witch's side.

The words that came from Serenity's mouth made little to no sense to him. Well, he knew what the X-Men were, of course, it had been his favourite superhero film when he was younger, but... it made no sense as to what Serenity would want to be talking to him about that now.

A child from a Magical background would likely know what had just happened, but Oliver was not so lucky. Only when the House Elf moved away did Oliver's attention focus back on Serenity, his features showing just how confused he was. "Are... you okay?" Oliver asked softly, glancing to the Elf and then back to Serenity looking for an answer.

To many, this might have been a stupid question, but Oliver had never had a reason to look up Seers, so he was definitely in the dark here.

Guest

The word of thanks meant...nothing, really. What was he thanking her for? For giving him names, for telling him what she knew he could do nothing about? Why was that worth those two words, when she'd done nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that was worth being thanked for? She couldn't understand, but she said nothing. She'd asked enough questions as it was, and Oliver was not someone she could trust with the harder ones, not yet.

After all, she'd only just met him.

It took her a few moments, as it always did, to come back to the present, even after Tammie had gone away. Oliver's question barely registered, but she took note of it and kept it in her mind for when she was capable of answering. First, though, she had to process what she saw. It had been a flashback, that much was sure.

He'd been turning six, so it was a birthday party -- Serenity never understood the need for that. You were growing older ever day -- every minute -- you were alive. Why a need to celebrate the day you were born? Was there something particularly special about that day? None that she could fathom; it was simply just another day among many. If one really wanted to celebrate being alive, she figured it should be done at the start of the new year -- to signify having made it to another number at the end of the date you write.

But she said none of this, not yet. She was still thinking, still processing. There'd been some weird creatures on the cake, and it took her a moment to recall what it was. Some creature with knives coming out of his knuckles, which looked painful. And then there'd been words... "X-men?" she murmured, again, without meaning to. "On your cake," she added, as an after thought. "And someone hurt?"

There was no creature she could recall from any textbook that had those sort of descriptions. "What is that creature? Was. It was ages ago, sorry," she asked, then, not knowing driving her conversation once more.

Then, only just realising the question she'd tucked away earler, added, "I'll be fine. I have to be, right?"

Guest

The comment of X-Men and then his cake, brought a frown to Oliver's features. Trying to place what she was talking about until the memory of his sixth birthday came to mind. The X-Men cake he'd asked for bringing a soft smile to his lips. He'd liked Superheroes as a kid, but now... well, he'd grown up a little, and wasn't convinced he was going to turn in to Iron Man any more.

But... how on Earth could the witch before him know about his cake?

A slightly uneasy feeling flooded the Hufflepuff - as it did whenever he found out about something new in this world. In case it was going to hurt him if he knew everything about the subject. The question of someone being hurt didn't register with Oliver, his eyes simply set on the witch, willing himself to understand but not having a single clue what had just happened.

"How... How can you possibly know about my cake?" Oliver asked the witch, his tone slightly guarded because he wasn't sure how to deal with this, but not mean. He wasn't the kind of person to run from problems, but Oliver didn't know what he was about to come up against, and the Wizarding World... well, it had a lot of things in it that he didn't understand.

The question of what the creature is, though, brought Oliver back to the questions she'd posed on the whole. "It's Wolverine. He's... a superhero from a Muggle comic." Oliver told the witch with a small shrug. "He's not hurt, either. The... blades coming out of his knuckles are his super power." Oliver explained, realising that some of the Muggle things were probably not so normal in this world, either.

The response to his question about Serenity's well being, though, made Oliver frown deeper. Shaking his head, the Hufflepuff answered in as much of a confidence voice as he could muster. "You're free to feel however you want to... If you're not okay, that is... in effect, okay, you know?" Though, Oliver wasn't sure that was an overly well versed answer, it was all he had in that moment.

Guest

It took her a moment to realise she'd spoken out of turn again, and she berated herself internally. How many times had she been told to avoid asking questions about what she'd Seen? How many times did she talk before thinking or say something she shouldn't have, and given away her secret? Too many. She was young, curious, and new to the world of other children in general, and with so much uncertainty, she was bound to slip up; she was, after all, only twelve.

She bit her lower lip, nervous, and glanced towards the House Elf. If, upon finding out, Oliver tried anything, Tammie would be the first to respond. "I Saw it," Serenity answered simply. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." She always felt a need to apologise after, despite having been told multiple times that there was nothing to apologise for; it was out of her control. But still, she couldn't help but feel bad each time she Saw something, whether good or bad. They were private memories, meant for the person and the person alone to share, not be drawn out by a stranger.

Invading someone's privacy was never something she enjoyed.

She frowned at his words. Super power? What was that? Comics she knew; those were drawings, sometimes meant to be funny and sometimes meant for adults. But she knew nothing about muggle comics -- they didn't move, that much she was sure. Besides, who had blades coming out from their knuckles? It was impractical and stupid. First of all, it would hurt. Secondly, it would tear the skin each time it came out, and he'd have to go to a Healer each time to get it fixed. Unless he knew healing spells, of course, in which case he could perform them on himself...

But wait, these were Muggle comics; that meant no magic. How did he have blades coming out of his hand if he was a muggle? It was too much for her to process; all she knew was that muggles confused her entirely. With so many questions, she didn't know where to start or how to phrase it, and so she merely nodded and dropped the subject.

It was his next statement that brought a smile to her. "I can feel how I want to right now, yes" she agreed. "But I have to be okay in the end. It's... complicated."

Guest

The small glance between the witch and the elf made Oliver feel slightly nervous in that moment. House Elves were quite powerful, though they only followed the instructions of their masters - Oliver had learnt this from one of the Elves - Peggy - in the kitchens when he'd snuck in and been more than a little awe struck when he'd seen the little creatures. Though, Oliver trusted the witch to not hurt him, he did wonder what the look meant.

As Serenity said she'd seen it... Oliver could only frown. "But, you weren't there..." He blurted out before he could stop himself. That much was true. The Hufflepuff had never heard of Seers, so even if Serenity had been explicit, he would not have had a clue as to what she was talking about. "Why are you apologising?" Oliver asked, his uncertainty of the situation growing in that moment, because he really didn't understand why Serenity was saying what she was.

And, Serenity's wishy washy comments simply didn't help Oliver's confusion. So, instead of saying anything further, Oliver just sat looking at her, utterly perplexed in what she was trying to tell him, but not so scared (from the confusion) tht he was about to run off.

Shaking his head for a moment, Oliver tried to clarify. "Sorry, I'm from a Muggle family, I still don't understand all of the magical things going on around me, to be completely honest with you. But... how could you possibly have seen something if you weren't there?" He asked, trying to piece together what he did know before his brain exploded.

» Hold Me Together [Oliver]
» Oliver Francis Goulding
» The Truth (Kamren, Oliver & Serenity)
» Treasure Hunt - Oliver Goulding
» Making New Friends (Toryn & Oliver)