So I met a nun and a mystic at the fork in the road
They said "Your child is behind you, wet hair, painted toes.
There are smugglers, jugglers, a bear on its chain.
Wear bluebells in your hat if you're going that way."
What does it mean then, it's all just a dream then
E L E A Z A R
D R A V E N
B R A D L E Y
Former Ravenclaw │ Halfblood │ Adopted │ Potioneer
Lea wasn't sure who he expected to be at his door at midnight, but it probably wasn't Eden and DJ. Immediately on the defensive, he gave his younger brother a quick once-over for injuries while barely hiding his glower at his incubator. "What's going on?" he demanded. While he usually saw DJ over the summer, he hadn't come face to face with Eden in years now. She preferred to stay away, and he preferred it that way as well. So long as DJ had a roof over his head, Lea didn't really care what she did or where she went.
"Dan found out," Eden shrugged slightly, as if her husband hadn't just discovered that she'd been lying to him for the past fifteen years. Frankly, Lea was shocked the marriage had even made it that long. She probably could have gotten away with it had Dan not wanted a kid. So really the two of them were their own worst enemies. He just felt bad for DJ, caught in the middle. While he certainly had a more stable childhood than Lea had ever had, that didn't mean his home life had ever been very pleasant.
"And?" Lea pressed, through gritted teeth.
"It's over," she exhaled between puffs of her cigarette. "He'll stay wi' you," she jerked her head at DJ, who looked surprised, but not dismayed. "Dan's not gonna want him around, least not for a long time, an' I...," she trailed off, and for the first time that Lea could recall, Eden Bradley looked unsure, uneasy. "I'll figure somethin' out. Always 'ave." Lea believed her; she's always been adaptable, to say the least. But that didn't mean she wasn't resorting to the same old s**t as always. When things got hard, she ran.
"Yeah, you will," he sneered. "So that's it, then? You're gonna dump him with me? Just walk away? You're unbelievable."
DJ was silent, staring at his scuffed up sneakers. Lea wanted to wrap an arm around him or something, but he hadn't been good with physical touch of any kind in years, and DJ wasn't the most affectionate kid himself. Eden was silent for a moment, staring Lea down, and then said hoarsely, "Though' you two were best mates now. What do you want me to do? I can't-," she hesitated, "you know he's better off wi' you."
"A ******** goldfish would be better off with me than with you," Lea retorted. "Abandoning three kids in a row? That's got to be some kind of record. Just say it. Just once, I wish you'd ******** say it. You're a shite excuse for a mother, you always have been, and you should have gotten your bloody tubes tied for the greater good years ago."
"Get off your high horse," Eden sneered. "You think I wanted-,"
"I don't care what you wanted!" Lea nearly shouted, but managed to keep his tone under control. "It doesn't matter! You're an adult! Stop acting like a ******** teenage girl! You're leaving him, just like you left me, like you left Thea, and the least you could do is actually admit it for once, instead of pretending like you're some kind of victim."
Eden looked like she wanted to hit him for a few moments, and then sucked in a ragged breath. "Alrigh'," she finally said. "I admit it, Eleazar." He visibly tensed at her use of his name. "You're righ'. I am a shite mother. Always 'ave been. Always will be. Kept thinkin; I could... could change it, that I'd get it righ', make it better, but I can't. I just... can't. I don't know. I left you an' Thea. I was strung out, constantly comin' down, I could barely think straight, so I left. I left you an' her alone. I'm- I'm not going to lie to you an' act like I regret it. I don't. Doesn't make it righ', doesn't mean I should 'ave done it, but it would 'ave been worse if I stayed. Trust me, it would 'ave."
Lea said nothing. He wasn't speechless or overcome with emotion, because he didn't feel much of anything at all, beyond a small sense of grim satisfaction that she'd finally admitted to it. Admitted how awful it had been. How ******** up the whole thing was. He watched as she turned to DJ. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she... there wasn't a particular emotion on her face, no tears in her eyes, but she looked... different. Younger, almost. More vulnerable. He didn't believe she'd ever really loved him and Thea, but DJ... maybe there was something more there, however faint and withered.
"For what it's worth," Eden said quietly to DJ, "I am sorry for you. I tried, in the beginnin', thought Dan an' I could be like a normal muggle family. But we couldn't. Don't know if it was 'im or me or both of us, but we jus' couldn't. We couldn't make it work. Shouldn't 'ave 'ad you in the first place. Not sayin' I 'ated all of it, or I 'ated you... I don't. I never did. But I... I can't ever be what you needed. A proper mum an' all that. So I'm sorry. You're better off without me. Better off wi' 'im. He's never goin' to leave you," she glanced at Lea, then away again, taking another puff.
There was almost a full minute of silence, and she started to walk away, shoulders hunched against the chill, when DJ darted after her, grabbing at her arm. "Hey!" It was so painfully reminiscent of so many memories for Lea that he physically moved away, as if the sight of it was stabbing at him. Eden turned slightly, and Lea grimaced as DJ gave her a halting, brief hug. "It's okay," he said, almost earnestly. "I forgive you." He didn't smile, but his face was pale and somber in the dim lamp light.
"It's not okay," Eden's tone was almost kind, or as kindly as you were ever going to get from her. "You're a sweet kid, Danny," she added as an afterthought, and reached over to briefly ruffle his hair. "Take care of yourself." Her mouth twitched as if she might smile, before she walked away down the near-silent street, disappearing into the gloom and shadows of Diagon Alley.
"She didn't mean any of it," it came out colder than Lea had intended as he held open the door for DJ. "You know that, right? It was just to cover her arse, as usual."
"You don't know what she meant or didn't mean," DJ retorted. "Okay? You can't read minds."
"She doesn't deserve anything from you."
"I don't care what she deserves. I said it for me, not for her. I don't want to spend the rest of my life hating someone." DJ scowled briefly, and then looked at Lea; they were now the same height, given his latest growth spurt. Soon he'd likely be far taller. "Anyways, it's not like- it's not like she's my real family. I mean, she gave birth to me, but- you and Ada and Chris and Desi and Zach are my family. Not her or... or him. Not for a long time now."
D R A V E N
B R A D L E Y
Former Ravenclaw │ Halfblood │ Adopted │ Potioneer
Lea wasn't sure who he expected to be at his door at midnight, but it probably wasn't Eden and DJ. Immediately on the defensive, he gave his younger brother a quick once-over for injuries while barely hiding his glower at his incubator. "What's going on?" he demanded. While he usually saw DJ over the summer, he hadn't come face to face with Eden in years now. She preferred to stay away, and he preferred it that way as well. So long as DJ had a roof over his head, Lea didn't really care what she did or where she went.
"Dan found out," Eden shrugged slightly, as if her husband hadn't just discovered that she'd been lying to him for the past fifteen years. Frankly, Lea was shocked the marriage had even made it that long. She probably could have gotten away with it had Dan not wanted a kid. So really the two of them were their own worst enemies. He just felt bad for DJ, caught in the middle. While he certainly had a more stable childhood than Lea had ever had, that didn't mean his home life had ever been very pleasant.
"And?" Lea pressed, through gritted teeth.
"It's over," she exhaled between puffs of her cigarette. "He'll stay wi' you," she jerked her head at DJ, who looked surprised, but not dismayed. "Dan's not gonna want him around, least not for a long time, an' I...," she trailed off, and for the first time that Lea could recall, Eden Bradley looked unsure, uneasy. "I'll figure somethin' out. Always 'ave." Lea believed her; she's always been adaptable, to say the least. But that didn't mean she wasn't resorting to the same old s**t as always. When things got hard, she ran.
"Yeah, you will," he sneered. "So that's it, then? You're gonna dump him with me? Just walk away? You're unbelievable."
DJ was silent, staring at his scuffed up sneakers. Lea wanted to wrap an arm around him or something, but he hadn't been good with physical touch of any kind in years, and DJ wasn't the most affectionate kid himself. Eden was silent for a moment, staring Lea down, and then said hoarsely, "Though' you two were best mates now. What do you want me to do? I can't-," she hesitated, "you know he's better off wi' you."
"A ******** goldfish would be better off with me than with you," Lea retorted. "Abandoning three kids in a row? That's got to be some kind of record. Just say it. Just once, I wish you'd ******** say it. You're a shite excuse for a mother, you always have been, and you should have gotten your bloody tubes tied for the greater good years ago."
"Get off your high horse," Eden sneered. "You think I wanted-,"
"I don't care what you wanted!" Lea nearly shouted, but managed to keep his tone under control. "It doesn't matter! You're an adult! Stop acting like a ******** teenage girl! You're leaving him, just like you left me, like you left Thea, and the least you could do is actually admit it for once, instead of pretending like you're some kind of victim."
Eden looked like she wanted to hit him for a few moments, and then sucked in a ragged breath. "Alrigh'," she finally said. "I admit it, Eleazar." He visibly tensed at her use of his name. "You're righ'. I am a shite mother. Always 'ave been. Always will be. Kept thinkin; I could... could change it, that I'd get it righ', make it better, but I can't. I just... can't. I don't know. I left you an' Thea. I was strung out, constantly comin' down, I could barely think straight, so I left. I left you an' her alone. I'm- I'm not going to lie to you an' act like I regret it. I don't. Doesn't make it righ', doesn't mean I should 'ave done it, but it would 'ave been worse if I stayed. Trust me, it would 'ave."
Lea said nothing. He wasn't speechless or overcome with emotion, because he didn't feel much of anything at all, beyond a small sense of grim satisfaction that she'd finally admitted to it. Admitted how awful it had been. How ******** up the whole thing was. He watched as she turned to DJ. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she... there wasn't a particular emotion on her face, no tears in her eyes, but she looked... different. Younger, almost. More vulnerable. He didn't believe she'd ever really loved him and Thea, but DJ... maybe there was something more there, however faint and withered.
"For what it's worth," Eden said quietly to DJ, "I am sorry for you. I tried, in the beginnin', thought Dan an' I could be like a normal muggle family. But we couldn't. Don't know if it was 'im or me or both of us, but we jus' couldn't. We couldn't make it work. Shouldn't 'ave 'ad you in the first place. Not sayin' I 'ated all of it, or I 'ated you... I don't. I never did. But I... I can't ever be what you needed. A proper mum an' all that. So I'm sorry. You're better off without me. Better off wi' 'im. He's never goin' to leave you," she glanced at Lea, then away again, taking another puff.
There was almost a full minute of silence, and she started to walk away, shoulders hunched against the chill, when DJ darted after her, grabbing at her arm. "Hey!" It was so painfully reminiscent of so many memories for Lea that he physically moved away, as if the sight of it was stabbing at him. Eden turned slightly, and Lea grimaced as DJ gave her a halting, brief hug. "It's okay," he said, almost earnestly. "I forgive you." He didn't smile, but his face was pale and somber in the dim lamp light.
"It's not okay," Eden's tone was almost kind, or as kindly as you were ever going to get from her. "You're a sweet kid, Danny," she added as an afterthought, and reached over to briefly ruffle his hair. "Take care of yourself." Her mouth twitched as if she might smile, before she walked away down the near-silent street, disappearing into the gloom and shadows of Diagon Alley.
"She didn't mean any of it," it came out colder than Lea had intended as he held open the door for DJ. "You know that, right? It was just to cover her arse, as usual."
"You don't know what she meant or didn't mean," DJ retorted. "Okay? You can't read minds."
"She doesn't deserve anything from you."
"I don't care what she deserves. I said it for me, not for her. I don't want to spend the rest of my life hating someone." DJ scowled briefly, and then looked at Lea; they were now the same height, given his latest growth spurt. Soon he'd likely be far taller. "Anyways, it's not like- it's not like she's my real family. I mean, she gave birth to me, but- you and Ada and Chris and Desi and Zach are my family. Not her or... or him. Not for a long time now."
OOC:
Username
Cough syrup and amphetamines, we could sleep under the evergreens
I'm a little saint, I'm a little sinner, every day you're looking better
Words were written on the walls; my white blood in capitals
Well, I spoke to the captain, he won't turn around
He said "The sun is an orange, and the wind's just the sound
Of our brothers and sisters, lovers and those that we'll never know."
I'm a little saint, I'm a little sinner, every day you're looking better
Words were written on the walls; my white blood in capitals
Well, I spoke to the captain, he won't turn around
He said "The sun is an orange, and the wind's just the sound
Of our brothers and sisters, lovers and those that we'll never know."