Body and spirit [Harri]

There were a number of people that Meredith wanted to catch up with over the summer and Angharad Hughes was pretty high on her list.  Mere had always looked up to her older cousin and greatly enjoyed spending time with her.  After popping in on Harri at work and seeing how wan and tired she looked, Meredith had demanded to know when Harri would have a day off and declared that they would have a “spa day”.  Mere figured that just because her cousin turned into a wolf once a month, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t enjoy the normal pleasures of being a girl the rest of the time.  The whole issue of lycanthropy still gave Meredith a bit of the heebie-jeebies but she tried her hardest to the supportive.  Mere hoped that by sharing a girly spa day with Harri, she could help her to feel beautiful and human, if only for a day.

Arriving outside of the health spa, Mere was unusually plain faced, having left her makeup off this morning in anticipation of the facial treatments she would receive today.  Her long golden hair was braided back for now and tucked behind her ears.  Meredith’s clothing was similarly simplistic; a rose-coloured cotton shift dress and flat sandals.  Any unnecessary jewellery had also been left at home.  The spa they would be attending was very exclusive and extraordinarily expensive, but Meredith had booked a room for the two of them with a full package of massages, skin treatments (including facials) and a mani-pedi to finish up.  All of the treatments were described with attractive buzz words like "revitalising" and "rejuvenating".  Since her awkward (and better off forgotten) puberty, Mere had made it a tradition to enjoy a good spa day or two on her Summer break.  She usually went alone but this time she looked forward to sharing the experience with Harri.

Aside from catching up with, and hopefully cheering up, her cousin, the seventeen-year-old had her own reasons for needing a spa day.  The horrific incident that Mere had been the victim of at school, and subsequent embarrassing media exposure, was still uncomfortably fresh in Meredith’s mind.  Her mum was also stressing her out with talk of setting up a “suitable marriage”.  Despite (or perhaps because of) being a very romantic girl, Meredith had yet to have any love life at all.  She dreamed of meeting her soul-mate (some kind of perfect, handsome prince) under exciting circumstances and being swept off her feet for a whirlwind romance.  But now it seemed like her first kiss might be shared with some lacklustre fellow (chosen by her mother) on their wedding day.  Mere’s relationship with her mother had been rocky over the years, most notably after Heather attempted to imprison her in her room rather than letting her return to Hogwarts in her fifth year, and Heather’s current obsession with the topic of marriage was not doing anything to improve matters. 

Entering the foyer of the health resort, which was decorated luxuriously but tastefully, Meredith approached the friendly witch at reception to check in.  It seemed that Harri hadn’t arrived yet but that didn’t mean that Meredith couldn’t get a head-start on relaxing.  There were a number of plush, white couches arranged artfully around the room.  Selecting one near a planter full of lush greenery, Mere sat down and sunk into the cushions with an appreciative sigh.  The soft tinkling sound of running water could be heard from a water feature in the corner of the room and pleasant music also drifted through the reception area in light, neutral tones.  The whole atmosphere of the place was designed to be soothing.  After a moment, a handsome young man in a white uniform brought Mere a beverage that was refreshingly cool and fruity.  She thanked him with a gracious smile and then sipped the drink absentmindedly while she waited for her cousin to arrive.

@Angharad Hughes

Angharad twisted around in front of the mirror in the small bathroom she shared with @Emma Hennings one more time. She hadn’t worn a two-piece swimsuit in public in… years, she supposed. Excluding when she was in Australia -- but she didn’t think that counted, as the only person she had known there was Meredith’s brother, Hefin. She wasn’t even sure if she would need her bathers today, but she figured that if they were getting treatments and massages and whatnot, that it might be required.

She could have worn a one-piece, but it didn’t seem right. Besides, she had learnt, thanks someone she’d met through Hefin, that her scar was nothing to be ashamed of. That she should embrace it, and then nobody could make her feel shame. With a deep inhale, the former Hufflepuff stared herself down, giving herself an internal pep talk. “This is fine. I’m fine. It’s all going to be fine.”

Half an hour later, the petite blonde marched up the fancy gravel path, surrounded on either side by perfectly-sheared hedges, and entered the spa. She immediately spotted her cousin and smiled warmly, “Hiya, sorry if I’m late, I--” she glanced from the lady behind the front desk to Meredith, lowering her voice, “I had to apparate down the road.” And down the road had been literally down -- she’d had to climb a large hill and in this weather it meant she was now a little hot and bothered. Next to Meredith, young, beautiful, kind Meredith, she felt like a watered down version of herself.

Angharad tucked her hair, somewhat windswept by the breeze outside, behind one ear, and smoothed her honey-yellow, button-up dress down with her other hand. “How have you been?” She perched herself on the seat beside her. The same man who had brought Meredith a drink approached with a fresh glass on his tray, holding it out to Harri. She picked it up carefully, “Thank you,” and smiled giddily at her cousin, sipping at first and then drinking deeply to quench her thirst.

Harri turned her body towards Meredith. “Thank you, really, for this.” She wasn’t sure if the younger girl knew how much this meant to Harri, or that it was just one of many things in recent months that were helping the werewolf to overcome the slump she had been in for the least couple of years.

Meredith sat up with a beaming smile on her face as she saw her cousin enter.  "Harri!" She called out and waved unnecessarily, as the other girl had already spotted her and was on her way over.  Watching her cousin approach, Meredith was glad to see she was looking well.  Although she understood generally how Angharad’s cycle worked, it was always concerning to see how it drained her physically.  Today it seemed was a good day though since Angharad appeared full of energy. 

Mere laughed as the older girl apologised and explained her tardiness.  She knew exactly what Harri was referring to.  It could be a bit of a hike to get up to the resort if you didn't know. "No, no.  I'm sorry Harri.  I should have warned you!"  It seemed like the trek had been good for the petite girl though.  The exertion had put some colour in her cheeks.  With her windswept hair and sparkling eyes, Mere thought she looked warm and vibrant and beautiful.  It filled her heart with happiness to see her cousin smiling as there had been far too little of that over the last couple of years.

"Oh, I've been fine."  Mere responded nonchalantly.  The young blonde normally loved to talk about herself but there would be time enough for that later.  Right now she was more interested in Harri.  She sipped her drink some more as the young man brought a glass over another glass for her companion.  The service in this establishment really was impeccable.  “Of course.  You’re very welcome.  I’m so glad you could come.”  It was no imposition on Meredith to have her cousin along for the day and she genuinely looked forward to her company. 

Discarding her own half-finished drink on a nearby table, Meredith leaned across and hugged Harri firmly.  “It’s so good to see you.”  She said into Angharad’s soft hair.  Sitting back again she clasped the other girl by the shoulders and looked her up and down.  It really was a very cute dress she was wearing. "My my Harri.  Look how beautiful you are!" Mere exclaimed gleefully.  "I booked us a private room but it almost seems a crime to hide you away from everyone!"  She had considered that they both might be more comfortable away from prying eyes but there were shared areas of the resort they could enjoy if Harri felt comfortable.  Given the highly exclusive nature of the place it was still hardly going to be crowded and the strict ban on paparazzi also meant that they wouldn’t have to worry about anything ending up in the papers.

“How would you like to begin?  I’ve signed us up for massages and skin treatments but… maybe a dip first to cool off?”  It was quite a warm day after all and they were in no hurry.  The resort had a number of lovely swimming pools.  Mere’s favourite one was fed by a real waterfall and also featured a spectacular view of the valley below.  A quick dip might be the perfect way to refresh and start things off right.  “Do you have swimmers?”  She enquired of her cousin.  Mere hadn’t specifically told Harri to bring anything but that was of no concern.  The resort shop had an impressive range of swimsuits available should that be required.  Mere already had her own bikini on under her dress. 

Angharad smiled back at her cousin. “It’s fine – shows me how unfit I am,” she laughed. It had been a long time since she’d done anything that could seriously be considered exercise – she missed quidditch, perhaps she ought to join an after-work league or something. As long as she only missed the odd game, it would be fine, right?

 “Fine?” Harri quirked a questioning eyebrow at her, “That’s all you’re going to tell me?”

Meredith leaned in and Harri hugged her back gratefully – any physical contact felt that much more welcome now. She generally avoided getting too close to people who didn’t know, because she didn’t want to see their faces when they found out – not just about what she was, but that she’d violated them or something by touching them without them knowing. That was how some people saw it. She was eternally thankful that Meredith and Hefin and her other family members had remained relatively indifferent to her condition.  “It’s good to see you too.”

“Oh, shush,” she blushed and rolled her eyes. “You’d think I was your little cousin, not the other way around!” Sometimes Angharad felt like she’d aged ten years since the Battle of Hogwarts and the summer following it, and then other times she felt new to the world. She’d missed out on a lot of experiences and had a lot of catching up to do – good thing Meredith was here to help with that.

Massages and skin treatments sounded amazing – she’d worry about that later. “That sounds great. We can start with a swim, yeah,” she nodded, “Yeah, I put them on under my dress. Didn’t see the point in changing twice.” Plus, if she was already in her bikini then there was no backing out. She had intentionally not brought a backup one-piece.

She glanced up at the signage and started towards the changing rooms, walking alongside Meredith. “So, last year at Hogwarts this year? Are you looking forward to it?”

"Sorry!" She laughed as her cousin blushed prettily.  “Don’t worry, you’ll always be my big cousin.”  Meredith had always had a lot of admiration for the older girl and this remained unchanged even now.  Did she want to be involved in the nitty-gritty of Harri’s condition?  Not so much.  However, that didn’t diminish the love she felt towards her cousin.  It felt far too cheesy to say it but she knew that Angharad was still Angharad at the end of the day.  The only thing that had changed for Mere was the new level of protectiveness she felt towards her cousin.

"School?"  The young blonde considered the question as they walked companionably towards the changing room.  Meredith had mixed feelings on the subject and that in itself was something she was not too comfortable with.  She was used to complete confidence and surety in everything she did so frankly the seventeen-year-old didn’t know what to do with her doubts.  Especially since some of those doubts pertained to herself and what type of person she was.  There were a lot of things Meredith had to figure out. 

“I’m not sure.”  She answered honestly and paused again in thought.  It was going to be difficult to face up to her peers after her humiliation last year plus on an academic level there was significant pressure to perform well in her exams.  She was also beginning to feel the growing burden of her family name and stature – she was all too aware that her graduation would not necessarily entail the same freedoms that her peers could look forward to.  Without the distance of Hogwarts to keep her mother at bay, Mere would be hard-pressed to maintain any control over her own life.  Already she found Heather’s eagerness to arrange a betrothal maddening.  "I both don't want to go and never want it to end, if you know what I mean."

Meredith waved a hand dismissively at her own vague response.  As tempting as it was to go ahead and unload all of her teenage drama, she held back.  The purpose of this get-together was to help Harri relax and have fun, not to have a Meredith pity party.  The older girl accordingly had precedence for the sharing of any woes.  “But I want to know about you!”  Meredith exclaimed brightly as they reached the changing room.  “How’s work and everything?”  She enquired while nonchalantly discarding her clothing and other belongings in a pile.  Clad only in her pastel pink bikini, she then turned back to her cousin with a cheeky grin.  “Any boys I should know about?”  One perfectly shaped eyebrow raised suggestively to emphasise the nature of her query.  Since her own love-life was basically non-existent, Mere was really hoping for some interesting gossip.  She could see no reason why someone as beautiful and kind as Harri wouldn’t be enjoying some romance.  It never even occurred to her that Harri’s condition might make that sort of thing complicated. 

“It’s alright, I got used to being the little cousin years ago!” She joked, grinning. It had been one thing for Hefin to tower over her – he was both a boy and actually older than her. When Meredith had surpassed Angharad’s height it had been the moment Harri had realised Meredith was really growing up. Not so little, literally, anymore.

“Yeah,” she nodded softly, “it’s sort of bittersweet, isn’t it? We hate homework and exams and being told ‘these are the best years of your life!’, but they kind of are.” She smiled sadly; she wasn’t even thinking about it from her perspective – not solely, anyway. Some people went on to do wonderful things, people like Hefin and Ginny, and others got sort of left to the wayside. Harri knew her best years had been at Hogwarts, before everything. She was slowly allowing herself the optimism to believe that things would change, that she’d have good years ahead, but how good could being a werewolf ever really be?

“Me?” she laughed nervously. “Oh, you know, it’s fine.” Working at Weasley’s wasn’t anything exciting, but it was a job. She was earning money and had finally moved out of her childhood home. “I really appreciate that George and Ron gave me the job, you know, but it’s just…” She began undoing the buttons to her dress, careful to keep it closed around her as her eyes fell on Meredith’s altogether perfect, unblemished body. She cleared her throat softly, “It’s not really what I want to do forever, you know?”

Harri laughed again, a little more derisively, rolling her eyes and blushing lightly. “No, definitely not.” She shook her head. There had been that American, @Ashley Morrigan, but since their blind date she hadn’t heard from him so assumed he had either gone back to the States, or was simply not interested… Maybe she shouldn’t have drunk so much – but she had been so nervous. She zoned out slightly as she thought about it; how embarrassing. And then there had been how the night had ended. No wonder he wanted nothing to do with her. She was a walking magnet for disasters.

She blinked herself back to the present. “Um, no, no boys.” She slipped out of her dress slowly, turning slightly so that the side her scar was on was facing away from her cousin as she bent to tidy everything into her bag. She straightened back up and followed Meredith towards the pool, one arm held across her stomach awkwardly. On the plus side, she assumed anyone looking at them would be more interested in Meredith. “What about you? Please tell me you’re not trailing a string of boys behind you like your brother," she smirked.

Listening to her cousin describe how her job was adequate but uninspiring, Meredith suddenly clapped her hands together with enthusiasm.  “Well, we will just have to try and find you your dream job then!”  She smiled and spoke cheerfully, clearly displaying her ignorance of the sort of discrimination Harri was facing in the workforce.  The seventeen-year-old could not see why her beloved cousin couldn’t enjoy any career of her choosing and would happily help her in obtaining same.  “What would you like to do?”

Harri’s repeated denials and slight blush seemed to suggest that there was, or at least had been, a man she was interested in.  “Alright, if you say so.”  She winked knowingly.  There would be time enough to wheedle the details out of her cousin later.  As the question was turned back on her, Mere tossed her hair in slight irritation.  For a girl who loved romance, there had been frustratingly little development in that area of her life.  Despite no lack of willing suitors, Mere was yet to find anyone worth her interest or time.  “No boys.”  She shook her head and laughed at Harri’s comment about her brother.  “It’s not Hef’s fault that women fall in love with him!”  Meredith still naively believed that her brother would never purposefully string along nor lead people on.  The stories in the media clearly stemmed out of jealousy and nothing more.  He could hardly be blamed – nor could she – for being perfect and desirable in every way.  They could steal people’s hearts just by walking by but was that a crime?

“But no, not a line.  Not a one.”  Giving an exaggerated sigh, the young blonde witch threw one arm around her cousin’s shoulders as they walked.  “How come two beautiful women like us are stuck being single?”  She jested, breaking out into laughter again though this time it turned a little bitter at the end.  The biggest joke of course was the idea that she could actually date however she pleased anyway.  Her mother had some very particular plans about her future. 

Meredith pulled away as they reached the edge of the pool.  Eager to take a dip she headed immediately for the water and gracefully swan dived into the deep end with a smooth splash.  As she remerged, dripping but feeling cool and content, she drew her gaze up, searching for her cousin’s face.  It was then she noticed the warped and discoloured skin on Harri’s side.  Caught off guard, Meredith couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped her.  She’d been told about the scar but hadn’t really seen it properly for herself.  It embarrassed her that she’d actually sort of forgotten about it.  Given how lovely her cousin was in appearance otherwise, it was a real awful shame. 

Scars and disfigurements really made Mere uncomfortable.  She didn’t like to look at sick or injured people nor anything that reminded her of the frailty of the human form.  The young witch liked to live under the belief that her body would always be strong and beautiful.  Seeing signs of damage in others served as an unpleasant reminder of how fragile and fleeting her youth and beauty really was. 

If it were someone else, Mere would quite likely have reacted poorly.  She might even have made disparaging comments about their appearance.  Certainly in the past, she had never hesitated to voice critique of the physical flaws in other people.  It made her quite ashamed to think of the nasty, judgemental things that she might have said to her dear Harri if they hadn’t been related. 

Meredith had recently started to recognise that she wasn’t as nice a person as she’d once thought.  She was trying to grow and be a better person so aside from her initial shocked gasp, she did not give any further indication that she had noticed nor cared about the marks on Harri’s skin.  At the end of the day, this was Harri, and no amount of unsightly scarring could ever reduce the love and admiration she felt for her cousin.

The feeling of shock passed and was quickly replaced with a fierce sense of protectiveness towards her cousin.  She glared around at the few other people in the area, watching for any sign of judgement in their faces.  If anyone so much as looked at her precious Harri the wrong way, she’d hex them so hard they’d end up wearing shoes on their eyeballs.  Fortunately, she didn’t notice anything to cause her outright concern.  Turning back to her cousin, she smiled warmly and beckoned her over.  “Come on.  The water’s fine!”