the family you chose (amelia)

Summer was far too hot in England, in Donnie's opinion. Too wet and muggy. He wished he could retreat somewhere cool for a bit, and he briefly entertained the thought of chilled winds as another bead of sweat trickled slowly down his neck. It wasn't like he didn't have the leave built up. He could escape somewhere far away, forget about his empty flat for a few weeks. But he already knew he wouldn't. He was a man of habit, really. He liked his quiet life, the routine of his work, the occasional fights at Grimli's; they were safe and familiar. It was a long time since he'd been out on wild chases or impulsive trips. Maybe he'd enjoy it more with someone to talk with, but there was no one in his life to fit that bill.

At least, not romantically. That ship was sailed and no use wondering about it now. At least there were still people in his life he could go to when he wanted to just talk to someone. John, his cousin, was one of them. He was a good mate, but a bit dense sometimes. And Donnie had seen him recently, when he'd gotten himself torn up at Grimli's. They'd had a nice talk, and gone out for drinks a few time since. Today, though, Donnie was seeing someone that he knew John would be desperate to get news of. Namely, John's ex-wife Amelia.

Some people might think it strange that Donnie would visit his ex-cousin in law, but most people didn't know Amelia. She was practically a saint, not least for putting up with his pisshead of a cousin for as long as she did. Donnie loved John like a brother but the man had really cocked things up with his wife and daughter. Amelia was probably a lot better off without the heartache her ex would only have kept causing her. Donnie knew it was John's decision to end things, which was honestly the only favor he'd ever done Amelia. Still, Amelia was a good lady, and she didn't deserve to be abandoned by the family she'd had for almost half her life, even if she was technically no longer a part of it.

Donnie called her Auntie, at first in a teasing way. She and John were almost ten years older than Donnie, so it was a bit of a joke between them that she was more like an older mother figure than a cousin. She had been there when he lost his mother, she had been there when he'd lost the love of his life. Donnie adored her like true family, and he was hardly going to stop seeing her just because she wasn't married in anymore.

The bell above the shop rang merrily, announcing his arrival. He smiled as the scent of wax and the various scents wafted through the air. "Ya have any candles ta cure Dragon Pox?" He asked with a teasing smile. "Been itching something fearful all week."

@Amelia Lennox

The air outside was hot and sluggish, so the candle of the day was pine and lemon. Refreshing and cool, a futile attempt to ward off summer lethargy. Today Amelia had planned to reorganize the back room-- she was a neat person overall, but over time she could still collect clutter. She swore she still had Carina’s Charms textbook from fifth-year summer homework on a shelf, and it wasn’t going to go anywhere until she rolled her sleeves up and cleaned the damn closet.

But it was too hot to clean the damn closet, so instead she was leaning on the counter and reading a magazine, contemplating Albus Dumbledore and his turbulent infamy. It had been a slow day. Some elderly women buying candles for their bathrooms, her current wedding commission, and a beleaguered young man trying to shop for his girlfriend’s birthday. It wasn’t good for business, but Amelia appreciated the peace.

She didn’t like to keep the radio on loudly, but she would play it quietly under the counter to keep her company. Today it was an upbeat disco station-- another futile attempt. Music, candles, the fizzy drink she’d bought as an indulgence.

The bell over the door rang brightly and she looked up as her ex-cousin-in-law came into the shop, grinning wide. She smiled back just as broadly as he skipped straight through greetings-- “Ya have any candles ta cure Dragon Pox? Been itching something fearful all week.”

“Don’t think a candle would help you much,” she teased back. “But I’ve soup at home if you want dinner in a few hours. Did you come all this way to see me?”

She wouldn’t be surprised if he had. Immediately after the divorce she’d been crushed to remember how much love she’d been shown by John’s family, imagining that she’d have to cut ties with them all. It had been a surprise and a delight that John’s cousin Donncha still stopped in to see her. Amelia hated losing people, and knew Donnie did too, so it was nice that they hadn’t lost each other.

“Mmh, it’s so hot today,” she said, just to make conversation. She paced quickly to the other side of the counter, hugged him quickly. It was too hot, though, so she let him go and beamed up at him-- “How are you!”

It had been too long since she’d seen Donnie; it always felt like it’d been too long, no matter how recently she’d seen him. She tucked her hair back behind her ear and appraised him-- he seemed tired, but he often did.

Donnie returned the hug with enthusiasm, spinning Amelia briefly before setting her down on her feet. "Ya know I'd love ta have dinner wit ya and Carina, if she's around." She might be away at summer school. He was sure John would have paid for it if that was what his daughter wanted to do for the summer. "Sure it would beat take-away in my flat." His smile was wide and genuine. "Good ta see ya, Auntie." He gave her a quick looking over to make sure she looked healthy. He worried about the stress of raising Carina and owning a shop all on her own. The former Auror was glad to see that besides the fatigue that came from summer heat, she seemed to be doing well.

"It never too far ta travel if I get ta see ya," he replied with a grin. "Ya know I love ya more than most o' my blood relations anyway." Donnie and most of his cousins didn't get along very well. As the only Slytherin in a family lousy with Gryffindors, he had taken and dished out a number of beatings both at home and on school grounds. John was a good guy, and Amelia had been the one person he knew he could go when he felt like he never belonged anywhere.

Donnie took a moment to look around the empty shop. "Place looks nice," he said approvingly. "Smells nice, too," he teased. He quite liked the scent that was floating through the shop. "What scent is this? I might like ta grab something for my place. Make it smell more lived-in." Also, to chase away the ghost of Lorin's perfume but he was hardly going to tell his dear Auntie about his latest foolishness. It had been mortifying enough to have to explain it to John, and endure his head-shaking. Ah well, what was done was done. He'd just enjoy the time he had to visit a good friend and grab some food too.

"How have ya been, Auntie?" He asked, always direct. "You and Carina doing fine?" He worried about his second-cousin. Donnie knew what it was like to lose a parent. At least he had known that his Ma loved him and his family more than anything. John had done a first-rate job of tearing up both his wife and his daughter in the process of leaving. He didn't blame the Ravenclaw for her anger.

"Oh!"

She let him sweep her off her feet, flustered and laughing. "Would love to have you! Carina's home for summer, she'll be happy to see you too." She brushed off the front of her robes, wrung her hands briefly. "Shop closes soon, you can pop over for the evening." She wondered briefly, as he looked her over, whether he'd seen John lately, but she pushed that thought away-- she didn't need to know. And John didn't need her to, either.

"Oh, you're too sweet," she teased. "Love you too, Donnie." She had always harboured a soft spot for John's cousin-- he was young to have been through so much tragedy, and she'd had her share of heartbreak these last few years and worried about him, worried often. "It's lemony pine, I'll get you one. On the house." With this pronouncement she slapped one hand on her counter and waved her wand to Summon one from the shelf.

"You need a candle to make it feel lived in?" she asked. "How long've you been there, that you need a candle?" She flipped it around in her palm and handed it to him.

"Oh, I'm fine!" she said automatically, at his next question. His next, about Carina, gave her more pause; how could she tell him how she and Carina were doing? They were doing the same they always were-- and Carina was still not speaking to her father. "She's looking forward to her seventh year," she said instead. "Isn't that mad, that she's graduating this year? I can't believe it myself."