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Post by Felicity Hjort on Apr 29, 2009 22:03:57 GMT -5
Turning his icy eyes from the boy to the father, Ib only looked mildly interested in the topic. Fact was, he was a fanatic, but there was no way he was going to let on to that, especially when this guy probably knew nothing on the subject of the best athletic sport in the world. It was a shame Felicity decided to up and leave, he was sure she could've gone on to a professional team if she'd stuck with it. She was a great forward, and not so bad at striker either. But if Matthew continued to shape up, he'd be getting a few looks as well. Then again, his ambition was to attend Oxford for politics, something Ib didn't highly approve of. The whole business was full of nothing but scummy, lying... his thoughts stopped there.
"They always have a chance when the referee is playing fair," the man answered gruffly, knowing the only time England didn't make it that far was because a referee was using favouritism or had been paid off to fix the game for another team. England had the best of the best of Britain, and no one could beat a British person fairly. ************************************************ "Thank you," Meadow received the compliment kindly. It was always nice to hear such a thing, and she did truly do her best to keep it all up, even when feeling a bit under the weather. Of course all her children had their chores, but she tended to shoulder most of the responsibility, knowing they had their own lives to upkeep; athletics, after school organizations, church, friends, responsibilities that set them up for their own future. Pulling a large, deliciously chocolate cake from depths unknown in her refrigerator, she set it in front of the younger woman with a smile.
"Why don't you cut the cake into pieces, and I'll collect saucers and dining ware?" she requested of the woman, setting a cake knife on the counter and turning to collect what they would need. "I wasn't sure if you and your husband would prefer tea or coffee, but I brewed little of both," she offered with a smile. It wasn't difficult, but she had wanted to have options. Felicity was why they were here and she didn't want to offend them or make them think badly of her youngest daughter because of them. Of course, Ib wasn't really helping on that front as of yet.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Apr 29, 2009 23:55:03 GMT -5
"That, I can do," Lolly answered with a smile, taking the knife and slicing the cake neatly. She couldn't help but wonder if this was the same cake Drew had helped with, or some other, either way, it looked delicious.
"Either would be fine," she answered, knowing that most in Britain drank tea, but appreciating the choice. "We didn't want you to go to any trouble, but we are glad to finally get to meet you both. Thank you for having us over. I can't help but feel like this is overdue."
Drew was trying his best to keep from biting his lip as he watched the exchange between the two older men. It wasn't going too badly, but he really wished Felicity would come back, or at very least, the mothers with the dessert. With the cake in front of him, he'd at least have something to eat.
"Ranked fourth in the world, I don't doubt it. Though I wish I could say the same for the Americans," Mark answered with a grim little laugh. The US had only ever gotten as far as the semi-finals and that had been over fifty years ago. "Unfortunately, until we start taking soccer more seriously as a nation, we're going to stay behind in the FIFA standings."
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Post by Felicity Hjort on Apr 30, 2009 0:49:28 GMT -5
Ib held in a snort at the man's comment. American's playing the world sport? Hah! They couldn't find the ball if it was right under their nose, it was one reason he never bothered watching any game that team played, no matter the team playing against them. It was all a bunch of stupid moves, glory for the other team over a team that didn't deserve a slot in the league, and there really was no point in watching. It was a guarantee the other team would win unless it was a team less worthy they played, and that didn't happen often.
"Andrew mentioned you worked in the transportation business?" the man inquired, trying to be nice for Meadow's sake. That elbow of hers was bony and he needn't be feeling it in his ribs again so soon. His wife had tried to explain it to him, something about appearing out of nowhere, riding brooms, and going through fire. It was all a bunch of nonsense as far as he was concerned, but it was a fairly safe topic he figured. It'd give the man a chance to drone on and on while he could pretend to be interested.
"Oh, it wasn't any trouble at all," she replied with her gentle smile. "We're so glad to finally meet you. I feel the same exact way," Meadow assured Andrew's mother. The two children had been dating for over a year, and their parents didn't know one another. Of course, she knew Ib was in part to blame, but however it was, they really should have met long ago. "With Andrew and Felicity having been quite keen with one another for such a long time, it feels this meeting really couldn't be postponed any longer. And I truly am sorry for Ib's gruffness, he's just very protective over Felicity, she's his little girl. We both enjoy having Andrew over, and I honestly feel I couldn't have hand picked a more well-mannered, kind young man for Felicity."
So far, Andrew had been everything she could have hoped for to catch her daughter's interest. While she had always believed Alexander would be the one to catch Felicity, and he would have been a wonderful choice, she was glad Andrew was there for her.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Apr 30, 2009 21:56:04 GMT -5
Quite keen. Lolly wasn't too sure what to make of that, but didn't like the sound of it. Nor did she care much for the mention of hand-picking boys for her daughter, even if it was a very nice compliment of her son. Lolly sincerely hoped Mrs. Hjort wasn't hoping for a wedding in the near future.
"Well, fathers can be quite protective of their daughters, I know that," she answered with a smile, though she knew Mark had never been quite that rude to Allegra's boyfriends. "But I'm glad to hear that Drew has been behaving. It's hard having him so far away and sometimes I worry. It's good to know... well, I suppose it's good to know I raised him well." She felt a little guilty saying this as she usually did when thinking about her children going up. So much of their formative years had been spent outside of her watch. She tried to convince herself that it just showed how well she had done for those first eleven years, but it didn't work very often.
Mark had hoped that the subject of football would carry them over until the wives got back. He wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad that Mr. Hjort only answered with a snort of disgust. While the nosie didn't sound promising, Mark's knowledge of the sport was limited and he knew he would only be able to fake it for so long.
"Transportation, yes," Mark answered, not exactly sure how familiar the man was with Magical ways. "It's mostly paperwork now: flight path mappings, portal bookings, a few trade requisitions. And how is your business? You manage a market?"
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Post by Felicity Hjort on May 1, 2009 0:03:12 GMT -5
It didn't actually sound too odd until the man started talking about portals. What was Felicity getting herself into? Sometimes, like right now, Ib just reminded himself he'd soon wake from this hellish dream and find that she was still his little girl, sitting on his lap with goldie lock curls, beaming up at him, talking about the latest play she'd just made or watched on television. Seriously, how could something so strange be real? That's all it was, a dream, and Meadow being ill, well that was just a part of the nightmare he was experiencing. He'd wake up and everything would be fine again, just like the last twelve years never took place.
"It's doing well," he answered, his voice still full of the rough edges that wouldn't chip away. "Produce hasn't been coming in overripe or lacking, so that's not bad. I just wish I could lower the prices for those who come in." Really, his market was quite different than many others. Most items could be bought in one place, excepting meat; while with most, everything had it's own market. His employer had the idea from a muggle show he'd once been quite fond of, and his market was the result. Biscuits, flour, jam, jelly, shavings, greens, just about everything but the bloody meat.
For an instant Meadow wished she could tell the woman she'd done a most wonderful job raising her son, and be fully honest about it. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to say it, not when she hardly knew much of the woman, but much more of the boy's Aunt. If his mother were anything like his Aunt, then she'd done a right job at raising him. It was just something she couldn't rightly be forward about. "Andrew is quite a remarkable young man, Mrs. Thornton. I'm sure you've done everything you can, and what you have done, well, he's grown into a fine young man of his age because of it."
That was even crossing a line she wasn't sure if she should tiptoe, but needed to say it. There was nothing for the other woman to be wistful of, if he had been her own son, she couldn't be more proud of him. A wonderful Quidditch player from what she'd been told, Head Boy, accepted into the Auror Academy, well-mannered, kind, patience, engaging, knowledgable of the world and current events. Yes, he was a right-o young man.
"I know it must be extremely difficult having him so far from home," and she had a feeling Felicity was more than partially to blame for it. If it hadn't been for her daughter, would Andrew really have stayed for the Auror program? And even if he had confided that he'd planned to do so even before meeting Felicity, it was hard not to put a touch of blame on her youngest. "I'm afraid, besides Felicity attending Hogwarts, the furthest mine has gone from the nest is just up in Manchester."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 3, 2009 21:50:20 GMT -5
"Thank you. I appreciate you saying that," Lolly answered with a smile, feeling like she may have crossed a line by sharing that little insecurity with a woman she had just met. At the same time, it was almost as if they had known each other for a while, considering she had heard so much about Mrs. Hjort from Drew. "It was quite difficult sending them off, but when the opportunity came for them to go to Hogwarts, we felt like we had to take it. The schools back home are very good, but we couldn't really pass this up and had to at least try it for a year. Once the kids got acclimated, we knew they were there for good. Even after... well, everything, they both wanted to stay. By that time, it was nearly impossible to get them back."
Lolly put the finishing touches on cutting the cake and for some reason felt like she was talking too much. "But, it must be nice to have yours so close," she said, hoping to turn the conversation away from herself.
Mark sat and listened to Mr. Hjort, but knew very little about produce other than he really liked his vegetables steamed with tons of butter. Prices, though, he could relate to and he nodded slightly as the man spoke. "This economy is hard on a lot of people and I fear that it's the independent business men who get stuck in the middle most often."
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Post by Felicity Hjort on May 5, 2009 18:21:21 GMT -5
A pained thought crossed her mind, the idea of one of her own being across a span of water as large as the Thornton children were from home, well, she couldn't hardly bare it. It would be like losing a child, which she'd all ready experienced and hoped never to again. At least there was family in the area for them, and they weren't left alone in the world where they attended school. Their Aunt Abigail was a sweet woman and they were lucky to have her here to care for them if ever needed.
"Hogwarts is a wonderful school, I had a great experience there myself," she added to their conversation. It was said Hogwarts was one of the best in the area, and the Thornton children were lucky to find themselves with each an invitation, an acceptance, to the school that was full of endless magic. "I do rather enjoy that Felicity is close by, but we've had our worries over her being even that far. We weren't entirely sure we'd actually ever be able to send her, but we managed and just in time, too. I could only teach her so much myself, but thought if I could keep that up I could get her through to her exams. Unfortunately, she's a quick learner and I barely managed to find material enough to teach her new things the last year she was my student," the woman laughed lightly with her words.
Ib wasn't sure they were stuck there most often, but were often at the bottom of the chain when the economy was suffering. He meandered through his mind for more to add, coming up short at every which way. Once more, he settled for glowering at Drew, the kid had to have something to say. Letting his dad do all the talking, that wasn't good manners. That boy was supposed to be a man now, one dating his little girl which wasn't a pleasant thought, surely he knew something about the situations of the world. Even if it was of his world.
Leaving Freddy's room, Felicity tiptoed her way toward the kitchen stairwell and listened for a moment to the quite conversation the two woman held before deciding she didn't really want to interrupt as long as they were getting along well enough. Instead, she turned and headed for the other set of stairs, and descended to the living room with her father and the Thornton men. At the thought that Drew was a man, she giggled, giving herself away on the stairs and decided she couldn't exactly linger and listen for a moment.
Taking his gaze off the boy, the iciness melted away when they found his youngest daughter and a hint of a smile touched his lips. "Did you help your mother?" he asked, noticing the change of clothing, knowing she'd be more comfortable in that suit, and he preferred it far more than the dress she'd been wearing.
"I put Freddy to bed," she answered simply, making her way to a seat as close to Drew's as possible. Turning to Mr Thornton, she smiled. "Freddy's my nephew," she informed the man, not wanting him to feel a tad off-put if he didn't know. "He's still young enough to want someone to read him and tuck him in."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 7, 2009 0:44:12 GMT -5
Drew could feel the man's stare on him, but thought it best to stay quiet as much as possible. He had little to add to the conversation and had a feeling that Mr. Hjort would probably dismiss anything he said anyway. Besides, his dad was doing okay and the whole reason they were there was so the parent's could meet, right?
Felicity made her reappearance and Drew broke into a wide smile, automatically getting to his feet as she entered and sitting down again once she took the spot next to his. She spoke to his dad and mark smiled and nodded back showing his understanding. Drew had mentioned that Felicity was the youngest of a large family, many of whom lived at the house, so it wasn't much of a surprise.
Lolly smiled as the other woman spoke, knowing that it really didn't matter how far away the kids were when it came to worrying. It might be more difficult knowing that you couldn't run to their aid at a moment's notice, but even sending the kids to kindergarten had been difficult and the school had only been around the corner.
"I'm sure you did fine," Lolly assured her with a smile, knowing that the school would have made major accommodations if the girl hadn't been up to speed, and that was assuming they would have allowed her in so late in her schooling to begin with. The chances were, if Mrs. Hjort hadn't done enough to teach her at home, Felicity probably wouldn't have even been accepted.
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Post by Felicity Hjort on May 7, 2009 22:15:05 GMT -5
Once more, Meadow returned Mrs Thornton's smile. The woman really was quite a pleasure and she'd enjoyed their conversation to this point, but thought perhaps it was time to check in on their husbands and her son. With Ib being in a terrible mood, she wasn't sure things would be going too well, but was pleased that so far she hadn't heard any raised voices. Collecting the dessert plates and silverware, she asked the woman if she might be ready to return to the living room before leading the way. Felicity would be able to grab anything else they required.
The silence was deafening following her comment and Felicity wondered exactly what she'd missed. As per the norm, her dad was glaring every which way, which she'd noticed only really seemed to happen when Drew was in the house. Whatever conversation had taken place had disappeared into the silence and she wasn't sure what to possibly bring up. She could tell her dad wanted Drew to say something, just by his eye movements, how they kept flicking back to her boyfriend. Of course, there were also the death stares because they were sitting beside one another, too, but those she'd gotten quite used to over time.
Meadow entered the living room, a warm smile in place, and emptied her hands onto the coffee table, turning to take the cake from Mrs Thornton's hands so she could relax, take a seat. Just upon entering she could tell the atmosphere wasn't the most comfortable one, quite the opposite really. "Well, shall we share drinks then? And Felicity, why don't you dish up the cake Mrs Thornton so kindly cut into pieces for me?"
It got her away from Drew, and gave a bit of flurried activity. Tea and coffee were available, sugar, creamer, and milk, lemon wedges (though she didn't know how well that'd go over with chocolate cake).
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 10, 2009 1:35:05 GMT -5
Dolores picked up the sliced cake and followed Meadow back out to the sitting room. She was starting to wonder if she had misinterpreted Mr. Hjort's rough demeanor when they first came in. Mrs. Hjort was obviously a good woman and the daughter (while still very young to be so serious with Drew) was, quite honestly, a lovely girl. Perhaps in five or ten years, or maybe even better, fifteen, Felicity would be exactly the kind of girl she hoped Drew would settle down with. Surely the father could not be as crass as she had originally thought. First impressions, after all, were not always the most accurate.
As the older women brought in the dessert, Drew automatically stood back up, followed by Mark, who went to take the cake from his wife's hands. Dolores handed it over to Mrs. Hjort, but smiled at Mark before taking a seat in the chair closest to him. "You really have a lovely home," she said in all sincerity as she took a slice of cake from Felicity. No, it didn't have the newest or most stylish things, but it was warm and welcoming and that was the most important thing of all.
Drew accepted a slice as well, grinning wide at Felicity. Her dad was actually being pretty nice so far and Drew was glad that despite his concerns, the meeting of the parents was going pretty well. Now all he needed to worry about was the cake tasting as good as it looked.
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Post by Felicity Hjort on May 19, 2009 23:29:01 GMT -5
"Thank you so very much," Meadow answered again, eying Ib to see his reaction to the compliment. He just nodded, a perfect answer if he couldn't say anything in return for biting his tongue. "We try to keep it in order with everyone in and out all day long." It was a busy place, but she loved how many bodies passed in and out her doors. If it weren't for all of them, keeping her feeling alive, she didn't know what she'd really do. Felicity was no longer home to mother her dear old mum in her old age, to keep her on her feet in case of an emergency call from the school (Merlin knew that had happened far too often), helping her garden, or just teaching her about the world she'd hardly known before attending Hogwarts.
With the cake slices handed around, Felicity grabbed her own plate before resuming her seat beside Drew and hiding unsuccessfully behind it. The conversation still seemed to be on the 'how-do-you-do's' to the blonde, but she was hoping for progression. After all, how often would their parents really be able to gather in the same room to meet, discuss, whatever it was they wanted to do. She had an inkling her dad wouldn't mind throwing a few accusations around, blaming Drew for this and that he didn't do, but he could sometimes be irrational, though she loved him all the same.
Nudging Drew ever so slightly with her elbow, she wondered how the conversation between their father's had gone. There wasn't much she'd been able to hear, and she couldn't exactly ask aloud at the moment, but she wondered all the same. Their mother's seemed to be getting along as well as possible, but... Felicity was still waiting for the bomb to be dropped.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 22, 2009 23:28:14 GMT -5
Dolores smiled and nodded back. "I know it was hard enough with just the two," she answered. "I can only imagine how it would be to have a much fuller house. Still, it must be wonderful to have so much family so close." Yes, sometimes she wished she hadn't sent the children so far off to school, but in the end, she knew it was for the best. Hogwarts was the best school in the Wizarding World after all.
Drew glanced at Felicity when she nudged him and while he wanted nothing more than to grab her hand and just hold it, he knew that probably wouldn't go over very well. He was starting to wonder if things were going too well. Perhaps this was just the calm before the storm?
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