Open Fly the worries away

[Aonghas Fergusson]

Aonghas didn’t have much pressure on the house team, but it didn’t mean he didn’t like to practice. After all, going home was always tricky, with his parents who had seemingly just forgotten all about his brother and had focused instead on introducing Aonghas to as many purebloods as were seemingly willing to come to the house. It had been then, that he said he wanted to at least get to know them all a little and also pressed to them, that he had actually found a good, pureblood girl at Hogwarts, when he had told them who, they all seemed pretty keen, but he knew Katia was still a bit of a back up option for him as he was for her. He wasn’t however flying to ease his mind of that. He was doing it far more because he was worried about Lauren he’d seen her at the sorting ceremony and she didn’t look happy or look well. Instead she seemed - sad. He’d known something was wrong for a while, but he didn’t exactly know what to do, they had never been that personal. The hufflepuff was on his broom with the quaffle under his arm, without opponents and no keeper it was rather simple, just fly towards the hoops and score, and then repeat for the other side. But it always eased his mind. ​

 

[Elliot Briar]

Taking a chance to head down to the pitch before classes really got going, Elliot was looking forward to squeezing in some extra practice. After spending the whole break at his dad's place unable to even think too hard about magic for fear of making his dad uncomfortable, he wouldn't be surprised to find out his flying skills were getting rusty. He was trying not to think about it too hard, but with April graduating, there was a definite spot opened up on the Hufflepuff team, and Elliot was starting to suspect he really wanted it. April had left big shoes to fill though and Elliot definitely had a ways to go as a seeker before he would close to her level.

Getting to the pitch, Elliot slowed, seeing someone was already getting in their own practice. He considered leaving, but after realizing it was Aonghas, Elliot went ahead and swung a leg on his broom, kicking off and flying up in a slow circle to the same height as Aonghas. "Hey.. Hope I'm not bugging you, just gotta um shake the dust off right?" He said lightly, having to raise his voice a little to carry across the pitch. He and Aonghas had been sharing a room for three years now, and been on the team together even, but Elliot still felt like he didn't really know his roommate too well.

 

[Aonghas Fergusson]

Aonghas liked flying, it was certainly the one aspect of Hogwarts and magic that never failed to take his mind off things. It helped that he had a long list of family members who were good at it, though as he grew older he wondered if it was because of the limits to his family that people just ended up in quidditch because it was easy to commit a little amount of time to, while running the family business. No need to work hard in classes if you had a job waiting for you, handed down to you from generation to generation. He was broken out of his thoughts as he noticed his dorm mate flying near him. He listened and nodded, he didn’t know Elliot particularly well despite the fact they’d shared a dorm and classes for the past three years. But he didn’t dislike the boy either, he just didn’t know him well - or at all. ”Naw, yer fine, ah’m just flyin, practicin', clearin' ma head, ye know,” he replied speaking loudly so his voice would carry, hopeful too that Elliot might get what he meant too. He wasn’t sure if they should practice quidditch together or something, given that they played vastly different positions. He also wasn’t sure that flying was the best place to try to get to know someone. ​

 

[Elliot Briar]

"Yeah, I feel that," Elliot said, nodding and tentatively taking his hands off his broom to stretch his fingers a bit. He tended to grip his broom too hard and it always made his hands ache after awhile. "Do you get to practice much over the holidays?" Elliot certainly got more practice out at his cousin's place than he ever would when he spent the break at his mum's or his dad's, but it was usually just short trips there to visit. He imagined some other students might get to fly all the time depending on where they lived, though he wasn't sure about Aonghas' home life. Aonghas certainly seemed to work hard a lot, so Elliot hoped he got to relax a bit over break. "I'm a little worried about try-outs this year, honestly." He admitted, letting himself drift a bit, stretching out his arms and letting himself focus more on his balance than the more honest admission he'd just said. Last year April had been a firm fixture and Elliot hadn't really worried about playing as seeker any time soon. But this year would be very different and it was making Elliot's guts squirm.

 

[Aonghas Fergusson]

Aonghas shrugged a little, ”Aye, some, there isnae much time tae honestly,” he replied, he was able to practice with his cousins, and his sister and they all tended to play, but Aonghas didn’t always get the opportunity to, he spent more time with his dad, in the shop, learning how things were run, being left for periods of time on his own to make sure he knew what to do and could also handle the pressure of it. Between that and the girls that his parents were having him meet, there wasn’t all that much time to just fly around like he could now, here at Hogwarts. ”Did ye?” he asked back to the boy, he didn’t know much about Elliot or his family, maybe he was muggle and couldn’t. ”Why are ye worried? Ye’re a good player ye’ll be fine,” he asked after Elliot had spoken, he wasn’t sure why Elliot would be nervous, without April he would be the seeker, wasn’t that what he wanted? Maybe it was the exact thing that Aonghas liked about being an alternate, the low amount of pressure. He didn’t have to worry or work too hard, because he didn’t play or perhaps Elliot was worried about something else and Aonghas was making large guesses. ​

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot had to admit he sometimes struggled to understand Aonghas' thick accent on a good day, let alone out on the pitch, and for a moment he just nodded understandingly before he could actually process what he was saying. "Yeah, I don't get how the holidays always feel way too short and way too long at the same time," He said with a huffed laugh, trying not to fidget too much with his broom as they chatted. The niggling feeling like he was bugging Aonghas lingered, though Elliot had no idea why he always felt that way talking to his roommates.

Aonghas' surprise at Elliot's worry made him blush a little, Elliot having to spend a moment haplessly shrugging and fussing with broom a bit before he could answer. "Oh, uh, thanks," He managed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "It's just, I dunno, April was an awesome player and seekers kinda an important position. It's scary, right?" He admitted, hoping Aonghas might at least understand the fear even if he didn't seem overly bothered much by the pressure to perform well like Elliot was. "Are you trying out again this year?"

 

[Aonghas Fergusson]

Aonghas wasn’t sure he’d ever found the holidays to be not enough time, ”Ah’ve always found them tae long,” he replied with an honest shrug, he was realising as he grew up that he was definitely more serious than he’d ever wanted to be, but with so much responsibility on his shoulders it had seemed only normally that he grow serious, plagued by the desire to right the wrongs of his family. Aonghas relaxed on the broom, just looking at Elliot with a small smile, it would be good to get to know Elliot, get to know people in his house. He was a little surprised with Elliot’s concerns, admittedly not knowing the boy well, likely played into that. ”Aye, but ye know that she’d’ve been in yer spot at some point, ye know taking o’er fae someone else, and unsure. Ye’ll be fine, ah have faith in ye,” Aonghas gave a little shrug, he’d seen elliot and practices and did fully believe that the boy would be just fine, that once they got to it he would manage. ”Aye, ah’ll be happy wae an alternate spot again, so long as ah keep flyin’” Aonghas replied with a little shrug, ”Do ye think ye’ll wanna play after school?”​

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot relaxed a bit more on his broom, enjoying just the feeling of being in the air after so long even if he wasn't really strictly speaking practicing. He grimaced at Aonghas' response about the holidays. This year's definitely felt longer than usual with the long extended silences around his dad now. It felt like they'd run out of things to to talk about within the first few days and the follow weeks had been a strained and awkward affair. "Yeah, I think I get what you mean," He said, wondering if Aonghas' home life was similarly tense.

It was embarrassing to talk about his insecurities and have Aonghas reassure him, but Elliot had to admit he was feeling a little better, fidgeting with his gloves as an excuse to look away and he drifted in a slow loop. "Thanks, Aonghas that um. That means a lot," He said, honestly, looking up to smile over at his roommate. "It's nice to have you on the team, alternate or not, you're a good uh, reliable presence," Elliot hoped it didn't sound like he was just saying that to say it after Aonghas was nice to him, but Aonghas was always just a very steady, competent presence, on the team or in class, and he meant it. "I dunno if I could ever go pro or join a club, no way," He said with a laugh at the idea. "What about you? Don't you have a brother who plays?" Elliot said, suddenly remembering someone called Fergusson sounding awfully familiar.

 

[Aonghas Fergusson]

Aonghas wondered what Elliot’s home life was like, admittedly he never really concerned himself with his roommate’s lives, it hadn’t seemed like much point when it wouldn’t matter. But, hearing Elliot agree with him, perhaps it would be good, to open up and have people he could speak to. Aonghas thought it was funny as Elliot attempted to reassure him about the team, as if he wasn’t very happy with just being an alternate, all of the fun, all of the freedom, so little pressure. Though of course, if there was a slot, he would take it in a different position, he just knew he was best suited as a chaser. Aonghas wasn’t sure why Elliot didn’t think he couldn’t play professionally, but perhaps it just was a hobby for him, and at the question posed to him Aonghas gave a little knowing smile. ”Ah have two brothers that play, ma half brother, Graeme, plays fae the pride ae portree and the Scottish national team, and my brother, Rory, plays fae the moutohora macaws,” Aonghas replied, he wondered if he should add anything to what he was saying at that point, mention that neither of those brothers were really in his family. ”Ah willnae go pro, ah’m gonnae take o’er ma da’s business when ah graduate,” despite the pride that might’ve been there, with the weight of all the trouble the family business had caused him and his brother, he didn’t feel that proud of it. He didn’t have much of a choice, if he wanted to make things better in his family, he had to be the one to fix it. ”What dae ye want tae dae after school?” he asked​

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot listened as Aonghas listed off two family quidditch players. "Oh wow, lot to live up to," Elliot said. He had vaguely remembered an older Fergusson in their first year, but Elliot hadn't realized maybe how big Aonghas' family was. He nodded when Aonghas talked about taking over the family business, that was probably fairly common with bigger families too, especially if your older brothers were too busy playing Quidditch to do it instead. "Oh cool, what sort of business?" He asked. Aonghas' question about his own plans made Elliot squirm a bit, spending a moment fussing with his broom as he circled the pitch so he could think. "I.. honestly don't have any idea. Is that bad? OWLs are next year and trying not to freak out already." He said, adding a quick laugh at the end to help belay his own panic at his lack of plans. Elliot had hoped more kids in their year might also be as clueless as he was, but Aonghas seemed to have everything planned out already. At this point Elliot was half ready to take every OWL he could just in case he needed it somehow.

 

[Aonghas Fergusson]

Aonghas shrugged at the statement, Elliot couldn’t know that Aonghas would be stuck in his position, that he didn’t have any pressure because it didn’t matter. ”We make robes and kilts,” he told him with a little smile, it was a good business, lucrative and needed, but it was costing Aonghas dearly, it had cost his family a great deal as too much had been put into the ideal it put forward. His parents had too harshly linked the family business with their ideas of blood purity. He watched vague as Elliot seemed to fret over an answer, Aonghas couldn’t help his jealousy, how good it would feel to not have the path set in stone, to be free to really pick what he wanted. He shook his head, ”Ye’ll be alright, there’s plenty ae time tae decide,” Aonghas replied, ”Ma future’s so set in stone it willnae matter how ah do in the OWLs or NEWTs. Plus if worse comes tae worse and yer needing work, I can speak tae my brothers about quidditch teams, or ye could work fae me,” Aonghas knew he was too young to be offering jobs or offering up his brothers to help Elliot, but Aonghas had always believed in helping out those around him. He had status and connections, why wouldn’t he lend them to Elliot if the boy needed them. Aonghas knew it was unlikely that the boy would ever take him up on it. That by the time they reached that point Aonghas sure Elliot would have a plan of some kind, but it just felt right. ​