If I Could, I Would Stay

[Odette Madison]

The holidays were never Odette's favorite time of the year, but her job at Quality Quidditch Supplies had been somewhat of a relief. She didn't mind the shifts at the store, glad to have a job related to one of her interests. But shifts ended, and then she had to go home. Odette didn't really want to go home. Her mother's mood was worse lately, though she wouldn't tell Odette why. She just stayed out as much as she could, often lingering around Obsidian Harbour long after her shifts at the stores ended. It wasn't like her mother thought to ask about her times, or seemed to care she stayed out.

So after her shift, she wandered around the area. She headed over in the direction of the beach, as she enjoyed watching the waves. It made her feel calm, something that was still somewhat rare for the girl. Less angry than she had been, she still often felt resentment and irritation bubble under the surface. She just felt like she knew how to handle it better now, even if it wasn't perfect. With her hands stuffed in her pockets, she stopped to look at the sea. Her thoughts drifted away as she wondered what Harley was doing right now. Maybe they could hang out together again soon.

 

[Maria Madison]

The best reward Maria could offer her children after a long day of shopping was entirely obvious to anyone who had ever met Emily. The weather wasn't what Maria's girls would have really wanted for a beach trip, but they were getting used to New Zealand's weather, and even in winter Emily wanted to be at the beach more than anywhere else. The moment their feet hit the sand Emily had taken off running, splashing into the water Maria knew must be freezing. She didn't seem to care though, and Maria watched with a smile as Charlie sauntered off after her, no doubt to keep an eye on her little sister.

Hanging back with Finn, Maria made her way slowly onto the beach, quickly spotting an unexpected familiar face. Her appointments with Odette over the last few months had been interesting, and Maria felt strongly for the girl. Her family situation wasn't an easy one, and Maria often wished there was more that she could do to help. After a moment's hesitation Maria made her way over to Odette, tapping the girl lightly on the shoulder with her free hand. "Hello, Odette." She said gently with a warm smile. "Having a good holiday?"

 

[Odette Madison]

As Odette looked over the waves, she noticed a younger girl running through the water. Her eyebrows raised slightly at the sight, but a smile tugged at her lips as well. The girl seemed happy. Free. It wasn't a feeling Odette was familiar with. From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone approach. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, she turned her head, surprised to see Maria. Seeing the school counsellor outside a school setting was very weird, and Odette blinked twice before she processed that she was talking to her. "Uh, hey." She said, giving her a quick smile. "Yeah. Sure. Is this your son?" She looked over at the young boy with her. Then she glanced at the girls on the beach, wondering if they were part of this family too.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria gave Odette a bright smile, pleased to see the girl. "That's good." She had worried a little about Odette over the holidays, with what she knew of the girl's family situation, and it was a relief that she seemed fine. Nodding happily, she squeezed Finn's hand gently. "This is Finn. He's a few years off Hogwarts yet, but that one getting water all over her jeans is Emily, she'll be starting this year, and Charlie is the one watching her, she's in Gryffindor." Maria had mentioned her family to Odette in the past, and she thought it might be nice for the girl to see how an unconventional family could function well together. Privately, Maria didn't think much of Odette's parents, but she hoped the girl would be able to find family with her brother. "Are you spending the holidays at home?" She asked, wanting to know how things were going without prying too much.

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn watched Emily and Charlie running off to the beach with mixed emotions. He wanted to follow them and have fun, but the water looked cold, and Mum was still holding onto his hand, so it was easier to hang back and watch the older girls play. He didn't pay much attention to Mum talking to someone until he heard his own name, looking up curiously. Mum was introducing him to the older lady, and he waved shyly. Maybe she was one of Mum's friends at work. Finn really should be nice to her. "Do you like shells?" He asked the lady, extracting his hand from Mum's. He didn't really want to splash around with Emily, but looking for a shell for the lady would be a good excuse to go play on the beach on his own for a while.

 

[Odette Madison]

Maria had been on Odette's mind more often than she would have liked during the holidays. She had to admit to herself that she missed the counselling sessions, enjoyed talking to her. But that wasn't something she was going to let the woman know, especially not when she was here with her family. Odette smiled at the boy as Maria introduced him to her. "Hi Finn." She said, before glancing over at the beach to look at the two girls again. Biting her lip, she tried to push down the strange feeling building up inside her chest at the sight of the family. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, but she felt a little embarrassed. Resentment and envy weren't things she should be feeling towards the counselor and her kids. It wasn't their fault that Odette's family wasn't anything like this. Forcing her expression to stay neutral, she answered Maria's question. "Yes, but I've been working a lot too. Over at Quality Quidditch Supplies." She gestured vaguely in the direction of the shop. Finn asked her a question, and Odette looked at him in surprise. "Uh, yes I do." She said with an uncertain smile, a little confused by his question.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria smiled fondly as Finn addressed Odette. He wasn't usually especially social, and it warmed her heart to see him trying to be friendly to someone new. She watched as he went running off to the beach, presumably to find a shell for Odette, and turned most of her attention to the Slytherin, keeping one eye on the beach. "I see." Maria nodded, making a mental note. "That sounds like a good job. It's good to keep busy with things like that over the holidays." She hesitated a little, watching as Emily managed to splash Charlie and pull her into the water. That was two sets of jeans to wash later, and Charlie's sneakers would need drying too. "How have things been?" She asked, turning back to Odette.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette watched as the boy left them, running over the beach. Suddenly, she felt old. How long had it been since she had run around that carelessly? Even though the boy's sisters on the beach weren't much younger than her, she felt far removed from all of them. Though she assumed from their appearance that they weren't Maria's biological children, so they probably had their own difficult pasts. Odette sighed softly, brushing her hair behind her ear as she looked over at the sea. "I love Quidditch, so it's pretty awesome as far as jobs go." Glancing at the woman, Odette suddenly had an urge to tell her something she hadn't even told her own mother yet. "I was made captain of the team." She blurted out. Then, immediately, felt embarrassed. Quickly, she shrugged. "Anyway... things have been okay. I just don't like being at home much. My mom... she doesn't really treat me badly but she doesn't really say much to me anymore. I'd be happy to go back to school." She said with a small sigh. Her mother had distanced herself from Odette recently, as if she was a failed project she would rather forget about. But she wasn't in a session right now, so she really didn't have to open up like this. "But I'm fine. Really."

 

[Maria Madison]

It warmed Maria's heart to hear the genuine enthusiasm in Odette's voice as she talked about Quidditch. It was a relief and a joy to hear that there was something that made the troubled girl so happy. When Odette mentioned her promotion in the team, Maria clapped in excitement. "Oh, congratulations! That's wonderful! I'm sure you'll do an excellent job." She smiled warmly, proud of Odette's accomplishment. The girl's comments about her home life saddened Maria though, and made her wonder more about Odette's mother, a subject the girl had been somewhat tight-lipped on so far. She nodded, trying to find a gentle way to express her concern. "That sounds difficult." She said slowly. "I hope you're looking after yourself alright."

 

[Charlie Madison]

Charlie liked time on the beach fine, but she hadn't dressed for the beach today in the slightest. Watching Emily splash around from a distance had been fine, but as soon as the other girl pulled her into the water, Charlie felt herself getting a little frustrated with her sister. Her jeans were heavy and uncomfortable as soon as they got wet, and the salt water started getting itchy within seconds. This wasn't Charlie's idea of fun. Eventually Charlie had had enough of Emily and tugged herself away, ocean soaked jeans making awful sclorping sounds as she made her way back up the beach to find Mum talking to some girl. She didn't really want to talk in front of the girl, but didn't want to risk Emily twisting the situation. "Mum, Emily got my jeans wet." She said in an undertone, standing a little behind Mum.

 

[Emily Madison]

Beaches in New Zealand were nothing compared to Bondi, but Emily would take what she could get. The swell was terrible here, but the water was perfect for splashing around, and Emily was excited to do just that. The thought of seven years away from the ocean made her heart ache, and she wanted to get in every last moment in the water she could. Charlie watching from a distance was no fun and Emily tried to get her to play, but Charlie was in a bad mood, and it wasn't long before Charlie was chasing after her big sister up the beach towards where Mum was talking to some girl. Emily caught up just in time to catch Charlie tattling on her! So rude! "Mum, that's not fair! We were playing!" Emily whined, bouncing on her toes a little. She glanced up at the girl mum was talking to, giving her a smile as an afterthought. "Are you Mum's friend?"

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette wished she had kept her mouth shut. It just sometimes felt so nice to talk to someone, especially Maria who always seemed to understand even when she felt like she was talking complete nonsense. But Maria wasn’t here to work, she was here to enjoy a day with her family. Hearing about Odette’s problems wasn’t what she would want to do on a day like this. Still, she felt a smile tug at her lips when the woman congratulated her on her new position as captain. It made her feel warm in her chest in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time. She glanced away. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said, shrugging.

Then the girls came back. The first was the older one, who only appeared to be a few years younger than Odette. She seemed grumpy, complaining about her younger sister. Said younger sister then turned up and argued. Odette felt herself tense. This was a family situation she was not a part of. Immediately, she felt like she shouldn’t be here. Like she was intruding. She gave the younger girl a slightly incredulous look as she asked if she was Maria’s friend. Surely, she could see she was only a teenager. “I go to Hogwarts.” She said, keeping her reply short.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria hadn't expected to be swarmed by kids all at once, but suddenly, both of her girls were running up, and they both had complaints. Maria sighed and drew her wand, quickly drying everyone's clothes. "We'll put them in the wash when we get home, okay? Emily, when people don't want to play with you please respect that." Turning to Odette with an apologetic smile she added. "Well, I can introduce you properly now. This is Odette, she's a girl from your school. Odette, this is Charlie, and Emily, my daughters."

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn was still busy in his hunt for the perfect shell when he saw his sisters go stampeding past him up the beach! What was going on? Not wanting to be left behind, Finn ran after them with the bit of shell he had clutched in his hand already. Mum was telling Emily off for something, so Finn turned his attention to the lady mum had been talking to, pressing the shiny piece of shell into her hand. "It's called Paua." He explained, eager to show off how much he had learned about shells. "Emily told me. Mum has some earrings with Paua because it's all shiny and it's got the colours, and..." Finn explained, pointing to the coloured side of the shell, then turning it over to show the rough side. "That's not the colours side, it's just the outside, and then the colours are on the inside, there..." He turned the shell back over in the lady's hand, pointing to the coloured side again.

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily struggled not to roll her eyes at Mum's admonishments. She knew Mum had a point, but sometimes Charlie was just no fun, and it was frustrating. She listened to Finn explaining shells to the girl, who Mum had introduced as Odette, but learning that this older girl went to Hogwarts too, Emily was filled with questions. "What house are you in? Are you the Perfect? How many spells do you know? Charlie won't tell me how many spells she learned..."

 

[Odette Madison]

While it was nice to see Maria again, something about meeting her children and intruding on their little family outing made Odette feel anxious in the pit of her stomach too. She looked down as she felt something being pressed into her hand, a smile appearing on her face as the young boy told her about the pretty shell. "Oh really?" She asked, listening with interest. "That's very pretty, thank you. I'll save it somewhere special." She then smiled awkwardly at the girls, shaking her head at the younger one. “No, I’m not a prefect.” She said, assuming that was what the girl had meant. Perhaps the badge hadn’t arrived yet, but Odette really didn’t think she would be picked. She was perfectly fine with that. “I’m in my fifth year, but I don’t know how many spells I know off the top of my head.” She glanced at Maria. “I should probably head home soon.” She said as she turned to Maria. But before she could say anything else, a sharp voice called her name. Odette’s heart sank as she turned her head to see her mother moving in her direction. Why was she here? Why now?

 

[Rebecca Cross]

Rebecca was frustrated with her daughter, and with everything else in her life. Ever since Johns b*tch of a wife had called her bluff convinced him to stop paying Rebecca, things were considerably tighter. It was the only reason why she let Odette keep that horrid job at the broomstick store, even though it was unsuitable for her daughter in her opinion. But Odette had been defying her more and more lately. Staying out all day, barely saying two words to her, locking herself up in her room. Ever since she had found out about her father’s family, a rift had started to appear between them as Odette had stopped doing what Rebecca told her to. Normally, he didn’t really pay attention to her daughter’s shifts at the store, but she happened to be shopping today and had passed by the store. Only to be told Odette had finished her shift long before. Irritated, she had done a quick sweep of the harbour to see if she could find her daughter somewhere. Finally, she saw her at the beach, of all places.

"Odette!" She called as she started to head over. Vaguely, she noticed the people she was talking to, and she stopped next to her daughter. "Darling, I thought I would come pick you up from work but it seems like you have wandered off." She said, pointedly dusting off Odette's clothes as she gave her a critical once-over. "Perhaps you should apply for a job at Gladrags or something, dear. This one isn't good for you. You absolutely reek of broomstick polish. And your hair." She tutted as she touched the golden locks. "Surely, messy hair isn't a requirement for your uniform." She said, then laughed at her own joke. "So, who is it your talking to, dear?" She asked then, finally moving her attention away from her daughter to the nearby woman. "Is this someone you know? A teacher?" She took in the woman's appearance, then looked at the small group of children around her. She forced a smile and held out her hand. "Rebecca Cross, Odette's mother." She said, introducing herself.

 

[Maria Madison]

As happy as she was that they were friendly, Maria was a little embarrassed at her children immediately swarming Odette. The girl took it well, but Maria didn't want to overwhelm her. "Alright guys, let Odette be." She said gently, patting the top of Finn's head gently. "I know you're tired from shopping, we'll get something to eat and go home." Maria was turning to Odette to wish her a happy rest of the holidays, when a very abrupt woman approached them. It only took Maria a moment to realise who this must be, and watching the way she spoke to Odette, several puzzle pieces about the girl's emotional struggles fell into place for Maria. Having such a critical woman for a mother would be difficult for any young girl. When the woman turned to Maria she quickly gave a sincere smile, not wanting to cause any problems for Odette. "It's nice to meet you Rebecca, I'm Maria. I work in the library at Hogwarts. I see quite a lot of Odette, you've certainly got a bright daughter. You must be very proud." Maria hoped the woman would agree, wanting to give her a chance to prove Maria's first assessment wrong, but seeing the way this woman acted made her more concerned for Odette than ever.

 

[Rebecca Cross]

Odette largely ignored Rebecca, mumbling a few things and batting her hand away lightly. That girl really had no respect for her mother. Somehow, she had become worse and worse over the last years. Her learning about her father had made her snotty, like she thought she deserved more because of who he was. But he didn't want her, did he? Rebecca was the one stuck caring for the girl, so she might as well be grateful. It wasn't something she could say now, but she knew she would be giving her daughter a lecture when they got home. For now, her attention went to the woman. A small huff of derision escaped her as she revealed she was a librarian. Really? That was who her daughter was associating with at school? "If you're not her teacher, you have no idea about how bright she is or isn't." She said dismissively. "We'll be going now." She added, giving Odette a pointed look. Why was her daughter wasting time like this?

 

[Maria Madison]

In her profession, Maria found it rare for a person to show their true self at first meeting. People were usually hiding themselves under layers of artifice and constructed persona, for better or worse. Over time Maria had become an expert in understanding why people built the layers they did, and looking beneath them. She could tell immediately however, that there was no artifice to Odette's mother's cruelty. This nastiness towards her own child was genuine, and it painted a heartbreaking picture of Odette's home life. Maria forced herself to smile politely at Rebecca. "Well, it was lovely to meet you." She turned to Odette, smile quickly turning sympathetic. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your holidays. I'll see you at school." Maria knew this was something they would have to talk about, something Odette clearly didn't want to discuss. Having a woman like that for a mother could be nothing but painful.