Closed Old and New Friends

[Maurice Welch]

While he did not particularly like the babysitting, Maurice was busy enough as it was what with his new job and all, it was rather fun to show his foster-sister around. It was a completely new country for her, just as it had been for him all those years ago, and he could still remember his excitement of Jon and Eduardo showing him around as if it happened yesterday. He entered the shopping area with his sister, pointing towards a couple of shops they would visit when buying her school equipment next year. He'd meet Jon here along with his half-sister. Although the two of them lived in the same house, Maurice had told his friend to meet him in Obsidian Harbour, as there was something he needed to do for his work as an Herbologist before he could make it to the shopping area. It would be nice for Elodie to have a friend who would also go to Hogwarts come next semester, so the two friends figured that this might be the perfect opportunity for their two siblings to meet each other for the first time and become friends. ''They'll be here soon, are you excited to meet his half-sister?'' Maurice asked her as they walked over towards the ice cream parlour.

 

[Elodie Welch]

It was nice to see her brother again. She didn't get to see some of her siblings that often, as they were all a lot older than she was and had already moved out of the house. So when her parents had told her that she'd be staying with Maurice for a little while, just to get acquainted with the country she'd be spending most of her teen years next year, Elodie could not be more excited. She followed him into the cobbled street, looking at everything he pointed out with equal excitement. Whilst the wizarding world wasn't something new to her, and she already visited things like Diagon Ally before, being in a strange country and seeing all these new things was wonderful. ''If she's as cool as you make your friend out to be, of course, I am excited!'' she told him, giving him a smile. She would always be excited to meet new potential friends, though Maurice seemed really keen on her liking the girl she was going to meet soon. She could only hope that she was really as nice as her brother said she was.

 

[Jon Phillips]

It seemed like only yesterday Jon’s mum and step dad announced they were having a baby, and Jon was in denial and unable to accept such an unexpected and overwhelming change. Although in reality an entire eleven years had passed, and since Marie was born Jon couldn't imagine his life any other way. Having a little sister to take care of had taught him so much about responsibility and being an older brother he hadn’t otherwise known. He felt protective over her, responsible for her safety, wanting to make sure she was always happy and free from the burdens and issues he had faced as a child. And now that Marie was close to starting her time at Hogwarts, Jon was determined for her magical schooling to be vastly different from his own, wanting nothing less than for her to have the friend he never had when he was shipped off to France to start school at Beauxbatons, socially awkward and not knowing anyone. He wanted Marie to have a best friend to rely on, one who would help her adjust to the change of being in a new country, and at a school with so many people she didn't know, and it was as if this was fated when Jon realised Maurice had a foster sister that was Marie’s age. The coincidence of their sisters being the same age was too perfect to pass up, and Jon wanted them to at least meet before they started school, so he and Maurice had organized a trip to the ice cream parlor with both of their sisters with the hope they would get along.​

As Jon walked through Obsidian Harbour with Bongo’s leash in one hand, Marie was walking beside them, busy talking to the dog. Jon was happy to let their clearly riveting conversation unfold, choosing not to interrupt her until he spotted Maurice near the end of the street and waved to him. “Hey, there they are!” He exclaimed, walking a little faster to meet with them. “Hey guys!” He greeted, pulling Maurice into a half-hug and smiling down at Elodie. “This is Marie.” He held his free hand in Marie’s direction as Bongo pulled slightly on the leash, wagging his tail and wanting attention.​

 

[Marie Allard]

Marie knew she was going to get ice cream with Jon for the sake of meeting a new friend, and she was inexplicably excited, hoping whoever this Elodie girl was would become like a sister to her and they would walk into the sorting ceremony in less than a year, arm in arm and as best friends. But as she walked with Jon and Bongo she was completely distracted from the day ahead, telling the dog all that had happened with her own two dogs back at home since she last saw him. Bongo, and Jaq and Gus were dog best friends in Marie’s head and she felt he needed to know what they had been up to. “Oh, and it’s getting cold and snowy, and Jaq likes to dig in the garden, and Gus is always by the fire. I think you’d love the snow too Bongo.” She explained, knowing that Jon and Bongo would visit the farm over the holidays. “Jaq can show you the best places to dig at christmas, do you know what gifts you’re getting them yet? Dad said we’re getting them their favourite treats, so you could get them a toy or something, so they don’t have two of the same thing.” She pondered what gift might be good for a moment, looking out to the horizon, then back to Bongo. ”Gus would want two treats now that I think about it. Don’t tell dad though.” She said, pressing her finger to her lips to tell Bongo to keep the secret, so immersed in her conversation she was surprised when Jon spotted Maurice and Elodie nearby. Suddenly feeling a little shy, Marie held her hands behind her back as Jon introduced her. “Hi.” She said, smiling at the girl, before looking between Jon and Maurice for what to do next. “This is Bongo.” She added, placing her hand on the dog’s head and patting him, not wanting his introduction to be forgotten.​

 

[Maurice Welch]

Maurice smiled at his sister, glad that she seemed to be so excited to meet a potential new friend. It would be nice to know that she wouldn't be alone at the school, that she had someone who would have her back. That way he didn't have to write Landon to ask if he could look out for her. ''If she's anything like Jon, you will have the best company at school that you can get.'' Moving to New Zealand to apply for one of the available teacher's posts had been an enormous gamble but the fact that Jon had offered him a room at his apartment had made it worth it alone. It was because of this and that Jon had offered his help back when Maurice first started teaching at Hogwarts that the Herbologist had nothing but love for his friend. He didn't think that he would have had as much of a good time if Jon and Eduardo hadn't taken him in as if he was one of their life-long friends. He smiled when he spotted Jon and raised his hand to acknowledge that he had seen him as well. ''What took you so long?'' he joked when Jon pulled him into a half-hug and smiled at Marie. He moved to kneel beside the dog, strokings its fur. Just like Jon, Maurice loved Bongo to pieces.

 

[Elodie Welch]

Elodie didn't know that much about her brother and his life here, so to see what he was up to and who his friends were was a nice thing. Elodie smiled back at Jon and then turned to face Marie and the dog next to her. She had heard that they had a dog, and while she wasn't the biggest fan of dogs, they were big and scary, especially this one, Elodie let Bongo sniff her as she moved closer to the other girl. ''Hi, I'm Elodie,'' she replied in response to Jon introducing her, holding out her hand for the other girl to shake. ''So you are going to Hogwarts too next year? Are you excited, too? Maurice told me that there is a lot to do and even more to discover.'' She had definitely been jealous of her brother that he had been able to do magic already but knew that she would be able to do it too in no time.

 

[Jon Phillips]

Jon’s smile was wide as he watched Elodie and Marie interact, deciding to give them a moment to get acquainted, and give Maurice a chance to greet Bongo, before he moved his hands to his hips wanting to get things moving. “So, ice cream.” Jon announced, looking between Maurice and the two girls. “Marie, Elodie, how about you get us some ice cream cones, and we sit and eat by the water?” Giving the two kids a task together seemed like the right way to help them break the ice and keep them from being bored by Jon and Maurice’s boring conversations, as described by Marie earlier. Jon already dug into the pocket of his jacket to find his bag of galleons, which he handed over to Marie, trusting her not to spend it all on the biggest ice cream she could buy. “I’d like something with chocolate, you’re welcome to get whatever flavor you want as long as it’s a cone and not a sundae, alright?” He instructed, moving to pet Bongo as Marie accepted the galleons. A moment later he looked over to Maurice. “I really do want them to get along, it would help me feel less anxious about Marie being alone.” Jon admitted when he was sure Marie was out of earshot. Sending Marie to school in New Zealand was initially his idea, back when he was a professor and he knew he could look out for her. Since his circumstances had changed, he felt responsible to do everything he could despite the fact he would no longer be there, and trying to cultivate a friendship for her was reassuring to him. He really wanted that day to go well for her sake.​

 

[Marie Allard]

Marie gave Elodie a shy smile, as she reached a hand from behind her back to shake Elodie’s hand in return. She nodded at Elodie’s question. “I am. Dad went to Hogwarts in Scotland and he told me it was great. I think New Zealand’s Hogwarts will be funner.” Marie answered, her attention wavering as Jon spoke, offering her some galleons under the expectation she and Elodie would buy ice cream for the group. She felt a little disappointed she couldn’t get a sundae with all the toppings she could choose, but nevertheless accepted the money with a smile, turning to Elodie as she placed the galleons in the pocket of her own jacket. “Come on! I wanna see all the kinds of ice cream they have!” She exclaimed, suddenly feeling confident with something to do, no longer feeling shy as she took Elodie’s hand and practically dragged her in the direction of the ice cream parlor. “I wanna get something with lots of colours, I think.” She mused as she pulled Elodie along with her, unsure of exactly what ice cream she could get but assuming the store would have something perfect for everyone.​

 

[Maurice Welch]

He straightened himself when Jon spoke up, scratching the dog behind its ear one last time before turning his attention back to his friend and the two girls. ''Yes, I like ice cream,'' Maurice announced happily. If only it would make him less fat. He winked at Elodie when she looked up at him to let her know that all was fine and that she should indeed go with Marie to get all of them some ice cream cones. He had noticed that she wasn't particularly fond of Bongo as he was, so called him to his side so that she might ease a bit. He thought it odd that she didn't like dogs, however, since last time he went to stop by his parents' place, they themselves had a dog as well. It had been an awfully long time ago, though. Had it died in the meantime? Maurice really needed to drop by again soon. ''I know, me too.'' It'd be difficult, though, to sort of leave Elodie to her own devices after having taken care for her for several weeks. While Maurice did not like the fact that he was supposed to babysit his sister what with his new job and all at first, he had quickly grown rather fond of her and wanted to make sure that she was safe and sound whilst at Hogwarts. It eased his mind that she would at least have someone to hang around with, as being new to a school such as this one could get quite scary - it had been for him when he started his education. He could only hope that Elodie would get along just fine with Jon's half-sister. ''Do you think that they'll like one another? I told Elodie that Marie is just as cool as you, you know,'' he told Jon with a smirk.

 

[Elodie Welch]

Elodie returned the smile Marie gave her and shook the other girl's hand happily. If they would indeed become friends like the two adults were hoping, she would have to thank her brother for matching her up with Marie. It would be nice to have someone she'd know already when they would arrive at the school, it would certainly give her the confidence that she needed to make such a huge step in her life. She looked up at her brother when Jon told them to go get everyone some ice cream cones, and smiled at the wink he gave her. It was weird to have to listen to him sometimes, as the two of them had barely seen one another back when she was still in England. But she was enjoying her time with him here, and was glad that she had decided to actually go in the end. She had barely turned around to look for the ice cream parlour when Marie took her hand and dragged her along with her. Keeping up with her and smiling brightly, she nodded her head. ''Do you think they have sprinkles? I like sprinkles, especially the flavoured ones... Ohhh, maybe they have ice cream that changes colour every time you lick it! I mean, I would have that flavour if I would sell ice cream in the wizarding world!'' She would think the store was lame otherwise and since this was her first time here, did not want to get disappointed immediately.

 

[Jon Phillips]

It reassured Jon to know Maurice wanted the same thing for Elodie, wanted her to start school with a friend, or at least someone she sort of knew to keep her from being alone in such a new place. From his own experiences in school and from what he had seen during his time as a professor, leaving home to start school in a place that was unfamiliar could be terrifying for a child, possibly so scary it kept them from focusing in classes and learning as well as they should be in the beginning. Throughout school as each kid made friends things got better, but Jon really wanted to avoid any initial fear with Marie, to have her and Elodie become friends so they could both feel more comfortable starting their time at Hogwarts. Jon chuckled at Maurice’s comment over telling Elodie that Marie was just as cool as him. He shook his head. “Dude, what are you talking about, Marie is way cooler than me.” He said, smiling wide at his friend. Marie had such an imagination and never failed to be friendly and have fun, which made her far cooler than Jon was at her age. In comparison he was anti social and a loner, as far from cool as he could have possibly been as a kid. “I do think they’ll like each other, Elodie seems sweet and Marie is definitely sweet too, so I don’t see any reason they wouldn’t get along.” Jon answered Maurice’s question optimistically, even though he knew he couldn’t predict the outcome of this ice cream meeting. “Anyway, how have you been man? is work going well?” Jon soon asked, moving a hand to Maurice’s shoulder. Between how busy Jon was in settling his life back in New Zealand after traveling, and how distracted he was in trying to figure out and find his new career path, he hadn’t had the opportunity to chat to Maurice as often as he wanted to.​

 

[Marie Allard]

Marie continued trudging towards the ice cream parlor while holding Elodie’s hand, any shyness she had long gone and replaced by her characteristic bubbliness as they talked about ice cream flavors. “Colour changing ice cream?? That’s amazing!” She exclaimed, really hoping the store did sell something to that equivalent. “Do you think it changes flavor too??” She asked curiously, turning to glance at Elodie for a moment when they arrived to the steps of the store. Shortly after that she walked in, smiling at the sound of the bell above the door and skipping over to see the ice cream the store had. Mint chocolate chip, pumpkin, cotton candy, birthday cake, they had so many flavors that she felt overwhelmed and couldn’t pick just one. “Gosh, how are we supposed to choose?” Marie mused, moving a hand to her cheek. She spent several moments pondering what to get, before walking to different part of the store to see there were flavor changing popsicles. “Elodie!!” She called out, practically squealing. “There’s flavor changing popsicles!! I’m gonna get one!” Marie exclaimed excitedly, knowing this was the perfect choice for her, at least that day. Ever the sweet eater, she was sure she would come back and try many more kinds of ice cream in the future. When she was sure on both of her choices she strolled to the counter to order herself the colour changing popsicle and ordering Jon a regular chocolate ice cream cone. In the process she looked over to Elodie to see if she was finished picking out what she wanted.​

 

[Maurice Welch]

Maurice chuckled. ''Don't sell yourself short, man. You're one of the coolest, if not the coolest, persons that I know.'' He patted his friend on the back, returning the smile Jon was giving him. He nodded when Jon asked him about his new job. It had been difficult to look for something else what with the fact that he had been travelling for a while as well but with the help of his former employer Maurice had managed to find a job as a Herbologist eventually. While he wished that he would still be working as the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts, it had been a secure job and paid rather well, and it would allow him to watch his sister's back, he liked what he was doing now. It had definitely sparked his passion growing and maintaining magical plants and fungi again. ''It's better than I expected it would be after having worked at the school for so long. And I definitely like the hours better.'' Maurice answered. ''What about you? You know, you still haven't told me all about your travels. It's funny how both of us travelled at the same time, yet we both went different ways.'' He would have liked to have travelled together with Jon, though. Perhaps they could go together sometime.

 

[Elodie Welch]

Of course, Elodie did not know for sure if the ice cream parlour would have colour changing ice cream but it did sound like something they would have in the wizarding world, and certainly like something she wanted them to have. She entered the store after Marie and met her gaze, smiling slightly before she would look at everything the parlour had on the other side of the store. After taking in all of the different flavours the parlour offered, Elodie still had a difficult time choosing which one she liked best and wanted. She jerked her head around to Marie and hurried over to where she was standing. ''No way!'' she replied. She had been partially joking when she said it but was actually really glad that it did exist. How in the world would one ever be able to make their choice, though? Feeling the pressure of Marie already having ordered what she wanted for herself and Jon, Elodie made up her own mind and went for the everchanging popsicle for herself and a chocolate and peanuts popsicle for her brother. When her new friend paid the cashier with the money given to them by Jon, both of them walked back to their relatives. ''I do hope that Maurice is fine with his one, he can be so picky at times,'' she said. The memory of her brother not wanting to eat spinach because it didn't have tiny pieces of bacon strips with it still made her laugh at times - it was the first memory she had of him. She waved at the sight of the adults and hurriedly walked over towards Maurice to give him his popsicle, as it was already starting to melt in her hand.

lol this sucks, feel free to ignore it big time