Closed Put Your Empty Hands in Mine

[Odette Madison]

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Odette had known her mother wouldn't be there to pick her up from the train station, but somehow the knowledge hadn't stopped her from scanning the platform once she stepped out of the train, her breath catching at every blond woman she noticed that could be her. But of course, her mother wasn't there. She was dead. Odette tried not to let her emotions show on her face, as it was stupid to be sad all over again. She had known it was the truth, so why should she be surprised not to see her mother waiting for her at the platform? Today, she would be going with Maria to stay with her. It was a temporary solution, as the Ministry was still searching for any sort of family to take her in, but Odette knew that there would be no positive results of such a search. Still, she couldn't quite make herself hope that this would be permanent in any way. Maria already had three children, and Odette was nearly an adult. At most, she would provide Odette with a place to stay until she was ready to stand on her own two feet, and Odette was grateful for that.

After saying goodbye to Margo and giving her friend a big hug, she joined Maria and her family, giving her a shaky smile. She answered any questions Maria asked politely, but didn't elaborate much on anything. Something about joining another family felt mildly embarrassing, and she tried not to stand out too much in the small group. On their way to Maria's home, she kept to herself and didn't say much, keeping her eyes down. Maria's oldest daughter Charlie seemed quiet and Odette was sure she was resenting her presence. The younger two who were named Emily and Finn were both excitedly talking to each other, but thankfully didn't involve her in the conversation. Odette felt like an intruder, an imposter. But she was also glad to actually have a place to go now that Hogwarts was out, and that she wasn't going home with some stranger. Once they arrived at Maria's house, Odette tried to take everything in without looking like she was staring. It was definitely different from her old house, and something about it felt warm and inviting, but also a little intimidating. She clutched her bag in front of herself awkwardly as she waited to be told what to do or where to go. The house was fairly big, but for the first time Odette wondered if she would have to share a room with one of Maria's daughters. Quietly, she glanced at Charlie again. She wasn't sure what the girl was thinking, but if she did have to share a room with Odette she couldn't even blame her for being angry and resentful. Nervously, Odette's gaze darted to Maria. She cleared her throat. "Where... can I put my things?" She asked hesitantly.

 

[Maria Madison]

Picking her children up from the Hogwarts Express had always been a strange experience for Maria, bringing back vivid memories of her own dread of the end of the school year as a child. And her dread of the start of the school year. Things that reminded Maria of how miserable and angry her own youth had been always drove her to commit more than ever to her parenting, to loving and supporting her children, and creating a home where they could always be safe and loved and secure. This year's pickup was entirely different, though. Today, they would be bringing Odette home to live with them. She had discussed the decision in depth with all of her other children, and though Charlie in particular was nervous about the idea of a new person at home, they all agreed on the importance of extending a home to someone who needed it. So even though Charlie hung back a little as they all united on the platform, Maria knew that her children were as certain in this decision as she was. She had warned Emily and Finn to give Odette a bit of space, as she would need some time to adjust, and to Maria's relief for once her boisterous middle child had taken that entirely to heart, chatting with Finn the whole way home and not pestering Odette with questions.

As nervous as she was about how things would go in the future, it was strangely a relief to Maria, opening the door for Odette and welcoming her inside. Maria didn't even have time to open her mouth before Emily and Finn had rushed past her upstairs, Emily yelling about something from school she wanted to show Finn. Charlie followed them silently, clearly wanting to see what the fuss was about, and that thankfully left Maria to show Odette around. She gave the girl a reassuring smile, stepping towards the stairs. "I've cleared out my home office so you can have your own room. A lot of your things have already been brought over, but I've left it for you to set up the way you like. I'll show you your room first, and when you're ready I'll give you a tour of the house. We don't have a lot of house rules beyond the obvious, no violence, no name calling, be respectful of personal space, things like that. This is your home now, so you're welcome to make yourself as comfortable as you like."

 

[Odette Madison]

Even though it was nice to be in Maria’s house, Odette was incredibly aware that she was a stranger here. She wondered how long it would feel that way. Maybe it would forever. She was glad Maria’s kids all went upstairs first, so she was alone with Maria for a tour of the house. She listened as the woman explained she had cleared out her office, though it made her look down guiltily. She didn’t want to be a bother, but she didn’t say anything because she also desperately wanted a room of her own. It was the one good thing about going home for the winter break, having some space for herself. The dormitory in Slytherin was a stressful place at the best of times. “Thank you.” She said after a moment, wondering how often she would feel the need to thank Maria for everything she was doing. She may as well be saying it constantly, because she did feel incredibly grateful along with a little guilty. “I would like to go to ...my room, for a bit.” She nodded as Maria explained the house rules, which really were pretty much common sense. The words ‘this is your home now’ didn’t ring true, but Odette nodded politely anyway. She wasn’t sure what else to say, and bit back another ‘thank you’. Surely it would be annoying to hear that constantly, even if she did mean it.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria nodded, not surprised that Odette would want some time to herself. "Of course." She smiled gently, leading the girl upstairs. "This is Charlie and Emily's room, they prefer to share with each other." She commented as they passed, not expecting Odette to fully remember anything she was saying right now. There would be time for a proper tour later. Smiling slightly at the shrieking and giggling coming from the girls room, Maria continued down the hallway. "This is the bathroom, you'll have to share that one with the girls. Emily usually leaves it a bit of a mess, sorry about that." She continued down the hallway, turning and opening a door near its end. "And here, this is your room. It's not terribly big, but there should be plenty of space." She led Odette into the room, showing her around. She had set up a double bed for Odette and put a desk in the corner, next to the built in closet, but it was otherwise bare, filled with a few boxes of things brought from Odette's mother's house. "You can decorate however you like, if you want any help unpacking just let me know." She gave Odette a reassuring smile, letting the girl take in her new room. She knew this would be difficult for Odette, and wanted to let her settle in however she needed to.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette followed Maria upstairs, still finding it hard to believe that she was in her counsellor’s house and going to stay here. She noticed how Maria made sure to mention her daughters preferred to share, something she found hard to believe. Had they been moved together to make space for her? No, Maria had just said she had cleared out her office. As they passed the room, Odette could hear laughter coming from within. Maybe they really did prefer to share. She shrugged when Maria said her youngest daughter would leave a mess sometimes. “It’s fine. I can clean up.” She said quickly. The sight of her own room took her breath away for a moment. Not because it was particularly big or beautiful, but because it was a space that would be just hers, something she had subconsciously been longing for for weeks. She was silent for a long moment, listening to Maria’s words as she explained she could decorate it however she liked. When she finally spoke, her voice sounded a little choked up. “I… don’t think I will need help.” She said. The boxes with her old things looked like they might make her cry, and she didn’t want to be around anyone when she did that. “Thank you, for this.” She said softly, gesturing to the room. “Can... I ask one thing? My friend, she’s concerned about me. She has helped me a lot with all this… can I she visit during the holidays? I would like to show her this.” She hoped this wasn’t too much to ask. The house was already pretty full, but Odette would be fine with just a small visit. Selfishly, she wanted Margo here, someone familiar to cling to. Maria was also that person for her, but her children definitely weren’t. “There’s no haste, or anything, I will need time to unpack and everything.” She added, glancing around again.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria watched Odette look around the room, hoping the girl felt comfortable there. With her sense of home ripped away, Maria wanted to do what she could to provide that security again. When Odette spoke she could hear the emotion in her voice, but it sounded like a positive one. "Of course." She smiled gently. She listened to Odette's question, nodding quickly. "Of course! You can have friends to visit or sleepovers whenever you like." She smiled reassuringly. "This is your home, you're always welcome to have friends around." Maria smiled. With Odette's question answered she took a step back towards to door, not wanting to crowd the girl. "Take however long you need to unpack. I'll be downstairs in the kitchen when you're ready for a tour, second door on the right side of the hallway. Otherwise I'll bring you up a drink in a little while, do you like orange juice?"

 

[Odette Madison]

It was a relief to hear that Margo could come over, though a sleepover was something she didn’t want to ask of Maria after only day in her house. It was still strange enough to Odette that she was allowed to sleep here. She blushed a little when Maria said this was her home. It was sweet of her to say, but it didn’t feel true to Odette. Was that mean of her? She knew she should be grateful, and she was, but if she thought about her home she either thought about her old house or Hogwarts. There was no reason to say anything about that though. “Thanks, I’ll owl Margo then… she’s my best friend.” Odette said, unsure if she had mentioned the girl in her counselling sessions. She nodded when Maria said she would head downstairs. “I do like orange juice, thank you.” She said, a little embarrassed. She really didn’t want Maria to go through more trouble than she already had. As the woman headed downstairs, Odette turned around in a slow circle to take in the room around her. Then, she got started on unpacking. There was a lot that had to be done before this would feel like her own room.

--- An hour later ---
​

Odette had finished unpacking a few of the boxes, feeling a mixture of emotions. It was nice to put her own belongings in this room and fill it up, but a lot of them came with memories attached. She was just thinking she might take a break and head downstairs to get some juice, saving Maria the trouble of bringing it to her, when she heard something that sounded like footsteps outside her room. Odette walked over to the door and popped her head out, expecting Maria to be on the landing.

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily knew she was supposed to leave Odette alone. She knew that. And she was going to, really. For the most part. But it felt rude, not to welcome someone new into their home properly. Surely it wouldn't be bothering if she just said hi. Emily made sure to be polite, waiting until Mum had headed downstairs, and Odette had had plenty of time to settle into her room. She wouldn't bother her right away. Emily occupied herself unpacking her things and telling Finn all about Hogwarts, but eventually that got boring. It wouldn't be too much to just say hi. Surely. Emily told Charlie and Finn that she was going to the loo, ignoring Charlie's pointed look at the false claim, and quickly escaped out into the hallway. Present in her hand, Emily made her way to Odette's door, then hesitated. What if she was angry? Or crying? Maybe a present would cheer her up, but maybe not? Emily's second-guessing was interrupted though, as Odette suddenly appeared in the doorway. Emily quickly plastered a smile on her face, relieved that at least she didn't seem to be crying. "Hi! Mum said not to bother you, but I made you a present." She explained, quickly holding out her hand and opening it to show the friendship bracelet she had made in the last couple of days of school. "Me and Charlie and Finn all have them, so I made one for you too."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette's eyes widened when she saw that the person in the corridor wasn't Maria, but one of her daughters. She felt a feeling of vague relief that it was the younger one, who had seemed to mind Odette's presence less than the older one. But maybe she was wrong about that, and maybe she was here to tell Odette she didn't want her in her house. Odette couldn't help feeling a little wary as she watched the younger girl silently, holding onto the doorframe with one hand as if to claim the room behind her with the single gesture. The girl smiled at her, but Odette knew a smile didn't always mean someone was friendly. When she had been around Emily's age, she had mastered the fake smile. But when the girl spoke and told her she had made her a present, all Odette's suspicions felt extremely mean and paranoid. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the bracelet in the girl's hand, and she unexpectedly felt herself choke up. Forcibly, she pushed down the emotions. She wasn't going to cry at every act of kindness. Though this really was very sweet. Odette gave the girl a smile, though she guarded herself against showing any more emotion. "Thank you Emily, that's really sweet." She said, holding out her hand. "Do you...want to help me put it on?"

 

[Emily Madison]

As much as Emily had been worried about the older girl's reaction, she desperately wanted to disobey mum's instructions not to pry too much. This felt like a nice compromise, and though the girl pulled a strange expression first, Emily was relieved when she saw Odette smile, smiling back brightly in return. "Of course!" She said happily, carefully knotting the bracelet around the older girl's wrist. She glanced up at Odette again, hesitating before speaking. "I know it's... really hard to get used to a new home sometimes. If you need any help, or just get lonely, you can always come hang out with me. Or Charlie, or Finn. Charlie takes a while to get used to new people, but she only pretends to be mean, she's really nice, I promise. And Finn's weird, but he loves painting, so if you do a painting with him you'll be his best friend." She smiled encouragingly up at Odette as she finished tying the bracelet in place. She had well and truly broken Mum's request to give Odette some space now, but Emily had more practice than Mum getting used to a new home, and she knew the things that were always most useful to know when you were living with new kids. Surely it was alright to just help Odette out.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette watched as the younger blonde tied the bracelet around her wrist, still quite touched by the gesture. It really was sweet, and she wondered if the girl really didn't mind that she was living here now. The gesture was clearly one of welcome, and Odette knew she wouldn't soon forget it. After the girl put the bracelet on her, she started to speak. Odette listened quietly, surprised by the words. It was clear from what she said that she had been in Odette's situation before, maybe more than once. The girl couldn't be more than twelve, and Odette felt a twinge of pity. "Thank you Emily, I will definitely remember that." She said after a moment. "But I won't bother Charlie unless she wants me to. She never asked for me to be here. Neither did you, or Finn." She hesitated. "Don't you mind?" She blurted out, unable to stop herself. All she could think was how much she would have hated having to suddenly share her own space with a stranger, if her mother had ever decided to foster or adopt. It was a good thing that she hadn't, but that was a different matter entirely.

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily beamed at Odette's response, pleased to have been helpful to the older girl. Her next comments hit Emily's heart a little though, a feeling she knew well. "Of course we don't mind." Emily said gently, giving Odette an encouraging smile. "Mum asked us all what we thought about you living here. It's..." Emily's smile slipped as she struggled to find a way to phrase what she wanted to say while tiptoeing around subjects Mum had told her to avoid unless Odette brought them up. "It's really hard to deal with bad feelings, when you can't feel like you're at home sometimes. Me and Charlie were in lots of foster homes, and sometimes they're okay, but sometimes they aren't. We know how important that is, and we wanna help you feel safe and at home." She paused, unable to figure out how to go on without bringing up Odette's recent loss. "Does that make sense?"

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette was glad to hear that Emily didn't mind, or at least claimed not to mind. It still made her feel a little bit uneasy, but not as much. It was nice to know that Maria had asked her kids, though she had assumed so. Odette really didn't want to impose on anyone, and she was a little worried about how things would go if she stayed here a little longer. Emily continued to talk, and Odette could tell from her words that she had a lot she went through in her past. There was wisdom in her words she wouldn't have expected from a twelve year old girl. The fact that both Emily and Charlie had been in a lot of foster homes made her sad, especially when she mentioned they sometimes weren't okay. It hit her again how lucky she was to stay here, and she nodded silently as she thought it over. "It does make sense. You're very smart about this stuff." She said honestly. "I'm lucky to have you to help settle in here. Do you want to see my room? Maybe you can help me decorate a little, I'm still unpacking my things." Odette decided she wouldn't mind spending some more time with this girl.

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily's smile brightened when Odette said she was smart, pleased to have helped the older girl. "Thanks!" She said happily. She cheered up even more when Odette asked her to help decorate, nodding immediately. This was definitely, definitely against what Mum had said, but Odette had invited her, and there was no way Mum would argue with that. "Yeah! I can totally help you decorate, I love decorating!" She smiled, wondering what kind of decorations Odette had brought. It was difficult to keep a handle on her curiosity about the other girl but Emily did her best, smiling pleasantly.

 

[Charlie Madison]

As soon as Emily said she needed the loo, Charlie knew exactly what she was planning. She had given her sister a pointed look, one which had been pointedly ignored, and Charlie was absolutely certain that Emily was sneaking off to immediately break Mum's rule about not bothering Odette. Charlie knew that Emily knew better than to pester her with questions and stories immediately, but she would have definitely made up some completely innocent excuse to need to talk to Odette. Charlie didn't love always having to keep an eye on her sister when she did stupid stuff, but when she heard voices in the hallway she wasn't surprised at all. Getting up from where she had been watching Finn draw and completely failing to unpack her own things, Charlie made her way to the door of her room, opening the door just enough to pop her head out. It was no surprise whatsoever to see Emily chatting with Odette. Of course. The older girl was smiling though, and didn't look like she was actually bothered by Emily's company. In that case, it was probably better to make the new girl feel welcome. Charlie didn't want to overwhelm her with too many people at once though, so she popped her head back into her own room and closed the door quickly, before Finn could get curious and go to try and join them. Emily was always the best at getting to know new people. She would make Odette feel welcome and at home, a lot better than Charlie or Finn could.