Roses for Esme

[Jean Snow]

Even though she was friendly with his brother, Jean didn't interact with Esme all that much. He hadn't been able to find Lucien to ask where he might find her though, so he figured the pitch might be a good place to begin his search for her. They did have a match coming up in a few days. Heading onto the pitch, Jean looked around. "Esme? You here?" he called out.

 

[Esme Lancaster]

With the upcoming Quidditch match, and recent tragedy, Esme had a lot she needed to prepare for. It was difficult not to think about the fact that, this time, there would be no Avie. The witch had spent the good part of an hour flying low and slowly around the pitch, forgetting why she had come in the first place, reliving past matches and victories in her mind until a voice finally broke her from her trance. "Jean." She said as she descended by him. She'd intended to pose it as a question, but her distracted thoughts left a more absent tone in her voice.

 

[Jean Snow]

It wasn't until Esme was heading towards him that Jean realized that this would be the first match played without Avie. He wouldn't be throwing rocks at people, wouldn't have a chance to wave the snitch in the air and yell excitedly to his mates. Suddenly, his eyes felt itchy. "Hey" he replied, coughing to mask the fact that his voice had broken on the simple word. "So I have two roses for you. Here you are" he handed them over.

Spoiler: Attached to Yellow Rose #1

Dear Esme,

Avie always spoke really highly of you and I thought you should know that. Whenever I saw him he always told me about the rock you bought him, pretty sure it was his favourite thing in the world. Avie loved you, Esme and I thought you should know that too. You were his best friend. Thanks for being there for him.

Emily.

Spoiler: Attached to Yellow Rose #2

Dear Esme,
I'm sorry for your loss.
From
Victoire

 

[Esme Lancaster]

"Hello." Esme responded, dismounting her broom and touching back down to the grassy field. More roses. She hadn't expected to receive another after the one from Niamh earlier in the day, let alone two more. Taking the two yellow roses, she skimmed the first note. Tears filled her eyes by the time she started on the second, and she had to read the blurred lettering twice before she could make sense of it. More sympathy, from a stranger, and a rival, but it was Emily's words that hurt the most. Hearing about how Avie spoke of her left a pain in her heart. The witch wiped away a tear before it could fall down her cheek, and looked back up at the Gryffindor, the flowers clutched to her chest. "I..I see. Thank you for delivering these."

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean wasn't surprised to see Esme crying, though he certainly was that she was crying in front of him. Jean nodded his head, "You're welcome." He got ready to leave, having several more deliveries to complete before he could call it a day, and wanting to give Esme space. Still, he didn't rush away. He felt like he should say something to her, but he'd never been really good at consoling people. After a long pause, he just jumped into it. "So, if you ever need a distraction or whatever, come find me if you want. Maybe we can fly together or something" he stated with a shrug.

 

[Esme Lancaster]

Jean's gesture was unexpected - coming from someone she hadn't always been too fond of. He was a rival on the Quidditch Pitch, and the fact that he looked exactly like Lucien, yet was so different, had always made her somewhat uncomfortable - like he was an imposter under the guise of a polyjuice potion. At least it was Lucien who had the twin, and not Avie. Seeing a duplicate of him would have been too much to handle. Esme wiped at her eyes again. "Thank you. Any kind of distraction is welcome at this point. I can't stop thinking about it - about him." She shook her head, trying to push the thoughts aside and reign in on her emotions. "I doubt you could keep up with me in the air, though." Even the small attempt at a joke, which normally wasn't something the Lancaster did, had done little to raise her mood. The thought of flying reminded her of Avie. It was only because of the upcoming match that she was spending the day in the pitch. She wanted to win, if only now to make him happy, wherever he was.

 

[Jean Snow]

Even though he'd made the offer, Jean wasn't sure if Esme would accept it or welcome it. So, her words and her honesty came as a shock. The teenager nodded. It had been difficult for him to go throughout a day without a lot of things reminding him of Avie, and with her sharing a house with him, that had to be tenfold for Esme. Her next comment was a return to what Jean knew of Esme. He snorted, "Please." He glanced at the bucket full of roses he still needed to deliver. "Well, I better get back to it. See you around, Esme" he stated, walking backwards and then turning to head off the pitch.