Closed Safety Net

[Matthew Harper]

[adminapproval=#30623834]
Life after Hogwarts had been okay for Matthew. It hadn't always been easy, but things had settled now. He had his own place in Obsidian Harbour, as well as a job as a waiter to pay the bills. It wasn't what he really wanted to do, but his dream of being a photographer was a slow progress. He was hoping to be able to do some freelance photography soon, but he wasn't quite there yet, and for now it was just a hobby. He wondered what Odette's new guardian would think of him. Did it reflect badly on him that he hadn't been able to take Odette in? He really hoped she would let him spend time with his sister, as long as she wanted that. He had been writing to her, getting letters back. They were usually short, but the fact that Odette was responding to his letters at all felt like progress. He felt like he was starting to build some sort of relationship with her, which was what he had wanted from the start.

He ended up at the address Maria a little early because he had been nervous about being late. He wondered if he should wait a few more minutes, but then realized that if she spotted him in front of her door just waiting it would definitely look strange. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He was sure Odette had told her all about his family, and how they had treated her. He could only hope Maria Madison would understand that Matthew wanted to be there for his sister, and make up for how their father had acted.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria was still getting used to how empty her home felt with the girls gone to school. It had been difficult when Charlie started at Hogwarts and Emily had to get used to being without her, but now that they were both at school, it was just her and Finn at home when she wasn't working. After adding a new member to their home this holidays, that quiet felt starker than ever. But today wasn't going to be quiet for long. Maria had set Finn up with some paper and paints in his room to work on a project, and was waiting in the lounge with a coffee, waiting for her guest this afternoon. She was nervous to meet Odette's brother, after hearing so many of Odette's conflicted feelings about him, but it had seemed to Maria that they were beginning to feel comfortable with one another, and she wanted to encourage Odette to have a positive relationship with what sounded to Maria like the only well intentioned biological relative she had.

So Maria had asked to meet Matthew, to talk about Odette's home life and future. She understood Matthew's reasons for not being able to take care of his sister - Odette's lack of a legal link to their family aside, 19 was much too young to be responsible for a grieving sibling, and even if he could handle Odette's emotional needs, it would have no doubt been a financial strain. She wanted to make sure that he stayed involved in Odette's life though, especially now when Odette needed family more than ever. So when Maria heard the knock on the door she had been expecting she got up and moved to the door quickly, opening it with a warm smile. "Hi, you must be Matthew. Come on in." She said gently, opening the door wider to let him in. "Can I offer you tea or coffee? Or something to eat?"

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew looked at the woman who opened the door, automatically returning her friendly smile with one of his own. She looked nice, but he hadn't really expected anything else. "Yes, thank you." He said, stepping inside. He held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Matthew, thank you for letting me come to talk." He said nervously, glancing at what he could see of the house so far. "Tea would be lovely." He added with a shy smile.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria was pleased that Matthew seemed happy to be here, welcoming him into the home and shaking his hand. "I'm Maria, it's good to finally meet you." She said with a reassuring smile, closing the door behind Matthew. "Let's talk in the dining room, then." She said gently, and led Matthew down the hallway to her bright, open dining room/kitchen. Maria flicked her wand and set the kettle boiling, offering Matthew a seat at the table. "I've heard a lot of good things about you from Odette." She said gently, hoping to put the boy at ease. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name. How are things going?" She wasn't entirely sure what the boy did for a living, but wanted to know more about his situation. Maria was sure Matthew had a lot of questions for her as well, and didn't want to keep him waiting too long. "Firstly, I wanted to know if there's anything you want to ask about regarding Odette's situation."

 

[Matthew Harper]

As Matthew followed Maria down the hallway, he couldn't help mentally comparing his parent's house to this home. It was a silly comparison, as it hadn't even been where Odette had lived before. But Matthew had never been at Odette's old house, so had no idea what that looked like. Maria's house was warm and welcoming, and he hoped Odette also felt that way. He took a seat, and couldn't help being pleased when Maria said she'd heard a lot of good things. "You have? She... wasn't quite sure about me yet when I graduated, but we've been writing. I did feel like things were going in a better direction." He said, always preferring honesty, especially in situations like this. "Things are going well with me. I've got my own place, I have to work a lot to afford it but it's okay. I still have time for my hobby, which is photography. I just hope to turn that into my job one day." He said earnestly. Maybe he was sharing too much about his life, but he wanted Maria to understand why Odette wasn't living with him. A part of him felt like he was failing her, and maybe he was looking for some confirmation that he had made the right choice. Matthew wasn't even sure if she would've been allowed to live with him, as long as his father refused to acknowledge her. But he still felt like he should have had room for her, and he didn't. "I... was wondering how she was doing, mostly." He said softly, looking at the woman. "And I was wondering if you know anything about the permanence of this situation yet. And... how things will go when she's seventeen, which isn't far away anymore." He had more questions, but these were the most pressing ones.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria nodded, smiling reassuringly. She couldn't tell Matthew much of what Odette had said about him, as she took confidentiality during their therapy sessions very seriously, but things Odette had said while living here were another matter. "I think she values your letters a lot, especially right now. I'm really glad you guys have been able to connect." Given the nature of the rest of Odette's biological family, Maria imagined it was no small relief to the girl to share genes with someone who seemed to have turned out a perfectly nice human being. She listened to Matthew talking about his life, smiling a little as he brought up his passion. "Photography? That sounds exciting. If you're having trouble figuring out where to go next with it, it might be worth looking into courses at muggle universities. You could develop your skills more, and it might introduce you to professional opportunities." She smiled. It was difficult to turn off the part of her brain that wanted to help people with their lives, even when there were other things to talk about.

As the conversation turned to Matthew's questions though she listened seriously, nodding. "Well, as far as permanence, this situation is as permanent as Odette wants it to be. I won't keep her here if she decides there's somewhere else she'd rather be, but she won't ever be wanting for a home. Considering... what she's going through, I don't know if she'll be ready to move out right away when she's seventeen. It'll be Odette's decision, of course, but I'm always going to keep my doors open for her." She sighed softly and got up, pouring a couple of cups of tea. "Sugar? Milk?" She asked, as she considered how best to answer Matthew's question about how Odette was doing. "As for how she is, she's... coping." Maria sighed gently. "I don't think it's a secret that Odette had a... difficult relationship with her mother, and that can create a lot of complicated feelings upon a parent's passing. Confusion over how much to mourn, feeling guilty about not being sad enough, or even worrying irrationally that negative feelings towards the parent somehow caused what happened. It's a lot to process, but Odette is working through it at a healthy pace. She's a very independent girl, and she finds it difficult to open up to others when she needs support, but she's come a long way in that regard, and I'm going to make sure she has access to any help she needs, both here and at school."

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew was pleased to hear Maria thought Odette valued him. He wanted to be someone in her life, and to be there for her in a way. He knew she could use the support, but had always thought her too proud to accept it. Maybe with the recent tragedy in her life, that had changed a little. "Thank you... I'm glad too." He said. He felt a little sheepish, telling this successful woman about his photography dreams, but she took him completely seriously, which was completely different from how his parents had reacted. His eyes widened slightly at her suggestion. "I... didn't even think of that." He said honestly. It was kind of dumb of him not to, he'd always loved the muggle world and had enjoyed muggle studies most at Hogwarts. But somehow, the idea of enrolling in a muggle university had never crossed his mind. "I will definitely look into that, thanks!" He could tell Maria was very good at helping people, which only made him feel more reassured about Odette living here.

Then she told him his sister's stay here would be as permanent as Odette wanted it to be, which reassured him further. Odette could be willful and stubborn, from what he'd gathered, but he also thought she could accept that she needed Maria's help. "I... I think that would be good for her." He said softly. "If she could stay here a little longer. I can definitely help out with anything you need for her. I want to help." He said earnestly. "Sugar, please." He added as he was offered tea. He nodded and listened as Maria explained how Odette was doing. He could empathize with the feeling of having complicated feelings about a parent. He hadn't spoken to his parents in years, and really didn't know how he would feel if one of them passed away. He nodded in agreement as she described Odette, as it felt similar to how he saw her. He smiled as she told him she would have access to any help she needed. That much was obvious to him. "I can already see that. It's... it's wonderful, what you're doing. You're providing for her in a way I... I simply can't yet. Not that she's officially known as my sister anyway, so it would probably be a difficult process..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Thank you. For being a parent to her when she needs one."

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria had worried a little that her suggestion would be unwelcome... in the last few years she had found herself in a few situations where she had overstepped her bounds when it came to giving advice to other adults, but she was pleased to see that Matthew found it helpful, smiling encouragingly. "Glad I could help." She said warmly. Matthew's friendliness seemed very genuine, and Maria was relieved Odette had at least one such relative to lean on when things were difficult.

Maria had worried a little about his feelings about Odette staying here long term, but Matthew's reaction quickly reassured her. Maria nodded, adding sugar to Matthew's tea as she spoke. "Of course. As long as Odette's comfortable with it, you're welcome to visit her here whenever you like. I think support is the most helpful thing any of us can give her right now. Making sure she knows she doesn't have to handle anything she's going through alone." Maria sighed softly, picking up the cups and walking back over to the table, setting Matthew's tea down in front of him before resuming her own seat. Matthew's words warmed her heart, and she smiled back at the boy sincerely. "I'm happy to help." She said gently. "Odette is a wonderful girl, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure she grows up safe and healthy. I'll admit, I've got a soft heart when it comes to people who need a parent." Maria said gently, her eyes falling on a photo of her with Charlie and Emily back in Australia. "My own children are all adopted. They're a bit younger, but I've still got a bit of experience supporting someone in Odette's situation."