Closed Unexpected Reunions

[Elliot Briar]

When it came down to it, muggles actually had a lot of good ideas. Pens, electricity, video games, all great. However, there were a few muggle things that Elliot hated, and car rides were definitely at the top of the list. It had taken two days, two days, for them to get down to Christchurch, and Elliot was considering the benefits of just living there until school started again if it meant they didn’t have to drive another two days when they had to go back. He couldn’t wait till he was older and could apparate and never have to sit in another car or plane again.

His dad fiddled with the radio as they trundled down an empty road somewhere outside the city limits, try to find the least static-y station he could. They’d run out of things to talk about somewhere around Auckland and had been sitting in awkward half-silence ever since. Things with his dad were always a little weird since Elliot only got to spend a few weeks a year with him, but in the past he’d always appreciated the peace and quiet for the most part. Since Elliot got his Hogwarts letter things had seemed to change and Elliot couldn’t shake the feeling something about him officially being a wizard now made his dad feel uncomfortable. They’d never spoken about it and his dad had never said anything as such, but something about the way his face twitched when El talked about school gave it away.

Elliot was mulling this over, watching his dad’s profile from the corner of his eye, as they finally pulled into a driveway. He cut his eyes away from his dad and leaned eagerly against the passenger side window to get a view of the house. They were going to visit some old friend of his dads for a few days so Dad could talk about books or buildings or something. His dad had mentioned they had a son about his age and something about it being a good chance to get out of the house. Elliot didn’t really care at this point, he just wanted to get out of the car, popping the door open as soon as it had rolled to a stop.

 

[Ren Lockwood]

Ren had been lounging in one of the front bay windows when his dad hurried by. Curious, Ren set his things down and followed him. What was his dad in such a rush for? His eyes settled on the pair emerging from the car outside. Oh yeah, dad had said somethin' about having a buddy coming to visit. Ren raised a brow as he got a good look at the boy. He seemed familiar somehow. Shrugging it off, he put his hands in his pockets, lazily sauntering behind his father.

He stopped as his dad greeted the other man with a smile and a slap on the back. Ren was still watching the other boy closely. He couldn't shake the feeling he knew the bloke. His musing was interrupted by his dad. "Ren, show Elliot around, yeah?" Ah. Everything clicked together in his head as the name was mentioned. Apparently, his dad hadn't connected the pieces yet. "Yeah, dad. Sure." He motioned with his head for the other boy to follow him as he headed back to the house. "So, Elliot," He started, deciding a little digging was necessary. "Where you from?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot stretched, relishing the feeling of being able to stand up for the first time in several hours. The door to the house opened and a man, presumably his dad's friend, and a younger boy stepped out. He fidgeted with his bracelet, spinning it on his wrist before nodding hello as the pair approached. The other boy seemed to be watching him closely and it was making him a little nervous. Hopefully he would like him and the next few days would be as awkward as the last two.

He glanced over his shoulder, confirming was busy catching up with his friend, before following the boy, Ren, into the house. Ren seemed very relaxed and casual, and Elliot did his best to follow his lead. "I'm from New York, but I'm staying with my dad up in Kerikeri right now," he answered to Ren's question. "It was a long drive," to say the least, Elliot thought a little bitterly . "What do you do for fun around here?" he asked as they stepped inside. Their house seemed a bit like it was in the middle of nowhere like his dad's, but maybe he and Ren could find some common interests to keep them busy out here.

 

[Ren Lockwood]

Ren listened as Elliot talked. He seemed okay so far. He knew Rose had been exaggerating. He led Elliot through the spacious living room to the stairs before climbing them. "I have two sisters. My little sis is a pain in the neck; rough and energetic. But my older sister?" He smirked at Elliot. "She's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. For instance, she's super shy. But there was an art thing last summer that I wanted to go to, but I couldn't go alone. She went with me every day and learned to draw so we had something to do together. She shook like a leaf the entire time. But she never left me." He smiled softly.

He had shown Elliot his room, a darker blue theme with papers and pencils everywhere and a big desk, walls covered in papers. Roses room, more punk rock and very purple. He stopped in front of Lily's door and knocked. "Yo!" He yelled before opening the door... To an empty room. Lily's room was full of books, soft colors and lots of pillows. There were also two sunfloeer pins set very carefully on the nightstand. She only ever took them off for one reason. "Ah, she's downstairs. Come on." He gave Elliot a sly grin before turning back the way they'd come.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Following Ren as he lead a tour through the house, Elliot was taken with how cosy the place seemed. He guessed he'd been expecting something kind of stuffy like his dad's place, but it seemed lived and loved by comparison. It must be the difference a bigger family could make he mused, nodded as Ren described his sisters. "I've heard little sisters are supposed to be a pain," Elliot had always thought having siblings would be great, especially as he watched the way Ren smiled as he talked about his big sister. They clearly meant a lot to each other.

There was also something about the way Ren spoke that made El feel like there was some sort of inside joke he was missing here, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Sounds like your sister has your back, that's amazing," He scanned the room when Ren swung open the door, once again taking in how comfortable everything looked. Ren's talk of his sisters, especially his older one gave him a lot of hope for how the rest of this visit would go. Everyone, little sisters non-withstanding, seemed really nice, so maybe this whole thing wouldn't be so bad. He followed Ren's lead downstairs, only pausing slightly at his weird little grin.

 

[Ren Lockwood]

Ren didn't open his parents bedroom door or the bathroom doors, just pointing them out as they walked by. They made their way back downstairs and down the hall. The entire house was filled with overflowing bookcases and armchairs in corners.

He turned at the stairs and went down the hall, following the soft music and quiet voices towards the kitchen. "You know," he chuckled. "You're as clueless as Roz said. Though you do have that sweetness that Linny sees." He stopped moving and edged Elliot into a corner. "Stay here," he whispered with a wink. From this corner you had a good view of the girls in the kitchen. Or at least, Rose sitting on the counter. She hadn't noticed them yet.

The scrumptious smell of fresh baked goods wafted out of the kitchen. He sauntered in, attempting to steal a fresh baked chocolate chip muffin. "I wouldn't do that." Rose warned, not looking up at him. He stuck his tongue out at her and reached for it again, only to get a warm oven mitt to the face.

He laughed. "Alright, alright. Let's go Rose." He grinned before grabbing a handful of flour out of the still-open jar behind the muffins. With a wink to the doorway he turned and flung it at his little sister. With a laugh he tore out the other door, a floured Rose hot on his trail, screaming death threats at him.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily had been busy all morning. Cookies, muffins, cupcakes. She'd been working on making treats for their expected guests most of the morning. At some point Rose had wondered in and sat herself down on the counter. They had been chatting idly for a bit when out of nowhere she heard Rose make some vague threat. She knew exactly what was going on.

Turning her attention from the snickerdoodles she'd been pulling out of the oven, she removed the oven mitt from her hand and threw it at her brother, a warning glare on her face. When he suddenly attacked Rose and the two tore out of the room, Lily rose from her spot on the floor behind the counter. "Wait, hey!" She called after them, her brow furrowed. What on Earth...? She set the hot pan on the counter, unaware she had company as she shut the oven and took off the oven mitts.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot scanned some of the many bookshelves as Ren continued the tour. Maybe he could read some of the books Lily had recommended while he was here. He paused when Ren started talking again, confused as he was herded back a few steps into a corner. Clueless?? "What are you-"El trailed off as Ren slunk away with a wink, confusion giving away with a dawning realization as he looked over to when Ren had disappeared to.
He couldn't repress the urge to tuck himself into the corner more as Ren spoke with Rose. He couldn't exactly say he was pleased to see her, a feeling that doubled as he watched her tear after Ren with a fierceness he quietly hoped never had reason to be directed at him.

But if Rose was here then... Elliot still couldn't really believe it, all the books, the reading nooks, his dad's librarian friend, Rose. He knew New Zealand was small but this was a little ridiculous. Hearing Lily's voice finally startled El back into reality. He edged out of the corner slowly, the threat of Rose not totally forgotten as he stepped carefully into the kitchen. "Hey, Lils," he said, unable to repress his smile.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily shook her head at her siblings' antics. She didn't know what in the world had gotten into her brother. She started going over the treats she'd already done when a familiar voice broke her concentration. She stood frozen in the kitchen for a moment. There was no way... She had just started to turn when her father's voice rang out in the kitchen. "Lillian!" She jumped, falling back a little as he swept into the kitchen. "Darling, look at all these treats! You've really outdone yourself." He dropped down to hug her before stepping back.

"Sweetness, this is Mr. Briar. I see you've met his son?" Her father smiled widely and Lily just nodded, twirling her hair around her finger as she looked to the strange man in her kitchen. "Y-yes, hello," She stuttered, blushing like mad. "Um, P-papa, you see, um, I-I already- wait that's hot!" She hurried to stop her father as he tried to pick up a snickerdoodle. He yelped and pulled his hand back. Lily grabbed his hand and checked his fingers. "You didn't burn yourself this time, but Papa, what have I told you about grabbing them straight from the pan?" She scolded, looking up with stern eyes.

Corbin chuckled. "I know, I'm sorry Lillian. What were you saying before I acted so rashly?" Lily shook her head, suddenly playing with her fathers' fingers. "A-ah, Papa, it's just, ah, it's El." She glanced up at him from under her lashes. The man laughed loudly before turning to the boy. "Well, I've heard much more about the young master Briar than I thought. It's a pleasure to meet you again, son." He grinned broadly as Lily ducked behind his leg, glancing out at her friend with a shy smile.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot didn’t have a chance to run over to Lily before both their parents had entered the kitchen. He had to agree with Mr Lockwood though, Lily seemed to have covered just about every available surface with baked goods and the kitchen smelt amazing.

He watched his dad greet Lily, crouching down a bit to offer to shake her hand before he straightened up and traded glances with Elliot. Elliot shrugged in response to his dad’s unspoken question. Dad clearly didn’t know as much about Lily as Lily’s dad knew about him, but that was only because his Dad never seemed to really want to talk to Hogwarts that much. Elliot wondered if his Dad even knew his friend had magical kids either. His dad must have been having similar thoughts because he cleared his throat before speaking to Mr Lockwood. “So, Lillian and El go to school together?”

Elliot offered Lily's dad a little nod and a quiet "Thank you for having us, Mr Lockwood," before answering his dad, "Lily and I are in the same house. She's-" he gave Lily a small smile around her dad's legs "-She's my best friend." He watched his dad's eyebrows raise with a soft "Ah. That's good, then."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily blushed when El called her her best friend, burying her face in her dad's legs for a moment. Then she heard it- her siblings were coming back. "Oh!" She gasped softly, hurrying out from behind her dad. She grabbed a basket of mix and matched treats off the counter before hurrying to Elliot. "It was lovely meeting you but we really should let you get back to your business. Bye!" She managed cheerily before grabbing El'd hand in hers and trying to drag him with her out of the kitchen and back upstairs. "Come on, I'll show you my room," she told him with a smile. They needed to move before Rose got back.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot only had a few moments to digest the look on his dad's face before Lily dragged them both from the room. Maybe he and his dad could actually talk about it later. For now, he kept a tight grip as Lily lead them through the house. If their sudden departure meant what he thought it did, he was glad for the urgency, he wasn't sure he fancied facing down Rose on her own turf.

He had to pause at the top of the stairs, catching his breath and feeling a little giddy as the ridiculousness of the whole situation caught up with him. He caught Lily's eye, grinning. "I can't believe your dad is my dad's- this is your house- I-" he giggled. This had suddenly gotten a whole lot better.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily let out a sigh of relief when they hit the top of the stairs without any sign of pursuit. She turned to El as he spoke and couldn't help but giggle with him. "I know, right? I had no idea," She giggled again. "I suppose librarians are more popular than I thought. Come on," She hummed as she walked down the hall to her room. She flipped on the light as she went inside, moving to set the treats on the nightstand and picking up the sunflower pins. She fastened them back in her hair and turned to Elliot. "So, do you like my house?" She asked with a sly smile. Ren was too clever for his own good sometimes.

 

[Elliot Briar]

El followed Lily the rest of the way to her room, still giggling a bit behind his hand. He watched her put the hairpins he'd gotten her back on and ducked his head, turning instead to investigate some of the many books in the room. "Your house is great," he said over his shoulder as he traced some of the book titles. "Though I think I like it a lot better now that I know you're here too." Elliot knew his smile was a little cheesy, but he really was relieved that of the places his dad could have dragged him to, it was Lily's house. "Do you think we could just hide out here until school starts again?" He said, dropping down onto a pile of pillows. Rose was going find out he was here eventually, but maybe they could curl up with some books and put off the inevitable for a few hours.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled as El suggested they hide out here. "Sure.Here, I'll make you a bed. Papa said you and your dad were staying here, but since it's you I won't make you sleep in Rens room." She knelt down and reached for the blankets under her bed. Before she could grab them, though, there was a knock on her door. Startled, she hopped up and wondered over. Lily peeked out to find her brother standing there, soaking wet. "Ren!" She opened the door and dragged him inside. "What on Earth happened?"

 

[Ren Lockwood]

Ren waited impatiently for Lily to open her door, allowing her to pull him in once she had. "Rose found the garden hose," he replied cheerily. "But dad's got her helping him with something or the other so Mr. Briar remains undetected for now." He winked at El just before Lily draped a towel over his head. He reached up and started to dry his hair. "I can keep her off your tails for a few days." He grinned at his older sister.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot resettled himself on the pillows as Lily talked about sleeping arrangements. He'd never really done what you could call a proper sleepover before. He and his mom sometimes would camp out in their living room together and he had some vague memories of being jammed on a pull-out couch with one of his cousins before, but none of that was how he imagined real sleepovers with your friends were like.

He sat up a bit straighter at the knock on the door, but relaxed when it was just Ren. "I think we seriously owe you one for.. all that, Ren," Elliot motioned to the small puddle that dripped off Ren. They'd definitely have to do something to say thanks for all the Rose-wrangling he'd done all ready. Elliot was glad Ren seemed to take after Lily more than Rose, he didn't think he could handle both of Lily's siblings apparently having it in for him. "What are our chances of convincing Rose to like me while I'm here, you think?" he asked, pulling another pillow into his lap and propping his elbows on it while he thought. Surely after spending a few days with him she'd have to calm down eventually..

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily shook her head, her hands on her hips. "No, it's alright. I'll handle it." She sighed. Rose had the best intentions, but she was a bit dramatic. She went over to her dresser, pulling out one of Ren's sweaters. "Here, I fixed that little tear in the seam." She snatched the towel off his head and pulled his wet shirt off. She quickly ran the towel over his torso before tossing his hoodie at him. "Now go change your pants, you're getting my carpet wet." She scolded, placing the wet shirt in her laundry basket. "If you really want to please Rose," She started talking to Elliot, "Then I might have just the thing." She began to mull it over as she returned to setting up El's bed.