three marek, the man out of place

✧

HOSPITALS, ELENA NELSON HAD COME TO LEARN, WERE FILLED WITH SILENCE AND THEN IN A SPLIT SECOND A CACOPHONOUS CHAOS. In the moments of silence, there were beatings from monitors, shuffling around the private room, and the news commentary from the radio. All of it was easy to tune out, white noise while she held the hand of her mother. Daisy Nelson – the tornado – asleep as her chest rose and fell, tubes in her arms and her nose, while Elena sat beside her.

         She was sure she emitted a smell, and her hair was far too greasy and a bit knotted, the makeup she applied the day before ruined leaving her face a mess, and her clothes feeling all too old and dirty. A sight to see, she remained faithfully by her mother's side, unbothered by the world around her until a knock came and the door slid upon.

         "Good evening, Miss Nelson," the old nurse, with grey tips and brunette ends greeted her.

         She blinked, "Is it really that late?"

         Glancing at her watch, she let out a soft groan, realizing that she spent yet another day by her mother without even realizing that so much time had passed – or the fact that she hadn't eaten anything since she arrived that morning, something her stomach sought to remind her now.

         The nurse smiled softly, if a bit sympathetically, a bit of concern bleeding through. "Yes, and visiting hours are ending, so I'm sorry but I have to ask you to leave."

         "Not a problem," Elena smiled back at her, a bit forced because leaving her mother was the last thing she wanted to do, knowing what a frail state the woman was in. Still, she stretched her limbs, standing up from her chair, noticing the considerable amount of pain gathering in her lower back, groaning again. "Those chairs are not made to be sat in all day."

         "No, they aren't," the nurse agreed, chuckling.

         Elena looked down at her mother, caressing the woman's hand with her own before leaving a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow, mum, love you."

         Without wasting another moment, she passed by the nurse out the door, slithering around the hospital until she was outside. Beginning her walk home, she got about halfway there before remembering that the state of her fridge was lacking quite a lot, all the produce having gone bad and the leftovers from old meals having already been eaten.

         Setting off on another course, she got to an old café she frequented quite a bit, taking a seat at the counter, ordering her meal before looking around at the other customers. Some of them she recognized, like Old Man Tom who came every Wednesday and Friday nights, along with every Sunday brunch. The Johnsons were sitting in the corner, as they always did, but the other faces were quite unfamiliar.

         In particular, there was another man at the counter, who looked a bit too confused at the menu and out of place in general. While there was a chill, the coat he was wearing was too long, almost like a robe, and he had a pouch on the table. Now, that – that was more than enough to grab her attention.

         "You a tourist or something?" she asked, alerting the man of her presence. She watched him startle in his seat, blinking at her as if she caught him in the most devious of acts, before he cleared his throat.

         "Or something," he responded, his voice, but undeniably British. It was quite deep, which she guessed went with his image of dark and mysterious.

         She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, thought you were American. Well, silly me, it just seemed like you didn't recognize much on the menu."

         If she trained her eyes on his cheeks enough, she thought she could feel a faint blush on them. "I don't recognize anything."

         Well.

         That...that was interesting. Everything about the man was interesting, and she was quite intrigued to learn more. Maybe it was him, solely him, or fate, or maybe it was the fact that her mother was in the hospital and she needed a hefty distraction, but something compelled her to move and sit beside him.

         "Lucky for you, I love this place, and am an expert at their menu," she gave him a grin, "I'm Elena."

         "Marek," he returned, but hesitated in his delivery. It was almost like he was deciding whether or not to tell her, and she wondered for a moment if he even gave her his real name, because it wasn't like Marek was something she had heard before. Really, if he wanted to lie to her, she would expect a John or an Edward.

         "I've never met anyone named Marek before," she told him, because it felt right. Or, better yet, she wanted to see if he would stumble and would catch him in a lie.

         But the man just shrugged, saying back, "I've never met anyone named Elena before."

         Oh.

         Well, that was unexpected.

         "Elena isn't the most popular name, but I've met others. How haven't you?" she couldn't help but wonder, and maybe she was being a bit too annoying for him, but he just gave her a small smile.

         "No one has that name where I'm from," he said simply.

         "Huh," she eyed him, more curious than suspicious, waiting a moment to see if he would do anything before turning back to the menu, "Well, I recommend this, it's what I always get..."

✧

         "YOU'RE OVERREACTING," MADDOX deadpanned, looking straight into Joanna's eyes without flinching.

         Joanna, however, reeled back a bit, scoffing at her before looking over at her wife. "Can you believe her? Me, overreacting? I think I have the right to make sure that you have absolutely everything you need before you go back to Hogwarts – and that is not overreacting?"

         "Well, now you're just being dramatic," Maddox pointed out, getting up from the stool and going over to the garbage pin, throwing away the carcass of her apple.

         "Oh, don't you call me dramatic!"

         "Darling, you are being a little bit over the top," Natalia said cautiously, sweeter than how Maddox would have phrased it, but she just shrugged that thought off. "I'm sure Maddox has all the supplies she needs, we went shopping just a few days ago for them."

         Natalia walked over to her wife, attempting to gather Joanna in her arms, but Joanna shoved her away before creating space between them. "Don't attempt to coddle me after calling me a drama queen."

         "I did no such thing!"

         "I did," Maddox interjected.

         "How can you think that I'm being a little bit over the top? I am being completely reasonable!" Joanna exclaimed.

         "Of course, darling," Natalia attempted to smooth things over, "Now, can you come here, I want a hug."

         Joanna lifted her head up, miffed as she pouted her lip out. "No, only good wives who agree with me get hugs. You'll just have to suffer."

         "Joanna!" Natalia called after her, chasing her into the bedroom, "I'm sorry, you are being completely reasonable!"

         Maddox shook her head at the display, but a small smile still crept on her face on seeing how Joanna had Natalia wrapped around her finger. It was mutual, but still, it was entertaining to see. She went out the front door, skipping across the street, knocking on the door to Fletcher's house.

         The boy swung open the door, but didn't seem surprised to see her as he made space for her to enter without greeting her. "Well, hello to you too, Fletch."

         He rolled his eyes, leading her upstairs to his room. "Like you need me to greet you."

         "It's still nice," she shrugged, flinging herself onto his bed without wasting a minute when they got inside. "You need more pillows."

         "You have too many," he snipped in return, "I have enough for me to sleep comfortably at night, not enough that I can't even get into my fucking bed."

         "You have two."

         "And you have two-hundred, what's your point?" Fletcher fired back, "Two is all I need when I sleep, so why waste money buying more?"

         "To make you bed look nicer?"

         "Who am I trying to impress? And who gets impressed by a fucking bed?" he questioned her logic.

         She shrugged. "I don't know. What if you go on a date and then bring them back here?"

         "Yeah, so my mum can meet them? No, thanks," he snorted, shaking off the thought without considering it further.

         Maddox huffed at that. "I'm just saying, your bed would look nicer with some more pillows."

         "And I'm saying that I don't care," he replied, "Why are you here anyway. I mean, aren't you leaving today?"

         "Tomorrow," she corrected, "And come on, like I'd leave without saying goodbye to you. You're my friend, Fletch."

         "Well, I'm honored that you care so much about me to take over my bed without asking and then complain about the lack of pillows right before you leave," he deadpanned.

         "You should be," she nodded back, quite seriously, "But that's not the only reason I'm here."

         He huffed. "Of course not."

         "Don't do that, it's rude."

         "How terrible of me."

         "It is. You should be sorry."

         "But I'm not. So, continue. What did you have to tell me?" he asked.

         "Oh, right," she blinked, "I started her journal. Finally had the courage."

         "That's great! What does it say?" he asked, leaning forward, and the excitement in his eyes for her made she smile back a little.

         "Why would I tell you?" she teased, because she couldn't resist doing that.

         "For the love of God, you torture me for years saying that you wanna find your dad, get her hands on your birth mum's journal, don't read it for a week after finding it, and now you won't tell me? Haven't I suffered enough?"

         "You haven't suffered at all, drama queen," she rolled her eyes, "But fine. I'll tell you. They met at a café, when my grandma was in the hospital."

         "How romantic," Fletcher dryly commented. She threw a pillow at him, causing him to help. "Oi, don't do that!"

         "Then don't be rude. These are my birth parents we're talking about here," she reminded him, "His name is Marek!"

         He frowned. "That's an odd name."

         "I've heard weirder," she shrugged, "People at my school have all kinda weird names like that."

         "Oh, like Maddox," he teased, laughing at himself. She threw the other pillow at him. "Ha, you're out of pillows now!"

         "I'll just get something else to throw, so don't test me," she warned him, "And, for your information, Maddox is not a weird name – it's a beautifully unique one, if I do say so myself."

         "That's your opinion, Dean."

         "Dean-Valance, arsehole," she grumbled, "I haven't really gotten past the first entry, but I'll send you letters with updates from time to time."

         "Good. I wanna see this to the end."

         She grinned at him, "Well, aren't you just the greatest friend a girl could ask for?"

         He shrugged, an amused smile on his face, "I try."

✧

         JOANNA HAD ALWAYS been a tight hugger, constricting your lungs and sucking all the breath out of them, and then holding you until you were on the verge of passing out. Maddox always felt like she was on the verge of death with those hugs, but she wouldn't trade them for the world, especially with how the tears were gathering in her eyes as she tried not to make a scene.

         Though it had been years since Maddox started at Hogwarts – five, to be exact – Joanna Dean-Valance still got a bit misty-eyed. Natalia did too, but she was much better at hiding it, almost with a bit more emotional control and repression, not that they ever talked about that fact. Some things were better left unsaid.

         "I'm gonna miss you two," Joanna managed to get out as she go before crushing Foster into the same touch-of-death hug.

         "We'll miss you too, mum," Maddox and Foster chorused, twin smiles on their faces because despite the sadness of leaving their parents, there was the excitement of seeing their friends again and being back at Hogwarts.

         Hogwarts wasn't exactly a home away from home, but it was a place she felt...safe. Perhaps she shouldn't, because the past few years have had instances that were anything but safe, but the walls were old and she knew the corridors well, and that knowledge made her feel safe. Nothing was unexpected, nothing was new. No, Hogwarts stood the same as it always did, and that familiarity comforted her.

         So it wasn't home, but she liked it all the same, and it gave her the freedom to not just learn new magic but to employ it, causing the right amount of mischief.

         "Now, if you need anything, just mail us and we'll send it to you right away," Joanna assured them.

         "We know," Maddox nodded, "And we will, don't worry."

         "You can't just say that, you know I worry. You telling me that won't stop," Joanna scoffed.

         Natalia took Joanna's hand in her own. "They'll be fine, darling, and if they aren't the staff will be there for them. So will we."

         Joanna melted a little, shoulders relaxing at the comforting voice of her wife. "Yeah, yeah," she waved it away.

         "You two be alright now, you hear me? Take care of yourselves and each other," Natalia told them, locking eyes with them both until the nodded and promised her. "Good, family always takes care of each other, remember that."

         "We know, ma," Maddox confirmed, "We gotta go now, love you guys!"

         "Love you!" Foster said in agreement, and the two women yelled back their own love but the kids were gone.

         They boarded the twin, and Foster squeezed her hand quickly. "See you at the feast, yeah?"

         "Always," she promised, and they went their separate ways, Maddox going closer to the front while Foster migrated to the back. She looked into the carts to find Zenia, seeing as the girl always boarded earlier, her parents never wanting her to be late.

         Eventually, close to the front, she found her friend, and opened the door before shuffling inside. "Maddox!" Zenia stood up, grappling her into a hug that she met with the same intensity. "I haven't see you in so long!"

         "We saw each other two weeks ago," Maddox pointed out, "But I missed you too!"

         "Good, because I was miserable without you. Well, not miserable, and it wasn't exactly because you weren't there, it's just my parents can be so overbearing, you know. I'm so glad to be back at Hogwarts," Zenia complaired.

         "We're not there yet."

         "But we will be soon, and that's what matters. I don't think I could handle another day in that house."

         Maddox shrugged, always unsure as to what to say in these situations. Zenia's home life was much different than her own, and she couldn't imagine counting down the days until school started just so she could get away from her parents.

         "I saw the Weasleys earlier, too," Zenia said.

         "Well, I'm not surprised, seeing as like five of their kids are in school here," Maddox blinked.

         Zenia shot her a look. "I saw George earlier."

         "Ah," Maddox nodded, understanding the statement more. It wasn't a secret that Zenia had been crushing on George Weasley since the moment she saw him their first year, which just so happened to be their first night, when Fred and George sat in the same boat as her.

         Well, it was a secret, she supposed, because no one else was supposed to know about said crush. But Maddox was her best friend, and that meant she had privileges, including knowing that Zenia scribbled George and Zenia Weasley in the margins of her notes along with G+Z enclosed in a heart.

         "Still don't know why you have a thing for redheads."

         "Mads, you're a readhead," Zenia pointed out.

         "Yeah, but it's different. I'm a redheaded woman, we always look good, but guys...sometimes you can get a winner."

         "And George is a winner," Zenia said defensively. Maddox shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. None of the Weasleys were particularly attractive to her, not that she would tell Zenia besides just general teasing about her crush.

         Zenia rolled her eyes, but other than that didn't say anything else about that specific topic. "You're gonna help me, right?"

         "Hmm?"

         "To get with George. You told me during exams last year that you'd help me get a date with him this year, remember?"

         She absolutely did not remember promising anything like that last year, but it wasn't like she had the best track record of remembering things. And it wasn't like she was going to tell Zenia that she didn't remember, because that would just be plain rude and it wasn't like she wouldn't do that.

         The Weasley twins were nice, and every once in a while, they helped each other when running away from Filch. So, they weren't the worst sort, and George seemed sweet enough for Zenia. If it didn't end up working out, there wouldn't be any problems for her, but it would be nice for Zenia.

         "Of course I didn't forget," she lied, rolling her eyes as if she was offended Zenia would even suggest such a thing, "And of course I'll help you. You're my friend, Zen."

         Zenia brightened with that promise, smiling widely as her eyes twinkled. "Great! I can already feel it – this year is going to be great!"

         Maddox laughed a little at the statement, didn't do anything to dissuade her friend. It wasn't like she would see the future to disagree with her, and, what the hell, why not have a bit of faith that it was going to be a great year? Number five and she was feeling fine, with Zenia across from her and Elena's journal in her bag, she had high hopes for what lay ahead.