(no subject)
Title: Keeping Company
Author:
laundrylove
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: 012. History
Word Count: 1,013
Summary: It's always nothing but boring at Miss Bathilda's house without Gellert there. Lucky for Ariana, he shows up very soon.
Warnings: none!
“In eighteen hundred… oh, I forget, many years ago, anyway-Vlad had gone to fight against the vampires. Bloodthirsty creatures, I’m sure your brother has told you. He stayed there fighting them for months on end; I could hardly wait for his return…”
Ariana sighed very softly and took a sip of tea. It scalded her lips, and she set it down quickly. Miss Bathilda had been going on for ages-she was not going to be talking to Abe when she finally got home, that was for sure. Why had he made her come over here? It was boring, and boring was no fun at all. He had told her it was because Miss Bathilda’s husband (who might’ve been the Vlad she was currently talking about) had died so long ago, and she was lonely. But how could she be lonely? Gellert lived here too. She gave another, slightly petulant, sigh, and wished that Gellert was here right now instead of out with Al.
“And then after the vampires, well, Vlad had to have something to do, you know, so he decided to go and study the goblins, and they hate being studied-makes them feel attacked, I believe… anyway, that’s why they decided to burn him at the stake…”
Ariana coughed quietly. The many candles that inhabited Miss Bathilda’s house did nothing for her still slightly-stuffy nose, and she raised her sleeve to wipe it.
“Oh, no, no, no, lovely! Use a handkerchief!” Ariana jumped slightly as a smooth square of fabric waved in front of her face. She took it and dabbed at her nose, which had been running for several days, with a soft “Thank you.”
“No trouble at all, dear,” Miss Bathilda replied cheerfully.
“Tea?” she asked, setting down her empty cup on the table between them. A woeful look appeared on Miss Bathilda’s face.
“Oh, we’re out of tea! How could I have not noticed? Don’t you worry, lovely, I’ll make us some more.”
“Help,” Ariana said, making to stand up. The older woman gently pressed her shoulder and sat her back down with a few motherly clucks. She patted her head where the wind had turned her locks to tangled curls and smiled- Ariana decided that she liked it much better when Gellert did it.
“Oh, no, no, dear, that’s quite all right. You just stay here for a while. I’ll be right back.” Tutting quietly under her breath, she swept into the kitchen. Ariana waited until then to let distaste blossom over her face-why was she never allowed to help Miss Bathilda? Even Al had her fold laundry almost every day; she was perfectly capable. Why did Miss Bathilda always treat her like she was so delicate, and have her simply sit here, drinking warm, too-sweet tea, listening to her life’s history? It wasn’t fair.
Scowling, Ariana leaned back in her chair. She could hear the hiss of a kettle in the kitchen, and picked absently at a hole in her dress. It had been there for ages, right on her hip- if she looked carefully enough, she could see the pale tone of her skin underneath.
Just as she resolved to ask Al to mend it with his wand when she got home, there was a great bang behind her and a sudden rush of cold air. She whipped around just as a familiar voice called, “Auntie?”
“Gellert!” She stood up and saw Geller standing just inside the doorway, peeling off his cloak. His blond hair was dripping from the rain she could hear pounding down outside, and he smiled when he saw her. Her stomach got an odd fluttery feeling in it, and she pressed a hand there.
“Hello Ariana. You’ve come to visit my aunt, yes?” Ariana nodded and sat back down in her chair as Gellert drew closer- Miss Bathilda, unnaturally deaf as she was, could be heard humming softly in the kitchen, having not noticed her nephew come inside. Gellert reclined on the sofa beside her chair, and pushed out his hands so that they were as near to the fire burning in the grate as possible without him having to move.
“I do hope,” he said to her, “that she has not been boring you too much. She’s a nice woman, I do admit, but her stories leave much to be desired.” Ariana shook her head, smiling.
“Nice.”
“I should hope so.” They were quiet for a few moments. Gellert drew his hands back and glanced at his aunt’s form in the kitchen. He leaned towards her conspiratorially, and said in a half-whisper, “I wonder how long it shall take her to realise I am here. Perhaps she really has gone batty.” Ariana pressed a hand to her mouth and giggled. Gellert was very funny, she decided. Abe always told her not to call Miss Bathilda batty, like Al did.
“Ariana!” the older woman sang, and Gellert drew back onto the sofa, winking at her. She gave him a small smile. “I have the tea, dear.” Miss Bathilda bustled into the room, not sparing Gellert a glance. His eyebrows rose, and he barely moved. Ariana took the dainty teacup handed to her.
“Thank you.”
“Hello, Auntie!” Gellert said suddenly, a cheerful smile on his face. Miss Bathilda gasped and turned around, her hands covering her mouth. Ariana knew she shouldn’t find it funny, but she couldn’t help laughing at the look on the woman’s face.
“Gellert!” Miss Bathilda scolded, her breathing heavy, “how could you scare your poor Auntie like that? Honestly!”
“I didn’t mean it, Auntie,” he comforted, leaning back into the soft cushions of the sofa. “Please don’t be angry. You didn’t hear me enter. I apologize.”
Miss Bathilda shook her head and took her seat across from Ariana once more. “He’s a very naughty boy, sometimes,” she told her-Ariana nodded solemnly. Gellert grinned. “Now, where was I before all of these interruptions? Ah, yes, when Vlad was almost burnt at the stake. You see, lovely, there was a goblin named Fortitude…”
As she dropped back into her habit of long, rambling stories, Ariana decided that she didn’t mind listening to the woman’s life history-so long as Gellert was there too, after all.
Author:
laundrylove
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 100.1
Prompt: 012. History
Word Count: 1,013
Summary: It's always nothing but boring at Miss Bathilda's house without Gellert there. Lucky for Ariana, he shows up very soon.
Warnings: none!
“In eighteen hundred… oh, I forget, many years ago, anyway-Vlad had gone to fight against the vampires. Bloodthirsty creatures, I’m sure your brother has told you. He stayed there fighting them for months on end; I could hardly wait for his return…”
Ariana sighed very softly and took a sip of tea. It scalded her lips, and she set it down quickly. Miss Bathilda had been going on for ages-she was not going to be talking to Abe when she finally got home, that was for sure. Why had he made her come over here? It was boring, and boring was no fun at all. He had told her it was because Miss Bathilda’s husband (who might’ve been the Vlad she was currently talking about) had died so long ago, and she was lonely. But how could she be lonely? Gellert lived here too. She gave another, slightly petulant, sigh, and wished that Gellert was here right now instead of out with Al.
“And then after the vampires, well, Vlad had to have something to do, you know, so he decided to go and study the goblins, and they hate being studied-makes them feel attacked, I believe… anyway, that’s why they decided to burn him at the stake…”
Ariana coughed quietly. The many candles that inhabited Miss Bathilda’s house did nothing for her still slightly-stuffy nose, and she raised her sleeve to wipe it.
“Oh, no, no, no, lovely! Use a handkerchief!” Ariana jumped slightly as a smooth square of fabric waved in front of her face. She took it and dabbed at her nose, which had been running for several days, with a soft “Thank you.”
“No trouble at all, dear,” Miss Bathilda replied cheerfully.
“Tea?” she asked, setting down her empty cup on the table between them. A woeful look appeared on Miss Bathilda’s face.
“Oh, we’re out of tea! How could I have not noticed? Don’t you worry, lovely, I’ll make us some more.”
“Help,” Ariana said, making to stand up. The older woman gently pressed her shoulder and sat her back down with a few motherly clucks. She patted her head where the wind had turned her locks to tangled curls and smiled- Ariana decided that she liked it much better when Gellert did it.
“Oh, no, no, dear, that’s quite all right. You just stay here for a while. I’ll be right back.” Tutting quietly under her breath, she swept into the kitchen. Ariana waited until then to let distaste blossom over her face-why was she never allowed to help Miss Bathilda? Even Al had her fold laundry almost every day; she was perfectly capable. Why did Miss Bathilda always treat her like she was so delicate, and have her simply sit here, drinking warm, too-sweet tea, listening to her life’s history? It wasn’t fair.
Scowling, Ariana leaned back in her chair. She could hear the hiss of a kettle in the kitchen, and picked absently at a hole in her dress. It had been there for ages, right on her hip- if she looked carefully enough, she could see the pale tone of her skin underneath.
Just as she resolved to ask Al to mend it with his wand when she got home, there was a great bang behind her and a sudden rush of cold air. She whipped around just as a familiar voice called, “Auntie?”
“Gellert!” She stood up and saw Geller standing just inside the doorway, peeling off his cloak. His blond hair was dripping from the rain she could hear pounding down outside, and he smiled when he saw her. Her stomach got an odd fluttery feeling in it, and she pressed a hand there.
“Hello Ariana. You’ve come to visit my aunt, yes?” Ariana nodded and sat back down in her chair as Gellert drew closer- Miss Bathilda, unnaturally deaf as she was, could be heard humming softly in the kitchen, having not noticed her nephew come inside. Gellert reclined on the sofa beside her chair, and pushed out his hands so that they were as near to the fire burning in the grate as possible without him having to move.
“I do hope,” he said to her, “that she has not been boring you too much. She’s a nice woman, I do admit, but her stories leave much to be desired.” Ariana shook her head, smiling.
“Nice.”
“I should hope so.” They were quiet for a few moments. Gellert drew his hands back and glanced at his aunt’s form in the kitchen. He leaned towards her conspiratorially, and said in a half-whisper, “I wonder how long it shall take her to realise I am here. Perhaps she really has gone batty.” Ariana pressed a hand to her mouth and giggled. Gellert was very funny, she decided. Abe always told her not to call Miss Bathilda batty, like Al did.
“Ariana!” the older woman sang, and Gellert drew back onto the sofa, winking at her. She gave him a small smile. “I have the tea, dear.” Miss Bathilda bustled into the room, not sparing Gellert a glance. His eyebrows rose, and he barely moved. Ariana took the dainty teacup handed to her.
“Thank you.”
“Hello, Auntie!” Gellert said suddenly, a cheerful smile on his face. Miss Bathilda gasped and turned around, her hands covering her mouth. Ariana knew she shouldn’t find it funny, but she couldn’t help laughing at the look on the woman’s face.
“Gellert!” Miss Bathilda scolded, her breathing heavy, “how could you scare your poor Auntie like that? Honestly!”
“I didn’t mean it, Auntie,” he comforted, leaning back into the soft cushions of the sofa. “Please don’t be angry. You didn’t hear me enter. I apologize.”
Miss Bathilda shook her head and took her seat across from Ariana once more. “He’s a very naughty boy, sometimes,” she told her-Ariana nodded solemnly. Gellert grinned. “Now, where was I before all of these interruptions? Ah, yes, when Vlad was almost burnt at the stake. You see, lovely, there was a goblin named Fortitude…”
As she dropped back into her habit of long, rambling stories, Ariana decided that she didn’t mind listening to the woman’s life history-so long as Gellert was there too, after all.