A Bitter Lemon PV Anastasia Beckett Closed

@Eyre Reeves

Something stirred Ana from her light sleep. She was so beyond sick of the hospital wing. Her head and ribs were mostly not sore anymore and her burns were long gone. Sure, she had issues staying awake for more than two hours straight, but she was convinced that was because of her interrupted sleep on the lumpy mattress, not her concussion. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw a nurse's retreating figure. Something dragged across the floor and her eyes darted to figure out the source of the sound. She smiled sleepily when she saw it was Eyre. She supposed she ought to be at least a little salty that he hadn't visited sooner, but given that he had been smart enough to avoid the illegal ball, he probably hadn't known that she was actually in the hospital until recently.

"Oh, shush, I'm awake," she said, a yawn interrupting her before the last word. Her voice sounded more raspy than normal but far better than it had when she had first come to. "I am very much and highly awake." She closed her eyes again, trying to catch the last bits of sleep before opening them and scooting up on her pillow so that she was somewhat sitting up.

"Did I hear shortbread?" she said more energetically, peering at her friend as though it would make the treats appear. He set the package on the table, and she made a mental note to hide the coffee cups before the nurse came back around, since she wasn't in the mood to get scolded for that again. "Oh, before I forget, they don't actually know about this. Not sure why, considering I was apparently unconscious for like 64 hours straight or something, but they don't know, so try to avoid mentioning it." Her thoughts were still a little disjointed, as evidenced by her unusually unfiltered speech, but she was still waking up.

She supposed she ought to feel sad that her parents didn't know something like this, but if anything, she was relieved. It meant she didn't have to get into explaining her attendance of a very much against the rules event, and subsequent brawling and attacking random flying monsters. Definitely not something she felt like having to defend to them.

"Oh, please, we both know I can make anything look good," she said with a laugh and a gesture towards her baggy hospital gown. Despite the joviality in both of their tones, there was an unspoken acknowledgment that this was far more serious than any of the silly little scrapes she had gotten into as a child. There was no way around it - she could have (and likely should have) died. She had been lucky, but that didn't change the fact that she had gotten herself in over her head. "What the hell are people even saying? As you can see, I've been otherwise occupied, so for once, you know more about that than I."

Leaning over, she grabbed the package off the table and fiddled with it for a few moments before getting it to open. Popping a cookie in her mouth in a very unladylike manner, she looked back at Eyre expectantly awaiting an answer. "God, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. Possibly because I was in like a bajillion other countries for most of the past year, but still," she said after she swallowed the cookie. She felt mildly bad that she had missed so much of Eyre's first year, especially his sorting into Gryffindor, but she had done her best to make up for it by writing him nearly constantly while she was traveling and sending him all sorts of absurd souvenirs from the places the Becketts visited.

Interacting with @Anastasia Beckett

"They're saying that you lit a bunch of stuff on fire, and punched a girl in the face... and flipendoed a few people... and that everyone watched you burn to a crisp."

He could feel himself becoming pale with each word. To think that something that horrifically traumatic had happened to her not that long ago, and here she was, sitting there eating a cookie as if everything was alright. Eyre was grateful that he wasn't there to see that. Just recalling what people had said to him and warned him about before he came was enough to make him sick. "Nothing too horribly inaccurate, I don't think..." He said, trailing off a bit as he was lost in the thought of his friend standing there in her beautiful dress, being engulfed in flames.

He snapped out of it as soon as she mentioned how little they've seen of each other, making him nod in agreement. It was unfortunate, their limited time together. They made plans the year before he came to do all sorts of stuff, but it all fell through. Perhaps that was the bane of getting older.

"It's alright. We got together for our birthdays, at least." He said with a grin. It was a 'sacred' tradition between the two of them, one that they had since they were kids. "We have the rest of the school year and summer holiday to make up for lost time, don't even worry about it." His hand came up to rest on the edge of her mattress reassuringly. The more that he sat with her pondering the time that they'd lost, the more he realized how much he missed having her around.

"...I did miss you, though. I'm sorry that I couldn't have come sooner." His voice was soft and genuine. He wasn't one to cut corners about how he was feeling with friends. "On Monday, Dad had the audacity to write me the most stupid shit you could think of, and I didn't really want to be a mood-killer when you were trying to get better." He didn't curse that often, but when he did, it meant that whatever it was probably seriously pissed him off. It still did, but he wanted to hold back on blabbering about it in case Ana really wasn't in the mood.

@Eyre Reeves

Ana arched an eyebrow as Eyre told her what he'd heard. It wasn't entirely accurate, but the general gist of events was correct. "I mean, that's fairly close to what happened," she said. "I mean, it was a boy I punched. It was pretty spectacular too, he went right down." She had opted to focus on the punching as opposed to what had actually put her in the hospital since it was somewhat within the range of normal party events and even somewhat normal Ana behavior.

Most of the time, something crazy happened at parties, whether it was an adult having too much to drink or a scuffle, and while Ana generally opted for less physical means of harming people, she had gotten into a fair amount of fights, so her punching someone wasn't completely unheard of. Not like her combusting and almost dying.

She smiled at the mention of celebrating their birthdays. Even with her parents' insane travels and everything that had happened throughout both of their childhoods, they had managed to celebrate every birthday together for as long as she could remember. She couldn't even imagine not doing something together at this point. That would be like not having cake or presents. "Solid point. So tell me, have I missed anything exciting for you?" she said, hoping that the remaining school year would be slightly less exciting.

"Ah, yes, I'm quite missable, aren't I?" she joked, smiling slightly before hearing Eyre's next words. Her blood boiled at the mention of Eyre's parents. They were terrible in an entirely different way than Ana's, and in a way that hurt Eyre tremendously. Frankly, she wouldn't have minded his parents' borderline neglect and she doubted Eyre would particularly mind the constant hovering and micromanaging of hers, but both sets of parents seemed to manage to hurt them in the worst way for each of them as a person. "Good God, what did that fucker say?" Eyre's cursing may have been an unusual occurrence, but Ana's certainly wasn't. She had cursed at him several times within the first five minutes they had been acquainted, and cursed fairly regularly even now.

Interacting with @Anastasia Beckett

"Anything exciting?... I mean, I've been getting Os in all of the subjects that I care about. Other than that, you haven't missed much." He said. It had been, thankfully, a pretty relaxed school year. He loved being there at Hogwarts. One of the best parts of it was not having to fuss around with the boring monstrosity that was private tutoring anymore. It's not like he was a horrible student, but being confined to the sitting room in his house for hours on end doing Maths was basically torture. And not only that, but he had an abundance of new friends now. Real friends, not just the pureblood kids that he was forced to hang out with at social events.

Eyre wasn't surprised when he saw the expression from her face drift from fondness to complete fury at the sound of his parents. Ana hated them as much as Eyre hated her parents for constantly being at odds with her, as if she was some sort of creature that they needed to take control of. They just couldn't handle her, because she wasn't about to be submissive to anyone. Eyre wished that he was more like that. Hopefully, the letter he was holding in his journal was a push for him to start going in that direction

He opened his journal without another word, flipping to the page that held the stupid, stupid letter. He cleared his throat and assumed an almost perfect impersonation of his father, his back straightening and shoulders going backwards as he held the book like he was about to recite a poem.

"Dear Eyre," He began, his voice becoming unabashedly posh and insulting. His father always talked like that, like he was royalty or something, so he knew that Ana would find it hilariously accurate.(Eyre, too, used to sound like that, until Ana bullied him so hard about it when they were kids that he learned to tone it down. It's funny what peer pressure can do to a boy.)

"Your mother and I received your grades in the post the other day, and I have to say that I thoroughly expected you to do better than an E in your Charms, Transfiguration Defense Against the Dark Arts classes." Eyre read, rolling his eyes. "Need I remind you that if you aspire to be an Auror someday, which I don't, the Ministry will not be interested in any grades below an O." He stopped reading for a moment, poking at the next paragraph with his finger as to get Ana's attention. He was starting to get into the more juicy bits, now.

"Pay attention, because it gets good." He told her, before reassuming his persona. "To be frank with you, I'm disappointed that you have chosen to devote your time to Herbology. Need I remind you that as the heir to this family, aspiring to be a gardener or a groundskeeper is not the legacy that your mother and I have tried time and time again to prepare you for." He dramatically cooed out the part referring to his parent's so-called effort, grabbing onto his chest as if he were going to have a heart attack. He grinned darkly and snickered at the next part of the letter, as it was the part that made him the most furious.

"I suggest that you write Rhea a letter to ask for her guidance. As you know, your sister has been doing an exceptional job at her internship, so she might be able to give you a few pointers on cutting down on fun and hobbies in favor of productivity. I'm sure that once you start getting your head out of your comic books and stop focusing on nonsensical classes such as Herbology, you are bound to make at least some improvement." Although he was still being playful, it was clear that he was angry about it and trying to keep himself from losing his cool. "I'm looking forward to talking more in depth about this when you return home for the summer. Dad." He finished, looking up at Ana for her reaction. His mouth was curled in an angry smile, as he wasn't sure whether to be amused or outraged at how vapid the letter was. It still had that effect on him, even now when he thought he was over it.

"Isn't that the most hilariously insulting thing that you've ever heard? And after nearly an entire school year of not getting a single letter from them, no less." He said with an angry laugh. He shook his head, his face turning red as he bowed his head "...It made me so angry, Ana, you have no idea. I was practically shaking."

@Eyre Reeves

Ana grinned slightly as he said he was getting O's in the subjects he cared about. She got all O's, not because she was particularly passionate about anything other than flying, but because her parents had all but threatened her with disownment if her grades were anything but perfect. She didn't see why they cared, seeing as they just wanted her to marry young and be a socialite, not actually do anything where her grades would matter, but that wasn't a hill she was going to die on. While her plans of being a Quidditch player professionally didn't require her to have particularly good marks, it certainly didn't hurt, and her back up plan of becoming an Auror definitely benefited from perfect marks.

She was already ready to leap from her hospital bed and fight Eyre's parents. While hers made her put up walls and often made her blind with anger, they didn't hurt her half as often as Eyre's did. Occasionally, they would make her cry, but she was at peace with the fact that she was never going to be good enough for the most part. She could find happiness in other things and maybe not be completely dependant on her parents' approval. For Eyre, it was different. His parents, in Ana's opinion, neglected him to a level that warranted the intervention of the authorities and had made him cry far more times than she was okay with.

She scoffed slightly at his impression of his father as she listened intently, resolving not to interrupt. That didn't last past the first line. "Oh for fucks' sake, an E isn't bad. It stands for Excellent, not egregious," she protested. Granted, she would contemplate flinging herself off the Astronomy Tower if she got anything less than an O, but that didn't mean an E was anything that warranted a scolding. She stopped talking, trying to let Eyre finish. It lasted to the bit about being an Auror. While Ana had always been torn between being an Auror and being a Quidditch player, she knew that was never something Eyre had wanted. "Are you shitting me? Has he met you? Does he know that it's your bloody life, not a repetition of his own?" She fumed as she tried to let him finish.

She managed to keep her comments about his parents' commentary on his fondness for Herbology to herself. She didn't particularly like the subject, nor did she value it, but she wasn't about to let Eyre's parents make that call for Eyre. Her resolve to let him finish reading was once again broken at the mention of Rhea. She hated Rhea with a burning passion if for no other reason than she was the embodiment of everything Ana didn't want to be when she grew up. "Rhea's also an airheaded malicious reptilian little bitch, maybe she could give you tips on that as well," she said coolly. Her friend's tone was playful, but she could tell he was angered by these words.

"I mean, not that it helps, but the only people who think that Rhea is anything to remotely aspire to are your parents and Rhea," Ana offered. "My parents called her a self-important imbecile." Ana and her parents didn't agree on much, but they agreed that Rhea was nothing to aspire to. For different reasons, but still. "Tell you what, I'll trade you the daily letters on everything I'm doing wrong for an entire term without letters." Again, not something that was actually helpful, but she hoped it would make him feel better. "Well, your parents are a pair of stupid Rhea obsessed fuckers, that's not news. Frankly, I would be concerned if they said something positive about you. And here's what we're going to do. I'm going to borrow a school broom, since my Nimbus deserves better, and I'm going to shove it up your father's ass until it pops out his throat. Maybe two if you think your mother's warranted it as well." She mostly meant the offer. Her tone, while she chattered about the gruesome act, was far too bright, but she rather enjoyed the idea of doing that to the pompous asshats that called themselves Eyre's parents.

Interacting with @Anastasia Beckett

Eyre meant to laugh at her joke about his parents, but it came out as more of a sad sob. He used to not be so fragile to his own mistreatment when he wasn't aware of it, but as soon as he knew how much it hurt to be neglected the tears never ceased. It was embarrassing, and he hated it, but it was the only way he was able to feel better. He looked up at her with a grin on his face, despite the fact that he was starting to crumble.

"...How about two for my dad?" Eyre murmured through his laughter, wiping away at his tear-streaked face. "At least my mum tries to be semi-decent. I could probably count the good times my dad and I have had on my fingers. You know how he is. Always in his stupid study..." His voice became harsh, his hands tensing into fists on his knees. He loathed his father for being so distant. It was possible that he had a lot of work to do and not a lot of quality time to spend with him, but Eyre doubted it. He probably never left his study because he could hardly even bear to look at him. His own son. The throwaway heir, as Rhea would call him.

His throat felt like it'd been stuffed with cotton wool, and he huffed back another cry. "Sorry... shit.." He cursed, running his hands over his face and through his overgrown curls. He pulled his hands away once he was able to get his composure. "I can't keep going like this, Ana." He rasped out to her. "Even when I'm away from home, they still want to stick their fucking talons into me and I'm tired of it." His voice was shaking, and his eyes were red. Something bubbled up from the center of his chest, filling him with dread as soon as he heard himself say it.

"I h-h-hate them." Eyre admitted, biting the inside of his lips so hard he almost made them bleed. He'd never confessed that to anyone before. It didn't feel good to say it. In fact, it made him feel much worse. "...H-How do you keep it together? How do you manage to stay strong and not worry about the consequences of stepping out of line?" He asked her, his eyes pleading with her to impart her wisdom onto him. Ana was by far one of the strongest people that he knew, if not the strongest. If anyone could teach him how to stop caring so much about what his parents thought, it'd be her.

@Eyre Reeves

Ana's brow creased in worry upon hearing Eyre's reaction to her joke. He was trying so hard not to try, to stay strong. She knew that better than anyone, since the vast majority of the time that was her around her parents.

She smiled sadly and looked uncharacteristically caring. There were about three people on the planet that she allowed herself to really care about and Eyre was one of them. "Hey," she said, her voice softening. She leaned over and hugged him tightly, ignoring the twinges from her still damaged ribs. Since she had been at school, she had learned that she deeply craved physical affection, which she found to be terribly ironic, considering how non-physical her parents were. Scratch that, they just weren't affectionate.

"Fuck them. In another decade or two, it'll be you in charge of their dusty old money," Ana said, softly but firmly. Leaning back, she met his eyes. She was furious at his parents' treatment of him. She knew she was a bit of a firecracker and her parents didn't appreciate it. She was, for lack of a better phrase, a vicious bitch to the vast majority of people. A small part of her suspected she had earned her parents' manipulation and micromanagement. Eyre had done nothing to earn it. He was one of the kindest people she knew and his parents were horrid to him.

The corner of her mouth tugged slightly as he talked about them digging their talons in. If anyone knew what that was, she did. She chewed the inside of her cheek while listening. An eyebrow moved slightly when he said he hated them, but she did her best to suppress it. She suspected the majority of purebloods would agree, but she hadn't ever actually hear anyone put it into words.

A bitter, dry laugh escaped her lips when Eyre asked her how she did it. She winced slightly since the sudden movement had sent another round of soreness through her abdomen. "Eyre, I'm hardly a role model," she said, gesturing to her current state. "And we both know I'm full of shit. I haven't done anything meaningful. I've done little more than be a bit impertinent at times, and I've regretted that when I've done it." She didn't want to put into words how desperately she wanted her parents' approval. She had all but given up on earning their love at this point, but maybe there was a way for her to earn their approval or even respect.