Memories [Ian]

[Shelby Crescent]

You really shouldn't be here...
He might need you though cause you're his best friend.
But he's probably sulking and wouldn't want to see anyone.
You're here already just knock on the door.

Looking up at the mansion, Shell sighs knocking on the door lightly biting her lip and letting out a deep sigh. She had no idea what she was thinking coming over here now. Maddie for some reason got sent off to Azkaban, which completely shocked her. Why on earth would she be there? She was a spy for the order not against it.

Shell knew how it was staying in that place at a very young age of nine til about twelve. The three worse years of her life. Barely surviving, not talking to anyone and ignoring all the other prisoners. It was terrible. On top of that, she never had any visitors what so ever. Not from her cousins, sisters, or even Logan. Shell was almost on the point of giving up any idea of her getting out of that place when the Ministry gave her a trial due to some evidence they found and agreed that she was not guilty. She couldn't imagine anyone she know would be in there, even if they weren't on good terms. Shell would do anything she could think of to help them out even if they deserved it or not.

Knocking again she turns around and sighs closing her eyes a bit.
See he's ignoring you.
Or I just knocked way too light on the door.
Or he doesn't want to talk to you.
Well, I'm not leaving now. I walked all the way here.

She turns around seeing the door open and frowns instantly. "H-hey Ian. Umm. Can I come in or do you want me to leave?"

[Ian Hunt]

"You can come in if you want," I mutter, letting go of the door so it swings open properly and half moving out of the way so she can come past.

I'm sort of getting used to people turning up here with that sombre sort of expression. Arden's done the same, expect she looked more...angry than anything. Kris has done so a couple of times, and he just shrugs airily and says he's come to see his grandkids, even though we both know he doesn't do that because he has a thing about being in other people's homes, so I always bring the kids to see him in his apartment instead.
Claire turned up just a few hours after Maddie had been taken away and barged straight into the house with Matthew in tow, and she hasn't gone home since.
I'm sort of grateful for this, but am also feeling sort of pathetic about the fact that even my own sister doesn't think I can manage on my own. Even if she is right.

I can hear her now. She's bustling round the house at ten thousand miles an hour, as she's done everyday. Her and Poppy have been 'helping' by doing everything that possibly needs doing. Claire does housework because she can, Poppy tends to hang around with Alex and Abby because she knows what they're like and what they need and what the right thing to say is.
I am grateful for this, but this means I have nothing at all to do with my day apart from hang around at the ministry and risk my neck.

It's been over three years since Logan first turned up and told me that he and I were being shadowed by the ministry and that we were marked for Azkaban. I'll never quite forget his expression, almost excited by the new challenge while at the same time scared shitless. I suppose, the two years on the run might have helped a little bit, but then again, I'm probably undoing it with the amount of time I actually am at the ministry at the moment.
I can hang around the auror department all I want, but nothing is happening. I know, that when we manage to get Maddie a trial, then she'll be out of that place and I will never have to see her cry behind bars again. It's worse than just normal crying, because there's nothing I can do about it.

I'm not sure where Shell will get to go if she does come in, because I can't go into any of the rooms at the moment, hence why I've been wandering up and down the hallway for the past half hour.
Alex has been doing his stubborn 'I won't go to bed because you're the one that's telling me to do it' thing, so he's crashed out on the sofa right now, so I don't want to go in there. Matthew and Abby are in the garden, because she likes it out there and he's trying to perfect the art of reading an insects mind, which tends to kill them for some reason. Poppy's sitting on the top of the stairs, just out of sight for the most part but I can see her shoes...I just don't go up there when she's sitting at the top of the stairs anymore, because last time I caught her in tears and then she denied it profusely. Claire's singing in the kitchen and putting things away, having just finished clearing up the recent carnage that springs into existence after every meal.
And I don't want to disturb any of them, so I've just been sort of pacing and waiting for either Nathan, Jack or Charlie to turn up and tell me some good news about what's going on at the ministry and about this trial that needs to happen soon before things fall apart even further.

So, maybe, all in all, inviting Shell in wasn't the best idea, but oh well, it doesn't matter that much anyway. Nothing really does anymore.

[Shelby Crescent]

"Okay then." she nods walking in slowly and watches him as she walks in looking around and tilting her head slightly as she continued glancing around. The house was so quiet, felt empty and haunted as if it was the Shrieking Shack. What was she supposed to say coming over here? I'm sorry that Maddie's in Azkaban? Or something along those lines? No, he already was in enough depression as it is.

"So. Umm. Where should we go exactly? Just in the hallway there?" Shell asks softly biting her lip as she turned around to look at him. Her glance instantly drops looking to the floor. Shell wanted to give him a hug right now, but she knew it wouldn't really help matters much. She knew that Jessie pretty much told Ian how she felt about him. Looking up at him again she sighs walking over and hugging him anyway. "I'm sorry you and Maddie have to go through this. Really I am." she nods, trying not to cry as she hugged him tight.

[Ian Hunt]

"Yeah, just in the hallway," I mutter, then sort of freeze, taken aback as she hugs me, before I relax again and hug her back tightly.
I don't care about what Jessie said, or about how things are, because Shell is still my best friend and now I trust myself around her because the other sort of feelings are dead.
All there is, is that she's one of my closest friends and I'm glad she's here because I need her because everything's gone to shit and I don't know how it happened when everything was good last week for fuck's sake.
This is all wrong, and I wish I could tell her that, but it seems that my jaw has wired itself shut to stop me from saying all of the pathetic things that are on my mind at the moment.

[Shelby Crescent]

She sighs hugging him for a few more seconds before glancing up at him after a minute. "How are you doing? I mean with trying to get her out of there. I know how it is and... just. She can't be in there." Shell frowns still partially hugging him as she was looking at him, feeling a few tears falling down her face.
Shell still had nightmares about Azkaban almost every night mostly about the dementors draining every if any good memories from her pathetic excuse for a childhood growing up. Without a doubt, those were the worse three years of her life.

[Ian Hunt]

"We've gotten her a trial," I mutter, "And then she'll be out."
I'm cofident with this, because the two have become linked...the second she gets a trial then it'll just be basically her being free again. I know it doesn't work like this, but in the same breath I can't help but believe it completely.
I know she's still got to win the trial...but I can't see how that won't happen, can't allow for that possibility.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell nods lightly letting go of him and walking to the hallway sitting down and leaning her head out of the wall. "That's good. If you need a witness for the trial I'll volunteer for the two of you." she adds softly, giving him a weak smile before looking down at her hands. "It's the least I could do for the both of you."

[Ian Hunt]

"Thanks Shell," I mumble, "I'll talk to Maddie about it."
When I drag myself back to Azkaban later on. If I manage to today.
She's been in there a few days and I've gone to see her every single one, but I've only actually managed to get to her cell twice. The other times I've just walked away at varying points.
It's hard. I'm terrified of that place, openly terrified of it. And seeing Maddie in there just makes it so much worse.

[Shelby Crescent]

"No problem." she whispers biting her lip. She felt out of place sitting there just staring at the blank wall. But what else was he going to say or do right now? She couldn't blame him at all for the way he was acting. "You shouldn't stay on her feet, sit down please?" she asks lightly tapping the floor next to her, still biting her lip.

[Ian Hunt]

I sink down against the wall next to her, drawing my legs up slightly and leaning my head back against the wall.
Claire's still singing softly in the kitchen, and it's starting to bug me, but what's bugging me more is that her singing is all I can hear. I'm used to being very aware of the kids making a lot of noise, but there's nothing.

[Shelby Crescent]

She glances over at him and sighs lightly just feeling her lips turn downwards. "Umm. Do you want to make some tea or go for a walk? Anything like that?" she asks softly again, trying to get him distracted in some way. It wasn't good to constantly be depressed about this. Knowing Maddie was innocent it was just a matter of time before she was released after her trial, but it still wouldn't help him. "I won't make you slow dance either. Unless you want to, which I wouldn't know why you would or why I just said that really..." she adds after a few moments, hating the silence and not seeing him smile or laughing. Shell had enough of that at her house still after all this time.

[Ian Hunt]

"Let's go for a walk," I mutter, getting to my feet again only a few seconds after I've sank down, offering her a hand.
I think being on the move might be quite distracting, which is probably a good thing.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell smiles faintly, taking his hand and pulling herself up. "Alright then." she nods walking to the door and opening it just waiting for Ian. "We can just walk up the road for a bit, or if you prefer somewhere else." she says biting her lip.

[Ian Hunt]

"The road is fine," I shrug, heading out onto the porch and slipping my hands into my pockets, "If that's alright with you."

[Shelby Crescent]

"It's fine with me." she nods walking outside and shutting the door. Shell walks down the steps tucking a curl behind her ear before glancing up at him. "We can talk about anything you want Ian, or if you just want to walk that's fine as well. I hate seeing you like this." she says softly closing her eyes. For some reason that felt wrong to say at the moment.

[Ian Hunt]

I shrug slightly, following her down the steps and starting down the path, "Let's talk about something."
Then I can't think of much to say, so I just grin faintly and ask, "How's the family?"

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell walks next to his side putting her hands in her pockets. "Jenny's getting impatient seeing her party is in two weeks. Keeps bugging to send the invites, but I think it's sorta werid to send owls out. Then Jessie is still locking herself in her room. She's told me that she's gonna runaway and never come back, oh and that she hates me." she shrugs lightly. But on the inside it broke her heart. Shell practically raised her and she was all that Jessie had left and hated her.

[Ian Hunt]

I'm not really sure what to say to that, so I just nod briefly.
I know that it's got to hurt more than she's letting on about Jessie telling her that. I know it hurts like hell now that Alex has started doing it with real feeling behind the phrase. And it made me cringe just to overhear Poppy telling Maddie that she wasn't her mother so should leave her alone, but that was years and years ago now.
"She's just upset, I guess," I shrug a little.

[Shelby Crescent]

"The rest of them are fine though. James is still asking when daddy's coming home no matter how many times I explaining to him..." she trails off biting her lip. "But everything's fine." she lies, knowing that Ian's situation was far worse than hers. Struggling with Jay still being gone, the kids still being quiet, got their water turned off for a few days having to borrow money from Gringotts and last week the repoman came. Wasn't really fine. It was worse than that, but she wasn't gonna say anything. "So, um. Anything else you can think of?" she asks lightly looking up at him for a second before walking out to the road.

[Ian Hunt]

"No," I shake my head, glancing briefly up at the sky before frowning slightly at the road.
I'm sure I can think of a lot more to say if I really tried, or maybe think of more questions to ask, or something. But I'm lacking the will to.
I think I might just fall silent.

[Shelby Crescent]

"Okay then." she nods, biting her lip. "I just wanted to help you some. You can go home if you want." Shell stops walking instead, stares at the road closing her eyes.
Told you shouldn't have come. You're just making things worse.

[Ian Hunt]

"I know," I reply to her first remark, stopping when she does.
I know she's only trying to help, but she can't. Things won't be better until the second Maddie is allowed out, and that's how it is.
I'm not sure I want to go home though, because it's even worse there, so I just shrug slightly, "I don't mind."

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glances up at him and sighs. "Alright then. I just feel that I'm making you feel worse or I'm just wasting your time is all." she nods keeping her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

[Ian Hunt]

"No, you're not," I shake my head, still frowning ever so slightly down at the road, "You're helping."

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell frowns a bit walking over to him and bending slightly so she could look at his eyes. She smiles up at him and nods. "If you say so Ian."