It's such an ancient pitch

Proceed with what you're leadin' me to

there's no nicer witch than you

Oralie was unreasonably distracted. She had been honestly all day. Last night...well this morning... whenever midnight counted as being was really all she could think about. Things had escalated with Karel. In a very good way, of course. A great way--she'd absolutely enjoyed herself. But now, she was really overthinking it. They'd made an agreement of sorts at the beginning of the night that everything that happened up in that room stayed there. Secrets were safe. But was messing around a secret? She definitely did not want it broadcasted around school...and Oralie really didn't think Karel was going to say anything to anyone about anything she'd said or done. 

But had it just been something for fun? Or was there something more there? She'd been developing her crush on him for way longer than just last night...and she thought she had caught him checking her out a time or two. Merlin and Morgana--she just didn't know. Boys were too bloody complicated. This was why she did not get wrapped up in all the silly Hogwarts relationship drama nonsense. She'd had some hookups with older guys--all that had graduated now, but she had avoided actual feelings. So, why was now different? Why was Karel different? Reasons started rattling off in her mind--his cleverness, his maturity (despite his age), his approach to socialization, his business acumen.

Cutting that line of thinking off hard, she scolded herself for getting all dreamy eyed thinking about the boy. She had other things to focus on. She was meeting with Mellie today before Quidditch practice this evening...where she would be seeing Karel. She had to play it cool. She would act like everything was normal. Her focus could be on the new keeper today, since she had bumped the old starter down to reserve. She would just be normal. She could totally do that. She was excellent at repressing her feelings. She did it all the time.

Putting aside thoughts of cute boys and quidditch quandaries, Oralie let herself into the office for the Head of Ravenclaw. "Hi, Aunt Mellie," she greeted as she pushed the door shut behind her. Professor Burke was not really her aunt, but they were actually related, cousins of some sort. It was the age gap and nature of their relationship that caused Oralie to refer to the witch as her aunt. It had taken a few years for her mother to realize that Oralie had inherited the Burke gift of aura reading. It was not incredibly common among their kin, but both Melanie and Oralie possessed the ability. 

For a good part of her life, she had only seen Melanie rarely, when the woman came to visit or Oralie was sent to stay with her in the Netherlands. Those visits were never very long, but were meant to accomplish the same thing as this weekly private lessons. Melanie was her mentor and teacher in understanding what she saw and what it meant...and most importantly how to control it, well so much as it could be controlled.

_{@melanie ♔ uniform ♔ 506}

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IT'S SUCH AN ANCIENT PITCH

PROCEED WITH WHAT YOU'RE LEADIN' ME TO

THERE'S NO NICER WITCH THAN YOU

Everything about their lives was complicated right now. Melanie didn’t think that there were any of them that were going to just be fine with everything that was going on. She knew that they needed to try and do something, but what could they do? They needed a cure. And she was sure that someone was working on them, somewhere, but who? Melanie didn’t know who still had magic, and who didn’t, and if it really made all that much of a difference. She didn’t think that it did. She wasn’t convinced that there was anything that they could do that would make it easier. They just had to live with it.

Some had it easier than others, and she knew that. But she also knew that she did not discuss her own problems outside of those that she trusted completely. And that number was very small. There was no one that knew everything. Not Pieter. Not Gen. Not anyone. She hadn’t told any one person everything, and Melanie had learned that from Warwick. She had learned that you did not tell all of your secrets to one person. That way when you died, no one could ever really piece together what had been the truth, and what hadn’t been.

Her relationship with her late husband had been a complicated one, and yet she found that she missed him. Now, more than before, she was finding herself missing him. The first time that that thought had occurred to her, she hadn’t quite known what to make of it. Missing him should not have been the first thing on her mind when she thought of him, it hadn’t been, for a while. But she found that she did miss him. He would have been a good person to talk to about what was going on now. About everything that was happening here. Of course, they would have been spared, if her husband would still have been alive.

She wouldn’t have been here at all, she wouldn’t have had this job, in this place that she loved. Melanie had always loved Hogwarts. It had been a nice reprieve from Stella and Emmett. It had been hell, at first. When she had been young, and she hadn’t had any training about what she could do, what she had no choice but to do. The gift that she possessed was one that she found occurred naturally in their family. It was rare, yes, but not impossible for it to crop up every now and again, and it came in varying degrees.

Melanie had been surprised when word came from her cousin that her daughter seemed to be ‘seeing things’. It had been Stella that had written to her first, to tell her about what the little girl seemed to be seeing. And that had been one of the few trips that Melanie had come home in the last thirty years. She hadn’t gone home, she hadn’t gone to see her siblings, or even Stella. She had gone to see the little girl that had her same gift. And at that point, Melanie had offered to teach her. To guide her.

She had had no guide when she was a girl and being that for Oralie was all that she could do. It was all that he could offer. And so, she had. And Isidore had taken her up on it. Now though, Melanie had made her offer even more strong. She had gone to talk to her cousin about Oralie staying with her. Ffynone was plenty large enough, and she thought that she could better assist her niece if she were around her more often. That, and she thought that Oralie might just be happier with her than she was with her mother, at least until she was a little older. Isidore liked babies, and she liked grown children, but teenagers?

When the door to her office opened Melanie didn’t look up. She didn’t need to. It was Oralie, she could see her aura enter her peripheral vision, and she smiled. Bright, and vivacious as ever. “Good afternoon, Liefste.” Bracing herself for the full impact of her niece’s aura, Melanie tipped her chin up to turn her gaze towards the shape that she knew to be Oralie. She could focus and see through the haze of colors if she tried hard enough, but she would save giving herself the headache that would cause for the moment. She hadn’t had a class since this morning, and so the headache had faded some. Enough that she didn’t want the full weight of it back just yet.

@ liefste • 770 • melanie's outfit

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

It's such an ancient pitch

Proceed with what you're leadin' me to

there's no nicer witch than you

Oralie quite admired Melanie Burke. She was a smart and accomplished witch--she was a master of the Runic language. She ran multiple successful businesses. Who in their right mind would not look up to her? Sure, Mellie had a boring fiance, but no one was perfect. The Slughorn could forgive her that, especially when she had inklings of ideas that she might not fully understand the relationship the two older people shared. Oralie had an arrogance to her, but she still managed to recognize the she did not know all things and that her understanding of adult romantic relationships did, on occasion, fall short. 

She knew things were different for Melanie since the Epidemic had changed her. Oralie did not know how much--she did not know about the severity of the headaches, but she was aware of the impacts to the other woman's vision. Magic had a way of dampening the auras. It had been the very first thing that Oralie had been taught, long before she came to Hogwarts, she had learned to suppress the auras of those around her. It was impossible to banish them completely, or it had been impossible for her so far. But she could dull them, dim them into something manageable that did not overwhelm the senses. 

As she understood it, Melanie had lost all capacity to dampen auras. As she understood it, it made the woman nearly blind in respect to traditional sight. That was a terrifying thought. Oralie did not want to not be able to see anymore. She did not want to lose the ability to perceive expressions. So much of communication--especially flirting--was done non-verbally. She ached at the thought of never seeing Karel someone sweep their eyes appreciatively over her. She would miss challenging smirks and lustful glances. She would miss genuine happiness and even silent sorrow...though those could be perceived in the shifting of an aura, more clearly on occasion that what a face would betray. One could hide their face behind a mask of neutrality, but auras told the truth.

What could Melanie's aura tell Oralie now? The Slughorn studied her mentor as they exchanged their greetings. "I hope you are well today," Oralie asserted, finding some signs of suffering around her aunt, but less than were perceived on the worst of days. She expected her own aura was glowing and bright. Last night had her particularly pleased--and plus, there would be Quidditch practice this evening. Best of all, she did not have to go to Avalon today. Her internship position was a coveted one, but Oralie had mixed feelings about it. There were days she loved ballet and many when she hated it. It was really always Isidore that she hated. Her mother could be insufferable--but dancing and music, those Oralie still managed to enjoy from time to time despite the toxicity The Lady Slughorn tended to infuse into the experience. 

Oralie was curious about what she and Melanie would discuss today. Each lesson was different. Some had continuity with others, while others almost stood alone with only the loosest of connections. She hoped they would not focus on Braille today. Oralie found reading with her fingertips exceedingly tedious and slow. Surely, she would get better and faster with practice, but she did not want to practice. She had been supposed to 'read' passages from a Braille novel each night since their last lesson, but she had skipped more nights than she had actually practiced. It didn't help that the novel was a disgusting romance piece of trash. So, she couldn't even get interested in the story. 

_{auntie ♔ uniform ♔ 607}

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

IT'S SUCH AN ANCIENT PITCH

PROCEED WITH WHAT YOU'RE LEADIN' ME TO

THERE'S NO NICER WITCH THAN YOU

Being a Burke had its advantages right now. It meant that she could move about freely, and do what she pleased, and Melanie liked that. She liked the freedom that came with being who she was right now. Even if she knew that remaining an Otten would have saved them all. She wouldn’t have been here, they wouldn’t have followed her. No one would have gotten sick. It wouldn’t have happened, but she also wouldn’t have been the same. She wouldn’t have had her job here, or the businesses. She wouldn’t have become the witch that she was. The witch that was strong enough to stand on her own…

And she was. She was plenty strong enough to stand on her own. And she knew it. Melanie knew that the epidemic had changed a lot of things. It had personally changed a great deal about her. It had made her look at things in a new light, and she didn’t know if that was good or bad yet. All she knew was that the person that she would have liked to talk to about it, wasn’t around anymore. And missing him came more frequently lately. She knew that she shouldn’t speak of it. She knew that she should try and talk to someone else, or even try and talk to someone about missing him.

Talking about her problems like that meant exposing a weakness. And Melanie could not have any more weaknesses. The girl that had just stepped into her classroom knew more about her weaknesses than anyone. She couldn’t hide it all from Oralie, not the way that she could hide it from others. Her niece had the same gift that she did, and she knew that it was going to be more complicated than that. She knew that she didn’t know the extent of just how bad things got, but she did know enough. More than Pieter. More than Gen. Oralie was sixteen and she knew more about Melanie than most people.

Not by design. She wouldn’t have told just anyone such a thing. But she hadn’t told Oralie at all. She didn’t need to. There was nothing that she had to tell her, she just already knew. And there was something about that that made Melanie rather sad. She didn’t want her niece to have to carry that burden either. “Well enough.” She answered with a smile. “You look well. Your aura is particularly bright today.” She could see that more than she could actually see Oralie, and yet, it gave her clear indication of what it was that she was feeling.

Standing up from behind her desk she moved around to sit on the front of it as she continued to take in her niece’s aura. It was not so terrible to only see the one. But it was intriguing nonetheless. Bright, and clear, it was plain to see that something had pleased her recently, though if she chose to share what that was, that was entirely up to her. Melanie looked after her, and she had been granted permission for such by the Slughorns, but she would not take over guardianship of the girl in front of her, without at least asking her first.

“We are going to talk about inanimate auras today, but there is something I wish to discuss with you first.” They had not talked about inanimate auras yet, as they were slightly mundane in topic, but while she thought that it was a boring enough subject, it would be okay if their time together divulged into something more personal. Asking the child if she wished to come to Ffynone could easily take their hour together, if she had questions. And Melanie would answer her any questions. That was a part of the deal. They were open and honest with one another. It made for a better use of time, since both could easily see when the other was, in fact, lying.

@ liefste • 660 • melanie's outfit

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

It's such an ancient pitch

Proceed with what you're leadin' me to

there's no nicer witch than you

Auras were something she had always seen. It had been years into her life before she came to understand that everyone did not see the world as she did...She was special--different--set apart. Her skill with the innate ability was growing under Mellie's tutelage, but she had far to go still. She was coming to learn that just as much as she could be taught, she also just had to experience. She had to see the shift in an aura when someone was attempting dishonesty. She had to see the brightening when attraction manifested. Being around teenagers all the time gave her plenty of experience with that, but really teens were the worst to try to decipher the auras of. Them and pregnant women---hormones were all over the place and it made the auras shift quite significantly sometimes for seemingly no good reason at all.

Her aura was bright for a reason, though. She'd shagged Karel--and she was quite set on doing so again. The boy might have been a year younger than her, but he was pure. His mum owned the Dueling Club in London. His dad was in Quidditch. It wasn't the political match that her parents would likely prefer, but it would  not be a terrible one in their eyes either. Isidore scolded her for her promiscuity, but really had no room to talk. She'd been practically a harlot before she married Kristofer. The ballerina slept her way right up the ranks, prodigy or not. Isidore was in no place to discourage Oralie from both using her body to get what she wanted and for enjoying her sexuality. Mothers who live in glass houses really shouldn't throw stones--particularly when those mothers are neglectful, cold, and incredibly condescending. 

At least her brothers were wonderful--and Mellie--Melanie Burke was the mother that Oralie wished she had been born to, except for the who part about wanting Mel to have a son that she could mold and condition into the perfect husband. Not that such a suggestion had gotten her very far with Melanie, who seemed less than committed to this plan. Oralie would just keep working on her. The elder witch commented on the vibrancy of Oralie's aura and a tinkle of laughter rang off the Slytherin's lips. "As it should be, I'm in a fine mood," Oralie confirmed. She didn't have to blatantly say she'd had a fabulous shag. The signs were there for the Madame to read, if she so chose. 

The topic that Melanie presented for the day's lesson was less exciting than Oralie's night had been, so she latched on to the latter comment. What could there be for them to discuss? Her brow arched up, an expression that was lost on Melanie in her condition, but was instinctive to the young witch. "That sounds serious, Auntie. Is everything okay?" Concern had slipped into her sweet voice and Oralie drew closer to Melanie, sitting down in the chair across from her aunt. She searched the woman's face and the visible portions of her aura. The desk blocked a portion of Melanie from view, but nothing seemed much changed. Hints of the pain Melanie endured constantly since the the onset of the epidemic were there, but no portion of her visible body had the darkened signs of illness.

Was she going to tell Oralie she was leaving? The borders were closed. There was nowhere really to go. Possibilities flitted through the witch's mind. None fit. None made sense. She could not find a logical answer that would bring on a serious discussion...Unless one of the Ravenclaw's had managed to spot her and Karel in the Twilight Turret. Part of her was mortified by the thought, though the rest was amused at the notion. She wouldn't want her reputation besmirched by gossip of her being a slag...she needed to keep the perfect image to maintain the respect of the faculty and student body--that was necessary for her to ascend to Head Girl next year. 

_{auntie ♔ uniform ♔ 665}

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

IT'S SUCH AN ANCIENT PITCH

PROCEED WITH WHAT YOU'RE LEADIN' ME TO

THERE'S NO NICER WITCH THAN YOU

If there was one thing about being back in the United Kingdom that Melanie did enjoy, it was using her own name. She knew that Otten had gotten her much through the years, but there was something about being an Otten without Warwick that just didn’t seem right. And it wasn’t that she didn’t care for Pieter, because she did. It was just… Far more complicated than that. She didn’t want to think that she was going to have to try and do something different. She didn’t want to do anything at all. But there was going ot have to be some sort of break. There was going to have to be something that changed.

And Melanie knew what it was. She knew that she just needed to do it. But there was something about it that she didn’t want to do. Not yet. Not when she knew that he couldn’t leave. Not when she knew that he was concerned enough with the way that things were going, and the fact that he was here, and not at home in Amsterdam. She loved Amsterdam. She had become more Dutch than she was English after living there the majority of her life. But she was still English. Well, Scottish. They had been born and raised in Scotland. But that was beside the point.

The point was, she was a long way off from saying what was really on her mind. And functioning while practically blind was only going to make having that discussion even more headache inducing. No, she just wanted to stop thinking about it. If she stopped thinking about it, then she would be fine. She would be here, and she would be in her office, in Scotland, talking to her niece. And Oralie was clearly the most important child in her life right now. Her own children were grown. Beth was running the shop for her, and Brandt was trying not to strangle any goblins trapped in England as they were.

She had no doubts that he would follow his princess back to Denmark when the borders reopened, and she didn’t know what Beth would do. Part of her thought that she would stay. She might not have been her mother, but she was the one that had raised her. She was the one that had taken care of her since infancy. Taught her how to be a lady, what that meant in Amsterdam, and what it was going to mean here. She was in England now, but she was still a pureblood. There were still rules.

Rules in place that the blonde standing before her now already knew. That was not the kind of training that she wanted to give her niece. No, she had these lessons for a reason. There were things that she needed to learn. Things that only Melanie could really teach her. Things that had to do with their very particular set of skills. “I can see that.” There was a smirk on Melanie’s face as she shook her head. It was not her job to police who Oralie took into her bed. She was not her mother; she was her aunt. And her teacher. And she was going to make her a proposition.

“Nothing terrible, I assure you. I have just been speaking with your mother, and we have something that we would like to present. Well…” She shook her head a little bit, “I have something that I would like to present. I simply needed her permission to do so.” Melanie was aware that she was rambling, but she was trying to focus back in on what it was that she was trying to say. “I was wondering if you would like to move to Ffynone?”

It would be a change, she knew that. But it would also take her away from Isidore. And as much as Melanie cared for her cousin, she thought that it was during this point in a child’s life that the other woman probably cared for them the least. And having Oralie with her would ensure that she could teach her whatever it was that she wished to teach her, at any time. It would also give her niece a little more freedom than being trapped under her parents’ roof for breaks and the summer months. But ultimately, the choice was hers.

@ liefste • 726 • melanie's outfit

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0