| Details for Visiting Shropshire |
| Summary: | Terrance takes Melody up on the invitation to visit over spring break. |
| Date: | 2 April 1940 |
| Location: | The Abernathy home, Shropshire |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Owls were exchanged as promised, and the first Thursday of spring break finds Melody waiting in the family back parlor for her invited guest. Comfortable in a puffy chair, her attention is on a book. There's no need to watch the fireplace, it'll be unmistakable when Terrance arrives, it's not like one can sneak in by floo. The little blonde's toe taps lightly as she scans the page, then turns to the next. Outside is a perfect spring day, comfortably warm in the sun, the air full of the scent of growing things and the sounds of animals. When the floo cranks up to deliver her a Gryffindor, Melody puts the book aside, getting to her feet and ready to greet Terrance with a bright smile.
As expected as the green flames rose high and quickly dropped, leaving behind Terrance. He was dressed smartly for his visit, wearing a nice pair of khaki slacks and a soft blue shirt, all under a pair of jet black robes. As the world came into focus he spotted Melody, "Hello there, Abernathy." he said, still a bit too nervous to move to that first name basis. Glancing around he smiled at the comfortable and welcoming looking room, "Nice house you have."
Melody's outfit is the epitome of countryside casual, her dress neat and clean but clearly more of a romper than a going out frock, and her wellies have been charmed to a purple that matches the little flowers that freckle the fabric. "Alright, Green," she greets, typically of her. She glances around, as if she's never looked at the house before, and her eyes return to him. "Ta. It's wonderfully homey. I'll show you all 'round." But she doesn't move to rush them off. "Would you like me to get one of my brother's jackets? So we don't get your robes dirty? They look quite smashing," she notes cheerfully.
Terrance smiled softly as he took in the the sight of the lovely dress clad yearmate, stepping forward out of the fireplace. As she looked around her own house, he could not help but grin. "I would love to take the tour." he said before looking over his nice robes, still grinning. "Well thank you. You look quite good as well. And no need to worry, my mom can clean them quite easily." he said with a wave of his hand and stepping over closer to her. "So where do we go first?"
Melody absently reaches over to brush some ashes from Terrance's sleeve from his floo journey, and she nods her head, "Alright, if she won't mind you a bit rumpled." At his question she seems to go into motion all at once, as if a button had been pushed. She turns and reaches for his hand to lead him on a wander through the house. "I'll show you around, then we can go outside." It's a nice place, not overly fancy but fairly large, being an old manor house. Her tour is surprisingly efficient, their path never backtracking, going from room to room with fluid ease. Kitchen, dining room, front hall, front sitting room, library, another sitting room and back to the back parlor. "The loo's upstairs, if you need," she notes as she drops his hand again, "And the bedrooms. But I don't think you'll stay the night, will you?" She hadn't thought to ask before, and there doesn't seem to be any guile in the question, just curiosity in her wide eyes. It's not like they never have friends over, and there are plenty of rooms.
Terrance glanced down as she moved to brush aside the ash, "Oh, she won't mind." he responded. Then as she turned and took his hand to lead him through the house his cheeks reddened softly and his lips split into a wide silly smile. He could not lie to himself, Melody was cute and something about her attitude just came off as adorable. He took in the rooms, nodding approvingly as they went. "Very nice." he responded once all they had seen it all, freezing as she asked if he would be sleeping over. "Oh, well..no. I don't think so." he said shaking his head, red cheeked and all. "But I bet they are wonderful. So, is the outside just as beautiful?"
Seeming oblivious to the blush, Melody just nods at Terrance's response. "Another time. And we can have something special for a treat and listen to the wireless." From her tone, she clearly thinks that would be great fun. Again, at his question there's an eager nod. "More beautiful. And it's such a lovely day. That's very lucky, some days are rather gloomy." And again, his hand is taken as she leads through the parlor door that leads outside. Once out he's released once more, as if her concern was that he wouldn't have found his way out without the guidance. "I'll introduce you to the new lambs if you'd like. They're very noisy."
Terrance gave a slight nod with a soft chuckle as she said that they would have the sleepover the next time he had visited, "Oh, that sounds like quite fun, I look forward to it." he said softly. Then as he felt his hand be taken by hers he grinned again following her out through the door and into the yard. She was right indeed, the day was wonderful which only helped to paint a perfect country picture. He felt her release his hand, but this time moved to slip hers into his while he responded, "Great, I know you said you had new ones to meet yourself once you got home. Lead on." he said, nodding and laughing at her saying they would be a bit noisy as if he would not have guessed.
Melody doesn't seem to mind keeping hold of Terrance's hand, pulling gently again in the direction of the carriage house and a small barn beyond, walking them down the gravel drive. "They're quite friendly," she notes, as if making amends for their anticipated bleating. "We aren't supposed to name them, but I do anyway. I like to know who I'm talking to." It should be no surprise that she talks to the lambs. She swings his hand as they walk, her steps light, almost a skip. "Mummy says she doesn't want to know the name of her Sunday roast, but it's only respectful, don't you think?"
Terrance grinned as she did not pull away from his hand, walking with her down towards the barn. As she explained that she would name the lambs he could not help but chuckle. This was a very Melody thing to do after all. "Well, I could see it as respectful." he said with a nod, holding back the other side of the coin. As the lambs came into view he gave a wide grin, "Well aren't they adorable."
As promised, the lambs can be heard before seen, but once seen they are Spring embodied in little bouncing white packages. There are four lambs cavorting around a placid ewe, as she snacks on a little bunch of hay. Fluffy white with black smudges for noses, three of the animals are completely normal in appearance. Melody is smiling widely as they stop at the fence, and she leans forward to talk to the occupants. "Hallo lovelies. This is my schoolmate I was telling you about, Terrance." She looks to address him next, "Terrance, these are our new lambs, Benny, Daisy, Toby," she names each as she points to them in turn. The last she points to is different in that it's legs, from the knees down, are the same purple tint as Melody's wellies bear today. "And that's Grizelda. She's mine."
Terrance grinned as the sound of the lambs filled the air as they neared their area. Stopping at the gate, he let her hand go and leaned against it to watch the three normal lambs scamper toward Melody. He gave a large grin as she leaned in talking to them all, nodding as he was introduced to each one. But, it was when he glanced over to the young lamb with the purple legs that he gave a soft laugh, looking to Melody, "Oh, I like the legs." he teased before looking to the lamb, "Hello there, Grizelda!"
Melody giggles at the tease, reaching her fingers out toward the booted lamb. "Hallo, my Grizzy." There's a glance at Terrance and she admits, "I like to practice and it doesn't hurt her. They'll nibble at your fingers if you hold your hand out to them," which is demonstrated as if on cue by Grizelda to the digits of her little mistress, "But they won't bite. They're very polite."
Not being one to live in an area to interact with wildlife, Terrance was slightly hesitant to bend over to reach a hand through the gate like Melody did so willingly. But, it was not long before he offered his hand out to the little lambs and indeed received little nibbles. HE gave a slight chuckle at the soft tickle that it delivered before looking to her, "Well, they are trained quite well." he admitted before standing up and watching her and the four little white fluffs. "So are lambs the only things your family raises?" he asked, glancing around for the sign of any other farm life.
Melody straightens, absently brushing her fingers off on her skirt, remembering even as she does how many times she's been admonished for that. She hastily pulls a kerchief from her pocket to wipe her fingers, then offers the square with the embroidered M in one corner to Terrance. "Mmhmm, we have a few goats and there are some ducks at the pond in the west meadow. We also have cousins up the road a ways who keep other kinds." She noticed his initial hesitance with the lambs, and would have given encouragement if he'd needed, but he seemed to adapt nicely without it.
Terrance took the kerchief and wiped his hand free before offering it back to her with a smile, "Thank you." Then glancing around for the other animals, Terrance grinned "Oh, that must be a lot of fun having all those animals." "Do you have names for all the goats and ducks as well?" he asked, offering to take her hand once more after she had put the kerchief away.
Melody bunches the fabric into a ball and stuffs it back into her pocket, tucking her hand carelessly into Terrance's as she answers with a laugh, "Of course you name goats, but never ducks. They don't care for it. And you don't want a duck cross with you." She says that with a light shudder, as if she speaks from experience. Gathering herself, she sweeps her other arm out to indicate the land around them. "What would you like to do? We could go flying, or have a long walk, or go find the goats in the fields…" Before putting too many options out there, she looks to Terrance for his opinion.
Terrance laughs softly as she explains that you should not name a duck, before giving that light shudder. Then at the options he pauses to think. "Well, you do have some very lovely land around here, and see as I forgot my broom, I think we should go on a nice long walk. Maybe you can show me that pond." he suggested.
There's an agreeable nod as Melody starts them walking again with a light tug on Terrance's hand. Their path leads around the pen, the girl waving with her free hand and promising to visit again later as the lambs bleat in return. Turning away from them, her attention is back on her companion. "It's a lovely day for a walk. We do have an extra broom or two," she feels obligated to note, "But I do like having a walk." And speaking of flying, she launches onto another topic at once, "How has the quidditch season been going for you?"
Terrance gave a nod of agreement, "Oh, no do not worry about it. Afterall, a dress is not what you wear for a flight." he said smiling down to the Hufflepuff. As the two walked, Terrance let his eyes roam their wonderful property "I would love walks also, if this was what I got to stroll through." he said softly. Then at the question he turned to raise a brow to her, smiling as he knew she wasn't the most interested in quidditch. "Actually it is going quite well, I think we are in a great position to take the cup this year. That would be a nice little notch on my application to the Arrows."
"You can come for walks or flying," Melody says, amending her previous offer of him to come by to fly whenever he wants. "It's nice to get away from town sometimes." She pauses, considering something as they walk a few more steps, the path Melody chooses for them leading along a dirt lane that wanders out into the fields. "Does your mum ever find a chance to get away? I know there are some lovely parks in London, but it's still different to get to the country. I think the air is very different," she says with a nod.
Terrance lets Melody lead the way as she knows where would be the best places to go. Thinking a bit about the question he gave a light shake of his head. "No, not really. She rarely wants to leave, she feels like she can feel my dad when she is home." he said, knowing his mom rarely got out of London, save visits to the Leaky Cauldron. "Sometimes I wish she would, but she still seems to be quite positive." he said, holding a soft smile on his lips knowing his mother to be a determined witch.
Melody smiles, hearing love for his mother in his tone. "If she'd ever like, she should come meet Mummy. Maybe she'd like to start a bit of a garden of her own, if she's any space to." While she doesn't seem to pay very much mind to the Muggle issues, her father gets papers from London and leaves them around, so she tends to leaf through them when she's home. Her attention is distracted by a figure in the distance, emerging from behind a thicket on a far field, riding on horseback across the horizon, and she points. "That's one of my cousins. Have you ever ridden a horse?"
Terrance smiled, rubbing at Melody's hand lightly with his thumb. "Well, that is a very kind offer. Maybe I can get her to come out sometime. She would absolutely love the sights. As for the garden, we don't have much space for that, barely any lot." Then at the noise he looked to the side, watching the boy on horses. He shook his head, "Oh, that I have not. Only thing I have ridden is my broom." he said with a laugh.
Melody's eyes stay on the distant cousin for a moment, before she looks to Terrance with her usual wide smile. "You should come visit this summer and you can try. They're rather like a broom, but sort of different," she explains very helpfully. "And they like sugar cubes, which brooms don't seem to be very fond of." It wasn't entirely her idea to test that theory, but she was witness to it.
Terrance laughed a bit more. Some might have seen her as flighty, but that was just something that Terrance found a bit cute. "Ah, well then maybe I will have to visit. I mean if it is like a broom, but not, then I should be great at them." he said teasingly. Then he laughed at the idea of trying to feed a broom a sugar cube, lost for words..just continuing on the path towards the pond.
"It's exactly like that," Melody says with an eager nod, happy at the Gryffindor's understanding, "And I don't doubt that you'll get on splendidly with the horses. You seem like you'd have a way." She seems happy enough to walk in silence for the next minute or two, listening to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees a short distance from the path, the branches still mostly bare but with a green hue from new buds. "What season is your favourite?" she asks, seemingly out of nowhere.
Terrance actually seemed to enjoy the sounds of nature filling the quiet between the two, nodding to her statement that he seemed like he would be good with the horses. Then after a second of thought he said "A mix between winter and spring. I love the beautiful white snow, but cannot deny that the air of spring is perfect for flying." The two would continue their small discussion, hands held merrily as they strolled along the pond.