tea and questions

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail was of course dressed properly, she may be a MucFusty but she was going to show a good fa?ade of the family, as she always had. She was despite her many years, not that she thought of seventy-seven as many years, still up every single day. She had a huge family to keep track of, not that she mind, she had not been working directly with the dragons for many years, but she still knew the whereabouts of most of the families.


Well today she could focus on Hamish and the lady he was courting. It may only be Hamish this time, but she could always work on making him realize that he was making an even huger mistake by keeping her away from the closest family. She had ordered for the tea to come up, but was waiting for Hamish to show up. I wonder what she looks like, this Miss Ollivander she thought, while waiting. Her cane was as always by her side, she rested her hand on it, it was completely natural to her and most, if not all, of the family.

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[Hamish MacFusty]

For some reason, going to have team with Grams always left him with a feeling that he was ten years old and in trouble for some reason or another. While Hamish had never really ever been the subject of Abigail MacFusty's sole attention, he knew he was in for it now. With all of his siblings either completely single or married, Hammy's courting of Violet was certainly the talk of the family. Not to mention he'd been mostly doing things all on his own. He hadn't really discussed with his family, least of all his parents or grandmother about courting Violet. His mother had always told him to do what his heart told him to and that was exactly what he'd done. Of course after gaining permission, he'd told the rest of the family, but hadn't exactly made a move to bring the two any closer together.

He had a plan and he was sticking to it, no matter how much his grandmother wanted to warn him otherwise. Violet would get to know his big, loud, obnoxious family a little at a time so that she didn't run screaming for the hills. Sometimes his family made him want to do that and they were related. Honestly Hammy was lucky that Violet would even look his way, it's not like his family had the best of reputations and she was willing to look past that.

As he apparated from his island to one of the larger Hebrides, Hammy found himself staring at the house his grandmother had lived in his entire life. She was no doubt, the most intimidating woman he had ever met and he just prayed she didn't scare Violet off. He knocked politely on the door and was let in by a servant then shown to where his Grams waited for him. Swooping in with a charming smile on his face, he kissed both of her cheeks before taking a seat. "Been a while Grams, we shouldn't go so long between seeing one another." He eased into things, knowing what topic she really wanted to discuss.

  

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail smiled a little when Hamish finally arrived. She doubted any of her grandchildren would dare to oppose her when she insisted they came for tea, but she knew that they all had a family and a job where they were needed, so it was not often she insisted on them coming around. But she needed to know more about the female Hamish was courting. She doubted she would be able to make him change his mind about courting her, her son and daughter-in-law had not made an arranged marriage for Hamish, and Abigail was not exactly one that would force her grandchildren into a marriage. Especially because it could quickly turn problematic with the family business, Abigail had not married out of love, but she was happy for her family.

"I agree, but you have work and Miss Ollivander to keep you busy and there is plenty of family members I see less." she answered slowly. It was not long before one of her maids came into the room with the tea. "Thank you, we can handle it from here." she quickly dismissed her and kept her eyes on Hamish.

She could understand why Hamish wanted to keep the family from the young lady, but to her there was a difference between keeping her away from the entire family and then the closest family which included herself. It was not something she really understood and she hoped that she was able to make Hamish see this.

Tag: Hamish

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[Hamish MacFusty]

January Challenge - Day #25
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Sometimes Hammy wondered just what his grandmother was thinking. He felt as though sometimes she was a storm, silently making it's way over the water and then it slammed into you with all its fury. While Abigail MacFusty was a force to be reckoned with, Hammy knew she had her soft side too and always had everybody's best interests at heart, even if they weren't agreed upon at the outset.

Folding himself carefully on his Grandmother's couch, Hammy always felt like he was going to break nice furniture. His own furniture was rough and sturdy wood, oak and pine that he knew could stand up to the wear and tear he could dish out, but this dainty, lady's furniture felt foreign to him. He waited a beat while she dismissed the waitstaff with the tea, letting her get her own before he took his. "Busy indeed. I wrote a book Grams, I'm taking it to the publisher this week." Hopefully she could be proud of that at least. He was a busy man, between dragons, writing books, storytelling gigs and now courting, he had little free time, which was alright by him. Unfortunately he couldn't brag that Violet had helped co-write the book, one, because he wasn't sure how Grams would react to that, and two, the less people that knew, the better. It was their secret.

"What have you been up to?" He inquired of her, hoping that maybe if he turned the spotlight back on her that he could ease his way back to Violet. Hammy was often a fool, but he knew exactly what Grams wanted to talk about and while he wasn't shying away from the topic of Violet, he wasn't going to rush right into it either.

  

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail just slowly stirred in her own cup of tea while keeping her eyes locked on Hamish but she liked to think that she was not sending him a hard or cold stare but a friendly, caring and worried look. She knew she could seem terrifying on the first hand, but she trusted her family to know her well enough to know that she only acted like that to protect her family. Ever after her marriage into the MacFusty family, she had to be strong, living in a dragon-family took a lot of strength and she would never back down.


"Really, a book about what? You must remember to send me a copy." She said, accepting his attempt to make civil talk before they would talk about the real reason they were sitting here today. Abigail knew that Hamish knew why he was here. Of course a part of it was because she would like to catch up on what was happening in her grandson's life, but she really wanted to get to know more about her future granddaughter-in-law.


"The usual, keeping track of the family and socializing with the needed. Hamish, do you really think we should step around the real reason we are sitting here. Everything else is really an offence against both of us." she said and placed her cup down and looked at him. She could easily turn even more stubborn and strict than she was right now, but she would not do so until she had to.

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[Hamish MacFusty]

"Glad to hear there isn't anything too stressful going on for you." No he didn't want that for his dear old Grams, though Hammy was pretty sure that he caused his grandmother a little bit of worry sometimes. Then again, dealing with dragons as much as they did, everybody would always be worried and that just didn't seem to happy much in his family.

Once his own tea was ready to his liking, Hammy leaned back into the couch again and eyed his grandmother over his cup. "You will get the first copy." He assured her. "I wrote a first-hand account of the Merlin-awful trail expedition they sent me, Roddy, Tav and Ma on this past summer." While it could have been an awful nightmare and was at times, Hammy couldn't really complain, it was how he got to know Violet after all.

And there was his segue into talking about Violet he supposed. "It's actually where I met Violet, she was in my trail group." He figured he might as well jump right into it. It was certainly a strange start to a friendship and relationship, but so far it had worked for them. "I was a perfect gentleman the whole time, before you ask. I kept an eye on her and all the girls while we were out in the woods." He felt the need to say that because he knew Abigail would ask. "So what else would you like to know about her Grams?" He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing he was being a little cheeky and that it could possibly earn him a sound whack with her cane. "I know you're curious."

  

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail smiled, she had lived with the dragons for almost sixty years so over the years she had learned to believe that her family could take care of the dragons without getting hurt. If she was constantly worried about all of her family members, she would do nothing but be worried. She had to trust that the generations and years of working with dragons kept her family safe. "My god, do I even want to read it, dear Hamish?" she said, after hearing what the book would be about. She had not been a fan of the trail, never would be, because she could have lost too many of her family members. The family may be large, but she disliked having to lose any of them.


Abigail was surprised when Hamish told her that he had met this Violet on the trail. "You better have been the perfect gentleman, you know I dislike when anyone is behaving what I think is wrong. Especially my own family." she said with a stern voice, clearly indicating that he better agree with her.


When she thought he had been a bit too cheeky she quickly raised her cane and whacked him over his leg. "Have some respect." She just said, trusting it to be enough for Hamish to know what she meant. "What is it about this Violet that you like so much? And I am only curious because I wish for the family to continue as strong as it is. I would hate to see the family go down, especially because of one female and my grandson choosing unwisely. Do you really believe she will be able to live knowing about the family and our life?" she said, trying to concentrate her main concern into a question.

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[Hamish MacFusty]

"It's not graphic Grams. It's telling of the story and the human response to an adventure." Or so he liked to think of it. Of course it was an adventure story, but the fact that it was true was even better. It chronicled not only his group's story but the founding of Irvingly and the agreement made with the muggles. He thought it was a concise, precise telling of the story from people who actually experienced it. "Don't worry it's well done." He assured her with a roguish grin. Violet had kept him in check and on track and the book had come out brilliantly in his opinion.

Pursing his lips and taking a sip of his tea in response to her chastising, Hammy resisted the urge to grin. He was always a gentleman, a cheeky one, but a gentleman, though Grams didn't need to know he spent the last couple days of his expedition shirtless with an open wound on his back.

Considering her question and the concern behind it, Hammy thought over his words very carefully. "I enjoy her taste in books, her curiosity, her love of teaching." He began, realizing that he was the one to blame here. It was't that Violet didn't want to meet his family, it was that Hammy was having reservations. He was the one that was hesitant. "I like how shy she is, how she puts up with my incessant talk of dragons and quidditch." They really were opposites in many respects, but that was just another thing he liked about her.

"It isn't Violet's choice that she hasn't met you yet." He admitted after another sip of his tea. "It's mine. She's shy Grams and I don't want her to be overwhelmed. Her family isn't nearly as big as ours and I don't want her to feel uncomfortable or out of place. Should things progress as I would like them to, she will have plenty of time to get used to us." Oh yes, Hammy had a plan and if all went according to plan, Violet would have the rest of her life to get used to the MacFustys; she would be one herself.

  

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail just smiled slowly, at least Hamish had thought about what he had written. "Well, I would like to read it." she said slowly before she took a sip of her tea. "Well I certainly hope the publisher will be fair in his judgment. If the book is well-written it will help a lot of the poor left behind members." she said slowly.


At least Hamish knew that he should do as she said, especially when it was about respect. She was a strong confident woman and could easily tell her grandchildren off. She would not even think twice about it. Still, she would prefer if she could keep them all happy without hurting them too much. She smiled a bit when Hamish began telling her why he loved Violet, even with their many differences she could not help but notice how happy Hamish seemed to be about the girl. She was very grateful, she felt like all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren alike, deserved a chance to find true love.


However, she got very upset when Hamish admitted that he was the reason she had let to see Violet. "Hamish MacFusty. You should have been more thoughtful. Have you even tried asking the girl if she would like to meet at least your parents and me?" she said, her voice really stern and a bit angry at Hamish for not even giving Violet the choice if she wanted to meet the family.

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[Hamish MacFusty]

Hammy cringed when she called him by his almost-full name. Had she added the Aiden in there, he would have fallen off his seat. He knew he was in trouble when the middle name came out. He also knew she wouldn't agree with his decision. He and Violet had talked about it, they were on the same page, or at least he was pretty sure they were. The MacFusty's had a reputation that preceded them and honestly he was pretty sure that anything said about them at Hogwarts was his fault.

"Of course she wants to meet you." Hamish just hardly managed to keep the frustration out of his voice. He was a grown man and he was going to do this how he saw fit, however was best for Violet. "It's just not that easy. I only get to see her once a month and what can I say? I'm a little selfish." He was and he knew it. He liked having Violet to himself for the moment. "It's not like Mum and Da have a lot of free time either. I tried to set something up between the two of you, but you already had plans." Hamish drained his teacup and set it down again.

"I can't just ask her to leave her job to come see us. That's unreasonable." He wasn't trying to be fresh in this situation, but express that things were not as easy as they could be. Violet worked for a living, she was not some bored upper class girl with nothing else to do with her time.

  

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail looked at Hamish with hard eyes. There was no way she would agree with Hamish on this, but at the same time she knew that there was only so much she could do to get her way. "Well, you have only been courting for two months, which speaks for your luck, but I still think you are doing the wrong thing." she said before placing down her cup and saucer. She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm, which worked pretty well.


"I really hope I will meet her in a few months. You are only delaying the inevitable. One day she will meet your family, so why not just get it over with. I am not saying that you should introduce her to the entire family all at once, no woman would be able to handle that. But as your grandmother I should already have met her." she said and stomped her cane slightly. "I will respect her work, but I still say it is a matter of arranging things ahead. And there are other members of this family that I have to keep up with Hamish. If you had only thought of asking me to be the chaperone earlier then there would not have been any problem."

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[Hamish MacFusty]

Hammy knew she'd disagree and that was fine, she could use that stern tone all she wanted, but it wasn't going to change his mind. Violet would meet his parents and his family, slowly but surely. "I will make sure to ask about her next few Hogsmeade weekends to see if any of the ones coming up work for you. You'll have to come to town." Propriety dictated that Hammy could not go dragging Violet all over the Scottish Isles and for that at least, he was grateful.

"I'm not trying to avoid inevitable, Grams." He wanted Violet to meet his family so they could get to know her and love her as much as he did, but it was going to take time. "Her own family situation is not so pleasant and she has housekeeper that has been with her family for quite some time as a chaperon, I want her to be comfortable." Hamish stressed the last word. Having a chaperon was awkward enough, but Mrs. Hornby was quite pleasant and he couldn't blame Violet for wanting to stick to what she knew.

He was hoping that by divulging what little he knew of Violet's family might help soften his grandmother to his plan, though he knew he couldn't outright change her mind. "Her mother passed shortly after her birth, I think her father and brothers blame her for it." He could speculate at least, based on what he'd picked up here and there in their conversations. Hamish was not going to press her for information she wasn't comfortable sharing with him yet and he wasn't going to go around blabbing what he thought. "She's rather private about it and I don't blame her." It wasn't the happiest of households the Ollivander's kept and Hammy didn't want her to be overwhelmed bu his giant, happy family.

"It's going to take a little tact and a little patience Grams, but you will get to meet her when the time's right for everybody." He would make it happen and it would in due time, but he wasn't about to rush anything where Violet was concerned. She'd been patient with him, forgiving his mistakes in etiquette and rough personality and so he wanted to make sure he returned the favor.

  

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail sighed, she believed this was the best she could ask for. "Well, I am luckily not that old that I cannot come into town." she said slowly. She took another sip of her tea and allowed Hamish to explain. She knew that it was the right thing to do, listen to what he had to say. After all, this was about him and this Miss Ollivander that he wanted to make a part of the family. Abigail may be old and strict, but she was always willing to listen to the parts involved. Be strict but fair that has been her main thought when she had raised her own children, and she was not going to change it with her grandchildren.


When Hamish explained the family situation of the Ollivanders, Abigail slowly began to understand his reason for being very careful. "Well, this certainly changes things. I understand your concern and reason for being careful, but I still think that two months of courting would be enough to introduce her to your parents and me." she said stubborn as she was. Abigail knew that even with their huge family there were some that not exactly loved each other, but she made sure that they were all civil towards one another, at least when she was around. "You should know that if she really makes you feel happy, then I will welcome her into the family. I am just trying to protect my family." she said slowly, showing a sign of weakness. Her family meant everything, she just wanted them to be happy with their life and the choices they made.

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[Hamish MacFusty]

Realizing now that he would never be right in this situation he was just going to admit the fault and suck it up. "Understandable, if schedules had worked, we would have made a go of it." Honestly, it really wasn't a big deal that they hadn't met yet. It wasn't as if any of them had made the forward effort to go meet Violet either. Hogsmeade was just a quick apparating trip away and they hadn't approached him before this about getting to meet her. In all honesty he assumed his mother would know better than to bust in like this, but Grams, well Grams wanted what she wanted and that was that.

"Soon, we'll all get together soon." It was all he had. Hamish had no idea, short of writing Dunny about when his Hogsmeade visit weekends were and when Violet would have time. Unfortunately, half the time she couldn't get away either and he couldn't hold it against her, that was part of her job. HE was looking forward to seeing her on this upcoming weekend.

At least Grams was starting to come around a little bit. He knew she had everybody's best interests at heart and she wanted to make sure he'd chosen well. In all reality, he wasn't even looking for approval of Violet, he just wanted them to get to know her. He was going to continue their courtship even if his own family felt the need to be sticklers about certain things, though he highly doubted that would ever be an issue. "Believe me Grams, you like adore her as much as I do." Of that he was pretty confident.

  

[Abigail MacFusty]

Abigail looked at Hamish and finished her cup of tea before reacting to what he said. "Well, it was also very unlucky that I had made that arrangement. So it is not entirely your fault, how were you to know what I had made of arrangements." she said, giving Hamish the opportunity of not feeling completely in problems. It was simply bad luck, nothing else. Abigail was stubborn and old-schooled when it came to bringing new people into the family. She wanted them to know exactly how this family was, but if they were willing to accept that and made her family members happy, then she would never be the one to stop them.


When he said that she would adore Violet, Abigail just smiled. "And if I don't, then you will know. But knowing you I doubt it will be enough to stop you from anything." she said slowly. Even with a large family, she liked to believe she knew them pretty well. She did not have a lot of other things to do with her life, but she could not survive with her family choosing not to talk with her. One thing was that not all of them wrote to her on free will, another thing was that they actively made sure she would not see them.

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[Hamish MacFusty]

"Ahh Grams," He sighed with a smile. "You know me so well, but trust me, everything and everybody will come together and all the worry will be for naught." Hamish had no doubts in his mind, that if given the time to adjust, Violet would fit right into his family. They were loud and abrasive and entirely unlike the household she was raised in, but in all honestly, Hammy thought that was a good thing. After meeting with Gervaise and sitting through the strangest of meetings, Hammy felt like he had to rescue Violet from her own family and give her the chance to see what a family could and should be like. He knew the MacFustys were not the most normal of families, but at least they were loving and welcoming, unlike her family.

"Have a little faith in me." Hammy chuckled lowly and thought to himsef, at least I didn't get anybody pregnant out of wedlock and then covered it up with a fake marriage. But he couldn't throw Mac under the Knight Bus like that, so he kept a grin on his face and the thought to himself. "I really care for her and I want it all to work out, so it will. When have you ever know me to fail in getting something I wanted?" It was very rare for Hamish not to get something once he'd set his sights on it. That was just who he was and how he operated.