Hey, I killed your bird

[Elmer Macmillan]

Elmer didn't like Edward's house, it was way too light. He felt like there was a window wherever the architect could put one and the furnitures reminded him of a little girl's doll-house. He had no style, his brother. But then, healers were not stylish people. They were all supposed to be practical and people who spent so much time with herbs and frog spleens couldn't pick the right type of wood for one's sitting room's furniture.

A house elf took him to Edward's study and told him that his master would return from his work shortly. Elmer just nodded and sat in front of the empty fireplace, starring at it as if there were flames there. Once, when he was a kid, he had tried to climb up a chimney in order to hide from Charles and hadn't it been for a house elf, he would have probably been killed himself. That only made fireplaces more charming to him. They were supposed to offer warmth and comfort, but they could so easily turn into someone's coffin.

He noticed a few parchments on his brother's desk and as he was rather bored, he decided to read some of them to kill time. Surely, Edward wouldn't mind. They'd probably be instructions on how to brew potions anyway. But one of them wasn't. A tiny smile spread across Elmer's face when he noticed the name 'Ellory' signing one of the letters and before he could stop himself he started reading his cousin's letter.

He was not sure what was more amusing, the 'Dearest Edward' or the fact that the parchment smelled like vanilla. Probably both.

He sighed and leaned his head back, only to hear the noise of some bird that was apparently sitting on the furniture behind him. Before Elmer could stop himself, he drew out his wand and shot a hex at the bird, which then started flying around the room, making book fall of bookshelfs and breaking a small statue that was probably expensive. The bird then flew close to the fireplace and Elmer shot another hex at it, which made it fall in the flames.

Only when the bird was practicaly roast alive did Elmer realize that it was not some demon from the depths of hell. Hopefully Edward wasn't too attached to that pet.

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

Edward was on his way home from another night of work in the hospital. He planned on simply taking a pepper-up potion and then continue with his work. He still had some things he should do, but he could do that from home. The home was rarely used, he spent more time at his parents, simply because he did not wanted to be alone. However, today was one of the days where he did not wanted to bother his parents, and especially not at this hour of day.

So when he came home and his house-elf told him that his brother was here, Edward just sighed. He knew that it was probably Elmer, since Charles would never come here unless he was forced, not to mention that Charles should still be on his honeymoon. He quickly asked for the house-elf to bring him a cup of tea, since he was sure that he would need it soon.

He entered his study and a strong smell of burned feathers met him. Instantly he looked at Elmer with an accusing gaze, wondering what his youngest brother had done this time. “Elmer.” He just said and raised an eyebrow, ready to listen to his excuses for this time.

  

[Elmer Macmillan]

Elmer didn't feel especially alarmed when his brother walked in. He didn't even bother to sit straight or try to look innocent, as he hadn't done anything wrong. The bird had attacked him and it got what it deserved. Besides, it was only a bird. Edward could buy a new owl to send letters to his lassie.

He just starred at his brother, as if he was not real, unsure what to say. Finally, he glanced at the bird and said. "It looked old anyway. And that breed is a rather agressive one. It attacked me."

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

Edward just sighed and went to sit at his desk. What number was, 3, 4, 5? “Elmer, you really need to stop killing pets, especially mine.” He said with a sigh and looked around to see if there was anything special he needed to focus on, when the vague scent of vanilla hit him. The scent immediate made him think of Ellory, and he began to search for the letter. He usually kept her old letters another place so the scent would not be so strong if she had not sent a new letter. “Elmer, have you taken anything from my desk?” he asked and looked at Elmer.

“Wait a second. I am not sure it was my owl. Seriously Elmer, you need to be more careful.” He said and looked harder at his brother.

  

[Elmer Macmillan]

He spoke as if killing animals was his hobby! It was never his intention to kill any of his or Edward's pets, it just... happened. He either ended up stumbling on them, or he dropped things or them or forgot to feed them. It wasn't his fault that he was so terrible with animals!

And he hadn't even killed Edward's owl this time. Which Edward clearly didn't care about because he would have recognized it, right?

"It was just an owl, not your child!" Elmer commented apathetically, not bothering to mention that he did take stuff from Edward's desk. The letter was in his hand, so unless Edward was blind or stupid he'd find it. "Everything is made to die. Nothing lasts forever. You, who deal with death on a daily basis should know that by now."

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

Edward looked closer at his brother and quickly saw the letter. He sighed and quickly reached over to snatch it out of his brother’s hand. “First of all, stop reading my letters, especially my private letters. And second of all,” he said and looked closer at the few feather was scattered on the floor in the room. They did not seem like they came from his owl, but from Ellory’s which did not make things better. “Second of all, it is not my owl you have killed this time, but Ellory’s.”

How was he going to explain this to Ellory? That his brother was paranoid and shot hexes at everything that moved – not to mention generally just killed his pets at times. “You are going to pay for a new one.” He just said, not sure what to do about this right now.

  

[Elmer Macmillan]

Elmer found it sligthly amusing how Edward was so protective of his 'private' letters. As if they mattered for anything. They were just pieces of parchment with worthless words on them. "It does not say anything scandalous, brother, do not worry." Not that Elmer would have cared if it did. He could be a rather nosy person, but he didn't go gossiping around.

He raised an eyebrow when his brother said that he would have to get the girl a new owl. "She can use the school's owls to send you love letters." Elmer commented apathetically, not even bothering to look at his brother.

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

What was it with his brother? Why could he not just understand that he should be more careful. “I did not expect that, but there is such a thing as privacy, brother. And all letters addressed to me, is private and are not for your eyes, unless I allow you to read them.” He said, in the hope that his brother would actually listen to him for once. He was not sure, Elmer was the one of his brothers he preferred, but he was still a mystery at times.

When he said that Ellory could just use the school owls, Edward rolled his eyes. He even shortly considered writing to his mother and claiming that Elmer needed to get a governess and relearn something about manners in general. “That is not the point. The point is that you killed her owl, and you should apologize and give her a new owl. It is just a matter of politeness and being a gentleman.” He said in a slightly annoyed voice.

  

[Elmer Macmillan]

After Edward's small lecture on good manners, Elmer was left to look at him with a raised eyebrow and a sligthy expression of disgust, as if his brother had told him to jump into a bucket full of worms.

"I'm not writing to her!" he protested rather childishly. He didn't like writing letters, especially not to annoying younger female cousins and not when it was to apologize for killing their owl. He always felt weird around his cousin Ellory and he didn't want to write to her or have anything to do with her, really.

"Owls are replaceable." Just like humans, really. "It would have died sooner or later."

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

“I am sure she will be pleased for just a small letter where you apologize.” He said, trying to get his brother to see sense. Right now, Edward wished it was Charles, at least Charles would probably be eaiser to convince to do this than Elmer was. “It is not a matter of whether or not it would have died, but a matter of apologizing for something you caused.” He added stubbornly.

“Other than that, any reason why you are here in the first place?” he asked, and looked at Elmer. Edward would not give in on the fact that Elmer should write to Ellory and pay for a new owl, but he still expected that there was a reason Elmer was here in the first place.

  

[Elmer Macmillan]

Elmer was not writing anything to anyone even if Edward tied him to a chair and turned his fingers into quills. What did his brother expect him to write, 'Hey, I killed your owl, sorry about that'? The girl would likely throw a tantrum and Elmer was not good at dealing with so many emotions.

"I came to ask you for a potion. You know, the one that you drink in order not to get sick. I think one of my co-workers has the flu." Elmer told his brother.

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

“You know I am a spell-damage healer, not a potioneer?” he asked his brother and stood to open his cabinet to search for the right potion. At the same time the house-elf came with his tea and placed it on his desk. He quickly found the right potion and closed the cabinet before he went back to sit in his chair and handed the potion to Elmer.

“Do you want anything to drink?” he asked and looked at his brother as he lifted the cup and took a sip. Tea may be feminine, but it was still something Edward found quite relaxing at times. He made a mental note to write an apology and explanation to Ellory in his next letter, because honestly, he doubted that Elmer would do something about it.

  

[Elmer Macmillan]

"Don't all healers use potions?" Elmer asked rather dumbly as his brother searched through his cabinet. If they didn't need to use potions, then why on earth did Edward need an E at potions in order to become a healer? Sure, Elmer also needed Es and Os at subjects that he didn't really need in order to become a lawyer, but if a healer didn't have a healing potion then who would?

"You can consider becoming a potioner when you become older. The books write more about them than healers, you know. And one stays immortal when the books write about him. Nobody cares about those who took care of the others' well-being." he murmured as he waited for his brother to find the right potion. He took it in his hands and examined it carefully, in case Edward had sneakily tried to give him some sort of poison for the owl incident. "How much of this do I need to drink daily? And coffee."

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

Sometimes, the amount of stupidity his brother showed was annoying Edward to a point where he wanted to hit his brothers. “The family name will continue, I have no need to become immortal in any way.” He said and looked at Elmer. It sometimes hit him how different they all where, Elmer, Charles and himself. They seemed so different that Edward sometimes thought that they were not brothers, but he kept that a secret from everybody, including their parents.

He quickly asked his house-elf to bring his brother a cup of coffee before he told his brother the right amount of potion to take. “Why don’t you learn to make this potion yourself?” he asked and looked at his brother. He had yet to read Ellory’s letter, it could wait until his brother decided to leave.

  

[Elmer Macmillan]

"Don't you want your children and their children to be proud of what you have done?" Elmer vaguelly asked his brother. The Macmillan name would continue, even if Edward ended up having only daughters, but it was important that someone put his stamp in the past so he could be remembered. Nothing lasted forever, except books.

"But I suppose I am asking barely above average healer for too much." he added then, rather jokingly. He could never really picture Edward being a healer, though. When he was a child, he always expected Edward to become an auror and Charles to be something else. But then, until his first year, he had always thought that he'd end up being a poet.

  

[Edward Macmillan 2]

“I will rather they remember me for being a good person than being caught up in my legacy.” He said and looked at Elmer. The chances of all three of them having only daughters were small, thank merlin for that, but he still hoped that he would have a son himself. However, for now, he was not that worried about it, there was still two years until Ellory would have her debut season and they would not marry until after that.

He looked sternly at his brother as he tried to joke. Edward did not see himself as constantly serious, but there were things he could simply not see as funny. “Says the lawyer. Never trust the word of a lawyer.” He said with a smile, telling that he had his own joke.