trying (cherry)

He realised he'd been fairly quiet during the train journey so far, and only offered very short responses to things. As the rain pelted down outside and lashed against the windows, he felt it was the only sound that could be heard in the entire train. Everyone was rather melancholy, and for a very good reason. They had all just survived peril, and were emotionally exhausted.

Louis tried not to think about his Mother.

But he remembered the rain on the beach when he was a child, and he and his Mother sheltered in a small sea-cut cave. She said that it wasn't bad for them, because they were having their own special adventure together.

He didn't realise he was crying anymore, really. The tears just sort of came and they went without him feeling much sensation of them.

@Cherry Darling

Cherry was, with good reason, worrying about Louis a lot. It was one thing to survive hellish conditions. It was another to lose a loved one, especially a parent, on top of that. She wished she could just try to come up with some sort of topic to keep his mind off of it for a bit, but she knew it was important for him to grieve.

Okay, now she was starting to reach a point of crying as well. Why did that have to be as contagious as laughter? Cherry decided to join his side of the compartment and envelope him in a tight squeeze. The least she could do at the moment was be there for him.

@Louis Weasley

As soon as he felt Cherry come next to him, Louis turned and buried his head into her shoulder. He sobbed for a good while, which he had done a fair few times since learning of the news. His Mother... his beautiful, perfect Mother. How did she feel when she died? Was she afraid? He couldn't help imagining the scenario in his head like a film reel, playing over and over, tormenting him to the point of nausea.

After a while of crying and thinking horrible, ghastly things - Louis emerged, sniffing.

"I'm sorry..." He said, quietly, trying to smile. "Cherry..." He said, looking at her, desperately, "What do you think happens after people die?"

It wasn't something he'd like to ask to anyone, for fear of putting them in a very awkward position, but he just wanted to know what she thought.

@Cherry Darling

She let him cry onto her shoulders as she tried to comfort him to the best of her ability; never had she seen Louis so vulnerable. Her heart ached for him and his whole family. Cherry was able to stifle her tears a good amount, but her face was a tad flushed from the crying that had occurred. Where were some tissues when they needed them?

"Well, my family believed that good people go to Heaven. She's in a safe, happy place now." She wasn't going to elaborate on that can of worms, especially with the why. Cherry didn't want Louis to get even sadder at the alternative prospect as she figured most wizarding folk didn't know of God.

@Louis Weasley

"Heaven, yes..."

He smiled very slightly. It was a nice thought. He knew that Cherry wasn't on good terms with her family, but their ideas of afterlife were very comforting. Louis liked to think that his Mum was in a happy place, or that she was somehow still there in some form.

"My Mum used to sing this song to me in French when I was little, it's called La Mer," He said, going to his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. He gave it to her to use first. "La mer means the sea in English. It's a very nice sounding song, very hopeful and..."

Hmm. He cuddled tightly to her again.

@Cherry Darling

Cherry dabbed her cheeks with the handkerchief as she listened to her boyfriend. She was so thankful that nothing worse that happened in those few days they were separated. Now was her time to be his rock, she figured.

"I'd like to hear it," she replied with a small smile. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

@Louis Weasley

His singing voice wasn't fantastic. But he could probably do it as anyone with a mediocre singing voice did: in a low voice, instead of projecting through the lungs. He heard Blanche call it the head voice once.

"La mer..." He sang, quietly, while holding her, "Qu'on voit danser. Le long des golfes clairs. A des reflets d'argent..."

He thought of their cottage the family had, and everyone being there. His Dad, and his sisters, smiling at him as he told them about an exciting Hogsmeade weekend. Then his Mother was there, also smiling, but she was just keeping out of sight. They all knew she was there, so it was all okay.

"...La mer... Bergère d'azur, infinie."

He squeezed her tighter.

"I'm so glad I have you, Cherry. I love you. I love you so much."

@Cherry Darling

She smiled while hearing Louis attempt to sing; she had found it quite cute and the song to be nice and soothing.

"I love you so so much," Cherry responded not wanting to let go of him at all; the three days they were apart were painful enough. They were safe on the train, but she was still feeling the emotional turmoil of that week every now and then. "I don't know what I'd do without you." It was hard to believe that she had spent most of her life without him. It just felt wrong to not include him in any of her daydreams of the future, even if it was just a passing mention in hypothetical chats.

@Louis Weasley

Louis smiled on her shoulder. Although he did have the rest of his family: his sisters, and his Dad, he felt as though he wouldn't be able to get through any of this without her. Without her he would have been a husk: unable to feel cheer, or love, ever again.

"Cherry I'm so sorry about what happened to you, with Carina," He said softly, feeling he needed to say that for a long time, "I feel as though I could have done something to prevent it. Maybe if I'd been more firm with her from the start, she wouldn't feel so much resentment..."

He did feel guilt. But, he felt guilt for a lot of things right now. He felt guilty for being captured, for not defending himself more, for not being there to defend his Mother...

@Cherry Darling

Cherry frowned a small bit; she really didn't want Louis to feel responsible for other people's actions, especially as it seemed Carina was a her way or the highway type.

"Babe, don't apologize for stuff she's done... It's all on her. During the whole one-sided feud, I had done literally nothing to her except breathe and be in the same room. She only hates me because you chose me over her. You, unfortunately, can't fix jealousy. Since it has gotten personal since the one incident, I'm thinking of filing a restraining order. I think the ones in the wizarding world are more magically bound, so it would help keep us safe..."

She really didn't want anymore harm to come to either of them.

"I feel particularly targeted as everyone knows I'm muggleborn. It's a miracle that nothing worse had happened to me..." Maybe there was a God. Maybe it was just pure luck. Cherry just didn't know at the moment.

@Louis Weasley

He hadn't heard of a restraining order before, but it was quite self-explanatory. As Carina hadn't been around Hogwarts, he was quite sure that she had been taken by the Ministry for questioning, and perhaps to face Wizengamot. While that didn't surprise him, he wondered whether a restraining order would spare them from her presence if she were to escape their justice.

"It would probably be for the best..." He said, quietly.

Louis couldn't help feeling there was still hope for Carina, but she would only be happy if they were worlds apart. Then, perhaps, she could truly move on.

"I don't want to think about anything happening to you," He said, clinging to her like a kitten with claws.

@Cherry Darling

"I don't want to think of anything happening to you too... I hope they lock her boyfriend up. He was always a bit odd."

Cherry really didn't hate Carina until this all happened; she figured that it would've just stayed some petty school feud that'd be forgotten about within a few months.

"If they don't lock him up, you could get one as well. He really wanted to hurt you..."

They really needed something happier to talk about, but it was arduous considering the whole atmosphere on the train.

@Louis Weasley

"Yeah... I just don't know what will happen. Something like this hasn't happened in so many years."

The rain kept coming. It was sort of soothing to listen to.

"And... you're coming back with me, aren't you?" He asked, smiling as he looked at her. "You can live with us. In the cottage. Until we find a place of our own together."

It was going to be difficult being in the cottage at all without his Mother there. Perhaps moving away will help heal the wounds quicker.

@Cherry Darling

She nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I could handle staying with my family any longer. Speaking of that, there are some things I'd need to get from there anyway if you want to join me? You might find seeing parts of the muggle world interesting..."

Cherry hoped that would be able to distract even if it was just for a bit; it always saddened her when he was sad, and she just wanted to comfort him however she could.

"Would your dad mind me just moving in like that?"

@Louis Weasley