wasting a w a y /open\

[dudelsack]

Harry slowly sat up, the room was dim, lit only by the weak January sunlight poking through the curtains. Even his severely blurred vision could tell that the room was a complete mess. Harry hadn't touched a thing of Ginny's since her passing, as if he were still hoping she might walk in the door one day. Quietly, he walked to the open closet and pulled out one of his wife's shirts. It still smelled like her. Harry sighed, bringing the material close to his nose so he could further take in her scent.

He allowed the shirt to slip from between his fingers and fall to the floor. Harry didn't bother to pick it up, but instead turned around and made his way back to the bed, hem of his sweatpants dragging on the floor. Harry stepped around food dishes that Angel had delivered to him, most of the food untouched, then collapsed back onto the bed, laying on his side and staring at the wall. He had lost count of the days, was neglecting to take care of himself... Harry had found his limit.

[calcetines]

Angel pushed open the door, she had just finished cleaning around the house and had come to check on her father before heading into work. If it weren't for the time she had spent on doing her hair and makeup, she would probably look terrible, but Angel had been making great strives to be presentable at work, even if the manager didn't understand why she wore muggle clothes. She looked down at her father, still lying in bed, obviously awake. Suddenly, she felt almost a flicker of anger in her chest. She walked over so she could stand where he was facing, nudging dishes out of her way with her foot. "Enough!" Angel said loudly. "Get up, you're going to work today."

Outfit

[dudelsack]

Harry looked up at his daughter, not even lifting his head from the pillow as she practically shouted at him to get up and go to work. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle doing that just yet, though he knew in the back of his mind that if he took much more time off he'd be fired. Without even responding, Harry rolled over to face the other wall, thinking in vain that if he ignored Angel she would simply leave him be.

[calcetines]

Not accepting that for an answer, Angel strode over to the window and yanked open the curtains, allowing sunlight to pour in. It wouldn't have been all that bright if it weren't for the snow, but the rays sparkled in the light brilliantly. The room was in total disarray, dirty dishes strewn about, clothes on the floor, the bed probably hadn't been made once since her mother died. "You can't keep living like this," Angel said, feeling tears sting at her eyes. She willed them not to fall, at the moment she needed to parent her father, that called for firmness. She puled the covers from the bed. "Go on, up you get. You'll be sacked if you don't turn up soon." Angel added.

[dudelsack]

Harry blinked forcefully, temporarily blinded by the dazzling winter light. Sensing he was not going to win the battle, he blindly groped around the bedside table for his glasses. After sliding them up the bridge of his nose the room and all the mess it beheld came into sharper focus. Harry sat up slowly, squinting against the sunlight. He rubbed his chin, fingers catching on the stubble that he had neglected to shave off. He couldn't find the will to get off the bed, so remained, rather stubbornly, in his spot.

[calcetines]

Angel frowned a bit at the sight of her father. She wondered how long it had been since he showered, she certainly had not seen him out of his bedroom in quite some time. She knew he was taking Ginny's death especially hard, but she didn't have the time to grieve, she had stepped in to take care of Alex and her father while he was indisposable. But enough was enough, Angel was reaching her breaking point. "Go on," Angel insisted, "I can't make enough money for everyone." She was inches away from taking out her wand.

[dudelsack]

Harry sighed quietly, he knew now that he was not going to win. Slowly he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He allowed himself a stretch to ease the stiffness that came along with spending the majority of one's day in bed for nearly two months. Harry wasn't sure what he wanted at the moment, but he knew that he did not want to go to work. But he simply had to. Without saying a word to his daughter, Harry walked to the closet to select some of his work robes, then shuffled into the master bathroom to take a shower and shave.

[calcetines]

Satisfied for the moment, Angel allowed herself a small smile as the bathroom door closed and she heard the sound of running water. It pained her to see her father this way, but she knew there was relatively little she could do about it. Using magic, she cleaned the room in less than two minutes, then found herself at the closet. Angel stared at her mother's clothes, eyes stinging. She released a shuddering sigh before conjuring a box. She would drop the clothes off at a charity on her way to work, give them to someone who needed them...

[skyeisthelimit]

Alex was puzzled when she heard her sister's loud voice from upstairs. Angel wasn't usually loud, so Alex knew that something had to be up. Abandoning her breakfast for the moment, Alex headed up. She usually avoided her father's room, as Alex didn't like how he was treating the place since her mother's death, but upon seeing Angel through the door, Alex entered. "Angie, what's going on?" Alex asked her sister, confused as to why the shower was running. She hadn't seen her father out of bed in weeks.

[calcetines]

Angel paused in her pulling her mother's clothes from the closet when she saw her younger sister. She managed a small smile, but it felt extraordinarily difficult to pull off. "Dad's going to work today," said Angel, and then returned to removing her mother's clothes from the hangers and putting them into the box she had conjured. It was hard, removing the clothes, but Angel had to remind herself that her mother wasn't coming home again.

[skyeisthelimit]

"Oh?" Alex replied, unable to mask her surprise. Her father hadn't even left the house since the funeral, much less shown up at work. Clearly Angel had been able to convince him somehow that he should get back to his job. "Well, that's good," Alex commented, not sure what else to say. She stood awkwardly near the door, not sure whether to stay or to go.

[calcetines]

Angel nodded as she came to her mother's robes, wondering what to do with them. They would obviously be out of place at the muggle consignment shop on her route to work, but she did recall there was a small second-hand store in Diagon Alley. She conjured another box. "Come, you can help me with these robes," said Angel, waving for her sister to come join her inside of the large closet.

[skyeisthelimit]

Alex nodded and hesitantly stepped toward the closet where Angel was. She entered slowly, feeling like she had crossed some undrawn line. It was surreal to think that her mother would never enter the closet again or pick out something to wear from among her things. Alex picked up one pair of robes and folded it before setting the robes in the box. "What are you going to do with these?" she asked Angel as she picked up another set.

[calcetines]

"Donate them to a second-hand shop, they're still in good shape, someone who needs them can have them," Angel said without much hesitation. She knew what her younger sister was feeling, as she felt it as well, but she just had to get over it. They would all heal faster if they stopped living like Ginny would one day walk back in the door. They didn't have to take down all her pictures, or sell her good china, but keeping her clothes was a bit too extensive.