June 19, 1888 - Sanditon Resort

Merriweather Mulciber

Everyone who lived in the wizarding world knew of the fog and it's travel through their main towns. You had to be living under a rock not to. Somersby had heard the hushed conversations around the resort and seen the gradual increase of people coming to the resort. At least it might be good for business, he reasoned. He wasn't overly worried, the ministry would fix it, he was sure, but he was curious as to what it was. What it did. Just like everyone else. But it was far away and business was booming so Somersby didn't trouble himself with it as he supposed some might.

This afternoon Sanditon was bright and sunny. There was no fog in the afternoon sunlight and the animals in his father's zoo seemed to be rather content. Somersby had just finished them when he noticed a schoolmate of his eyeing the pen of his father's giraffes. "Good afternoon!" Somersby greeted in his best cheerful resort voice that everyone expected from the boy of summer.

  

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Merriweather was bored, and still rather disturbed by the Mulciber's departure. So he'd been spending a great deal of time sunning himself by the beach in the artificial light at first, but then he'd gotten a burn on his cheeks and forearms. (It had since faded) Then he'd been reading books indoors and hoping for the fog to dissipate, but to no such success. Today, he'd wandered off to the zoo for the sake of something different to look at.

Giraffes were weird.

Merry studied the giraffes, and the giraffes looked back at him, and he continued looking at the giraffes. He was still doing this when he heard someone speaking to him and spun around. "Oh," Merry said, "Good - uh, good afternoon, Fudge."

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Mulicber and Somersby had never been close, really they hardly knew each other. Somersby had gone to Mulicber's birthday party this past month, but beyond that he had hardly spoken to Mulicber since they had been in OWL courses together and even then it had been limited. But that was the thing with being home, seeing someone - anyone - from school was refreshing. For a moment he could pretend he was back at school instead of at the resort with his crazy family.

"Enjoying your vacation so far?" Somersby asked, although he wondered if the Mulcibers had come for a vacation or had come to avoid the fog as it seemed many of their guests had.

  

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Merry waved a hand at the giraffe. "It's pretty interesting," he said, as if he hadn't been dreadfully bored. It was not as if he hadn't been bored at home. And at least here there were exotic animals for him to stare blankly at. Probably he would have enjoyed the Sanditon more if he hadn't accidentally killed someone on the way here, but there was only so much one could do.

"How's your summer going?"

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Interesting wasn't quite the word one wanted to hear when they were part of the group in charge of making a vacation enjoyable. But Somersby was almost inclined to agree. He was already ready to get back to school, back to the freedom of his classes and friends. Here home was always noisy and demanding and he never really felt as if he could relax. It was all one big job. Merlin's beard, he wasn't sure how he'd survive if he had to return to take his father's place running the resort. It was certainly his father's dream - not his, and every day he was here he was more and more sure of that very basic fact.

"To be honest, much the same as normal. I'm ready to head back to Hogwarts, actually." Somersby admitted, running a hand through his sandy waves.

  

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"Me too," Merry agreed, happy to have found something that he apparently had in common with his yearmate. "Family's great, but -" he shrugged. He was starting to become rather desperate for someone to talk to who lacked the surname Mulciber.

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Somersby couldn't help but chuckle. "Precisely!" He agreed with the unspoken sentiment. Fudges were everywhere, and while once he had been use to their constant presence, now it began to grate on the relative freedom he had built for himself at school.

"I had heard rumor of the fog shutting down the school." Somersby remarked, although he could hardly believe it should remain for so long.

  

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Merry frowned. He didn't like that concept, as it meant more Mulciber talk, and no friends, and nothing to do with his life except stare at the giraffes. That it would delay N.E.W.T. exams and the advent of Real Life was not enough of a perk to make him feel any better. "I hope that doesn't happen," Merry said with a visible grimace.

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“That makes two of us.” Somersby nodded. It was bad enough his family expected him to come home and help out after graduation, he’d rather just get school done with and postpone that as much as possible. As if such a thing were a possibility.

“You know, I’m starting to think I should have tried for an internship at the Ministry this summer. What with how it’s all turning out and such.” An odd statement, but it had slipped out of Somerby’s lips before he forgot he wasn’t speaking to Ben who could pick up on where he was going with such a nonsequiteur statement as that. Perhaps Mulciber would surprise him by understanding the leap to really just wanting to be anywhere but where he was at present with the endless about of Fudges who seemed to constantly surround him.

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Merry tilted his head, momentarily thrown for a loop - but he latched onto the logical turn and grinned. Oh. A Ministry internship meant being somewhere - anywhere! - else, and if Fudge felt similarly about his family, well. It wasn't a bad idea.

Merry said as much: "It wouldn't have been a bad plan. Although I suppose the Ministry's probably a ghost town, too."

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Somersby had to agree with Merriweather’s assessment, it likely was too. But it was away from home… oh well. “I suppose it is.”

“Well I suspect my father is likely looking for me. I should get back at it. I hope you enjoy your stay. See you around.” Somersby nodded and left Merriweather staring at the giraffes. Back to the same old humdrum of his life.

  

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