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Alastor & Hunter
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 01-17-13 15:40
Alastor Jenkins lightly chews his lower lip, quaffle in hand ready to throw towards one of the hoops. Gryffindor keeper Hunter Green, eyes fixed on Alastor and the ball while also being aware of everything else going on around him. Just as Alastor lets the quaffle go he's jolted forward by a bludger, though he has no idea if it was sent his way by Liam Murray or Madoc McGonagall. Hunter nearly gets the block but he's not quite quick enough and the quaffle slips past, adding 10 points to Ravenclaw's score.
A little while later he lands on the pitch, heading straight for the locker room to clean up. His last match of the day over, Alastor does a quick shower then changes into jeans and a long sleeve pullover. Once outside again he joins his parents Gillian and Sam, which is short for Samson, and his sister Eden. His brother Jasper, who's on the Hufflepuff team and in the last match, was already in the locker room when Alastor left from there.
Falling into step beside Alastor from locker room to stands is Hunter Rabnott. Like his cousin Alastor he'd just played a match but for the Gryffindor team instead of Ravenclaw. "Good game. Who do you think has this next one?"
"I feel like I'm supposed to say Hufflepuff because of Jasper," Alastor grins. "With Marlow on the team, it's sort of a double but then "
"Alexa's playing for Slytherin," Hunter finishes for him.
Much as he likes his cousin Alexa and thinks she's very good at Quidditch, Hunter is still chafing that because of Alexa during the Gryffindor match with Slytherin he'd missed out on not ten points, or even twenty. He'd missed three potential goals for a total of thirty points because of Alexa. The first time she kept getting into his line of sight making it next to impossible to get off a clean shot. The second time had come when he'd had the quaffle in hand, ready to throw when Alexa swooped in and snatched it away. Granted, he'd also been hit by a bludger right then but he had had a very good chance of making the shot if he'd been able to get it off because Gus Van Tassel was still smarting from a bludger hit not even thirty seconds before. The third time Alexa inadvertently caused Hunter to foul her just as he was making a goal attempt. The ball had made it through the hoop but because it went through after the foul was called, the goal didn't count.
Hunter holds no real hard feelings for Alexa. All that is part of the game of Quidditch. That doesn't mean he has to like the actions of Alexa, or by anyone else on the opposing team during a match or in the time after. By dinner he'll be laughing off a number of things that happened during all three of his matches as well as discussing certain actions and events to better figure out how they happened and how to stop those things from happening again. Etta will certainly bring up quite a few things during the next Gryffindor practice. With the first official match coming up soon, which is between Gryffindor and Slytherin, all of them will be working to smooth out any problems that showed up today, problems that don't necessarily show in practice against teammates.
Alastor and Hunter reach the stands and as Hunter's parents Rachel and Gardner are sitting with Alastor's parents, he settles in with them to watch the next match, ready to cheer on Hufflepuff over Slytherin, not because of two cousins on Hufflepuff versus one on Slytherin, but because Sadie Mickle is a Hufflepuff chaser.
Stiff Shoulder
Author: Christopher Chant
Date: 01-17-13 18:03
Near the main gates of Hogwarts Christopher gives his mother a hug. As Candice Chant steps back from her son she promises, "I'll get what you need for your fancy dress owled to you by Monday morning."
"Thanks, Mum."
"You and Cat are going to look so cute. Be sure to get pictures."
"Yes, ma'am," he says with only a hint of an eye roll.
Erasmus Chant claps his son on the shoulder. "I'm sorry we have to leave early but at least we got to see all your matches."
With a work related party this evening, the Chants need to get home, changed, and off to a villa near Florence, Italy. After another round of goodbyes Christopher watches his parents as they exit through the gates then turns to go back to the pitch. Cat is spending a little time with her mother but later, after the Hufflepuff vs Slytherin exhibition match is over but before supper, she and he will meet up again. His plan for now is to go watch that last match and to grab something to eat to tide him over till supper.
After getting a spiced pumpkin juice and some hot, buttery popcorn, he goes to find a good spot to sit. Looking up at the stands to see what seats are available while also watching the match that's only a few minutes in, Christopher does a slow roll his left shoulder, wincing slightly at the tightness there. During one of Ravenclaw's matches today he'd taken a tumble from his broom. Christopher had been trailing the snitch when it dove down towards the ground. An opposing beater saw what Christopher was about and had sent a bludger. The bludger caught Christopher in the back. Coming from behind like that, the hit was unexpected. He was in a dive and the surge forward his upper body did combined with the dive sent him toppling from his broom. Luckily for him, he didn't have far to fall, only a few feet, but he smacked his shoulder fairly hard on the ground in the process.
Spotting his cousin Devon Abbott waving at him along with his aunt and uncle, Loraine and Edward, Christopher lifts his pumpkin juice to let them know he sees them then starts toward the stairs to the stands they are in, trying to keep an eye on the action in the air at the same time.
After The Last Ravenclaw Match (Jack)
Author: Kody
Date: 01-17-13 20:31
In the last minutes of the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor match, Jack Emerson weaves across the pitch, dodging a bludger in the process. Quaffle tucked under one arm, he makes a push toward the hoops where Hunter Green awaits while also watching for passing opportunities. The opening game when Marlow MacDougal interferes with his forward progress at the same time Ramona Mickle is in the clear. Jack passes the quaffle to Ramona who takes the quaffle only to promptly hurl it to Alastor. Half a minute later, Ravenclaw had ten more points to its score.
After the match ends Jack does what most of the others who've just played are doing, cleaning up in the locker room. From there he locates Deak Bennett who's now sitting with Wiggy Hodfuffer. As he sits Deak says, "Wiggy's number one fan has yet to show."
"That's a good thing, right?" Jack asks, leaning forward a little to look past Deak to Wiggy.
"A very good thing."
"But?" Jack prompts.
"But at the same time I wish you could both meet her so you can tell me if I'm reading too much into it or if I'm sending her the wrong signal."
Deak offers, "I could come to practice tomorrow or Monday, or several days if you like."
"I wish I could," Jack says with a frown. "Too bad seventh years aren't allowed to leave the grounds more often. I suppose it's too late for me to say I've got on with a professional team just so I could skiv off from here regularly."
Wiggy snorts, "Right, because skivving off is just what I do."
Jack's frown turns to an amused smirk. "You have gone to a great deal of trouble to convince everyone. Fake player cards. Charming your image into all the recent Puddlemere posters. Sending yourself lacy panties in the mail and saying they're from female fans. Somehow, you even convinced all of the world you were on the World Cup winning British National team. That is a great deal of time and effort just to skiv off from campus several nights a week."
Deak chuckles, "That explains the huge loan Wiggy took out before school last year."
Wiggy gives them a mock innocent expression before joking. "If I were going to do all that, I'd have said I got on with the Caerphilly Catapults since no one's paying much attention to them right now."
They laugh but then Wiggy turns serious. "I do think she's going to be a real problem."
Jack thinks, but doesn't verbalize, that they all know firsthand just to what lengths a lovelorn stalker type will go to. The trio remain silent for several minutes, watching Hufflepuff take on Slytherin. The silence is broken when Wiggy's parents reclaim the seats they'd been using on and off through the day. Jack's parents had come this morning but neither were feeling well so they'd left as soon as Jack was free for them to bid goodbye to after Ravenclaw had played Slytherin in the third match-up of the day.
With Wiggy's parents sitting within earshot, conversation turns to subjects such as what Jack and Wiggy might wear in the way of fancy dress if going in costume to this year's Halloween Feast and Deak making mention of a similar type party he's going to through a St. Emrys Muggle oriented group.
Talk Of Costumes
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 01-18-13 08:05
Without realizing she's doing it, Olive's mouth works back and forth as she contemplates her options. Mason appears to be open but Sadie's lurking uncomfortably close. Alexa is definitely open but more than three times the distance from her as Mason. That increases the likelihood that one of the other Hufflepuff chasers will be able to intercept. Accelerating forward on her broom Olive just misses being clipped by a bludger. Right after, the other bludger is sent by Mark to connect with Sadie. With that momentary distraction, Olive lets the quaffle go, throwing it to Mason.
Earlier in the day, the other two Green siblings currently attending Hogwarts also saw Quidditch action, Jade for Ravenclaw and Hunter for Gryffindor. In one Ravenclaw match, beater Jade had sent a bludger at the other team's seeker, preventing the seeker from catching the snitch only 10 minutes into the short 45 minute exhibition. For the most part, the rest of that match was the usual batting of bludgers to interfere with opposing chasers and the other team's keeper when her teammates where attempting to score.
Given the length of each match, made shorter those rare times the snitch was caught, though in one match the time was only lessened by 1 minute, Hunter feels he blocked quite a few goal attempts. He's not happy that some got by him each match but not too many. At one point he caught a throw made by Marlow MacDougal and at the same time took a bludger to the knee. He thinks it was meant to hit him higher up, more like his arm or even his shoulder. It hurt no matter where it was meant for but he stopped the quaffle so that's what matters.
At the moment Hunter and Jade are sitting with sister Emerald, her boyfriend Phin, and their Aunt Blythe and Uncle Woody sharing cheesy nachos, watching Olive in her match against Hufflepuff, which had been Emerald's house, and talking about the Halloween costumes being allowed again for this years feast, the discussion begun when Emerald had asked, "Did you two ever decide what your going as?"
Jade gives a decisive nod. "Poison Ivy from Batman."
Not knowing of the Wizarding world until six years ago the Greens believe they have a wider base to pull from for costume ideas, or as so often said around here, fancy dress.
Only vaguely familiar with Batman and only because of a comic book left around from time to time at home, Woody whose business is growing plants for potions, mainly those used by healers, scrunches up his nose. "Why would someone want to be poison ivy?"
"Poison Ivy is a character, Uncle Woody. Her real name is Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley and she's considered a supervillainess. Even if I were going as the regular plant poison ivy, it's not as if I'd be using real poison ivy for the costume."
Emmie pats her uncle on the arm. "I'll find one of the comics with Poison Ivy in it when we get home so you can see." To her brother she asks, "What about you, Hunter?"
"A Fraggle."
Woody, Blythe, and Phin ask pretty much simultaneously, "What's A Fraggle?" while Emerald asks, "As in Fraggle Rock?"
"Yes, as in Fraggle Rock. Olive's helping me with it."
Hunter, Emerald, and Jade then launch into an explanation of Fraggle Rock, Fraggles, Doozers, the Gorgs, and other assorted characters from the tv series. It's a long while before one of the others thinks to ask, "What's Olive going to be?"
Brutal Sports
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 01-18-13 09:47
Jasper Jenkins passes off to Sadie Mickle but Mason darts in for the steal. Wheeling his broom around, tucking the quaffle in close to his body, Mason takes off back in the direction of the Hufflepuff tended hoops. Ducking a bludger from Caerwyn Valentine then dodging around seeker Rylee Marks, he tosses the quaffle to Alexa Wenlock, eyes darting to see how much time remains in the timed match.
In the stands Mason's mother sits with his dad, his brother Pyrrhus, Pyrrhus's wife Isolde, and a few others. No matter how many times Felicia Randolph comes to Hogwarts or goes shopping with Mason somewhere such as Diagon Alley, she cannot get over the oddity of the sights, and sometimes sounds, going on around her that are not common in her Muggle existance. As another player zips by their stands at such a high rate of speed as to be a blur, Felicia shudders. "I can't believe you do this for a living, Pyrrhus, or that you used to, Isolde. It's worse than the automobile races. I'd be terrified the entire time."
Edmond Jeffers, who has long been in an on and off again relationship with Felicia, which is currently one of being cordial and friendly, smiles at Felicia. "Mason, Py, and I have all offered to get you on a broom to show you it's not as bad as you think."
Py offers, "Viktor's got a passenger seat I could borrow. It attaches to most brooms. You'd sit in it much like a motorcycle side car."
"Maybe that wouldn't be so terribly awful if whoever was flying went slow." Felicia's hands fly to cover her eyes as Mason has another near miss with a bludger. Hands slowly lowering to her lap she gives a nervous chuckle. "For years I thought the worst I'd have to deal with would be a few footie injuries or that he would developed an interest in rugby. Brutal sport rugby," she says for the benefit of a few of the non-Muggles around her.
As the quaffle changes possession three times in half a minute, Felicia is asked a question about this sport of rugby so with the help of Pyrrhus whose adoptive father is Muggle born and some from Edmond who now lives more in the Muggle world than in the Wizarding one, Felicia enlightens the interested on the finer points of rugby.
Missing Her More (Marjani & Zuberi)
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 01-18-13 10:55
Earlier in the day, first against Slytherin then against Hufflepuff and, lastly, against Ravenclaw Marjani had been on a broom in the air over the pitch. She'd caught the quaffle, passed it to teammates, stolen it from chasers on the other teams, had a few turnovers of her own, and made some goals. She'd avoided bludgers, gotten hit more than a time or two, and banged elbows with Olive Green.
Rubbing the sore elbow without realizing she's doing it, Marjani leans a little into her brother. "Days like this I miss her more and I can't help wishing Mum and Dad were here to see the school and watch me play."
"Mum and Dad were still alive, you'd most likely still be going to Okapi École de Sorcellerie and I would hopefully have not fecked up a year to put me behind graduating."
"And Dosie might still be with us."
"Maybe but who knows. He might have done the same thing there as he did here."
"Yeah, I guess so. I still can't believe he was that mental. He never seemed it."
They both grow quiet for a moment then when Viktor flies past as part of his refereeing the current match, Zuberi nods at his rapidly receding figure. "I think days like this Viktor misses Dosie more too."
"He's always said they were just very good friends but do you ever think maybe he felt something more?"
"Sometimes, but other times I do think he thought of her more as a good friend and maybe as something of a sister."
"Still want to pool our money to buy him an awesome Christmas present?"
"Yeah, but the question is, what awesome gift? We really need to figure this out and not end up just getting something suitable because it's midnight Christmas Eve and we've got nothing."
"Catalogs are starting to come in by owl. I'll go through and mark what I think might do then left you go through and do the same."
"Sounds like a good plan to start. Okay, I am hungry. Want me to bring you something?"
"A spiced tea if there is any, otherwise a hot chocolate with whipped cream, please."
Left alone for the moment while Zuberi goes in search of food and drink, Marjani watches the match and thinks about the gift for Viktor.
Dolled Up Troll (Wenlock Cousins)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 01-18-13 13:25
Quaffle in hand Jasper Jenkins makes as if to throw to Marlow. In the brief half second that Slytherin keeper Gus van Tassel shifts eyes from Jasper to Marlow in anticipation of the pass, Jasper instead hurls the quaffle towards one of the hoops. To Jasper's chagrin, Gus is still able, though just barely, to get fingers on the quaffle and direct the red ball away from the hoops.
Alexa Wenlock darts in for the rebound, jostling Hufflepuff chaser Sadie Mickle out of the way to get there. Alexa has to hand off to Mason who isn't as boxed in as she is. Mason, in turn, does a pass to Olive, who sprints away from the Slytherin end of things, making for the hoops guarded by Hufflepuff keeper Glori Hodfuffer.
In the stands Amorica Wenlock sits with cousin Eden Jenkins a few rows behind their parents and assorted other relatives. She bemoans, "I've still no idea what I'm going to wear to the feast."
Eden makes a pitying face. "Heather, Marlow, and I are going as hags," she says of the other two third year Wenlock cousins."
"That would be fairly easy but I don't want to copy what your doing now that I know what your idea is. I've only ten days to figure this out."
"Have you asked Aaron for ideas? He could give you some Muggle related ones."
"Or," Alastor Jenkins says leaning back from the row in front of the girls where he's been sitting the past few minutes with Daniel Gelson and the two Rabnott brothers, "I can help you modify a troll costume I have."
"A troll?" Amorica asks, not entirely sure she'd want to be seen as a troll.
"A river troll to be exact." Noting the expression on her face he points out, "You just said you'd consider being a hag. Hags aren't any prettier than trolls; and," he continues, "we could jazz the costume up a bit. Add girly hair, some rouge, and eye make-up. Do an unexpected twist on the typical troll."
Suddenly excited for the idea Amorica's head bobs up and down. "That might be fun! You're sure you don't mind helping me, Alastor?"
"I wouldn't have offered if I minded."
Daniel looks back at his two younger cousins. "I'll help too, Amorica. How does troll toenails painted glittery pink sound? We'll make you one dolled up river troll."
Both Eden and Amorica giggle at the image that comes to mind. "Love it!" Amorica practically squeals.
With the problem of what to wear now out of the way, Amorica settles in to enjoy the time remaining in Slytherin's exhibition match against Hufflepuff.
Just Before The Last Match (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 01-18-13 15:50
Returning to the pitch after seeing off his father, Grace, Briar, and his grandparents Caerwyn returns to sit with best friend Augustus Hodfuffer. In the process of getting to his seat he's jostled by someone, his elbow smacking into the woman's large, hard sided purse. Once seated he massages the elbow, already sore from something that happened in Hufflepuff's first match today, which had been against Ravenclaw.
Caerwyn had been going along hitting bludgers like normal, as always trying to improve aim and timing. He'd been in the process of swinging his bat to hit a bludger at Ravenclaw chaser Jack Emerson when he'd suddenly had to pull up on his swing. It was that or seriously clobber his own team's seeker, Aleydis Vanderbilt, in the head. It actually wouldn't have mattered if the other player was with Ravenclaw. A full on hard hit to the head with a beater's bat could cause serious concussion, fractured skull, brain injury, and even death. Caerwyn had been successful in averting the hit, Aleydis being none the wiser on how close she'd come to having her skull reshaped as she tracked the snitch, but ever since Caerwyn's elbow has had a painful twinge.
He thinks he pulled, maybe even tore, something. As he can still use that arm and it didn't prevent him from doing a bang up job the rest of that match or the one other he's played today, Caerwyn's not rushed to have it seen to by Madam Pomfrey. He figures there's plenty of time for that a little later, like maybe after supper. Unless it really gets to bothering him now that he's been smacked by that purse, in which case he'll go before supper. Also, he's still got one match to go and he doesn't want to risk missing out if Madam Pomfrey decides it's something that will take awhile to fix.
Gus nudges Caerwyn, nodding toward a woman who's just entered their set of stands. "Isn't that "
"Aunt Iola. Yeah."
Caerwyn would have added he didn't even know she was coming but by then she's reached their row and is sidling past other people to reach him. There's nothing else for him to do but turn and wait for her to get there. When she does, he stands, offering a light hug. "Aunt Iola, I didn't know you'd be here."
"I wanted to see you play. I saw most of your last match. I watched for you after but didn't see you and only just now spotted you here."
"I was seeing family off at the gates. Grace had a friend's birthday party and Dad said she could stand a bath before going."
Caerwyn thinks Iola looks somewhat relieved to know she won't run into his father even though she says, "Oh? That's too bad. Maybe I'll get to see them next time there's a gathering."
"I'm glad you came but I have to go get ready for the last match in a few minutes. We're up against Slytherin."
"Your mother was a Slytherin, did you know that?"
"No, I don't think I did. Dad was too. What were you?"
"Ravenclaw though there was nearly a Hat stall because it couldn't decide right away between Ravenclaw and Slytherin."
Iola tells Caerwyn a little more about hers and his mother's days at Hogwarts before Gus and he have to get to the locker room. A short time after that, Caerwyn's in the air again, bat in hand, ready to smack some bludgers. And hoping his elbow doesn't give him fits this go around. Then again, maybe it's time to switch up hands and get in more practice batting with his less dominant hand.
Deciding to do just that, Caerwyn catches sight of Iola still sitting where they'd left her and gives a little wave. She's been wanting him to spend some time with her. Caerwyn may ask his Dad to let him do just that over Christmas holiday. They could stay right there in Hogsmeade, fill two or three hours. It would give him a chance to find out more about his mum.
That thought gets put on hold as he reaches one of the black balls. Because he's already put in practice using his other hand, the swing doesn't feel all that awkward when he thwacks the bludger, aiming for Slytherin chaser Mason Jeffers.
Vanderbilts & Mickles
Author: Griet
Date: 01-18-13 17:29
Aleydis flew with a smile on her face. She felt totally in her element and very happy, even though Hufflepuff hadn't won both games played earlier in the day. Unlike her sister Cornelia, she had never focused only on winning matches. Winning was the icing on the cake, but it wasn't everything. Just playing Quidditch was more than enough fun for Aleydis.
The other reason she might be smiling was because Basil Wynbourne was up in the air with her. True, they were on opposing teams, but that hardly mattered to Aleydis. She would try hard to find the snitch, while he would do what he could to further his team's efforts to win, even if it meant aiming bludgers at her. She knew Basil would feel bad about any injury he caused her, but she also knew he was competitive and wanted his team to win.
She cast her eyes in his direction for a moment, and zeroed in on his lips. Aleydis and Basil had, quite unexpectedly, kissed in the corridor yesterday. It hadn't been that innocent of a kiss either, if Ivan Grimsby were to be believed. Aleydis felt her cheeks grow warm as she thought about it. Okay, so maybe there had been a bit more premeditation involved, and maybe they had snogged themselves senseless until the interruption caused by Ivan's snickering.
"Focus!" shouted Sadie, flying past her cousin with a knowing smile on her face. She and Hunter hadn't kissed yet, but they had talked quite a bit since the evening of the Hogsmeade trip, when Aleydis had cleverly sent them up to the castle together with their shopping bags.
Before she knew he liked her, she hadn't really given Hunter much thought. Now that she was getting to know him, she found she liked him too. They had a lot in common and could talk about anything. Their conversations came easily too, now that they didn't feel awkward around each other.
Sadie's own gaze drifted to the stands, where she knew Hunter to be. He was talking to his cousin Alastor, but his eyes were fixed firmly on her. Upon noticing her looking at him, he started to smile. She smiled too, until she heard Aleydis singsong, "Focus," as she drifted past.
Sadie laughed and quickly hastened to catch up with the other Hufflepuff chasers, who were vying for the quaffle currently in possession of Slytherin. She didn't have to do much catching up, because Jasper intercepted the red ball and immediately 180ed. He zoomed in the other direction, with Sadie easily following into place beside him.
In the stands sat Beatrix with her sister Griet, younger brother Franciscus, and cousin Paton. Cornelia had been unable to visit for Homecoming because of her job as a bounty hunter, and the Vanderbilt parents had gone on holiday in the Netherlands, leaving Griet as the only family representative who no longer attended Hogwarts.
Beatrix had invited Rowan to sit with them, but Rowan's foster family had come out for Homecoming, and they were sitting elsewhere in the stadium. She looked at her sister. "You never did say what you thought of my playing today."
"For your first time, you did great," Griet said earnestly. Beatrix was the only one out of the family to play in the position of keeper, probably the most boring position on the team, but certainly not an unimportant one. As keeper she had the task of blocking the goal attempts of the opposite team, which sometimes came in quick flurries and other times came after long periods of nothing.
In her various matches today, Beatrix had blocked many goal attempts, often with her hand, either by batting the quaffle away or just catching it. Once she surprised herself when she kicked the ball away in a wide arc, leading the chasers in a mad scramble to get to it first.
She had to admit that the bludgers frightened her a little bit. She didn't want to get hit and had somehow managed not to today, but she knew her luck would run out eventually. She just hoped the impact wouldn't hurt too much. Beatrix had never seen anybody cry from a bludger hit, and she didn't want to be the first one who did.
A few rows higher in the stands sat Ramona between her parents, Dale and Pearl Mickle. Like Beatrix, Ramona played for the Ravenclaw team, only she played chaser like her sister Sadie. Ramona had taken a hit to the stomach during the last match, which had nearly caused her to upchuck everything she had eaten during the course of the day. She'd avoided that embarrassment, however, and only suffered now from a bruised tummy and a severe lack of appetite.
Other than that hit, she had played well during her matches. She had scored a total of seven goals in all her matches combined, one having been a foul shot that had almost gone wrong. During the forward movement of her arm, she had felt a sudden chill that had caused her whole body to shudder. It should have messed up her aim, but somehow she'd managed to correct herself at the last second.
Aleydis suddenly caught sight of the snitch and shot off, to cheers and boos in the stadium. Ramona and her parents got onto their feet, and the Vanderbilts a few rows down did too. They cheered louder and louder, hoping that Aleydis could get the snitch and win the match for Hufflepuff.
(Charlotte) Mother Dearest
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 01-18-13 18:18
Charlotte sat at the window and watched a small, brown rabbit cautiously move across the yard. It moved a few paces, then stopped and twitched its nose, as if uncertain whether it was safe to proceed any further.
"Are you hungry?"
Charlotte jumped and turned away from the window. Aralyn Fox was looking at her in a really strange way. It kind of made her feel uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as she would feel if Aralyn were a complete stranger.
Charlotte knew Aralyn to be an acquaintance of her father's, and she knew Kristos that way too, only far less better than Aralyn, who had always come around Twice Told Tales more. Charlotte had never disliked Aralyn, but she had never felt particularly close to her either. The feeling of detachment had made it marginally easier for Charlotte to go willingly with Aralyn and Kristos Fox when they had picked her up last night.
Before their arrival, her father had sat her down and told her a lot of very surprising things. Charlotte hadn't understood everything, but the one thing she did know was that Aralyn was her mother. She had never been particularly curious about her mother. Growing up, Lysander had said very little, and he had also been parent enough for her––with Uncle Julian and Aunt Briar as perfect stand-ins––for her not to wish she had a mother AND a father, like most children did.
Charlotte had felt how difficult it had been for her father to let her go. He had been practically in tears, which had been a strange sight to see. Charlotte had never seen him cry. She herself hadn't cried yet, though she did miss her family. She knew they were at Hogwarts today and wished she could have gone too.
"Are you hungry, baby?" Aralyn asked again.
Charlotte shook her head. "No," she said, and turned her gaze back to the window, but the rabbit was gone.
Aralyn sighed and went to sit in the window seat. "I know you miss your dad," she said, "but I was really hoping we could get to know each other. We've missed a lot of time together."
Charlotte looked at Aralyn. She was too skinny and looked tired. Her brother, on the other hand, was big and strong like Uncle Julian. Charlotte wasn't sure, but she thought Aralyn and Kristos were twins. Weren't twins supposed to look alike?
"Why is Kristos always in the basement?" Charlotte asked.
"Uncle Kristos," Aralyn began, "considers the basement his man cave."
"What's a man cave?" Charlotte asked.
"It's a place where men go to brood. Doesn't your dad have one?"
Charlotte shook her head. "I don't think so." She thought of her father, alone in the flat. He was probably feeling sad.
She turned away from the window and looked around the house. "How come there aren't any toys here?"
Aralyn smiled. "Because children haven't lived here in a long time. Do you want some toys? We'll buy you some!" But then her smile faltered, when she realized she didn't have a lot of money to spend on anything, much less toys.
"No, thanks," Charlotte said. "There's some in my pack."
Her dad had thought of everything. She got up and went to the small bedroom that used to be Kristos' (he used the master bedroom now) and picked up a doll that Charlotte said looked like Grace even though it didn't really. She carried it back to the window seat and smoothed its long hair with her fingers.
"Does your doll have a name?"
"Not really," Charlotte replied. Sometimes she called it Grace, but she usually just called it Dolly.
"All dolls have names," Aralyn insisted. "You should give her one. I think she would be happier that way."
"No she wouldn't," Charlotte said.
"Sure she would," Aralyn said. "I think you should call her Olivia. Or maybe Veronica? What do you think about that, baby?"
"I don't want to give her a name," Charlotte stubbornly replied. "Also, I'm not a baby."
"I didn't mean that you were," Aralyn said, feeling hurt. "It's a term of endearment."
Charlotte didn't know what that meant, but she did know that she didn't like being called baby. She got up, holding her doll by the hand, and walked to the basement door. It was closed, and she knew that Kristos was down there, brooding, if Aralyn were to be believed.
She tried the handle, and it gave way.
Aralyn got up quickly. "Don't go down there."
"Why not?" Charlotte said.
"Because Kristos doesn't want to be bothered."
"I thought he wanted me here."
"He does, ba––Charlotte. He does."
"Why can't I go downstairs?"
"Because you can't," Aralyn said more firmly.
Charlotte stamped her foot.
Aralyn put a hand on her hip and firmly said, "Charlotte, go to your room!"
Charlotte made a very ugly face and stormed off, throwing herself onto her bed, where she cradled Dolly, sulked, and wished she were anywhere but in Ashton-Hotwell.