Virtual Hogwarts > I've been around the block before

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Virtual Hogwarts > The Wide Wizarding World > Homes and Holidays

Ewan Macnair

Jun 18 2012, 07:13 PM

Family gatherings were not commonplace for the Macnairs, which only consisted of himself, his younger brother and mother, although she did not like to leave the house these days. She relied on twitching back yellowed net curtains and glimpsing the goings-on upon the street below, to satisfy her curiosity with the realm beyond their grey-bricked house. Their neighbours, their street, their old mining town on the bank of barren moorland: only that was of interest to her.

Ewan could only guess the cause of the family dispute which had resulted in quiet Christmases, much like this approaching one, and gathered it either involved money – of which they had a modest amount – or his father. But father had been gone for years now.

His letter had come, inviting him to begin his magical education, and with it a tension that filled up the pokey, narrow house. It offered few answers to the questions the young boy had. Mother would not answer them, clutching a copy of The Daily Prophet and the headline concerning two bodies and missing children. She did not want him to go and told him as much as she absently stroked his hair, before scribbling out letters to the few friends she had, most of whom they were indebted to.

Ewan followed suit, pinching a piece of parchment and a quill which felt far too big for his hands, and he wrote to the only relative, a cousin, he knew near his age: Drusilla Greengrass. Last he had seen her had been at a funeral of a relative of theirs he could barely remember. They had sat under the buffet table, a tray of cucumber sandwiches between them, spilling crumbs down their best clothes as they sat in comfortable silence.

QUOTE

Drusilla,

I got my letter, but it ~~don’t~~ doesn’t say much about the place. Do they usually find dead bodies in the woods? Mother isn’t happy, keeps writing to people but most of them don’t reply. I don’t think there would be much to worry about if the Minister of Magic says it’s fine and he’s the Minister, he would know.

Which House should I choose when I get to Hogwarts? Do I get to choose? I’d rather be with you. I don’t know anyone else.

Ewan

PS: Do you have any old books I could have for First Year?

The letter was littered with a few mistakes, splodges of ink and smudges, but it was legible and with a flurry of wings from their decrepit, grumpy owl it was sent.

Drusilla Greengrass

Jul 1 2012, 10:33 PM

Drusilla was having the time of her life. It was easy to forget that only a short week ago she'd been at Hogwarts and fearing for the life of her best friend, Antigone Grey. Now they were spending the winter break together at her grandparents' house and they were having so much fun! It was like being transported to another world- a world where Drusilla wasn't the poor relation in reading glasses with no friends and was constantly unhappy and downtrodden.

She was even happy to receive correspondence from her family! This also came as a surprise because she had often written letters to her parents first term, but never once heard back from them. Blinking confusedly at the owl, she thanked it and opened the letter. "Oh, Ewan!" He was the only one of her cousins who actually spoke willing to her. They shared similar circumstances in the world and tended to stick together on the odd occasions they met.

QUOTE

Ewan-

Happy Belated Birthday! At least I assume it was your birthday, you got your letter and all. Nice you know you aren't a squib, huh? I dunno about the dead bodies, mate. They only found two first term, and they were Hufflepuffs. And Adults. So that's like two out of . . . a lot. Decent odds for survival I guess.

It was horrid about the students though, Antigone- that's my best friend- she got taken and she's a pureblood! She still has nightmares. I don't like it. There doesn't seem to be a cure. Lesson #1 of Hogwarts - Never follow a professor into the Forbidden Forest. It's forbidden for a reason, yo. No matter what they say, just run away. And never ask for extra credit. Just don't.

BUT. There's free candy outside of Professor Pipkins' office. She teaches charms and she's super nice, and she's my friend. I'll introduce you when you get here. You should probably try for Slytherin House if you get a choice. The hat didn't ask me, but some people said they told the hat where they wanted to go. Even though the people here are kind of mean and self-serving, they're not insane like the Ravenclaws or randomly mean like Hufflepuffs (who'd have thought, right?) and Gryffindors are well . . . Gryffindors. You can't see it, but I just shuddered at the thought of you being a Gryffindor.

Books are easy, just show the teachers at PHP how worn your clothes are and they'll hook you up. At least they did for me, I got a whole set of textbooks! They weren't brand new or anything but they work for me.

Lemme know if that doesn't work out, I was going to try and sell my first year books to buy my ones for second year- but we can work something between us if you need them. We've gotta stick together, right?

Enjoy your last year free of homework, essays blow massive chunks. How's the fam? Still insipid? At least I should see you over summer, or in Diagon Alley before next year. Send me all the latest news!

-Drusilla

Drusilla smiled at the letter and sent it off before Antigone could see her. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her cousin, he was the closest family member she had. But she didn't like to point out to Antigone that Drusilla wasn't her financial equal, she had a hard enough time as it was keeping to Antigone's standards of friendship. She didn't want to push the boundaries too much.

She hadn't even told her best friend she needed reading glasses yet. Antigone would probably abandon her at the horridness of it all. D: Quickly suffocating in the panic of being alone, both figuratively and literally, she scrambled back to wherever it was Antigone happened to be and proceeded to do whatever she thought was best- Antigone was always better at making decisions for them than she was.

Ewan Macnair

Jul 23 2012, 02:11 PM

The winter break would be over for Drusilla soon and Ewan received his reply after New Year, already sick of marzipan and never wanting to see another Christmas pudding so long as he lived. Even the smell of it made his stomach lurch.

It was going to be scary going to school but he was happy to know that his cousin would be there: a familiar face and someone to cling onto.

Dabbing rain off the envelope with the sleeve of his new jumper, he carefully opened Greengrass’ letter, side-stepping the chaos of tin figurines of good and evil wizards which his brother had spread across the carpet. He wasn’t sure which side was winning, but with his younger brother, it didn’t matter: he always ensured they all lost and he won by stomping on them all or posting them through the wrong side of the front door letterbox.

QUOTE

Drusilla,

Thanks. Not a squib, thank Merlin. I think my Mum would faint if I was one, but she faints if she sees a spider, so it doesn’t take much. I bet my little brother, Callum, the one who tried to pull your skirt down at that funeral of Uncle Barney, is a squib. He’s too dumb to go to school. He says 'hello'. Actually he said 'knickers' but I think that means the same thing.

Forest is a no-no, check. I won’t go anywhere near there and I’ll try and steer clear of Hufflepuffs, just in case. Was your friend okay in the end? What did they do to her?

‘Pipkins’ is a dead weird name. Are you sure you should be accepting sweets off of strangers? I thought that was illegal, or doesn’t it count if they’re teachers? She must be really fat if she has tonnes of candy. My parents were in Slytherin and seeing as you’re there, I’ll try get there too. I won’t be a Gryffindor, or I’ll try not to be. I don’t know how you don’t be one, but I’m sure if I ask someone and say ‘please' or something it will work out.

I’ll try the PHP thing, because books look really expensive, though mum said she’d get her friend to help her out, whatever that means, none of her friends would have textbooks. I’ll let you know and sure we’ll stick together.

They’re very insipid, can’t wait to leave. Is the food better at school?

Ewan.

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