Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters (Other then my OCs)
1. The End of Summer
Summer time in France was lovely. In fact, on days like this, it was even better then being home in England. After all, the sun was shining, it was warm; all of Grandmere's flowers were in full bloom. It was just… breathtaking.
I let out a sigh of contentment as I looked down on the family estate gardens; sometime I never wanted to go back to dreary and bleak Britain. During summer I could forget about the growing uneasiness that was spreading through the ministry of magic, and the utter prats that roamed the school hallways. But then again I wouldn't give it up for the world. England was home, and where my friends were.
"Ready to go back to Hogwarts darling?" I sighed loudly again, before flopping ungracefully down on cream colored couch across from my mother. Her lips thinned in disapproval but said nothing about my lack of manners. That was the beautiful thing about my mother, despite being raised a proper pureblood she was very easy going and loving. Which was two traits most of them, well, disapproved off. That wasn't to say she hadn't been very thorough when teaching my siblings and I the proper manners that were demanded of the Ancient and Noble house of Whitewood. She had been very persistan and demanding that we uphold the family honor in all areas of our lives, she had had a burning passion for proper ballroom dancing and table manners. Two things that I can safely say, I now know better then was probably ever necessary.
"Well yes. I suppose, I miss Kat, Lily and Alice but it's so peaceful here and I don't have to constantly put up a front" I ran a hand through my long golden hair before clutching one of the powder blue pillows to my chest.
"Oh Eline, don't worry about the politics of it all. Just do your best at school and be happy. You really need to stop being so serious" My mother said soothingly while continuing to embroider the white phoenix. Pure of Soul, Strong of Mind was written in delicate silver cursive underneath it.
"I know mama, but honestly it's not like I can really get away from it all, even if I'm not the family heir I'm still suppose to be polite, kind, and a good face for the family. It's all exhausting!" I exclaimed before turning over to look at my mother "And in between all my school work, tutoring, slug-club… which by the way, is a waste of my time. I don't understand why you insist I go. But I degrees, I haven't even started school yet and I'm already mentally drained."
"Sweetheart stop being so dramatic, your grades are good, you have friends, you know which classes to take to be a healer and maybe even this year you could finally take pity on some poor boy and go on a date" She smirked, I flushed, but kept my facial expression neutral.
"Muuuuuuum" I moaned between my hands who were currently rubbing my eyes. Thankfully not smudging any of the carefully placed makeup. Thank merlin for magic, the idea that muggles used non-water proof and smudgable make horrified me.
"Oh for hevans sake Angeline! I'm not saying you have to marry the boy, but just go on a date, have fun, something! Does James have any nice friends maybe?"
My face turned stony with the mention of my second cousin. James Potter was someone I had learned very early on was a nice boy… when it suited him. Dorea, his mother, had always allowed him to run a bit wild, and it wasn't that I didn't like him per se… It was just that he made my best friend miserable on a daily basis, which made the times I had to come along to visit the Potter Manor exceedingly awkward. It hadn't always been so bad, before Hogwarts, we had gotten along fine, although he usually preferred playing Quidditch with my older brother Alexander to talking with my sister and I. But after first year when he decided and declared, quite loudly I might add, that Lily was the true love of his life, summer dinners had gotten slightly tenser. Nothing too bad, James wasn't so much of an ares when Lily or his friends weren't around, so I suppose we had a truce of sorts. But his friends, that was another matter entirely, of course Remus Lupin was a nice boy, a bit too bookish for my taste but a good conversationalist and a good prefect if nothing else. Peter Pettigrew was somewhat unattractive and a little bit dim, but not mean spirited. He seemed to, however, hang onto the other boys ever word, which I would imagine might be a little bit annoying. Then there was Black, he had never personally offended me, and he was dead fit (unfortunately), but he was also a manwhore and a bit of an asshole. So no I would prefer not to be going on a date with any of those boys. Of course I wasn't going to tell my mother any of this, so I settled for a simple "No mother, I don't think so."
Thankfully before my mum could pester me more about my serious demeanor and lack of interest in boys, my younger sister blew into the sittingroom with a distressed look on her face
"Mummy I can't find my jumper, you know the dark blue one Aunt Josephine gave me for my birthday, I can't leave for Hogwarts without it!" My mother sigh before finally putting away her embroidery. As they two left the parlor I heard my mothers clear voice from down the hall "Come then Vivian, we simply must go look for it. But you know this would have all been avoided if you had just packed yesterday like your sister!"
My sister wasn't normally unorganized, but she had gotten a crush on a nice boy in her house before the summer, they had been writing all throughout the summer, and I knew she wanted to wear it to impress him in the common room. Unlike my older brother, Alex, who was now playing for Puddlemore United as a professional Quidditch player, and myself; my younger sister was sorted into Ravenclaw. Although I think my father would have liked to have us all in Gryffindore he didn't mind Ravenclaw. After all, it fit her. I took one final look out into the colorful garden before retreating my bedroom, where my Hogwarts trunk was already packed and ready to go. My Barred owl, Agrippa, cooed quietly when I entered my room before going back to preening her feathers.
Maybe my mother was right: school was going to be fine, I was going to see my friends, the politics were nothing to be worried about, and boys were completely useless anyway. Maybe.
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