For Quidditch round 11, with extra prompts of flood, freedom and information.
Note: this takes place in 1788. The Goblin Rebellion that is mentioned takes place in 1612, just to give so time frame on this story.
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Professor Whitman is a tall, slender man with dark features and a grim stare. He uses his walking stick as his center of gravity as his dark eyes sweep the crowd of third years.
"Going to Hogsmeade Village is a privilege. It is a freedom that your parents and the staff here at Hogwarts are granting you. Use it wisely. The teachers can and will still take points off you for any misbehavior," he says, his voice echoing amongst the small crowd.
Leonora shrinks back a little as his gaze falls upon her. In her hands, she holds the permission slip. She's waited for this moment since her brother, Matthias, was granted access to the Village a year before her.
Professor Whitman straightens. "You are going to form a line and, one by one, hand me the signed permission slip."
The third years rush to get into a line, and more than a couple of elbows find Leonora's ribs. She just grimaces and rubs her sore ribs and waits for the her turn. It takes several moments but eventually, she hands her permission slip to Professor Whitman, her eyes focused on her feet. She's always been intimidated by him.
"What is this, Parnell?" he asks.
Leonora glances up. "Sir?"
He shoves the slip back into Leonora's hands. "It's not signed."
"Mother signed it this morning," Leonora argued. She looks at the paper that she too busy to look at before. The signature block is, in fact, empty.
He shakes his head, his black curls bouncing. "Well it appears she signed in invisible ink, Parnell, and I can't accept that. Maybe next year."
Tears well up behind Leonora's blue eyes, but she doesn't let them fall. "Yes sir," she replies dutifully.
"Next!"
She moves out of line, her head low. She goes to head back to her Common Room, to do the homework she was neglecting when she hears someone call out to her, "Nora!" Glancing around, she finally sees the red hair of her best friend.
"Val," she says when she finally reaches her.
Valentine is a five foot four fireball; every bit of a Gryffindor where Leonora is Hufflepuff. But Leonora has a good heart, and Valentine keeps people off their backs and their friendship just works.
"Where are you going? I thought you had your slip."
Leonora just shakes her head. "My mother must've forgotten to sign it. But go on," she says. "Go have fun. I've got homework to do anyways."
Valentine looks like she wants to protest, but she eventually sighs and nods. And for that, Leonora is thankful. She waves her friend off.
Making her way back towards the Hufflepuff Common Room, the tears Leonora has been trying so hard to hold in flood down her cheeks. Her shoulders shake, and a sob escapes her lips. She had been looking forward to this trip for so long, especially after going over the Goblin Rebellion just over a hundred and fifty years before in that very Village. She was interested in comparing the Village to the one in the her History books.
"Nora?"
The voice startles Leonora. She quickly wipes the evidence of tears from her eyes and runs a hand through her hair before whirling around. Before her is standing Matthias, his brown hair - so much like hers - messy and in need of a brushing. He traded his Hufflepuff uniform for his casual clothes, but there isn't much of a difference between the two.
"I thought you went to the Village with your friends," she says, her voice rough.
"I was, but Val told me Mother didn't sign your slip." He narrows his eyes. "Were you crying?"
She folds her arms across her chest. "For your information, I was not," she replies defensively.
He raises his eyebrow. "Then what are you doing in the middle of the hallway?" When she doesn't have an answer, he crosses the space between the two of them and wraps his arms around her. "I'm sorry Mother didn't sign your slip. Maybe we can owl it home and you can go on the next trip?"
The suggestion makes Leonora smile. "You know Mother is too sick," she murmurs against Matthias shirt. "She'd forget to send it back."
The silence that lingers only confirms that Matthias knows it as well as she does. And not for the first time, Leonora wishes that her father were still alive. He would've remembered to sign the slip for her.
Matthias pulls away from Leonora, only to grab her hand. "Come on," he says. He pulls her down the hallways.
She laughs. "Where are we going?"
"We can't be inside on a day like today," he informs her. "So we're going down to the lake and we're just going to sit under the tree for a while."
"What about the Village and your friends?"
Matthias shrugs. "The Village is small. There's not many shops. And this is my second year going. I've seen it all. It's different for you, though, because it was going to be your first year."
"I wanted to see what was different," Leonora whispers. When Matthias gives her a questioning look, she continues. "From the Goblin Rebellion. I wanted to see how it changed since then."
Matthias laughs fondly, and ruffles Leonora's hair. "Sometimes, it's hard to believe that we're related."
Leonora shoves him away, a smile on her face. She straightens her hair. It's been hard since their father died the year before and their mother got sick, but she knows as long as she got Matthias, that she will be all right.
A/n - so many thanks Deb who looked over this for me. She is such a dear. And thanks to Amber for helping me with the names and shit. She's the bomb.