The Crescent moon that mesmerized the Green Snake
Sweet Dreams are made of screams,
Those who've lost their minds will disagree.
You travel the world on his seven teeth.
Everybody's looking for someone and they found you.
These were the instrumental lyrics of the melancholy song that played through Jaime Cressy's cellphone headphones. Her head was tilted and gently resting on the cold glass of the backseat window in her uncle's car. The left side of her body was touched by an oversized suit case containing hers and her Brother Oliver's belongings. Said brother was on the other side of the leather case. Most of the items were rescued from a recent tragedy that almost took her life, but forever killed her spirit, and with her spirit, so to go her parents. Even through the music playing in her ears, Jaime could still hear her parents yelling at her to get out of the house, and save herself while they went to rouse Oliver from his sleep.
But there was no need for that, as Jaime could recall hearing another pair of footsteps that quickly followed behind hers, as she descended down the stairs, just barely able to see where she was going in the fog of smoke that drowned the living room accompanied by vast streaks of fire. Just thinking of the hellish scenery brought on a headache for Jaime and she immediately yanked the ear plugs out of her head. Her gaze shifted over to Oliver who was still sleeping soundly, not minding the cold of the filthy glass, that would slightly tussled his hair. In front of her, her uncle Nigel was intently focused on the road ahead of him, and their chosen destination: King's Cross Station and then Platform Nine and Three Quarters in Muggle London. Yes, 16 year old Jaime Elizabeth Nymeria Reiss Cressy is a pureblood witch who is about to enter her sixth year of schooling at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Her brother Oliver Jonathan Reiss Cressy would be entering his fifth year. Up until this, point, the two of them were homeschooled in the ways of magic by their parents, but did it while living back and forth between wizarding London, and muggle London. Despite their mother's Greek ethnicity, the family stayed in their father's home in Europe. From the moment she and her brother could read and write they were well educated by their parents. Everything from Potions and Arithimancy, to Charms, and Transfiguration. And of course they couldn't leave out muggle studies. The family was able to avoid detection from the Ministry of Magic through their great grandmother, Olenna Reiss, the matriarch of her mother's clan, the pure blood house of Reiss that currently resides in Wizarding Greece.
She and Oliver were homeschooled under the claim that the pureblood wizard society had fallen prey to unjust racism, prejudice, and bigotry which led to the corruption and poison of pureblood superiority being drilled into the minds of impressionable young pureblood children, by their parents and drilled into them by their parents. A perfect example would be the Malfoys and their centuries old tradition of "keeping the wizarding bloodlines pure and keeping the muggles and half bloods in their place." Such prejudice was reason enough for the Cressy's to lead their own children in the direction that they deemed to be pure, thereby encouraging Jaime and Oliver to make friends with other muggle and half blood wizards and witches who lived in the area.
But all of that was altered when an unknown fire broke out in the middle of the night and took away everything, their home, their possessions, and worst yet, their parents. All of this took place in muggle London where Jaime and Oliver stayed for another two weeks before the ministry stepped in and personally mailed the children their Hogwarts letters. From that day on, Jaime's emotions were colder than the rain; silent, grey, and showing little sign of departure. As he finished sighing heavily, the car pulled to a stop and Jaime could see the sign overhead through the windshield that read out King's Cross Station. From where they were in the parking lot. Instinctively, Jaime reached over and roused Oliver from his sleep.
Their uncle Nigel opened the door to move around to the trunk of the car and began unloading the rest of his niece and nephew's belongings. Moving past the backseat window, he caught a glimpse at Jaime's face and felt his heart sink slowly. He too was grieving the loss of his brother and sister in law and he knew that Oliver was too. But no one was experiencing more pain than Jaime, especially at the loss of her mother. In the entire family, there was never a bond more solid than that of Jaime and her mother, Elizabeth. Mostly everything that she learned about magic, she learned from her mother. In Nigel's opinion, Elizabeth was a more than perfect teacher, given her youth and wisdom which spanned beyond her years. Wisdom that would now be carried over to her children.
The same could also be said for his brother whose death now left a long stream of broken hearts in his family, especially with their younger sister, Rhealla, Jaime and Oliver's paternal aunt. On the way of the burial, there was no clear emotion on her face, but it was clear to everyone who was present that she was hurting. As was her niece. Nigal stopped his train of thought long enough to pull another suitcase from the trunk of the car and place it on one of the nearby luggage carts that was conveniently close to where the car was parked. By this time, Jaime was leaning against the car with the other trunk situated near her feet and quietly observing her surroundings, with a expression of deep thought and stone silence on her face. Her white headphones were sticking slightly out of one the pockets of her camouflage green jacket.
Her brother was looking at something behind Nigel and simultaneously playing with whatever was on his phone. It was frighteningly uncanny how much the two of them resembled their parents. Oliver was blessed with his father's sparkling green eyes and soft mass of brown hair, whilst Jaime was gifted with her mother's chocolate brown eyes and luscious black hair that brushes her shoulders. With the last remaining suitcase already in her possession for her to carry, Nigel looked back up at his niece and nephew and did his best to muster up a smile.
"Well, all that's left now is to find Platform Nine and Three Quarters. " he said. Upon hearing this, Oliver's gaze turned to his uncle, as did his sister's, but he was the first one to speak.
"But you'll be coming with us, right?" asked Oliver.
It was an innocent enough question, but the sad truth of the matter was that once the two of them boarded the Hogwart's Express, they only had each other to depend on. Yes, there were letters from the post and holidays, but what was all of that compared to being shipped off to unknown territory with only yourself to depend on? Nigel saw these inevitable facts written on Jaime's face, but he tried not to think about this and answered Oliver's question as best as he could.
"Of course, Oliver. However, just not on the train. But once you guys get to Hogwarts, you know what to do right?" he asked. This time, looking at Jaime expectantly. This time, she put aside her surly attitude long enough to answer her uncle.
"Yes, we grab our luggage, and separate from the rest of the crowd to look for someone by the name of Argus Filch. From there, we'll be taken to the Headmasters office, receive our timetables, be sorted into our houses, find our dorms, get settled in, and go about the rest of the year as if everything is under the radar and normal as can be." Said Jaime as if she were reading words straight from a book.
There was no clear sign of feeling to be detected, only half interested Nigel could do was look at his feet in exasperation ."Jaime, I never said that you should try to stay under the radar, but at least try to make a few friends." he said. This time, it was Oliver who spoke. "But what about our friends in Stratford upon Avon?" he asked.
Unlike his sister his eyes shimmered with sadness and loneliness, only made more evident by the vibrant color that they were. Whereas Jaime's were cold and dead, and almost unfeeling despite the luscious chocolate brown texture that they were. "Well that's why there are holidays and summer vacation." responded Nigel. He turned to look around the parking lot of King's Cross Station, before placing his hands on the luggage cart.
"Well come on, you two. The day's only getting shorter, and the train will be leaving soon." he said. Despite her surly attitude, Jaime was still willing to comply with what was asked of her. So she reached down, and picked up the suitcase by it's straps, opting not to put it on the luggage cart. Just as she walked by, Nigel placed his hand on her shoulder, immediately catching her attention. "What is it?" she asked. Nigel's eyes didn't leave her face for even a minute. If anything he was memorizing her features, not knowing when he would see her or Oliver again. "This may be a lot to ask, but I'm going to need to hold on to your electronic devices from here on out." he said.
It didn't take long for both Jaime's and Oliver's eyes to widen in utter disbelief. Of course, the children were briefed on what they could and couldn't bring to Hogwarts. Electronic devices such as cellphones and computers were some of them. But like any teenager, wizard, witch, or muggle, the two of them couldn't bear to part with them. One of the benefits they had from growing up in muggle London was that the children were in tune to certain gadgets that supposedly made muggle lives easier. But whether or not they made muggle life easier didn't matter to the children, they were just fascinated that these devices could do what they did. Now having to part with them at a time like this was almost too much to ask.
"Can't we at least wait until we get to the platform"? asked Oliver. Nigel had no objections to this of course. If anything he was someone who firmly believed in compromise. And he knew that his niece and nephew were the same way." Fine, but I'm counting on you to remind me". he said, directly to Jaime. And just as he predicted, she nodded her head in agreement. "Alright." she said. That being said, the trio gathered their luggage and began their journey through King's Cross Station. From outside the weather was terribly gloomy with grey clouds that blocked out the natural blue of the skies, but allowed for small rays of sunlight to slip through and shine down upon the earth. Surprisingly, this was Jaime's favorite type of weather, but on this particular day, it did nothing but add to her grief.
And the microscopic rays of sunlight that occasionally poked through the clouds weren't helping her in the slightest, it was as if they were mocking her saying "I will be in this world a little while longer, but you're going to have to move on with everything in your life, and no one concerned about your grief. Which was a half truth and a cruel reality.
She and Oliver could have continued their homeschooling of they wanted to, but all of their relatives on both sides of their families had their own families and occupations to look after. Even their uncle was currently involved in a courtship with a young witch from wizarding France. Their family wasn't poor, but they only made enough money to support their own individual families, and the inclusion of two more occupants was enough to put a strain on whatever salary they earned, so the Ministry of Magic stepped in and declared that with Jaime as the overseer of herself and Oliver, the children were capable of looking out for each other.
So Hogwarts was where they were being sent to continues their education, and continue their lives. Moving deeper into King's Cross Station, Jaime could see a multitude of people preparing to either board a train, or have departed from one. Different luggage carts carried suitcases and trunks that varied in shape, size, and color, but they all looked the same to Jaime. It seemed as though her grief was clouding her eyesight. That or it was just a small headache, but hopefully a nap on the train would clear her head. Looking to her left , she sees her brother is taking in everything about the station, his eyes saoking up all of the sights. A pair of light green sponges that tried to look optimistic, but contained an underlying sadness. To her right her uncle had an extremely focused look about him, as he navigated the three of them through the crowd of people in search of the hidden platform that would lead them to Wizarding London.
It was plain to Jaime and to Oliver ,as well that despite their uncle's attempts at putting on a brave face he was hurting right along with them. Jaime had heard that as soon as he saw them off on them off, he would go and visit his sister, their aunt Rhealla and see if she was still grieving her deceased brother with the aid of alcohol. The only reason she stayed as sober as she did was because of Jaime and Oliver, but as she lived alone, there was no one to tell her she couldn't suffer a relapse and so she did. All of the reminiscing seemed to make the journey move by even faster, because before she realized it Jaime was standing face to face with the pillar that would take her and brother to Wizarding London and the rest of their lives.