Chapter 7 – Andorra
[Andorra, Acta Arthotel – 6th December]
It had been some harsh days on the road, nevertheless, she had managed it and made it to her hotel in record time, as she had just made it into her hotel room a couple of minutes ago. Also, it was kind of easy to see that it was a good hotel she had chosen for herself, as she now was lounging in one of the couches in the seating area of the lobby as it had a fireplace.
With that said it had begun snowing not that long ago, so, it was cosy to just sit here with a book and not think about anything as she looked out at the landscape outside of the large glass windows.
Andorra was a small country between France and Spain and lay in between mountains – she now understood everything because she had talked with some other tourists and locals about the culture of the country.
Since this was the only day she would be staying here before going to Spain, made her both want to see a lot or just simply relax. "You look quite young to be travelling on your own!" a voice suddenly in front of her said, making her look up from her book to see that there was an older couple sitting there beside one another looking at her curiously.
"Not quite that young." Cassiopeia smiled at them warily, because someone like this was curious about who she was sometimes only meant trouble.
It was a relief for them when they noticed the clear uneasiness that came off her when they talked, so, that was a good sign that she knew what she was doing. With that, they relaxed and went with it. "My name is Isak Mathieson, and this is my wife Isabella." Isak introduced them to the small curled up girl in one of the small leather chairs in front of the fireplace.
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Cassiopeia Potter." Cassie greeted them with a relaxed smile when they didn't seem to want to hurt her, though, that right there was an unknown element in her new life. "Vacation?" Cassie asked, wanting to start a conversation with them because of how they had cared when seemingly no one else took to words to ask her if she was okay.
"Yeah, we are. This is one of the countries we have wanted to visit for a while, as we are from Denmark. You?" Isabella answered wanting to know more about the polite but confused girl they had met.
"That's great, I am from Britain. I am only staying here for the night before I have to travel down to Spain, as I have a deadline I have to meet before I am going to go on a world tour before everything gets more complicated at home." She revealed quietly to the couple, "How long have you been here, then?" she asked them curiously, maybe they could recommend a place to eat or something before she had to leave.
"We have been here for a week, but we also drove down here." Isak answered, placing a supporting hand on his wife's back, "What about school?" Isak wondered, because he was surprised like anybody should that her parents had allowed her to travel on her own, they would never have allowed their daughter to do something like this.
"Have to be in Madrid before the fourteenth of December, because I have to go through something that will make me ready to take my end of year exams at the beginning of January – also if I get good grades I can continue my travelling," Cassiopeia told them, after all, it was kind of the truth as far as it could reach. Also, she would be disappointed in herself if she did not get better grades than when she did in school.
"Ah, you are self-studying?" Isabella exclaimed, things made much more sense now than everything else in her heart right now, "what do your parents say to this?" she asked, though as soon as she had done so a cloud of depression came over the girl in front of them.
It was in her eyes – lost and vulnerable.
"I am sorry about your loss." Isak comforted quietly knowing that nothing that he would say to her could take the pain away.
"Thanks, they died when I was just a babe, so, I got raised by my aunt." Cassiopeia confided in them quietly, because she had never felt secure enough to say it to someone like this before now, but somehow this helped her. Things had been easier to deal with when she had gotten away from the expectant eyes of the teachers, teachers that expected her to be like them – they had never helped her to get away from their oppressing shadow. "I love to study on my own, much more freedom."
Isak and Isabella saw the vulnerable side to her that Cassiopeia was trying to hide, and that she did not have a warm relationship with her aunt, it was as clear as night and day. "Oh, we have now been married for 30 years, and I am still incredibly in love with this idiot," Isabella told her softly, knowing that they had to talk about something else other than her own life right now.
"How did you meet?" Cassiopeia asked them with a smile because they looked like they had a lot to tell, and it was clear that they loved one another – they weren't like Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon who had a lot of anger in their relationship.
"Oh, what a story…" Isak smiled warmly, "do you want to come with us to a small restaurant right around the corner, so, we can talk?" He asked kindly because it was beginning to be crowded inside the lobby.
Had they been this deep into conversation that she had forgotten they had been in the lobby, but that meant for real that she could relax with them, and that made her queasy because of how many people there was around them now. "I don't want to impose…" Cassiopeia sighed wondering if she even should do this, to step over her insecurities.
"We want you to come, at least we can have peace of mind that you know us and can contact us if there is something going on later." Isabella quietly told her; she had the feeling that this would come off as something good for the girl – something told her that she needed someone that cared.
"Okay, then let me pick up my scarf and a ticker sweater," Cassie told them, she was confused over the whole thing and that these people, she had only just met had shown her such kindness, no one had done so before without expecting anything of her.
"We will be here when you are done." Isabella said softly, nodding to her husband not to say anything about the tears, as they watched her quickly walk away, "Don't draw attention to towards it, dear."
"She just seemed too lonely sitting here before we came to talk to her." Addressed Isak, just what he had seen when he had looked at her in the last couple of minutes.
"I know, but at least we can keep her company until tomorrow." Isabella said to her husband, "and don't press her for answers either, then she will only close off and we won't be able to talk to her."
"Ah," Isak hummed, after all, he remembered how she herself had been when he had lost her own parents and brothers in a fire in the first few days of their marriage. It had almost driven them apart, but they had managed to become stronger because of it. "At least she seems like a smart young lady." He just had to say it when he could see her coming towards them.
"Then we treat her as such." Isabella said decisively, "because even if she's young, she is allowed to travel without supervision, even with her exams coming up." This just had to be said, as Cassiopeia came to them with a smile around her mouth making her seem younger than they had first assumed her to be.
"Welcome back, ready to go?" Isabella said motherly and seeing the shocked face of the young girl broke something in her, it was like she hadn't heard a kind word from an adult before in her life. Isak just looked over at his wife with fondness over her fussing.
Cassiopeia could still not believe the last few minutes of her life – someone had taken up contact with her – someone that wanted to know her. It was a novel feeling, but somehow it made her relax and see that maybe not everyone in the world was out to get her. That they all really saw her as she was – Lonely.
"Yeah, I am." Cassiopeia smiled, it was weird to finally feel someone fussing over her and seeing only her and not her disappearing scar. That they not immediately questioned everything they seemed to see as odd about her, made her also more inclined to trust them all the same.
"Then let's go." Piped Isak, took his wife's hand, and lead them out of the hotel and down the street to get to one of their first restaurants, they had been to when they got here.
For Cassiopeia, it was just weird to go and talk to them without it having an end to the conversation, something she had always felt when it came down to her friends back home – like it could end by saying something they didn't like. This whole thing was making her realise that doing things like that wasn't healthy, this couple looked comfortable in each other and their own skin. It showed in how they treated one another, and that people could see clear as day that they loved one another – it was refreshing to see it happening in front of her.
They soon made their way to a quiet, even somewhat private small-time restaurant – the whole place was cosy, and with it, we got a table in one of the corners where there were not many patrons milling about. After ordering, they began to talk about small things making her learn about how they were both teachers in an elementary school. It was also interesting that they loved their work, something she had never seen in the teachers back in the muggle world or in the wizarding world.
"What about you?" Isak asked her quietly, "what do you want to become?" he said to clarify what he had asked about.
"Don't know, but I like helping people though I also love history." Cassiopeia shrugged, "I think it's early still to say something about what I want to become, for me life is always changing. You can see I am afraid to place any conclusion over my future." She revealed nervously to them because she had nothing more to tell them.
"Do you mind us asking, why is it so?" Isabella inquired, knowing that sooner or later everything for this girl would come crashing down, hopefully, someone will be there for her – no matter what.
"My life has always been filled with a lot of expectations placed on me, many people want me to be a certain way. Everyone has always told me that I am o alike my dad, you have to go into the same career as your father choose. Making this trip for me is freeing – making me realise that the whole situation around me was toxic." Cassiopeia sighed, but it made her resolve in doing it all the firmer.
"They shouldn't have done that, dear." Isak sadly muttered, finally beginning to see the pressure this girl had been under and that still was somewhat building up in her, "don't you have anyone to talk to?" it had to be asked, and she should have had someone to at least talk to.
The whole thing was hard, and seeing the good to honest concern in their eyes made her realise something, no one had looked at her like that before, "So-Sorry…" was all that she managed to choke out with the lump in her throat, and just looking at them made her choke up more because they understood. They understood that she had never been able to lean on anyone.
"There's no shame in crying!" Isabella said in kindness, and Isak made a note in the ack of his mind to keep in contact with the girl after this day and flagged a waiter down for a glass of water and some napkins.
Just having them here, doing things like this made her feel like it was natural for them to be kind and it made all the difference in the world. The dam broke, all she could do was to hide her eyes behind her hand, as the tears ran down her cheeks, and she could not tell them the whole truth of her life just because of the Statute of Secrecy that was over the wizarding world.
Almost all her life had been defined because of it, but still, there were some things she could tell, hopefully.
Seeing that it was hard for her, made them more sure that they had done the right thing with getting to know the lonely girl, so, they did not want to drag it out or take openly notice of it all. With that, they began to talk about everything else, but they also silently supported the young woman beside them.
Cassiopeia appreciated the silent support she could feel from them, as they quietly began to talk about something else, something that just wasn't sad, she also appreciated that they did not make a big deal out of her crying her heart out, that they did not dig deeper into her problems but they just supported her without any problem.
Feeling the strength of their relationship, she began to calm down when their dinner was placed on the table – it was then that she managed to feel how hungry she had been. So, it made the whole thing feel whole and it made her focus on something else than her own feeling of incompleteness.
"How did you two meet?" Cassiopeia asked them hoarsely, this was something she had wanted to know for a while now because she did not want to talk about herself right now.
"Ah, that's quite the story…" Isak smirked and continued by sharing something of themselves with the girl. "I met the love of my life back, when I was just eleven years old, however, back then I used to pick on her all the time until we became friends."
"We grew up together, you know. In the last few years of secondary school – junior high – we really got to know one another." Isabella smiled towards them both, remembering the day clearly after all this time.
Having something else to focus on for Cassiopeia was great, and it was interesting to hear something from someone else than having them only concentrate on her. After all, a conversation has to be between them all.
"When we started high school, we became a couple but we at the time had different goals in life and when I moved away, we broke up – so we went our separate ways." Isak started to say while taking his hand and laying it on his wife's in comfort. "I went to study engineering because that is what my family told me to study in another part of the country." Isak continued to say quietly and wondered a little bit what would have happened if we hadn't met up again later on in life.
"I had already back then decided to become a teacher, so, I specialised my studies so that I could get into a college in the best possible way," Isabella revealed quietly knowing quite literally what her husband was thinking. "The years went by, and when we met in the end in college, we didn't recognize one another for a while."
Hearing both of their stories was interesting, and it was a whole other experience for her because all of it was genuine, because she herself had always only heard one point of view, especially when it came down to hearing about her own father.
"After meeting up again, it didn't take long for us to get back together again – we had grown a lot since that time we were together, and we learn to know one another again. Every day we learn something new about one another, and when you are together with someone you have to be open and listen to them – you have to remember you aren't on your own anymore, that there is one more person you have to look out for." Isak told the Cassiopeia, and even gave her advice they all had to learn when you get together
This felt like one of the more serious pieces of advice she had gotten from anyone ever, but thinking about it made her think that it had to be true, "I can clearly see that you love one another, eh, but…" she hesitated somewhat in asking more questions about it all.
"Don't be afraid to ask questions!" Isabella told her seriously, and it became in all honesty clear to them that she hadn't had the best of life or anyone to confide in.
"How do you deal with fights or disagreements?" Cassiopeia asked them, nervously chewing on her lower lip.
"With patience, understanding and compromise – when we talk about something serious we listen to one another before we say something. In all honesty, in all relationship that deals with two different people with different opinions there will be friction – everything comes down to how you respond, and in the way, you show you care. There will be fights, misunderstandings and disagreements, and when things come down you have to sit down and talk." Isak began softly and took a sip of his coffee.
"Even after you have been married, you have to do things together – just do something together that you both like – everything that is worth something is hard work, but you have a lot to gain even if behind every step there are hardships. Take us for example." Continued Isabella, after her husband knowing how hard this will be for them both.
"What happened?" Cassiopeia asked concerned over whatever had happened to them in the past, but she will take their advice to heart, even with everything else that would happen in her life.
"Every relationship is different, and that you have to remember – what worked for us may not work for others," Isabella told her because she felt that it was important to say this to someone as young as this.
So, listening to them explaining everything in their own viewpoints made it clear to her that they loved one another through everything that they had gone through when it came to their marriage. It made her long for someone that could see past everything that made her famous in her own life – maybe there had always been people like that in her life but everything was made complicated because of the people around them and around the school.
The thing was that no one seemed to care that she did not have people around her that showed her that they cared about her, her parents died years ago and since then no one had done anything about her loneliness.
"You can tell us anything!" Isak said trying to be reassuring, something was clearly bothering the girl and it may take some time for her to even be open with us, but they wanted to be there in the future for her.
"I don't have anyone to lean on, I had been going to a boarding school in the middle of Scotland. Where I then have a de-facto parent, but since this summer, autumn I found out that the people close to me haven't been the best and only are out after my money, and thought that they could blackmail me." "I found a loophole, that meant that I could be emancipated and get away from all of those that didn't have my best interest at heart. So, I set myself up with some people so that I could self-study." Cassiopeia told them some of herself but knew that she could not tell anything else before she gets to know them a lot better than just having met them.
When we had paid for the meal, we walked towards the hotel and since she had to drive down south tomorrow we exchanged cell phone numbers and planned to talk to one another later on tomorrow when she had gotten to Barcelona, and settled in.
As she fell down on her bed, all Cassiopeia could think about was that it had been a wonderful day here in Andorra, and she had met some wonderful people she had to keep in contact with after this day and in the future too. Everything had its feel to it that things from now on will be easier with their help.
Now she couldn't wait to explore Spain and Barcelona.