Gwen Gradigh ("Fair
Noble")
Hello
everyone! This is my first fic, and I hope you all like it! Please r/r so I
know what you think! Oh, and just one thing, I'm not sure what the year should
be on Gwen's locket, so I just wrote it as if this was happening this year. It
might not seem like this has anything to do with the Harry Potter series at
first, but be patient, it will. K,
enjoy!
CHAPTER
ONE
"I HATE
YOU! You don't care about me at all! You and Mum just had a kid because you
thought it would help your careers, making your bosses think you have a heart.
Ha!" Gwen Gradigh's bright eyes flashed warningly.
Albric
Gradigh had never seen his daughter this angry. Normally, he couldn't tell what
she was thinking or feeling, and he knew she liked it that way. He had no idea
where this sudden outburst had come from.
"What
brought this on, Gwen? What did I do?" he asked, looking confused.
"It's
what you DIDN'T do! You just don't get it!" But she stopped speaking suddenly,
and stared at her father with an odd expression.
"Why are
you looking at me like that, young lady? Do I have something on my face?"
Gwen took
off her blue tinted prescription glasses and narrowed her eyes in the dim light
of the dining room. Was she seeing right?
"Father,
what on earth did you do to your nose?!" she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting
her anger. She wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but his nose seemed
to be… green. Her father looked affronted.
"What's
wrong with my nose, I'd like to know? We aren't all gifted with perfect noses,
but you don't have to insult me." He exclaimed.
"No, you
don't understand… your nose, it's GREEN! Look!" she said.
Mr.
Gradigh turned in his chair at the head of the long oak dining room table, and
checked his reflection in the glass china-cabinet door. He cursed at what he saw.
"I don't
know what kind of trick you're trying to pull, but if I can't go to that
benefit tonight, because of a-a GREEN nose, you're… you…" He didn't know what
to say, he had never punished Gwen before, he usually left that up to Hannah,
the maid. He and Mrs. Gradigh were always off at some benefit or dinner or
meeting, not often home, even for a meal. Gwen pretty much raised herself. She
was sixteen but seemed older, she was very independent.
Mr.
Gradigh stormed up to the second floor bathroom, leaving Gwen alone with
nothing but her thoughts and her dinner.
"Happy
birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me-eee…" she
whispered under her breath as she looked at the locket she had been trying to
get her parents to notice all day. On the front was inscribed:
To our
dearest Gwen on your first birthday.
8/15/85
"8/15,"
she thought " A.k.a August fifteenth. Today." She didn't care
that there had been no presents; she had everything she wanted, materially,
that is. What she did care about was the fact that no one had even mentioned
that it was her birthday at all. They probably had no idea. Of course if they
did, there'd be some expensive gift, left on the kitchen table with a note that
said something like: Dear Gwen, sorry we couldn't be there. Have a nice day.
What's
wrong with these people? I AM their daughter. You'd think…
But
Gwen's parents had never really acted as parents should. Of course, she lived
in their house, they were responsible for her, and they'd always shown her off
to their colleagues, but they weren't the ones who, during her childhood, had
tucked her in at night, the ones who comforted her when she had a nightmare, or
stayed home from work to be with her when she was sick. Usually, the one to do
those things had always been whoever happened to be the maid of the Gradigh
family at that time. Strangers, all of them.
Gwen
sighed and wondered absently if her father had gotten his nose back to normal
yet.
How on earth had he managed to
turn his nose green?
***
*Reports
of the curious change in the habits of Britain's owl population continue to
increase. Since June this year, the National Association of our Fine-Feathered
Friends has reported major increases in sightings of owls flying in broad
daylight. It is quite normal to see the occasional nocturnal animal out in the
day, but for an entire species to suddenly change it's entire sleeping
pattern…*
Gwen
picked up the remote and, with faint sound of disgust, flicked the T.V. off.
What's wrong with this world when
the biggest news of the day is the sleeping pattern of "Our Fine Feathered
Friends?" Gwen
thought irritably.
She
started to get up, when the door to the rec room opened.
"We're off
now. We'll be back late, don't wait up!"
Gwen's
mother was dressed in a long evening gown of deep red that set off her tanned
complexion perfectly, and her father wore what Gwen recognized as his best
Armani suit, though all his clothes were impeccable. His nose was bright red
from scrubbing, but the green color was gone.
"There must be a lot of money to be made
tonight." Gwen thought wryly. She fiddled with her locket in one last
attempt, but to no avail. The door closed behind them, and Gwen heard the
Mercedes drive off into the night of her sixteenth birthday.
***
Gwen
roamed the streets that night without aim, drifting listlessly around town. She
was hardly aware when she walked by a little pub she had never seen before. She
looked up at the sign above the door. The Leaky Cauldron. "Odd name."
Gwen thought as she stepped across the threshold.
OK, so
the first bit might be a smidge dull, but I promise it'll get more interesting!
I'll only post again if I get reviews! Ok, maybe that's not entirely true, I'm
addicted to writing, but still, I love reviews!