Disclaimer: See Prologue and stop bugging me about it.
Thanks for coming back to read more. Let the story begin!
The Thing About Grace
Chapter One
It seemed the cold blustery day was calling for a breakfast of toast and tea. Luna's father was feeling under the weather and she knew a nice breakfast in bed would do him good. Luna also knew that sometimes when her father was under the weather, it meant he was feeling sad about her mum's death. This was one of those times. Christmas was fast approaching and as it was every year since the accident, there was an abundance of melancholy in the house.
Luna took a bag of sliced brown bread from the old tin bread box and popped two slices into the toaster. Before pushing the lever down, she filled a battered looking copper kettle with water and set it on the heating stove.
She stopped for a moment and appeared to be in deep thought before a small smile touched upon her lips. She knew what would be perfect for her father's breakfast today. Luna made her way to the scrubbed table which at this time of year supported not a vase of flowers, but miniature tin pail of holly.
After she pulled out a chair, she placed it in front of the sink and stepped onto it and from there climbed onto the counter. She reached for a rectangular light green tin which always sat on the cupboards over the sink. It was tucked under her arm as she gingerly felt with her foot for the chair. She left the tin on the counter as she put the chair back and pushed down the toaster handle.
From a cupboard beside the microwave (yes, even wizards have microwaves) she pulled a rather large teacup and from the shelf below it a saucer and a dessert plate for the toast. These were set beside the tin as Luna went to two more cupboards and from them produced a tray and a teapot.
She placed the cup and saucer on the tray alongside the dessert plate and teapot. Next she pulled the lid off the teapot.
Now was the most important part. The green tin was picked up and the lid removed. Luna took a long sniff of the teabags nestled together inside and let the memories of her mother surround her.
The tinkle of dainty spoons against china, her careful way of pouring, the cloudy swirl of milk as tea splashed into the cup. The kisses from tea heated lips on Luna's cheek.
Luna dropped two teabags into the pot, looked at the box, took one of the bags out of the pot and replaced it in the tin. There weren't many left and she didn't know when or where they could get more except from Canada. She peered back into the teapot and dropped the second bag back in it. Her father deserved two today.
When the water boiled she poured it into the pot and fitted the lid on top. She fetched the butter and sugar from the pantry when the toast sprung up. While it was hot she buttered it and then arranged it on the dessert plate. Luna added two lumps of sugar and another for good measure into the teacup and placed a small spoon on the saucer.
She stepped back and examined the tray before deciding two things were missing.
First was a napkin, Luna pulled one out of a low drawer and smoothed out the creases as best she could, then folded it and hung it over the side of the tray.
The second thing needed to complete the tray was most decidedly a sprig of holly in a tiny glass vase. She snipped a small sprig which had on it one leaf and a berry and dropped it into the water filled vase.
Satisfied, she picked up the tray and made her way to her father's room. Her right hand balanced the tray in front of her as she tapped on the door with her left hand.
"Come in." Came the quiet voice of her father from the other side.
Luna turned the knob, grasped the tray with both hands again and pushed open the door with her foot. Her father was seated at his desk, he had been reading through a copy of the Daily Prophet. There were dark circles under his eyes.
"I made you breakfast, daddy." She said as she set the tray where he had removed his paper.
"Thank you, love." He gave her a weak smile.
"I'm going to go do some chores, I'll see you soon daddy."
"See you in a while, Sweetheart." He replied.
Luna made her way into the hall and closed the door quietly behind her. She gave a small sigh before going to the kitchen to replace the green tin of tea to its proper place on the cupboards over the sink.
Outside the snowfall began to thicken.
I know it's alot of description... not a whole lot of plot yet, don't worry, I'm getting to it. This is just setting her home life character a bit. Read and review please!
