Chapter 4: Welcome
"So, our father used to spend his vacations here?" I asked with a sad smile. We were sitting in the living room drinking tea, Emma and I curled up on the sofa, and Aunt Elspeth sitting in a small armchair in front of us. She nodded, a faint smile lifting her pale lips.
"Oh, yes: he used to come here right after the end of the school term, and stayed for the whole holidays. This, at least, until he graduated and went to university. I remember he loved spending time wandering around the fields. Sometimes he went out in the early morning, bringing a sandwich and a bottle of water with him, and he came back when it was almost dark, just in time for dinner. Trust me, he was a free spirit: he came and went whenever he wanted, and never did what he was told to. He just went where the wind guided him. Luckily, your mother succeeded in putting some reason in that light, dream-filled head of his. God knows what he would have become without her keeping him to the ground!" Her gaze softened, and her eyes lost a bit of focus, probably lost behind a faraway memory.
It was strange to hear her talking like that about Dad: I would have never imagined him so careless, so different from the responsible, steady father character I knew, even if he used to say a lot that he was a bit of a Huck Finn before he met my mother.
"Dad always said that I was a lot like him in this," said Emma, hiding her face in her mug. "Mione, instead, is a lot calmer, like Mom. She thinks before doing anything, and always follows the rules. Dad said she is…relfexive." I smiled at her, ruffling her already messy hair. "It's reflexive, Em. And I'm just responsible, that's all." I sighed, fixing my eyes on the delicate flower pattern printed on the mug I was holding. "Sometimes you have to be; you could never know when you'll have to grow up," I muttered under my breath, more to myself than to them. Aunt Elspeth, though, seemed to understand what I meant, and got up, lightly putting a thin, crinkled hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, dears, I'm keeping you two stuck here talking…You must be tired and hungry after that long journey. How about a traditional English breakfast? I can make eggs and bacon. And some toasts." Emma smiled and got up, rushing behind her like an adoring puppy. I laughed softly, shaking my head at her eagerness, and took one of my crutches, slowly heading towards the door they had just disappeared into.
The kitchen was small and neat, with the terracotta tiles on the floor and the walls painted of a bright yellow which reminded me of the sunlight. The cabinets were made of a smooth, honey colored wood, and there was a square table in the middle of the room, with four different chairs around it -one was white and country style, one was blue and plain, one was green and carved with spirals and flowers, and the last one was red and faded, a bit shanty-looking-, all of them with a soft white-and-yellow checked cushion on the seat. "Make yourselves comfortable, dears: it won't take long."
It turned out that Aunt Elspeth cooked wonderfully -a thing I honestly would have never expected-, so we wolfed down everything she put in our dishes, and then leaned back in our chairs, smiling. I hadn't felt so full in months.
"Thank you, Aunt. It was delicious," crooned Emma, patting her swollen stomach. I still couldn't understand how she had eaten three eggs, five toasts and God knows how much bacon without exploding. I got up and took the dishes from the table, heading towards the sink -there was no sign of a dishwasher in the small kitchen, and I wanted to help- but a crinkled hand abruptly halted me, making me gasp, just to take advantage of my surprise and quickly steal the dishes from my unsteady grasp. Aunt Elspeth grinned, her kind chocolate brown eyes sparkling with amusement.
"I might be old, but I still know a few tricks," she said, running the tap and putting the dishes into the warm, soapy water. I laughed softly, gripping the edge of the table to prevent myself from falling. "You girls can go upstairs and settle down. I've arranged two rooms for you, the first and the second door to the right after you get on top of the stairs-" She stopped, looking at me with a slightly worried expression. "Do you think you can make it to your room?" she asked in a low voice. I nodded, straightening my back and smiling proudly.
"I might be unsteady, but I still know a few tricks," I said, repeating what she had said just a minute before. Aunt Elspeth smiled, nodding. "Clever girl you are. I guess we'll get along really well, dear." I smiled at her and slowly walked to the living room, with Emma following me closely. I stopped at the end of the stairs and looked up, to the top of it. It seemed awfully far from where I was standing.
I took a deep breath and handed my crutches to Emma, sitting one of the lower steps. "Leave these upstairs and come back down, ok?" She nodded and quickly did as I told her to, rushing back by my side. "Hun, can you drag here our suitcases? We have to take them upstairs somehow." I had an idea about how to get our luggage to our rooms: the steps were quite large, perfect for my plan. We managed to put Emma's huge pink suitcase on the first step, and then slowly dragged it further, Emma pulling while I pushed, using my arms to lift myself step over step to the top and then back down again, repeating the process with my suitcase, which was even larger than my sister's.
When we finally got to the top, we were both exhausted, but happy. We exchanged high-fives, and I grinned, grabbing one of the crutches and getting up, the muscles of my legs trembling due to the effort. "Which is mine?" asked Emma, pointing to the two doors to our right. I smiled, lightly placing my hand on the handle of the first one, which bore, written in a neat, elegant cursive, the words 'Rose Room' in the upper section. "Well, I think we'll choose as soon as we'll see them." I pushed it open, and smiled.
The room wasn't big, but it was wonderful. The floor was of the same honey colored wood of the rest of the house, and the wallpaper was of a creamy white with small, delicate patterns of pink rosebuds on it. The furniture -a small wardrobe, a bed, a desk with a chair and a drawer- was simple and elegant, made of white wood. There was a large bow-window on the front wall, with a comfy-looking pale pink cushion on it; the curtains were of the same color, and the bedspread was just a shade darker, embroidered with small flowers matching the ones on the walls. I hated pink, but I would have moved in that room anyway, without thinking twice. Emma looked around with a huge smile on her face, and quickly dragged her suitcase in.
"Mine!" she cried, jumping on the cushion by the window. It gave onto the front yard, and from there she could have seen everyone coming and going on the road and to the house, a thing she loved doing. I smiled and stepped back, laughing. "Don't you want to see the other one?" I asked, pointing at the still closed second door. Emma considered it for a moment, chewing her lip; then she nodded, running back to the corridor. The door was identical to the other, but the words written on it were different: this one said 'Periwinkle Room'. I waited for a moment, then I pushed it open.
I widened my eyes, a smile tilting up my lips as soon as I took in everything. The room was a little bigger than the other, but the furniture was almost the same, with the exception of a carved empty bookcase by the bed. The similarities ended there, though. Instead of the pink which reigned in Emma's room, there everything -the flowers on the wallpaper, the curtains, the cushion of the bow-window, the comforter on the bed- was of a soft, wonderful blue-lilac, the exact slightly iridescent color of periwinkles. There was much more light too, since there were two windows, one giving onto the front yard like the one of Emma's room, and the other showing miles and miles of fields and gentle hills, dotted here and there from small dark spots -houses, I assumed, seeing the thin tendrils of grey smoke lifting from them, barely visible against the cloudy sky-.
I laughed softly, amazed: it was…perfect. I couldn't think of anything which could have suited me in a better way than this room: even the one I had back in Seattle, which had been painted and furnished according to my taste, couldn't compete with this one. I flashed a grin at Emma, who was staring at the room in wonder, and dragged my suitcase to the bed.
"Mine," I said with a smirk, plopping onto the soft mattress.
I unpacked my clothes, neatly placing them in the drawers and on the hangers, claiming that space as mine. I placed the two books I had brought with me -Sense and Sensibility and the Spoon River Anthology, a poetry book I loved- on the bedside table, and put my laptop onto the desk. I wondered if there was an Internet connection in the house -it was old, after all-, and I mentally made a note of asking Aunt Elspeth later. Then I sat heavily on the bed, closing my eyes and laying down, resting my head on the pillow. I was tired, but I didn't want to sleep; not yet, at least.
I took my iPod and put on the earphones, searching through the songs. I smiled as the sweet, soft violins of Vivaldi's Winter started to play: it was a familiar melody, and one of my favorites. I had a passion for classical music -and especially for Vivaldi, Chopin, Bach and Debussy- since the age of five, when my mother made me hear it for the first time. It was so rich and intricate, so intense it was overwhelming. I was just starting to feel drowsy, when the doorbell rang, echoing in the house. I blinked a few times and sat up, turning off the music.
"Mione, there are two girls at the door!" Emma said brightly, knocking on my door. "I saw them coming from the window!" I sighed and got on my feet, taking my crutches and heading downstairs. Emma ran in the hall, and I followed her slowly, one step at a time, trying not to stumble on my way down. It took a few minutes, but eventually I reached the bottom of the stairs, and I followed the chattering to the hall. Two girls were standing in the doorway, talking to Aunt Elspeth.
They were more or less my age; sixteen, maybe, but I couldn't be sure. One of them was short and thin, with vague light blue eyes and waist-length blonde, wavy hair; the other was a little taller, with straight ginger hair and kind green-brown eyes. "…so kind of you, girls. I'm really glad you came," Aunt Elspeth was telling them, smiling and gesturing to the living room. "Come in, come in." Then she saw me, and smiled. "Oh, dear, these two girls came here to welcome you and your sister. They heard you had arrived and wanted to know you." I smiled, feeling extremely self-conscious as they noticed my crutches. "Hi," I said, trying not to look too embarrassed. The blond girl came first, smiling at me.
"Hi. I am Luna, Luna Lovegood. My father and I live just over the hill." The redhead followed her shortly, linking her arm through hers. "And I am Ginny Weasley. We live just over the other hill."
"It can get confusing, you know: there are something like ten people who live 'just over the hill'," said Luna with a smirk, pulling up her long hair in a messy ponytail.
"But after a while you get used to it and stop confounding. More or less," concluded Ginny, shrugging.
I smiled, feeling instinctively at ease with them. "I'm Hermione. And that little monkey hiding behind the cupboard is Emma, my sister." "I'm not a monkey!" shrieked Emma, her head popping out from behind her hiding place as she scowled at me. Luna smiled. "How cute! How old is she?" I made a face, wrinkling my nose. "Five." Ginny sighed. "Lucky you…I had always wished I had a younger brother or sister," she said, smiling at Emma. "Do you have any other siblings?" I asked her, as Aunt Elspeth led us into the living room. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, unfortunately. I have six older brothers. Ugh. Can you imagine that?" I made a face of sympathy: Emma alone could drive me mad sometimes, but six boys? I would have been sent in a bedlam long, long ago. And I would have been happy about that.
"I think they are nice," commented Luna, sitting on the couch. "I mean, Bill and Charlie are two good guys, and Percy too, even if he is a little too pompous sometimes. The twins are very lively, and their pranks are funny, and Ron…well' he's a nice boy. And he's really cute." Ginny scoffed, making a disgusted face. "No comments about my brother, Lu, please. And do I have to remember you that you are going out with Neville?" The blonde shrugged, smiling. "Going out with a boy doesn't restrain a girl from commenting on other boys. I have eyes, you know, and your brother is really-"
"Ok, enough for now," said the redhead, clasping a hand over the other girls' mouth. "There's no way I will ever get involved in a conversation on how good-looking my brother is, ok?" Luna nodded and shrugged, her blue eyes filled with vague smugness. I laughed at her comical expression, sitting with the two girls and laying my crutches on the floor, just within arm's reach.
"I'll go make some tea," said Aunt Elspeth, smiling at the three of us. "So you girls can talk without this old lady eavesdropping your conversation. Emma, dear, will you help me?" Emma nodded and trotted behind her, her dark curls bouncing like springs.
"So, what do you think of our beautiful England?" asked Ginny, still keeping a hand over Luna's mouth to prevent her from speaking. I let my gaze wander on the fields which run for miles and miles out of the windows. "It's wonderful. In Seattle, where I used to live, everything was plain, and grey: the streets, the buildings, the sky…Here instead everything is so…wide. So open. From my room back home I saw the building to the other side of the street; here it feels like I could space endlessly over the sky and the hills." Luna nodded at my words, and finally managed to push Ginny away from her. "It's true. That's why I love this place so much."
"But I bet you are not here for the open spaces, am I right?" asked Ginny, twisting one of her red locks with her fingers. "Are our excellent schools which drawn you here?" I bit my lip, lowering my gaze for a moment. "You don't have to answer, if you are not comfortable with it," said Luna in a kind voice. I attempted to smile at her, shaking my head. "Don't worry, it's just that it's not easy." I took a deep breath, chewing my lip. "My parents died in a car accident a month and a half ago," I said eventually, staring at my hands. "I was in the car with them, and I got hurt, that's why my legs are…like this."
Ginny gasped loudly, and Luna made a small "Oooh," sound, looking at me with sad eyes. I threw just a quick glance at them, before lowering my eyes again, fixing them on my hands. "I'm sorry," murmured Ginny, lightly placing a hand on my arm. "I shouldn't have asked. I'm so damn nosy…" I shook my head, lifting my gaze and smiling sadly. "It's not your fault. How could have you known? You were just curious; I would have done the same if I were you." She nodded, and smiled at me. Just then Aunt Elspeth came with three mugs of tea on a tray, and our mood lightened up a bit.
"So, you will attend school here?" asked Luna, sipping her tea. I nodded, grateful for her change of subject. "It seems so. I should start on Monday." Ginny smiled. "I bet you'll like it: it's really cool, considering it's in such a small town. Our dear Hogwarts is one of the best schools around here -really great teachers, you know, even if a bit strict-."
"And it's beautiful too: the building is ancient -it was some kind of a small castle a few centuries ago-, with those huge gardens all around it. You'll love it," added Luna, brightly. I tried to picture a school like the one they were talking about, but I found out I couldn't: the only thing that came to my mind if I thought about school was the anonymous, square building of Rosen Comprehensive I went to in Seattle, with its large, crowded corridors with the endless rows of metallic lockers and its prefabricated walls and floors.
We chatted lightly about school for a while, until Aunt Elspeth came and interrupted us, scowling at the two girls beside me. "Ginny Weasley, your mother just called, asking me if you were still here since it's almost dinnertime and you still hadn't showed up at home! Poor Molly, she was almost panicking!" Ginny looked at the clock, surprised, and jumped on her feet. "Oh, God, is it so late yet? I didn't notice! Mom is going to kill me for sure this time!" she groaned. "I'm sorry, I have to run. But it has been a pleasure to meet you," she told me, smiling.
Luna got up too, stretching like a cat. "Yes, really. Hey, I have an idea: how about I pick you up for school on Monday morning? Daddy gives me a lift, since I don't want to walk for two miles every morning, and it could be difficult for you, especially if it rains -and it always rains in England in this season!-." I smiled at her kind offer, and nodded. "It would be great, really. Even because I wouldn't know where to go, and I would end up getting lost without anyone showing me the surroundings." Luna smiled and nodded happily. "So, see you on Monday. I'll be here at seven forty, ok?"
I didn't have time to answer, because Ginny grabbed her hand and dragged her outside. I took my crutches and stumbled to the door, waving at them as they ran across the darkening fields.
"Nice girls, aren't they?" asked Aunt Elspeth, standing by me. I nodded, grinning. "Yep, really. I think we could be friends, Aunt." She nodded approvingly. "Good, my dear. I have known their parents since they were born, you know. Xenophilius Lovegood is a bit vague, but he's the kindest man I ever knew. And the Weasleys too, they are really good people. They were all friends with your father when they were kids." I smiled at the thought: thirty years later, I was becoming friends with the daughters of my father's old friends. A little bit odd, maybe, but I liked it.
We ate quickly, and then Emma and I went upstairs to sleep -we were tired like never before-. I changed in my favorite pajamas -of dark blue flannel, with shimmering silver stars all over it- and went to Emma's room.
She was already in bed, curled up under the covers, her eyes closed. I knew she was still awake just because the small lamp on her bedside table was still on -she couldn't sleep even with the smallest light on in the room-. I sat on the edge of her mattress, gently rubbing her back through the covers. "So, what do you think about England, honey?" I asked her, smiling as she yawned and nuzzled her face against the soft pillow. "I like it. There's a lot of green, and all of this space…And the house is very beautiful. I don't miss home."
I smiled, kissing the top of her head, and switched the light off. "Neither do I, honey. Neither do I."
Ron's POV:
"I'm home! Sorry I'm late, but I really didn't notice what time it was until Mrs Granger came and told me you called!" exclaimed Ginny, rushing inside. Her hair was ruffled, and her cheeks were bright red, almost matching her hair: she had run all the way here, I was sure.
Mum scowled at her, but then she shrugged: she never got really angry at Ginny. If it had been me who came home late, instead, she would have bitten my head off -literally-.
I closed my Chemistry book and smiled at my sister as she plopped down on a chair next to me. "Enjoyed the visit?" I asked, standing up to help Mum setting the table: it was my turn tonight. Ginny nodded enthusiastically, her eyes bright with happiness. "Oh, yes! The younger, Emma, is five, and I had seen her just for a few minutes, but the eldest, Hermione, is really nice. She's seventeen, like you, and I really like her: I think we could be good friends." I nodded, sitting back beside her. "Why did they come here, did she tell you?"
Ginny's face fell, and I immediately cursed myself: I knew I had asked the wrong question. I had a great talent for being inappropriate. "Their parents died in a car crash a few weeks ago, and they came here to stay with their aunt. Poor girls…I can't even imagine how difficult it is for them. You know, Hermione has to use crutches to walk. She was in the car with her parents when it happened, and she got hurt pretty badly. Luna will pick her up on Monday, so she won't have to walk all the way to school."
I nodded, feeling a wave of pity for this unknown girl: losing both of her parents, being seriously injured, and having to move to another Continent…It must had been really hard for her. "I'm home!" My father's voice echoed in the hall, putting an end to our conversation, but later that evening I found myself thinking of that girl I didn't know yet. For some reason, I was curious to meet her.
The next morning, when I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. I glanced at the old fashioned black alarm clock on my bedside table, and widened my eyes: it was ten thirty! I had slept for more than twelve hours! I got up so quickly my head spun, and I had to lay back down until the room stopped swaying. Then, carefully, I got on my feet and took my crutches, heading downstairs. A happy chatter was coming from the kitchen, sign that Emma was up already.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!" I smiled at Aunt Elspeth's bright greeting, blushing slightly: I usually didn't sleep late, even during weekends. My parents used to say I was an early bird, since I was always the first to wake up in the morning. "I was just telling your sister that maybe we should have checked if you were still alive up there, but I see there's no need for it. Slept well?" I sit down next to Emma, stretching my arms over my head.
"Actually, yes. I hadn't slept like this in weeks." That was true: for the first time in almost two months, I had had no nightmares. She smiled, her crinkled face lighting up. "I'm really glad to hear that, dear. Now eat, come on! I don't know what you usually eat for breakfast, so I made a little of everything."
Effectively, the small table was overflowing of every kind of breakfast food I knew: eggs and bacon, toasts, pancakes, cookies -no, biscuits, I corrected myself-, cereals, apple pie, warm bread and cinnamon rolls; and then butter, strawberries marmalade, coffee, milk, orange juice, and many other delicious things. And the smell…
My stomach growled loudly, and we all laughed. Well, it would have been a pity to waste all of that food…I took a plate and filled it with everything, under the satisfied eyes of Aunt Elspeth. If England's air had those effects on me, I should have regained the faculty of walking by myself quickly, to keep up with all of that eating and sleeping.
"Mione, can we go out after breakfast? It's so beautiful outside…and the weather is not bad, see?" asked Emma, looking at me with pleading eyes and pointing at the sky outside the window. Effectively the clear sky, veiled here and there by thin, puffy clouds, was pretty inviting itself, and the fields bathed in the bright sunlight seemed to have just popped out of a painting. Well, why not? As long as we didn't go too far, I was fine with having a walk. I smiled, playfully ruffling Emma's hair.
"Ok, I'm cool with that." She almost jumped out of her seat, and I put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from running straight outside. "But first you have to finish breakfast. And you won't set a foot out of the threshold unless you are fully washed and dressed, ok?" Emma pouted slightly, but it lasted for less than three seconds; she wolfed down the rest of her pancakes and jumped off. "Be quick, I don't want to have to wait for you!" she called, running upstairs. I shook my head, amused by her eagerness, and gulped down the rest of my orange juice: I had to be quick, or she would have annoyed the daylights out of me with her complains about me being 'slow'.
"Is it okay if we have a walk around here, Aunt?" I asked, handing her my dish and empty glass. She smiled at me, her chocolate brown eyes filled with amusement. "Of course you can, dear. This is your home now, and you are almost a woman, you don't have to ask permission to go out. Ah, if your father had just a hundredth of your politeness..!" I smiled back at her, grabbing my crutches and stumbling my way upstairs. "Thank you!" I called anyway, fighting with the stairs. She waved her hand out of the kitchen door.
"You are welcome!"
Ten minutes later I was in the hall, fighting with Emma. "C'mon, put on your coat now," I said scowling at her. She crossed her arms over her small chest and scowled back at me. "I don't need it, it's warm!" she complained. I scoffed and handed her the jacket. "Put it on, or you can forget about the walk!" I menaced. She pouted, refusing to listen to me. God, she was so stubborn! "I'm going to count to three, Em, and then I'll keep you locked in here the whole day, I swear. One…" I hid my amusement as her eyes lost a bit of confidence at my words. I hated to act like the bossy big sister, but it always worked in these circumstances.
"Two…" Emma bit her lip, thoughtfully lowering her gaze to her trainers for a couple of seconds, like she was considering her options.
"Th-" She snatched the coat from my outstretched hand and put it on; then she rushed out of the door without saying a word. I sighed and followed her, rolling my eyes.
She squinted in the sunlight and ran to the center of the yard, pirouetting on the spot and smiling. Then she quickly headed towards the back of the house, and I stumbled after her, trying to keep up with her pace. At the beginning it was difficult -my legs were stiff and unsteady, and I tripped over anything, my feet in the first place,- but after a while I gained confidence, and I rested more of my weight on my weary muscles, trying to use the crutches just for small support.
We explored the yard and a part of the hill behind it, Emma jumping around and chattering happily about how much she liked that place, while I did my best not to stumble over something. It felt wonderful, being outside after all those weeks spent at the hospital, and the warm touch of the sun on my skin was a bless. I knew my legs would have been terribly sore the next day, but I didn't care: that freedom felt too good, I didn't want to head back, not yet.
Eventually, though, I started to feel a bit tired, so we came back in no hurry, enjoying the soft, cool breeze which blew over the fields, slightly bending the grass and ruffling our hair. For the time we came back, Aunt Elspeth was setting the table, so we gladly helped her, and then went back out. I was too tired to walk more, so I sat on the stone steps outside the main door, relishing the golden sunlight warming my skin even through the thick fabric of my clothes, reading and throwing curious, amused glances at Emma every now and then. She had found a few old toys in the shed in the backyard -a top, a wooden hoop, of the kind you roll around with a stick, and a skipping rope-, and she was pretty interested in them, since she had never played with such things.
The rest of the day passed quickly, and before I could realize it, it was already time to go to bed. I felt pretty tired, even if I had slept for so long the previous night: the long walk from the morning had really got on me. I put Emma to sleep and stumbled in my bedroom, curling up in my bed and nuzzling my face against the soft pillow. I was sleepy, but also nervous: the next day was Monday. New school, new classmates, new professors…I wouldn't have ever admitted it, not even to myself, but I was a bit scared. A little more than a bit, actually.
But I was also terribly curious about this Hogwarts Luna and Ginny talked about: going to school in a castle…I was pretty thrilled at the idea. Were they serious, or were they just joking?
No, they were serious, they couldn't have set it all up at the moment.
My thoughts became less and less concrete, and I slowly drifted off to sleep, smiling and wondering what it would have been like.
Ok, guys, sorry it took a whole week to update, but I had been really busy with school stuff (an impossible Biology essay almost drove me crazy).
But now we are on Easter Break, so I will have a lot of time to update this week!
And a big, BIG thank you to my reviewers! Your posts are wonderful, I'm so glad you all liked my story!
And in particular to Dancethroughlife, milan4ever, ceth1986 and 79AvadaWeasleyKedavra, who reviewed every chapter! You are great! ^.^