Hippolyta's plan
Hippolyta woke up. Ugh… last night I fell asleep with Prince but I don't wake up with him, what a shame… I was very stupid, I fell asleep right away, instead of taking the opportunity to be with him. We just hugged each other, we didn't look at each other, and yesterday he was very handsome, he had dried his hair like I taught him and I didn't even tell him or ask him to look at me the way I like, I'm very stupid, what a waste.
I also didn't ask him if his Mum had dried it with her wand or if she had already bought the Muggle hairdryer. The truth is that I didn't ask him anything about his things, how he got home, how his Mum was, nothing at all, and they were important things that I should know for tonight's plan, we are not going to be alone again. until he knows the whole truth and has the displeasure. I'm very stupid, I'm very stupid, I don't know how to take care of him.
I could call him by Floo, but I didn't even ask for his address and maybe he didn't give it to my parents either. Ugh... who am I asking? I only have the address of Deborah and Shelley, and they can't know anything about my plan, the only one who knows is Cecile, who will stop by here at six. I should have asked her for her address too, so I could chat with her for a while this morning, in case she could give me Prince's.
I don't know how to plan, I don't do things the way they should be done, I'm abandoning him when he needs me most. Now I'm going to spend the whole day worrying. I already know what I'm going to do, I'm going to talk to my parents as soon as possible and have them help me, maybe they'll come up with something.
She got out of bed and looked at the time on the alarm clock on her nightstand. Ugh… half past seven, how early… If Dad wasn't going to work today, he probably wouldn't have gotten up yet, and Mum probably wouldn't… what do I do?
She put on her robe and went to the bathroom, then she looked for her parents around the house, in the living room and kitchen. As I said, they haven't gotten up yet. Well, to take advantage of the time, I'm going to make myself breakfast, I'm very hungry and I've never done it, but I've seen Mum make it for me many times, I'm sure I know. The bad thing is that I can't multiply the tea or milk with magic, I'm going to spend more than necessary. Well, for one day nothing happens.
She took out the necessary utensils, put water in a saucepan and milk in another and the iron for the toast, cut the bread for it and turned on the gas stove. Ugh… this smells bad, and it doesn't light up on its own, of course, Mum also lights it up with her wand. I'm going to close it, leave it as it was, it could be dangerous. She turned off the kitchen gas.
Well, nothing, I'm not even able to make myself breakfast, what a shame. At fourteen years old I am truly useless, I have to learn as soon as possible to do everything the Muggle way, I still have three years left before I am of legal age. I boast a lot about being independent and I'm not at all, Mum has to do everything for me, this can't go on like this.
What I do? I'm dying of hunger... Well, at least I'm going to eat something, cold milk and untoasted bread toast, which can't be called toast. What name would they have then? Untoast?
She poured the milk from the saucepan into a cup, made the untoast with butter and strawberry jam, her favorite, and ate a bunch of them. The bread is a little stale, it's from yesterday, but it doesn't matter, I eat it anyway. Ugh… I think I went too far and didn't leave enough for my parents, how selfish. Well, maybe Mum can increase it and it will be enough for them.
I'm going to pick up everything I've dirty, but of course, Mum doesn't use cleaning products either, she washes the dishes with Scourgify, I'll only be able to wash the cup and the saucepan with water. What I'm telling you, I'm truly useless. Well, nothing, I leave them in the sink, collect the breadcrumbs and put everything back in the cupboard.
Ugh… they still haven't gotten up, they must have gone to bed very late last night, it took Dad a long time to do the Occlumency session with Paul and I'm sure Mum waited for him to go to bed and then they went about their business, or maybe they're doing it right now, They are nocturnal as well as morning people, I'm not going to bother them. What else do I do?
I would take a shower, but I don't need it today, I already took a shower yesterday morning. But now that I think about it, I better be showered the same day for the Muggle doctor's visit, in case he has to weigh and measure me like Madam Pomfrey. And not only for that, if I sleep at Cecile's house tonight, maybe tomorrow I won't be able to shower there.
She went to the bathroom to take a shower, she also washed her hair. This way I am entertained for a while longer drying it, I have to learn to do it the way I like with the Muggle hairdryer.
When she was at work, the bathroom door opened. It was her mother, who asked her, "Hippolyta... sweetheart... what are you doing already up?"
"I've been up for almost an hour, Mum, I've already had breakfast and everything."
"And how did you make your breakfast?" very surprised.
"I had cold milk and untoast for breakfast," the girl responded.
"What is this about untoast?" laughing.
"Untoasted toast."
"But the bread must have been stale," Andrea lamented.
"A little yes, but I was very hungry, Mum. Let's see if you can increase it, because I ate almost everything that was left."
"Don't worry about that, my love," cheerful. "Your Grandma will stop by to bring us the shopping in a while, we'll have breakfast when she arrives."
"Great, Mum."
"Do you want me to make you some tea while you finish, so you can at least have something hot?"
"Okay, with milk, I need a lot of milk to grow. But without sugar, now I take it without sugar."
"Yes, I know, sweetheart, you already told me last night," said her mother.
"Like Prince."
"Of course. I'm going to get you some clothes first so you can dress."
"No need, I'll go to my room with my nightgown and get dressed there," Hippolyta declined.
"Okay…"
Her mother left her alone in the bathroom, she finished drying her hair with the Muggle hairdryer, being very satisfied with the result.
She went to the kitchen. "Mum, I'm done, you can go to the bathroom now." She went to her room to dress in a clean change of clothes and shirt, her trousers and the black sweater that Prince had Summoned her to, the same clothes she was wearing the day before.
She tried to make the bed Muggle style and it turned out badly. What I'm telling you, I'm truly useless. I have to ask Prince to teach me as soon as possible, I'm going to give him even more work. Maybe Cecile can teach me too, her Mum is a Muggle, or Valerie. I have to ask them.
She returned to the kitchen, her mother was drinking tea sitting at the tiny two-seater table, and another cup was ready.
"There you have it, sweetheart."
Hippolyta sat in front of her.
"Why have you put on the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?" Andrea asked her.
"Because it's the only clothes I have that I like."
"And don't they smell bad?"
"Mum, I put them on clean yesterday and I changed my underwear and shirt, don't control my way of dressing," said the girl.
"Okay, okay…"
"Get ready for what I plan to buy on Saturday in London when I go with my friends. No more dressing like a cute girl, I'm going to wear whatever clothes I want."
"Boof… look how rebellious you are, huh, Hippolyta?"
"With great honor, like good Sly," very proud.
"You are absolutely right."
"Mum, I have to talk about many things with you and Dad. Is he going to take a long time to get up?"
"I don't know, my love. Last night we went to bed very late, in the end it was almost a three hour session."
"How did he do?"
"He started very well, he didn't fail in the entire first hour, but then he started to fail, and he got it into his head that he had to improve as soon as possible at all costs, so that's why it took so long," Andrea responded.
"Oh... And did he improve?"
"Yes, in the last hour he got it eight times out of ten."
"Great," the girl approved.
"Paul comes back at ten, your Grandma should be there very soon. I'm going to wait to call Dad at nine thirty and let him sleep as much as he can so that he is well rested and makes the most of the session."
"Of course... That is to say, I won't be able to chat with him now in the morning."
"Not in a while, sweetheart, but you can do it with me," said his mother. "If there is something to ask him later, we will do it between the two of us, we already talked about many things last night before going to sleep."
"Okay, Mum. I start with a short matter before Grandma arrives. I want to learn to do everything around the house the Muggle way. Do you know how to do things?"
"Of course I know, my love, how do you think I helped your Grandma when I was little?"
"Ugh... Mum... You could have taught me so that I could help you too. At fourteen years old, I don't know how to prepare breakfast or make my bed, I'm truly useless."
"But you didn't need to help me, sweetheart, you know I love doing housework. If I didn't, I'd be bored all day. And it wasn't just for that, by the time you graduate and are independent you will be able to use magic, that's why I have taught you to do everything with magic."
"Ugh... but I would like to at least know how to do my things. Today I couldn't even prepare breakfast or clean up after myself, and I tried to make the bed and it turned out badly."
"Okay... then I'll teach you," Andrea agreed. "You'll need matches for the kitchen."
"What's that?"
"Some wooden sticks that you light by scratching them, and then you light the gas with them."
"Are they very expensive?" asked the girl.
"No, sweetheart, they are very cheap, we can buy them. You will also need dish soap and scouring pads."
"Are they very expensive?"
"No, sweetheart, they're also cheap," her mother reassured her. "Besides, I can multiply the soap and repair the scouring pads when they break down."
"Brilliant."
"Maybe even your Uncle can Summon the matches."
"Great," Hippolyta approved.
"This afternoon we will buy everything in London if we have time. Yesterday Prince gave me a lot of Muggle money."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, sweetheart, because at Easter he bought books at the bookstore, at that time he didn't have enough money, he haggled with Dad, and since he is a good customer he left them in half," Andrea explained. "But now he felt bad for have done it and has enough money to live on, so he gave it to me and I took it from him. Just know that at first I didn't want to do it."
"You shouldn't have done it, Mum, after all the trouble he's going to for me."
"Sweetheart, yes I had to do it. If I hadn't done it he would have felt terrible. It was his idea for books used for other students at Hogwarts, he has taken that market away from us, we are going to do even worse in the bookstore."
"Ugh... I hadn't realized... It seemed like a bargain to me because you weren't going to have to buy me new books…"
"Don't worry, my love, we'll get through it, we'll think of ways to recover," her mother reassured her. "We were talking about it last night and we're going to apply for a scholarship for you from the Ministry. If they grant it to us, since we won't have to buy your books, we will only spend on the uniform and materials, we will have a lot of clean money left."
"I barely need material, I can Summon anything, Prince taught me."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, yes, anything I know or imagine," answered the girl.
"Oh…"
"I had Summoned the little bag where the jewels went, without a wand, I have a NEWT level in my third year."
"Wow..." Andrea was amazed. "And haven't you thought about dedicating yourself to Transfiguration, like your Uncle? If you're that good at it, it's one of the highest-paying jobs for when you leave Quidditch."
"No, Mum, no, when I leave Quidditch I will take charge of the bookstore."
"Booff… sweetheart, a very hard job that gives very little money."
"I don't care about that, I like it, the bookstore shouldn't be lost, I will have already saved a lot with Quidditch. In fact, I plan to start learning how to take it with Dad right away when we go to Diagon this summer to visit him. I'm going to learn every book in the store like he knows. Furthermore, I already told you that I am also going to study Astronomy, which I like much more than Transfiguration. You don't want me to do three NEWTs."
"You could leave Defense, sweetheart," her mother suggested.
"No way!" exasperated. "I've wanted to be a warrior since I was nine years old! Never that, we have had this talk hundreds of times, I am going to study Defense for sure!"
"Okay, okay…"
"And if things go very badly with the bookstore, I will have one more option if I study Astronomy," Hippolyta said.
"Oh, really? Which?"
"When the war is over, the four of us, Prince, Valerie, Sirius and I, are going to go to a very famous Muggle university to continue studying Astronomy there."
"Oh…"
"Of course, Prince will have money with the jewels and because he will be teacher and Sly's Head at Hogwarts," the girl explained. "Sirius already has a lot of money, and I will earn a lot of money with Quidditch. Between the three of us, we will pay for Valerie, in exchange for her teaching us everything necessary to enter that university, because she knows a lot about the subject."
"Oh…"
"I don't remember the name of the university, when I see one of them I will ask them."
"Oxford?" Andrea asked.
"No."
"Cambridge?"
"That one, that one," Hippolyta confirmed.
"Wooow… great. So I'm sure you'll have a good job, sweetheart, indeed it is one of the most prestigious universities."
"I will look at the stars at night all the time."
"Perfect for you," her mother opined.
They listened from the living room. "Hello girls!"
"Hi Grandma!" Hippolyta exclaimed. The girl got up, ran to her grandmother and fell into her arms.
"What are you doing up so early?" her grandmother asked her.
"Because last night I also fell asleep very early, I was exhausted."
They went to the kitchen.
"And Philip?" asked the older woman.
"Still sleeping," Andrea responded.
"The world upside down. Hippolyta wakes up and Philip sleeps."
"Because we went to bed very late and we still stayed up for a long time chatting, we had a lot to talk about."
"Of course, of course…"
"Leave the bags on the table, Maggie, I'll organize everything later," said her daughter-in-law. "Let's go to the living room and take advantage of this time for you to be together, starting at ten we have a lot to do, and also this afternoon."
"Okay, let's do it."
The grandmother left the bags on the table, they went out to the living room and settled in, Hippolyta with her on the couch, Andrea in an armchair.
"And that hair, Hippolyta?" her grandmother asked her. "Have you cut it?"
"No, no, my school family helped me, but I would know how to do it alone, huh?" she responded.
"You are very pretty."
"Isn't that right? It looks much better on me than long, everyone tells me so, and besides, I dry it in a special way invented by me."
"I already see it. Yes, the hairstyle is special, yes, no one wears it like that," Margareth opined. "And the sweater? I've never seen it before."
"My family at school also Summoned it for me because I don't like the others I have and I was cold."
"But black is not very appropriate for you, sweetheart."
"Well, get used to seeing me dressed in black, Grandma, because on Saturday I'm going to the sales in London with my family from school and I'm going to buy all the black clothes," the girl announced.
"Booff…" her grandmother put her hands on her head. "Every time she comes up with something new," she addressed her daughter-in-law.
"It's normal, Maggie, she is at the age to form her personality," Andrea excused her.
"Let's see, and what is this about your school family?" asked her grandmother.
"A lot of boys and girls, my age and older, who all walk together and take care of each other," Hippolyta explained.
"We'll tell you privately and more calmly, Maggie," her daughter-in-law told her.
"It's okay, but it seems very good to me, you don't have older brothers at school who take care of you like your Uncle did with your Dad or your Mum with her sister," her grandmother said.
"Of course, that's why," Hippolyta said. "Someday you will meet them."
They chatted for a while longer, especially about the girl's victory in the Quidditch final and the fame she was going to acquire, also about how her exams had gone and the Express trip.
At nine thirty, Andrea went to call Philip, and while he got up and dressed she prepared breakfast for both of them and tea for Margareth. They took it all in the living room.
None of the three slipped at any time, not even about Hippolyta's health problem, since Andrea and Philip had decided the night before to leave it to talk about it with their family once they had had the consultation with the Muggle doctor, and the girl quickly realized that her parents did not want to discuss that topic at that moment.
Shortly before ten, they apologized to Margareth. "Mum, I'm very sorry you're going to have to leave now, we have things to do," Philip said.
"Yes, I know, Andrea has already told me. Can Hippolyta come with me so she can also see her Grandpa?" she asked.
"Do you want, Hippolyta?" Andrea asked her.
"Today I prefer to stay, Mum, I have already told you before that I have to talk about many things with you, I will see him tomorrow," the girl responded.
"And you don't want to come this afternoon?" her grandmother asked her.
"We have a busy day, Mum," said Philip. "If it wasn't like that, I would be working in the bookstore."
"Well, he's going to be disappointed, but he'll understand. Do you need me to bring you your shopping tomorrow?"
"No, Maggie, don't worry," her daughter-in-law told her. "With what you have brought we will manage until Saturday. We will stop by your house tomorrow."
"Okay, until tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow..." They waved goodbye.
Margareth left Apparating.
"Ugh... what tension..." said Andrea. "And we still have a month to hide…"
"But not everything, sweetheart," Philip told her. "We can tell them about her health problem tomorrow."
"Yeah... But it's starting to be very strange that none of us appear in Diagon. You should have left with her, Hippolyta."
"I also have my own problems to solve, huh?" the girl protested. "And I've already been waiting for two and a half hours with worry on my mind."
"Okay, okay… you're right."
Paul appeared, punctual as a clock, on the Floo Network.
Philip got up to greet him. "Man, Paul... Last night I told you that you could come Apparating, that we were going to leave all this space free."
"It's okay, a handful of Floo powder is nothing," Paul dismissed it.
"But I fear that in the long run there will be many."
"Remember, Philip, we have rich people in the family. Let's take advantage of them a little, I come from Deborah's house."
"Well, if so it doesn't matter."
Hippolyta also got up to greet him and hugged him. "Paul... I didn't see you last night..." the girl told him.
"Because you were exhausted, little one, you didn't stop still the entire Express trip, you're an earthquake," he told her.
"Last night I didn't tell you that Paul also takes me on his shoulders, not just Prince."
"Oh..." Andrea said.
"You guys are like bulls, huh?" Philip said, with some envy. "Youth, divine treasure."
"Come on Philip, don't complain, you're still very young too, you're in the prime of your age, the best age," said Paul. "Life resolved, a wonderful family and still without the ailments of old age."
"True, and I've been enjoying it since I was twenty-one, I can't complain, no."
"Shall we get to work? I see you haven't even taken out the Pensieve."
"My mother left a minute before you arrived," the oldest explained. "We had agreed with her to do the shopping for us yesterday before we knew anything and we couldn't warn her not to come so late."
"Of course, of course, I understand. Okay, whatever it takes us. Deborah's parents will stop by here at three-thirty, until then we'll do what we can."
"Of course, Paul, you can stay for lunch if necessary," Andrea said.
"Thank you very much, Andrea."
"I'm going for the Pensieve," Philip said, and walked down the hallway.
"Don't see how we have had to hide it from my Grandma, Paul," Hippolyta told him. "We can't tell her almost anything."
"In August we will also teach your grandparents and your Uncle Occlumency, and then you can tell them everything and invite Prince to eat at home with them," said Paul.
"Oh, really?" very excited.
"Yes, Prince and Deborah were talking about it last night. She'll be able to read by then, I'm willing, and I'm sure Jack will sign up too."
"Brilliant…"
Philip returned and placed the Pensieve on the dining table.
"Philip, sit on the couch if you want," Andrea suggested. "If you are going to stay as long as last night, make yourself comfortable. Hippolyta and I are going to organize the house."
"What do you say, Paul?" Philip asked him.
"I don't care, I don't usually sit on the couch except at my parents' house, at school we don't have much choice of couch," he responded.
"Well, for that reason, take advantage now. Let's get comfortable."
Philip moved the Pensieve to the side table, as Andrea stood up and Paul went to sit down, they both did, and Philip began to extract his memories with his wand.
Hippolyta and her mother went into the kitchen, closed the door and Andrea began to organize the food that her mother-in-law had brought her.
"Come on, sweetheart, what is it that worries you so much?" she asked her daughter.
"It's a bit of a long story to tell."
"Well, start at the beginning."
Hippolyta spoke to her about Ariel, whom his mother already knew from having spoken to her about him on other occasions, but this time she did so by relating him to Prince and to what the boy said was his Aunt, telling her everything she knew about the three and on the subject since first year. Meanwhile, they had already finished in the kitchen and they both went to make the two beds Muggle-style so Hippolyta could learn. When they finished, they lay down hugging on the girl's bed.
When Hippolyta finished telling her everything she asked her, "Do you realize things on your own, Mum?"
"Of course I realize, they are brothers."
"I suspect that everyone at home knows except him."
"What a story... And how has he not realized if he already met him at Christmas?" Andrea asked.
"Because Prince, deep down, is very silly."
"I think it's not that, sweetheart, but that he has never experienced what it is like to be a real family, he doesn't have that feeling identified. You have your cousins, but he grew up alone, and not only that, abused, he can't imagine what it's like to have a brother."
"Of course... poor..." Hippolyta realized.
"And yet he knows how to treat him like a brother, and without having received a good example from his father, he is treating you like a father. Prince is worth a lot, a lot, in every way, he is extraordinary."
"This was all relevant, Mum, because tonight his Gryff friends are going to finally tell him."
"Oh…"
"He's going to be devastated when he finds out," the girl said. "I want to be there with them."
"Of course, my love. We already told you yesterday, you can come and go whenever and wherever you like, go where they are going to be and stay the night if they invite you. And if you want and can, sleep with him. It's one of the topics your Dad and I talked about last night, that you have permission to sleep together, even at home. Prince already knows this, I told him before I even spoke to your Dad."
"Oh…"
"Of course, at your age I was already sleeping with Dad, ever since we started dating. But, are you going to know how to comfort him, sweetheart?" asked her mother.
"I don't know, Mum. Because I fall asleep right away when I'm with him. At school we already slept three nights and I always leave him alone."
"It's normal, my life, because due to the illness you have you get exhausted easier than normal. And today even worse, because you woke up very early, you should have tried to sleep a little more."
"I couldn't do it precisely because I started thinking about this and I got worried," Hippolyta explained. "Last night I didn't even ask him how his Mum was, I'm very stupid, I don't know how to take care of him."
"You are not stupid, my love, you are very young and you were tired."
"I would like to be able to go to his house or call him by Floo to chat alone again before seeing him tonight with everyone at the same time. Did he give you his address?"
"He didn't, sweetheart," Andrea responded. "How was he going to give us his address if we are not yet occlumants? He must also protect himself."
"Sure…"
"You should have asked him."
"Well yes. I'm very stupid, because the only addresses I have are Deborah's and Shelley's, where Ariel lives, and none of them are going to let me go to Prince's house," the girl lamented. "And not only that, I haven't asked permission to do so to him either."
"Why wouldn't they let you go? If we leave you they have nothing to say. I already know how we're going to do it, on the way back from the doctor we stop by Deborah's house and call him from there."
"But at six we have to be back, because, in principle, I had another plan."
"What plan, sweetheart?" asked her mother.
Hippolyta told her the dinner plan and what she had agreed with Cecile. "And I don't have her address either to warn her not to come," the girl concluded.
"Ugh... Yes, you are a little silly, yes. There is no problem, my life, either of us, Dad or I, or both of us, will return home to receive Cecile, and you will arrive later. We'll explain everything to her and she can leave or wait for you, whatever she wants. Do you know what time Cecile is going to the dinner?"
"Before seven, because they and Prince planned to meet at seven, to be there to receive him."
"Well, that's it, we'll do it like this. You'll have time from when we finish with the doctor until seven to be with him. Whenever he can, huh? Maybe he has things to do."
"Okay Mum, thank you very much."
