xx✴ Wʜᴇʀᴇ Aᴍ I?Wool's Front Room xxx✴ Wʜᴏ Is Wɪᴛʜ Mᴇ?Nani and Laili xxxx✴ Wʜᴀᴛ's Gᴏɪɴɢ Oɴ?Meeting new volunteers, probably xxxxx✴ Wʜᴀᴛ's Iɴsɪᴅᴇ Mʏ Hᴇᴀᴅ?She looks like that other lady!
Meallan had been in the playroom, shortly after waking up. One of the nice volunteers helped him put his ears on, and they even combed down his messy hair. Once he was all set, Mea noticed the door open in the front room. Usually that meant either another volunteer showing up with snacks, flowers, or even books for storytime, but this time, it was two ladies he was pretty sure he hadn't met. One of them looked kinda like one of the volunteers, but since she didn't have a big basket with flowers, it must just be a coincidence.
He watched them for a minute, and he realized they were talking about the place being busy, and that they could start in the playroom. Hey! That's where he was! Maybe they'd come talk to him too! There were a few other kids in here, most of them were playing or reading or stuff, but he was just... here. Mea adjusted his comfy hat, then grabbed one of the picture books he liked most. Sometimes he could get the grown-ups to read it to him. It was about a twinkly baby star, which was just awesome.
Seeing that no one else was going out to investigate, Meallan walked over, looking up at the ladies. They seemed nice, and the one with the brown hair gave him a little wave. With a nervous grin, he offered up his book. "H-hi. My name is Meallan. But... um... sometimes just 'Mea'. Th-that's my favorite book, 'kay? B-but I can't read much." He felt his little cheeks warm up, heart racing a bit at having talked to people he didn't know. Maybe they were really nice, but maybe they weren't here to read for kiddos.
The brown haired lady was just about jumping up and down, abuzz with excitement. Meallan wasn't really sure why, because Wool's wasn't exactly exciting. "Oh, you're so sweet! My name is Nani, this is Laili, she's my wife! I love this book! My mom used to read it to me when I was little bitty!" Meallan blinked a bit, tilting his head at her words. So she already knew about the book? It was weird, because the volunteer that kinda looked like her was the one that gave him the book. Maybe they really knew each other! Meallan offered a smile, shuffling nervously. Maybe he could still scurry away and hide... where did they say they were going again?
We're young and in love And we're running like the wind, we got it all We're never alone If we got each other, we can save the world Explosions in the sky, I see colors fly It's like the Fourth of July in your eyes
»Owl Tʀᴀɪɴᴇʀ »Hᴜғғʟᴇᴘᴜғғ Aʟᴜᴍɴ»Hᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ Mᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ
.¸¸.•´´¯`•Laili was about to ask just how many cups of coffee or tea Nani had had that morning with her exuberance before they were introduced to the literal most adorable child she'd ever seen ever. And he had a little book! She slapped a hand over her mouth as he lamented that he couldn't really read his favorite book to stop the squeal that wanted to erupt from her. It would seem her wife beat her to it though as she went over to him introducing them both and happily commenting on his book. He seemed a tad confused though and she wasn't sure if he was regretting talking to him or just nervous around adults. Maybe both! Oh no! Laili gently grabbed onto Nani pulling her back down to Earth a bit before bending down to Mea's height so she could see the book more clearly. She couldn't remember reading the book herself but it seemed really cute. "Well I've never read this book before. If you want, we could read it and you could tell me your favorite parts?" she suggested with a gentle smile.
Old enough, old enough, old enough to know that We are young in love, young in love, young and in love You and me, we can see, time will stand still If we stay young in love, young in love, young and in love Yeah, we are young and in love
xx❀ Wʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀᴍ I?Wool's Orphanage xxx❀ Wʜᴏ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ?Laili xxxx❀ Wʜᴀᴛ's ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ?Meeting kids to adopt xxxxx❀ Wʜᴀᴛ'ʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs?They all seem so fun!
Nani grinned over at Laili, wondering if it was just the Abrams charm.... or if she somehow summoned the child. Or maybe he thought they were volunteers. Her mom said the kids liked to hang out for snacks and story time whenever she came by... and Nani did look a lot like her mom. Laili squat down to be closer to the boy - Meallan - and it seemed that move confused him further. He shuffled a bit, but stood his ground. The brunette boy offered the book to Laili herself, pondering her. "A-are you a vol-umm-teer? I know... she is. I see her here sometimes.... but I don't know you." His voice was... slightly too loud for someone that seemed to be wanting to talk quietly, but Nani took a second to register his words.
With a grin, the werewolf squat down, hoping not to freak out Meallan too much. "I think you've been seeing my mom. She comes in to bring flowers and read books. But she's pretty cool. I've never been here before, but it's very nice." Hopefully the compliment to the building wouldn't be too weird. It did seem to earn a small snort. "It's nice sometimes, but it's not... a good house. B-but my daddy always used to say that your home is also your heart... I think is how it went." He looked a bit conflicted, then offered the book back to Laili. "You can read it for me? Can... can all grown-ups read? I-I know some other kids can, but I'm not real good." He turned his head to look at a girl probably around seven or eight reading a book while half-upside down off the couch. While he was turned, Nani discovered the little hearing aid tucked behind his ear. Maybe it'd be better not to ask... at least not now.
We're young and in love And we're running like the wind, we got it all We're never alone If we got each other, we can save the world Explosions in the sky, I see colors fly It's like the Fourth of July in your eyes
»Owl Tʀᴀɪɴᴇʀ »Hᴜғғʟᴇᴘᴜғғ Aʟᴜᴍɴ»Hᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ Mᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ
.¸¸.•´´¯`•Laili pouted sadly as her display actually had the opposite reaction she'd been hoping for with Mea but was still grateful he wanted to speak with them. She hummed in thought as how to answer his question but luckily she had an amazing wife who did so for her and apparently answered some unasked query about why she seemed familiar to the little boy. Amazing! He already knew a bit of the family! She actually had a clutch heart moment when lil Mea recited about home being where the heart was (or a variation of that saying) and then actually handed the book to her for them to read together. Laili could no longer be trusted. She was about to be on the nightly news for kidnapping and Desi was going to skin her alive for not going to jail for a cool crime.
She followed his eyesight to the little girl reading upside down and giggled a bit at his (admittedly) honest question. "Most can and lucky you, you managed to find two of 'em who can." she responded a tad proud. Who knew reading was the golden ticket to children?! She should really let it slip to Nath and Theo. Laili lowered herself further from her crouched position to one where she was sitting with her legs crossed over one another. Seeing Nani's looking at something, she followed her wife's sight eyes widening a bit seeing the hearing aide. As she took the book and began the process of reading it with Mea (WITH voices if she did say so herself) she ran an internal audit of her family and who might already know BSL. In the midst of all that chaos there had to be one, right?
Old enough, old enough, old enough to know that We are young in love, young in love, young and in love You and me, we can see, time will stand still If we stay young in love, young in love, young and in love Yeah, we are young and in love
xx✴ Wʜᴇʀᴇ Aᴍ I?Wool's Front Room xxx✴ Wʜᴏ Is Wɪᴛʜ Mᴇ?Nani and Laili xxxx✴ Wʜᴀᴛ's Gᴏɪɴɢ Oɴ?Meeting new volunteers, probably xxxxx✴ Wʜᴀᴛ's Iɴsɪᴅᴇ Mʏ Hᴇᴀᴅ?She looks like that other lady!
Meallan giggled at the blonde lady - Laili - when she said he'd found two grown-ups who could read. "I can only read... um... my name. My whooooole name though. Meallan Skyler is my middle part of my name." He grinned brightly, showing off a toothy expression. He watched Laili, then Nani, sit down in the floor to read the book, so Meallan scooted in between them, then plopped in the floor to see the pictures. He laid his head against Laili's arms, listening to her silly voices and pointing at his favorite pictures with a giggle.
Nani watched her wife read the book, gently rubbing the boy's back. When the book was over, she joined Meallan in a happy applause, cheering for the story. "So good! You're real good at reading books! Can you read more next time? I have bunches I like!" He hopped up, offering his little hands to both the women, as if to help them to a stand. Nani took his hand, then pushed herself up, ruffling the boy's hair.
Meallan looked a bit startled by the act, but he tried to offer a nervous smile. He wasn't sure what to do when people fluffled his hair, after all. Normally if people got that close to his head it was to help adjust his ears! "Sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to startle you!" Nani gently straightened up his hair, assuming that had been the problem. "I's okay. You guys doin' anything today? We can... um... play or something. Or if you're supposeta be reading to everybody... I got lotsa more books we can read." He shuffled a little nervously, reaching up a hand to readjust one of his hearing receivers. The left one seemed a little quiet... "Sorry. My ears is broken sometimes. But i's okay. I can fix it!" He grinned, hoping he'd resolved the issue.
Piercing lights in the dark Make the galaxy ours Kingdom right where we are Shining bright as a morning You'll never be lonely Just promise you'll love me
Hι∂∂єη Ƭяєαѕυяєѕ Oωηєя|sℓчтнєяιи αℓυмиι | Mσтнєя
☆═━┈---------------┈━═☆
◆◊ Caty was excited to be back at the orphanage (which is a group of words she was sure would sound so wrong in any other connotation) with Finn in tow. Kai was getting older and bigger much to her pride and heartache and now to add insult to injury, the girls were going off to school in just the next year! Maybe it was too early for empty nest syndrome but her da always told her she was a bit of an overachiever. Finn was doing great now that he wasn't just regulated to grunt work any longer (and Dr. Levy had such a lovely ring to it) and between her boon of clients from the art festival and loyal clientele, Caty could finally afford to take time away from her business and move her home office to somewhere else. And of course possibly change that room into something more beneficial. Say a child's bedroom perhaps?
After doing the tedious paperwork-whyyy was there always so much paperwork!-they were finally allowed in the children's area with her husband's hand in hers the only thing keeping Caty from floating around the room. "I think we both know attempting to lay down ground rules with you is a waste of time, so all I'm gonna ask is that you not challenge anyone under 10 to freeze tag again. You're way too competitive." Finn chuckled even as his much shorter wife glared unamused up at him.
"That was just one time! And besides, you love it~" she told him her pout turning into a sly grin and even followed it up with a wink. She giggled as Finn suddenly became flustered-he was just too easy!-as he lead them further into the room. Onward to victory!◇◈
I'm never too far And we'll never part And we could be stars Oh, we could be stars We could be stars
Rebecca Mary Steed Orphaned Muggleborn xxxLittle Crafterxxx
Location : Wool's Orphanage Company : Other kids... Two adults (Caty & Finn)
Becky was rather used to her life at this point. She was a rather simple kid. Give her a book or a piece of paper and she’d keep herself occupied. Today it was just her and a book, which suited her just fine. She loved her time among the pages even if she couldn’t read every page she was looking at. Though that’s what happened when you managed to get your hands on a book meant for very possibly an older reading level. So, the book had a few less pictures, Becky liked feeling smart.
Staring into the gateway of endless adventure, Becky glanced up as a couple kids ran past her. Nothing new but the two adults walked into the room most definitely was. It was that time of the day it appeared where new people would come in and the next thing you knew a child or two would leave. Becky understood the concept but wasn’t much an outstanding butterfly. So instead, she slid off the bean chair and hid unsuccessfully behind it.
Peaking from behind the squishy bean chair, Becky could guess they were a couple. She was sure they were nice people, but distance was probably best. For now, at least.
OOC : - - -
xxx“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”xxx
Yukina101
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:29 pm
Piercing lights in the dark Make the galaxy ours Kingdom right where we are Shining bright as a morning You'll never be lonely Just promise you'll love me
Hι∂∂єη Ƭяєαѕυяєѕ Oωηєя|sℓчтнєяιи αℓυмиι | Mσтнєя
☆═━┈---------------┈━═☆
◆◊ Caty's eyes followed a few of the kids who were just running around and one or two who were quietly playing either by themselves or with another. She figured the latter would be their best bet since that was how they'd found their other children. Finn's chuckling brought back her attentions though and she turned to him curiously while he seemed intent at looking at....a bean chair? "Am I missing something?" He gave her a small smile and had them turn slightly away out of direct sight of the bean bag chair.
"Ok, now look over." he finally told her. Still confused, she looked back towards the chair only to know see the head and face of a tiny girl peeking over at them. So precious! "Ohh...I wanna pinch her little cheeks!" Finn just shook his head in bemusement. "If they're anything like Ruth, you're gonna be waiting awhile." She pouted a bit at his words, truthful that they were, but her inborn stubbornness won out eventually that she tugged them over to the girl. Though she thankfully had the presence of mind to keep a big enough space between them that, hopefully, the little girl wouldn't think they were crowding her. "Hi there! We're not bothering you, are we?"◇◈
I'm never too far And we'll never part And we could be stars Oh, we could be stars We could be stars
Rebecca Mary Steed Orphaned Muggleborn xxxLittle Crafterxxx
Location : Wool's Orphanage Company : Other kids... Two adults (Caty & Finn)
Becky observed from her spot, feeling if so long as she stayed there, she wouldn’t be spotted. She’d thought she’d gotten away with it to for a brief moment. They had turned away and everything. A tiny bit of relief hit but also a tiny bit of disappointment. She didn’t want to be stuck at the orphanage forever, she wanted to be like all the other kids getting homes to good families (she figured they better be if they were taking kids home anyway).‘I shouldn’t have panicked.’ She thought to herself. For a moment blaming her stupid lack of socialization skills.
Staring at the ground Becky glanced back up and over at the two she seemingly let get away. That’s when she realized they were coming over. Maybe she hadn’t screwed things up. It was then she realized perhaps this wasn’t the best hiding spot.‘Oh no, their coming over here…’ she momentarily panicked but stayed frozen in place.‘Just don’t be scared maybe they didn’t see me…’ she tried to reason. Then Becky’s existence was acknowledged… ‘Okay they definitely saw me… I should probably say something…’
Looking up at them, Becky managed to shake her head as she clung to her book. “Hello…” She said sheepishly. So, it wasn’t much but she did say something right? Taking a deep breath, she added. “I’m just reading...” What she really wanted to do was ask what they were doing and why were they there, even if she already knew the answers in theory. Though, she couldn’t bring herself to speak the words.
OOC : - - -
xxx“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”xxx
Yukina101
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:59 pm
Piercing lights in the dark Make the galaxy ours Kingdom right where we are Shining bright as a morning You'll never be lonely Just promise you'll love me
Hι∂∂єη Ƭяєαѕυяєѕ Oωηєя|sℓчтнєяιи αℓυмиι | Mσтнєя
☆═━┈---------------┈━═☆
◆◊ Caty felt about a bit bad when she obviously startled the little girl and watched as she clung to a book trying her hardest not to coo. So cute! From her looks and tone she would guess the girl was probably younger that about eight, which was perfect since she wanted a few good years before she also abandoned left for school. Finn tried to take a good look at her book but her little hands were covering most of the letters so he wasn't able to really decipher it but from the thickness, he was willing to bet it wasn't an average toddler book. "That sounds neat, whatcha reading? I like science fiction-y books myself. Like aliens, space, hidden mysteries..."
"Slow down there, you're gonna either run her off or have her fall asleep!" Caty admonished lightly with a teasing grin, laughing a bit as her husband audibly and visibly sulked. He acts like he doesn't already have his own little sci-fy gremlins at home! Finn for the most part did agree that he might've gotten a little overzealous but he was glad he got stopped before bringing up cryptids since he wasn't sure how the young girl would take it. Not everyone was Everly and Ruth and enjoyed cryptid fairy tales for bed. "I, on the other hand, love fantasy. Give me all the princesses, pirates, fairies, dragons, everything!" It wasn't very hard to figure out what she liked, she pretty much had it tattooed on her after all! ◇◈
I'm never too far And we'll never part And we could be stars Oh, we could be stars We could be stars
Rebecca Mary Steed Orphaned Muggleborn xxxLittle Crafterxxx
Location : Wool's Orphanage Company : Other kids... Two adults (Caty & Finn)
From first glance they seemed like nice people. They seemed interested in her book which, Becky found to be quite interesting. Though she assumed most adults looking for kids would be interested in similar things. That’s just what she figured anyway. After all she’d seen it a few times before. The boy was asking what she was reading and then mentioned what he liked to read. It was then followed by the girl telling him to slow it done. It made Becky wonder how long he would have kept going had she not stopped him.
He seemed very eager…
Then the girl mentioned her preferred type of books. They seemed vastly different in Becky’s mind. Could different books go together, the young girl thought so. Granted she wasn’t picky on the book so long as it had pages. What book didn’t have pages? “It’s an adventure mystery story...” She finally answered holding the book out. “There’s a present… Finn and his sister Aria find it… after they get lost on an island…” She said fumbling over her words slightly. “I like all books…” she added timidly.
OOC : This was not planned I just picked a random book yum_puddi
xxx“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”xxx
Yukina101
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:51 pm
Piercing lights in the dark Make the galaxy ours Kingdom right where we are Shining bright as a morning You'll never be lonely Just promise you'll love me
Hι∂∂єη Ƭяєαѕυяєѕ Oωηєя|sℓчтнєяιи αℓυмиι | Mσтнєя
☆═━┈---------------┈━═☆
◆◊ Finn and Caty eagerly took a better look at the little girl's chosen book noting its creative design and also its relative thickness. Caty pondered that she must be an advanced reader to be able to get through such a thing while Finn was too busy smiling and lightly laughing at the coincidence.
"'Eternal Seas' huh? Sounds really cool, and not just because I'm in it." he chuckles again while his companion roles her eyes at his terrible dad joke (lord save her from his new obsession). She was about to tell him as much when her eyes widened and she let out a sound between a choke and a squeak as she mentally processed what she'd just learned which only slightly worried her husband.
"Ohmygosh! I just realized we've been totally rude and not introduced ourselves! I'm Caty and this is my husband Finn, funnily enough,"
"And I do have a sister but her name is Zee, not Aria, and we've luckily never been stranded on an island. An empty bus depot once but that's a long story I don't think you'd find interesting." Finn interjected with a crooked grin while Caty just rolled her eyes goodnaturedly since she had in fact heard the story. "What's your name, sweets?" she asked holding out a hand to shake.◇◈
I'm never too far And we'll never part And we could be stars Oh, we could be stars We could be stars
Rebecca Mary Steed Orphaned Muggleborn xxxLittle Crafterxxx
Location : Wool's Orphanage Company : Other kids... Caty & Finn
“You are!”Becky blurred out in shock. She couldn’t believe that the character she was following in her book was actually in front of her. Sure, she knew deep down he wasn’t really Finn from her book. But what if he was! That would be so cool. A real-life Finn, she wondered if he went on any adventures like the Finn in her book had. “Have you gone on adventures too?”She questioned curiously.
Becky had barely realized that they hadn’t given names up till this point. Granted she wasn’t much into reading into it. “My name's Becky… it’s short for Rebecca.” She introduced before giving Caty a tiny shake. “It’s nice to meet you.” She added calmly. “Are… are you two looking for someone?” Becky managed to find the words. Whether they were the right words was up for debate but it got the point across, right.
OOC : - - -
xxx“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”xxx
Yukina101
Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 6:23 pm
♩♯⌬ANGIERHUIYANZHENG fifth year || Slytherin || halfbood Adventurer's Guild warlock || Astronomy club nerd || Music club violinist and cellist _______________
Two years ago, Angier had been double checking his trunk, daydreaming about Tzuki and looking forward to electives when his father had come in, glowering with every book he packed.
“Your violin playing has deteriorated and you obviously aren’t in a good math class. What are you even learning at that school of yours?” Dad got more and more worked up as he talked. “Forget this stupid girl of yours! Faye, what kind of special program was this? What kind of nonsense are they teaching him? How to be a gardener? What kind of nonsense is that? Angier, unpack that. You’re not going. I’m going down to Teresian tomorrow morning and getting you re-enrolled. This is ridiculous.”
He had protested, and his father’s ire had turned on both of them. Finally, his mum had pulled him aside and asked if he actually wanted to go to Teresian. “I can talk to the governess. You have control of your magic now, so maybe we can pull you out.”
Angier wanted to scream. “Now? I’m finally actually getting good at magic! Plus I can’t drop out this year. I have electives.”
“But you don’t need magic to be a professional musician. Wasn’t that your dream?”
“Yeah, and now maybe I want to play Quidditch for the Kenmare Kestrels!”
“Angier, you can’t play quidditch professionally! What would we tell your father?!”
“The truth, maybe! What if I wanted to write for the Daily Prophet? Or become Minister of Magic?” He hadn’t understood then how his father would react. He hadn’t realized quite how mad he would get.
“You could write for the Guardian. Or run for Prime Minister. Angie, be realistic, wouldn’t you be rather at the top of your class again, instead of just scraping by with Bs?”
“They’re not Bs, they’re E, for Exceeds Expectations, and they’re perfectly fine!”
“I just don’t understand why you would settle, when you could be the best.”
“Maybe you can’t conceive of it because you never got good grades at all. Well I want to go back to Hogwarts, and that’s that.”
Faye sighed. “I’ll talk to your father. We might need to call an obliviator to stop by again.” She stood up, looking disappointed, or maybe just resigned and worried. “You better try to get some sleep. Goodnight, An-An.”
Angier grumbled an acknowledgement and then his gratitude a moment too late. He finished packing his trunk, folded a uniform and a textbook into his bag for the train, and turned off the lights. He pulled the covers up, and closed his eyes, but downstairs he could still hear his parents arguing. There was yelling, silence, counter-yelling. At nearly 3 in the morning there was the crash, an angry scream in response, and finally some quiet. Twenty minutes later he could hear them mumbling again. Angier let out a long sigh, grabbed a torch and his book. If he wasn’t sleeping he could at least get back to reading.
------------------
There was no getting around it now.
Ever since his dad’s outburst before third year Angier had wondered how his mum planned to explain that he wouldn’t be applying to college like any other good muggle student. Well, Angier had gotten his way: He and his Ma had finally come out and explained everything to his dad.
“What is this? Potions? Divination? Ghouls and Ghosts? What kind of dog crap nonsense is this?” Angier took note of where his textbooks were landing and wondered how fast it would take for him to reach his room. His mum was crouching behind the couch, dodging as Iain threw Angier’s rune set out of the trunk. Maybe he should have foreseen this. Maybe he should have called an obliviator or Governess Nora or someone more experienced to explain this.
“He was a scholarship student! He was on track to get a scholarship for music, and you insisted on this ridiculous bullshit boarding school. And only now do I find out it’s been drama camp for playing pretend the whole year!
“Zheng Huiyan, you too, come over here right now! You used to be a smart kid! Why didn’t you quit and tell us about the tomfoolery? I thought you were smart and wanted to be a professor! Instead you’ve been staying up late playing your stupid video games and flirting with stupid blind girls, wasting all your money on fancy new clothes. What is this, a chemistry set?” Angier ducked as the set of vials that had lasted him for 2 years now shattered overhead, raining glass over him. He had been calm until his dad insulted Tzuki. Angie’s eyes snapped up with a glare.
“Tzuki–”
“Messing around with girls– Before you’re even done with school! You’re just like your mother! Irresponsible! Lazy! Your good for nothing girlfriend–”
“Don’t talk about her that way! You don’t even know her!”
His dad glowered at his outburst. Another crash indicated his textbooks were scattered over the floor, and his father was suddenly storming across the room. “Your play time is over now. Sit down. If they don’t accept your bullshit boarding school degree, then this means nothing. We’re getting you enrolled in a proper secondary school. Maybe it’ll take an extra year but you’ll just have to make up for all the slacking you’ve been doing. Maybe you can still get a music scholarship– "
“You don’t even care about how I’m doing at music, do you? Even when I was little I talked about music school! But you’re still on ‘go to college, get a degree’. Don’t you listen? I can make things fly, I can turn bugs into jewelry. It’s not just that I can play music, I can literally put people to sleep, tune their mind to something with music.”
“That’s dog-crap nonsense thinking–”
Angier wasn’t done. “This is all about your ego, isn’t it? Oh look, Angier is going to some boarding school! Oh look, he can play Paganini! Oh yeah he has a girlfriend! And then turn around and we get home and you’re insulting her–”
“This isn’t about your blind–”
“You’re still doing it! Stop calling her that! Also– I’m not dating Tzuki! You don’t even know my girlfriend’s name, do you? Because you don’t listen. You don’t even listen to Ma– You–"
Angier dodged the first blow, sidestepping away. Another swing. Two steps back-- then he bolted for the hallway. He narrowly avoided something being thrown--his crystal ball, Angie realized-- before slamming his door. He grabbed his wand from his coat and reinforced the door to buy himself time--ah, yep-- his father tried the door, found it magically locked, and howled about installing locks. As his dad went to break the door down, Angier snagged the duffel bag he’d enchanted with the undetectable extension charm–advanced magic for his age, but he was a talented wizard. He pointed at the rest of his room that hadn’t been upended as his father hunted for his trunk: ”Pack.”
At some point his father had gone back to raging and dumping the stuff out of his trunk. He heard a crash and a loud snap, followed by the garbage disposal running and jamming. Then everything came to a halt with the ring of a doorbell. His mother opened the door. Angier secured his miniature garden next to his violin case inside the duffel before re-emerging, wand hidden just up his sleeve and duffel in his other hand.
He stepped outside. ------------------------
Angier had expected obliviators. He had expected Governess Nora.
Instead, he found someone called Mr. Kameron Hepburn, Child Protective Services, talking to his father. Angier hadn’t expected the CPS. His father had tried commanding Angier and his mom in Chinese, but Mr. Hepburn understood precisely. Mr. Hepburn even spoke to them fluently--more fluently than Angie did anyways.
They had been asked to leave the mess of textbooks and broken glass for investigation, which meant that after giving his statement, Angie was just sitting there, listening to the conversations and wondering how things had escalated so much.
Finally Angier was allowed to gather his things. His Ma still needed to report to the Ministry for questioning. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and assured her to keep a level head. They’d be fine. ------------------------
The next day Angier was sitting on a chair at Wool’s, watching some other kids play with a ball. He’d brought his cello out to the common room to play for everyone, but it didn’t seem safe to have a thousand-dollar instrument outside its protective case when kids were playing with a ball. Angier had spent the evening taking inventory of what he had salvaged: some of the phials could be mended with a reparo, but he’d need a new set before school started. His cauldron was only scratched, but his scales had been dented beyond fixing. His father had snapped his broom twice over and threw half of it in the garbage disposal--that pissed Angier off, since he’d won it off Robin Winchester in a bet and he was pretty sure he couldn’t afford anything like it on his own.
Finally, Mr. Hepburn returned, and Angier headed to a small meeting room, where Faye was waiting. She was still sobbing, and Angie stood up to wrap her in a hug. “Ma. Hey, it’s okay. What’s the news?”
“An An, they have decided to take you away.”
Angier made a face. “What do you mean?”
His mother was crying so hard Mr. Hepburn had to explain what had happened– the emergency wizengamut council had decided his father was an unfit guardian. Angier nodded. Yeah. Even if as a child Angier had admired his dad, Angier had started to notice that Iain had a temper problem and cared more for his work and social status amongst his colleagues than he did about his wife and son. Magic made things worse. Every time it was brought up, he either tried to run experiments or got a little crazy, and the throwing things and the rage would start. Angier had figured it might end up like this. Angier’s shoulders slumped, but he nodded. Mr. Hepburn stepped out to give them a moment.
Angier wrapped an arm around his mother, sinking into the seat next to her. “Hey, Ma I know this sucks, but we talked about it, remember? Hey, hey it’s going to be okay. We can get a flat in Hogsmeade right near the little apothecary you liked, remember? I’ve already asked around and I should be able to work park time over the weekend. Add that to tutoring money and we’ll be fine.”
His mum was still sobbing into his shoulder, and every time he continued, she just seemed to shake harder, until finally Angie quieted. “What? You don’t like it anymore?”
“You won’t need to worry about me, An An.”
“Of course I do, you’re my Ma. I–” It took Angier a full few seconds to process what this meant. Then his face darkened. He stood up, pulling away. “I--I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you. You...You’re choosing him. They didn't choose to take me away, you're choosing to take his side.”
“I..I can't leave him. I can’t leave your father. He--We’ve both been through so much. With your sister. And now with you...He can’t handle it. An An, I can’t handle it alone. I need him.”
“You’d have me,” Angie said, but his heart was already dropping. He was shaking. Tears leaked out the sides of his eyes, and he felt like both laughing and hitting something. “After everything he’s done to you, you’re still choosing him. Over me. I...I thought you’d learned. I thought you’d choose me.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry. I had no choice.”
Angier stepped back and clenched his fist, turning away. Faye kept reaching for him, apologizing under her breath--a string of meaningless sorries and worthless “I have no choice”.
“You know that Alice left, right?” Angier finally said, shaking with silent fury. “I met her when I started at Hogwarts. Grandfather convinced her there was something else worth living for than watching you guys fight. She changed her name and got adopted by another family. She went to Hogwarts, got a good job and now has a loving fiance. She invited me to her wedding.”
Angier took two deep breaths and spat the words he probably should have realized his mother needed to hear a long time ago:
“She did it all without you. She did it because she didn’t have you two to drag her down. You two always cry about how she was kidnapped, but Wes–Alice--your daughter-- left you of her own free will. It wasn’t running away. It was an incredibly brave move to trust in hope and leave behind the only life she knew for the possibility of a future. You chose your pride over her safety, just like you’re doing again now. Merlin I’m an idiot. Wes had you figured out at 8. You keep saying you can’t leave Dad, and you have no choice--maybe you’re right. You and Dad deserve each other. You can keep fighting then.”
“An An--what do you mean-- An An, please.”
“What do you want me to do?” he sneered coldly. “Ma, give it up. You’ve already lost one child. What’s losing another? You’ll get over it. Just--do me a favor and don’t have any more kids. You’ve failed your redemption. Just move on and try to live out your days fighting Dad.”
“An An--”
“Mr. Hepburn?” Angier opened the door and called, even though he was fairly sure the ministry agent had heard everything. “I think we’re done here. Mrs. Zheng will need a way back to the Ministry...I….”
Angier stopped for a moment. Was he an orphan now? Surrendered to the state? Maybe he could stay with Milan and Yari for a bit, or maybe even write to Weslyn. He’d be back at Hogwarts in a couple months anyways. Angier took a deep breath and smirked a bit sadly. His parents’ had many problems, and not talking about his education openly and honestly was one of them. He wasn’t going to be like that. “I think I want to talk to my girlfriend before I make any more decisions.”
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settingHome > Wool's, July 2058 || with Ma, Dad, Mr. Hepburn. appearance 5’5” + glasses || wearing Loose, blue tee + black shorts status Well. This sucks. _______________ //OOC: Part 1/2 of secret plot request! (Gryffie, please let me know if I need to edit Kam anywhere or anything else!)
Cinnabun Gryffie
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Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars I'm gonna give you my heart 'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars 'Cause you light up the path ⌬♩♯ ~"A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay. Cover by The Piano Guys.
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addaellis
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:01 pm
♩♯⌬ANGIERHUIYANZHENG fifth year || Slytherin || halfbood Adventurer's Guild warlock || Astronomy club nerd || Music club violinist and cellist _______________
A flash of lightning lit up the sky outside and Angier grinned, looking up from cello practice in the middle of the boy’s bedroom at Wool’s. It was the dead of afternoon and most of the kids were downstairs, playing or getting their hair cut by some adult that came by to do that. Angie set his cello aside and rummaged inside his trunk where there was a sealed box with his potion inside. He dug a few things around, laying his binder of original compositions on the side table, setting his later letter to Yari to the side–he’d have to send it out once the weather got better. But for now, the electrical storm meant it was finally time for the last part of this animagus process.
He unsealed the box and pulled out the potion– dark, crimson red, exactly as it should be. The texture was different, thicker–like blood?--and there was some kind of sediment at the bottom, like settled tea leaves. He took a deep breath. It was just as Weslyn had said– he had started to feel a small double heartbeat earlier this month. Smaller, weaker than he’d expected, but definitely there. Anyways, it all seemed to be in order.
He wondered again if maybe he ought to have someone around– or just someone who knew he was attempting this transformation. He meant for it to be a surprise for Tzuki and Yari and Milan, his favorite people in the world. But maybe he could have told Weslyn or Professor Drage– nah, he would be fine. Angier had gone from a kid who secretly read herbology books under the covers in an attempt to learn more about magic, to a proficient wizard. He was excelling in all his classes. He was learning and playing new pieces and even composing his own. Tzuki, his angel, was proud of him. He was dating the most lovely and unique Yaretzi. Milan had a successful debut as a designer– and Angie had gotten to support him through it. This transformation would be a special surprise for all of them. A crowning achievement.
Weslyn had said it was very painful. He called to mind the betrayal he’d felt when his mum had chosen to stay with his father rather than him. Whatever this was, it couldn’t beat that pain. He was ready.
Angier glanced outside as another flash of lightning filled the sky. With absolute confidence, he picked up his wand and pointed the tip to his heart. “Amato Animo Animato Animagus.” He uncapped the vial and swallowed the potion in one large gulp.
The weak second heartbeat fell still for a moment, then exploded in his chest. It felt like all those simulations of star cycles, when a star grew to the size of a red giant, only this one was pulsing in his chest, squeezing his other organs away. His skin felt tight, like it was straining to contain everything inside. And then he gasped a breath. The heart receded–no, no, too much, like a star shrinking into a white dwarf. He couldn’t quite feel anything now.
Was that it?
Angier wasn’t sure how long passed as he sat there by the stormy window beside his silent cello, one hand on his chest and the other still grabbing his wand. He waited patiently as the feeling of magic swirled chaotically underneath his skin. It was cold, but pleasant, like having a cold mocktail on an already cold day. But he could feel it, clearer than any other magic he’d ever cast.
He blinked and it seemed like he was suddenly on the ground. There was something red on his fingers–had he…spilled some potion? Was he a creature of some sort?
He was laying on the floor now, his legs feeling like mush and his vision swimming, but it was enough to see the potion bottle had fallen when he had. The red was blood. There was something in his palm.
Angier tried to take a deep breath as his body flailed. His head was spilling from the feeling of magic churning in his blood. Blood. Rushing to his head. Spinning. A centrifuge. A heartbeat at the center– neat, constant, even–like how he imagined Milan or Yari’s stitches would sound. He listened to it, seeking something to ground himself with in the familiarity.
The churning sped up again and Wool’s faded into a blur.
Then the small star within him burst apart, going supernova around all his human senses.
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settingWool's, July 2058-- a few days later || with just him for now appearance 5’5” + glasses || wearingshark sweater+ shorts status Animagus transformation hurts! o_o _______________ //OOC: Part 2 of 2 for secret plot!
Cinnabun Gryffie
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Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars I'm gonna give you my heart 'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars 'Cause you light up the path ⌬♩♯ ~"A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay. Cover by The Piano Guys.
