The most unkindest cut of all. Solo

Part One | And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.

August 22nd, 2019 | King's Cross Station - London, England | approximately half passed noon

Men at some time are masters of their fates;
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Tip tap. Tip tap. Tip tap.

The soothing pitter patter of raindrops against the window pane was the only sound Tatiana could hear as she sat alone in her train compartment, forehead to the glass as she gazed out at the green hills and grey skies rolling past. She had waited until the last possible ride back to return home for the summer break, giving herself as much time as possible to explore the school grounds and build relationships with her new friends. The last couple of weeks had been particularly lonely, as many students, including the ones in her own cabin, had opted to return home much sooner. This last trip back to London was sparse, and she’d only seen a handful of other students board when she had.

It wasn’t really one thing in particular that led her to stay behind, spending most of her days reading in her empty boat dormitory, or participating in competitions on the lake. Mostly, she was intrigued by the school grounds, she felt comfortable there, and there were new people and places to discover. She’d spent the first eleven years of her life in that small cabin on the cliff, and while she loved her home by the sea, she had thoroughly explored every nook and cranny of the nearby caves and woods and desired something new. And even though a whole year had now passed, she still commonly found herself in a state of disbelief over the fact that she had magical abilities.

Throughout the year, any time she successfully performed a new spell, or brewed a potion, she was genuinely, and utterly, amazed. It wasn’t as if Muggles didn’t have any concept of magic, they had their own concepts and fictional stories, they just didn’t know it could be real. Magic to them, and to her originally, had just been something of folk tales- never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it existed around her every day, and that she could learn to harness it nonetheless.

These weren’t feelings she shared with her friends, at least not often, as many of them had some sort of prior knowledge before they received their acceptance letter. Worrying about what others might think about oneself was a common struggle, shared by many, and one Tatiana was certainly not exempt from. She worried expressing her enthusiasm over a skill she now shared with every single one of her classmates would make her appear childish, and naive. Maybe among muggles, her magical abilities would be praised as unique, special- but at Hogwarts, it made her… well, just like everyone else.

This alone made the eagerness to return home swell inside of her. While her mother had been a witch her whole life, her father had not. And though he’d known about magic since they’d married, he had no personal experience with it, and therefore could share in her excitement. Though she’d only be home a little over a week, this would be the first time she could gush about how her school year had been. Having stayed over the Christmas holidays, this short break would be the longest she’d get to spend with her parents since the start of her first term last September. Her parents had received the occasional owl here and there, but there had just been so much she wasn't able to write. And while the visit would be brief, she was anxious to make the most of it.

Before long, the lush scenery outside her window was replaced with more and more buildings, the city scape building on top of itself until they were moving through downtown London. The dreary weather followed them into the city, and while it was still early afternoon when they arrived, the world outside appeared much darker. The dark clouds melded into the grey buildings, barely discernible from the stone streets below- a rather drab setting for her long awaited reunion with her parents.

The buildings were abruptly replaced with brick walls, the locomotive’s breaks screeching as it came to halt inside King’s Cross Station. Tatiana’s mouth spread into a grin, her heart warming, her wait was over and she was finally home. Not that Hogwarts wasn’t also her home, as it certainly had felt that way over the last twelve months, but this one she knew everything about, there were no surprises waiting for her here. She quickly gathered up her bag, sliding her trunk out from beneath her seat. Bas stood, his back arching high as he stretched, the first bit of movement he’d made from the spot he’d been sleeping on the bench beside her. She laughed at the sight of him, “Had you a good nap, did you?” He jumped down to the floor, rubbing himself against her leg. “Let’s go meet dad,” she whispered to him, sliding the door to her compartment open and letting him exit first.

Following him out on to the platform, her trunk rolled off the train cart behind her with a loud clunk. She slung her bag over her shoulder and looked back and forth across the crowds of people a few times before she finally spotted them, or rather- just him. Odd that her mother hadn't come, but nothing to immediately cause concern, she supposed. Smiling, she excitedly waved in her father’s direction, hoping to get his attention. Realizing he hadn’t noticed her, and that he wasn’t exactly looking either, her shoulders slumped as she started heading in his direction.

Oliver Crane was, all in all, a pretty average man. He stood at almost six foot exactly, his shoulders making up most of the breadth of his wide frame. His grey tweed suit tapered perfectly at his slender waist, a single button holding the garment closed. Sandy brown curls hung down loosely over his forehead, brushing against his brows- which today, were a bit furrowed. Distressed, perhaps? Tatiana wasn’t sure. It wasn’t an expression she’d seen on her father’s face, at least not one she’d seen often. Pensive, maybe, but rarely did he outwardly show if he was troubled.

As she approached, she noticed his hand raise to the bridge of his nose, pinching it tightly as he closed his eyes. The other hand rested on his hip and his foot tapped with impatience. Had her train been late? As far as she knew, everything was running on time, and she was unsure of what was making him so unsettled. Having not raised his eyes, he didn’t see her as she neared, her overburdened trunk rolling along beside her. Stopping just in front of him, she reached up and tapped his shoulder. His expression was startled at first, but relaxed as his eyes connected with hers. He gave her a weak smile, placing his hand on her shoulder before pulling her into an embrace.

“Hello, love,” he sighed, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. “I’ve missed you, little bird.” She felt his warm breath against the top of her head as he held her close, her gangly arms wrapping full circle around his waist. His smile was weak, but he attempted it regardless, kissing her forehead before taking a step back to look at her. He held her at an arm’s distance, one hand on either of her shoulders, bending at the waist so his eyes were level with hers. “What are you, a foot taller?” he joked. “We’re never agreeing to let you stay away that long again, I hardly recognize this young lady standing in front of me. Are you sure they sent the right child home?” This made her giggle. His jokes were a nice reprieve from the state she’d just seen him in, even if they did sound a bit forced.

A low purring noise coming from near their feet broke the brief silence, and they both took a step back, looking down to see Bas sniffing and rubbing his face against the bottom of Oliver’s pant leg. “And who might this be?” her father said excitedly, beaming from ear to ear as he squatted down to pet the affectionate creature. This was the first genuinely warm expression to don his face since she’d arrived. It was as if Bas could sense he was in desperate need of a distraction and stepped in to volunteer. Whatever was troubling his mind before had been temporarily forgotten at the sight of the newest furry member of the family.

“This is Bas,” she said, bending over to briefly scratch between his ears. “I picked him up in Diagon Alley earlier this summer. He certainly seems to fancy you.” The cat had wasted no time warming up to him, weaving in and out between his feet, meowing happily at the attention, each stroke of his fur only seeming to encourage him more. “Well isn’t he a nice little surprise.” Her father looked enamored with her, or rather his, new friend. He picked him up, without the slightest protest from the friendly beast, cradling him against his body with one arm and picking up his umbrella with the other. "But we better head back now, I'm sure your mum is eager to see you." Tatiana was immediately reminded of her mother’s absence, wondering now why it had only been him that came to pick her up.

Deciding not to pry, at least not yet, she followed him out of the station, stepping close to stay under his umbrella as they walked out into the damp, dreary streets. After a minute or so walking, they arrived at the family car parked alongside the roadway. Oliver opened the passenger side door first, holding the door open for Tatiana as she took a seat, Bas following promptly behind her and curling up in her lap. He managed to wrestle her trunk into the boot, slamming it closed before taking his seat behind the wheel, shaking his umbrella free of excess water before tossing it into the back seat.

The car ride was quiet, and Tatiana found herself staring out the window again, much like she had on the train ride back to London. The city moved passed in a colorless blur, her eyes unable to focus on any one thing in particular, her mind preoccupied with all the things she couldn’t wait to share with her mom. The catastrophe of the graduation party. Winning the stone skipping competition by sheer luck. The odd, but repeated, occurence of her new ability to find herbs- if you could even call the peculiar coincidental happenings that. The parties she’d gone to, all the people she’d met, all the exciting new things she learned in class.

It was over a six hour drive back to their home in northern England, but less than an hour in, the silence was already unbearable. Her father had been making the occasional exasperated sigh every so often and her curiosity couldn’t be contained any longer. “Dad?” she asked, shifting in her seat to face him. “Y’alright?” His eyebrows raised, his gaze quickly shifting between her. “Hmm? Yeah baby, I’m alright. Just, got a lot on my mind is all.” His elbow was propped up on the door, his head leaning on his hand as he drove with the other. “Why didn’t mum come with you to pick me up?” His mouth hung agape for a moment while he fished for an answer. “Uhhh, she- well, she was busy. Had a few orders she needed to fill- just working in her shop, is all.” A believable enough excuse, even if his face said different.

She shrugged it off, deciding whatever it was was probably just minor, better off unsaid. If she was meant to know, he’d tell her- her parents had always made it a habit to be very open with her, figuring it was easier to just tell her things than to let her imagination wander. Besides, she was feeling a bit tired from all the travel anyway, the warmth of the cat in her lap quickly lulling her to sleep. It would be several more hours before she woke, the car pulling into the rocky driveway at her cottage home just outside the town, a car she didn’t recognize already parked out front.

Featuring : Oliver Crane | Tatiana Crane

Part Two coming soon.