6 Jun 2019, 00:06
The Moment of Truth
The day was crisp and cool, the perfect autumn day in Lucian's opinion. She had thought about going down to the Lake today, working on some Defense Against the Dark Arts homework that she reluctantly would admit she was quite excited about.
However, as she made her way across the Castle to her Dorm to pick up a few things, she realized she couldn't get her brother out of her head. She had missed him desperately the past few days, filling her dreams with his face, distracting her during class with thoughts of him laying in his bed in the Hospital Wing, keeping her from eating regular meals with worries of what he would say when he found out where she had been sorted.
Lucian took a deep breath, finding her feet rerouting her from her dormitory to the direction of the Hospital Wing, unsure if this was what she really wanted to do or not. She knew she couldn't hide her being a Gryffindor forever; she had gotten lucky enough as it was having Oberron being bedridden for the Sorting Ceremony, otherwise this would have been much quicker work. This way at least, she could have some time to talk it all out with him, collect her feelings as well as his, perhaps discuss their options. Oberron had always been the most logical and fair to her of all their family members; had she had to break this news to any of her other family members first, she would have been disowned. However, hopefully with her brother by her side, she could figure out an effective way of keeping herself in her families good graces.
Lucian now stood in front of the closed, heavy doors to the hospital wing, slowly taking off her robe, which would give away her house before she even had the change to introduce the idea to her brother. She folded it neatly over her forearm, taking a deep breath and pasting on the poker face her brother had helped train her to accomplish so believably, before swinging open the doors and striding in.
The Hospital Wing was made of a clean, off white stone, paired with equally cream curtains over every large window, and matching bed sheets. As she looked around the wing, Lucian spotted her brother, sleeping peacefully in one of the far left hospital beds. She made her way over to him, slowly, sitting down in a chair next to his bed, and setting one of her neatly manicured hands atop his rising and falling shoulder.
"Lucian?" Oberron awoke groggily, rubbing his tired eyes in order to see her face more clearly. "Lucian! You're here!" He jumped out of his laying position, sitting up all too fast to hug his little sister, before groaning in agony. His stomach had been wrapped in bandages, far different than what Lucian had heard he had done; "a few broken bones, nothing some skele-grow won't fix", they had said. It seemed to be more than that.
"What's happened to you?" Lucian held her brothers hand tightly, her stomach in knots, not only from the stress of her mission here, but from seeing her best friend in pain. "I'd been told you were here for some minor breaks-a few days max. It's been over a week, Oberron." She didn't mean to sound accusatory, but Lucian was confused, and upset. She should have known the truth about her brother's condition; it was only fair.
Oberron sighed, a sign that she was about to be unhappy with him. "I'd gotten into some bets at the beginning of the year. Trying to have a little fun on the way in and all. A buddy of mine, you don't know him, bet that I couldn't set off one of my firecrackers-one of the circle ones- and fly through it." He shrugged it off as if the task was nothing, something Oberron was often guilty of when it came to flying. Lucian couldn't deny that her brother was an exceptional flier, fearless, tactful, everything a great stuntman should be. However, he was also incredibly guilty of overshooting his skills.
"I thought nothing of it, as I do." He chuckled; at least he was honest. "I jumped in, and essentially, flew too close to the sparks. A couple burns, nothing to be too worried about, but it was enough to knock me off my broom." Oberron grimaced, playing with the hem of his sheets. I made up the story about the minimal broken bones in order to ensure that Mum and Dad didn't find out. They're already upset that I missed your Sorting. If they knew about this, they'd lose it." At the mention of her sorting, Lucian went stiff, feeling her heart begin to beat faster.
"You're not the only one trying to hide things from Mum and Dad," She began, pulling her robe off of her arm in order to show her brother the Gryffindor emblem hemmed onto it. "My sorting didn't exactly go according to plan."
Oberron went silent for a moment, examining the robe and nodding slowly to himself. His face gave nothing away, something Lucian admired, yet grew increasingly frustrated with. She needed to know what he thought; she needed to know if her brother was still on her side.
"I'm not all that surprised, if that's what you're wondering." Oberron chuckled. Obviously Lucian's poker face hadn't been as good as she'd thought; her brother had always been able to see right through her facade. "It was pretty obvious something wasn't quite right when you didn't come to visit me here initially after."
Lucian shook her head, folding her hands in her lap, unsure of what to do with them. Her hands always seemed to be in the way, never in the right place. "I really am sorry about that. I didn't know how to tell you. I haven't quite known how to take it myself."
Oberron lay and thought to himself a while longer, taking the robe in his strong hands and twisting it over his fingers. [color=#38761D"]Gryffindor and Slytherin aren't all that different, really, Lucian. Mum and Dad seem to think they're worlds apart, but they really are far more alike than any of the other houses. This just means you're a bit braver than the rest of us, that's all."[/color] Oberron nodded to himself, as if he was proud of the words he was saying. They'll come around, I'm sure of it. You can't wait until the year ends to tell them though. They need to know soon, either in a letter or when we go home for Christmas Holidays. They won't tolerate waiting; they won't understand the same way I do."
Lucian was already well aware of this. Her and her brother had always had a mutual understanding, thinking the same way, handling situations such as this the same as well. She awaited his advice patiently, watching him twirl her robe around in his hands with a keen eye.
"Come back in a few days. I'm not exactly sure what the best option is now, but I won't be out of here any time soon. We can scheme then." Oberron winked at his little sister, handing her the robe back with a smirk. The same one she pasted on her face nearly exactly. "That is, assuming you actually come visit this time." He chuckled, adjusting his pillows, signaling that it was time for her to go.
Lucian nodded, standing up from her chair, her stomach pain having subsided and the cloudiness in her head gone. "Thank you so much, Oberron. I can't begin to thank you enough." She hugged him in his bed, saying goodbye with a quick, "Heal up well, I love you." before swinging her robe over her shoulder and striding confidently out the Hospital Wing doors.
However, as she made her way across the Castle to her Dorm to pick up a few things, she realized she couldn't get her brother out of her head. She had missed him desperately the past few days, filling her dreams with his face, distracting her during class with thoughts of him laying in his bed in the Hospital Wing, keeping her from eating regular meals with worries of what he would say when he found out where she had been sorted.
Lucian took a deep breath, finding her feet rerouting her from her dormitory to the direction of the Hospital Wing, unsure if this was what she really wanted to do or not. She knew she couldn't hide her being a Gryffindor forever; she had gotten lucky enough as it was having Oberron being bedridden for the Sorting Ceremony, otherwise this would have been much quicker work. This way at least, she could have some time to talk it all out with him, collect her feelings as well as his, perhaps discuss their options. Oberron had always been the most logical and fair to her of all their family members; had she had to break this news to any of her other family members first, she would have been disowned. However, hopefully with her brother by her side, she could figure out an effective way of keeping herself in her families good graces.
Lucian now stood in front of the closed, heavy doors to the hospital wing, slowly taking off her robe, which would give away her house before she even had the change to introduce the idea to her brother. She folded it neatly over her forearm, taking a deep breath and pasting on the poker face her brother had helped train her to accomplish so believably, before swinging open the doors and striding in.
The Hospital Wing was made of a clean, off white stone, paired with equally cream curtains over every large window, and matching bed sheets. As she looked around the wing, Lucian spotted her brother, sleeping peacefully in one of the far left hospital beds. She made her way over to him, slowly, sitting down in a chair next to his bed, and setting one of her neatly manicured hands atop his rising and falling shoulder.
"Lucian?" Oberron awoke groggily, rubbing his tired eyes in order to see her face more clearly. "Lucian! You're here!" He jumped out of his laying position, sitting up all too fast to hug his little sister, before groaning in agony. His stomach had been wrapped in bandages, far different than what Lucian had heard he had done; "a few broken bones, nothing some skele-grow won't fix", they had said. It seemed to be more than that.
"What's happened to you?" Lucian held her brothers hand tightly, her stomach in knots, not only from the stress of her mission here, but from seeing her best friend in pain. "I'd been told you were here for some minor breaks-a few days max. It's been over a week, Oberron." She didn't mean to sound accusatory, but Lucian was confused, and upset. She should have known the truth about her brother's condition; it was only fair.
Oberron sighed, a sign that she was about to be unhappy with him. "I'd gotten into some bets at the beginning of the year. Trying to have a little fun on the way in and all. A buddy of mine, you don't know him, bet that I couldn't set off one of my firecrackers-one of the circle ones- and fly through it." He shrugged it off as if the task was nothing, something Oberron was often guilty of when it came to flying. Lucian couldn't deny that her brother was an exceptional flier, fearless, tactful, everything a great stuntman should be. However, he was also incredibly guilty of overshooting his skills.
"I thought nothing of it, as I do." He chuckled; at least he was honest. "I jumped in, and essentially, flew too close to the sparks. A couple burns, nothing to be too worried about, but it was enough to knock me off my broom." Oberron grimaced, playing with the hem of his sheets. I made up the story about the minimal broken bones in order to ensure that Mum and Dad didn't find out. They're already upset that I missed your Sorting. If they knew about this, they'd lose it." At the mention of her sorting, Lucian went stiff, feeling her heart begin to beat faster.
"You're not the only one trying to hide things from Mum and Dad," She began, pulling her robe off of her arm in order to show her brother the Gryffindor emblem hemmed onto it. "My sorting didn't exactly go according to plan."
Oberron went silent for a moment, examining the robe and nodding slowly to himself. His face gave nothing away, something Lucian admired, yet grew increasingly frustrated with. She needed to know what he thought; she needed to know if her brother was still on her side.
"I'm not all that surprised, if that's what you're wondering." Oberron chuckled. Obviously Lucian's poker face hadn't been as good as she'd thought; her brother had always been able to see right through her facade. "It was pretty obvious something wasn't quite right when you didn't come to visit me here initially after."
Lucian shook her head, folding her hands in her lap, unsure of what to do with them. Her hands always seemed to be in the way, never in the right place. "I really am sorry about that. I didn't know how to tell you. I haven't quite known how to take it myself."
Oberron lay and thought to himself a while longer, taking the robe in his strong hands and twisting it over his fingers. [color=#38761D"]Gryffindor and Slytherin aren't all that different, really, Lucian. Mum and Dad seem to think they're worlds apart, but they really are far more alike than any of the other houses. This just means you're a bit braver than the rest of us, that's all."[/color] Oberron nodded to himself, as if he was proud of the words he was saying. They'll come around, I'm sure of it. You can't wait until the year ends to tell them though. They need to know soon, either in a letter or when we go home for Christmas Holidays. They won't tolerate waiting; they won't understand the same way I do."
Lucian was already well aware of this. Her and her brother had always had a mutual understanding, thinking the same way, handling situations such as this the same as well. She awaited his advice patiently, watching him twirl her robe around in his hands with a keen eye.
"Come back in a few days. I'm not exactly sure what the best option is now, but I won't be out of here any time soon. We can scheme then." Oberron winked at his little sister, handing her the robe back with a smirk. The same one she pasted on her face nearly exactly. "That is, assuming you actually come visit this time." He chuckled, adjusting his pillows, signaling that it was time for her to go.
Lucian nodded, standing up from her chair, her stomach pain having subsided and the cloudiness in her head gone. "Thank you so much, Oberron. I can't begin to thank you enough." She hugged him in his bed, saying goodbye with a quick, "Heal up well, I love you." before swinging her robe over her shoulder and striding confidently out the Hospital Wing doors.