The Lost Sisters Finished

Yum. Swan wasn't really a fan of sweets, but they were tasty. Of course, chocolate frogs were nice, but only on the outside. The inside.....anyway, who would even try to open it? That is, when you want the frog to get loose and slowly melt into a pile of a gooey, brown mess. At least you still might be able to keep the wrapper for a almost non existent frog.

A new voice appeared. Was a professor or a prefect coming? Were they coming to tell them off? Give them detention? Send them back to their respective common rooms? Confiscate the sweets? No, it was another Hufflepuff, who introduced herself as Padma, who wanted some chocolates. Later, everyone will be asking for chocolates.

"I'm sorry, Swan; did you say something about your sisters right now? Or was I just imagining things?" Why do I almost always say my thoughts out loud? Anyway, at least they got a glimpse of what she was thinking. Full blown family discussion, anyone? No? Nobody wants to say something? Anything? Okay, thats fine, as long as nobody in your family has the capability of disappearing for almost 3 full years. Maybe thats a little too much. Anyway, to answer Ginny's question:

"Yes, I did. Would you like to hear about them?"

@Ginevra Tsuchiya
@Padma Pikoulas

Ginny was slightly surprised when she caught the words "my sisters" escaped from Swan's lips. Ginny herself had a younger sister, and the two girls were very close. Sometimes they even joked to each other that they should have been twins instead, for it was so often that the two seemed to be able to read each other's mind. This enabled Ginny to understand Swan's feelings and symphatise with the Ravenclaw pretty easily.

Well, of course Ginny had not fully understood Swan's situation; but the girl's tone, her sulkiness, and her seemingly current-low spirit had dropped hints that something terrible was happening. Something seriously terrible.

If Swan was merely having a fight with her sisters, she would not be this sad, Ginny spoke out - but only inside her head, so nobody could hear it but she herself.

And then, to answer the Ravenclaw's enquiry, Ginny said, "Yes please, if you're comfortable with it, Swan." She glanced at the corridors, trying to make sure that no one was either intentionally listening to or accidentally hearing their upcoming conversation. Surely this would be a private and sensitive talk; nobody was entitled to know it without Swan's permission. Ginny was also considering to move somewhere more private than this corridor, but perhaps it was best to leave the decision to Swan. The grey-eyed student was the one having a problem to tell; thus, if she felt more comfortable doing the talk here, then so be it.

Hopefully no one was going to overhear or eavesdrop on them. That would be very, very rude. Swan didn't normally talk about her sisters, but with them, she could. If someone did eavesdrop.... no, lets not think about that. Of course no one will. The corridors were empty except for the three girls. No professor or prefect was bound to catch them, since the older kids still had their classes ongoing right now. Maybe a first year could catch them, but whatever. Swan didn't really want people to think she was rude and start spreading rumours. That would not be very nice on Swan's behalf.

"My sisters used to study at Hogwarts. Their names were Callie and Aisha. They are twins, but not identical. They got good grades, had lots of friends. Nobody knew that there was something off about those two. Nearing graduation time, they started acting weird, mysteriously muttering some sort of dark chant underneath their breath, or reading books about dark magic. But nobody really noticed. It was just like everything was still the same with those two. They never sent the family an owl, ever, while they were still at Hogwarts. They graduated three years ago, but no one knows where they are, or even if they're still alive. Some people who saw them said they were heading deep into a forest that's been known to harbour lots of dark magic to whoever steps foot in it. And that's it. Past the forest entrance, no one has seen them again. I really hope they come back..." Tears weren't going to well in her eyes, but the sadness mainly came from inside. She waited to see what the other girls would think.

@Ginevra Tsuchiya
@Padma Pikoulas

Ginny had prepared for anything but this. She had even thought that Swan was worried about a severely ill family member or pet, or graved for a loved one who had passed away just recently. However, for Ginny, what Swan was currently facing was even worse than all the possibilities she had considered. It was worse than death because unlike knowing someone was not alive anymore, Swan had no idea at all about what had happened or was happening to her sisters. It was also worse than having a loved one who was seriously ill because Swan could not be with her sisters to comfort them or to listen to their complaints. Gosh, Swan is really facing a grave situation.

Ginny very much wanted to tell the Ravenclaw that her elder sisters were all right, but she could not bring herself to because that would be a lie - of course not because they were not all right, but because she had not got the slightest idea about the condition of these missing young ladies.

She also wanted to encourage Swan to think positively; however, this would not be good, either. Sometimes, people just need someone to listen to them and be with them, not someone to give them advice, Ginny remembered the words from a book she had read before. Every emotion, including sadness, comes and goes. When an emotion comes, make sure to give it a chance to stay instead of pushing it out by encouraging another emotion to come. This is why it is not very good to force positive thoughts or happiness on a sad person.

"Perhaps then, a small amount of body contact would be enough," Ginny thought. "Not everybody is comfortable being touched by someone they have just known." Thus, Ginny gave Swan's hand a little squeeze and gently rubbed the Ravenclaw's back.

Now, she spilled it, well, not really spilled it. She told her story, but about her sister, not her father. At least it wasn't that sudden as with the Hufflepuff boy at the Great Lake. That time, she wasn't thinking properly about whether she should tell him or not. Now, she was thinking properly and told the two girls at the right time. Sigh. Maybe these girls had an elder sibling who was in Hogwarts or home, and is perfectly safe or fine? No, do not think about that. Just think about the present and relax. You don't want to attract attention, do you? Eavesdropping was the last thing Swan wanted right now.

Follow what the music you've listened to taught you. Replay them over and over in your mind. It will help you relax. No need to dance. Just the music is required. Done. You're now more relaxed then you were just a few minutes ago. Well done. That piece of advice was one of the many Swan's grandmother had taught her. She was a huge music fan, and it helped her relax. It took away most of Swan's sadness, but not all.

Ginny squeezed her hand. That was comforting. A nice back pat was nice, too. It was probably time to thank her new friends,

"Thanks, Ginny and Padma. You've really helped me get over my sadness."

@Ginevra Tsuchiya
@Padma Pikoulas

Ginny was glad that Swan had felt better. The blonde looked at her wristwatch and realised that she had better head to the Hufflepuff common room, for she had promised a dorm mate that she would help him with an astronomy homework.

"Hey, Swan," she called the Ravenclaw with a genuine friendly smile on her face. "I need to head back to the common room, but before I go, I just want you to know that you are free to talk to me whenever you need a friend. If you can't find me - such as when I am in my dorm - just send me an owl. And - oh!" Suddenly, Ginny remembered something she kept in her wallet. The girl reached into her bag to take out the wallet, and took a delicate pink card out of it.

Handing it out to Swan, Ginny spoke, "Muggles call this a name card, because it has our name printed on it. Most name cards nowadays contain people's address and contact information as well, but my mum got me a set as a present for being enrolled in Hogwarts, so we decided to have my name only." Ginny took one more glance at the pretty name card, sprayed with even-pinker roses and blue cornflowers. Her name was printed in clear, thin type beneath the picture.

"Here," she said to Swan again. "I'd like you to have one." After that, she handed one for Padma, too.

It was fun to talk to new people in school. Who knew if you could possibly help them out when they have struggles or misfortune ahead of them? Anyway, dinnertime was still far from now, but slowly approaching, and Swan had promised some other students they would play Truth or Dare-Family Version. Swan was excited for that. So far, there weren't enough players yet, but as of now, she found 2 other players, so at least that was good. The game may have to be moved tomorrow, but that was completely okay for Swan. Maybe not okay for some of the other players. Anyway, it's probably time to squeeze in a little homework before it's game time.

Ginny handed her a pink card. She explained it was a name card. Well, to not forget her name was one of the reasons.The card had pink roses and blue cornflowers on it. It was nice, since it was a gift from Ginny's mom. It was time for Ginny to head to her common room to assist someone with their homework. Well, I'm going to do some homework to, anyway.

"I also need to head back to my common room. If you can't find me, send an owl. It always works. And thanks for the talk!"

@Ginevra Tsuchiya
@Padma Pikoulas