Neglected
XXXXXXXX Another beautiful day at Hogwarts means more letters coming for Alex. His parents would send him letters at least once a week. 'Weekly updates', they said. Though Alex never minded, in fact, he really loved reading all those letters while he eats his breakfast in peace.
There, the owl finally comes.
Alex looks up slowly before an old owl, his mother's, drops a letter on him. He catches it with ease, examines the wax stamp in awe fill in his eyes. He gently tears the envelope and takes the letter out; his face softens almost immediately.
Both of his parents were updating him about their work and asking about his usual progress in school, all while he eats his Marmalade toast quietly. 'Glad they're both doing alright.' Alex thinks to himself before his eyes darted around the hall. It's mostly filled with quiet chatters and laughter from the students. Usually, Ira would sit beside him and talk about how she hadn't yet finished her homework, but she said she had something to do this morning, and Alex didn't exactly mind.
Then his gaze fell on a girl, Slytherin, the same as him. The girl looks like she just seen a unicorn swimming right in front of her, horrified? worried? or perhaps confused? Alex couldn't exactly tell what it is that's bothering her, but it has something to do with the letter that she received. 'What's wrong with her?' he thinks to himself, but quickly shakes the thoughts away, thinking he's being ridiculous himself.XXXXXXXX
" The lesson of history is that no one learns. "
Emma van Elst
Neglected
TIMESTAMP ; september 24, 2025 . morning MENTION ;@Alex Kavanagh
To her, the family owl was a shocking and, quite honestly, anxiety provoking sight, albeit a rare one.
The two times the van Elst’s tawny flew over the Great Hall to drop a letter next to her, were the days her mother had speedily alerted her that her father had been temporarily admitted into St. Mungos this past October, and the week later, when her mother told her he was at home and recovering.
Besides that one span of time, she had never expected an owl from anyone in her family.
Her mother and father communicated things efficiently and to-the-point. They had never really tried to form much of a relationship with her. They were just her parents.
Emma grew up with it, so it was what she was used to. There were no second thoughts about it.
Which takes us to this morning.
Emma was sitting in the Great Hall. Originally she was chatting with Lena, but her friend had to go to her early morning class about halfway through breakfast, and Emma was left alone with her porridge.
Using the newfound silence to look around, she realized she was across from Kavanagh, a boy whom she knew but had never had a formal conversation with.
It was a strange sight to see him alone, though. Normally he was always next to that Gryffindor girl.
But when an owl flew overhead and landed next to him, dropping a letter by his side, she was instantly horrified.
She felt horrible for him. Hopefully nothing bad happened…
She saw as he gave her a glance before reading his letter contentedly. She continued to watch, scanning his face for any signs of distress.
Should I say something? It’s his personal business, I probably shouldn’t… It wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary to simply ask if he was okay, right?
She realized she was staring.
Emma, just say something!! Stop looking stupid!
“Are you alright?” she peered between the letter and his face with concern, assuming he knew exactly what she was talking about.
Last edited by Emma van Elst on 11 Jun 2026, 02:08, edited 1 time in total.
Neglected
XXXXXXXX Upon hearing the question, Alex looks up from his letter to the owner of the voice. The Slytherin girl. 'What's her name again? Ah, Emma, is it?' he thinks to himself. Why did she ask him that? He wonders. "Yes, I am doing just fine." he says calmly before he takes a big bite of his toast.
"Why did you ask?" Alex asks back, brows knotting together, just slightly, as if trying to figure her out. Did he eat his toast weirdly? Alex shifts his gaze down to his toast. He's pretty sure that his table manners aren't bad. Adequate, perhaps.
"Do you not accept any letter?" he then asks again, wiping the leftover crumbs from the corner of his mouth with his thumb gently. He didn't mean to pry; he was mostly trying to make a conversation.
Alex may be clueless most of the time with his honesty; some would mistake his honesty for rudeness. He's quite the opposite of rude, though it never stops people from being a darn prude. He straightens his back unconsciously, a habit he developed long ago.
"You have quite lovely eyes," he pauses. "What exactly is the colour of 'em? It almost resembles the moon. Perhaps it's the depths." he states, gaze unwavering as he studies her.XXXXXXXX
" The lesson of history is that no one learns. "
Emma van Elst
Neglected
TIMESTAMP ; september 24, 2025 . morning MENTION ;@Alex Kavanagh
With a big bite of his toast, Alex alerted Emma that he was quite fine. She didn’t belive him, clearly, but she didn’t want to pry into his own family matters.
“Why do you ask?” he questioned her.
“Oh, uhm… no reason,” she replied thoughtfully, taking another scoop of her porridge in an attempt to focus on anything other than the awkward nature of this whole interaction.
She watched as he carefully examined his toast— it was a bit strange, Emma thought, but she didn’t think much of it.
But his next question caught her off guard.
Do you not accept any letters?
“Not frequently, no,” she responded, leaning over her bowl and stirring it absentmindedly. “I mean thank goodness, right? Nobody likes bad news.”
She gave him a sympathetic smile, looking between his letter and him.
“You have quite lovely eyes,” he states, then a slight pause. “What exactly is the colour of 'em? It almost resembles the moon. Perhaps it's the depths.”
Emma smiled, “Aw, you’re sweet. And I’m not really sure. They’ve always been sort of a mush of blue and grey to me.”
Neglected
XXXXXXX Alex furrowed his brows in confusion. What does that mean? He thought that it's a normal thing that his parents owl him, whether it's just them reporting their routine or simply receiving some gifts. 'Not everyone is fortunate in this world, son. Some were suffering, some were enjoying their life. We should be grateful for what we currently have.' As Alex remembers his father's wise words, his face softens yet again.
He looks back at Emma, making sure to choose his words properly. "Why does it have to be only bad news? That's an odd reason to owl someone." he pauses yet again, raising the letter in his hand for an example. "They're updating me about their work, days and so on. I never minded, as I also did the same." he says, finally, before folding the letter back in the envelope gently.
"Have you tried owling them perhaps?" he asks, his head tilting to the side curiously, though he realises that might sound too pressuring.
For Merlin's sake, Alex.
"I'm just curious, that's all." he added. Alex would rather dig a grave for himself than snoop around someone else's business. Even his mother had sometimes reminded him of the matter, it's a bad manners.XXXXXXX
" The lesson of history is that no one learns. "
Emma van Elst
Neglected
TIMESTAMP ; september 24, 2025 . morning MENTION ;@Alex Kavanagh sorry for the super duper late response!!! i was rlly busy with exams haha
It shocked Emma that parents could have such a relationship with their children that they would choose to update them on their days and current work. It seemed so monotone, so comfortable. It was defintely not something that Emma was used to hearing about, or reciveing.
Oh.
She let Alex’s words sink into her, trying to wrap her mind around what he just said.
Well, obviously people would be getting owls from their parents if they …cared enough, she supposed.
She had thought about owling them once or twice, but the thought was normally short-lived and went as quickly as it came. But Alex’s suggestion sort of rooted itself in her mind after he said it.
What would her parents do? What would she even say to them? It’s not like there was much to speak about to them, especially since she barely spoke with them unless they addressed her first. It was just common manners in the van Elst household.
She wondered if her parents would even write back. Well, they most likely would, she was their daughter. But she was worried they would see her owl and think something was wrong, and they do tend to overreact very quickly.
“No, it’s perfectly fine Alex. If I was in your position I’d probably offer the same suggestion…” she responded, pushing her porridge away from her. She wasn’t really hungry anymore. She raised from her seat quietly and gathered her things, ready to leave, feeling like a heavy stone had been placed on her chest.