If Only You Were Here group Closed

Interacting with: @Henry Knight

Future Interactions:
@Rose Moon
@Gia Adelard
@Scarlett Aden
@Ginger Crowdy
@Lucia Fox
@Sadon Huges
@Michael Miller

For being a Wednesday morning, Logan was so far having a good day. She had woken up well rested and a grin on her face. She had spent the day before hanging out with her best friend, as it was his birthday. The Hufflepuff had a smile on her face as she walked down the corridor, thinking of her curious cat that was most likely causing chaos in her dorm. It was strange walking through the corridors without him, but it wasn't like she was able to take him to class with her.

The brunette had gone for a simple outfit to wear under her school robes that day. She had on a white button up shirt with a black skirt and flats. She wasn't wearing her school robes quite yet, as she didn't want to risk getting them dirty while she ate breakfast. It wasn't something common, but she didn't want to risk being late to class because she had to go back to her dorm and retrieve a different robe.

Logan was not surprised when Henry appeared at her side, it wasn't uncommon for the two of them to meet up during their meals. "Good Morning Charm," the girl grinned at her best friend as she pretty much skipped down the corridors. She had known Henry long enough that she could tell something was up with him, although she didn't want to ask and make him feel worse, so she chose to ignore it. She glanced at the boy with a smile as she made her way to the Hufflepuff table, watching as her best friend chose the spot across from her.

She heard him ask about her morning, but he started to whisper after. "My morning was wonderful Charm, thank you for asking." She responded as she listened to Henry continue to whisper to her about his letter from Arthur. Even though she didn't get along with the Knight girl, she was concerned for her, she was her best friend's sister. Logan looked at Henry with a frown as she watched him glance at a familiar owl circling the Slytherin table before coming over to theirs. She noticed what was clutched in its talons almost immediately, and her face paled.

Logan had been lucky to have never gotten a howler, she's been trying her best to stay on her father's good side while she was away at school. The girl wasn't even able to say anything to Henry before the thing was screaming. It startled the girl, even though she was expecting it, and yelped at the sudden loud noise. She was one of the closest people to it other that Henry. The girl did manage to listen to what the howler was saying though as her greenish eyes widened in shock, who would blame their son for something like this.

As the howler ripped itself to shreds, the green eyed girl looked at her best friend, knowing he was probably not going to take this well. "Henry this is not your fault," Logan attempted to assure the boy as she made sure to look him in the eyes when she spoke, she needed to make sure he knew everything was going to be okay.

It wasn't a particularly special day for Rose. She didn't really expect anything much to happen on this particular day. She had known the day before had been Henry's birthday and she felt happy for him. She hadn't been able to sleep very well the night before, if we're being completely honest. Her not being able to sleep had skyrocketed in occurrence. She either had something on her mind or felt jittery, nervous, or fidgety. And that wasn't even the worst part- she didn't know why. It was like she was out of control of her body, which was the absolute worst thing. Ever since the middle of February when she had her very first panic attack, she was scared of herself, hoping that her body didn't react in a way she didn't want it to. She was so on edge, and every little thing that hinted at her lack of control freaked her out. Yet she still let them happen.

Anyway, Rose knew that she had to eat some breakfast. She was still yawning right as she entered the Great Hall, stretching. She hadn't been paying attention very much, and so the yelling from the howler startled her. She jumped violently even though she hadn't meant to, knocking into a first year behind her. She quickly started apologizing, but the first year didn't even look at her- just scowled and picked themselves up. See, this is what she was scared of. Herself.

She didn't really mean to tune in to the howler, but she listened to every word of it. As she was listening to it, she looked around for the recipient of the howler and the source of the sound. She didn't know anybody named William, so she didn't think it was anybody she knew. But she was wrong. Oh so wrong. It was Henry, at the Hufflepuff table next to Logan. He looked horrified. And that voice... where did she know it from?

Luke. It was Luke, her future step father. He had been nothing but happy and complimentary when she had seen him, and him yelling at Henry and telling him Anna's disappearance was all his fault... Wait- Anna had disappeared? When had she not heard about this? Anyway, him yelling at Henry made his behavior at her house a few months ago seem oh so fake.

Seeing that it was Henry being yelled at in front of everybody, there was only one word to describe Rose's reaction.

To be honest, she would probably get grounded if her mother heard her say it out loud. Instead, she opted for a muttered, "Dang it."

First of all, who calls their child by their middle name and their middle name only? When Rose's mother was mad, she would call her 'Rose Amber Moon!' or sometimes just 'Rose Amber!' but never ever just her middle name. That was weird. Second of all, how could this all be Henry's fault? Unless he screamed at her to run away from their house and never come back, how the heck was this his fault? Rose couldn't figure out a way that it could be his fault in her mind.

But she pushed her questioning thoughts aside and made quick work of walking over there. This was not about her. This was about Henry. She stood next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He might not have heard her coming otherwise. She didn't know what to do. Was she supposed to tell him it wasn't his fault? Because what if it was? She didn't know the whole story, so how was she supposed to reassure him on something she didn't even know was true? What if he just brushed it off and said he didn't care? Was she supposed to push him and make him tell the truth or something? What if he didn't want her here in the first place? "Henry? Are you okay?" She added, "I don't have much context, but I would bet a million galleons that this is not your fault."

@Henry Knight @Logan Baird @Gia Adelard @Rose Moon @Ginger Crowdy @Lucia Fox @Sadon Hughes @Michael Miller

banner by sylvain wyllt

Scarlett was enjoying life - traumatizing events had happened a while ago now, and her parents didn't seem to want to connect back with her anytime soon, which was just how Scarlett liked it. She made up with Georgia, promised to write to Cassie more now that they both knew the truth and most importantly, she had a waffle drowning in syrup in her hands. Sparta purred contentedly in her lap (the cat did love her naps) as Scarlett got ready to take a big bite out of the freshly-baked waffle - sweet and delicious as waffles were -

A booming voice echoed through the hall, and Scarlett dropped her waffle in shock. The hell? She looked up in annoyance - that voice had interrupted her waffle for Merlin's sake - and saw a Howler. Fine. If people were idiotic enough to get Howlers, fine. But she wouldn't let this interrupt her waffle until she saw who it was speaking to.

Henry.

Scarlett was pleased to say that the two had made up from their rocky relationship in first year, and were now on very good terms. It was really nice to have her first friend back again - she had met Henry at six years old, before she had joined the Troop at seven. She definitely didn't want to see him as the recipient of a Howler. Scarlett herself had only received Howlers as a prank from her friends, Fiona always stubbornly refusing to send Scarlett one, preferring to talk to her face-to-face, which Scarlett appreciated greatly. But anyway, this wasn't about her.

It had been Henry's birthday yesterday, and she had had a fabulous time with his friends and Rose and everyone else by the Great Lake. And now someone had to send him a Howler to ruin his perfect euphoria? Honestly, some humans were utter idiots.

She was about to go and comfort him when she realised what was in the contents of the Howler. Dismissing all of the 'it's all your fault' stuff (she could deal with that injustice later) the full horror of the message dawned on her.

'Your twin'?

That was Annabeth.

Scarlett felt as if someone had punched her, knocking all the air out of her (and she knew how that felt first hand). Annabeth. One of her closest friends in childhood, apart from Henry and the Troop and her other Muggle friends. Scarlett had never seen her in Hogwarts so assumed she was homeschooled and never asked Henry about it once they reunited. But now she realised how much of a dunce she was. Annabeth - a squib, a runaway and a...dark witch? No - it was impossible. Impossible. Maybe - maybe if she just said that again and again over and over in her head it would go away.

Funny, sarcastic Annabeth, who talked and laughed and joked with her when they were kids. Hilarious, tough, sweet, rather pretty - everything. A dark witch? It was unimaginable. It was insanity, it was -

Reality.

Scarlett took a deep breath to console herself. She didn't get emotional breakdowns easily. Though she was undeniably astonished and incredibly hurt and - and something else she couldn't quite name - by the news, there was someone else she had to comfort. Henry. He was anxious and this wouldn't help. People were starting to look, and Scarlett shot all of them glares that they couldn't see. She would have to distract and yell at everyone for as long as it took for Henry to make his escape.

With three girlfriends, Scarlett noted, unable to stop herself from making remarks even in the most dire of times. Rose, the girl Logan she had met yesterday and the girl Gia she had met yesterday as well.

She swung her legs over the bench and stood up, dusting down her robes and making her way over to the scene.

"Welcome to Scarlett's Counselling Service," she muttered bitterly. Not at anyone in particular, except, well Annabeth. After the shock cooled down, she was mad. Mad at - at everyone. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She was mad at the idiotic person who sent the Howler, mad at the Howler itself and most of all, mad at Annabeth for abandoning everyone. Including her. "Available for hire whenever a stupid, dumb family member sends a stupid, dumb Howler at you for something another stupid, dumb family member has done."

She got a flash of deja vu. She had done this exact same thing last year when Cash had gotten a Howler from their mother or something, telling them about their father's disappearance. Well, last year she had counselled, hugged and comforted. It felt awkward - fake. She hated physical affection, and the only physical affection she accepted was from her aunt - and even then, hair brushing was as far as she was willing to get. It just wasn't her thing. And comforting words? Blegh. She just couldn't. Perhaps it was some sort of malfunction when she was created. A malfunction that said 'Physical affection? Nada'.

But she could help in other ways - yelling and distracting. That was something she was good at. Great at, even. So that was how she would help.

Giving a small smile in Henry's direction, she passed him and said, "No way is this your fault. Ignore the Howler." She clapped him on the back like a proud dad.

To Gia, Logan and Rose, she said, "I'll do some yelling. You three can talk and when the time is right, swiftly and subtly-" She covered her face with her hands and opened them again, like Peekaboo. "-disappear."

And without skipping a beat, she climbed onto the bench of the Hufflepuff table and stood up, waving her hands and yelling, "MOVE ALONG NOW! NOTHING TO SEE HERE! HELLO! MOVE ALONG! MOVE PLEASE! GOODBYE! SHOO! SHOO!"

And though it drew more attention, at least it was to her and not to him.

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Evasive Maneuvers
Stamina 8 ⋆ Evasion 6 ⋆ Strength 3 ⋆ Wisdom 7 ⋆ Arcane Power 5 ⋆ Accuracy 6

8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 14 April, 2021
@Henry Knight @Logan Baird @Rose Moon @Scarlett Aden @Ginger Crowdy @Lucia Fox @Sadon Huges @Michael Miller

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Why did bad things always have to happen on days that started out so promising?

The morning had dawned bright and beautiful. The weather was nice and warm with only a slight breeze, and the sky was a brilliant blue. It seemed like one of those days that nothing could go wrong, where you could only do everything completely right. A smile on her face, the young Gryffindor scurried down the stairs and ran towards the Great Hall almost immediately after waking up. She'd done so slightly later than usual - oh, alright, a bunch later than usual - so she was quite surprised when she saw others still walking in. A familiar face catching her eye, Gia opened her mouth to call out to her friend when she saw his face.

Something was definitely wrong.

Although the two hadn't seen each other in person for over a year before January when they met up in one of the many corridors at Hogwarts, Gia was still able to come to this conclusion the second she noticed his expression. Also, he seemed to be talking in a lower voice than usual, too - another sign that there was something off today. Glancing at the person beside him, she recognized one of the girls that she'd met the day before, at Henry's birthday. Logan, her name was, Gia remembered.

Henry and Logan seemed really close - kind of like her and Gabby were. Probably best friends too, Gia thought to herself with a small smile. Whatever he was sharing with Logan was most likely something he didn't want to be overheard saying. . . which made her all the more intrigued. Still, Henry was one of her closest friends here at Hogwarts, so she didn't try to eavesdrop or move closer to hear what was being said. It might have happened anyway, but. . . she wasn't doing it on purpose. Plus, she only caught a couple of words, so it didn't matter, right?

After a few seconds of doing whatever she may or may not have been doing, the first year breezed past the two of them and walked into the Great Hall a few seconds before them. Settling down at the Gryffindor table after a quick look around to check if Gabby was there (she wasn't), Gia grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite. A few seconds later, owls streamed in through the windows with letters and packages for the students. Not expecting anything, Gia wasn't surprised when no owl landed on the table in front of her. But before she could continue eating, a flash of red caught her eye.

A howler.

Her eyes widening, Gia's gaze followed the owl cautiously. She'd seen one of those horrible letters go off once before, and she was definitely not excited to hear another one. She wasn't done with her breakfast yet, though, and classes wouldn't start for a little while, so Gia would stay where she was sitting. For now. Who was it for? It seemed like the poor student was someone in Slytherin, by the way that the horned owl was circling above the table. Or not. The animal had changed it's course so that it was flying above the Hufflepuff table instead. It was still probably a Slytherin, Gia thought, but they must be sitting at the. . . at the. . .

"Henry." Her eyes flying to the table farthest from her own, Gia spotted her friend right away. Shoving back the bench and hurriedly standing up, the twelve year old made her way towards him, but she was a minute too late. The bright red envelope opened up so that it resembled a mouth and a big, booming voice came out of it. Henry's dad, she supposed. . . Oh, this is bad. Really bad, Gia thought to herself. She tried not to listen to what was being said, just like how she'd tried when Haley had gotten a howler, but her efforts were futile. While trying not to eavesdrop on a quiet conversation was somewhat hard, trying to do the same when the words were being shouted out loud and echoed back again was almost impossible.

Wincing multiple times at the harsh words being said - really, why did all these parents blame their kids for something that they probably had no control over?! - the young Gryffindor waited for it to end so she could say something and actually be heard. When it finally stopped and ripped itself up, Gia ran the rest of the distance to the Hufflepuff table and stood a little ways to the side as the other two girls that were already there began to comfort him. Then, when they seemed to fall silent, she said, "Don't worry about it. Nothing this big can be a single person's fault, you know." Sure, it wasn't much, but it was true. It had to be.

Suddenly, another voice broke the quiet. Looking up, Gia saw that it was Scarlett - another one of the girls she'd met the day before. Instead of offering a bit of advice or comfort right away, the second year introduced her "counseling service." It sort of brought a tiny bit of lightness to the situation, something Gia was grateful for, and the first year shot the older student a small smile.

Upon hearing the instructions Logan, Rose and her were given, the twelve year old nodded. "Got it," she agreed quickly. Suddenly - Gia felt as if she was using this word to describe Scarlett quite often - the redhead began to yell. Like, actually yell. Looking back at Henry and the other two girls she was standing with, the brunette added, "Shouldn't be too hard."

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941 words

INTERACTIONS=========================== @Scarlett Aden, @Logan Bairds, @Henry Knight MENTIONS @Gia Adelard, @Rose Moon, others in thread

Lucia was having a pretty normal day. Hogwarts' population, Lucia included, had just returned to the Scottish castle a few days ago and she was looking forward to a nice big breakfast. Well, big in her eyes - which admittedly wasn't very much. At home it had mostly been cereal, and not Lucia's favourite kind of cereal as well, because that was only for special occasions. Plain cheerios were the 'well, it's okay' unsaid compromise in the Fox household, but Hogwarts food was amazing. Lucia was really hungry for hash browns. Plus, she could eat during breakfast at Hogwarts. Books were banned at the table at home, which Lucia did not like, however practical it may have been.

She sat down at her usual spot at the Hufflepuff table, let River out of her pocket onto the table, and got herself some food; but she had barely finished eating it and was halfway through a thrilling chapter of Magical Me when she heard a noise. Immeditately, she recognised the type of noise it was; it was coming from a Howler. Lucia winced and impulsively looked around to see who the poor recipient of the Howler was. She quickly recognised Logan, her dueling partner, sitting next to a boy who must have been the Howler's addressee. William - that was what the Howler had called him. Lucia tried to close off her ears to the contents of the letter but it was impossible. "Oh Merlin." Lucia was lucky that she knew Ebony would never send her a Howler - but she also knew that it wasn't due to Ebony looking out for her daughter. She just wouldn't want the whole world to know about their private affairs. Whoever had written that letter to William didn't seem to have the same sense of privacy.

When Lucia looked back down at her plate, she saw that it had disappeared, and heaved a sigh. She should go back to her dorm room and change for lessons. Lucia got up and lifted River onto her shoulder, preparing to do so, but then she heard another shouting noise - in a voice she recognised. She looked over at Logan and William again and saw Scarlett Aden standing on the table, screaming at everyone who was watching. Including Lucia. "Um-" Another, closer, look showed Lucia that the boy seemed to have attracted a group of people around him. Lucia winced again on his behalf. If that had happened to her she'd have just wanted everyone to ignore it. And this definitely wasn't how to go about getting people to ignore it.

"Uh, Scarlett?" she said before she had realised what she was doing, "Um... yelling at everyone is probably just going to get them to stare more. You, uh, do know that? Right? Um." Then she looked behind Scarlett and saw exactly who was in this apparant group of friends. Logan, some random first-year, and... Rose Moon. Ugh. Why did she have to pop up everywhere? "Um, hello Logan," she said with an awkward wave to her duelling partner. She refused to look at Rose. "And, um... William? Sorry. Um. I should, um, go. Uh, sorry." Lucia flushed with embarrasment. She hadn't meant to interject herself into this! Why, in Merlin's name, had she decided to walk into this conversation? "Merlin. Sorry. Again. Uh, I should go-"