Bitter Goodbyes PV Aaron Jones Finished

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As Aaron boarded the train and left his father behind, he could feel his heart pounding. Instant regret washed over him, but just as quickly as it came, he buried it. This was his parents' fault anyway - why should he feel bad? Yeah, that outburst had been rather.. uncharacteristic, but it didn't matter. As a younger student pushed past him and jostled his attention, he was reminded that he was on the Hogwarts Express. He wouldn't have to face his father or any of his family now, and he had the freedom of boarding school to look forward to. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he walked along the crowded train corridors. Yes, this was a good thing. His dad would go home with the family and Aaron could just focus on himself.

As he put the interaction with his dad to the back of his mind, Aaron's brown eyes took in all the unfamiliar faces passing by. So many of his friends had gone to Summer Camp, so they were already at Hogwarts and he was going to have to spend an entire train ride with strangers. But maybe with so many of the students already at the castle, there would be a chance at getting a compartment to himself.

As Aaron looked into the compartments he passed, though, he realized this was a popular thought. If the compartments weren't full, some of them just had one or two people in it. He wasn't really feeling the desire to make new friends right now, and he definitely didn't want to sit in an awkward silence with someone for a whole train ride.

The further the third year walked, the more frustrated he was becoming. Just as he was about to give up and just join the next compartment, Aaron finally spotted someone he recognized. Carolyn Hunt, a girl he was pretty friendly with. They didn't really hang out much, but they talked during classes and she had been really supportive during the summer game against Durmstrang last year. The though that she might ask how Quidditch was going made him hesitate outside the compartment. He really didn't want to talk about it so soon, but.. well, sitting with her would be far more pleasant regardless. He doubted she would pry beyond a polite ask.

"Carolyn, hi," Aaron greeted, a slight smile on his lips after he pushed open the door. His eyes took in her features - there was something different about her, something he couldn't quite place right away. But he suspected he might seem different too - not his attire, which currently consisted of jeans and a hoodie, but the fact that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes like it normally did. "Could I join you?" he asked, gesturing to the seat across from her. Behind him she might be able to see the large trunk he was pulling, along with his snowy owl's cage on top.

Aaron has a Calming Presence.

Your presence simply puts others at ease, if it is your carefree personality or the trust others have in you, the result is still the same. With you there, perhaps through your encouragement, your allies are able to better focus.

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

IC Date September 1st, 2021 (Blue and bold in English, Red in Korean)

It took surprisingly long time for someone to show up and disturb Eun-ji’s reading. Perhaps she looked too intimidating for the first years, not smiling and all that. This person however, was not a first year. A familiar face in the sea of strangers. The witch looked up from her book upon hearing Aaron’s voice. They weren’t best friends but they spent some time together during the summer camp, talked in classes and met at Dealla’s birthday party too. All relatively short encounters but he was a constant presence in her student life and a welcome one too. It appeared they had quite a lot in common even now, as they were one of the few older kids going back to Hogwarts on this particular day.

The boy was smiling at her as usual but it seemed to be a different kind of smile. One that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Eun-ji knew that one far too well. She mastered it within first few days of summer vacation. Still, she felt oddly calm upon seeing him standing between the door. Perhaps it was just his natural charm or the fact that he obviously wasn’t constantly happy either. She wished him nothing but the best yet it was nice to see she wasn’t the only one who was changing. The raven-haired girl may have been as collected as ever, carrying herself around with grace of a dancer but there was a bit more coldness to her calm demeanour than before. Before, people kept telling her she had a comforting presence around her even when she was sitting, doing nothing…now…now she wasn’t really sure. I don’t have to be selfless all the time…it’s exhausting. She reminded herself again.

“Hello Aaron.” The Ravenclaw finally greeted the boy with a polite smile on her face. It lacked her usual warmth but it still held a certain underlying fondness for its receiver if he really looked for it. After all, she WAS fond of the boy. “Sure…by all means.” Eun-ji put the book down as she watched her classmate settle. Well…here we go. “Oh and...It’s Eun-ji now if you don’t mind,” she told him carefully. “I changed my name over the summer so it’s officially Eun-ji Lee Hunt.” There, it was done and she was going to be okay. She just had to hope he would accept that and remember it. “And what might be her name?” The witch nodded towards Aaron's owl, genuinely interested. “Or his??” She added almost immediately. Mordred, who was sitting next to her tilted his head distrustfully. He watched the owl as well as it’s master for a moment or two before deciding they were cool enough to stay. Eun-ji almost let out a relieved sigh upon seeing that. She wondered if she should ask Aaron about his summer but then he would probably ask the same and she would have to dance around things she didn’t want to mention. He also didn’t seem to be in the best mood, which could be because his summer also didn’t carry the best memories and asking would only result in unnecessary awkwardness. Maybe later…we’ll see how the conversation goes…

"Cheers," Aaron said in thanks as he pulled the trunk and his owl's cage into the compartment. He closed the door behind him, hopefully warding off any strangers that might try to join, then went about settling his things. His owl was wide awake - as she typically was during the day - and watching the other occupants of the room as Aaron carefully placed her cage on one of the seats opposite Carolyn. He then looked at his trunk skeptically. Lifting it up above to the luggage rack would be the safest place for it, but it would take some strength. Of course, he could use the levitation charm, but he was always a bit self-conscious casting in front of other people. More often that not, he would fail at a spell and have to try multiple times to get it right, so he usually defaulted to doing things the muggle way. Muggle. There came that word again, and Aaron grimaced slightly.

Nevertheless, Aaron lifted the trunk above his head and - with a bit of finagling and precarious moments - managed to secure it in the luggage rack above. Finally, he took the seat beside his owl and across from Carolyn. That's when she told him her new name. "That's pretty cool. It's your Korean name, then? I dunno if I ever told you, but mine's Ye-jun," Aaron shared. Her wanting to go by a different name didn't phase him, though it was interesting that she had it officially changed. Did that mean legally? He briefly wondered why she would do that, but- if she wanted to share the reason, she would have. Instead, she asked about his owl, so he accepted the change in topic.

"Her full name is Chae-rin, but I usually call her Chae," Aaron introduced, a more genuine smile on his lips as his brown eyes landed on his owl. He had gotten her at the beginning of this year as a birthday present, back during Christmas break. Although he had never considered owning an owl before that moment, she was really amazing and he couldn't imagine not having her around. "She's a snowy owl," he added, in case Carolyn Eun-ji was not super familiar with the different kinds. The cage she was inside was rather large and golden, which brought out the yellow-gold in Chae's eyes.

Aaron turned and looked at the cat that was beside the Ravenclaw. "And that's... Mordred, right?" he asked, wracking his brain. She'd had that cat for a while, if Aaron was remembering right. Chae was usually up in the owlery, or flying with Aaron on the Quidditch Pitch, so it wasn't unusual for people to not be familiar with her, but he knew a few cats around Hogwarts if he knew their owners, too.

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

IC Date September 1st, 2021 (Blue in English, Red in Korean)

Eun-ji watched Aaron fight his suitcase on top of the shelf, ready to help if things went horribly wrong. She might have looked skinny and somewhat fragile but ballet was not just pretty. She had a muscle or two and she could be helpful when situation called for it. Then again, if she remembered correctly, the boy joined Martial arts club during his first year so he probably didn’t need her help. And truly, while it didn’t seem easy, he soon managed to put the heavy thing exactly where he wanted it by himself. Crisis avoided then…The witch thought feeling rather relieved.

Aaron was apparently good at avoiding crises because he didn’t really pry for information once she’s given him her new name. He took it in stride and revealed his own Korean name in return. “Ye-jun is a wonderful name.” Eun-ji took a moment as if to remember something. “Handsome and talented, was it? I think I have a cousin with the same name and…” She paused again. It was very brief this time but still noticeable if one paid enough attention. It hurt to speak about the old woman but there was no way to avoid her during conversations. She was too intertwined in her life so no memories were left untouched by her. “…grandma always said his mother chose the name well. He is quite talented, not sure about the handsome part though.” The girl winced as she said so. She didn’t like to judge people, especially by appearance but her cousin was objectively NOT handsome. Her grandma was just biased.

Soon, the witch also learned the owl’s name. Aaron seemed a bit more relaxed when talking about her. Eun-ji understood that feeling well. No matter how sour her mood was, she was always happy to talk about her furry friends. “That is a very cute name for a very cute owl.” She said with a smile of her own. The Ravenclaw didn’t know the meaning behind this one. After all, it was not common skill to know meanings behind every name but she genuinely liked it. Snowy owl… Even the species' name sounded cute. “I see…I didn’t know that. I should probably learn more about them but we don't own one so it never occurred to me that I should.” Her family used them of course but they were always borrowed and their visits were scarce. She waived at the owl gently, careful not to spook the bird. “Nice to meet you Chae-rin.” She greeted her softly. The cat sitting next to her meowed, sounding almost offended but Eun-ji made sure not to react. He was jealous but acknowledging it would only support that behaviour and while she loved how close they were, she didn’t want to raise a spoiled cat. He was already handful as it was. “Yes, that is Mordred, the mean cat. I wish I could say he is only grumpy around bad people but I honestly have no idea how he chooses his victims. Seems like he likes you well enough though.” And man was she glad he did. She would hate it if her cat disliked one of the few people she genuinely felt comfortable around at Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, the conversation was swiftly interrupted by Eun-ji’s growling stomach, making her realise she hadn’t eaten anything that day. She was usually the one to cook at home now that grandma was no longer around and she had no time to do so before leaving. “Sorry,” the witch muttered, utterly mortified. Thankfully, she was always prepared. She could have bought something from the train cart of course but she didn't like sweets that much. Or rather she wasn't used to eating them. Instead, she put her book back in the bag and pulled out a whole bunch of snacks she managed to buy at a Korean store before leaving. There were plenty more of those in her suitcases and she even brought some cooking supplies but those were for later. “Would you like some? I think I brought too many.” Eun-ji offered without hesitation. Korean meals were meant to be shared and she didn’t like to eat alone. She did that plenty thorough the whole summer thank you very much.

"Thanks," Aaron said when Eun-ji complimented his name. He nodded along with the meaning that she said. Clearly his mother had high hopes for him. He had never taken a huge interest in the meaning behind names - Korean or otherwise - but he did at least know the meaning of his own and his family's names.

Since they were talking about his name, Aaron had been paying enough attention to the Ravenclaw girl that he did notice when she paused in her story-telling. Was it because she merely stumbled over her words? Or just couldn't recall something? He honestly didn't read too much into it as she talked of the cousin who shared his name, and the grandmother who had complimented it. He grinned when she mentioned that her cousin was not so handsome, thinking it was a funny comment (you're allowed to say that sort of stuff about family), but the fact that she winced quickly wiped the look off of Aaron's face.

"My brother helped me pick the name," Aaron explained, his brown eyes once again turning to his owl fondly. "In this case Chae means color, and Rin is specifically a female Chinese unicorn," he explained to her, since he thought she might be interested in the meaning. As he turned back to her, he was grinning again, "So basically it means she's the color of a unicorn, which is white, so it kinda fits, right?" This was the first time he was explaining the name meaning to anyone - his family had been there when it was chosen by the twin brothers - and no one else had ever asked him what it meant. Not that Eun-ji had asked either, but maybe she could appreciate the slight creativity behind it. "What about your name meaning?" he asked in turn, naturally thinking that was the only Korean name that hadn't been discussed yet.

His eyes studied Mordred as Eun-ji talked about how mean he was. Aaron was glad to know that the cat seemed okay with him, and found it kind of funny that he was normally mean to people. Pets and their personalities were certainly interesting. Chae had her good days and bad too, but she was mainly a very kind and patient owl. He was grateful about that. Hearing Mordred was often grumpy gave him a whole personality.

Aaron waved off the apology she offered when her stomach growled. "Did you miss breakfast?" he guessed, knowing what that felt like. Just this past summer, he had skipped breakfast one morning just to avoid talking to his family, and he had been absolutely miserable with his growling stomach. After that day, he never purposefully skipped a meal again. He was almost always hungry these days, so he couldn't afford to.

His eyes lit up when he saw his fellow third-year pull out a bunch of snacks from her bag. "Woah!" he said in excitement, leaning forward on the table that was between them in front of the compartment window. The train had started moving by now, and the sights whizzing by them outside were going unappreciated. At least by Aaron, who was fully focused on the snacks.

"I'd love some!" Aaron said, a genuine smile on his lips at the offer. Her statement that she had brought too many was met with a slight nod as he saw just how many bags she had. He asked if he could have some of the chocopies. "Mum packed me a lunch that I can share later on when we get hungry again, if you want," he offered, the genuine smile still on his face as he caught her eye. There was actually a lunchbox packed into his trunk with a full meal in it. After all, they would be spending many many hours on this train, lunchtime would come and go. He suspected she probably had a lunch packed away too, but he wanted to offer anyway since she was offering snacks.

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

IC Date September 1st, 2021 (Blue in English, Red in Korean)

Thankfully Aaron didn't seem to think less of her after commenting on her cousin's appearance. If anything, he looked amused, which was a welcome sight. Especially since he was not looking very cheerful today. "Now that's pretty elaborate name. I like it and it suits her. Your brother sounds like a very inventive guy." Eun-ji wasn't sure he mentioned his sibling before. She remembered him talking about his parents but if he ever spoke of his siblings, it must have been brief. The witch wondered whether he was a wizard as well or not but she didn't dare to ask. These things seemed to be a touchy subject with MANY of her classmates and she didn't want to upset the boy. "Mine? Well, it's been chosen by both of my Korean grandparents with way too big expectations. 'Eun' means wisdom and 'Ji' represents kindness." She honestly wasn't sure she deserved either of those at this point.

Luckily, there was not much time to ponder about it once the hunger came into play. "Yeah...I didn't have time to cook and there was nothing I could just grab and eat on the way." The girl admitted as she was presenting her snack treasures. "Also...my aunt would die before she let me eat in her precious car. Honestly, for all her snarky remarks about muggles, she sure is awfully fond of her car." The witch muttered under her breath. Probably because it's expensive and she likes to make others jealous. In those instances, it didn't matter to her if you were wizard or not she simply enjoyed the attention. Only when she was done unpacking the treats did Eun-ji realize she was frowning the whole time she spoke about her relative. She didn't really mean to but that woman had made her see red even when she wasn't around. Good thing she brought the snacks then. Those would lift up her spirits.

"Excellent," she finally smiled when Aaron accepted to join her and dived for the choco pies. She was not surprised by that, choco pies were basically sacred. Still, since Eun-ji wasn't craving sweets at the moment, she opted to eat some of the shrimp crackers instead. "Oh...is she one of those Korean mums that tend to make way too much? I do that too. I just can’t help it." The girl scratched her head bashfully. She wasn’t a mum but she was used to helping cook for five people and recently she had to do so alone for three so she kind of understood."I will gladly share mine if you don't mind leftovers. I overdid it for yesterday's dinner...soo point proven I guess?" She chuckled quietly. Also her parents failed to show up and eat their part but Aaron didn't need to know that. "I'll let you know I made some mean bulgogi, kimbap and japchae. Probably not as good as your mum makes but…still worth a try?" She would have gone more diverse but she needed to process the beef before she left. It was a pretty expensive one and she knew it would be wasted if she left it in the fridge. No way those two were going to cook for themselves. Eun-ji did plan to make more diverse dishes for herself at Hogwarts however since she was a third year and had access to the kitchen now. "Oh…the kimchi is store bought though. I only had a chance to help making it once. It was utterly exhausting but surprisingly fun? Although I think that's because it was a family event. I would like to try again sometime but I don't think I have enough people to help." She shrugged. Truth to be told, it made her incredibly sad to think about it but she knew things would change for her now. This was far from the only thing she wouldn't be able to do in the future and she would just have to accept that.

"Yeah, I think if he was a student here, he'd be a Ravenclaw," Aaron said of his brother, when Eun-ji mentioned he sounded inventive. His brother was getting more popular at his school it seemed, yet Aaron still heard all about the perfect grades he was bringing home. A hint of envy stirred in him for a moment, but he was soon brought back to the current conversation.

"I think that suits you!" Aaron said in protest, when she said her name meaning had too big of expectations. "After all, you're in the wisest house there is, and you're really kind," Aaron said with a slight smile, recalling their first proper meeting at summer camp a couple years ago. The fact that she'd been thoughtful enough to give him a good luck charm after only properly hanging out at stargazing a few days before that had immediately cemented her as a kind person in Aaron's mind. And she'd done nothing to suggest otherwise in the year since.

When Eun-ji talked about being in the car with her aunt, the part about her not liking muggles stuck out to Aaron. He subconsciously squirmed when he heard that, made to feel uncomfortable. As a boy with an entirely muggle family - and who had just accidentally referred to them as such - he felt defensive. Aaron had never met anyone who openly disliked muggles - not that he knew of, at least - but he knew those people existed. But he also knew that Eun-ji was scoffing at this aunt of hers - not supporting her view. He shook off the discomfort as the conversation turned back to the food.

Aaron opened the pack of choco pies and took one out, taking a large bite as Eun-ji spoke of cooking. She did the cooking? He nodded when she asked if his mother tended to make too much food, unable to verbalize an affirmative answer while he was chewing. When his mouth was clear of food, he finally chimed in, "So you do the cooking at your house?" he asked. "And I'm definitely okay with leftovers, especially if I get to try your cooking! Sometimes I help Mum with cooking, but I never really make Korean food on my own," he admitted. "But I like everything you listed, so I bet it'll be great."

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

IC Date September 1st, 2021 (Blue in English, Red in Korean)

“Thank you.” Eun-ji smiled when Aaron pointed out that her name suited her just fine. She understood why he thought so. Until now, she had been nothing but patient and kind. People who already knew her probably wouldn’t think otherwise and yet she couldn’t shake off the doubts. The witch knew she changed over the summer and didn’t feel like making new connections this year. She was… afraid. Still at this very moment it was hard to see how much she actually changed. Perhaps it felt more serious than it would be.

The Hufflepuff seemed slightly uncomfortable when she started talking about her aunt and she wasn't sure whether it was because of the topic, her expression or the choice of words. She learned that many other muggle born or half-blood kids like her struggled with the term due to the context pure bloods often used it in. However, Eun-ji grown up mostly surrounded by muggles and her mother or occasionally her healer colleagues used the term with utmost respect. As someone who was raised by a pureblood family, her mother never learned to call them anything else. Except perhaps mudblood, which was a proper insult, Eleanor never ever dared to use herself. After all, the way Hunts spoke about muggles was one of the biggest reasons she eventually ran away from home. So no, Eun-ji only knew the word in a mostly positive way and it was also quite helpful in certain situations. She wouldn’t be surprised if it made Aaron uncomfortable though. Many other students weren’t as lucky with their experiences as she was. Perhaps I should avoid that next time. Just in case. She didn’t dare to ask if that was the problem or if she was just overthinking again. In any case, she wasn’t keen on thinking about her aunt any longer than she had to so she simply decided to let the topic drop altogether. Food was much better topic anyway...or so she thought...

Once again, it didn't occur to her that talking about food was going to bring her grandma into the picture. Eun-ji often failed to realize that she was far too skilled in the housework department compared to many of her peers. "Oh yes my grandma..." she paused again. WAS... The Ravenclaw couldn't quite bring herself to speak of the woman in past tense just yet. It always brought back the painful memories of her passing and reminded her that she was gone forever. "Well I was brought up in a very old fashioned way. You know...you should grow up to be a good wife and all that." Eun-ji waved her hand carelessly. Charles seemed to appreciate her cooking but it was not like she was actually going to marry him. In fact she had yet to fall in love with someone, let alone think about marriage. "I don't personally share every aspect of that sentiment but it did allow me to learn plenty useful life skills. I used to watch grandma cook when I was very little then gradually she forced me to help. Although to be fair I eventually started enjoying cooking so I don't mind that she did." She smiled to herself then. Not a typical happy smile but a mixture of fondness and longing. "Anyway once I was deemed good enough by the kitchen overlord, I took over some dishes completely and then one thing led to another and I had to take over. My parents are usually too busy to cook and quite honestly I don't think I would have enough courage to eat anything they did prepare anyway." She chuckled, feeling slightly better. "So you like all those, which I do too but…what is your favorite food?”

Aaron continued eating the choco pie Eun-ji had gifted him as she talked about the whole cooking thing. The pause after mentioning her grandma was not dug into. Although noticeable, Aaron once again just thought it was just because she was trying to recall the story she wanted to tell.

A good wife? This phrase made Aaron sit up a bit more as he ate his snack. She was brought up thinking about how to be a good wife? His eyebrows furrowed slightly at the idea, and his attention was fully invested in her as she talked a bit about the "old fashioned" way that she was raised. She didn't delve too much into it aside from saying she disagreed with it, but learned a lot of life skills. Like the cooking. Aaron nodded thoughtfully as he chewed, listening to her go on about how her parents usually were too busy to cook nowadays. But she seemed light-hearted when she went on to talk about not trusting stuff that her parents made. He offered a small smile to mirror her sentiment.

"I only like cooking sometimes," he shared, thinking back to the times he cooked with his mom. "But only if I am cooking with someone, like family. I guess that's where we differ. If I'm alone, I'd probably just put together a sandwich or a bowl of cereal," he said, then finished off the snack he had. "So if you ever need a sous chef, just let me know!" Aaron said with a grin.

"Favorite? Hm... I don't really have a single favorite dish. Over the summer, I really like Mum's naengmyeon. It's really good after a hot day outside," he said, trying to think of one particular dish he liked more than others. But there was nothing he could think of in particular, considering he would eat just about anything at the moment. "But generally, I really like noodles and spicy foods," he said with a nod. "What about you?"

Aaron leaned forward slightly, his arms on the table in between them as he contemplated the fact that they had loads of time to kill. They'd be in this compartment for hours, lots of time between now and lunch, then loads of time between lunch and arriving at Hogwarts. "Do you like card games?" he asked, smiling at Eun-ji. "I brought some playing cards or Uno if you're interested," he said. If she expressed any interest in playing, he would fetch the cards from his trunk.

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt