Closed Hello Again! PV

@Henry Knight as Charles Alluring

Drew watched Charles with a smile on his face as he started talking about the broom and Quidditch. Drew liked watching people talk about the things they loved. It was just so cool. You could see a spark in their eyes, and a way that they talked, as if dreaming about it. He nodded, adding little "ooh"s and "yeah"s in places it seemed appropriate. He wanted Charles to talk about brooms for as long as he wanted, as long as he could. Drew was here to listen. He hadn't studied much Broomology, but he did know that the Nimbuses were up at the top of the market for brooms. Drew shook his head. "No apology needed."

The blonde nodded his head. Charles' family sounded very traditionally pureblood. "Makes sense." Drew's grandparents used to be like that, but it just brought his grandmother so much pain being so cold all the time. They had changed from being like that, and now were very good grandparents and parents. They had lost a lot of pureblood alliances and respect, so they were largely secluded from the community around them, but his grandmother always said it was worth it to be close with her family like she was today.

"Well- technically she's a widow, so you can call her Miss if you want. Or Miss Bernthold. Or Miss uh-" he took a moment to search his brain. "Lucianna! That's her first name, so you can call her Ms. Lucianna if you want."

Drew grinned. How to explain it? "Well- here, let me demonstrate." He sat down in front of his chess board, then cleared his throat, taking on a character and beginning to act. Moving some of the pieces around to demonstrate, he said, "You shall suffer under my evil plan! All of your kingdom will perish!" And then, pretending like one of his pieces had been taken (dramatically), he shrieked, in mock surprise and hurt, putting a hand over his heart, as if he was clutching fake pearls. "No! Suzie! Don't go, Suzie!! I promise, I'll come back for you!" He stood up and bowed for his amazing performance. "Like so. Just be overly dramatic and attached to the game, I guess." He shrugged, laughing a little at himself. That had been fun.

Drew went back to join Charles on his bed, looking at the photos. Drew shook his head disappointingly at Colin's picture. "Jeez, Colin, get with the program," he said. "How old is Leo now?" he asked. Leo did look quite small, actually. Younger than the other three, at least.

The boy snorted. "Wowwww, okay. Be like that, Charlie. Be like that," he joked, just playing with his friend. He was pretending to be exasperated, but he wasn't really. "I'll have another growth spurt eventually and then I'll beat you." He smiled. "You were quite tall then, too," he commented. "Is this self-absorbed Colin older than you or younger than you?" he asked, curious. When Charles pointed to Leo's Halloween costume, Drew said, "Ooh, spooky. Did you dress up for Halloween? I didn't know it was much of a tradition over in- in England." He took a moment to remember where Charles lived. He kept thinking he lived somewhere near Russia or Bulgaria, since that were he thought Durmstrang would be.

Drew grinned as his hair was ruffled. "I can show you right now, if you want. Like I said, Gramma's sitting room is full of pictures of her grandkids. We all look pretty similar since most of us are blond babies with blue eyes," he said, laughing. "Except for Rose. She got some vibrant genetics from her dad. If I look close enough, though, I can tell them apart. Barely."

@Henry Knight as Charles Alluring

Drew nodded at Charles' comment about how old Leo was. "Looks about right." The boy did look pretty young, in Drew's eyes at least.

Drew shook his head, grinning. "Nooo, 'cause then I'll grow again and be taller than you!" He laughed, an image in his head of the two just growing and growing, trying to beat each other. Continually and forever just... growing up and up, eating foods that were supposed to make you tall, doing stretches and exercises to be taller than the other. Until they were well into their seventies and shrinking a little, it would always be a competition of who could get taller. He sure hoped they were still in touch in their seventies.

When Charles answered his question about how old Colin was, Drew put crossed his arms, scoffing. "Then he should respect his elders! You're clearly superior." He grinned out of the side of his mouth. "Tell him that the next time he's being obnoxious. I dare you." He was only half-joking when he said that. Part of him really wanted to see Charles saying that passive-aggressively to Colin, but he didn't want to make Charles do anything that he didn't want to, of course.

Drew stood up, leading Charles to the sitting room. They left his room and went down the grand staircase, then through the middle of the two sets of stairs. They went down a small hall and then he opened a set of doors which led to the sitting room. The sitting room was a large square room lined in white and gold-colored armchairs and couches. It looked very coordinated. But the most eye-catching thing about the room was the huge family photo on the wall right across from the entrance. And when I say huge, I mean huge. It was five feet wide and seven feet tall. In the picture were sixteen people. One was recognizable as Drew's grandmother, right next to Drew's grandfather. They were surrounded by their three kids and their spouses, who were all surrounded by their own kids. Drew was about three in this picture, though he was beaming through his chubby cheeks and wearing a sharp dark blue suit. You could see only four defectors from the blond-haired crowd- Drew's dad, Alexander, and Drew's aunt, Davina both had dark hair, and Drew's uncle Gabe, with his bright curly fiery hair. And lastly, his daughter, and Drew's cousin, Rose. "That's my family," Drew said. He smiled. "Except there were two more kids that were born since then. And this was taken right before my uncle Gabriel- the guy with the red hair?- died. A couple months later he was gone." He shrugged.

Drew did miss his uncle Gabriel. He didn't remember the man very much, but he did remember that he was kind to him. Drew remembered thinking that Gabriel was quite cool when he was little. Apart from that, he couldn't remember the man, and knew his kids couldn't remember much of him, either. But you could see the fiery redheaded rebels in the picture, standing out against the blonde and brown.

To the wall on the left were pictures of the grandkids. One baby picture each, along with the most current headshot. To the right, there was a big picture of Lucianna and Franklin on the wall, surrounded by smaller pictures of their kids- baby pictures, little kids pictures, recent headshots. There was a coffee table in the middle that had a little shelf below its table space, and Drew pulled out a thick book that had in it pages and pages of pictures of the family. Drew sat on a couch, the photobook in his lap. He began to flip through the pages, trying to find a specific picture. He smiled, showing Charles the picture. "That was me when I was really really little. Like, days old. But there are more recent pictures of me in here." He handed the book to Charles, letting him flip through to his heart's content.

Reducio

Some pictures that are in the photobook that Charles might see:

@Henry Knight as Charles Alluring

Drew nodded at Charles' comment about his cousin. He looked satisfied with his friend.

Portraits? Drew's brow furrowed for only a second before realization spread over his face. Oh, the paintings. "It's a tradition to get official portraits done when we turn sixteen. When we were little, we would have never sat still long enough for portraits," he said, a glint in his eye. "My grandparents and my parents have official portraits other places in the manor. There's this hall that has all the male heirs of the Bernthold name, and official fancy portraits of them all when they're sixteen and one when they're married." He shook his head, a smile on his face. "There's this whole process and tradition. Maybe I'll show you that hall later."

There was a lot of deep tradition in the Bernthold family, which was why it took so long for Drew's grandparents to accept muggles, muggle-borns, squibs, half-bloods, and basically anybody who didn't have pure blood. Drew had a feeling it was because of his grandmother's extreme maternal instinct. Even though her mother married a muggle, she couldn't find it in her heart to shut her daughter out. She loved her daughter. And when Faith, her first grandchild, was born, she was amazed at the feeling- she was holding a half-blooded grandchild and she still felt the overwhelming maternal love in her heart. Drew knew it wasn't her fault for taking as long as she did- as a child and throughout her entire life, it had been drilled into her that people were less than her because of how they were born.

Other than the extreme discrimination against others, however, the Berntholds had kept much of their traditions. Yearly family photos around Christmastime, the portraits in the hall. A ceremony for each new heir of the Bernthold family when they were born, and again when they became the head of the family. They often had balls and parties at their manor, though because of their nose-diving respect among the pureblood community due to their lenience with people who weren't purebloods, attendance had... lessened. But it was as his grandmother said- "I'd rather walk the right road alone than walk the wrong road with all of my friends."

Charles thought it was amusing how small he was in the little baby picture of him. Drew nudged him back and laughed at his comment. "Maybe with magic." He then stroked an imaginary beard, thinking. "My foot might still fit..." No, Drew wouldn't ever fit in that basket again, like he had when he was a few days old. Charles started looking through the pictures in the photo book. Drew didn't find most of these pictures embarrassing- either he was little then and had grown as a person or could find some way to poke fun at himself without feeling bad about himself. Fortunately for Drew, he hadn't struggled with anxiety like most kids his age. His life had been pretty smooth, apart from his wishing to have a sibling and, of course, various troubles at school. But other than that, he didn't see the point in worrying.

Drew shook his head smiling, laughter in his eyes. "Nah, that's Rose, my cousin. You can't really see how red her hair was because of the way the light hit it, but that was taken just before both of our first years. Would have been your second, but my grandma was really excited about it and that was the photo she liked best of the shoot." He remembered that day- it had been in a really pretty park and just the three of them and a photographer. Lucianna had always loved seeing the both of them grow older and grow close, and had liked to nurture that relationship. She also liked pictures "before and after school." One before their first year, one after their seventh year, to compare and bring up memories.

He laughed at his friend when he commented about the horse picture. "I went a couple of times. Sadly, we don't have any horses here at the manor, so my grandma has taken me to ride horses. I don't ride like a lot, but that horse was the one I rode so..." he shrugged, not sure where he was going with that sentence. Technically, he didn't ride Western like cowboys did (he rode English), but he would let Charles continue with his teasing. He wasn't going to shoot the boy down. "Have you ever ridden before?"

@Henry Knight as Charles Alluring

Drew nodded slowly, listening to his friend. "Oh, that's really cool. When I come to your house, you'll have to show me." Drew sat up straighter as Charles suggested a tour. "That's a good idea! How about this- I give you a short tour. Only the important stuff. By then, my parents will be home. Then we can eat dinner and then go get the brooms out?" he suggested.

The blonde shook his head. "I can't imagine trying to get a ten-year old me to sit still for that long." He laughed at the thought. "I'm sure you were much more mature than I was at that point, though."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Sure," he said. "We can say that." Charles asked about the horse. Drew stopped to think. "I'm not sure, actually. I hope he's still there, living a good life. I do enjoy riding, though I haven't in a good bit." His eyes sparked with an idea. "We should go trail riding while you're here! Then I can teach you how to be a real cowboy. You'd just need to practice your Southern accent, maybe."

Since Charles had suggested a tour, Drew tucked the photo album away and they left the sitting room. They went out into the foyer, and then took a left, skirting behind the stairs and going into a hallway. The hallway was made of dark wood, and held the portraits Drew had told Charles about. It went back several generations, back centuries. He took Charles down the hall, intent on reaching the most recent portraits. He stopped at a picture of a handsome young man. He looked very cold, with a stern look in his eyes. "That's my grandpa," Drew pointed him out. There was a golden label under his name that said 'Franklin Bernthold' and listed the years he was alive. "He died a few years ago. But this-" Drew continued, showing Charles the next portrait. "-is my Uncle Dorian. He lives near here. He's technically the heir, but he refuses to live here." Also a handsome blonde man, except with a hint of a rebellious smile on his face. Technically they weren't supposed to smile for portraits, but Dorian had never been entirely cooperative. The next place on the wall was empty, except for a small golden label that said August Bernthold. "This is where my lil' cousin's portrait will go in a few years. He's pretty young now, but since it's male bloodline, technically I don't count because it's my mom who has Bernthold blood."

Drew sniffed, rocking on his feet awkwardly. "It would be really different to be the heir. You have to lead your family. But I guess it would be cool. A lot of responsibility... but cool." It kinda sucked not being the heir, but Drew was also grateful for that. Who knew that one little chromosome could change an entire family line? He almost asked Charles if he had ever wanted to be the heir to his family. He bit his tongue, however, knowing that his family was not the best aspect of Charles' life, and that was putting it nicely.

"Anyway," he said, leading Charles past the rest of the hall and through a huge set of double doors. Nestled in the center of the manor was the ballroom. It had high ceilings and huge pillars holding them up. Drew always thought the ballroom was the most obnoxious part of the manor. Who really needed a room this big? He didn't mind too much, though. "This is the ballroom," he said, then paused. "Now that I think about it, it might be the perfect spot for a blanket fort." He shrugged. "We'll have to try that out later." Through the big windows in the back, you could see the gardens. "There are the gardens back there, but we can walk through those later."

Drew took him back to the foyer, and then up the grand staircase. They peeked in a few rooms- his parents' room, his grandparents' room (well, now just his grandmother), and in the other four guest rooms. He took him to see the music room, too. In the music room, there was a large piano and an assortment of many other musical instruments, including a violin, viola, cello, harp, saxophone, and many others. They all had their respective spots against the wall. "I don't think I ever asked you," Drew said. Or maybe he did. He just couldn't remember. "Do you play an instrument? I would assume so, since a lot of pureblood families do that, along with languages." He went up to the piano and played a couple of notes that weren't part of a specific melody. "I know a little bit of piano. I play cello and guitar more... fluently." Drew wasn't sure if fluently was the right word, but it was the only one he could think of at the moment that fit.

He also took Charles into the library, though he didn't think Charles would be any more interested than he was.

They went back to the foyer, and he led him to the right instead, off to the side but in front of the stairs. That opened up into a big living room. "This is the living room. Nothing special. Just really big."

The sound of the front door opening made Drew look back towards the foyer, and Drew heard a voice call out, "We're home!"

"Ready to meet my parents?"

@Henry Knight as Charles Alluring

Drew's nose wrinkled up at the thought of seeing somebody kiss Rose. It sent chills down his spine. He had known that for a time she had a boyfriend, and still did, but she gushed about him less to Drew. Drew had met Eyre, though briefly, and he had to suppress the urge to threaten him. Drew was a little protective over Rose, and he knew that she would always be there for him, and vice versa. It was just something that always was. "That would be disgusting," he said, shaking his head. It was mostly a joke, but it carried truth. Drew didn't know how he would react to seeing somebody kiss Rose, let alone someone he considered a brother kiss Rose.

The blonde grinned as Charles mentioned trail riding and teaching him to become a posh lad. Donning a horrendous posh accent, he said, "Oh, indeed! We shall host a tea pahhty and eat scones and biscuits." He smirked at his friend. "That will truly be joyous," he added. There were a lot more comments he could have made poking fun at the stereotype of posh people.

Listening to Charles explaining his thoughts about being head and heir and his uncle, Drew nodded. "Your family sounds complicated." He had known that before, considering how Charles had mentioned how his older brother wasn't always exactly kind to him, but he hadn't known the extent of the complications of his family before. "Why was your uncle disowned?" he asked. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to," he added. Drew knew that Charles' family was a touchy subject, and he always was sure to tread carefully when mentioning them.

Drew grinned. He found piano boring to play, himself. But he did know a certain little lady who had taken his breath away with a piece she had played on the piano. When he had caught her play it, it had been... weird. Like he could listen to her play piano forever. He should get back in touch with Akari Kato. She had been extremely pleasant to be around.

Guitar and cello, however, Drew found very fun to play. You could play a lot of things on guitar, and cello was just cool. You could do so many dramatic things on cello.

As they moved to the living room and Drew heard his parents enter. He grinned. "Come on. They've been excited to meet you ever since I told them you were coming." Drew went back into the foyer, spying his dad, who stepped forward to give him a huge bear hug. Drew didn't look that much like his dad, who had dark hair. But they shared the same skin tone, similar facial features, and their height. He did, however, share the same hair color as his mother, though she had dyed the bottom of her hair a rich plum color. Coco and Xander Lycan were both very carefree people, and above everything else, they loved their son. Drew was lucky to have them.

Drew stepped back from his parents, standing next to Charles. "Mom, Dad, this is Charles. Charles, these are my parents."

"It's great to meet you, Charles," Coco said, smiling warmly at him. "I'm sorry we weren't here when you got here."

Xander stepped forward, offering his hand for Charles to shake. If Charles accepted it, his handshake would be firm and friendly. "It's great to have you." He stepped back, looking between Drew and Charles. "Merlin's beard, you're even taller than Drew is!"

Drew rolled his eyes. "Don't rub it in."

A call from the kitchen, to the left of the foyer, announced that dinner was ready. It was recognizably Lucianna.

"So how did you meet Drew?" he asked Charles, making some loose conversation as the group started to head towards the kitchen.