17 Jul 2023, 13:47
Tales by the Lakeside
Second year ❀ Slytherin
Interacting With: @Allen Kristiansen
Date: 9th Sep. 2023
Word count: 268
It's been a whole week since the new school year began, but since they arrived at Hogwarts, Winona never really spent any time with her little brother. She was too busy settling in and planning her study routines for the rest of the year that she almost forgot Allen was around. In her eyes, he was always a little, young child, and it was hard to accept that he was now old enough to attend Hogwarts. Time sure does fly fast.
The school happened to be so big that they hadn't run into each other for days. But when they did, they talked about spending more time together. When their agreed time arrived, Winona waited for Allen in the Entrance hall. She was not surprised in the slightest by the boy being late. The siblings walked together to the Great Lake, chatting peacefully in the meantime.
The lakeside was one of Winona's favorite places on the school grounds. The scenery was beautiful, and the place had an aura that was very soothing for the Slytherin girl. Though this time, it was not enough to refrain her from being mean to her baby brother. Just seeing him in Hufflepuff robes and a scarf with yellow and black stripes around his neck was enough for her to start nagging him. "I still can't believe you were sorted into Hufflepuff. It's so weird to see you in yellow." A couple of seconds passed before she burst into a fit of giggles while staring at the boy. "Actually, never mind, it makes perfect sense. Of course you belong to the silliest house."
Last edited by Winona Kristiansen on 18 Aug 2023, 21:16, edited 2 times in total.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨.The panic that consumes you is the fear of order.୧⋆ ˚｡⋆
26 Jul 2023, 13:41
Tales by the Lakeside
⋄ September 9th 2023 ⋄ Interacting with: @Winona Kristiansen ⋄
Over the past few days, Allen had been feeling a bit down because his sister, Winona, seemed unwilling to spend time with him. He wasn't sure if she was intentionally avoiding him or had some other reason, but the anxious young boy decided it would be best not to bother her.
However, when she suggested spending more time together, it brightened his mood. Having someone he knew and trusted in this big and unfamiliar place, like Hogwarts, was comforting. As they walked towards the lake together, he absentmindedly played with an empty potion vial he had forgotten to throw away, probably weeks ago.
Seeing the lake in daylight for the first time was truly a beautiful sight. The water reflected particles of sunlight, creating a gorgeous ray of yellow and orange colors. Even when Winona started making comments, it didn't spoil his enjoyment of the lovely view and the breeze of the upcoming autumn.
"I actually met some of my housemates, and they're really nice people," he said with a smile. The disappointment he initially felt when sorted into Hufflepuff had completely disappeared. He had grown used to Winona being unnecessarily mean, so he just laughed off her attempts to annoy him. "There's nothing silly about being hardworking and loyal."
One of the things Allen loved about growing up was how tall he was becoming, especially compared to his older sister. He playfully put his hand on the shorter girl's head, messing up her hair, and chuckled. His mind had been preoccupied since seeing the large body of water, so he turned back to the lake and continued, "Do you remember the story Dad told us when we went to the seaside?"
27 Jul 2023, 21:43
Tales by the Lakeside
Second year ❀ Slytherin
Interacting With: @Allen Kristiansen
Date: 9th Sep. 2023
Word count: 229
Even though Winona expected Allen to react negatively after teasing him about being in Hufflepuff, he did not seem offended in any way. It felt awkward to see her little baby of a brother start acting mature, especially when one of her greatest joys in life was to annoy him. "You're just too naive to think badly of anyone" she crossed her arms and looked away, dissatisfied about not being able to get a reaction out of him.
Not long after, she felt Allen's touch on the top of her head, messing up her hair. She hated it when the boy did that; apparently, now the dynamics of the sibling banter between the two were starting to change. Being annoyed on purpose by him made Winona pout and detest as she pushed his hand away. "Ughh, stop it! You dummy!" With a clearly frustrated expression on her face, she tried her best to fix her hair, paying little attention to Allen as he was reminiscing about a sweet childhood memory.
"Huh- what story? I wasn't paying attention" she said, still visibly grumpy. Once she was done fixing her hair, the Slytherin put her hands down and looked over the lake to appreciate the view before her. It helped to suppress her feelings of annoyance, after all she could never stay mad at her little brother for too long anyway.
Last edited by Winona Kristiansen on 16 Aug 2023, 00:37, edited 1 time in total.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨.The panic that consumes you is the fear of order.୧⋆ ˚｡⋆
8 Aug 2023, 21:23
Tales by the Lakeside
⋄ September 9th 2023 ⋄ Interacting with: @Winona Kristiansen ⋄
The response from his sister was exactly as Allen had expected after he playfully teased her. Despite Winona's continued mean and rude behavior, there was a certain childlike innocence and cuteness to her actions, as if she were unaware of the impact her harsh words could have on others. Nevertheless, it was difficult to envision anyone besides Allen seeing such an loveable side of the Slytherin girl at the moment. This was just another reason why the tale that the Hufflepuff boy was about to share remained so vivid in his memory.
With his hands tucked into his pockets and his green eyes fixed on the water's surface, Allen began to recount the story he had heard from his father on numerous occasions. "There's a legend about the shore we visited. You write your wish on a piece of paper, put it in a glass bottle, and set it adrift at sea. Maybe one day, your wish might come true." the boy concluded with a wistful smile. He had indeed sent out numerous bottles containing the same wish to the sea before, but there had been no sign of his wish being fulfilled so far. Nevertheless, this didn't deter his optimism. However, holding onto hope for things beyond his control was becoming increasingly painful and challenging for the young boy.
Pushing aside his scattered thoughts, Allen turned his attention back to his sister. "I have no idea if it would work here. Do you have a pen and paper?" He took out an empty potion vial from his pocket and held it between two fingers, indicating his intention to attempt the little ritual. The vial was quite small, able to hold a tiny piece of paper even if it was rolled-up, suggesting that the wish they write could only consist of a few words.
10 Aug 2023, 21:10
Tales by the Lakeside
Second year ❀ Slytherin
Interacting With: @Allen Kristiansen
Date: 9th Sep. 2023
Word count: 314
Winona could not help but start chuckling at how seriously Allen was taking this little story. He's so naive; the poor thing will believe anything he's told, she thought. "This is just a lake, silly! The only thing that can happen is merpeople finding your wish and laughing at it."
To his luck, Winona indeed had the habit of carrying a tiny charcoal pencil and a notepad. She flipped through the pages to find an empty one and tore it. Before handing the paper and pencil to her brother, she continued to make fun of his belief in the story. "That can't possibly make your wishes come true. Even asking me to grant them would have a higher chance!" she could not help but laugh at her own words. So far, whenever Allen wanted something from her, she would be the least helpful person ever.
"What are you even going to wish for anyway?" the Slytherin asked carelessly without actually thinking about what wish he might have wanted to come true. She thought that the boy probably wanted something trivial like a cool broom, a girlfriend, or getting O's in his future quizzes. It took her a few seconds to remember, though; her little baby brother must have been feeling so bad about his condition, bad enough to believe a silly little story and try his chances by making a wish. The realization was like a punch in the stomach. Winona could feel an overflowing guilt for asking the question and laughing at him in the first place. Deciding to refrain from talking any further about the topic, she quickly handed the pen and paper to Allen. "Go ahead, write what you want." she no longer sounded bubbly like when she was making fun of the boy; her voice was slightly quieter, and her expression became softer as she felt bad for her younger brother.
Last edited by Winona Kristiansen on 16 Aug 2023, 00:37, edited 1 time in total.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨.The panic that consumes you is the fear of order.୧⋆ ˚｡⋆
11 Aug 2023, 23:36
Tales by the Lakeside
⋄ September 9th 2023 ⋄ Interacting with: @Winona Kristiansen ⋄
Once again, Allen found himself on the receiving end of his sister's teasing. Believing her words were all in good fun, he didn't take them too seriously.
He took the piece of paper and pen she handed him, meeting her gaze with an equally emotional expression. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to make her pay for laughing at him.
He quickly realized what had caused her mood to change. It wasn't entirely unfounded for her to assume that he would wish to be rid of his condition, given his past wishes. However, things were different now; he was beginning to come to terms with the idea of living as he was.
Allen placed the paper on his palm and began jotting something down, aiming to keep the sentence short to fit. "You know, Winnie... When people are desperate, even the tiniest glimmer of hope becomes precious," he said dramatically, pretending to be upset.
Without wasting any time, he rolled up the paper before his curious sister could attempt to read it, then tucked it into a small glass vial. The young boy would have felt embarrassed to have his sister read how he wished to always be able to be around to protect her.
After securing the vial's cap, he turned back to Winona, with the sweetest, most innocent smile. "I wished that one day you'd grow taller than a goblin." The urge to burst into laughter was strong after saying that sentence, he managed to hold it in.
He braced himself mentally for the Slytherin to lash out at him, knowing that her getting mad at him for being a goofy younger brother was much better than her feeling sorry for him due to something beyond his control.
12 Aug 2023, 21:56
Tales by the Lakeside
Second year ❀ Slytherin
Interacting With: @Allen Kristiansen
Date: 9th Sep. 2023
Word count: 243
Listening to Allen talk about desperation and hope, Winona was becoming more emotional and wanted to pull him into a big hug. But that compassionate expression of a loving sister soon turned into pure irritation. She let out a little high-pitched scream and hit her brother's arm after he called her shorter than a goblin. Although she wasn't gentle, she did not use much strength while hitting his arm. "You little, stupid, dumb idiot!" Her pale face was now red due to the embarrassment she felt. Not only did he make fun of her, but he also did it by playing with her feelings first.
"You stinky, muddy, rabid stray dog! I'll make you pay for this!" It could be said that the girl who thought she was so smart and above everyone else was now throwing a tantrum like a toddler. She crossed her arms, looked away from the Hufflepuff, and proceeded to speak in a more childish voice. "I'm not short, everyone else is too tall." It's not that her height was an insecurity for the Slytherin, but being made fun of so mercilessly was starting to get even more annoying than usual.
She wondered if it would ever be possible to have an intellectual talk with her brother. It had been only a week since he started attending Hogwarts, and he was already becoming bubblier and goofier than before. At least back home, he used to be quiet and calm.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨.The panic that consumes you is the fear of order.୧⋆ ˚｡⋆
18 Aug 2023, 17:53
Tales by the Lakeside
⋄ September 9th 2023 ⋄ Interacting with: @Winona Kristiansen ⋄
With his sister's exaggerated reaction, Allen couldn't help but burst into laughter. The short girl hitting his arm didn't hurt at all, but that didn't stop him from pretending that it did. "Ouch, ouch! You meanie!" he said while rubbing the spot where she hit.
The Hufflepuff couldn't maintain his act for too long and ended up chuckling for a few seconds. "I was just joking..." he noticed Winona called him a stray dog because she knew it would break his heart. Just to put salt on the wound. Why did she always hit people where it hurt?
Responding to her was most likely going to start a long, uncomfortable argument, which Allen was not ready for. He genuinely enjoyed the time they spent together and preferred not to ruin it. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if she acted this way only towards him or if her behavior was consistent with other people. It's hard to imagine anyone other than himself putting up with all the verbal abuse.
Despite the saddening questions in his mind, Allen walked closer to where the ground met the water. He left the little glass vial on the water's surface and watched it float away for a while. It was either his eyesight worsening, or as his little wish continued to float away, it joined the little sparkles of light created by the reflections of the setting sun.
It was hard to take his eyes off the sparkles, but he finally managed to snap back to reality and turned to face his sister with a sweet smile on his face. "Why don't we go back to the castle?" Looking at the girl once again reminded him why he made the wish in the first place.
Winona was the role model he had while growing up—so smart, talented, and even sweet when he managed to get on her good side. He was shocked to see that at Hogwarts, she hadn't become popular by now. It didn't take long to understand she was pushing people away at every chance. Watching her get more isolated and bitter every day left him feeling extremely useless for being unable to help her change for the better. He could feel that the guilt was going to keep him awake for a several nights to come.