Katie sat stiffly in the waiting area of Saint Mungos - the wizarding hospital her uncle was currently being treated at. Her uncle - her father's brother - was injured in a potions accident. Katie's parents - especially her father - were rushing around, demanding the nurses allow them to see Katie's uncle, insisting that they be informed of every update on Katie's uncle's health status, etcetera, etcetera. It was quote frankly, exhausting.

Katie did not feel like she belonged in this setting. I All honesty, Katie would much rather have stayed a Hogwarts over the Winter Break, so that she didn't have to spend the time required around her parents, their friends, and all of their disgusting pure-blood doctrine that came with them. Katie sighed deeply. Alas, they not know any of that either.

"He has to be fine!" her father nearly shouted in a hushed whisper, "His niece and nephew need him!" Katie heard her father day, again, beneath hushed whispers. Wait what? Katie was her uncle's niece, yes, but nephew? Katie didn't have a brother. She didn't even have any other siblings. And neither did her father. Katie furrowed her brute, when she heard her mother's voice cut in to the conversation that her father was having with one of the nurses, "I am expecting I just over a month,
and I assure you, my husband's brother must be there to greet his nephew." , in a voice that left n room for debate.

"Wait, what?!?!" Katie half-shouted, more to herself than to anyone else.


@Rhea Miller

@Katie Palsorette

Rhea heard shouting from the other side of the waiting room; she didn't look up, or even move at all. She didn't intend to pry (although the volume of the voices made it clear they couldn't care less if someone overheard), and besides, she had her own thoughts to focus on in that moment.

Her father. Was. Here. Hospitalized at Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

From the moment she had heard the news, everything slowed. Marvin Miller, her poor muggle father, had been attacked by a Peruvian Vipertooth. The same breed of dragon that had killed her mother. It was almost ironic, when you thought about it. Anyway, the dragon had been intending to eat up some wizards (the healers phrased it in that childish way due to the fact that Rhea was eleven and therefore couldn't be addressed seriously- ridiculous, in her opinion, since it wouldn't dull the horror of her father being attacked by a dragon) that were trying to wrangle it, and her daddy was simply on a hike in the woods when he ran into the whole scene. A terrible case of bad luck, they called it. That was all she knew.

Of course, she had done research. The number of Vipertooths increased drastically in the late 19th century, so much so that the International Confederation of Wizards was forced to get involved. The widespread wizard disease Dragon Pox was originally contracted by wizards working closely with the Vipertooth. Now the dragon feeds primarily on livestock, but it still prefers humans.

She swallowed. Her throat was so dry. She tried to recall why she was having that physical reaction, the exact medical reason and everything, and then decided she didn't care. Coping mechanisms, physical and psychological analyzing- the things that usually brought her comfort, they held no meaning any more. Despite herself, she wondered why. And it was Christmas! What a miserable way to spend winter break.

A new voice piped up from across the room, one that she didn't recognize. "Wait, what?!?!"

Automatically Rhea looked over. The owner of the voice was a girl with pointed nose, thick eyebrows, and long brown hair. The girl looked mildly familiar, so she assumed they went to Hogwarts together. That was not so unlikely. She appeared to be speaking to her parents. Maybe this conversation would prove an escape from Rhea's own problem, or at least a distraction.

She began listening intently.

Kate was internally panicking. Why would her parents not tell her she would be an older sister? And for so long at that? Her mother would be giving birth in January?!?! Katie felt inexplicably confused and mad. Now Katie didn't even feel like she should go through with what her and get friend were talking about. After all, then she'd never get to see her younger brother.

Katie went deathly still and sheet pale as she tried to decipher the method being her parents' madness. Katie noticed another girl - maybe from Hogwarts in the halls or something? - looking at her. Katie opened a blank, black journal and write a small message in it.

Hey,
I saw you looking at me. Are you from Hogwarts? I think I may have seen you in the halls. Anyway, my name is Katie. Katie Palsorette. I just found out that I'll have a younger brother in less than a month!!! How could my parents not have told me? I hate then for their blood supremacist vows - but they still actually think I buy that nonsense. Anyway, um, who are you?
- Katie
p.s. Please don't tell them I don't.

I

She quickly scribbled the message, and then discreetly passed her notebook and black pen to the girl.

@Rhea Miller

@Katie Palsorette

Rhea was surprised when the girl handed her an open notebook and pen. The pages were crinkled slightly, and there was a message written on the page. It had clearly been scrawled quickly and the pen had been pressed so hard into the page that each letter made an indent. She assumed that the girl had been angry writing this. Or perhaps that was just her natural handwriting. Either way, Rhea was mildly irritated that she had to read now. She wasn't just going to ignore it. The curiosity would be to much for her.

She bent over the notebook and began to study the girl's message.

Hey,
I saw you looking at me. Are you from Hogwarts? I think I may have seen you in the halls. Anyway, my name is Katie. Katie Palsorette. I just found out that I'll have a younger brother in less than a month!!! How could my parents not have told me? I hate then for their blood supremacist vows - but they still actually think I buy that nonsense. Anyway, um, who are you?
- Katie
p.s. Please don't tell them I don't.

She had trouble with the word "nonsense" and kept reading it "no-cents" like "no American money". However, she got the message. It was that this girl Katie's parents kept things from her and she kept things from them. First of all, she was disgusted at them for their beliefs, and glad that Katie disagreed with them. (The irony that she couldn't read "nonsense" but could read "blood supremacist" was not lost on her.) Also, a younger brother? In less than a month? Rhea wondered vaguely how Katie's mother had managed to hide her expanding belly for that long. There could've been a lot of explanations, but that wasn't relevant anyway. She began her note back.

Hello. I am not good at righting writing, so I'm sory if this is a mess. I am also sory that your mum and dad did all those things. My name is Rhea. I am here because my father got attacked by a dragon. He is a mugle muggle. It is okay, it only nicked his arm. He won't die or anything. I will not tell your parents. I am from Hogwarts. Why did they not tel you about the baby?
Signed,
Rhea Miller

Ugh. It was so bad. Still, it was done, and there was no going back. Rhea slipped the notebook to Katie as quickly as she could, hoping that she would understand.

Katie read over the note. She smiled briefly, flood over the page in the notebook to a new, blank page, and started to write again.

Rhea,
I have no clue why they would not tell me about the baby. I have been working extra hard to maintain my facade of still believing their blood supremacy nightmarish ideas. Do you have any ideas?
I am glad that your father will be okay and I hope that he makes a speedy recovery.
My uncle was involved in some sort of potions accident. I don't know the details but why should I, I suppose? I shouldn't even be spewed to know that my mother is pregnant and I'll be having a baby brother in a month!!! I d know that my uncle has never been good around potions, so why he even entered a potions lab is beyond me.
Gosh! My family is so rude and stuck up. The mediwitches and healers are working EXTREMELY hard to heal my uncle and my parents just hardly care as they demand to be told every little detail and/or health update for my uncle.
I'm sorry, I know I'm kind of rambling and be self centered in this reply. I'm just so stressed about so many things that relate to my parents, which I can't complain to my parents about for obvious reasons. How had your life been going anyway?
- Katie

Katie quickly tossed the notebook and pen back to Rhea after finishing writing the reply.

@Rhea Miller

@Katie Palsorette

Rhea groaned inwardly when she saw the sheer length of Katie's latest note. Nonetheless she got to reading. It wasn't like she had anything better to do, anyway.

When she finally finished, she took a moment to think about it. Katie empathized with the hospital staff and was angry at her parents. It seemed she had a longstanding grudge with her family, even if it was secret. She had clearly wanted to express her anger, and did so emphatically. Katie knew where she stood. That was an important quality in a person.

Rhea felt a bit the opposite for the moment: a spark of irritation toward the healers, and a definite need to make sure her father was okay. Her relationship with her father was... well, not complicated, exactly. But strained. He was a muggle English professor, a small, spindly man without any interesting qualities. His entire personality consisted of his work. He hadn't made many friends since Rhea's mother died, and he didn't exactly have much money. Every day he walked to and from the school he worked at, carrying a briefcase and wearing a shabby suit. He tried to be a good father, Rhea knew. He would take her to the cinema sometimes when he could afford it. In return, she behaved, and their monotone lives remained parallel, and she then she got a scholarship for a very important school for the Gifted, and then Hogwarts. That was basically their entire story. Rhea didn't have anything against her father, but she hadn't thought she cared for him as much as most children cared for their mum and dad. That's why her genuine, absolute horror at his injury was surprising.

Okay, back to the note. She wasn't going include all of that, obviously, but maybe some portion of it? She's have to see.

Katie,
You are not self-centered at all. I get it. It must be hard to have a famly family that you don't like. I'm sory about your uncle. I hope he is ok. As for my life, it is bboring. My dad and I get a long fine but we are not so closse close. I undar stand that you are feel sory for the healers and mediwitches. For me, I am angery at them for not teling me about how my father is doing. I supose we are both in the same bote boat when it comes to people not telling us things.
- R

She wished she could make it longer, but at that point Rhea didn't have it in her. She set it on the chair beside her and carefully placed the pen on top with the hopes that Katie would get the message and take it.