Closed Family Ties Undone Solo

Grandparents. They were people that were supposed to spoil you. They were supposed to stuff you full of candy before sending you back to your parents. They were supposed to be the ones you called for comfort when you were upset with your parents. At least, that was what Nellie had been told. Her non-existant relationship with her grandparents had been ever prevalant in her mind since she'd arrived at Hogwarts. In the five months since she'd been there, the Hufflepuff had found herself growing more and more resentful about having been robbed of spending her early years in this world. Sure, there were plenty of kids that were just now finding out magic was real, but it shouldn't have been that way for her. Her resentment was not aimed at her parents, however. The Hufflepuff understood their reasons. No, her resentment was reserved for both of her parents' families.

As far as Nellie had been able to learn since finding out about her heritage, the Lams and Werners had been friends. That was how her parents had met. They'd grown up with each other. And they both realized they were squibs around the same time. Neither family had reacted well to the fact and Han and Alice had spend their childhood mostly ignored, being barred from family functions, with only the most basic of their needs met. Once each was of age, both families had instructed them to leave and never return. And they had. She still wasn't sure how either family had found out about Nellie or that she'd recieved her letter, but owls with introductions had arrived a short time later. A handful of letters had been exchanged since, but nothing exciting nor regular.

Early one morning, Nellie made her way up to the owlry with a plan in mind. In her hand, she carried the last letter she'd recieved from Grandmother Werner. It had gone unreplied to since it had been sent weeks ago, but until now, she hadn't know how to reply. Now, standing amid the owls, she looked down at the words the woman had written.

Reducio

"I'm glad your parents' unfortunate lack of magic seems to not have continued with you."

She read the words again for the hundreth time and sighed. Behind that letter was the one she'd written.

Reducio

Grandmother Werner,
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to reply, but I've been trying to figure out how. Mum went through a lot because of you. Dad too. Since being at Hogwarts, I've met a lot of kids. Some of them have good relationships with their families, some don't. But I'm realizing you didn't have to cut off mum just because she couldn't do magic. I am glad you reached out to me. I think I needed to make this decision on my own. This will be the final letter I write to you. If you have a change of heart at some point, mum and dad still know how to use owls and it doesn't require magic. Unless you make up with them and fix your attitude regarding squibs and muggles, please do not owl me again.

Nellie Lam
PS Please pass this letter along to dad's family, as well.

With a clear conscious, she tied her letter to an owl that looked healthy and sent it on it's way. Once the was done, she ripped her grandmother's letting into tiny pieces, tossed them out of the window, and watched as they fluttered down. She'd stand there for a moment, but eventually, she'd turn to leave.