Blurred Time
Hazel juggled her trunk and her two siblings' hands as they tried to thrash away from her, undoubtedly with plans to cause some chaos.
“Caspian,” she sighed, more exasperation than anything, when her excited younger brother succeeded in breaking away and took off like a shot. Beside her, still holding her hand, Demelza—or Dema, as Hazel fondly called her—giggled with a mischievous glint in her eye. Luckily, their father intercepted Caspian before he got too far.
The little menace was still squirming, and Hazel couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She turned slightly, hiding the faintest hint of a smile as she adjusted her grip on her trunk. Demelza gave her hand a shake, drawing her attention.
“Can I come with you?” Dema asked, all innocence.
By then, her family had gathered around her in a loose semi-circle. Hazel set her trunk down and knelt, letting go of Dema’s hand to ruffle her hair. “Sorry, Dema, but girls who hoard Chocolate Frogs don’t get to come. Maybe next year, if you learn to share.”
Dema’s face scrunched up in an exaggerated pout, her bottom lip sticking out as if it might tip the scales in her favor. Hazel just raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
Caspian, on the other hand, had stopped his squirming and was now standing awkwardly beside their father. His earlier mischief had faded, replaced by a touch of uncertainty that made Hazel’s chest tighten just a bit. He might have been a terror at times, but he was still her little brother.
Their parents stepped forward then, alternating between reassuring smiles and the kind of stern looks that conveyed a thousand expectations without a word. Her mother, Alexandria Nell Crawford, brushed a strand of Hazel’s hair behind her ear, her touch both tender and firm.
"Remember, Hazel," her mother began, her voice soft yet weighted, "we’re proud of you, and we know you'll make the right choices."
“And that you’ll uphold the family’s legacy,” her father, Rowena Crawford, added, his tone more a gentle reminder than a command.
For a moment, Hazel looked up at them, and suddenly, they weren’t just her parents. They were Alexandria Nell Crawford and Rowena Crawford—two powerful figures in the wizarding world, and now, standing before her, they seemed both larger and more human than ever before.
But Hazel didn’t let that realization show. Instead, she gave a small nod, her usual reserved expression in place. “Of course,” she replied, her voice steady. “I’ll make you proud.”
She reached out to squeeze Dema’s hand one last time, then ruffled Caspian’s hair, managing a soft smile before picking up her trunk again. It was time to go.
As Hazel turned to make her way toward the platform, her grip firm on the handle of her trunk, she collided with someone moving in the opposite direction. The impact jolted her slightly, and she instinctively pulled back, her eyes flicking up to meet the gaze of the other student.
Ink and ambition
Blurred Time
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Thinking: Italics