Closed Meeting in the Middle Solo

Date and Time: Wednesday, Jan 15 2025. Afternoon after classes.

Tes dragged her feet on the way up to the owlery. It had been a tough couple of months, between Hufflepuff's quidditch loss where once again Tes had found herself knocked off her broom, as well as the horrific attack that had taken place against the foreign schools, and their half-human students. She'd been feeling more like herself, peppy and upbeat, but had found herself horribly exhausted after the last full moon, despite her best efforts. Now, she was only halfway through the school week, and had to catch up on the courses she'd let fall behind leading up to the full moon.

Needless to say, her correspondence with her grandmother was weighing on her heavily. They'd been making a bit of progress communicating since her disastrous stay with her in the summer after her first year, but she still couldn't help but feel like her grandmother expected her to throw away her werewolf nature and embrace the traditional pureblood values that just didn't sit right with the kindhearted girl. She hadn't heard from her grandmother since the other schools visited, when she'd been told to keep an eye out for her cousin, whom she'd managed to miss despite them being in the same school for a time. She knew he'd been okay after the attack, but hadn't heard anything else from her family in America.

She'd learned that her grandmother had finally written her, and that there was also a package waiting for her when she went to pick it up in the owlery, as her grandmother's rented eagle owl would not come anywhere else in the school. Finally finding the section of the owlery where her mail had been left, she stopped short, staring in shock at the package waiting there for her. It... looked like a broom. At least, it looked like a nicely wrapped box that was long enough to be a broom. Had her grandmother really had a broom sent to her?

That didn't make sense, her momma had already bought her a broom in her first year when she became a beater, and she didn't need a new one. That one worked for her just fine! Hesitant, she reached out and pulled apart the wrapping to see what was inside, peaking under the lid of the box within. She nearly gasped in shock as she caught sight of what lay within.

It wasn't just any broom. It wasn't a small step up, a newer edition of the broom she already had. No, it was what one might consider the best broom on the market. It looked like a Firebolt.

In disbelief, she quickly tore open the letter that had come with it, suddenly guilty she hadn't even thought of reading it before that moment.

Granddaughter,

I apologize for my lack of understanding of your hobbies and interests. In light of recent events, I realized I needed to prioritize spending what time with my family I could, regardless of our differences.

I hope this is a sufficient gift to show my sincerity, as it was no small expense to purchase and deliver to the school.

I do love you as my granddaughter, and I hope you have never had reason to think otherwise. We will continue to discuss your education and behavior at a later date, but my son has advised me to give you time to write back to me first.

Sincerely,

Elaine Blackwood, Your Grandmother

Tes finished the letter, blinking away tears and quickly folding the letter back up before she could ruin it. She tucked it carefully into a pocket, before tearing apart the rest of the packaging and holding the broom reverently in her hand. She almost couldn't believe it, and her hands shook as she turned it over, admiring the finely lacquered wood and perfect bristles. She threw the care supplies it came with into her satchel alongside the homework she'd been planning to work on and tore out of the owlery at a breakneck sprint.

She didn't care what classwork needed to get done, or how little time she had before the sun set and it was curfew. No, the only thing she cared about was getting into the sky. She needed to fly, to realize that her grandmother did love her, and that the two of them still had a chance at reconciliation.