the dawn after the new moon finished

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x	9th June 2026	the renée-seymour cottage, winchester, england	x
x	solo	mentions: none	x
x	wordcount: 937 notes: none	dialogue, boldened if vivienne is speaking: french (#25299C), english (#BD9A26), vivienne's thoughts (#948B6B)	x

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XXXEvery morning and every evening after her 11th birthday, she had sat by the door patiently to see if a letter with a red wax seal delivered by their family owl, Pipit, would swoop in through their tin letterbox. Despite her father clearly telling her that it would not come until the summer after the current students finish their school year.
XXXStill, Vivienne couldn't contain her excitement. There had only been a few weeks left until the summer holiday, and then she would receive her letter. She had recounted the tales her father shared of Hogwarts countless times, the friendly ghosts that swept through the castle, a pesky poltergeist whose name she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and the various walks of life she could familiarise herself with. While her mother scoffed playfully and insisted that she should instead live in France with her grandparents to attend what she considered to be the better school, her alma mater, Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons (Beauxbatons Academy of Magic).
XXXVivienne profusely denied her offer, exclaiming about how magical Hogwarts was, and that no school could ever compare. To which her mother retorted that both schools are magical, since that's what they teach. “Maman, si tu veux que je sois malheureux, jette-moi plutôt un sort.” (Mama, if you want me to be unhappy, you’d be better off casting a spell on me.) She whined towards her mother. Juliette clicked her tongue and shook her head “Je suppose que je vais te laisser être heureux, alors.” (I suppose I will let you be happy, then.) Her father, weakly understanding the conversational French, chimed in, “What a gracious mother to allow her daughter to attend the greatest wizarding school in the world.” he raised an eyebrow and sipped a small portion of his tea. He let out a small hiss, and his eyes darted towards his wife, who was chuckling to herself after using a bit of magic to make it just hot enough to be uncomfortable to the tongue.
XXX“Do they not teach you to defend yourself against primary school level charms at the so-called ‘Greatest wizarding school in the world’?” Juliette’s thick French accent was laced with friendly mockery as she went about her morning routine, continuing to carefully wash each dish with her hand. Caelum had let out a heavy sigh with no retort and returned to his tea and the Daily Prophet, while Vivienne had begun fantasizing about the world she’d soon come to know in her first year at Hogwarts.
XXXHer family had made it abundantly clear, however, that should she attend, her identity as a lycanthrope must be concealed in order not to frighten anyone, so her dreams of meeting similar werewolf-beings were slightly crushed, assuming everyone else like her was told the same thing. Of course, this was no concern to her; she had already spent the last three years learning to navigate her misfortunes, and this fact did not diminish her excitement in the slightest.
XXXShe had decided that for her start at Hogwarts, she would turn a new leaf and reinvent herself instead. A new and improved Vivienne who would charm everybody she meets with just a flash of her smile. Yeah... That sounds nice. I would make loads more friends that way too... She thought to herself. Imagining herself surrounded by a bunch of new wizards and witches, sharing a common room and a dorm every year, unique people whom she could call her friends and share butterbeers in Hogsmeade with. She sat at her wooden, battered desk (that was probably older than Merlin) with her arms folded together and her head resting atop them. The young girl had let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders dramatically rising with an inhale and dropping with an exhale. “How am I going to even do that…” she grumbled, contemplating whether she was even capable of change.
XXXHer mind wandered off into distant memories of things her parents did before when they wanted to make things happen. She vaguely recalled her father pacing around their dining room table, babbling about various goals they had to reach for their business, while her mother had calmly commanded her magic quill to the paper and begun jotting down a list of things to do.
XXXThat’s it. I’ll make a list! A… a bucket list!
XXXVivienne excitedly opened the drawers to her desk, which needed a bit of tugging to get open, and reached for a piece of parchment and a pen. She placed the pen to her mouth and hummed, unsure of what to jot down.

Vivienne’s Hogwarts Bucket List
1. Make at least one good friend
2. Become friendly with a ghost
3. Explore the library
4. Go to a Quidditch match
5. Meet a mermaid
6. Visit every floor of Hogwarts… or discover a secret passageway… maybe that should be its own bullet point… darn it!

XXXAs she was writing her bucket list, she got a bit distracted near the end. She sighed and looked out to the green pastures. There, imagining the sounds of the waves and the sights from the Black Lake surrounding the grounds, and the screeches of hypogriffs from the Forbidden Forest being heard from a distance. The smell of the smoke before stepping on the express to Hogwarts and the clamouring students searching for their spot in the train car. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and smiled, setting her pen down gently atop her paper as the ink was still drying. It would be any day now that her letter arrived, and when it did, she would be ready for it.