Memories (Dorcas)
“Ow” Dorcas said her head flinching.
“Sorry I haven’t done anyone’s hair in a couple of months” her aunt said.
She was getting her normal braids with a few beads she had chosen with her dad.
Her natural hair was down to her shoulders but she didn’t want to go back to hogwarts without braids, for one thing she really didn’t want anyone to ask to touch her hair. It had happened a few times in muggle school and each time she felt uncomfortable.
Her aunt, amara had started doing her hair after she found out. Long black braids were normal for her now. She could still put her hair in a pony tail and now that she was at hogwarts she had found a few spells to make them last longer.
Her aunt Amara lived a couple houses down, she was her mothers sister.
Dorcas’ mother had been a wizard but she lived a muggle life with her father, then she got into a car accident.
It all happened so fast she still remembered her mother but not as well as she would like, it had happened a few years ago when she was eight. Her father was a mess for a year Dorcas didn’t know what to do.
Her aunt was a few years older than her mother and had taught Dorcas the spells for her hair.
Now Amara and her father told storys about her mother and laughed.
When Dorcas had found it she had sobbed for hours. She’d destroyed her room, ripped up her pillow, knocked over her dresser she’d screamed and she’d yelled for hours until she collapsed into her fathers arms. He never tried to stop her he just watched her silently crying, she knows she scared him but she just felt too much. She was better at it now when she felt similar to then she would just breath.
The next day he helped her pick everything up, he got her ice cream and told her she didn’t have to go back to school until she was ready. She slept in his room with him for a week, she didn’t go back to school for a month. He didn’t push her not once just told her to let him know when she was ready.
Her aunt watched her while he was at work. She took her braids out until she went back to school, her mom never wore braids. Her hair was to her elbow long and curly. Dorcas had many pictures of her mom, black hair dark skin, brown eyes. She looked just like her without braids. She didn’t want to look just like her she had decided though she wanted to be her own person.
It took a couple of hours for her to be done doing her hair, now they were eating dinner.
“How has school been Dorcas?” Dorcas’ father asked.
“It’s good I made some friends”
“Tell me about them”
Dorcas made a face, “Barty’s well hyper? He can’t sit still for more than a couple of minutes without getting bored but I think regulus balances him out.”
“How?” Amara asked.
“Well regulus is very, quiet not because he’s shy he just doesn’t like talking that much but barty loves talking so they argue a lot but sometimes I’ll catch them just sitting in silence and its almost weird because I’ve never really seen barty that quiet, but regulus is kind of mean so maybe he just bullied him into being quiet.”
Her dad Elijah burst out laughing, “that’s an interesting dynamic”
Dorcas nodded, “yeah then there’s Evan he’s very calm, kind of living in his own world his twin pandora is similar but so different, shes nicer I guess? But I’m kind of friends with her friend Phoebe they’re both in ravenclaw, but phoebes very quiet I think we’re kind of overwhelming for her.”
Amara shrugged, “what families are they from if you don’t mind I might know some of them.”
“Well regulus’ last name is black- no he’s not bad or anything can’t really control your family but Evan and pandoras last name is rosier, and bartys is crouch.”
Amara seemed weary before she spoke, “the blacks are a- dangerous family just be careful with them. The rosiers aren’t that bad from what I know haven’t heard anything about crouch.”
“I don’t think regulus likes his family that much from what I can gather, his older brother Sirius definitely doesn’t.”
Amara softly smiled, “that’s good enough for me, I think bartys father or a family member at least is head of dml.”
The next day when Dorcas woke up it was too her younger cousin jack jumping on her bed.
“Good morning!” He Said smiling wider than ever.
Dorcas sighed and sat up. She walked over to her dresser and put on a sweater, she had been wearing a tank top when she went to bed but it was colder now.
“Good morning, why were you jumping on my bed.” She asked after she finished putting it on.
Jack smirked, “we’re going to the park today. Mum said you’re going back to school tomorrow but I haven’t seen you in a while so she said we could hang out today.”
Jack was nine, most of the time he stayed with his dad when her aunt came over.
“Alright I’m going to go get ready do you know when we’re leaving?”
“I’m about an hour I think? I’m not sure, I’ll go downstairs while you get ready.”
He ran downstairs making old steps creak, Dorcas laughed softly as she watched him go. He had so much energy it reminded her of barty.
They were in the car now, Dorcas had just put on some jeans and a jacket, her father practically forced her to put on a coat, it wasn’t that cold this winter but she did anyways.
They were almost there now, her dad was humming along to a song on the radio.
Jack was practically bouncing up and down in his seat with excitement while Amara was looking at him fondly.
Finally they pulled up to the park, jack rushing out the second they were parked.
Dorcas followed him out, briefly wondering if this was what barty was like a few years ago.
Jacks father couldn’t come because he was stuck at work. Dorcas didn’t really know him that well but he didn’t seem that bad.
She grabbed a cooler that had some snacks and things in it, she set it down on a picnic bench before following after jack.
He was at the swings going as fast as he could’ve managed in that short amount of time. Dorcas rolled her eyes softly before joining him.
“What’s hogwarts like? I can’t wait to go.”
“It’s amazing, kind of sucks being away from home but it’s so big and there’s so many people, I think you’d be good at quidditch.”
Jack hummed speeding up. After a few moments he slowed down before jumping off.
“JACK” his mum called.
“IM OKAY” he shouted back laughing.
Dorcas started laughing softly, “jack be careful okay?”
He nodded pushing his curly hair out of his face. “I’m hungry come on!”
Dorcas chased after him as he raced off laughing.