Mount of Saturn
25.12.16
The first time Merula is civil to you is at Christmas.
Ilvermony starts celebrating about two weeks prior to the main thing, taking Thanksgiving in stride and there's chaos everywhere for almost a week after the decorating is done, muggle phone numbers exchanged and friendships re-patched together.
Dinner is barely over and you are barely thirteen. You're staring off into the distance when Merula Snyde herself comes and flops down next to you on the cold graystone floor.
You're tense only for a minute.
"Merry Christmas." you whisper, like to a bird on edge of flight.
"Merry Christmas."
It is silent except for sharp, cold wind and a stray snowflake that lands on your nose and makes you sneeze. It feels vaguely comforting, like a blanket a distant uncle would give you before leaving the family forever.
"Are you going home?"
The question shakes you awake like a bony hand. You blink at her. She sighs.
"Are you-"
"Uh yeah no, I heard you. Um," you mumble quickly, fumbling with the edge of your skirt, " Um, no. I don't think so, no."
"I see." Theres something almost cordial at the edge of her tone, something almost warm.
"..Are you?"
"No. My family is not the most... loving."
It sounded like she was about use something a little crueler and you suck in a gust of bitingly cold air.
"My..my mother was in the chorus."
You sat there like a stuffed frog, not knowing what to say, to your surprise. You always had something do say.
"Th-that's why." Merula's voice wavered, sounding dangerously close to tears. She was pinning you down but showed no signs of bruising you.
"And," you began softly, "you couldn't tell me this before why?"
Merula gritted her teeth. "It wouldn't mean much if I didnt..earn it, now would it?"
Earn it, earn it, earn it, a voice (or warning) had roamed in your head for weeks after.
Maybe the war was over if you really chose?
Emboldened suddenly, out of nowhere, like a cloud of red courage rising from your gut, you asked: "Tell me about your family?"
Merula's head snaps back towards you, and even you're shocked. Where the fuck did that come from? Why? What the fuck?
Merula stares back at you, a month away from fourteen, glossy hazel hair dishevelled with intricate care, scarlet eyes large and suspicious, face all cheekbones and jawlines and fresh skin and she opens her mouth and closes it again.
There's silence for a couple of beats and you can feel Merula's unease and...fear?
Huh? What? Huh??
Just as you're about to open your mouth to tell her she doesn't have to tell you anything she doesn't want to (and mean it, honestly), her low voice catches you off-guard.
"My parents are in Azkaban, as you know." She begins in a voice lower than before, more careful, a little hesitant. A rabbit touching grass for the first time.
Something thin is tugging at your heart. You press your fingers against your breastbone, keeping it in.
"My aunt- she's my mother's sister. My mother married into my father's family, for context. Grandfather wouldn't approve of it." She huffs a little, and you feel something golden bubble at the base of your ribs.
"Obviously."
"Yeah. So then my dad was really into like, Voldemort? And..,"
You snort suddenly at that, like Voldemort was some Muggle music genre that her dad just happened to be into, and you couldn't help laughing all over the floor, almost rolling over on her lap.
"If my family's that hilarious to you-", she begins in cold indignation, but there's a hint of hurt there somewhere and you reach out and grasp the edge of her robe sleeve before she can predictably walk off.
"It's just-," you gasp out, "it's a no-maj joke. I'm sorry, I really am. Please continue. For real."
Merula looks dubious, so you clear your throat and say, "Do you know I have sisters?"
Merula stops and stares.
"Jacob's not your only sibling, then?"
"No, only my famous one." you chuckle. "I have a pair of older twin sisters, Aurora and Aria. They go to Beauxbatons, because my mother," you can't keep the disgust out of your voice and Merula shows you she noticed with a raised eyebrow, "decided it'd be stressful for them to enter Ilvermony right after Jacob tarnished us, fragile little things. Ilvermony is closer to where we live, you see."
"And yet here you are."
"Yup!"
Merula chuckles drily, but slowly sits back down, and when the new year comes you wish her and your eyes catch onto each other's a few times. You're floating, oh, you're floating.
Her birthday comes around a couple weeks later, you wait outside her Wampus dormitory and study the heavy door. It's so funny, cats were never friendly. Ever. When she comes out, barely awake, pajamas crinkled and eyes cute and tired, you lunge towards her so quick she almost slaps you in surprise. She doesn't, however, and you shake her hand vigorously (any other form of contact would probably not be well-taken, especially this early in the morning) and wish her a VERY happy birthday, then scooting away as fast as you can.
"Rising!" You can hear her yell from behind. You're kinda really happy, and you don't know why.