Closed A Reunion’s Gift

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Adrenaline still buzzed through Anisha's body long after her speech. She had given one of her relatives her diploma to hold, she had already forgotten who, and was now wandering around a little aimlessly. She felt like she had twenty-thousand things to do before the event was over. She should be talking to her classmates, right? Making plans for over break? Just in case she never saw them again? Or should she go thank her professors? Maybe sneak out and have one last look at her favorite spots in the castle? But then she spotted her sister's in the distance and knew what she wanted to do, all her other ideas vanishing immediately. She pushed past a group of chatting Ravenclaws and made her way over to Indi. She stopped in front of her, feeling oddly breathless. "Hey." She said, fidgeting with her hands. "So... I finally did it, huh?" She said, her voice a little too bright. "So, did I live up to your standards?" She asked, aiming for a joking tone but not quite nailing it. There was too much anxiety in it. She felt genuinely nervous for the answer too. She knew Indi hadn't been that serious about her living up to Indi's name, back when they were in this same room when her sister graduated, but Anisha had taken it to heart anyway. Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to impress her sister, and a part of her wondered if she had finally managed it.

Now that the ceremony was over Indi felt a little restless being back at Hogwarts. She didn't regret anything about her time here and her bitterness about not being made prefect before her final year had long since faded along with every other grievance she might have had as a teenager. In her own head girl speech she had talked about how school was just the beginning and there was so much left to learn, it was almost scary how right she had been back then. Not that she actually knew better but it had been a good guess. Her family's loud conversation was giving her a headache so she stepped away to a quieter spot and found a portrait she had always liked, an old austere man in a funny hat looked back at her and she gave him a nod. She was a little surprised when she heard Anisha greet her. She had expected she would be busy with friends and fighting off congratulatory hugs from all their aunts and uncles. "Hey." she replied with a grin. "So you did." she answered a little smugly as she crossed her arms in front of her. Of course she was proud of her sister but of course she couldn't come out and say it plainly. At Anisha's question she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Seriously?" she asked. "You still care about my standards?" Surely they had both grown out of this.

Anisha could have protested and said she had just been kidding, and she wouldn't have been lying entirely. But at the core, she did want Indi's approval, and she figured it might as well be said. "Yep. Obviously." She said with a small shrug, as if it was obvious. It didn't matter how old they got, Anisha always wanted her sister to be proud of her. That wasn't such a strange thing, was it? She didn't feel the need to defend that. Anisha cracked a smile, then wiggled her eyebrows. "I see you're avoiding the question, that means you're super proud of me and just don't want to admit it, right?" She teased. "Did you cry? I bet you cried."

Indi rolled her eyes at Anisha's quick answer but let a small smile creep across her face. She wanted to feel flattered but she wouldn't want to let it get to her head. It was also a lot of pressure too. "Absolutely bursting with pride." she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm even if there was truth in them. She could admit it in a joke but she drew the line at being accused of crying. "Absolutely not." she said briskly. "But I think dad was barely holding it together." She gave her stepfather a hard time, especially when she was young, but moving out and growing up and done wonders for almost all of her relationships. "Think I heard him sniffling by the time you sat down."

Anisha knew Indi was being sarcastic, but she felt (or just hoped?) that there was some truth in her words. She grinned when she denied crying, then smiled at the thought of her dad crying at her speech. "Glad I moved someone to tears, at least." She said lightly. Then she hesitated. "I'm glad you're here." She said more sincerely. "Can I hug you now?"