Open A Holland Howler

[Lucy Holland]

After a few days of getting settled, Lucy really felt like she was starting to find her way in Hogwarts. Her dorm was amazing, with so many of her friends around, the school was massive and there was so much to explore, and the library was definitely already one of her favourite places to be - she didn't think she could POSSIBLY run out of books in the next seven years. All in all everything felt a little bit like a dream come true, and Lucy was loving every moment of it.

She knew it shouldnt be the case, not really, but meals were the time she often felt the loneliest. It was when she was the least alone, surrounded by friends and schoolmates on all sides, but as much fun as she was having and as great as the food was, it always made a tiny part of her yearn for the dining table at home, surrounded by family and loved ones, eating her dad's sometimes questionable cooking. Life at Hogwarts was wonderful, of course, but Lucy missed her home all the same.

So naturally, post deliveries were something she always looked forward to. She had gotten a few letters back from home so far, and was looking forward to hearing from the rest of her family soon. Charlie's letter had been on the ominous side, but somehow she still hadn't quite braced for the red envelope that dropped in front of her, with Phoebe's unmistakeable handwriting in plain sight. She didn't even have time to react before it burst into life, her sister's voice booming through the Great Hall.

LUCY
HARRIET
HOLLAND

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING THE SECOND SISTER TO BE SORTED IN THE GREATEST HOUSE
THIS MEANS YOU'RE THE SMARTEST OF US ALL, YOURS TRULY EXCLUDED OF COURSE
I ALWAYS KNEW I WAS YOUR FAVORITE
I'M SO PROUD OF YOU
MAKE SURE YOU EXPLODE SOMETHING BEFORE YOU COME HOME, IN MY NAME AND IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE
LOVE,
PHOEBE
ps: alice and rose now owe me 5 galleons so I'll treat you to ice cream sometime love you

Lucy couldn't hold back her giggles throughout the whole letter, and by the time it was done her stomach and face ached, and she couldn't tell if the tears in her eyes were from laughter or homesickness. Saying goodbye to such a big, loving family all at once had been painful, but at least she was still connected in some ways. She had letters like this she could laugh about, the promise of future ice cream and trying to figure out why Diana hadn't gotten in on the bet, and the knowledge that she was loved, even from afar.

Even if that love did manifest itself by screaming loudly in the middle of breakfast.

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline had written to her mother on the same day she had arrived, using a school owl, knowing she'd get a response with the family owl. She knew that her mother was busy and therefore wouldn't be able to necessarily get to her quickly, so she watched with some jealousy as others got letters until she didn't. But then in all of that was a booming voice and she glanced at the voice, and the letter it was coming from. Apolline had heard about howlers, but this was not an angry one. She easily, listened to what was said, the girl was on the table near her. "Wow," she said after it was over. "That's quite a letter,"

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy was still giggling when she heard a girl address her, quickly wiping the stray tears from her eyes. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting a howler..." She smiled, trying to pull herself back together properly. "My older sisters were all in different houses, and they had a bet going about whose house I would wind up in. Phoebe was obviously happy to win." She added with a small smile.

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline gave a little shrug, "In fairness, I don't think anyone expects a howler," though Apolline did see the point that the girl had been making. Apolline was the oldest of her family, and it was just her and her brother. She wasn't going to start a bet with herself over where he would end up. "Congratulations to Phoebe," she replied. "Is Ravenclaw where you wanted to end up?" she asked, wondering if the girl with family in all houses would've had a preference.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy giggled lightly at the comment, her heart finally beginning to slow down from the shock. "That's true." She smiled. She shrugged in response to the question, glancing at the howler again. "I didn't really hope for anything, there's good stuff about all the houses." She said lightly. "The hat took ages to choose for me, so I think it had a hard time too." She said, thinking back to the more than five minutes she had spent sat on that stool with a hat rooting around her mind.

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline remembered then the hat taking forever with someone, and so this must've been her. Apolline wasn't sure if she would've wanted that or not. To be so quickly in a place or not, though none of them would know the feeling of both. "Oh yeah, what was that like?" she asked, with a curious expression. "I feel like I would've gotten worried that the hat had like..malfunctioned or died on my head," Apolline said.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy nodded. "It was so weird!" She said emphatically. "I could hear it like... almost muttering to itself, like it was thinking out loud, but in my head. I guess it's cool that I'm kind of like, a mystery." She said thoughtfully. "But it was pretty weird just sitting there for ages and ages with so many people staring. Guess I know how my mum felt now..."

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline moved from where she was sitting to be right opposite the girl, leaning in because she was so curious about what it was like. The hat description was exactly like her own, though she hadn't been a hat stall, it really hadn't taken long to sort her. "Yeah," she said, she wasn't sure it was a mystery, but she wasn't about say it wasn't to this girl. "Oh, how come, was your mum also a hat stall?" She asked.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy shook her head to the question, taking a piece of toast and buttering it as she talked. "No, she used to be Minister for Magic, so people would stare at her all the time." She gave a small shrug. "It was really weird when we would go out places and she would get recognised."

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline frowned a little and then realised who this girl was. The Holland name was common enough but not this girl's family. "Oh," she said, trying to decide whether to herself now admit to it. "I'm Apolline Fontaine, my mum is currently the minister for magic, she gets stared at a lot when we go out," she knew exactly what it was like, though thankfully, now at school she would deal with it less.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy's eyes widened as Apolline introduced herself, immediately thrilled to be understood in a way most people just couldn't. "Oh, you get it then!" She said eagerly. "It's so weird, people get so fixated on your whole family. And it was like everywhere we went there was someone looking at Mum."

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline nodded, since she did get it, and would be one of the few people who would actually get it. She would understand things which Apolline experienced that no one else would. "Yeah," she agreed. "I got the feeling after mum set up the daycare that everyone was watching me at it, like if I was sick and took a day off, that everyone would call it a failure," she said. "I went wand shopping without mum, just to avoid being watched,"

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy nodded eagerly, leaning in slightly. She had never really understood how strange her experience of the world was until she had started making normal friends, with normal parents. It was a relief talking to someone who actually truly understood. "Exactly!" She nodded. "Like, if you mess up somehow it's like the whole world sees your mum messing up. It sucks, it's so much pressure." She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, same... she's not even Minister anymore, but people are still so weird about it sometimes."

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline felt it pretty good that she had managed to meet someone who was like her. Her brother always seemed unphased by it and the attention, but he was always off in his own little world, doing his own thing. "Yeah," she agreed, knowing it was a lot of pressure and she was putting pressure on herself. "I'm hoping that people here, won't be as interested," she said about the school. "Were your sisters at the school when she was minister?" Apolline asked, wondering if Lucy had any wisdom from her sisters.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy nodded, glancing around. "I mean, nobody here was even old enough to vote at the last election, I don't think they'll care much." She said reassuringly. She nodded, fidgeting with her toast. "Yeah, it must have been so weird for them. Especially Rose, I think her classmates would have been almost old enough to vote, but not quite."

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline knew that most of the kids at the school hadn't voted and perhaps might not know, but it might not stop a couple of people from having issues because of what they'd heard from their families. But she probably had to believe it. "Oh wow, that must've been hard, especially during the like, election," Apolline had thankfully been too young for that. But it certainly must've been weird.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy nodded, thinking about it. "Yeah, I dunno how she really felt but it must have been so crazy. Like, imagine your best friend telling you they're not voting for your mum or something..."

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline wasn't sure how she might've managed such a thing. depending on why they hadn't voted for her. "Yeah, that would've been difficult," She agreed. Particularly glad that she hadn't needed to deal with that yet. And likely would never. "I guess people would just lie...to make it easier,"

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy nodded, giggling slightly. "Would be an awkward thing to lie about though, if people were listening to the debates together or something." Lucy had listened to a lot of the recent debates with her parents - they had both been quite concerned about who would be taking over, and had been relieved when Victoire had won, though they were less pleased with the runner up. "Just pretending to nod at the right times..."

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline didn't think it would be that awkward, unless the person had a polar different opinion on a lot of things. Then possibly. Apolline could only imagine that it could eventually make things awakward as they then would have opinions and discussions. "People are weird about politics," she said, thinking of the campaign and how odd it had been in places. She wasn't sure Lucy would've experienced any of that, but she probably could still relate.