Bound by Blood

[Matthew Harper]

The view of the lake with the sun shining on it was familiar to Matthew Harper by now, but he still took a few photos of it for old time's sake. He had been at Hogwarts for nearly two years, and his time here would nearly be over. While it had been strange to leave his family and leave Leah, he knew the move here had been good for him. It had made him learn to stand on his own more, given him more confidence and somehow hadn't damaged the connection with Leah he had felt. He wasn't sure when he would see his parents again, but being away from the influence of his father felt like a breath of fresh air even after nearly two years. He didn't regret coming here.

What he did regret, was that the reason he came here hadn't talked to him for more than ten minutes within those two years. Odette Harper, his younger half-sister, was the whole reason Matthew had had for changing schools, changing countries and switching up his whole life. But he hadn't handled things in the best way, he could see that now. He had been too afraid to approach her directly and had never imagined the note he sent to fall into wrong hands. This year, he had only seen Odette from a distance. Her hair was now dark and her expression usually stormy. He had also noticed she was alone a lot more. He worried about her, especially now that his other sister Charlotte was at Hogwarts as well. As much as he loved Charlotte, he knew her appearance here couldn't be easy for Odette. The two had made no secret of disliking each other, and it felt strange to leave them both here like this without him there to watch over them. With a sigh, he lowered the camera when he realized he had just been staring through it without seeing anything. His mind was too clouded with his regrets, and he couldn't even find inspiration for his favorite pastime.

 

[Odette Madison]

The end of the year was coming up, which meant Odette would end her fourth year and go hom efor the holidays until it was time for her fifth year after that. It also meant that her brother Matthew would graduate. Her half-brother, who she barely knew. Lately she had been thinking about him a lot. When he first came to Hogwarts, she had wanted nothing to do with him and she hadn't been afraid to let him know. Now he was sort of lumped with Charlotte in her mind, though he had been a lot nicer to her. But knowing he would soon not be nearby anymore had made her want to approach him, even if she wasn't entirely sure what to say to him.

She had spotted him from a distance as he sat at the lake shore. His stupid camera made it obvious who he was at a single glance. For a moment, she had just watched him. Then she approached. He didn't notice her, not even when she was standing right behind him. It seemed like he was lost in thought, perhaps he was thinking about their family. He would probably return to his parents after graduation. With an unpleasant jolt, she realized they might even come to the school to watch him graduate. That thought was nearly enough to make her change her mind about talking to him, but by then it seemed like she had made some sort of noise. Matthew was turning around, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw her. "Hi." She said, as she wasn't sure what else she could even say. Hopefully, he had more of an idea. Why had this seemed like the thing to do again?

 

[Matthew Harper]

To Matthew's astonishment, he saw his younger sister standing behind him after he turned around. It was as if he had summoner her with his thoughts. He was struck by her dark hair again, and noticed with some worry that she looked pale. Perhaps it was just the contrast of her darker hair with her skin, but he had the feeling she wasn't having an easy time right now. He just wished he was close enough to her to help her.

Matthew also noticed, not for the first time, a resemblance between Odette and Charlotte. They looked like sisters, even though they had different mothers and would probably both despise this comparison. Wisely, he had decided not to point out this similarity to each of them. He wondered what it meant that Odette was here now. Was she here to talk to him? Or was it a coincidence? That seemed almost impossible, as here wasn't anyone else a the lake she could have been looking for. After a brief, stunned, silence, Matthew found his voice again. "Hey..." He said, giving her an uncertain smile. "I didn't think you would ever want to talk to me." He added, then wondered if that had been too presumptuous. "Assuming that that's why you're here. Perhaps you're here to push me into the lake, if that's the case I only ask you let me save my camera first." He joked, though it was a little weak even to his own ears.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette couldn't help but wonder how her half-brother would react to her sudden appearance. Apparently, it was with a joke. The knowledge that soon he would be graduating suddenly gripped her with a sense of urgency. It wasn't that she really care about him, she hadn't known him well enough for that, but she realized the window of opportunity to know more about a member of her family that didn't seem to despise her was closing. "Do you always make jokes when you're uneasy?" She asked him, legitimately interested in the answer. She plopped down next to him on the grass, eyeing him. "I wouldn't hurt your camera, you'd probably cry." It was meant as a joke, just a way to make fun of how attached he seemed to it, but she winced at how it came out. "Sorry." She muttered. She didn't want to be mean and push him away, but it was hard for her not to do that.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew wasn't sure what he had expected from Odette, but a question like the one she asked wasn't it. He was even more surprised when she sat down next to him on the grass, and he wondered if she wanted to actually talk to him. A part of him resented that this hadn't happened before. Why now, only weeks before his graduation? But at the same time he was delighted, glad to finally have a normal conversation with the girl he wanted to be a brother to so badly. The comment she made about his camera made a small frown appear on his face, as he wasn't sure how she meant it, but her apology made it seem like she just meant it to be a lighthearted joke. He gave her a smile. "That's okay, I probably would cry." He admitted with a shrug. "And I do tend to make jokes when I'm uneasy, or any other time to be honest." He gave her a smile. "Was there something you wanted to say to me?" He wondered why she appeared to be seeking him out.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette's brother was hard to read, at least to her. She wondered how they looked, sitting side by side like this. Would anyone passing by see that they were related? Even with her hair dark? She had looked for herself in his face before, had seen some similarities. It was something that made her head spin, so she tried not to focus on it. A small smile appeared on her face as he said he probably would cry if she threw the camera in the lake. She was glad he wasn't offended by her remark, though she made a mental note to think a bit more before she spoke. She listened to what he said, but winced slightly at the question. Shrugging, she turned her head to look at the water. "I didn't come here with some nefarious goal in mind, if you're worried." She said quietly. "I just kind of wanted to talk. It's... overdue, I think. I know that's on me." Her tone was light, but she knew her posture was tense. Odette couldn't quite bring herself to look at Matthew right now, so she focused on the rippling water in front of them. "I could leave, if you don't want to talk." She added quietly.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew looked at Odette, once again struck by how much she looked like Charlotte. But even though they looked similar, their mannerisms were completely different. It was obvious they weren't raised together. Odette was more closed-off, better at hiding her feelings. Or maybe it was just that Matthew didn't know her as well as Lot. He noticed that Odette found it hard to look at him, but didn't comment on it. He listened to her, smiling slightly at her words. This was what he had been hoping for. A start to repairing the damage between them. "I don't want you to leave." He told her earnestly. "I'd love to talk to you." He smiled, shaking his head. "It's what I've been hoping for the entire time. Though, I ended up loving the school for many reasons." He hoped he wasn't putting too much pressure on her by saying that. Considering, he cleared his throat. "So... maybe we can take turns telling each other something about ourselves?" It would be a small beginning, but that was all they needed. It would grow, if she would let it, he felt confident of that.