Don't I Know You?

[Kira Wolf]

Kira stood in the owlery, looking at the pretty little owl that her sister had bought so they could talk to each other while Kira was at school. Of course, the little bird was Tyra's. Kira had insisted. She wouldn't have time to properly care for such a pretty thing. She needed to learn all she could so she could go home to the Inn and make life better for her older sister. All of her focus had been on that since she'd gotten here. Sure, she'd still spoken to other people, but she wasn't really close with anyone. Kira hadn't really opened up to anyone since her parent's death.

She tied her latest letter to Aro's little leg before sending him off with a kiss. He hooted happily and took flight, winging his way back to the Wolves Inn. Kira wished she could go with him. Being away from Tyra was hard. She missed her big sister so much sometimes it made her sick. She sighed, feeling dejected and very alone. It was for the best, she just had to remember that. Everything would work out. It had to.

But for some reason, all of the things she'd been telling herself since she left home just weren't comforting her tonight. Her lip quivered and she swiped at her eyes. She hadn't cried yet, and she wasn't going to start now.

 

[Caro Taylor]

Caro knew that she wrote home more often than Lizzie did. Mum commented on it every time they were home for the holidays, and Caro couldn't help but feel superior in that respect. Lizzie might be better than her at everything else Mum and Dad cared about, but Caro cared more about them. Her most recent letter back had snippets about her work for the school paper, but was mostly asking about the lodge. Three years into school here, Caro was beginning to feel homesick for the first time. For her first couple of years at Hogwarts the school had been new and fresh and exciting, a new place to explore and experience, with new people around who had all sorts of interesting stories. Caro had seen and heard it all now though, and the main way Hogwarts differed from home was the people. The same people, day after day. At home the people around were constantly changing, with new and exciting stories to hear, and Caro felt like she was stagnating, stuck in the same place with the same people day in and day out. It was insufferable.

So Caro had spent time on her letter, asking Mum and Dad all about any new visitors, desperate for any stories of exotic far off places. She ascended the stairs to the owlery, hoping the school owl she usually borrowed would be in to take this message to Mum and Dad. They were all about the same speed, but Caro liked this one's plumage the best. It wasn't unusual for Caro to open the owlery door and see another student by any means, but it was a surprise when the student was one that she actually recognised. "Oh." She said, startled. "I know you, your sister runs that place in Arrowtown, right?" She asked, getting right to the point. "I'm from Queenstown, my family runs Taylor Ski Lodge. I've seen you around."

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira jumped, startled at the sound of another voice. She put on her brave face and turned to look, and lo and behold, someone she knew! Well, sorta. She let out a small sigh and relief. She smiled brightly, too relieved to be shy.

"Oh that's right! Tyra had your parents over for lunch a few times last year, didn't she? They were doing references or something." Kira walked over and held out her hand, her eyes sparkling. "I'm Kira." She didn't know if their families were competitors or not, all she knew was that she had just found a piece of home here at school and it made her feel a million times better.

"I had no idea you guys were magical." She smiled sheepishly after she realized what she said. "Then again, I didn't know we were either until just recently."

 

[Caro Taylor]

Even as the girl spoke, it still felt somewhat surreal to Caro to see someone from home at Hogwarts. Lots of magical families visited their lodge for holidays, but Caro had never seen someone she recognised from town at school before. She nodded, shaking the younger girl's hand politely when it was offered. "Yeah, my parents try to keep in touch with all the other lodging places in the area so they know what's going on." She said, still a little surprised. "I'm Caro. My sister Lizzie is here too, if you know of her." It was strange to be the one introducing Lizzie to others, rather than Lizzie mentioning Caro to her friends as an afterthought. She nodded, unsurprised that Kira was apparently muggleborn. "I didn't know you were magical either. My whole family is though, we try to keep the nature of our lodge secret from the locals. We tell everyone it's just an exclusive lodging, so they think we're just for rich snobby muggles, but we're actually a holiday destination for magical people." It felt strange, actually explaining the premise of their business to someone who had already heard of it but didn't know it was magical.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira nodded thoughtfully. It was always a good idea to know the other business owners in the area, that much she knew. When Caro introduced herself and her sister, the names brought back an old memory. Kira furrowed her brow a moment. "You know, I think we've actually met once before, briefly. You guys all came to my parent's funeral a few years ago, didn't you? I remember your mom giving Tyra a few pointers on running the Inn."

It was the first time Kira had mentioned the funeral so casually, but she was distracted enough she didn't notice it. "Do wizards ski too, then? Do they use magic? That seems a little like cheating." Her brow furrowed a bit as she thought about it. "Running a magic business must be so much more fun than a regular one."