Homesick, I guess

[Aodhan Kaelen]

Although Aodhan was having a blast with his new friends, wandering around the castle during free periods and sneaking around at midnight. There was one thing, or actually someone, he was beginning to miss more and more as the days passed by. The Gryffindor boy had been around his uncle for over three years now give or take, but now he wasn't anymore, and Aodhan soon started to realize how much uncle Eryk actually meant to him. Feeling homesick because of how much he missed his uncle, Aodhan stepped out of bed that night. Tiptoeing he walked out of the dorm and out of the common room, towards his aunt's office. At times like these, it was both a blessing and a curse that Aodhan had a family member working at his school so he could seek comfort with her. Once he stood before the door of her office, the boy knocked three times, hoping to Merlin's beard that she was still awake.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

The end of the first school week was approaching, and Professor Kaelen was just tidying up the last of her grading work for her sixth year students. It was late, and she wished for sleep, she she knew the sooner she finished the task at hand, the better she would feel come the morning. As her exhaustion was beginning to get the better of her, she lifted her hand and beckoned to a mug on the sideboard. As it floated across the room to the Professor, Liberty took it, and placing a palm over the contents, began to create a coffee. It was soley needed.

She had almost completed her tasks, when she heard a very small knock at the door. Considering the time she could only imagine another Professor needed to see her. Perhaps Professor Styx required some help for the following week, or maybe Professor King needed a word. As Liberty rose to her feet, she crossed her office quickly. It was a hard cold wooden surface, and Liberty made note to order herself some carpet.

"Good Even..." she began as she opened the large brown office door, and stopped in her tracks when she saw a small boy at her door. "Aodhan!" She exclaimed suddenly, reaching out an arm and bustling him into her office quickly. If anyone were to catch the boy out of bed at this time of night, they would certainly not be pleased with him. Checking the coast was clear, Liberty closed the door once more before turning back to her visitor. She supposed it would be natural for him to come by every now and then given the circumstances, and Liberty guided her nephew by the shoulders, sitting him down at the desk in the centre of the room. "Why aren't you asleep?" She asked, returning to the sideboard and fixing up an additional mug of cocoa. ​

 

[Aodhan Kaelen]

Aodhan smiled at his aunt when she opened her office door, hoping that he wasn't bothering her, but also glad that she was still awake. Because aunt Libby really seemed to care about him he slowly began to trust her more and more. "I couldn't sleep." He said. Aodhan hoped that she wouldn't mind him visiting her at this time of the night but was necessary as he needed someone to talk to and all of his friends were probably fast asleep in their dorms. The Gryffindor sat down at the desk and watched his aunt as she was making another drink. Without saying a word Aodhan stood up again, not caring whether his aunt was busy with a drink for him. He hugged her from behind and held her tightly. Right now she was the only family around here so he didn't really care much if she did not wanted to be hugged by her nephew right now.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby was not expecting the boy to do what he did next. Libby paused for a moment, and released her grip on the mug of cocoa she'd be making for him, and she turned on the spot to face her nephew. She wrapped her arms around the small boys shoulders and hugged him back, closing her eyes as she imagined her own son, so many miles from here, and realizing that Aodhan was one of her own now. Of course it would be a difficult transition period for all first years, many of whom would have moved country to attend this school, and Libby had no struggle reimagining what that felt like.

Although the pair hadn't talked much, it seemed that while the two of them were at Hogwarts it would be as good a time as any to get to know him better. Libby pulled back, and looked straight down at the Gryffindor. He looked so much like his Uncle, they shared the same facial shape and eyes. Libby smiled at him reassuringly, "You have nothing to worry about while you're here" she said. Eryk Kaelen had no idea that Libby was attending this school with his nephew, but Libby was determind to help in any way she could. "Do you miss him?" she asked, knowing exactly how he felt. Liberty and Eryk had been married less than a year when the former had had to move, and it was an adjustment for them both that would take time. "I do too" she admitted, sweeping a lock of brown hair out his face. She was glad to have Aodhan in her life. Libby and her husband had been taking care of him before the transferal to New Zealand, and she'd missed his chirpy presence around the house.

Turning to finish off the drink, she carried it back to the table in the centre of the room. "Come and talk to me" she offered, taking a sip of her own drink. "How are you finding things here? Have you made friends with anyone?" she asked. Libby was keen for Aodhan to open up, only then would she really be able to help him.​

 

[Aodhan Kaelen]

Aodhan smiled weakly and nodded his head at aunt Libby's words. He knew that he had nothing to worry about but with the lack of presence from his uncle he felt somewhat unsafe at the school even thought he knew that Hogwarts was probably the safest place to be at. He nodded again when she asked him if he missed his uncle. "I do." He admitted. Aodhan thought that he wouldn't miss the man because of all the fun he would be having while attending Hogwarts but even thought he had fun he could not help to keep the feeling out. Glad that he apparently wasn't the only one missing his uncle the Gryffindor chuckled slightly. He only hoped that he was missed too. Aodhan took the mug the woman handed him and thanked her with a smile and nod. "It's really nice here," the Gryffindor began. "I have made a few friends already and we did all sorts of cool things! I really enjoy it here, I guess I just miss uncle Eryk a lot when I'm not off having fun with my friends." He said, the excitement in his voice slowly rising again. "How about you aunt Libby? Do you like it here?" Aodhan asked the woman.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby smiled at the small boy as he explained about his friends. She was truly pleased that he felt comfortable here and was enjoying his time, but could sympathize that he missed Eryk. "Well, sometimes it's good for us to be alone." She began, always trying to see the positives in any situation. "It gives you a chance to consider yourself and whether you're always on the right track." Libby had personal experience of being too wrapped up in an ideal life, and becoming trapped as someone she was not. To have time to yourself was a blessing, and one she wouldn't tell anyone was a bad thing. "Anyway, you will be able to go and visit your Uncle during the holidays, and you will appreciate you're time together so much more because of the wait" she smiled, suddenly unsure if those were comforting words to a twelve year old.

As Aodhan asked for her opinion, she sat down beside him. "I do. Even when I was a first year Hufflepuff, I thought Hogwarts was great." she added, before thinking back to all those times Larissa would harass her in front of her friends. "There will occasionally be times in our lives when we have to stand up for what we believe in, but I genuinly believe that this is a good school, and there are many people here that believe in you" she was looking straight into her nephews eyes, hoping he would trust her words. ​

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[Aodhan Kaelen]

Aodhan sipped from his cocoa as he listened to the woman speak, and beamed when she told him that he would be able to see his uncle during the holidays. ''You mean I can go home for Christmas?'' He asked to make sure that he understood her correctly - completely ignoring what aunt Libby just told him about it being good to be alone sometimes. Aodhan liked Hogwarts and would love to see how it looked during the holiday but if there was a chance to go home and celebrate it with his uncle that he wouldn't have to think twice about what he would do. ''And you, Keanu, Belladonna, and... Ferrah would also be there?'' His cheeks started burning as he mentioned one of the twins and hoped that she hadn't noticed it.

''You went to this school as well?'' He asked a glint of curiosity on his face. ''Does that mean that you know some of the secret passages in the castle?'' He asked again, sitting up straight and putting his mug of cocoa down on the desk besides him.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby gave a chuckle as he asked whether he could return home for Christmas. Of course they would. "We will all be together over Christmas." she added, wondering what indeed, her children would choose to do. "I will speak to the others, and see if they would like to come home for the occasion too. I'm not sure whether Belladonna will be around, but the other two yes, potentially" she smiled, glad that he was getting on with her own children. Bella was bein particuarly difficult at this time, due to her mother remarriage, and Libby wouldn't be surprised if the Slytherin chose to spend the day with her father instead. There was only so much the Professor would enforce, the other decisions they would have to decide for themselves.

"Of course I did! I studied History of Magic right in this classroom. I spent five years at this school!" she said, quickly regretting mentioning the length of time she spent here, hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions about it. "I may know a few things about the castle to help a student out. But it wouldn't be in my place, especially as your teacher" she winked at him, raising from her chair to wash up her mug at the sink.​

 

[Aodhan Kaelen]

He beamed even more so as she told him that all of them would be together during the holiday and shrugged when she mentioned Belladonna. ''That OK, I have a feeling that she doesn't like me very much.'' He wondered whether aunt Libby knew that Belladonna disliked her nephew and if she cared that the two didn't always see eye to eye. Extremely happy that he would see everyone again soon Aodhan finished the rest of his cocoa. ''Since I probably won't see Hogwarts during the Christmas holidays now that I know I can go home; does it look nice here?'' He asked as he put the mug down once more.

As she walked towards the sink Aodhan followed her. ''But you wouldn't tell me as my professor, you would tell me as my aunt.'' the Gryffindor said with a smirk. ''Besides, who says that I will actually use any of the information you'll give me? Pleaaaaaaaase?'' He begged, though he had a feeling she was not going to tell him about a secret passageway that would help him escape detention or sneak out of the castle in the middle of the night.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

It would be for his own safety that Libby wouldn't divulge any secret information, rather than because she distrusted him. Aunt or not, she wasn't going to allow a first year to wander where it was not safe. Libby had however had many a year learning not to give in to children, and confident on her decision she tried to dodge around the question. "I myself was not given any adult advice, I had to find my own secret passages" she smiled, putting her mug to the side to drain. Libby had actually never sneaked out of the castle, nor used any passage, but she had known plenty who had been brave enough to, and knew of one particular path that lead to Honeydukes. But that was for another day.

She hadn't been aware that the Gryffindor thought her daughter didn't like him, but couldn't say for sure whether that was true. Although the six of them lived under the same roof during the holidays, Libby hadn't really seen Aodhan interact with his cousins much. "I'm sure if you get to know each other, you and Bella will get on fine" she said. "She's a secretive girl. Out of the three she's the one who will find it most difficult to open up to you" she added, glancing at the boy. "Don't tell her I told you that" she finished, nervously.​

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[Aodhan Kaelen]

Aodhan put his mug on the countertop and looked with disappointment at his aunt. What a buzzkill she was for not telling him about one of the many secret passageways in the castle. Surely she had wanted that someone told her about them too when she was a student at Hogwarts. ''Come oooooonnnnn, aunt Libby.'' the Gryffindor began again. ''No one will know that it was you who told me about them, I promise.'' Except Andi perhaps but he wasn't going to tell his aunt that. He leaned against the countertop and he watched her wash her mug as he waited for her answer. He didn't care how many times she was going to say no to him.

He squinted his eyes at the woman's comment. ''Please, believe me when I say that Belladonna does not like me. I'm pretty sure she tried to jinx me once.'' He did not understand why Bella had so much trouble opening up to him as the others didn't seem to have any trouble with him whatsoever, in fact, Aodhan was pretty sure that Ferrah liked him from day one. He eventually gave in and nodded at the women next to him. ''Fineeee, I'll try to get along with her.'' Though he wasn't sure if that was going to change anything between them. ''But if she tries to jinx me again, I will jinx her in return.'' He addes quickly.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby gave a laugh when Aodhan tried to persuade her to tell him her secrets. "I'm afraid you'll have to work out those for yourself sweetheart" She waved her wand once in the air, and slowly the mugs began to place themselves back in the cupboard. Libby was somewhat concerned however when her nephew began to talk about Belladonna's dislike for him, and she knew full well that simply wasn't true. "When was this?" She asked, curious as to when her daughter would have ever tried to jinx him. Not that she disbelieved Aodhan, however she wanted to ensure she had her facts right before and if she were to discuss this with her youngest. "Bella wouldn't dare. Besides, next time you'll see her will be during the Christmas holidays. You and I will go back to Uncle Eryk, and Keanu Ferrah and Belladonna will be visiting from Scotland. Can't promise they'll stay all day mind you, I think they'd prefer to stay with their father in all honestly." Libby began to ramble, not really sure how to stop herself. She still hadn't spoken to her ex-husband about her new marriage, and knew eventually she would have to face the inevitable.​

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[Aodhan Kaelen]

''I'm pretty sure she tried to jinx me when all of you weren't looking.'' He told his aunt. ''I'm telling you, she really doesn't like me.'' Not that he really cared because he didn't like her as well, but still. If they were to celebrate Christmas together as one happy family he preferred his step-sister to act normal and not jinx or hex him everytime uncle Eryk and aunt Libby weren't looking at them. He let his head drop to his chest when hearing that his step-siblings probably wouldn't spent all day with him and his aunt and uncle because he loved spending time with Ferrah and Keanu, tell them about everything he learned at his new school. ''As long as you and uncle Eryk don't have anything romantic planned, I guess I'm fine with it.'' the Gryffindor said, though a bit disappointed at the information.