Light Years

[Asaiah Murphy]

With his parents and youngest sister away to France for the holidays to look for apartments, Asaiah decided to stay at Hogwarts this year and celebrate Christmas with his best friends for the first time. Although he was excited to spend the break with his friends, he was sad that he wouldn't get to see his other siblings this year. It had been some time since he last saw them but with his parents not home this year, he figured that they would be doing their own thing as well. However, that didn't stop him from writing to his siblings.

December 19, 2044
​

Jenn,

How are you? It's been awhile since I last talked to you! Are you just as excited about the holiday season as I am? I finally get to spend Christmas with Marisol and Wyatt!! I still have to do my Christmas shopping but I was thinking of going to the village this weekend to stock up on candy canes, might as well do some shopping whilst I'm there. What about you? Have you done yours? If so, what did you get me? I already know what I am going to get you for Christmas, by the way. Also, do you know Thomas' address or should I let Axel drop your and his presents off at home?

I spent some time with Elliot today. Apparently, he's staying at school as well this year so I told him he could sit with me and my friends on Christmas day if he wanted to. I'm thinking of buying him a present too, do you know anything he likes?

So that's pretty much it for this letter, sorry it isn't much this time but I've been really distracted lately. I'll tell you all about how the first semester went in the next one!

The best brother alive,
Asher.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Christmas truly was the giving season, Jennifer thought sleepily as she lay tangled up in her duvet. It was the middle of the day on a Monday, and she didn't have to be at work. She could just about kiss her mother - she had, actually, repeatedly, when the woman had announced that she would be shutting the store early for the season because she and Dad were going to look for apartments in France with Hannah. Ooh la la, she couldn't help thinking to herself with a smile. Baby girl was growing up. She lay still a moment more, wondering what had finally nudged her back into consciousness.

An insistent tapping soon answered that question. Jerking her head up, Jennifer groaned at the sight of an owl staring in at her through the window. "Oh, not you. Go away," she tried to tell the bird through the glass, even as she hauled herself out of bed to let it in. Stupid Asaiah, he was all the way down at Hogwarts and he still managed to find ways to annoy her - she had been sleeping! And having a really good dream, she thought with a smirk. Pushing the window open as far as it would go, Jennifer was at least glad Axel was small enough to fit through the tiny gap that apartment restrictions deemed acceptable. "Look, calm down," she told the owl as it wriggled through and began hooting excitedly at the prospect of being rewarded for its delivery. "I have owl treats -" she cast her eye across the clutter on her desk "- somewhere. Hey, stop that." Jennifer frowned at the owl as it pecked softly at her hand. "I'm getting there, just - wait." She earned a few more pecks before she finally managed to find the treats and stuff a few in Axel's mouth, but at least it meant she was finally free to read her brother's letter.

</I>

Dec 20​

<I>Asher,

You owe me 5 Sickles for all the treats your owl gorged.

I'm good, not much different than usual except I don't have to work - thank god for Mum and Dad and dear, dear Hannah. We'll be able to have an excuse go on proper family vacations to France now - although I'm going to ignore your enthusiasm about having Christmas with your friends, cause I mean I get it, they're great, but we don't get to all have Christmas together and I'll just be stuck with Thomas by myself. Do you know how badly I'm going to have to put spike his punch to get him to lighten up with just me around? Don't bother sending our presents home by the way, neither of us will be there - I put Thomas' address in with this letter, so I hope you haven't managed to lose it already. (Also nice try peabrain, I'm not telling you what your present is.)

I have no idea what Elliot would want - boys are hard enough to get stuff for as it is, I only have to worry about you and Thomas and Dad and that's all I'm willing to spend my energy on. How old is he again? At least eleven - get him something that'll explode I guess, that was always what I did for you.

Also, do me a favour, get out on the pitch and take a few laps for me. Still can't believe you got banned last year - I actually laugh about it sometimes now, when it doesn't make me mad.

Anyway, I'll send you your present later in the week, but if you need anything else you know how to reach me. Except feed your stupid owl before he leaves this time.

Jenn

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Excited about receiving a letter back from his sister, Asaiah didn't even wait with opening it until he reached the Great Hall, where he'd been spending most of his time now that it was a lot less crowded. Whilst the Slytherin was making his way down the corridors, his eyes went over the letter, chuckling and grinning as he read it in his mind.

December 21, 2044​

Jenn,

If you think that I'm actually going to give you 5 Sickles then you're wrong. You shouldn't have given him so much!

I'm glad to hear that everything's going alright up there! Lucky you for not having to go to work whilst they're in France, I bet Mum had to think real long about her decision of closing the shop early rather than having you in charge of it all. I kid, of course. Don't make me feel bad for not coming home for the holidays - I bet you'll need a lot of alcohol before you get him to lighten up, he can be such a butt sometimes. (Don't tell him I said that, though he's still stronger than I am and he will absolutely kick my ass the next time he sees me.) All jokes aside, try to have fun with Thomas OK? I don't think he was too happy when Mum and Dad announced that they'd be going to France with Hannah and spent Christmas there. (Boo for not telling me what my present is! And here I thought you were the fun one! (Lol, we all know that I am the fun one, though .))

Firecrackers it is, thanks. I've been doing plenty of laps ever since the break has started, but don't worry, next time I'm out on the Pitch I'll do a couple for you. Can't believe that it still makes you mad. It shouldn't. You weren't the one having to deal with the consequences - It was awful having to spend so much time away from Quidditch. Luckily we've decided not to do anything that could potentially get us into that much trouble again. Mum and Dad would quite literally kill me if something like that would happen again. Oh man, you should have seen their faces when they picked me up from the train station...

Anyway, I said that in my next letter I was going to talk about how the first semester went so here it goes. It has been OK so far, nothing crazy has happened. Something weird's going on with Wyatt, though, and it worries me a bit. I'm not quite sure what I should do. Bombard him with questions or leave him alone and have him come to me. I've also figured out that being in a long-distance relationship sucks. I'm missing the hell out of Jess. I wish I could be around her more. But yeah, the first semester went by pretty fast if you ask me. (Although sometimes the amount of homework made the clock tick very, very slow.) Wish me luck for the second, and probably hardest so far, semester?

It's not my fault Axel's always hungry.
Asher

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Staring down at the piece of parchment she already tried scratching words into a thousand times, Jennifer could barely even feel the quill that she was probably crushing within her grip. The bottle was empty now too. She couldn't distract herself anymore. Tearing off a new piece of parchment Jennifer quickly scrawled the words down, but once she was done she couldn't bear to read it over again. All she could feel was a numbing sensation, settling itself over her entire body. All she wanted to focus on was that she was going to need another drink... and that hopefully Thomas would bring at least ten more bottles.

Asaiah,

There's no way to say this. I've tried. I wanted to send a Howler, god knows I feel like screaming.

The plane crashed.

It crashed. Mum, Dad, Hannah... they didn't they're god I can't even write it.

Asaiah, you have to come home.

They died.