Suprise Suprise!

[Charlotte Harper]

Charlotte was settled in her new home in the dungeons what she really hated. Now her priority was finding Matthew, because he wasn't expecting her here she thought. She wanted to hug her brother and tell him everything about how she manage to get here and of her terrible place where she had to sleep. Matthew was in Hufflepuff and she couldn't walk into his dorm so she went to the Great Hall. That she could find already, the rest was a maze to her. But she would find people that wanted to help her guide her for sure. It was her first morning at Hogwarts and she didn't got a lot of sleep. There were sure spiders and mouses in the dungeons and the blonde wasn't used to it. She quickly wanted to learn spells to get the spiders away from her and all the other disguisting stuff.

As she entered the great hall she saw four long tables just as with the sorting. But now she was a member of Slytherin and she got to sit at the large table. She was curious which food they served here, it couldn't be that nice with such a ugly castle. So far she didn't met people worthy of hanging out with her, some people seemed okay and she hated being alone so it wouldn't be long until she found some people to hang out with. And perhaps Matthew could introduce her to some people, he was a nice guy and she was sure he had lots of friends. It was just something in the family, they were always popular with people. Charlotte managed it with other methods, not always that nice but she was never alone. She found the Hufflepuff table and smiled bright to the people she passed by. For a moment she looked over the table and than saw a blonde head and when he turned around he noticed it was her brother Matthew. Charlotte walked over him and gave him a hug from the back. '' Suprise! I'm here Matt! '' the blonde said as she hold her brother firm.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew had seen his sister Charlotte at the sorting and had watched her be sorted into Slytherin, to his astonishment. He really hadn't expected his sister to actually get her wish and come to Hogwarts, as he had been sure their father would forbid it in case she found out about her half-sister. It made no sense to him.

He had woken up early and tried to find her, but eventually had gone to the Great Hall for breakfast. Before sitting down at the Hufflepuff table, he had lingered at the Slytherin one and scanned the faces to see if his sister was there, but it seemed like he had been too early. He had seen Odette, his half-sister, though. She had given him a glare, and he couldn't really blame her. As surprised and shocked as he was, this must be ten times more startling for her. But she had gotten up and left without talking to him, so he had gone to the Hufflepuff table for some breakfast before he would look for Charlotte once more.

But he didn't have to, as she had found him. He nearly choked on his eggs as someone hugged him from behind and he spun around, releasing himself from her grip to look at her. "Lot, what..." He had been looking for her all morning, but now he didn't know what to say. He glanced at the Slytherin table again, the spot where Odette had been sitting earlier. Part of him was glad she had left, he really had no idea how Charlotte would react to knowing about her. Was it his place to tell her? He tried to smile, but it was a little strained. "I see you're here, Lot. Can... can I ask you how? Why? I thought our father said no." He looked at her, he hadn't seen her in a long time now and she had grown in that time. He hesitated. "Don't get me wrong, I am happy to see you. I'm just confused, is all."

 

[Charlotte Harper]

Charlotte was wondering what Matthew would thought when he saw his little sister at sorting. He knew by now that the little blonde got everything what she wanted, she didn't matter how. The priority was that she was happy and that went for everything. Still Matthew was a person she loved very much and she hated it when he was hurt. He always took care of her, and she wanted to return the same. Her methods wouldn't be the same as her brother but they also worked. As she hugged her brother she heard him calling her Lot as he always did. He was the only one that could do that, next to her parents. She hated it when people made her name shorter. '' Matt! I'm so happy to see you.'' when she was done with her tight hug she laughed to her brother. This was a real suprise, he knew by now she was around the school and she was quicker of finding him than he was. She wanted to sit next to him, she wanted to spend time with him. It was her turn now, and nobody could interrupt that. Ofcourse Matthew wanted to know how she came here, but was this his first reaction? Charlotte could jump into the air, she didn't saw Matthew in a long while since he had to stay with Leah.. But she understood why he had so many questions. '' Well.. You know I always get what I want. And I succeeded. Father did say no at first, but I guess mother has changed his mind. I don't know the precise reason. But I've heard mom and dad having a fight, didn't heard what it was about, but I guess it was by my cause.'' A little smile appeared on the girls face, she couldn't help it. First it seemed impossible to get what she wanted, but this was prove it always succeeded. She was glad that Matthew added he was happy to see her. '' Now we are at the same school! I'm in Slytherin, do you know people there? I've met some girls and a boy from Ravenclaw. I'm curious at your friends!'' The blonde started to talk very fast. When she was excited that happend mostly.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew could see the excitement practically radiating of his younger sister, and that made him feel worse about his conflicted feelings. He wanted to be happy for her, share her joy about this, but there was too much going on to really enjoy this. He didn't know what sort of sick game their father was trying to pull. Was this an attempt to get him to return home? Put Charlotte in a spot where she would learn the truth and be hurt by it? Matthew generally thought the truth was better than a lie without exception, but now that he knew it would upset his sister he didn't know if that was still true. Was it lying if he just didn't mention it? It probably was, and that made him feel worse.

Later. Later he would tell her. If father didn't want her to know he wouldn't have sent her here. It was typical of him to make Matthew do his dirty work in explaining it, but at least it might let Charlotte see what a horrible person their father was. Her admiration of him had been painful for him to see, mostly because he knew he had been just the same before he had noticed things about his company and the way his father sometimes used magic on their muggle business associates to get what he wanted that disgusted him. Another thing he was hiding from his sister. Was he even any better than their father was? Secrets and lies just hurt people in the long run, but with Lot it was hard to be honest when it could cause her pain. From her words he pieced together that perhaps their mother had convinced father, but he still couldn't really see why he would agree to it. The worst part was that neither of them had thought to inform him. He gave her a smile, hoping it didn't look too strained. "Well, it's certainly a surprise." He told her, moving aside to make room on the bench. "But of course I'm happy to see you. It's ... it's a nice school, I've made some friends though my best friend here actually transferred out at the end of last year, and of course Leah is still at Ilvermorny." He tried his best to keep the conversation light. "Do you like Slytherin so far? There's a boy in my year there that I'm friends with, his name is Cairo and he likes photography like me. I'm glad you're already making friends, though that's never a problem for you." He smiled at her. He himself was alright at making social contacts, but his sister was definitely more of a social butterfly. He was silent for a moment. "I'm... glad you're not angry with me for not coming home." He said quietly, he had half expected her to be so it was a relief that she just seemed happy to see him.

 

[Charlotte Harper]

The blonde knew it was gonna be a suprise for her brother but she noticed something strange. Why was she so happy with seeing him, and he not so much. She got it that he didn't expected it, but that wasn't a reason to not be that happy right? '' A good suprise right?'' she said with a teasing smile. It was not nice for Matthew of hearing his best friend transferred out, and she was wondering how his friends might be. When he mentioned Leah she rolled her eyes for a moment. '' What is the deal between you and Leah? You spend so much time with her, instead of coming home to your family.'' she said a bit meaner than she ment. Charlotte saw herself as the most important people and people had to see her like that too, but Matthew placed her second at the moment. It wasn't very nice, and she knew Leah was nice for Matthew but she didn't really connected to the girl. '' That's too bad, who was your best friend that transferred out? I'm really curious about your friends, you have to introduce me to them.'' Charlotte always wanted to meet new people, she loved observing people and finding out what their strenghts and weaknesses were. She played a lot of games of what people would like and mostly she was right. She went sitting next to her brother and looked at some other students at the table with a smile. '' I don't like the dungeons. There are so many spiders and some of my dormmates are really stupid. But Slytherin is a good house I'm guessing.'' She should remember the name Cairo, she was good at remembering things.

She played with her nails on the table and than looked up to Matthew again with a smile. '' It isn't indeed. I met a boy from Ravenclaw his name is Simon Vanity he is interesting. Has a lot of ambition.'' Charlotte spoke of people that she liked as interesting, since she thought of most of the people as interesting or just not. Charlotte looked over to the Slytherin table and saw some of her dormmates she rolled with her eyes, some were just so annoying. Than she looked at Matthew again and when he mentioned not being angry of coming home she sighted. '' I didn't say I wasn't. But I'm over it, as long as you won't do it all the time.'' she said seriously, she hoped her brother wouldn't make it a tradition of not coming home with christmas.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew nodded quickly at her first question, forcing more of a smile. "Of course it's a good surprise!" he said, hoping it sounded less forced to her than it did to him. He had too many emotions to work through right now to count, and it was hard for him to show his very real happiness at seeing his sister again for the first time in more than a year. He ruffled her hair slightly, knowing she hated it but also knowing it was something he used to do. His face fell slightly when she mentioned Leah and he couldn't help blushing a little, but he shrugged quickly. "Nothing is up with us. I just don't want ... to see dad right now." He knew that wouldn't be easy for her to understand. "You know we aren't getting along lately, it felt better to keep my distance." In a year he would be an adult, maybe then he could return home. He would be on more equal footing then. He didn't want to linger on Leah and his unrequited feelings for her right now, and it was definitely not something he could share with Charlotte as she was too young to understand such things.

The topic turning to his friends at school was less dangerous, and he quickly jumped on it. "His name is Reuben Lagowski, he actually transferred to Ilvermorny. I actually thought I could write him to look out for you." He said, a small smile on his face. "I guess that's not necessary, huh?" It wasn't a surprise to him that she didn't like the dungeons, but she knew she was tougher than she looked so she would manage. "I think Slytherin suits you." He told her quietly, thinking of Odette again. He was happy to hear she had made a friend, even if she called some of her dorm-mates stupid. It wasn't nice, but this didn't feel like the time to lecture her on it.

Her words about being angry hit him and he felt guilty, more than he already had. He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "You usually show your anger more, Lot." he told her, trying to keep his voice light. "Look, I ... I have things going on with dad and our family that are hard to explain. It's a bit about his company and work but there are other things too, I can't talk about those as it's not my place." He told her, knowing already she probably wouldn't accept it but hoping she would anyway. "I don't think I can come home during Christmas this time either." He told her quietly. "But maybe over summer break."

 

[Charlotte Harper]

Charlotte looked at her big brother beside her. It was nice having him around her again, she didn't understand what it took him so long. Did he liked it with Leah more than at home with their family? She knew there was something between him and her dad, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She hated not knowing something and she couldn't help but think they were keeping something from her. Was it because she was still young, she was the youngest and had to be protected or something? When Matthew said it was a good surpise she smiled, but the blonde was a good reader of people and it didn't sound that happy. She knew there was something wrong with Matt, but she wouldn't let it rest for sure. '' It better is.'' she said with a teasing smile and later on rolled her eyes as he ruffled her hair. '' Matt! Don't!'' she said irritated and poked him in the side. She hated people sitting at her hair, and Matt always did it. People just had to see her in the morning early up to do her hair and everything. Now it was not perfect anymore! As Matthew explained he didn't want to see their dad again, the blonde sighted. She hated this! Why could her family just don't act normal and be a family. '' I don't get it. You aren't always agree with dad, but that is no reason of just don't coming home again. You can keep your distance in your room. I also stay there when I don't get what I want. '' The blonde grinned for a second. If she didn't got the toys or stuff she wanted she always locked herself up in her room and wouldn't eat or come down to get what she wanted. It was more something that she did when she was far more younger, but still it was active that she stayed in her room if her wishes weren't come true. But she came downstairs and just ignored her parents and didn't spoke to them.

The topic of friends was nicer to talk about, but that didn't ment that Charlotte forgot what was going on right now. It was funny that he transferred to Ilvermorny where Matthew came from. And he didn't have to keep an eye on her anymore indeed because she was alive and well here. She smiled as Matthew said Slytherin suited her, she knew it did. Green wasn't that bad, but she still prefered pink more. Why wasn't there a housecolour of pink, that was far more beautiful. She told inside of her head until ten when Matthew she she showed her anger more. Did he want her to show it? As Matt talked about their father and about his company she didn't understood. What was this? What was he trying to do, get her on his side? '' What kind of things? Tell me! '' The blonde got angry, she wasn't stupid or anything. And he was telling stuff that she never heard of. '' His company isn't something your dreams lie, but mine are so you don't have to tell lies.'' she protected her dad. Because Matthew couldn't say which kind of things, he was just making it up she thought. But when he actually said he wasn't coming home with Christmas that wasn't something she could handle right now.'' ....'' Charlotte stayed silent for a minute. But her face looked like there was a thunder coming in 1 2 3. '' How can you do this to me! Just come home, it is silly what you are doing. I will not forgive you if you don't come!'' Also with this Charlotte wanted to get what she wanted. Matt was really hurting her and she was so angry. He was the one that could hurt her, and he did. He, her dad and her mother were the only one that standed so close to her and could hurt her.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew had known he would make his sister angry with his words, but what he hadn't expected was his own frustration at her anger. It wasn't his fault any of this was happening, it was their father's fault. But she refused to see him as anything but good, and then it seemed to always be Matthew that got to tell her the bad news. It made him feel like it was all on his shoulders, when he had no control over the situation at all. "Charlotte." He said, his voice stern. "You don't know everything, and I don't see why it's my place to tell you when you won't believe me anyway and will just get angry." He snapped. "I don't want to fight with you, can't you just believe me when I say I can't come home?" It was a sign of her youth that she thought he could just sit in his room quietly without getting in trouble. He knew in his bones that his dad would force him to stay in America, or would make him commit to working at the company after graduation when he didn't want to. Or something else. If he was completely honest with himself, he was terrified to see his father again.

Charlotte's anger only grew, as did Matthew's frustration. When she demanded to know what kind of things, he was ready to refute her again until she told him she wanted to follow their father's footsteps. That gave him pause. He had never considered that, and he was fairly sure his dad hadn't either. As the first born and the only son, it had always seemed expected of him. Part of him felt bad for not even considering Charlotte for that role, but another part of him was furious at the idea of her getting involved in his father's shady business. "It can't be your dream, you don't know what you're talking about." He told her. "You want to know what kind of things? Fine. I'll be the bad guy and tell you." He glanced around and lowered his voice so no one would overhear. "Father uses magic on his muggle associates to manipulate them. Nothing unforgivable, I don't think, just confounding charms and that sort of thing. It's how he gets good deals. It's immoral and horrible to take advantage in that way with people who have no idea what's going on, and I want no part of it." He stared her down. "And neither should you." Of course that wasn't even nearly everything, but the Odette stuff was too fresh and too raw. Besides, he was sure Charlotte would have enough trouble believing this, if he claimed their father had an affair that resulted in their half-sister Charlotte may never talk to him again. "So no, I'm not coming home. I don't want to see father." He told her. "We can spend free time together here, though. Isn't that good too? I'll buy you an early Christmas gift in brightstone."

 

[Charlotte Harper]

Charlotte felt like she was really angry and that if someone would touch her they would burn their hands because of her boiling anger. When Matthew began calling her name she sighted. Matthew was acting really stupid and she hated it. She couldn't have a normal conversation with him this way.'' You don't have to act so stupid! If you begin with dropping some hints about this stupid stuff you say you have to be honest too, otherwise it doesn't make any sense what you say. '' Charlotte said bitter to her older brother. She didn't believed him right now, because she knew Matthew was angry at their father and perhaps he was trying to set her against him too. '' I WILL not believe you! If you say you can't get home. It is normal to ask why! It is not normal that you won't come home. Why won't you leave us..'' Charlotte felt like she would cry, she was so confused about this. But she didn't want anybody to see her cry, they couldn't see that. Than they knew she had a weakness. And people would use it for sure.

She didn't understand why Matthew wanted to crush her dream. He didn't want to follow that path but she would want so. She felt her headache coming up and listened as Matthew told her about the stuff that her father did with his company. Using magic on muggles, what was he talking about? And if this was true he must have had a good reason for it. '' How do you know this?! What are you talking about?'' She didn't want to believe Matthew, but there must be a reason why he was so mad at their dad all of sudden. But she didn't understand all of this. She needed answers and she had to discuss this at home when she would be back in the break. She didn't knew how to act, she wanted things to return to normal just like the old days. When Matthew was done with his talking he made a conclusion that he wasn't coming home. Charlotte clenching her first and smashed it on the table. '' THAN DON'T COME! I'm done! You seem to be okay with this, being away from home being with Leah all the time. Well go and be there! I don't want your gifts. And leave me alone!'' The blonde was really mad and didn't got what she wanted. She wanted Matthew to com e home and to be the happy family they should be, as Charlotte pictured. Everything was ruined and stupid and her family was falling apart. She hated it and swept some tears away quickly so that nobody could see it. She walked away mad and quickly to the dungeons.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew knew that Charlotte was angry, and that there was little he could do once she was this infuriated. She would have to snap out of it on her own, and he knew that could take a long while. But that wouldn't stop him from trying to calm her down. He hated seeing her upset. "See? If I say the truth you won't believe it." He said, frowning at her. "Our father is not a good person, and I can't go home to him. Not for a while, anyway." He told her. He hated that he had to be so vague, and how he had to hide so much. Truthfully, he may be able to go home safely, but that would mean facing his father and talking about the things he knew. And it scared him. He didn't want to see him, didn't want to be confronted by the truth. Or worse, be talked out of his suspicions. His father was good at convincing people, he knew he could be brought into doubt if he was face to face with him.

He jumped when Charlotte hit her fist on the table hard and yelled. He glanced around to see if they were being watched, and some heads had turned their way. He didn't want a scene, a commotion. "Charlotte, please." He said, attempting to keep his voice calm. "Don't yell, you're making a scene." He knew he sounded a bit like his father if he said that, and hated that too. "I'm not with Leah all the time, I don't even think I'm going to her place this year... I'll probably stay at school." But he knew she wouldn't listen. She didn't even want his Christmas gift. Why was his sister so stubborn? "Charlotte, I'm sorry but you shouldn't have come." He said, unable to stop himself. "You should have gone to Ilvermorny, stayed out of all this. It would have been better for you." He knew she would hate this too, but it was how he felt. No matter how glad he was to see her, he wanted to protect her from all the drama that was happening right under her nose.