Closed The Start of an Age

[AJ Carpenter]

AJ felt like he was buzzing with energy, he had all morning. He'd hurried his family along through breakfast, eager to get to the station and to the train. Some part of him was sure something would go terribly wrong, something huge that would cause him not to go to Hogwarts after all. So what AJ Had been doing so far was trying to control as much as he could. He had asked his mum to leave earlier than planned, had insisted on putting his trunk on the train as soon as they arrived, and was now trying to remember if he had packed everything he would need as he stood with his family. He had been planning his packing for weeks, so he knew he had everything, but he still went over the mental list in his head.

He glanced at his watch and realized they still had plenty of time. He was glad, as he needed to say goodbye to everyone, even though he was also itching to get on the train and settle in. He had looked around at all the other kids meandering around, wondering how many of them would be his friends in school. AJ turned to his siblings, realizing he had to start his goodbyes. He cleared his throat. "Well, we have some time before I board, but I shouldn't wait too long, so I can get a good seat." He said seriously. His gaze moved to the oldest siblings. "You all need to help out, okay? More than before, I won't be there to pick up the slack." His gaze lingered on Cassius. "Mum can't do it all alone."

 

[Cassius Carpenter]

Cassius was very excited today because AJ was finally leaving! No more being bossed around, no more not being able to finish his breakfast because Mr Bossy had to rush everything, and no more being told to be more responsible. Today had been particularly bad, and Cassius had survived by thinking about one particularly glorious upside. For the first time in his life he was going to have his own bedroom. He was imagining how he’d decorate the space without AJ sticking his big nose in. The extra bed would stay of course, somewhere for his brother when the holidays rolled around, but everything else was changing. It would become totally Cassius’s space. And as for the stuff AJ had left behind, he shouldn't be surprised if the family owl mysteriously delivered it to Hogwarts while Mum was busy with the younger kids.

Cassius rolled his eyes at the lecture then gasped when AJ looked at him, “No way. Is Captain Bossy leaving me in charge?” He was teasing, of course, he always teased when it came to AJ. “You worry too much. Mum’s going to be fine.” He drew a sharp breath and added, “Not so sure about your stuff you left behind though.” Then he exhaled and got ready to run, he'd need all the head start he could get if AJ tried to catch him.

 

[Emilia Carpenter]

Emilia was definitely not sulking. She certainly wasn't upset that AJ was leaving for school (and that he had bossed them around so much during breakfast she had barely had time to think about which of her two nice dresses she'd wear). AJ could be really boring when he was being too bossy, especially since he kept saying he didn't have time to play with her, but she was still going to miss him a whole lot. Cassius couldn't be a prince or hero knight nearly as well as AJ could, and Ferris was too little to perform.

Emilia's arms were folded across her chest with her lower lip jutting out in a way that betrayed her insistance she wasn't sulking, and she looked up at her eldest brother with watery eyes. "It's not fair." What in particular wasn't fair on this occasion wasn't quite clear, whether it was the choice of Cassius as the one in charge or the fact that AJ was leaving at all. "You have to write," she said, less of a question and more of a demand. "You have to. Promise." She moved one hand from where it was folded across her chest and held out a pinky, glaring at him as though daring him not to indulge her.

 

[Darcy Carpenter]

Darcy was frowning the entire time. This was basically the first time that their family was apart, and Darcy hated to admit that she was upset about it. She listened to what AJ had told them to do as they hurried to the station. She was upset to see her brother go, and she knew the house would be different. Now they were gonna have to deal with Cassius's annoying energy around the house. But she was sure that Cassius was going to enjoy that space of his.

They were now at the station now, and Darcy was amazed by how cool the train was. Her turn wasn't until a while off, but she could imagine herself in there. Darcy's amazement changed back to frowning when they now had to say goodbye to their eldest brother. "Cassius can't be in charge... It's a bad idea" Darcy says with a shake of her head. She then started to bite her nails out of nervousness and nodded in agreement with what Emilia had said about writing. "Yeah" Darcy said softly with a nod, trying her best to blink away the tears. "You're not going away for like ages, right?" Darcy asked, her voice lingering with hope. But she knew it was going to agessss until she saw her brother again.

 

[AJ Carpenter]

AJ rolled his eyes at Cassius' words, but then snapped to attention when he mentioned his stuff. He shook his head, his eyes going wide with alarm. "You can't touch my stuff— you can't. Mum!" His head turned to her quickly. "Tell him he can't move anything, I'm still coming home for breaks. I need my things!" He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about this part of it. He had been so focused on everything he needed to bring to Hogwarts that he hadn't considered how Cassius would get his grubby little hands all over his things.

His attention was then caught by his youngest sister, his gaze moving down to her as he realized she was upset. Emilia had always been a bit sensitive, and her teary eyes didn't surprise him. AJ crouched down a bit, giving her a pinky promise and a smile. "No worries, Ems, I will definitely write," he said. He then looked to Darcy, who also looked near tears. It made him feel guilty for being so excited. It made him wonder if he really should go. Would they be okay without him? He knew they had mum, but... maybe she needed his help more than he knew? He forced a smile, letting go of Emilia's hand to reach over to Darcy, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm going away for a little while, but I'll come home for Christmas," he told her gently. "And like I told Emilia, I'll write a lot. I'll tell you all about Hogwarts. And I'll get you a Christmas gift from Brightstone when I visit there," he told them, mostly to keep them from looking so sad. He regretted those words a bit, as he realized it meant he had to buy everyone a gift from there and that would add up quickly. But he had some money saved up, it would be fine.

 

[Cassius Carpenter]

Cassius knew from the look on AJ’s face that he’d got him, and the smug little smirk that followed said it all. When AJ got mum involved, Cass lifted his hands in surrender. “Don’t worry, you’ll still have your stuff,” he said breezily, carefully leaving out the part where everything would be arriving by owl post. He gasped when Darcy said putting him in charge was a bad idea. “I’m the next logical choice,” he stated, as if his older sister wasn’t standing right there. He never understood why the younger ones worshipped AJ so much anyway. He rolled his eyes when they begged him to write and stepped away from the conversation when AJ started going on like he does. Cassius started looking around to see what else was going on and what trouble he could cause while he was here.