Closed There's no place like home

[Hannah-Rose Canker]

December, 2052: The Canker household.

How long had it been since the family had last gathered like this? How long had it been since every member of the family had travelled to be in the same place? Hannah-Rose couldn't remember. Then again, she was only eight, so her memories of the five years previous, when such a large gathering had taken place, were particularly blurry.

The kitchen was alive with the sound of bubbling pans, sizzling food, cupboards being open and closed. It seemed as though every older member of the family had chosen to specifically gather in this one room. The children were elsewhere, and Hannah-Rose went to look for them.

The living room had changed over the past few years: Images of tiny faces had been replaced with grinning school children, and strange uniforms. Hannah-Rose didn't really understand why her brother and sister were different. She didn't understand why her Dad and Pop kept looking at her strangely, either. All she knew for certain, was that her Dad seemed to go the extra mile in telling her how special she was, how loved she was, and how, no matter what the future held, she'd always be his perfect little girl.

Onyx, Hannah-Rose's cousin, was sprawled across the couch, one arm hanging lazily onto the floor, almost attempting to grab the TV remote, but seeming too disinterested to make the effort to grasp. She was very nearly a teenager, now, and she certainly played up to it. Granny Whitehall chuckled from a corner, knitting yet another festive themed jumper (this one was about Onyx's measurements, and Hannah-Rose was sure she'd never see her cousin wear it).

"Granny," Hannah-Rose began, pacing to the wrinkled woman, "Is there something wrong with me?" Her eyes were wide, curious, yet bracing for the pain that could come with her grandmother's next words.
Granny Whitehall set down her knitting. Onyx sat up. Arriman and Ivy, who had been giggling in the corner over the latest Wally the Wizard comic, stared across the room.
"Sweetheart," Granny Whitehall began, scooping the child into her lap, brushing back her hair with a soothing hand, "there's not a thing wrong with you. Don't ever believe otherwise. You might not be likeyour siblings, or your cousin, but that's not bad. You are who you are, and I say you should embrace it."
Hannah-Rose buried her head into Granny Whitehall's warm yellow cardigan. Safety. She was so uncertain of what her family knew, that she didn't. Everyone but her seemed to know exactly what was going on, why she was treated differently. Maybe, one day, they would explain it to her properly.

 

[Arriman Canker]

August, 205 The Canker household.

Home was nothing like Hogwarts. Here, Arriman had certain freedoms he didn't have back at school, but with that freedom, came other restrictions. No magic for the entirety of his stay. He had muggle family members, and though those closest were well aware of his abilities, it was still illegal for him to use magic at home. And it sucked. The number of times Arriman has wanted to read a book after his parents had sent him to bed.. They'd long since confiscated his torches to try and prevent his late night reading, and his Pop knew only too well that the Lumos spell would land Arriman in a world of trouble. Even Pop didn't use magic at home. He had foregone it since the day he first locked eyes with Dad.

Boredom was beginning to bite.
Arriman could take it no longer - he was going to take a midnight stroll, and to be certain that he woudn't take the full flak for breaking house rules, he decided to rope his magical sibling into the mischief.

Ivy's room was dark. The gentle hum of a sleeping girl was the only sound to be heard. Arriman would soon change that.
He stalked quietly across the floor, touching his hand against the cold metal bed frame, waiting a moment, and then placed the icy hand over his sister's mouth. As suspected, she awoke with a start, but her exclaimed swear word was muffled.
"Hey, it's me. I'm bored. Are you bored? Let's go for a walk. Come on, what do you think?"

 

[Ivy Canker]

Purple snakes. Made of.. Bubblegum? Bubblegum snakes? What.. ? A dog with three heads, bounded across the blinding white abyss. It stared with glowing eyes. The snake wound itself across Ivy's face. So cold, so heavy. The glowering dog barked words at her: Hey, it's me. I'm bored. Are you bored?

Ivy swore as reality slapped her conscious. It took a moment to recognise where she was, and who was removing their hand from her mouth. Of course it was her stupid big brother! It was pitch black in the bedroom, but she knew that voice anywhere, and she knew the only reason he could be bothering her, was because he had planned to go on a late night adventure.
.. And of course she was going to join him.

"Fine, but I need to get dressed, so bug off, wizard boy." Ivy got up, shoving her brother out of the open doorway. She found herself a change of clothes, with no idea of what colours she was putting on. She just knew they were warm and the first items to hand. "Okay, I'm ready. What's the plan?"