Open Young Independence

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora had gotten a little jealous of her older brother’s ability to come to the park, she got that he was of school age now, would be going to Hogwarts but it was unfair that this meant he got to do more on his own. Aurora wanted to go off on her own and explore things, she didn’t want to be stuck having her mum watch everything - though Aurora did love her mum. She had argued her case, stating she was only a little younger and far more mature, but this hadn’t resulted in what she’d wanted. But a compromise, in the afternoon’s on some days when their dad wasn’t working Aurora could come to the park with her mum and her mum would let them play while keeping some distance. It wasn’t perfect but it was what she wanted. This was the first day of it, and Aurora, holding her twin sister’s hand lead her into the park, ”I want to go on the swings,” she declared, dragging her sister behind her, with a determined mind. After all, once Aurora had decided something it was very difficult to stop her. She let go of Rosie’s hand and sat down upon the swing wasting no time in trying to get up as high as possible in the shortest amount of time. ​

 

[Rosie Archer]

Rosie had largely stayed out of her twin’s drive to get them more independence, Rosie didn’t think they really needed it and was actually quite happy with the level that they had. She liked spending time with her mum, she was pretty satisfied with spending time in their garden. Of course, it had been fun to take part in the interest around her brother and his new friend, but Rosie never meant anything badly, she liked taking part but she was happy for him. Rosie often thought he was lonely in comparison to her, she had Aurora after all. She could tell Aurora anything and despite the fact that she knew her sister would probably get bored of her eventually, she knew her sister for now, always listened. Rosie just didn’t speak up when the matters were not things she particularly cared about. But, the result was something she was perfectly happy with. Going to a park and having her mother near but not right there was pretty cool, it made her feel grown-up. Rosie let herself be dragged into the park, and dragged towards the swings, but when her sister let go, she ventured slightly further and to a little yellow flower she had spotted. Rosie didn’t pick it, but gently touched at it. ”Come look at this flower Aurora,”​

 

[Salem Lee]

Even though Salem was fairly used to travel by now, being in New Zealand was weird. Usually travelling was exciting and they tried all the interesting local things and her mae would tell her things about it, but here, everyone was weirdly serious and always busy looking after her grandma. At least they gave Salem some free rein away from all the concerned looking adults.

She'd made her way over to the park, having decided looking in shops was less fun when you'd seen everything and weren't allowed to buy any of it. She was excited to see two girls who looked close to her age and walked over to them, crouching down by the girl who was peering at a flower. "Is that a buttercup? I've heard if you hold it up under your chin and is glows yellow, it means you like butter," Salem said, squinting at the flower. Her English had been pretty rusty when she'd first gotten here, but Salem was pretty sure they were looking at a buttercup.

 

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora had rolled her eyes as she watched her sister head towards the flower and not towards the swings that Aurora had wanted. She gave herself a light push on them and then just shifted her position slightly, so that she was more looking towards Rosie and the flower. ”I can see it from here Rosie,” she replied. She just continued to swing. She did notice the person, someone a little older than they were approaching Rosie and Aurora instantly narrowed her eyes at them, slowing down her swinging to just watch what this person did next. But they just spoke to Rosie and mentioned the flower. She rolled her eyes at the statement, ”I don’t need a buttercup to tell you Rosie likes butter,” she replied with a little laugh. She was sure that Rosie could handle herself, but as if she wasn’t also going to get involved. She had a good vantage point but she was still swinging back and forth, she would need to be a little lower to be able to jump down too.​

 

[Rosie Archer]

Rosie was keen for Aurora to actually come look at the flower but she didn’t mind that she didn’t. If she could see it from the swing then Rosie would have to just be happy with that. With tentative fingers Rosie reached out and lightly touched the flower. She was startled when a second and unfamiliar voice was suddenly next to her. She glanced up and noted it was someone about their age. A little older, but probably not by too much. Likely to be Branson’s age. She giggled lightly as she heard her sister’s voice and just gave a little nod, she didn’t need Aurora doing that, but she did feel a little nervous around new people so it was good to be reminded she was there. ”I do,” she knew that wasn’t really why this person had struck up a conversation probably. ”it’s a beautiful flower though,” she said, she look back at it, but still didn’t dare pick it, ”I’m Rosie, that’s my twin, Aurora,” She tore her gaze away from the flower and held out her hand to the other girl, something she’d seen adults do. ​

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem looked up from the flower at the other girl over on the swings. "Oh cool there's two of you," Salem said as Rosie introduced herself and her twin on the swings. "Butter's good," She added, nodding, though she was a little disappointed that they couldn't pick the flower so Salem could show them the trick. But Rosie seemed to like it right where it was. Maybe they could lean down on the ground and still do it. "I'm Salem. I think my family lives here right now, it's pretty cool," She said, fussing with a patch of clovers near the buttercup. "Do you think there's any four leaf clovers here?"

 

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora slowed her swinging so that she could definitely hear what was being said, she didn’t think she needed to intervene but she was ready too just in case. She listened as the girl introduced themselves as Salem, ”Like the place?” she said, knowing from her reading that Salem was a place in america, but perhaps it had another meaning that she didn’t know. It could be she wasn’t as much of a reader like her brother. She looked over at the field and gave a little shrug, she wasn’t sure there would be, but she was sure that this would interest rosie enough that she would want to go look, even to just see it. So, a little more satisfied, Aurora just focused on her swinging. She could still hear what was being said but was paying less attention to it. She had no interest in searching through a little patch of clovers to find one that had four leaves. ​

 

[Rosie Archer]

Rosie grinned at his statement, and gave a nod. She agreed that there were two of them and that butter was good. Rosie was always pretty happy to have Aurora around, even if she had a very strong personality and was clearly keeping an eye on her currently. She wouldn’t have asked Salem if she was named after a place, it felt a little rude. ”Where did you live before?” she asked with an interested tone, ”Our family has always lived in New Zealand,” Rosie told Salem, though she knew that of her parents only their father had been born in New Zealand. Rosie looked over at the patch of clovers, ”Shall we find out?” Rosie suggested, ”But not pick it,” she clarified. ​

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem glanced up when Aurora asked about her name, smiling proudly. "Yeah, my parents met there and fell in love and stuff so they named me after it. Are you named after anything?" Salem liked her name, she thought it was pretty impressive and unique, like her. "We lived in a few places, mostly America and Thailand though," Salem said, still admiring the buttercup. "Do you like living in New Zealand then? It's pretty pretty," She said, laughing at the double up of words. "Sure, I think I'm pretty lucky so there's probably one around here," Salem said, already scanning the ground. Quietly though, she knew she'd end up picking any four leaf clover she found, even if she had to wait for Rosie to leave. What was the point of finding them otherwise?

 

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora thought it was a little odd to be named after a place, but it wasn’t the first occasion she’d heard it, and she always thought it was a little odd. But then again people always assumed she was either named after the thing or the disney character and she had no idea which of the two it was originally. When the question was returned she gave a shrug, ”We’re named after our grandmothers, I’m named after our father’s mother and Rosie is named after our mother’s mother, though technically her name is Rose,” she explained giving more information that Salem was likely asking for, but since aurora wasn’t involved in what they were doing she was looking to happily answer questions if she wanted to. She shrugged at the question, she liked living in new zealand but with nothing to compare it to she couldn’t say, certainly this girl, Salem had travelled more than they had, she would more easily declare one place better than another or one place pretty. Aurora knew she could get down from the swing and help find whatever clover they were looking for but she was not that interested. ​

 

[Rosie Archer]

Rosie nodded along as Aurora answered the question about how they were named, she was more focused on the little buttercup, and then after Salem had talked about it. She nodded at the second question, ”New Zealand is beautiful,” she said, not mincing her words and going straight for what she thought was the only valid descriptor of New Zealand. She hadn’t know anything else, so of course she wouldn’t be able to compare it to anywhere, but in Rosie’s mind it was beautiful. ”Why are you living in New Zealand now? Rather than America or Thailand,” Rosie asked as she approached the patch of clovers and began very delicately looking at the different clovers, not spotting any that had four leaves, all they had were three. ​

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem listened as Aurora told her more about their names, nodding speculatively. She'd never even met her Grandma before they'd come here to visit, and she got the impression Grandma didn't like her very much, or maybe didn't like her amma much. "Are they still alive?" She asked, squinting at a few clovers, disappointed to realize it was just two stuck together and not some kind of six-leaved monstrosity. "My mums wanted to be closer to our family while Grandma's sick so we're staying here awhile. It'd been kind of boring so far honestly," She said, getting her face right down by the grass to investigate more clover. "What do you guys do for fun?"

 

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora eventually brought her swing to a stop, it was no fun if they were moving further away and though she could certainly have her own fun it just wasn’t as good. So she stopped the swing and began walking towards them. She heard the question and shook her head, ”Rosie’s namesake is, mine isn’t. Our dad’s mother died ages ago, like when our dad was a kid,” there were very few pictures of their father’s parents, but when they had died had been brought up, just never how they died. She didn’t bother looking at the clovers just stood nearby as the pair were looking for things. ”I like quidditch,” she declared. ​

 

[Rosie Archer]

Rosie was concentrating on looking at the different clovers, very meticulously looking at each one in turn. She nodded as Aurora explained about their namesakes. She was happier for Aurora to do that. She looked at Salem as the girl explained why she and her family were now in New Zealand. ”Oh dear, that’s sad, I hope your grandma gets better,” and there was a kind and sincere tone as Rosie said it, as if she really did want that to happen. She smiled at her sister as she declared quidditch to the question, ”We do play quidditch, but we also garden, and we go to the muggle school, which Aurora doesn’t find fun, but I do.” she stuck her tongue out at her sister as she said it, with a very playful tone. ”What about you?”​

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem glanced up from her clover hunt with Aurora finally got off the swing, pleased that she might be coming to join them now. She made the appropriate apologetic face when she mentioned one of their grandparents was dead, though she wondered if they felt like she did about her grandma. It was hard to feel sad for someone you didn't know very well. "Oh, yeah thank you," Salem nodded to Rosie, picking absently at a clover. "I love quidditch too!" Salem said, perking up at the mention. "I don't think I'm a good player though. What positions do you guys play?" She said excitedly. Salem didn't get many chances to fly, but watching quidditch matches was always fun.

 

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora was pleased that this girl also liked quidditch, Aurora knew it could be a dangerous sport but it was just really fun. ”I play chaser or beater,” she said, ”Rosie’s always in goal, and our brother usually plays the seeker position,” she knew that between herself and branson they tended to switch around. They didn’t fly that high off the ground and they didn’t tend to play that often, well, Aurora and rosie played plenty but Branson didn’t. ”What position do you play Salem?” she asked the girl, in talking about her enjoyment of quidditch she hadn’t mentioned what position she actually played. Perhaps it was any because she wasn’t good at any of them, like she’d half said. ​

 

[Rosie Archer]

Rosie liked quidditch plenty, and she liked playing with Aurora and her brother, but Rosie doubted she would play in school. It just seemed more violent and dangerous and she knew she’d have real trouble being competitive and not spending the game worrying about everyone else. ”I’m sure you are plenty good Salem!” rosie assured the girl, though Aurora hadn’t decided to say anything about Salem being hard on herself, Rosie was definitely going to be. ”How old are you Salem?” she asked the older girl, ”Are you going to Hogwarts this coming year?” perhaps if she was, they could have her meet their brother, that way she’d have a friend, as would he. Rosie knew her brother was capable of making his own friends, but it would nice. ​

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem nodded, listening with interest as Aurora outlined the positions her family played. "I guess chaser? I kinda just play what I can get away with," It was pretty rare that Salem had a lot of time play herself, let alone with other people, but she loved watching. "I always thought being a seeker would be so cool," She added, smiling at Rosie when she complimented her.

"I'll be 11 in a few months, but, I don't know," Salem shook her head before shrugging when Rosie asked her about Hogwarts. She didn't think she'd be in the country long enough to go to that school, though her parents had said they would need to sit down and talk about where she was going to go to school. But then Grandma had gotten sick and that'd had all kind of been put on hold. "I'm holding out for homeschooling. No homework, no teachers, just doing what I want," She said brightly. "What about you two? I guess you'll go to Hogwarts then?"

 

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora nodded, ”Chasers are a good position to play,” she said with a nod in her tone, as if she approved of the girl’s choice to play such a position. She liked chaser because it was a position that she could play, though Aurora liked to boast that she could play of the positions, but she knew she should attempt to be master of only one, rather than just capable of many. She listened as the girl said that she was eleven, so she was older than they were and of school age, ”Our brother is eleven too,” she told the girl, ”He’ll be in your year at school if you go,” Aurora didn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to go to Hogwarts, homeschooling would be boring after a while, but Aurora shrugged, ”Homeschooling sounds awful,”​

 

[Rosie Archer]

Rosie hoped they wouldn’t spend too much time talking about quidditch, while she played it with Aurora, it wasn’t something she wanted to do always. Rosie was quite hopeful when they eventually got to school that Aurora would join the team and she would be left to pursue what she wanted which just wasn’t that. She nodded in agreement to Bran being Salem’s age but felt a deep frown in the girl’s dismissal of Hogwarts and well school in general. She looked at the clovers for a moment and then just shook her head, ”We’ll go to Hogwarts, our parents went there. Why wouldn’t you want to go to a school?” Rosie couldn’t understanding wanting to stay at home and learn magic when the school sounded so cool and wonderful. ​