Slytherin Tales: The Divine Seven

Chapter 8: A Birthday Party for Unkle

Word Count: 1,984

Chapter 8: A Birthday Party for Unkle

A few days later, and it was now Friday. We'd just finished our last class of the day, which meant the first week was finally over. I received mail from my parents, delivered of course by my owl Bandiboo. They had been far more accepting of me being Slytherin than Leon and assured they still loved and supported me. After the struggles of this week, it was a great comfort, I felt like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. The week had felt long and tedious as some of the subjects had very dull beginning classes, and other classes, like History of Magic, were just altogether totally boring. Flying classes were quite fun, and out of our group Rubina was the best at it, seeming to enjoy every second off the ground and even managing to impress Professor Bolton with her natural talent. I had discovered I also had a knack for flying as the broom responded to me almost immediately. It had also done the same for Leon, which would've been more exciting had it not been for the scowl he sent my way after seeing me succeed.

It has been a tough week. Every night I went back to the dorm exhausted, and one or two nights I cried myself to sleep thinking about Leon. He'd been cold since that first morning, not speaking to me or even looking at me. He pretended I didn't even exist. If I even tried to single him out, one of his lackies would give me a death glare as a warning to back off. I most certainly didn't have the courage to go talk to him when that happened. I don't know how much longer I can take from his behavior before I break entirely. Luckily, Jason has been nice to me, making sure I've been comfortable and settling in. He's a great older brother and I'm so thankful he understands my situation. He promised to talk to Leon soon, so I'm just waiting for whatever will come from it. Hopefully a conversation.

Back in the present time, it was the afternoon just before dinner. It happened to be raining outside, drops poured from the sky flooding everything they touched. Thunder could be heard every once in a while. My shoes were muddy and my hair and clothes were soaked. I followed Elliot alongside Sable, Rubina, and Val as we trekked the slippery grounds outside the castle. We had our hands tucked under our cloaks so as to keep the packages we were carrying dry. Suddenly, we came upon a small cottage at the edge of the woods. A vegetable patch was growing just outside the hut next to the well trodden path. We approached the door and Elliot knocked three times. The door swung open to reveal a familiar face.

"Hey Unkle!" Elliot said cheerfully. The old man's face wrinkled up even more and his pale blue eyes sparkled as he smiled.

"Ah, hello there young Elliot! I see you brought company."

"The more the merrier, right?"

"Aye, that's what I always say! Come inside and warm yourselves," Unkle beckoned us to come in, and we obliged. "You're lucky, I just put some water on the stove to boil. Sit down and I'll brew you all some tea." As per his instructions, we sat ourselves down amongst the couches and numerous chairs that were positioned around the fireplace. The chairs were old, and the faded and torn print on the furniture reflected this. The chairs were arranged in a half circle around the fire, it all felt cozy. A small fire blazed in the fireplace, and the room smelled of burning wood and herbal tea. There was a beat up wooden table in the center between the kitchen area and the living room that had a few dirty dishes on it. From the ceiling hung potted plants and rocks tied to strings. Different colors and shapes of rocks could be seen everywhere. After looking around, we got situated in the chairs and Unkle began pouring the water into separate mismatching mugs and cups.

"So what brings you and all your friends here, Elliot?"

"We just wanted to drop by for a visit. Plus today is a special day, isn't it?" Elliot was trying to contain a grin.