The Snake, The Badger, and the Eagle

An Unlikely Meeting

The sun shines dimly into the room of the young heiress who lays awake waiting. She counts down the second and listens for the approaching footsteps of her maid, nanny, and friend, Cassidy M. The young woman is more of a nanny than a maid. Cassidy was kind if not a little forceful about keeping her active, rather than isolated in the family's potions room. She was pretty sure Cass wanted her to be more like her older brother Anthony Moore, athletic, smart, outgoing, and sporty but Anne had never found interest in athletics or such. The only thing her brother and her could ever really do together were herbal-related things.

Anne Moore is 11 years old, at 7 in the morning on January 1st she received her Hogwarts attendance letter. Since then she and Cassidy had gone back and forth again and again to and from Diagon Alley to pack and get things as needed. And today she'd finally be leaving Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Cassidy entered the room with ease and immediately went for the dark curtains that painted the room in emerald light. Her mother picked the basic decor and with green being her favorite color everything that was picked out by Esmeralda Moore was some variant on the color green. With the curtains open the room brightened up, stinging Anne's eyes for a moment before softening.

"Oh, I say this every time Annie. ''Keep the curtains open so you're not in bed for so long, now get on up girl," Cassidy states before moving towards Anne's bed and taking the blanket from her. Begrudgingly the younger gets up, despite being up early she hated actually having to leave the bed. In her words, the curse of being a morning person had been bestowed on her.

"Cassidy, I wish you didn't do it every morning..." Anne grumbled as she walked toward her closet. Inside were gowns for events and parties, suits for formalities, casual clothes for outings with friends and family, and her favorite of all sleeping clothes. It wouldn't feel right for her not to have such a variety even if it was hard to decide sometimes. "I've packed my bags and such already. Why couldn't I stay in bed longer?"

"Oh packed your bags did you?" She said putting down the folded sheets on the chair beside the young girl's bed. "Certainly you won't mind some follow-up questions then?"

"Hit me."

"Have you gotten your wand yet?"

"Yes ma'am. Acacia wood, Dragon Heartstring, 10in, somewhat flexible"

"Got your beginners cloak and hat?"

"Yes."

"Know what you'll wear under it?"

"This." Anne emerges from her closet dressed in a white and green striped long sleeve shirt with black jeans and sneakers. 'And I'll get the Slytherin uniform when I'm there."

"Alright, you've got an answer for everything it seems..." Cassidy dusted her hands off on her uniform before strutting over to Anne and placing her hands on her shoulder, "But I do know you can't answer this. Have you eaten yet?"

"...."

"Thought so! C'mon Annie, time to eat." With that Cassidy began to guide the girl down to the dining room.

Inside the dining room was her mother Esmerlda Moore, her father Donavin Moore, her brother Anthony Moore, and the servants that served food and moved around the family with practiced ease. Each member of her family had a personal servant though Anne didn't interact with them unless it was needed. Her mother, while a ruthless woman, found house elves inhuman and disrespectful so she kept none. Instead, her house was served by other witches and wizards of poorer standing. It had been like this in the Moore family home long before her mother was even born so Anne had never seen them but Anthony would tell her tales of the house elves he'd seen at Hogwarts.