A FAMILY AFFAIR

- 8 -

[ CHAPTER EIGHT ; "THE SONGBIRD, HERSELF."]

[ BOBBIN'S POINT OF VIEW ; ]

Another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hell, yes. I couldn't wait to be back home. I loved Hogwarts, aside from the Headmaster, Phineas Black, the house rivalries and, of course, a few of the lessons we have, Hogwarts was the best place in the world.

As the Hogwarts Express chugged along, I couldn't help but feel a buzz of excitement in the air. Another year at Hogwarts meant new adventures, new lessons, and of course, new mischief to get into. I glanced around the compartment, taking in the familiar faces of my friends and fellow Hufflepuffs.

"Can you believe we're in our fourth year already?" I exclaimed, unable to contain my enthusiasm. "Fourth?" My little sister, Wovey asked, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, my fourth year." I chuckled. "And my first year!" Wovey exclaimed happily.

"I can't wait for you to meet all of my friends!" Bobbin smiled. "Who are your friends, again?" Wovey asked, curiously. "Well, it looks like you're going to meet one of them, right now." Bobbin said. "Who? Which one is it?" Wovey smiled. "The songbird, herself. Lucy Gray Baird." Bobbin smiled.

Lucy Gray walked forward, her brown curly hair flowing behind her as she pushed her way through the crowd of kids, her rainbow dress standing out against the bland colours of the other students. "How did you manage to get through the barrier with that get up, Lucy Gray?" Bobbin asked.

"Muggles are weird." Lucy Gray shrugged. "Aren't you a muggle born?" A voice asked from behind. "And this is my other friend, Marcus Mason." Bobbin smiled. "You're all friends?" Wovey smiled. "Yeah. We're all friends." Wovey smiled.

"Yup. Basically. And also, I am a muggle born, so muggles don't realise that-" "Anyway! This is my little sister, Wovey." Bobbin cut in. "Wait. You have a little sister?" Lucy Gray smiled. "Yeah." Bobbin nodded. "Oh! She's adorable!" Lucy Gray smiled excitedly. "Thank you. Your dress is so pretty!" Wovey smiled, Lucy Gray smiled back.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a sister?" Marcus asked. "You have a sister too." Bobbin shot back. "Yeah, but you all know her." Marcus scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Who's your sister?" Wovey frowned. "That girl, over there with the red hair." Marcus nodded.

"With the red robes?" Wovey asked. "No. She's the one, dressed like a lumberjack. That's my sister, Lamina" Marcus answered. "That's a bit mean." Lucy Gray frowned. "She's my sister, it's okay." Marcus shrugged. "It's still a little mean." Lucy Gray defended, Marcus shrugged again.

"If she doesn't want me to call her a lumberjack behind her back, she shouldn't dress like one." Marcus replied. "And since when did you care about my sister?" He added, raising an eyebrow. "She seems cool." Lucy Gray replied. "Yeah, but she's a little weird." Marcus mumbled.

"That's not a nice thing to say..." Wovey frowned. "She is." Marcus shrugged. "Marcus." Lucy Gray scolded gently. "I'll apologise later..." He defended. "No, you won't." I teased. "No, I won't." Marcus agreed as Lucy Gray smacked the back of his head. "Kidding, kidding!" Marcus shouted, causing his sister to glance over at him.

Lamina frowned at him as Marcus stood up taller than before, he waved her off, Lamina scoffed and stalked off. "Well, she seems pleasant." Another voice said, I turned and saw Lucy Gray's older brother, Jessup. "Who's that-?" Wovey started. "Jessup!" Lucy Gray exclaimed happily as she flung herself at her older brother.

"Didn't you just see him?" Marcus asked as Lucy Gray scowled at him. Jessup chuckled as he ruffled his sister's hair affectionately. "Sorry, Luce, I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that." He glanced around the compartment, nodding to Wovey, Marcus and I in greeting.

"Mind if I join you all for a bit?" He asked. "Of course, not!" Lucy Gray smiled brightly. "The more, the merrier!" She added as he took a seat in the compartment, opposite Wovey. "Who's this?" Jessup asked. "Wovey. She's my little sister." I introduce.

"I didn't know you had a little sister, Bobbin." Jessup replied. "Seriously? I've told you all at least a million times in the past year that my little sister was coming to Hogwarts..." I huffed. "Sorry, Bobbin." Jessup apologised.

"Don't worry about it, Jessup. You're forgiven." I replied with a grin. It was hard to stay mad at him for long anyway. He was always the life of the party, even in moments like these.

"So, Wovey, this is Jessup, Lucy Gray's older brother. He's a bit of a troublemaker, but he's alright..." I smirked, nudging Jessup playfully. "I am not a troublemaker." Jessup replied, he shot me a mock offended look before turning his attention back to Wovey.

"Yeah, that's Marcus." Lucy Gray teased. "Ha ha." Marcus sneered. "I seriously wonder how you got into Hufflepuff, you've got the makings of a snake." Marcus snapped back. "Maybe, I was meant for Slytherin." Lucy Gray shot back. "Like all the boys you've dated." I added, unintentionally saying it out loud.

As soon as the words slipped from my mouth, I regretted them. Lucy Gray's expression shifted from playful banter to something more somber. Her eyes flickered briefly before she looked away, a tightness forming in her jaw. I could feel the tension thickening in the compartment.

"Sorry, Lucy Gray, I didn't mean..." I began, but she held up a hand to stop me. "It's fine, Bobbin." she said, her voice tight but composed. "Let's just drop it, okay?" She asked, I nodded, feeling a pang of guilt gnawing at me.

I hadn't meant to bring up a sore subject, but I had to admit, Lucy Gray's romantic history was a bit of a touchy topic. She had a tendency to attract trouble when it came to relationships, often finding herself entangled with boys who were more trouble than they were worth, such as Billy Taupe and Coriolanus Snow.

"Sorry, again." I add. "It's fine, Bobbin. I should know better when it comes to who to date." Lucy Gray shrugged. "I should find someone like how Lamina's found-" She began. "What?" Marcus frowned. "Oh... yeah, Lamina and her... you know." Lucy Gray mumbled, awkwardly.

"Lamina's not dating anyone." Marcus said. "Oh. Well, I just assumed... sorry, I didn't realize." Lucy Gray mumbled, ducking her head down. "Who do you think Lamina's dating?" Marcus asked. "I- I don't know... I just overheard a rumour... I'm sorry." Lucy Gray apologised.

I glanced at Marcus, he got up and exited the compartment. "Where's he going?" Wovey asked. "Probably to talk to his sister." Jessup hummed. "Who is Lamina rumoured to be dating?" I ask, turning to Lucy Gray. "I don't know, I just overheard her talking to his Ravenclaw friend, Reaper, I think his name's Reaper." She answered.