The Favor

No. Maybe. Yes.

"You're going to what!?" Anna's voice was far too clear through the howler, and Elsa winced with the weight of it and the weight of the several stares of passing students who crossed the little alcove she was hiding out in as they hurried off to their respective classes.

"I'm not going to say this again Anna- I am going to Jack's place over spring break, he--he invited me..." Despite the fact she had rehearsed the line in the mirror this morning when she realized that she would likely need to explain herself to her family at some point or another for her absence, she still found herself stumbling over her words.

When she had decided to send a letter home explaining why she wouldn't be coming home this break she'd hardly expected a letter back, especially not so soon and most of all not in the form of a raging howler. When she had left her family with a few enchanted envelopes that their cousin Rapunzel would be able to work for them since her cellphone didn't work out here, she didn't have loud red screaming parcels that amplified Anna's temper tantrum tenfold in mind for what she'd receive.

"Besides the fact that you -- and I quote -- 'find him a nuisance and unnecessary to the development of both our wizarding and muggle societies', you said you weren't coming home this weekend for apprenticeship applications, and now you drop everything and your pants to hang out with someone you're supposed to despise!" As Anna continued, the ribbon on the howler shivered restlessly, Elsa could almost imagine Anna waving her arms around

Elsa fiddled with the hem of her sleeve, flustered and shy. She didn't want to have to let her younger sister in on the true details as to why she was helping Jack out. Not only would she not believe her but likely be offended by the fact that he was using her for her muggle family. 

"I know, Anna, and I'm sorry. But Jack invited me and it would be rude if I-"

"You don't think you're being rude now? Or disrespectful?"  In her mind, Elsa could see Anna, her eyes filled with jealous fury.

"Mom and Dad have been talking about you for weeks, I've been-- all of us just getting things ready for weeks. Getting your room ready, things for us to do together--" The Howler can't replicate all sounds, it can't pick up on certain little tricks the human voice does when emoting. Like now, when Anna paused, Elsa could not hear the fierce gulp of air she took to calm herself down. But she could hear it in her memory, could feel it in her own lungs as her throat tightened with emotion.

"Not that you would know, too busy with your nose stuck in some stupid magic book to read in between the lines in the real world and see what's really important." Anna bit out. Elsa felt her own eyes welling with tears. This wasn't a howler floating before her now, it was her sister, and she'd let her down. Again.

"Anna, I promise you I'll come home next break--" Elsa said before she could think better of it, her eyes downcast in shame. The same excuse she'd been giving every year since she began attending Hogwarts slipped off her tongue so easily it surprised her.

"That's what you've been saying for the past six years Elsa, 'I have too much work' 'I promised I'd help out' 'they need me here' always some sort of excuse. There are no more breaks. It's summer and then you're off to do who knows what magic junk because apparently, that's better than spending time with your own family."

"No, Anna, you don't understand that's not it--" Elsa began, wringing her wrists nervously. For once, she could barely concentrate. The rush of bodies running past the alcove was a dull roar in the back of her mind, the heat of their stares, the disappointment in Anna's voice. It was all too much, she had to leave.