Funkytown : Fred Weasley

trois;

~a spot of archery~

//

Sun-hazed days, blooming flowers and salt aired swims of August passed in a blur. A blur of dreams and false imaginings. Most of my days spent in the wild garden with my nose inches from the crisp pages of a silver bound book. I found a sanctuary there, a secret paradise just to myself. And so I lived August like Mary from The Secret Garden, days spent hidden away in my own kingdom of hydrangeas and overgrown grasses. I liked it there where no one could find me, but its's not like they would come looking anyways.

September 1st came rolling on and I found myself staring back at myself in the mirror. My eyes traced over my face: my sun-kissed cheeks; freckles that only came out to say 'hello' when the sun hit them; my greyish, ocean pools of eyes and my skewwhiff parting of brown waves. My eyes burnt into my face. I was still dressed in my pyjamas from the night before and my eyes were heavy with fatigue. Then, like a lightbulb pinged off inside my head, I swivelled in a flurry with a smile flowering on my face. I skipped over to my wardrobe, reached inside and grabbed out the blue satin dress. Hanging from the white hanger, I held it up to my body in front of the mirror and performed at little twirl for the audience of myself.

I hurried off, quickly brushing my teeth as I patted my hair down with some cold water to tame it- or at least attempt to. I felt a yawn escape my throat as I almost threw myself down the staircase and landed with a soft thump at the bottom.

"Now, now Aurélie" a voice I soon recognised to be my mothers called from the far side of the room, "enough with the chaos, my aging heart can no longer take a second of your misbehaviour!" Her tone harshened as her aggravation ripped through her words. My wonderful day had been dimmed with just one retort. 

My eyes found the floor as I moved past where she was lazed out on a chair reading a newsletter filled with backhanded gossip about the newest witch scandal. Time after time she would claim she held no interest in the "atrocities" each owl would drop off at our door, but each dramatized headline would suck her into a gossip-a-thon.

I walked into the kitchen, a small plate of pastries piled in the corner of the counter beckoned me over. I leaned over and took my time picking out which pain au chocolat looked like it had the most chocolate filling. Once I had examined each and every possibility , I reached over and grabbed the chosen one in a quick motion.

Shoving the pastry in my mouth, I walked over towards the cellar steps. I ducked down as the ceiling shortened- I had learnt from my many previous mistakes and bruised foreheads to do so- and opened the wooden door with a small latch.

"Clara!" I called out into the dimly lit space, my voice muffled from the pastry I had quickly shoved into my mouth.

Pots and pans and clunks of glass rattled out in echoes, then the scurrying of the small elf on the stone floor. "Ah Miss Aurélie!" she squeaked, "Have you managed to find your breakfast?"

I replied by pointing to my mouth as I chewed on the food to talk to her. "It's the big day!" I screeched after I had finally got my breakfast down me, "Today is the day!"

...

I darted up to my room, flung the door open and crashed down onto my bed. All this excitement had tired me out for the day and it had only just begun.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Three knocks sounded at my door. I sat up straight on my bed and slid my slippers back onto my feet, I began to walk up to open the door but before I could my mother swung it open and waltzed her way in. "I presumed you would've been all dressed and ready to go by now Aurélie, but I see you are lazing about as usual. Hurry now, your bags are downstairs and the carriage men are waiting! Enough with the dilly-dallying already!"