From Here on Out: Story of a Triwizard Champion

I

The sky above Scotland was dark. Perhaps it wasnt the best way to start of the day, but in no way did it affect the young witch, Elspeth Begbie's mood– a smile stuck to her girlish face as she made her way down the stairs of her home, large trunk in hand, and out the door, placing it in the back of the car. Because she lived in Scotland, her father always drove her to the school– sometimes she wished they lived in London, because of all the fun she heard occured on the Hogwarts Express, but she loved her home, and she wouldnt ever want to live anywhere else.
"Da!" She called, her accented voice ringing through the country air that surrounded their farm house. "Lets go." She added in a begging voice, opening the car door and slipping inside. Something clung to the back of her mind- a thought that she was forgetting something. Shrugging her shoulders, she closed the door, buckling herself in. After a moment, the drivers side door was opened, and her dad popped his head in.
"Forget something?" He asked with a smile, pulling a hand from behind his back that held a small, pointy creature.
"Henry!" She explaimed, feeling a bit guilty as she scooped the hedgehog from her fathers hand and placed him in his lap. The little creature had been her companion since her first year at Hogwarts, and it was her father who, every year, had to remind her she had forgotten him before they left for school. He let out a small chuckle and sat in the drivers seat, closing the door and turning the keys in the ignition.
"Did you say goodbye to your mother?" He asked, heading down the long driveway away from the large, old-looking home. Though it wasn't exactly the prettiest house, Elspie had always found it's imperfection charming, each chip and scratch in the wood reminding her of another era of her wild youth.
"No," She admitted, biting the inside of her cheek. "Its not like she would remember anyways." As she spoke, she cast her eyes down, the green dark with immediate regret about the comment she had made.
"Don't speak like that about your mother," Her father scolded, his face stern, though his eyes were on the road ahead.
She felt a pang in her chest– since winter of the year before, her mother had been severly ill. Countless doctors had tried to diagnose it, though none had succeeded– she hardly ate, or left bed, and it was rare to hear her speak. In all honesty, Elspie had almost forgotten she had a mother at all.
"Sorry Da." She said quietly, sinking into her seat even more. Stroking the back of the small animal in her lap, she let her mind focus on the sound of the rain that was slowly starting to fall against the car, instead of the ghastly, pained face of her mother, an image constantly stuck in her mind. As it got heavier, she found herself dozing off to the constant tapping, until she was slumped against the door, asleep.

***

The car stopped suddenly, and Elspie was thrown forwards slightly, groaning as the seatbelt squeezed her chest.
"Sorry dear," Her father give an apologetic smile, putting the car in park and pulling the keys out of the ignition. Before them were the rolling hills, the highlands of Scotland. Though her home offered quite the same scenery, she could never help staring at it in awe, admiring the beauty of the castle grounds.
She groaned again, gently stroking Henry, who lay calmy in her lap, not willing to open her eyes. She had done the drive to Hogwarts seven times, and yet, she never got over her overwhelming tiredness that was almost inevitable when she was woken from her nap.
"Dear, you've got to get up. The carriage is waiting for you." Her father urged, giving her shoulder a small nudge. With a yawn, she stretched her arms up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"I know." She said, her voice groggy. She pulled her eyes open and unbuckled herself, scooping the hedgehog into her pocket. The rain had stopped, but it was still chilly outside, her father warners her, so she pulled her hood over her short brown curls, exiting the car and retrieving her trunk from the back. In front of them sat the carriages that transported the few students who lived in Scotland to the castle. It was a very small group, and among them were mostly younger students, save for a girl in her own year she could hardly stand. She carried the trunk to the carriage, rejecting her fathers offer to carry it for her, insisting she was strong enough to do so herself, and handed it off to a man for it to be set with the other luggage.
After dropping off her luggage, she turned to her father behind her, her lips pressed together in a thin line. She stared at him, her eyed soft as the swept over his familiar features. His face was becoming old and wrinkled, that of a tired, overworked man, and she knew the stress of her mother had taken its toll on him. She felt sorry for him, though she knew he would never accept pity over her mothers illness.
The bell rang, announcing that in a moment the carriages would depart, and Elspie threw herself at her father, wrapping her arms around him and digging her face into his chest.
"I love you Da," She said, and he placed a kiss atop her head before she pulled away.
"I love you too, dear. Now go– wouldn't want to have to walk the few miles wouldya?" He asked teasingly, and Elspie smiled, waving as she made her way onto the carriage.