Elegy//Harry Potter [3]

27

Autumn carefully walked through the front doors of the familiar old building. "Hello?" She whispered.

Laughter from upstairs rang throughout the entire building. Autumn carried her trunk up the steps and smiled. They were all okay.

Autumn set her trunk by her bed then walked towards the laughter. She walked into the doorway to see all the girls crowded around a table wearing hats and wearing dresses.

"Ah, hello there. I never thought I'd see you again." Miss Clementine said in a posh accent.

The girls laughed. 

"How was school?" Victoria said in a fake swanky tone.

"Erm, lovely." Autumn responded. "What's going on here?"

"We're having our afternoon tea." Jesse responded.

"Autumn." Vanessa looked worried as she spoke.

Autumn looked at Vanessa with curiosity, but it quickly went away when Miss Clementine spoke.

"Autumn, may I have a word?" She said in her normal voice.

Autumn nodded and followed Miss Clementine into a different room. Once they were out of earshot, Miss Clementine stopped.

"How dare you make a fool of me!" Miss Clementine seethed. She held her hand out and slapped Autumn. "How dare you leave even when I told you not to!" She slapped Autumn across the face again. "You leave here out of your own free will, then come back for shelter."

Autumn held her cheek where she had just been slapped.

"Now," Miss Clementine straightened out her clothes. "We do not wear t-shirts and jeans here, Autumn. We are ladies, so we wear dresses."

"But I just don't understand why we can't wea-"

SMACK.

Autumn held her other cheek where Miss Clementine had just slapped her.

"Go to Vanessa for a dress. She will teach you the proper etiquette of my orphanage. Do not talk when it is not your turn, sweetie." Miss Clementine raged. "Now, I must be off. There is a tea party I must attend."

Autumn watched carefully as Miss Clementine strutted back to the other children, her shoes tapping the ground whenever she took a step.

Vanessa appeared in the doorway quickly afterwards, walking quickly. Her heels clicked just like Miss Clementine's.

"I am so sorry, Autumn." Vanessa looked sincere. "I knew you'd be back, and the only way to save the others was to get her to be mad at you. I really hope you understand."

"Yeah. . ." Autumn drifted. "I get it. I would've done the same."

"So, etiquette is going to take a while." Vanessa said. "So how about we start tomorrow. You look like you could use some rest."

Autumn nodded. 

"Just wear this when you go to bed." Vanessa held a nightgown. "It's weird to sleep in at first, but you get used to it eventually."

Autumn slowly took it then went to change behind the standing curtain. She walked back out, throwing her old clothes into her trunk.

"And don't wear your hair like that to bed." 

Autumn felt her hair with her hand.

"Why not?"

"A lady must sleep with her hair in loose braids to have their hair wavy in the morning."

Autumn slowly nodded, then took her hair down from her ponytail and loosely braided it. "Better?"

Vanessa nodded. "Now get some rest. I'll wake you tomorrow when we start."

Autumn nodded then collapsed onto her bed.

What the hell happened while she was away?