Call It Home - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Two: The Life of Virgil Black

Virgil's eyes fluttered open long before the sun rose into the sky. He didn't think he'd ever be able to explain it, but he stayed up late at night and still woke up early in the morning. They were conflicting actions, leading to the boy feeling exhausted on most days. Nonetheless, his body woke up before dawn. 

He rolled over onto his back with a heavy sigh, staring up at the ceiling. This was by far the hardest part of his entire day: getting out of bed. There were so many reasons for him to just stay there and let himself deteriorate. His mother had passed away recently, his father was almost always at work, and he was lonely whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not. There were so many things weighing him down mentally, keeping him from moving from his bed.

Yet he forced himself to sit up and get out from under the covers. He felt a bit of relief and pride in himself as he got up and began walking around his room to get ready for the day. When you suffer from the harsh anxiety and depression he did, small victories meant everything.

Are you proud of me, Mom? he thought to himself as he got dressed. I'm up, I'm dressed, I'm trying... that's all you wanted from me right? For me to try my best?

Of course, Virgil received no answer from his mother; any words she wanted to share with him would require the resurrection stone to hear. It had been a few months since the incident and if he was honest, he was holding up better than he'd expected himself to. He was almost certain that his mother would be proud of him, and that thought helped him keep going.

The darkly dressed boy made his way down the hall to the kitchen as the sun began to peak above the horizon line. The house was empty apart from him. His father went into work in the city, which was a two hour long drive from their home, meaning he had to leave extraordinarily early and usually got home extremely late. Virgil didn't mind it so much seeing as he preferred time alone, but with his mother's death being so fresh, he'd appreciate having his other parental figure around more often. 

There was also the Hogwarts business. Evidently, his father was taking a day off work to drive him into London so he could board a train that would take him to the wizarding school. He figured it must be important if he was willing to miss work. 

The problem was that if he thought about going to Hogwarts too long he'd give himself a panic attack. They were leaving for London tomorrow and he was honestly terrified. 

Shaking his head, Virgil focused back on the present. He flipped on the lights in the kitchen and began fixing himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It was as he was doing so that he spotted a little sticky note on the island counter. He picked up, recognizing his father's rushed handwriting. 

Virgil, I hope you have a good day today. Everything's going to be okay with school, I promise. Don't forget to pack, I'll see you later! <3
- love, dad

A small smile managed to find its way across his lips. He didn't realize just how much he needed encouragement from his dad since his mother's passing, but as he folded the note up and put it his pocket for safe keeping, he remembered that his father was trying his best too, and that's what mattered.

Virgil jumped a little as he was jolted from his thoughts by something brushing his leg. He looked down, seeing his fluffy black cat looking back up at him. It meowed upon making eye contact with him.

He smiled and leaned down to pet it. "Morning," he greeted, scratching it behind the ears. It began to purr gratefully at the action "You know, we're allowed to bring certain animals with us to this... this new school. I wonder if Dad would let me bring you with me, Dante. It would certainly make me feel better if I had a trustworthy friend there with me."

The cat seemed to purr with amusement at his words as he stood back up. It weaved in between his legs as he walked to the table with his cereal. As he sat down, an idea struck him. He rushed back down the hallway and retrieved a little black notebook and a pen. 

Every so often, Virgil would get an idea for a song. Though he wasn't the strongest singer in the world, he was a decent guitarist and he couldn't help the lyrics that flowed from his mind onto the paper when he let them. When he was younger, his mother used to have him write poetry as part of his 'schooling' and she was blown away. He seemed to have a knack for it that he never really outgrew. 

He hoped he'd be able to bring his guitar with him to Hogwarts, wondering if muggle instruments were allowed at the wizarding school. He knew cellphones were out of the question as too much magic disrupted electrical devices, but that was out of the Headmistress' hands. Virgil was tempted to look up the rules of what was allowed and not allowed.

Shrugging the thoughts away, he focused back on the writing that he'd started. Words flowed from his mind into his hand and the pen translated them onto the paper. It was relaxing and it eased his anxieties to watch the black ink swirl into words. 

He'd written half a page by the time he finished his breakfast. Once he'd rinsed out his bowl, he reached into his pocket to retrieve the note from his father. He read it over again and sighed, reluctantly putting away his notebook when he returned to his room. Virgil needed to pack, something that would definitely not keep his mind off of the fact he was going to Hogwarts tomorrow. 

He dragged out his old trunk. It was banged up and dusty, but it would do. He hesitated, looking at the empty trunk with a pit in his stomach. Glancing at his wand on his bedside table, he picked it up and gently ran his fingers along it. 

Virgil had promised his mother he'd learn everything he could about magic. This was his chance to make sure he fulfilled that promise. He just wished he wasn't so scared to do it.