The Years of Blue [2]

Chapter 7: The Carriage

I woke the next morning with a dull headache that came from drinking the sleeping drought the night before. Sitting up, I turned to the nightstand and went for the water glass that sat waiting for me. The clock on the table showed that it was 10:27am, making me shift in my bed.

Wasn't I supposed to be at the station by now for Beauxbatons?

I was out of my room a minute later, wrapping a silk robe over my nightgown as I walked like a mouse through the deserted hallway.

No lights were on in the house, the only source coming from the open windows. When I passed my grand'mère's room, I found the door fastly shut. I slowly went down the steps where I encountered two house elves in their blue uniforms cleaning an oil painting of a young witch sitting by the river sine. She waved to me graciously as I passed before returning to look affronted at what the house elves did to her portrait.

The eyry quiet spell that came from the house broke the moment I walked into the bright sunlit kitchen, finding my mother sitting by the small table with a cup of coffee resting beside her. She looked up from her newspaper when I came in and her face brightened a bit.

"Good morning, mon ange. Sleep well?" I nodded as I moved to sit with her. An elf appeared with a quick snap next to me and asked in a squeaky voice what I would like to eat.

"Chocolate crepes and strawberries, please"

"Add an egg to her dish please with a glass of milk to follow," My mother added with a quick look to the elf. The creature bowed low before disappearing into the air with another small pop.

Her gaze turned to mine.

"You will be hungry on the trip if you eat nothing but sugared bread and fruit. Protein and dairy will keep you full."

I said nothing in response and took my mother's coffee and took a long sip.

"When did you start drinking coffee, mon ange?"

"This is my first," I said with disgust as I lowered the glass back to the table. My mother's eyes glimmered as she chuckled and returned her attention to the newspaper.

The food arrived then with a cool glass of milk following shortly afterwards. I ate my food slowly while my mother went in to steal a strawberry every so often. When I finished the last of my milk, my mother lowered her newspaper, looking rather dull in her curlers.

"I hate this place. Even the newspaper is terrible," She mused, making me glance at the paper where an older wizard stood with a box of dragon eggs resting neatly in his lap.

"You're leaving after I do, right?" I asked, making my mother nod absent mindedly.

"Yes, but by then, your grand'mère will be the death of me. I won't have you as a buffer anymore." I grinned impishly making my mother give me look.

"When are we supposed to leave? I thought I had an early train to catch like at Hogwarts." My mother frowned and shook her head.

"Beauxbatons does not uses trains to get to school. You will be flown in a carriage, mon ange." She glanced to the wall where a black iron clock stood showing the time.

"Ah, we will need to leave in a little under two hours, if only your silly grand'mère could come back-"

"Good Morning!" The little old witch's voice came from the front hall, making the two of us turn in our seats.

My grand'mère came into the kitchen in her classic black cloak and witch hat that was held lightly in one of her pearled hands. The other held a basket filled small vials of who knows what.