The Quiet Kind Of Beauty -Marauder Era

Chapter 5

"Oh, please, Lily," Clara rolled her eyes, "It's definitely not that." Clara assured, adjusting her glasses.

"Oh, so, if I were to call him up here you wouldn't care?" She asked slyly, emerald eyes glinting with mischief.

"Lily!'' Clara groaned, "I don't want anyone seeing me in glasses. Not just him." She huffed, lowering her eyes back to her book.

Just as Lily parted her mouth to say something else, a tiny tap on their dorm window drifted through the room. Clara looked up, and recognized the owl as her family's and got up confusedly. Her fingers tangled themselves in the latch and she pulled the window up, allowing an owl as black as night to flutter in.

"Hello, Jade," Clara cooed, using her pointer finger to stroke her soft head. "have you got a letter?" The owl hooted in response, a smooth and calming sound, and stuck out its leg. Two letters were strung securely on her leg.

"Ooh, who sent them?" Lily said eagerly, walking over to her.

Untying the pieces of parchment, she recognized, with a jolt of surprise, the familiar scrawl. Her father never sent her letters unless it was important.

"It's.. it's my dad," She mumbled, trying to think why he would send her a letter after nearly five months.

"That's odd.." Lily agreed, "what about the second one?" She flipped the second letter over and a wave of happiness overtook her.

"It's Rose!" Clara replied happily. Rosemary was her older sister, and the second youngest Campbell daughter. Elizabeth was the oldest, Ariana was second, then Rosemary, and then Clara. Her parents, Elaine, and Joseph Campbell, were disappointed at her birth. They were hoping for a baby boy to carry on the Campbell bloodline. Nevertheless, the had kept her.

Ripping open the envelope, she reached for her sisters letter first.

Dearest, Clara,
Hello, Clara! How's seventh year treating you? I really do hope that you're not overdoing yourself.

Clara smiled at her sisters protectiveness and continued reading.

Anyway, I'm staying with you for the summer, Ralph is gone for a mission for the ministry. Being an auror is such a tiring job. Edward and Jaya have grown so much since the last time you saw them.

Edward and Jaya were her children. Edward was five, and Jaya was three. They were Clara's favourite niece and nephew. Ralph is her husband.

But guess what! The Hart family is about to gain a third baby! We don't know if the baby's going to be a girl or a boy, though. Ralph and I agreed to keep it a surprise. Though, he's hoping for a baby girl.

A grin broke out on Clara's features. "Lily!" She squealed, jumping around.

"What? What happened?!" She asked desperately, trying to snatch the letter out of her best friends hands.

"It's Rose!" She sighed finally, smiling, "She's pregnant!"

Lily grinned and hugged Clara, "Congratulations, Clara! Is it a boy or girl?" She said.

"They want it to be a surprise," Clara explained, flipping the letter over to find an image of the family of four enclosed. The tallest figure in the photograph was Ralph, a handsome man with straight jet black hair and chocolate brown eyes. Light freckles were dotted over his forehead and he was wearing a dashing smile that revealed to rows of straight white teeth. Next to him there was Rose, a woman with the same curly hair as Clara but gray eyes and freckles dotting her nose. In the photograph, you could see a small baby bump.The married couple were both holding a child, Ralph was holding Jaya, a young girl with curly jet black hair and blue eyes and Rose held Edward, who was an exact splitting image of his father.

Lily aw'ed beside Clara.

"You have the cutest niece and nephew!" She sighed. Clara was staring at the picture affectionately. She loved Rose and her family to bits and Rose was her favourite sibling. Clara set the letter from her sister down and flipped the one from her father nervously.

"Just open it," Lily said softly, "it may not be bad news."

"Yeah," Clara scoffed, "that's likely." She tore the back of the letter open with trembling fingers. It's either now, Clara thought, or never.

Clara,

I hope you're studying your hardest, seeing as your second NEWTs are coming up. But, as it is the end of the year, you will have one last trip to Hogsmeade and I have asked a young man who I want you to meet. He will be waiting inside Three Broomsticks, that's where you will see him. I want you to stay with him at all times while you're visiting the village. No exceptions. You're almost seventeen, which means it's time to start considering your future as a woman.

And stay away from that Black boy. You shall not befriend such traitors.

From,
Your father, Joseph Campbell.

Clara stared at the piece of parchment in her hands for a few moments. Okay, my father's sending a boy, who I do not know, to accompany me to Hogsmeade, and he'll most likely be my fiance, Clara thought, Lovely.

She turned the second letter over, and saw that there was no picture attached. No way to identify who she would meet whatsoever. Angrily, she balled the letter up and tossed it into the trash.

"What happened?" Lily asked nervously.

"Just the one thing I feared most." Clara sighed, removing her glasses. Lily looked at her confusedly and was about to open her mouth to ask what she meant, but Clara cut her off.

"Goodnight, Lily." She mumbled. Lily sighed, and nodded. Clara rubbed her eyes sleepily and lay down. Her fathers letter had enraged her. It was so blunt, so.. simple. There wasn't a shred of wording that said she could have the choice. Nothing. It was just there. Marriage at seventeen. Clara wanted to laugh out loud at the idea. Her family's tradition was old; outdated. She didn't want to be forced into marriage, but she knew that she had to choice. It was clear to her that if she objected, the reaction from her father wouldn't be pleasing.

She forced all the thoughts out of her mind, closed her eyes, and attempted to sleep.