moon cycles and raven feathers [r. lupin]

| 12 |

october 18th, 1976

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as cozy and homey as the gryfindor common room was, it didn't hold a candle to how comfortingly familiar the ravenclaw one felt.

her house, her real house, horned serpent was that of founder isolt sayre who found herself utterly infatuated with the quick witted house, so it only made sense that their common room was modeled with it in mind. cath had found that, even though she wanted to leave ilvermorny and salem, she wasn't immune to homesickness. so she balanced her feelings by sneaking into the eagle house with anita and everett.

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"you know, sometimes i feel like you only hang around me for my common room cath. i don't get why you like it here so much, it's nothing special."
"just reminds me of home i guess."
"we-"

cath let everetts protests of her residence in his common room fade into the background as she gazed around the room. of course it wasn't the exact same as the horned serpent room back in the states but it was close enough. she could close her eyes and picture her old housemates wondering the room and when she really concentrated she make everett's deep voice fade into something lighter and a lot more delia-esque. just as she began slipping into an almost dreamlike trance about her old school everett finally caught her attention.

"-so essentially that's how i found out my mum had died."
"what?" cath sat up straighter and looked at everett, shock and concern painting her features.
"kidding. but seriously cath, it's common courtesy to pay attention to someone when your hanging out."
"sorry ev."
"it's fine, but i'm going to write my potions essay, feel free to continue ignoring me in my own common room."
cath laughed at her friend before one again being sucked in by ravenclaws familiar atmosphere.

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'delia was right, i do miss everything.'

catherine missed almost everything she thought she couldn't care less about before she left. she missed delia's incessant predictions of the future, she missed knowing the people everyone would talk about, some more superficial part of her even missed being top-dog, head bitch, popular.

though she may hate carrying it, she certainly missed the perks her name brought. there was a certain level of respect her name carried in america, where people realized who the webster's were, that didn't extend past the country's boarders. here, she was just another pureblood, which of course carried weight in itself but it wasn't the same.

her whole life she had tried to fight against her name, not wanting it to define her, to define what she thought, but it was only just now that she was realizing how much she had taken that name for granted. not knowing what else to do, cath decided to write a letter to the one person who would understand her predicament best.

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'my dearest brother,

i am writing you today to ask you a series of questions. seeing as you are the only other person who carries my same burden i thought it would only be fitting to write you this letter. so-"

cath had written the same letter to her favorite brother, rowen, 10 different times now, deciding that they were either too formal or too casual to be sent. yes, she was addressing her brother, but, she was still writing a webster, so she knew her writing had to be perfect.

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rowen alexander webster was a golden boy. a perfect son and heir who seemed to have no problem with carrying the family name, he was an excellent quidditch player, he excelled in his academics, and he was a webster through and though. he was bred for excellence and he delivered excellence.

so when cath was born just five short years after him she was already in his shadow. she wasn't nearly as athletic as her brother and while she was certainly very gifted in certain areas she was nowhere near as well rounded as him academically, and when it came to upholding the family name cath new it'd be a cold day in hell when she was considered the better webster.

cath knew it was easier for him though, it was always easier for webster men seeing as they didn't have to honor centuries of female prosecution, but that didn't mean she didn't envy him any less. while rowen had time to practice quidditch cath was busy being groomed into her mother's perfect image. when rowen and their father would go camping cath had to stay home with her mother, learning about her history and how to act like a proper lady.

part of cath would always hate her brother for having the life she never got to, for having such a different narrative than she ever would. for being able to have a different narrative.

'sincerely,

your loving sister,

catherine lenora'

quickly she sealed her envelope and made her way to the owlery to give the letter to her family owl, jennings.

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"be quick with this one-" she cooed stroking the soft wings of her owl, he was old and temperamental and she knew that if she wanted her letter delivered in any sort of a timely manner that she would have to convince him.
"-it's very very important."

as she strapped the letter onto jennings she heard familiar heavy footsteps coming up from behind her. after giving her owl one final stroke and sending him off she turned to see sirius black with a letter in his hand.

"that must be some letter love, you're doing some real sweet talking to that owl."
cath laughed.
"your mum? finally responding?"
"my brother actually, my mother would kill me for sending her a letter that's sealed so poorly."
"'course. it would 'make a mockery of the family name', wouldn't it?"
cath and sirius both laughed at the sentiment that had surely been uttered by both of their families countless times before.

"what about yours, black?"
"my mum, i need to collect my things."
"ah..."

cath wasn't sure what to say. she had heard from lily that sirius was marked a 'blood traitor' when he was sorted into gryffindor and had left home to live with james after being disowned.

she couldn't imagine what her mother would do if she tried something like that. there would surely be hell to pay for the only pureblooded female heir leaving the family so unceremoniously.

'merlin, she'd kill me quicker than she'd let me leave home.'

"ah, well, sometimes that's how it goes." she said with a sad smile before turning towards the door. she began to walk out before realizing there was something, a much less somber something, she hadn't said to the black boy yet, "i'm glad you listened to remus by the way, lila's been better since you talked to her, i don't know what you said black but i thank you for saying it. she really was insufferable."

"of course cath, anytime."