in shades of yellow

chapter 1

The clamorous chirp of the blue jays circling the window makes my ears bleed and my eyes tighten. I threw the pillow over my head in hopes to block out their screeching melodies but all attempts to fall back asleep backfire. I checked the clock on the dorm room wall, making out the small 7:03 inscribed into the center. Letting out a deep groan into my pillow, I forced myself to roll out of bed.

Although excited to be back at school in time for my fifth year, waking up early was always unpleasant. I ripped off my softest satin, cream-colored pajama set in aguish, shivering while the cool September air engulfed me in its breath; fall had arrived and it was only the first day back.

I creaked open my favorite present from my father, my enchanted wardrobe. Any outfit I conjured up in my head appeared when I opened its wooden doors along with accessories to match. It acted as a style guide where my imagination in the world of wizard style was free to run while. Today, it offered me my yellow Hufflepuff robes along with a white pleated mini skirt, a cropped and fitted white long sleeve, and a pair of black cargo boots. Tucked on a shelf in the back of the wardrobe was a pearl necklace that hugged my collar bone and a beige linen knotted head band. I slowly pulled on the outfit along with a pair of black stockings and combed my long blonde locks back until any remnants of my bed head were truant.

After slacking on a few delicate coats of mascara to brighten up my tired, purple-bag-ridden eyes I looked at the clock, now reading 7:15. With quite some time before my first Charms class at 8:30, I  decided to make my bed and then proceeded to grab a cup of coffee in the Great Hall.

As I scurried out of my dorm I was immediately hit with the echo of giggles escaping from the common room; finally I was reunited with the feeling of warmth and comfort that I'd missed so dearly all summer.

At home, life was different.

I lived in a big white town house in the most beautiful and prestigious neighborhood in London. Italian Cyprus trees lined the sidewalk on Grafton Street in Westminster, the place I called home. My house was full of light with windows stretching ten feet high and ceilings reaching fifteen. It was beautiful and big enough to get lost in and a whole staff of workers greeted you immediately upon entrance. As grateful as I was, it came with its consequences.

In a house big enough to get lost in, it's easy to grow lonely. My brothers and sister were my only sources of constant entertainment with the exception of the occasional comfort of my maid, Roberta. Father was rarely home and when he was, he was distant. He made up for his lost presence by bearing gifts but the hole his absence left was never really filled. My mother was cold when he was home, and their relationship was made up of either silence or painful disputes. Me and my mother were close however she never was open about her and fathers strains and I reluctantly minded my own business.

Most of my neighbors were muggle billionaires and older couples; there were no children to make friends with or neighborhood play dates. Before my first year at Hogwarts, I was schooled at home with private tutors and an etiquette counselor. The one benefit of this life was how close it bonded me to my siblings; for a while they were my best, my only friends. My oldest brother, Brooks, was two years ahead of me at Hogwarts; he was the most popular boy in his year and the captain of the Ravenclaw Quittich team. Brooks was my mentor in every way, and although I'd never admit it out loud, I looked up to him and all his accomplishments (although they constantly made me look bad as I continuously failed to live up to expectations). My younger brother, Tyler, was born just twenty months after me —he was also a Hufflepuff starting his year four. We both took after our mother, who was a Hufflepuff herself many years ago. My sister, Charlotte, was starting her first year at Hogwarts. No one was surprised when she was sorted into Slytherin last night, just as my father had been; the two shared many of their most dominant qualities and aspirations. She was so happy to finally breach the walls of our house in London and join Brooks, Tyler, and I at our real home.