Hogwarts United: Nothing Lasts Forever

Chapter 1. Quoth the Raven, "Congratulations and condolences."

The sun shone warmly through the windows as the eggshell white muslin curtains billowed softly in the early summer wind. Anticipation had become a lingering sensation throughout the Edenfare household. Since moving to the scenic mountain side town of Guinny's Hollow, the whole family had been a twitter with musings and gossip. Aunts and uncles sent letters daily, mostly sticking their noses in where they so clearly did not belong. Jax spotted the wings in the distance, the morning sun shimmering off the off-white and speckled feathers of her least-favorite house guest recently. She reached out, grabbing the antique knobs of the windows and slammed them shut abruptly, the panes of glass trembling and the sound echoing throughout the house. There was a hard thud on them that rattled the glass even harder, and a shrill irritated noise from the bird. Jax couldn't keep herself from smirking, barely stifling a laugh. From downstairs she could hear her mother shout up the stairwell.

"Jacqueline Edenfare, that had BETTER not be what I think it was...." Her voice had rung strong with threat of motherly authority. Her mom always seemed to know what was going on in the house, almost before it happened. The ascending clacking sounds of heeled boots was interrupted by the sharp tapping noises rapping on the windowpane next to her. Through the closed door, Jax heard the boot-steps growing dangerously close and sighed deeply, opening the window. A white owl with speckled brown spots on its wings and lower body burst in, dropping the tan envelope right on Jax's head. Quickly grabbing it and cramming it into her pocket, she swung her hands in the air, evoking cries of irritation from the bird as her arms narrowly missed it over and over. Jax heard a smug voice speak from behind a book across the room.

"You're in for it now, Mom's fit to be tied, from the sound of it." Jax's older sister Isabelle was an insufferable know it all. Isabelle was not happy at all about the move, having settled in just fine at her previous school, Waverly's Ladies of Propriety. In Jax's opinion, thes chool was a breeding ground for entitlement and snobbish behavior and would ensure that only the most pompous and egotistical boys would find her sister fit for marriage in the future, which seemed to be the school's only goal. "Raising young girls to become Ladies fit for King's company" was, quite literally, their creed. The whole idea made Jax sick to her stomach. She, for one, was quite glad and leaping with joy to hear the news of their sudden departure, while Isabelle had shut herself in her room for a whole month, only opening the door to dash to the restroom and insisting on taking her meals in her room. She hadn't helped with the packing at all, a task of which her father insisted they not use magic for. This, Jax didn't understand. Yes, she herself was underage, but her parents liberal use of magic had been quite the talk of the town and, of course, sent the family all a buzz on a frequent basis. All of these thoughts dissipated as quickly as they had arose when Jax heard the ruffling of her mother's long skirts being roughly let go of, the heavy fabric dropping to the aged wooden floor just outside the curtained doorway of their room, followed by the rough fluttering of the makeshift door: Her parents had removed the door itself and hung the curtain because her and her sister would not stop bickering, now that they had to share a room.

"Jacqueline, are you torturing that poor owl again?" her mother said exasperated.

All of the muscles in Jax's face pulled tightly in bitter disapproval. "Mom, you know I don't like being called that..." she glared up at her mom, who's hands had rested on her hips in that ever familiar 'what do you have to say for yourself' manner.

"Jacqueline is the name you were given at birth, and Jacqueline's the name I will call you." The owl, who had been swarming around the top of the room to avoid Jax's attacks, swooped down to rest on her mom's shoulder. "How'd' Ya do this mornin, Merda?" her mom stroked the feathers on the owls forehead gently.