VIBRANCE || FRED WEASLEY [1]

[05]: ELBOWS AND KNEES

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CHAPTER FIVE;
[ ELBOWS AND KNEES ]
[VIBRANCE || FRED WEASLEY]

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ARDEN SOMETIMES WISHED THAT HER BROTHER WASN'T SUCH A SOCIAL butterfly. Much like at Kanaloa, his charming personality resulted in the absolute same positive response from the students at Hogwarts—popularity and a very strong liking. His ability to become friends with literally anyone led to the inevitable result of people upon people flocking around the smug boy. Arden knew for a fact that she wasn't exaggerating at all, for she found herself having to elbow her way through a crowd of people listening to his many tales of The Great Barrier Reef Academy.

"—I've been the champion of underwater dueling for three years. If I was still there, I'm sure it'd be four soon." Sunny bragged, his right leg balanced across his left knee. Around him, a clan of both girls and boys stared at him with pure and absolute enjoyment scribbled across their faces. Arden noticed that amongst the crowd were all three of her roommates and a majority of the Quidditch team that she had heard so profoundly about from Jason. The couch was all arms and knees and elbows, scattered smiles and pleasured grins amongst the mix.

As she sat down, Arden found herself glaring at her brother as he continued to boast. Sunny didn't catch her gaze, though, as he fixated his eyes on Alice. The tale of his duel against a sixth year and his success dribbling from his lips like honey. Arden had no choice but to listen as she watched the flames cackle and sputter against the golden fireplace.

It was Saturday evening, the past week that had played out so well now like a shadow behind both her and her brother. If Arden wanted to be completely honest, it had not gone as bad as she had predicated. Despite the numerous amount of homework that the Professor's had assigned within the five brief days, Arden felt at ease with her academic situation. As at ease as someone could get in a new school.

The fire seemed to call out to her as her ears began to ring and eyes began to cloud with the sadness that pooled inside of her. Don't you want to go home? it said, don't you wish you were home?

Arden began to naw at her bottom lip, her gaze falling upon the many people in the room. She could picture Willa laughing instead of Alice, Lilian draping herself across Sunny instead of Elizabeth. Noah instead of Jason, Benny instead of Rowan. It made Arden dizzy and she wanted to cry. Cry for her friends, cry for her parents, cry for Sunny, but not for herself. She had enjoyed a brief moment of her time at Hogwarts—Arden certainly did not deserve tears.

She slouched, her elbows resting on top her knees. Her stomach growled with hunger despite only eating a short while before. Arden placed her hand over her tummy—it felt as if though it were about collapse from the inside out, her intestines begging to spill like syrup. Maybe it was that, maybe it was the absolute hatred she felt in her stomach for feeling so at ease in the castle. Arden wished desperately that she could just accept her wants and needs. She couldn't, though, she wouldn't accept Hogwarts as her home.