DISTANT GAME ━ charlie weasley

i. entirely made over

chapter i entirely made over

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THE DAY FOR AVERY CARMICHAEL TO STEP ONTO THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS FOR what would be her final year at Hogwarts arrived in an array of hell-bent kiosk cues and the clatter of clumsy footfalls. Hell, it felt bittersweet, all of it; the tracking of the trolley's wheels, dragging unevenly across the grime-ridden floor, the smell of pungent fuel passing through as steam out of the train engines, the familiar busy atmosphere suffocating the entirety of the train station.. it felt bittersweet, knowing that would be the last time she would be doing through this. Goodness, would she miss this place and everything to do with it. (Perhaps even the exhausting train journey from Thankerton to Glasgow Central to King's Cross that she was bound to take every year, only to have to take a train back to Scotland — though it's a magically concealed part — it's still Scotland nonetheless.) Unfortunately, this nostalgic walk through Kings Cross station had to include her older brother supporting her luggage trolley from beside her with a vice-like grip. For heavens sake, it was like the 21 year old couldn't trust the now-Head Girl with a bleeding trolley!

"Do you have to hold onto the trolley with me? I'm not that much of a disaster, you know." Avery groans, while Jeremiah merely chuckles, using his free hand to smooth his near-caramel hair to the side.

"You cannot be trusted, dear little sister," He quips casually, "If I move away from the trolley I bet you will make some sort of event in your name."

"Oh, yeah? Try me." She challenges, and Jeremiah sidetracked himself from the trolley muttering a 'suit yourself'. Desperate to prove herself, Avery holds onto the trolley bars strongly and despite her willingness to move with precision, it didn't stop the collision of her trolley with a passing workman, who'd unfortunately been too engrossed in his watch to notice his whereabouts. As a result, the man walked gut-first into the trolley, wearing an expression of sheer shock from his sudden collision. The cage containing Avery's owl Oban shook, making her immediately reach a hand out to steady her owl.

"I am so sorry, Sir!" She apologises as the man collects himself.

"Not at all, pal. My fault, sorry. I should watch where I'm going." He says, his face reddening while he straightens his suit, before walking away. She turns back to Jeremiah, who was at her side wearing a very pointedly smug look, grinning to Avery.

"Don't look at me like that! It was his fault! I was walking in a perfectly straight line!" She says, scowling when Jeremiah said nothing but smirked and took a hold of the trolley again. They got through the platform, one that Jeremiah had plenty of experience walking through having left Hogwarts four years ago, and faced themselves with many old and new faces of families and students alike. "Besides, what are you even doing here? Usually Mum is the only one to drop me off." She asks, nodding momentarily behind them to Valerie, who trailed behind her children, flicking through a pamphlet she'd snatched on the way.