Trials of a Sister

Being the only one in the family who had magic was something Stephanie had grown to love so finding out she wasn't the only one was a bitter disappointment. It was unfortunate that her younger sister did not feel the same way about it. Stephanie eyed the younger girl nervously as she wondered what on earth the other students at Beauxbatons would make of her. Christine was a little...odd in Stephanie's opinion.

She loved her little sister but she didn't want her hanging on whilst Stephanie was busy preparing for her fourth year at Beauxbatons. Even worse was that whilst their father saw no problem in sending Stephanie off to do her shopping on her own when she'd been eleven he did not consider it appropriate for Christine. Thus she was stuck with the younger girl. Stephie sighed as her father waved them off to do what they needed in Amethyst Alley whilst he went on his way to work for some sort of emergency repair.

"Come on then," she grumbled a little as she led her younger sister into the pub. "No acting like you're royalty and everyone around you are peasants either."

Christine was very excited about attending this boarding school Stephanie had been attending for three years, especially now that she'd learnt what sort of school it really was. Magic. It was like it came out of a story book. Of course most of them painted witches in a bad light with only one or two having characters who were good witches. That was obviously where she fitted in. A good witch. A princess witch. She smiled at how much fun she would have whilst her friends were stuck at their boring old school learning all that dull stuff like French, English, maths and history. Ugh. All of it retched.

"But Stephie," she protested, "I am a princess. It's just that my true identity hasn't been revealed yet. You just wait and see." She nodded her head sagely. One day they'll all see who she really was. "Do you think that daddy would mind if we end up being separated later? I want to be able to make friends without you hanging around. We can met up at that place where you bought Arianne later." She smiled winningly up at her older sister.

She rolled her eyes at her sister's words. "Keep up that talk and you'll be lonelier than me," she warned. "No-one's going to want to talk to the girl who believes something which has no fact in reality." Stephanie may daydream a lot but she at least knew the difference between daydreaming and real life. Something which Christine never seemed to be overly bothered by.

Stephanie silently considered her younger sister's request. It was tempting. Very tempting. "I tell you what," she eventually said, "first I'll buy you a drink to try and then I'll let you go off on your own. Don't forget to meet me at De Beaux Animaux within the next hour. You'll need your money." Dad wouldn't know she'd let her sister go off and do her own thing. If there was one thing she could say for Christine, the younger girl knew how to hold her own. There would be no worries there. Just so long as she actually took Stephanie's warning to heart.

Stephanie and Marie could be such old sticks in the mud. Don't do this or that. Keep your mouth shut. Don't gossip. It was enough to drive a girl batty. Older sisters were such a trial and Christine hoped she ended up in that school house which was the opposite of Stephie's just to get away from it. All those complaints rolled around in her head whilst she gave her response. "I can say what I like." There. She would have also poked her tongue out at Stephie is that weren't deemed to be unladylike.

"Okay. I'll take that. You buy me that drink you said doesn't taste very nice and we have a deal." With all the strange drinks Stephanie had informed her about Christine couldn't be sure if it was the pumpkin juice, the gillywater or the butterbeer which her sister didn't like. Stephie though was bound to know which one it was.

There was really nothing more she could say to that. Christine was Christine and she lived most of her life in a world of fantasy. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Advice given and now she could finally get onto buying that drink for her sister. "Butterbeer? Fair enough. Again don't say I didn't warn you when I tell you it does not taste very nice." With that she went up to the bar and ordered a butterbeer for her naive sister and a muggle cola for herself. "Now remember where and when you are to meet me."

With her job now done she turned and stalked off. Christine could be such a brat sometimes and Stephanie was relieved her sister didn't want to hang around. It made it easier for her to think about the issues of the coming year. Like no Galen at Beauxbatons and her failed attempt to make sure Cerisier won all three games amongst other things. Stephanie was not looking forward to the new term at all.

Stephie really was not acting herself today. Christine noticed that much and decided she should draw Marie's attention to that fact once they were home again. If anyone could get to the bottom of it their older sister could. "You cannot just assume based on another person's opinion," she said primly. "Yes, yes," she muttered. "One hour outside that animal shop." She sipped the butterbeer Stephanie handed her and then smiled. "You may need to go to a doctor to have your tastebuds checked. This really is extremely delicious."

With her drink in hand and her sister now gone Christine had the very important task of meeting anyone and everyone who looked like they may be her age. It would make it so much easier to have acquaintances now rather than after the new school year began. Maybe even meet a girl who would become her closest friend. That was the deepest desire of her heart.