Gazing (open)

[weaslebee2]

Emily sat on the beach of the black lake, starring out upon the mirror-like surface. The water seemed so still, it might as well be a sheet of black ice. She pulled her knees to her chest, trying not to think about how cold she was. Emily drew her emerald green traveling cloak more tightly around her. She did not want to go home for the holidays. They would be long and awkward, her father would not want to have anything to do with her, and vise versa. Her dear, sweet mother would force some strained conversation from the two of them, but they didn't get along very well.

Emily sighed, she wished that she understood her father. It seemed like they hadn't had an actual conversation between the two of them since before her first year. Her father talked of disowning her after she was sorted into Slytherin. She had begged the hat to do anything but Slytherin, knowing her father would hate her. But it shouted that cursed word out for the whole hall to be stunned at: Slytherin. It was an awful stereotype. Emily wasn't nasty, she just knew what she wanted and how to get it. She was the freak of the Weasley family, the rest of them had all been Gryffindors.

Emily rubbed her forehead with her knuckles as she refused to move her eyes away from the lake. Her mother would practically drag her home for Christmas. She might as well go willingly, avoid a furious owl-post argument. Perhaps she would lock herself up in her room, as she always did over the summer. She couldn't wait until she was of age. Perhaps she would move to France, or even further away if possible. Emily tore her eyes away from the water when she heard footsteps from...

[igloogirl]

None other than her sister Gabriella, holding a letter from her mother in her hands. It looked like Gabriella was going home for Christmas as well. Hopefully she could avoid having a shouting match with her father. Last Christmas had been...bad to say the least. Gabriella noticed her sister, Emily, looking back at her. "Hey Em," she said, coming up to her.

[weaslebee2]

"Hi Gabs," Emily said with one of her infamous small smiles, she had never been much of a grinner in the first place. "Pull up a patch of sand, why don't you?" Emily felt her sister was the only person she could talk to freely, without fear of being judged. They had always been close, although Emily felt their parents liked her better.

[igloogirl]

Gabriella smiled, and gracefully sat down right next to her sister. It was such a shame Emily wasn't in Gryffindor. Otherwise they could talk much more often in the common room and such. And perhaps Gabriella would have already told her about the vampire thing. The only person in her family that knew was her mother, but Hermione had guessed. Gabriella pushed the thoughts away, thinking that now was not the time. "So what's on your mind?" she asked.

[weaslebee2]

"Ideas on how to get out of going home for Christmas," said Emily, pulling her cloak more tightly around her frame. "Do you reckon Mum will make me come home if I had a Quidditch accident?" She put particular emphasis on the word "accident," to imply it in a sarcastic manner.

[igloogirl]

Gabriella chuckled. "I reckon that will make her only want to see you more, Em," Gabriella replied. She thought for a moment. She would like to get out of the whole Christmas thing as well. They could always just not go home, though Gabriella doubted that would go over very well. "I wish we could just go to Isaac's place or something," Gabriella grumbled under her breath.

[weaslebee2]

"That would be a great alternative, rather than listening to Dad rant about how I'm a complete waste of space and money." said Emily, looking back at the water again. "Gabs, why are you going home for Christmas? You're an adult, they don't own you anymore. Hell, you could walked around knocked up with a cigarette in your mouth and they couldn't do a damned thing about it."

[igloogirl]

Gabriella pulled the letter out of her pocket. "You know I'm a sucker for mum, and read this one," Gabriella replied, unfolding the letter and handing it to Emily. Hermione had long ago mastered the art of guilt-tripping Gabriella.

[weaslebee2]

Emily read the letter, then nearly laughed. She contained herself, though. "If this is her best, quite frankly I'm a bit disappointed." said Emily, folding the letter and handing it back to her older sister. Emily was the master of guilt-tripping, it was just a part of who she was, she was immune to it for the most part. There was no need for her mother to guilt-trip her, though, Emily was a minor and had to do as they wished.

[igloogirl]

Gabriella shrugged. "But I'm such a sucker for her," she replied. "You've got to know that by now. Besides, I haven't stayed at Hogwarts since my second year. It would be so strange to do now." Gabriella briefly thought about what she would do. She hadn't been to the big feast in years, or opened presents in her common room. Perhaps she should stay.

[weaslebee2]

"All right," Emily said. "But if I were you, I'd take advantage of the fact that I didn't have to be around Dad until summer." Unfortunately, Emily would only be able to play that "I'm an adult" card once in her school years, since her birthday fell after the holidays. Curse February.

[igloogirl]

"Well you know what, we're going to figure out a way to stay," Gabriella said determindly. She pulled a quill out of her cloak, as well as a spare piece of parchment. "I think two...stratch that, three, can play at this guilt-tripping."

[weaslebee2]

Emily gave her infamous small smile. She had never been much of a grinner. Usually, she didn't allow her emotions to show through her face, she thought of it as weakness. "Tell mum that I'm failing Transfiguration and that I desperately need use of the library." said Emily. "And you could say that you're five months pregnant, she won't want to look at you." She already knew how Gabriella was going to respond to her last sentence. So she began to talk again. "Just kidding, tell them you're of age and they don't own you."

[igloogirl]

Gabriella's eyebrows raised. "I've got one for me," she replied. "It's my last year and I want to remember the Hogwarts splendor of Christmas." Gabriella dipped the quill in a miniature bottle of ink and quickly wrote the letter. It barely took her a minute. She read it through in half the time, fairly satisfied with the guilt-tripping at work. "Em?" she asked, handing it to her.

[weaslebee2]

Emily read, then re-read the note. "No, not quite. You've got to make these things as sappy as possible. She might know how to guilt-trip you, but it's fairly easy to return the favor." said Emily, then scribbled ideas for how to make it more convincing in the margins. "Do that stuff and we'll be free for the holidays." She handed the parchment back to her sister.