(FIC: Camelopardalises): That Time of the Year
Title: That Time of the Year
Fandom: IndoHogwarts, Harry Potter
Pairings/Characters: OCs. Crux Camelopardalis/Lunamary Barton, Aeria Archel, Chikita Archel.
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, characters that are not Archels aren't mine, they belong to their respective PMs. I only borrowed them for fun purposes.
A/N: Day 5 entry for Celeng 10 Hari Kreatif Bersama Tante-Tante Fujo. The prompt was Place You Want to Go.
Fic word count: 957.
That Time of the Year
An IndoHogwarts Fanfiction
The tombstone is white.
-----o0o-----
When she wakes up, it’s raining.
“Good morning,” Chikita says, eyes downcast the way they’ve always been since she came back, shoulders half-sagged with the burden of guilt. “Go help Luna with breakfast,” she continues, and for a second Aeria feels like she’s eight years old all over again.
Luna bumbles about in the kitchen like it’s their own house’s. Aeria gives her a good morning hug, listens to her laugh under her breath and remembers the softly whizzing sound of AC in their apartment. It’s different here, in the newly rebuilt Heaven’s Floor where their little makeshift family had come to visit and spend the last of summer. It is August 25-they’d be going back to London tomorrow because Serene still needs to go to Diagon Alley for some last-minute shopping-but for now, they have twenty minutes before they’re going downhill to the grave.
“Where’s Crux?” she asks, looking up at Luna from the egg and bacon she’s handling. Luna gives her a small smile, one that Aeria’s grown familiar with when the subject of her late older sister comes up. One that’s comprised of both love and bitter envy, of admiration and guilt, but Aeria’s too young still to understand completely why.
“He’s gone down first to the grave.”
-----o0o-----
He places a green apple in front of the tombstone and settles into a crouch.
“Hey, ugly witch.”
His eyes rake over the name engraved on the stone; lines so familiar he could envision them behind closed eyes. Mariel Rye Archel, it says, and still Crux calls her ugly witch, because if he stopped calling her that, it’d feel like he lost her completely, now.
“That’s from the earliest batch of this year’s harvest. Luna helped me keep it for you, you should be thankful.”
He listens to the wind, straining his ears like he could find the echo of her laughter, of her indignant response. He’s more of a pragmatic than a romantic person, but living with the Archel kids for several years must have rubbed on him a little.
He pauses for a long, long time, and finally asks, “How’s heaven?”
-----o0o-----
“I’m sorry,” Aeria says, for some reason, and a puzzled look flashes on Luna’s face. Aeria shakes her head, and rectifies, “I don’t know why, but I feel like I should say sorry.”
Luna shrugs. “Maybe it’s Senior Mary again, poking you from the afterlife.” She grins. “It’s her death anniversary after all. The sky’s crying, too.”
The corners of Aeria’s lips twitch up. “You’re restless, Luna.”
The older woman’s hands still for several moments. “I always am, every year,” she admits, then casts a gaze around the kitchen. “Even with Heaven’s Floor all rebuilt and newly furnished, Senior Mary’s presence is very strong.”
“You don’t like it?”
Luna steps back from the stove, killing the fire. Then she simply stops, and for a long time, she’s silent.
Aeria waits.
“You know,” Luna begins, hesitantly. “I’m probably the worst person in the world, but I’ve never really been jealous to anyone as much as I am to Senior Mary.”
Aeria’s eyebrows quirk. “Jealous.”
“Sometimes, it feels like-like Crux,” Luna says, with a smile Aeria knows is reserved for every time Luna says her husband’s name, “Like he wants to go to where Senior Mary is.”
-----o0o-----
“I wish I could go to heaven, too.”
Except that’s impossible. Crux’s place is not heaven-his would be hell, unlike his parents who’d done a great deal of good deeds, or Mary who would definitely stay in heaven for she is ten forever.
But if he could-oh, if he could, he’d want to go to wherever Mary is. Because there are regrets he needs to say out loud, apology to make, and anger to unleash. Because he wants to tell Mary, hey, ugly witch, look at my little makeshift family, look at my beloved wife, at my children-even if half of them are your sisters anyway-but we stay in a small apartment and eat eggs and bacon for breakfast and we’re happy.
“Mary,” he says, in the end, and closes his eyes because they burn. He wants to go to her place, just to take her hand and show her.
“I wish you could’ve had half of this happiness I have.”
-----o0o-----
“He does,” Aeria agrees. “Doesn’t he.”
Luna chuckles. “Can’t blame him. They’re best friends-Crux has always loved Senior Mary. The only question is: to what extent?” She takes over the pan in Aeria’s hand and bumps against her gently. “He doesn’t love her like he loves me-not romantically. But he loves her. Almost more than anything.”
Aeria hands a plate over to her, watches the sizzling bacons slides onto the plate. “They’re best friends. Above everything.”
“They are,” Luna says. “Doesn’t make it less hard, for me.”
“I’m sorry,” Aeria says again, and Luna laughs, this time bright.
“Don’t be,” she punches Aeria’s shoulder gently. She arranges the plates on the table, and there are steps from the stairs now, no doubt Cyan and Serene coming for breakfast. “Sometimes I think I’d like to go to a world where Crux meets me first, instead of her, but then I realize he wouldn’t be the Crux that I know and love now.” That small smile again, flashing so quickly over her features. “And I have Senior Mary to thank for that.”
Complicated feelings, Aeria thinks, as she casts he gaze on the drizzle outside, and wonders what her older sister would do about it, if she were alive.
“Come on, everyone,” Luna calls out. “Let’s have breakfast and go down to the grave!”
-----o0o-----
Fandom: IndoHogwarts, Harry Potter
Pairings/Characters: OCs. Crux Camelopardalis/Lunamary Barton, Aeria Archel, Chikita Archel.
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, characters that are not Archels aren't mine, they belong to their respective PMs. I only borrowed them for fun purposes.
A/N: Day 5 entry for Celeng 10 Hari Kreatif Bersama Tante-Tante Fujo. The prompt was Place You Want to Go.
Fic word count: 957.
That Time of the Year
An IndoHogwarts Fanfiction
The tombstone is white.
-----o0o-----
When she wakes up, it’s raining.
“Good morning,” Chikita says, eyes downcast the way they’ve always been since she came back, shoulders half-sagged with the burden of guilt. “Go help Luna with breakfast,” she continues, and for a second Aeria feels like she’s eight years old all over again.
Luna bumbles about in the kitchen like it’s their own house’s. Aeria gives her a good morning hug, listens to her laugh under her breath and remembers the softly whizzing sound of AC in their apartment. It’s different here, in the newly rebuilt Heaven’s Floor where their little makeshift family had come to visit and spend the last of summer. It is August 25-they’d be going back to London tomorrow because Serene still needs to go to Diagon Alley for some last-minute shopping-but for now, they have twenty minutes before they’re going downhill to the grave.
“Where’s Crux?” she asks, looking up at Luna from the egg and bacon she’s handling. Luna gives her a small smile, one that Aeria’s grown familiar with when the subject of her late older sister comes up. One that’s comprised of both love and bitter envy, of admiration and guilt, but Aeria’s too young still to understand completely why.
“He’s gone down first to the grave.”
-----o0o-----
He places a green apple in front of the tombstone and settles into a crouch.
“Hey, ugly witch.”
His eyes rake over the name engraved on the stone; lines so familiar he could envision them behind closed eyes. Mariel Rye Archel, it says, and still Crux calls her ugly witch, because if he stopped calling her that, it’d feel like he lost her completely, now.
“That’s from the earliest batch of this year’s harvest. Luna helped me keep it for you, you should be thankful.”
He listens to the wind, straining his ears like he could find the echo of her laughter, of her indignant response. He’s more of a pragmatic than a romantic person, but living with the Archel kids for several years must have rubbed on him a little.
He pauses for a long, long time, and finally asks, “How’s heaven?”
-----o0o-----
“I’m sorry,” Aeria says, for some reason, and a puzzled look flashes on Luna’s face. Aeria shakes her head, and rectifies, “I don’t know why, but I feel like I should say sorry.”
Luna shrugs. “Maybe it’s Senior Mary again, poking you from the afterlife.” She grins. “It’s her death anniversary after all. The sky’s crying, too.”
The corners of Aeria’s lips twitch up. “You’re restless, Luna.”
The older woman’s hands still for several moments. “I always am, every year,” she admits, then casts a gaze around the kitchen. “Even with Heaven’s Floor all rebuilt and newly furnished, Senior Mary’s presence is very strong.”
“You don’t like it?”
Luna steps back from the stove, killing the fire. Then she simply stops, and for a long time, she’s silent.
Aeria waits.
“You know,” Luna begins, hesitantly. “I’m probably the worst person in the world, but I’ve never really been jealous to anyone as much as I am to Senior Mary.”
Aeria’s eyebrows quirk. “Jealous.”
“Sometimes, it feels like-like Crux,” Luna says, with a smile Aeria knows is reserved for every time Luna says her husband’s name, “Like he wants to go to where Senior Mary is.”
-----o0o-----
“I wish I could go to heaven, too.”
Except that’s impossible. Crux’s place is not heaven-his would be hell, unlike his parents who’d done a great deal of good deeds, or Mary who would definitely stay in heaven for she is ten forever.
But if he could-oh, if he could, he’d want to go to wherever Mary is. Because there are regrets he needs to say out loud, apology to make, and anger to unleash. Because he wants to tell Mary, hey, ugly witch, look at my little makeshift family, look at my beloved wife, at my children-even if half of them are your sisters anyway-but we stay in a small apartment and eat eggs and bacon for breakfast and we’re happy.
“Mary,” he says, in the end, and closes his eyes because they burn. He wants to go to her place, just to take her hand and show her.
“I wish you could’ve had half of this happiness I have.”
-----o0o-----
“He does,” Aeria agrees. “Doesn’t he.”
Luna chuckles. “Can’t blame him. They’re best friends-Crux has always loved Senior Mary. The only question is: to what extent?” She takes over the pan in Aeria’s hand and bumps against her gently. “He doesn’t love her like he loves me-not romantically. But he loves her. Almost more than anything.”
Aeria hands a plate over to her, watches the sizzling bacons slides onto the plate. “They’re best friends. Above everything.”
“They are,” Luna says. “Doesn’t make it less hard, for me.”
“I’m sorry,” Aeria says again, and Luna laughs, this time bright.
“Don’t be,” she punches Aeria’s shoulder gently. She arranges the plates on the table, and there are steps from the stairs now, no doubt Cyan and Serene coming for breakfast. “Sometimes I think I’d like to go to a world where Crux meets me first, instead of her, but then I realize he wouldn’t be the Crux that I know and love now.” That small smile again, flashing so quickly over her features. “And I have Senior Mary to thank for that.”
Complicated feelings, Aeria thinks, as she casts he gaze on the drizzle outside, and wonders what her older sister would do about it, if she were alive.
“Come on, everyone,” Luna calls out. “Let’s have breakfast and go down to the grave!”
-----o0o-----