radiant southern sun//clear northern skies

Argenbright Manor

London, England

Christmas

Jasper..  

Argenbright Manor was always such a breathtaking sight during the holidays. Mrs. Argenbright, having four children, was very invested in her decorations and the food she prepared for her numerous holiday parties. The kitchen and dining hall was always filled with festive foods and more times than not, their family room was filled with people. Mr. Argenbright didn't pay much attention to his wife or children, or even the holidays, but he was very quick to point out error.

Thomas, the eldest, was the first through the door, leading his two brothers and one sister home for the holidays, accompanied by their Muggle-born friend. Peter was the second oldest boy and nowhere near the favorite that Thomas was, so he felt so very lucky that their father had never asked his best friend's blood status. He knew his Pureblooded, blood lineage- proud father would not approve of their Muggle- born friend. When the children came home, their semesterly reports were due on the table, every year. Each child placed their reports on the table as they passed, and Mrs. Argenbright counted four in satisfaction. While she looked them over, each of the children went into their respective bedrooms, Peter leading his friend into his. The fourteen year old closed the door behind him, locking the two teenage boys in a very large, lonely room.

Next door, his younger sister, merely eleven, sat at her desk, anxiety eating her alive. She hadn't done very well in Charms so far. She just couldn't figure out what she was doing wrong. Before she had much more time to dwell on it, their father's voice boomed from the foyer downstairs. "Wendeline Elise!" he snarled, clutching her report in his slender, bony fingers. The house went silent and all that was heard was the small creak of her door as she opened it. Peter and his brothers stuck their heads out of their rooms in curiosity, and he signaled that his friend do the same. He knew what was going to happen to his baby sister, and he didn't want to watch, but he knew he was going to. It was like a train wreck.

Their father's yelling filled the house and he marched Wendeline upstairs by her arm right up to her bedroom door, and upon arrival, the boys slinked back into the shadows, but to where they could still see what was going on. Right before their eyes, Mr. Argenbright struck his tiny daughter hard across the face, knocking her to the floor. Peter flinched and struggled to stay put and not cause an even bigger problem. Their father stalked back downstairs as Wendy heaved herself onto her feet again, clutching a bloody nose. Her steel colored eyes were filled with tears, a giant red welt highlighted her tiny face. She turned and barely glanced at her brothers before running off to the bathroom.

Thomas showed no remorse and stood up straight. "It's good that they instill good work ethic into us while we're young. It really pays off in the end," he assured Peter's friend with a smile.

Peter narrowed his eyes. "That's easy for you to say. Wendy is the only one of us who's ever been hit hard enough to draw blood. You've never been touched like that, so I don't want to hear it," he hissed, pulling his friend back into his bedroom.

Peter just shrugged. "We're required to come home. My mother doesn't want to throw a party and have someone ask where her children are and her have to respond that they would rather be at school for Christmas than at home," he sighed, going to sit at his desk. "I feel bad for Wendy. This was her very first semester at Hogwarts, and it ended badly. I wish they weren't so harsh, but there's nothing we can really do." He looked up at his friend, clenching his fists together to stop them from shaking.

Sometimes I wish I could report them while I was at school. But I know it would backfire on me, and I can't imagine the punishments awaiting me," Peter shuddered. He suddenly stood up and waved for Salem to follow him as he made his way to the bathroom that Wendeline had gone into. He gently pushed the door open to see her tending to her bloody nose the wrong way. She hunched forward, sobbing hysterically, wetting the cloth with tears more than blood.

Wendy only looked up as more yelling was heard downstairs, a mixture of her mother and father's voices shouting over one another. Then the sound of another slap. And another. Wendeline held in her own sobs as she heard approaching footsteps to the bathroom door. All three pairs of eyes met Mrs. Argenbright, a bright red welt on the side of her face. She clicked her tongue, retrieving a fresh cloth and bending down in front of her daughter to clean her up. "My God, child, can't you do anything for yourself? Peter, tell your brothers to clean up for dinner. We have guests coming over so look nice," she snapped. Before she stood up and left, however, she greeted Salem warmly and kissed his forehead. "Welcome back, dear. Clean up for dinner and Peter can lend you something nice to wear if you didn't bring anything," she nodded to her second eldest child sternly, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

She needed to go to her room to find some makeup to cover up the welt before guess arrived.

Wendeline looked up at the two older boys.

Wendy slid off the edge of the bathtub, holding the cold cloth her mother had used to her swollen cheek. She felt Peter's eyes on he as she toddled back down the hallway into her bedroom to get changed. Of course, Thomas had checked that his brother had stopped watching before he slipped into the room behind her. But he didn't see Salem.

In about thirty minutes, Wendeline opened her door, wearing a soft, dark gray dress with a white lace sweetheart neckline. A fresh tear streak ran down her face as she stepped out, knocking on Peter's door to help her brush her long hair. Thomas went back across the hallway into his own room to get ready, giggling like a child.

Listening carefully, Wendy assumed it was okay to enter the room. Peter stood alongside Salem, both sporting lovely sweaters. Peter's was dark green, in support of his house, and the only other one he could offer Salem was a royal blue one.

Wendy stepped into the room, clutching her hairbrush. Peter already knew what she needed and picked her up to sit her on his rather tall bed. As he began to brush her hair, he sighed. "You need to study harder, Wendy. I warned you, I really did. We're gonna have to figure out something else for next semester, or it's going to be a very long summer for you," he mumbled. He hated himself for even having this discussion with her. They shouldn't be fearing their parents. Peter feared for Wendy's mental sake.. she was still so young and so fragile, he worried for her future mental health and how this whole situation might affect her. Will she be locked up in St. Mungo's, insane? Or locked up in Azkaban for the murder of past boyfriends who took her weakness to their advantage? The possibilities whirled in his head and made him feel sick.

"I know I'm no good. Father has already told me. I'll try harder next semester, Peter, I promise," Wendy's babyish voice squeaked. Peter nodded slightly, sighing to himself.

Wendy glanced up at Salem. "Thank you. I want to be a teacher, but I can't if I have bad marks. My mother tells me no one will ever want to marry a girl who has bad marks. She tells me only awful children have bad marks.. and now I have bad marks," her shoulders slumped a bit and she quit talking. There was a harsh knock at the door and Mrs. Argenbright entered. "Wendeline, you need to learn to be quicker. People are already arriving and you are supposed to be in there offering snacks," she hissed, slapping the hairbrush away from Peter and she twisted the sides of Wendy's wavy hair into a braid that produced a very elegant half up- half down style. She picked her up off the bed and set her on the ground. "Off you go!" she snapped, nudging her forward. Wendeline, having absolutely no self esteem, nearly tripped and fell, which only irritated her mother more.

Mrs. Argenbright turned to look at her son. "You need to fix your hair and get downstairs to set the table. Make sure you use the nice silverware," she ordered, turning to examine Salem. "Oh, Salem, you just look absolutely darling," she purred, hugging him to her. "You can join Peter if you like, or go visit with the guests," she smiled a rare smile, turning to leave the room.

Peter looked at his friend to address his questions. "No, Thomas is not supposed to go in there. None of us are allowed in there, but Thomas always has blackmail against us. I've never gotten Wendy to open up about what goes on in there, but it makes me sick to think about it," he sighed.

Peter wanted to help his little sister, he really did. But he knew that Thomas, if confronted, would make Salem's life hell, and he couldn't have that, so he just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Wendy is okay," he nodded, but he knew that was the worse lie he would ever tell. She was far from okay. He led Salem downstairs and into the kitchen to retrieve his mother's lovely silverware, handing half of the handful to Salem to set half of the table. In the other room, Wendy was pushed around by some of the guests' older children, and she began to cry, but no one noticed. She was too short to reach the coat rack to hang up coats, so she just folded them nicely and set them on the coffee table.

Peter sighed, watching her. "I don't understand what we did to deserve the parents we got," he whispered as his father stalked nearby. Jack, only a year older than Wendy, stood next to his mother, preparing different snacks She acted warm towards her youngest son, smiling and giving him samples of what she made. Seventeen year old Thomas came downstairs and shot a sly smirk at Wendy before entering the kitchen, also hunting for samples of his mothers divine food.

This horror of a reality lived on as the Argenbright children grew. Thomas graduated that spring, but continued to live at home- it was irregular for any member of the immediate Argenbright family to move out. Members often lived there with their spouses and children. Thomas remained in his room, still as vindictive towards his younger siblings as ever.

The children came home for the year Peter and Salem graduated. Wendeline had just ended her fourth year very strongly, and as usual, went straight up to her bedroom and closed the door, as did Jack, right across the hall from her. Peter, on the other hand, drew in a shaky breath. He knew what was coming, and it made him nervous. Perhaps he would be let off- he did just graduate, after all, and it's not like those marks mattered, but the second his mother saw the mark, she turned around and slapped him so hard, she's lucky it was actually her target who had been standing behind her and not someone else.

At the sound of more drama, Wendy poked her head out from her room curiously. But the only brother she did not count was Peter, and her heart sank. Thomas and Jack watched as Wendy crept to the top of the staircase, peering down into the kitchen. Her father had Peter cornered, the seventeen year old sobbing hysterically all sorts of reasons why an excellent student might fail a class. Wendy winced as she heard her father strike Peter. Witnessing this brought back severe traumatic memories of her own past. Standing up, she abandoned the "feather step" method her elder brothers taught her so as to appease their parents. She made her appearance known.

As Mr. Argenbright raised his hand again, Wendy marched right up behind him and grabbed it, pulling him away. She hadn't even said anything yet, and she shook with absolute rage. But as her father whipped around to see who dared touch him, Wendy's mouth went dry as she realized the terrible mistake she had made. Before she could even speak. her father had struck her hard across the face, knocking her to the floor. It looked for a moment as though he though of kicking her while she was down, but thought better of it.

Wendy hoisted herself up again, a fresh wave of anger coming over her. "How- DARE- you?" she snarled, trembling. She was so angry, she didn't know how to express it, or even begin to talk. So what she thought was 'finally standing up to her father' was actually her spluttering out unfinished sentences angrily.

So she marched upstairs again, but as soon as she was out of her father's sight, anxiety enveloped her again. She knew what was coming and the horrible mistake she had made. As Wendy plopped down at her desk, her bedroom door creaked open and Thomas stuck his head in. "How is my favorite sister?" he purred, stepping inside all the way and closing the door behind him. Wendy's shoulders slumped. "Please not now, Thomas, I'm having a really bad day," she murmured, turning away from him. Thomas walked over to her and pulled her up by her arm. "Funny, I don't recall asking how your day went," he growled, closing one large hand around her throat. Wendy became very anxious- he usually made her strip and he would just look at her for half an hour- what was going on?

When it dawned on her, Wendy suddenly elbowed him in the groin and bolted. She used a quick charm to summon a bag and a few outfits out of her closet to save her some time before Thomas would stumble after her. Making sure she had enough for a week, Wendeline gathered her cat and she was gone. Thomas shouted after her and called for their father, but Wendy's lithe body was too quick to be caught. At the sound of all the commotion, Mrs. Argenbright angrily appeared from the bathroom, clothed in a fleece bathrobe.

Peter watched his sister disappear, having half a heart to follow suit, but his current situation urged him not to.

As the days went by without a word from his sister, Peter began to grow worried. He wrote to Salem:

      Salem,

Wendy has disappeared. A few days ago, there was drama including our father and she was actually about to stand up to him! But something happened and she hesitated- it was like she second guessed herself, and it killed any confidence she had. She was really angry and she trembled like a leaf. Thomas admitted to doing something that aided in her disappearance, and when he told me what, I nearly vomited. It was worse than his usual oggling- he actually touched her. I think that sent her over the edge. But she ran out with a bag and Duchess, her cat. She's been gone since Saturday, and I really need to know if she's with you or if you've seen her. Please, I need to know where she's at. She's too fragile to be by herself.

Please respond ASAP,

Peter Argenbright

Peter paced anxiously for the next several days, awaiting a response, but alas- nothing. Pacing turned into full fledged anxiety attacks, where he struggled to breathe. By the time it was weeks he had been waiting, Peter silently wished for death more often than he had when he was in school. He laid in his bed, a beard in the making. The entire summer went by and not one peep from Wendeline had arrived. It was reported that she had stayed with Salem for only a few days, but disappeared again in the night, without Salem's knowledge. At this, Peter threatened his friend to bodily harm if he found out that he was harboring her and not telling anyone because she might not want him to. But upon a thorough, failed search of Salem's flat, a defeated Peter fell to his knees and began to sob.

Within a week, Peter was also reported missing.

Two years went by before anyone heard anything from Wendy. She didn't tell a soul where she had been or what she had been doing her last few years of mandated education. The next time Salem would lay his sympathetic eyes on her, she would be an attractive, grown woman. And so she was.

September first, approximately three years after her disappearance. She hadn't alerted anyone she resurfaced from whatever depths she had fallen into.

A slender, attractive woman, who was oh-so familiar sat at the professors' table, an empty plate sitting in front of her. She hated those drab robes everyone wore, and instead wore an emerald green dress with a silver cardigan, representing her house colors. Her pale skin glowed in the dim lighting that filled the Hall. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't look pained anymore. The stress induced dark circles under her eyes had vanished, and she looked healthier. But on the inside, she was more damaged than ever.

Wendy sat back and watched the new students get sorted, clapping a little louder for those sorted into Slytherin. When the Headmaster stood up to address the school, her stomach tied itself into knots.

"I'd like to announce a new staff member- Professor Wendeline Argenbright. She will be filling in the permanent Transfiguration role," he announced, looking back at her. She could only offer a small, forced smile that almost physically hurt to do.

my heart omfg.

//is salem gonna be angry at her for leaving? c;

Wendy sat back and observed the rest of the evening without touching her plate. Her icy eyes surveyed the room and the people chattering and eating and laughing.

She couldn't help but feel a little down that she couldn't join in naturally and that she had created such a wedge between herself and everyone she held relationships with. She couldn't imagine the state of Peter or really even Salem. She also couldn't help but wonder who Thomas had taken to in light of her absence.

She felt a pair of eyes burning into her and she turned to greet them. Meeting Salem's gaze for the first time in three years sent her on a rollercoaster of emotions. She had no excuse for what she had done, and she really didn't want to have to explain to him why she did it, or even the details. She gave him a slight, pained smile before standing up to excuse herself from the feast.

Wendy drew in a sharp, shaky breath. "Salem?" she questioned as well, even though she knew exactly who it was. His kind face hadn't changed at all. He grew taller and took on the stature of a man.

She noted he had to be at least twenty three by now and the thought made her shiver. It seemed like yesterday his eyes watched helplessly as his friends were terrorized by their parents.

"Look, I don't want there to be anything weird between us. I just want to transition into this new part of my life as smoothly as possible," she murmured, looking at the floor.

Standing next to him, even in heels, she was a good six inches shorter than him and even though there had been vague romantic feelings just a few years ago, she couldn't help but embrace the warm feeling she got looking up at him again. "Are you okay, though? Have you heard from my father? Or Peter?"

//the whole "Wendy got hoootttttt" thing XD

I would suggest they kiss rn but relationship development is killer xc

This was very clearly difficult for her. "I don't even know where to begin," she breathed, crossing her arms over her stomach, a habit she had developed when she encountered uncomfortable situations as a young woman- especially around Thomas. "I should have told you I was leaving. I never meant to cause you or Peter any distress... I just figured it would be easier.." she trailed off.

Salem had the right to know what was going on in her head, but she could no longer form words into coherent sentences. "I thought it would be easier if you had forgotten about me- I left because I wanted to kill myself," she murmured, closing her eyes, trying to find a way to justify anything, but nothing came. "There... was a situation with Thomas, that, um," she swallowed, "changed a lot of things, physically.." she paused. "I thought there was no getting away from him, and of course, adding my father into the mix, I just couldn't. I didn't want to send owls in case they were traced back to me."

Wendy couldn't go on. She turned away, suddenly feeling very sick, but she pushed it down. She looked back up at him to reveal watery gray eyes, and she sniffed a little, but she managed a small smile and moved several steps closer to him. She craved the affection he gave her when they were younger, but she knew that the trust had to be regained.