the hat | 𝐬.𝐛

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟯 || To Miss a Train

Emery was horrified.

Out of all the gifts to give her, someone went and chose a hat.

Something as boring, as drab and proper as a hat.

She didn't wear hats, for Merlin's sake. 

Meanwhile, Cecilia was gasping and cooing, singing praises about the hat.

Emery rolled here eyes as she looked disgustedly at the hat. 

It was a pale brownish color, made with an expensive straw-like material. There was a single while ribbon wound around the head, and a small bunch of pretty blue flowers decorated the side. It was a dainty little thing, delicate and fragile, fit for a young woman.

"Keep it," sighed Emery, gesturing to the hat and pointing to Cecilia. "I don't wear hats. Or gloves," she added, as she caught sight of a pair of silk gloves in the box. 

"Oh, Em, I can't," gasped Cecilia. "It's gorgeous, but it's yours. Besides, I have too many hats. And gloves," she said. 

Emery rolled her eyes and emptied the rest of the box, removing all the tissues and ribbons. Then she turned it upside down, dusting it as all the glitter fell out. 

But something else fell out too, and Emery was too busy smiling contentedly at the now-empty box that she could use to store her dung-bombs.

Cecilia was the only one who noticed.

"Em," she called. "You've got a letter."

Emery's eyes widened. "NO WAY!" she yelled, tremendously excited at the fact that she got yet another surprise. 

She snatched the blue envelope from Cecilia's hands and ripped it open. A small bit of expensive parchment fell out.

Emery squinted as she tried to read what it said.

από τον μπαμπά

"What the hell is this?" she demanded. 

Cecilia pursed her lips.

"I swear, this is NOT funny," Emery wailed. She stashed the letter in her pocket, placed the hat and gloves back in their box, then sat on the seat besides the door and waited.

Until she began to fidget once more, as she pondered what those squiggly lines on the parchment meant. She'd never even seen those weird symbols before.

But of course.

Maybe they're in another language she thought.

That was all it took for Emery to freeze and rush all the way across the Manor and into the library. 

She pulled out book after book, shelf after shelf, while searching for even the slightest clue as to what the symbols meant.

She was so engrossed in her work, and so frustrated, she didn't hear the shouts of Cecilia, her aunt and her mother, calling for her to come down. 

Minutes past, and soon all of the Wood Manor staff were notified about Emery's disappearance.

She, of course, had no clue.

At last, Helen, the cook found her, just as she searched through another book, probably the fifty-something one.

Emery shut the book with a gasp, and bounded down the stairs, the strange piece of parchment in one hand, and the hat box in another.

She landed in the foyer on her knees.

Slowly, she looked up, to see two angry faces staring back down at her in silence.

Cecilia was missing.

"Wh-where's Cecy?" Emery asked timidly, her heart beating fast as she got up and dusted herself.

"Cecilia is on the Hogwarts Express," said Mrs. Wood softly, yet dangerously. "She made it just in time."

Uh-oh. 

She'd forgotten about Hogwarts.

"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?" her mother asked lowly, staring at Emery with disappointment. "Two hours. You've been missing for two hours, and you missed the train, I only hope you weren't setting up God-knows-what prank," said her mother, shaking with anger. 

Yet her voice didn't show that she was angry.

"I- I wasn't," said Emery, "I got a parcel.."

"Enough," said her mother. "I expected better of you, Emery."

With that, the two women left Emery in the foyer, to her own thoughts and her own mind.

A/N:
This chapter is dedicated to my new friend, @jamespotter who has been such a sweetheart🖤🖤

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please vote and comment.

Love, Jasmine.