HEART OF THORNE ━ harry potter

i. Wide-Eyed

     Gianna barks out a laugh and glares at Vincent. "Oh really? Then tell me where we are Vincent! I would love to know!"

Vincent narrows his eyes at Gianna and turns his head towards the forest surrounding the road. Delia rolls her eyes again and presses her head against the car window. She wants to leave, she doesn't care where, she just wants to go.

They had stopped the car over thirty minutes ago, and now the three of them are currently in the middle of nowhere in the pitch-black dark of the night — they're lost, in the middle of the woods, no less. Whether Delia's stubborn father wants to admit it or not.

Sighing, Delia allows her eyes to wander, looking around at the dark greenery surrounding them when her eyes fall onto an oddly shaped building hidden behind the shrubs.

"Mum. Mum!" she says.

Gianna whips around in her seat and, taking a deep breath, asks her daughter, "What is it, love?"

"There's a house up there," Delia points out. And she points her finger in the direction of the building hidden behind all of the shrubberies. "Behind all of the trees."

Gianna turns her attention back to Vincent, who's still mumbling something about how they aren't lost and leans over her seat and into his. Her elbows dig into his thighs as she narrows her eyes and searches for the house that her daughter pointed out, hiding behind all the nature.

"Gi — what're you — OW!" Vincent yells out.

Delia can pinpoint the exact moment her mother spots the house and bites back a giggle as her mum digs her elbow into her dad's thigh once more before finally getting off of him and returning completely to the passenger seat of the car and sitting up straight.

"Delia's right," says Gianna as she pats down a crinkle in her blouse. "There a house a bit further up. Should we go and ask them for help, or is your ego too big and fragile to admit that we need help, as well?"

Vincent huffs and rolls his eyes. "Maybe you should go and ask them," he says. "And if they don't want to help, you could always just jam your elbows into their thighs!"

Gianna takes a sharp breath in and opens her mouth to make a comeback, Probably something witty, Delia thinks to herself, before she cuts her mum off. "Oh my God!" she snaps. "You guys are acting like kids! And in case both of you forgot, I'm supposed to be the child here!"

Her parents both sigh in unison and turn around to face her. "We're sorry, Rory," Gianna says. "It's just... we're both a bit scared — you know? We're practically leaving you all alone."

Delia puts on the saddest face that she can muster up. "Then don't leave me," she pouts, puppy eyes and everything. "I want to stay home — with you guys!"

Vincent laughs. "Nice try, Rory. But you know we have to do this. You need this. OK?"

Delia sinks back into her seat and she rolls her eyes. "But it's not even my fault!"

Her mum glares at her and Delia sighs. "Alright fine. Maybe it was a little bit my fault, but that's it."

Vincent leans towards Delia. "I'm sure, which is why this is only for a year. And then you'll be back with us. Right? And if you want to find a way to make it up to us even faster — you could walk up to that house and ask them for directions."