· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
▎ COUNTING STARS ▎
»»————- act one. young, wild & free
PROLOGUE━━ a rose equals chaos
ᵒ .༄ ࿐ ࿔* ✨🌙💫
♯ ❝ANY HOUSE WOULD BE
PROUD TO HAVE YOU! ❞
⋆⋅ ━━━━ ‧ ༻✩༺ ‧ ━━━━ ⋅⋆
BIRDS CHIPPER A HARMONIC MELODY IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS, THE SUN JUST APPEARING IN THE ORANGE TINTED SKY in Tinworth, England on September first. Morning light peeked through the idyllic baby blue curtains in a small and cosy bedroom located on the second floor with a beautiful view of a colourful garden. And inside, a young child with wild chestnut coloured hair strewn over her pillow slept soundlessly—at least for the moment.
As much as their surroundings had been tranquil in the little suburban street, it could not often be said that the Rose family of three (--and two cats ) fitted into that peaceful spectrum. Not with a father, as blundering and uncoordinated as Cardell was. The amount of happy little accidents, as the man preferred to call them, that took place on a day were impossible to trace, even if her mother did try. Lilith normally gave up counting after lunch.
And this peaceful morning would be no different as cursing sounded from downstairs, accompanied by the irritating noise of the fire alarm ringing loudly through the home—again.
With a deep sigh eleven year old Annabelle Rose sat up in her bed, her wide chocolate brown eyes glistering in the light as she blinked quickly trying to wake up fully. With a yawn she pushed the soft grey coloured duvet aside, the cold morning air sending a shiver down her spine. It wasn't until she stood up, that the little eleven year old realised what day it was when her gaze settled on her packed trunk next to her bedroom door.
With newfound energy Annabelle stood, pyjama-clad body rushing down the stairs, skipping steps as she went before jumping down the last few with a huge smile plastered on her face, not even minding the continues blaring of the smoke alarm, knowing with certainty that the cause was her father working his magic with the Muggle stove in the kitchen. Just as she approached the kitchen, the all too familiar banter between her father and mother graced her ears, making the little girl grin as she pushed the door open.
Her mother Lillith, a beautiful woman with gorgeous wavy flowing dark hair, stood with her hands on her hips while her father Cardell, a sturdy and serious looking man (--who was anything but serious.) yet again tried to figure out how the stove worked. It was nothing new for eleven year old Annabelle as she silently said down at the round kitchen table.
Her mother was in fact a Muggle, one who insisted that her father didn't rely on magic for everything and her father, a wizard from a long line of purebloods was everything but familiar with most things Muggle. But there was no lack in trying for the man, as he continued to try his hardest at everything... even if it ended in disasters—quite literally.
Cardell had never spoken much about his pureblood preaching family, rather distancing himself and his family from their warped and cruel views of the world. And it was clear from the day he entered Hogwarts himself he wasn't anything like his blood supremacist parents.
Becoming a Ravenclaw among an abundance of Slytherins didn't quite fit into the perfect facade the Rose family had created over time. Even going as far as marrying a Muggle after Hogwarts, a final act to cut ties with his supposed legacy. Cardell wasn't really popular amongst his side of the family if anyone ever were to ask.
Annabelle held her giggles back as she watched her parents, neither seen her enter yet and she basked in the sight of the two bickering, or more so her mother trying to help her father, and the man too stubborn to let her.
"Sweetheart. Please let me do this." Lillith sighed as she watched her husband work in the kitchen, a worried expression stitched on her face as she nervously observed him.
"Dad I would appreciate it if I get an edible breakfast." Laughed Annabelle, making her presence known to her parents as they both turned to look at their doe eyed daughter.
She watched as her father become flustered from the beeping noise the alarm made, smoke filtering through the air as he looked back at the Muggle contraption.
"Just let mum help at least?"
Her dad turned around quickly looking at his daughter with a glare before cracking a smile he couldn't hold back anymore.
"Listen to your daughter Cardell." Lillith told him, a fond smile displayed on her lips. "She is going to be sick before she even gets the chance to go to Hogwarts with your cooking skills."
Finally, the man admitted defeat as he stepped back from the oven, untying his apron while Lillith took his place, throwing away the burned eggs and bacon.
"Just a happy little accident sweetheart." Cardell smiled sheepishly at his wife.
"Honey, it is burned seven ways to hell, it is not happy, it is dreadful."
Annabelle looked amused as her father sat down across from her, slumping down in his seat and she laughed when she saw some bread crumbs stuck in his hair.
How they got there she didn't even know.
Cardell looked up, confusion swirling in his eyes. "What? Is there something on my face?" he asked rubbing with his hands over his face.
"No nothing at all." Annabelle chuckled. "But I like what you did with your hair."
Cardell mumbled something under his breath when he finally was able to get the crumbs out of his hair. "So are you ready, Belle?" he asked when Lillith placed their plates with eggs and bacon on the table and joined them.
"I think so... I am rather curious which house I will be in." Annabelle spoke excitedly, a hint of nervousness laced in her tone.
Lillith quietly chuckled when her daughter went into a spiel of all the houses and their characteristics, animatedly waving her hands about while they listened to her rambling. Annabelle had purchased Hogwarts a History when father and daughter went out to get her school supplies in Diagon Alley last week and the brunette hadn't been able to put it down until she was done with it later that same evening.
Cardell grinned happily as he listened to his daughter, his own memories of his time at Hogwarts filling the man with joy, something Lillith clearly recognised on her husband's face as she reached for his hand, rubbing her thumb over his skin in small circles. She could never relate to anything about Hogwarts in Cardell's younger years, or anything Wizarding World related as she never experienced such things herself. So when Annabelle had been born, the man was ecstatic to teach her all kinds of magical things Lillith couldn't ever comprehend.
Quidditch, was one of the very first things Cardell wanted to involve Annabelle in, even going as far as buying a toy broom when the girl turned seven. But even then it was as clear as day that flying and Annabelle didn't go hand in hand.
The accident of 68' resulting in an all-time fear of brooms, and especially flying for both Annabelle and Lillith.
"What house do you think I'll get sorted in dad?" Annabelle asked curiously before taking a bite out of her buttered toast. "Do you think I am going to get Ravenclaw like you?"
Her father smiled brightly a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe the sorting hat won't know it either and you get sent back home." He told her with a serious face, no hint of a smile to be found on his face
Lillith saw all the colour drain from her daughter's face, as she dropped her toast back on her plate. "Don't worry sweetheart. Your father is just joking." She reassured her daughter before she smacked the back of her husband's head, the man mumbling under his breath.
"I am sure every house would be proud to have you." Cardell rubbed the back of his head with a frown.
"Really?" She asked hopefully, leaning forward on her chair.
"Really."
The girl's face lit up in excitement before jumping from her seat and running to get her trunk.
ᵒ .༄ ࿐ ࿔* ✨🌙💫
⋆⋅ ━━━━ ‧ ༻✩༺ ‧ ━━━━ ⋅⋆
THE FAMILY OF THREE APPROACHED THE FAMOUS PLATFORM 9 AND ¾ AT EXACTLY A QUARTER TO ELEVEN, young Annabelle skipping in front of her parents in anticipation of seeing the Hogwarts Express for the very first time, pushing the trolley containing her leather trunk and Dot's cat carrier, the old orange furred, kneazle breed napping quietly, completely unbothered by the commotion happening around him.
As they neared the platform, Annabelle's excitement grew bigger as she spotted the wall where the allegedly concealed passageway that separated the Wizarding world from the Muggle world was located.
"Slow down sweetheart." Lillith called out to her daughter as the girl seemed to become careless of her surroundings, almost running into a family of four and hitting a little girl walking next to a redheaded one.
"Sorry mum." Annabelle slowed down, waiting for her parents to join her side, suddenly becoming nervous about the prospect of running into a brick wall.
"Are you ready Belle?" Cardell asked, placing his hands on the girl's shoulders, his own voice elated with joy.
Annabelle nodded nervously, eying the brick wall like it would actually show her the secret passageway instead of having to blindly trust she wouldn't smack right into the hard surface.
"Want to do it together?" Cardell asked, noticing the jittery face of his daughter.
"Yes please." Annabelle confirmed, feeling far more safe with her father beside her.
Cardell smiled, placing his hands over his daughter's "Ready?" He inquired.
"Ready."
With that, Cardell started to push the trolley, the father-daughter duo running at the barrier followed shortly by Lillith.
Annabelle held her breath as she came closer to the wall, even closing her eyes in fear, but when she didn't feel any sort of pain, she slowly opened her eyes. They widened in amazement, chocolate coloured eyes flickering around the bustling platform until they landed on the gleaming red train in front of her. "Whoa" She breathed out in awe.
"Now please behave make lots of friends and work hard." Lillith told her daughter tearfully while hugging her tightly to her chest, making the girl avert her eyes from the train and back to her mother
"Yes mom. Please let me go. You are embarrassing me." Annabelle tried getting out of her mother's death grip.
Her mother finally let her go and the girl stumbled back regaining her balance when seconds later her mother pulled her in an even tighter hug if that was possible, clutching her like she would never see her again.
Cardell watched as his daughter struggled in his wife's grip, even catching some strange look from other families. "Lil. She can't breathe honey. Let her go." He voiced, soft laughter following after.
Lilith saw what she was doing and let her daughter go quickly, as she smoothened out her daughter's unruly hair and adjusting her clothes slightly.
Annabelle coughed catching her breath. "I love you too mum." She managed to stutter out before narrowing her eyes looking cautiously up at her father watching if he would do the same as her mother.
Cardell opened his arms for Annabelle to walk in to and with a sigh she walked into his arm wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Don't worry Belle. You are going to love Hogwarts. Make lots of friends." Her dad told her, rubbing her back soothingly.
She went to pull away when he whispered in her ear. "And cause a lot of mischief for me will you, it will be our secret."
Annabelle chuckled and stepped away from her dad with a big grin.
She saw her dad wink at her. "Don't forget to break the record for getting first detention." Cardell joked which earned him a smack at the back of his head.
"I was only joking woman." He laughed rubbing his head.
Annabelle giggled a wide smile on her face as she watched her parents.
The brunette turned around, taking in a deep breath as she approached the train, pushing her trolley forward with clammy hands. She paused suddenly and quickly turned around and ran back to her parents, throwing her arms around them one last time.
Lillith and Cardell chuckled wrapping their arms around their daughter one last time. "Come on kiddo, you're gonna miss the train." He whispered and Annabelle slowly detangled herself from them. "I'm gonna miss you." She promised before turning on her heel to return to her abandoned trolley.
She heard the train whistle and waved at her parents before running off shouting an ' I love you. ' over her shoulder and jumping in the train.
Lillith glanced at her husband seeing his tearful expression, "Are you crying Cardell?"
Cardell sniffled, quickly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as he half-heartedly scoffed, denying her claim. "Course not, just allergies acting up."
The dark haired woman just smiled, rubbing his back comfortingly, "Christmas will be here soon."
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬