[thd] birthdays are for babies. [brita]

He had only just turned 13 and Jari already felt like things were changing. He felt taller, more awkward, and his body was getting leaner. He hadn't started doing any more physical activity than before but maybe it was because he was growing. He could handle all of those changes, some of them he even quite liked (like finally being able to reach the top shelf!) but others he could do with out. One in particular was the way his voice was constantly cracking. He hated it, it was embarrassing, especially during class like what had happened earlier this week. He thought he was going to be brave and outgoing and actually maybe earn some house points for Hufflepuff by answering a question instead his voice cracked, his face turned red, and he got laughed at. Jari had wanted to melt right then and there. And that event set the pace for the rest of his rather gloomy week. It was nice to finally be able to get away from the school and when he'd received a letter from Brita offering to take him to lunch for his belated birthday he couldn't resist.

They had met just inside of Hogsmeade and taken the rest of the walk to the little diner together. He was happy to see her and they started chatting almost immediately. He told her about his first days back at Hogwarts, about how different it was that the dome was gone now, and especially about Abby. He was growing more and more fond of his best friend by the day and found himself missing her when she wasn't around, even now.

The tall-ish Hufflepuff held the door open for her as they entered the diner and followed a waitress as she brought them to a booth by the window. Jari slid into his side and waited for Brita before reaching for the menu that was on the table in unison with her. As both of them touched the plastic sleeved slightly crumpled menu the world around them fell away and Jari felt like he was on a spinning ride at the carnival back in Lizard. When things came back into view he had a confused, and some what fearful look on his face, where were they?

"Brita?"


@Brita Trickett

Brita was normally very on top of things like gifts for her family members--the 24-year-old loved giving presents--but when one of your cousins was still in Hogwarts and had a birthday the day before they went to school it tended to be a little difficult. First off, her cousin Eitri (Liv's older brother) and his wife didn't just have Jari to worry about, but Janne too--and it was always chaotic sending young children to Hogwarts. And then, the very next day, they were more or less locked up at Hogwarts for weeks on end, and Hogsmeade weekends were the only times they could get out. Brita had dutifully asked around to find out when the next weekend would be and then owled Jari with a time and place.

Brita was glad that Jari opened up to her right away. With them, she got to be the big sister, but the fun one, who would watch out for them but who wouldn't parent them too much. The amazing thing about the Trickett family was that they were really the embodiment of the "it takes a village" mentality. She had his birthday present, but hadn't given it to him yet since it hadn't been in demand to start any conversation.

"Why thank you," she grinned at him as he held open the door for her, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. Getting settled, they reached out to grab the menu when Brita gasped at the sudden sensation of a Portkey. She would have yelled to hold on, but of course, there was no letting go of a Portkey once it started. Getting back up after their landing, she looked around at a desolate gray landscape. "Stay close, Jari." she said instinctively. "I know you're not little anymore, but I don't know where we are. I want to try Apparating, but if we're too far away something bad could happen if I tried--any ideas?" Jari was growing up to be a proper ideas guy, and he might have come across something she didn't know.

All she could tell was that there was some kind of moor, and that it was cloudy. It could still be somewhere in Scotland, and she could get them back from there, but it could easily be Russia for all she knew. A run-down manor loomed behind them, and she turned around. "I think if we go inside there," she pointed, "we might be able to find a clue, find out if things are written in English, if we're still in Britain. Are you up for it?" Even Brita was somewhat alarmed by the state of it, but Brita felt determined. If it was just her, she might try to Apparate, but she wasn't going to risk anything happening to Jari. "If you aren't you can wait here and I'll go in, but I don't know if that's better or worse," she admitted.

Looking around he could barely believe his eyes. Brita didn't have to tell him twice to stay close, he was already there. Jari wasn't afraid. He was too old to be afraid of ghosts wasn't he? In the wizarding world though ghosts weren't just myths. They were real and tangible and some of them could even physically interact with the world. There was good reasons to be afraid and self preservation was definitely one of them. He looked from her worried face to the spooky house and back before kicking the dirt. Chewing on the inside of his lip he was trying so hard to be brave.

He was so tired of having to be brave.

"I will go with you." He said before pulling out his wand. He had no idea where they were, no idea if it was a wizarding village or smack dab in the middle of the muggle world, but at this point he doubted the statute mattered. If it was between possibly being expelled or watching Brita get hurt he would always choose the first. Of course, he wouldn't use his wand unless he absolutely had to, but it was comforting to know he was ready. "Okay lets go."

He didn't exactly take the lead because he was sure she was far better at (actually legally allowed to perform) magic but he was at the very least by her side. They were partners in this and he wasn't going to let her down. He survived the war, he survived the dome, he was becoming quite the little fighter, he just wished he could go back to talking about aliens and playing board games.

Brita gave her cousin a quick reassuring squeeze from the side in appreciation of his bravery. From what she could tell, the dome business last year had really affected him, but it was exhausting for any kid to have to gear up for scary and dangerous situations all the time. "Don't worry bud, I got an E on my DADA NEWT," she joked and brandished her wand, trying to lighten the mood.

Advancing towards the building, Brita pushed on the door. It swung inward without resistance, opening onto a dilapidated entry room with a grand staircase in front of them. Tapestries which had evidently started on the wall lay crumpled on the floor. Dust motes gleamed in the shafts of dim clouded light coming in through the window. "Lumos!" The manor was symmetric, so she was unsure exactly where everything was. Going over to a nearby portrait, she shook hear head. No label, although everyone was depicted as Caucasian. Hopefully that meant that they hadn't gone to another continent entirely, but Europeans had colonized a lot of places. If Brita had a better grasp of art history, she might be able to tell when and where it was from, but that was something that had never and probably would never cross the witch's mind as important to learn.

"We should try to find a library or something, I bet a place this big has one," she suggested. Picking at random, she started walking to a door on the left of the staircase, but froze when she heard a sound, almost like a burst of laughter. Brita whirled around, looking for a source, but it was empty. "Did you hear that?" she asked grimly.

Normally around this time he'd be laughing with Abby or stuffing his face with pasties, not creeping through a scary old house. He tried to keep his eyes open and his wand up but Jari wasn't made for this. He wasn't a brave Gryffindor like Freya and he definitely wasn't as brave as Brita but he was trying to be. He smiled a little, it was forced but it still made him feel better, at her joke about newt scores. She had this under control right? Jari followed her into the old house and his senses picked up on a few things right off the bat.

It smelt old, dusty, and like it hadn't been cleaned or even aired out in some time. The mustiness made him sneeze a little and his eyes watered. He noticed cobwebs on the walls but had not managed to notice the one hanging from the ceiling before he walked right through it. "Ah, grosss." He said slowly in a hushed tone as he spun a little trying to get it all off of him. He felt like he'd be spun up in thread and it was disconcerting. Of course the laughter down the hall was even more so.

"Yes."

Was all he could get out before he took a side step even closer to her and bit down on his lip a little. "Is there someone else here?" He called out into the darkness, it wasn't loud, and it wasn't very confident sounding, but he did it anyway. He took a few more steps with his wand stretched out in front of him. "Go that way maybe?" He said, pointing toward a hall way that led to a stair case with a fancy door on top of the landing. The room was one of two things and each would mean something entirely different for them.

If it was indeed the library maybe they could find the information they needed and get out of this wicked place.

But if it was the attic he was sure it was going to be ten times scarier than the hallway, attics were inherently creepy.

There was no response to Jari's question and Brita rolled her eyes, putting on a brave demeanor for Jari's sake. "Oh come on, these ghosts aren't even polite," she complained loudly, inwardly imagining a whole house full of ghosts that looked like the Bloody Baron. She nodded and took off up the staircase, hesistating right in front of the door. It did look promising, but she pressed her ear to the door, just in case. Silence.

Brita tugged on the door, but it didn't open. "Alohomora," she said confidently, hearing a click. She tugged again, and it swung open. There were indeed shelves upon shelves upon shelves of books. But that wasn't the first thing Brita saw.

"Ahhhh!" the former Gryffindor yelled as a silvery ghost swooped right at her, her heart jumping into her throat in fear as part of it passed through her shoulder, icy cold in feel. She pulled Jari behind her and dove to the side, casting a cushioning spell so he wouldn't get hurt. Behind the ghost, on the floor, was a pile of old bones--probably those of the ghost. Brita froze stock-still, wishing she could shield Jari from the sight but aware that he'd seen worse. On its next swoop around, she got a better view of the ghost, who looked like someone had taken a nice old gran and cast a terrible uglifying spell on her. Her hair was long and stringy, like the ratty threads of the tapestries downstairs, and her face was distorted into rage. "GET OUT OF MY HOME!" screeched the old woman in an Irish accent. "We're going!" Brita yelled, running back the way they had come, slamming the doors shut and locking them again with her wand. Not that it did any good on the ghost, but it was more like how it had been when they'd come.

She didn't stop until she collapsed onto the moor. Her cardiac endurance was better than that, but combined with the fear she didn't particularly want to go much farther. "Well," she said, in between breaths, "I guess we're in Ireland." Propping herself up on her shoulders, she looked at her cousin. "Let's go home, yeah?"