Just a FYI

[Georgia Whitledge]

please do not reference this thread or its events in any other threads set in the future until this is wrapped and archived for the sake of avoiding discontinuity errors.

It had been almost a month since Georgia had made a temporarily home in her grandchildren's house, and she had finally settled into routine. Though she'd done her best to prove herself a worthy confidant to her newly-orphaned grandchildren, she'd had far better sense than to assert herself as the mother figure.

She ate with the children each morning, and she provided them with what they needed without forcing them to bend to her will. She acknowledged that she was but a stranger to them, but had also made it clear that she wished to be more than that. She provided guidance and a firm hand, but she had done her best to avoid their resentment.

There were some things, however, that she felt necessary to ensure that the emotional well-being of her grandchildren was taken care of. She sat in the parlor with a letter in her hand, her eyes scanning the letter while an expression of content faded onto her features. She'd summoned the children for tea early that afternoon with the intent of explaining what was to come and why she'd done what she did.

The familiar sound of the the parlor door creaking was a signal that her beloved grandchildren had arrived. She swiftly set down the letter folded her hands gingerly across her lap.

"Come in children," she called, a pleasant smile on her face.

tagging for the sake of invitation! No need the post here if you have no desire to! The children can hear from Handsome or their other siblings later. Please wait two days between each post unless everyone that round has posted! @'Handsome Whitledge' @'Cupcake Whitledge' @'Sweetie Whitledge' @'Darling Whitledge' @'Honey Whitledge' @'Knight Whitledge'

  

[Handsome Whitledge]

In an attempt to prevent himself from falling into further despair, Handsome had taken to studying for the upcoming school year. Unlike the years before, Handsome was now of legal age and able to perform magic outside of school — this definitely made practicing subjects such as Charms and Transfiguration easier.

He'd been summoned to the parlor to see his grandmother without a clue as to what he was needed for. As he made his way down the hall and down the stairs, he could hear shuffling coming from his siblings' bedrooms. He peeked up and watched their doors open, leading him to conclude that they'd all been summoned this afternoon.

Upon reaching the parlor, he creaked the door open to look inside. His grandmother sat neatly in one of the chairs, her gaze immediately turning to him. He opened the door completely and walked inside, his uncertainty obvious in his movements.

"Is everything alright, Grandma?" he asked awkwardly, finding himself a seat in one of the chair across the room. He could hear his siblings' feet on the stairs; he sat silently and waited for them.

  

[Darling Whitledge (Hymn)]

As the promise of the school year drew ever closer, Darling was taking an account of all her school supplies leftover from last year. She didn’t need any new books, but she was in need of some new quills, more ink, and perhaps even a new cauldron. The cauldron she had, although faithful, couldn’t even be completely cleaned by a scouring charm! She was very disappointed, but also hopeful at the prospect of securing a new cauldron. Perhaps one acclaimed by several modern potioneers, dearest @'Handsome Whitledge'?

She also had begun sorting through certain things for the move. There was no sense in putting off the task anymore. They were going to move and live with their grandmother in Wellingtonshire. Twiddling her fingers or dragging her feet about it wasn’t going to stop it from happening. And Darling had come to realize that she was acting a bit too much like a child about it. Although she hadn’t openly pouted and stomped her feet, she had still been a little mopey, and perhaps a noticeably so.

Just as Darling was reviewing her list, a maid came to the door, announcing that her grandmother requested her presence for an early tea. Darling sighed to herself, but acquiesced the woman’s request. She came to the foot of the stairs just as Handsome entered the parlor. She heard her brother’s voice quite clearly as she was just at the door when he spoke.

She entered the room with a polite bob to her grandmother, but ultimately kept her head down and avoided meeting the woman’s eyes. As she walked past her brother, she casted a sideways glance at him before taking a seat in a chair nearby.

  

[Sweetie Whitledge]

(OOC- FYI, Sweetie has looked like her age since the 1st, I just haven't had time to update her sig, sorry for any confusion.)

Sweetie was not very motivated to get ready for the upcoming school year. She didn't like the idea of dealling with all of it without Crystal. She didn't want to deal with any judgment that she could get from other's for still being Crystal's friend. She was drained, and she blamed Handsome fully. She also didn't want to find out whether or not she was allowed to bring her cat's kittens, as she was sure the answer was almost certainly a firm 'no'.

She didn't like being summoned, but it was far better from her Grandmother, a real adult, than her own brother. She shuffled to set things down, then headed out of her room.

She wasn't too thrilled to notice Handsome was to come as well, but was glad for Darling to be there. She made sure to sit next to the Hufflepuff, away from the Gryffindor, and hope that the other Hufflepuff sister sat on her other side. She didn't speak, only waited.

  

[Knight Whitledge]

The addition of their grandmother to the Whitledge home had been an uncomfortable one. The years of unfamiliarity hung in the air of the house like death, and Knight, for one, was not eager to bridge that gap—for all that he appreciated her presence as a probably-sensible adult in their lives. The Hufflepuff felt no need to get to know the woman he would only see during summer holidays, at least not until he was a man grown—at which point, he realized brightly, he could leave, and enjoy a much better relationship with his siblings when it was carried out exclusively via correspondence.

In spite of the fact that he valued any semblance of stability that Grandmother Whitledge brought with her, he did not care to be summoned to her like an errant toddler or a prized hound. Thus, Knight dawdled as much as he reasonably could before descending to the parlour, his expression showing precisely how thrilled he was to be there (read: not at all).

He looked around the room at his brother and sisters—thank Merlin Sweetie had been put to rights; she had been particularly creepy as a ‘child’, though she had inspired a poem, at the very least—before settling in a chair beside Handsome, the least likely to be obnoxious. He loved his siblings, really, he did, but did they all have to be so…so?

  

[Cupcake Whitledge]

When the summons for tea had come, Cupcake had been in the kitchen, as usual. Staying in her room during the day wasn't really much of an option, although perhaps she should start studying or packing. Or both. Perhaps tonight.

For now though, her grandmother had called them all and she probably shouldn't be late. The only problem was that her hands were covered in flour! Cupcake hurried to get washed up as best she could (there was still a small splotch of white on her black dress, but hopefully it wasn't that noticeable), before snatching a plate of cookies and scurrying to the parlor.

She wasn't last, at least. Placing the plate on on the table, she smiled at her siblings. "I brought treats, everyone," she announced happily, hoping to brighten the dour mood, before taking a seat beside Grandmother Georgia.

  

[Honey Whitledge]

Feel free to skip me if I take too long to respond

The Whitledge home was finally in peace thanks to the arrival of their grandmother. But honestly, she would have preferred that Handsome continued to assume the role as the authority in the house. She didn’t dislike the woman as she was far more reasonable than her own deceased mother had ever been in her life but Georgia Whitledge certainly wasn’t warm.

She took her time on preparing herself for tea. Honey preferred to stay in bed and feign illness but being summoned suddenly felt like their Grandmother had serious matters to discuss. When she had arrived near the parlor, she caught a glimpse of Cupcake and her tray of sweets and the young one couldn’t help but make a face. Though her expression turned into a bright smile to greet her family once she opened the door and sat next to Knight.

  

[Sweetie Whitledge]

Peace was not the word that Sweetie would use to define the air that hung in their home. How could anyone see it like that. Sure, there was a proper adult in their home, but Handsome still seemed to think that he was king. And she wasn't liking the adult that had come as much as she had thought. She was hoping the woman would finally tell Handsome that he was in the wrong, as far as Sweetie was concerned. She felt owed an apology. One she knew might never come. At least, not to the extent that she would be satisfied with.

With that in mind, Sweetie looked to the younger Hufflepuff girl with slight betrayal in her eyes. She had thought that they had patched things up. She felt that by now they would sit together through this chaos. She couldn't help the disappointment in her features as she sat back and looked at her Grandmother. Well, perhaps some good news will come out of this.

She was glad that at least all of her siblings had decided to make an appearance. She would have dreaded the thought if it had been only a few of them. Or worse... her and Handsome alone with only their Grandmother their. Now that sounded like misery.

  

[Georgia Whitledge]

Georgia smiled as she was joined by all her grandchildren. It was a rarity to see them all together outside of the dining room. Dinners were usually wrought with a silence and sideways glances. She still had yet to figure out which siblings were closest with one another apart from the twins.

"It's lovely to see all of you this afternoon," she said with a pointed glance. "Perhaps you all will take more time so see your grandmother instead of hiding away during the day?" she asked with raised brows.

She didn't wait for them to respond, knowing that she'd probably get nothing other than awkward responses and nods. She held up the letter to them — one with the iconic Hogwarts stamp on it.

"As of this morning, I am now employed by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as your etiquette instructor," she said simply.

  

[Knight Whitledge]

Knight blinked once, twice. He was not certain how to take this news. Their grandmother was little more than a stranger to them still—would it be any different than having a regular professor? Would it be better, to have someone who cared for them in charge of their instruction? Or worse, would having Grandmother at Hogwarts with them simply be another nosy body in Knight’s life at Hogwarts?

“Will you live at the school, Grandmother?” the Hufflepuff asked, first to break the silence. “Or will you stay in Hogsmeade?”