Chapter Text
DISCLAIMER: The Wizarding World and it's inhabitants belong to the literary goddess that is JK Rowling. I take no credit for them. Pippa and her family are my small homage to JK's greatness.
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty." The voice was accompanied by a light rapping at the bedroom door before it opened.
"I'm awake. C'mon in." Pippa called out from beside the unpacked trunk. She was seated on her bed, surrounded by piles of things that needed packing.
"Thank Merlin for that." The fair-haired wizard replied. "Dad's home, and he brought you your favorite." A myriad of comforting smells followed along in the air after him. A brown paper, grease stained bag was dropped unceremoniously on the dresser. "I don't know how you eat that foul Muggle crap though..."
"I haven't had it in forever." she protested weakly, though for some reason, the aroma of burger and fries did nothing to improve her mood.
"Maybe you should just give it up all together. I mean, you...you're doing so well without it." What her brother was trying tactfully to say, was she had shed some weight and her skin never looked better. "Maybe with this new look of yours you might not end up a spinster like batty old Matilda." he teased.
"Spinsterhood is not part of my career plan, trust me Eddy, that much I'm sure of." It was about the only thing she was sure of. The list of career possibilities that did appeal to her was rather short.
He walked into the room, making sure to touch every item on her desk at least once. He knew Pippa hated it. "Mum’s been to Diagon Alley to get what you needed and some owls came from school for you when the healer was here."
The last of the healers parading through the house, she hoped. She had been given a clean bill of health, the sleeping and all associated symptoms were gone. "She picked out new robes without me? Buh. I'm going to need all new clothes too; I hope she doesn't do that without me too." The outfit she was currently wearing hung on her like a costume. If she had been sick any longer she might have wasted away to nothing, mentally as well as physically.
"You said dad was home too? Did he bring anything good back?" She asked before making her way over to her desk to put everything back where it belonged.
"Enh, just some weird old Muggle stuff. Nothing cool or magical."
Her father, a lecturer and writer in the field of classic literature spent the summers touring, either giving talks or poking around old Muggle castles and the like. This was the first summer the family hadn't joined him. With Pippa’s mystery illness and Eddy's new 'job', they just hadn't been able to all get away.
She made a shooing motion with her hands to sweep him out of her room, following closely after him so as not to give him a chance to upset anymore of her belongings. Pausing at the long mirror beside the bedroom door, she couldn’t help but stare a moment. She had changed, physically, at least. Her body was much slimmer and her hair so much longer. Mother hadn't seen the point to fuss with it while she was sick and now it was half way down her back. There were a few more permanent reminders of her illness as well, a scar or two around her hair line. Better than pimples though, she thought to herself. She twisted from side to side, admiring how the long black curly locks swished back and forth. It reminded her of the pictures of Granny Courtland. She had always been told she looked like a younger version of her, more so now with the long hair.
Granny had loved her books too, just like Pippa. Unlike Pippa though, she had been a Hufflepuff. Most of her dad's side were Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, apart from batty old Matilda. She was the only Slytherin in the family on both sides as far as they could tell. Her brother, Edward, like their mother, was a Gryffindor. Most of her side of the family was.
She might have looked like her Gran when she was young and pretty, but Pippa still felt a little bit like a dowdy old potato.
Eddy was shooed from the room, but not before peeking in the mirror with her. "None of your friends are going to recognize you. That is, if you had any." he moved fast to dodge the smack he knew was surely to follow.
"Gryffindor prat." she called after him as he made his escape.
"Ravenclaw nerd." she said, reaching out to smack him, chasing after him out of the room.