Ceinwen Plas

She would be glad when it was time to return to Hogwarts. Not that Carys didn't enjoy spending time at home and with her family- but she had grown tired of her brother's constant annoyances and she was bored. There was very little to do at home apart from read and owl her friends. Her mother and father were not particularly keen on her spending a lot of time away from home. Now that Carys was technically of legal age in the wizarding world (having turned seventeen in October), she was a more precious commodity. It would not do to have the younger daughter married before the eldest... And Carys had no desire to damage her already precarious reputation. She wanted nothing more than to be the sort of pureblood young lady that was expected of her.

Her mother had informed her that relatives would be visiting. Some distant relation of her parents, another Welsh family... And their son, Warren Neifion. Carys was familiar with Warren to an extent. He was a Slytherin student, also a sixth year. But she tended to try to avoid making close friends with very many boys of her own age. Carys was always afraid she might find herself attracted to someone she shouldn't. Family trees were strange like that. Besides, it was inappropriate for a young lady to keep the company of males. And Carys was anything but inappropriate.

Even so, she stood by her mother's side to greet their guests. "Good afternoon, Warren," she greeted at the nudging of her mother. "It is a pleasure to see you." She fell into step behind the adults as her mother led the way to the sitting room for afternoon tea. She took a position on one of the armchairs away from the adults. She had little interest in their conversations for the most part, and it made her nervous to think that she might accidentally make a misstep in her manners. It was easier to conduct herself among her peers rather than the adults. Carys wasn't going to be joining their ranks just yet, so she had time to practice.

"I hope you weren't dragged along against your will," she commented. She knew parents were good at that. "I told my mother that I could find a way to entertain myself. But she insisted that you and I needed to socialize more." At least Carys knew this wasn't some sort of romantic set up. That, at least, put her at ease.

When Warren had arrived with his mother and father he found himself immediately impressed with the grounds of Ceinwen Plas. The place bore a resemblance to his own home, though the Neifion estate was built at the edge of great bluffs looking out over the dark sea. In fact, the two ancestral homesteads were so close that the Neifions had arrived via broomstick. The weather had been dreadful the last few days, so his parent's considered it a good omen that the rain held off and the day was mild. Warren felt that even if it wasn't necessarily a good omen, it did mean that riding his broom wouldn't be awful. They had touched down in front of Ceinwen Plas with good spirits and draped in heavy coats.

"It is a pleasure to see you as well Carys," Warren responded. "You have a really wonderful home here. The grounds looked gorgeous."

After the rest of the niceties were made he followed the group into the sitting room. He noticed that Carys sat away from the adults, and found himself a chair opposite her. He wondered if Carys had been forced to stay for the reunion of sorts. Her tone didn't seem to imply to him that she'd rather be entertaining herself. Warren didn't mind going over family's and friend's of his parents homes himself, and actually usually enjoyed listening to his father and the other men once they broke into the fire whisky after dinner.

"I was actually quite excited to come over. It meant I got to try out the new broom I got for Christmas. Fast thing, handles amazingly. I didn't know how close we lived to each other, it practically no time at all to get here. I had to circle back on my mum and dad a few times. But I'm glad you decided to stay, I think I'd be rather bored if I had to sit quietly in a chair for most of the day. You're not too broken up about us coming over are you?" he chuckled.   

Carys had barely passed flying in her first year. She always felt awkward riding a broom, and riding on one side saddle was not simple. And riding clothes were uncomfortable for her. But she rather enjoyed watching quidditch and cheering for her house and for Slytherin. And, despite her more gentle nature, she had to admit most of the boys looked good on their brooms and in their sport uniforms.

She was flattered that he seemed to be glad for her company. Carys had been worried he would have the exact opposite reaction. She constantly worried about what other people of thought of her, and always worried that their thoughts were entirely negative. His laughter put her at ease, and Carys' posture softened as she got more comfortable in her chair.

"Not at all!" she protested. "I am always glad to receive company. Especially schoolmates close in age. It is all too often that it is younger children- around Maxen's age." The idea of her brother and his friends being hellions together was terrifying. Carys could barely stand her brother on his own. When his devious little mind met with other devious minds, she would rather be anywhere else.

"I wasn't aware how close it was, either. Though I don't get out often. I don't enjoy parties very much, so if I leave home it is often only to Diagon or Hogsmeade. And school, of course. I suppose I'm really just a homebody." She shrugged a little, hoping that it would not be perceived naturally.

"Have you been enjoying break?" she asked. "It's been nice to be at home, but I am anxious to return to school." It was more entertaining and her brother had less access to torture her. "The tournament has been quite exciting! I'm considering putting in my name to compete, though I'm not entirely certain I'm cut out for the competition."

"Oh I am sure it is not so bad having your brother and his friend's running around causing pandemonium," Warren grinned. "Not that I can say that for certain, or with any real basis in anything. I am an only child myself. It is awful. What with all the presents and attention bequeathed to just myself. It is really just an Atlas-like burden. But I find ways of dealing with it."

Warren dug a little deeper into his seat, getting himself comfortable as he noticed Carys doing the same. His dark robes looked a little windswept so he brushed them straight. Once he was content with the appearance of his clothes he turned his attention back to Carys.

"It is barely thirty minutes at a respectable pace from my home to here. If I was allowed to really just let loose I'm betting I got get here in half the time. I think I might look a little worse for wear after a trip like that though. I don't really get out much myself. I am not really one for the party scene. I am afraid I am a bit of a wet blanket. At least that is what my peers in Slytherin tell me. But to be fair it seems like party is all that they do."

Warren had indeed put his name into the Goblet, but it seemed that the Goblet hadn't found him worthy. At least it hadn't as of then. He was sure he could lead Hogwarts to a victory in a task, and bring some much needed glory to Slytherin while he was at it.

"My break has been fine. Not a lot has transpired so far though. I think I'm supposed to attend an Opera with my Grandfather soon. You'd do fine, at least not worse than the foreign schools. I think during the last task someone came back without a hand if I remember correct. I think it was one of the Americans." 

"Being an only child would be an vast improvement. Or, at the very least, having my brother be older than I was. Since he's so young, and the heir, he gets away with everything." It was a tad out of character for Carys to whine so openly about her brother, but if Warren could admit being the only child was a burden she could admit she wanted to strangle Maxen. "He's constantly putting itching powder in my clothing or frogs in the washroom... With his friends running about they destroy everything they can without so much as a corrective word in their direction." But if Carys set one toe out of line, then it seemed the world was ending. So she'd learned long ago not to.

Thirty minutes really wasn't that far at all. "I was beginning to think I was the only one in our year who had little interest in the party scene," Carys said. "They are always wanting to go to Spellpunk or have little get togethers at their homes... And naturally they've found the firewhiskey. I do a good enough job of making a fool of myself without the influence of alcohol half of the time, I see no reason to up the odds of it happening." It was so very hard to put on the proper face and attitude every day, after all. Especially when she tried to keep up with the Slytherin elite.

"Oooh, an opera?" That sounded like a lot of fun. An excuse to dress up and enjoy an evening of entertainment. Something like that would be an event her brother would have little interest in, as well. She might have to ask her parents about that. She would rather enjoy it.

Carys wasn't sure whether it was comforting to know she couldn't do worse than the foreign schools. Coming back witout a hand would be a terrible impression to leave. "Well, the Americans aren't exactly the brightest bunch I've noticed. Their best are on par with Hufflepuff's mediocre." But what did the goblet know? Sellaphix had been a champion. The goblets methods for choosing camp ions was obviously lacking.

"I think you would be a very good and very competent choice for champion," Carys told him. "I would certainly cheer for you. I suppose I would cheer for any Hogwarts champion, because of school pride and whatnot, but I think it would be far better to be represented by a wizard like you rather than some of the others whose names have come out of the goblet. I just worry that if I get chosen to compete the task will be something that conflicts with my personal beliefs." In that she'd either be forced into a very unladylike position or have to work hand in hand with the people she pretended to hate.

"Do you play on the quidditch team?" Carys asked him. "I ask because you seem to enjoy flying so much. I bet you'd be an excellent quidditch player."

"I imagine it is quite the task to have to deal with someone who can do anything he wants, especially when what he wants to do is torture you. I would recommend a few ways of dealing with him, but I fear they would not be terribly lady like. I feel like maybe you should get in touch some of the less reputable types at Hogwarts. Maybe slip them a galleon to really just put your brother in his place. That might be going too far though. Then again I can not imagine what it must feel like to slide into a pair of nice robes, only to discover they have been tampered with in a most awful fashion."

Warren placed his elbow on the arm of the chair and placed his jaw against his balled fist. He felt like he should of known what Spellpunk was, but was drawing a blank. He felt himself nodding along with Carys, he found her easy to agree with on all the topics they were discussing.

"I am not even sure if they even bother to write up an invitation for me anymore, lest they waste good parchment. I just have other things to do most of the time. I can only get up to trouble so often. I think I'd attend more of their little get togethers if I there were more people there who also did not imbibe. But yes! The Opera, I am looking forward to going to that. I think it will be enlightening. I hear they gave my Tad-cu[1] good seats as well."

Warren felt a grin take a hold of his face when Carys spoke about Americans and Hufflepuffs. He was almost sure she was referencing Fig Sellaphix. Warren personally liked the little guy, he made every day interesting. All you had to do was stand near him and something was bound to take place. Still, he didn't think that Sellaphix was quite as bad as the Americans. Fig had returned with both arms.

"Oh I think I would be an adequate champion. I could complete the task, I have no doubt about that. I also have no doubt that I could do better than the other schools. They all seem to have preoccupations that could be exploited. I do not really think I would be anything special though. I would be happy to hear you cheering for me though. Just as I will cheer for you if you are a champion. I am sure that even in the most dire of circumstances you will come up with some way of completing the task."

Warren's grin had morphed into a warm smile by that point in the two adolescent's conversation. He made a note that once the school year started back up to maybe spend some more time with Carys. He needed more friends his own age who were more his pace.

"I do actually play on the Slytherin quidditch team. I am one of the chasers. I'm hoping in the upcoming game to score so many points that Harper catching the snitch will just be irrelevant. I am pretty good I think, I guess we will see at the next game won't we?" 

1.	Welsh for Grandfather

Carys had not considered hiring someone to torture her brother. The thought had not crossed her mind. She didn't even know how to go about finding the right people for that, but it was something to consider. As long as it could not come back to haunt her, of course. Maxen certainly did need something to teach him that he was not completely untouchable. But Carys was not sure that she should be behind whatever that something was. "I'll just have faith that perhaps his karma will catch up to him. As awful as he can be, it's only a matter of time before Maxen crosses the wrong person."

"I wish they'd stop inviting me... Liviana is always trying to get me to go out." Liviana was a good friend, and Carys loved her very much- not just because they were cousins, but because of a genuine fondness. "It's hard to get her to understand I don't enjoy myself. She seems to think I prevent my own happiness." But large crowds just weren't Carys' thing. "But I imagine going to the opera would be quite enjoyable... I bet the ladies will be wearing the loveliest dresses!" Carys did love pretty things, and she enjoyed seeing what people were wearing. Looking at what everyone had on was half the fun of the Yule Ball.

Carys was flattered he had confidence in her hypothetical capabilities as a champion. "Doing better than the other schools is exactly what would make a special champion, though," she told him. "Though I do wonder how you'd exploit the other schools? I admit I have paid little attention to our visitors. I find their company... exhausting. Between the language barrier and the cultural difference, I am far too worried of offending the wrong individual. Not to mention I find the Americans to be unpleasant company in general. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students are far more tolerable... But I prefer the company of individuals that I already now." Getting to now new people wasn't an easy task for the Ravenclaw girl. It was hard enough to maintain friendships with people she actually knew.

Chaser. That was a respectable position. Carys couldn't help but to consider those who played beaters to be more... barbaric. Like Dominik was... And former Slytherin captain Callum Knight- he'd even left school early to join the Falmouth Falcons alongside her cousin. "The next game is against Gryffindor, isn't it?" Carys asked. "I'm sure that the team could score that many points." Though she didn't want Harper to feel inadequate or unimportant, it was far too often the seeker seemed to get the glory. "Do you think you will try to play professionally after Hogwarts?" Carys asked.

"I've not given much thought as to what I will do after graduation." That was an entire lie. Carys knew what she would like to do, but just assumed she would not e allowed. Carys fully expected her parents to set about finding her a husband immediately upon graduation. A husband who, in turn, would expect her to spend her time being a wife and a mother. Not a horrible fate, but not the fate she wanted for herself. "It's hard to believe this year is already half gone. Time has passed so quickly."

“Yes well, most of us do cross the wrong people at one point or another. It is just sometimes an individual needs a push to cross those wrong people. But I would not worry about it. There seems to be fighting in the air at Hogwarts as of late. That and an unusual amount of pranks, I would not be surprised if maybe an errant stink bomb ended up in a corridor he frequents. But that is just speculation,” Warren said with a knowing smirk.

Warren folded his fingertips against each other and sympathetically listened to Carys’ plight. While Warren wasn’t opposed to going to the extravagant adolescent bashes that seemed to happen more and more frequently, he wasn’t one to indulge while attending. As such he often felt unwelcome or worse yet, like he would be relied on to watch over everyone once they’d gone too far. Warren’s growing reluctance to do anything that wasn’t on his own terms was starting to alienate him from his peers.

“If the attire of the patrons at the Opera is anything like those of the guests at the Yule Ball I am sure I will be mesmerized. I am not sure what I will be wearing as of yet. I believe Tad-cu is getting our clothing tailored for the occasion. All of that aside though, I am sure the Opera will hold up on its own. I just wish I knew what Opera is being performed.”

Warren looked around the edge of the chair he was in. The adults seemed to be enjoying themselves. He turned back to Carys with a smile still planted on his face as she spoke. He let out a short chuckle when she described her opinion of the Americans. The poor blokes, no one seemed to like them.

“I agree with your assessment for the most part. However it may interest you to know that not long before school let out one of the Durmstrang Champions challenged someone in your house to a fight. They really went at it like barbarians too. Had you heard about that?” he asked, one his eyebrows arching up as he did.

“I believe you are correct. I think we will give Gryffindor a match that they will not soon forget. I am sure as a team we can get the points I anticipate. But it is more of a personal goal. I want to give all of our guests at the castle something to remember me by. As for playing quidditch professionally, it unfortunately seems unlikely. I don’t think mother could handle me doing something like that. Not when there are so many junior positions open in the Ministry. I’m sure she would like to see me as the secretary to the secretary to the Minister. Who knows though, maybe she will let me play for a season or two, just to get it out of my system. If I am lucky I will get involved in one of those matches that go on for weeks. But what about you? You have not given it any thought at all? What classes are you taking this year?” 

"I had not realized until recently how quickly our peers would resort to petty fighting and insults." The tournament, it seemed, had brought out the worst in Hogwarts rather than the best. Perhaps that would be another benefit of her participation- she could bring some class and sophistication back to the event. The other schools needed to be reminded that Hogwarts was more than the likes of Sellaphix. Having foreign visitors go home thinking they were all a bunch of dunderheaded Hufflepuffs would be such a shame and defeat the entire purpose of sharing culture and education with one another. Hogwarts was better than Hufflepuff. And as many problems as Carys might have with herself, she thought of herself as among the best at the school. Her grades and behavior were impeccable, after all.

"Oh! The Yule Ball was so much fun. I was quite pleased with my dress for the occasion. It is very difficult to find things which are appropriate conservative without getting them custom made these days... And though I'm sure you care very little of the details, finding a nice pair of flat shoes is almost equally impossible. Not every witch wants to waltz about in high heels like a common prostitute." Of course, were Carys shorter she would likely enjoy a nice pair of conservative heels. But standing at five feet, ten inches tall she was incredibly self conscious about towering over her classmates- especially the male ones. And her brother trying to spread a rumor that she was half giant did not help. She had literally cried when she'd heard about that and subsequently read the rumor in the Hogwarts Howler gossip column. "I wish I could have gone to the gala for the adults- the charity event. I bet there were some amazing fashions put on display at an event such as that. It is a shame they did not extend the invitation to Hogwarts students. I am of age..." Carys sighed wistfully. She was looking forward to going to societal events like that one day.

Carys leaned forward a bit as Warren divulged that there had been a fight between a Ravenclaw and a Durmstrang. "Was there?" Carys asked. "I had not heard!" Which was odd. Though she rarely gossiped, she did rather enjoy listening to gossip, but a lot of her social circle was Slytherin. Even so, she ought to know more about what went on within her own house. How tragic she had not heard! Hopefully Warren would not be disappointed that she could not enlighten him further on the situation. "Like barbarians?" she queried. "How pitiful! Though I do not condone violence or fighting, wizards and witches ought to go about it respectably if they must do it at all... A proper duel shows far more prowess and capability than fisticuffs." She sighed a little. "Who were the culprits?" she asked. All this did was solidify the fact she had been sorted to the wrong house.

"I certainly hope you give Gryffindor a sold thumping! The way they carry on when they win a match is so very annoying..." She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought. Why did Hogwarts even have Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs? They should just have a school for proper, respectable folk and then have a separate institute for the riff-raff. "A season or two might be fun, but it would be more sensible to get secure footing in the ministry early on. A promising political career is hard to challenge. I imagine you'd excel at politics, Warren." Carys folded her hands in her lap, biting her bottom lip a bit. She cast a glance at her parents and lowered her voice. "I do not imagine that I will be given a chance at a proper career. I imagine mother and father will want me to marry right away. Securing family connections and helping maintain blood purity is a very important duty to any girl of my station. I admit I might have entertained the ideas of having some sort of noble profession, but realistically it is not in my future. No, I will probably be engaged shortly after graduation and married soon after that. Not that I am complaining- I am certain being a wife and a mother is a very fulfilling life to have, and I will be happy to do it."

She paused for a moment before recounting her current classes. "Quite a few, actually. I am taking Charms, Defense, Herbology, Potions, Transifguration, and Ancient Runes. I really enjoy Runes. I took the class more for my own enjoyment than its practical uses. The rest I thought would always prove to be useful in the day to day life of any witch or wizards." And they would be especially useful in the life of anyone who wished to be a healer. "I wanted to take History, but decided I could pursue that interest in my spare time on my own and focus on more useful subjects in the mean time."