Poison Ivy [Sirius Black]

IVY AND THE FAMILIAL BONDS

ＮＩＮＥＴＥＥＮ

𝕚𝕧𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕓𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕤

       IT WAS AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON, with a watercolor sort of sunset that was streaked with muted pastel shades, scattered across the sky. It was a bitingly cold chill that was borrowed from winter, but the colors were all fall. Marlene's eyes were focused on the London skyline, flickering her gaze upon that beautifully grotesque thing. It was a mix of structures, with nature, half-obscured by the looming skyscrapers.

      Marlene missed the Scottish countryside when she spotted the towers that blocked part of the sky. She wasn't sure what was uglier, either the absence of nature, or the absence of her sister and mother.

       It was such an outlandish thought, to miss her family so much when all she had ever wanted before was to go out on her own. The fact remained that her mother would know just what to say. Her sister would calm Marlene's nerves with a single word, and she would feel like herself again, in between laughter and fond affection.

       Marlene McKinnon had no idea what she was going to wear. She had curled her hair, and it hung limply below her shoulders. Already the spell was beginning to wear off, forcing her to reapply the magic, and she watched as her hair began to lift back up with increasing volume. Her hands were still shaking, her arms hanging, lifeless, at her sides. Her flat was empty, with just the bare minimum of items.

      She kept putting off shopping for furniture with the ongoing war, ruining everything. Perhaps a part of her wasn't ready to settle in. Marlene was a mess, holding back her jitters as she reapplied her mascara. The sun was just barely beginning to peek in through her blue suede blinds, a gift from her mother. That was the only reason she even had them up since they were ghastly.

       The draft came in too, adding to the chill that had already descended upon Marlene's skin. She stood up straight, motioning to close the window, but not fully since she liked the London air. She had only just gotten to the seal, ready to close it, when she spotted a brown owl with bright blue-green eyes. Marlene stared into them for a moment, head tilted at the magical sort of look it had about it. Its brown feathers ruffled, as if it were uncomfortable, perched high on the balcony railing near the daffodils. It stared at Marlene through the window, and slowly, Marlene's lips spread into a wondrous smile.