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accioverseSummary: Castiel just made Hufflepuff. It's been a year since Anna last saw him. Castiel+Anna, sibling feelings.
Rating: G
Warnings: SIBLING FEELS. But uh, seriously speaking, none as such.
Anna had barely waited for the end of McGonagall's speech before she'd jumped to her feet and started making her way along the Gryffindor table towards the door. She'd already caught her fellow prefects from fifth year, making sure they knew what they were doing with the first years. She'd met them on the train, and they seemed like reliable enough sorts. McGonagall was usually good at picking out students who'd make the fairest prefects.
It was just as well her new colleagues were as competent as they seemed, she thought, slightly guiltily, because Anna had every intention of shirking her duties tonight.
After five years of being at the school already, Anna knew all of the main corridors like the back of her hand, and so she was able to make her way down towards the lowered basement leading towards the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room with ease. She stood against the wall, waiting, straightening her robes as she watched groups of students in yellow-trimmed robes files past on the way to their common room.
She didn't have to wait long before the group of nervous first years appeared, lead by a prefect from her own year she knew quite well. "Anna!" he greeted her with a large smile. "Not coming down here to spy on my poor first years, are you?" A couple of girls near the front giggled. She smiled back, shaking her head.
"Of course not," she assured him. "I was just waiting for someone." Understanding dawned in the other prefect's eyes, and he nodded.
"Right-ho. I'll just be a minute telling these rascals how to get into the common room, or everyone'll be covered in vinegar all week." Anna nodded absently and went back to waiting, watching from a distance as her friend explained how to get in, and led his line of first-years one by one into the common room. She waited until a familiar mop of black hair was one of the last things visible before stepping forward and tapping her little brother on the shoulder.
"Hey, Cas," she smiled.
"Anna!" Her brother's eyes widened before he stepped into her offered hug. Cas might be a lot more serious than most other eleven year olds she knew, but he still hugged like a kid. "I didn't see you on the train," he said, his words muffled slightly by her robes.
"I know. I'm sorry," she said ruefully. "I've missed you." She pulled back a little, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But you know I couldn't pass up the chance to congratulate you on making Hufflepuff."
Castiel's face didn't fall, exactly. Actually, most people probably wouldn't have noticed a difference. Most people weren't Anna. Her brother's eyes dropped a little, his shoulders appearing the slightest bit more rounded.
"Thanks," he said. He didn't sound like his heart was in it. Anna frowned. She had a hunch about what might be going through her brother's mind right now. Everyone else in their family was Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor, or Slytherin. No Hufflepuffs. Cas would be the first. It was a good job she'd been so eager to get down here - she'd kick herself if the first thing her favourite brother (she was allowed to play favourites, now, since she'd ran away) heard about his new House was how much of a disappointment it was.
Cas had always been different. That was why she liked him so much.
"Hey, what's that for?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light. "You know Hufflepuff's not as bad as they say. They absolutely destroyed Gryffindor in Quidditch last year."
Castiel shook his head. "It's not that." He hesitated, and she waited patiently. "I'm not bothered about it for me. It's-"
Anna sighed. She'd been afraid of that. He was perfectly happy to be in Hufflepuff if that was where he was meant to go - Castiel wasn't one to worry about the ridiculous House rivalries. But bring their family into it...
Her little brother was eleven years old and he was already struggling with how to make them proud.
The thought made her suddenly, desperately sad.
“If the House you’re sorted into bothers them that much, they’re not worth listening to,” she said flatly. “Several Ministers for Magic came from Hufflepuff, you know.” She tilted his chin up, trying for a smile.
“You don’t think they’re worth listening to anyway,” Cas pointed out miserably.
Anna laughed sheepishly. “I guess that’s true,” she admitted. “But I definitely mean it for stuff like this.”
She’d thought about taking Cas with her, when she ran away. She’d decided against it at the last minute. It wouldn’t have been fair to try and drag Cas away with her, no matter how much she wanted to. He wouldn’t have come. He still loved their family too much, and it wasn’t fair to try and tear him in two.
She ignored the little voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was doing that anyway by putting herself at odds with everyone else.
Rating: G
Warnings: SIBLING FEELS. But uh, seriously speaking, none as such.
Anna had barely waited for the end of McGonagall's speech before she'd jumped to her feet and started making her way along the Gryffindor table towards the door. She'd already caught her fellow prefects from fifth year, making sure they knew what they were doing with the first years. She'd met them on the train, and they seemed like reliable enough sorts. McGonagall was usually good at picking out students who'd make the fairest prefects.
It was just as well her new colleagues were as competent as they seemed, she thought, slightly guiltily, because Anna had every intention of shirking her duties tonight.
After five years of being at the school already, Anna knew all of the main corridors like the back of her hand, and so she was able to make her way down towards the lowered basement leading towards the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room with ease. She stood against the wall, waiting, straightening her robes as she watched groups of students in yellow-trimmed robes files past on the way to their common room.
She didn't have to wait long before the group of nervous first years appeared, lead by a prefect from her own year she knew quite well. "Anna!" he greeted her with a large smile. "Not coming down here to spy on my poor first years, are you?" A couple of girls near the front giggled. She smiled back, shaking her head.
"Of course not," she assured him. "I was just waiting for someone." Understanding dawned in the other prefect's eyes, and he nodded.
"Right-ho. I'll just be a minute telling these rascals how to get into the common room, or everyone'll be covered in vinegar all week." Anna nodded absently and went back to waiting, watching from a distance as her friend explained how to get in, and led his line of first-years one by one into the common room. She waited until a familiar mop of black hair was one of the last things visible before stepping forward and tapping her little brother on the shoulder.
"Hey, Cas," she smiled.
"Anna!" Her brother's eyes widened before he stepped into her offered hug. Cas might be a lot more serious than most other eleven year olds she knew, but he still hugged like a kid. "I didn't see you on the train," he said, his words muffled slightly by her robes.
"I know. I'm sorry," she said ruefully. "I've missed you." She pulled back a little, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But you know I couldn't pass up the chance to congratulate you on making Hufflepuff."
Castiel's face didn't fall, exactly. Actually, most people probably wouldn't have noticed a difference. Most people weren't Anna. Her brother's eyes dropped a little, his shoulders appearing the slightest bit more rounded.
"Thanks," he said. He didn't sound like his heart was in it. Anna frowned. She had a hunch about what might be going through her brother's mind right now. Everyone else in their family was Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor, or Slytherin. No Hufflepuffs. Cas would be the first. It was a good job she'd been so eager to get down here - she'd kick herself if the first thing her favourite brother (she was allowed to play favourites, now, since she'd ran away) heard about his new House was how much of a disappointment it was.
Cas had always been different. That was why she liked him so much.
"Hey, what's that for?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light. "You know Hufflepuff's not as bad as they say. They absolutely destroyed Gryffindor in Quidditch last year."
Castiel shook his head. "It's not that." He hesitated, and she waited patiently. "I'm not bothered about it for me. It's-"
Anna sighed. She'd been afraid of that. He was perfectly happy to be in Hufflepuff if that was where he was meant to go - Castiel wasn't one to worry about the ridiculous House rivalries. But bring their family into it...
Her little brother was eleven years old and he was already struggling with how to make them proud.
The thought made her suddenly, desperately sad.
“If the House you’re sorted into bothers them that much, they’re not worth listening to,” she said flatly. “Several Ministers for Magic came from Hufflepuff, you know.” She tilted his chin up, trying for a smile.
“You don’t think they’re worth listening to anyway,” Cas pointed out miserably.
Anna laughed sheepishly. “I guess that’s true,” she admitted. “But I definitely mean it for stuff like this.”
She’d thought about taking Cas with her, when she ran away. She’d decided against it at the last minute. It wouldn’t have been fair to try and drag Cas away with her, no matter how much she wanted to. He wouldn’t have come. He still loved their family too much, and it wasn’t fair to try and tear him in two.
She ignored the little voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was doing that anyway by putting herself at odds with everyone else.
