Big Brothers and Cranky Sisters

"Mum, I-"

"Come along, Elise, we need to get your new quills, where did you brother get to?"

"He went to the Three Broomsticks-"

"Mum, I want-"

"Wally, would you stop?!" Her mom turned and looked at her. "I know you want to go wander. You want to explore? Go explore over to the Three Broomsticks and give your brother some money for the day." She pushed coins into her daughters hands, grabbed her other daughter's wrist, and drug her away.

Wally blinked, staring after them. She would never be as perfect as Elise; she would never be as troubled as Larko. She was under her mother's radar. She turned and walked off, fuming silently, though the small girl would never let those emotions surface. She walked briskly towards the Three Broomsticks and pushed inside.

Her eyes swept the place and she spotted her brother, trying to look all cool and intimidarting. Wally that he was a wimp. She blinked and then slipped half the coins in her own pocket before walking over to his table. She dropped the coins on the table, letting them clatter. "Here," she spat. "Money from mum."

Larko was sitting in his chair, drinking a muggle root beer and reading a book. His mom and two sisters were outside, but he didn't particularly care. Well, he loved them and all, but he didn't want to be around them at the moment. His book was so fascinating, he simply couldn't put it down.

As Wally entered, he looked up and put on a smile.

"Thanks." He slid the money into his pocket and sipped his root beer. "Come on, sit down." He folded down the corner of his book and shut it. "How have you been? We haven't talked in awhile."

Wally did not want to sit with her brother, evident when she gave him a scowl and opened her mouth to make a witty retort. She could be exploring, free of her mother. But an idea struck her and instead she said, "Buy me a butterbeer, and I will." She crossed her arms and nodded at him, giving her final word on the matter. Her mother wouldn't let her have any but Wally wanted to have some.

She chewed on her lip and then sighed, sitting down. She grabbed one of her pigtails and threw it over her shoulder. She squinted at her brother, "We haven't talked 'cause you don't care, Larko. You've checked out. You could give a rat's ass about me." Her Australian accent was back, and so was her hostility. She wasn't supposed to cuss, but she wasn't supposed to steal from her mother either.

"I don't really care," Larko said, shrugging and tossing a coin at a bartender who brought them a butterbeer. A clearly hurt look spread across his face as he heard the words she spoke. "I assure you that it's not that I don't care. It's more that I like my privacy. Besides, being around you means I'd have to be around your...friends." She hung around with some pretty shady characters, from what he understood.

"Look," he said, sighing. "How would you like to stay with me this summer? I'm getting a job around Hogsmede and I plan to rent an apartment. I really would like to start spending time with you. I remember when you were younger... You were always following me around. Seriously, I think you'd like it. I don't care if you cuss. Just as long as no strong alcohol enters the apartment, we'll be just fine."

Larko pulled a coin out and started flipping it; it was a habit he'd picked up.

They brought the Butterbeer and Wally immediately put her hands around it, lifting the mug and tipping the drink into her mouth, drinking deeply. Immediately, a pleasant buzz entered her brain and she gulped more and more before setting it down. She sat the mug down and wiped her mouth with the back of the hand, dropping her hands and staring at Larko.

"I don't have any friends," she said bluntly, blinking once. "Elise drags me with her friends- I don't have any, Larko. But you wouldn't know that would you."

He continued on and she rolled her eyes. "I never followed you around, Larko. I tried to when I was five and you and Elise were dreadful to me. I spent all my time alone in the wilderness, where I wanted to be. When you and Mum and Elise moved here, and it was just dad and me, I was perfectly fine.You guys dragged me away. I never followed willingly." She sighed and took another drink. One Butterbeer was not enough to make her drop all the resentment she held for her siblings.

"No, I wouldn't," Larko agreed. "But I want to. After everything, you'll always be my little sis. And if anything goes wrong, I'll always be there for you to come to. I avoid most everyone, so it's not exactly me not wanting anything to do with you. I've always kept an eye on you when I could. If anyone had been giving you major problems, I would have stopped them."

He sighed and finished his root beer with a big swig before reaching into his pack to uncap a mountain dew.

"Ahh that's delicious," he said, taking a drink and smiling. "I love this stuff."

Wally blinked at his words, not buying into it. "I've been bullied. Every day of my first year, a group of girls threw stuff at me and boys are always picking on me. I've kicked all of their asses- taekwando. Remember? You let Elise laugh at me because I took classes for self defense." She shook her head. "You want to think you have your eye on everyone, but you've forgotten about your little sister."

She shook her head again, picking one of her fingernails. "Besides, I don't need you to watch over me. You're only saying it to make yourself feel better. Because I know it's bullsh!t and it's not making me feel any better, so can we drop this whole pretending like we know each other gig?"

Larko laughed. "The point being I knew you could handle yourself," he said, downing the mountain dew. He was starting to feel hyper now. "Look, Wally, I never pretended I know you. That's kind of the point, little sis. I want to get to know my sister. Besides, how can you expect me to get to know you when we're in different houses? The time that wasn't spent in class or meals was spent in my dormitory. I will admit that it's my fault, all of it. And I really am sorry that I haven't been there for you."

He didn't put his arm around her or anything like that; in fact, he did nothing but look at her.

She chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah, the US didn't get involved in World War II initially because Britain and Germany could handle themselves! Great point." She stopped laughing. It was not funny, obviously, and she was not going to forgive him because he knew she could handle herself against older, meaner students. Yes, great logic from a brother.

She blinked. "Was the first seven years of my life not enough? Was every summer at home so brief we could never get to know each other?" She shook her head. "Can we just drop this? I'd like to go but if you're gonna force me to sit with we should stop pretending like we're more than strangers, alright?"

Larko shrugged. "I don't have a Pearl Harbor, and neither Britain or Germany could, or can, hold their own. And yes, they were, actually. I had...things to do," he said dodgily, not wanting to tell her that he'd pretty much spent every summer illegally practicing magic away from the house.

"You could go if you wanted," he conceded. "But would you like to pass up the chance to get away from Mom? Get out from around her pinky finger for awhile?"

Larko shrugged again. "I thought I could try and make up for lost time. You have to understand, I really am sorry. We may be strangers, but you're still my sister."