July 19th, 1888 — Sanditon Resort

While her stay at the Sanditon thus far hadn't been exactly eventful, neither had it been completely uneventful. She'd made a new friend, written to old ones, and had figured out that none of her family members in Hogsmeade were dead—yet. The notion of losing Abraxas or Aunt Belle or anyone, really, was a horrific notion, but she had the comfort of her immediate family's presence (which, she reminded herself, was better than some had it).

She'd ventured out of the room today with the hopes of catching a glimpse of Mr. Fudge, but was unable to find him even an hour after mindlessly wandering the building and surrounding beaches with her chaperon. She was just on her way back to her room—pout on her face and all—when she rounded a corned found herself face-to-face (or rather, face-to-torso, considering their height difference) with an older girl.

Brows furrowed in frustration, she was initially dead set on being rude and haughty, much like any bored and pouty eleven-year-old girl might be. "You need to—" she started before fortunately cutting herself off.

"I mean, I need to watch myself," she corrected, putting on a wide, but ultimately fake grin. "I would hate to be crushed to death before I can get to Hogwarts!"

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To be honest, Acacia was homesick. Even if it meant being away from family drama, she couldn't help but wish that she could leave the resort now. It was a lovely resort that she enjoyed, but it would be even nicer with her family around. She hadn't even heard from them in a while. Trying to keep herself occupied with spending time with the other girls, and meeting new people. There wasn't much else that she felt she could do.

Deciding to take some time reading on the beach, that had been what made up of her activity for the day. Along with simply listening to the sounds of the beach and trying to spot whatever creatures lurked so close to shore. Having headed back to her room after lunch, she had spent some time looking through her things to find a different book to read. It felt as though this was the day for reading.

She was heading back out when she and a younger girl almost ran into each other. Before she could even speak, the girl first went into a fit before collecting herself though not really and 'politely correcting' herself. The grin was so fake that she had to restrain herself from raising an eyebrow, which she did with far less effort and far more success. "Well, my apologies for not seeing you." She stated politely. It seemed that the girl was in a mood, and Acacia knew not to pester her on the matter.

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Magic by Elaine!

The girl immediately looked off to Flora, who was far too uneducated and naive on such matters to know the reality of the situation. Her eyes wandered the taller girl's frame, eyes lingering for a notably long while on her face, while she tried to figure out what was off with her. Perhaps it was her oddly wide-set eyes and carrot-red hair! Both of those features set against such delightful pale skin—even more so than Flora, who had made such an effort to keep her skin unblemished and untanned!—made for an odd-looking sight.

"Don't worry, I didn't expect you to. I'm much shorter than you, you see," she asked in a manner that could be considered insulting if the girl wished to see it that way; in reality, she simply acting like the child she was. "You don't look too radiant, anyways. Was the sunshine not enough to keep a smile on your face?"

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Acacia wasn't sure how she felt about the way this girl was looking at her. Was something wrong with her dress? Did the girl recognize her as a halfbreed and was anti-halfbreed? It was disappointing to see those of such a young age already be so negative to others, and Acacia truly wished that this was not the case.

The tone that the girl used gave her pause. Not wanting to instantly assume negativity, she gave the girl the benefit of the doubt and chose to remain neutral. "The sun is just fine. I am simply homesick. My family is in Hogsmeade, and I am here. I miss them and have been thinking about them a lot today." She replied. How many others were there who have been separated from their families?

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Magic by Elaine!

The girl spoke simple words and simple sentences accompanied by a dreary tone. It was one shared by some of the current guests at the resort, while others were here by choice; it was odd seeing some laugh and enjoy the many amenities offered by the resort while others mourned the distance that stood between them and their homes!

"I can't imagine what it would be like without my family here," she sympathized with a sad smile. "We came here to escape the fog, but my other relatives— uncles, aunts, cousins—were left behind."

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If her family had been here, she would have been delighted to get the chance at this free stay. Coming here with only friends was one thing when it was temporary, but when it felt much longer and with no family around at all? It was certainly lonely. Sure, she was quite glad to have friends around, but she dearly missed her sisters and father.

"I am worried for my father and sisters, all of whom are in Hogsmeade still. Have you heard of any news from your family? It seems that mine are too busy to write to me." She replied sadly.

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Magic by Elaine!

What a doleful existence it must be to be detested by one's own relations! She could not help but cast a sad, pitiful look at the older girl even despite their difference in age.

"What a sorrowful tale," she agreed, taking in and releasing a deep breath that caused her shoulders to rise. "I've exchanged correspondence with one of my cousins and one of my friends. Both are my age and presumably horrified by the prospect of a cancelled school year!"

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Father was likely busy with work. Her siblings were another story. Both seemed to always have a different track of mind when it came to just about anything. Chrysanta was always hard to communicate with, that was for sure. Who knows what they were doing while Acacia was gone and father was busy.

Taking a moment to think over the expressed worry over Hogwarts, she knew the staff of the school would have some sort of plan. "I wouldn't be too worried over how the fog will effect the school. The staff there are all quite brilliant. I'm sure they will work out some way for us to go back and enjoy the school year." She responded.

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Magic by Elaine!

Flora was...less optimistic. If the fog never cleared, she'd never see the inside of Hogwarts!

"I'm not sure how they would even do such a thing. A magical education without magic? Imagine the waste! We'd be better off home-schooled by NEWT-educated tutors in London," she pointed out.

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"Well, the only way to get the OWL and NEWT testing done is through a proper magical school. Tutors do not have access to those tests." Acacia stated. The ban had taught her that. Or at least, that's what she found out during the ban.

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Magic by Elaine!

Flora's eyes widened. "Well I'd hope they'd find other arrangements by the time I was a fifth year!" she exclaimed as if the notion of no formal magical education for five years was a personal insult. "They'd certainly have a shortage of qualified Ministry personnel within a decade if they didn't!"

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Acacia thought about it. Where had that logic been around when the tests were made. "Perhaps you could write to the Ministry on the matter, or go to a foreign school." She suggested.

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Magic by Elaine!

"I'm not sure how a girl my age could have any impact," she commented, feeling her worries to be completely reasonable but any possible solutions completely unrealistic. "They haven't even announced whether the source of the fog has been discovered—not to mention that the Ministry is surely being swamped with unwanted correspondence." The public's grievances were very important, but just had a nagging feeling that the demands being made might be a tad unreasonable.

"And foreign school is not an option." Her mother was probably thinking otherwise. "I've waited nearly twelve years to go to Hogwarts! Do they even have houses at the other magical schools?"

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To be fair, the girl did have a point over the fact that the Ministry was busy. "You are right, the Ministry is working hard. Which also means that it is more likely than not that they will find a solution before the end of summer." She added reasonably. Panicking would do no good at all, but Acacia understood the girl's panic. After all, hadn't Acacia faced something similar, but with even more weight, last year?

"I believe that the American school has houses." She pointed out. Though she had no clue if they were anywhere near the same.

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Magic by Elaine!

That's what everyone (or at least anyone with enough care to comfort a child) was saying—"it will all get better" and "everything will soon return to as it was". She really wanted to believe it, but her experience with crisis was limited and it seemed the clock could not tick by fast enough; every roadblock felt permanent, and every suggestion to solve the problem had been swept under the rug. It seemed like everyone was now trying to stall their inevitable doom!

She leaned forward, a small smile touching her lips. "My mother would never send me to America—I hear they're wild over there," she gossiped with a giggle. "Besides, it's probably all jungle outside the city."

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Yes indeed. America was known to be quite wild. There was that. "Well, they also seem to take many more precautions from magical creatures and muggles. Perhaps if Hogwarts doesn't work out, you could point that out to your mother." She suggested. Finally, a topic that seemed to bring a sparkle to the girl's eyes, rather than panic. Acacia returned the smile with one of her own.

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Magic by Elaine!