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Welcome to Charming, the year is now 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.

Where will you fall?

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Did you know? Jewelry of jet was the haute jewelry of the Victorian era. — Fallin
What she got was the opposite of what she wanted, also known as the subtitle to her marriage.
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Less Brotherly Love and More Brotherly Tolerance
#1
June 1, 1894 — 12 Grimmauld Place
Sirius Black Cassius Lestrange

If Phineas was honest, summer was the worst time of year. Everyone was home, and the house felt more crowded than it did the rest of the year. Not that things were great the rest of the time--because they definitely weren't--but Phin had learned to associate less family with things being better. This feeling was only seeming to get more pronounced now that this was officially his last summer before he'd be going to school. He imagined next summer would be a chore, too, but for different reasons. He hadn't even left for Hogwarts yet, and was already wondering if anyone would care if he decided to stay at school over Christmas.

At any rate, Phineas was grumpy that morning when came down for breakfast, despite the pointlessness of it. Really, knowing it was pointless to be in a sour mood about something inevitable and normal, something that happened like clockwork every year, was in itself something to be grumpy about. So, when he arrived at breakfast and found Sirius already there, he only managed a grunt that might have been a "Good Morning," but in fact came out as "Rng."



#2
Sirius wanted his younger siblings to be glad that he was home. Arcturus was by far his favorite, and he made few attempts at hiding it, but he expected that his presence was a gift for all of them. After all, he was the eldest, and he had been to Hogwarts — they ought to all be seeking stories from him.

But Sirius had also learned that family was inherently disappointing. The eldest of his youngest siblings grunting at him was no exception. Sirius had already consumed a grapefruit — a fruit that was too expensive to be normally available at Hogwarts — and was halfway through his coffee. Here Phineas was, unhappy to see him.

(Not really different from Father, then.)

"Up and at it, Phineas," Sirius instructed his brother — he took a sip of his coffee. His expression was expectant. "We have things to do today." He had not started in on wanting adventure until Phineas was here. Now they had to seek it.


#3
Phineas squinted at his brother, his expression bewildered. "We do?" He couldn't imagine what Sirius was talking about, but he also wasn't sure if that was just because he was still dealing with sleep fog. Or if Sirius was just making something up. It could go either way, really. "What are we doing?"


#4
Now that he had Phineas' attention, he was going to have to come up with something. "Diagon Alley," he said decisively. "We're going to get a head start on Hogwarts." They could see what the peddlers had that was interesting, and he could talk their aunt into some pin money for ice cream.


#5
Well, that at least got Phin's attention. "Really?" He might have meant to sound more skeptical--he definitely would have remembered if they'd had plans to do this--but it was undermined by the fact that he was hurriedly making up his breakfast plate and sliding into his chair. "Can we get my wand?"


#6
Sirius paused. A wand was expensive, but if he took Phineas to get his, then it was sure to be an exciting day — he'd solidify himself as his brother's favorite. (Arcturus was Sirius' favorite. But he thought it was important that all of his siblings thought him to be the favorite.) But wands were expensive — too expensive for his pin money.

"Let's see if Aunt Elladora will give us money for it," he said, standing up from the table. "And if she does, sure."


#7
Phin nodded. "Okay." He started in on his plate, eating faster than he might have normally, like if he was too slow Sirius would change his mind and they wouldn't go. "You should do the asking," he said between mouthfuls. "She'll say yes if you ask her."


#8
"Fine," Sirius drawled dramatically, because he knew that it was true. He departed to impress the urgency of their need upon their aunt, and came back victorious.

"As long as it's less than ten galleons," Sirius announced when he returned, "We can get your wand."

Normally he would have tried to take any change they acquired for some form of chaos, but he was worried if he did Aunt Ella would put an elf head in his bed.


#9
"Great!" Phin dove back into his breakfast, eating too fast to consider he might say "thank you." It would be polite, but politeness was not what brothers were for.

At any rate, it was not much longer before Phin was pushing away his mostly empty plate and asking, "Can we go now?"


#10
Sirius pushed back from the table at Phineas' announcing he was done. "Let's go to the floo," he said. He led the way with a commanding posture, feeling very paternal and proud, and went through the floo network to Ollivander's, Diagon Alley first. Once Phineas had followed him, Sirius brushed the soot off of his pants and jacket.

"My brother needs a wand," he announced brightly. "Start him on something noble."


#11
Phin did his best to tamp down on his excitement, if only not to be too embarrassing. Still, he watched with earnest interest as a selection of wands was brought down from their shelves for him to try. The first one placed in his hands he was told was made of elm, with a phoenix feather core. Phin knew before he even gave it a wave that it wasn't right--it felt wrong in his hands somehow. Maybe it was too long? Was that a thing? He glanced at Sirius, then back at Mr. Ollivander, and gave the unwieldy stick in his hand a wave. Nothing happened.


#12
Sirius made a mental note to put frogs in Phineas' bed later this week lest he think this camaraderie would be habitual. (This was something he was prone to doing over the summers — being kind to his siblings, and then absent or dismissive or acting on prank-impulses, lest they think they were on his level.)

With the frog plan formed, he smiled at Phineas. "That usually happens the first time," Sirius said, "Try the next one."


#13
Phin nodded, trying not to show his disappointment and holding his hand out to accept the next wand to try. There was still a chance that this would go quickly, right?

Thirty minutes and so many wands Phin had long since lost count, when finally, finally a wand was placed in his hands that immediately felt right. Phin gave it an experimental flick, and blue, harmless sparks came from the tip. Ah, Mr. Ollivander told him. Poplar and dragon heartstring. Ten and one-quarter inches and springy.

Phin turned a relieved and tired smile at his brother. "This one. Finally."


#14
Sirius had started staring at the wood on Ollivander's ceiling by the time Phineas' wand found him. He refocused and smiled, encouraging (if a little tired), at his brother. "What does poplar tell us and how much will this wand cost, Mr. Ollivander?" he asked. While Sirius handed over some of the galleons, Mr. Ollivander explained that the wand meant that Phin had a strong moral compass, a strong sense of integrity. Sirius wasn't sure how much fun that would make him, but it would hopefully serve him well in adulthood.

"C'mon," he said, after they finished paying. "Let's grab an ice cream before we go home and Mother can tell us off for being gone so long."



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