Den Mother *OPEN*

[Aíne Kildare]

Rain poured steadily down upon Hogwarts and the surrounding countryside as it had for the past few days. Aíne looked out one of the windows in the Ravenclaw common room and sighed. At this rate, the lake would rise out of its banks and leak into the dungeons, causing a mess for everyone (Slytherins in particular since their common room and dorms were located in the dungeons, or, at least, so she believed). Being cooped up in the dark, drafty castle, everyone was getting rather fidgety. Aíne herself had admitted a case of cabin fever to her younger brother earlier that morning at breakfast.

And look where it had gotten her: the common room was neat, clean, and orderly as she'd spent the past several hours of her Saturday giving it a thourough cleaning. She couldn't help herself, she was bored out of her skull, and when she got bored, she cleaned, rather her housemates wanted her to or not. It was similar to her playing the role of Den mother to several students both below and her above her year (the other fifth years were included in this bundle too). She wasn't one who was fit to leave her hands idle for long and always had to do something with them, whether it was something useful and practical like sweeping or if it was a time-consuming activity such as play with her wand.

Finally, having run out of other options, Aíne went upstairs to the bedchamber she shared with the other fifth year girls and grabbed a book from her neat, dust-free shelf (having gone over the whole room at least three times in her insane cleaning binge) and trotted back down to the large common room, pausing to light a fire in the large fireplace (since it was chilly outside and the wind was blowing right through the glass windows) and curled up on one of the large, blue sofas, burying her head in one of her spell books, trying to pass the time until dinner in an organized and calm fashion.

[Alethea Rwaht]

Alethea rubbed her eyes tiredly as she made her way down the stairs from the girl's dorm. Her tired eyes squinted as the girl tried to make out the common room. It was all in such bleak lighting. She could hear the constant pitter patter of the pouring rain. Alethea coughed deeply into her elbow as she reached the foot of the steps. What time is it, she asked herself crossly as she fell into a nearby armchair. Looking around, she didn't see many people. She had taken a blanket from the dorms down with her, it seemed so cold for some reason.

Wrapping the blanket around herself tighter, more surely coughs echoed from the poor girl's mouth, bringing up phlegm from deep inside her throat. Like she often was, Alethea had caught ill. A nasty cough and a small flu clouded the girl's senses. Alethea had just woken up, though it seemed late for such thing to happen. The rain had made the sky bleak and dark, Alethea wasn't sure if it was before or after lunch. It was a curious thing to experience, not knowing the time and not knowing how to find it out. The magical world was so odd, the girl wasn't used to it. More coughs emitted from Alethea's mouth. Her throat hurt so bad from all the coughing and sneezing she had done.

Looking around, Alethea spied a fellow upperclassmen. Almost everyone was an upperclassmen to the first year. Anyhow, she recognized the fellow raven, but she couldn't quite place her name. Either way, Alethea was going to make herself known to the fellow raven. Tightening her grip on the blanket's corners, Alethea got up from her spot on the armchair. Stumbling slightly, Alethea held her head, closing her eyes. She was in a dizzy haze from her sickness. Her head was whirling, and Alethea was having trouble seeing. Dropping the blanket, she stumbled through the room, using the wall as a guide.

One hand against her temple, the other against the wall, supporting the most of her weight. "Oi, love," She said to her fellow raven, her voice quite scratchy from coughing. "Do you know the time?" Alethea, getting quite the headache from her dizziness, Alethea dropped to the ground, laying on her back. Staring up at the ceiling in a sort of confused fashion, she rolled her head from side to side. "Whoa...I feel terrible," she muttered, putting her hand back on her head.

[Aíne Kildare]

Aíne looked up from her book at the sound of a small scuff upon the stairs. Someone was up and about and padding around barefoot. The pale-haired Irishwoman wondered if it was the girl she'd found dead asleep when she'd gone to clean out the first year girls' dormitory. She'd decided then not to bother her and instead gone to the second year's. It seemed that that was who it was when she'd turned around to look, hearing coughing behind her.

Poor thing, she looked absolutely awful, and when she came to speak with her, Aíne's heart went out to her. "Aye, I do, it's nearly two hours past midday," she said, immediately standing up, intent to guide the blonde first year to the couch she'd previously been sitting upon. "Ye look terrible, if ye don't mind me saying," Aíne told her, going to the fire to conjure up some tea and some soup, "I dinnae want to disturb ye earlier when I came upstairs, but... a first year are ye? I'm Aíne Kildare of County Kildare, Ireland, a fifth year." She let her voice trail off, mindless chatter was not going to help the girl, but some hot tea with honey and lemon as well as a steaming bowl of chicken soup would. It was an old Kildare family trick passed down to her from her mother who'd learned it from her husband's mother, and so on until it was Aíne's turn to learn the tricks that would make her a good mother to her own children someday, and now to her siblings and housemates at school.

[Alethea Rwaht]

Two hours past midday, blimey it was almost dinner! Alethea wasn't sure how she'd slept so long, and to think she was still dead tired! It was such an odd thing for the girl, sick or not. She blinked a few times, trying to steady her vision. Alethea hated being sick, and she was so often! She was glad Hogwarts had a nurse to fix her up, for at home she just had to wait it out. Being a muggle was so boring, the wizarding world was so much more interesting.

"T-thanks," Alethea said as the raven, Aine Kildare, lead her to the couch. She coughed into her elbow again. At least it was a saturday and she hadn't slept through classes, it was never good when she missed class. "Well I thank you for your aide, Aine. M'name's Alethea. Alethea Rwaht," Alethea introduced, thinking it quite interesting that the fifth year was from Ireland. Alethea had always thought the place intriguing, she had never been there before though.

Rubbing her temples, Alethea wondered why exactly she had to waste away with a cough and flu on such a fine Saturday. Rainy days were Alethea's favorite, as long as she was inside. Alethea did not like being cold and wet, mostly because she ended up getting sick after wards. Listening to the rain reminded Alethea of the day before today. She had got caught in the rain and gotten sopping wet. She had to shout to be heard over the relentless precipitation. That day she had fallen asleep with her hair wet, that must have been why she had gotten the flu, the cough was just a tag along wanting to kill her throat.

More coughs echoed from Alethea's small mouth. She could feel the remains of her voice ebbing away with every small cough, every strained, phlegm bringing breath. Alethea was about to sigh, but something upset her throat and the sigh ended to be a series of coughs. Alethea rubbed her dreary eyes, her head still spinning slightly. It was a terrible feeling, but a faint smile was brought to her face as she saw Aine conjuring up some tea. Alethea had run into the right person on this dreary saturday.

[Aíne Kildare]

Aíne found some goblets tucked away in the recesses of the common room and, having no other appropriate vessels, smoothly transfigured one into a teacup and another into a soup bowl into which she'd poured the honey-lemon tea and the chicken soup respectively. "Here ye are, secret cold and flu remedy passed down through the women in me family for generations," she said, bringing the cup and the bowl over on a platter that she'd conjured up. She sat on the couch with Alethea, "It's best to breathe in the vapors from the the soup before ye eat it, it's to help clear your nose and head."

She looked around, the flames were sputtering a little, so she stood and tossed a couple logs on them to keep them burning, bringing warmth into the room. She was currently in what her siblings like to call her Mother Mode as she looked around for some extra blankets... she'd put them somewhere when she'd been cleaning earlier, she just had to remember where... until she looked under a small window bench that she'd often claimed after classes or whenever she had down time to read in. It just so happened that the window bench had a small secret compartment that she'd often used to hide extra parchment, or quills, or the odd book. Now, she'd been using it as storage and opened it up, pulling out a couple of the blue and white blankets. She got one for herself, knowing that the rain had made it cold outside and she didn't want to come down with a cold either. "Here's a couple blankets to keep warm if ye have need of them, it's important when you're sick," she said, sitting back down on the couch and placing some of the blankets between her and Alethea.

[Alethea Rwaht]

<sup>Alethea was grateful to have run into Aíne of all ravenclaws. She happily accepted the tea and soup that Aíne offered. She was still bemused at how Aíne turned the goblets into a teacup and bowl. It was bloody amazing! The muggleborn witch was still new to magic, completely new, any magic performed in front of the girl amazed her. Taking a sip of the tea, Alethea couldn't help but savor the sip of sweet tea.

Breathing in the soup as advised, Alethea could feel her nose clear. Both the tea and soup smelled wonderful, Alethea couldn't help but take another, bigger, sip of the tea. Aíne was making such a dreary, sickly Saturday so much better than it would have been otherwise. Otherwise, she would have tried to find her way to the hospital wing in a dizzied haze, maybe spend the night in the hospital wing if she collapsed--which had happened before, sadly. Coughing out a sort of yawn, Alethea happily pulled one of the blankets Aíne piled between them over her legs.

"T-thanks," Alethea said, her voice quite hoarse and squeaky. Breathing in more of the soup before attempting to eat any, she took another sip of tea. Putting the cup down to rest on the plate she had placed on her lap. Picking up the bowl with both hands, she drank the chicken soup happily. It was so good, the perfect warmth, everything. "Really, you've been so nice," Alethea said, coughing meekly.

Alethea wasn't sure why the fifth year was being so nice to her, Aíne really had no business with Alethea, she could of just let the first year fall asleep on the floor, miss dinner, and later try and find her way to the hospital wing. But no, Aíne had taken Alethea off of the floor and welcomed her onto the couch, offering her family remedies to help her flu. Such a nice girl.</sup>

[Aíne Kildare]

Aíne smiled softly. "Twould be cruel of me to allow one of my housemates to suffer when I could do something to help," she said, "Especially First Years who need all their strength to adjust to the school." Particularly Muggle-born First Years such as this little one. Aíne went and poured herself a cup of tea, softly breathing in the steam, and sitting back down. She savored the mixed smells of tea, honey, and the small hint of lemon. Her mother ought to have been a hedgewitch like her grandmam, it would have given her the chance to be closer with their neighbors in the tiny village. The Irish, she'd come to find, were more open about those who were different, and sights of magic were not uncommon, given the readiness to believe in the Sídhe. As far as the fifth year knew, there'd been no witch hunts in the country for a long time. The English, on the other hand, were another matter entirely and perhaps that was why most of the people she'd met at school looked upon her with disdain.

"What about your family, I know that both your parents are Muggles, but what is it that they do for a living?" she inquired. "In return, I'll tell ye about me family," she offered.

[Alethea Rwaht]

<sup>Alethea set the bowl on the plate by her tea. Even after the hearty gulp, the bowl was mostly full. That was probably because of Alethea's small mouth, she couldn't gulp down most of the soup in one go. Her mouth couldn't fit that much. Alethea didn't mind this, though. She never had much of an appetite, sick or not, so she never felt the need to stuff her mouth. Alethea actually found it quite disgusting when people stuff their mouths fuller than they can go, or play that nasty game "fluffy bunny."

Alethea nodded as Aíne explained herself. Then a question came. "My parents? Well, my mum is a lawyer. She persuades people that her client didn't commit the crime they were accused of," Alethea explained. She wasn't sure how much Aíne knew about the muggle world, she wasn't sure how much Alethea would have to explain. "A-and my dad owns a business...my family is actually quite rich. I don't think it suites me though, the rich life." Alethea was speaking the truth. She really did not like being rich, she would be quite happy with being poor. That of course would never happen, though.

Her parents were proud of their money, they flaunted it about. They claimed Alethea was wasting her time learning, for she would inherit the family's money and would not need to know such things. Alethea didn't want the money, though. She could earn her own living, especially with her being smart enough to be a ravenclaw. Her younger sister would probably end up with the fortune, when it came to that. Alethea was happy with that, she would rather Calla have the money, Alethea could make her own fortune. Thinking of Calla, she told Aíne about her.

"I have a smaller sister, too. She's nine, her name's Calla. I'm not sure if she's a witch like me or not, though." Alethea actually, though sadly, had come to the conclusion that Calla wouldn't be coming to Hogwarts. That was just her conclusion, though, they would know for sure in two years. Calla hadn't done any unintentional magic as a child, Alethea had actually teased her hair magically. It had been an interesting experience for the thought to be muggle child.</sup>

[Aíne Kildare]

((OOC, I'm not sure how much of this is going to be historically accurate, I'm not an authority on Medieval Ireland, and I don't pretend to be...))

The Irishwoman was thoughtful, quiet, what it would be if her family were rich! Mam and Da would have enough food for their large brood without having to go without for a night or two under the guise of "fasting". It would be especially important with the new baby on the way. "I confess that the idea of having such a small family is a mystery to me," she said, "For aside from me Mam and Da, I have seven younger siblings and another wee one on the way. It is an awful lot of mouths to feed, but for the most part, we're happy, Da said the potato crop looked good this year so maybe we shall have extras after harvesting and such. But with me only brother Aenghus here at school, Da's going to have to find someone to help him bring in the crop, and laborers aren't cheap."

She had hoped that perhaps she could do something with her magic once she was out of school and able to find work for herself. "Being in England's been hard not just for me, but for Aenghus, and Gwenhyvar, and Morrigan. Truth be told, English isn't our first language, and the English hate the Irish. Don't know why, ye would think they'd be a bit more charitable especially after they invaded us we hadn't done a thing against them," there was a trace if bitterness in her voice, recalling the stories her grandmam had told her as a little girl. "Me grandmam used to be a queen, stories say she was favored by the King of the Sídhe, that 'twould be the faery-folk to ye, and he gave her the powers of a Druidess, but then the English attacked, and she couldn't stop them, even with her magic and soon her once-proud house was reduced to only her and she fled to County Kildare, marrying a poor muggle farmer and giving birth to me Da. She never saw the King of the Fey again, which is sad, because I believed that he truly loved her." She smiled out the window sadly, remembering her grandmother's face as she told her tales, "When I was a wee lass, I remember going out to the countryside when I could, looking for the King and his court, I thought maybe if I found him, Grandmam would smile with her eyes again... but she died before I could find him."