[OPEN] Taking It Out On The Toilet

Alexander had to be the most insufferable, annoying, uppity brat that could ever have graced the earth. Earlier that morning, upon writing to him for advice on flying and getting onto the Gryffindor Quidditch Team the previous night, Anastasia had woken to what she could only take as a hate letter highlighting her failure to live up to their Father's expectations.

[i]Anastasia,

No matter how many times you pester me for advice on flying, no matter how many goals I scored as a chaser, no matter how many offerings you place upon me you'll forever find it hard to impress Father. For a start you have nothing to offer me, you're useless and give me no reason to help you. Secondly you'll most likely never make it on the team because you're not up to the standard, no matter how much I helped you fly as a child you'll always be a substandard flyer. Furthermore when will you realise that attempting to mimic me, such as being on the Quidditch Team, will not make Father like you any more. He loves you I'm sure but you must see that associating with mudbloods and the house elf isn't going to win him over. You're a pitiful excuse for a pure blood and should start valuing pure blood traditions, such as family dinners, art, classical music, luxurious wine and talismans, superiority.
I'm disappointed in you and refuse to offer any help you need. I urge you to re-evaluate your life and make a change before you get lost and forget where you come from.

Keep well, your faithful brother
Alexander[/i]

Alexander did not have a clue what he was talking about as far as Anastasia was concerned. For a start it wasn't because she hung around with muggle borns t as her Father always seemed to brush her aside before she'd started Hogwarts and had the chance to meet any. In addition Alexander could hardly call her out about not valuing pure blooded traditions - why would any child value them? What fourteen year old girl wanted to sit around in fancy dresses sipping tea and being seen as furniture? None!

That wasn't where it ended though. The thing that had gotten to Anastasia the most was that Alexander was becoming more and more like their Father everyday. Pansy may complain, moan about how weak and weedy her husband was but it was all talk. Theodore Nott was exceptionally powerful in the legal world, had an incredible mind and an air of superiority about him. Heck he'd even worked with his brother to lock away their sister for getting pregnant with a muggle or muggle born (Anastasia had only heard a few hushed words through the door about the topic). It frustrated the Gryffindor beyond belief. No matter how much she tried to win her Father's attention, as every little girl wants, he never noticed her , instead he'd put her down much like Alexander had in the letter.

The words [i]you have nothing to offer me, you're useless and give me no reason to help you[/i] burned across the front of her skull. Had Alexander really just said that? Said that he wouldn't bother to help her because she didn't offer anything he needed? Would he really shut out family members in need? She was his sister for Merlin's sake! His own flesh and blood, his little sister who'd looked up to him, admired the way he was praised by their Father and now he was throwing her outside to dry and what had she done? Asked for some Quidditch pointers in hope that she could get on the team? And what business did he have saying she was trying to mimic him? As much as he'd like to think it the world does no revolve around Alexander Theodore Nott.

Anastasia needed somewhere to take her anger out, let her emotions escape without being judged by anyone around her. After receiving the letter at breakfast Ana had found it hard to pay attention during History Of Magic, instead she'd re-read and re-read the letter until... The booming bell had rang around the school and a stampede of students filled the hallways. Ignoring her friends Ana stormed down the hallway and up a flight of stairs. There was only one place she could let herself go: [strike]The disused bathroom.[/strike] Moaning Myrtles Bathroom.  

'Move!' She ordered to a second year rather rudely, pushing past them and blinking hard to not let the tears fall just yet. Bursting into the bathroom she came face to face with Moaning myrtle.

'Come to cry again have we?' The ghost giggled.

Anastasia ignored her and strutted to the taps where she began to splash water on her face.

'Awh, has ickle Anastasia had her-'

'Shut it!' Anastasia barked. 'You can hardly talk when it comes to crying, all you ever do is float around the u-bend thinking about death and sobbing your heart out. Do you know how hard to make it to go the toilet downstairs with your shrieks echoing around the plumbing.'

Anastasia turned to the ghost and started backing Myrtle into a cubicle.

'Just.' She took a step.

'Piss Off.' She took another step.

'And leave me.' Myrtle was now floating atop of the toilet.

'ALONE!'

CRASH! Anastasia had kicked the toilet seat, Myrtle screamed and found herself being flushed down into  the u-bend she loved do much. Then... The tears began to fall and the scrunched up letter Anastasia had been clutching rolled sadly from her fingertips and landing in a puddle of water whilst the Gryffindor collapsed onto the toilet that Myrtle had been banished through.

Marina snapped her head up suddenly.

"What was that?" She asked herself quietly upon hearing a loud noise coming from the out of order bathroom. She had been thinking about it for a while. Why was it out of order in the first place? I mean, everyone spoke of the ghost, and she found it intriguing, and she was really wanting to enter it. However, she couldn't gather up the courage to walk in there. It was out of order, so that means it's closed off.. and she shouldn't go in a place like that. But now, after that scream, she had an excuse, and was worried for anyone that could have been in there.

Not more than 10 seconds later, she was standing in front of the bathroom. The faint sounds of crying could be heard coming from the inside... maybe someone was hurt? She decided to not wait to figure out. Mary immediately entered and looked around. She could hear even more clearly and ran over to the area... to find a rather weird scene. Instead of a ghost, she found a girl... Anastasia! Although not a lot of tears could be found on her face, it was still obvious she had been crying. Her eyes were sort of red, her skin wasn't completely dry, and of course, she was inside a bathroom with a note and a puddle of water. Putting her shyness aside, she held her hands up to her chest before asking:

"H-hey.. are you okay..?"

Anastasia picked up the letter where it had fell from her fingers. She didn't want the letter, she hated everything about the letter but for some reason she re-read the letter allowing more tears to brew in her eyes. She was angry, furious, steam was billowing from her ears yet a part of her heart felt broken. Her brother had grown up, moved on and left her behind. The one person in her family she believed would be somewhat of a protector had let the shield down. This is what being shunned felt like.

The sound of the bathroom door opening distracted Ana and quickly she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robe not wanting to be seen in the state she was in - Moaning Myrtle being a witness had been bad enough.

'Oh. Hi Marina.' Anastasia replied a little bit thankful it hadn't been her own sister who'd walked into the bathroom. Marina was also in the fourth year and although the pair weren't exactly best friends Ana did have a soft spot for the Ravenclaw.

'I'm... Okay.' She lied after a long pause. Nobody apart from Hitame knew how much Ana wanted to impress her family and feel appreciated. The Anastasia most people saw was confident, considerate, fun but behind that was a six year old girl who'd just been bitten by a snake and wanted her Father to care for her.

'It's Just...' Another pause.

'My brother is an absolute arse.' There we go.

Mary just observed Anastasia. Although she probably didn't have much expression in her face as per usual, she was worried about her. She tilted her head.

"An arse? I see..."

Not quite sure what was going on now. Family problems? Most likely. Still, it was weird to see Anastasia so vulnerable. She always pictured her as the confident sort, although she shouldn't be surprised. Everyone has some sort of problem, be it personal, deep, or merely aesthetic. Not really something she should be sticking her nose in, but it felt like the right thing to do... at least on immediate thinking.

"Um... listen, if you're not feeling well... I'm here, alright? I mean.. I don't mean to meddle or anything.. I just.."

The stutters were very much real, but the intentions were just as much. It was the only thing she could hope to do.

Anastasia understood that this probably wasn't the easiest situation for Marina, especially seeing as the girl wasn't exactly one for confrontation of people's private lives anyway. There were a fair few Gryffindors who could have burst in and demanded to know more, they'd want the juicy gossip, every little detail. Not Marina and, in spite of the anger and sadness Anastasia was feeling, the Ravenclaw's words put a soft smile on the Nott's face.

She wasn't pressing for details, she wasn't blabbering on about how Anastasia was better without her brother she was being the person the Gryffindor didn't have much of. She was a helping hand, someone for Ana to lay her head on and find comfort, support. Marina was being the very thing Anastasia was lacking in her family and that gave the Gryffindor a weird feeling.

'Thank you.' She said softly, the smile slowly sliding into a frown. 'I just. All I ever want to do is try and prove myself, show that I'm just a good a Nott as them and-'

Ana let an ironic scoff escape her.

'I'm not a Nott. As much as I try, as much as I ask for advice from my brother I'm just never good enough and I wish they'd just accept me for who I am.'

The Gryffindor ran her fingers through her hair, the note rolling from her hands to rest by Marina's feet. Right now Anastasia was confused. She wasn't sure how to feel. She tried and tried and tried and tried to fit into her Father's expectations but she never quite met the bar and evidently her brother agreed.

Marina felt like she was stepping in quicksand. She carefully listened to Anastasia, and she was now beginning to understand. For a bit, she tried to understand, failing. It didn't take long until she remembered Nott was a Pure-Blood family, though. The reasons were pretty much clear.

She carefully examined Anastasia again. It was obvious she really wanted to be accepted by her family, which was admirable because of her determination to get that done. After carefully thinking, she decided to present whatever word she thought would help.

"I might not know much about these sorts of things, but... don't let that get in your way. You want to prove to them you're part of the family, but I think that if you want to achieve it, you shouldn't consider every fail, but yes every success. You're a good person, I know it. If they want you to drop how you are already, maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't be like they want you to? Maybe you could prove yourself in other ways. I think you're amazing alread..."

A pause follows this as Marina notices how much she just spoke. The Ravenclaw girl takes a few steps backward, blushing and feeling the urge to run out of there as quickly as her legs could carry her.

"I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to..."

This was followed by an internal punch as she just let her mouth get ahead of her brain, something that wasn't very common with her, at least as it had been for a few years. For a few seconds of panic, she looked to Anastasia before turning her gaze to the floor. The regret was imminent, but there was nothing she could do.

Anastasia sighed. Marina mean't well and the Gryffindor would have probably given herself that same advice if she didn't know the situation but Marina wasn't a Nott. She wasn't a pureblood who could understand exactly how it felt to be pushed out by your family because you don't meet their traditions. Tranditionalism was a large thing in the pure blood community and that was something Ana lacked... She didn't want to become her Aunt Tatiana, kept hidden from society by her brothers for falling pregnant with a muggle. As far as anyone was concerned Tatiana was travelling the world. How very far from the truth that was.

The compliment helped Anastasia perk up a little bit. She'd never been told that she was amazing, especially by someone who didn't know her extremely well. In fact hearing the Ravenclaw say such a thing sat weirdly with Ana. She liked it. It made her tears dry up. It felt good. Yet at the same time there was lingering question: How?

'My family wont accept me for who I am. If I can't prove myself in a way they don't want me to I'm useless. Dirt.'

A laugh escaped her.

'I've never been told I'm amazing before. It's usually that I'm obnoxious, embarrassing, shocking a traitor. You should read the letter my brother sent me. It'll give you a sense of what I have to put up with.' Anastasia replied glumly, nodding to the screwed up piece of parchment in the damp puddle by Marina's feet.


Anastasia,

No matter how many times you pester me for advice on flying, no matter how many goals I scored as a chaser, no matter how many offerings you place upon me you'll forever find it hard to impress Father. For a start you have nothing to offer me, you're useless and give me no reason to help you. Secondly you'll most likely never make it on the team because you're not up to the standard, no matter how much I helped you fly as a child you'll always be a substandard flyer. Furthermore when will you realise that attempting to mimic me, such as being on the Quidditch Team, will not make Father like you any more. He loves you I'm sure but you must see that associating with mudbloods and the house elf isn't going to win him over. You're a pitiful excuse for a pure blood and should start valuing pure blood traditions, such as family dinners, art, classical music, luxurious wine and talismans, superiority.
I'm disappointed in you and refuse to offer any help you need. I urge you to re-evaluate your life and make a change before you get lost and forget where you come from.

Keep well, your faithful brother
Alexander