Sweet Melodies. ((Chace))

[Connor Coxen]

Piano music filled up the room as Connor played one of his favorite songs. Moonlight Sonata was his first competition song for piano. That was about the only time Connor remembered Bruce being even a little proud of him. Connor won a first place ribbon for his performance but what he remembered about it was Bruce telling him that he did a fine job. So maybe Bruce wasn’t exactly proud but Connor didn’t care. At least he acknowledged that Connor did a good job. After all, it was Bruce that had insisted that Connor learn piano. It was about the one thing Bruce could do to ensure that Connor was moving toward being the son he wanted even if he never would be. Bruce pushed Connor with his piano for years and the result was great. Connor continued to improve even if it wasn’t good enough for Bruce. He continued to win awards and even started composing his own music even if he never told Bruce this. Connor’s music was his own thing. It was one thing that he could keep Bruce from so planned to keep it from his father as long as he could. Connor continued to play the song as he looked to the room around him. The Room of Requirement had shifted to a beautiful room with stained glass ceilings and windows even if they didn’t lead outside. The acoustics of the room were perfect and the mood was as well. Hundreds of books of sheet music lied on five bookshelves. It was a musician’s heaven. Actually it was Connor’s heaven.

Connor wasn’t like the rest of his family. Unlike Chace, Oz, and Riley, he didn’t play Quidditch or any other sports really. The only two hobbies that Connor enjoyed at all were reading and playing the piano. And really Connor felt like piano was a fake hobby simply because Bruce pushed him to it. But the music writing was his own thing and that was why Connor enjoyed it so much. Connor shook his head and left the Room of Requirement with Moonlight Sonata still playing around in his head. He couldn’t help it. He was a music nerd. And a book nerd. Maybe he was simply a nerd, but Connor didn’t care. Music and reading were the two things he actually enjoyed and he didn’t care if it made him look dorky. He was already the baby of the Coxen clan. Could he really look any dorkier? Connor eyed the Quidditch Pitch as he passed by a window. He saw flashes of gray and yellow jerseys flying around in the distance. He smiled. He had always been loyal to his house and of course his Quidditch team especially since Chace played. Then again, Oz and Riley played as well so Connor also cheered for them when they played, but only if they weren’t playing Hufflepuff. But when they did, it was war! Okay so not really. Connor didn’t mind that the twins were in a different house. He still got to see them and yet he was never overwhelmed with their presence. He liked that he had this one thing in common with Chace and no one else. Connor and Chace were the only Hufflepuffs. The twins were both sorted into Gryffindor and Cora was a Ravenclaw Graduate. Connor smiled and walked kept walking with the same songs playing in his head, but now his mind was thinking about Quidditch as well.

Connor loosened his Hufflepuff tie as he made his way to the Great Hall. Now he took to humming the song. It was like one of those moments when you had a song in your head that you couldn’t get out, but Connor didn’t want to get it out. For some reason on that particular day he just wanted to listen to the music. It was just one of those kinds of days. Connor shook his head and found an empty seat at the table. He smiled and waved to Riley who he noticed was sitting with some other Gryffindors at their table. Usually Connor would be sitting with Jayci at the moment but she had detention for trying to free the toads in Transfiguration. Silly Jayci. She would never change, but Connor didn’t want or expect her to. He eyed the Hufflepuff table. He didn’t see Chace or Seth. The two never seemed to be apart or at least Connor thought so. Connor liked Seth, but Seth was Chace’s best friend. He and Chace had a bond that Connor and Chace would never have so for that, Connor was just a tad jealous. He stopped humming and grabbed a roll. It was going to be an evening of melodies and harmonies.

[chace]

"This is dumb." Those were Chace's only words to Seth as they continued to practice Quidditch. Ivy decided that since Chace and Seth were best friends they could practice together. That was nice but this was ridiculous. She had instructed them to fly around the pitch in formation and pass the Quaffle back and forth between them. They asked her how long they were to perform this tedious action but they never received a good answer. Seth and Chace had flown from one end of the pitch to the other tossing the Quaffle between them for what seemed like hours. Chace had to wonder if Seth and he were in time-out. The rest of the team seemed to having a jolly good time laughing and smiling while Seth and Chace continued their endless action.

Finally Ivy let them go for dinner. Chace landed with a thud and swiftly left the pitch without looking or saying anything to his teammates or captain. He was annoyed and what was worse, he was hungry. He didn't wait around for Seth. Seth was going on a date with Willow and the two of them wanted to be alone. Chace would have taken this opportunity to be with Lara but she was busy with her studies. She was finishing a Muggle Studies final project. Chace was somewhat glad the he didn't take that elective. His electives gave him trouble enough. He stuffed his broom into his locker deciding to keep his Quidditch robes on because he didn't want to stay there with his team any longer. He really did like his teammates. And he really enjoyed having Ivy as a captain, he was just frustrated and hungry. Slamming his locker he looked around with a smirk and said to his teammates, "Sorry about that." Pointing his feet toward the castle, he let his legs do their thing. Great Hall look out! Chace Coxen is heading your way.

Chace hoped that the castle elves had prepared roast beef. Or maybe lamb. Or pork. Just as long as it was some sort of protein and there was plenty of it. The Coxen family was so large that meals at home were usually bland. Not that that was a bad thing. Yasmin could not be bothered to prepare each plate with spice. Each child like different tastes so their mother just let them spice their own food. But putting salt and pepper on a dish after it had been cooked was not the same as if the dish had been prepared with them. There was always so much selection at Hogwarts that every student could find something they liked. The students that didn't were first off, crazy, and secondly they would just have to starve. Chace was one of the students who loved the selection. In his six years at Hogwarts, Chace couldn't recall a time when he couldn't find something to snack on. Those castle elves knew what they were doing!

Chace burst through the doors to the Great Hall and found that he was in luck. That pleasant aroma wafting toward him could only be that of pork chops. True, it wasn't roast beef but it would still hit the spot. The ceiling was overcast just like outside. At least it didn't have the sun glaring down at all the students and they tried to eat. Chace glanced over at the Gryffindor table and caught the eye of his younger sister Riley. Chace smiled and nodded at her before turning his attention to the Hufflepuff table. Unlike the famous Weasley family, another large family closely associated with Harry Potter, the Coxen's were separated when they were sorted. Only Chace and Connor were sorted into Hufflepuff. That was fine with Chace. It made his relationship with his brother that much better. Speaking of Connor, Chace spotted his brother sitting by himself. Chace walked behind his brother and ruffled Connor's blonde hair. Not roughly but kindly; a way to say hello. It was Chace's way of showing affection for Connor. Connor was the only person that Chace did that to. Chace smiled and sat down beside his brother. "All right Connor?" Chace asked his sibling. "Are you waiting for Jayci or do you mind if I join you?"

[Connor Coxen]

Connor continued to eat his meal only this time he was back to the humming. Well, he couldn’t help it! One day, Connor wished that he would hear other people humming only they were humming the music that he composed. Maybe that would never happen, but Connor couldn’t help but be a dreamer about it. Maybe he had always had a little bit of dreamer in him, but that was slightly Bruce’s fault. Bruce had never been happy with Connor or any of him sons. So maybe he tolerated Chace and Connor more than Oz, but not enough. Connor still didn’t feel like Bruce ever really wanted him around. No, that job belonged to Cora. Connor still felt like Riley was supposed to be Bruce’s second favorite, but Riley was too content to stray from her father’s wishes that she never would be. She learned early on in life that it wasn’t worth her time to try and be Bruce’s ‘perfect daughter’. Connor admired that spirit in Riley. She loved to go out of her way to disobey Bruce while Connor knew that he would never be able to do this. He loved his dad and did what he asked even if Bruce didn’t seem to care much. Connor shook his thoughts off his father and continued to eat as he hummed. He didn’t need Bruce to be who he was, but Connor didn’t know this quite yet. It would take time.

Connor grabbed a pork chop and eyed the book beside him. It wasn’t odd for Connor to read and eat at the same time, but that was usually only when he ate alone which wasn’t often. Connor was usually with Jayci and his other friends during meals, but it was nice to be alone every now and then. A lot of times, Connor felt over-whelmed and he could never get the feeling to go away. So sometimes be alone was good. Just as he was about to reach for the book, he felt someone ruffle his hair and then a familiar voice. Connor smiled seeing his brother Chace. Connor had always looked up to his older brother. Connor had never been close to Cora. Oz used Connor as his play thing and Riley used him as her personal shrink. Chace was different and respected him more than any of his other siblings. Connor didn’t really look up to the others. And while he liked all of them and got along very well with Riley, Chace was the one Connor could always count on.

“Hey. No, no Jayci today. Sit.” He smiled. He wondered where Lara, Seth, and Willow had gone to, but there was probably a reasonable explanation for that. The four were together a lot so usually Connor didn’t want to intrude just to talk to his brother. Besides, Connor was usually the one doing the listening. This was just something Connor did. He listened to the problems of his siblings and he tried to pretend that it didn’t bother him, but it did. Connor hated hearing that the people he loved weren’t happen and he couldn’t see this changing. “She tried to free the toads from Transfiguration.” He laughed remembering it. “Well, she didn’t succeed and she landed herself in detention, but she claims that it was all worth it. I’m not quite sure about that, but I let her thing what she wants.” He chuckled. Connor was more honest with Jayci than anyone else. She was easy to talk to and a good friend. Still, he couldn’t tell her everything. There were somethings that no one would understand. “So, where are Seth, Lara, and Willow?” He asked nicely. Connor also felt weird talking to his siblings. He didn’t do it much actually. Connor was a listener. He always had been. He didn’t feel like his could tell anyone what he was really thinking and he was pretty scared to do so. Connor didn’t know why he was this way but he was. And he didn’t think that could change even if he wanted it to.

[chace]

((Sorry it took me so long and that is it not very long...))

"Well Seth and Willow are off somewhere in a secret location on a date. Probably on the other side of the lake," Chace added smirking and rolling his eyes. Seth was one to think that the 'far side of the lake' was a secret location but the truth was everyone knew the spot he he was thinking of. Most people went there when they needed some time alone. Only problem was you often were not the only person needing some time alone and you often met someone else there. Chace sighed as he thought of all the great conversations that he had there. "Lara is up in the common room finishing a huge Muggle Studies project supposedly." Chace shrugged. "I'm glad that I chose not to take that elective. The magical community is complex enough without having to learn about another culture." Chace had nothing against muggles. He was a Hufflepuff. He didn't have grudges against anybody. Not even Slytherins. They could be quite rude sometimes, but Chace chose to let those feelings of frustration go. It was just that Muggle Studies sounded so boring his second year and he has not regretted the decision. History of Magic was boring enough. Chace liked the exciting classes where he actually got to be on his feet and doing something.

"Free the toads, eh? Sounds like a campaign. If she ever has a petition I'll sign it." Chace pointed toward the pitcher of pumpkin juice, "Could you pass me that?" Chace took the pitcher from Connor and thanked his little brother with a smile. Out of all his siblings, Chace liked to think that he was closest to Connor. Their personalities seemed to mesh the best. Plus they were both Hufflepuffs. The only two of the siblings. Chace liked to think that he got on well with all his siblings. Cora was a little strict at times and didn't like to kid around but she was all right. Riley and Oz were so close that sometimes it seemed like they didn't need the others but Chace liked them. They always made him smile. Unless he was at the receiving end of one of their pranks. No, Connor and he just seemed to click. Maybe it was because they both had a soft side to them. Boys were supposed to rough and tough. But that did not mean they were. Chace was proof of that. He could be rough when the occasion called for it, but violence was not always the answer.

"So did you hear about this party that Father is throwing for Cora over the holidays? Sounds horrific. But we have to be there. Dad wouldn't want us to miss a moment of Cora's life." Chace rolled his eyes in a very dramatic way. All the siblings knew that Cora was Bruce's favourite. Chace, being the closest in age to Cora, was used to it by now. But Chace often worried how it affected his younger brothers and sister. "At least we'll be there together. You should ask mum if Jayci can come."