Post by Caleb Donnelly S7 on Oct 18, 2007 1:36:30 GMT
Caleb Donnelly, on the verge of turning 17, the legal age to perform magic outside of Hogwarts, the age where he should be preparing himself for life after school. Goals that crop up day after day that make him have to succeed or fail. There are careers for him to be considering, things for him to be doing to make sure he finds a job. Not to mention his graduation from Hogwarts roaring its head in his mind. He should be enjoying his summer. Enjoying the fact that this was his last year at Hogwarts. That in a matter of months he’d be 17 years old and able to perform all the magic he could ever want outside of school. He should be chilling with his friends, finding the most random things to do everyday in the warm summer air. That’s what a normal student would be doing; someone that was being loved and wanted by his or her family, traveling around the world, loving the break from school. But Caleb Donnelly was not normal. It wasn’t that he himself was different; it was the fact that his situation wasn’t of the norm. Caleb was an orphan. Found in the phone booth that led to the Ministry of Magic. It had been a rare sight for the ministry, but even rarer than that Caleb was now sitting knee deep in paperwork from his old orphanage. The place he had only been at for a little over a year. The only place that might give him a lead on who his parents were. That’s how he was spending his summer. He had gotten a hold of the old caretaker for the orphanage and they had been willing to let him look over some documents. He was unsure of whether that was because she truly wanted to help or because his adoptive parents had gotten a hole of her. He hoped not. He had been trying to leave them out of this. They had refused to talk to him about things and with that he was going to refuse to ask them for help anymore and if that meant that he had to go it alone, that’s what it meant.
A sigh passed through his pink lips as Caleb’s thoughts were brought back to the person that was just a few feet away from him. Fiona O’Reilly. A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He wasn’t alone and he knew it. Fiona had been there for him the whole time. Ever since they were younger she’s been there talking to him. He didn’t understand why their friendship took off. It had been a weird moment in the train, both unable to find seats and so wound up together in their own compartment. That had been years ago when he was only a third year and Fiona a second year. Ever since then they’ve been almost inseparable, well that was until Fiona joined the Chosen. Yes, Caleb knew all about it. He knew all about Fiona’s involvement in it. Of course he hadn’t mentioned it at all and she hadn’t really either, but Caleb wasn’t stupid, he knew when she change several years ago. In those moments she had become so much darker, taken in the very teachings her father had always pushed on her. And then when they died, she seemed to have lost all light in her eyes. Caleb knew that, experienced it first hand when she had refused to cry in front of him. She had this numbness about her, a numbness he found only extended to him. He heard the rumors about her crying in front of someone else. In fact that someone had been the very reason why Fiona was sitting with him now. His eyes darkened in anger a little as he thought of Fiona’s ex-boyfriend, Kennedy. The guy she had pledged so much love for. The guy that Fiona had pretty much replaced Caleb with. Not that Caleb had any feelings whatsoever for Fiona, or so he kept telling himself. He kept telling himself that Fiona was like his little sister and he hated seeing her in pain, like she was right now.
Caleb’s fingers clenched tight around the papers in his hands as he stared at her, looking at her worn eyes and depressed features as she filtered through the stacks and stacks of parchment. When she had told him she was going to help him find his biological parents he had been ecstatic at not going it alone, but he had never thought of the cost it would be to her. She had spent all summer with him trying to keep her mind off her own problems and on his. Caleb knew he hadn’t been a very good friend recently. He hadn’t even bothered to really ask her about how she was feeling, but he didn’t really know what to say…or ask. He was as lost as she was in this whole situation. After the death of her mother, her feelings of insanity, the reappearance of her father alive and intact, and then of course Kennedy it was a wonder she could even really function. Caleb hated to say that even to himself. He knew that she couldn’t take much more, but still he didn’t know how to help her. He wanted to just protect her from everything around her, make her happy, but he couldn’t. She didn’t want to be happy…or at least didn’t want him to make her happy. It seemed to him that she was holding on to some sliver of hope that Kennedy would come back to her. That he’d take her back after everything that happened to her. Unfortunately Caleb knew that wasn’t going to happen. He hated to think that he might have caused some of the problems, especially after slipping Fiona that newspaper clipping of Kennedy and Cassandra Blackfire together in Hogsmeade. He had meant to just show her that he couldn’t be trusted…that he was a danger to her, not necessarily physically, but emotionally, which was far more treacherous.
Caleb tried to release his anger at the man that had caused his best friend such pain and heartache and let his green eyes fall back down on the parchment in his hands. His eyes roamed down the page quickly and once again he threw it aside with the rest of the parchment that meant nothing and turned back again to pick up the next one. Six hours so far of endless research at the institute and nothing. If only he was 17 and able to just say a spell and make the paper he wanted appear out of thin air or better yet to the top of the stacks of parchment, unfortunately that wouldn’t be for a few more months. He sighed once again and dumped the folder of parchment down beside him, starting a new pile of examined parchment and returning to the stacks that had yet to be looked through.
Another file, another folder, and another stack later still brought no new light to Caleb’s past. All children so far had not been found in the same way he had and he was beginning to get frustrated. No…he was beyond frustration. He wanted nothing more than to burn every single bit of parchment at that moment. He growled to himself as he threw the next useless file down, his hands running over his face and into his sandy blond hair. All he wanted was to find out who he was. He wanted to find his parents, his family and find out why they chose to leave him at the phone booth leading to the Ministry of Magic. Why did they not want him? Why was he left like that? Was there something else going on? A sigh of frustration and anger left his lips as his eyes looked up to Fiona.
“I’m tired of this crap. We’ve been here for hours and haven’t found anything yet. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I’m not supposed to find out who my parents are or why they gave me up or why I’m alone. I’m supposed to be enjoying the summer months. I’m supposed to be living it up, the last summer before I graduate from Hogwarts and go on to the rest of the world and yet here I am, sitting in dust, piles of yellowed parchment, and still nothing to show for my efforts. And you…you should be having fun. Doing something other than helping me here, trying to sort through my problems and not just forget about everything that’s been going on. I’m sorry I brought you out here. It’s just another dead end in a maze of dead ends,” Caleb growled in frustration as he let his arms fall to his sides and then moved them back to his face to brush some of the sweat that had accumulated there away.
A sigh passed through his pink lips as Caleb’s thoughts were brought back to the person that was just a few feet away from him. Fiona O’Reilly. A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He wasn’t alone and he knew it. Fiona had been there for him the whole time. Ever since they were younger she’s been there talking to him. He didn’t understand why their friendship took off. It had been a weird moment in the train, both unable to find seats and so wound up together in their own compartment. That had been years ago when he was only a third year and Fiona a second year. Ever since then they’ve been almost inseparable, well that was until Fiona joined the Chosen. Yes, Caleb knew all about it. He knew all about Fiona’s involvement in it. Of course he hadn’t mentioned it at all and she hadn’t really either, but Caleb wasn’t stupid, he knew when she change several years ago. In those moments she had become so much darker, taken in the very teachings her father had always pushed on her. And then when they died, she seemed to have lost all light in her eyes. Caleb knew that, experienced it first hand when she had refused to cry in front of him. She had this numbness about her, a numbness he found only extended to him. He heard the rumors about her crying in front of someone else. In fact that someone had been the very reason why Fiona was sitting with him now. His eyes darkened in anger a little as he thought of Fiona’s ex-boyfriend, Kennedy. The guy she had pledged so much love for. The guy that Fiona had pretty much replaced Caleb with. Not that Caleb had any feelings whatsoever for Fiona, or so he kept telling himself. He kept telling himself that Fiona was like his little sister and he hated seeing her in pain, like she was right now.
Caleb’s fingers clenched tight around the papers in his hands as he stared at her, looking at her worn eyes and depressed features as she filtered through the stacks and stacks of parchment. When she had told him she was going to help him find his biological parents he had been ecstatic at not going it alone, but he had never thought of the cost it would be to her. She had spent all summer with him trying to keep her mind off her own problems and on his. Caleb knew he hadn’t been a very good friend recently. He hadn’t even bothered to really ask her about how she was feeling, but he didn’t really know what to say…or ask. He was as lost as she was in this whole situation. After the death of her mother, her feelings of insanity, the reappearance of her father alive and intact, and then of course Kennedy it was a wonder she could even really function. Caleb hated to say that even to himself. He knew that she couldn’t take much more, but still he didn’t know how to help her. He wanted to just protect her from everything around her, make her happy, but he couldn’t. She didn’t want to be happy…or at least didn’t want him to make her happy. It seemed to him that she was holding on to some sliver of hope that Kennedy would come back to her. That he’d take her back after everything that happened to her. Unfortunately Caleb knew that wasn’t going to happen. He hated to think that he might have caused some of the problems, especially after slipping Fiona that newspaper clipping of Kennedy and Cassandra Blackfire together in Hogsmeade. He had meant to just show her that he couldn’t be trusted…that he was a danger to her, not necessarily physically, but emotionally, which was far more treacherous.
Caleb tried to release his anger at the man that had caused his best friend such pain and heartache and let his green eyes fall back down on the parchment in his hands. His eyes roamed down the page quickly and once again he threw it aside with the rest of the parchment that meant nothing and turned back again to pick up the next one. Six hours so far of endless research at the institute and nothing. If only he was 17 and able to just say a spell and make the paper he wanted appear out of thin air or better yet to the top of the stacks of parchment, unfortunately that wouldn’t be for a few more months. He sighed once again and dumped the folder of parchment down beside him, starting a new pile of examined parchment and returning to the stacks that had yet to be looked through.
Another file, another folder, and another stack later still brought no new light to Caleb’s past. All children so far had not been found in the same way he had and he was beginning to get frustrated. No…he was beyond frustration. He wanted nothing more than to burn every single bit of parchment at that moment. He growled to himself as he threw the next useless file down, his hands running over his face and into his sandy blond hair. All he wanted was to find out who he was. He wanted to find his parents, his family and find out why they chose to leave him at the phone booth leading to the Ministry of Magic. Why did they not want him? Why was he left like that? Was there something else going on? A sigh of frustration and anger left his lips as his eyes looked up to Fiona.
“I’m tired of this crap. We’ve been here for hours and haven’t found anything yet. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I’m not supposed to find out who my parents are or why they gave me up or why I’m alone. I’m supposed to be enjoying the summer months. I’m supposed to be living it up, the last summer before I graduate from Hogwarts and go on to the rest of the world and yet here I am, sitting in dust, piles of yellowed parchment, and still nothing to show for my efforts. And you…you should be having fun. Doing something other than helping me here, trying to sort through my problems and not just forget about everything that’s been going on. I’m sorry I brought you out here. It’s just another dead end in a maze of dead ends,” Caleb growled in frustration as he let his arms fall to his sides and then moved them back to his face to brush some of the sweat that had accumulated there away.
