Nouveau Départ PV Seulrene An Finished

-=❋=-

          Seul seized one last glance at the An manor living room before she laid her hands on a white porcelain plate. This plate, of course, was no ordinary plate. Brought over as a family treasure from the Joseon Dynasty, this masterfully rendered 15th century porcelain plate inlaid with lotus blossoms had been enchanted by her grandfather as a portkey to King’s Cross. Though most children would be nauseous after traveling through such method, Seul remained unfazed, after all, she had done this countless times prior. Her father, An Hyun-Ki,  accompanied her along with her younger brother, An Tae-Yang. Hyun-Ki is quite the imposing character; handsome as well. No wonder her mother fell for him despite the arranged marriage. Tae-Yang on the other hand was a noisy brat. If she had the chance, Seul would have transfigured him into a frog long ago. 

          “Every year full of muggles... If it weren’t for your mother, I would have transported you to Hogwarts myself,” Hyun-Ki muttered under his breath. Indeed, King’s Cross was full of muggles, but Seul didn’t mind. Perhaps she took over her mother’s compassion toward the non-magic folk. Nevertheless Seul remained silent, as she was disciplined to be. The three stopped before what seemed like any other brick pillar. Undoubtedly this was the famous platform 9 ¾. Without hesitation, Hyun-Ki pulled her and Tae-Yang towards the facade. It was indeed a harrowing experience. As much as she hated Tae-Yang gripping her hand so tight, she could only inch through the wall.

          Platform 9 ¾ was indeed what she imagined it to be, bustling with wizards and witches. It was exciting…but intimidating. Seul had never seen so many children her age. Besides a few coerced interactions with other pure-blood children, she only knew isolation. This felt like a prodigious moment for her, and to celebrate, she made the widest smile she can manage. Hyun-Ki made the same smile back to her as she approached the train. Her father can be harsh at times, but Seul knew he cared for her deeply. “I remember when your grandfather brought me here, though full of muggles and half-bloods, Hogwarts has been transformative for me. Study hard, my Seul, and you better carry on our Ravenclaw legacy” he joked. Seul even felt the urge to hug Tae-Yang which would normally gross her out, but given the circumstances, it felt appropriate. She gave herself one last moment before she waved farewell.

          The new environment was the polar opposite of what Seul was used to; ill-mannered children running about the cabins, chasing cats and owls. It was almost too much to take in. Even so, she somehow muddled herself to the end of the train, hoping for empty cabins. She approached the room only to find out it had been occupied by a boy her age. Too lazy to search for other cabins, she entered and found her seat at the opposite corner from the boy. The boy seemed quite ecstatic, just like her, but Seul decided to keep quiet and mind her business.

-=❋=-

The train rocked back and forth, the relentless whining and groaning of the engine was comparable to his grandmother bossing around the entire Vieux manor every single day - the old woman simply did not go a day without shouting at somebody, even if that included him or not. The noises of loud chatter and childish laughter could be heard right outside the compartment and next door against the wall, and he swore he could’ve seen a chocolate frog flying back in the wind outside his window.

But all of that nuisance was just enough to fuel his excitement further as he watched all the greenery pass by. The great plot of land reminded him of his old home back in France; running around the large grassfield that surrounded the Vieux Manor. One of the most precious memories he’d treasure in his heart forever as he began to fiddle with the black ring around his middle finger; twisting it around a bit as he continued to stare outside, lost in his own reminiscing to even pick up the noise of a presence… or two.

“Hello dears, anything off the trolly?”

Klaus snapped his head towards the voice that came out in the corridor, a kind-looking old lady pushing along a trolly as she smiled at him… and the other girl who seemed to have occupied the same cabin...?
His eyes widened, slightly startled as he tried to piece two and two on how on earth has she gotten there, and for how long. 

The blonde boy cleared his throat before looking back at the vendor, “I’m good, thank you.” He returned the gentle smile as he nodded his head in affirmation, before sparing the girl a quick glance and then looked away to wait for the vendor to leave.

Klaus awkwardly eyed the girl from the corner of his eyes, fidgeting a bit with his fingers as he mustered up the courage to say something over the silence. This wasn’t the first time he’s ever interacted with kids his age, he’s met a fair couple through hosted tea parties with pure-bloods, most of which were arranged by his grandmother to mingle and create a sort of partnership between families.

He pursed his lips together before clearing his throat, “hello…” He said in a gentle tone, but was still clear enough to be heard. “I didn’t realize you were here as well, I thought I was alone… Uh... I’m Klaus. Klaus Sohn… and you are?”

-=❋=-

It has been a few undisturbed moments following departure, not taking into account the unceasing rumbling and chugging sounds. Seul preferred it this way. The blonde boy doesn’t seem to have realized her presence, which was probably for the better. His gaze was seemingly locked against the glass pane; perchance he is one of those boys who would giddy after seeing the most insignificant wonder. Not that she cared much for what others were like. She had not met many children her age besides some forgettable pure-bloods. Nevertheless, the locomotive was quite the fascinating muggle invention, she admit.

After another few moments, the trolly lady appeared. Father talked about one of his encounters with the lady. He was quite the snob back in the day and would take the lot before anyone else had the chance to buy. Seul inspected the almost-empty trolly. What was left consisted of a few chocolate frogs and 2 packs of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. It didn't really bother her, she didn’t have much of a sweet tooth anyway. What did bother her was catching the attention of the blonde boy.

“hello……I didn’t realize you were here as well, I thought I was alone… Uh... I’m Klaus. Klaus Sohn… and you are?”

“꺼저”* Seul mumbled under her breath, quiet enough so that no one heard. She would have received a beating with a wooden spoon, but her parents weren’t around to hear her insult. She wasn’t mad at the boy of course, she just didn’t want to be bothered.

The boy seemed to be of high class, with well-groomed hair and quality clothes. His face reminded her of some French family she was forced to meet. Perhaps they’ve met before?** Anyway, the reputation of the An family was on the line and Seul put on the usual friendly facade. “It’s a pleasure, Klaus. I’m Seulrene An, but you may call me Seul. You seemed so fascinated with the outside, I didn’t want to bother you. My apologies for entering without notice.” The girl didn’t even bother putting on a smile, after all, she wasn’t called the cold child for nothing. Despite her best efforts, she always had this chilling aura around her that killed the mood. Maybe that would scare the boy into silence.

-=❋=-

* 꺼저 (gguh-juh) - a rude way of saying "go away"

** this is completely up to you, but maybe we can slip in some kind of connection between the family of Seul and Klaus.

She seemed to be about the same age, perhaps a first year just like him; another newcomer - and this fact seemed to make him feel a little bit more welcomed. Her appearance seemed quite familiar to him, he knew it wasn’t of a generic type of race that he’d often see roaming the streets of London, or even France for that matter. Something either similar or of the same as his father.

Klaus noticed the way her lips moved ever-so-slightly, saying something he could barely pick up on but he did not want to be the annoying type and pry - but something in him made him think that it was probably not a good one for her to be whispering it from it. Instead he smiled charmingly, the kind where he’s trained so perfectly well all his life by his grandmother; it was seemingly kind and gentle.

“It’s a pleasure, Klaus. I’m Seulrene An, but you may call me Seul. You seemed so fascinated with the outside, I didn’t want to bother you. My apologies for entering without notice.”

The smile widened, the corners of his lips stretched out into a slight grin, pearly whites showing. He had been right about his mental assumption, the name was the biggest giveaway and for some reason, he felt happy about being correct. “만나서 반갑습니다.” The words slipped out of his lips like butter as he bowed his head in the process, a slight tinge of accent but he knew that even it’d make his former tutor proud. He lifted his head up at her, ignoring the unwelcoming demeanor she had on.

“I didn’t think there would be many other Koreans attending the school, much less any at all…” He explained. “My father’s Korean… but I am not very good at the language yet… I didn’t have a lot of time to practice, growing up. But I’d say I can quite understand the lot, if not speak it.” Raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck bashfully as he glanced down at his lap.

He’d be lying to say if he didn’t feel a tad bit intimidated by the girl who seemed to have a phlegmatic character. It had reminded him of a little girl he had met years back that had visited the manor to say their condolences to his grandfather’s passing. His mother explained, later on, that the patriarch of the An family had been familiar with Tumas as they were renowned Aurors in their respective national departments. And though Klaus’ introduction with them was brief, it wasn’t difficult to forget such an unflappable character amongst all the common likeness he’s encountered.

Then it hit him.

“Did you mention An… Have you been to Lyon, France for some grand gathering by any chance? At the Vieux Manor? Have you heard of it?” Klaus peered over at the girl as he asked, wanting to see if he was right once more.

-=❋=-

“만나서 반갑습니다.”

Is he Korean? Or is he just mocking me. Seul was quick to judge people, but she never divulged knowing what would come after such rude words. Having said that, upon further inspection she did see some Korean in him. Perhaps he is biracial; he certainly looks the part now that the thought was brought up. Before Seul could respond, the blonde boy explained almost proudly:

“My father’s Korean… but I am not very good at the language yet… I didn’t have a lot of time to practice, growing up. But I’d say I can quite understand the lot, if not speak it.”

“Impressive…” Seul remarked unenthusiastically. “I did not think I would encounter someone like you here.” His fluency in Korean definitely passed in Seul’s books, although his accent still needs some improvement. Here, she thought he would be just another one of those average European chippers, but Klaus’s mannerisms would say otherwise. Then, almost as if someone had cast jinx on him, his eyes gleamed with surprise.

“Did you mention An… Have you been to Lyon, France for some grand gathering by any chance? At the Vieux Manor? Have you heard of it?”

Sudden realization hit. How could Seul have forgotten that French boy she met years ago. “Oh! I remember seeing you there too. Blimey, what a small world!” Her tone seemed to soften a bit due to some preexisting familiarity. The An family wasn’t on bad terms with the Vieux family as far as she knew, thus Seul needed to be on her best behavior. She stood up and offered a handshake: “Well then, I suppose I should formally introduce myself. I am Seulrene An of the An family. And yes, we visited the Vieux Manor a while back. I will give my condolences again. It is a pleasure to see a Vieux here, unless you are a relative of the Vieux? I don’t quite recall the surname Sohn.” Seul wasn’t too sure what this boy’s relationships to the Vieux were, nonetheless it wouldn’t hurt her to make her first acquaintance.

-=❋=-

Klaus smiled again at the response he had gotten, his ego of being correct fulfilled once more as he straightened up his back as he watched the girl stand up to offer a handshake. He let out a boyish chuckle as he too stood up and took her hand, “Bonjour mademoiselle. Ça fait longtemps, dis donc.” He uttered along.

Though instead of shaking it, he brought the small hand to his lips and planted a small kiss on the back of her hand, bending over a bit while doing so. He remembered in the back of his mind all the etiquettes he was taught by his tutor, and all the endless reminders from his grandmother, telling him how to properly greet guests or friends of the manor. It had become a habit, like a semi-automatic machine. And he knew this was what he had done on their first meeting.

“Long time, no see… Lady Seulrene.” He repeated, this time translating it into English to reassure the girl. He pulled away, smiling charmingly at her afterwards until the topic of his different use of family name causes him to coyly blush lightly.

“It is a pleasure to see a Vieux here, unless you are a relative of the Vieux? I don’t quite recall the surname Sohn.”

“Well,” Klaus began, taking a small pause to gather his thoughts on how he could explain the matter better without saying the wrong things. He knew that any wrong word or move would immediately affect the reputation of the notorious family, and he didn’t want to bring any more trouble into the family as much as he already has… sadly. “My mother used to be the head of Vieux Manor up til her passing. So, yes I am a direct relative… My uncle is currently the head now. I suppose I should’ve used Vieux in my surname more commonly. Sohn's from my father's side.” He let out a breathy chuckle after the explanation as he shot the girl an empathetic smile. “My apologies for your confusion.”

-=❋=-

Klaus’s little endeavor caught Seul off guard, though it was nothing out of the ordinary. She was used to being treated that way all her life, albeit she wished people treated her more casually. She recomposed herself and plopped herself on the seat across from the blonde boy. “You don’t need to call me lady…I feel like lady is too much. Just ‘Seul’ is fine,” the girl replied in a somewhat familiar tone. She hated drawing attention to herself; now if this boy were to cling along her in Hogwarts halls addressing her as ‘lady’…what an embarrassment that would be!

Seul readjusted into a more comfortable position as if having perfect posture meant comfort. It was what you would expect the daughter of the An family to be seen as. She needed to maintain the genteel reputation of her family for all the pure-blooded students in the school. Little did she know her father and grandfather were both notorious for being sly pranksters along with their erudite intellect. Seul glanced away from Klaus to the huge glass panel separating her and the completely extraordinary world she is about to set foot in. Keeping eye contact proved to be awkward, as she learned from prior experiences. She listened to Klaus respond to her inquiry about his family while scanning the moving greenery. The countryside seems a lot more mellow and pleasing than what she had been told.

“My mother used to be the head of Vieux Manor up til her passing. So, yes I am a direct relative… My uncle is currently the head now. I suppose I should’ve used Vieux in my surname more commonly. Sohn's from my father's side.”

“Oh…I’m sorry about Lady Vieux’s passing.” Seul saw through the boy’s facade and knew his sorrow despite his best efforts to keep a smile. She breathed in to ask more questions about Klaus’s family but instead caught herself, resulting in only a whetted sigh. As much as she was curious, she needed to respect the boy’s privacy and decided to not pry further. The blonde boy was definitely different from the other pure-bloods she met…he is a pure-blood right? Someone like him who came from the Vieux family, an elite pure-blood family has surely got to be. Nonetheless, Seul decided to change the topic to something a little more casual. With her eyes still fixed on the landscape, she asked: “Have you ever been to the countryside? I’ve only heard stories about their ‘barbaric’ lifestyles, but this was completely different from what I imagined. Mother would never let me wander away from the house so my whole world has been my backyard. The change in environment has been shocking, to say the least, however I can’t comprehend why my mother would hide me from this world? All the villages and the forests and the plains and the lakes…they seem so tranquil and free.” Her chilly aura seemed to have dampened, and for the first time, Seul genuinely smiled.

-=❋=-

Reducio

OOC: I know Klaus is a half-blood, but let's have Seul believe he is pure-blood and have her find out later on... for character development's sake of course 

“You don’t need to call me lady…I feel like lady is too much. Just ‘Seul’ is fine.”

Klaus nodded his head, making a mental note on the matter. He figured that maybe it was for the best, since he’d understand the kind of attention he might be giving Seulrene if he were to call her Lady in the middle of the school corridors. All those curious eyes staring back at you. No. He wouldn’t want that kind of attention either.

At the topic of his mother, all he could do was nothing else but smile kindly. Because he knew that Seul knew, or at least caught the gist. He was aware that he was looking like an open book; so old; so frail; pages ready to be torn off just at the slightest of movements.

It wasn’t that he was trying to hide it anyways, he just wasn’t telling it. But, as a Vieux, he had been trained to conceal his emotions, to handle them; to keep them tucked away from the eyes of the public. 

And the little boy wondered if Seulrene knew how he felt.

“Have you ever been to the countryside? I’ve only heard stories about their ‘barbaric’ lifestyles, but this was completely different from what I imagined .... however I can’t comprehend why my mother would hide me from this world? All the villages and the forests and the plains and the lakes…they seem so tranquil and free.”

Klaus let her finish what she had wanted to say about the topic, being patient as he too directed his gaze to the glass panel separating them from the outside world. And it brought him back to his memories in the Vieux Manor, frolicking about on the grass, never allowed to step out of the premise since he was an infant. The only world he had known was just that whole plot of land, and that massive house. Then, he remembered the exhilaration he felt afterwards when he finally was able to step out, and explore the outside world.

He could easily empathize with what she was saying.

“I’ve never been to the countryside… I’ve only heard that the air was much fresher than what central cities could ever provide.” He stated, remembering the words of Aimon being shared to him. “And I can only imagine… Central London smells like sewage water.” He chuckled at his own comment before crossing his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat.

“I reckon they were afraid that muggles would taint your purity… perhaps?” Klaus uttered before peering at her with a gentle gaze. “Would you agree?”

-=❋=-

“I reckon they were afraid that muggles would taint your purity… perhaps?”

That question threw Seul off-guard. Her gaze was locked onto the window for what seemed like minutes and an internal discord began to brew.

“Muggles would taint our purity…”
“Muggles are friends…”
“We never associate ourselves with mudbloods…”
“They are just like us…”
“This would bring disgrace to the An family…”
“I had many muggle friends…”
“Don’t ever wander away from the manor…”
“They are our enemies…”
“They are dangerous…”

Memories replayed like self-winding film. The girl couldn’t seem to accord with herself. The type of life she lived was certainly conflicting; her father against even the thought of associating with muggles and her mother even making acquaintances with a few. This feud between her parents was definitely not overlooked while she grew up, although it seems as if recently her mother has too severed any ties with muggles.

Seul never hated muggles, though she has barely encountered any. Her family traveled mainly by apparition and portkeys. Going to Diagon Valley was the first time she saw any muggles; how they have magical blood was another question she never knew the answer to.
She wanted to blurt out how she didn’t mind, but she knew her words would have severe consequences as she was speaking with a Vieux afterall. No matter how much she wanted to share her thoughts, she couldn’t bring shame to her family. “I suppose they would, after all, mundane blood is unworthy of possessing such magical ability. I guess I kind of understand my family’s reasoning for this.”

Was this too harsh? Well, considering that Klaus is a Vieux, Seul was pretty sure he would understand this view.

-=❋=-