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+------- Thread: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters (/showthread.php?tid=897)
Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Galen MacLean - 02-17-2026
17 February 1922
Mid-day
Headmaster’s Tower
Mid-day
Headmaster’s Tower
The Ravenstone's were complete idiots, at least that was Galen’s opinion.
Ever since taking office at the beginning of November, he had been trying to clean up a lot of Ruby’s messes. And boy did she have a lot.
The woman had prioritized her own image over the wellbeing of the students she had been entrusted with. And that, the man knew, made her suffering worth every second in Azkaban. Had she truly thought no one would find out?
The most egregious discovery he had made about the former headmistress was when he had gone through Everleigh Ravenstone’s folder. She had been one of the three girls tortured by Thayer, and the one who was suffering the most. According to the rest of the staff, it had been quite obvious from the start that she needed more care than she was receiving.
And despite this, Haswell failed to press the parents about this. She did not save a copy of what she had sent to them, and their response was just full of absolute bullshit.
So Galen decided to take matters into his own hands. He sent an owl, which was promptly responded to with an overly blasé response that boiled down to some version of ‘we have everything under control, she is fine’. It pissed him off. So he continued writing, some letters he got responses to and some he did not.
Once it was obvious that Everleigh was doing worse after the Christmas holiday, Galen decided to write them a couple more times. They were getting pissed off by then, and finally sent him a cease-and-desist request. That wouldn’t do. Galen then stopped by their huge estate, which went just about as well as the letters had.
His patience with the situation totally gone, Galen had requested Everleigh and her sister Alice to his office so he could try to get a handle on what was really going on in that massive home of theirs.
And maybe get the girl some help.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Everleigh Ravenstone - 02-17-2026
With the help of her house mates, Ever was brought out of the Ravenclaw common room and handed over to Alice. Which was fine. Everleigh didn’t care. In fact, she would probably be happy about it, if emotions were something she could process at this point in her life.
Unfortunately she couldn’t process emotions. Or words, facial expressions, body language, or pretty much anything.
Alice brought Ever to the Headmaster’s tower. Her blue eyes looking at everything, processing nothing. She heard people talking, the words were familiar. They made sense, without making sense. Nothing made sense.
With no memory of how she got from the common room to the Headmaster’s office. Everleigh was suddenly sitting in a chair. It was a nice chair, as far as things you sit on go. She was deposited, a small fragile heap of blue clothes and blank stares. Her hands lay limp in her lap, her fingers occasionally twitching against the cover of a journal that held nothing but incoherent scribbles. Holding the journal like a lifeline. There was no hint of the Ravenclaw who had once went toe-to-toe with a professor who was wrong about planetary alignment. There was only the dull, flat gaze of her unblinking eyes, as if the girl herself had been replaced by a quiet shell of nothingness.
Prior to Christmas, Ever had been getting better. Stringing a few words together. Showing genuine interest in her friends and family. Now, after the mysterious events over the break, Ever was void of everything that made her shine. At times she would mumble words, nothing that made sense. Often just gibberish. On occasion, her eyes would focus, but it wasn’t common anymore. If asked a question, or prompted for an answer, silence greeted you.
The only means for communication was the journal. It didn’t always happen, but on occasion, if she was in a state of mild lucidity, Ever could draw a picture to correspond to a question. Unfortunately, without words to describe what she was drawing, it rarely made sense to anyone but her.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Alice Ravenstone - 02-21-2026
Everything was coming to a head, finally. Ever since Everleigh slipped away, Alice felt like the world was imploding around her. Her sister was her best friend, her other half, someone she had called her baby when they were tiny together. And their father was quickly turning into someone she didn’t recognize.
The man had always had a temper, but lately he had been a lot more quick to anger. The word ‘abusive’ had crossed her mind, especially after the incident over summer when she caught him casting obliviate on Ever, but she hadn’t said it out loud. And honestly, she wasn’t sure what had happened that day over Christmas break when she returned and Ever was… clearly worse off.
Receiving the request from Headmaster MacLean was a surprise; after how Haswell handled it – by not really handling it – she didn’t have high expectations. Though the man did seem more fit for the job, and like he took it seriously. Still, despite the good that would probably come from the meeting, Alice was nervous.
Everleigh was rarely lucid enough to contribute anything to a conversation, and honestly Alice couldn’t recall the last time she and her sister had a proper conversation. Would she be quiet while they talked? She supposed, though, that the man had yet to really see her mental state for himself, so nothing bad could come from that.
Perhaps then her nervousness stemmed from something else; there would be a lot of talking on her part, and the conversation would be focused on unpleasant things. Alice’s world felt so much darker than it used to; granted, it had never been sunshine and roses at Blackthorn Hall but she had made it work as the buffer between their parents and Ever.
But now there was no buffering.
Alice, who had always had the utmost respect for her mother and father now had none.
They walked in silence to the headmaster’s office, Alice holding her sister’s frail hand. Skin and bones, some would say. Honestly, she would too. Sometimes she wondered if her sister even remembered how to feed herself.
Once she got the girl sitting safely in one of the chairs in front of Headmaster MacLean’s desk, she sat down in the one beside it. Exhausted. Alice was exhausted.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Galen MacLean - 02-22-2026
Galen looked at Everleigh, taking in her frail appearance. She was waif thin, pale, and disheveled. Her eyes were hauntingly blank. It was quite worrisome. He frowned and directed his attention to Alice. He already knew, without speaking to the younger of the two, that it would be hard to get through to her. It was a good thing that he had both of them come see him.
”We haven’t been formally introduced yet, but I am the new Headmaster. You must be Alice,” he said, smiling. The girl before him nodded, and he glanced beside her at Everleigh. ”I asked you here, you both here, so I could get some more information on the situation,” he said, gesturing slightly towards Everleigh.
”I have been briefed on the situation, but I wanted to ask more specific questions of you two,” he said and glanced at Ever. He didn't want to talk about her like she wasn’t in the room.
”I was hoping, Alice, that you could tell me about your sister… how she has progressed in this state and if there are any triggers you have noticed,” he said and picked up his quill to take notes. The older of the two looked exhausted; like she'd been dealing with too much. His heart went out to both of them as he sat there with them in front of him.
At least, he hoped, now Everleigh could get the help she needed and Alice could focus on herself for a bit.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Everleigh Ravenstone - 02-22-2026
The conversation continued, without Ever. As Alice and the Headmaster began to speak, Everleigh drifted out of her chair with unhurried and fluid movements. She moved aimlessly around the space, looking at things without seeing. A mirror caught her attention, causing her to stand and stare for a good couple of minutes.
Ever bumped into things as she moved, not sure of how she fit in the space. Nothing seemed to cause her pain or distress, just a small hurdle in her way. She ignored her sister as her feet carried her toward the heavy desk where Galen sat.
Standing next to his chair, Ever looked at the man in charge of their school. Words came out of his mouth, deeper and gruff to Alice’s soft melodic voice. The conversation entered in one ear and out the other without any comprehension.
Her shadow fell across his desk, blocking out the afternoon light. In a sudden, less fluid movement, she reached out with cold, thin fingers. There was a different look to her face when she stared at the Headmaster. As if, just for a minute, her brain was processing something. With a fragile, bird-like touch, she bracketed Galen’s jaw and tilted his face upward toward the light. Her blue eyes, once sharp and observant, now foggy and blank, searched his features with a vacant expression.
No words left her mouth, but her eyes focused on his face for a beat, She was in there, fight through the dense fog.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Alice Ravenstone - 02-22-2026
Alice looked at Headmaster MacLean, nodding slightly when he introduced himself. She stayed quiet though, as he spoke. Movement beside her drew her attention away momentarily. She watched as her sister stood up and made her way to the other side of the room, to look in a mirror. What did she see?
She looked back at the man.
”I was hoping, Alice, that you could tell me about your sister… how she has progressed in this state and if there are any triggers you have noticed.”
He was a nice man. Alice could feel the compassion and sincere guilt (though it wasn’t his to hold) radiating off of him. She smoothed out her hair, a mess – how it usually looked now. Not as bad as Everleigh’s, but still pretty rough. Compared to how she used to prepare before an important meeting.
”Okay, so…” Alice’s brain spiraled a bit as she tried to remember where to start. Because of the recent events, and the way her father was hexing Ever over the summer, she wondered if this went back further than just the Dark Tower. She frowned and sighed.
”After the… you know… she was mostly okay, just a bit withdrawn. Which makes total sense, and I just knew she’d come out of it,” she explained, looking over at Everleigh again. God she missed her sister.
”But she didn’t…” she frowned and shook her head. This part – that she was about to speak about – hadn’t been told to anyone. ”Over the summer, when we were home, I walked into my father’s office because he was yelling at her, and when I… came in…”
She’d gone over that moment many times. She’d hoped she had imagined it. She hadn’t. Their father had been colder than normal the rest of the summer.
”He was trying to obliviate her for some reason… you see, we were never allowed in his office… I dunno why, he just… sells brooms, but… after that is when…” Alice motioned to her sister briefly.
”When we came back in September, she had night terrors. Bad ones…” she shook her head. Surely Professor Laurence had told him that much. ”And then Christmas… I left and went shopping with my mum… I shouldn’t have left her there with him.” She blamed herself for what happened over Christmas break. ”When we got back he was angrier than I had ever seen him before and she… was…” Alice let her voice trail off.
Just then, Everleigh approached them, but this time on the headmaster’s side of the desk. Alice’s brown eyes widened in horror as she watched her sister take the headmaster’s head in her hands, examining him. Her face, her eyes, were still blank.
”Ever, don’t do that. Sit back down,” Alice said, and stood up to retrieve her sister.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Galen MacLean - 02-22-2026
Galen watched out of his periphery as the younger girl stood from her seat and began wandering around his office. While he noted her position at all times, he focused on Alice. He could tell that she had a hard time talking about these things, and honestly he could not blame her one bit.
”After the… you know… she was mostly okay, just a bit withdrawn. Which makes total sense, and I just knew she’d come out of it. But she didn’t…”
Nodding, the headmaster remained quiet, listening intently. Anything that Alice could provide would help.
”...and when I… came in… He was trying to obliviate her for some reason… you see, we were never allowed in his office… I dunno why, he just… sells brooms, but… after that is when…”
Galen couldn’t help but to let his eyes widen slightly at the mention of the memory hex. He made a quick note, frowning. He’d heard of the man’s broom business; he was quite well known. When Alice motioned to her sister, he also looked at the girl.
It was haunting how blank she was.
Alice continued, mentioning the night terrors that Professor Laurence had informed him about. He nodded, still watching Alice.
”And then Christmas… I left and went shopping with my mum… I shouldn’t have left her there with him. When we got back he was angrier than I had ever seen him before and she… was…”
Galen saw a shadow fall over him and when he looked up, he saw the youngest Ravenstone girl, standing above him. She then took his face in her hands, tilting it back as she examined him. What for? He wasn’t sure.
Alice stood to collect her sister, who by then had let go of him. He watched the girls, observing their behavior. The older, the caretaker, the younger… lost. He remained silent until the two were back in their chairs.
”First off, Alice, I want to make something very clear to you. You are not to blame for whatever happened over Christmas,” he said, his voice firm and yet kind. ”I see that we have a lot going on that is quite concerning. Would you do me a favor? I’d like to see if Everleigh will focus while I ask her some questions. Wait outside, please?”
He noticed the hesitation from Alice, probably just because she didn't want to leave her sister. He understood. ”I promise it will take only a moment,” he said, though he really didn’t know if the girl would speak to him at all.
He watched Alice nod, squeeze her sister’s hand, and then excuse herself.
”Everleigh, can you focus on me, please?” he asked, his voice calm. He watched her closely. The girl didn’t focus on him. When her eyes did skim past him, it was briefly and they were blank.
He cleared his throat. ”Everleigh, I need you to focus on me,” he said, his voice a bit raised, but nothing startling.
Alice had spoken about their father’s anger. He frowned. He didn’t want to startle her, but he really wanted to see if he could get anything from her.
”Look at me!” Galen snapped suddenly after a moment of silence.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Everleigh Ravenstone - 02-22-2026
She let his face go, Alice bringing her back to the seat she originally occupied. His voice rang through the room, but the words didn’t sink in. Nothing did.
Dust motes floated in the air, the sun lighting them up, Ever’s eyes followed them around the room moving with the air.
”Look at me!” the Headmaster snapped.
Ever’s head whipped to Galen, her blue eyes met his, focused and alert. Her pulse increased, breaths came in short bursts. Deep down, she knew the man in front of her wasn’t a threat, but her body’s automatic response couldn’t be convinced otherwise.
Sitting still and frozen in her chair, Ever waited for whatever would happen next.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Galen MacLean - 02-22-2026
It’d been years since Galen snapped like that; previously it only happened when he was serving in the military and he needed his soldiers to obey orders. He didn’t like using that tone of voice, especially when the girl before him was so traumatized.
However, it seemed to work. Ever was now looking at him, making eye contact. For once, her eyes didn’t look completely blank. She was still there. All hope was not lost. She wouldn’t stay, he knew that. So he had to use this time productively.
”Hi, Everleigh,” he said with a smile, his voice returning to the tone it was before he yelled to get her attention. He glanced at her journal but did not touch it. He had seen her walking around clutching it, as if it was her lifeline.
He pushed the quill and parchment towards the girl. ”I want you to draw what you remember about Christmas break,” he directed, not taking his eyes off her. It was possible she was already gone. But it was also possible that she would draw nothing, that just the thought of Christmas break sent her in a spiral.
Either way, he was waiting to see what happened next.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Everleigh Ravenstone - 02-22-2026
”Hi, Everleigh.”
The words hit. She recognized the name. And then it was gone. Her eyes went from alert and focused to fuzzy. Her brain didn’t process things like a normal person. One second she was thinking about her name, her life, her family. Then it was gone, her mind a mess of white noise and static.
Then she was back again. If you looked closely, you could almost see the lightbulb clicking on and off. ”I want you to draw what you remember about Christmas break.”
His simple request brought on an onslaught of memories. The lights on a Christmas tree. The fireplace burning bright. Between the memories there were flashes of green light that made her flinch. A flash of Alice’s smile then a smell of damp stone fills her nostrils.
There was a quill in her hand, she had no idea how it got there. Her hand shook. Good and bad memories switching places every few seconds.
Vision still blurred, not seeing anything in front of her, not the paper, the Headmaster, the room. Nothing, but her hand moved. Somehow, his request of a picture got through and she drew.
Just as fast as it came on, it left. Everleigh rose from her seat, quill in hand, whole body shaking. Then she was fine, calmly fluttering around the room, looking at things without really looking.
On the desk, left behind without a thought, the piece of parchment with a single picture, sharp lines of black against the parchment. The shape was clear, a man stood in the background, his face wasn’t clear, but it was clear it was a man. The focal point, his arm pointing out, wand stretched, mid spell. It could mean anything. It wasn’t evidence to any wrong doing, but it was another piece to a growing puzzle.
RE: Neglect No Longer || Ravenstone Sisters - Galen MacLean - 02-22-2026
What was happening to Everleigh Ravenstone was really fascinating – not in a good way, but it was interesting to observe. He had to watch her from an analytical perspective because otherwise his heart would break for what she was going through.
He sat back and watched the girl draw, his eyes now on the parchment and the quill. He didn’t think she was fully aware, but her brain was processing commands. Which was definitely an improvement. He wrote down on his notes:
Trigger: anger, loud noises
It was heartbreaking, honestly.
As she drew, Galen began recognizing the figure as a person – a man, specifically. But who?
He had his suspicions, but he did not want to put words in her mouth. He’d not asked her to identify what she was drawing, just to simply draw.
Everleigh stood and began moving about the office, her awareness gone again. Galen picked up the parchment and sat back, taking in the rough drawing of a man with a wand pointed at her.
It wasn’t Thayer. At least, Galen really didn’t think so. He had requested a picture of Christmas, not of the Dark Tower. Thayer was dead by Christmas… so this could only be her father.
The man set his jaw, feeling anger rising up. From what Alice had said, and what Everleigh had drawn, Thatcher was still using his power on his own daughter.
He set the parchment down and looked at Everleigh. A moment later, he flicked his wand and the door to his office opened. Alice stood on the other side, a mess because she’d likely heard him yell.
”Alice, I need you to do something for me,” he said and the Hufflepuff entered his office, her brown eyes on Everleigh. She nodded and then looked back at him as he slid the drawing carefully into the folder with his notes.
”I need you to reach out to your grandfather. Let him know what’s going on with her. The sooner the better.” Galen sighed. He was worried. Immensely. Thatcher, it seemed, was much more than just a broom manufacturer.
All that he had to ask of the girl was to initiate the conversation with him. He knew that Nordstrom would reach out to him, and they could take it from there.
Galen stood up and nodded at Alice, who moved to her sister.
”Come on, Ever… let’s go,” the girl said.
”Alice, I wanted to let you know that we will figure this out and get her the help she needs. You are not in this alone.”
Those were the final words he said to the girls before they left his office.