I Know My Sister Like I Know My Own Mind (Riley)

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

Penelope had been on pins and needles for the past few days, a feeling that was only relieved once she had had confirmation that Priscilla Rosier was expelled from Hogwarts. It didn’t put an end to it, not if there was going to be a Ministry investigation into what had happened. While Penelope never wanted to see Priscilla or hear about her ever again after what she had done to Kinsey, she knew that she would have little choice but to tell a bunch of Ministry officials what she knew and to relive the sight of finding her older sister on the staircase to the Astronomy Tower as she had. For Kinsey’s sake, justice needed to be served, and she would make sure that that happened even without an Azkaban to lock Priscilla Rosier away.

One of the first people she had told after making sure that Kinsey was in the Hospital Wing was Riley Fudge, and that was precisely who she had gone to find again. The news of Priscilla’s expulsion had made the Daily Prophet that morning, and Penelope was already eager for it to go away. She hadn’t wanted to find her older sister near death, and—as much as she just wanted to hug Kinsey and never let her go—she knew that she needed to talk to the one person at Hogwarts who knew the most about Priscilla Rosier. If anyone knew anything about Priscilla or how much of a threat she really was, it was Priscilla’s ex-fiancé.

“Riley,” Penelope breathed, spotting him as they were leaving the Great Hall after dinner on that Friday evening. “Hi, erm… Can we talk?” she requested, tilting her head in the direction of the tables that had almost entirely cleared out by that point.

@riley

[Deleted]

The only thing keeping Riley at Hogwarts was Kinsey. She wouldn’t leave with him. And he couldn’t really blame her, but he wanted to leave more than anything. He understood her thinking, they were months away from graduating. They were almost free. But that didn’t matter to him anymore. Riley has always valued education and knowledge more than anything else. But all that had changed. Now all he cared about was keeping Kinsey alive. He always knew something like this would happen if he disobeyed his parents. Kinsey had never taken him fully seriously, and now they were all facing the consequences. This was a rare moment that he wasn’t with her. She was across the room, talking to Toby. He didn’t plan on leaving the room without her. He never let her out of his sight if he could help it.

A voice caught him off guard as she approached him. Penelope, Kinsey’s little sister. Well, one of them. She asked if they could talk and he looked down at her. “sure. Whats on your mind?” He asked her, his voice was devoid of any emotion.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

“Sure,” Riley agreed. “What’s on your mind?”
 
Penelope looked around to check who was within earshot before speaking. “Loads…” she answered him honestly, still looking around as though Priscilla Rosier was going to pop out of nowhere, as though she wasn’t actually gone. She kept her voice low. “But the Priscilla thing, I mean.” Aside from rushing to tell Riley about what had happened to Kinsey, they hadn’t had a chance to talk about it. Now that Priscilla was actually expelled from Hogwarts, though… “Do you think the Ministry’s really going to do something?” she asked him, her tone unsure but hopeful. They needed to do something.

@riley

[Deleted]

Riley didn’t want to be having this conversation with Penelope, honestly he didn’t want to be having this conversation with anyone. He didn’t want to be talking about it. He wasn’t trying to pretend that it wasn’t happening, but he didn’t like letting people into his business. Not anymore. All he had now was Kinsey and he was happy to stay in that little bubble with her. But Penelope had found her. He couldn’t ignore her. “yeah I think they will, or at least they’ll try.” he didn’t know exactly what he meant by that. Maybe the ministry wouldn’t find her guilty. Maybe they would and she would escape punishment, maybe somehow the trial would be canceled before it even could be investigated. He hoped that the minister would do something about it though. “I wouldn’t worry Penny, I’m sure you’re fine.” he insisted. But he wasn’t meant he meant that either. She was kind of involved now. She was an eyewitness. She’d have to testify. She could be made a target too.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

Riley said that he thought that the Ministry would go after Priscilla for what she had done, or, at least, they would try. That they would actually put in the effort was better than nothing, and at least she would get some sort of punishment for it, Penelope thought. Priscilla Rosier wouldn’t just become the next Elaine Dupree or anything; the Ministry would have to explain a lot if they let something like that happen again, especially with all of the other foreign officials that they had reportedly brought in. “I wouldn’t worry, Penny,” Riley told her. “I’m sure you’re fine.”
 
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” Penelope shook her head. If she had to stand in front of the entire Wizengamot to make sure that Priscilla Rosier would end up behind bars somewhere—even if it wasn’t Azkaban—she was willing to do it. It was for Kinsey’s sake—for her sister’s safety and peace of mind. And also Riley’s. “It’s Kinsey,” she said. “And you,” because he had been the one who had called off his arranged marriage to Priscilla at his own engagement party. It was because Kinsey had dated Riley that Priscilla had wanted her gone; that wasn’t a question. “I don’t want her to try again,” and what scared her was the thought that Priscilla would do something else. “If she… almost killed Kins like that,” as casually and as brutally as she had and with so many Aurors around, Penelope meant, “what’s stopping her from doing more?”

@riley

[Deleted]

Penelope was worried and Riley could blame her, but her annoyance was just adding to his own. He didn’t want to be here and to be putting Kinsey in danger any more than her sister wanted her to be put in danger, and Hogwarts just wasn’t safe anymore. Penelope knew that as much as Riley did. “well now the whole world is watching her.” Riley said, though he couldn’t say that he didn’t expect something to come next. But he didn’t want to worry the younger girl. “she wouldn’t attack her again with everyone watching Kinsey.” that was annoying too. Riley hated having the world in his business. No one belonged in his business but him...and Kinsey.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

Riley explained that the whole world was watching; Priscilla wouldn’t do anything else to hurt Kinsey. Penelope knew that he was probably right. Aside from the fact that Priscilla had been in Ravenclaw, the younger girl had never struck her as stupid, even if she seemed slightly ditzy on occasion. She would know better than to go after Kinsey… and hopefully not Riley or anyone else. “Yeah,” Penelope agreed. She wondered why it couldn’t have been her, instead of Kinsey. Her sister had just gotten Riley back. Things were supposed to be happy, weren’t they?
 
Penelope wondered if Riley had heard from any of his family members since the Priscilla incident, though she knew that it probably wasn’t her place to ask. She knew that they hadn’t been happy with him for calling off his wedding to Priscilla, and she felt grateful that her own parents weren’t the same way. Her father was a Muggle, after all, and it wasn’t as though her mother had ever cared about blood purity. On that front, though, Penelope kept silent. She wasn’t about to rub salt in those wounds for Riley.
 
“I just…” Penelope paused again, searching for the right words that wouldn’t make her sound as powerless as she felt. She toyed with a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face and pushed it away and out of her line of sight. “I don’t want anything bad to happen,” she said, “to either of you,” she iterated. “I can’t pretend like anywhere’s safe.” She knew that, too. “But whatever you want—erm—need me to do… If this does go to trial—Even if it doesn’t…” She shook her head. “Priscilla’s evil. She’s awful. The look on her face when I found Kinsey… I…”

@riley

[Deleted]

Riley felt the weight of the world on his shoulders when Penelope Bainbridge started to break down in front of him. He knew that this couldn’t be easy on her for so many reasons and as both a person, and a future therapist, he felt for her. He wanted to protect her like he wanted to protect Kinsey, maybe not to the same extreme, but she was her sister after all, Riley fully intended to make Penelope his sister one day soon too. “I know” he echoed her words about Priscilla and the look on her face when Penelope found her. Of course, he hadn’t been there. And he cursed himself every time he remembered that he hadn’t been there, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He shook his head. “No one else is going to get hurt because of this. We’ll help the ministry take her and anyone she was working with down, in the process, if you feel unsafe, or threatened, or anything, you come find me. Do you understand that?” he asked.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

Penelope swallowed as Riley reassured her, telling her that no one else was going to get hurt because of this. He said that they would work to take Priscilla down—and anyone who might have been working with her would go, too. And he said that, if she felt unsafe or anything, she could always come to him.

It was hard not to admire Riley’s confidence, the way he remained so sure of himself in spite of everything that he was facing. Although Penelope didn’t want to burden him with anything, she nodded. “Thanks, Riley,” she answered, looking down and then back up at him. She wasn’t alone, and, as far as she was concerned, neither were Kinsey and Riley—not as long as she was there to help them.

She might not have been sure how, but they were going to fight this. She didn’t think that they were the only ones on their side. “I know the Ministry are going to want me there as a witness,” Penelope began, slightly more sure of herself than before. They weren’t going to bring in a class of first-years, she didn’t think. “And my name’s in the Prophet now,” so there was that, though she had already given a statement to one of the journalists for the newspaper. Kinsey hadn’t, but she hadn’t wanted or expected her to do that. “I’ve already told them what I know. You know?” She had already lived it. “But I’d wager you all the Galleons in the Rosiers’ vault that Priscilla’s going to blame Kinsey somehow—I know she will—and Kinsey doesn’t deserve that…”

@riley

[Deleted]

Rileys words didn’t seem to do much to reassure the younger girl that things were going to be okay. He supposed that so long as he didn’t entirely believe it, he couldn’t expect her to believe it either. He wished that Kinsey echoed some of her sisters feelings and let him take hers away from Hogwarts when he asked her to run away with him. But she wasn’t leaving. She didn’t want to go anywhere and she wanted to graduate. None of that seemed important to Riley anymore. It seemed ridiculous to be expected to focus on classes and homework when his girlfriend had almost been murdered and they were at the start of a criminal trial. “Kinsey has character witnesses, and they can trace the spells that came out of her wand. They’ll know she was defending herself. If Priscilla goes to trial she’ll be sentenced.” he did believe that, but something still made him hesitant to say that the trial would even happen. It seemed to be working out too well.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

“Kinsey has character witnesses, and they can trace the spells that came out of her wand. They’ll know she was defending herself,” Riley reminded her. “If Priscilla goes to trial,” he said, “she’ll be sentenced.”

“I just don’t want anything to happen to Kinsey,” Penelope repeated, the same sentiment that she had already expressed multiple times. “I don’t want her to worry.” She didn’t want Kinsey to be afraid. “And I know that you know what Priscilla’s like. What her family are like,” she continued. She didn’t actually know what any of the Rosiers did for a living, if anything. They had made their money somehow, though. “The posh, arranged-marriage, pure-blood stuff…” That wasn’t her family’s scene, but Riley had lived with it until recently.

Penelope paused. “You’re with Kinsey more than I am. You’ll protect her, won’t you?” Until things went back to normal again, she needed that reassurance that somebody else was looking out for her sister.

@riley

[Deleted]

Riley was ready to be done having this conversation, but he didn’t want to be rude. He knew that Penelope was trying to be helpful and she wasn’t trying to irritate him. But everything irritated him anymore. Being at Hogwarts irritated him. Having to go through every second of his life worrying that someone would try to kill him or the woman he loved was draining and this wasn’t helping. “yes Penny, Kinsey doesn’t leave my sight anymore.” at least not more than was necessary or required. If he had it his way they’d be living in some back-alley flat somewhere deep in muggle London where no one would ever think to look for them, but that wasn't going to happen right now. “it’s gonna be fine, okay?” He decided. “just remember what I already told you, and let me take care of Kinsey.”

penelope raisa bainbridge
(Probably wrap it up in a post or two. Riley’s not feeling like talking much anymore)

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

Riley said that he would protect Kinsey, who didn't leave his sight anymore. Penelope couldn't blame him. If she were in her seventh year, she would have been right there alongside both of them. "It's gonna be fine, okay?" he continued. "Just remember what I already told you, and let me take care of Kinsey."

Penelope nodded. She knew that she could only do so much at the moment, even if she wanted to keep Kinsey safe. That was how she was with all of her siblings, in truth. She wasn't one to pick fights; she always wanted everyone to be happy and to get along and not think poorly of her for any reason. "Alright," she replied softly. She would try not to think about it too much before they knew anything for certain. "Give her a hug from me, please?"

@riley
OOC: You can do one more, or we can end here.

[Deleted]

Riley kind of felt like he had snapped at Penny and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings or be rude to her, but he knew that she understood the stress eh was wonder and she knew how much he loved and cared about Kinsey. While some of Kinsey’s family hated him, the triplets had always been on his side for the most part and he appreciated that. He wanted to keep it like that. She agreed and then asked Riley to give Kinsey a hug for her. He nodded but then he stepped forward and took Penelope in his arms, wrapping her up in a hug too. He felt so sorry for her. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Penny. It’s gonna be okay though…” he assured her, or at least he tried to. “I’m gonna make sure everything’s okay.”

penelope raisa bainbridge
(Sorry he took over. We can end it here or she can react and end it)

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

February 28, 2025

Penelope hadn’t expected Riley Fudge to be a hugger, but, after she asked him to hug Kinsey for her, he hugged her, too. She knew that he hadn’t misunderstood her, either, and she appreciated that he was hugging her. He didn’t have to hug her, but he had clearly wanted to. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Penny,” Riley apologized to her, and she hugged him back as he told her again—and then once more—that it was going to be okay.

She squeezed him tightly, not letting go for longer than was probably comfortable for him but not caring in the slightest. “It’s okay,” Penelope nodded, taking a step back. She couldn’t have predicted that things would go as they had. As good at Divination as she was, she didn’t know if even a Seer would have been able to predict what had happened. “I-I trust you.”

@riley
Fin.