Who knew this new development to her life could be so exhausting? She'd barely been in Madam Malkins for 10 minutes before Ekaterina had had to hobble herself back out the store and to the last park bench she'd noticed so that she could rest for a moment. This pregnancy was something Kate had very much wanted, but she hadn't anticipated being as tired by essentially everything that she now was. Or how quickly she'd not be comfortable in her clothes, which had been the point of today's excursion. Her mother in law had insisted on just... ordering whatever Kate might need, but the younger Mrs. Kong had been feeling stifled by the elder, so she'd made a string of polite refusals and laid back on 'fresh air will be good for me and the baby' and then she'd been off as quick as she could, before the woman had tried to come with her.

Settling herself on the bench, she let out a soft groan of appreciation for being able to sit, before reaching into her bag to pull out a bottle of water and take a few sips. She'd bought exactly zero outfits already, so she'd still have to make the embarrassing trek back into Malkins after leaving so promptly but... at least that was a probably for 30 minutes into the future Kate and not the current. Although... maybe she could also just delay it further and go and get food somewhere first. What was good in Diagon Alley? This was certainly not the young woman's turf.

Time was going by awfully quickly. Although Efa honestly was finding it rather exciting. Work was busy, of course, not that the fashion world ever really quieted down, and family-wise things were exciting as well. Considering it was practically any day now that she was going to have a new cousin. Therefore, a shopping excursion was absolutely necessary. Both for Aunt Callie’s baby and just general necessities.

Granted, there had been a lot of shopping outside of the Alley that had happened, but the fun part of being a witch meant that extension charms existed, and therefore all her purchases were hidden in a single shopping bag as she had headed through the entryway and immediately toward Malkin’s. Research, and also just inherent curiosity as to their new stock. She wasn’t always working, after all. Sometimes she could just be a normal nineteen-year-old. And currently she was considering a stop at the menagerie to play with any kittens or puppies they might have up for adoption.

Either way, she’d been stopped by the appearance of the pregnant girl heading out of Malkin’s, and she adjusted her direction to head for the park bench. Maybe she could help, not that she had a lot of experience with pregnant women. Her mum back when she’d been pregnant with her little sister Léonide, but that had been four years ago now. It was worth a try, though.

“Did you need any help with anything?”

Kate wasn't sure how long she'd been lost in the thought of food, because it certainly was starting to take up the entirety of her conscious mind and apparently baby's too if the butterflies she was feeling in her abdomen was any indication. At least, that was it did, until a voice interrupted her, and Kate gave the tiniest of jumps in surprise as she turned to the woman before her. An easy smile settled on her face as she greeted her. "Oh hello! That's so kind of you to ask!" DID she need any help? Considering they looked very close in age, Kate couldn't at all bring herself to ask for assistance to hobble back to the store. She wasn't THAT tired was she?

But... maybe this woman knew the area better than her? "I was just taking a small break and trying to figure out where I should go to grab some food and a cold drink. Do you have any recommendations for the area?" she had probably only been offering assistance out of politeness but... it was worth the question!

Why was Chloe here? She wasn't fully sure why she had ventured out and about today, but she felt the need to just get out. The rumors in the German magazines about her being traded, though some truth to those, she wasn't sure if the trade the public was expecting was the one they would be seeing. Her love of the game, but not the stardom had kept her out of the possibility of moving to the British teams. She enjoyed living in London without being recognized nearly as easy as she was in Germany. Though some fans still did after being the starter for a few years now.

Pulling her ball cap down a bit and letting her blonde hair fall over her shoulder Chloe took a seat on the bench. Her head hurt from all the thoughts running through her head, from her pretend to be relationship, to really wishing she could just settle in one place, to where she wanted her career to go next. It all just was giving her and headache and she had hoped the fresh air could do her some good.

She definitely hadn’t expected to startle the poor woman, but the tiny jump of surprise hadn’t missed Efa’s notice. She felt the smallest bit of guilt over having startled the woman, too, but the actual reaction had kept her from dwelling on it too much. Besides, there were other things to consider, probably much more important things, and her own personal research could wait. As could cuddling babies at the menagerie. “De rien”, she replied, involuntarily lapsing into French even as she became aware it was obviously unnecessary. Obviously the woman spoke English.

“I remember when my mum was pregnant with my baby sister”, she added, in case evidence that she actually could help was needed. “I helped her out a lot, when I wasn’t in school.” Aunt Callie hadn’t needed any help, nor did Efa think her aunt would have admitted it if she had. “Oh! Well, there’s the Leaky, of course. Or the ice cream shop, or the coffee shop. I guess it depends on what exactly you’re hungry for.” There was the butterbeer cart, too, but she figured that hadn’t needed to be mentioned. She would have been willing to offer some support to walk to any of the locations, too. Or see if she could get something to bring to the bench. In case the woman didn’t feel like moving.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

Why was Chloe here? She wasn't fully sure why she had ventured out and about today, but she felt the need to just get out. The rumors in the German magazines about her being traded, though some truth to those, she wasn't sure if the trade the public was expecting was the one they would be seeing. Her love of the game, but not the stardom had kept her out of the possibility of moving to the British teams. She enjoyed living in London without being recognized nearly as easy as she was in Germany. Though some fans still did after being the starter for a few years now.

Pulling her ball cap down a bit and letting her blonde hair fall over her shoulder Chloe took a seat on the bench. Her head hurt from all the thoughts running through her head, from her pretend to be relationship, to really wishing she could just settle in one place, to where she wanted her career to go next. It all just was giving her and headache and she had hoped the fresh air could do her some good.

It had been months now since her return above sea level and Joana still felt like she was walking around on sea legs. Perhaps there was a part of her that was clinging to that time as a captive in Atlantis...a certain almost freedom that came from being leagues beneath the surface of the water and nothing but her own survival instincts and curiosities to keep her sane. They were thoughts and feelings she felt like she could discuss with no one, least of all Jacob who...she just did not think would understand her heart in these matters. Perhaps Gabriel or Eros would understand, since they had gone through it together. Avoidance was not helping the situation either and just because she did not address any of it did not mean the issues were going away. She knew this, of course, but the Thunderbird had better things to focus her attention on.

Her eventual seat on the Wizengamot and inevitable rise to Chief Warlock.

Today, as an attempt to clear her thoughts since she did not have work at the Ministry to occupy her time, she had taken to Diagon Alley for a brisk jog and had been doing so for the good part of an hour by the time she came to rest at the bench. Pulling her water bottle from the tiny sports backpack she wore, Joana took a long sip and adjusted the volume on her music player while singing the Brazilian pop tune under her breath. At least the intention had been to sing softly, her perception of volume was rather off considering she had music playing directly into her ears.

While French had not been her first language, it was still one of the more familiar, so the girl's slip brought a smile to her face as she beamed at her. "Did you spend some time in France or just learned it for the beauty?" She inquired, slipping into French as well. She could speak fairly decently without any accent when in French, but her English and her poor attempts at Mandarin were very foreign sounding - her Russian dialect slipping in.

Her admission got a relieved smile from Kate, as she nodded her head in understanding. "I've really only been around one pregnant person prior to this. I can't know exactly how she felt all the time but... I feel like my overall exhaustion looks much different than the strength and glow she exuded." But perhaps that was just because of Kate's personal opinion of Ivelisse and her friends strength. She had a moment of missing the other girl dearly, but she mentally waved it away - not looking to wallow on the streets of Diagon Alley. Hmm... The Leaky Cauldron was probably the best bet and yet... "Oh could you point me in the direction of the ice cream shop?" Baby girl had a sweet tooth, and Kate was powerless to deny it. She offered her hand towards the other girl. "My name is Kate."

At least her slip hadn’t been met with disgust, or confusion. Granted, Efa hardly expected people around the Alley not to be a bit worldly. It seemed every day like things were getting more and more blended, actually, but still, she hadn’t meant to slip into French. “My father is partly French, actually. We kind of grew up a bit multilingual at home”, she responded, although they had in fact occasionally visited the country as well, less so in the years during and after the war. Being essentially disowned from her father’s family had downsides, although ones she didn’t mind since the family in question had some shady characters. She had her suspicions that her aunt ought to be in prison, after all.

She had nodded as the other girl had continued. “I’d guess that nearly everyone might feel a bit let down if they tried to assume their own experiences should mirror others”. Not that she expected to experience pregnancy any time soon, but she knew for a fact it likely wouldn’t be as fabulous as her aunt’s had been. Or her mum’s, for that matter. She knew she was her own person. A very single person, as a matter of fact. Not that she was dwelling when there were more important matters at hand. “Of course”, she replied, glancing around to verify the best path to said shop from their current position. It didn’t seem far, but she wasn’t carrying the extra weight of a whole other person inside her. “I’m Efa. Pleasure to make your acquaintance”, she added, taking the offered hand.

Multilingual home life was certainly something she could understand. While Ekaterina had been born in Russia, her father had immigrated from Korea and met her mom, who had already been a first generation citizen - her parents having immigrated before her own birth when her aunt was still little. It meant she'd grown up learning both Russian, Korean and English as her parents thought it would just help her later in life. She hadn't touched french until she'd been transferred to Beauxbatons, and she had certainly had her share of struggles with the language. "I went to Beauxbatons for my sixth and seventh year. The language is beautiful, even if hard." Which... it probably hadn't been for her.

Was that part of her problem? Had Kate let herself have expectations on what her pregnancy should look like? She had wanted this, more than anything. But had she had unrealistic expectations because of how effortless Ivelisse had made it look? It was food for thought. "That is... very well said. I guess expectations in general really are the biggest enemy for life." But y'know what wasn't an enemy? Ice cream. Which she was very thankful the other girl could point her towards - which was clearly stated in Kate's large grin. "Thank you!" And meeting new people too was so pleasant for her, so she gave the girl's hand a quick shake before letting it go. "It's nice to meet you as well, Efa! Do you frequent the alley?"

The fact she’d grown up multilingual actually rarely occurred to Efa, but it had come up so therefore had to be admitted. It was just a fact, an inherent part of herself. Like everything else. And there was that whole matter of half the Villeneuve family having disowned them because papa didn’t agree with their beliefs. Things like that were extra sensitive after the war, but the language thing was useful in fashion. She could travel to more places. “Oh, I’ve always been curious about Beauxbatons. I went to Hogwarts, but I’ve heard stories. My dad went there when he was in school”. Mum had gone to Hogwarts so that explained her and her siblings’ education. Ongoing, for most of them. Eldest kid things.

The possible meanings behind her suggestion hadn’t really been considered, but she had noticed that it had made her new companion thoughtful. No hurtful intentions had been meant, at all, so she was relieved when it appeared it wasn’t taken as such. “Thank you, I guess?”, she replied with a soft laugh. [b]“They very much can be a common enemy.” She often felt expectations for herself were rather stifling at times, but she’d been lucky to be allowed to make her own decisions. Such as forgoing uni for her internship. And the ice cream shop had been verified, so the grin had been returned as her attention had returned to Kate. “Of course. And, no, not extraordinarily. Just occasionally, since graduation. There are a lot of memories here. And I enjoy checking on new trends in fashion.” Always. Wizarding fashion was so different from Muggle, after all.

Sitting on the Bench between Madam Malkin's and Flourish and Blotts was Yumeki Kawatani. Hair as long as it had been in some time and draped over his face as it tilted downward and his arms wrapped around two bags stacked on top of each other. He had just finished some of his school shopping to get the books necessary for his 6th Term and was picking up his School Robes as well as other garments for his Mother from Madam Malkin's. There was still so much more to do today, but if he got it all done in one day that would leave him more time to do what he wanted. Yumeki had never been awarded so much freedom during the summer. What would Sensei be doing with himself if he couldn't help instruct him over summer at school in Japan. Ah well, I'm sure he would make do. It wasn't like Yumeki was shirking on his training even with all his freedom. He liked the Kendo Training, time would tell how he'd take to the added Dueling Training when that time came. All this thinking was keeping him awake. So the soon-to-be 6th Year put his attention directly across the street and stared at the stone wall of another shop until he got so bored he'd just conk right out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Moose

Sitting on the Bench between Madam Malkin's and Flourish and Blotts was Yumeki Kawatani. Hair as long as it had been in some time and draped over his face as it tilted downward and his arms wrapped around two bags stacked on top of each other. He had just finished some of his school shopping to get the books necessary for his 6th Term and was picking up his School Robes as well as other garments for his Mother from Madam Malkin's. There was still so much more to do today, but if he got it all done in one day that would leave him more time to do what he wanted. Yumeki had never been awarded so much freedom during the summer. What would Sensei be doing with himself if he couldn't help instruct him over summer at school in Japan. Ah well, I'm sure he would make do. It wasn't like Yumeki was shirking on his training even with all his freedom. He liked the Kendo Training, time would tell how he'd take to the added Dueling Training when that time came. All this thinking was keeping him awake. So the soon-to-be 6th Year put his attention directly across the street and stared at the stone wall of another shop until he got so bored he'd just conk right out.

Yumeki-sempai was not the only one with elongated hair and Mitsuki had never anticipated that she would be the sort to grow her hair out to any length beyond her chin. Something in the air had inspired her to permit it to do so and having longer hair certainly helped with any and all involuntary sensory reactions one might have so something nuzzling your neck. Which was not entirely the case at the moment, though she did don a handmade necklace fashioned out of pinecones and acorns she had collected whole following a kappa through the forest surrounding Himitsumahou. The pinecone she had actually done a fair bit with in which she had covered it with some UV resin and sliced disks from it several times to create pendants which hung in a neat row with an acorn in between. It was quite the chunky piece, but she found the gentle clicking and tinking sound as she walked to be rather pleasant.

Her black knee socks with white stars pulled up in perfect harmony just below the kneecap of each knee, she fished something from the pocket of her dark maroon midthigh shorts and began counting them in the palm of her hand while her index finger turned each in a counterclockwise rotation. Gasping as one, another acorn, tumbled out and bounced along the cobbled street only to gracefully roll to a stop just a few steps before a very familiar face looking quite adamantly at the stone wall. Foregoing the retrieval of the acorn for now, Mitsuki simply strolled up along side Yumeki-sempai and joined him in his staring.

Whatever he had spotted etched into and clinging to the opposite wall was clearly important.

The Importance of Walls was a key contributor to living a happy and healthy life, or didn't you know? They held up roofs. they kept the cold in when it was hot, and the hot in when it was cold. Which meant that the Roof the walls held up were just as important, but that wasn't what held Yumeki's focus at the moment. It was the Stone Wall a few feet in front of him. the grooves, and small bumps, the small speckled dots. He needed to find one thing on this wall and stare at it until he got so bored of it he could grab a quick bit of shut-eye.

The sound of clinking and clacking grew closer. He could hear it but it had no hold on him. At least not until something small fell between his feet. An Acorn? There aren't any Oak Trees in Diagon Alley. His focus now entirely broken Yumeki curiously reached down and picked it up and held it in his palm to inspect it.
In his peripheral vision he spotted her beside him.

"Good Morning Mitsuki-chan" Yumeki greeted her on this sunny afternoon time of day. As he turned his gaze over at her, stood up and bowed slightly. Why was she looking at the stone wall as well? Had she found what he was looking for? He leaned up from his bow and looked at her. He took in the features of her face, and then smiled because she had grown her hair out. "Your hair looks really nice when it's long." His eyes then traveled down to her neck and realized where that clacking sound had come from. That was the weirdest looking necklace he had ever seen, but it totally fit her. "Oh! Is this your Acorn?" He held it out toward her. the Acorns that were on her necklace was the dead giveaway that this must've belonged to her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Moose

The Importance of Walls was a key contributor to living a happy and healthy life, or didn't you know? They held up roofs. they kept the cold in when it was hot, and the hot in when it was cold. Which meant that the Roof the walls held up were just as important, but that wasn't what held Yumeki's focus at the moment. It was the Stone Wall a few feet in front of him. the grooves, and small bumps, the small speckled dots. He needed to find one thing on this wall and stare at it until he got so bored of it he could grab a quick bit of shut-eye.

The sound of clinking and clacking grew closer. He could hear it but it had no hold on him. At least not until something small fell between his feet. An Acorn? There aren't any Oak Trees in Diagon Alley. His focus now entirely broken Yumeki curiously reached down and picked it up and held it in his palm to inspect it.
In his peripheral vision he spotted her beside him.

"Good Morning Mitsuki-chan" Yumeki greeted her on this sunny afternoon time of day. As he turned his gaze over at her, stood up and bowed slightly. Why was she looking at the stone wall as well? Had she found what he was looking for? He leaned up from his bow and looked at her. He took in the features of her face, and then smiled because she had grown her hair out. "Your hair looks really nice when it's long." His eyes then traveled down to her neck and realized where that clacking sound had come from. That was the weirdest looking necklace he had ever seen, but it totally fit her. "Oh! Is this your Acorn?" He held it out toward her. the Acorns that were on her necklace was the dead giveaway that this must've belonged to her.

She may have pointed out that in engaging his mind in such a manner as to actively seek out something that was meant to elicit a sense of boredom was a rather counterproductive measure than simply staring at nothing in particular and disengaging, but each person had their own process so who was she to inflict and insist that her own methodology was superior? In any event, if seemed as though whatever it was he had spotted that had so captivated him had been fleeting and his subtle pivot in her direction had the golden rays of the sun dancing through his luscious fluff of hair. The light struck her necklace in such a manner that the warm browns and gold of her pinecone pendants was further accentuated and made the gently clicking and tinking as they collided across her chest all the more ethereal.

It was a bit difficult to ascertain as to whether she the good sort of flips in her stomach for him being awake or the disappointed kind of flips since it was practically a tradition now that she stumble upon him asleep and therefore another page to her sketchbook filled. Quite curious indeed.

"Yumeki-senpai," she smiled a little sheepishly and with a polite bow as well. Her hair had certainly become a topic of conversation recently - or rather a focal point. "Thank you...do you wish to rub your face in it?" It was something Mercer would do from time to time like an adoring feline and with how often Yumeki-senpai enjoyed his sunbathed catnaps it was possible that the older Gryffindor would partake in such things as well. "Oh, yes it is," she nodded while extending her hands towards him, as flat as she could manage. But not without pulling a pinch of salt from the pocket of her skirt and sprinkling it over the ground just in front of the point of her shoes.

Aurora wouldn’t ordinarily be this organised when it came to shopping for school supplies. Usually, as was the case at her muggle primary school, she’d be searching for a new pencil case and backpack the week before her school year began instead of the week after the school year ended. This year was different however as the family were going on holiday to Greece in a couple weeks and her Ma had encouraged her to get a head start. It was with her Ma that she had arrived in Diagon Alley that morning before being entrusted with shopping by her herself provided she met Layla at Floreans in exactly one hours time.

Her blonde hair plaited into French pigtails courtesy of her sister and a handful of galleons in the mini bag slung over her shoulder, she bounced along the street glancing in at the exciting window displays. She stopped by Madam Malkins window specifically to look in at all the fancy robes disappointed that despite it being a week until her twelfth birthday, she had not yet had the promised growth spurt that her Ma, Mom and sister all had and was still stuck at a measly 4’5 and therefore did not actually need a new uniform yet.

She swiftly moved on, taking a seat on the park bench to take out the shopping list from her bag. Her Ma had made her promise that she would stick to list and not get distracted by anything pink and pretty and shiny. How the young Ravenclaw had not come home with a Pygmy Puff yet was baffling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lottiepot

Aurora wouldn’t ordinarily be this organised when it came to shopping for school supplies. Usually, as was the case at her muggle primary school, she’d be searching for a new pencil case and backpack the week before her school year began instead of the week after the school year ended. This year was different however as the family were going on holiday to Greece in a couple weeks and her Ma had encouraged her to get a head start. It was with her Ma that she had arrived in Diagon Alley that morning before being entrusted with shopping by her herself provided she met Layla at Floreans in exactly one hours time.

Her blonde hair plaited into French pigtails courtesy of her sister and a handful of galleons in the mini bag slung over her shoulder, she bounced along the street glancing in at the exciting window displays. She stopped by Madam Malkins window specifically to look in at all the fancy robes disappointed that despite it being a week until her twelfth birthday, she had not yet had the promised growth spurt that her Ma, Mom and sister all had and was still stuck at a measly 4’5 and therefore did not actually need a new uniform yet.

She swiftly moved on, taking a seat on the park bench to take out the shopping list from her bag. Her Ma had made her promise that she would stick to list and not get distracted by anything pink and pretty and shiny. How the young Ravenclaw had not come home with a Pygmy Puff yet was baffling.

With money given to her for her third year textbooks, Anna had skipped right on in to Sugarplums and then right back out later with her weight in Puckering Sour Swirls and Licorice Wands. Not her literal weight but still entirely too much for someone so petite - or at least that would be the argument her step father would make. Anna never did anything out of malicious intent nor to be rude or callous or any other negative word you could think of. She didn't even do anything carelessly because she always had lots of thoughts! She might remember later, or at the latest when she skipped back to Obscurus Books and found her mama, that she ought to have spent the money on her education and not her immediate need for sugar buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut for now sugar and a happy tummy and energetic skipping won out. She could hardly even feel the weight of it all since her beaded rainbow bag had been enchanted with a featherlight charm (again, because she should be carrying a bunch of books and those weighed a fair bit!).

So it was, with a licorice wand in hand and her toes touching the ground just long enough to push off it, that Anna Walles came bouncing down the cobbled streets and happened upon one of the many wonderful spirits she had the esteemed pleasure of calling a friend. While naturally eliciting princess vibes and specifically Sleeping Beauty ones, Anna had dubbed Aurora with that sort of nickname...though she had been inspired by it. Rather, the day she had properly met the, then, first year Anna had just so happened to be flipping through her Astronomy textbook and admiring all the pictures (the words never made much sense to her but she could appreciate the pictures plenty!) and there had been a set on the Northern Lights and that was also called the aurora borealis. Sooooooooooooooo Princess Aurora Borealis of the Ravenclaw Tower was the current working title buuuuuuuuuuuuuut Anna wasn't quite satisfied with it yet. Sometimes it took time to establish the bestest titles for all her friends.

But, for now...

"AURORA!" she chirped, no longer skipping but hopping as high as she could up while waving both hands to draw additional attention to herself. Usually her voluptuous curls did a good job of this on their own and sometimes she wondered what it might be like if each curl was alive. Like how Medusa had snakes for her...only Anna would want something like that without the petrification bit. When the wind was blowing, like it was now, it WAS almost like the curls were alive and dancing around. "Aurooooooooooraaaaaa! Do you like licorice wands? Would you like one? I've got plenty and you look like you could use a sugar break with the way you are looking all adamantly and ardently at that list you've got there. Or a puckering sour swirl? I've got plenty of those too!"

Staring down at her list was not helping with recollecting what she had already bought or not. The items were all starting to merge into one and some seemed pretty unnecessary in her opinion. She wrinkled her nose in response wishing that instead of buying heavy textbooks and weird potion ingredients she could invest in a new skirt or even better yet, a Pygmy Puff! She was starting to debate ways that she could conceal a pet from her Ma who was waiting in Florean’s for her but was grateful for the distraction that came in the form of her friend Anna.

The blonde grinned and waved back at the Hufflepuff with enthusiasm. Aurora was your typical girly-girl who enjoyed all things pink and sparkly and princess-y (although she wasn’t afraid of getting a little grubby sometimes too). Hogwarts seemed to lack in the princess types which is why she was thrilled when she had crossed paths with Anna who shared a lot of similarities with the young girl. Anna was the type of friend who had to be protected at all costs! “Hi Anna!” came the musical giggle out her mouth.

Aurora, also extremely petite and therefore particularly subject to the effects of sugar, had been unfortunately blessed with a pair of health conscious mums whose preference was that their children didn’t have access to the sweet stuff. The Ravenclaw meanwhile had an extremely sweet tooth and over her first year at Hogwarts had probably consumed her weight in ice cream which thanks to an active personality and a fast metabolism had not shown too much as she arrived back home. She really didn’t fancy being subjected to one of her Ma’s ‘disappointed’ looks if she had found out. Ariadne, who had shared many a bowl of dessert in the common room, was thankfully a very good secret keeper too. The offer of a sweet from Anna was met with an enthusiastic nod. “I’d love a Puckering Sour Swirl,” she answered. “I’m not very keen on liquorice. Ma says it’s because I haven’t developed the taste buds for it yet.” Whatever that was supposed to mean. Liquorice allsorts had always reminded her of her Great Grandma who kept a packet in her kitchen cupboard and would offer them out when the family visited. Personally she thought they were gross but she guessed that everyone liked different things.

SPOILER!!: Auroooooora :3 Anna has ideas for how to conceal a pygmy puff!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lottiepot

Staring down at her list was not helping with recollecting what she had already bought or not. The items were all starting to merge into one and some seemed pretty unnecessary in her opinion. She wrinkled her nose in response wishing that instead of buying heavy textbooks and weird potion ingredients she could invest in a new skirt or even better yet, a Pygmy Puff! She was starting to debate ways that she could conceal a pet from her Ma who was waiting in Florean’s for her but was grateful for the distraction that came in the form of her friend Anna.

The blonde grinned and waved back at the Hufflepuff with enthusiasm. Aurora was your typical girly-girl who enjoyed all things pink and sparkly and princess-y (although she wasn’t afraid of getting a little grubby sometimes too). Hogwarts seemed to lack in the princess types which is why she was thrilled when she had crossed paths with Anna who shared a lot of similarities with the young girl. Anna was the type of friend who had to be protected at all costs! “Hi Anna!” came the musical giggle out her mouth.

Aurora, also extremely petite and therefore particularly subject to the effects of sugar, had been unfortunately blessed with a pair of health conscious mums whose preference was that their children didn’t have access to the sweet stuff. The Ravenclaw meanwhile had an extremely sweet tooth and over her first year at Hogwarts had probably consumed her weight in ice cream which thanks to an active personality and a fast metabolism had not shown too much as she arrived back home. She really didn’t fancy being subjected to one of her Ma’s ‘disappointed’ looks if she had found out. Ariadne, who had shared many a bowl of dessert in the common room, was thankfully a very good secret keeper too. The offer of a sweet from Anna was met with an enthusiastic nod. “I’d love a Puckering Sour Swirl,” she answered. “I’m not very keen on liquorice. Ma says it’s because I haven’t developed the taste buds for it yet.” Whatever that was supposed to mean. Liquorice allsorts had always reminded her of her Great Grandma who kept a packet in her kitchen cupboard and would offer them out when the family visited. Personally she thought they were gross but she guessed that everyone liked different things.

Continuing to bounce along, Anna all but threw herself into Aurora's lap but had enough common sense activated to just flop on the bench beside her friend instead. "You wish is my pleasure, milady," she chirped while fishing into her bag for one of the packets of Puckering Sour Swirls and made sure to pull out one of the pink looking ones. Pink and yellow...so probably a sour strawberry lemonade or something to that effect. Anna liked the sour caramel apple ones best but they all were delicious in their own way! "I only like the red licorice...but I got some of the black ones too because I felt bad that that display had so many left compared to the red. It's not their fault that they are an acquired taste. Maybe we can train ourselves to like it? Little nibbles at a time...like how assassins and warrior princess will train to develop a tolerance for certain poisons..." Hmmmm...there was something there...Anna was sure of it...and maybe if she just twisted this curl around her finger a bit more something would come to her...

Anna did collect a licorice wand for herself, the red kind, and happily nibbled on that while swinging her legs this way and that while they dangled off the bench and her toes ever so slightly grazed the ground. Definitely a swirl after she finished this confectionary though. "Are you doing back to Hogwarts shopping today? I need to get my school books still...and maybe some new socks because lots of mine have holes in their toes." That tended to happen when you walked around the grounds in just your socks and climbed trees.

The more she thought about it, the more that Aurora craved the companionship of a Pygmy Puff for those lonely nights when she was stuck in the common room with no one to annoy talk to. Sure a Pygmy Puff didn’t have the capabilities to talk back to her but let’s be honest Aurora could talk to brick wall for hours if she had to. Sometimes the spiel that came out her mouth was long and characteristic of a princess loving eleven almost twelve year old that probably bored some of her intellectual type housemates to sleep. Aurora was not into reading, or Wizards Chess or Magical Debate club but she could list off all the Disney films in chronological order. Whether her mums actually named her intentionally after the Princess had never been revealed but Aurora certainly lived up to her name.

And she’d heard that Pygmy Puffs came in PINK! What more could a girl want?

“Thank you” the young girl grinned as she gratefully accepted the sour sweet (in her favourite colour of course) before popping it in her mouth and scrunching up her face as the sourness hit her. Aurora had never tried the red liquorices but she understood why the black ones were always left. “Black liquorice tastes like chewing my Grandma’s half dead plants in her greenhouse.” Not that Aurora was familiar with what that tasted like either as she had thankfully never attempted it but that was what she imagined anyway. Liquorice wasn’t a sentient being so the Ravenclaw didn’t feel too bad about offending the candy with her immature taste buds. “My Grandma likes them! Maybe I’ll have to buy her a load so that they feel a little more loved?” Her Ma surely wouldn’t mind if she spent money on someone else and anyway they tasted gross which probably meant they were healthier, right? “Ooooh maaaaaybe. Or maybe it’s one of those things that when you get older your taste buds become more boring? My mums eat like rabbits,” she giggled. It was all salad bowls and vegetables, exactly what you would feed a rabbit.

Aurora shared Anna’s lack in the height department and simultaneously swung her legs back and forth copying her friend. One day she’d have that promised growth spurt but unfortunately this morning hasn’t been that occasion. “Mhmm! I’ve got my new cauldron so far and some new Dragon Hide gloves.” Ones that she wasn’t allowed to lose like the previous pair she had thrown at the attackingGnomes last term. “I haven’t got my books yet either! Maybe we could go to Flourish and Blotts together later?” Sadly a lot of Ariadne’s books from second year were written in French or from some strange author and therefore not on her specific list otherwise she would’ve skipped the textbooks altogether.

As for the socks? “Did a Nargle get to them?” she giggled.

Tamara Bowen knew that in their family trip to Diagon Alley what she was supposed to be doing was going around with the rest of the troupe in order to gather all of the necessary school supplies for the upcoming year. With it being her and Andy's first year, there was a hefty amount of items that would be needed for purchase. And yet... even knowing all of this, the moment she could the 11 year old had stole away from the rest and made her way to Atticus Attic's in order to grab herself a new book of sheet music for her cello.

From there, she should have then gone and looked for her family again but... instead she found her way to a park bench and threw herself onto it, turning herself then around and letting her little legs dangle over the edge. Once she was comfy, she immediately ripped off the plastic packaging of her new book so she could flip through the pages. There was a couple of repeat classical pieces from some of her other books, but there was a lot more new music and she was very excited to get a chance to try playing them. Her left hand slid into her pocket so she could touch her shrunken cello as she began to hum out the notes on the page - pretending that she was already working in a grand orchestra.

If only she could use magic already and could make her instrument full sized again so she could play right there and then.

Text Cut: two peas in a pod, truly. do they even have the same hex code?! XD

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lottiepot

The more she thought about it, the more that Aurora craved the companionship of a Pygmy Puff for those lonely nights when she was stuck in the common room with no one to annoy talk to. Sure a Pygmy Puff didn’t have the capabilities to talk back to her but let’s be honest Aurora could talk to brick wall for hours if she had to. Sometimes the spiel that came out her mouth was long and characteristic of a princess loving eleven almost twelve year old that probably bored some of her intellectual type housemates to sleep. Aurora was not into reading, or Wizards Chess or Magical Debate club but she could list off all the Disney films in chronological order. Whether her mums actually named her intentionally after the Princess had never been revealed but Aurora certainly lived up to her name.

And she’d heard that Pygmy Puffs came in PINK! What more could a girl want?

“Thank you” the young girl grinned as she gratefully accepted the sour sweet (in her favourite colour of course) before popping it in her mouth and scrunching up her face as the sourness hit her. Aurora had never tried the red liquorices but she understood why the black ones were always left. “Black liquorice tastes like chewing my Grandma’s half dead plants in her greenhouse.” Not that Aurora was familiar with what that tasted like either as she had thankfully never attempted it but that was what she imagined anyway. Liquorice wasn’t a sentient being so the Ravenclaw didn’t feel too bad about offending the candy with her immature taste buds. “My Grandma likes them! Maybe I’ll have to buy her a load so that they feel a little more loved?” Her Ma surely wouldn’t mind if she spent money on someone else and anyway they tasted gross which probably meant they were healthier, right? “Ooooh maaaaaybe. Or maybe it’s one of those things that when you get older your taste buds become more boring? My mums eat like rabbits,” she giggled. It was all salad bowls and vegetables, exactly what you would feed a rabbit.

Aurora shared Anna’s lack in the height department and simultaneously swung her legs back and forth copying her friend. One day she’d have that promised growth spurt but unfortunately this morning hasn’t been that occasion. “Mhmm! I’ve got my new cauldron so far and some new Dragon Hide gloves.” Ones that she wasn’t allowed to lose like the previous pair she had thrown at the attackingGnomes last term. “I haven’t got my books yet either! Maybe we could go to Flourish and Blotts together later?” Sadly a lot of Ariadne’s books from second year were written in French or from some strange author and therefore not on her specific list otherwise she would’ve skipped the textbooks altogether.

As for the socks? “Did a Nargle get to them?” she giggled.

Anna would whole heartedly agree Pygmy Puffs were super cute and if she had not already received a kitten for her last birthday after the passing of her rat, she may have wanted one for herself. And she would wear them on her head like a fuzzy little crown! She was certain that a pygmy puff would enjoy tangling up in her curls just like her rat had.

More on pygmy puffs later though...hopefully!

"I mean..." the Hufflepuff considered thoughtfully while tapping her cheek with the remainder of her licorice wand. "...that does make sense. Licorice comes from a plant...or a root...or a leaf? I comes from some part of a plant. What did your grandma say when she caught you eating her plants?" And why was Aurora chewing on them in the first place? Or was it maybe a memory from when she was real little and that phase where one put everything into your mouth? Anna certainly had and by far the worst of her choices had been when she had naively attempted to make her own cockroach clusters. Shall just leave that story there, shall we? Between herself and Aurora, sales in black licorice were clearly going to spike. You are most welcome candy industry. "I always imagined it the opposite...I mean...doesn't life get more exciting the more experiences you have? SO...wouldn't it also make sense then that the more different things you tried the wider your taste buds stretched and the more exciting your buds became?" Or maybe she just didn't want to think about growing up as being something boring.

"We could do that! I also want to get another couple of kitten toys for Duchess Skedaddle Downyfur. I made her a few but...I don't think they will last her through the first week of term so I ought to buy her a more sturdy one as a gift," she nodded thoughtfully. "If you want to pop by the Menagerie with me too."

Anna looked down at her shoes and wiggled her toes. No one could see she was doing that, including herself, but she could obviously feel them. "Nargles? No. Nothing so lucky as that. They just got caught on some branches or snagged on jagged bits of bark while I was climbing trees."

Eulalia Walles had checked TWO things off her shopping list already, and was on her way to their third or fourth stop (she'd lost count of the shops she hadn't needed anything from) when she spotted, right on a bench, her cousin Tamara. Slipping away from her parents, she made a beeline for her cousin closest in age. She hopped up onto the bench next to the sliiightly older eleven-year-old and peered over to see what book she was reading. She didn't bother to say hello, of course, saying hello wasn't for cousins who were born only 37 days apart.

To no one, or at least not Eulalia's, surprise, Tam was reading a music book. In the hubbub of the Alley, Lally couldn't hear her cousin humming, but she gently nudged the girl with her elbow. "Is this a new book?" she asked, depositing her tiny reptilian friend on her cousin's shoulder without asking if that was okay.

Dot had finally gotten a moment to sit down and she couldn’t exactly sit still. It was like what always happened in class when her mind would suddenly move to the next topic and she was as always bored and excited for the next thing on her list, but that was the thing. She didn’t have a list. She hated lists.

Lists were boring and made her feel all antsy. As she sat there she was practically wiggling as she sat across the street from the Menagerie. Rat? she pondered for a second as she was questioning which type of pet she wanted. Even now as she contemplated pets she knew deep down that she wanted to find a Corvid and name it Corviar or something that sounded like its name. ”this is hard” she huffed as she leaned her head against the back of her bench.

Okay, okay. Maybe something entertaining would happen?

"Dot?" Will asked in a waved greeting as he approached the park bench with every intention of taking a seat beside his friend, and kicking off his shoes. His feet got so warm when he had sneakers on especially in the summer months. Walking around in DA shops to look for school supplies didn't help. Luckily for Will he was allowed a bit of freedom and could wander off for an hour or so and meet up with a friend or two, and drink something cold without his mum watching his every step. His siblings couldn't say the same.

Unfortunatley Will still hadn't gotten used to his new glasses, and when he was and wasn't supposed to wear them, and as thus his vision wasn't the best. This lead to him tripping over his own two big feet on his way to Dot, and after a bit of a dance he landed flat on the ground on his bottom in front of his friend asking curiously "What's hard Dot?"