South Side of the Street

[sweetpinkpixie]

The south end of the street begins at the playground and stretches on to reveal Gringotts Wizarding Bank and a variety of shops and businesses that will suit the needs of just about any witch or wizard. A mixture of smells, from the coffee at Espresso Patronum to the potions at Madam Primpernelle's, fill the air. Both the young and the young at heart can stock up on items ranging from a new wand to an assortment of magical items that have seen better days. There's even a joke shop for those of you out for a good laugh. I'd think wisely about my choices or words and actions, though! Its cobblestones may be chipped or dusty from excessive wear over the years of being trampled on by many thousands of feet. Large glass windows grab your attention with various signs and merchandise, in attempts to lure you into those shops and spend more money you may or may not have.

Outside several shops are park benches, perfect for a quick chat or rest of your feet. But don't sit too long - these spots are high in demand and you may run the risk of being sat on or someone tripping over your feet. Not to mention that the rubbish bin next to the bench near Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes wreaks of various stenches of items that have been tossed away. Shame because if they hadn't absorbed the smells, one man's junk might become another man's treasure.

[Holmesian Feline]

Elders?!

So this was going to turn into one of those stimulating conversations between one of the younger generations and someone like him who had a few streaks of grey in his hair. Perhaps more than he liked to think of. Simon certainly had plenty of experience in dealing with this type of conversation, especially among the younger members of his department. “In the long run, I daresay you should pay more attention to the inefficiency of not using a warming charm when you’re not used to the colder weather.”

Yes, he was observant enough to notice the breathing and struggle of the younger woman without turning and facing her. He’d find it amusing to see how she would explain how getting sick because one was feeling the cold and refusing to do anything truly useful about it would hardly help her schedule. “But by all means…” he remarked, turning to the side and motioning for her to pass. “Try to generate enough warmth in your rush to fight an English winter.”

No skin off his nose unless something were to actually happen to her and he would feel that as a civil servant of the law he was honor bound to help. Not that he didn’t have the time to help…but it wasn’t the type of work he wanted to do right now.

[Zoe]

Tamara's lips parted slightly, her retort already forming, but she caught herself before the words spilled out. Oh, he was insufferable. The smugness in his voice, the casual way he dismissed her suffering as if it were some minor inconvenience rather than an all-consuming, bone-deep agony—Merlin, she hated British winters, and now there was another British man who was not far behind on her growing list of dislikes.

She huffed, her breath once again visible in the icy air, and leveled him with a flat, unimpressed stare. "Right. A warming charm," she echoed, her voice dry. "Because clearly, I need spellcasting advice from a same man who thinks strolling at a glacial pace through a busy alley is an acceptable pastime."

She didn't need to be told how to manage the cold. She knew warming charms. She knew plenty of charms. But pride, as always, was her fatal flaw. She had refused to cast one because it would feel like admitting defeat, like accepting that she wasn't as tough as she wanted to believe. And now, this complete stranger had the audacity to call her out on it.

Tamara squared her shoulders and stepped past him, but not before muttering under her breath in Spanish—just loud enough to be heard, but too low to be fully deciphered. Something about 'old men' and 'dust for brains.'

And yet, despite the bitter cold, despite the fact that she should be moving forward without a second thought, despite her knowing better, she couldn't quite shake the irritation or resist the urge to send a nonverbal and wandless Trip Jinx his way.

[Holmesian Feline]

Was Simon simply stating the obvious…yes. Was it obvious that it was bugging his unintentional companion… also yes. But he wasn’t about to back down when she had been the one who started it, when she could have also had the same effect if she had pushed around him without all the awkward conversation afterwards. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to be at the moment. Though it still was somewhat of a relief when she finally moved to walk past him to free them both from each other.

He may not have heard nor understood her exact words as she passed him (and not because of being hard of hearing because of his age thank you) there was something in her behavior that set the law enforcement officer on alert. So, it wasn’t too long after the spark of her spell was born that a faint shield spell deflected it, the previously extended arm having moved in its creation. His extended recovery after the war that had required enlarging his wandless work had certainly helped.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

“It’s also advisable not to take aim at an officer of the law…” Simon nonchalantly mused with raised eyebrow at her actions even if she couldn’t see him. “Though you are in luck that the reason I was moving as slow as a glacier as you say was simply because I’m not on duty. And I’m not in the mood for more paperwork.”

[Zoe]

Tamara froze mid-step, her head snapping around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. Her dark eyes locked onto him, wide with something between shock and indignation. He had deflected it. Effortlessly. Like it was nothing.

Damn it.

Her mind raced, already constructing half a dozen excuses she could throw out to sidestep the trouble she had just invited upon herself. But then he spoke again, and it wasn't the stern reprimand she had braced for—it was worse. Casual. Nonchalant. As if she were nothing more than an irritating child acting out for attention. And that was infuriating.

Tamara squared her shoulders, schooling her expression into something haughty and unbothered despite the heat rising to her cheeks. "Oh, forgive me, officer," she drawled, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "I must have slipped on the ice."

Her lips quirked into something that was not quite a smirk, not quite an apology, but definitely not an admission of guilt. "Well, that's a relief. Wouldn't want to slow down an off-duty officer of the law any more than nature already has. Plus pulling a muscle while filling out forms at your age is a sort of thing that could be dangerous."

With that, she strode forward toward the bank, her pride stinging as much as her frozen fingers. She wouldn't let herself look back, wouldn't give him the satisfaction, wouldn't let herself acknowledge that she really should have cast that warming charm. She'd rather freeze than admit he was right.