Valencia knew a;; about Diagon Alley. The young Ravenclaw considered herself an expert now. She had been looking very forward to showing her younger cousin around. Being the youngest of her siblings, she was pleased that she'd still have the opportunity to be the older cool family member.

It clearly skipped a sibling though. (Poor Connor.)

"Are you excited?" she asked as they walked. Her cousin spent all of her time in Mexico, so she probably wasn't as used to being around English or being in England.

Anna was excited. While this wasn’t her first time to England, it was her first time to Diagon Alley. She had a feeling that her parents had purposely avoided bringing her here so that it could be a Big Deal when she finally went to Hogwarts.

And a Big Deal it was.

She grinned over at Valencia, happiness and impatience all over her eleven-year-old face. ”Yes! Where should we go first? Gringotts?” She’d read all about the bank, of course. And her dad had told her all kinds of stories about it, too. It was one of the things that she was most excited about.

Sebastian had some school supplies restocking to do, and his list was long! How had he used up so much? Well, his little brother and sister did get into his potions kit while he was in Italy, so that was probably most of it. It wouldn't surprise him if they had gotten into his other supplies as well. Especially the parchment. He was going to have to get a ton of that for sure.

Noticing the bench near by, he made his way over and sat down. He needed to add a couple of things for his mother to his list that she casually told him about as he was leaving. 'Oh, Mia cara, could you please pick up some socks and stockings for your brother and sister the keep disappearing. OH! And Humidity Immunity Potion from Madam Primpernelle's. I'm all out. Thank you my angel!' She said in her thick Italian accent. He rolled his eyes at the thought. He felt like a babysitter and errand boy when he was home anymore.

He sat writing down the additions and combing over his list. This would be a long day of shopping for sure.

Valencia loved this look. Since she'd been coming for years, she forgot what it was like to be blown away by the magic of it all.

"Yeah. We can go there and then get your wand?"

Thomas stood staring down the street, to say he always went shopping with his Parents, this was something new, seriously what was going on here, the shops were so tall and in a street. He always went shopping in a shopping centre and that was what he had been expecting here.

He stood staring down the street wondering which place to go to first. He looked up to see his parents staring at him. "I can't make up my mind where to go first." He sighed, "Also do you think they take our money?" He still remembered how he had gotten told about all this and he still wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not.

]Tina wasn't sure how she felt about spending her entire summer in England. She missed France, but she was excited about attending the Quidditch World Cup. That would be fun at least. She wasn't a big fan of the crowds, though! Weaving her way through the throngs of shoppers, she was on her way to Madame Primpernelle's for some new nail polish when she noticed a little kid standing nearby. She did a double take. Had somebody been separated from their group? Ugh, if M. Evremonde found out, she was going to be in so much trouble! Technically she was supposed to be helping with the younger kids, but she needed a break to do her own shopping.

No, this kid wasn't part of the Chateau Croyance group she came with. Tina started to continue on her way when she overheard the mention of money. She sighed. She was probably going to regret this, but she decided to try to help the kid. "Excuse me... I couldn't help overhearing," she said. "If it's wizard money you need, go to Gringotts bank. It's just over there..." She gestured to the towering white marble bulding.

Thomas was standing there staring into space when a voice spoke to him, was it an angel from above, he wasn't sure turning around he smiled politely as he noticed that a young woman was walking his way. "Thanks." Thomas nodded as he nudged his parents, he was still a little bit shy. What if he did something wrong, could he be turned into a frog or something scarier.

Thomas peaked out from behind his mothers shoulder. "Is Gringotts far from here?" Thomas didn't want to have to go hiking halfway back across London just to go to a bank. It would just be awful and very awkward, saying that taking an owl home with him was going to be hard to explain to his mates.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suziella

Sebastian had some school supplies restocking to do, and his list was long! How had he used up so much? Well, his little brother and sister did get into his potions kit while he was in Italy, so that was probably most of it. It wouldn't surprise him if they had gotten into his other supplies as well. Especially the parchment. He was going to have to get a ton of that for sure.

Noticing the bench near by, he made his way over and sat down. He needed to add a couple of things for his mother to his list that she casually told him about as he was leaving. 'Oh, Mia cara, could you please pick up some socks and stockings for your brother and sister the keep disappearing. OH! And Humidity Immunity Potion from Madam Primpernelle's. I'm all out. Thank you my angel!' She said in her thick Italian accent. He rolled his eyes at the thought. He felt like a babysitter and errand boy when he was home anymore.

He sat writing down the additions and combing over his list. This would be a long day of shopping for sure.

Trinetta was actually doing some school shopping today, not leisure shopping. Which was what she was USUALLY doing. However, summer was winding down and she had to do some real shopping at SOME point. As she walked down the street, staring at her list, she checked off what she had already gotten and what she still needed. She was about...halfway done. Ok. Not as bad as she had thought.

As she looked at the list, a particularly large gust of wind came out of NOWHERE and swooped her list RIGHT out of her hands. Swearing in French under her breath, she chased it as it flew across the street and RIGHT in the face of a boy who was sitting there, looking at his own list.

Sebastian had just finished writing down SOCKS when a piece of parchment smacked him right in the face! "What the!" He said, dropping his own paper and quill when he reached up to take the paper off of his face. He looked down at someone else's shopping list with a grin.

He looked up, noticing a cute blonde girl running towards him. "I assume this is yours?" He said with a smirk. "Next time you may want to tell your paper that I am not a garbage can." He said with a chuckle and handing over her list.

Having spent much of his day trudging around the streets of muggle London, Kaiser had chanced a visit to Diagon Alley, desperate as he was to gather a little bit of wizarding money. It was all well and good being anonymous amongst the muggles, but he really did need some galleons to his name, and he wasn't entirely sure he could get away with exchanging his muggle money at the bank. He needed to be careful; all it took was for the wrong people to notice him and it would be game over.

Looking much the worse for wear, in that he was significantly unkempt and clearly in need of a good shower, Kaiser had taken up a position at the side of the street. His bag was just behind him, the strap wrapped around his foot so that nobody could do a grab-and-dash, and an old hat sat at his feet, the sun glinting off of the coins inside of it. He was playing his guitar - these four chords were really all he needed - and singing a song in Italian with apparent gusto, grinning charismatically at those who happened to pass by, and even more so when they contributed coins.

At the end of his song, Kaiser finished playing with a flourish, then quickly stooped to see how much money had been thrown into the hat so far.

Gunnar was busy this summer. Far more than he had ever thought he'd be. And part of that busyness had to do with his sister and her injury. Not that he resented her at all for it, he felt like it was his responsibility to help take care of his siblings, and he was happy to do it. It just contributed greatly to his summer schedule.

And on this day, he told his mother he'd do a little extra shopping so that Chloe could save a trip to Diagon Alley and they didn't have to make it a whole family thing, which he knew could be a hassle with Morgan. But that didn't mean he would just head there, be responsible, and head back. He could certainly spare a little extra time for his own thing - maybe get some ice cream or hang out with a friend, should he happen to run into one.

Speaking of friends, Gunnar soon caught sight of one of his dorm mates when his attention was drawn to the music being played on the street. He listened for a moment, smiling a bit, as his feet took him that way. Clearly Kaiser was playing for money, which didn't seem to be a bad summer job. If only he could do that with his piano, but it wasn't exactly good for travel. He dug into his pocket for a few sickles and tossed them into the other boy's hat. "Not bad, mate," he grinned as he offered him a bit of applause as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suziella

Sebastian had just finished writing down SOCKS when a piece of parchment smacked him right in the face! "What the!" He said, dropping his own paper and quill when he reached up to take the paper off of his face. He looked down at someone else's shopping list with a grin.

He looked up, noticing a cute blonde girl running towards him. "I assume this is yours?" He said with a smirk. "Next time you may want to tell your paper that I am not a garbage can." He said with a chuckle and handing over her list.

Nettie hurried up to the boy, blushing a bit because she assumed at first he was angry with her. Oh, wait, he was joking with her! Thank Merlin. She chuckled and took it back from him. "Thanks, the wind caught it at just the right time," she explained with a smile.

"Doing some shopping yourself?" she asked, noticing that he also had a small piece of paper in his hands.

Tina wasn't sure how this kid was going to react to her help. You never could tell - some people got snippy when you tried to help them. She could sort of understand. She wasn't a big fan of having help herself; she preferred to do things on her own whenever possible. Thankfully, this kid wasn't rude about it. The dark-haired French girl returned his smile with a small one of her own. "You're welcome," she replied.

But her smile faded at what the boy said next. Blink, blink. Uh... had she been unclear in her directions the first time? She reminded herself that this kid was obviously non-magique born so this had to be confusing for him. She shook her head. "No, it's just down the street," she said. "See that really tall white building?" Once again, she pointed down the street in the direction of the bank. "That's Gringotts." Should she warn him about the goblins? Probably, but for now, it was more important to make sure the boy understood her directions.

A sly grin passed over his face as she blushed and laughed, taking her shopping list back. "No problem. I am glad my face could catch it for you." He said with a chuckle.

Was it just him or was she reallllllly pretty? It took him a moment to respond because he couldn't stop staring, "Oh, um yeah. Just need to restock my potions kit and grab a few other things. Books and stuff. You?" He said with a grin.

She was really pretty.

Even as he leaned down to peer into the hat, some sickles were dropped into it and Kaiser automatically looked up at whoever had contributed them. At the sight of Gunnar, he grinned, and straightened back up again. "Thank you," he replied. "I do what I can."

As he moved his guitar around so that it was slung across his back rather than his front, Kaiser became suddenly keenly aware of his own general appearance. He was not exactly the freshest he had ever been, but he had been quite happy to operate as usual right up until the moment that his dormmate and friend had appeared. It was less a feeling of self-consciousness, however, and more a concern over calling attention to... things.

But Kaiser was a pro at acting natural, like nothing was up, so he simply shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, a smile still fixed on his face. "Are you shopping for school?" he asked, a reminder that he himself needed to do that very thing, if he could ever bear to part from his money.

Dorian swung a shopping back filled with books back and forward as he walked on the south side of Diagon Alley. Unlike yesterday when he had been a tad bit annoyed, he was in a good mood now and he was even whistling as he walked. At home, his father had basically forced him to wear him Head Boy badge because it was an 'proud achievement you should show to the rest of the world.' As his father would say. To keep him from annoying him even further, Dorian had kept the badge on while he had walked to Diagon Alley but the moment he had arrived, he had put it back inside of his bag. The letter had stated that he should be wearing it at all times at school. Not everywhere.

He sighed as he continued to walk, no destination for now. He thought about the situation at Hogwarts right now. The mist had still not been taken care of according to the Daily Prophet article and the two students hadn't been found yet either. If those two were still alive, it was a bloody miracle. But the more he thought about it, the more he started to think that going to Beauxbaton this year wouldn't be that bad.

He stopped walking in front of the Quidditch shop window and curiously looked inside to see the latest broom model. He didn't need to look at the prize tag to know that he wouldn't be able to afford it. And by the time he could, a new model would already be out. But it didn't hurt to admire it from afar.

Blake was hopelessly lost at this point. He had told his father he was going to meet him at Ollivanders, his wand it what he was looking forward to. That would make it seem real. After only getting to see magic over the summer holidays with his dad, Blake had dreamed of his own wand.

But he was never going to get his own wand if he couldn't find the bloody place! Seeing and older boy in the road he turned toward him. Blake dreaded having to ask but... "Can you show me witch way Ollivander's is?" He asked, hoping the boy wouldn't think to little of him for being lost.

Even though he wanted to have his own broomstick at school, he knew that hhe wouldn't have time now that he had his Head Boy responsibilities as well. Not to mention that he'd rather explore Beauxbaton than go flying.


But still, a broom.... he sighed and placed his hands in his jeans pockets as he turned around to walk away from the window when a voice stopped him. He looked down at a young boy and judging from his question he must be a first year. Dorian frowned. Had he ditched his parents? Ok , he had done that as well during his first year but now that he was older he didn't approve of it. "If you walk to the end of this street turn right and there you will find Ollivanders" he said as he used his free hand to point. "Where are you parents?" he asked because he had to know, he was going to be responsible for the students at school together with the other Prefects and it wouldn't hurt starting now.

Blake listen intently at the directions so he wouldn't be lost again, he didn't want to have to ask again. Then his face turned red ... it wasn't this boy's business where his parents were, jeez, what did it matter to him. Taking a deep breath so he didn't loose his temper. Blake replied "I didn't ditch them if that's what you're getting at." Blake stood up as tall as he could, drawing himself up to full height he had to still be several inches shorter.

"Besides, my mom is a muggle and isn't here." Blake added growing still more red... ugh... was that something you told strangers??? He knew nothing about this much older boy in front of him, for all he knew being part muggle, part wizard wasn't something to brag about. Blake silently cursed his Dad for not preparing him better for this moment.

Dorian smiled politely, he had obviously touched a nerve somehow and he didn't want to upset the boy any further. Last thing he wanted was that he was disliked even before the kid went to Hogwarts...well...Beauxbaton this year. Hogwarts was closed and they were all send to Beauxbaton of course thanks to the awful things that had happened last year.

"I'm not going to lie, the thought did come to mind" he said honestly. And how much he was defending himself still kept him suspicious but for now he would go with it. "You're a Halfblood" he didn't ask but stated it. "I'm a Muggleborn myself" Muggleborn but adopted in to a Halfblood family. "My name is Dorian Katharos by the way" he shifted his shopping bagfrom his right hand to his left and held out his hand for him to shake.

Halfblood ... that sounded like an insult... Blake was getting ready to fire back almost instantly before the boy said something about being muggleborn ... he let out a sigh that was like a balloon being deflated. He didn't always need to be so defensive. Jeez..... "Blake Ryan" Grasping the boy's hand and shaking a little hard then necessary... you know to show who's boss or something.

"Yeah my dad's a wizard, but I only got to stay with him on Holidays, I haven't been around magic all that much. It's all still pretty new to me. I wasn't sure I was even going to be accepted into Hogwarts at all. I'm really excited to see the castle." Blake had dreams of the castle since he dad first told him stories from when he was a kid.

When the boy introduced himself and shook his hand with a bit more force than was necessary, Dorian took it back and moved his fingers to loosen them up. "Good handshake you got there" he said. He wasn't even mad. No point in getting mad. "Nice to meet you Blake" he was going to treat the kid with respect no matter how defensive he became.

"I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly though" most kids did. Well, except for himself. He still remembered how he failed on every spell that he had learned in his first year.

Oh Merlin's Beard..... He didn't know yet.... Was he going to be the one who had to crush this kid's dreams of going to Hogwarts? "Ehm..." he said, looking uncomfortably as he thought about how to say this. "We're....not going to Hogwarts this term" he said slowly, looking at the kid's face. "There was this Mist you see, i don't know the details but it became dangerous and we were forced to evacuate the school last year" he left out the details of two students having dissapeared in the Mist and were till this day still not found. They were probably dead by now.... "The Headmaster announced that we will be going to Beauxbaton until the Ministry has dealt with the Mist" ....and found the bodies....

Blake smiled a little when he say Dorian shake is hand out a little. Ha!! He had done the hand shake right then. Blake being an 11 year old boy, was started to get distracted. His attention span wasn't much, it was only half listening when he heard something about not going to Hogwarts.

"What do you mean we aren't going to Hogwarts?" That couldn't be true... it simply couldn't!!! Hogwarts was suppose to become his new home. It was suppose to be he was going. Did his acceptance letter mention this? Maybe, he couldn't remember now, he had just been so excited to get it and then started day dreaming about the castle and his wand that he could have overlooked it. "But I was accepted at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry" Several different emotions were playing across Blake's face. "I don't want to go anywhere else... I won't …. I'm going to Hogwarts" Okay maybe he was over reacting and acting childish... but this was a hard pill to swallow.

Dorian felt bad for the soon to be first year student. He probably had sleepless nights, too excited for the first day at Hogwarts which wouldn't come. "I know..." he said and sighed. "I wanted to graduate from Hogwarts as well, its my last year you see" Graduating from a completely different school did not feel right to him. He had survived Hogwarts for 6 years now. Literally. He had been possessed by his Head of House. Battled Inferi when they attack Hogwarts. LOST 5 POINTS WHICH WAS THE ABSOLUTE WORST because he said hello to the Headmaster at the time. Survived a horde of adorable looking creatures invading the school and who had eaten the charms professor and last year the mist.

All in all, he had survived so much and now he wasn't even going to graduate at Hogwarts... If Blake thought he was dissapointed it was no comparing to how he felt. "But maybe the situation will be taken care of at Hogwarts in a few weeks and we can go back" he said. "Speaking of Hogwarts, which House do you hope to get in to?" He was sure that Headmaster Trent was going to bring the Sorting Hat with him.

Blake was beside himself. He almost couldn't form a coherent thought. Not go to Hogwarts? How could this be!!!!!!! Surely his dad who worked for the Ministry of Magic had known about this to some extent. Why would he not share this with him. "Why didn't my dad tell me?" Blake blurted out. He regretted it almost instantly, this boy would have no idea why his dad did the things he did.

"It's your final year?" Blake added at the boys comment, no wonder he looked huge ... at least in comparison to an eleven year old boy. "Not sure about the house, I feel like I have qualities of all of them." Blake was thinking of his loyalty to his friends in primary school, his courage to take on the bullies, his high marks in all his classes ... and... "Well maybe not Slytherin" he added ... but then again, didn't he manipulate his way into staying with his dad whilst attending Hogwarts? "What house are you in?"