North Side of the Street
 

It seemed that, no matter how much time Leander spent away from it, Diagon Alley never changed: the cobbled street, the same shops, the same wares being displayed outside. It was so different from the places he'd been recently, and the constant brought a smile to his face - even if he was only in London for a short time, like today, he always made sure to come and visit.

And it seemed like it had been a particularly good idea today. Sure that he recognised the woman in front of him, Leander quickened his pace until he was walking alongside her. "Fancy seeing you here," he said with a wide grin, hoping that he hadn't startled Evony too much.

Evony was a little startled when someone fell into step beside her and spoke. Luckily, she recovered quickly.

She glanced over and smiled slowly.

"Are you just following me at this point?" she asked, amused. They seemed to spot each other in only the randomest public places. Either that, or they had the same strange wandering urges at the same time.

Leander's grin intensified at Evony's smile, as he shoved his hands lazily into the pockets of his leather jacket. Although he'd have understood if her question was serious - after all, they had bumped into each other in the most coincidental places before - but he was rather glad that she seemed amused.

"You know, Evony, I just can't resist the view," he said with a hint of admittance in his voice. She was, of course, beautiful to look at, and he'd rather look at her than a picturesque location.

But he was joking. And underneath the grin he was worried she'd actually think he was stalking her.

Which he wasn't.

Evony's grin grew wider. She did enjoy his company and the way he spoke. It amused her. He was very... cute in a charming way. Even the way he walked, casually, with his hands in his pockets, was cute.

"Do you prefer the view from the front, the back, or the side?" she asked coyly. She just needed to know at what pace she should walk.

"So what really brings you here today?" Just out of curiosity.

It didn’t take long for Layla to hear that familiar click of heels on the cobblestones. Her frown turned upwards slightly into somewhat of an amused smile. Here was Layla dressed in her sweatpants and a t-shirt, hair unbrushed and swept up into a ponytail and only a tiny bit of mascara on and there was her wife looking perfect. They were pretty mismatched except for the fact they were both blonde, tall and slender. “Don’t trip!” she laughed slightly. She could imagine that happening with those heels which was why Layla always wore her trainers.

“How is work? she asked genuinely interested. Working in the ministry sounded like Layla’s worst nightmare - sitting in an office, cooped up inside working alongside people who belonged to the Wizarding world way more than she ever felt she did. Even the sports department sounded like a world away from what she was used to. “Is it what you thought it would be?” Basically was she happy? She knew how much she valued her time with their kid, was it worth it to leave her for this?

To be fair Layla had never seen Bambi trip over. Not on the runway, not out in the street.. she worked those heels in a way Layla would never be able to. Put a pair of heels on the sporty girl and you could guarantee she would have them off in a matter of minutes. “I can’t promise I won’t laugh if you did” she teased.

See? Bambi was the complete opposite to Layla. It wasn’t that she was an absolute mess but organisation wasn’t top of her priority list. Layla was never late to work, their child was never late for daycare and she always made sure that she got everything that needed doing done eventually but she really didn’t care for all the planning prior. She was pretty laid back in that sense. “Is that why you married me? You wanted to get my life all organised too?” She WAS joking but there was some truth in it. Layla had no ambition or drive or much care really, that was why she wasn’t a Slytherin. “But it sounds like you are fittin’ right in.” Layla hadn’t completely lost her south London twang but it had mellowed as she had got older.

Her arm slid around her wife’s waist as she kissed her cheek, a rare smile gracing her lips. ”Are kids allowed to come with you then?” Layla certainly wouldn’t bring her to work with her. As for her going? “I don’t think I belong there..” In other words she wouldn’t want to belong there anyway.

Okay, what Bambi was saying was a little bit true. There had been a period of time where the girls had completely fallen out of love with one another. Bambi had taken her modelling life far too seriously and slightly spiralled out of control, Layla didn’t change much except for retreating inside herself a little more. ”I guess so. Does that mean I helped then?” Layla injected more security and stability into her life.

Layla was proud of her woman for sure. She had changed from this girl that was obsessed with how she looked and how she presented herself and being as perfect as she could to being this proper adult with a stable job and her own family. She’d almost done a full switch but she was still her Bambi, the girl she had fallen for whilst still in school. She smiled softly in response.

Like she had said, Layla couldn’t think of anything worse than taking her daughter into work with her. She’d be way too much of a distraction. She chuckled. ”What if your department head hates kids?” Some people do y’know? ”She’d like it though I think. Lots of things to play with” Wands.. important documents.. anything really was of interest to the young girl.

As for her going in with them that was still out of the question. ”I’ll think about it” In other words that was a no. For now at least.

Leander let out an internal sigh of relief that Evony had not only accepted his joke for just that, but had actually joined in. If he hadn't already been grinning wide (and possibly like an absolute idiot), that would have split his face in two. "All angles are pretty beautiful," he said with an air of admittance, letting his pace slow ever so slightly so he could just check the view from the back. "But the front -" he finished, eyes back on her face, "is definitely superior."

She really was going to make him blush again, wasn't she? Leander was not the smooth operator he was pretending to be around Evony.

"I had a couple of, uh, paintings to drop off... in the area. What about you?"

Evony wondered if Leander was aware of just how wide he was smiling. She imagined it would be hard to ignore. (She also wondered if it might be mildly painful.)

She continued the pace she was walking to allowed him to decide where he wanted to walk. She glanced toward him. "Then walk with me." she said in a way where it wasn't necessarily an inevitable but more of an inevitable fact.

She nodded slowly. "Ah. Have you done that already?" she asked curiously. What was she doing here? "Boredom, mostly. But I am thinking in investing in a new beach book."

"That I can do." Leander fell back into step with Evony, glad she seemed to (at least somewhat) want his company and he wasn't imposing. Which was always a worry of his, and something lots of his many brothers and cousins would have laughed at had they known.

But Leander Aurelius Darcy could probably have done well as an actor, had he not embraced his habit of blushing when he was around pretty women. Blue eyes darted to the shop fronts around him, but always returned to Evony's profile, especially when she spoke again. "Yeah, it was just around the corner," he said with a little nod, not thinking that she would like specifics of the houses he went to, or the people he'd met in Knockturn Alley.

He'd rather not talk about that here, anyway. "Planning on spending a lot of time at the beach?" He remembered she mentioned it as a perk of her job when summer came around.

Evony, despite initially appearing completely stand-offish to everyone she's ever met, did actually tend to enjoy company. She just wasn't the type to go out of her way to meet new people or to suggest hanging out.

Evony glanced behind her as he mentioned 'around the corner.' She nodded understandingly. She was actually mildly curious. She'd never had reason to go down that way.

But the topic turned back to her. "Yeah. Pretty much my plans for the rest of the summer." She cracked another smile. "Jealous?"

Sam stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron, curly hair slightly disheveled from the floo, and took a familiar breath of the London air. It hadn't been that long since she'd last visited, but as she wandered along the cobbled street in her ripped denim shorts and loose tee, Diagon Alley felt smaller somehow, and even less like the home it had once been. She'd probably be heading to Knockturn Alley before long, to go visit Connor and see if any of her friends were around, but first a spot of lunch was on the agenda.

For Sam, there was only one place to go, especially on a sunny day like today: Florean's. It had been the place of dreams as a kid, and it remained one of her favourite places to go on the street other than Flourish and Blotts. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder, hooked her thumbs through the belt loops of her shorts, and headed that direction with a slight saunter in her step.

Life was good.

Owen did not deserve this. Not at all.

He was a good brother and an ever better pet handler. Or so he thought, before the toad that his younger half-sister, Harri, got from the menagerie merely a few minutes ago managed to wiggle out of his grasp and now hopped away without destination. It didn't help that she named it Hohenheim. He wasn't going to shout, 'Hohenheim!' as he chased a toad. Where even in toblerone's name did she think up that name?

Furthermore, it didn't help that said half-sister was now nowhere in sight, just like the other times they have been to Diagon Alley (merlin, she needed to stop getting sidetracked and start to learn to stick to his side). He wasn't too worried where she'd gone though; after all this wasn't the first time that she just poofed. She had the tendency to that. Owen was confident he would be able to find her soon enough.

What he wasn't too confident about was chasing after this toad. He was a Foreign Relations office, not a toad chaser. And he couldn't really just let the toad go on its own merry way since his sister was already hellbent on bringing it along to Hogwarts.

So, the chase commenced.

Running a hand through his hair, the former Hufflepuff huffed and announced, "Catch that toad!" to nobody in particular, or maybe to the girl with curly hair whom he just bypassed.

Although he thought that he didn't want to delve into his afternoon activities, a part of Leander was let down when Evony didn't put any further questions to him. Of course, he couldn't blame her for not wanting any more information, and it had been him who'd avoided a full answer.

"Very jealous," Leander admitted freely, pulling his mind back from thinking of Evony on the beach and focusing it on her in the present. "Where are you planning on going?" He stopped himself short from asking who with, even though he was curious about that, too.

He didn't want to pry, after all.

Evony was, in fact, mildly interested in what his afternoon entailed, but she figured he wasn't interested in sharing.

She laughed softly at the very jealous comment. One of her job perks included jealousy from others for situations like this. It was good fun.

"Ibiza. Cozumel. Mexico." she said casually while listing off places with a tick of her fingers. "And that's just this month." she said throwing a smile in his direction.

In truth, she expected to be needing a book to unwind from the chaos of a few days of work following by a few days of nothing and then starting the cycle all over again.

The Darcy boy couldn't help but let out a low whistle as Evony listed places, eyebrows rising slightly. "Colour me more than very jealous," he admitted with a laugh. Leander had, of course, been to Ibiza and spent time at the beaches and clubs it was famous for, but Mexico was somewhere he'd never been, and as for Cozumel?

"Where's Cozumel?" he had to ask curiously, freely admitting that he had no idea. Geography wasn't really a strong suit of his.

"Are you there just for work?"

Now there is the reaction that Evony lived for. She really did love when others found her job interesting, it made the boring parts so much more... bearable.

"It's an island. It is part of Mexico, but it's mostly for beaches and scuba diving." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. Clear water sounded fantastic.

"Hm?" she asked before pulling her thoughts away from the beach. "I've got some work in Ibiza. Cozumel is just for fun during some down time."

"That sounds incredible," Leander said, after another low whistle. "I've only been scuba diving once - a family holiday, years ago - but I loved it." Maybe when he was rich he'd spend some time on this island. What was it called? Cozumel.

He'd have to try and remember that.

When Evony explained further, Leander nodded. "You're just working in Ibiza? Seems silly to go to the party island and not, you know, party?" He grinned.

Evony nodded enthusiastically. "I like watching things swim. It's relaxing. Especially the brightly colored fish." she said rambling ever so slightly, which was odd for her. She preferred to keep private things private. Her enjoyment of something like fish was a rather private thing to her.

She laughed lightly at his question. "What makes you think parties aren't part of my job?" she asked with a wink. "People pay to get their clothes seen."

"You do? Because I'm an excellent swimmer."

The words were out of Leander's mouth before he even realised what he was saying, and it was probably a small miracle that kept him from from turning beetroot, because if he'd had a time turner he'd have used it right then. Eyes wide, he stuttered for a few moments before rushing on. "The fish are beautiful, and the coral and stuff."

Was it hot out here?

Looking back at Evony, a part of him wished he hadn't because that wink nearly killed him: she'd single handedly taken something he had always thought of as awkward and cringe worthy and made it cool. "Okay, now I really need to get into this line of work." And he was definitely regretting saying no to what he'd thought of as a prank when he'd been offered a chance a year ago.

Sam knew this Alley like the back of her hand - had done since she was a toddler - and one thing she definitely knew was that it was anything but predictable. Like today, for example...what she should have been doing was going for ice cream, and yet she found herself responding to a call to catch a toad.

"What's its name?" she asked curiously, curly hair bouncing as she jogged to catch up with the guy, boots thudding against the cobbles. A closer look revealed said guy should be a whole lot more responsible than losing a toad. An upcoming firstie with a new familiar, he was not. Still, she could be a good Samaritan and help a dude out. "D'ya have any treats with yeh?"

Evony hid a laugh behind her hand. "Did... did you just say I'd enjoy watching you swim?" Because that is sure what it sounded link. She could tell he was trying to gloss over it. But, being the person that she was, she took a certain amount of joy in teasing people in situations like this.

"Well..." she began casually, "if you're interested, you can come along with to a party or something and I can introduce you to some people." She couldn't make any promises from there, but half of the game was knowing people.

Was there any possible way out of this that didn't involve completely lying or pretending that Evony was going crazy?

Leander really didn't think so, and he was pretty sure that the latter of the two options was definitely offensive. "I might have implied it, yeah." Honestly, until he said it, Leander hadn't realised that he was actually going to admit to something so embarrassing.

What was she doing to him?

"Really?" Shock was evident in his voice, and the raised eyebrow as he looked back at Evony. "You'd do that?"

Evony nudged him with her him. "That was almost smooth." Keyword, almost. But, it was nonetheless endearing. She was going to let it slide.

"I guess I'll have to take you up on that." Because he offered / implied it.

She then nodded again at his question. "Yeah. Of course. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to afterwards." It was always a process winding down after those parties.

If there was one person who had complete influence over Layla it was Bambi. They had been married a few years now but every time that she smiled at her, Layla’s heart still fluttered and her stomach did the butterfly thing. It was pretty ridiculous that someone had tamed the grumpy, reluctant witch and turned her into somewhat of a sap. A sap with a CHILD. The same woman that vowed that she would never have children because quite frankly she didn’t like them all that much. “Its not like I had the most stable life either.” Layla had a few jobs after she left school as she had no idea what she wanted to do and absolutely no ambition. She settled for being a PE teacher because she loved sport and she thought she would be kinda good at it minus the whole kid thing. But seeing Bambi do well, seeing her be so happy in her new job was sort of persuading her that perhaps it was now her time to find a job that she would love.

And despite her reluctance of being in the Wizarding world there was something in her persuading her to follow Bambi into the ministry. Whether she’d pursue this thought was another matter but it was there in the back of his mind. She didn’t want to speak about it yet in case she decided against it, she didn’t want to get Bambi’s hopes up and crush them by backing out.

Layla trusted that Ariadne would be perfectly fine under Bambi‘ watchful eye, that wasn’t the issue. It was more that in a department called accident and catastrophe’s it was more likely that the child would CAUSE an accident by playing with something that she definitely shouldn’t. “I know, you’re a much better parent than me.” Not that Layla was a bad parent at all, she just wasn’t a natural at it like Bambi was. “Do they have a daycare at the Ministry?” Just in case, y’know?

“Do you want to go get a drink and something to eat somewhere?” All that working must have made Bambi hungry right? And Layla could really do with a coffee in her system right now.

"I think I should probably leave smooth to my cousins," Leander admitted, smiling a little as the colour faded from his cheeks. Of course, not all of the Darcy's were smooth, and compared to some he might actually seem it, but he definitely wasn't.

And he definitely wasn't going to introduce Evony to Cosimo anytime soon, no thank you.

"I'd really enjoy that, Evony," he said with an appreciative smile, excitement growing at the prospect of the parties, but also (and probably more so) of spending some of his summer with her in Ibiza.

Della came jingling out of Scribbulus on the heels of Not-Ray, the new shopkeeper for Olivander’s Wand Emporium or whatever, with her fresh pot of invisible ink clanking around in her absolute disaster of a bag. She had only the two errands to do today— invisible ink and getting her wand fixed. The WADA student had accomplished the first, but the second could only be done with the help of this man, and she was on his time.

Apparently, he had his own errands to run. And she had agreed to join him. He was a complete stranger. She did not know where they were going or what he had planned. It sounded perfectly safe and reasonable to wander off with the poor rambling gentleman.

”So,” she smiled, “How long have you been a wand expert?”

Training never really ended, even if so far England was holding their own when it came to their matches. Filip was proud of the team that had been put together, even if he felt there was still some work to be done. As long as they continued to play at the level they’d been playing, a few moments of downtime wouldn’t do too much damage. Even for him, as the fifty-five-year-old proceeded to stroll down one side of the Alley. For once, his limp was barely noticeable, however slight it was usually, and yet he still had the trusty Union Jack-emblazoned cane that had become his recognizing factor over the years, along with his ever-present attire of a three-piece suit minus the jacket. It was that much more appropriate now, given his status as the one keeping the national team together. No need to let himself slack now.

He was always prepared. That wasn’t about to change now.

Jess! <3
 

Ethan was ... confused. Panicked. Fortunately some time since the date in Hogsmeade had passed and hopefully he hadn't completely burned things. The thing was he liked Nettie, but he wasn't sure if he liked liked her, ya know?? She was a catch too, Ethan wasn't blind and could definitely see that. Brainy and athletic, she was great, really. So what then? Honestly, he had no idea...

... but it was her on his mind since Hogsmeade, so that had to mean something. Other than seeing her too, because of course he would.

"Nettie, hi," he said, awkwardly rubbing the nape of his neck. "Uh.... how's quidditch going? have you started?" Biting his lip, he waited, hoping it was okay. They were okay. "I .. have something for you, actually."

Suzy!
 

It had been a super weird summer so far and Sebastian just wanted to have some fun and not think about all the craziness that was his family at the moment. How could his mother keep such a thing from him? With a great heaving sigh, Sebastian trudged down the street.

He really needed to talk to Kam and was hoping she would be in the Alley today. What would she think about all of this? It was just insane and completely mind boggling.

Not really paying attention to where he was walking, the brown haired boy ran smack into something very solid, only afterward realizing it was the person he had just been thinking about.

"Holy crow, Kam! Sorry! You okay?" He asked, hoping he hadn't hurt his friend.

She was just minding her own business and looking for any of her friends when..

BAM!!

Someone ran into her and nearly knocked her off her feet! She stumbled back a bit and barely managed to keep her balance, she might have grabbed onto some random strangers arm in order to do so!

The sixth year mumbled an apology to the stranger and once she had gotten her bearings and her face was slowly making its way back to its normal color, she had flushed deeply when she had nearly tripped she looked around for who had ran into her! Intent on giving him a piece of her mind when..

“Bast!” She squealed and ran at him nearly full tilt until her arms were wrapped around her friend! “I’ve missed you!” She said as she kept hugging him.

Clingy party of one!

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh as his bestie basically tackled him. Yes, he was two years younger than her but he was about three inches taller...and slightly gangly. He was starting to get some good muscle strength though...which he was extremely excited about but that was no one else's business but his own!

"I missed you too, Kam!" He said giving her a tight squeeze. Keeping her in his arms, he leaned away to look at her. An innocent by-standard might thing they were a couple...but that was far from the case. They were just really close friends.

"I was hoping to run into you today! I've got so much to tell you." His eyes when wide at the 'so much' part of that sentence. It might even be too much. He was still processing it.

Then realizing his rudeness, he shook his head, "But first," he said with a grin and squeezing her waist, "how are you? Where have you been? Why haven't you Owl'ed, ma'am?" He asked with a pointed glance. They always wrote each other during the summer, and this year not one Owl!

Kamryn sighed happily as she hugged Bast, even though school had just let out it felt like it had been forever since she has seen him! Thankfully he took her tackle well, and standing up! But she wasn’t exactly a strong girl, so knocking him over would have truly been a feat!

She grinned up at him, her blue eyes sparkling as he said he missed her as well. She wasn’t even thinking of how they looked to bystanders, she was just naturally affectionate. Especially with her besties! She wondered how many times people had thought she was together with Ansel.

Oof.. Ansel was still such a sore subject for her, and she pushed it to the back of her mind. She had barely owl’d him since he had left.. Which was for the best. She had promised him she would get over him! And she did.. but it was still painful.

Thankfully she had Trigger now and she didn’t have to worry about her heart pulling another stunt like it had before. No more falling for besties. If only ended in heartbreak (for her) and rivers of her own tears.

She was snapped from her thoughts as Bast spoke and she watched his eyes widen as he said so much! “Ohhh! Tell me tell me! Merlin knows I’ve got nothing exciting going on in my life.” Which wasn’t exactly true, but summer was a lonely point in her life.

Though she had the decency to look abashed as he spoke and asked about her. “I’m better now that you are here.” She said honestly, he knew how lonely she was at home. How her siblings and parents were hardly ever around..“I’ve been home, baking mostly and occasionally hanging out with my brother Chase and then Trigger. ” Her boyfriend..

She bit her lip as he asked her about the Owls.. “I’m so sorry!! I’ve meant too.. I just. ” She trailed off unable to explain.. Summers were hard.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that statement. Kam always had some kind of excitement or drama going on in her life, but he would always be here to pick up the pieces. "Maybe we can find a less crowded place to talk about it." He paused looking around at the mass of people walking around. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "My mom finally told me." He knew she would understand exactly what he was talking about.

He gave her one of his winning smiles at that compliment. But then gave her a smaller sad smile. He hated that she was left alone so much. "I still think you should have come with me to Italy. I don't understand why you didn't. Chase and Trigger wouldn't have cared, heck they could have come too. My grandparents house is huge and it would have been a blast. I hate that you are alone when your home." He said with a concerned look on his face. He was happy that Chase and Trigger were with her at least, though the latter wasn't surprising.

Sebastian sighed, rolling his eyes as a small grin slipped over his lips. "I know, I know." He was still holding her around the waist, not at all caring what people thought. "Next time don't forget me. OR come with me. Either option is a good one." He said with his famous side grin.

Whyyyy did her cheeks have to pink when she said his name?? And why did he have to find that so incredibly adorable?? No nothing went wrong, just him and his anxiety over everything that COULD go wrong.

"Ohhhh that's sooo exciting!!! What position did you play?" Cause like he knew she liked both seeker and chaser. "Sammeeeee!!! I'm playing CHASER for the Scotland Under 17 and it's ..... wow.... better than winged horses." He grinned. Right, uh.... gift.

"Mmmhm, yea, like, I wasn't sure which team you'd be supporting in the world cup, probably England cause closer to home and all, but I got you two water bottles, one with India's insignia and one with England's..." Cause hydration was a thing for quidditch players, sooo figured that would be a thoughtful gift and all. "Kind of to apologize. For fleeing at the Three Broomsticks." Ethan rubs the back of his neck again. "I just ... the thing is, I like you. But I'm not sure that I like like you... and I just ... I like spending time with you, kissing you is great too... and i just ... i don't know." Okay, tumble of information. "But I don't know that I want to tie you down. Or well you tie me down. Or I just ... i don't know." Okay, redundant.

Kamryn ignored the raised eyebrow as she said her life wasn’t interesting at the moment. To be fair, it had calmed down a ton during the final few months of the year. After the Ansel drama.. and you know, studying for OWL’s took up much of her time, so she didn’t have much time to angst.

She did however nod as he spoke about going to find a quieter place.. she was about to reply when he leaned in and whispered something that made her blue eyes widen considerably.

“No way! Oh my Merlin! Bast! Tell me everything! ” She whispered softly up at him. “We should go find a quieter part of the street though. ” She said softly..

Cause right now it seemed like they were rocks in the middle of a fast flowing river!

She sighed softly as he spoke and looked at him sadly. “I know! I would have love to come with you to Italy, next summer.. we are planning it right now. ” She said as she tugged gently on the sleeves of his shirt. Just letting him know she was serious. Though her smoke faded as he spoke of her being alone and her family..

“They all have their lives, they don’t need to concern themselves with their little sister. ” She said, partially in defense of her family, and partially in an attempt to make herself feel better!

She nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget you.. I promise. ”

Sorry for the NOVEL omg
 

Out of any of his friends, he knew that information would be most important to Kam. They had been best friends since the met his first year at Hogwarts. He had told her his life story and she him. She was the first person he told that he was Bi. That was their friendship. And this particular information happened to do with his biological father. His mother raised him alone until she got married when he was four and his step dad came in and was the father he never had. But Sebastian had always had this nagging thought in the back of his mind. He needed to know who his real dad was.

He finally got his mother to spill the beans during their trip to Italy after constantly begging her to tell him. It was an incredibly weird situation as well. "I KNOW, right??!!!? Yes, We have to go somewhere not so crowded. Too many ears here and I want to keep it quiet as long as possible." Because rumors traveled around the wizarding world far too quickly. He looked around for somewhere to go..

Sebastian looked at her sad face and gave her a small smile, "I know, Kam. And yes...yes we are planning it right now because when momentous life changing information is shared you need your best friend around to share it with." He said with raised eyebrows and a grin. "We are planning it now! And you can't back out! No excuses!" He said poking her nose with his index finger.

Sebastian sighed, it was the same excuse he had heard a million times. 'Their busy and don't need to worry about me.' Shaking his head, "I understand, Kam but you shouldn't be left alone in that great big house. It's not right," he paused, "but I don't want to get in an argument about that. I know they love you and are busy, so I'll drop it." He said slowly letting go of her waist. He knew Trigger probably made sure she wasn't alone much and he was sure Chase did too.

"You better not. Or I may just have to tickle you." He said with the most serious face he could possibly muster. He finally noticed that the fountain was clear...the only issue with sitting there was you never knew if it was going to spray you. But it was always quiet. "Fountain?" He said nodding in that direction.

Kam was excited for Bast to finally figure out who his father was! She knew he was super curious about it and she couldn’t wait to hear who it was. They always shared information like this. And he had been there though her many ups and downs. Especially this this term. Despite her “this is fine” attitude, that never really seemed to fly with him. Something she was greatful for.

She was also grateful that he had been there for the whole Cameron thing and when she was angsty over Ansel and having to deal with her dorm mate! Ugh.. she had been through the ringer this past year and she hoped that it was all finally looking up.

Because let’s face it. There was no way any year could be worse.

Unless she fell for Bast and started the whole cycle again.

Merlinnnnn. She wasn’t that dumb and she was very happy with Trigger!

“Of course! Lets find somewhere quieter, I want to hear everything! Every single little detail. ” She said with a grin as she rubbed his shoulder softly.

She laughed softly as he spoke and poked her nose. “No taking it back! I love Italy! That’s where my brother Chase is going to Uni! So any chance I can go, I’m going to take it! Especially if it’s with you.” She said with a happy grin.

She sighed as he spoke and she shrugged a shoulder, there wasn’t much she could do about it. Her parents worked, her siblings were busy and it was just her, she was anxious to get out of the house, to maybe find a place in London to stay or maybe get a few of her friends to be her roommates! Then she could have her own life. And not have to worry about her family anymore.

“It’s all right, we don’t need to go into my pathetic life yeah? So let’s go hear your exciting news!” She said as she glanced over at the fountain as they pulled apart. “Yeah lets go there. ”

"I did!!! I was shocked! but ..." ohhh and they were hugging and Ethan was hugging back because it seemed totally okay and like they snogged before AND so a hug was practically nothing. "OH... ohhhh!! You're totally going to make starter next summer after they see how BRILLIANT you are and how much they're missing out by not playing you!" Because honestly, how could she NOT be brilliant. Seeing as she was one of the main reasons he paid any attention to when Ravenclaw was playing.

"You're welcome. I figure it was like ... the least i could do and I'm just ... not so great with this .... emotion stuff?" Ethan found himself biting his lip. He nodded. Oh good. He was out of the doghouse and they were on good terms and she was being totally mature about this. Or at least she appeared that way. "I doooo.... I doo... i definitely do want to keep hanging out with you. But like, no nothing official. I just don't think we need to be like ... exclusive?" Was that the right term? "I mean like, exclusivity and labels are so passé and like so twenty-eighteen." Or well, maybe? Probably, he had no idea but it sounded good.

"So ummm you wanna get some ice cream?" Since she had said she wanted more dates with him.

Anybody and everybody!
 

If Ethan was being honest, he probably would have said she was great even if she was being compared to professionals. "UH yes. And ditto! Because I'm going to have to return the favor at one of your games." He shook his head. "Another good part is that we're not competition for each other. And we don't have to worry about opposing each other. And we'll have equal chance to be drafted for professional leagues. If we want." Mmhm. Although he hadn't decided about that and it was EONS into the future, but still.

"I'm not? I don't think? I don't know actually..." Ethan chewed on his lower lip. He liked to dress well, but he probably - like most teenage boys - didn't shower as much as he should have. And wasn't necessarily the most fashionable. But he liked to think he wasn't bad looking either.

Also, he probably should have made it clear that he ... wasn't snogging anyone else at the moment. And that he wasn't ruling out the labels for the future, but just for now. It's just, well, he supposed like father like son, he mulls things over for awhile. Impulse wasn't exactly a Denton trait. Even if he did like to think he was more adventurous than his father, but who was he to judge? His father did romance his mother in Florence.

Favorite flavor? Ethan blinked as if she had asked something in French which she might as well have, as he'd been lost in his own thoughts of mulling and such. "Huh. Oh. Ice cream. Uh.... not lemondrop? But we're not fussed. Really anything ... What's your favorite?"


That was when he heard - and took - a coupon from a lady and glanced down at it, before looking back at Nettie. "What ya say? Maybe we can get a quaffle tattoo or something? Although it'll probably have to be temporary..."

Sorry for the delay (waswaiting in case others replied)!
 

Dory smiled as a teenage boy (Ethan) approached and took one of her coupons. "There you go, dude!" she said brightly. "Good for 25% off all quidditch world cup merch at Paradise." She gestured down the street toward the brightly colored toucan sign that hung outside her shop. The she noticed the boy's companion (Nettie) and gave her a friendly smile too. "Would you like one too?" She offered her a coupon.

Then she overheard the boy (Ethan) say something about a temporary quaffle tattoo. She thought that sounded like an awesome idea but stopped just short of saying so out loud. After all, he technically wasn't talking to her. She did, however, nod approvingly. "We have a wide selection of quidditch-inspired temporary tattoos, if you're interested."

For inside the leaky!
 

When she had got back to the table he was already to his feet and she grabbed her purse and tossed it over her shoulder as they walked out. "I love Christmas time." she smiled softly as the crisp air hit on her nose. It was almost perfect. Would of been even better if it was snowing softly but alas shell take what she can get. "Where are you staying at now?" since he's only been back a few weeks he said yes?

She shivered as a gust of harsh wind blew over them. "Jesus, that sucked." rude wind. Stay away. She's enjoying the cold weather!

"not like you need a huge place anyway, not for just you yea?" she walked along in the soft snow from the days before slowly. "Trust me space isn't all fun and games." not when you've become afraid to part with anything.

"yeah, i love it." she still loved the cold and snow. Growing up with 80° Christmas's the snow was very much welcomed every year. Now what? What do they talk about? ... Them? Him? Her? The cats some more? Ugh why was this hard? She never had a hard time talking to him. This was horrible.

"well you did just travel for a long time so you didn't really have much." she also kept all the furniture they had bought together. He didn't find any use for it since he wasn't going to be in any one place for too long. "I have that extra couch still. If you'd like it." couches we're nice and really she didn't need both. She really did only just use the one.

"well, I hoped you kept your work research Leo. That'd be silly to lose at that." she smiled as she looked over at him. "ya cold?" he could of turned down the walk or suggested somewhere inside to go.

"Still writing for the magazine. I've moved up a bit in the company so I'm not a junior reporter anymore. But still covering quidditch and Gobstones." her life was pretty boring really. Same thing every day. Never really any changes... Well... Until now.

"I can order Chinese or something." one of their favorites back in the day. She looked down at the snow as she tucked some hair behind her hair. "I can ask Dustin to borrow his truck to help move it.. unless you'll charm it.???" she wasn't sure how good he was at concealment charms and didn't want to assume he'd want to do all that.

"yeah i love it. I really do. I also get to go to a lot of games and press events for free so that's a plus." she liked free things. It was right up her Ally and all. A free game and a drink was all she needed to stay happy now a days.

She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. "I don't think your body's use to the cold anymore. It seemed to be knocking you out." she pointed at her nose in order to point out his being red as roudolf already. Poor thing.

For Sarah
 

Patrick has been sitting watching people with his journal in his hand. He’d been writing more and more lately with his brothers being home and they house being crowded. It felt like the summer before he went to Hogwarts. Brothers everywhere chaos all the time. He remembered just how much he didn’t like it now that he thought about it.

He was writing about his family, going back to school, and how he blew it again with another girl because he was terrible at telling them how he truly felt and not being afraid to show them. Why didn’t his brothers tell him? He was so wrapped up in his journal he didn’t notice anyone else around him which he supposed wasn’t all that great.

Iclyn was looking around for a place to sit when she spotted someone familiar on a bench not to far from her. She bit her lip as she headed over to him, hoping that she wouldn’t be intruding on his quiet time. She wasn’t planning on being loud or even talking if he didn’t want.. she just wanted to sketch.. and lose herself for a few hours in a world that wasn’t sad.

“Can I sit here?” The blonde asked softly as she looked down at Prefect.

She was hoping it was okay.

If not. She’d go find somewhere else to sit.

Patrick looked up smiling. ”Please. Sit join me” it wasn’t often that he got someone to sit down and join him. He pushed his thumb I to the page of his journal and watched her for a second.

He noticed her notebook. He wanted to ask why she was working on whether it be writing or drawing or anything creative he liked to hear about that kind of stuff.

Open
 

After tapping the wall to get inside of Diagon Alley, Minjae pushed his expensive sunglasses up on top of his head and brushed his red colored dress shirt to get any dust off of it. In one hand he held an empty shopping bag to buy his school supplies and the other hand went in to his black dress pants pocket to pull out the piece of paper that had his supplies written on it.

He did not need to buy many things but he had decided to stay in Diagon Alley for a whole day until the stores closed, to enjoy shopping and chilling without having anyone working for his family around him. Except for his parents, only the family chauffeur knew that he was a wizard as it would be too much of a hassle to fire the man . Luckily, the man was very loyal and in the three years of knowing that Minjae was a wizard he had never spoken about it to anyone, not even his wife. Minjae had always thought he would have been in his House, Hufflepuff, had he been able to go to Hogwarts.

He looked up from reading and swung his bag over his shoulder as he walked to the first store. He hoped he’d see anyone from Hogwarts during his shopping because shopping alone was boring.

A hop in his step, Ewan walked down Diagon Alley with a broad smile on his face. With the summer in full swing, this was his last chance to actually do some shopping at Diagon Alley before he jetted back off to Canada to see his family for the summer so today was all about making the most of it. He’d wanted to buy presents for him family, just to show them how much he missed them over the summer as well as something for Beth, his girlfriend, although that might take a little longer but then again, the perfect present always takes the most time.

Lost in a train of thought, he couldn’t help but be a little surprised as he found himself bumping into someone as he headed down the street. Luckily, he somehow managed to keep himself on two feet and not on the cobbled floor. “Oh sorry, I didn’t see you there. I should have been looking where I was going” With a somewhat embarrassed face, Ewan looked over at the shorter, black haired boy with an embarrassed smile on his face. Adjusting his navy t-shirt and jeans so that he didn’t look completely dishevelled, he held out his hand to the boy, who must be a student at Hogwarts or a wizarding school somewhere, and introduced himself “I’m Ewan”. All in all, this was not the ideal start to his day.

Minjae had been too busy looking down at his pocket to get his supply letter inside it that he had not noticed a slightly older boy making his way over. He had certainly felt the hit though and like him, Minjae stumbled as well.

Managing to stay on his feet, Minjae was oblivious to the fact that his sunglasses had slid down the back of his head and had fallen down on the ground behind him.

Rubbing his arm, he looked at the guy with an concerned look on his face as he apologised. ”Ok” he said. He had apologised, All he could say now was ok. ”Are you hurt though?” he asked as he watched him adjust his t-shirt ”You’re lucky you didn’t fall” Minjae looked at the outstretched hand in front of him and immediately took it and shook it enthusiastically. ”I’m Minjae, aren’t you in Slytherin?” he asked. He was sure he had seen him around at Beauxbaton last year .

Looking at him wish a sheepish smile, he couldn’t help but just reply “I’m okay but my pride has taken a little dent” laughing a little now at his own joke, as usual. Bending down, he picked up the boys’ glasses and held them out to return them, making sure to give them a quick gander as he did so to check that they didn’t break. Thankfully, they seemed to be all in one piece.

“Me? Slytherin? No, I’m 100% Slytherin me” he replied, his mind racing back to his last school year. Strange how he’d managed to go a whole school year without actually seeing Minjae. “What about you? I’m guessing you’re either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff?” continued now with a little more confidence. He couldn’t be in his house because he would have seen him at the sorting and well, if he’d guessed Slytherin, that must have meant he wasn’t in there either or he would have known for sure he wasn’t one. Either way, it didn’t really make a difference to him.

“You heading to one of the stores?” he asked politely, not wanting to leave and seem rude but he did have a lot of shopping to do.

Minjae was glad that Ewan was not hurt physically, he wasn't sure about is pride though. It was just a simple accident. No harm done. He had dealt with fluffy human eating monsters, creepy mist and a scary dragon, although he had not been near the dragon last year... But he had never had anyone bump in to him before so that was a new experience and he couldn't wait to tell his chauffeur about it when he got out of Diagon Alley.

As Ewan picked something up from the ground, Minjae tried to look over his shoulder to see what it was and when Ewan held up his glasses it was at that moment that Minjae GASPED out loud. "Oh nononono!" he chanted as he took the glasses from him. He then began to inspect every inch of the glasses, even holding it up to the sun to see if there was any damage. "My father doesn't know i took his sunglasses. It's really expensive" he spoke fast and it took him a minute to calm down after seeing that the glasses were fine.

"That makes no sense" he said as he put the glasses back on his face, covering his dark brown eyes with the black shades. "How can you not be a Slytherin but be 100% a Slytherin at the same time?" Maybe it was his pride he had been talking about earlier? Didn't Slytherin's have a lot of pride?

"I'm in Hufflepuff" he said, nodding his head. "A 100% Hufflepuff" he laughed. The stores? Minjae looked around. Right, he had to do school supply shopping. "I need to buy a few items, eh..." he took out his piece of paper from his pocket and began to list them. "I need books for my fourth year, a new ink and quill, some food for my owl Brownie and a couple of vials for....reasons..." He could not prank people with hiccuping potions without vials. And he was not going to ask Professor Noble for them of course. "You want to come with me? I don't like shopping alone..."

Guilt. The perfect word to describe how Ewan was feeling right now as he found out the glasses were expensive and not even Minjae’s to begin with. “I did check them and they seemed fine”. He did check them over himself but still. He could most likely have just used magic to repair them if he took them home to his father but then he’d have to admit that he’d taken them so maybe that wasn’t an option.

Did he say guilt? He meant slight embarrassment. “I meant Ravenclaw, not Slytherin” his cheeks a slight shade of red now. “Maybe I’m not a Ravenclaw after all” laughing a little now at his obvious blunder. “I mean a lot of people actually tend to have a lot of traits from the different houses” because in all honesty, sometimes he really did feel like more of a Hufflepuff than a Ravenclaw. At least until he ace’s all of his O.W.L’s as expected and proved that he belonged.

Vials for reasons? Suuuure. That wasn’t suspicious at all. He may be a Hufflepuff but with fishy reasons like that, people would see straight through his goody goody façade, if that’s what it was. “Mhm, school stuff. Sure, I can come. I’ve already got mine. I’m just here to buy a few presents for my family before I head back home for the summer”. He may only need to grab a few things but it would take him all day so wasting time in the street really wasn’t an option today.

Open
 

"I think you're right" Minjae said after Ewan said that his , or rather his father's , glasses, were fine. He was terrible at the Reparo spell and he knew that if he used it on the sunglasses it would just shatter. And he would only ask someone else to fix it if he knew a hundred percent they could use the spell correctly. "Thanks for picking it up by the way" He could have pointed at it instead of picking it up himself so that was cool of him. He probably had no idea he had held a small fortune in his hands. Minjae vaguely wondered if he would have ran away with it if he had known.

The Hufflepuff found it secretly funny that Ewan was flustered after his mistake. "How on earth can you mistake your own House for another one" he laughed. It wasn't said in a mean manner but jokingly. But him saying that no one was a hundred percent their House and that everyone had traits from every House made him think for a moment. "I never thought about that" he said, frowning ever so slightly. "But now that i think about it, i can see myself in Gryffindor as well. Maybe im a.. get this....ready? A Huffledor!" he laughed at his own extremely lame joke. "Is that why the Sorting Hat sometimes takes a couple of minutes to sort someone? I've seen it before" he had been sorted in to Hufflepuff the moment the Hat had been placed on top of his head.

"Exactly, school stuff. For making Potions at the laboratory when i don't have any classes" he wasn't lying here. He did use the Potions laboratory to make certain prank potions. He was just not mentioning the prank bit. "Presents? why did you have to buy presents for your family?" he asked. "Are they giving a birthday party or something?" And if so , could he come too?

The fact that he hadn’t inadvertently smashed the glass was a relief to Ewan, a small smile on his lips now. Judging from Minjae’s expression, he could have guessed that they were expensive but it didn’t really matter to him. After all, he wasn’t exactly someone who was impressed by more or material things. There were more important things in life, something he knew all too well after the last few years. “No problem” he replied, waving his thanks away. Anyone would have picked them up and given them back.

Well it wasn’t often that he saw a Hufflepuff that wasn’t very nice but then again, like he said, everyone has traits from the different houses. Maybe some of his were just a little more unpleasant from the other houses. “Uhh, I’m not sure” his face a little more neutral now as he replied. He could have gone into the whole reason he sometimes forgets things and the reason for his poor memory but there was no real need to just to prove a point. “Yeah, I mean, I think the hats put you where you belong but it doesn’t mean it’s not a close call. Maybe you could be a ‘Huffledor’”, his lips twitching a little the name he made up for the Hybrid house. “Or Gryffinpuff? Whichever you prefer”.

“Mhm…potions stuff” Maybe he’d have to mention Minjae’s name to some of the Hufflepuff prefects and ask them to keep an eye on him. “I take it you’re pretty good at potions?” curious to see if he could find out a little more. “I just want to surprise some of my family with presents. No particular reason really. Sometimes, it’s nice just to surprise people” never really having much money, it was nice for him to actually have some now so that he could go out and treat his family and girlfriend sometimes. “And I need to buy myself a present for becoming a prefect” he added at the end, slightly proud of his own surprising achievement.

He wasn't sure? Minjae started to doubt if Ewan really was a Ravenclaw like he said he was. Weren't they super smart or something? Maybe he had a different trait that was more at the foreground. Maybe he was really creative? With a memory like that, he needs to be.

"Riiight" he said slowly as Ewan explained how the Hat worked. It made sense to him. He did raise his eyebrow at him, which could just been seen behind the sunglasses. Gryffinpuff? mweh, it was ok. "But Huffledor sounds like Dumbledore soooo" He trailed off as he looked behind Ewan, getting distracted by the movements around them before he turned his attention back to him.

"I am pretty good!" he grinned and his eyes seemed to spark proudly. Which could not have been seen as he was wearing sunglasses. "It's my best subject after Charms" he said. "Why? Do you need a potion?"

Ok this completely confused him. He was getting presents for his family for NO reason at all? Why would he do that? Minjae always got presents for no reason from his family but he had never bought something for them and now he felt bad. "What kind of present do you think my chauffeur would like?" he asked out of the blue as he stared at Ewan intensly. He wasn't going to leave here without a present!

..........Prefect? Minjae was briefly dissapointed at this news. He thought that Ewan was ok to hang out with but now he was not so sure. He couldn't prank anyone if he had a Prefect around. "If you became a Prefect that means you're starting your O.W.L year. Want me to make you a memory potion? it only takes two hours and fifteen minutes to be exact" he smiled.

Ewan just shrugged at the Huffledor comment because it didn’t make a difference to him either way. He knew the sorting hat got him in the right house, judging from his O.W.L results at least anyway. “What ever works for you”. He appreciated the great work of Albus Dumbledore just as much as anyone but hey, to each their own.

“Nice, I’m not too bad either to be fair. I actually just finished my O.W.L’s so I’m actually going into my sixth year” a smug smile on his face for a moment. Not too bad was an understatement but he didn’t need to brag. He knew how good he was. “My best subject is most likely charms or transfiguration but I’m pretty good at potions too” he continued, just catching the raised eye behind the sunglasses. “I’m good thanks, I can brew anything I need at home” which, sounded a little big headed but it was true. As for a gift for his chauffer, he really wasn’t sure. “Have you ever thought about just asking him? Or do you not know him very well?” He really didn’t have any idea what to get his chauffeur as he didn’t know him but sometimes, asking someone what they like never hurts. “What type of things does he like? Maybe brewing him some type of potion? Something a little more personal”.

Fresh from a trip to Wales visting Tristan's Aunt and Uncle, Sebastian began to wander around Diagon Alley, his mother and younger siblings were shopping else where. He was still reeling after last term. He should have made his move but he, of course, was always too late. Now the person he had feelings for was with someone else and didn't give to knuts about him in that way.

Friendzone. Not a good zone.

He just hadn't been ready yet...besides, she was far to pretty for him anyway. With a deep sigh, and not really looking at where he was going, he continued on through the street, accidentally bumping shoulders with someone shorter than him. "oh, sor--Iclyn?" He said with mild surprise. Of course he would run into the person he just happened to be pining. Awesome.

Back to the friendzone....

Iclyn was deep in thought as well so she barely even noticed that someone had bumped her, the blonde instinctively covered her rather achy right hand, as not to have it injured more..

But as the voice spoke, her soft blue eyes went wide and she gasped, it may not have been the former Slytherin she was thinking of, but it was the next best thing!

“Bastian?” She said as she gave him a little grin. “I didn’t know you were here! When did you get back? Did you have fun? Tell me all the things.” She said with a happy smile as she looked up at him.

She had missed her best friend, sure he had come to see her in St. Mungos but.. that had been a visit..

“Did you get your Owls back? ” Her eyes were shining with excitement at her own scores.

Sebastian wanted to be aloof and indifferent, but when her eyes light up like that...and the way she said his name...it made his heart do all the things. A huge grin spread across his lips and he gave her a small chuckle as she asked him a million questions.

He couldn't stop looking at her. Even with the scar on her cheek...she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He absentmindedly lifted his hand to her face gently cupping her right cheek, slowly and softly rubbed the scar there. "I just got back last night. It was amazing. Meeting more family that I didn't know I had and spending time in the home my father grew up in, seeing pictures of my other grandparents...it was just...really great." He said with a huge grin, before realizing he was stroking her cheek and slowly taking his hand away from her face.

"I got my OWLs back. O's in my best subjects, E's in everything else...accept A in HoH and HoM. But those aren't my best subjects anyway." He said with chuckle. "What about you? And how are you healing? You seem to be better." He said with a concerned look.

He liked her way too much to be aloof and indifferent.....*sigh*

Iclyn leaned into Bastian’s touch just a bit as she felt his hand rest on her cheek, and stroke the scar that was there. She almost wanted to pull back and hide that side of her face from him, but she stayed where she was and smiled softly as he spoke.

”I’m so glad that it was good, how is your Dad and Professor Kennedy? Did they get married yet?” she asked him curiously, unsure if they had or not.. Merlin was she a bad friend cause she didn’t know this? She bit her lip and hoped she wasn’t!

She watched as his hand fell from her cheek and she turned a bit so that her non scarred cheek and non injured hand was facing him more.

”Those are awesome scores! I knew you would do well! I’m so proud of you Bastian!” She gave him a half hug before nearly beaming at him.

”I got O’s in all the ones I took except HOM which was an E!” She was so excited! She had studied so hard for those grades.. hopefully it was enough for a scholarship!

”Eh.. all right I guess, still have the scar and my right hand is sore all the time, and it hurts to use it for long periods of time.” She tried to play it off like she wasn’t cocerned, but that was her writing and drawing hand. So she was very worried

Guhhhhhhhh...that smile...those eyes...he really needed to stop. She had a boyfriend...

The sadness arrived quicker than he expected, but he his smile didn't falter. She was one of his best friends and that was more important. His smile got even bigger. "Oh, that's right! I didn't tell you! Your accident happened and I couldn't get to St. Mungo's until a week or so later because I was at their wedding. It was wonderful and they are blissfully happy." He said with a laugh.

He immediately noticed her slight turn so he wouldn't be able to see her scar or hand, and he quickly placed his hand on her right cheek again. "You don't have to hide from me, Icy." He said quietly. "You're still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He gave her a small grin and a wink.

"Thank you!" He said with a huge grin before being pulled into a half hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and continued, "Though...some of them could have been better, but the ones that matter most for Magizoology I got all O's in. Dad took me to the Sanctuary again and...I just know that is what I am meant to do." He said with a small smile.

When she told him her scores he chuckled, "I am absolutely not surprised my extremely intelligent friend. Congratulations. I am very happy for and proud of you. I just know you will get some scholarships!" He knew how worried she was about money. Her older sister was taking care of all of their expenses.

Letting go of her waist he grabbed her injured hand and examined it, before giving her knuckles a gentle kiss and letting it go. "The scar will get lighter and lighter. It will be unnoticeable before you even know it. And your hand will take some time, I am sure, but as long as you continue to use it and practice and do what ever physical therapy you need to, it will get better. Just don't over do it. Rest it when it needs resting. Ice. Heat. All the things." He said with a pointed look before grinning and giving her a wink. he knew all of this stuff because, well, going into Magizoology you had to learn about injuries and how to heal them.

Now if he could just heal his injured heart...

Ewan was starting his sixth year? Now it was Minjae's turn to feel flustered and he was glad that he was wearing the sunglasses as it would cover the biggest part of the red in his cheeks. This whole time he had thought that Ewan was a fifth year but at least he had not mistaken his own House... "How did your exams go? Can you give me the answers? I'm sure the questions will be the same next year when i'm taken them" he was totally serious right now. He hated studying. And homework.

"I'm terrible at Transfiguration"' he sighed as Ewan told that it was one of his best subjects. "It sucks" both his ability and the subject. If Minjae had to be honest, he was disappointed that Ewan dismissed his offer because he would have loved to brew him a memory potion. That did not mean he wasn't going to brew it anyway. Merlin knows when he had to drink one because he had not been paying attention in class.

Asking him? So simple, so brilliant! maybe Ewan really was a Ravenclaw after all. "But doesn't that destroy the surprise part?" he asked. He thought as he listened to the Prefect. What did he know about his personal chauffeur? "Well, he's been my family's chauffeur for three years now..." he said. And he knew that he had a wife, no kids and that his name was Mike and that he had dyed his hair brown last week but that was it. "can muggles have stuff from our world?" he needed to be sure about this.

Iclyn didn’t even think about the fact that she formerly had a boyfriend, she had never talked about him to any of her friends, and they were together so briefly, it was like it hadn’t even happened. Though she regretted even getting together with him. And hurting him, but he would see eventually that they were better off as friends.

”No you didn’t tell me! That’s so awesome! I’m so glad to hear that!” She said softly as she gently squeezed his arm, she knew they were important to him and she was happy that his family was happy! Even though talking of family made her heart hurt a bit. She pushed that all away to share in the joy of her friend!

Iclyn stilled as his hand moved to her scarred cheek again and she shrugged a bit. She had to hide from most people, and though the list of people she didn’t have to hide from was short, he was on it. It was just easier to hide.. ”Thanks Bastian.” She said softly as she shook her head as he spoke. ”The entire school is filled with beautiful people, I don’t stand out.” She said softly with a bit of a shrug.

She rested her hands on his arms as his own looped around her waist, and she smiled as she looked up at him as he spoke about his future. He always got so happy when he talked about Magiczooology.. ”I know that is what you are meant to do as well.” She said as he spoke again.

”Thank you.” She said softly as she looked up at him, she was hoping she’d get a few scholarships, otherwise she’d have to go into the ministry straight away and not be a healer like she wanted to.

She felt herself almost recoil as he grabbed at her sore hand! She had been protecting it so much lately, that time have someone just grab it.. made her wince! But when no pain came she relaxed a little.

”I only hope it’s better by the time school starts, cause this is my writing hand.” she said softly.

Judging from the tinge in the Minjae’s face, he hadn’t expected him to be in his sixth year. Strange because he obviously knew they were in different school years. Did he not look old enough to be in his sixth year? “My exams? I crushed them” a grin spreading wide across his face now as he looked at the fourth-year boy now. “I mostly had O’s with a two E’s dotted in between them” hesitating before he continued to answer his questions “I don’t think the exams are the same every year. That would make them pretty pointless because everyone would know what was coming up but if you really want to know, I guess I could help you sometime. Maybe closer to the time?” Cheating never worked, especially at Hogwarts so there was no point in trying but if he wanted some help studying, that he could do.

Transfiguration, just like everything else took time to master so if he didn’t want to put the work in, there was no helping him. One thing was for sure, transfiguration was one of those subjects that truly was magical, down to its very core. “Shame. The older you get, the more you learn. Everything is a little more…cooler” Honestly, who wouldn’t want to be an animagi if they had the choice? Maybe one day, he’d reach that level.

“Not if you’re a little tactful with your questions. Maybe just try talking to him like a normal person would and get to know him. You know, what he likes and dislikes? At least then you’ll have an idea”. Ewan couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Mike. Minjae really didn’t know all that much about him but that could easily change. “Why don’t you do something nice for Mike and his wife? Maybe invite them both around for a meal and cook it yourself?” Judging from what he’d found out so far, Minjae didn’t seem like the type to cook his own food but maybe he could start now? “That would depend, I guess. If he knows about our world then maybe? But I guess he shouldn’t so…”

Getting all O's and E's for an exam was too much work in Minjae's opinion but he had to admit that it was cool of Ewan to have been able to pull it off. He was already getting nervous about the exam and it was more than a year away from now. "It won't?" he asked, looking positively upset about this. Should he ask his father to pay the examinator? "But i'd appreciate the help, how much should i pay you when the time comes?" he asked. "three galleons? four? I don't know what the usual is.."

Tactful with his questions? Minjae let out a laugh. He was probably the least tactful person out there. But there was no shame in trying, he guessed. How did one do that even? If he wanted something he just asked for it. "What do you mean, like a normal person?" He asked, feeling offended. "Are you saying i'm not normal?" OK perhaps he wasn't. For example, he had never eaten something as simple as a hamburger before. Not before his first feast at Hogwarts. His parents only wanted him to eat healthy and organic food. Which was why he liked going to Hogwarts cause there he could eat whatever he wanted. "I tried cooking for my mother once for her birthday. The fire alarm went off and i was forbidden in the kitchen for a long time..." Perhaps that was why he was so meticulous in Potions class. He didn't want to make the same mistake again and cooking was kind of like making potions. But also, why would he cook when the maid already does that? Perhaps he should ask her and tell its from himself? but that didn't feel right either... ”Maybe i'll have some inspiration after shopping…” he said as he pulled up his sleeve and checked the watch that his father had given him last year. ”I should buy my stuff now” he said and looked up at Ewan again. ”Don’t feel obliged to come with me because of that badge. If you don't want to , i'm cool with that”

Doing his best to keep a smile on his face, Ewan replied “Uh…well I wasn’t going to charge you. I was just offering to help you. You know, as a friend?” Having money was cool and all but Ewan valued his friends more and he’d never dream of charging them for his help. You know, unless it was part of his job. Minjae on the other hand seemed to be one of those people who had only ever known money growing up and for a brief moment, Ewan almost wished he’d had to go through what he did, not having any and living on the streets, just to see how the boy would react. But that wasn’t exactly the friendly thing to wish for so he put that to the back of his mind.

Had Ewan put his foot in it here? Maybe but he didn’t mean it that way. “I just mean, why don’t you just get to know him like you would one of your friends in school?" He replied, not back tracking on what he said but just explaining it more. Say what you will about him but he was nothing if not truthful.

“You’ve only ever tried to cook once? Well, maybe steer away from that idea then” Well, this one obviously had everything done for him. Ewan was quickly running out of ideas now, the more the boy talked in front of him. Maybe he should just get another of his servants to buy the gift? That seemed like the most logical thing to do as they did everything else for him. “Why don’t you ask his wife what he likes?” He really was scraping the barrel for ideas now but honestly Minjae was giving him no choice. He was here to buy presents too but even he had more of an idea what to buy his Aunt than Minjae did for his driver and he’d only known his Aunt for a little over two years now.

A little confused, Ewan just nodded, not making a move to go with him. He’d done enough to help him with his shopping. “I’m going to go finish my own, but I’ll catch you on the train or at school most likely” picking up the bags containing what he’d already bought now, he moved to the shop door. “Good luck with your shopping though” You’ll need it, he thought to himself as he walked through the shop door and out into the sunshine that was illuminated Diagon Alley.

The deep blue-eyed scarlet witch made her way down the street with a cappuccino and a brown envelope in hands. Without endangering her hot drink she swiftly maneuvered the envelope under her arm and pulled out its contents with her available hand. This has been a very good year for Amidala, from her job at the Ministry to blind dates just for fun and stepping out of the dark veil she hid behind. It had been a rough few years but the contents of this letter would open a whole new world for her.

Propping the envelope under her arm whilst she held the letter up to her eyes to read the information on it. With a deep gasp her eyes grew wide almost bursting out of her head! Amidala’s shiver sent her drink flying a few feet away from her...oops!

”Oh no. Oh no, no, no.” Amidala fanned her eyes with the letter to dry out the welling of tears forming in her deep blue eyes. ”Not today Ami, not today.” Speaking ever so softly and shaking her head blinking repeatedly drying out those annoying tears. Tears of joy…

As for the cappuccino...oh yeah, where’d it go? Dang it she paid good money for that darn drink, she was obviously going to pick it up loitering is a big NO-NO/

Open to anyone
 

Charely Potter
 

Tom was looking forwards to getting some school supplies, he couldn't believe how fast his first year had gone at Hogwarts but he had enjoyed it, well except for getting his wand taken off him for destroying school property but well that was in the past now.

Tom was trying to figure out where he wanted to go first, did he want to get some food before his shopping or did he want to just have some fun and look around, or the third option was to get his supplies out of the way but then he would have to go to all the shops, why couldn't his parents do the shopping for him like they used to.

:'3
 

Curtis wasn't really excited about school arriving anytime soon. Why? It would be his fifth year, which is O.W.Ls year. Sure, having two Professors had its benefits, but it also had its cons which meant rare moments of fun. So this summer he was doing every little bit of squeezing out of the fun he could get.

Now, what could he do? He had some money to spend. Since his dad was an active professor he got books free of charge. He was walking around the street taking in the sight, considering on what to buy when he just about bumped into a younger kid. Oops.

First thing to say is sorry, right? Well, in Curtis' case he just stood over looking down at him. Have I seen this kid somewhere? Three... two.. one. "I suppose this is where I say sorry, but I didn't see you." He then shrugged. Apologizing for not noticing something didn't make sense to him. "Where's your parents, kid?" He had to know if he was going to be told on or not and get ready for the excuses. Nevermind he was probably not that much younger than him.

Tom was looking around, trying to figure out where he was going first, when suddenly someone bumped into him. He counted to ten in his head as the older boy seemed to be thinking about something.

"It's cool." Tom thought about saying something else, but thought better of it, seriously he wasn't that small was he. When he last checked, he had actually grown a bit since the end of term. "My parents are picking me up later, they said I could come and do the shopping by myself, because well as they say I'm growing up." Tom had felt so happy at first but now he wished they would have done the shopping because it was So boring. "So what about you, where's your parents?"

This kid just said it's cool. Curtis smiled softly, he was glad this wasn't another oversensitive fool he ran into. For some time just him breathing annoyed somebody. This was just a minor thing and it was getting treated as such at least, points of respect for him. Maybe this kid was closer to his age than he thought when he mentioned something growing up. "You're lucky, my parents rarely leave me alone." As for where they are, he shrugged. "Right now? I don't know, I left them at the Leaky Cauldron an hour ago." He loved his parents, don't get him wrong, just every kid needed a break from them after enough time in Curtis' mind.

"So what do you have left to shop for?" Curtis asked. He knew it had to be school-related somehow.

Tom smiled as he heard what the older student said. "Yes, I know." Tom sometimes wished that his parents, spent more time with him but at least they didn't smoother him or force him to do things that he didn't want to do, which would be so embarrassing.

"Well I was thinking about getting my books next, I need to get my second year spell book and other things." Tom couldn't believe how fast his first year had flown though now he was looking forwards finding out more about Hogwarts especially after what had happened last term. "So what about you, do you have anything you need to get?"

Second year, explains alot. Curtis thought privately. In the span of a few seconds he considered what else he really needed to do. "I'm good with getting the books, my dad teaches Charms so I don't need to buy them." Curtis said. Not that he was trying to brag, it was a rumour that spread and was confirmed easily with everyone in his year and above.

"I was thinking about looking at the brooms but I should probably check out a book on them beforehand." Offense intended, he wasn't going to be easily persuaded by some Shopkeeper who likely wants to get rid of the cheap slow brooms first. "Do you like Quidditch or any other sport?" Curtis then asked.

How did we do this thing... *dips into pensieve*
 

The wide eyed brunette stood in the middle of the street, her eyes transfixed at the line up of peddlers and the magical shops she never thought existed until a month ago, when she received a letter informing her that she is about to go to a school of magic.

Magic! She kept repeating it in her head.

"Maybe we could start with the robes?" her mother suggested as she held out in the open the piece of parchment that came along with the letter and scanned it as if it were a treasure map. The young girl's father had nothing to say except to swallow, his gaze followed a family of magical folks gladly dragging their children to some sweet shop somewhere.

Though they are already staring at the proof, it is quite hard to accept that this kind of world is real especially to non-magic folks like them.

"We better get started," Lou mumbled in her soft, sweet voice. "if we ever want to go home before evening," she added.

Her parents nodded and they shoved their way into the busy North street of Diagon Alley.