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Dear Miss Mason,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
Emma's parents are thrilled. Such a good school, so well respected, and those alumni- just look at the battle against the Dark Lord! All that talent!- they're beyond proud. Emma's pleased on their behalf, of course. She wants to make her parents proud. She doesn't ask how badly the school was damaged in the war; she doesn't inquire how many teachers are missing or dead; she doesn't mention wishing she could stay home for a year. Maybe until things are just a little more rebuilt.
(She thinks it, though.)
She smiles and hugs her parents and agrees yes, of course it's wonderful, helping to rebuild the wizarding world is important. She'll start school in the fall, become a better witch.
And, as her mother points out excitedly- now they need to go shopping.
Emma's hardly unfamiliar with Diagon Alley. It's the place to be seen, as far as her parents are concerned, so that's where they've always shopped. But it feels different, somehow, to be shopping for Hogwarts. Her mother is showing every shopkeeper the list, fingers underlining the Hogwarts letterhead. Her father is stopping every friend he sees, talking loudly about "here to shop for Emma's first year, at Hogwarts you know".
Emma wants to scrunch up and hide from the attention, but her parents are so happy. It's only just the once she starts school, she supposes. She plasters on a smile and follows after her mother. Almost done now; all she needs is a wand.
And as everyone knows, there's only one place to get those.
parental_guidance
chanuphis
"Wand-choosing was definitely the flashiest thing. I liked the potions ingredients store, though, even if all I was getting was the first-year student kit."
parental_guidance
"My wand was pretty cute about it," Emma volunteers. "The sparkles looked like they were laughing."
metamorphmaga
"Awww! I don't think I can pick? I mean, everything was so neat! Er. Except no, I lied, it was the candy shop. Oh my Lord was it ever the candy shop."
chanuphis
"The trolley should be here eventually. What candy did you like? I think wizard sweets are more fun but Muggle sweets are on average tastier. None of them try to melt through your tongue or trick you into eating ear-wax."
metamorphmaga
"I didn't get to actually try any, but everything looked delicious. But, er, earwax? Really? I maaaay rethink this. Even the floating sherbert?"
chanuphis
"Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Beans are every flavor, which sometimes means strawberry and sometimes means grass and sometimes means earwax. Renée gets them sometimes but I don't like them at all. The sherbert isn't earwax-flavored, probably."
metamorphmaga
"Ooooooh, so I can just focus on things with consistent flavors. Neat! Cause really, earwax, ewww."
metamorphmaga
"You," points at Miranda, "thank you. You are a kind and gentle soul, taking pity on me in my ignorance. You," and at Emma, "are a bum."
chanuphis
Miranda snickers.
The compartment door opens to reveal the lady with the trolley full of snacks. Miranda produces her pocket money and gets a pumpkin pasty and a pack of six Chocolate Frogs.
The compartment door opens to reveal the lady with the trolley full of snacks. Miranda produces her pocket money and gets a pumpkin pasty and a pack of six Chocolate Frogs.
metamorphmaga
Jenny eyes the trolley curiously, particularly the Chocolate Frogs (moving things are hard to ignore), but she doesn't purchase anything.
parental_guidance
Emma waits for Jenny to order. When she fails to do so, Emma watches her consideringly for a moment. Then she orders three Cauldron Cakes and three Licorice Wands. When she's been handed her pastries, she offers one of each to the other girls. "Wands and cauldrons for brand new students! Candy-style cheers? Before we're deeply, deeply tired of anything that looks like school?"
metamorphmaga
Jenny blushes, and accepts both offers with a mumbled "Thanks. Er, sorry I didn't get anything, too, though."
She starts in on the Chocolate Frog and discovers the card attached, peering at it curiously.
She starts in on the Chocolate Frog and discovers the card attached, peering at it curiously.
parental_guidance
"Nooo, thank you! I'm... um, I'm usually really shy. Talking to people isn't really my strong suit? It's nice to have people to talk to on the way to school."
Having started on her cauldron instead of her frog, and not yet possessing a card of her own, Emma leans over to spy on Jenny's card instead. "Oooh, Merlin. He's one of my favorites."
Having started on her cauldron instead of her frog, and not yet possessing a card of her own, Emma leans over to spy on Jenny's card instead. "Oooh, Merlin. He's one of my favorites."
chanuphis
Miranda is munching her licorice wand. "Yeah, Jenny, it's fine. Do you collect the cards, Emma? I just like the chocolate, you can have my cards if you want them after I eat the frogs."
parental_guidance
"Only sort of, um, accidentally? I don't really care or anything, but I like to read them, so I would ask for cards to read the backs and people just kind of...assumed."
chanuphis
"I usually throw them out," says Miranda, "unless I get rare-ish ones that I can let Renée take to work for the little kids."
parental_guidance
"I used to, after I'd read them, but then my aunt would save them specially for me and I felt bad throwing them out, so. Collecting by accident."
parental_guidance
"I just have the one. She's nice, but, um, in an easily distracted, kinda forgetful way? Still sweet, though."
metamorphmaga
"Awww, your families are so small! They fit into mine like five times over!"
(Seven, actually.)
(Seven, actually.)