And Renée makes a suggestion and Miranda sends some owls, all with the same underlying invitation:
Mum wants to go shopping in Muggle Edinburgh and said I should invite some friends. You can Floo in or she can pick you up by Apparition, as you like, and we'll get lunch and she'll have you home in time for supper. Want to come?
She invites Karen and Jenny and Emma and Alli, and as an afterthought also Vivian, since she and Karen have been friendly and another muggleborn might ease Karen's jitters.
The memorial is a little farther than the cathedral, but not by much. Vivian tries to stick to paths by parks when she can, to reduce the traffic.
Vivian looks around. This part of the path is nice. There are trees, there is shade. No cars. "Are... are you sure everything's okay?"
That was not at all what Vivian was expecting. Surprised, she stutters, "A potion to- wait, what?"
"Ugh, I'm sure it's impossible," groans Karen. "And she wouldn't take it, I bet! Unless she would. I don't know."
Vivian knows she shouldn't ask. There is no way having this question answered will end well. Karen is definitely not talking about her, and doesn't that just make her feel like her lungs are shriveling inside her chest? But she forces herself to breathe, and to ask the question. "Who wouldn't?"
"She wasn't sure," says Karen in a rush, "she said she didn't know yet she wasn't old enough to be positive, she said she would think about it and she told me and that if she was widdershins then of course, but, but she isn't. Turns out. It mentioned in her letter when she was inviting me here."
"I'm sorry," she says again. "I know it sounds lame, but- I really am sorry. At least you know that it's- that if she was, she would-" she can't quite bring herself to finish the sentence. "...does it help?"
"Yeah." Not being liked back is awful. She could write whole essays on the subject, at the moment. "See? You're awesome, and she knows you're awesome?" she attempts. "That's just- bad luck, really."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Vivian asks. "Distract you with castles or plaid or bagpipes, or something?"
New goal for the day. Be wonderful tourists, enjoy Muggle adventures, show Karen around, and above all distract her from thoughts of Miranda at all costs. (And hopefully, that will help them both feel better.)
"I actually ate haggis once. My dad's friend's -" She looks at a passing Muggle. "- cook made it."
"Cook?" Vivian starts, then gets it. "Oh." She tilts her head curiously at Karen. Focus on me and Scotland and weird food. Don't be sad. "...did you like it?"