back to school shopping

[parental_guidance]

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.

Comments

[chanuphis]

"How many siblings do you have? ...I'm not going to pull them but if you make feathers and someone pulls them out do they stay feathers after?"

[metamorphmaga]

"Only four! It's not that bad. One of my friends from church has eight, I don't know how she sleeps. And no, see-"

She can pull them out herself, she knows how. Careful about how she dislodges them, she removes the closest feather. It promptly turns back to a small cluster of hair. "Errrrr, whoops. Did not think that through, did I?" Failing to spot a trash can, she ties the hapless lock back around her hairtie.

[parental_guidance]

"It must be nice having siblings," Emma says somewhat wistfully. "Even that many."

[chanuphis]

"I don't have any. I don't know if I would like them but I don't think I particularly want them. Jenny, do you want me to see if I can Vanish the extra hair? I don't know if I can, but we're allowed to do magic once we're on the train so I can try."

[metamorphmaga]

"Sure! I haven't actually seen anyone use a wand- well, except the whole 'my wand turned into a sparkler when I picked it up' thing- so I am totally on board. Also, y'know, thanks."

[chanuphis]

"You're welcome! This is supposed to be complicated, though, so I might not be able to."

She points her Ollivander wand at the extra hair and says firmly, "Evanesco," just like her mum cleaning up a spill.

Nothing.

"I'm probably missing something. I don't think it's in the first year textbooks or I'd look it up."

[parental_guidance]

Emma gives it a try, just to see.



Nope.

[metamorphmaga]

So does Jenny!

Since the spell is not in fact "Evesco", unsurprisingly, nothing happens.

[chanuphis]

"Ev-an-es-co," says Miranda. "Vanishing Spell. When it works, anyway."

[metamorphmaga]

"Whoops! ...at least nothing exploded?"

[chanuphis]

"You might think you're joking, but that can happen."

[metamorphmaga]

"It was about half a joke? I mean, I've seen my wand go all sparkler, it seemed like maybe a thing."

[parental_guidance]

"The neighbor's kids blew up a tree one time," Emma volunteers. "It knocked a branch onto the house. My mother made them come help her with the repair spells."

[chanuphis]

"When Renée was substitute teaching in Australia one of the kids in her class blew up the time-out corner when she was about to get sent to it."

[parental_guidance]

Emma laughs. "Was that even an accident?"

[chanuphis]

"She was five, so it's technically accidental magic anyway, but maybe not!"

[metamorphmaga]

"Patrick would absolutely do that," Jenny says fondly. "Probably Michael and Thomas too, if they thought of it, but- Patrick would so do that. Your mum's a teacher?"

[chanuphis]

"Yes, she teaches - basically wix nursery school. The one she worked at before we went to Australia took her right back when she asked, she's very good. Are your siblings magic too? I didn't think it was usual to have more than one in an otherwise Muggle family."

[metamorphmaga]

"Awww, that's cute. Kiddies are the best! Well. When not being small demons. And I don't think so? I haven't seen any of them do anything magic, anyway. It's just- what he would do, if he could. It's probably good he can't. He is fiendishly creative about his pranks already, I could tell stories all day."

[chanuphis]

"Are you the oldest?"

[metamorphmaga]

"That's me! Or, when I'm feeling whiny, 'slave labour babysitter', take your pick."

[chanuphis]

"I've gone with Renée to work a couple of times and I can take or leave small children, really."

[parental_guidance]

"Leave," Emma contributes. "Mostly since I have no idea what to do, and freeze up." Pause. "Worse than normal, I mean."

[metamorphmaga]

"Awwww, but kids are easy! I mean, Unicorn Face makes it super easy, but they're easy! Find a park and a football and you're set for hours."

[parental_guidance]

"That must be it," Emma says dryly. "I am handicapped by my witchness. If only we had football instead of Quidditch. Um, that's- football on brooms? Ish?"

She looks at Miranda. "Do you play at all? Or watch?"