A Slice of Bliss solo

If someone had told her last year, as she sat in the Three Broomsticks, cramming for her NEWTs, that in one year's time's precisely she would be in Rome; well, she would've thought that was a bit of a far fetched, fantastical idea. What in the world would she, of all people, be doing in such an ancient and thriving city when she was fairly certain she was a hair's breath away from flunking every exam she was scheduled to sit for. The girl was barely sure there was a future waiting for her outside Hogwarts' walls, much less outside the boundaries of the British Isle.

And yet, here she was, perched on the balcony of her accommodations, with a cappuccino steaming in her hand a dusty old tome laid out on the table before along with with her notes while the inner wall of Rome rustled to life on the streets below. The sun promised to be bright, the air was warm with South Italian Spring coming into bloom, and the horizon's promise of possibility was endless.

Sundays, she'd learned, were far more quiet and sacred to Muggles in Italy compared to back home in London as they scurried quietly into their churches and cathedrals. The few who were out and about exploring were mostly those like herself; simple visitors to the ancient city. Illowy watched them gawk and wonder as they lost themselves in the twists and turns of the narrow roads and alleyways, with barely an idea of where they'd find themselve popping out of. Not that she was judging. She'd done plenty of that upon arrival, stumbling upon sites she'd only read about before. It was like the city itself had its own special kind of magic that wasn't limited to magical status and was shared openly with all who set foot here.

Around every single corner was history and art just waiting for someone to rediscover it. One never knew when they'd turn a corner and be greeted with the sight of a massive cathedral, or stumble into an open market lined with old jewelry and books and prints. On the wind, music seemed to always be coming from somewhere, carrying low over the voices of passersby. It was an absolute symphony of a city, she'd decided. Illowy had thought on the first day of their arrival that Rome seemed like a city she could see herself settling in one day.

She half considered pleading her case to Ruby that they ought to consider picking up everything they've ever known and just move here; where everything was slower and less complicated and warm. It was so wonderfully warm here. They could study for two centuries everything the city had to offer and still not be able to cover it all. It was the perfect city.

Then again, Illowy thought, she might miss the misty early mornings of London. Or the bright colors of the gardens hidden about the place. Big Ben marking the hour and being such a short train ride away from some of the oldest and most wonderful libraries in Europe. London, she considered, did have its own kind of magic too, as old and ancient cities are want to do.

Maybe they could just summer here instead. But that was a thought for another day.

But not today. Today, she had an appointment with a woman she'd met by way of Mr. Calmwood back in the autumn; a former Cursebreaker who had invited her to see her private collection of books and artifacts in the event she ever found herself in the city. When she and Ruby decided that they wanted to finally make their way into the Mediterranean and visit into the city, she wasted no time getting a letter to her newest contact. To say she was excited would be an understatement. Invitations to see private collections were not as easy to come by as one might figure. Though this past year, having gotten her foot in the door with Mr. Calmwood, it had become rather much easier to get connected with other strange and eccentric people like himself. She'd come to realize that community was quite small, and everyone seemed to know everyone. Any question she could come up with, if one person didn't know it, they might be able to think of two other's that probably did.

All the more reason to give her an excuse to keep chase the promise of information to new places.

Speaking of which, the young witch leaned back in her chair to glance at the clock just inside the little flat they'd been renting for their stay. She was meant to arrive at 9 o'clock; better to go on ahead and get an early start so she might enjoy her little journey on the way. The young lady swiftly finished the last dregs of her coffee before clearly her little place on the balcony table. Inside the flat, she made sure to set aside a bit of the simple breakfast she'd put together for Ruby when she woke up, with a little note promising to be back for a late lunch date.

That was another thing she from a year ago would have never believed would have happened. That not only did she have a partner, but that that partner was Ruby, who was traveling the world with her and making every step of each journey twice was magic as it would have been had she been doing this alone. But she wouldn't have been doing this at all, would she, if it hadn't been for the other former Slytherin? If the suggestion of taking the year to travel together hadn't been put on the table, then Illowy would be home in London right now, probably nursing some sore muscles from Auror Training and mentally prepping herself for training tomorrow. Every aspect of her life had changed based on that one decision, and it had been the best decision of her life.

Grabbing her bag, notes carefully tucked away inside, Illowy traipsed down stairs that were probably as old as Merlin himself before the heavy old doors spat her out into the street. The sun was struggling to breach the rooftops of the buildings to warm the streets below, making the quiet roads chilly until you managed to step into the sunlight. It almost would have been worth it to have dressed in a warmer sweater if she weren't positive she'd be overheated by noon.

Pale eyes swept about her, decerning if she wanting to take the prompt way, or the little scenic route she'd mapped out the night before. Yes, she thought, fishing her little silver case of smokes from her pocket along with a muggle lighter, placing one of her little vices between her lips and sparking it to life; there ought be plenty of time to wander her scenic walk. That was the bliss of a Sunday in Rome; there was so reason to rush for anything. No foot traffic to block her way as she meandered along her path, passing ancient fountains along medieval streets.

Somewhere along her path, she could hear some Muggle oldies music floating from an open window above her before turning into a quite narrow alley that hardly looked like it was actually meant to be traveled. It hardly looked like it could fit a grown man. Such is the beauty of magic as the boundary welcomed her in as she easy crossed over into Wizarding Rome.

As beautiful as the Muggle part of the city was, Wizarding Rome was like nothing she had ever seen before. The streets vibrated with activity and magic. People buying and selling below, and above, laundry hung itself out with cloaks and robes billowing about like colorful flags with folks soaring between them on brooms like the Muggles flew past on their bicycles.

They'd already been through this part of the city multiple times, having well indulged in everything there was to offer here. It really was a good thing that trunks and expansion charms existed. Otherwise they'd have had to get more luggage by now. However, she needed to keep in mind that shopping was not on the agenda for this morning. No matter how tempted she was to stop and rummage about all the different wares lining the streets. She was nearly ready to stop for another cup of coffee before she got hold of herself.

A couple streets over and a near missed turn later and Illowy finally arrived to her destination: Prof. P. Pavanelli.

The arched door looked about as old as the rest of the city, the paint near totally chipped away, leaving the impression that it might've once been blue as opposed to making one feel confident that it still was. All the same, she'd scarcely knocked before the door flew open to reveal an older woman with wild pale curled stacked high on her head and dressed in the whispiest orange robes she'd ever seen on a person, "Signorina Magnard, yes?" she grinned, her accent thick around her name.

"Yes, m'am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Pavanelli." she greeted back offering a little bow of her head before the older witch excitedly waved her inside.

The woman sputtered and laughed, "Mama mia! 'Professor Pavanelli' indeed!" before chittering to herself in Italian, "You must call me Polly. Come, come!"

If she'd thought Mr. Calmwood was an excitable chap, Polly Pavanelli made him look absolutely dower by comparison as the woman bustled about, leading the younger towards the back of the house, "Signore Rossi tell me that his friend, Signore Calmwood, speaks very well of you. You like to study, yes?" she said as she led her guest into an atrium Illowy would have never guessed could have been inside. From the small amount of the home she'd seen so far, Polly's collection was far more neat and polished compared to other collections she'd been allowed to visit.

"Yes, m'am. After I graduated from Hogwarts last year, I've been able to take the time to travel about and visit all sorts of libraries and a handful of people have been kind enough to allow me to see their collections or look over their rare books you can't find anywhere else. I think it's been the best year of my life." she grinned as she and the Professor took a seat. Already the woman had a small tea spread set out for their visit.

A dreamy look overtook Polly's face, "Such a wonderful thing. To be young and the whole world still new to you." she swooned, "That is how I spent my first summer after graduating too. And how I got into collecting and studying magical items." she explained before launching into a story of her own adventures, the pair going back and forth talking about all they'd seen. Illowy even adding a few stops to her own list of things she wanted to see.

Eventually the pair finished their modest tea before the real tour began. Every room had no shortage of items and a detailed story to go with it. There seemed to be no question she couldn't answer. There had even come a point where Illowy had the opportunity to consult with her about the items and books she'd encountered over the last year, and Polly was more than happy to bounce back and forth theories and ideas.

By the time their visit came to it's close, Illowy somehow was now in possession of a small stack of books and a little sack of small pieces from the Professor's personal collection, "Professor Pavanelli, I really cannot accept all this. Its too much." she tried to insist, though the little woman would hear absolutely none of it.

"No no no. I give it to you. For your own collection." she explained, hands moving wildly about her as her gaze swept around as though trying to decide if there were any other last minute things she was going to try to pile on. For a moment, Illowy tried to open her mouth again to protest, "Dai!" she said sharply, but not unkindly, "I will hear no more. You consider it borrowing then. Safe keeping for me, while you make your own collection." the witch decided, trying to placate the younger's conscience for feeling like she was robbing an old woman blind when she truly had only wanted to come to see and learn about the collection.

However, by this point, Illowy thought if she tried to refuse the woman's kindness any further, she was just going to start coming off as rude or ungrateful; rejecting the passing on of history and information from one generation to the next, "Thank you, Polly, for letting me see your beautiful collection. I truly appreciate your generosity." she smile, giving a polite bow of her head.

"And you will write. I want to know all about your adventures and what you learn." she grinned before starting to wave the girl off, "Go, go. I know you have someplace you're meant to be. And be safe."

"Yes, m'am." she chuckled as the pair made their way out the door, Professor Polly waving her off from the step.

"Ruby is going to think I totally robbed this lady." she laughed to herself once she was out of earshot, speedily making her way back towards the entrance to Muggle Rome. She'd take the prompt path back to the flat this time, eager to get back to enjoying the rest of her birthday with the person that mattered most to her.