The Last Days of Summer pv Aaron Schwartz

Reducio

Some notes:

• People in bold are dNPCs. They will be bolded at the first mention in a thread.
• Word Count: 574 words
• Statements that Aaron says in italics are his thoughts. They are in form: 4169E1.
• Statements that Aaron says in italics and quotes are verbal and can be heard by others. Additional notes (such as loudness or clarity) will be mentioned above or below the quote. The speech is in form:

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The day had finally arrived for the Schwartz family to go to shopping in Diagon Alley. It was a bit late, considering school started in a couple of weeks, but they couldn't do much. After all they had to plan this trip to remove any and all suspicions.

The story was that the family had to go shop for Aaron's boarding school. Technically true, actually false, since a lot of people didn't know the boarding school was called Hogwarts, where not talented children, but magical children go.

They took the Underground since it was cheap. Money was bound to be a bit tight since the exchange rate wasn't that great.

During the entire train ride, Aaron was discretely trying to explain his excitement for shopping at Diagon Alley to Arnold, Aaron's father who is a Muggle. He almost had a couple of slip-ups which others caught on, but his mother, Megan, a witch, was able to cover it up with ease stating that Aaron had recently read a book on magic and is just excited about it.

The family finally reached a station near the Leaky Cauldron. After walking for about 5 minutes, they had reached the famous pub and entered it. It was full. There were people conversing with each other, others who were just having a fun time with themselves, families who had just finished shopping or are just about to start, all just sitting and having a fun time.

And the best part: people were using magic. This was the first time Arnold had seen magic being used at a large scale like he was seeing here. He was prepared as he had seen his wife use magic at home, but never at this scale or this publicly. Aaron was excited. He was one step closer to ge his own wand, cauldron, maybe even a broomstick! Oh wait, not a broomstick as first years are not allowed to have one. But yeah, maybe some jokes from the Weasleys shop to play pranks on or with his going to be new friends.

Unlike Aaron, who was bustling with energy, Megan and Arnold were a bit tired after the journey. Arnold wanted a drink so that he could absorb it all and continue living with this "normal" life.

Aaron thought it was best to give them a while as Megan explains any questions Arnold has as he looks around a pub, maybe find another student in his year, or a senior he can learn from! He saw many groups of friends who were about his age, or alone people who were way older than him. He then saw a 12 or 13 year old girl by herself writing in a notebook and having a hot drink.

"Well, it would be easier to start talking with her I guess."

Aaron first went to the bar and ordered a hot chocolate for himself and carefully went towards her.

"Hey, if you don't mind, can I join you with my hot chocolate?"

Aaron says pointing to the seat opposite her. He was hoping he hadn't disturbed her.

"I'm here with my parents to go shopping. My dad just needs a second to absorb it all. He's a Muggle seeing this the first time. I thought I'll get to know someone who is going to Hogwarts also in the mean time, which I hope you are going to, right?"

He added, hopefully not making it sound weird.

Reducio

@Diana Roberts thanks for inviting me to write with you!

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Mentions: Reducio @Aaron Schwartz

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio

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As a voice broke through the gentle hum of conversation around the Leaky Cauldron Diana looked up from her notebook and blinked once before offering the boy a warm smile. "Not at all," she replied, lightly closing her notebook and sliding it to one side. "Please." She gestured to the chair that he had pointed at which was opposite from her.

She watched as he set his hot chocolate down opposite her before listening to his explanation. His words came quickly, almost as though he was worried he might sound strange if he didn't explain everything at once. Rather than finding it odd, Diana found it rather endearing. "It's nice that your parents came with you," she said softly. "I imagine today must be especially exciting for both of you."

When Aaron mentioned his father being a Muggle seeing the magical world for the first time, Diana glanced briefly toward the man before looking back at him. "Both my parent's are half-bloods," she explained. "I lived mostly in the Muggle world but I knew about magic." She smiled thoughtfully. "I can only imagine how incredible everything must seem when you're seeing it for the very first time."

She nodded at his question. "I am," she answered. "I'll be starting my second year at Hogwarts in a few days." A hint of quiet pride crept into her voice as she spoke. It still felt a little strange saying she was a second-year student. Her first journey on the Hogwarts Express felt as though it had happened only yesterday. Time sure does fly by fast, but Diana would always remember her first year at Hogwarts and her first journey on the Hogwarts Express. "I'm Diana, by the way."

She wrapped both hands around her mug, enjoying the warmth for a moment before asking, "You're starting your first year, then?" Even though he'd basically already said that, she was still confirming. "I remember coming here before my own first year," she continued with a small laugh. "Everything felt new, and I wanted to look in every shop before we went home." However, by the time she was done shopping, she was ready to go home. So, this time she knew she'd be exploring Diagon Alley.

Her eyes then drifted toward the entrance leading to Diagon Alley. "Have you made a list of where you want to visit first?" she asked curiously. "Most people are excited about Ollivanders, but I remember wanting to spend ages in Flourish and Blotts." She smiled sheepishly. "I like books, so I probably could have stayed there all afternoon if my parents had let me." No wonder she'd gotten into Ravenclaw, Diana was a book nerd. But maybe it ran in the family because her mother is a librarian. "Have you been looking forward to Hogwarts for a long time?" she asked as she tilted her head ever so slightly.

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Word Count: 481/200

"Ok, things are going great." Aaron thought to himself as he sat down.

He said a small acknowledgement of thanks and began sipping on his hot chocolate as the girl in front of him began to talk.

Things were going on smoothly and it seems like she was interested in talking with him. Even though he said a lot of things super fast, she still answered them at a conversational pace, ensuring she acknowledges everything he said. He got excited when he realised she was a second year at Hogwarts. He was going to get a lot of his doubts about life at Hogwarts and the various exciting stuff that is going to happen to him after he gets sorted on September 1st.

"I'm Aaron."

he said as Diana was sipping her drink after introducing herself.

He nodded in confirmation as Diana confirmed that he was a first year. Diagon Alley felt like a large place all of a sudden. It couldn't be difficult to visit all the shops within a day, could it?

"I also love to read a lot! I have been looking forward to Hogwarts ever since I knew about it. I was waiting for my first instance of magic to take place so that I can guarantee my place at the school. And that day was just magical. Well, it mostly in the night, but I realised in the day."

Then he thought about the thing he dreaded the most: leaving his Muggle friends, especially Rocky, a Muggle who is Aaron's best friend.

"How was it like? Leaving behind your Muggle friends for a future in magic. Don't you get that feeling that you want to explain everything to them, but the Statue of Secrecy forbids us to do it?"

He added on after a small pause.

He was hoping he could get some tips on how he can help his friends cope with his departure. They can't even contact him using telephones or any other forms of Muggle technology, and he wasn't expecting explaining to them the reason why they need to write letters by hand instead of typing them on the computer.

Just to ensure he had time, he looked over to his parents and saw that they were talking away with each other, his mother clearing all doubts his father had, his father still shocked, but now calm. His father may be a finance officer only, but he was a firm believer of science and it never agreed with him that magic can exist. He always tried to find loopholes in his mother's work, but was never able to do so. Maybe that's what is making it so hard for him to comprehend the things he is seeing right now.

Reducio

• Word Count: 457
• Statements that Aaron says in italics are his thoughts. They are in form: 4169E1.
• Statements that Aaron says in italics and quotes are verbal and can be heard by others. Additional notes (such as loudness or clarity) will be mentioned above or below the quote. The speech is in form:

  946b2d

  .

@Diana Roberts

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Mentions: Reducio @Aaron Schwartz

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio

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Diana listened quietly as Aaron spoke and when he mentioned loving books she smiled. "Then I think you'll enjoy Hogwarts," she said warmly. "The library is enormous. I still haven't explored all of it, and every time I visit, I seem to notice another shelf I'd somehow missed before." She gave a small, almost sheepish laugh. "I probably spend more time there than most students." Of course, one of the meetings she had with the volunteer club was to clean the library, but she was more focused on cleaning than looking at all the books.

Diana's expression softened with understanding when Aaron described waiting for his first instance of accidental magic. She could still remember how exciting everything had felt when she was younger, even though she'd always known about the wizarding world through her family. She had gotten her first instance of accidental magic at the age of seven, months before her gift of being a seer awoken.

His next question caused Diana to pause. She wrapped both hands around her mug again, thinking for a moment before answering. "It was difficult," she admitted honestly. "Most of my friends before Hogwarts were Muggles. They knew I was going away to boarding school, but they couldn't know where I was really going." There had been moments during her first year when she'd wanted to tell them everything: the castle, the moving staircases, learning spells for the first time, even simply watching owls fly through the Great Hall. But she never could. "There were times when I wanted to tell them about something exciting that had happened," she continued quietly. "Then I'd remember I couldn't. It felt strange at first." It was honestly frustrating when this happened. For a brief moment she looked out the window before her gaze returned to Aaron. "But I also realized that not telling them doesn't mean you stop caring about them. When I came home for Christmas and then again for the summer, we still talked about all the things we'd always talked about before. School was different, of course, but friendship isn't only built on one place." A small smile returned to her face.

"You'll make new friends at Hogwarts, and hopefully you'll keep your old ones too. It just takes a little more effort." After a thoughtful pause she added "Writing letters becomes surprisingly normal after a while. I write to my grandmother quite often while I'm at school." Diana smiled fondly at the thought. "There's something nice about receiving an owl. It feels much more personal than a text message." Maybe Diana was just saying that because her snowy owl, Khione, had been the one delivering any messages she received from loved ones.

Her curiosity returned as she tilted her head slightly. "Do your Muggle friends know you're going to boarding school?" she asked gently. "Or have you had to keep that a secret too?" Diana took another sip of her hot chocolate before adding with a reassuring smile "Your first few days might feel overwhelming, but everyone remembers being new. I certainly do. Most older students are happy to answer questions if you ask them."

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Word Count: 524/200

A huge library. Aaron was already imagining of the hours he'll spend, learning new things and improving his magical abilities. Somehow he felt that Diana was a Ravenclaw.

"Are you in Ravenclaw by chance?"

Aaron asked.

Looking back at his parents, he saw their drinks were almost over and his father was starting to either understand things or are just accepting as it is. He felt he didn't have much time before they started looking for him.

Diana then began talking about how she explained the entire missing for almost an year with little to no explanation. As she explained how she told her friends, Aaron could somehow sense some frustration about not being able to share anything whien there is a lot to share. He began to wonder what would he have to do when he has to share such stories.

"It's nice that even though you couldn't share anything with them, your friendship stayed the same as before. Hopefully that remains the same with me."

Aaron said in a small voice, while thinking what would Rocky, his best friend since he remembers, think of him as he starts hiding more secrets than he can count.

Aaron liked how writing letters would become common for him and hoped he could send a couple to Rocky, of course by Muggle post.

"Do you by chance know if I can send letters to Muggles using the Muggle postal service? That way I can keep in touch with my friends and share as much as I can."

Aaron asked excitedly.

When asked about the lie he told he answered saying,

"Yeah, they all believe I am going to a special boarding school for the talented, just so that if it ever comes out that I am a wizard, I can baclk on saying that not everything was a lie."

, hoping that his friends believed it.

He took a quick look and couldn't find his parents where they were sitting originally. After a quick look around he found his parents and realised they were looking for him.

He looked at Diana and said,
@"Thanks for the lovely chat! It was lovely meeting you and learning more about Hogwarts from you. My father has seem to accept the things that are going on around here and I believe is mainly prepared to start looking at Diagon Alley and the numerous shops it has to provide. Hoping to see you at Hogwarts some day soon!"

And so, he quickly finished his hot chocolate and went towards his parents. He realised that he had made a new friend, a friend he would most probably seeing around in Hogwarts quite frequently.

He met his parents and they begin walking towards Diagon Alley.

"So dad, how was your first exposure to magic at one of its highest levels?"

, Aaron asked his father.

"Nothing your mom has done could prep me for this, Aar. I have begun accepting it things though."

"Wait till you see Hogsmede now. That's the only British town which has 0 Muggles. Aaron will be visiting it in his third year, we'll travel there before that."

, his mother said, not knowing Aaron was planning to get a fake permission slip to visit the village this year itself.

This left Arnold in shock as the family finally entered Diagon Alley.

"This is where the fun begins!"

, Aaron said.

Reducio

Word count: 562 words
Thanks a lot @Diana Roberts for writing this RP with me! We can conclude it with your final post.

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Mentions: Reducio @Aaron Schwartz

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio Date has been changed to late July as to not collide w/ summer camp. Aaron, tysm for being my rp partner!! This has been such a lovely rp and I can't wait and hope to rp w/ u again soon!!

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When Aaron asked if she was in Ravenclaw Diana smiled. "I am," she admitted with a quiet laugh. "I was sorted there last September." Before glancing down at her brown gingham top she brushed an absent strand of brown hair behind her ear. "You won't see me dressed like this once term starts, though. The blue trim on my school robes makes it a little more obvious." A small smile lingered on her face. "Ravenclaw has been a wonderful place to spend my first year. I enjoy having somewhere quiet to read after classes, and everyone has been very welcoming."

She nodded thoughtfully when Aaron asked about writing to Muggle friends. "I don't see why you couldn't use the Muggle postal service while you're at home," she replied. "At Hogwarts, though, students normally send letters by owl. If you're writing to someone who doesn't know about magic, I'd just be careful not to mention anything that would break the Statute of Secrecy." She smiled gently. "There are still plenty of ordinary things you can write about. How you're settling into boarding school, the books you're reading, or what you've been doing." Those were mainly what she'd wrote if she'd written letters to her friends. She was also glad that Aaron had found a believable explanation to tell his friends. "I think saying you're attending a special boarding school was probably a good idea," Diana said. "It's close enough to the truth that you won't have to remember lots of different stories."

As Aaron began glancing around for his parents she followed his gaze and noticed that his parents were searching around the Leaky Cauldron. "I think they're looking for you," she observed with a warm smile. Diana's expression softened when he thanked her. "It was lovely meeting you too, Aaron."

As she stood she slipped the now empty mug toward the edge of the table before she lifted her woven brown tote bag that she'd set beside her chair earlier. Before smiling again she adjusted the sunglasses that rested on top of her head almost absentmindedly. "I hope your first year is everything you're hoping for," she said sincerely. "The first few weeks can feel like a whirlwind, but before long Hogwarts starts to feel like a second home." A gentle smile returned to her face. "And if you ever see me around the castle whether it's in the library, the Great Hall, or just walking between classes feel free to come and say hello." She gave a small wave. "I'd be happy to see a familiar face."

Diana couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched Aaron hurry over to his parents. It had been a pleasant way to spend one of the final summer afternoons of July. Before she knows it she'll be going to her very first summer camp in August. She wonders if she'll be able to see Aaron there. Little do they both know they'll be sharing a cabin together amongst others.

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Word Count: 498/200