Ice cream and friends Locked

"Yeah, I'm going into my second year," She replies then she began looking around as if looking for something. I glance around the street but can´t guess what she's looking at. "My younger brother's going into the first year as well, though. I'm pretty sure he's going to end up in Gryffindor, like our father." She says then pauses a beat. So she's at least a half-blood I think. I wonder for a moment if I´ll meet her brother at Hogwarts

"Do you have any idea which house you'll be in yet?"She asks.

I guess I hadn´t really thought about it yet. If I had to guess I´d suppose I´d fit in best in Hufflepuff but I supposed they would decide if that was true when I got there.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, but my name's Miranda," Miranda says. That's right I realize we still haven´t introduced ourselves. How was that not the first thing I did? I ask myself embarrassedly.

"Uh, what's yours?" Miranda ask.

¨Oh, I´m Violet.¨ I quickly replied. ¨So you´re from a wizarding family?" I ask. ¨And you´re brothers going to Hogwarts too? Did he come with you here? Do you have any other siblings?¨ I ask hoping I´m not asking too many questions.

"Nice to meet you Violet," Miranda replied, then continued to answer the other questions she'd been asked, ticking them off on her fingers as she went. "Yes, I'm from a wizarding family. Both my mother and father are magical - in fact, my whole family as far back as I can remember is. And yes, my brother, Cedar, is going to Hogwarts as well. He came with me through the Floo Network...but he ditched me back at the bookstore. I figured it was just best to stick around and wait him out." She paused for a moment, trying to remember what the last question had been. "Sadly, no, I don't have any other siblings. It's just me and Cedar, although I suppose I could count Edymal as a family member, but he's more like our studious uncle than anything else." Just in case, she explained who Edymal was. "He's our family house elf, but even though he isn't free, my parents pay him wages and everything. He has all sorts of things other house elves don't, like days off and all that, too."

She realized she'd said quite a bit, so Miranda decided to ask Violet a few questions. It would help her quest to figure out the girl's future house, if nothing else.

"So what about you?" Miranda asked with a curious expression. "What's your family like?"

"Nice to meet you Violet," Miranda replied to me, before she starts to answer my questions. "Yes, I'm from a wizarding family. Both my mother and father are magical - in fact, my whole family as far back as I can remember is." Well she defiantly knows more about the wizarding world then me. "And yes, my brother, Cedar, is going to Hogwarts as well. He came with me through the Floo Network...but he ditched me back at the bookstore. I figured it was just best to stick around and wait him out." She said I wondered if he would end up coming back or not.
"Sadly, no, I don't have any other siblings. It's just me and Cedar, although I suppose I could count Edymal as a family member, but he's more like our studious uncle than anything else." She said, I looked at her confused Edymal who was that ? Did he work for her family? She seemed to realize my confusion because then she says, "He's our family house elf, but even though he isn't free, my parents pay him wages and everything. He has all sorts of things other house elves don't, like days off and all that, too."

I still didn't know much about house elves but from what I had found out about them. this was a lot better circumstances then what most of them get.

"So what about you?" Miranda asks me, "What's your family like?"

I wasn't really prepreared for the question I didn't have much to say. I shrug in response, "I'm an only child. Muggle-born. In fact I just found out I was a witch about a week ago. My parents are nothing special my mom works at a bookstore in town and my dads an electrician. They came with me but know their off getting some of my school books."
I try to think of something else to add. "I have a few aunts and uncles and a couple cousins but I'm not close with any of them. Sorry I'm not that interesting." I say with a bit of a laugh. "Anything else you want to know?" I ask her unsure exactly of how to continue this conversation.

Miranda brightened upon learning that Violet was a muggle-born. While she didn't exactly have the highest opinion of their "technology", she still found the ways they invented to survive without magic fascinating. There was so much to learn about their way of life! More specifically, there was so much she didn't know about the way they lived.

"Not that interesting?" Miranda echoed after Violet had finished, her expression one of disbelief, with a bit of amusement mixed in. "That's not how I see it. I mean, sure, I know a wizarding lifestyle probably sounds, well, magical to most muggles, but for me, it's kind of routine." She grinned at the younger girl. "But a muggle's life...now that's something new."

She paused, trying to think of some questions to ask Violet while she still could. "So where did you go to school before Hogwarts? Or where you home schooled, like me? Honestly, quite a few of the other pure-blood and wizard-borns that go to Hogwarts have been home schooled, as far as I've seen. I guess their parents don't trust the muggle schooling system or something. My parents just didn't trust my brother and I to behave ourselves in front of people who aren't in the know."

"Not that interesting?" Miranda reapeats for some reason she looks like she defiantly doesn't believe that.
"That's not how I see it. I mean, sure, I know a wizarding lifestyle probably sounds, well, magical to most muggles, but for me, it's kind of routine." She say's smiling, "But a muggle's life...now that's something new."

I suppose I never thought about anyone in the wizarding world being curious about muggles.

"So where did you go to school before Hogwarts? Or where you home schooled, like me? Honestly, quite a few of the other pure-blood and wizard-borns that go to Hogwarts have been home schooled, as far as I've seen. I guess their parents don't trust the muggle schooling system or something. My parents just didn't trust my brother and I to behave ourselves in front of people who aren't in the know."

I suposed it made sense that most wizards would home schooled. The muggle schooling system would definatly be hard to get through for a kid who keeps having magical mess ups and escipally for one who's not able to keep the secret about magic.

"No I wasn't homeschooled. I went to a normal muggle school, pinewood elementary." I said. I tried to think about something else to say to continue the conversation. "So, um, I'm not really sure what else to say. As you tell I'm awful about continuing conversations. So, how, uh, do you like Hogwarts? In any clubs? Have any interesting hobbies?

"I'm in a few clubs," Miranda replied with a nod. "There are quite a few, and for all sorts of things from baking to dueling to homework. And pretty much all of them are student-made." She tapped her chin in thought. "I'm in a Scavenger Hunt Club, another club called S.W.A.G, which is basically for competitive sports, and possibly one or two more I don't quite recall at the moment. Oh, and the Pack. It's for..." she trailed off, looking slightly awkward. Sure, she didn't have a problem telling most people about her...affliction, but a muggle-born who'd only recently learnt about the wizarding world? That might end up problematic if she'd only ever heard of creatures like Miranda in horror stories. "Um. It's for...werewolves. Like me," she added, just in case Violet didn't quite understand at first. "But I promise we're not all like the muggle stories put us as. As long as we're careful...and we have to be, or the ministry will descend on us like, well, wolves, we're perfectly fine. There are ways for us to...control ourselves at full moons." She tensed, waiting for the other girl's verdict. Miranda wasn't sure what she expected, but anything from shock to anger to fear sounded about right.

"I'm in a few clubs," Miranda answered,

"There are quite a few, and for all sorts of things from baking to dueling to homework. And pretty much all of them are student-made I'm in a Scavenger Hunt Club, another club called S.W.A.G, which is basically for competitive sports," so definatly not for me I thought I was very far from athletic. "and possibly one or two more I don't quite recall at the moment."

My eyes widened at this I had never been in so many clubs I couldn't even remember all if them. Honestly I was in very few clubs I always felt uncomfortable like i had nothing to add to any club I joined. "Oh, and the Pack. It's for..." She paused she suddenly seemed to look very uncomfortable. I looked at her confused. Why was she nervous all of the sudden.

"Um. It's for...werewolves. Like me," She said.

My eyes instantly widened and I couldn't hide the shock on my face.
She was s werewolf? I looked at her again trying to see how she was any different any ordinary person but well she looked normal.

"But I promise we're not all like the muggle stories put us as. As long as we're careful...and we have to be, or the ministry will descend on us like, well, wolves, we're perfectly fine. There are ways for us to...control ourselves at full moons." She said clearly nervous. Honestly as I thought about it hard was to be afraid of Miranda. I mean she was standing in front of me staring at the ground looking terrifed about what I thought. And even though it was quite a surpise I guess I hadn't even thought of werewolves going to Hogwarts but I think I was more curious then anything else did they have any control over themselves when they transformed? Where they stronger then normal people? And a million other questions instatly rushed through my head. I guessed it would be rude to start asking every question I had so i tried to slow down my rush of thoughts and think of something to say that wouldn't be weird? I guess?

"A werewolf huh? I've never met a werewolf before. Thats pretty cool." I say. Really thats the best thing you can come up with? I think mentally kicking myself. "So our thwir lotsof werewolfs at Hogwarts?" I ask curious about how comon this was.

At Violet's words, Miranda did nothing but blink for the longest moment. Then she smiled tentatively. "You think it's...cool?" she asked, hoping against hope that this encounter might actually go well. Although a small part of her was still waiting for the younger girl to go "ha, nope!" and then start talking about what a freak she was, or simply leave. It was a fear left behind after years of neglect and blank looks that she'd received from her parents after her transformation. Sure, they'd kept her mostly safe - both from herself and others - but that was really it. There were no more conversations about how the world worked as she went to bed...no more games after supper or chances to help with the creatures before. It was like she'd ceased to exist, at least in their eyes.

"As for other werewolves...well, yeah there are several more. Not as many as there are full humans, but enough." Miranda was cautious about keeping the exact amount vague, as well as about who was who, exactly. Many other werewolves weren't as open about their true nature as Miranda was, which meant they would no appreciate it if she told their hard-hidden secret to a first year, no matter how understanding she originally seemed.

Miranda didn't say anything for a long moment and I started to worry if I'd done something wrong on accident when she repliec hesitantly, "You think it's...cool?" she said nervously. She sounded so terribly surpised by my reaction that I started to wonder what reaction she usally got? It definatly didn't seem positive.

"As for other werewolves...well, yeah there are several more. Not as many as there are full humans, but enough." Miranda said. I mused over this curious if anyone else I had seen at diagon alley was a werewolf too obviously you couldn't tell just by looking at them. Well, unless you know they were turned into a wolf. I didn't want to make Miranda uncomfortable but still I couldn't get the question out of my head.

"H-how um, how did you become a werewolf? I mean if you don't mind my asking. I mean you can't be born as one right? You have to be bitten or something..." I mutter out wondering why I was even asking. Why would she tell me? She probably thinks I'm insensitive and dumb I think to myself instantly switiching my gaze from the girl to the tiled floor beaneath my feet.

"...yes, you have to be bitten," Miranda replied with a sigh. She wasn't the most comfortable explaining, mostly because it brought uncomfortable flashbacks of moon-lit nights and flashing teeth in the dark, but she more than anyone understood the pursuit on knowledge. Who was she, after all, to bar Violet from learning more. Chances were that if she asked anyone else, she might end up with an explanation made to sound biased against lycanthropes in general, which would no doubt be bad for the werewolf population at Hogwarts.

"Bitten or scratched, that is," Miranda corrected herself, this time in a stronger voice. "I was bitten, but you'll probably find an equal amount of people that were turned either way. And since it's not passed on genetically, if you find two werewolves that are closely related to one another - father and son, perhaps - it's quite likely that it was caused by one turning the other because of their close quarters. It made Miranda fiercely glad that, while her parents had never gotten any Wolfsbane potion for her, they'd at least had the common sense to lock her up securely every full moon to ensure no one was hurt. If she one day bit Cedar...or worse, Miranda would never forgive herself.

"It's not really that complicated," she continued. "Once bitten or scratched, if you survive you start turning into a similar beast every full moon. And not exactly like all those muggle tales portray us, either. Most werewolves just look like normal wolves, although sometimes their eyes look a bit more intelligent than average, and their snouts tend to be slightly shorter."