Tuesday, August 17th, 2021
Flourish and Blotts

A beautiful blonde woman aimed her wand at the fireplace, whispering "Incendio" as a small fire grew. Grabbing a handful of powder, she threw it into the fireplace, watching carefully as the warm tones of the fire transformed to an emerald green blaze. "Come on, dear. Let's get going now. Haven't got all day." She stated, grasping her daughters hand who was a spitting image of her. They walked into the flames and her mum gave her a nudge. "Diagon Alley!" Rora shouted with precise pronunciation.

Next thing she knew, Rora emerged from the fire into a cobbled street lined with witches and wizards of all ages. Brushing off her black velvet dress, she admired the scene of children around her age buzzing with excitement as they walked in and out of the eclectic shops. This would be Rora's first year at Hogwarts and she had been day dreaming for months now. Her mum, Rose, and her would be picking up all of her school supplies today and be meeting up with some of their family friends who also had a child heading off to Hogwarts this year. "Alright Rora, where to first?" Her mum squeezed her shoulder encouragingly, with a soft smile on her face.

"I think Cyrus wrote that he would be at Flourish and Blotts first. Why don't we start there?" Rora had four other siblings, all of whom were already at Hogwarts. She had received their hand-me-down books for her first year so she didn't technically need to buy anything at the bookstore, but she looked for every excuse to peruse the shelves and attempt to persuade her mum to buy her something.

As an avid learner and academic, Rora had already read her potions and herbology books front-to-back multiple times. The next subject she was intrigued by was Care of Magical Creatures, which she already knew wouldn't be a class during her first year. Regardless, she pushed through the door to Flourish and Blotts and scanned the room. It was a marvelous sight with shelves as high as the ceilings, stacked with books bound in leather and silk. "Magical creatures," she exclaimed softly, heading toward the section and looking through a variety of books on hippogriffs. The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology caught her eye and she plopped it open on the shelf, examining the pages.

Word Count: 390 | Featuring @Cyrus Keogh

Despite growing up in the wizarding world Diagon Alley still managed to amaze Cyrus. Living near Caerphilly had its benefits, but the market there hardly compared to London. The street was packed with people of all sizes and shapes in robes of every colour imaginable. To the unprepared mind, it would definitely be a sensory overload. The hustle and bustle of the streets surrounding Cyrus were almost enough to distract from the fact that finally, finally, he was going to Hogwarts.

"Dear, where did you say Rora was meeting you?" Behind him, Cyrus could hear his mother begin to dig through the purse hanging at her side. With a gentle smile, she handed the tween his list of school supplies, crumpled as it was; no big deal, easy fix for a witch.

"Flourish and Blotts, mum. Wanted to start there first." With the list in his hand, Cyrus was a man on a mission. Not only was he going to see Rora, but they were also going to Hogwarts! He didn't have time to mosey about like his mother seemed to be set on doing. Grabbing her hand, the excitable boy began to gently tug her through the crowd. The sea of magical folk moved aside easily enough around Cyrus.

"You can slow down, love, the bookstore isn't going to vanish. I'm sure Rora will still be there if you're a little late," Amusement was evident in her voice. Cyrus knew he was being a bit ridiculous, but excitement weighed out over reason: Flourish and Blotts was in sight. Upon arrival, Cyrus finally slowed down and released his grasp on his mum's hand.

Books weren't anything to be ecstatic about. At least, that's what Cyrus thought. Yeah, he needed them to learn all the amazing magic he was going to do, but they just didn't hold his interest. He could easily be off somewhere else, getting into mischief much more quickly than he could read a book. Cyrus was much more excited about seeing Rora and getting ready for school to start. With magic, the pranks he could pull were unlimited. She's gotta be in here somewhere... Rora loves books... Glancing through the stacks, Cyrus managed to catch a flash of golden hair. There! With that, he rushed over, doing his best not to knock over any books along the way.

Tuesday, August 17th, 2021
Flourish and Blotts

The pages danced on Rora's fingertips as she became enthralled in her Hippogriff book. Her intense focus was broken by her mum's hand grasping her shoulder. "Have you looked for any of the books yet, Rora? Might as well get a head start helping Cyrus before he gets here." Flushing slightly, Rora closed the book she was reading. Right, he was here to buy some school books. While the young blonde often judged her mum for talking her head off to friends for hours on end, the apple didn't fall far from the tree, but in a different way. Once Rora was fully engrossed in something, she could spend hours doing the activity and not even realize. "Ok yes, he'll need..." She unfolded a piece of parchment and rattled off the list to her mum.

"Magical Drafts and Potions;
Book of Spells;
Magical Theory;
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection;
Hogwarts, A History;
A History of Magic;
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Raising her eyebrows, Rora scanned the list again. She had already read each of the books on this list at least one time through. Her favorites so far were Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Book of Spells. Rora spent the summer holding a twig from the outdoors and practicing her incantations and wand movements. "Mum, why don't you go look for the history books. I'm already over here so I can grab the magical creatures one and then I'll migrate to the potions section."

Not soon after her mum had wandered off, Rora glanced around and picked back up her Hippogriff book. Cyrus isn't even here yet - no need to rush anything. Not much left to check off my list anyway. A brunette boy appeared by her side not too soon after she had gotten sucked back into the book. She excitedly snapped the book shut and thrust it back onto the shelf. A smile spread wide and excitedly over her face and she flung her arms around the boys neck, hugging him tight. "Cyrus! It's so lovely to see you! Can you believe that we'll be at Hogwarts in a couple weeks?" Her hug was definitely overbearing, but it was full of shared excitement the two had over this next chapter in their lives. Cyrus was a dear friend to Rora and she couldn't imagine starting school and taking on the wizarding world with anyone else.

Word Count: 409 | Featuring @Cyrus Keogh