It was about that time of the year again, except she'd be waiting months until the snow fell as she unwrapped presents by the tree. Needless to say, it wasn't Christmas, but with a purse (or bag as she might have said) filled with galleons from her father, it might have well been.

Emma, despite Ravenclaw's notorious reputation, wasn't much of a schoolgirl. Her grades didn't compare to most of the Eagles, and with each year that pass, she wondered if the sorting hat had made a mistake. She hated shopping for supplies but had no reason to complain yet. After all, she could have been using the stipend she earned from Hogwarts. With her books, cauldron, and of course, wand checked off the list, it left one more spot. To no surprise, she had saved the worst for last.

Possibly the only thing getting her through the shopping spree were her siblings, at least that's what she referred to them as. With growing up in the same household for the entirety of their lives, they had the responsibility of accommodating each other while they too checked off their shopping lists. It was not their first time in Diagon Alley, not for herself, Kiki, or Abraham; they frequently visited just to buy a scoop of ice cream. Who would resist their rich, silky raspberry flavor? None of the three, for sure.

With their game plan stuck on repeat, she was sure to meet them back at the ice cream shoppe. Until then, the brunette would have no issue shopping with the remainder of money still clinking softly as she stepped through the door. Despite visiting the Alley so often, Emma rarely stepped foot inside Madam Malkin's store. She wasn't much of a shopper; it was just one of the few things she declared feminine along with glitter, the color pink, and skirts. Her outfit had none of the sorts.

Sighting the students filed in a line, Emma heaved a heavy sigh that was drowned out by the sound of another student walking in. She didn't need the robes for this year, and if the occasion called for it, there was always one of her old gowns she could charm to fit her size. She rarely attended Hogwarts's 'special' events, they were always filled with trouble. Any student, regardless of school, could account for her words. She had twenty minutes to burn, but unsure if her hyperactivity could stand the wait, she skimmed the store.

Her hands grazed over the pricetag of many bedazzled dresses, only the ones she could picture herself wearing. She was very picky when it came to style or even food. Everything was so expensive, though she made no money close to her father's. Quickly dropping the tag as if jolted by electricity, she moved on to the next thing that caught her eye. Except for this time, it wasn't a dress that caught her eye, but a person. This had to be a dream.

It was as if she were staring at her younger self, the same messy hair, the same eyes, and the same... well, not height. Emma couldn't remember being so... well, fun-sized. Still, she couldn't help but stare at the miniature version of herself. "Hey," She barked in a whisper, waving her hand rapidly as to get her attention. "What's your name?" The robes could wait.

@Everly Charlton || 563

It was really impressive how far she'd come. Perhaps a couple years back, she would have never had the confidence or personal skills to approach someone, more or less start up a conversation with someone she didn't know. Even now, it was rare to find her speaking with a stranger. The girl, however, seemed to resemble the complete opposite of a stranger: herself, and she had been given more than enough time to whip her mind in shape.

When the girl turned to face her, her brunette's eyes widened in horrored surprise. Emma stared at the reflection looking back at her, there was no way. It must have been a dream, but the brunette didn't have frequent dreams much to her demise. No exciting trips that left her gasping for breath and no exciting stories to write down. Dreaming came rare for her; this was real, but was it a good or bad sign? Had she just found her long lost twin? With her domestic drama between her parents, it was a possibility. Up until a couple of months ago, she believed she was an only child. Nothing was off limits until she found out the truth, but maybe she was just overreacting. She was a typical theatre kid.

Perhaps she had gotten her hands on a time-turner. With her mischievous nature, it was no good in her hands and if it were true, this was only proving her claim. Tampering with time was dangerous, she could have just created a ripple in time. She couldn't remember ever getting ahold of one in her younger years; this girl definitely wasn't her age, but it seemed like the only logical answer.

"I didn't think I was old enough to be a ghost." Her words were drawn out with awe, looking the girl up and down (but mostly down). Brushing off her side, the brunette looked around for any sign that she could be dreaming; this wasn't real. Though her theory stood true, Emma found it a bit peculiar looking down at herself. She couldn't shake the idea of having a twin, another addition to the family that hadn't already been exposed to her trauma. A fresh start, essentially.

"What's your name?" She asked in response, partially hoping she wasn't idiotic enough to smuggle a timekeeper into her possession. It wasn't a half bad idea, actually, to go back and redo every mistake she'd committed. It would be hypocritical to say those mistakes were intentional, but those were no mistakes. Too bad she didn't learn from them. "I came to buy clothes... I wasn't expecting to run into myself. I don't remember shopping first year. Hogwarts, right?

@Everly Charlton || 452

This didn't happen often. Everly frowned at the older girl. Of course, there were still a few differences between them, one, obviously, being that she was older, but besides those, they were carbon copies of each other. Were they related in some way? It was entirely possible, Everly knew firsthand how impossibly complicated pureblood families could be. She didn't know half of the people that she was introduced to were related to her. Yet, they looked so similar that it had to be an immediate relation. She didn't recognize the other girl at all, though... besides the fact that they were identical. Was she some estranged older sibling? Adeline didn't look anything similar to Everly, though, so how possible could it be that they looked more related than she and her actual sister?

She shot a glance back at the aforementioned blonde. She was leaning against the wall, chattering away with someone Everly didn't know. Adeline would be fine. For the time being. She had some investigating to do.

Now she was curious. "Maybe you are. Oh, am I the ghost?" Everly jabbed herself with her wand as if to prove a point.

Everly glanced back at the other girl. She looked just as about in wonder as she was, though Everly was a bit better at disguising it. "This is real, right?" she poked herself again, the spot blossoming in anger. Everly should probably stop, but she did it one more time for good measure, before leaving it alone. "I'm Everly. You're...?"
Everly scrutinized the other girl once more. "Wha- I'm a second year," she said, mock-offendedly, puffing up her chest. "Yeah, Hogwarts. I'm in Gryffindor. What're you, a... fourth year? Fifth year? Have I seen you around before? I don't think so, I probably would've remembered you, right?"

@EMMA MILANES==
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NEW YEAR, NEW ROBES | 00 AUGUST 2021