It was way too hot out, so Zoe decided it would be the perfect day to make a trip to the ice cream parlour. She sat down at a small counter, and looked over the menu. There were a lot of very intriguing options, like the classic sundae or what looked like diabetes in a bowl, but she finally settled on a simple freshly baked brownie topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

As she waited for her dessert to arrive, she looked around. It was pretty crowded, unsurprisingly, since it was broiling outside. Groups of friends, laughing and enjoying their sweet treats, might make normal people sad or lonely, but just the happy vibes of other people made Zoe feel great. She waited patiently for about five minutes and her food came. It was delicious, with just the right amount of sweetness in the brownies, and the cold ice cream was just what she needed. While she dug in, the world around her disappeared, which was why it was so surprising when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She was sure her face was covered in chocolate, so she hastily wiped her face, and turned around.

Today is officially the hottest day on record, and I feel like I am melting. I just needed something to cool me down, like anything. That's why when I heard some students talking about going to Diagon Alley for some ice-cream, I immediately thought to do the same thing.

Nothing is more better than something to cool you down on a hot day and some good food to go with it. When I got to 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour', there were a lot of people inside, which I guess makes sense considering the temperature outside.

I was looking around the shop for a place to sit, as there weren't many available seats since there were a lot of people here today. That's until my eyes landed on a familiar red head. I walked towards them, squeezing through people, muttering "excuse me's", and trying not to bump into people. I finally got to them, and tapped their shoulder. They quickly wiped their face, probably thinking they had food all over it, then turned around to face me.

Undoubtedly, the person facing me was none other than my study friend Zoe. She seemed kind of surprised to see me, which I wouldn't blame her, since we hadn't really talked to each other that much since the study session.

"Hey Zoe, remember me, Emma? From the study group?" I question, I know it might be a bit of a dumb question to ask. Like why wouldn't she remember me?! We were literally talking to each other yesterday for a whole hour. But sometimes I feel like people forget about me, and I want to make sure no one does. Besides, it's better to ask her if she remembers me, instead of just starting up a random conversation, and her having no idea who I am.

As I waited for her response, my eyes traveled down to the yet again dazzling rose gold pendant, hanging comfortably on her neck. When she told me about the story of her significant accessory, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I figured that there must be much more to the story, but I'll let her tell me in her own time. If she lets me. When you look at it, you would think there would be a much bigger story behind it.

Once she turned around she was delighted to find a familiar face talking to her. It was Emma, a girl she had met recently, who Zoe wanted to get to know more, and was happy for the opportunity. "Hi, Emma, nice to see you again! Why don't you sit down?" She gestured at the empty stool next to her. Zoe saw Emma's eyes narrowing at her rose gold pendant, and immediately got self conscious and started fidgeting with it. The story of the pendant was something she didn't like talking about, so she hoped that topic wouldn't come up.

As Zoe waited for Emma to sit down, she turned back and took a bite of her brownie. At that point, most of the ice cream was already eaten, leaving the brownie alone with a bit of the melted ice cream to the side. "Have you ordered anything? It's so hot out today, isn't it? Honestly, I think I might be melting," Zoe says, wiping off some sweat from her brow. The busy shop wasn't helping the heat either, since the great amount of people crammed in a not so big room, was surely causing excess heat. Zoe was glad she made the decision to wear a graphic t-shirt and a denim skirt, instead of the long sleeve dress she was originally planning to wear.

Interacting with: @Emma Lew | Word Count: 236 | Text Colour: aa4465

I took a seat on the stool next to Zoe, turning to her, "No, I haven't ordered anything yet, but that's what I came here for." I grab the menu, and skim the different treats they have to offer. That's until my eyes land on a delicious looking item, I got the workers attention, and ordered a 'Classic Sundae', which was exactly what I needed for today. As I wait for my order, I bring my awareness back to Zoe. "Yeah, it is super hot today, seems like everyone has had the same idea of coming here" I say, propping my elbows up onto the counter, and drumming my fingers on it.

I try to not look at the delicious looking brownies waiting to be eaten in front of Zoe, as I can already smell the mouth-watering food, and don't want to drool. So I just look down at my ring, the bright emerald on it shining in the blazing suns light that is seeping through the windows. I realize that I am not fidgeting with it like I usually do, it must be because I've become more comfortable around Zoe. She's not like many people I've met in the Muggle World, well duh I thought, she does have magic. But what I mean is that she's very bright and happy all the time, and every time I see her, she's got a huge smile on her face. For all I know, even in the worst times, she could still think of a positive thing to do or say.

I give in to the brownie, and just turn to look at it. I know I shouldn't want it right now since it's hot, but that can't stop me from just imagining myself eating it. That's when I realize that it's been quiet for a while, so I think of something, anything to talk about. "So, how's school going for you?" I ask, I guess that's a pretty good topic to talk about, considering that we only talked about it a little yesterday, "I find that the school work's been pretty hard in some classes that I specifically don't like. Such as transfiguration, charms, and so on, the only ones I actually do like are Muggle Studies, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and of course Flying." When I finish, my ice-cream is given to me, I say a little "thank you" with a nod, and then turn my attention back to Zoe.

Interacting: @Zoe Pearthel
Word Count: 409

Zoe watched Emma sit down and order. She ordered a classic sundae and once it came, Zoe looked at it, fighting the urge to grab it and gobble it up herself. It's the simple vanilla bean ice cream with whipped cream, fudge, nuts and of course a cherry on the top, but it's a classic for a reason. Zoe, at that point had wiped her plate clean, and had given it back to the server.

"School's pretty okay, Defense Against the Dark Arts is awesome, potions is really hard and I mean flying is flying, right?" Zoe says. "I haven't signed up for broom racing yet, I'm thinking of waiting till next year, so I don't get too overwhelmed with school work and stuff. You signed up though, right? Did you get in?" she asked.

At that point she was parched, longing for a drink so Zoe waved at the server and asked for two glasses of water. They came pretty quickly, and she was delighted to find out they was iced. She passed one of the glasses to Emma's direction and took a few sips from her own "Here. Oh, I joined a few clubs recently. Have you thought about joining any?"

Interacting w/ @Emma Lew | Word Count: 215 | Text Colour: #aa4465

As Zoe handed me the iced water, I grabbed it and put it down in front of me. " Thanks, and um, I have signed up for some clubs" I start, "I joined the Prank Club, it's really fun, I've always been one for getting up to mischief, and you know, it's a way to get your mind off from all the schoolwork." I get the spoon that came with my order, and scoop a delicious amount of ice-cream, whipped cream, nuts, and a chocolate fudge. I stuff it all in my mouth, and close my eyes, savoring the heavenly cold treat inside my mouth.

When I finish my mouthful of the sundae, I make sure I have no fudge, or whipped cream on my face, before turning to continue talking to Zoe. "For the Broom Racing, I'm just on the waitlist, but I hope that soon, I'll be able to fly," I say, ever since I started here at Hogwarts, I've been aching to get on a broom and just fly. That's why I've been looking forward to my Flying lessons, my last one was just saying "Up", and it only took me 10 seconds to do that.

I eat another spoonful of my sundae, then take a drink of the cool, icy water. "So, I was wondering if you know. You would like to hang out some other time?" I ask nervously. I am so afraid that Zoe would reject me, so I make sure to make it more subtle, "considering that we just coincidentally saw each other today. But if you don't want to that's fine, I just, um, yeah." I leave it there, and look down at my ring on my finger. Spinning it around it, nervously waiting for an answer.

Interacting: @Zoe Pearthel
Word Count: 295

Hey, sorry it took so long for me to post back. I've been kind of busy the past couple days, but I'll try to be consistent with posting.

Zoe's eyebrows shot up, hearing Emma's comment on joining a prank club. She had joined a Mischief Makers Club, recently too! "That's crazy! I joined the Mischief Makers Club, a couple days ago! I think it's a different one from yours though. I joined a book club or something as well."

Scooting her chair closer to the counter to let some people pass by, Zoe listened Emma speak about signing up for broom racing. "What made you want to do broom racing, instead of Duelling or Quidditch? I mean, I get that it's fun, but is there a specific reason? For me, I've always wanted to do Quidditch ever since I learnt about it, and I knew I wanted to be Keeper since I was always playing Keeper back home, and they relate somewhat.". Zoe started to brush her hair with her fingers, and then decided to put it up in a bun, since her neck was getting sticky with sweat.

Emma seemed almost done with her sundae, and Zoe wondered what would happen next. "I'd love to hang out sometime! I've been meaning to talk to you one of these days, but you seemed busy."

Thinking back to what she said before about Quidditch, Zoe felt like clarifying. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask about the broom racing thing like it's boring or something, I was just curious, haha"

Interacting w/ @Emma Lew | Word Count: 240| Text Colour: #aa4465

Hearing Zoe say that she'd love to hang out sometime, was music to my ears. I straightened my back, and looked back up at Zoe smiling, feeling a new wave of confidence wash over me. "That's alright, I start, "Well, I still want to do Quidditch, but I chose to do Broom Racing first, since we're only in First Year and I don't really want to rush things to quickly. I eat the last of my sundae, and push it in front of me, to show that I'm done. "I'm probably not gonna do Duelling though, I continue, "I've never really been a fan of spells, that's why I'm so bloody bad at charms. But my Dad wants me to be an Auror like him, it's kind of cool I guess, fighting against Dark Forces. But if I got to choose, I want to be a Professional Broom Racer like Professor Stube in the future, or a Quidditch Player as a Chaser."

I then remember that I have my second Flying Lesson in the upcoming week. Hopefully this time we'll get to hop on the broom. "So, have you joined the Quidditch team yet? I ask Zoe. I don't want to be talking about myself the whole time, and it seems like she has some really cool stuff to talk about. The server took my empty sundae glass, and I nodded as a thank you towards them. "I have been thinking about joining the team soon, and if you did it that would be really cool, since I'd then have a friend there." I say. As I'm waiting for a reply, it seems that the heat has gotten even hotter, if that's possible. I fan myself with my hand, and tuck my hair behind my ears. Dang it, I should've worn my hair up, I thought.

Interacting: @Zoe Pearthel
Mentioning: @Miriam Stube
Word Count: 306

"Yeah, I agree about the duelling thing, I've never been into it much either. And yeah, I joined the team. Well, I'm in the second string, keeper! I'm really excited." Zoe said. Emma seemed to have finished her food, so Zoe gestured to the waiter and asked to clear her plate. Chugging the rest of her water, she said, "Wanna get out of here? We can walk the streets a bit, it might cool us down a bit." She twirled her hair around her finger, the red strands shining as the sunny afternoon light streamed through the windows.

As she waited for Emma's response, Zoe thought about what Emma had said before, about hanging out in the future. Maybe they could eat lunch together, walk through the Hogwarts corridors - that place was a maze, they were sure to get into a series of misadventures there! Chuckling to herself, thinking of that, the store keeper asked them if they were done, as their seats were needed to seat other customers. Zoe nodded, paid for her dessert and looked at Emma. "Looks like we have to get out of here, huh! You're done, right?" Waiting for her friend to pay and finish up, Zoe picked up her satchel, and smoothed out her t-shirt, dusting off a few crumbs.

Interacting w/ @Emma Lew | Text Colour: #aa4465 | Word Count: 230 |

I see Zoe pick up her satchel, then smooth her turquoise dress, "Yeah, I'm done," I say, quickly paying for my food, then getting off the seat. I didn't bring anything with me, so I didn't have to grab anything, I just played with the ring on my finger. When Zoe was ready, we walked out of the parlour. "So, where do you wanna go?" I ask, "There's this really cool place called 'Quality Quidditch Supplies', I haven't been there yet, and since we both have an interest in Quidditch, it would be cool to check it out."

As I wait for an answer, I look around us. I see a bunch of kids walking around the place, I assumed that they all go to Hogwarts. I see people come out of 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes', with Dungbombs and Extendable Ears. I also see people going in and out of 'Magical Menagerie', I see a group of kids all carrying pygmy puffs of a bunch of different colors. In my opinion, those pygmy puffs are kind of scary. Those beady eyes, and you can't even see their feet, they're so quiet, so they're definitely hiding something. I go out of my thoughts, and look back at Zoe, seeing what she's going to say.

Interacting: @Zoe Pearthel
Word Count: 212