August 31st, 2023
@Juliet Ashbrook
WC: 539

Aurélie stood on the cobblestone road that made up Diagon Alley. Her father's tall shadow protected her lightly tanned skin from the August sun as she waited for him to be done with his conversation. Her trip to England so far has included many moments like this. It was her father's first time visiting England since they left the United Kingdom in 2015. That meant a lot of catching up with various acquaintances from his time at Hogwarts was in store.

Despite his reserved nature, Rodrigo seemed to know many people in Wizarding London. They could only get so far without being sighted by an old classmate and being dragged into yet another round of small talk. If Aurélie knew anything about her father it was that he hated small talk, yet he seemed all too eager to delve into the trillionth round of pleasantries of the morning. Aurélie's sandals scraped back and forth across the bumpy stones as she waited for what felt like eternity for her father to be done.

Her eyes scanned the busy street. Hogwarts students who procrastinated on their yearly shopping scurried back and forth between the stores, the younger ones with their parents and the older ones with friends. All of them were moving with great efficiency.

Meanwhile, her father was still in conversation with his now-retired Charms professor about boring stuff like research and the quality of the magical food in Spain. Aurélie already knew about Spain's magical food. She has been consuming it her entire life.

The 11-year-old witch typically didn't consider herself a whiny individual but the tedium of it all was starting to wear down her patience. Reaching over, she pulled on her father's arm until he looked over pointedly. He had told her not to do that previously but humored his daughter still. "What's up?"

"Can we go to pick up my books now? We still have more things to buy and not so much time left before lunch," Aurélie reminded, her foot tapping aimlessly against the cobblestone.

"I'm talking to someone right now," Rodrigo stated before reanalyzing his daughter's restlessness, "I think you're big enough to do it on your own now, mija.* Have some money. The book store is that one." He handed her a few galleons and motioned to a storefront with a green painted exterior and books in the window. "Don't spend it on unnecessary things."

"I won't," Aurélie assured him with her head held high. She turned away and began walking in the direction of the shop. Her confident front faded slightly as she looked around at the sea of bodies, tall, English wizards walking this way and that. Her English was advanced given that her father was fluent and she studied it in school but it wasn't that of a native speaker. The fast, overlapping conversations went over her head.

Aurélie reached Flourish and Blotts safely and made her way inside the shop. She looked up at the tall bookcases surrounding her. How was she supposed to know where the books she needed were located?

Italics is Spanish, plain text is English
* Mija means "my daughter" in Spanish and is a common petname

interacting with @Aurélie Vega

IT TOOK JULIET AND HER muggle mother, Daisy, a long time to successfully make their way to Diagon Alley. And by that, I mean, nearly three months.

Although it was explained to them how the wizarding world worked, and how she'd be able to get everything she needed for her first year at Hogwarts - the boarding school she'd attend, to learn all about spells and potions, and whatever else they had to offer -, not only was finding their way there was complicated, but they had so much going on that the family was unable to find a day where all 3 of them could go to London together.

As much as he wanted to tag along, to see and help his daughter embark on this new adventure, Oliver was unable to get a break from work. So, Juliet and Daisy got in the car and drove there. Nearly three hours later - driving plus finding exactly where the Diagon Alley was - and they were here.

Finally.

The Diagon Alley wasn't at all like either of them had expected. An assortment of restaurants and shops were squeezed next to each other, offering new magical experiences at every step. There were so many people walking around, eager to buy their things, some waiting for friends in front of an ice cream parlor.

From the second they arrived, Juliet was unable to keep still - looking around the magical stores and its people, watching families wearing long bright cloaks and pointy hats. On their brief way to Gringotts to get "wizard money", she gasped at the sight of Goblins. People stared at her weirdly, and the girl learned to contain her excitement.

For a long time, she had doubted this, and deep down, she still did. It felt too good to be true - to be part of a world so extraordinary, when a couple of months ago she saw herself as a ridiculously normal girl, living in a bland world. But, everything was different now.

Daisy had the girl's list open, going over everything they needed to buy for tomorrow, humming to herself.

"How about we buy your books first?" Daisy said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and pulling her back, to stop Juliet from bumping against a wizard and his pet owl. "I think that's the store-"

"Mum, this is insane," Juliet smiled, turning to look at the woman. "How many books do I need?"

"A couple," Daisy said, giving her the list. "Magical Theory, Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them... and so much more. Let's go, let's go,"

The two of them rushed inside a big store named Flourish and Blotts. And if Juliet was impressed with the outside, she had to cover her mouth when they walked in - shelves were stacked all the way up to the ceiling with the most diverse books she'd ever seen. Wizards and witches walked around - children yelling at their parents about what books to buy; some books made noise, protected by cases.

"Well... I'll go ask the owner for some help and explain our situation. Stay put, dear," Juliet heard her mother's faint voice, and nodded, turning around to run her hands through smooth-looking covers. The texture was similar to silk. How interesting.

Lost in her amusement, Juliet's back bumped into someone, and she turned around, cheeks burning up in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry..." She let out, clasping her hands together, staring at the girl. The girl looked around her age, or younger, with slightly wavy brown hair, and green eyes. Juliet rambled, "I'm - so unused to all of this, and I got distracted by these books...- Do you know if this is actually silk?"

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