It had been a seriously long day, and all December wanted was to meet back up with her dads and go back home. Her feet ached in ways she never thought was possible, and the streets were crowded with way too many of her obnoxious peers. Why they chose to go shopping on what was probably the busiest day of the summer was beyond her, but she definitely had some choice words she wanted to share with them.

December continued to walk towards Flourish and Blotts with her numerous shopping bags in tow. Years of gymnastics meant that she wasn’t weak by any means, but the combination of all the things she had bought were still weighing her down quite a bit. Though the main reason for the trip had been to get her school supplies, she knew her parents wouldn’t mind if she picked up a few extra things that caught her fancy as well. What fun was shopping if you only got what you needed?

A disgusted look crept across December’s face as she passed a particularly loud group of what she assumed to be Hogwarts students. It was fascinating to her that she was even the same species as them, let alone the same age. She really hoped that she would be able to find at least someone who shared her level of sophistication once she went to Hogwarts. Being constantly surrounded by a bunch of nitwits with nobody else to talk to would prove to be extremely difficult.

As she was approaching Flourish and Blotts, she felt someone sprint past her on the left. It was a young boy who was giggling and snorting like a buffoon, looking behind him like a maniac. She quickly glanced behind herself and saw that there was another boy who was chasing after him. She shot the first boy a disapproving glare and began to walk toward him so that she could tell him off when something terrible happened.

It seemed like the second boy hadn’t been expecting her to move, because he ended up stepping on the back part of her shoe, causing the strap that held her foot in place to completely rip apart. She bent down to pick it up and stared at it in shock for a moment before being filled with rage.

”You TWAT!!!” she yelled, shaking her shoe above her head to demonstrate the damage. He seemingly either couldn’t hear her or didn’t care, because him and his friend kept running further and further away. ”GET BACK HERE!” she shouted, putting her hands up to the side of her mouth in a cup shape to help make it louder, but it was no use. The boys were both long gone.

⠀Flourish and Blotts had always been known for being busy throughout the year, but especially so when being was a fresh start to the school year, for both new students and previous ones. Unfortunately for Falentra, she had picked the worst time to go. Kids were everywhere, literally, to the point where squeezing past people could have been impossible. Well... not impossible, but Falentra didn't do small, crowded places. That and she was just over dramatic at times.


After what seemed like hours, she had eventually managed to gathered all of her important and required books for the year ahead. She stacked them together in her famous old tattered shoulder bag then casually swung it over her shoulder, groaning slightly at the sudden difference in weight.
She didn't wait any longer after that, to the point where she just barged past other customers and even the owner, not even thanking them. It wasn't like she was rude, in the sense that she had no manners, because she surprisingly did. Her mother taught her well in fact, but apart from that, she was as rude as you could get.


Standing beside the door that would lead into Flourish and Blotts, she let herself fall; her back hitting the wall and supporting her up just about. Outside wasn't much better, but at least she could breath.
A small sign escaped her lips whilst she calmed herself down, taking a few deep breaths in between. ' Breath Falentra. Don't let these stupid, overexcited kids get to you. ' She reassured herself, as her hues scanned the area, trying to find where to go next.
Whilst doing so, she overheard a girl shouting. Everyone was shouting and screaming on these crammed streets but that..that was something that everyone would have probably turned their attention to.

Being her nosey self, she made her way up the street towards the shouting, to then be suddenly greeted by two boys, running straight past her. Luckily for her, she managed to dodge them both in the process. ''Idiots...'' She mumbled under her breath, but shaking it off straight after, not really letting it bother her.

Upon reaching the girl she tilted her head, immediately judging her in the back of her mind, although her eyes probably gave it away. She narrowed them as she looked her up and down, instantly thinking she was some snobby rich kid. Nice clothes, nice bag, nice hair, pretty features. It seemed like she had it all, included a big mouth.
She had no idea at times that she would be giving others a glare or even a dirty look. It was probably just her natural resting face by now, with the amount of times she had done it. Not that it bothered her at all. It was probably best if others tried not to approach her. God knows how she would try and even attempt to make conversation. It wasn't a strength of hers.

Falentra gave a disapproving smirk as her eyes finally met the others before making the effort to try and talk to the other. A small groan, only load enough for herself to be heard left her lips in discomfort, not really wanting to talk, but since she was staring at her for god knows how long, she knew she had to do or at least say something now. ''What the 'ell are you screaming at? Are you craving some sort of attention or what?'' Her tone was bland. There was no hint of annoyance. It was like she was just fed up and tired, not really sure how to even come across nice towards people through speech.

Staring at the broken Gucci slide, December was devastated. She was cursing her luck, sure that nothing could possibly make this day worse, when she saw a girl that appeared to be about around her age glaring at her. The girl had short, somewhat unruly black hair that highly contrasted against her own and brown eyes that were filled with something December couldn’t quite place. Something about the girl was a bit eerie but also intriguing.

Just when December was about to ask if there was anything she could help her with, the girl spoke. Her tone was a strange sort of empty that December didn’t know how to interpret. She kept her guard up and let out a cold chuckle before replying. ”Attention? No, I don’t need to crave that,” she mused. She was determined to project a sort of confidence, but the words felt fabricated. She held up her shoe in explanation and flashed a carefully planned smile. ”Those things broke my shoe,” she sighed before lowering her arm to her side and glancing towards the book shop. She kept her bare foot elevated a few inches from the ground. ”Nothing a bit of magic can’t solve, though, right?” She laughed. She sound was high-pitched with a sort of fraudulent undertone that one might find to be unsettling.

Curious to know more about her potential classmate, December gestured to the bag the girl had slung around her shoulder and the nearby sign to Flourish and Blotts. ”Anyways, what brings you here? Were you getting your books for school?” The more she could learn, the better. She saw the world as a giant chess game, and every great chess player knew that it's essential to always think three moves ahead. Though her classmates would be her greatest friends and allies, it was also true that they would be her most fierce opponents. The more she knew about them, the easier it would be for her to construct a plan of who she should side with and who to avoid. Would this girl turn out to be a friend or a foe?

Nothing a little magic can't solve? Did December know it was against the law to use magic under the age of seventeen and outside of school? It baffled her that someone with what seemed had a hell of a lot of money needed to even bother using magic at all. Did she even know any spells at this age? All these questions ran through her mind whilst the other continued to talk to her. She saw the movement in the lips of the other, knowing full well she was being talked to but decided to blank it out and secretly focus on worrying about the thought of December using underage magic.

Whether the other was still talking to Falentra or not, she took her complete attention away and began to rustle through her own bag searching for something in particular. It hadn't taken her long to find it. It was a tube of super glue. Something that muggles used, yes, but as Falentra had been on her own for awhile she had no other choice than to try and follow their own rules and ways.
'' Here you go. It might help keep your shoe together for a little while. '' Falentra had never shared with anyone before and didn't know understand why she had started to all of a sudden. It was definitely strange.

Of course, glue was probably some sort of insult to December. Afterall, it is one of the cheapest things you could probably buy and all. But it's the thought that counts, right? At least that's what she thought. She had to admit; helping another did feel pretty good. She couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto her lips, but only for a split second. The other's voice caught her off guard once more.

Books? ... Ah yes. How could she forget about those things? The weight was causing her shoulder to ache by now and she hadn't planned on carrying them for much longer. She glanced over her shoulder and nodded towards the shop; Flourish and Blotts. '' That place? You don't want to go in there, it's stupidly busy. '' She shivered even from the thought of going back in, but after making this much effort into being so nice, she figured she hadn't much choice now.
'' Haven't you got someone to carry all of that stuff for you? '' She didn't need to but she couldn't help look the girl up and down once more. It was a bad habit. '' No offensive but you look the type to have a house-elf with you or something. ''
Before she gave any time for the girl to respond she began to turn around and walk towards the shop once more, hopefully making it her last visit. '' Are you comin' or what? I can't imagine anyone going in here alone and sufferin' like I did. '' Falentra made it sound so dramatic, but it really was a horrid atmosphere. If she was going in there again, she needed to add some dry sense humour to help her get through the torture; starting with mocking the other. '' Come on, let's go and have a...jolly good time~! ''

Coming from a magical family whom had little to no reason for muggle interaction, December was unfamiliar with the tiny bottle that Falentra pulled out of her bag. She took it cautiously and studied it for a moment. It appeared to be some kind of solution called “super glue”. She was completely unaware that it was something that muggles used, instead assuming that Falentra just had a strange stock of magical utility products on hand.

”Hmm I haven’t seen anything like this before. Where did you get it?” a part of her was a bit afraid of putting the substance on her shoe, but an even bigger part of her was curious to know if the exciting new product worked. She screwed the cap off the bottle and held it up to the strap of her shoe. Since Falentra had said that it would keep her shoe together, she assumed that it needed to go onto the broken part, so she drew a straight line with the glue along the strap. ”So what, I just hold it together now?” she asked, though she didn’t wait for an answer before she did so.

A piece of white blonde hair fell into the girl’s face as she lifted her head back up to meet Falentra’s gaze. She whisked it away with a careful shake of her head and let out a groan. For some reason, she hadn’t put it together that busy street meant busy bookstore, and she immediately wanted to just start to walk home and hope her dads followed suit. Her feet were aching, her brain was about to explode, and there was virtually no part of her that wanted to step inside the bookstore if even for a moment. ”Ugh, normally I wouldn’t, but I need to go meet back up with my dads,” she explained, a feeling of desperation moving over her.

Before she could have time to dwell too hard on the task before her, the other girl was mentioning something about having a house elf and turning around to walk towards the shop. A jolly good time? She let out a snort. It was nice to see that any thought of there being tension between them melted away, and December couldn’t help but give a sort of genuine half-smile. Had she met someone she could actually tolerate? She stared at her for a brief moment before following along towards the store. It would be easier to face the crowds with an ally of sound mind and like attitude towards some of their less-mature counterparts. If nothing else, they would have each others’ backs.

”Don’t be silly, our house elf is at home preparing dinner,” she giggled, tossing a bit of white blonde hair behind her shoulder as she continued to head into the shop. She knew that the girl didn’t necessarily care about the status of her house elf and was more or less just commenting that she looked like she had money, but she didn’t mind it. She actually liked the attention that her wealthy accessories and fine clothing brought her, otherwise she wouldn’t wear it at all. ”Anyways, I think I look much more posh carrying these bags around myself, don’t you?” She struck a few poses that she remembered seeing some models do at a fashion show once, clearly trying to impress or entertain the girl. She laughed at herself slightly before continuing. ”Dad always said I would be a great model, you know,” she sighed. ”But I simply wouldn’t have time between gymnastics and dance.” She peered over at the black-haired girl, studying her a moment. ”What do you like to do for fun?” Meeting a new person was like a puzzle, and December was determined to solve it as quickly as possible.

There was a moment of relief as her body was hit with an amazing amount of cool air as she stepped into the store. The feeling was quickly replaced with annoyance, however, as she glanced around and saw literally every Hogwarts student and their mother browsing the book store. It would be extremely easy to get lost in here. There was barely enough room to stand, let alone to walk around in. She shot the girl a worried gaze. ”It’s a madhouse in here!” Her voice raised almost to a shout to be heard over the murmurs of the crowd. Feeling a bit of panic, she stood on her tiptoes to try and see over all of the heads surrounding her, but it was not use - she was much too short.

As it became increasingly more evident that navigating through the masses while looking for someone would be incredibly difficult, December was filled with dread. How were they ever going to find her dads in this mess? She knew they would have to try, though. ”Okay, so my dad, Quinton, is actually pretty tall, and he has dark hair. Additionally, he always has a look like he smelled something bad,” she figured if she was going to find them, she would need more than just her own two eyes to look for them. ”My other dad, Tiberius, is pretty average-sized and he has blonde hair. He’s basically always smiling,” she finished thoughtfully. But first, we have to make sure we don’t get separated,” she held out her hand to the girl ominously. ”If we’re going down, we’re going down together!”