The weather was warm for July. Diagon Alley was almost empty, given the early hour of the day. A few passers-by wandered aimlessly, strolling in front of the various shops and enjoying the softness of the sun, half-hidden behind the clouds. The shops were slowly awakening, opening their windows and dislaying their products. The gaze of the rare strollers passed without noticing a young girl sat on a low stoned wall, head bowed on a piece of parchment.

Blonde, her hair pinned with a claw clip, she wandered her anxious gaze over the shops opening. She purposely avoided the one on her right, leaning her head again on her piece of paper. Her eyes roamed over the words, without even reading them. Her thoughts were swirling. She was always anxious when needing to make big decisions like this, especially important ones. And oh boy this one was important. It would mark the beginning of her first year as a Howgarts student. Every single item was important, and she hadn't even started already.

Come on, Elena. You can do it. It's not that big of a deal.

She sighed, reading the first words of her list again.
"First year students will require :
- A wand
- 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
- a pair.."
I could just skip directly to the rest.

Ollivanders shop scared her, and the fact that this very moment will influence her whole wizarding life didn't ease her stress. But her stubborn mind wanted to do the list in order. Dilemma. Why was it so hard for her to just enter that shop ? She sighed again, folding the paper and opening it again.

After a few minutes, she raised her head, determined. She got up, put her hand on the handle...and chickened out. She silently cursed herself as she sat back on her wall, hands wrapping around her heart locket. Five more minutes. Just five.

✯𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢✯

✯There is nothing scary about naturally talented people, hardworking people are the ones to be afraid of ✯

Tracey had just come back from Hogwarts a few days ago, and her parents decided to take her to Diagon Alley early so she could spend the rest of her summer not worrying about buying her school supplies. Tracey didn't need much either, since she had mostly bought everything she needed during her first year. Tracey will be starting her second year in September and she's excited about it.

Once Tracey got to Diagon Alley, she wasn't sure where to go first, so she simply began to walk around. She wanted to go to Knockturn Alley but knew that she shouldn't, so she decided not to go to Knockturn Alley since her parents had told her that it was a dark Alley. Maybe when she's older.

As she was walking around Diagon Alley trying to figure out what to do, Tracey saw a girl leaning against the wall near Olivander's. Tracey wasn't sure if she should approach the girl or not, but perhaps Tracey could make a friend and perhaps this girl is a first year, and maybe Tracey could help her with getting her school supplies. Liking the idea she came up with, Tracey slowly began to approach the girl. Once she was near, she decided to let her presence be known so she said,
"Uh, hi there. D'you need any help? I'm Tracey Bailey and I'll be starting my second year at Hogwarts, so I was wondering if you are a first year, and if you are, I could help you out if you'd like,"

𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈: @Elena Clark	𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: 07/02/24
𝒪𝒪𝒞 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈:	𝒲𝒞: 257/200

Diagon Alley was now buzzing with life, students and wizards of all around the world laughing and chatting, strolling in the cobbled streets. Shop bells rang continuously, joining the ambient sounds. A soft breeze ran in the air, rustling the nearby tree leaves.

Elena was deeply lost in her thoughts when a voice raised right next to her. "Uh, hi there. Do you need any help? I'm Tracey Bailey and I'll be starting my second year at Hogwarts, so I was wondering if you are a first year, and if you are, I could help you out if you'd like" said a black-haired girl, standing in front of her. She had warm brown eyes, and bangs that framed her face. Elena stared at her for a few seconds before processing her words.

The girl standing in front of her - Tracey - was a second-year Howgarts student. She looked really nice, and Elena liked her outfit. She had some kind of calming presence, causing Elena's fingers to stop fidgeting. The blonde girl smiled at that new encounter. "Hello, nice to meet you ! Yes, I am a first year and I'm a little lost." she said with a soft voice. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at the girl with a tilted face.

Tracey's presence seemed to shut down Elena's anxious thoughts. She looked at the black-haired girl, smiling softly. A gentle breeze played with her bangs, revealing her beautiful brow eyes.

She looks literally so cool. hope she'll like me.

Around the two girls, Diagon Alley kept buzzing with life.

✯𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢✯

✯There is nothing scary about naturally talented people, hardworking people are the ones to be afraid of ✯

Tracey noticed that the girl had jumped and she felt bad for making the other girl scared, but sometimes that is what happens. Tracey then looked over at the blonde girl and she liked her outfit. She thought the girl was very stylish, unlike Tracey. Though Tracey's outfit was still stylish, she didn't feel like it was. Tracey's outfit consisted of a light green sweater and jeans followed by white converse. Her black hair was down and slightly glowing in the sunlight.

Tracey heard the girl speak and she softly smiled at her. She realized that the girl hadn't introduced herself, but Tracey didn't really mind. She thought about what to say to the girl before she said,
"If you'd like, I could help you get all your supplies. And perhaps while I'm helping you we could bond and perhaps become friends? That is if you'd like to,"

Tracey wasn't sure if the younger girl would agree with what she was offering or not. If the girl didn't agree to her suggestion, Tracey would just continue on her way and maybe upgrade her school supplies as well if she remembered what she needed for her second year, but the last time she checked, she didn't really need anything. Maybe she'll buy a broom and send it to Mateo.

𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈: @Elena Clark	𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: 07/02/24
𝒪𝒪𝒞 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈:	𝒲𝒞: 218/200

The two girls were now surrounded by people chattering, the streets getting more and more crowded. The Magical Menagerie had opened, and the sounds of the different animals were filling the air. A sweet smell of parchment mixed with potion ingredients lingered around, making the atmosphere even more magical.

Elena's eyebrows raised as the girl offered her help, relief washing over her. She slightly tilted her head, surprised by the kindness of this girl.

"I would love that ! Are you sure you got nothing better to do ?" she asked, hesitating. Seeing her shake her head, she smiled brightly, hoping down of her wall. She extended her hand, now grinning. "I'm Elena, by the way ! Nice to meet you !"

An owl hooted, joining the swirling of Diagon Alley's sounds. The street were slowly getting more crowded, laughter and chatter feeling the air. The shops seemed less impressing now that Elena had a friendly face by her side. She put her list away, and turned towards her new friend. "So, where do we start ? I was thinking about getting my wand first, and then follow the list's order, but if you already have an itinerary in mind, be my guest !" she said, excitement clearly audible in her voice.

The sun shined even brighter, seeming to match the blond haired mood. This furniture quest might actually be fantastic.

✯𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢✯

✯There is nothing scary about naturally talented people, hardworking people are the ones to be afraid of ✯

Taking in her surroundings again, Tracey noticed that more people were bustling around and the shops started to become filled with people except for one, Ollivanders, which is the very shop they are close to, so, if the girl does indeed want Tracey's help, they'll go to Ollivanders first. Hearing the girl speak, Tracey turned back to her and smiled softly before saying,
"I'm glad! No, I really don't have anything else to do. I already got most of my school supplies last year, so I'm free to help you out!"

Tracey was glad the younger girl wanted her help, since she really did have a lot of free time, especially since she didn't really need to buy anything anyways. Seeing the girl extend her hand, Tracey took it and she shook it before saying,
"Nice to meet you too, Elena! I love your name too!"

By now, Tracey has the biggest smile on her face, and if she hadn't gotten control of her metamorphmagus ability, her hair would've been a shade of yellow by now, but it stayed black, in fact, if one looks closely at her hair, they'll notice that her hair is shining.

"I was actually thinking of going to Ollivanders first too, since we're close to it anyways. Would you like me to enter the store with you? Or would you like to get your wand yourself and I'll just wait here?" Tracey asks wondering what Elena wanted to do.

𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈: @Elena Clark	𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: 07/02/24
𝒪𝒪𝒞 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈: Sorry this took so long! I was really busy!	𝒲𝒞: 244/200

Reducio

Thoughts : Italic
Color : #031b7c

☆ Interacting :

Reducio

@ Tracey Bailey

☆ Date : Reducio 2nd of July

☆ Outfit : Reducio

Elena's face was lit up by a smile as she turned towards Tracey. As they shook hands, she noticed her hair was slightly shinning. Putting that information somewhere in her brain, she smiled at her new friend. "Actually I've been trying to go there for like half an hour," she said with a laugh. "So I would very much like you to come with me, if you don't mind." The shop seemed less impressive with the black haired girl by her side.

Tracey agreed, and both of them got in. Elena blinked a few times, trying to get used to the darkly lit interior. What she saw took her breath away. Hundreds, thousands of wands were stacked on one another, creating huge piles that rose to the ceiling. A soft sigh of admiration escaped her lips as she stepped closer. She wanted to know everything about each of them, and her fingers were aching to open the boxes. Looking around in awe, she bumped into the counter. A pink flush colored her cheeks as she cleared her throat. "Hello ?" She asked hesitantly. "Mr Ollivander ?"

Looking behind the counter, she saw more boxes stacked in dangerously high piles. On the counter was a book, left opened, facing Elena's left. Not daring touching it, she stepped aside to read the page. It was a book about the different types of wood. Before she could grasp more words, a faint rustle was heard. A white haired man was standing behind the counter, his eyes glimmering like two moons in the darkness of the shop. Elena stood here, looking at him for a second before stepping away from the book. "Um, hi ?" She said hesitantly. "I'm-"

"A new Hogwarts student, yes. Good morning, Miss Clark." His voice was sharp and clear, but Elena felt at ease with him. She nodded. "Indeed." Without wasting a minute, he walked around the counter to grab a box on the shelves. "Here. Apple wood and dragon core." He said with a hint of a smile in his voice. "Try this one." His long and pale fingers expertly took out the wand from its purple casket, and handed it towards the blonde haired girl.

Elena tilted her head. "Why do you think this one suits me ?" She asked, her voice full of curiosity. Her mind was filled with questions. He made a strange sound, just nodding towards the wand. She hesitantly took it, examining it. It was short yet elegant, but felt really heavy and she couldn't get a good grasp on it. After a few seconds spent looking at it, she raised her eyes towards the shop keeper, unsure of what to do. "Well, try it " he said. Feeling like a complete idiot, she waved it in the air. A loud explosion sounded, sending Elena stumbling. The wall was now decorated by a small whole.

She turned towards Ollivander to appologize, but he was already looking for another. The second one, set the book on fire - luckily he was able to stop it soon enough - and the third one made a whole pile of wands fall on the ground. The shop keeper didn't loose his smile, as he looked through his collection, mumbling to himself. "Not dragon heartstring then... Unicorn ? What if.. oh." Choosing a carefully carved box, he took the wand out and handed it to her.

"Chesnut wood, 26.3 centimeters, slightly bendy... and unicorn hair." He ennonciated, his eyes glimmering. "Chesnut is a most curious, multi-faceted wood, which varies greatly in its character depending on the wand core, and takes a great deal of colour from the personality that possessed it. When paired with dragon heartstring, it might find their best match among those who were overfond of luxury and material things, and less scrupulous than they should be about how they were obtained. But, however... when paired with unicorn hair, this wand showed a predilection for those concerned with all manner of justice. Try it."

The wand was a chocolate brown color, and seemed to exhale a soft warm onto Elena's hand. It had a spiral design, and was long and slender. Simple but beautiful. As soon as she put her hand on it, a soft breeze came out of nowhere, making her hair fly. A bright, white light illuminated the room as a few papers were slowly spinning up in the air. When the light faded, Elena was left with a huge grin. The sensation was marvelous. Turning towards Tracey, excited, she showed her the wand with a "have you seen this ?" kind of face. Ollivander seemed happy with himself, and kept talking as he wrapped it up. "A beautiful wand, yes. Keen on discoveries and experiences, that desires an owner in its own image : curious, dynamic and adventurous. You must have a strong desire to learn and an insatiable curiosity, Miss Clark. Take good care of your most loyal companion."

After paying and leaving, she turned towards her friend. "Did you see that ?" She exclamed, almost jumping. "It had a light, and a breeze, and it felt so good, and-" While talking, she hoped around the place, a huge smile splitting her face. After she calmed down, she asked her friend, "How did your wand-choosing thing went ? What did he tell you ?"

OOC note : permission from Tracey Bailey to godmod her character a bit !!

✯𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢✯

✯There is nothing scary about naturally talented people, hardworking people are the ones to be afraid of ✯

Tracey smiled brightly at Elena's remark. Tracey really didn't mind entering the store with Elena. Though the 12-year-old didn't need anything from the shop, she still was going to enter the store with the younger girl, since she would be indeed helping the young girl out with her shopping. Tracey happily agreed while saying,
"Of course I'll come with you,"

As she said that, Tracey opened the door and walked into the store. Looking around, Tracey saw a bench, so she sat down, and simply decided to watch, or more like look around the shop, since last year she hadn't really gotten to take in the shop.

Tracey was too immersed in her thoughts and all the wands around her, that when an explosion sounded, she jumped and then came back to her senses. She looked at the wall and noticed there was a hole in it.

After she recovered from the shock, Tracey went back to looking around the store, and soon her thoughts occupied her again. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Elena's voice, Tracey turned her attention to her friend, smiled at her, then tried to remember how it went last year when she got her wand, then she said,
"I don't exactly remember what he said, but I do know that I tried out four wands. Three didn't work, only one did, which is my current one. A huge white light came out of my wand and I felt a breeze. It felt like I was in heaven sorta,"

As she spoke, Tracey took out her wand and showed it to her friend with a huge smile on her face as well, since she was truly happy on that day. Getting up from the bench and walking over to the door, Tracey asked,
"Are you ready to leave and go to the next shop?"

𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈: @Elena Clark	𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: 07/02/24
𝒪𝒪𝒞 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈:	𝒲𝒞: 311/200

Interacting @Tracey Bailey

Speech #031b7c

xx

Date July 2nd

xx

Elena smiled as Tracey explained her own experience. It truly is a unique moment in the life of a wizard. She was happy to share this experience with her new friend. Examining Tracey's wand, she made a small huff of admiration. After the black haired girl got off the bench, she offered to continue.

Elena nodded, putting her wand away. "I still need my books, potion stuff, and robes. And you ?" After looking around, she spotted Flourish and Botts, filled with wizards entering or leaving. "How about the books first?"

She felt a rush of excitement at the idea of entering a bookshop. They were her little piece of paradise, one of the only places she truly felt at home, no matter where she was. Turning towards her friend, she waited for her answer. "Do you like books too ?"

As a huge bookworm, it was her number one way of bonding with her peers. She never knew how to make conversation, but when talking about books she was in her natural element. Starting to walk towards Flourish and Botts, she turned around to wait for Tracey.

✯𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢✯

✯There is nothing scary about naturally talented people, hardworking people are the ones to be afraid of ✯

After Tracey had gotten off of the bench and walked towards the door, she heard Elena speak. She listened to what Elena said and thought about whether or not she actually also needed anything. She didn't get any other list saying which books she needed, so she wasn't sure if she needed anything else. Tracey then heard Elena say that they should go to Flourish and Blotts next. Tracey nodded her head and began walking towards the bookstore. Tracey then heard Elena ask if Tracey was a book worm, and so Tracey decided to finally speak by saying,
"No, I'm not exactly a book worm, but I do enjoy reading, just need to read some good books. D'you have any recommendations? As for if I need anything, no, I don't. I didn't get another list, so I think the supplies I already have is good,"

Tracey hoped that when Elena hears that she isn't a book worm, that Elena doesn't want to be her friend anymore. Tracey shook her head since she didn't want to think anything negative and walked with Elena towards the book store, which really wasn't that far from Ollivanders. Perhaps Tracey will buy a book if she finds something interesting and might send it to Mateo, but she isn't sure yet.

𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈: @Elena Clark	𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: 07/02/24
𝒪𝒪𝒞 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈: thread end?	𝒲𝒞: 215/200