─────Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic aaaaand Potions! Zelda dropped down from her tiptoes in triumph. After two minutes of flailing, she had finally managed to grab Magical Drafts and Potions all by herself. She knew it had been foolish, stubbornly refusing the shop assistant’s help the way that she had, but there was nothing worse than being followed about by a nosy adult, well-meaning or not.

The book joined the other three in the cauldron Zelda had hooked over her arm. She winced a bit as it thudded into place. Her elbow ached from the weight of her impromptu shopping basket and she still had three more textbooks left to find. Zelda bit her lip. Maybe it was time for a small rest.

The Standard Book of Spells’s gilded cover gleamed invitingly in the shop’s low light. Okay, fine, five minutes of reading, then she would get back to her shopping. The cauldron thunked onto the floor. Zelda plopped down beside it and pressed her back against the shelves. She had the beautiful book of charms spread open on her lap in a flash.

Was she taking up too much of the aisle? Probably. Did she care? Not one whit. There were levitation spells to learn.

There had to be a reading nook or coffee shop around here, surely. This was a bookshop after all. That was perhaps the way in which this store most resembled one back on streets of Glasgow, where wand and broom shops did not exist.

But bookshops. Oh, how there were bookshops. She'd spend hours, especially if her father was there researching for a new article. In fact, he should be around here somewhere. They both should be.

But Maisie had taken the list of books and other school supplies quickly and decisively into her hands. She would find the things she needed—on her own. And so far, she had gathered up about one third of the books she required. Each time she found one, she peeled it open to review at a minimum the table of contents. There were plenty of topics she didn't know, but she wondered what they could be. The most interesting title so far was A History of Magic, perhaps because it was the most relatable. Even though, as a half-blood, perhaps it all should have been.

She was meandering the aisles when she looked up from her list and noticed a girl, about her age, reading and sat on the floor. Maisie glanced around for a moment. Perhaps there was no reading nook after all. She glanced around a second time. The Gemmells seemed to be lost in some other part of the shop as well.

So, Maisie walked over, sat down opposite the other girl, and placed her stack of books by her side. Reaching to the side, she picked up A History of Magic. She turned it over to the table of contents. "Good idea," she said, flashing a smile across the aisle, "I'm Maisie."

And that was it. She knew better than to interrupt a great book at great lengths. Instead, her index finger ran down the table of contents, wondering where might be the best place to begin.

@Zelda Fox