List of required books for her first year at Hogwarts dangling from her fingers, Ivy stumbled from the busy cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley into the relatively quiet comfort of Flourish and Blotts.

“Do you need help finding the books, Darling?” Ivy’s mother asked.

“No, It’s okay.” She smiled.

“Remember, only these books today, sweetheart” The teasing voice of her father joined in.

“Of course, Father.” Ivy gave him a cheeky grin. Knowing full well she would be leaving with more books than that.

“We will wait by the counter then,” a puff of a contained laugh and her father brought his large hand down on the top of her head, giving her hair a ruffle.

“I’m not five anymore.” Ivy huffed playfully, making sure no one was looking before darting forward, her arms wrapping tightly around his middle. Her father let out a soft ‘oof’ before she turned and scampered away.

Ivy scanned the titles on the little scrap of parchment, the oversized sleeve of her jumper falling down the cover the edge.


Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

The Dark Forces A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Hogwarts, A History by Garius Tomkink

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander


It didn't take long for Ivy to find most of the books on the list, she did however have to drag herself away from other books drawing her in.

Get everything on the list first and then a quick perusal of the titles that have caught my eye.

There were other Hogwarts students rushing from shelf to shelf picking out their own books. Ivy made a conscious effort to try and smile at any of that glanced her way.

Fantastic beast… fantastic beasts… Ivy’s eyes scanned the rows of books in the magical creatures section. Plucking out a completely different book from the shelves she opened it at a random page.

The Mooncalf was a shy magical beast that only came out of its burrow during a full moon.

Piper, having just gone around to almost every shop already, came to a halt in front of one with a large sign hanging over the doorway. However, it wasn't the sign that caught her eye, but the shelves upon shelves of books lining the walls. And the window display, Piper couldn't begin to describe it! After probably five minutes of staring in pure wonder and ill concealed joy, she opened the door to the shop and walked in.

It looks even better on the inside, Piper thought as she turned around, taking everything in. On her second rotation she finally thought that maybe, just maybe, she should look for her school books. So off she went, searching for the right books.

It took ages for her to collect everything that she needed, but finally she had them, well almost. The last book on her list was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and she was sure that this would be the best one yet. And so off she went, yet again, to find her final book. Although she didn't get very far before she saw someone else in the magical creatures section. She looked about Piper's age, with long, wavy dark brown hair which hung over the book she was currently holding in her hands. As Piper approached she saw an illustration of a creature with large eyes and blue swirls around it, like it was in the light of the moon. With curiosity getting the better of her, Piper asked the girl a question.

"Excuse me, what is that creature exactly?"

Ivy turned at the sound of someone speaking, finding a girl with bright blue eyes staring down at the book cradled in her hands. She looked like she could be a first year, Ivy grinned.

“It’s a mooncalf!” Ivy spoke so quickly it almost came out as one long word. Oh, wait, did that even make sense. Calming down her excitement, she took a breath and started again.

“Sorry,” she chuckled. “It’s a mooncalf, apparently they dance on their hind legs in the moonlight.” Holding back her own silly interpretation of a mooncalves dance. Ivy pointed down at the words on the page. It had webbed feet, spindly legs and bulging eyes as the top of a very long neck. She could see how its smooth grey skin would match well with the moonlight.

“They look.. Interesting but cute at the same time.” She turned back to the girl, her eyes sparkling.

Ivy was usually calm and collected. Buying her books, knowing her life at Hogwarts was approaching, finding out new information about creatures, it all jumbled together as swirling excitement in her chest.

Although she lived in the wizarding world, her only friends were her muggle cousins she spent summers with. It would be so nice to have someone her own age to talk magic. As much as she loved talking with her father about magic, he already knew everything, it would be fun learning and discovering with others.

“I wonder if they have any at Hogwarts,” her pitched higher in excitement.

Thread Notes

Reducio

Interacting with: @Ivy Thornton
Word Count: 493/200

Piper glanced up at the girl, completely baffled. What on Earth did she just say? The word mooncalf meant nothing to her - she'd never heard of it before. But there was something intriguing about it, something that sparked her curiosity. Whatever a mooncalf was, it sounded fascinating and she definitely wanted to know more.

So, instead of admitting that she was confused, Piper blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Yeah, me too. That would be so cool!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than regret came crashing in.
What was I thinking? she scolded herself.

You weren't, a small voice in the back of her mind replied.

Shoosh, she thought, I don't need the commentary right now!

Fine, fine, the voice muttered before falling back into silence.

Trying to get rid of her embarrassment, Piper focused her attention back on the girl. As she looked closer, Piper noticed something: the girl had a gleam in her eyes - a flicker of excitement and wonder that Piper herself had when talking about animals, real ones. Familiar creatures with normal names and features that made sense. Not anything like what was currently staring back at her.

Without asking, Piper reached out and turned the page of the book that the girl was still holding. This time, a strange rat-like creature stared back at her from the illustration. It had odd growths on it's back that looked like sea anemone. Above it, in bold script, the word Murtlap was written.

That's an odd name, Piper thought, amused.

As she began scanning the description on the page, Piper found herself completely absorbed. She forgot about the girl standing right beside her - she could've disappeared entirely and Piper wouldn't have noticed. She turned another page, this one revealing a creature called a Muskrill. As she began to take notice of the bizarre features of this creature, three things sprang to her mind in quick succession.
First: Wow, this thing is kinda ugly.
Second: I think I'm going to love this new world that I'm a part of.
And third: Oh no! There is someone else holding this book!

Snapping out of her trance, Piper looked up sheepishly and took a step back, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Sorry about that," she said, avoiding direct eye contact. "I didn't mean to hog the book."

The girl didn't immediately respond. So the silence stretched between them uncomfortably, and then Piper's thoughts began to spiral.

Why did I do that?
What was I thinking?
I should just walk away.
Or maybe I should stay.
What am I supposed to say now?
Wait… I don’t even know her name!

Her mind froze on that last thought.
I don't even know her name.

Looking for a way to break the ever-growing silence and tension she felt, Piper did the only thing she could think of.
She looked over at the girl and asked quietly, "What's your name?"