Permission to Roam
Forward dated post from 16 August, 2025:
Lydia couldn't wait. She'd been saving up her allowance for weeks -- her parents would buy her her school supplies, but said if she wanted anything extra she would have to use her own money. Shockingly, she'd managed to save up six whole gallons, and now she was here, in Diagon Alley, and her parents had said she could look at the shops while they waited in line at the bank. The six gallons weren't a ton of money, but they were enough, and she couldn't decide what do with it; there were so many options. Extra books to help with classes, sweets, maybe even a small pet?
She skipped along the street, smiling at the overly-colorful, overly-bold, overly-over-the-top shop display of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes. Lydia wasn't really into pranks - there just wasn't a lot of fun in them when you were the youngest of three, and thus constantly the butt of the joke - but she did really appreciate the color and non-stop whirl of the shop. Pushing the door open, she was immediately by even more sensations and sounds and it was just so much. Laughing, she danced about the shop, eventually ending up in a corner that was labeled "permission slips". Lydia leaned in further to investigate. It was a indeed a box of permission slips, but they were already filled out.
"Oh, those are popular," said a saleswitch, smiling at Lydia. "They're permission slips to let students go to Hogsmeade. You don't need to be in your third year"
With that, the decision was made -- Hogsmeade was a tiny village, but the lure of being able to have some independence (and honestly, maybe even surprise her oldest brother by getting to Hogsmeade) was enough for Lydia. She purchased the slip, folded it up, and went to find her parents.
Lydia couldn't wait. She'd been saving up her allowance for weeks -- her parents would buy her her school supplies, but said if she wanted anything extra she would have to use her own money. Shockingly, she'd managed to save up six whole gallons, and now she was here, in Diagon Alley, and her parents had said she could look at the shops while they waited in line at the bank. The six gallons weren't a ton of money, but they were enough, and she couldn't decide what do with it; there were so many options. Extra books to help with classes, sweets, maybe even a small pet?
She skipped along the street, smiling at the overly-colorful, overly-bold, overly-over-the-top shop display of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes. Lydia wasn't really into pranks - there just wasn't a lot of fun in them when you were the youngest of three, and thus constantly the butt of the joke - but she did really appreciate the color and non-stop whirl of the shop. Pushing the door open, she was immediately by even more sensations and sounds and it was just so much. Laughing, she danced about the shop, eventually ending up in a corner that was labeled "permission slips". Lydia leaned in further to investigate. It was a indeed a box of permission slips, but they were already filled out.
"Oh, those are popular," said a saleswitch, smiling at Lydia. "They're permission slips to let students go to Hogsmeade. You don't need to be in your third year"
With that, the decision was made -- Hogsmeade was a tiny village, but the lure of being able to have some independence (and honestly, maybe even surprise her oldest brother by getting to Hogsmeade) was enough for Lydia. She purchased the slip, folded it up, and went to find her parents.