Lucille stood in line at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, tapping her foot impatiently. Every few seconds, the young girl would stick her head out to the side and count how many people remained in front of her. It seemed the number would never become zero. Lucille sighed, and glanced at her mother sitting at a table, calmly reading a book. Since it was Lucille who had begged to go to the ice cream parlour when her mother had hesitated, seeing the crowd, it was Lucille who had to stand in line and wait. Her mother said it "builds character," and, after all, since Lucille was the one who wanted to go inside, it was only fair for her to be the one stuck in line.

Lucille sighed, frustrated, and looked at the floor between her feet. She was beginning to think perhaps it wasn't worth it to be here, but she was far too stubborn to turn back now. But still, she was beginning to feel like she would be stuck here forever.

"God, this will never end," she muttered under her breath, but it came out a little louder than she had expected. She looked around to see if anyone had caught what she said. The person in front of her clearly hadn't but, when she looked back, she wasn't sure if the boy standing behind her had or not. She offered a bit of an awkward half-smile, unsure if he had heard the statement.

For a ‘muggle’, as he heard one of the magical people call him, Milo thought he's been doing amazing in this new world! He had the most fun wandering around and dragging his dad through stores and more stores, learning a little bit more about everything that now surrounded him. Though, he couldn't deny the small ache on his heart from the tired expression that his father presented; but the older man said he was happy for him, didn't he? He could act a little bit spoiled, just this once.

While walking through the streets, bouncing beside his father, his eyes landed on a shop where people would leave with ice creams in their hands; he had imagined that the wizards and witches didn't have ice cream, but there it was! He immediately pulled his father into the shop, leading the old man to sit down at one of the tables and quickly take place on the long line, his enthusiasm not quivering under the wait, as he counted his magical-coins, Sickles, from what he remembered.

He actually had thought it wouldn't be that bad, standing in line, but in just a few minutes, the teenager couldn't help the snort leaving his lips as he stared at his feet, already bored from standing in place for so, so long. However, while Milo was trying to blow a curl away from his face, his ears picked up the annoyed voice of a young girl, probably around his age; by her words, she was just as unhappy as him. The boy couldn't help a small snicker at the expression on her face, slightly tilting his head to the side as he returned her awkward smile with a large one. “I couldn't agree more… How many years do ye think we have been standin’ here? A decade, maybe?”

WC:301
Ps: sorry for the late reply
@Lucille Rosenhart

Lucille startled a little when the boy spoke. She hadn't really thought he'd heard her until right that second. She got over it quite quickly, though, and laughed a little."A decade seems like an understatement," she joked, adding on to what he said.

Now that they had started talking, she figured they might as well share their predicament. She observed the boy. He seemed her age, and she figured she had lucked out by finding a companion in line. At least she wasn't squished between two adults who were far too frustrated to carry a conversation with her. Speaking of which, she looked around and noticed that most of the people in line were kids or teens. Probably for good reason. Most adults would be sensible enough to not waste their valuable time waiting around for ice cream, of all things, she thought.

She looked back at the boy and, true to form, started her tirade of conversation.

"I'm Lucille," she began, getting her introduction out of the way. "And you are?" She sped on before he could respond, almost as if her tongue was working faster than her mind, and she wasn't able to stop herself long enough to wait for a response before her next words came out. "You're a Hogwarts student, aren't you? Or, at least, I assume so. I'm starting in September. It's my first year, and I'm very excited."

She paused then, finally giving the boy a chance to speak. She fretted a little, worrying the boy might have taken her enthusiasm to be rudeness.

Milo snickered lowly at her words, his shoulders rising and falling as the sound escaped his thin lips; he still kept the same warm smile on his lips as he shoved his hands on the pocket of the denim overalls he wore. His eyes met the tired figure of his father for a moment, making sure the older man hadn't moved from his chair; but then, when he heard her mention Hogwarts, his head snapped back to the other teen, his eyes shining with enthusiasm; through the hours he had been walking around the Diagon Alley, it was the first time he actually meet another student. Milo thought his heart would combust in excitement!

“Aye, I'm! I’m also startin’ my first year. It's so cool to finally meet another student!” The boy seemed to be holding back from starting to actually bounce on the spot, his smile, somehow, widening even more; if she was once worried about her excitement being seen as rude, the concern was easily washed away when the other teenager returned in the same or more intensity. “I'm Milo, by the way! Are ye also like me? A muh-… muggle, if I'm not mistaken… Or have ye always been a witch?”

Milo, as she discovered his name, seemed ready to start rambling and rambling without stopping, his words running off with uncontainable eagerness; if she gave him even the slightest encouragement, he would start sending many questions her way. The teenager's whole body language left it clear how he was still new, though eager to learn, about all the magical stuff that now was surrounding his life.

WC: 270
@Lucille Rosenhart

Milo's enthusiasm made Lucille feel more at home. He seemed quite like her in that regard, seeming to have more energy than he knew what to do with. Lucille found it fun and amusing, and she patiently listened to all he had to say at first.

"Oh, you must be a Muggle-born," she corrected with a little giggle. "Muggles don't have magic, and you certainly do, if you're going to Hogwarts." She figured he must have heard the word from a less welcoming wizard, leading to his confusion. Lucille knew Muggle-borns and half-bloods were sometimes looked down upon by pure-bloods. After all, that is what had happened to her mother, her pure-blood family turning away from her when she married a Muggle and had half-blood children.

Lucille shook her head, clearing her mind, before continuing. "Oh, no, I'm a half-blood. My mother's a witch and my dad's a Muggle. I have known that I'll always be a witch, though. Both my siblings attended Hogwarts before." She said, a bit of pride in her voice. Lucille loved the magical world, and was happy to have been part of it her whole life. Sometimes, she tried to imagine the shock a Muggle-born wizard must have when they received the letter from Hogwarts. She imagined it must be quite thrilling to explore the magical world so suddenly and, seeing Milo's enthusiasm and excitement, she figured she was right.

"What was it like learning that you were a wizard? When the letter came?" she asked curiously, intrigued. She hadn't had the chance to ask this from someone her age yet, and she had always wanted to know how it felt.

Milo silently took in everything she said, humming as she corrected his mistake, nodding eagerly along with her words, his enthusiasm only growing more at having someone to actually listen to his doubts. Though, hearing her talk about her family, especially at the mention of her siblings, he couldn't help but squirm slightly, a shiver of discomfort running through his spine, that he quickly shoved away while cleaning his throat, the warm, excited smile never leaving his face even with the small moment of uneasy.

“Muggle-born, huh. Thanks for explainin’ it!” He ran his tongue over his lips, his voice warm as he continued replying to her, “It sounds amazin’ to have always been part of… this. Growin’ up with magic and all.” Milo stops in the middle of his words to look around the place, his shoulder relaxing as he took in the shop; he could easily tell himself it was just a normal shop, but there were those small, almost unnoticeable things that made it clear most of these people didn't grow like him, unknowingly being surrounded by something as wonderful as magic. He frowned for a moment, his mind lost in thoughts, before his head snapped back to her, the curve of his lips widening at the questions shot at him.

“I'm not sure how that was for you, but a staff member showed up in my home to explain everything to me and my dad, and bring the letter. At first, we thought the fella was pullin’ our leg, but I mean… no one would have such a huge commitment to a joke, don't ye think?” Milo's words come out quickly, his irish accent more clear in the middle of his emotion as he tries to explain it, his hands unconsciously coming up and starting to sway, his whole face just brightening up as he continued speaking in the same breath, “It's still feelin’ like a dream, to be honest, but on that day, it was like… I don't even have words to explain it. Like... Like the missin’ piece of an puzzle is finally placed and it just click into place!”

Finally, the teen takes a long breath, a small, nervous snicker leaving his lips as he looks at Lucille, expecting that the girl could understand, even if just a little, how much all those new things make him feel; his hands fell back down to his sides as he cleared his throat and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “...Sorry about that, I'm afraid I might’ve gotten a little carried away there. I don't usually have anyone to chat with about this sort of thing… You're, like, one of the first witches I've met. And the first I got the chance to chat to.”

WC: 465
@Lucille Rosenhart I really got overboard on this one, I'm sorry lol

Lucille grinned as the boy began to talk about his experiences. He was much more ecstatic than a lot of people she had met and spoken to about entering Hogwarts, and that was probably because magic was so new to him. She could tell that he kept looking around him, almost in disbelief, still processing the existence of magic right under his nose.

"I never imagined that they would send someone to explain it all! I suppose it does make sense, all things considered. After all, why would you take a random letter seriously?" She suddenly remembered that all their Muggle mail came from the mailman, and quickly added. "Especially one from an owl."

She figured the boy was curious about her life, the same way she had been curious about his, so she helpfully began talking. "It wasn't like that for us." She said us almost without thinking, meaning her and her siblings. "We were expecting the letter. After all, Mother went to Hogwarts as a girl, and we've grown up witnessing her do magic, so it was never a secret that we'd be going there when we were older, too. It must have been a shock for Father, though. Imagine finding out the woman you're engaged to has magic! Lucille loved talking about the little bit of family history she knew. Her mother didn't mention her family a lot, or her life when she was younger, so Lucille tended to cling to the little bits she knew.

"I can't imagine not being able to share this with someone. I've been talking my family's ear off ever since I got the letter; I've been so excited."

Lucille could feel her little ramble coming to an end, a rare occurrence. But, of course, she wasn't done yet. She knew that if she didn't stop herself, she would talk forever, even if she felt she didn't have much to say anymore. "I don't mind the chat," Lucille said with a little laugh, trying to show him that she truly did not mind how much he was talking. "I tend to talk for 80% of most conversations, so it's always nice to meet someone who can match it. Contrary to popular belief, I like to listen to people. I just come on so strong that I think a lot of people quiet down when we talk. That's never really my intention, but I do tend to enjoy most people's company."

Okay, now she was beginning to ramble. She shut her mouth quickly, shaking her head. She didn't want to ramble on and on, but it almost felt out of her control. Somehow, Lucille always ended up saying everything on her mind all at once.

His smile returned to being wide and warm, as Lucille also started to ramble about her own thoughts and memories, his shoulder relaxing at finally meeting someone who shared the same enthusiasm as him; he nodded along to her words, giggling sometimes, feeling somewhat comfortable with this little dynamic of each one taking turns, speaking about their lives to a complete stranger.

“Actually, I still don’t get the owls. Wouldn’t it be easier if ye just… Send through the mail? Is there no mail service for witches and wizards, or what?” Milo frowns for a second or two, before he snickers, his smile turning into a grin as an image grows in his mind, that he quickly turns into words, “Though, can ye imagine it? A wizard mailman flyin’ around on a broom, deliverin’ letters? Because that sounds so cool… I have been dreamin’ of having a broom since, like, yesterday, but my dad doesn't think it would be good. Oh, well.”

Milo crosses his arms over his chest, snorting at the memory of what he had previously learned about Quidditch and the hours he spent trying to convince his dad, before going to another topic. “Aye, I can only imagine your father's shock when he found out about that… I mean, when a guy showed up at our door with a letter and chattin’ about wizards and stuff, my dad's eyes were so wide, I could swear it would pop out of his eyeballs!” His smile, though still playful, softened as his gaze drifted to the table where his father was seated, checking his phone. He stared for a moment and, after satisfying an unconscious need to be sure his father was still there, he looked back at Lucille.

“Hey, I completely forgot to ask. There are houses in Hogwarts, right? I've heard of a talkin’ hat that sorts yeh into one of the four. Sounds like somethin’ straight out a cartoon… In which one do ye think ye'll be in? I don't recall the names, but I know one's blue, other's red, and then there's yellow and… green, I guess.” Milo counts the four houses on his fingers, even muttering what sounded like a humble try to remember one of the names, but came out as ‘Puffpuff’. “I've no idea what it means, bein’ in a house, but it has somethin’ to do with the qualities of the student… I'm not exactly sharp when it comes to rememberin’ things.”

WC: 418 @Lucille Rosenhart
Good to know you're okay with it

What Milo said seemed almost strange to Lucille. She stopped for a moment to think about it, realizing she'd never questioned the use of owls before. To her, it had always seemed quite efficient, although, of course, their Muggle mail was delivered by a mailman.

"I like the owls. I guess your owl just transports your mail, so it's sort of like a personal mailman. I can't imagine a wizard would be quicker if one person had to deal with everyone's mail. Would you believe I've never been on a broom? I've spent my whole life riding horses, though, so I'm hoping that might come in handy when I ride a broom." She stopped, realizing how silly she sounded. "I mean, I know they're both quite different and all, but I suppose I have a bit of confidence already. I know some people are quite scared of flying at first."

She could understand Milo's father's trepidation at flying. Her sister had told her that their father had been the same way, until, of course, her sister had started playing Quidditch and, eventually, their father adjusted to the idea of his child hurtling on a wooden stick 50 feet above the ground.

"I'm sure your father will come around. My father did, or more like, he had to, eventually." She followed Milo's eyes to the man sitting at the booth. He had a phone, something most wizards didn't carry around, and he looked similar to Milo, so Lucille assumed that must be his father.

Her eyes snapped back to Milo when he spoke of the houses. Lucille giggled at his attempt to recall Hufflepuff.

"Hufflepuff," she said, with a good-natured laugh. "Red is Gryffindor, the bold and brave. Yellow is Hufflepuff, the steady and loyal. Blue is Ravenclaw, the wise. And green is Slytherin, the cunning and ambitious. The sorting hat is placed on your head in the sorting ceremony, and it announces what house you go to. It sort of magically tells what you identify with most or where you fit best. I'm sure I'll be a Gryffindor. What about you?" She finished off her almost speech-like recitation, and looked at Milo expectantly. She wondered if her short description of each house would be enough for him to think of what house he'd fit best in.