August 2 ~ Late Afternoon

There was no doubt that the Leaky Cauldron was likely at its busiest during this time of year. With the school year starting, the number of student aged patrons with their accompanying adults and guardians of sorts crowded the tables. It was bustling with people moving in and out of the room carrying trays of food and loudly catching up with familiar faces. The whole place had a warm and cozy feeling about it, even if Tabitha felt a bit uncertain how she was expected to interact here. This was nothing like the busy scene at the yearly galas, it was some other creature entirely.

The Murrey's managed to claim a table after much waiting around and chatting up another familiar Pureblood family to secure their seats when they left. There were extra chairs claimed from other tables with one to spare enough for everyone to crowd around, sharing food and amicably recounting the adventures of the day so far as well as Tabitha's bright future.

Tabitha, however, with her mother's permission, decided it was time to mingle. There were enough other Hogwarts-age people milling about, and she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. As much as she loved the spotlight on herself, there was only so much she could take before she needed a break to breathe. It had been an eventful day so far and she wanted the opportunity to share the stories with someone who didn't just experience them along with her. Also, this was her second time here, ever, and she wanted to breathe it in.

Tabitha was wearing one of her favorite outfits and her blonde ringlets were in a tall ponytail, with this outfit, she felt ready to face the world. Or perhaps, just face the other customers also seeking out company. Tabitha started out, carrying a mug in one hand and two cookies in a napkin in her other. She wandered and weaved through the crowds, looking for anyone remotely her age who seemed open to being approached.

@Isabella Bernard

Isabella was sitting at the counter, her back straight but relaxed, quietly sketching in a small notebook that rested on the polished wood. The Leaky Cauldron was loud and crowded, full of families and students getting ready for the new school year. People rushed in and out, arms full of packages and shopping bags. The air smelled like roast beef and something sweet, maybe treacle tart, and the floor creaked every time someone walked past.

She had finished most of her shopping for Hogwarts earlier in the day. Her new wand from Oliver's, the needed books from Flourish and Blotts, even a few new quills and a bottle of fancy ink she didn’t really need but liked the color of. Her parents were both too busy to come, caught up in work or other responsibilities, so she had made the trip on her own. She was used to doing stuff by herself.

Now she sat alone, sipping a butterbeer and letting herself slow down for a bit. Her pencil moved across the page as she tried to capture the way the light hit the glass bottles behind the counter, or how the shadows fell under the chairs. She liked drawing places like this. Messy, loud, real, and full of stories. It reflected her own life.

It was the most fortunate, for Tabitha, that there did in fact seem to be a rather approachable other student-aged patron present at the Leaky Cauldron. She was sat alone at the counter without a guardian or friend at her side already preoccupying her. There was a high chance that she did have some sort of accompaniment busy otherwise who might quickly return and engage her in a conversation that Tabitha couldn’t smoothly weave herself into. So, with a moment of consideration, Tabitha quickly approached.

As Tabitha approached, she peered down the table to see what it was that she was working on. She had some sort of bound book open on the counter and seemed to be writing or drawing something. Tabitha moved closer to her side, not yet taking the stool beside her in case it was reserved for someone else. With the nearness, Tabitha could see that she was, in fact, drawing their surroundings. With an impressive skill. Tabitha had not been drawn to art much in her childhood, but her aunt painted in her free time, so she had seen how much time went into one small square of parchment.

“You have a real talent,” The voice from beside the girl was a polite, complementary one. Tabitha offered a smile, hoping she didn’t startle the other. “Is there any chance this stool is free?” She nodded towards the empty spot at the counter, hoping to avoid rejection or inserting herself into an unwelcome interaction.

@Isabella Bernard

Isabella looked up from her drawing, surprised at first to hear someone speaking to her. Her pencil paused in midair before she carefully set it down across the open notebook. She blinked a few times, adjusting from the quiet world of her sketch to the loud room around her. Then she managed a small, warm smile at the girl standing nearby.

“Thanks,” she said after a short pause. “I don’t know if I’d call it talent. Just practice, I guess. It helps me notice things and it's my way of dealing with strong emotions!” Her hand tapped once on the cover before she folded the notebook closed. The charcoal lines disappearing from sight.

When Tabitha nodded toward the empty stool, Isabella followed the motion with her eyes. The hesitation in the question made her soften, and she moved her butterbeer aside to clear the space. “It’s free,” she confirmed, then added almost as an afterthought, “Unless you’d rather sit somewhere less noisy. The counter shakes every time someone leans on it.”

She gave a small shrug, her posture still straight but easier now. “But I don’t mind the company since I'm alone.” She smiled warmly at the girl. "I'm Isabella Bernard. What's your name?"

Tabitha seemed to contemplate Isabella's initial comment for a moment. That the skill at drawing was less talent and more a practice. Then it seemed to register in the way her eyes widened slightly and she quickly spoke. "Oh, I didn't intend to devalue it," She stumbled over the word 'devalue', as though grasping for a better word. "I can tell you have certainly put the time in to be rather skilled at it. There is a life in the image," Tabitha smiled. The words seemed like ones she must have heard before. The girl didn't quite seem like one to be likely to speak at that high level, more likely to parrot back what she had heard someone say before. But her smile was genuine enough.

The girl made room for Tabitha to sit and she did so, resting her arm on the counter momentarily and then sliding it off at the mention that it was loose. Instead resting her hands below the counter on her lap. "I don't mind. The liveliness is quite fun I think,"

The girl introduced herself as Isabella Bernard and Tabitha was quick to try to memorize the name. She compared it against the list of Pureblood families she had memorized a few weeks ago from a gala, making sure this girl wasn't something she should already know. Though it was only a pause before she realized it was her turn to introduce herself. "Tabitha Murrey,"

On reflex, Tabitha raised her hand to shake and then realized she was still holding her mug and the two cookies wrapped in a napkin. "Oh, right!" She set the mug on the counter, careful not to lean against it, and then carefully unwrapped the napkin from how she folded it. "Would you like a cookie? I grabbed an extra one. I believe they are nutmeg sugar cookies? They taste similar to them at least," Tabitha offered the stack of two cookies towards Isabelle so she wasn't putting her own hands all over the offered treat.

@Isabella Bernard

Isabella looked surprised for a second when Tabitha offered the cookie, then smiled and took it carefully. “Oh, thank you!” she said, her voice light and a little nervous. “I wasn’t expecting that. I love cookies.” She took a small bite, then nodded. “Mmm. Yeah, nutmeg sugar, for sure. These are really good.”

She glanced back at Tabitha, her pencil still in her other hand, but she paused sketching. “And, um… thank you. For what you said earlier.” Her cheeks were just slightly pink. “About the drawing. I didn’t think you were devaluing it or anything! I just... people always say stuff like, ‘You’re so talented,’ and I never know what to say. But I’ve been drawing since I was, like, six, so… yeah. I’ve had a lot of practice.”

She gave a small laugh. “I think sometimes I just repeat what my art teacher says. She talks about putting life into the lines. It sounded nice.” Isabella tucked some hair behind her ear. “It’s nice to meet you, Tabitha Murrey. That’s a cool name, by the way. Sounds like it should be in a book.” She looked back down at her sketchbook. “I can show you more if you want. I don’t mind.”

Tabitha was thrilled to know the ice breaker of bringing a cookie to introduce herself went splendidly. Isabella returned a smile and Tabitha set her own cookie down on the napkin in front of her, breaking off a piece of the edge to taste it. The treat reminded her of the holiday season. She could vividly remember one of the drinks that her mother liked to sip on during events had a hint of nutmeg to it. In her recollection, Tabitha briefly closed her eyes but she blinked them back open, focusing back on the here and now.

"I can tell how much practice you have put into it," Tabitha was quick to ensure with compliments that she hadn't had ill intent, "My aunt paints sometimes. I've seen her working on the same depiction of an orange for hours and hours before it really seems like an orange. I don't think I quite have the patience to work on anything for that long," Without thinking much of it, Tabitha glanced through the crowd at the tavern to try to spot her family at their table across the room. That very aunt was over there, though she didn't often wish to speak about her art. It seemed more of a personal thing.

"It's nice to meet you as well!" Tabitha's smile returned in earnest at the compliment. "I was hoping to meet a few of my peers, so I'm glad I spotted you,"

Tabitha's interest was piqued when Isabella glanced down to her sketchbook, "Oh I would love to see more if you would like to share,"

@Isabella Bernard