Flourish and Blotts - A bookworm's paradise
Walking into Flourish and Blotts, Kayleigh had to put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping audibly. It was incredible. Shelves up the ceiling were lined with books of all shaped and sizes, and students and parents crowded around, clambering up ladders to reach the highest shelves and filling baskets with the books they would need for the school year. Kayleigh remembered what she was here for, and quickly grabbed a basket and pulled the list out of her pocket.
The first book, Magical Theory, didn't take much searching. After pushing through a few crowds of eager first years, she found it and pulled it excitedly out of the shelf. The book was beautiful. Kayleigh ran her fingers over the bronze engraved words on the cover, before placing it gently in her basket.
The rest of her trip to Flourish and Blotts went much the same. Scanning the shelves and weaving through the crowds of people until eventually, her basket felt almost impossible to carry. She found the queue of people heading up to the front counter and joined it, swapping the list in her hand for her heavy purse full of Wizard money.
Her sister had taught her how the money worked, but it still seemed rather strange to her, and so she was nervous when finally she put the basket down on the counter. She was being served by a young lady, probably in her mid - twenties, with curly brown hair and large round glasses.
"First year, dear?"
"Yes." Kayleigh replied, smiling. The woman smiled back, and began scanning the books one by one.
"Would you like a bag?"
"Yes please." Kayleigh replied. The woman pulled out a fabulous bag with red and gold lettering the said 'Flourish and Blotts' and began placing the books into it. When she got to the last book, a particularly large tome titled A History of Magic, Kayleigh realise she had no idea where the shop she was meant to be meeting her parents was.
"Excuse me?" She asked quietly. The woman didn't look up.
"Excuse me?" She tried again, this time a little louder. The woman looked at her as she placed the last book in the bag.
"Yes dear?"
"Do you happen to know where Madam Malkin's is?"
"Of course, when you go out the door, turn left and it's four shops down on your right."
Kayleigh nodded.
"Thank you."
"Not a problem. That'll be four galleons, eight sickles and 2 knuts."
Kayleigh pulled out her purse and looked anxiously at the jumble of coins in her purse. Galleons were the big ones, right? Or was it knuts?
She gently placed four large gold coins on the table. She looked at the woman, and she nodded approvingly. With renewed confidence, Kayleigh placed 9 silver coins. She remembered those ones. Sickles.
"And 27 knuts change." The woman brought out 27 small bronze coins and Kayleigh put the in her purse and slung the weighty bag over her shoulder.
"Thank you." She said.
"Thank you for shopping at Flourish and Blotts." The woman replied. "Next waiting." She hollered into the line. Kayleigh looked up at the Wizarding families lining up as she made her way to the door.
Gold, silver, bronze. Okay. Not so hard.
The first book, Magical Theory, didn't take much searching. After pushing through a few crowds of eager first years, she found it and pulled it excitedly out of the shelf. The book was beautiful. Kayleigh ran her fingers over the bronze engraved words on the cover, before placing it gently in her basket.
The rest of her trip to Flourish and Blotts went much the same. Scanning the shelves and weaving through the crowds of people until eventually, her basket felt almost impossible to carry. She found the queue of people heading up to the front counter and joined it, swapping the list in her hand for her heavy purse full of Wizard money.
Her sister had taught her how the money worked, but it still seemed rather strange to her, and so she was nervous when finally she put the basket down on the counter. She was being served by a young lady, probably in her mid - twenties, with curly brown hair and large round glasses.
"First year, dear?"
"Yes." Kayleigh replied, smiling. The woman smiled back, and began scanning the books one by one.
"Would you like a bag?"
"Yes please." Kayleigh replied. The woman pulled out a fabulous bag with red and gold lettering the said 'Flourish and Blotts' and began placing the books into it. When she got to the last book, a particularly large tome titled A History of Magic, Kayleigh realise she had no idea where the shop she was meant to be meeting her parents was.
"Excuse me?" She asked quietly. The woman didn't look up.
"Excuse me?" She tried again, this time a little louder. The woman looked at her as she placed the last book in the bag.
"Yes dear?"
"Do you happen to know where Madam Malkin's is?"
"Of course, when you go out the door, turn left and it's four shops down on your right."
Kayleigh nodded.
"Thank you."
"Not a problem. That'll be four galleons, eight sickles and 2 knuts."
Kayleigh pulled out her purse and looked anxiously at the jumble of coins in her purse. Galleons were the big ones, right? Or was it knuts?
She gently placed four large gold coins on the table. She looked at the woman, and she nodded approvingly. With renewed confidence, Kayleigh placed 9 silver coins. She remembered those ones. Sickles.
"And 27 knuts change." The woman brought out 27 small bronze coins and Kayleigh put the in her purse and slung the weighty bag over her shoulder.
"Thank you." She said.
"Thank you for shopping at Flourish and Blotts." The woman replied. "Next waiting." She hollered into the line. Kayleigh looked up at the Wizarding families lining up as she made her way to the door.
Gold, silver, bronze. Okay. Not so hard.