_{﹕backdated to before the first year﹕}

WITH MOTHER STUCK on Gringotts, dealing with some "grown-up stuff," as she herself had called it, Jude Morgan saw the perfect opportunity to visit what would certainly become his favorite shop in Diagon Alley — Weasley’s Wizards Wheezes. He had left all the bags with Mother and made his way straight to the joke shop.

Despite the endless shopping since their arrival, he still had enough money with him to buy himself a nice treat, or perhaps the perfect last prank for some of his Muggle classmates. They would never see him again, anyway, so he wouldn’t have to deal with any consequences.

What better way to spend his last few sickles than at the place that had all the little kids going “ooh” and “aah”?

As soon as he walked in, the boy was greeted with chaos. His blue eyes widened in shock, lips parted, as Jude went “ooh” and “aah,” just like the kids before him. Packed shelves stretched upward, lingering above their heads like threats, like they were sentient enough to decide in which helpless head they’d drop everything they had in stock.

There was color at every corner, bringing out laughter and excited comments from other young wizards, rushing from one side to the other, either with close friends or family members. Even the fanciest-looking adults seemed to find the shop mildly amusing from the look on their faces.

The floor was really, really busy, as expected, and he paid attention to where he was heading, careful not to bump into anyone or to get in the way of some sparkly demonstration. He was not going to go home covered in glitter from head to toe, as funny as it sounded.

Getting closer to the shelves on the left, Jude tilted his head, analysing all the options he could afford, shoving one of his hands in his pocket to jiggle the coins in there. The Extendable Ears got a loud chuckle out of him, as he tapped the boxes as if that’d help him get a better look at them. The list of pranks he could pull with the Enchanted snowball or Canary Creme was endless, but he feared he’d end up getting in trouble with Mother if one of his classmates turned into a canary. Even if for a period of time.

Looking over his shoulder, Jude spotted a bright cauldron containing brown balls. Leaning in, he reached for one of them. The texture against his palm wasn’t out of the ordinary. It felt like a rubber ball… But that couldn’t be it, right? Looking around, he noticed that most people glanced at the cauldron with a disgusted look. What was it, then?

Before he could ask any staff about the product, a sparkly frisbee flew in his direction.

Jude moved out of the way, a scream dying from his lips.

The ball flew out of his hand.

As if it were in slow motion, Jude’s eyes watched, in both horror and admiration, as the brown ball landed right in front of a helpless girl — with the crack of an egg, smoke came out of it, dancing upward toward the girl, as if to claim her responsible for its explosion.

Wow… it smelled nasty.

_{private thread with @Evaline Valerie Hawthorne}

Evaline was finally in Diagon Alley. But, not alone, as she would have preferred. So, she decided to fix that, by shoving her 7 older brothers who trailed her like she would disappear from Gods green earth the second she was out of their view, into the nearest store.

" Buh-bye! See you guys later!" She said, grabbing the heavy sack of galleons they had, and blowing them a kiss. She muttered, " Imbeciles", the second they were out of earshot, rolling her eyes.

Now, she was finally and gloriously alone to do anything, and buy anything she'd like! She almost ran headfirst into about 7 people, while she was consumed by her thoughts, but who really cares?

She opened her teeny parasol, black and pink lace, like everything else she owned, and put it above her daintily. It was far too sunny today, for her own liking. She was wearing a black mini dress, with tiny pink lace flowers interwoven into it. She had gotten it yesterday, and she had an inkling that it wouldn't survive the week. It wasn't her fault that she had a haphazard personality?

She was jarred out of her thoughts the second she spotted her favorite store. Weasley’s Wizards Wheezes. She smirked deviously, closing her parasol and stepping in. The second she did, she was swallowed by noise. Everywhere.

The shop was alive. Shelf's buzzing, bottles rattling, someone- (or something)- shrieking bloody murder in the back. Evaline inhaled deeply, her lips shifting into a little grin.

" Oh I could just die in here," She muttered, moving to particularly intriguing love potion. She wandered without urgency, her polished (but somehow dirty?) loafers clicking softly. It was quite hot, so she tied her black-and-pink curls half up into a bow, then continued to browse. She paused here and there, reading labels, mentally filing away ideas for later, mostly thinking about how she would prank her brothers next.

A small cluster of younger kids ran passed her, shrieking over a sparkly demonstration near the front. Evaline sidestepped them with practiced ease, dusting off her skirt slightly. She looked up again, smiling. Oh how she loved chaos. Eva was practically the human epitome of it.

She spotted another interesting rack of potions, running her hands over them. She heard something whizzing behind her, a Frisbee, or whatever they were called. She paid no mind to it, just side-stepping again, her skirt whooshing around her legs. Then, there was a small brown...chocolate rubber ball...? It stopped right in front of her.

CRACK.

Yeah. Not a chocolate ball.

Smoke erupted instantly, curling upward in thick, foul tendrils. The stench followed half a second later, brutal and unmistakable. Evaline froze as it crawled around her shoes, climbed the hem of her dress, ( " Bloody-") and dared to drift closer to her face. Her expression changed in a snap. Shock.
Then disbelief. Then absolute, venomous offense.

“Oh,” she said softly, deadly calm. “You have got to be joking.”
She lifted her dress just enough to avoid the worst of the smoke, her cat-like dark green eyes flashing as she looked up through the haze, past the cauldron, past the gawking kids... and locked eyes with the boy responsible.

" You're dead." she mouthed.

While some children were competent enough to cover the signs of laughter, the same could not be said about Jude. Immature as always, the eleven-year-old visibly struggled to keep it in. Even when pressing his lips together in a thin line, his shoulders trembled, eyes sparkling with amusement as he made eye contact with the poor girl.

It was like the time in middle school when he accidentally kicked a football so hard it hit their History teacher in the head, knocking off his totally-realistic wig from his head. An accident, yes, but a great one.

You're dead, she'd said, a clear threat, mind you, and yet he couldn't help but find it even more hilarious.

"Listen—" The word came out light and airy, as the boy didn't care for the consequences of his actions. At least to him, it didn't matter. It wasn't as if he'd purposefully tossed the stink bomb at her. Jude didn't even know who she was! He wouldn't have minded the other way around. It was just a stink bomb, anyway. She'd be fine. "Um... it—it was a mistake. But the face you made was really funny,"

Bringing a hand up, he coughed as the scent caught up to him, stronger than before. It brought tears to his eyes. Wow, the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes sold some powerful stuff. He cleared his throat, shaking his head.

_{private thread with @Evaline Valerie Hawthorne}

Evaline just stared, utterly still. She took a deep breath, attempting to ground herself.

It didn't work.

" This. Is. COUTURE YOU INDUBITABLY INANE SIMPLETON-" She stopped, taking another deep inhale, and catching another whiff of the not-chocolate-ball.

Her shoulders lowered, and her pupils narrowing vertically into slits. She then smiled slowly and sweetly.

“Oh,” she said softly, lowering her skirt back into place with exaggerated care, “a mistake. Of course it was. Silly me."

She stepped forward, just one step, close enough that the edge of the smoke curled between them, her dark green eyes glinting like she’d just found a particularly interesting animal to dissect. It was one thing that she would have destroyed the dress herself. That always happened. Someone else? Ha! That amused her. The parasol tapped once against the floor.

Tap.

“And here I was thinking you’d done it on purpose,” she continued lightly, tilting her head. “Which would have at least implied competence.” A small demure shurg.

Her eyes flicked over him, head to toe. " You're laughing." She added, her tone pleasant as if they were chatting at a dinner party. She took another step forward.

" You're either painfully inane, or have a death wish. Though I assume it's the former. Now apologize- "

She caught another whiff of the dung-bomb, or whatever that thing was, cutting her off. " Ugrh, that's atrocious!" She said, covering her nose, her eyes watering.

@Jude Morgan

His clear lack of self-preservation kicked in louder than ever before, and his laughing fit continued. The girl's taunt fell on deaf ears as he displayed no reaction other than bright amusement. Jude gasped for air, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, as he couldn't bring himself to stop. He laughed so much that he had to lean against one of the shop's shelves, almost as if his body couldn't support his own weight at the moment.

Jude couldn't believe what unfolded before his eyes.

"This—This is—couture!" He mimicked the girl, forcing a high-pitched voice and her accent. "Oh, that's golden..."

It came out rather naturally, considering how much he was wheezing at the look on her face. This had to be the funniest day of his life so far! Another loud laugh left him as he tossed his head back. Eventually, it died down, and he found himself controlling his breathing, one hand over his chest, feeling his fast-paced heart, while the other still held tight to the shelf.

Tilting his head to the side, Jude stared at her now, a lot more clear-minded. He processed her words, at last, shaking his head in dismissal. "Listen, miss fashionista, I'm so veeeeery sorry to ruin your couture. Really. That's a deadly crime that I have committed. I'm afraid the wizard police will come after me now... It must be tragic for you, really."

_{private thread with @Evaline Valerie Hawthorne}

Oh my lord. Evaline watched the maniac laughing like a imbecile, leaning on the shelf. Her mouth opened and closed, and no sound came off. She realized she might have resembled a fish, so she snapped her jaw shut. She had never been laughed at. Ever. Especially like this? By a little boy?

She resisted the urge to stamp her foot with every fiber of her body. UGH. He was more vexing then her nephews. And that's really saying something. At least when they spill ink on the stairs or tie snakes to the laundry, there’s a method to their madness. This… this was pure, unadulterated chaos, and somehow, infinitely more irritating.

She gasped, affronted, when he mocked her. " I do NOT sound like that!" She snapped, her eyes flashing. " You got the accent all wrong! IF YOU'RE GONNA MOCK ME AT LEAST DO IT PROPERLY!"

Her pale cheeks tinged with pink. " I am not ' miss fashionista', you inane posterior. " she muttered. " You now owe me 10 galleons. For the dress. And yes, if it ripped in any way, I would have sent the ' wizard police' after you. Moron." She said, dusting off her dress, and shoving her hand into her pocket, because one of her fingers was aching to say hello.

Though his laughing fit was over and done with, Jude still carried a humorous air to him, light shoulders shaking as he listened to the girl's angry words. Alas, he got a good look at her — wide, angry, cat-like green eyes and sleek black hair. With that outfit, she looked just like what he had expected of a witch around his age. Except for her clear lack of a sense of humor. That was tragic.

"10 galleons?" Jude made a face, genuinely confused. Did she forget the part where he said it had been an accident? Though he wasn't all familiar with wizard money yet, as he pulled out the few coins he had left in his pocket, he quickly realized he didn't have nearly enough to make it up to her. "That dress is not worth 10 galleons, let's be honest,"

The words slipped before he could think of something else to say. Still, there was no taking them back now. Tilting his head to the side, he shoved his money back into his pocket, now crossing his arms. Not that he would pay, of course. It was an accident.

Jude cleared his throat, trying to sound mature and reasonable, in comparison to the angry witch. "I mean... aren't you a witch? Can't you just... use a spell? Or are you like, what's the word? A Squib?"

_{private thread with @Evaline Valerie Hawthorne}

Evaline nodded at his bewildered, " 10 galleons??" Poor boy. He must not have enough money. She looked him up and down again. Yeah. He indubitably didn't. " Awh. It's okay. Would you like some money? Was your begging on the streets not enough?" She murmured in a sweet voice, fake-pouting, tilting her head so her black hair falling onto her face, shadowing it.


" Bet you don't even know what a 10 galleon dress is, much less see one." She scoffed, the sweetness gone, pulling a blood pop from her pocket and popping it into mouth. She watched him cross his arms, smirking slightly. Her nonchalance right now was trying to make-up for her previous outburst. She couldn't afford anyone else seeing her vexed again.


" Do I look, like a squib to you?" Her voice lowered just enough that it was almost a hiss. " Of course I could fix it with a spell, you stupid little muggle boy. It's not about that." Evaline didn't hate muggles. Quite the opposite. Most of her sister-in-laws were muggle-born, and her brothers always made her read muggle history books. Her best friend, Cher, was even muggle born. The point is, she liked muggles. But not the one in front of her. By the way he said "Squib", She assumed that he was a muggle born, or a ignorant half-blood.


" Here, this might pay for something." She said, pulling out the heavy sack of galleons she had in her bag, and tossed a few at his feet like it was trash." Now, do you need help finding your mommy?" The boy was the same height as her, probably ever taller, but she made a show of bending down, like she was talking to a child.

Was your begging on the streets not enough?… Those words caused his lightheartedness to fade, stormy eyes squinting as he stared at that girl. They hit far too close to home for his liking.

It wasn’t the first time some spoiled kid commented on his money – or lack thereof. Jennifer Davenport and her clique were the main perpetrators of those comments: the self-proclaimed popular girls in middle school, who thought they could decide who was worthy and who wasn't with a single look. Needless to say, Jude never seemed to meet her standard, as she flaunted all of her father's money wherever she went.

His mother worked hard with her tarot readings for Muggles. She was the reason why he was so passionate and determined about everything in his life, because he saw that same passion reflected in the woman's eyes. Though Arabella had her fair share of loyal clients and managed to pay all of their bills on time, it wasn’t necessarily the most stable source of income. Muggle money and Wizard money were different, he knew. With Arabella being cast aside by her own wizard family, the Morgans, which was why Jude never got to meet them, he had no idea just how much wizard money they actually had. So he had nothing he could use against that girl's words, much to his dismay.

She continued to mock him; her tone as condescending as Jennifer Davenport's. ‘Stupid little muggle boy.’ He closed his fists, controlling the urge to grab another one of those stink bombs and show her what he could do when things weren't an accident.

Jude's eyes watched the galleons fall to his feet, as she discarded them like it was nothing, face burning. It was safe to assume this girl was filthy rich – some snob, spoiled brat. Just like Davenport and her little friends.

He kicked the galleons back her way, wishing he could do more than that. He didn't need her money. And he'd show her he wasn't some stupid muggle boy. He was a Morgan – even if he had no connection to his wizard family, that name had to mean something. "You might need help finding St. Mungo's if you don't piss off,"

"Jude Morgan!" His mother's worried tone caused his shoulders to go up in embarrassment.

He looked to the door, right as Arabella made her way back inside – their previous bags floating right behind her; the books they had bought at Flourish and Blotts, his school robes, his magical pet. Everything. Mother dressed like the prefect mix of a Muggle and a witch – glittery Muggle-like outfits, and strange-looking necklaces and earrings, with magical, healing crystals. Her pointy hat was bright pink. Usually, Jude found Mother's clothes to be eclectic and fun, like she didn't give a damn what others thought. Now that he had faced some spoiled brat, however, he silently wished she had worn one of her fancy witch-like robes instead.

Arabella approached the kids, eyes landing on the girl Jude was interacting with, offering the little witch a small, polite smile. She didn't deserve to have her mother smiling at her like that, he thought, crossing his arms. "Oh, you've made a new friend,"

"That's a good word for her, mum," Jude scoffed, giving the girl one final angry look. "Can we go?"

_{private thread with @Evaline Valerie Hawthorne}

Evaline smiled wider when she noticed how her words affected him. HA! She stopped herself from laughing. She wasn't completely immoral. She did understand that there were...lesser people out there. She internally shrugged. No one could be as superlative as her, that's for sure.

She watched him kick the galleons. Oh boo! He clearly required it, and that arrogance was stopping him. She smirked even wider at his St. Mungos comment. " I was admitted there, matter of fact! Thrice. And escaped each time." She added, her eyes glowing at the edges slightly. She finished sucking on the current blood pop in her mouth, so she yanked another one from her bag and popped it in her mouth.

She had met many- to many- arrogant little boys like him. Cocky little bastards. Nothing to faze her much. Her nephews friends, mostly. One of the little blackguards had a big crush on her once, sneaking roses into her room every time he was over, and even tried kissing her. He still had the bruise on his chest. And really? Roses?

She was about to tell him exactly where he could shove his St. Mungos offer, when she heard, " Jude Morgan!" She watched the boys reaction to the name. Huh. So he was the owner. She tilted her head. Eva had heard the last name, Morgan, before. She didn't know where, so she decided to ignore it. Jude. What a simpleton name.

She saw a pretty woman, wearing vibrant, fun clothing, bags floating behind her. The second she saw the robes, her eyes widening, and flicking between the boy, Jude, and the robe. Oh crap.

By the looks of it, he was a first year, same as her. She would have to see him again. Usually she would like to burn bridges and be, as you would say, ' that's that.' But no. He was also going to Hogwarts. There were already far too many pricks and piss-offs there, and Evaline made enemies fast. But it was fine. She could handle another. Fit it into her schedule.

The second the woman came into view, her expression changed in an instant. Her, ' I-will-kill-you-and-string-you-up-' face, changed into a cherubs, ' I couldn't even touch a fly' face.
" Why, hello miss!" She chirped, curtsying slightly. " Evaline Valerie Hawthorne," She said her name with as much gusto as she usually did," pleased to make your acquaintance! I was just informing er- Jude, here, about- uh- Dungbombs! Yes. " She smiled sweetly when she was done speaking.

" EVIE WHERE IN THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?" She heard from behind her. Ugh. She physically restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Her monkey-band of brothers were here. For her soul. She turned around, catching a glimpse of Hugh's black hair, streaked with white. He had always had that hair since birth, and it was a good way to identify him.

" Well, those are my brothers," She turned back to the two. " It was a pleasure to meet you ma'am, and you too, er- Jack." She added. She forgot the boys name. She just remembered it was stupid and stacked with a J. She held out her middle finger just to the side of her, just so the boy could see.