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Mentions: Reducio @Aaron Schwartz

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio

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Late August always seemed to carry a strange feeling. Summer hadn't quite ended, yet there was a quiet sense that something new was just around the corner. This time, last year, Diana was getting ready for her first year of Hogwarts, now she was trying to enjoy the last bits of her summer before she returned to the castle for another year.

Diana had decided to pay a visit to the Leaky Cauldron which was alive with the familiar sounds of conversation, clinking glasses, and the occasional owl fluttering overhead. Families with newly purchased school supplies stopped in for meals before heading home, while other witches and wizards chatted over steaming mugs and plates of food.

Diana sat at a small table near one of the windows, a cup of hot chocolate resting in front of her. Her school trunk had already been packed at home, but she and her parents had made one final trip into Diagon Alley to pick up a few last-minute supplies before the Hogwarts Express departed in a few days. Diana was by all means excited to be going back to school, but she was also sad that the summer was ending. Diana wanted to spend more time with her parents and her grandmother.

Diana had brought her notebook with her which lay open beside her drink while only a handful of lines had been written across the page. Every so often she paused to glance around the room, quietly observing the people passing through the old inn. A group of excited first-years compared the books they'd just bought, an elderly wizard laughed heartily at a story his friend was telling, and a tawny owl perched patiently on the back of an empty chair while its owner finished lunch.

A small smile appeared on her face. She always enjoyed watching people. She had mainly watched people at Hogwarts, so that habit grew into something she enjoys. Even without speaking to them, she found herself wondering about their stories where they had come from, where they were going, and whether they were looking forward to the new school year as much as she was.

Taking another sip of her hot chocolate, Diana rested her pencil against the edge of her notebook and looked toward the entrance as the door opened once more. Perhaps someone familiar would walk in, or perhaps she'd meet someone new before summer gave way to another year at Hogwarts. She wouldn't mind making a new friend before going back to school. She also wouldn't mind seeing one of her friends before she saw them again on the train.

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Word Count: 436/200

Reducio

Some notes:

• People in bold are dNPCs. They will be bolded at the first mention in a thread.
• Word Count: 574 words
• Statements that Aaron says in italics are his thoughts. They are coloured with code: 4169E1.
• Statements that Aaron says in italics and quotes are verbal and can be heard by others. Additional notes (such as loudness or clarity) will be mentioned above or below the quote. The speech is coloured with code: 946b2d.

The day had finally arrived for the Schwartz family to go to shopping in Diagon Alley. It was a bit late, considering school started in a couple of weeks, but they couldn't do much. After all they had to plan this trip to remove any and all suspicions.

The story was that the family had to go shop for Aaron's boarding school. Technically true, actually false, since a lot of people didn't know the boarding school was called Hogwarts, where not talented children, but magical children go.

They took the Underground since it was cheap. Money was bound to be a bit tight since the exchange rate wasn't that great.

During the entire train ride, Aaron was discretely trying to explain his excitement for shopping at Diagon Alley to Arnold, Aaron's father who is a Muggle. He almost had a couple of slip-ups which others caught on, but his mother, Megan, a witch, was able to cover it up with ease stating that Aaron had recently read a book on magic and is just excited about it.

The family finally reached a station near the Leaky Cauldron. After walking for about 5 minutes, they had reached the famous pub and entered it. It was full. There were people conversing with each other, others who were just having a fun time with themselves, families who had just finished shopping or are just about to start, all just sitting and having a fun time.

And the best part: people were using magic. This was the first time Arnold had seen magic being used at a large scale like he was seeing here. He was prepared as he had seen his wife use magic at home, but never at this scale or this publicly. Aaron was excited. He was one step closer to ge his own wand, cauldron, maybe even a broomstick! Oh wait, not a broomstick as first years are not allowed to have one. But yeah, maybe some jokes from the Weasleys shop to play pranks on or with his going to be new friends.

Unlike Aaron, who was bustling with energy, Megan and Arnold were a bit tired after the journey. Arnold wanted a drink so that he could absorb it all and continue living with this "normal" life.

Aaron thought it was best to give them a while as Megan explains any questions Arnold has as he looks around a pub, maybe find another student in his year, or a senior he can learn from! He saw many groups of friends who were about his age, or alone people who were way older than him. He then saw a 12 or 13 year old girl by herself writing in a notebook and having a hot drink.

"Well, it would be easier to start talking with her I guess."

Aaron first went to the bar and ordered a hot chocolate for himself and carefully went towards her.

"Hey, if you don't mind, can I join you with my hot chocolate?"

Aaron says pointing to the seat opposite her. He was hoping he hadn't disturbed her.

"I'm here with my parents to go shopping. My dad just needs a second to absorb it all. He's a Muggle seeing this the first time. I thought I'll get to know someone who is going to Hogwarts also in the mean time, which I hope you are going to, right?"

He added, hopefully not making it sound weird.

Reducio

@Diana Roberts thanks for inviting me to write with you!

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Mentions: Reducio @Aaron Schwartz

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio

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As a voice broke through the gentle hum of conversation around the Leaky Cauldron Diana looked up from her notebook and blinked once before offering the boy a warm smile. "Not at all," she replied, lightly closing her notebook and sliding it to one side. "Please." She gestured to the chair that he had pointed at which was opposite from her.

She watched as he set his hot chocolate down opposite her before listening to his explanation. His words came quickly, almost as though he was worried he might sound strange if he didn't explain everything at once. Rather than finding it odd, Diana found it rather endearing. "It's nice that your parents came with you," she said softly. "I imagine today must be especially exciting for both of you."

When Aaron mentioned his father being a Muggle seeing the magical world for the first time, Diana glanced briefly toward the man before looking back at him. "Both my parent's are half-bloods," she explained. "I lived mostly in the Muggle world but I knew about magic." She smiled thoughtfully. "I can only imagine how incredible everything must seem when you're seeing it for the very first time."

She nodded at his question. "I am," she answered. "I'll be starting my second year at Hogwarts in a few days." A hint of quiet pride crept into her voice as she spoke. It still felt a little strange saying she was a second-year student. Her first journey on the Hogwarts Express felt as though it had happened only yesterday. Time sure does fly by fast, but Diana would always remember her first year at Hogwarts and her first journey on the Hogwarts Express. "I'm Diana, by the way."

She wrapped both hands around her mug, enjoying the warmth for a moment before asking, "You're starting your first year, then?" Even though he'd basically already said that, she was still confirming. "I remember coming here before my own first year," she continued with a small laugh. "Everything felt new, and I wanted to look in every shop before we went home." However, by the time she was done shopping, she was ready to go home. So, this time she knew she'd be exploring Diagon Alley.

Her eyes then drifted toward the entrance leading to Diagon Alley. "Have you made a list of where you want to visit first?" she asked curiously. "Most people are excited about Ollivanders, but I remember wanting to spend ages in Flourish and Blotts." She smiled sheepishly. "I like books, so I probably could have stayed there all afternoon if my parents had let me." No wonder she'd gotten into Ravenclaw, Diana was a book nerd. But maybe it ran in the family because her mother is a librarian. "Have you been looking forward to Hogwarts for a long time?" she asked as she tilted her head ever so slightly.

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Word Count: 481/200

"Ok, things are going great." Aaron thought to himself as he sat down.

He said a small acknowledgement of thanks and began sipping on his hot chocolate as the girl in front of him began to talk.

Things were going on smoothly and it seems like she was interested in talking with him. Even though he said a lot of things super fast, she still answered them at a conversational pace, ensuring she acknowledges everything he said. He got excited when he realised she was a second year at Hogwarts. He was going to get a lot of his doubts about life at Hogwarts and the various exciting stuff that is going to happen to him after he gets sorted on September 1st.

"I'm Aaron."

he said as Diana was sipping her drink after introducing herself.

He nodded in confirmation as Diana confirmed that he was a first year. Diagon Alley felt like a large place all of a sudden. It couldn't be difficult to visit all the shops within a day, could it?

"I also love to read a lot! I have been looking forward to Hogwarts ever since I knew about it. I was waiting for my first instance of magic to take place so that I can guarantee my place at the school. And that day was just magical. Well, it mostly in the night, but I realised in the day."

Then he thought about the thing he dreaded the most: leaving his Muggle friends, especially Rocky, a Muggle who is Aaron's best friend.

"How was it like? Leaving behind your Muggle friends for a future in magic. Don't you get that feeling that you want to explain everything to them, but the Statue of Secrecy forbids us to do it?"

He added on after a small pause.

He was hoping he could get some tips on how he can help his friends cope with his departure. They can't even contact him using telephones or any other forms of Muggle technology, and he wasn't expecting explaining to them the reason why they need to write letters by hand instead of typing them on the computer.

Just to ensure he had time, he looked over to his parents and saw that they were talking away with each other, his mother clearing all doubts his father had, his father still shocked, but now calm. His father may be a finance officer only, but he was a firm believer of science and it never agreed with him that magic can exist. He always tried to find loopholes in his mother's work, but was never able to do so. Maybe that's what is making it so hard for him to comprehend the things he is seeing right now.

Reducio

Word Count: 457
@Diana Roberts