[Acelyn's] If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back? [Alex]

The morning had started with an overcast sky. But it was like the sun had blown some hot air on London and pushed all the clouds away. Now, Guinevere could hardly stand wearing her black robes. She certainly wasn’t going to take it off and reveal her very muggle looking dress. She had enough of looking like a muggle with the frequent visits and outings with Dad’s side of the family. She just really needed to get out of the sun and was sure she’d get sun-burnt wandering through the Alley with her family. That was when she realized she had the perfect excuse to get some ice cream. Delicious and cold and sweet! She fantasized for a moment and rushed to plead with her mother that ice cream was the answer to all her current problems. “No mum, I don’t have a sickle but… yes, I’ll do something to earn it…but ugh. the dishes?” Guinevere pondered the deal. Doing the stack of dishes that had been piling since yesterday would be her consequence if she chose to have deliciously cold ice cream.

The sun was blazing against her shoulders in that black robe, and the family still walking through the Alley, headed to Terrortours and they had just passed Acelyn’s. Guinevere eyed the busy shop and quickly asked, “Mum- can I have a large ice cream if  I do the dishes?” And with a nod of approval, Guinevere at once ran off with a single shiny galleon. Acelyn’s was fairly busy, so Guinevere had to wait in line. But she was content enough just standing in the cool atmosphere and smelling the sugary air.

She finally reached the counter, and knowing exactly what she wanted- she sputtered out her request rather excitedly. “I’d like a large banana split, please.” She smiled in anticipation and placed the single shiny galleon upon the counter. Her mouth watered at the sight of all the treats so near to her and she was so excited!

Alex hadn't been outside since he got to his father's air conditioned shop, but he assumed that it was hot because of how busy the ice cream parlor was. Alex was behind the counter, serving the ice cream into dishes and handing it to the customers, while his father was at the register, taking the money. The young Hufflepuff had asked his dad earlier that morning and asked him if he could run the register, but alas, he said no. The boy's father, James, had said that Alex hadn't had enough experience behind the register, but how was he supposed to get experience if his dad never let him work it? It just didn't make sense.

Nevertheless, Alex was happy scooping up the frozen treats for other customers. It seemed to make them happy, which made him happy. The parlor was slowly filling up on the inside, and the big families that were coming in were moving outside to eat their delicious ice cream, which made Alex sad. It was hot outside, which is why they got the ice cream in the first place, and now they had to move outside because there wasn't enough room in the nice, cool inside.

The line that was leading up to the register was getting smaller as people's orders were getting filled and they were moving out to sit and eat. The last in line was a small girl who had to be around 11, and she knew exactly what she wanted. She hadn't been to Hogwarts yet, Alex knew that because he hadn't seen her, and he saw most all the younger students. The young girl ordered a banana split, and the boy was quick to grab a bowl and start making it.  He looked at the little girl once more, making sure that he hadn't seen her around.

"Hello, love!" He greeted the girl. "Having a good day?" he asked, scooping her ice cream into a nice large bowl. "Are you excited to go to Hogwarts? Hufflepuff is the best house, let me just say that right now. If the Sorting Hat is taking a bit of time, you should ask to be put in that one. I could show you around!" The talkative boy exclaimed. "Have you got a house that you'd want to be in?" He handed the bowl over he counter to the small girl. "Or an older sibling that's in school maybe?" He flashed a smile at the girl, handing a spoon over to her.

Guinevere was so distracted by her excitement, the lovely smells and the cool air that she hardly noticed the greeting directed at her. “Oh!” Her eyes widened as she turned her head toward the boy and grinned. “Hello there!” She was flattered to be addressed by a boy so much older. He was quite a skinny young man for working at a place so full of sweets. But she couldn't stop looking at his messy curls of dark brown hair. Guinevere loved curly hair.

“Yes, I’m having a lovely day. But it’s so hot outside, that’s why I came in here.” She watched his movements- scooping the ice cream into the bowl. She swallowed and stared as if in a trance but the boy caught her attention once more. “Yes! Of course I’m excited for Hogwarts! I’m hoping the Sorting Hat will think me good enough to be a Hufflepuff…I’m kind of scared I won’t be. But either way, I’d love for someone to show me around- I don’t know very many wizards or witches.” She said, glancing at his hair every once in a while.

He had finally relinquished the bowl of delicious pleasure and Guinevere debated on whether or not to start eating the ice cream now with her finger or to be polite and continue conversing with the cute older boy. She sighed. “No, I’m the eldest…I have two younger siblings.” Her eyes twinkled at the sight of the spoon he handed her. “My name is Guinevere Way by the way.” Her smile broadened. She had taken a big spoonful of the cold sweet treat and quickly swallowed it down despite how rude it was to eat in front of another who wasn't. But Guinevere couldn't control herself enough to wait. “So you’re a Hufflepuff? That’s wicked! Are the professors very difficult?” She was really into her ice cream. She hoped that the boy would be so busy talking that he somehow wouldn't notice how quickly she was really eating it.

"I bet," He responded to the girl when she said it was hot outside. "I'm glad you're excited! Some people in my year were worried when they got to Hogwarts, but there's really no reason to be." Alex told her. He grabbed a cup from behind him and turned around to start mixing a banana milkshake, calling out to the girl over his shoulder. "I think you'll get put in Hufflepuff. You seem like the perfect candidate." He told her, starting the blender to mix his shake. While it was mixing, he turned back around to face the girl, smiling down at her.

"You can always find me, I'll show you around. I can show you the secret passage that I know of!" He said, remembering back to when he was an ickle first year and someone opened the passage with him by. It was the only passage he'd ever found, but he knew there were more and was determined to find them before he graduated from the school. "Now that I think about it, any Hufflepuff that you asked would probably help you. We're a friendly bunch in that house." He nodded, turning around to pour his milkshake in the cup that he'd set out.

"Let's sit over here." He told her, grabbing his cup and moving over to a small, empty table in the corner. He sat in one of the chairs and waited for the girl to sit across from him before continuing. "I'm Alex Acelyn." Alex told her with a smile. He took a drink out of his milkshake before clearing his throat. "The professors are kind of difficult." He paused. "Well, some are and some aren't, but that's how its always going to be. My favorite it Professor Trickett. He's my friend Freya's uncle."

The boy took another sip of his milkshake. "If you eat that too fast, you know, you're going to get a tummy ache." He told the girl with a wink. "I'd slow down a bit if I were you. How're you supposed to have more if you eat so fast your stomach hurts?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, raising the glass of banana milkshake to his lips again.

He really thinks that I could be a Hufflepuff? I wonder how he can tell… Before Guinevere had the chance to wonder, the boy had smiled at her and she quickly returned a grin. “Really?” She giggled a little but was honestly a bit insecure about possibly becoming a Hufflepuff since some people thought they were boring. But this young man was being so courteous and kind and she just couldn’t believe how someone could think that he might be boring. His lovely, curly hair was definitely the last thing anyone could think was boring, she supposed.

“Wow! A secret passage! …I love Hufflepuffs!” Guinevere suddenly began to nearly whisper after recognizing that she had been quite loud in her exclamations.  “No way…You would show me? That would be completely wicked.” She plopped down on the chair across from the boy, gripping her spoon in excitement. She was almost in disbelief- his offer seemed too good to be true. So she tried to calm herself to lessen the possible sting of disappointment with another mouthful of the delicious banana split. 

“Nice to meet you, Alex.” She beamed. Alex Acelyn. Acelyn… Wow! This is his family’s shop! “So this is your family’s business, that’s cool! My dad is a muggle and he has a store that sells muggle things that come from all over the world.” She nodded and continued with her ice cream, taking in all he had to say about the professors.

“Haha, a tummy ache!” She laughed and in an instant she felt an intense pain. Dropping her spoon she double palmed her forehead. She groaned but still tried to laugh a little. “Aaghh, I’m having a brain freeze!” She waited for it to pass before cautiously eating the last few bites. “I could probably eat some more you know! You guys have really good ice cream. I’ll have to bring my whole family next time.” She grinned.

“So, where should I put this?” She asked, holding the cold bowl. She didn’t think her parents had missed her much but she wasn’t in a rush to leave. She hadn’t even been gone very long anyway and the company was pleasant, even if the company was a boy five years older than her and surely had a girlfriend. But Guinevere just couldn’t help liking him- as a friend of course. She only maybe liked him, liked him a little itty bitty tiny bit. She knew she would see him around again, if not here in Diagon Alley then definitely at Hogwarts. I mean, he’s a Hufflepuff and hopefully she would be too and then she’d see him in the common room. She was wishful thinking and it was just too much to think about at the moment.