Flowers and Windows [Rowan]

Now that the Second Wizarding War was long over and with Voldemort done and gone, Diagon Alley was looking nice and bright again. Though it wasn’t what it used to be, things were definitely looking up. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes stood lofty among the other repaired store fronts. It seemed bittersweet; a reminder of the struggle and those who were lost but a monument of triumph that had made it all worthwhile.

The streets were fairly busy, just enough activity to kick the dust up from the worn down cobblestones. And Guinevere stood, a little ways from her mother, admiring the odd trinkets from the Weasleys’ shop windows. She had been here just a few times before- before the war. And though things were okay- yes, things were fine now, a numbness from the pain still lingered. Guinevere had thankfully lost no one during the battle or the ministry’s downfall. Her mother had kept them all safe in hiding with her family in Dublin.

A weight had been lifted and order, stronger than before, returned. The air was sweet with the street vendor’s peculiar flowers. Guinevere’s mother was distracted with them and seemed to take a liking to the warm honey smell. Guinevere, still peering through the windows, had leapt with excitement at the sight of a Pygmy Puff. “Mum! I’ll be inside here for a bit!” she nearly shouted, her eyes fixed on the small fluff ball. And turning to dash through the entrance, Guinevere had managed to run into someone, knocking them over. She would have fallen as well but she had remained on her feet by bumping against the door frame. “Ow! Ah! I should have been paying attention, so sorry! Here let me help you up.” She pleaded, holding out her hand to the stranger.

She had felt so guilty about knocking the boy over but as he nonchalantly got back to his feet, it appeared to her that he hardly realized or cared that someone had knocked him over at all. She blinked and watched him curiously, her hand held out as he dusted himself off. “Oh! uh- Hi! Guinevere Way.” She laughed a little while shaking his…obviously dirty hand and proceeded to secretly wipe her palm off on her robe. But the boy had looked back at her and she noted that his expressions were pretty funny looking. 

She couldn't figure it out but she had the feeling to pick a fight with the boy- of course she wouldn't but he seemed so provocative to her. “Yeah, I’ll be starting my first year. How about you?” He looked like he was her age and since he was asking, she was sure he’d probably be starting school also. Might as well try to make as many friends as she could, she figured. “So are you excited? What house do you want to be in?”

Guinevere had almost forgotten why she had even come into the shop. Pygmy puffs! Her eyes darted in search of where the cute little fluffs were kept. She spotted them near the back corner of the shop and began ogling despite the boy’s presence. Awww! I want a pink one! Her eyes softened at the sight of the cuddly adorable things. “Look! Pygmy puffs! They’re so cute! Come on!” She skittered off toward them almost knocking poor Rowan over again. But who couldn't love something so soft and snugly?

“Absolutely excited!” She agreed. “I've done all my shopping and I practically got all my things packed already!” At least she hoped she got everything on the list. She’d have to triple check it. “You don’t know what house you want to be in?” Guinevere was a bit surprised. She raised her eyebrows and wondered at how someone could be so uncertain about something like that. The houses seemed so positively distinct from one another to her. He listed everything but Hufflepuff and Guinevere kept quiet about it until he asked her. “Well I think Hufflepuffs are the best. They’re the most kind and loyal and I love that about them.” She left it at that since she was uncomfortable at even speaking her mind about something she felt so strongly emotional about.

But she wondered for a moment. What if she wouldn't be sorted in Hufflepuff? She really wasn’t acting what she felt was nice to this boy. What if they’d be sorted into the same house and she’d have to deal with him for the rest of her Hogwarts life! Oh no. No, she shouldn’t think about that. Surely they were obviously different enough to be in different houses. Surely… she gave herself a little nod and moved on.

Now, why was she here again? Oh yes! Pygmy puffs! Guinevere gravitated toward a pink one that seemed to love rolling around in its cage. “Awww! Hello little thing,” she cooed reaching her fingers in to pet its fine silky fur. “Yeah…” of course they were miniature puffskeins but couldn’t he see? “But they’re so cute.” Guin raised her eyebrows at him as if to try and persuade him. She didn’t understand boys. Why wasn’t he overwhelmed with feelings of admiration at the mere sight of them? Let alone their little squeaks and the way they twirl around. Maybe something was wrong with him she figured and started to pity him a little bit. “Well then what do you like?”

The rest? Guinevere said nothing and had settled that she wouldn’t respond further as she was a little irritated at the disagreement. They obviously had polar opposite views on the topic and she definitely wasn’t willing to compromise her stance. Hufflepuffs were the awesome underdogs that most took for granted. They were the unique ones. Guinevere kept her eyes on the little pink puff because she probably would get madder about his ignorance if she looked at his smug, better-than-Hufflepuff face. She couldn’t keep her mouth shut though. “Well, the other houses aren’t known for niceness.” How could he be so prejudice?

“Yeah, I have an owl already though. And she isn’t pink or fluffy. I can’t carry her around in my pocket and she doesn’t make such cute sounds.” She paused and wondered at how insensitive the boy was to such cuteness before them!  “Really, Rowan, don’t you have a heart?” Guinevere supposed that he didn’t but actually she knew no boy who cared about good or nice things. Boys just want to destroy and plunder. Yup, completely heartless- Why did I even ask? “It’s okay Rowan, you probably won’t understand until you’re older..” She frowned a little at her being so bluntly honest.

“Yeah, anything,” she answered. She looked around and tried to guess what he’d like…it was a place full of pranks and jokes after all. He seemed a bit too serious to joke though, she thought. Guinevere listened and was a little surprised that he was a trickster- but that he was a weird/mysterious illusionist kind of magic person. He wasn’t for laughs but for wonder and awe. That was interesting. “Yeah, let’s see what you got!” Guin turned away from the pygmy puffs and was now pretty interested in the disagreeable boy. She looked attentively at his actions, trying to catch his sleight of hand. There was always a slight of hand…wasn’t there?

Okay. He’s just being ridiculous now. There’s really no talking to him. Guinevere gave the boy a disinterested sort of look, her eyelids drooped and eyebrows lifted. She merely sighed, “Well- aren’t you polite.” She just met the kid and was definitely not going to waste her breath on a hopeless cause, especially on someone she didn’t even know. His aggression started to remind her of some kind of pureblood supremacist.

Looking up and away from the pygmy puffs, Guinevere noticed his expression. She could tell her comments had struck a nerve and he was a bit mad but then after a split moment, like a switch he had changed and started fumbling with a deck of cards. It was peculiar but it made her all the more interested. He spoke in a completely different tone, gentle-like, and she leaned in- her eyes fixated on the movements of his fingers with the cards. She picked one on the left and looked at it. Seven of Spades. She placed it to the right of the fanned stack and squinted her eyes as if to focus more.  And then immediately he started his show, there was so much going on, Guin couldn’t keep up.

Where had her card gone? She hummed in disappointment. She had lost it but that was what was supposed to happen, right? She looked up at his eyes suspiciously for a moment and back down at his hands. Her eyes dodged back and forth trying to figure out how in the world he’d managed to find that card. She really didn’t know what to expect since the boy had already surprised her with his rudeness. But she supposed it couldn’t get any worse.