The five year old boy shyly peeked around his mother's skirt, his tiny hands grasping the fabric tightly. He had big brown eyes, magnified even larger, if possible, by the pair of round, metal glasses balanced on his nose. His hair was jet black, and stuck up in all different directions. The boy took a tiny step away from the security of his mother and took in his surroundings.
He was in a rather large toy store, in fact possible the largest one he had ever been in. There was a comforting hum of parents chatting, children laughing, and Christmas carols playing merrily in the background. He watched in curiosity as a little girl with bright red hair attempted to have a tea party with a group of stuffed animals.
"Mrs. Rabbit, would you care for a cup of tea?" she asked in her politest voice, carefully tilting the pot towards a cup sitting on the table. "And will that be one or two sugar cubes Mrs. Bear?" she asked turning away to face the teddy bear. "And what about you? Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked turning her brilliant green eyes on the boy. It took a moment for him to realize she was talking to him. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head in disgust.
"Tea parties are for girls! I don't play girly games!" The red headed girl looked confused.
"Then why do you have a dolly stuck under your arm?" She pointed out, because he did indeed have a Barbie doll placed carefully between his arm and his body, so that it was secure and had no chance of falling out. His eyes flicked down to the well loved doll under his arm, her once long blond hair sticking up in choppy tufts, the patterns on her clothing were faded, and one shoe was missing.
"It's not a doll, it's an action figure" he said crossly, taking the doll in his hand and hiding it behind his back.
"No it's not!" she insisted.
"It is!" he said resolutely, sticking out his tongue just to prove the point.
"Not!"
"Is!"
"Not!"
"Is!"
"Fine then," the girl gave up, deciding that this was getting her no where. "Well, what games do you like to play?" The boy's face lit up.
"Qudditch!" he exclaimed.
"Quidch?" she questioned. "What's that?"
"Only the most awesome flying game ever!" the boy elaborated. "I can't believe you don't know what it is!"
"In the sky? That's impossible people can't fly!" The girl said doubtfully.
"Well the people don't fly, I guess, but the brooms do! And the people sit on the brooms." he explained, moving his hands through the air. "And when I am old enough to go to Hogwarts I'm going to be on the Gryffindor team just like my daddy was!" He stated proudly.
Just then, boy's mum finished her conversation. "James darling, we have to leave now." She said taking his hand.
"Bye" he told the little girl with red hair, waving his hand.
She waved back. Some people have problems telling the difference between real and make believe, she thought. Then she turned back to her tea party.
"Mrs. Elephant! What a lovely dress you are wearing!" she complimented.