I promise there'll be more dialogue in the next chapter. Sometimes I just like to waffle on more than is necessary...
Disclaimer: all characters belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Hope you enjoy :]
Shocking pink had not been what Audrey had had in mind.
The box had said rose-gold. It was there, emblazoned in gold, curly writing across the top of the little semi-permanent dye carton, accompanied with a photo of a dazzlingly beautiful woman running her hands through locks tinted the faintest shade of copper-colored pink. Rose-gold was what Audrey had signed up for. Rose-gold complemented her skin. Rose-gold did not wash her out. Rose-gold murmured, "I'm interesting enough to dip my toes into uncharted territory, but I'm steady enough not to go off the handle." Rose-gold did not scream, "I'VE JUST DISCOVERED THE HAIR DYE CORNER OF THE DRUG-STORE AND I COULDN'T RESTRAIN MYSELF WHEN I DISCOVERED THERE WERE COLORS BESIDES BROWN AND BLACK".
Shocking pink was not Audrey. She had, of course, been meaning to dye her hair for some time. Having had her fill of being a blonde- she had gone platinum at fifteen and darkened her hair down to a respectable honey-gold for her graduation ceremony- she had wanted to venture into other shades, but she didn't want to go too extreme. Black washed her out; brown was too boring. She had entertained the idea of purple for a while but thought better of it after watching a sample strand turn an unpleasant moss color three weeks later. Red was too extreme but pink!- pink was just right. And not just any pink, of course. Audrey had carefully researched the subject, spending the vast majority of the few weeks prior to her trip hanging about various hair salons and perusing multiple glossy catalogs to determine the exact shade she wanted. She had seen customers- the more daring ones, anyway- prance out of the doors rocking every hue of pink from the faintest baby pink to the darkest crimson.
And Audrey had determined that rose-gold was for her. She had carefully observed the customers, noting their complexion as well as their skin and hair color. Caroline she had used as a momentary distraction for the hairdressers while she had cast a Disillusionment charm and hastily tinted the customers' hair various shades of pink. After trying out rose-gold on a willowy, ivory-complexioned brunette, Audrey had smiled and nodded to herself. Rose-gold was it.
Of course, Audrey's dye job was proving to be somewhat of a disaster. Observing herself critically in the mirror, Audrey sighed and fingered the bright pink locks across her shoulders. She had no idea how it had happened. One minute the concoction in her hands was the precise shade the box instructed it should be and the next minute, following her application of it, it had turned a rather suspicious red. Audrey hadn't thought too much of it until she had rinsed the dye off and ended up sporting shocking pink hair. It would have been all right, she thought as she tucked her fringe behind her ears and fixed a satin hairband on her head, if she wasn't supposed to be having her office orientation in precisely two hours.
Audrey wasn't worried about being late- ever since her sixth year at the Salem Witches' Institute, Audrey had woken up at least two and a half hours before she had to be anywhere to ensure she had enough time to shower, do her hair and makeup and have breakfast- but it was more the inconvenience of it all. Shocking pink wouldn't do at all for the impression she was trying to make. Not a Londoner herself, Audrey was determined to do as quick a job as possible of trying to mold into the society around her. She had figured that, in the sea of neutrals that characterized professional London, rose-gold would be her key to fitting in but also retaining a little bit of individuality and character.
Oh, well. Audrey smoothed down her outfit- if her hair wouldn't allow her to make a good impression, she was going to make damned sure her outfit would- and padded out of the bathroom into the corridor that led to the kitchen, resolutely refusing to look in the direction of her bedroom. It wasn't that it was a mess, per se- it was just cluttered. Having moved into her flat only three weeks ago, Audrey had been far too preoccupied with exploring London (or, more precisely, London's nightlife) to devote time to cleaning up her flat. She had shoved everything she knew she wouldn't immediately require- five filled boxes of books, stationary, summer clothes, cooking utensils, Salem-related gear- into her bedroom and then dumped various bits of collected furniture into there as well. Her living room featured a tiny TV set and a couch that had been serving as an extremely uncomfortable makeshift bed for the last couple of weeks. Still, Audrey was satisfied. She would have plenty of time to unpack once work started taking over her life and she wasn't tempted to spend her evenings fraternizing with so many delectable English boys.
A brief examination of the contents of the fridge and the cupboards proved disappointing as Audrey noticed the distinct lack of unexpired food and drink. She hadn't been grocery shopping in a while, having instead decided that a diet of wine and Cornish pasties was sufficient (her wallet certainly didn't agree). She sighed and checked her watch- she still had an hour and a half before she needed to be at the orientation- and pulled on a light rain jacket. London's weather had proven a lot nicer than what her father had warned her it would be but you could never be too careful. Picking up her handbag, she stuffed gum, a crinkled map of the London Underground, her wallet, several shades of lipstick, and her journal into it- making sure to place her instructions for getting to the Ministry of Magic in the front pocket of her jacket.
Several coffee shops lined the way to the station, with chalkboard welcome signs on the pavement that displayed puns or deals. For the most part, Audrey generally brewed her coffee at home herself but thanks to the distinct lack of edible food in her apartment this morning, she was forced to reconsider how to obtain her caffeine today. She paused at a bright yellow sign that pointed to a cramped coffee shop across the street and bit her lip. A collage of glossy pictures of cakes and muffin filled the sign and Audrey wondered whether to risk a pastry so early in the morning or whether to pass on it and just grab something from Pret later on in central London.
Her stomach grumbled the answer to her question and Audrey walked into the little coffee shop; it wasn't a coffee shop, she discovered upon entering, but a small extension of a bar that served as a connection between a bar and a hostel. The shiny countertop was manned by a cheerful blonde who was seemingly engrossed in conversation with a couple of teenaged European backpackers. Audrey spotted the tiny chalkboard that served as a menu on the upper right corner and sighed. It was so hard to find any place that just served regular black coffee; she was so sick of having to order Americanos and espressos, but that was all she ever seemed to find. Tea, of course, was in abundance but regular black coffee? Practically impossible to find.
The blonde, after ushering the backpackers into the adjoined bar, turned to Audrey and flashed her a bright smile. "Morning! What'll you be having? Everything's under three pounds since it's Tuesday but we're also having a deal- I'm not sure if you saw the sign but it's a cake with a free drink-"
"An espresso and a lemon cake would be wonderful, thank you."
The girl nodded and set to brewing the espresso. Reaching underneath the counter, she pulled out a thick slab of pound cake that was drizzled with thick yellow and white icing. Audrey stared at it as the girl cut off a generous slice.
"Is that home made?"
"Looks like it doesn't it? It's not though. We have a deal with a nearby bakery and the cakes are all delivered each morning. They're fantastic if I do say so myself, though! I'm sure you'll be wanting more once you have your first bite." She thrust the plate she'd placed the slice on towards Audrey but Audrey shook her head.
"Oh, I won't be eating in. Could I get a paper bag for that?"
As the girl bustled around the counter in search of a paper bag, Audrey took a seat and attempted to place her accent. She thought she'd gotten rather good at differentiating between Scottish and Welsh accents but she still hadn't managed to wrap her head around the never-ending list of English dialects.
"So, which part of England are you from?"
The girl laughed and shook her head as she poured Audrey's coffee into a paper cup. "Not English! Australian. Just moved here a couple of months ago. Are you staying in the hostel? You don't sound like you're a local."
"Oh, no. I have an apartment a few blocks away. I'm starting a new job today, actually. Government stuff."
"Bit far off your turf, you are. Cream? Sugar? Milk?" The girl raised several jugs filled with the relevant components and shoved them back into the cupboard when Audrey shook her head.
"I'd say Massachusetts is closer than Australia."
"Fair enough." Sliding the coffee cup into a cardboard sleeve, she handed it to Audrey and rung up the cash register. "That'll be four ten."
"Okay." Audrey groaned inwardly when she looked at her wallet. She hated change. She didn't have any ten pence coins so it was either a choice between paying four fifty or putting down a fiver. She went with the latter- she had never been particularly good at math- and the girl handed her several coins and smiled.
"Good luck on your job! We're open till five if you get off early and want to pop in for a drink. Happy hour lasts till eight."
Audrey nodded and made to say goodbye but the girl had already started to greet a new customer. Clutching her coffee, she pulled out her journal and quickly reviewed the directions she'd made for herself the night before. It was rather straightforward, she supposed, and not nearly as maddening as it had seemed when she'd sat down to tackle the tube network several nights earlier: one-way down to Charing Cross, and then a couple of lefts and a right to the side-street where the telephone box entrance to the Ministry was located.
Half an hour later, as she stood sandwiched between an overweight businessman and a sweaty teenager, Audrey caught her reflection in the opposite window and decided she was rather put out. Not one person- not one!- had taken any notice whatsoever of the pink mane she had been sporting all morning. It wasn't like she'd been expecting a grand declaration of love from the guitar player she'd passed on her way to the platform, but not even the friendly girl in the shop had remarked on it.
"What an absolute waste of a dye-job," she grumbled to herself, as she stepped off the train onto the platform and searched for the exit. A rap on her shoulder startled her and she turned around and almost crashed into a tall, skinny boy in a striped suit. Taking a step back, she realized he wasn't a boy but a harried looking young man in horn-rimmed glasses- she wouldn't have put him past twenty- who was looking at her disapprovingly and rubbing the front of his jacket where she assumed she'd bumped into him.
"Can't you pay more attention to where you're going?" he complained. Audrey colored a little bit and muttered an apology before pretending she knew where she was going and darting to the right. She hadn't gone very far before she heard the man's voice again.
"Hang on- you, you with the pink hair-"
She had evidently dropped something of hers as he had crouched down towards the ground and picked up a small object, which he was now waving in her direction as he hurried to catch up with her.
"You dropped your-" His eyes widened as he looked down at the object he had been waving and he looked back down at Audrey.
"-wand?"