[Disclaimer I in no way shape or form own the ideas, characters, places, objects or events in the Harry Potter books. I am not associated with J.K Rowling in any way. I don't take the credit for any ideas of the 'old magic' and the ideas of witchcraft (closely related to Charmed - also i do not associate with) used in the story. I own only Payton and her family/friends. [Disclaimer
Chapter 1
She looked at her reflection in the piece of shattered glass on the floor. She moved a piece of hair out of her eyes, pushing her bangs over to the right side of her face. She sighed loudly to no one as she moved her head from side to side looking at the way her hair started out blonde then gracefully switched to pink, while black strands poked out randomly from underneath. It was new she was still getting used to it.
She looked up taking in her surroundings. "What a wreck," she sighed again. The shop was empty and in shambles. Tables and chairs lay upturned scattered in the middle of booths that were slashed and worn. The counter had a fungus like she had never seen before growing on it – had it been against her better judgment she could have sworn that it had moved. The shop had been an ice cream shop until a little over a month ago. Florean Fortescue's – the sign had read before she had taken it down. With her help she hoped it would once again be an acceptable establishment.
Her father owned a chain of ice cream shops in the states – StarDust Sundaes. In the hopes of expanding his chain he bought a few shops across Europe. He had convinced her, her two brothers, and cousin to take over them respectively so he could remain in the states and watch the shops he already had. The deal had sounded good at the time; have free reign over the shop, choose the colors and décor – but now that she saw all the work that loomed ahead of her she regretted taking the job. She looked around trying to see where to start. The large sheets of wood covering the door and windows only let in limited light making it hard to see exactly what she was doing.
"First things first," she said looking down at the floor in disgust. She snapped her fingers and the dirty black and white cracked tiles changed to blue and white checkered. "Ugh…..lighter blue," she added snapping her fingers again. "Better, walls now……pink," snap "Perfect." She looked at the trim and pondered. With a few more snaps of her finger the trim was a clean white that sparkled with a unnatural luster. Swirled and delicate chairs and tables had replaced the broken and snapped one, the booths had recovered themselves with blue and white to match the floor, while the counter was clean and sparkling in its new shade of pink, like the walls.
She smiled as she took a look around. "Oooooooh, lights," she said looking up at the ceiling and beginning to raise her hand in preparation to snap but not quite knowing what to do. She gave her fingers a snap and the little lights flew and whizzed around the ceiling like fairies.
She walked out of the front door of the shop and looked up at the battered store front. With one crisp snap the front of the shop was cleaned and new windows replaced cracked ones. Shades replaced the boards and she looked up as a small smile spread across her face. She turned looking up and down Diagon Alley. No one else was outside, or moving at all, the shops didn't open for at least another two hours. The shop wouldn't be opened for another two days, she was waiting on some last shipments. How long did it take for blood sauce to get from Transylvania anyway?
She took one more deep breath of the new London air that was all too new to her lungs. She walked straight through the shop and through a small storage room in the back, out into the large alley that stood behind all the shops, connecting them.
There were five or six crates containing ice creams, sauces and toppings that had just been delivered by magical transport. She slid one off of the top and let it fall into her. She tried to counter its weight with little success as she began to swagger to the door, trying to find it blindly.
"Here," you heard a male voice say over the top of the crate. You looked down to see a pair of trainers and brown pair of slacks standing opposite your jeans and flats. "Is this going inside of Fortescue's?"
"Ummmm….yes," she said pausing slightly. "But it's called StarDust Sundaes now." He began to walk backwards causing you to walk forward, stumbling a little even with his help.
The crate began to lower on his side forcing her to slowly let her side slide down her leg. "Thanks," she said with a smile pushing her bangs out of her face again. She watched as a tall boy with bright ginger hair stood from behind the crate.
"It was nothing," he said extending his hand. "George. George Weasley. I own Weasley's Wizard Wheezes with my brother a few shops over."
"Payton Parker," she said grasping his hand. "I'm reopening the ice cream parlor."
"Yeah," he said shoving his hand in his pocket. "It's about time this shop reopened. I miss the ice cream." He smiled as he pulled out a wand and walked outside. She watched as he pointed to the crates, "Locomotor crates," he said pointing as the crates slid gracefully through the door and into the back storage room.
"Well thank you very much," she said walking to the door frame where he was standing. "But I must be putting everything away before the cooling charms wear off and it all melts on me." He smiled and nodded.
"Why don't you stop by later," he offered. "I mean if your not too busy." She nodded and smiled as he did the same. She watched him walk down the back alley and entered a door two shops over.
Two hours later and all the ice cream was in the coolers and everything was set up – pending the Transylvanian shipment. She looked up at the signs above the counter listing the flavors and oddities.
Flavors
Blood Berry
Bon Bon Blast
Butterbeer
Centaur Coconut()
Chocolate
Chocolate and Raspberry w/nuts(in honor of one of the two flavors she had found in the old coolers).
Cockroach Cluster
Curdled Blood Confection ()
Double Bubble Blast
French Fry
Fudge
Gillyweed
In a goodway strawberry & Peanut Butter (and the others)
Lemon Drop
Liquirce
Marmelade on Toast
Mud Marshmallow
Mud Pie
Nutty Nougat
Peppermint Stick
Popcorn and Soda
Pumpkin Pie
Terrifying Tart
Treacle Pudding
Vanilla
Walnut
Watermelon
Toppings
B.B.'s Beans (Chocolate, Coconut, Coffee, Peppermint, Strawberry, and Toffee)
Crushed Blood Pops
Crushed Cauldron Cakes
Fudge chunks
Hot Fudge
Ice Mice chunks
Jelly Slugs
Walnuts
Specialties
Butterbeer Float
Cauldron Cake Sundae
Chocolate Frog Sundae
Ice Mice Freeze
Cones
Chocolate
Peppermint
Sugar
Wafer
Prices
1 scoop 2 sickles
2 scoops 4 sickles
3 scoops 6 sickles
Sundae 7 sickles & 1 knut
Float/Freeze 5 sickles & 1 knut
Toppings – 2 knuts/topping
She walked out of the front of the shop to find witches and wizards of all ages….some in robes, some dressed like muggles. She took a left out of the shop and crossed the street, passing small cafes with brightly colored umbrellas. You walked past Olivanders – stocked high with wand boxes of every shape and color. She continued down that side of the street passing robe shops, a bank, a bookstore, a "Quidditch" supply store. She paused momentarily and stopped in each before crossing the street bringing her in front of a cauldron shop. The smells of the concoctions brewing in the pots brought a smile to her face, it reminded her so much of home. She passed owls hooting in their cages and scales weighing imaginary objects when she saw it. In bright gold letters with fireworks in the window – Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.
She smiled and walked in. The store was littered children and teens running around the shop. She began to walk over to the large bins and tubs, shifting through extendable ears, portable swamps, and Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. She passed Skiving Stinkboxes, trick wands, enchanted quills, and edible 'darkmarks'. She almost couldn't believe you were seeing these. Voldemorts power wasn't felt in the states but she knew he was gaining more power here as the days passed.
She giggled as she walked down and isle that was bright pink. There were pimple vanishers, daydream charms, pygmy puffs and even some love potions in different shaped bottles.
She turned the corner and began to walk down the next isle when she saw the same ginger haired boy from before kneeling on the floor restocking shelves. She smiled and knelt down next to him. He gave her a weak smile and continued to restock the shelves.
"So this is it," she started looking around then looking back to meet his gaze. He gave an awkward smile then went to turn away again. "Uhhhh…." She tried to keep the conversation going. She began to finger a box of Canary Cremes. "Well thanks again," once again their eyes met. "For helping me move the crates." He gave her a strange look.
"Payton?" she heard his voice call but his mouth didn't move. "Payton!" There it was again. The boy looked up and over her head. She turned around to see him standing behind her. She whipped her head back and forth between the two.
"Payton," George said. "This is my twin brother Fred." She laughed and embarrassed laugh and offered her hand to Fred.
"Hi," she said sliding her hand into his. "I'm embarrassed – or Payton – whichever you like."