introductions
"Make sure you get all of your school books, both of you. And new school shoes Izzy, your old pair's falling apart!" My mother says as she bids us goodbye. I was only hoping that my trunk had been moved to the back of Katie's dad's car, as I hadn't heard my father come into my room and haul it out. My mother had given Katie some Muggle money to exchange for wizarding money for my books, and had even decided to give some extra for a pet. Five years at Hogwarts and I was finally trusted with a pet. Success!
Katie guides me into the car and I fumble with my buckle before she can slide into the other side. I click it into place and tug to make sure it was secure. I've never had a fondness moving vehicles. They make me feel ill.
"You get two glorious weeks, every waking hour filled with me! Again!" Katie chuckles, lightly squeezing my arm.
"Yeah, and the rest of the school year. You can tell I'm delighted!" I laugh back. "So what are we doing first?"
"We're going home in London and then we're heading to Diagon Alley to get our school stuff, so we've got the next two weeks to do whatever we like!"
Katie failed to mention that at least one of those days would involve her having to charm the words on my textbooks so they were elevated above the paper so I could read them. Not forgetting the fact that Katie also had to mend my write-as-you-speak quill that transcribed whatever I wanted after last year's potions incident. It had smelt like someone had burnt hair in that room, and all I knew was that it wasn't mine.
We had taken the same classes, so she could herd me about all the time: Ancient Runes, Potions, Charms and History of Magic. Well, almost the same. Katie had taken Transfiguration too, but I was so terrible at it that I opted to drop it. An O.W.L. would have to do. A barely-there E, but it was an O.W.L., and it would do. I guess it would have to.
"So, have you done anything so far this summer?" Katie asks as she leads me into a bookstore on Diagon Alley.
"Nothing more than lie around and pity myself. My parents even joined in. They brought cake to me."
"Well you're lucky. My parents made me do chores. Without magic. They said it'd scare the neighbours. I told them that we lived in a neighbourhood of half-bloods and they still didn't listen! It's stupid."
"Thankfully my parents don't make me do chores. I doubt I could do anything before accidentally stabbing myself or something going drastically wrong."
Katie grunts. "Right, we need to get two copies of Advanced Potions, N.E.W.T. Charms, So I Heard You Liked Wizarding History and Ancient Runes for the Experienced. Oh! And a copy of Intermediate Transfiguration for me."
"Okay. Lead on," I say, gripping her arm a little tighter as she begins walking.
We walk for a couple of paces before Katie stops. "Right, I'll carry them and you can get them for me."
"That totally doesn't sound dangerous," I smile.
"Yeah, okay. I'll guide you up the bookcase. Six shelves up on the right side, third book in. That's Ancient Runes done."
I feel along the bookcase. "This one?" I ask, pulling out a book.
"No, the next one over," I hear Katie say, somewhere to my right. "Pull out the one to the left of it too."
"'Kay, boss." I chuckle as I pick the books off the shelf and she takes them from me.
"Right, we're gonna pick up the Charms books next. They're on the bottom shelf, fifth in from the left-hand side."
I crouch down and feel along the bookcase. "Here?"
"Yep. Right, pull two out and hand them to me. We're gonna get the Potions books next…" Katie trailed off, her voice moving further away from me.
"Katie?" I ask, suddenly unsure of where anyone was. I nearly screamed as someone collided into me.
"Fucking hell! Can you please look where you're going?" A distinctly male voice yelped and I heard books slamming into the floor.
"No," I murmured, wishing that Katie hadn't walked off.
"What are you? Blind?" He asks as he scrabbles along the floor for the books he dropped.
"Yes, actually. Maybe you could look where the fuck you're going before you walk into random strangers in the middle of a bookstore."
"I'm sorry but I didn't think a bookstore would be a great place for someone who can't see," he laughs, as if he's gathered attention. I recognise the voice from school. Gryffindor. My year. Loud. Annoying. Perpetually disruptive, but I just can't put a name to the voice.
"Who the fuck do you think you are? Surprisingly enough, I still have to buy books for school, no matter if I can see the words or not. If you have any other remarks, I can only suggest that you shove those books up your arse before my foot finds itself there first."
I turned on the heel of my foot and stormed off. It would've helped the situation, had I been able to see where the hell I was going, but the bookcases were doing a good enough job for the time being.
"Come on James, let's just buy our books and go." I hear someone murmur behind me. His voice clicks in my head: Patrick Warren, my year. Ravenclaw. He was so smart he was stupid when it came to basic problems. I'd spoken to him before, but we weren't friends.
I waited for what could've been hours and Katie finally reappeared, touching my hand to reassure me that she was back.
"Oh my god I'm so sorry I lost you I had no idea that I left you behind until it was too late and I heard some cursing so I came back this way and thank Merlin you're alright!" Katie garbled out as she pushed a bag into my hand. "I picked up the last of our books and paid. It's alright; your Mum gave me enough. I'm really sorry I left you!"
"I'm fine, don't worry. Some guy walked into me. Not something I can help really. We argued. I came to the conclusion that he's a twat."
"Uh, Izzy, I think James Potter walked into you. He's only like, the most attractive guy in the school!"
"Yeah because I can tell when someone's 'attractive'. Whatever. He's still a twat."
"Fine, whatever. You have your opinions, I'll have mine. On another note, I need a new blazer, so can we drop by the uniform shop?"
"Yeah, sure." She offers me her arm and I take hold of it, the same way I've done for years, around her upper arm.
"I also think you need a new skirt. That one you have at the moment is too short."
"Ugh, do I have to?" I ask as she leads me outside, the breeze picking up my hair.
"Yes, otherwise we won't stop by the pet shop."
"Fine! I'll get a new skirt!" I whine. I really did want a pet.
"Good. I'll get my blazer first and then we'll get you your skirt," Katie said as she pushed a door open for me, the bell above shrieking at the movement. She walked through the store quicker than I would like, walking me into racks of trousers as we go.
"Jesus did you see Voldemort on your tail or something," I ask, holding most of the sarcasm back.
"Nope, just James bloody Potter."
"My god you are obsessed with the guy. Can you just give it a break?"
"Fine. Let's just get our stuff and go home."
"And get my pet, thank you very much," I reply petulantly.
"Yeah, we'll get your pet." Katie mumbles and I hear her shuffling through racks of blazers, the fabric running through her fingers and the coat hangers squeaking in protest at the contact with the rail. "This one will do." She tugs one free, another one falling to the floor with it. "Oh for fucks sake!" She all-but-screams, probably catching the attention of everyone in the store.
"Well that was subtle," I chuckle under my breath.
"Oh shut up. Take this skirt. I'll adjust it for you later." She thrusts a ball of fabric into my hands and half-drags, half-carries me to pay. Katie guides me to the till and she takes the skirt from me.
"Can we go and get my pet now?" I whinge.
"In a minute! Good Lord, at least have some decency to let me pay!"
"Fine."
There's an uncomfortable moment of silence as the person behind the till taps everything through an old, rusty-sounding machine that screams with every movement.
"That'll be seven Sickles," the person says.
Katie fumbles in her bag and I hear the clicking of the coins in her purse as she sets it on the table. She takes a while to pick out seven Sickles from what I'm assuming is a mess of Galleons and Knuts.
"Right. To the pet store, Little Miss Stubborn!" Katie is trying to sound like she's in a bad mood, but I know by now that she's just trying. Her face might've been angry, but I'm obviously not that great at body language. Instead, I interpret what I hear. Mainly voices: tone, pitch, pauses, etcetera. She sounds a little upset but not majorly upset. I hope I'm right.
"What do you want, owl, toad, ferret, sn- you can take a snake to Hogwarts?" Katie asks me.
"I want a cat."
"But why not get an owl, then you'll have to stop borrowing Tootsie all the time…"
"I want a cat."
"What about this puppy, he's a real cutie!"
"I want a cat, not a Kneazle."
"I get it, you want a cat."
"Ah, a cat, would it be? Fully grown or a kitten?" A voice that I was hoping was the shop attendants asked.
"Kitten, please," I say before Katie gets a chance to think of the words 'fully grown'.
"Alright. We had a new delivery recently of twelve-week-olds so they might be a little playful." Katie leads me over to the soft mewing.
"Have you sold many so far?" Katie asks as she plops a soft, fat bundle of fur into my hands. It squirms about and licks at my fingers.
"Yes, we've sold about four so far, from the original ten. A magical cat's litters can be quite large, you know," The employee says, as if he's on a tape.
"I think you'll like this one best, Iz. Here you go." She trades the kitten I'm currently holding for a much smaller, less playful one.
"Ah, I see you found the runt. I was surprised that one made it through really. She's ever such a quiet one. Rarely cries. I was expecting her to go earlier because of her fur. It's such a nice shade of grey, wouldn't you agree?"
Katie leaps in to help me before I can answer. "Yes. It's lovely, isn't it?"
I smile, nod and ask, "How much?"
"That one will require constant attention but I'm prepared to let her go for half as much as the others. I'll throw in a cat basket and bed for free, if you're really interested in that one."
"Why so little?" I ask involuntarily.
"Truth be told, I think she was dragging down the value of the whole litter. Still, one sold is great. Are you going to buy her?"
"Of course. I'll take you up on that offer of a basket and bed, thank you very much." I have to avoid snapping. Just because this one's smaller than the rest, the assistant wants her gone. What if mum and dad had done the same to me? I kick the thought away as quickly as it had come and waited for Katie to count out the six galleons to pay.
"Is she like your personal assistant or something?" He asks, sounding like he's made a joke.
I shrug. "I'm just bad with money. Muggle parents."
"Ah, gotcha. Have fun. Come back if you need anything!" He calls out as we leave. Katie pushes the basket into my arms once the door behind us shuts.
"Well, he was rude," I say.
"Yeah. Let's head home and get our trunks packed, alright? I don't want to have the same problem we had last year, bubs."
"You mean the one where we packed our trunks the weekend before? Because I totally remember that being a disaster!"
a/n:
guessing game time: what house do you think izzy and katie are going to be in