"Not too flattering, is it?" Madeline groaned, her arms spread out at her sides as she looked at herself in the mirror. There were black robes draped over her, and she was convinced that she now looked more like a blob of ink than a "blossoming" witch.
"Stop your whining." Chided a girl standing on a stool next to her while striking the same scarecrow pose, "They're not that bad. Besides, you never complained before."
"Okay, they look better than they did the last five years but still! I was stuck in Curtis for seven years with scratchy shirts. I change schools and what? They've got us in sheets." She pouted.
"Get over it." Snapped the slender brunette.
The blonde girl opened the robes up and looked at herself in the mirror again, dressed in the school's uniform. She let out a half-satisfied sigh and the two of them stepped down to change back into their clothes, which made them look as though they'd just come straight from the West Coast of the U.S. They paid for their black school robes, each of them buying enough to last the year, if not three years besides, and then stepped out into the crowded street. Amongst the pointy hats and swishing cloaks in Diagon Alley, they stuck out like two bright, multi-colored sore thumbs.
Madeline took out the parchment on which was printed the materials needed for her oncoming sixth year at Hogwarts. Half of her was sinking under the weight of her purse and the other bags she was holding on one arm.
"Okay," she said slowly, "all that's left are the books, I think. We've got the Apothecary stuff -- I can't believe I let you talk me into a N.E.W.T. Potions course! -- and the new robes. Right. Okay."
As they walked into Flourish & Blott's, a bookstore with no sense of order and organization since many of the books on its shelves seemed to have a mind of their own, a book in the alcove caught Madeline's eye. Bailey suddenly stopped and Madeline found herself colliding with a large group of people just coming out the door. Gravity found favors with the side of her most weighed down, and Madeline soon found her backside making fast acquaintances with the ground. She looked up to see a flurry of redheads in front of her, mixed with a bushy-haired brunette and head of messy black hair. She felt her face go red hot under ten seconds flat, but just as she was feeling the brunt of humiliation with these nine pairs of eyes on her, Bailey began giving everyone big hugs to turn their attention away.
"Oh, Hermione! Ginny! How have you guys been? -- Oh, Ron, I'm sorry, did I get anything on you? Okay. -- Harry! Oh, I've missed you guys so much! Hey Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley. How is everyone?" Bailey greeted them all except for the twins, who pulled Madeline to her feet.
George looked her over and grinned, "That was real smooth."
The twins, Fred and George, looked just like the rest of their family -- flaming red hair and freckles. However, unlike their younger brother, Ron, who was abnormally tall and lanky for his age, they were slightly shorter and stockier. Madeline always found this comparison to Ron's height a bit intimidating, because the twins were still an inch or so taller than her. The only differences between the two were very slight, but over the course of the past few years she had mastered them.
"Yeah," chuckled Fred, "you know, we could've just pointed and laughed, but being the kind gentlemen we are... how about giving us a little compensation?"
"Uh, how 'bout no." she replied as she flipped her curly hair over her shoulder and straightened up the load of bags back on her shoulder.
"Well, that's not very nice." Said George.
"Why should I be? You guys were the ones blocking the door in the first place." she snapped. "What, are you gonna go whine about how mean I am to you now?"
He pulled out his bottom lip and Fred did the same, nodding.
Madeline rolled her eyes, "Yeah. Even though I'm the one bruising, huh?"
The bottom lips started quivering and their blue eyes looked like they were starting to water. It was such a pathetic display that she had to look away.
"You big babies." She said.