Scarlet: second hand clothing
Prologue
It was uncertain - at least for the witch - how the pendant had stopped at her neck. For her, the story would always start with: it was at the bottom of a picnic-like basket. For it was in the middle of one of her early mornings, as she rummaged through the just arrived boxes full of old items, that Ginevra found the cut stone, so clear it was almost transparent, looking fresh and old at the same time. If it weren't for the broken clasp - and the necklace itself, which looked older than she would ever be - the woman would be sure the item had been mistakenly placed inside the donation box.
Sitting on the floor of her thrift store, among three huge cardboard boxes, the woman holding the crystal had two options: put a price on it, or put it in her pocket. Unfortunately, she'd have to wait until late at night to try it on - no magic allowed in the premisses. With that decision made, her new costume jewellery - because for sure she wasn't dealing with a real gem - ended up in the left pocket of her battered jeans.
On that first Monday of September, Ginevra Molly Weasley thought it would be just another day. She would never have imagined, especially at half-past five in the morning, that the love of her life was hours away from moving into the newly vacated apartment, next door to her own. The witch already had the love of her life - or so she thought. For a long time, for the muggle-thrift store owner, that Monday was just like any other. She would sort out all the new goods while finishing her second coffee mug, then open the shop at nine o'clock sharp, have lunch behind the cashier as always, wait for Luna to arrive with her third coffee of the day in the middle of the afternoon, and so, at eight o'clock, lock the front door after turning off the lights.
On that Monday, everything went the same as usual until the witch closed the door of her house behind her. Yes, as soon as she stepped into the apartment, her cat interrupted its sleep and lifted its head to check the new presence, as usual. The redhead also threw her purse and key on the couch, kicked off her shoes and went straight for a bath, as she did almost every day. And she cursed as she remembered there was nothing for dinner in the fridge but bread and egg, a very common mistake on Mondays, after spending the weekend without stepping into the market.
But after dinner, Ginevra didn't go back to devouring the book she was reading, strategically positioned on the headboard. That night, at precisely nine-twenty-two, the red-haired witch abdicated the pages of her novel to focus on what had caught her attention early in the morning. And catching her attention that stubborn necklace did, refusing to fix itself with a simple wand touch and forcing her to use her near-zero hand skills.
It was worth it. At exactly ten o'clock, Ginevra closed the necklace around her neck, staring pleased at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. Even in her pyjamas, that piece of fake jewellery was outstanding. Why would anyone donate that? The copper necklace matched her hair perfectly, while the pendant seemed to light up her chest. It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was-
"Bloody fucking piece of shit!"
Extremely noisy and impolite, she could not help but notice after hearing a curse cut in the air for the third time that night. It was the real love of her life, and she would fall for his qualities as much as for his dirty mouth. But at ten past ten, with a long Tuesday ahead, she couldn't be happy with her new neighbour. She fought hard to keep herself from knocking on his door when, at ten-twenty, the sound of what appeared to be a pile of boxes falling was heard. At half past ten, had it not been for her heavy sleep combined with the weariness that always accompanied after a weekend, she would blast his door open to see what the hell was going on, after a loud pop echoed through the neighbourhood.
Author's note: Hey guys! So, I'm writing this one in English and Portuguese, and I intend to finish it - even if it takes me some time. I would love to know what you're thinking so far, I know it's less than 1000 words, but it is always nice to know if there's someone reading!
Till the next one ;)