Natalia bent down, and examined the bag. Nothing seemed to have happened, but being in the magical community for nearly five years now, she knew better than to assume it didn't work. She prodded the bag gently with her wand, and still nothing happened. With a sigh, she picked it up. All still seemed normal. Well, this is good. Maybe I didn't get here fast enough... Glancing at her watch as she straightened, Natalia tried to find a slight difference in the bag. Then, she did a double take, glancing at her watch again. Ack! It's nearly dinner time!! Grabbing double handfuls of galleons and sickles, she shoved them in the bag and ran out to the goblin and cart.
"Lets go! I need to get home!" She practically shrieked at the goblin.
"One speed only." The goblin replied with a wry grin as they set off.
~*~*~*~*~
Grabbing Floo Powder from the comunity dish, provided by the Ministry, she threw it into the fire, shouted, "Jaime's Villa!" and took off in a whirl of roaring fire.
~*~*~*~*~
Sooty and disheveled, Natalia burst into the kitchen.
"Natalia!" Mrs. Jaime cried. "Where were you? I was so worried..."
She made a move to hug Natalia, but then realized exactly how dirty her daughter was. Her sream would have made any dramaticist proud.
"Natalia!!!" She shrieked. "Your father's friends will be here any moment and you're all dirty!!"
Natalia left her new bag on the kitchen table, then flew up to her room, as though by a shot-putter.
~*~*~*~*~
While Natalia was getting cleaned up, Mrs. Jaime got dinner. The heat from the oven was becoming unbearable, so she set the dishes to washing themselves, and setting the table. Then she took a seat at the table to calm herself down a little.
Muttering softly to herself as she rested, "I can't believe she would do that.. Just run off, and it's the Weasleys too.." she finally noticed the handbag laying upon the table. One of the plates couldn't reach the table, so it kept bouncing up and down off the bag, with a soft clink of metal each time.
"What's this?" Mrs. Jaime muttered. She picked it up to examine it. It seemed to be a normal bag, except when she tried to open it, it was sealed tighter than by vacuum.
"Alohorma?" Mrs. Jaime whispered tenatively. She wasn't exactly sure she wanted to see what was in the bag, but now that she knew something was in there, she just had to find out. In some respects, she was just like a cat.
Nothing happened. She decided to take the approach that had worked for Natalia this afternoon.
"Natalia, owner of this bag, demands that you open yourself." Somehow, she knew the bag had sensed her deceit and still, nothing happened.
~*~*~*~*~
"Aye! Altair, help me here, would you?"
"What do you expect me to do? I've only got paws!"
Natalia struggled to zip up a
skirt that had become way too small for
her.
"What do you think I
should do?" Natalia queried Altair. "There's no way this is going to
fit, and everything else I have is packed for Hogwarts!"
Altair shrugged. (Or as much as a cat can shrug, anyway.)
"Thanks for the help."
"No problem."
Giving up on the skirt, Natalia decided to try to "borrow" something from Mrs. Jaime.
"It might work." She sighed.
"What might work?"
"Nothing, Altair. Now, you stay here. I don't need a psycho cat on the rampage downstairs, thanks."
"Psycho cat? Thanks a bunch, babe."
"Babe? Oh, god, those cats you hang out with are nutters."
"Look who's talking. Nutters? Please."
"Hey! At least I'm trying to become English!"
And with that, Natalia left the room, and headed for her mother's.
~*~*~*~*~
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Mrs. Jaime dropped the bag and looked up guiltily. When no one appeared, she sighed gratefully and went back to cooking. She'd ask Natalia about the bag later.
~*~*~*~*~
Entering her mother's room carefully, Natalia shot for the closet that contained her mother's old clothes. While Natalia was slight and skinny, Mrs. Jaime was well, not. Not that you would call her fat, it's just she wasn't as skinny as she used to be...
Upon reaching the closet, Natalia carefully creaked open the door and lit her wand to see in the dark. Rifling through the many dresses, she grinned when she reached a hot, green little number that would go perfect with her eyes. She wondered slightly about it's origin, but she could find that out after the Weasleys were gone!