The Perils of Last Minute Shopping
The gaunt faced man with the mangy black hair was none too pleased, judging by his expression. He flinched every time a small child ran screaming past him. But that was not out of the ordinary here. He kept glancing fretful glances all about him, as if expecting someone to jump out at him.
The man stopped before a shop. He pulled out a dog-earned list out of the pocket of the coat he'd bought in a Muggle shop. It was long and black, reaching below his knees. He kept muttering things about it not being long enough, and the confusing money. Despite that he had obviously been born and bred in this country, judging by his accent, he seemed utterly perplexed by paper money.
"Let's see…I'll need…that thing…oh bloody hell…not *this* shop…please let it be a mistake…" He said to himself in a croaky voice. He peered closely at the list again. A look of terror crossed his face, as he seemed to realise that he would indeed have to enter this particular shop.
With a look of resignation on his face, he entered the shop.
The man was peering along a shelf, desperately looking for the item that was on the list. He kept on glancing at the list, then at the shelf. He carefully studied each item to see if it was the item he wanted. He seemed to be terrified of the whole process.
The man looked up as he heard a noise over the general noise of the shop. His face took on a look of absolute terror as he saw a herd of screaming, running children of about eight years old, heading straight toward him. With a yelp of terror, he flung himself into the shelf of dolls, as they were about to hit him.
With muttered curses toward all things small, childlike, and making lots of noises, the man was helped to his feet by a shop assistant in the blue shirt of shop floor workers. He removed a child's doll from his head as he muttered his thanks to the female shop assistant.
"No worries, sir. They startle you?" He nodded, rubbing his throat absently.
"Yeah…always have had a bit of a fear of small screaming kids…" He croaked back.
"Ah, no worries, as I said. You been in the wars, or something?" The man nodded absently, thankful most of the wounds that'd been inflicted on him were not visible…thankful to he who made the potion…the one he'd almost killed with a prank in his school days.
"You could say that…"
"Say…didn't I see you somewhere before? On the telly or something?" He blinked in confusion, before realising what she meant. It was one of the things his kind didn't use, for they had something far superior to it.
"Uh…dunno." He had a feeling he knew what it was related to. That time ten years ago when…
"Ah, probably imagining things. You gonna buy that?" She pointed to the doll that was absently hanging from his hand.
"Uh…yes. Yes, I will." He said more to stop her thinking about where she'd seen him before.
"Then come to the counter and pay for it, old man."
//Old man? Well, I suppose I am old compared to her and most of the staff here…//
They reached the counter, and the man took out several fresh looking notes. He looked at them for a while, trying to figure out which ones to use. After a while, he hesitantly offered one of the red ones.
"That's a twenty, sir. You need a ten." The woman behind the counter said in the voice most people use when they think they're talking to someone who isn't right in the head. The man then gave the correct note, and was given his change and his purchase in bag. He then left the shop. Upon leaving the shop, he leant against a wall and muttered,
"Remind me to tell him not to have another child…" He looked around, and then decided he'd take another big step again. He'd use that Muggle device his godson was always going on about…what was it called again?
"Ah yes, a telethone. I'll use it. Can't be that hard, can it?" With a slight smile on his lips as he thought of doing something that couldn't be that hard to use, he walked off to find one of these things.
He was now standing in one of the telethone 'boxes' as they were called. He'd finally got someone to point one of them out to him, after the first few people he'd asked had just given him funny looks.
He looked at the coins in his hand. Which one did he need to use? He'd use a couple of those gold ones. That'd make it work, wouldn't it? With any luck, it would. He put several of the gold coins in, just to be sure. Then he pulled out a piece of paper out of one of his pockets. He looked at the number on it. He carefully dialled the number, checking the number every other digit. Finally he finished dialling the number, and the phone started to ring. After several rings, the phone was answered.
"Hello?" A male voice said to the backdrop of a child screaming and a woman yelling abuse at the man on the phone. The man's face broke into a broad grin as he pictured the scene. It was quite a shocking change from the extremely serious and focussed expression he was wearing bare moments before.
"Hello, Harry." There was an exclamation of surprise from the other end of the line, before Harry continued talking.
"Sirius! You're actually using a telephone!" Harry laughed, and Sirius could not help but chuckling. He found it quite amazing that he was using something like this.
"Yes I am. After all, if I can go into a Muggle shop and buy something for-"
"No way! Didn't have any problems there? I mean, the money and stuff."
"Just a bit."
Harry was about to say more, but then the woman's voice came across stridently. And very loudly too.
"HARRY! STOP YAPPING AND CATCH YOUR DAUGHTER!"
Sirius flinched, nearly dropping the phone receiver. But luckily he held onto it, for Harry was quickly saying into it.
"Listen, got to go, daughter on the loose, and if I don't help Cho'll be-"
"HARRY!"
"Uh, one moment! Bye Sirius. See you tomorrow, yes?"
"Yes, you'll see me then. Bye Harry." The phone went dead, and Sirius contemplated how to get to the house in time for tomorrow.
Then several coins fell into a little tray in the telethone machine. Sirius stared wide-eyed at the coins. He hadn't been expecting *that*.
The gaunt faced man with the mangy black hair was none too pleased, judging by his expression. He flinched every time a small child ran screaming past him. But that was not out of the ordinary here. He kept glancing fretful glances all about him, as if expecting someone to jump out at him.
The man stopped before a shop. He pulled out a dog-earned list out of the pocket of the coat he'd bought in a Muggle shop. It was long and black, reaching below his knees. He kept muttering things about it not being long enough, and the confusing money. Despite that he had obviously been born and bred in this country, judging by his accent, he seemed utterly perplexed by paper money.
"Let's see…I'll need…that thing…oh bloody hell…not *this* shop…please let it be a mistake…" He said to himself in a croaky voice. He peered closely at the list again. A look of terror crossed his face, as he seemed to realise that he would indeed have to enter this particular shop.
With a look of resignation on his face, he entered the shop.
The man was peering along a shelf, desperately looking for the item that was on the list. He kept on glancing at the list, then at the shelf. He carefully studied each item to see if it was the item he wanted. He seemed to be terrified of the whole process.
The man looked up as he heard a noise over the general noise of the shop. His face took on a look of absolute terror as he saw a herd of screaming, running children of about eight years old, heading straight toward him. With a yelp of terror, he flung himself into the shelf of dolls, as they were about to hit him.
With muttered curses toward all things small, childlike, and making lots of noises, the man was helped to his feet by a shop assistant in the blue shirt of shop floor workers. He removed a child's doll from his head as he muttered his thanks to the female shop assistant.
"No worries, sir. They startle you?" He nodded, rubbing his throat absently.
"Yeah…always have had a bit of a fear of small screaming kids…" He croaked back.
"Ah, no worries, as I said. You been in the wars, or something?" The man nodded absently, thankful most of the wounds that'd been inflicted on him were not visible…thankful to he who made the potion…the one he'd almost killed with a prank in his school days.
"You could say that…"
"Say…didn't I see you somewhere before? On the telly or something?" He blinked in confusion, before realising what she meant. It was one of the things his kind didn't use, for they had something far superior to it.
"Uh…dunno." He had a feeling he knew what it was related to. That time ten years ago when…
"Ah, probably imagining things. You gonna buy that?" She pointed to the doll that was absently hanging from his hand.
"Uh…yes. Yes, I will." He said more to stop her thinking about where she'd seen him before.
"Then come to the counter and pay for it, old man."
//Old man? Well, I suppose I am old compared to her and most of the staff here…//
They reached the counter, and the man took out several fresh looking notes. He looked at them for a while, trying to figure out which ones to use. After a while, he hesitantly offered one of the red ones.
"That's a twenty, sir. You need a ten." The woman behind the counter said in the voice most people use when they think they're talking to someone who isn't right in the head. The man then gave the correct note, and was given his change and his purchase in bag. He then left the shop. Upon leaving the shop, he leant against a wall and muttered,
"Remind me to tell him not to have another child…" He looked around, and then decided he'd take another big step again. He'd use that Muggle device his godson was always going on about…what was it called again?
"Ah yes, a telethone. I'll use it. Can't be that hard, can it?" With a slight smile on his lips as he thought of doing something that couldn't be that hard to use, he walked off to find one of these things.
He was now standing in one of the telethone 'boxes' as they were called. He'd finally got someone to point one of them out to him, after the first few people he'd asked had just given him funny looks.
He looked at the coins in his hand. Which one did he need to use? He'd use a couple of those gold ones. That'd make it work, wouldn't it? With any luck, it would. He put several of the gold coins in, just to be sure. Then he pulled out a piece of paper out of one of his pockets. He looked at the number on it. He carefully dialled the number, checking the number every other digit. Finally he finished dialling the number, and the phone started to ring. After several rings, the phone was answered.
"Hello?" A male voice said to the backdrop of a child screaming and a woman yelling abuse at the man on the phone. The man's face broke into a broad grin as he pictured the scene. It was quite a shocking change from the extremely serious and focussed expression he was wearing bare moments before.
"Hello, Harry." There was an exclamation of surprise from the other end of the line, before Harry continued talking.
"Sirius! You're actually using a telephone!" Harry laughed, and Sirius could not help but chuckling. He found it quite amazing that he was using something like this.
"Yes I am. After all, if I can go into a Muggle shop and buy something for-"
"No way! Didn't have any problems there? I mean, the money and stuff."
"Just a bit."
Harry was about to say more, but then the woman's voice came across stridently. And very loudly too.
"HARRY! STOP YAPPING AND CATCH YOUR DAUGHTER!"
Sirius flinched, nearly dropping the phone receiver. But luckily he held onto it, for Harry was quickly saying into it.
"Listen, got to go, daughter on the loose, and if I don't help Cho'll be-"
"HARRY!"
"Uh, one moment! Bye Sirius. See you tomorrow, yes?"
"Yes, you'll see me then. Bye Harry." The phone went dead, and Sirius contemplated how to get to the house in time for tomorrow.
Then several coins fell into a little tray in the telethone machine. Sirius stared wide-eyed at the coins. He hadn't been expecting *that*.
