Chapter Two
*~*
Spring came and went, and soon enough it was summertime. Hermione knew it was a foolish thing to do, but she had no other choice. She needed this book for work, and their babysitter, Mrs. Banks, was away on a holiday. So here she was, back in Hogsmeade with her children. Flourish and Blotts seemed exceptionally crowded today, but Hermione remembered that Hogwarts would be back in session within a couple months. She shook the thought and continued to scan the shelves, wanting to get out of there quickly.
Charlotte ran up to her mother smiling brightly. "Mummy! I want this book!" She held out a two thousand-page book on Advanced Arithmancy.
Hermione frowned. "Oh, dear. Sweetheart, I told you not to look through any of these books! I'll buy you a new book when you get home."
Charlotte sighed, placing the book back on its shelf and looking around for her brother. She knew that they were going to a strange place, or so her Mum said, but the people there were. different. She couldn't explain it. She continued to watch the people for a while before walking off to find her brother.
Ethan was stalking about grumpily until a certain section caught his eye. Brows raised, eyes wide, he grabbed a few books before scampering off to his mother. "Mum! Hey, Mum. What's.quidditch?" He asked, tapping the book's cover.
Hermione gasped, shaking her head. "It's nothing, sweetie. Here..." She reached in to her pocket for a few knuts she'd saved. "Go to the store across the street and take your sister with you. You'll find lots of sweets there, all right? Come and get me when you're finished."
Ethan surveyed the funny looking coins for a minute before shrugging. " 'Kay. Char-!"
"No need to shout, Ethan, I'm right here." She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, well... Mum wants us to go buy some sweets across the street." He grinned a bit.
Charlotte arched a brow. "That's funny, Ethan. Nice try. Mum never lets us buy sweets! You know how they can give us cavities and rot away-"
Hermione, who had been flipping through another book, looked up. "No, Charlotte, it's all right today. Just hurry back, okay?"
Charlotte beamed. "Thanks, Mum!" And dragged her brother across the street to Honeydukes.
*~*
Charlotte and Ethan entered Honeydukes, and their jaws dropped slightly.
"I've never seen so many sweets before!" Ethan piped, excited.
Charlotte picked up a small box and surveyed it. "Chocolate.frog? Eww!" She looked disgusted and threw the box back into its bin. She walked around a bit more. "I've never seen sweets like these." She picked up a box of odd flavoured jellybeans, reading the ingredients.
Ethan shrugged. "They're not normal, that's for sure." His eyes set on a large barrel of shiny rock candy. "But they look good!" Brows furrowing, he wandered over to the barrel that a redheaded man was digging through, and plucked out a sugar quill. "Aren't you a bit old to be shopping in a sweets store?"
The older man was taken aback. Well, well, well. little snot. "Excuse me? Now give that back! It's the one I was looking for!" He snatched the quill from Ethan.
Charlotte ran over, overhearing the commotion by the sugar quill bin. "Hey! My brother had it first!"
The man huffed. Two of them? "Yes, well your brother needs to watch his mouth when speaking to elders."
"I was only asking a question!" Ethan smarted, stealing the quill back.
"Why you little-" He reached for the quill again, but the boy was quick and took a step back.
"No, I had it first!"
This kid seriously reminded him too much of himself. Gritting his teeth, he crossed his arms. "You give that back to me before I tell your mother."
Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, brows raised defiantly. "Go ahead. Tell our mother. She'll yell at you for sure."
The man huffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh? Well what kind of mother would allow their children to smart off to adults!"
"Ethan had the quill first!" She stomped her foot on the ground, glaring a bit.
"Yes, well, Ethan also smarted off to me fir-" he paused, looking taken aback.
Charlotte sighed. "Come on, Ethan. We're not supposed to talk with strangers anyway. Give him the sweets."
Ethan scoffed, throwing his arms in the air. "No! I had it first!"
The elder man shook his head, waving his hands, looking somewhat estranged. "Just. Just take it."
"No!" Charlotte snapped. "Give it to him, Ethan."
The man shook his head. "No, kid. It's fine. Just. Just take it." But he couldn't take his eyes off the pair. And the girl, oh her eyes.
"No, Ethan! We don't even know this place. It could be poisonous, or something."
"Oh, don't be silly, it's not poisonous." Goodness, she acted just like her, too. The older man thought he was going mad.
Ethan nodded. "Seriously, Charlotte, quit worrying it's fine."
"Maybe you should ask mum first."
"Oh, please!" Ethan snapped, and rounded on his sister.
"Fine! But don't be mad at me if you get sick from poisoned sweets!"
"Oh, will you shut up already, you annoying little prat!"
"Don't call me that, Ethan!"
"Why not? It's true!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Not!"
The man jumped between them. "Hey, knock it off! You're causing a scene!" He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Let me take you back to your mother."
Charlotte had a frightened look in her eyes, and she took a step back. "We're not supposed to go anywhere with strangers!"
The man sighed audibly. "You know, your brother's right. Now come on, where is your mum?"
Charlotte yanked Ethan's sleeve. "Honestly! Don't you ever read about criminals and kidnappings!"
The man rolled his eyes. "Look, little prat, I fight criminals and bad guys all the time. Now tell me-nevermind, I know where she is."
"How do YOU know?" Ethan dared, taking a step back as well.
"Because I'm smart like that," he said dryly, snatching their sleeves. "Now come on!" Dragging the devils outside, he tugged them across the way towards Flourish and Blotts.
*~*
Please review!!
*~*
Spring came and went, and soon enough it was summertime. Hermione knew it was a foolish thing to do, but she had no other choice. She needed this book for work, and their babysitter, Mrs. Banks, was away on a holiday. So here she was, back in Hogsmeade with her children. Flourish and Blotts seemed exceptionally crowded today, but Hermione remembered that Hogwarts would be back in session within a couple months. She shook the thought and continued to scan the shelves, wanting to get out of there quickly.
Charlotte ran up to her mother smiling brightly. "Mummy! I want this book!" She held out a two thousand-page book on Advanced Arithmancy.
Hermione frowned. "Oh, dear. Sweetheart, I told you not to look through any of these books! I'll buy you a new book when you get home."
Charlotte sighed, placing the book back on its shelf and looking around for her brother. She knew that they were going to a strange place, or so her Mum said, but the people there were. different. She couldn't explain it. She continued to watch the people for a while before walking off to find her brother.
Ethan was stalking about grumpily until a certain section caught his eye. Brows raised, eyes wide, he grabbed a few books before scampering off to his mother. "Mum! Hey, Mum. What's.quidditch?" He asked, tapping the book's cover.
Hermione gasped, shaking her head. "It's nothing, sweetie. Here..." She reached in to her pocket for a few knuts she'd saved. "Go to the store across the street and take your sister with you. You'll find lots of sweets there, all right? Come and get me when you're finished."
Ethan surveyed the funny looking coins for a minute before shrugging. " 'Kay. Char-!"
"No need to shout, Ethan, I'm right here." She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, well... Mum wants us to go buy some sweets across the street." He grinned a bit.
Charlotte arched a brow. "That's funny, Ethan. Nice try. Mum never lets us buy sweets! You know how they can give us cavities and rot away-"
Hermione, who had been flipping through another book, looked up. "No, Charlotte, it's all right today. Just hurry back, okay?"
Charlotte beamed. "Thanks, Mum!" And dragged her brother across the street to Honeydukes.
*~*
Charlotte and Ethan entered Honeydukes, and their jaws dropped slightly.
"I've never seen so many sweets before!" Ethan piped, excited.
Charlotte picked up a small box and surveyed it. "Chocolate.frog? Eww!" She looked disgusted and threw the box back into its bin. She walked around a bit more. "I've never seen sweets like these." She picked up a box of odd flavoured jellybeans, reading the ingredients.
Ethan shrugged. "They're not normal, that's for sure." His eyes set on a large barrel of shiny rock candy. "But they look good!" Brows furrowing, he wandered over to the barrel that a redheaded man was digging through, and plucked out a sugar quill. "Aren't you a bit old to be shopping in a sweets store?"
The older man was taken aback. Well, well, well. little snot. "Excuse me? Now give that back! It's the one I was looking for!" He snatched the quill from Ethan.
Charlotte ran over, overhearing the commotion by the sugar quill bin. "Hey! My brother had it first!"
The man huffed. Two of them? "Yes, well your brother needs to watch his mouth when speaking to elders."
"I was only asking a question!" Ethan smarted, stealing the quill back.
"Why you little-" He reached for the quill again, but the boy was quick and took a step back.
"No, I had it first!"
This kid seriously reminded him too much of himself. Gritting his teeth, he crossed his arms. "You give that back to me before I tell your mother."
Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, brows raised defiantly. "Go ahead. Tell our mother. She'll yell at you for sure."
The man huffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh? Well what kind of mother would allow their children to smart off to adults!"
"Ethan had the quill first!" She stomped her foot on the ground, glaring a bit.
"Yes, well, Ethan also smarted off to me fir-" he paused, looking taken aback.
Charlotte sighed. "Come on, Ethan. We're not supposed to talk with strangers anyway. Give him the sweets."
Ethan scoffed, throwing his arms in the air. "No! I had it first!"
The elder man shook his head, waving his hands, looking somewhat estranged. "Just. Just take it."
"No!" Charlotte snapped. "Give it to him, Ethan."
The man shook his head. "No, kid. It's fine. Just. Just take it." But he couldn't take his eyes off the pair. And the girl, oh her eyes.
"No, Ethan! We don't even know this place. It could be poisonous, or something."
"Oh, don't be silly, it's not poisonous." Goodness, she acted just like her, too. The older man thought he was going mad.
Ethan nodded. "Seriously, Charlotte, quit worrying it's fine."
"Maybe you should ask mum first."
"Oh, please!" Ethan snapped, and rounded on his sister.
"Fine! But don't be mad at me if you get sick from poisoned sweets!"
"Oh, will you shut up already, you annoying little prat!"
"Don't call me that, Ethan!"
"Why not? It's true!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Not!"
The man jumped between them. "Hey, knock it off! You're causing a scene!" He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Let me take you back to your mother."
Charlotte had a frightened look in her eyes, and she took a step back. "We're not supposed to go anywhere with strangers!"
The man sighed audibly. "You know, your brother's right. Now come on, where is your mum?"
Charlotte yanked Ethan's sleeve. "Honestly! Don't you ever read about criminals and kidnappings!"
The man rolled his eyes. "Look, little prat, I fight criminals and bad guys all the time. Now tell me-nevermind, I know where she is."
"How do YOU know?" Ethan dared, taking a step back as well.
"Because I'm smart like that," he said dryly, snatching their sleeves. "Now come on!" Dragging the devils outside, he tugged them across the way towards Flourish and Blotts.
*~*
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