THC/The Houses Competition

House:Gryffindor

Category: Standard

Class: DADA

Prompt(s):[Location] Zonko's Joke Shop, [Object] Tea Leaves

Word Count:1727

Summery: Lily Potter is following her passion for reading tea leaves when she reads James's leaves and something is discovered.

Title: Pig, Octopus, Owl and a Apple

Zonko's Joke Shop was one of two joke shops located in Hogsmeade. Since Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes had opened up a second location in the wizarding village, Zonko's took a big hit: no one wanted Frog Spawn Soap, Dungbombs, or Nose-Biting Teacups. Why choose Zonko's when they could get Skiving Snackboxes, Screaming Yo-Yo's or Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs? As the years passed, Zonko's Joke Shop focused more on toys rather than jokes and pranks, selling Bubble Machines, coloring books where the pictures moved and talked, a mini Quidditch set where the players could fly around and play the game, and a toy wand which, when shaken, would glow and perform small spells, shooting out water, bubbles, or fireworks, to the delight of any child.

One of the best sellers was the mini potion set with which a child could make their very own potions. The set came with a small cauldron and plastic ingredients such as Ashwinder eggs, a dragon claw, eel eyes, fairy wings, and much more. The kit also came with vials labeled as dragon blood, flobberworm mucus, and honey, along with others. Once the child emptied the vial it would magically refill itself; the sound effects made it a favorite for children. Every time one put an ingredient into the cauldron, it would either start to bubble or sizzle; if one put too much of an ingredient in, it would give off a fake explosion.

Zonko's Joke Shop soon became one of the best toy stores in Hogsmeade, even if it kept its original name. Witches and wizards came from all over in hopes of finding the perfect toy for their young witch or wizard. Which is why a fifteen-year-old Lily Potter set up her stand in front of the store, having gotten permission to do so from the owner days before.

Lily had taken up tasseography, which was the art of reading tea leaves. She set up a booth in front of Zonko's that held her surplus supplies: a kettle filled with hot water, tea cups, and her tea leaves. In the middle of the table sat a jar that had some Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. She wasn't comfortable setting a set price—she wasn't a professional. She hoped if she did a good enough job and gave great customer service then she would get good tips, but all she had to show for the morning was nineteen pounds and fifty-eight pence or two galleons, three sickles and four knuts.

Lily let out a long sigh as she stared at the jar in front of her. She was nowhere near her goal. If she ever wanted to get the Yajirushi racing broom, she would need a lot more customers.

Taking in a deep breath, Lily closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through her hair. She listened to all the noises that went on in Zonko's—children shouting, toys going off, parents yelling. She reflected bitterly that she should have picked a quieter spot. Opening her eyes, she saw her oldest brother, James, sitting across from her with a smirk. "Go away," Lily said, before pressing her lips together until her mouth formed a thin line.

"Come on, don't be like that," James said, still keeping the smirk on his face as if to say 'I told you so.'

A week before school ended, Lily had announced she would be getting a summer job. When she told her brothers what she would be doing, James burst out laughing, saying she would give up within a week. Albus had said that tasseography wasn't a real job and if she wanted money she should ask Uncle George if she could work at the joke shop for the summer. James mentioned that she could just ask Dad for the money instead of spending her summer working.

"Don't you have anyone else to bug? Maybe take a long walk…off a cliff," Lily suggested, just wanting to be alone in her failure, she didn't need her brother to rub it in.

"No wonder you're not getting many customers with that attitude. Do you tell all of your customers to walk off a cliff?" James asked sarcastically.

"Just the ones I'm forced to live with," Lily answered. "Now, go away. I'm not going to get anyone with you sitting here."

"I still don't know why you didn't ask Dad for the money." James said, curious. "He would have given it to you. You are his little princess, after all."

"I don't need Dad to give me money. I'm not a child. I am capable of making my own money."

"You don't look very capable," James commented as he looked at the jar. "How much is in there anyway?"

"How much is in there is none of your business but I would have a lot more if you left."

"Why didn't you set up in front of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? You would get a lot more people there than here at Zonko's. I mean, look at this place."

Lilly leaned forward to look down the street at Uncle George's shop. James was right, there were three times the people over there but that also meant three times more noise than at Zonko's. Despite the noise coming from inside Zonko's, the outside was somewhat peaceful and allowed people to get their tea leaves read without being trampled. Lily watched as a young boy rushed out of Wizard Wheezes and threw up over the front of the store, no doubt after eating a Puking Pastille.

"I don't feel like getting vomit on my shoes this morning." Lily answered. Even if Zonko's didn't offer up a lot of people, at least she didn't have to worry about what was happening down the street.

James wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, I see what you mean. That wouldn't be good for business," he said as he turned back to Lily. "Why don't you read my tea leaves? Tell me something I don't know," he challenged, smirking back in full force.

Lily silently reached forward and picked the jar up, shaking it, causing the Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts to ping off the sides of the glass jar.

"I'm your brother! You won't take money from Dad, but you'd take it from me?"

"I'm not taking it. You are paying me for a service," Lily answered with a smirk of her own before placing the jar back down on the table.

James let out a sigh before reaching into his pockets and pulling out one Galleon, one Sickle and two Knuts. "That's all I have on me," James said, as he placed the money in the jar.

Lily's smirk turned into a smile as she placed a tea cup in front of her brother, with the tea leaves already placed inside. "You need to clear your mind…shouldn't be too hard for you," Lily explained as she poured the water into the cup, the liquid turning to a bright orange as it mixed with the leaves.

James simply nodded as he picked up the cup and started to drink the tea until there were only a couple of drops left, before passing it back to Lily.

Lily took the cup and swirled it around a couple of times before she spoke. "I see many things… I see a pig, an octopus, an owl…and I see an apple."

"Great. What in Merlin's name is that supposed to mean?" James asked.

Lilly rolled her eyes as she went back to staring into the cup, watching as the water swirled around, moving the tea leaves around in different positions. "Each object means something different, you watch as they interact together in the cup to tell a story. In your case it reads. 'Greed and carelessness will send you down a dangerous path. Beware of temptations and look towards a wise person to protect you,'" Lily explained.

"That's ridiculous."

"You are receiving a warning, it's your choice if you want to take it or not," Lily explained. "If you want my advice, I'd take the warning."

"...What kind of temptation?" James asked after a moment of silence.

Lily let out a puff of air as she moved everything aside before leaning forward so she could whisper to her brother. "You take your Auror test in a couple of days… I know you have a cheatsheet and don't even try to deny it. Cutting corners like that can get a wizard killed. The real world doesn't have cheatsheets. Your greediness to prove yourself is causing you to be careless. You want to prove yourself? Take the test without the cheatsheet."

"...Is something bad going to happen?" James asked, worried. He didn't think anyone knew about the cheatsheet he had stuffed under his floorboard.

"It's tea leaves, not a prophecy." Lily rolled her eyes once more at her brother's stupidity "But…I know if you ever do come across a real threat and you don't know the spell to defend yourself…you will die. As much as I dislike you, I don't want you to die. t would be heartbreaking."

James made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "Don't say that, don't ever say that! What am I supposed to say to that?"

"Perhaps a thank you?" Lily replied "I know you want to prove yourself to Dad, show him that you're good, but you don't need a cheatsheet for that. Take the test without the cheatsheet, you will pass," Lily said with a small smile.

James nodded at Lily's words, a moment of silence spreading between them before James let out a small cough to break the uncomfortable silence "I should get going…Uncle George is expecting me. I'll pick you up at the end of the day," James said awkwardly before he got up and left, leaving Lily to continue reading people's tea leaves.

After James left, Lily looked around and instantly caught the eyes of somebody. It seemed, once you had one customer, others were more likely to approach. It still wasn't as busy as Lily would have liked it but throughout the day she read multiple people and was even able to help some with their troubles. By the time James came to take her home, her jar was half full; still nowhere near her goal but she hoped by the end of summer she would be able to buy the Yajirushi racing broom.