III

August, 1991

As the great, green fire fades, Yvonne steps out of the hearth into the low noise of the Leaky Cauldron, a slight stumble in her step.

There are several other people around; some sitting at the bar, some bent over their bowls of soup, and most cradling pints of frothy, amber liquid.

But Yvonne's not interested in them. Instead, her eyes turn up to the frames hanging on the high, stone ceilings of the pub. The moving photos show the history of magical folk who have visited and Yvonne is pleased to realise that she recognizes more of them this time.

Unknown to Yvonne, the pale barkeep immediately notices the young girl, his beady eyes taking in her fine, lilac robes and the innocence plain on her face.

A Hogwarts hopeful and he's sure she's from a well-known, magic family from the look of her.

Within a moment, the fire roars again and out of it steps the robust form of Kingsley, who is dusting off his burgundy robes.

Instantly, the man behind the bar greets Kingsley in a familiar "Shacklebolt!" and the mood of the pub changes. The other patrons quiet down and turn to see the commotion. A few go back to their drinks, but nearly all of them watch the newest arrivals with poorly-concealed interest.

Most know him as Kingsley, an up-and-coming diplomat in the International Office, but, the ones that don't, recognize the Shacklebolt name he carries. Gossip on a House of the Sacred Twenty-Eight is highly prized and there's eagerness for a slip of information in the air.

Despite the scrutiny, a friendly grin is on her father's face and Yvonne watches as he turns to the man in a chummy greeting.

"Tom! Good to see you!" he shouts.

"What brings you 'round here so soon? I thought you were taking off after Stockholm?" Tom inquires, a wide, gummy smile overtaking his face.

"That'd be Yvonne here!" Kingsley's grin is full of pride as he sets a hand on Yvonne's back. "The oldest of my daughters and set for Hogwarts this year."

The focus of the pub switches to her but Yvonne hardly notices.

She's so excited by the mention of her up-coming enrollment into Hogwarts that she might as well be in a room full of flobberworms. Her fingertips want to dance as the anticipation soars through her like a hummingbird and she stops herself from fiddling with them by clasping her hands together in front of her.

Politely, Yvonne dips her head in greeting to Tom. The pubkeeper nods in return before shifting his focus back to her father.

"First year, eh? Seen plenty of those coming through today." Tom quips.

"Blasted," Kingsley sighs. "Looks like we'll be dealing with a crowd today, Vonnie."

The young girl smiles at the thought.

Starcliff is not known to have many families and she's the only kid her age in the whole harbour—excluding the nearby Muggle village. The only other kids that are close in age to her are the ones that visit with their families on holiday and, even then, it's merely for the summer.

Seeing his daughter's reaction, Kingsley shakes his head fondly before leading her towards the exit. "See you around, Tom!"

The two of them move towards the back corner of the pub, stepping out into a tiny courtyard lined with aged brick. The barrels and bins scattered around are purely for decoration, though there's a slight staleness to the air to help with the pretence—can't have Muggles wandering back here and realising something's amiss.

Yvonne steps to the side, standing on her toes to see the moment when her father produces his wand. Her eyes track the pattern his wand follows, going over the sequence she's long memorised. She loves this part of their visits to Diagon Alley.

With five taps of the wooden stick, the bricks start shifting. Back and forth, in and out—a wave of motion ripples through the wall until the bricks are spinning away to open the entrance to Diagon Alley.

The noise of the active, populated street hits first and then the overlapping smells of the shops come second. There's dried herbs and caged animals, a swirl of perfumes and colognes, the sharp essence of iron-welded signs hanging from the buildings, and a spike of smoke that always lingers from the bowels of Gringotts.

Yvonne's cheeks are full from smiling. The smell of the bustling alley always makes her heart race. It's so different from the fresh, open air of her seaside town.

Kingsley's hand on her back cuts through Yvonne's thoughts and he further leads her into the busy alley, weaving them through the massive crowd of back-to-school shoppers.

Kids are all over the place: some with their noses pressed to the shopfronts, some chatting on benches to the side, and one boy with tears and ice cream getting wiped from his face. Older kids linger in groups on their own and families are found in all sizes.

Bags and bags they carry, hands full of supplies.

A swell of passing conversation rushes over them as Kingsley and Yvonne move deeper into the streets.

Her father raises his voice to be heard.

"I reckon we should head to Potage's first, then Scribbulus to get you some new quills and parchment. Maybe Slug & Jiggers after, for the potion ingredients you'll need for the year."

"What about Wiseacre's? I must need something from Wiseacre's, right?" Yvonne pleads, hoping to go to her favourite shop.

Her father smiles and tugs on a loose curl that hangs around her face. "Wiseacre's and the Menagerie."

Yvonne gasps and hooks her arm through her father's, hugging him. "The Menagerie! Am I getting my own owl?"

She's looking up at him as if he's gifted her the world and Kingsley smiles at her, his affection plain to see. "You can if you want one, but I expect that Hogwarts has enough owls for your use."

"So," Yvonne's face lights up with more delight as a thought occurs to her. "I can get a cat!" She realises.

Her head swings back to try to see the Menagerie's shopfront over the crowd. She has to stand on her toes to see the cages hanging in the storefront's window.

"Or a toad, according to the letter." replies her father. He tugs on her arm and continues to lead her to their first stop.

"My own cat." the young girl sighs wistfully and walks with her father, arm-in-arm. "This is the greatest day ever."

Kingsley snorts at that. "Just wait until your first day at Hogwarts."

Hours later, they've made their way through the first round of shops.

Potage's Cauldron Shop is a dark, muggy place with brewing, bubbling cauldrons that smog up the air. The candles are kept low and the curtains drawn so that the brewing can go unhindered by light exposure. Yvonne gets a brand new, pewter cauldron that's engraved with Hogwarts' crest and crystal phials that match.

They head to Slug & Jiggers Apothecary after that, with its towering, glass shelves filled with jars and jars of potion ingredients. They have special, pre-parceled bundles that are labelled for each year of Hogwarts that sit piled up in barrels at the front of the shop.

While they are there, her father also grabs some Lady's Mantle for her mother's homemade, face cream.

It does wonders for her mother's dark circles. Or, at least, that's what she tells Yvonne.

Scribbulus Writing Instruments is next and makes for a quick stop, despite how crowded it is.

Yvonne knows the type of quills she likes and which are most comfortable in her hand so she doesn't have to browse around the shop much. And, because she's school shopping, she has to buy pots of standard ink and basic parchment.

However, a pot of Leaping Ink catches her eyes for so long that her father eventually buys it for her. She won't use it much for school, but Yvonne can't stop giggling every time she thinks of someone trying to read something and the words leaping from the parchment.

It's barely after noon when they finally make it to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment and Yvonne spends the longest amount of time there, head craned back and eyes glued to the ceiling.

The whole interior of the shop is a rich cobalt and there's golden stars painted all over. A gigantic, golden armillary sphere hangs in the centre of the shop, it's many dials and cylinders spinning to match the celestial skies in real time. Light bounces around the room, reflecting off of all the brass instruments, and there's the slight clicking and chimes from all the gears working in the room.

She never tires of this shop and always finds some new instrument to watch. This time she's fascinated by a dazzling astrarium that includes all nine planets.

While Yvonne is enamoured, Kingsley picks out an ornate telescope that's enchanted to have the stars of the Libra constellation smoothly rippling across its surface.

"Papa," Yvonne calls suddenly, stepping up to him at the counter.

"Whatever it is, you won't need it at Hogwarts." he replies instantly.

Yvonne laughs and shakes her head. "No! It's not that. It's just…I read in a book once that Muggles have travelled all the way to the moon. Is that true?" she asks.

Kingsley scratches at his chin. "Some Muggles believe it to be true, others say it is a tale made up by their leaders—Honestly, I wouldn't know, darling."

"It's the truth, lassie. Muggles been walking about on the moon for awhile now, that." Brighton Wiseacre's gruff, Scottish burr interrupts their conversation and he offers Yvonne a friendly nod when her eyes find him.

Yvonne's smile hesitates and she withdraws a bit.

It's clear he knows a lot about space and she has endless questions but still, she's bashful with his direct attention on her.

"Have wizards ever travelled to the moon, Mr. Wiseacre?"

The older wizard winks at her, smirking. "Not yet."

Yvonne turns to her father with pleading eyes. "Papa, can I be the first witch to travel to the moon?"

Kingsley shares a look with the other man. "I had a full head of hair before she was born. Wonder what happened." he jokes.

Mr. Wiseacre finishes packing up Yvonne's new telescope and gives the family a smirk with amusement plain in his eye.

"You be having a good day there, Mr. Shacklebolt. And good luck with your moon-travels, stargirl." says the man as he sends them off with a wave.

Yvonne's smile is soft and pleased as they leave with their purchase and continue on their way.

Their final stop before they break for lunch is Flourish and Blotts.

Kingsley forces Yvonne to wait outside of the famous bookshop, knowing that letting her come in will extend their visit by an hour or two. She has a habit of getting lost in the stacks and picking up too many books that fit her fancy.

Yvonne pouts from outside the shop but it doesn't take long until she's distracted by Gambol and Japes across the alley.

There's kids of all ages streaming in and out of the dazzling, colourful shop and laughter spills out onto the cobblestone street. Through the open door, she can see some of the merchandise being sampled and softly smiles to herself whenever someone makes a purchase and a burst of confetti rains down on them.

Yvonne's forgotten about being left outside the bookshop by the time Kingsley returns with her school books.

Around midday, they take a break at the Toad in the Hole, a sandwich shop with the best soups in all of London. They're huddled together in the back, bags all around them, when the trouble begins.

First, it's a dark-skinned wizard with a stout nose and splendid robes, who greets Kingsley rather enthusiastically, lingering at their table to catch up and talk about the latest Quidditch match.

Yvonne hovers awkwardly at the edge of the conversation, not at all interested in Quidditch, but also worried about showing her disinterest so blatantly. He's not really talking to her—merely glancing at her once every now and again—yet still, she hovers, onion soup cooling and untouched, since she's not sure if she's supposed to be engaging or not.

After the man finally leaves with a "The Cannons will come back next season!", Yvonne barely gets out a word before another man walks up, his olive skin cloudy with exhaustion.

With slumped shoulders and a weary face, he creeps up to their table with his outer robes draped over his arm.

"There you are, Shacklebolt" the man says, sliding into a chair without a proper greeting and instantly opening a file that's appeared from the air.

Papers spread across their table and Yvonne almost loses her glass of lemon drink in the eruption.

Luckily, she's able to grab it in time, the sweet beverage just slightly spilling onto the floor.

Kingsley shares a glance with Yvonne—This will be quick and Yes, that was rude his look seems to say—but he engages the man, called Frederic Elks, in conversation either way.

It is obvious to Yvonne that her father's initial intention is to get out of the conversation.

He's giving general answers and sending glances to the clock hanging in the shop, dropping hints that he has to get back to shopping with his daughter. However, it becomes clear that whatever Mr. Elks is showing her father is of importance because, soon, her father is bent over the papers too.

Thirty minutes pass.

Yvonne has now finished her soup and the two men are still talking, volume raising as they discuss some matter to do with Italy.

Sighing, Yvonne tucks a curl behind her ear and decides to look through some of her bags. She's sure her father will wrap up soon and they will continue with their trip.

She reasons she can be patient considering he's gone through all the effort of taking her out today and helping her prepare for school.

Plus, Yvonne knows her father takes his work with the Ministry seriously and she can wait.

Another ten minutes pass and the witch behind the counter has floated their empty bowls away and magicked their table clean.

Yvonne has looked through all her bags, cataloguing all her items and double-checking her letter to make sure she's got the required things from the required shops.

She has straightened her robes and fixed her hair back into a low bun at her neck.

Still, her father is talking with the man.

Yvonne stares at him but he doesn't take notice of her blatant focus. It's as if her father's awareness shuts off when it comes to work sometimes.

Next, she tries clearing her throat to politely interrupt the conversation but neither man hears her.

Yvonne pouts internally.

Eventually, she excuses herself to the toilet in hopes that her father will notice her coming and going and remember why they are in London, but that seems to have the opposite effect.

Her return to the table is met with a frown from her father and his coin purse being pushed into her hands.

"I'm sorry, Vonnie" he starts, regret heavy on this tone. "I know we have quite a tad more shops to go to but Mr. Elks really needs my help. This case he's working on is really important for our office. You understand, right?"

Yvonne's eyes are still on the heavy purse in her hands when he finishes, part of her unable to figure out what is going on.

She glances up, meeting her father's eyes for a hair of a second before she's looking at Mr. Elks. The man's state is in a disarray and the fatigue slumps his shoulders.

Yvonne thinks of flowers that haven't seen the sun for days.

Her father is staying to help this man. Her father's work is important.

It's a simple fact of the Shacklebolt family.

Slowly, she nods her head, stretching a smile on her face.

Her hand twitches minutely, the urge to throw down the sack of coins and tell him No! I do not understand! flashing through her mind.

She remembers her mother throwing things in the height of her pregnancy when her father would leave as soon as he arrived.

She's talked Tammy and Maggy through the worst of tantrums over their father's job and can almost feel the screams they would let out gathering in her chest.

It all leaves her in a quiet sigh through her nose.

"I understand." Her head is nodding again and her smile pulls tighter. She tucks the coin purse she's clenching in her pocket.

Kingsley sighs. "You're so good, sweetheart, even when you don't have to be. I promise I'll make it up to you, okay?" Her father's hands caress her head and Yvonne finally looks up at her father.

The last time he offered to make something up to her, her father arranged a tour of the Grand Athenaeum in Athens to offset him being unable to take her to the opening of a unicorn sanctuary in Wales.

"While I'm here, why don't you stop into Madam Malkin's and Ollivanders? I'll meet you at the Menagerie after and then we can pick out a darling cat for you, hm?"

Yvonne's smile shrinks until only a corner of her lips are tilted up—it's smaller, but more genuine.

"I never said I didn't want a toad." she mumbles.

Kingsley laughs and leans in to kiss her forehead. "That's my girl. Now, run along. I'll finish up, quick as I can, and you won't even notice that I'm gone."

Yvonne doubts it but keeps her thoughts to herself.

Before she can reply, Mr. Elks is pushing another paper under her father's nose and, immediately, his attention shifts.

He gives one last pat to her arm before turning in his seat and jumping right back into his debate with the other man.

She lingers for a minute, waiting to see if her father has anything else to tell her before she hesitantly makes her way to the exit. She imagines for a second what it would be like if her father stopped her before she got to the door, yelling about how Mr. Elks and him are pulling her leg.

Except, nobody stops her.

The door feels extra heavy when she pulls it open and leaves.


A/N: Happy New Year Everyone! I've been off of work for like the past two weeks so I finished Chapter 7 today :) I was going to edit and post this chapter tomorrow but we got our first review! EmmSea left some kind words a couple hours back and followed, so this is for them! Thank you plenty and I hope you enjoy the update :D

In other news, I realized that I can bluff at British English all I want but some key spelling differences are going to expose me. I considered changing some of the spellings (I've used the word 'realize' about 14 times so far and 'color' about 7) but, this might actually mess me up a bit more and then you'd have chapters with different spellings. It wouldn't be a cute look. In either case, I will always spell grey with an 'e' because I've always thought it was prettier. *insert shrug here*

As usual though, please stay safe and healthy in this world. Wear your masks and remain as socially distant as you can! I hope 2022 is so much better for all of us :)