Trigger warning: phobias? Just simple descriptions of creepies. As someone who hates spiders with a passion (except Lucas the animation, he gets a pass), I try to avoid much which I know would cause me to have issues.
Diagon Alley, Aster decided, was not nearly as enthralling as Raven Path Way. That is not to see it didn't hold its own allure or engaging qualities, but it was more akin to what Aster would consider between a chain bookstore, such as Waterstones, to an independent or second hand bookstore. The contrast between the two high streets was immediately felt, even in the early morning where there were only sleepy customers as opposed to the hyped up ruckus the previous afternoon.
The colours of the street was a major contrast to Raven Way Path - where the latter favoured darker greens and earthy tones, likely in place for the inhabitants' traditional homes, Diagon Alley was a riot of colour. Each store had a different theme, often clashing one another in an eye watering effect not too dissimilar from a neon tie dye. Noises and ... things floated outside of the borders of the stores, a bath and beauty store popping out bubbles of pinks, blues and yellows, the florist had flowers levitating in the air, spiralling in a dance until they formed an arrangement before they dispersed and new ones took their place. The overall effect was charming despite the jarring of the senses, coming together in a cohesion which only utter chaos could do so.
There were only a few patrons about this time in the morning, after all it appeared that most stores were in the process of finalising their opening rituals, or settling down for another busy day of customers. Aster hadn't realised yesterday but some of the unmoving throngs of people were surrounding small stalls set up in the Alley itself, selling unique trinkets and wares. There was a bloke with a cart filled with homemade baked goods, the smell of pastries and bread wafting through the street. A lady further down had a small table with laid out jewellery, dreamcatchers and talismans, throwing rainbow colours on to the walls as the sunlight caught the beads.
As it was so empty Aster decided she would head to the stores which appeared to be the busiest yesterday, so that once she had finished and that there was still space to breathe, she could wander around and browse later on. First on her list was Flourish and Blotts - it was positively bursting with people the day before and she didn't want to be in the way of having elbows bashed into her face due to her optimal height of such a thing.
Walking inside the store was distinctly different to Books and Scrolls yesterday - where there was a sense of organised mess with all sorts of titles crammed wherever, but done neatly, Flourish and Blotts was distinctly organised with the genres or areas of study written in the air above certain shelving and then the books themselves organised by author, and checking a couple of the books, and publishing dates.
Deciding that she'd browse the rest of the bookshop once she got her textbooks (she wasn't going to come back just in case it did get too busy), she scanned the shelves looking for the ones she needed, finding them quickly (although a couple of times she had to jump to reach them they were so high - you'd think they'd know to put first year books lower). Bemoaning lack of trolleys, Aster finagled the pile into a hold she which ensured she could move easily, before setting off to look at some areas she thought sounded interesting.
In the end, she got a book on runes, an animal encyclopaedia as well as one on caring for them, how to draw magical things and a few novels, one being on children's stories called The Beadle and the Bard. Wobbling under her ever growing hoard she felt her way to the cashier, bracing her feet shoulder width apart as she waited in the line. When it was finally her turn (the old biddy in front kept talking to the bloke at the till even when she had paid for her goods), she managed to slide the books down individually until it reached a height she could use one hand to put them on the counter, revealing a twenty something old man looking distinctly amused at the haul.
"I'm guessing you like reading then?" Was the obligatory reply in a dry tone, and at her nod and awkward smile which looked more like a slightly wobbly line, he went about adding the total up. Which then proved to Aster that yesterday the folks down Raven Path Way either didn't know how to price things or had been severely undercharging her.
Once her new additions to her growing library were safely stowed away in Sagina's bag (and she wasn't joking about the depth of it or how you can't feel anything in it - she was totally asking her to make one for her), she toddled into the stationery shop she preferred the look of instead of the flashy one.
As soon as she walked in the smell of parchment and dust met her, her nose twitching with the urge to sneeze. The shop itself was silent, with only a quiet volume of classical music filling the quiet from an old style radio like they had back in World War Two behind the counter where a bent backed old man looked like he was sleeping. The only other customer didn't even look up at the sound of the door, too engrossed on whether he wanted beige parchment or white.
Taking the silence as a cue, she lightly treaded her way to a display of standard quills, grabbing three cheap black feathers and two middle ranged indigo ones. She slowly made her way about the room, fascinated at all the odds and ends that Wizarding stationery entailed. There were parchment knives used to measure and cut rolls that you could buy, quill sharpeners (which she bought two of), and a folio of different styles of parchments and envelopes you could special order. She snagged a couple of pads which had pre cut sized parchments, almost like a muggle notepad, a sheet which you could place on your parchment or envelope and would superimpose lines to ensure your writing was straight, and a box that was basically a pencil case except it had slots for ten different quills, a drawer for parchment and envelopes, as well as a smaller box that fitted two quills which would be ideal for when she needed to move about class to class.
Nodding to herself, she moved to the counter, unsure on how to wake the man up when an old bedraggled cat yowled making him snort and and his eyes shoot open. Blinking at her owlishly for a few seconds he pain stakingly rang up her total, took her money and then promptly fell asleep again.
Back outside again, she scanned the streets, noticing that there was slightly more people walking about, although clearly still a bit bleary eyed, making her decide to get the clothes shopping out of the way and headed to that Madam Malkins place she spotted after coming out of the bank.
On her way she bought two pastries from the bakery man, a croissant and a pain au raisin, as she gambolled down the Alley. Looking at the shop front (those mannequin gave her the heebee jeebies) she blew out an already bored breath before pushing open the door.
Immediately her nose was assaulted with the smell of rose perfume, and the light of the room was not too far off the light bulb that was in her cupboard. The walls were lined with display cases barring the window wall where four well worn seats sat. Baskets of 'bargain buys' and clearance items dotted about the place, cluttering up the relatively cramped floor area. Behind the counter was a half partitioned room, where Aster could see two low podiums facing floor length mirrors. Fabric reels were stacked along the longest wall from floor to ceiling, with an entire section was just varying qualities of black - either that was the alloted Hogwarts robes section, or the place had a lot of gothic inclined customers.
She was just about to take a seat to wait for someone when a woman appeared from beneath the counter itself.
"Oh! You should have said you were there, love. Here for your Hogwarts robes, yes? First year, I'm guessing?... Good, good, come through here." She waved her through and ushering her up on to one of the circular podium things. She swished out a measuring tape and proceeded to note down a whole host of things, however once she confirmed that she'd be getting her shoes there as well (may as well), she took the tape and took her shoe size manually instead of letting the magical thing do it itself. At Aster's confused look she explained.
"I can never quite get it to work correctly when doing shoes for some reason. Some reckon it's cause I'm a muggleborn, but hey ho. I like to do things the muggle way at times anyway - get back to my roots, as it were." At Aster's uninspired acknowledge, although saying how when she had to get new shoes she'd just shove on whatever fit her best at the charity shop (gaining a scandalised and horrorfied reaction), the shop girl continued on humming quietly yo herself as she worked.
Jumping down when told so, she took a seat at the window and swung her legs as she waited for the robes to be completed. Once sorted and paid for she quickly left - realising in the nearly an hour and a half she was in there, the district had filled out even more.
Sighing to herself and resolving herself to browsing the day after, more likely than not, Aster made her way to the apothecary advertising first year potion kits and equipment bundles. Dashing inside, and sneezing at the abundance of smells, she flicked her eyes about finding the area that she needed. The entire left and back wall was arranged in an almost pick and mix style, with paper bags clipped to the beams of the shop and tongs hung up on nails intermittently, the counter for the til was shoved into a corner and was barely big enough for the til itself, a table placed
next to it held Victorian brass scales and repeat order slips. Crates of vials of different sizes were stacked up on top of one another like shoeboxes, and the more fancy vials, such as crystal based or stasis charmed, were held within a glass display case and a sign said to talk to the assistant if they needed or wanted one of those items.
The cauldrons section was an utter mess, all placed within each other and made so that it looked more like a rubbish pile than anything else. The only organisation there was that each material of the cauldrons were separated with a shelf sitting above the piles with the specific ones they pertained to. Deciding to just deal with this problem first she stood on her tiptoes and cocked her head to see if there were any indications on what sizes were which, and where the pewter bottomed ones were. Which of course, they didn't.
Scowling at the horrendous heap of mess that was in front of her, she jumped when a deep baritone drawled behind her, "If you're looking for the first year cauldrons, you want the smallest size in this...catastrophe." Aster looked up at the man, who was curling his lip in utter distaste at the piles of cauldrons, his shiny black hair lying limp around his face. As he flicked his black eyes to her, raising a brow in a clear wordless well? she nodded and thanked him quietly before going to said pile. She located a few of the smaller cauldrons and began tapping the bottoms of them and listening to the echo of it, before shaking her head each time and putting them down.
"What are you doing?" The same drawl made, making her startle again having not realised he was still there.
"Umm...checking the thickness of the bottoms?" At another raised eyebrow she hurried on to explain, "Well, I don't want a thin one do I? Looking at the ingredients we could be dealing with, and the brief flick through of the book I just bought, they the-the potions I mean, could be acidious? I mean...acidic. I don't want to buy another cauldron part way through my year cause I've melted it. Not that I plan to, but er, I've never even thought potions existed before now so I'm guessing I'll be um... behind? And if its anything like chemistry at school, it'll only get more, er, complicated as I grow up. And I'm rambling and shutting up now." Clearing her throat, her eyes zipped around the shop, barely glancing at the towering pillar of intimidation in front of her, her fingers fiddling with the handle of the cauldron she was holding.
"Hm. Well. At least you've got relatively appropriate expectations, although the probability of you decimating and causing a minor explosion is extremely high. In the meantime, you're best to listen for a dull thud when dropping them from about a foot off the ground for pewter bottoms. Yes I'm being serious, don't give me that look. And if you're wanting to go into your lessons knowing anything, do more than a ... flick through of your textbook. Extra reading won't go amiss either." And with that surly lesson and a swirl of his black robes (who knew clothes could actually swirl?!) he was out the door, a brown package clasped tightly under his arm.
Deciding to do as the man said, she spent the next half hour dropping cauldrons on the floor, getting weird looks off parents with their children who were giggling at her and annoyed glares from the two assistants in the store. To be fair, it was an annoying sound to Aster herself, and she was the one doing it. After finally finding one she deemed the best, after comparing it to another for the last 5 minutes, she picked up the dedicated first year box of ingredients and scales, comparing the looks of the stuff inside didn't take as long as she just looked at what other people weren't choosing and going off that. Another ten minutes of waiting in the queue as some older teenager had decided to buy three of the entire bloody shop was in front of the person in front of Aster, and she was finally out of that smelly shop and into the rapidly growing throng of people outside.
Casting a look about the place on her tiptoes (why was everyone so tall?!), Aster found a possibility of where she could get a telescope - All Things Starry - she pushed and shoved her way to the store, not giving it a thought as she stumbled her way in.
The inside was similar clearly Astronomy based, with the ceiling painted black and the constellations painted in silver, a replica of the moon hung from the ceiling to a third of the way down, allowing just enough head room for folks to walk by unhindered, the room had a feel of an alternative muggle shop with its layout. It was the kind that if Aunt Petunia saw it would scoff at and cross the road so that she was as fair away as possible.
There was a bookshelf tight in the corner which was filled with titles to do with the stars, the moon, fortune telling and zodiac signs, the display case beside it held a fancy looking telescope which could go from the standard ten inches all the way to three feet (although why someone would want that size was beyond Aster), there were also binoculars which seemed to have liquid silver over the lenses which apparently "heightened the third eye's senses" and a pair of gloves that once belonged to some well to do clairvoyant. Moving along there there was a beaten up rack of magazines which wasn't even half full, a clothes rack of shawls and cloaks with gaudy colours and an inordinate amount of beads attached. There were rolls of star maps, charts and posters in different sizes, two shelves of crystal balls and respective holders, tea bags (which caused Aster to double take as she saw Tesco's own brand there), with dainty China cups, and finally a tub of telescopes. Skipping over to them she nabbed a random brass one, along with a box of English Breakfast and a book on star charts.
After dropping that stuff in the bag (how it still didn't feel any heavier was beyond Aster and just reaffirmed her decision to ask Sagina if she could make one for her), Aster had the horror of seeing the utter rabble that was now Diagon Alley. Considering it must be around lunch time, she was astounded that more people hadn't buggered off to eat. At least she had the excuse of having an abysmal constitution and metabolism due to child neglect.
Huffing to herself she decided to make her way back, knowing that the place she needed to get a wand was just on the corner to Raven Way Path. It was closed when she went passed earlier that morning and she hoped to high heaven it would be open now. That was her plan until she saw the Magical Menagerie. She had to go in there, had to see if they too had goats for sale.
Skipping inside she was hit with a popping in her ears before a wave of noise hit her like a bus. There was a chaos of animals, even more so than the one she visited the day prior, likely due to the sheer amount of pets and variations of species there - though she was sad to note a lack of dogs and goats. Cats ruled by walking all over the place, rats, hamsters and mice squirreled away in their cages, budgies and parrots squaked from their perches high above the floor of the shop and a maze of terrariums held all the creepy ones that tended towards children phobias. Aster, of course, headed there first.
A group of different spiders sat huddled in three different boxes, twitching their hairy little legs at her, making her shiver and Clacker giving a somehow threatening caw before she moved on. Eddy she was OK with, others not so much.
Next were the snakes, which she lingered over, asking Clacker on what he thought of them (getting no reply other than a dead stare of really?) as she seriously considered getting one. As there had been a few over the years which would keep her company over the years as she toiled in the Dursleys garden she had become rather fond of the noodles. Although their conversation abilities had left something to be desired. She cooed at one in particularly which was rather flat and barely the length of her palm, its little snoot poking out from its tightly wound coils. If it wasn't for the fact it was a cobra, and thus more than a little iffy of owning one (let alone that she needed to be fifteen or over to buy any snake, according to a sign), she would have taken him home in a heartbeat.
After them were the lizards, salamanders, newts and other reptiles of the like. Clacker had a go at trying to nab a newt so she decided to move on quickly from them.
Which brought her to the cats. And there was one very familiar face staring smugly at her, a tabby which had the unusual colouring of blue and grey. How the bloody hell is he here? Wasn't he at the other one?
Frowning up at the puffed up feline, Aster was met with a just as confused male voice.
"No idea where that one came from. He just turned up this morning. Went to feed the lot and then there he was, sitting all high and mighty. Had a couple o' kiddies asking for him but he tries to take a chunk outta them." The owner of the harried voice was a scrawny bloke with sandy hair, square wire rimmed glasses and a copious amount of scratches littering his arms, face and hands. Aster looked away from the Cat (after being able to do an appearing act he deserved a capital letter) to help the assistant make an attempt at tidying up the shelves of cat food, toys, beds and other accompaniments. With a distracted nod of thanks he rushed off as there was a clatter, a pause, and then a child's wail as something had fallen on top of him.
Seeing the amount of people in the shop, and how busy they were, Aster made a charitable decision.
She crooked her finger at the Cat, who obediently hopped down from his pedestal and walked on the shelf near her head, scenting her face and purring.
"Right. Since you've clearly staked a claim to me, you can come with me. But you gotta be nice to Clacker." With a narrow eyed contemplation at Aster and then said Bird (he also now deserved a capital letter), he bobbed his head, and went on to knead a velveteen emerald blanket. Rolling her eyes, she plucked two more ceramic bowls (which apparently would carve in the animal's name once decided), a wicker basket with a metal door, a random cushion, a feather toy and finally the blanket which Cat was kneading more and more aggressively.
With a brief "Come on then" She made her way to the counter to pay for him and the goods.
With a crow on one shoulder and a cat now curled up in her arms, Aster was more than ready to go back to the Cloak and Wand as the crowd of people had now evolved to a verifiable stampede. Her breathing hitched as people crowded around her, limiting any amount of movement and bustling her about all over the place, ruffling Clacker from his designated shoulder.
They were so close to her. She couldn't see where she was, where she was going. Everything was just getting blurry and she couldn't breathe. Pin pricks of black spotted about her vision and her arms began to shake with the effort of not just holding the Cat to her, but herself together. It was getting to be too much.
Until a hand slammed down on her right shoulder, causing her to whimper and whip her head to the owner. It was a gentlemen who had sandy blonde hair, gentle blue eyes and scars littered every visible inch of him, which was in juxtaposition to the gentle smile he was giving her.
"Come on, where you meant to be at? I'll push passed this riot for you." Deciding to just take a leap of faith she mumbled where she was meant to go. After a flicker of concern flittered on his face, he nodded, kept a steady hand on her and began to push their way through until they reached the entry to Raven Path Way.
A wave of gratitude flooded her as the man let go of her shoulder, smiled at her and genially said, "Here we are then. Got here eventually, eh? I'd say its not normally like that, but in the summer it can be. Once the letters for Hogwarts come out and it's warm like today, well, it can be, er, a bit claustrophobic to the say the least. Now...you OK? You look a little peaky."
Aster nodded and in a small voice which wobbled said, "Um... yes. I-I don't like enclosed spaces. I'm, I'm sorry to have, er, bothered you." The man's face softened, and for the first time took in her appearance.
She was small for her age, and when he clasped her shoulder he could feel how bony she was, and judging by the size if her wrists and hands, which were still gripping the cat in her arms, he would definitively say she was too skinny. She was very pale, although there was an ever so slight darkening of the skin which had been in the skin more than others, mainly her face and hands. Her hair, bundled into a messy plait was thick and inky black and clearly curly as tendrils escaped the braid. Her eyes were shockingly green, like the colour of apples and were shining with unshed tears of a panic attack, hidden behind thick framed glasses which were slightly too big for her face. Most telling of all however was the scar that was on the right side of her face, almost following the contours of her cheekbones, going into her hair and going down the side of her neck. There was only one person who this could be, but he was told she was dead. How - how was she here? And why, in all that was blessed, was she going down Raven Path Way?!
As the man scrutinised her in the way that only adults could, Aster shifted about on one foot to the other, the concern on his face melting into one of horror, shock and then confusion. After what felt like an age, she began to get annoyed as she needed to settle the Cat down, name him, make sure Clacker was OK, cry or have a nap after the panic attack (or maybe both), put all her purchases away, give Sagina her bag back and get something to eat. She was leaving the wand until another day, you couldn't tempt her to walk back into the Street from Hell for anything.
Realising he was gawking, the man seemed to come out of his stupor, muttered that he'll walk her to the Inn, after she confirmed that she was staying there, and charged ahead in silence. Once he opened the door, she left him at the bar with a wave before taking off up the stairs.
Barrelling into her room she slammed the door open, closing it tightly and leaning on it with her head back. Taking three deep breaths she opened her eyes and jumped out of her skin, dropping the Cat in surprise.
A man stood at the balcony doors, his hands clasped behind his back, wearing a forest green tail coat, black trousers and knee high leather boots. His hair was grey with streaks of red, and as he turned she saw his eyes were as bright and green as hers. He wore a neutral expression as he in turn took her appearance in.
"Who the hell are you?!"