Pumpkin juice, chocolate and Ravens ((Elizabeth))

[crane]

Gary sat in the Leaky Cauldron slowly drinking a goblet of pumpkin juice. He had got everything settled earlier than he thought and now he had two and half hours spare time before her mum would pick him up. If he would have his bike, he could ride it home, but for walking the distance was a bit too great. And public transport wouldn’t work either.
Taking one more sip from the cold pumpkin juice Gary looked around the Leaky Cauldron. He rather liked the place because it had a friendly atmosphere with people always milling in and out to the streets of muggle London or to the Diagon Alley. The magical world was really amazing. But so was the magical world. Gary guessed that he had won either way – he get to know both worlds and benefit from the joys of both worlds.

Searching his pant pockets Gary found a bit melted chocolate candy and ate it. The chocolate had melted and the candy was a bit misshapen, but it tasted good none the less. Gary smiled softly thinking of going home after being away at Hogwarts for so long. He had missed his mother and his sisters.
“Going home, eh? Do you need anything else?” Tom the barkeeper asked Gary, who looked up with a smile that reached his eyes, giving them a warm chocolate-ish hue, “No, thank you, Tom, I’m all settled.”
Gary stood taking his goblet along and walked to a table with couches around it and placed his goblet on the table, before noticing that someone was already sitting there.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, didn’t see you there,” Gary said with a bit embarrassed smile as she only know noticed the younger girl sitting at the table, “I didn’t mean to interrupt or disturb you. Sorry.” Gary almost turned to leave but narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to recall something. The girl seemed awfully familiar and he didn’t have anything to loose, so Gary smiled and asked: “Sorry, but do you go to Ravenclaw by any chance?”

[elizabeth]

Beth was sitting at a wooden table in the Leaky Cauldron, her long brown hair held into a bun with chopsticks and her reading glasses slouching off her nose slightly. She was cozy next to the fire, her bare arms toasted by the warmth. In her hand she held a book, 'Two Muggles and a Witch', it was an interesting love story filled with dragons, veelas and romance. In front of her was a goblet of pumpkin juice she had been sipping lightly while waiting for the night bus to take her home. She was excited to get home and see her family, her brother most of all. She had missed their all nighters and video game play offs. The summer was the time where she could act like a true muggle.

As Beth finished the last page of the 8th chapter she bookmarked her spot and pulled up her school bag. She was beginning to get a little hungry so as she placed her book into her bag she pulled out some gummy snakes and a few chocolate frogs. She set them on the table to close her bag then turned back to notice her gummy snake trying to slither away. She grabbed it's tail and took a bite, avoiding it's mouth as she had been bitten several times before.

She finished her snake and opened up a chocolate frog just as an older boy had walked up to her. He sat in a seat next to her before turning and looking a little startled. She smiled nervously at him and watched sadly as he was about to turn away, seconds later he turned back with a curious look on his face, "Sorry, but do you go to Ravenclaw by any chance," he asked. She smiled cheerfully, proud of her house at Hogwarts and nodded, "Yeah, I do actually," she said happily, "You
?" she asked. The boy barely had time to answer when she continued, "Yes, I believe you do, I have seen you around the common room before. What brings you here?" She looked to the boy with a hearty smile on her face before raising the squirming chocolate frog to her mouth and taking a bite.

[crane]

Gary smiled happily when the girl said that she did go to Ravenclaw. Gary always liked meeting his house-mates and this girl seemed nice. Maybe they could chat for a while, if the girl had some free time too.
“Yes, I’m a Ravenclaw. A pleasure to meet you, I’m Gary. Gary Michael Crane, but please call me Gary or Crane,” Gary said with a smile as he reached out his hand to the girl, “I’m in third year. Well, fourth year now. That means I’m starting fourth year in the autumn.” Gary smiled at his own jumble of words and nodded towards the empty seats, “Do you mind if I sit down for a bit? I wouldn’t want to go back to the counter, now that I have just came form there.”

Gary smiled at the girl as she started eating a chocolate frog. He loved meeting new people and this girl seemed sweet. “I got free earlier than I expected so I’m waiting for my mum to pick me up so I could get home. And you? Anxious to reach home already or do you have some grand plans for the summer?” Gary took a sip of his pumpkin juice as he waited for the girl to answer.

[elizabeth]

Elizabeth smiled at the boy as he talked, his words jumbling together. She liked this boy already, he seemed kind, "I'm Elizabeth, Third year, well I will be in the autumn," she said giving him a play smile. She finished her frog and then continued, "I am waiting here for the night bus. My parents are muggles and they couldn't take time off work to be bothered getting me. I told them it wasn't that big of a deal, I love it here any way," she took another sip of pumpkin juice and turned back to the boy, "I really don't have any summer plans, besides goofing around with my brother, as usual, " she paused momentarily, "How about you?" She stopped talking, wondering if she was bombarding him with too much information for someone she just met. However, she was alone and bored and his company was well appreciated.

She was about to put her last chocolate frog back into her school bad, the one chocolate frog had been enough for her (they were very sweet and hard to keep a hold of), when she changed her mind and held it out to Gary, "Would you like a chocolate frog?" Still holding out the frog she grabbed her other snake, slithering away from her, and took a bite, smiling at him as she chewed the fruity sweetness.

[crane]

Gary smiled at Elizabeth at the mention of her parents: “Muggles? So are mine. Well, at least my mother is. I guess my father was a half-blood.” A momentary pain flashed thorugh Gary’s eyes – he still missed his father, even though a lot of time had passed from his death, but he didn’t follow that train of thought.
“Goofing around with your brother? That sounds fun,” Gary said after listening some more with a bright smile, “I’m going to work in summer. I always work. AS a junior lifeguard at the beach or maybe I’ll manage to find a work as a helper in the Diagon this year too. I’m not sure yet.”

Gary looked at the chocolate frog Elizabeth offered her and hesitated for a moment before accepting the frog. “Thanks, these are my favorite sweets and I have an enormous sweet-tooth,” Gary admitted with a sincere smile that reached his eyes before biting into the frog and closing his eyes from pleasure, “Ah, it’s heavenly.”
Finally opening his eyes when the frog was finished Gary smiled at Elizabeth: “Thank you. You said your parents were muggles? What did you think upon receiving your letter in first year? I know I was shocked. Thought someone was joking at first until my grandma admitted that she was a witch in reality. I like it this way though –I get to know both the magical and muggle world, even though Slytherins can be a pain. But what do you think?”

[elizabeth]

Elizabeth sighed slightly when Gary asked her about getting her letter, she didn't like to remember that day. She took in a deep breath and decided that she would tell him about it, "Well," she said slowly, "The day I got my letter wasn't as exciting as it is for most." She brushed her hair from her eyes and continued, "My father was born into a pure-blood family, all Slytherins. In his younger days he never showed signs of magical talent but the family assumed it would come with time. That all changed when it was time for his letter to arrive, simply put, it never arrived... he's a squib." She reached over to her glass of pumpkin juice and took a sip before continuing, "Needless to say, my grandfather didn't want him to shame the pure Slytherin blood, so, he kicked my father out. My father lived on his own from the time he was eleven and swore to never let his family become part of the wizarding world."

She looked at Gary to make sure that he wasn't lost yet and then decided to tell him the part that involved her, "When my letter came, my father was infuriated. He yelled and screamed for days, I was so disappointed and devastated to know that I had a chance to be a part of this amazing world, and he was going to take it away. My mother convinced to allow me to go on one term, I wasn't put into Slytherin." she finished, shrugging as she realized it wasn't as bad to tell as she had thought it to be. She took another sip of pumpkin juice and then stared at the boy.

[crane]

Gary watched as Elizabeth sighed upon his question. He was almost opening his mouth to say that the girl didn’t have to answer the question, if she didn’t want to, when Elizabeth started speaking. Gary listened to her attentively, being very quiet so not to bother her. The girl noticed and Gary moved his shoulder a bit uncomfortably, hoping the memories hadn’t been too painful for the girl.

“I hope everything has settled down now at your home. I wouldn’t trade being in Ravenclaw for the world,” Gary smiled at Elizabeth. He wasn’t afraid of tears – living with three sisters had taught Gary how to dry them at a young age, so he hoped to cheer Elizabeth up a bit too. And as her sisters always said – a sincere compliment never hurt, and this girl was sweet. Smiling like he would to one of his own sisters Gary added: “And it would be a shame, if you couldn’t go to Hogwarts. What a loss for the school and for Ravenclaw especially that would be.”

Gary smiled at Elizabeth warmly before asking curiously: “I know you obviously must be smart – that’s supposed to be our houses most important trait, even when I feel absolutely idiotic sometimes during tests – why do you think you were sorted into Ravenclaw? And not into some other house?”

[elizabeth]

Elizabeth smiled slightly as the boy told her Ravenclaw would be at loss without her. She was glad she had talked to him, he was a good listener and seemed to know exactly what to say in order to make someone feel better. "Things have calmed down at my family," she said, "My father has realized that not all wizards are bad." Her smile widened as the boy continued to compliment her, he really did know how to make a girl feel better. She twiddled her fingers nervously, "I don't know why I am in Ravenclaw," she hesitated, "I am very smart, but sometimes I get mean. I think the main reason is because I asked the hat to put me anywhere but Slytherin. It probably figured anyone smart enough to not want Slytherin, is a Raven," she said with a laugh.

It seemed to Elizabeth that the temperature in the room had just rose about 10 degrees so she pulled her bag closer to her and reached inside for a hair tie. She pulled her long brown locks into a messy bun and tucked her ready glasses in the pile on top of her head. She pushed her bag aside and then smiled comfortably. Reaching over for her goblet of pumpkin juice she noticed it was empty and waved politely to a young waiter standing nearby, " I would like another pumpkin juice, please," she said watching him smile and nod. He walked away after a short 'thank you' and Beth turned back to Gary.

[crane]

Gary smiled at Elizabeth as she analyzed her reasons for being in Ravenclaw. “You’re very smart – I will believe that,” Gary smiled happily and then looked at the ceiling, thinking about the same thing himself.
“I like animals, so I guess that’s what ruled me out from Slytherin. Actually I don’t know. Guess I’m just not mean enough for Slytherin. I’m not very brave either, so Gryffindor wouldn’t suit me. Hufflepuff – don’t know why I’m not there. I’m probably in Ravenclaw because I like to study. Want to be a doctor one day. Not sure whether in magical or muggle world. Maybe in both if I can manage it,” Gary thought out loud. He hoped to get into a muggle school one day with a scholarship, as his family wouldn’t have the spare money otherwise. Gary worked through the program students his age had to know in muggle schools during summers for just that one cause.

Gary’s eyes returned to Beth and he smiled: “I’m glad I ran into you here. I would have been bored for the 3 hours waiting here otherwise.”

[elizabeth]

Elizabeth smiled as Gary told her of how he wanted to be a doctor and his love of animals. She herself loved animals, in fact time spent with her snow owl Sariah was never long enough. As well as that her father was a doctor in a muggle hospital, it seemed the more she talked to Gary the more in common she found they had. She picked up her goblet and took a sip lightly, "I love animals too," she said sheepishly, "And my father is a doctor in a muggle hospital, I wish you best of luck in your further studies," she said politely.

She looked up at the red and white decorative clock on the wall and noticed it was only an hour an a half away from the knight busses arrival, Gary had made the time pass so much quicker, "I agree," she said with a smile, "Your company has been much appreciated." She was grateful that she had met the boy here today and hoped that they would become better friends in the future. She looked at him for a moment before looking down at her bracelet and twirling it around slightly, "So, maybe would could get together sometime later in the summer?" she asked hopefully. Maybe they would swap address's and keep in touch in the muggle world. She never passed up a chance at making a new friend and she couldn't help but see the opportunity arising.

[crane]

Gary smiled at Elizabeth with pleasant surprise. “Oh, your father is a muggle doctor? That’s nice. My mom’s a doctor. Maybe thanks to her I started thinking that I want to become one one day too. There is still a lot time until then. And thank you.”
Elizabeth offered that perhaps they could exchange contact information so they could stay in touch. She was a nice girl so Gary didn’t see any reason why they shouldn’t do so.

“Certainly,” Gary smiled picking up a napkin and scribbling his address and phone number on there, before handing it to Elizabeth, “Don’t worry if you aren’t connected right away. I have 3 sisters so the phone is very often busy. I will be working this summer though. I help out at an animal shelter as a volunteer and I also work at the beach as a junior life-guard. So I might not always be at home,” Gary told with a small smile.