Dreary Days (( Will))

[julia]

Snow fell down around Emily as she exited the Leaky Cauldron. It was a beautiful winter's day, and witches and wizards were trying to get their last minute holiday shopping done. Emily watched as the door to Diagon Alley barely had time to close before another family wizards were tapping the bricks to gain entrance. Following this last group in, she was surprised to find the entire street in one piece. If she hadn't of known any better, she would of scoffed at anyone who had told her that the entire place had been nearly demolished a few months ago. Of course, that was one of the great things about magic. It could almost make anything right.

Emily perused the shop's windows hoping to find that perfect gift along with every other witch in London. Unlike muggles, you rarely heard of an occasion when people in Diagon Alley broke out into a fight over the most sought after holiday gift. With that thought in mind, she couldn't believe the tension that permeated the air. People were scared of another attack. She had even heard a rumor that Death Eaters were at the Apothecary buying Dragon's Blood. Even with those rumors put aside, she had seen a couple of aurors patrolling the streets with their wands out.

The crowd around Quality Quidditch Supplies was ferocious as Emily beat her way through it. All she needed to get was a Broom Cleaning Kit for a fellow Gryffindor and she could be on her way to the robe shop to pick up a special order for herself. Emily made her way to the back of the store to be confronted with a dilemma. Not only was there a wall full of cleaning kits, but there were different types for different brooms. Lucky for Emily, she did know that her friend had a Cleansweep; so, that narrowed it down to about fifteen possibilities. Still confused, she tapped on a boy's shoulder that was nearby. " Um, sorry to bother you, but do you know anything about these?"

[will]

Diagon Alley. New and improved. It was a nice winter day, even Will admitted that moodily. Winter wasn't a season he particularly enjoyed, loved, and sought after when it was over. Diagon Alley did look impressive in winter, however, which Will liked. He liked sights that made the eyes dazzle with joy and wonder. He liked hearing the bustle of crowds and that talk of random conversation. He didn't like seeing people wear masks of worry. He didn't like seeing people wonder around, looking so terrified they might just wet themselves. Was William like that? Hell no. He didn't let himself fear like a small child; he let himself enjoy what there was to offer. Why waste precious time upon looking out with suspicious eyes, ignoring everything happy while looking for the bad? Will didn't want to waste this day like that, and he most certainly wasn't about to join the, 'I peed myself club.' He instead walked around, whistling a merry tune that turned a few heads. Bloody atmosphere made it nearly impossible to seem bright and cheery. Will scowled under his breath, but returned with a smile around the next corner.

The shops were crammed with all the magical gifts anyone could want. Will had luckily finished his Christmas shopping. He had still been thinking upon giving someone else a gift, but if he did it would just be out of spite and humor. Which wasn't the feeling of Christmas, was it? Or was it? Or maybe Will was confusing himself. On purpose? Bah. He was happy today, nearly excited. Christmas was around the corner! Hurray! He paused and looked at one of the Peed Myself members with a gentle smile. It was an elderly woman, who was looking around nervously. Will couldn't help but feel half bad toward her, as she was older. "Do you need help with anything?" He offered, holding out his hand steadily. There was William Senetta, asking like a gentlemen. What a sight! The woman reminded Will of a horse. She shunted away quickly and nearly sprinted away like she had seen a ghost. William sighed, but didn't think anything bad of her. She had seen worse then Will had, probably. Maybe not. Who knew besides her? Will was feeling slightly thirsty, so he walked into the Three Broomsticks, which ruffled his hair with the warm air. Will's hair was slightly ruffled today anyway, so it wasn't a big deal to him. He didn't fall under the pretty-boy category either.

The butterbeer he got was warming and refreshing. He enjoyed it a lot but far too soon then usual, his glass was empty. Will got another one, paid up for it, and left to go outside. The warm cup in his hands felt like a beacon among the chill in the air. Will laughed under his breath, wondering why he was in such a good mood today. It was strange. Sometimes Will was cynical, sometimes angry, sometimes moody, sometimes pragmatic, sometimes goofy and sometimes just plain old... weird, but never happy, cheery, excited, and wondering all wrapped into one big emotion that he couldn't describe. Will shrugged, took a drink of his butterbeer, and walked around the entire Diagon Alley once before returning to the Three Broomsticks to give back the cup, as they weren't too keen on letting some strange boy keep it. Will always liked the Three Broomsticks, but he decided to not spend his hours there today. Instead, he went over to the Quidditch shop, which for some reason had caught his eye. After playing Quidditch with Dawn, William had ignored Quidditch in it's entirety and had moved on, trying to forget and forgive what Dawn had done on that blasted piece of wood. Honestly, he had looked like an invalid laying out on the grass! Will's pride had been smashed that day, along with his self-confidence and arrogance. Damn. He blinked, pushed it back into his inner mind chambers, and entered the shop.

It was crowded to the brim with loud voices and people. Next to outside it was a roasting oven in here. William undid the buttons to his coat so he could breath a little freely instead of feeling stuffy. Brooms lined across one side of the store and on all other sides was the equipment and handbooks for your broom. Will found himself unconsciously walking toward the brooms. He saw the Nimbus and he suddenly smiled, unaware of what he was doing, he just stared at it for a while. It had been his friend on the field, had crashed when he crashed and was now probably fixed like Will was and.. Oh, who was he kidding? It was a piece of wood! Still, he had to see what the price for one was and even after that, he moved on to the better one. Nimbus 2000. Ooh. Aaah. Will then moved on and on until he saw the Firebolt. It seemed to have extra glamor to it, something that stunned even the unexperienced eye, which quite frankly was Will. He remembered vividly Dawn saying that she wouldn't keep the broom in the locker rooms. Now, he couldn't blame her. The price was outrageous, however, and Will couldn't get it. Not that he wanted to but... He was at the corner between the broom wall and the broom care-kit wall. Someone was saying something. Will spun around and looked at the girl who was speaking. She asked if he knew anything about it.

"Er.. Not really, no." William said, nodding toward the packages. "First I guess you have to know what broom you want to care for and then... I guess you read what it says on the package? Or does it not say anything?" Will grimaced, feeling incredibly stupid. Why was everyone so wrapped up in Quidditch besides him? He gave a small smile at the girl, who looked about his age. "My best advice is to go ask someone who knows a lot about it, like.. the manager of the store or whoever is behind the counter. I don't play Quidditch and I don't really know a lot about it so... I'm really clueless." He concluded. "Would you like me to go get him for you?" He nodded toward the person behind the counter, who was now getting someone to pay for their broom.