|
|
Post by Ivy Tunstall on Dec 18, 2004 10:59:14 GMT
Ivy walked down the road to the Leaky Cauldron, humming. She was going to do some Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley, and she intended to make it some good Christmas shopping. Some that would keep Gilbert busy. Even better, she had arranged to go with Nokomis. She liked the shy second year a lot, and hoped that they could become better friends.
Ivy stepped in through the door of the Leaky Cauldron, and hurried through the seasonal bustle to the outside. She tapped on the correct brick three times, and it revealed the slightly worn archway. Ivy stepped through and admired the scene around her.
It was cold in London, but there had been no snow. Typically. The fronts of the houses and shops were draped with tinsel, looped into fantastic shapes. In the windows little bright tea lights danced. Everything was coated with a magical snow. Except for, of course, the benches, which were completely clear of all of that. A few sparrows swept down every now and then to pick up crumbs which people dropped. Lovely smells were emanating from a nearby bakery, which people were coming out of with Christmas tree shaped gingerbread.
Ivy entered into the business of it all, glad to be able to blend into the crowd. Recently she had felt too much the centre of attention. At home, everyone was very sympathetic and nice, but they did not grasp what she most wanted, which was to sometimes be given a little peace and quiet. Ivy stopped when she reached Flourish and Blotts, which was looking very festive bedecked in tinsel which changed colour periodically. It was fairly busy inside, although not as busy as in the summer.
Ivy took a seat on a nearby bench, watching the crowd for a sign of her skinny, shy companion who was soon to join her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nokomis Astarra H5 on Dec 22, 2004 1:34:17 GMT
Hogwarts letting out for christmas break had a bittersweet feel to it this year. Normally she was happy to break away from the crowds and spend time at home with her mum, but this year she had started to make friends, most of which had plans for Chritmas, and it made her sad to think that she would not be seeing them for so long. For someone who was so painfully shy, it was suprising how much she liked having her friends around. That said, she couldn't have been happier a few days earlier when Ivy had sugested meeting in Diagon Alley after school let out so they could do some last minute Christmas shopping together. She had never spent much time with Ivy, but for some reason she felt draw to the thrid year. And now, she could not help but feel that they had a connection of some kind. Word had spread around the house about Ivy's situation at home, and coming from a family where her father was gone, even if it was just because her parents were sperated, was very different from a family with more than just a single parent and a lone child.
She was runnin ga bit late, jogging down the crowded street towards Flourish and Blotts, trying to convince herself that really was where she and Ivy had decided to meet. She was a few meters off when she spotted her friend sitting on a bench outside, and a smile of relief washed over her face as she slowed down to a walk.
"Hi Ivy. Sorry I'm late."
|
|
|
|
Post by Ivy Tunstall on Dec 23, 2004 21:19:44 GMT
Ivy smiled as she saw Nokomis coming, looking a bit worried and running. To be honest, she wouldn't have bothered to run if she was really late, and Nokomis was only really out by a few minutes. It didn't matter at all.
Ivy smiled at her in friendly greeting, and voiced her thought - "Not at all." Ivy stood up, looking around her at the bustling streets.
"It's pretty busy today," she said, trying to make a little conversation. "Where do you want to go first? Do you know anywhere?"
Ivy knew Diagon Alley fairly well, due to the fact that she had spent a little while there in the summer, but she wasn't sure what she was wanting to get anyway. She might have to tell Fanny the truth about her school, if there was any chance that she would be believed anyway. And Gilbert was going to be kept busy this Christmas with presents for friends. She went down to London most summers alone to get her things. She had little choice now. She had brought her father here once. That was the only time that he had had a chance to see the magical world for which both of them had sacrificed so much. She had sacrificed a mother. He had sacrificed a wife.
Ivy realised that she was letting her thoughts run riot, and looked back to Nokomis apologetically, although fairly sure that she would have the discretion not to say anything about it at the moment.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nokomis Astarra H5 on Dec 27, 2004 15:05:31 GMT
She thought for a moment, looking around the crowd as she did. It was very cbusy, and she didn't know her way around very well. She had only been to Diagon Alley twice before, and now that she was here, one week before the new school year east time, and now that she stood in the middle of the bustling crowds, she was sure she would get lost. She only knew where two things were for sure, one was the Leaky Caludron, and that wasn't much help, and the other was the store they were standing in front of.
"I don't know where...I want to get something for my father...but I don't know what or where to start yet."
She had decided that she would buy her father something from the wizarding world, she wasn't sure about here mum yet, being a muggle who wans't exactly thrilled about the wizarding world. Looking back over at Ivy, she noticed that her friend seemed as if her mind was elsewhere, she opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. She knew Ivy was probably having a hard time with everything, and she didn't want to make it any harder. Sometimes where things went wrong, she just wanted to not talk about it, sometimes, that was how she wanted to deal with things.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ivy Tunstall on Dec 29, 2004 13:21:15 GMT
Ivy looked around, wondering how on earth they were going to manage to find their way around in the bustle of the huge crowd. She thought about where they might be able to find something.
"Do you have any idea what sort of thing you want to get for your dad?" Ivy asked. "Is he a wizard?" As she got no immediate response, Ivy picked out a shop, which had very strange Christmas decorations indeed, further down the street.
"I tell you what, we'll try in there," Ivy said. She smiled at Nokomis and set off at a reasonable pace. She stopped outside a shop with large green lettering on it, and looked beside her, glad to see that Nokomis was still there. The lettering read, 'The Curious Cucumber'. The shop front was specially adorned with green tinsel that glittered magically, and had cucumbers outlined in flashing green lights.
"It's full of curios," Ivy said, and stepped inside. The interior was fairly busy, like the rest of the street, but not quite as packed. The floor was wooden, and the shelves all around were lined with all sorts of things. Windchimes that played 'jingle bells', no matter how they blew. Ones that played a variety of songs. Paperweights with all sorts of things inside them. Precious stones. There were some things that were suitable for males, too, but Ivy hadn't been in that part of the shop.
"Do you think you might find something in here?" Ivy asked Nokomis, ready to back out if she didn't.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nokomis Astarra H5 on Jan 4, 2005 13:37:40 GMT
Before sh eknew it, Ivy had started to wind through the crowd and she was moving quickly after her, trying despratly not to be lost in the sea of withes and wizards. It was only a few moments latter that she followed Ivy into a rather odd looking shop called "The Christmas Cucumber." She had never seen anything like it in the world. It was like one of the odd muggle shops her mum always dragged her into, with every corner full of absultly useless things.
"Yes" she finally replied when she was standing beside Ivy, both standing safely inside the shop. "My Father is a wizard."
She paused for a moment, looking around, still not having a clue what to get him. What did you get a man you have met three times in your whole life?
"I still don't know what to get him though. I'm afraid I don't know him very well."
|
|
|
|
Post by Ivy Tunstall on Jan 4, 2005 18:16:55 GMT
Ivy looked curiously at Nokomis and then stopped herself, feeling that an intrusion into someone's prviacy was rarely ever welcome. "Um..." she said, to cover her momentary awkwardness. She looked around aimlessly at some of the nearby shelves, and was struck with an idea.
"Do you know if he likes Quidditch?" Ivy asked Nokomis. She had a vague idea that it was Nokomis' father who had given her the Cleansweep, but wasn't entirely sure. If it was so, they could surely find something for him. If not, well, back to stage one.
Ivy felt a twinge of unhappiness as she remembered that this Christmas would be her first Christmas without her father. The rest of the lane would still be just as friendly - in fact, more friendly to her, but without him, it could never be the same. She thought back to her first Christmas without her mother. That was different though, because it was one where Ivy, although hurt, was very angry with her mother. Ivy had learnt now that it was really very little use being angry in this case, but the hurt still ran as deep. Even if some of it was disguised at the moment as pain at the loss of her father. All this passed within only a few seconds, and it was only if anyone had been watching closely that they would have stood a chance of noticing. Ivy looked back to Nokomis, hoping that she hadn't worried her by for a few seconds revealing the pain she felt within.
|
|
|
|
Post by EmmaWatson on Jan 7, 2005 21:22:45 GMT
Emma was walking down looking in windows and Shops...Notices a book that she might be able to use to improve her of being a witch. She goes in the store and looks around. Notices another thing that will help her pet Owel improve his wing. she goes and buys the two things. thinks: Maybe I should get something for my friend since she is sick. Emma walks down and sees a shop that her friend loves. She goes in and buys the thing that her friend wanted the most. thinks: Ill go deliever it to her now! Goes off to her friends house.....  |
|
|
|
Post by Head Girl Andi on Jan 7, 2005 21:29:30 GMT
(( Emma, you will need to have a character approved before you may post. Please read the
New Member section if you haven't yet. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, you can ask them in "Talk to the staff." )) |
|
|
|
Post by Nokomis Astarra H5 on Jan 11, 2005 3:42:28 GMT
She nodded quickly when Ivy asked about her father. She didn't know him very well, but she knew that Quidditch was probably his favorite part of the wizarding world. He was the one that started to push her in the direction of starting her own obsession with the sport.
"Yeah, my Father loves Quidditch. He is the one who gave me my broom and told me I should try out for the quidditch team."
She smiled again, happy that she was here with Ivy, who was being so helpful. She always thought that Ivy was such a great person and would be such a good friend, but they had somehow never been able to spend much time together. She told herself that would have to change once they went back to school.
"So you think I should get him something Quidditch based? I don't know what though....he loves the Kenmare Kestrels, maybe I could get him some team merchindise?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Ivy Tunstall on Jan 12, 2005 17:46:47 GMT
Ivy smiled warmly at Nokomis, glad to have hit upon something that would be helpful. She found that shopping could take her mind off things. Of course, she rarely did shopping for anything that wasn't food or something strictly useful, but she did enjoy buying for other people. In this case helping Nokomis buy. Not Ivy's money, either. She didn't have all that much of that with her. Most of it had to stay firmly in the savings bank. She needed to be able to support herself. If necessary she could do piecework.
"Yes..." Ivy said thoughtfully. "I suppose the best place for that would be Quality Quidditch Supplies. They do all the official merchandise."
They had soon set off back into the cold and came, after a little while walking, to the door of Quality Quidditch Supplies. There were a good many people inside and they had to fight their way through the shop to get anywhere near where they wanted to go. Ivy sought out the colours of the Kenmare Kestrels and finally found the shelf where all their merchandise was situated. There were T-shirts, notepads, photoalbums, books about the team's history. The thing that really struck Ivy's eye were little models of all the players on the team, bedecked in their Quidditch robes. You could get each one seperately, or, for a little more, the Chasers together or Beaters together, and also the entire team together. Each carried with them their broom, and their relevant ball. Ivy liked watching the little people move about, and display in miniature all the characteristics of the real person.
Ivy looked away from the models and back to Nokomis.
"I think it's take your pick," she said, smiling. Of course, the Kestrels weren't Ivy's favourite team - she preferred the Tornados, but she didn't care much about it anyway. She hoped that Nokomis was able to find something that her dad might like.
|
|
