Can I get this in a large? ((Hope))

[phantomlynx]

When Skyler awoke that morning the first thing he did was reach for his copy of Hogwarts, a History. That had become his daily routine. Wake up, read, use the WC, eat breakfast, read, brush teeth, take a shower (if his mother told him to), read. He liked to read. While he was reading he felt like he was doing something. Gaining knowledge, exploring new worlds, or even sharing new ideas. He could do this by himself. He liked to do things by himself. It made him feel self-important. He realised that eventually he would need to depend on others for furthering himself as a person, but he didn't want to think about that now. Depending on others meant that he would have to engage in "small talk." Skyler shuddered at the thought of that. He had always been one for skipping steps and he viewed small talk as an unnecessary step to a deeper meaningful conversation. Unfortunately though, he had had very few meaningful conversations in his life because he gave up on them so quickly. And because he had few conversations, he had few to no friends. He hoped that at Hogwarts he would find a true friend, one that would give him plenty of deep conversations. That's why he spent all the time he could reading the book. He wanted to know all that there was to know about the school. Skyler had never read a wizard book before and he was fascinated by this one. The pictures kept moving and sometimes the sentences would rearrange themselves as if they didn't like their own syntax.

But this particular morning his reading time was interrupted. "Skyler!" his mother called from downstairs. "Today we're going back to Diagon Alley. Oh yes, your father's coming with us." Wonderful, thought Skyler. A full day of "Oh yes" and dad telling everybody he sees that he is a muggle. "Come down stairs and we'll go."

They drove to The Leaky Cauldron. "Oh yes, for you see we would travel by floo powder but I'm not sure how your father would react to it. " She should have been a tour guide. She's full of useless information. Skyler chuckled. That shut his mother up. Skyler's parents always were a bit put out whenever Skyler showed the faintest bit of emotion. He wasn't necessarily apathetic, he just thought many events did not need emotion bestowed upon them.

"Our first stop will be Madam Malkin's. Actually, that will be your first stop. Oh yes, Madam Malkin will take care of you. Just tell her you're going to Hogwarts in the fall, she'll take care of the rest. "

"Where are you going?" Skyler asked. His mother looked surprised not so much at the question itself but that Skyler asked a question.

"Well, I'm going to show your father my old hang out." She giggled which disturbed Skyler a little. "Oh yes, it would be very boring to you."

"And a, what do you call it, MUGGLE like me would be lost without your mother," his father said louder than necessary but he noticed several people giving him strange looks so he was pleased. "So good-bye!" With that they were off. Thanks for the help!

Skyler stumbled into Madam Malkin's alone and unsure of himself. Going to the wand shop alone was weird enough but at least he wasn't buying... clothes. The first thing he noticed was that Madam Malkin, or what he presumed was Madam Malkin was helping a middle-aged wizard. He looked around and saw a small waiting area with a girl about his age already waiting engaged in a book. Skyler tried to read the title but the all he could see was the word Pygmy. Good, Skyler thought to himself, She won't want to engage in idle conversation. Skyler found a seat next to hear and sat down to wait.

[hope]

Hope had been tossed out of the house once again that day, given another 20 galleons to get lost for the day somewhere in Diagon Alley. Of course she wasn't complaining. She had to do some shopping for school anyway. Really Hogwarts was the reason she was at least getting some attention from her parents and because of that it couldn't be too bad could it? Of course not. Hogwarts was supposed to be the best and of course Hope believed that whole heartedly. Not only that, but it actually gave her something that showed that she was at least connected to her parents and that she had something she could bond with them over. Granted it wasn't that great of a bonding experience for them, but at least it was something. Even if it was something as small as this was, it was still something.

Hope sighed to herself as she stepped through the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley. For some reason she found it entertaining that it was called Diagon Alley and yet had more than one alley to the place, it was another one of those wizarding mysteries she had come to accept since she was just a child, not that she wasn't a child now, but you know what she meant. It was the blind faith that most children had. The faith that everything is the way it is for a reason and that there's a fantasy world created specifically for themselves and if they believe hard enough in it then they'll become apart of it. Well Hope didn't want to have blind faith. She didn't need it nor did she want it. She didn't need to believe in a fantasy world, because she herself was already apart of one, for most children didn't know about the wizarding world and if they did they were of it. Hope was one of them and though there were plenty of things for her to fantasize about she never did, not really. Sure she had thought about her parents actually hugging her once, but it had been a short lived hope, that would never come true.

The thought passed through her mind for the hundredth time that week as Hope moved to the latest shop she would need school supplies from. This one was Madam Malkins, the best place in Diagon Alley for robes, or so Hope had been told. She shuffled into the little shop and looked at the woman running around the person standing on a stool, measuring them quickly. Another sigh escaped her lips as she sat down in a chair waiting for her turn with the woman. Until that time though she would at least keep herself occupied as she pulled out a book from her small bag called Dummy Wizards Guide to Finding More Gold with your Pygmy Puff. It wasn't long before she felt the presence of someone else, someone near her and she glanced over at the boy beside her. "You're going to have to wait your turn. I'm after that person," she said as her eyes moved back to her book.

[phantomlynx]

As Skyler sat in the waiting area he watched Madame Malkin work. He loved to observe people. Not in a creepy stalker-ish way, but he loved to know how they worked. He loved to see how they moved, what their gestures were, even how their mouth moved when they spoke. Madame Malkin was extremely meticulous about her work. She would listen to what the middle-aged wizard would say, agree, and then do it the right way. Several times the wizard told the witch that the behind was too baggy. Every single time Madame Malkin would nod and say something such as "You're right, I'll do something about it." But it was obvious to Skyler that his body would not allow the behind to be taken in. Skyler decided that he liked Madame Malkin. She obviously knew what she was doing and knew how to deal with idiot customers. All of the wizard's comments she took with a grain of salt.

Skyler was also very interested in the girl next to him. She was about the same height as him, maybe a little bit shorter. He would love to know what was driving her. The entire time he was sitting next to her, she never smiled. Skyler wondered if that was because she was reading a sad book. But even the way that she carried herself was fascinating to him. She must have been the same age as Skyler and yet the way she sat had some authority to it. Her long dark hair was beautiful and well-kept. Skyler didn't mean to stare so intently but she was so interesting. There was something about her that appealed to him. She must have noticed that he was staring at her because all of a sudden she glanced at him, said something, and then turned back to her book.

Skyler was taken aback. Of course I'm going to have to wait, he thought. What an odd thing to say. Skyler was truly surprised. It was not so much what she said, but how she said it. She said it so matter-of-fact as if she was talking to a small child. Skyler was no child. He was going to retort with a smart remark but he thought better of it. Instead he asked her: "What is a Pygmy? I saw the word on your book cover. I'm brand new to the wizarding world, as if that wasn't obvious already, and have no clue what that is."