Esther stood in front of Ollivander's, and watched the throngs of people wash by. She was supposed to wait for her mother to pick her up, but she was nowhere in sight. 'I guess the line to get robes must be very long,' she thought. 'She'll be very cross with me if I go off on my own, but I don't like waiting out here.'

As much as Esther wanted to find her mother, she knew that disobeying her could only lead to trouble. Her father surely would have understood, but as a muggle, he tended to let his wife the witch make the rules. Esther loved her mother dearly, and she surely never used magic in a malicious way on her or her father, but... she didn't need to. Her mother was such an assertive person, she never had any need to use magic to get her way. 'If I went off now, she'd probably lecture me for the rest of the day,' Esther thought.

Resigned to waiting for her mother to return, Esther stayed in front of Ollivander's. Watching the families walk buy wasn't the most interesting thing to do, but there certainly were some odd characters around. Of course, that meant that some of those odd people could be looking at her too! She accidentally met the eyes of a very forboding old woman, and with a squeak, dropped her gaze to the ground.

A little worried now that her mother was late, Esther scuttled back to the front of Ollivander's and leaned back into a nook of the storefront. 'Diagon Alley is perfectly safe,' she thought, 'perfectly safe!' She reached down to her pocket to reassure herself that her wand was still there. 'Oh, I wish my mother would find me soon!'

When you were wearing converse, walking along the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley was quite a "feat". Cameron had become adept at the task, having spent many days over the last year frolicking in the streets of the small wizarding community. He had fallen and tripped many times before on the rough stone, and learned to move accordingly. With every step he took, he placed his foot down firmly on the stone and pressed foreword, repeating the process. This way he was sure he wouldn't fall on his face in front of everybody.

Stepping over the cracks that divided the stone, Cameron once again found himself in front of Ollivanders. He had just been in there the day before to pick up his wand which rested peacefully in an inner pocket. Patting it reassuringly, Cameron put his backpack down on the bench in front of the store and sat for quite a long time, people watching. Ah yes, one of his Uncle's favourite things to do. You never knew somebody until you walked a mile in their shoes, and Cameron liked to wonder what background all these people had come from.

One person who was particularly intriguing was a girl idling in front of the wand shop. Cameron didn't pay her mind at first, but she had been standing there for almost as long as Cam was sitting on the bench. Cam leaned over to check the time on a central clock. It had been quite a while since he sat down, she must've been standing there a while! Cameron couldn't read faces very well, but the girl seemed anxious. Cameron was wondering if maybe he should just go over there and talk to her. Ruffling his hair and gathering his courage, he pulled himself up off the bench and 'pressed' his way over.

"Hey...I don't mean to ask but, are you by chance waiting for someone?" Cam asked, giving her a nervous but relaxing smile. "I mean, I've been sitting there on that bench for a while and you've been standing here a pretty long time. You okay?" Cam asked. Maybe it was the wrong phrasing, but he was a little worried that this girl's parents had maybe ditched her...just like his own.

Esther had been waiting a while when the boy approached her. She was a bit jumpy by then, but the boy seemed nice enouch, and the question was fair. She wondered if it was that obvious that she was anxious for her mother to collect her. 'I probably stand out like a lighthouse as much as I fidget,' Esther thought. She glanced up at his face, and then quickly averted her eyes. 'No need to seem like I'm staring...'

"Um, yes. I'm supposed to wait for my mother- she's picking up the rest of my supplies for Hogwarts. I- I'm sure she'll be here soon though..." Esther trailed off and looked at her shoes, embarassed that he might be feeling sorry for her. She tried to ignore her spreading blush, and cleared her throat. "Th-thank you for asking though. I'm, uh, I'm Esther Huntsman, by the way."

Esther winced as she stumbled over her introduction. He must think she was a spaz, but she couldn't help fidgeting around strangers. She gripped her wand in her pocket- she needed the reassurance that its warmth brought her. "I- uh, I mean- what's your name?" she haltingly asked. Even if she was coming across as a weird girl, at least he seemed to be friendly. 'And besides...' she thought, 'he's out here alone too. I wonder where his parents are?'

Simone silently watched the boy and girl talking. They appeared to be around her age, and were both alone, like her. "Finally", she thought "someone else who is first acclimating to this place". She couldn't help but notice all the cliques that were already forming around Diagon Alley, even before the first years had set foot in Hogwarts. Slowly, she walked to Ollivander's Wand Shop. After all, she figured, if these two weren't friendly towards her, she did still need a want. Mustering up her courage, she approached them. "Um, hi!", she said. "I'm Simone, are you going to be first years too? Have you gotten your wands yet?"

Esther studied her shoes and fidgeted with her wand in her pocket. The newcomer's greeting caught her completely by surprise, and Esther started suddenly. "Oh! Uh, um, hi," she stuttered out, as her heart beat violently in her chest. 'Stupid!' she thought, 'mother told me to keep an eye out on my surroundings. "Alert and Aware!" like she always says...'

Esther put her hand to her chest, willing her heart to slow down. "S-sorry, I'm Esther," she said. "Esther Huntsman. Um, nice to meet you, Simone." Esther gave a timid smile. This girl had come up to her with no probing questions, something she appreciated greatly as it gave her an out to talking about her mother. Esther supposed that the boy hadn't meant any harm, but she really didn't like discussing her mother with strangers.

"Um, I'm going to be a first year too, yes. And I, uh, just got my wand today," she said. Pulling out her wand, she proudly said, "9 and 3/4 inch coconut wood, with a unicorn hair. I, uh, I wasn't expecting such an, uh, exotic wood, but it made bubbles appear- in different colors, even." Then Esther reddened, and hid her wand again, afraid that she had seemed like she was bragging. Quickly, Esther said, "Um, how about you, then? Do you, uh, have a wand yet?"

"Um, I'm going to be a first year too, yes. And I, uh, just got my wand today," she said. Pulling out her wand, she proudly said, "9 and 3/4 inch coconut wood, with a unicorn hair. I, uh, I wasn't expecting such an, uh, exotic wood, but it made bubbles appear- in different colors, even." Then Esther reddened, and hid her wand again, afraid that she had seemed like she was bragging. Quickly, Esther said, "Um, how about you, then? Do you, uh, have a wand yet?"


"No, I was just about to go into Olivander's to get one", Simone answered. The girl, Esther had been quite friendly towards Simone approaching her, and Simone was relieved. "Coconut wood, huh? That is unusual..." Simone inspected the wand in Esther's outstretched hand. She knew that wands were made of any number of different materials, with different lengths and magical cores, and she wondered what kind of wand she would get. She had once tried her mother's wand, it was made of willow with a unicorn hair core, but it hadn't worked well for her. Simone still wasn't sure whether it was due to her being so young when she tried it (she had gotten quite the lecture from her mother and aunts for "practicing underage magic") or if the wand just wasn't suited for her. Waking up from her daydream, she said to the girl, "I'm sure it'll work great for you. I'm still trying to get my bearings, I don't really know my way around Diagon Alley". Have you been here before?"

Esther colored slightly at Simone's question. "This is, uh actually my first time in Diagon Alley as well," she admitted, "My mother never let me come with her before." Esther knew that her mother had made it very clear that she only had Esther's safety in mind, but privately Esther's father had told her that her mother was just too much of a worrywart. After reading about the last war, Esther wasn't sure who was right.

"Well, I, uh, I'm not very sure about where things are. And I'm not supposed to go wandering off, either..." Esther trailed off. "I guess I still need to, uh, 'get my bearings' too," she said sheepishly. 'This girl seems nice... she approached me, so she must have wanted to talk to me, so it couldn't hurt to ask...'

"Um, I could go into the shop with you, if you'd like," she said hopefully. Then, worried that she might be asking too much of a new acquaintance, she hastily said, "Or- or not, I know some people think finding the wand should be a, uh, a private thing. I guess there's not much point in, um, having someone else along, and, uh, I didn't mean to, uh- I'm b-babbling, sorry." Esther shut her mouth, feeling a little miserable that she'd let her mouth run off like that. 'Oh, why am I always such a spaz?' she thought.

So, they were comparing wands eh? Well Cam had a fine wand which he wanted to display proudly and he was just about to when the girl who had introduced herself as Esther beat him to it. It was the same wand as Cam's! Except slightly shorter...Cam had a sinking feeling as he clutched the polished wooden item in his hand. He held it up proudly as he revealed to them just how similar their wands were. Hadn't Ollivander once said that every wand was different? Well, their wands were different in size, but made of the same stuff. Cam's heart nearly stopped, realizing he had no introduction to Esther or the newly joined girl, Simone.

"Sorry, I'm Cameron Burrows, and my wand's the same as yours Esther. Mine's an 11 and 3/4 inch though." He gave a forced smile. This was no happy news, but at least he had something to compare with. He felt like an expert among these two girls. Of all of them he was the only one who'd been coming to Diagon Alley the longest. Even though it had only been for a few months. He put his wand in the inner pocket and then placed his hands around his head.

"This is your first time in Diagon Alley?" Cam asked, pretending to be somewhat shocked. His dark blue eyes gleamed as he prospected the idea of playing 'tour guide'. Wouldn't that be spectacular? Well, Cam figured he'd just start with the shops that surrounded their position. He stepped closer to the girls and extended his arm to a few of the neighbouring shops.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is the pranking essential for any person who’s into that. There's also a little cafe where I've had some awesome desserts. There's the Quality Quidditch Supply store which has dozens of things that have to do with Quidditch. It's a haven for people like me. Then there's also Eeylops Owl Emporium. They have a bunch of animals and stuff in there. Me friend Dan got himself a rat." Cameron finished. His Liverpool accent was bulging and he was kind of embarrassed that he spoke in that fashion. But what was he supposed to do about it? It wasn't his fault that he was born where he was.

"Anywhere you guys want to go, I'll come along." He said with a smile.

Esther's previous pride in her wand shrank. 'He has practically the same wand! And I here I was bragging about mine!' she thought. Then she realized the boy- Cameron- had started talking Diagon Alley. She listened with half an ear, her mind still turning over the similarity of their wands. 'How could this have happened?' she wondered, 'What are the odds of two strangers having almost the exact same wand?' She shook her head at her wondering thoughts, and zeroed back in on Cameron. He seemed even more put out than Esther over their wands.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea we had the almost the same wand. Its quite a coincidence, isn't it? So, uh, I wonder what it means that our wands are similar? My mother once told me that wands- the core and the wood, i mean- tend to be better at different things. It doesn't matter yet, though, I suppose. We can't do any magic yet, how would we know what we're good at..." Esther trailed off, "I- I'm sorry, I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

Esther felt her cheeks heat up again, but this time she held her gaze up. As much as she was babbling, these two hadn't been scared off yet, had they? 'Maybe,' she thought, 'maybe they don't mind me talking on as much as mother does...' And thinking of her mother brought Esther up short in her thoughts. 'Oh goodness! I've been waiting here for half the afternoon, where could she be? At this rate, it might be dark before mother picks me up... so maybe it would be okay to slip off for a while.'

Esther took a step away from the wall of Ollivander's, and scanned the Alley out of the corner of her. "Well... I, uh, I suppose it would be nice to see the Alley with a proper guide," Esther said. "I'd be interested in seeing what animals are for sale in, uh Eyelops, was it? Uh, if you'd like to, that is..."

Simone felt a bit awkward, standing there as Cameron and Esther discussed their wands. Clearly, both were perplexed by the similarities between the make of their wands. She had been thrilled that Esther offered to help her in Ollivander's - she was a bit nervous about getting a wand and didn't really know what would be involved. Also the idea of facing more of the cliques she'd found earlier in the day by herself was not something Simone was looking forward to. Cameron seemed to be quite familiar with Diagon Alley, and Simone needed to get a better bearing on her surroundings. She needed to stay alert to possible dangers around, and was having trouble focusing on this, while figuring out where she was going in this strange place. She could always come back for the wand later, perhaps Esther would still be willing to go with her. "I actually was wanting to get a cat, do you think they would have one there?" she asked Cameron. Turning to Esther, she said "We could always go shopping for my wand later...?"

"No need to apologize Esther." Cameron said. "It's probably just a coincidence." He gave her a reassuring smile that seemed to say 'it's okay'. Turning to Simone, Cameron listened intently as she shared wit the group how much she'd like to go and get a cat. If she wanted a cat the perfect place to go was Eeylops! Cam gave a playful smile as he took a leap in front of the little group and lead them down the alley. Around Madam Malkin's things were starting to get really crowded and Cam had to shove his way through a view mad wizards who were all ambitiously waiting in line, and obviously frustrated with the service.

"Wow, bunch of maniacs in that line up." Cam rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the customers. "So Simone, you said you wanted a cat? 'Cause they have cats...I think. On second thought, The Magical Menagerie would actually be a better choice for us to go to. They have cats, rats, bats and all kinds of strange animals in there. We should definitely take a peek." Cameron hopped up the step to the Menagerie and swung open the door for the two girls. Holding it open for them, he waited as they trickled inside.

Cameron was instantly overcome by the smell of animal droppings. What was in this place that had such a foul smell? Well, lots of animals of course, but he didn't think that cats and bats could smell this bad all at once? What was it? Cam tried to smile at the grumpy-looking salesman who was stooped over the front desk in boredom. Quickly ushering everybody into the room, Cam was relieved when he was out of sight of that unpleasant man. Cam reached up to a nearby perch and began scratching a sleeping bat on it's back. Cam loved bats, he thought they were just the most adorable thing in the world.

"How bout you Esther? Does anything look good?"

Cameron certainly seemed to know his way around Diagon Alley. As he held the door to Magical Menageries open for Simone and Esther, Simone couldn't help but smell the scent of animal droppings. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Oh, my...does it always smell like that in here?" she asked Cameron. But he was busy petting a bat, and didn't seem to hear her. Simone began looking around the room, and soon found where the cats were being kept. "I'm just going to go take a quick look" she said to Esther, as she walked over. There were all kinds of cats, large and small, all different colors and breeds. Simone first noticed a beautiful black and white cat that was playing with a toy mouse. "Hey there", she said to it as she reached her hand forward to pet him. The cat hissed at her and swatted at her hand with his claws. "Ow!" Simone exclaimed. "Not as friendly as you look, are you?". She looked at her scratched hand, which was already starting to bleed. Simone watched a few more cats, trying to figure out which one would be a good match for her. It would have to be friendly and playful, but independent, and above all intelligent. Simone valued intelligence greatly. Her friend, Charlie, who had been kind enough to help her through her transition to Hogwarts (and to bring her to Diagon Alley today) had told her that Ravenclaw would be the house best suited for her. "But of course, that's for the sorting hat to decide..." she had told him, jokingly. After awhile, Simone noticed a small Calico kitten napping peacefully. She gently picked him up began to pet his soft, brown fur. The kitten fit right in the palm of her hand, and began to purr as he woke up. Simone smiled, at the small kitten "I think you're just the one I've been looking for!" she said. Turning back toward Esther and Cameron she held the kitten up. "What do you think? Isn't he perfect?"

Lilly was really mad becasue her owl's wing was broken. She didn't know what to do. She finally decided that the best idea would be to take the owl to the pet shop. She needed fijet's wing fixed before hogwarts which, need less to say was just a couple of days away. Lilly decided to bike to Diagon Alley. She got to the pet shop in no time flat. She walked in with her owl. She went up to the desk to seek some help. Even if she had to pay a fee it would be worth it. There were a couple of kids that looked to be about her age. She had met one of them before but didn't know them very well. Lilly decided to be friendly. "Hi Simone." she said She just remebered, Simone was that really friendly girl she had met a couple of days ago.

Ruby was in Diagon Alley, again! She really felt like she knew her way around well now, and was at ease having a peek inside the intriguing shops. She decided next to go into the Magical Menagerie. She had a peculiar feeling that her cat Nox, who was currently curled around her neck, might want to revisit the place again. And she didn't have much else to do. The girl also hoped she might see a familiar face in there.

She stepped inside the door, saying, "Someone I know, please...someone I know..." over and over in her mind. For one of the very few times in her life, Ruby Flame got her wish.

In one corner of the shop was a small crowd of young people, three girls and one boy. All were unfamiliar except for him. It was Cameron Burrows, one of the first people she'd met in the magical world, and one of her closest friends now.

Being a jokey girl, the redhead decided to take the sneaky approach.

She creeped around, making sure to stay out of the group's sight. She did this, almost cat-like, and Nox jumped off her shoulders and joined her on the prowl.
Then the eleven year old pounced.

Ruby sprang up behind Cam, and covered his eyes with her own hands. She felt him jump and laughed.

"Guess who?"

Simone was caught off-guard, hearing someone call her name. Who could be calling her, she had only met a few people here in Diagon Alley so far. Turning around she saw Lilly, the girl she had met when looking around the pet stores earlier. "Oh, hi!" Simone said. "Um, Cameron, Esther, this is Lilly". Just then she saw a red headed girl around their age sneaking up on Cameron. "Looks like someone else has company" thought Simone. This trip to Diagon Alley was turning out quite well. It looked like she would meet more people than she had originally expected...

A new girl had joined the group and Cameron welcomed her with a smile. Lilly was the girl's name and Cam every once and a while would look behind him to make sure she was keeping up with the group. Cam was proud that he found himself once again in the leader's throne, pressing through Diagon Alley with a troupe of other unsorted soon-to-be students. Grinning to himself, Cam shoved his hands in his pockets and kept his pace steady as he walked by Gambol and Japes. Suddenly, everything went dark. Where did Diagon Alley go?

"What?" Cam pulled his hands up and reached to his eyes where he felt another pair of hands. As his smiling got broader, his brain began working and he could remember the voice. It was that girl that he had met in Weasley Wizard Wheezes along with a boy named Fred. Pulling her hands down he turned to face her with his widened smile. Eyes shining he looked into the familiar face. Her bright red hair was illuminated in the afternoon sun, sending blinding glares into Cam's eyes making him squint somewhat. He knew she would pick up on this.

"Hey Ruby. Good to see ya." Cam smiled as he placed his hands in his pockets and jingling the change of his galleons and sickles. He didn't really know what to say to a person he had only seen a few times, but he was sure that they'd grow closer pretty soon. Clearing his throat, he knew he had to invite Ruby into the group and he led the girls along the alley.

"Care to join us? We're heading to Eeylops." Cam said brightly.

Esther felt a little overwhelmed as the size of their group seemed to double. She gave a tentative greeting to these new girls. "Um, h-hi, I'm Esther Huntsman." Esther let herself drift back to Simone, and studied the cat she held. She admired him as she said, "Cute! I'm not generally a big, uh, cat-person, but he seems like a sweet little kitty, doesn't he?"

Esther surveyed the crowded room, feeling a little wistful. It had been a few months since her faithful canine companion had died, but she still dearly missed Mollie. 'Oh, I miss her,' she thought. It was, she supposed, probably a good thing that canine familiars were not allowed at Hogwarts. Esther had always been convinced that Mollie probably had a bit of crup in her, as intelligent as she had been. 'Surely,' she thought, 'I could never find a dog half as clever as Mollie was...' How could any dog possibly measure up to the wonders of her last pet?

Suddenly aware again of her new acquaintance beside her, Esther hastily added, "I, uh, I'm not sure I really want to look for a pet after all... but, uh, do any of the animals here strike your, uh, fancy?"

"Hi everyone," she quickly added, seeing as she'd made a pretty startling entrance, "I'm Ruby, Ruby Flame." She glanced at each of them, noting the girl who's name was Esther also shared her ginger hair.

"I, uh, I'm not sure I really want to look for a pet after all... but, uh, do any of the animals here strike your, uh, fancy?"

Ruby replied with a giggle, "Oh, no; I've already got a cat. Nox, her name is. After that spell that turns out the light at the end of your wand? She's completely black. And I brought an owl too on my first time here. Saevus...."

The redhead drifted off slightly thinking of her two pets and then suddenly came back startled as she realised that the black cat wasn't in her usual place.
She called Nox's name and then the girl saw the cat peer around a nearby cage. It held a turtle with a blue gemstone on its back. Ruby bent down and lent out her arm which the cat skilfully climbed, without unleashing her unusualy sharp claws, and draped herself around her owner's neck. She stroked her a bit and then turned back to her friends and Cam's request.

"Yeah, OK. Eeylops it is then."

Simone was looking forward to getting a pet, and the cat she had found seemed perfect. While her companions were discussing going to Eelops she caught the shopkeepers attention and asked how much the cat cost. "Five and a half galleons" the shopkeeper replied. Yikes, that was more than Simone had bargained for. She reached in her pocket and pulled out her money to see how much she could spare. She still hadn't gotten her wand and wasn't sure how much that was going to cost her. Although she had paid for her books, and gotten most of her other supplies. Simone still needed to get fitted for her robes - something she was not looking forward to. Simone hated shopping for clothes, as demonstrated by the clothes she was currently wearing: a simple black T-shirt and jeans combo. It might as well be a uniform for as often as she changed it up, but she considered it a timeless classic, and had more important things to worry about than fashion. But the idea of wearing a school uniform was SO not her taste. And robes?!?! That was something totally foreign to Simone. Turning back towards the shopkeeper she decided to take the chance and buy the cat now. Worst case scenario, she figured she could borrow money from her friend Charlie when he returned from the pub, and pay him back when she was able to get to Gringotts again. "Hold on just a second guys", Simone said to her new friends, hoping they didn't leave for Eelops without her. She handed the shopkeeper some coins, grabbed the Calico cat, and bounded after her friends as they had begun to head out the door. "I hear there's a Quiddich supply store around here too" she whispered to Cameron "would you mind stopping by there too? I wanted to check it out.." Simone had always heard references to Quiddich and knew it was a popular sport in the wizarding world. Being brought up around muggles, she didn't know much about the teams though, and wanted to be as informed as possible. As they headed out, she realized the girl with the fiery red hair who had been talking to Cameron was in fact Ruby Flame, who she had met earlier. While talking to Lilly and Esther she had noticed the girl approach Cameron, but had been distracted and had only caught a glimpse of her. "Oh, hi Ruby, good to see you again!"

(OOC: Simone and Esther, you've posted us being in Eeylops, when in fact we were on our way. I know I'm a nitpicker, but could you maybe edit your post saying how we entered or something like that? Then we'll meander over to the Quidditch shop, thanks!)

Cam loved cats, and at times he thought of himself as somewhat of an expert on them...when in reality he was clueless when it came to all sorts of animals. He loved looking at them and stroking them and playing with them, but when it came to nutrition and health, Cam was better off with a pet rock than anything that actually required responsibility and food. He sighed as he watched Simone pull a cat up from the myriad of other felines and what have you. Cameron already had two dogs at his place to look after, not to mention he had to keep a low profile around his cousin. Sneezing somewhat as little bits of dander entered his nose, he listened to Simone bring up the Quidditch shop. Boy Cameron had been there a dozen times. He was never tired though because he was going to be a Quidditch all-star someday! At least he thought triumphantly in his mind.

Clearing his throat Cam stepped up his pace a little to catch up with Ruby. Cramming his hands in his pockets again, he stole a few glances at her set face and worked up the courage to ask her, "How're you doing?" He said casually with a smile. Although Cameron didn't know why, something about Ruby was interesting. He pulled his jacket tighter around him and shivered. It was unusually cold today and the cobblestone streets were making his feet go numb. Seeing the supply store in sight, he dashed quickly over to what he knew would be central heating. Holding the door again, he quickly played everybody through.

The calm store music wandered in and out of Cameron's ears as he frantically paced through the aisles looking for his favourite set of robes. Ballycastle Bats! He finally found the pair he was looking for and stroked it closely to himself. The darkest black and the scarlet red was a colour scheme that would make any vampire stare in awe. Cam couldn’t wait till he got bigger so he could try a few sets on. He didn't have far to go, seeing as he was already tall.

Strolling past piles of broomsticks, Cameron had his eye on the old Comet 140. He thought to himself, if he bought that and brought it to Hogwarts, and then tried out for the team...he'd be unstoppable. Unfortunately, Cam's pockets were dry of money and he didn't dare steal it or ask one of the girls for money. Cam ten stopped his Quidditch mode of thinking and began to think in another way. How was it that he was always around girls and not boys? Was it that he was THAT popular? Since when had Cam been popular? A warm feeling washed over him as he rejoined the group. It was a good one.

Ruby watched Simone buy the calico cat, and stroked Nox who was still curled around her shoulders. Then she led the group out of the door, heading towards Eeylops. After all she'd been here many times before, and therefore knew her way around like the back of her hand.

She strode off, feeling the chill and she shivered. At the disturbance her cat wriggled a little but settled down again. Nox was at least keeping her neck warm. Then she saw Cam come up to her side.

"How're you doing?"

He was giving her a peculiar look as well as a smile. She grinned back, colour rushing to her cheeks and replied, "I'm good thanks, just glad to be back here. I feel so out of place in the Muggle world now..."

The black cat turned her head to stare at the boy with envious yellow eyes. But Cam suddenly rushed off, seeing the store. He held the door open and Ruby stepped inside.

Eeylops was off course filled with cages and perches, holding the owls to be bought and used to deliver letters. Of all sizes, shapes and breeds. Tawny's, snowy owls, eagle owls, little tiny ones that could fit in the palm of your hand. It was an amazing sight.

The eleven year old now felt strangely comfortable with her new friends. She'd always been a very quiet girl at school, nervous of atention. She'd hardly taked to her classmates. But she'd never been scared of anything else. Adventurous and daring was Ruby Flame.

Then the girl went over to Cam, slyly slipped her arm into his and asked, "So...what about you?"

"Wha-what about me?" Cam asked, somewhat nervous that Ruby had just placed her arm in his. "Oh, erm...I've been okay, just been spending my time here in the alley really." He said honestly. After all that's all he really had done this summer, just shop and shop and shop. In fact all he was missing was just a few books and then he'd have everything he needed. Cam gently walked in one direction subtly trying to evade Ruby's arm. What did it mean when girls did this? And would Cam ever understand it?

He watched as the rest of his girl troupe paraded through the aisles and looked at the various cats and animals that were tragically stuck in their cages. Cam frowned as he watched a small monkey viciously try to reach through the bars of its cramped quarters. It was so tempting to try and break all these animals loose. But think of how much trouble Cam would get in if he did that!

Cam suddenly felt a tickling soft feeling in his neck. Swatting at whatever it was, he caught the tail of Ruby's cat in his hands. Letting go quickly and looking deeply into its eyes, Cam almost growled at the thing. The cat had given Cam and itchy neck and not to mention startled him almost to death. If it hadn't been for Cam's self control, the tail of the cat would still be in his hands. Cameron didn't like to be startled and got grumpy whenever he was. As much as he loved cats, that all changed if he was startled.

"So eh...I think we've got what we needed." Cam tried to smile despite the developing rash on his neck, looking at Simone and her new-found friend. "Shall we head to the Quidditch Shop now?"

"Wha-what about me? Oh, erm...I've been okay, just been spending my time here in the alley really."

Ruby laughed at Cam's nervous-looking face, and then even harder when she noticed him trying to get away from her arm. But then Cam swung his hand through the air and she broke apart from him, shocked at his sudden attempt to swat her cat!

"Cam!"


The redhead sighed and kept walking. She wondered why he'd done it, but looked back at him to see him scratching at his neck.

"Are you alright? Let me see that..." Ruby yanked his hand away, and peered closer at his neck. An awful rash was coming up quick. It must've ben Nox.


The girl apologised quickly.



After the others came back over Cam said, "So eh...I think we've got what we needed. Shall we head to the Quidditch Shop now?"

Ruby waited for the girls' replies.

Simone walked around Eelops, and vaguely wandered around. She had already gotten her cat, Cleo she had named it, at Magical Menageries, so she didn't have much to do in this store. But if her new friends wanted to go shopping here, it was fine by her. She noticed Ruby and Cam seemed to be spending a lot of time together. What was up with that? Were they sweet on each other? she wondered. She decided to give them some privacy, in case they wanted some, and walked around with Esther. After walking around the store three or four times she was getting antsy. She hoped Cam still wanted to go to the Quiddich shop. What in the world could he and Ruby be talking about? No sooner had she thought this, Ruby's cat jumped up on Cameron's shoulder. Simone giggled in spite of herself as Cam swatted at the cat, trying to get it off. She laughed even harder when she saw Ruby's face turn red in outrage, and Cam's turn equally red of embarrassment. Simone figured that, like Esther, Cameron wasn't a big cat person. She walked over with Esther, just as Cam said "So eh...I think we've got what we needed. Shall we head to the Quidditch Shop now?"
"Finally!" Simone thought. "Yes, definately!" she said to the group.

They walked over to the Quiddich shop, and Simone listened to Cameron talk about how much he loved the game and about his favorite team, the Ballycastle Bats. She was intrigued and listened intently, asking as many questions as she could think of. She could listen to him talk forever, she loved listening to him talk in that strong Liverpool accent of his. She loved thick accents, and thought they made a person more interesting. Of course, she was a bit biased, having a thick Brooklyn accent of her own. When they entered the shop, Simone was amazed by all the colorful robes, and by how many different teams there were: the Ballycastle Bats, the Diabolical Dragons, the Flaming Phantoms. She looked in awe at all the different brooms, and Quiddick equipment. Now this was a sport! Simone desperately wanted to try her hand at it, but then remembered how much experience playing Quiddich most of the other students at Hogwarts probably had. She didn't want to make a fool of herself, but wouldnt it be great if she could make the team? she thought. Simone walked over to Cameron who was standing in front of a Comet 140. She could tell he wanted it more than anything in the world, by the way he was eyeing it. "Pretty amazing, huh?" she said. She decided to test out just how much more experienced in the Quiddich world he was then her. "So how long have you been playing Quiddich", she asked?

OOC: Sorry it's so short, I'm just so busy at the moment and I couldn't think of much else.
IC:

Ruby followed Simone and Cam over to Quality Quiditch Supplies, and then saw the boy dive off to one side of the store. He was looking in awe at a set of Quidditch robes. The Ballycastle Bats.

The redhead had heard little bits of information about the wizrading sport, but didn't know much. She was desperate to know the full thing.

"Cam?" she asked, hoping the desperation didn't show in her voice, "Do you think...well...what actually is Quidditch?"

Ruby's sharp voice made Cam jump as she scolded him for taking a swipe at her cat. The eleven-year old growled somewhat as the cat reclined on Ruby's shoulder contently. He narrowed his eyes at the small pet; you win this round he thought to himself. Giving his neck one last satisfying scratch, he heard Ruby come up behind him to get a better look at what the cat had done to him. The boy tried to smile as Ruby apologized. Sure the cat made him pretty steamed, but he was in no mood to upset Ruby.

Simone seemed to be a cauldron of questions, just asking away at little tad-bits about Quidditch. She seemed pretty excited to be heading over to the store and about the whole sport in general. In fact, as Cam had his dark blue eyes on his dream broomstick, she came up to him and a asked a question which Cam didn't want to answer really. However, when he had gone to live with his Aunt and Uncle, they made him divulge the truth every time instead of lying about situations. Because Cam was a gentleman!

"Well actually...I haven't played Quidditch...at all." He replied sheepishly to Simone, "I just like reading about it and watching the pictures in me cousin's Daily Prophet. In fact I've never been on a broom before." He shuddered at the thought of being up that high. Cam didn't even like muggle airplanes, how was he supposed to deal with a small stick that he was in control of! Well, there were Flying Lessons at Hogwarts which were mandatory in first term. He'd be glad to get those over with. Ruby soon approached him asking what Quidditch was and he gave her a playful smile.

"Quidditch is a sport played on broomsticks." He pointed to the brooms mounted nicely in the window display. "They're players on each team, and they're these players called chasers, and they try to score points on the keeper by putting the quaffle through one of three hoops. Also there's the seeker which tries to catch this thing called the Golden Snitch. And when he does that, the game ends and the team who caught the snitch wins." Cam summed everything up pretty much in one breath. He didn't bother mentioning the beaters, as he felt that was a useful position. Cam would probably regret thinking that one day when he eventually was clobbered in the head with a bludger.

"Quidditch is a sport played on broomsticks. They're players on each team, and they're these players called chasers, and they try to score points on the keeper by putting the quaffle through one of three hoops. Also there's the seeker which tries to catch this thing called the Golden Snitch. And when he does that, the game ends and the team who caught the snitch wins."

Ruby listened intently to Cam's words, trying desperately to remember every detail. So there were 3 chasers who scored goals in three hoops. A keeper of the hoops. And a seeker who caught a...golden snitch? And that would end the game. She was still a little confused.

She asked, curious, "How does catching the Snitch win the game though? I mean, what happens when you catch it? Like...do you win points or anything, or is it just an automatic-..."

The girl suddenly saw a little book on display nearby. It was called "Quidditch Through the Ages". The redhead picked it up and saw a picture of what obviously was a Quidditch pitch on the cover. Cam had told her right. There were three hoops at each end. She counted the players...
Ruby managed to discover the two seekers, at the top of the picture , looking around. As well as the keepers, carefully guarding their team's hoops. And of course the six chasers, after a ball. That had to be what Cam had called the quaffle. But there were two more players on each side. She hadn't a clue what they were there for. What had he not told her?

The girl told him it all and waited patiently for her friend to explain himself.

Listening to Ruby and Cam talk, Simone felt very relieved. They didn't have any experience with Quiddich either, and clearly were equally interested in the sport. Simone listened intently as Cam explained Quiddich to Ruby. His explanation was pretty similar to what Charlie's had been, when she'd asked him about it. Cam certainly seemed to know quite a bit about Quiddich for someone who had never played. Now that Simone thought about it, he seemed to know a lot about the Wizarding world in general...certainly more than herself, or Ruby, or even Esther. Yet, she could've sworn he had said he was a muggle born. Or had he? Perhaps she had just assumed that, from his mugglish clothing and demeanor. Simone looked on with Ruby as she showed Cameron the "Quiddich through the Ages" book. "So..." Simone began hesitantly. She didn't want to offend Cameron, but was curious how he knew so much. "does your cousin go to Hogwarts? You mentioned him before...and you seem to know a lot about this stuff...I mean, about Hogwarts, and Quiddich and all..."

Simone recalled having to hide the fact that she was a witch from her muggle friends back in New York. She had always had to hide any moving pictures, potions, anything enchanted around the house before inviting friends over. And she had always been very careful to check that she didn't have any magical visitors before allowing her friends in the house. As any visitors from the wizarding world used the Floo network rather than the front door, she never knew who was in her house, until she came in - even if her and her friends stepped outside for just a second. Smiling to herself, Simone recalled the many times she'd had to come up with random excuses to explain magical items she had missed when having friends over. "Oh, that wand...it's part of a costume, my cousin's really into Dungeons and Dragons", and when explaining a potion her aunt had been making in the kitchen "Oh, she's really into making gourmet food...who knows what that stuff is..." In retrospect, Simone realized people must of thought her family a bit eccentric, if not outright crazy. Simone hoped that Cameron wouldn't be too defensive with her and Ruby's questions. But how did he know so much?

"Oh yeah." Cam rubbed the back of his head, "I forgot to mention the snitch part. Whoever catches the snitch wins the game for that team." How could he have left that part out? It was ONLY the most important part in the game. Sighing, Cam followed Ruby's gaze as she picked up a familiar book which he had seen in Skye's collection. He had snuck into her room a dozen times just to read it for a while when she was away at school. Then at Christmas she somehow locked Cam out of her room, not that he could blame her...but why would she go to such lengths just to protect her stuff? He never knew girl's and was wondering if he ever would.

"Love that book." He said, giving the cover a tap and listening to Simone bombard him with a few questions. "Hah! My cousin, yeah she goes to Hogwarts and she's been going for a while. My first year will be her third year." Cam didn't know why he emphasized the 'she' so much. Why should he care about her if she never cared about him? "Oh yeah...her brother is magic as well. Except he went to another school I guess...don't really know his story." Cam cleared his throat angrily.

"But yeah, I'm a muggle born. I've just been 'round here a lot so I know a few things." He said. His accent was bulging now like a pimple. It was so intrusive and he thought people wouldn't understand him some times. Well, guess that's the way life is. Some people are born with huge accents and others are born with flaming hair and American dialects. Cam shrugged it off, as he had done to everything that happened to him in his life.

Ruby listened to Cam's excuse, and was satisfied.

"Love that book. Hah! My cousin, yeah she goes to Hogwarts and she's been going for a while. My first year will be her third year. Oh yeah...her brother is magic as well. Except he went to another school I guess...don't really know his story."

So he wasn't from an intirely Muggle family either! The girl was discovering things more and more each day! Only a few weeks ago had she found out that her father had been a wizard, but had hidden it from his family, in order to protect them. Assumably from the thing or people that killed him. But who or what this was remained still a mystery to the fiery youngster. She hoped to find the answers to her many questions at Hogwarts.


"But yeah, I'm a muggle born. I've just been 'round here a lot so I know a few things."

Ruby smiled and just said, "I'm just gonna go get this. Might help me get some background information on Quidditch. I'd love to have a go and I think I'd be better off knowing the detaild beofrehand."
She blushed briefly as a thought popped into her head. It was of her climbing onto a broomstick which took her three feet into the air. Everything seemed fine until it shook her off.


The eleven year old handed over a few sickles to the man at the counter and went back to her friends.

"Where do you wanna go next?"

Simone listened to Cam's explanation. Hah! My cousin, yeah she goes to Hogwarts and she's been going for a while. My first year will be her third year....but yeah, I'm a muggle born. I've just been 'round here a lot so I know a few things." Well, that certainly made sense. She really was just curious, but his tone worried her, he sounded a bit angry at her questioning him. "Oh, well...too late to do anything about it now" she thought to herself. But just to be on the safe side, she decided to stop with the questions for now - she didn't want to upset him or possibly jeopardize their future friendship. After all, she had just met him, Esther, and Ruby, and wasn't about to alienate any of them.

Simone knew she wasn't a particularly outgoing person and her attitude was often a turn-off for people who didn't know her well. What if she couldn't make friends at all? she worried. If Cam had family at Hogwarts, he probably knew a few more people there too. And he and Ruby certainly seemed to be fast friends. She was beginning to feel a bit left out. True, Esther had taken to Simone quite quickly, but she seemed rather quiet...

Being from another country altogether, the people she knew in the wizarding world all went to Salem. She thought of her friends back home wistfully. Simone hadn't been able to see her friends for over a year now - after her mother's death,

Charlie had warned her to stay away from all things familiar. "You don't want to draw any attention to yourself. Whoever did this could be looking for you too - and Salem's the first place they'd look - with your family's connections there and all...". And she hadn't been able to see her muggle friends either - she didn't want to put them in danger, and even if she had seen them, how would she explain what had happened? Better to just let them think it was a fire, nothing too suspicious besides the arsen investigation the muggle police were conducting. They probably all thought she was missing, or dead.

"Where do you wanna go next?" Simone was awoken from her thoughts by Ruby's question. She was relieved - Ruby hadn't seemed to take any offense to Simone's questions for Cameron. She took this as a good sign. Simone would've expected Ruby to jump to Cam's defense if she had taken Simone's questions as being out of line. She felt reassured that she hadn't been rude, and vowed to be more careful. She knew she had a bad habit of speaking without thinking first, and tended to hurt people's feelings unintentionally.

"Let's see..." she thought aloud, "we've been to some pet stores, and the Quiddich shop, where else is a fun place..." Then it came to her - FOOD! Simone's favorite thing in the whole world. She knew she had quite a bit appetite for her size - her friends used to always tease her about this. "Are you guys hungry? I think we passed a sweets shop earlier..." She looked her companions expectantly to see if they liked the idea.

"Let's see...we've been to some pet stores, and the Quiddich shop, where else is a fun place...Are you guys hungry? I think we passed a sweets shop earlier..."

Simone seemed quite surprised at Ruby's question, but the redhead was very happy with the answer she gave.

"Yeah!" the girl quickly looked to her watch. It had been over 3 whole hours since she'd had any food! Time really did fly when you were having fun...

She continued, "Now you mention it, I do feel hungry! Mmmm....sweets...Sugar Quills...Droobles' Gum...Pepper Imps...Chocoballs...Acid Pops...Chocolate Frogs...Fizzing Whizbees...Jelly Slugs...Ice Mice...Liquorice Wands...Exploding Bonbons...Peppermint Toads...Bertie Botts'..."


Ruby went on a seemingly never ending list of all her favourite magical sweets. She stood there for minutes, licking her lips and looking back to her second day in Diagon Alley. She'd been alone and had spent all day in the sweet shop. But her supply had 'mysteriously disappeared' and she desperately needed to replenish it. Especially now she'd remembered the sweet taste of those Fizzing Whizbees...
"OK let's go!"

The eleven year old led the way to the nearest sweet shop. She stepped inside, holding the door for the other three, then turned around and sighed.


I'm in heaven!


Before the small girl was an immensity of shelves, and on them piled high were boxes and boxes of sweets! Barrels were everywhere filled with Jelly Slugs and Liquorice Wands...
On one of the sideboards were jars of Ice Mice!


A whole row of counters was dedicated to different types of edible quills!


The shop was a burst of colour, and Ruby's gold jangled in her pockets, just waiting to be spent.
She motioned to the others and ran off over to the sherbet balls.

"Now these are my favourites!!" She grabbed one from the tasters jar and popped into her mouth. Waiting...waiting...


She blurted, "Now watch this..."

Gracefully, as she'd done it many times before, Ruby floated slowly to a few inches above the ground and stayed there, laughing with her hands on her hips.

"Well what are you waiting for?" she asked her friends, continuing the giggle, "Try one!"

((OOC: I'm gonna have to drop out ))

Cam listened as Ruby happily led the way to a candy shop. And boy Cam felt sick already, he had eaten way too much for breakfast and lunch today, and not to mention he had had many snacks that were comprised of wizarding snacks and other unhealthy foods. He clutched his stomach in sickness as he followed the girls out the door, giving the store owner a polite nod and ushering them out onto the streets. Cam stopped in his tracks and watched as the girls proceeded to the Sweets shop.

"Hey...Ruby?" He stopped calling out to the hurrying girls, "I think I'm going to head home. I'm not feeling to well and I got a few books today. I guess I see you later?" He asked. It was actually neither a question nor a statement. He lifted his hands and gave his fingers a little twiddle-wave and he half-stepped along the cobblestone streets and back to the wall where he had entered from.

OOC: Sorry Simone, I guess it's gonna be a bit empty without Cam. We'll have a post again I promise. IC:

"Hey...Ruby? I think I'm going to head home. I'm not feeling to well and I got a few books today. I guess I see you later?"

The redhead's joyful expression suddenly disappeared, and she waved Cam off sadly. But then she sighed and went back off to get more sweets. "Come on, Simone!"


Ruby rushed around, grabbing Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whizbees, Chocoballs...pretty much a bit of everything. She hobbled over to the counter ten minutes later, with everything piled in her arms. She set it down and the assistant magicked it into a carryable package.

The bright-eyed man exclaimed, "That'll be a galleon and 3 sickles please, madam. Have a good day!"
The girl grinned back and quickly, but fortunately carefully, ripped it open and put a chocoball in her mouth. Clotted cream and strawberries....it was amazing!

"Simone!" she half-shouted, shocked, "The time! I've got to be home in five minutes! I'm so sorry, I've got to go...I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express, yeah?"

Ruby waved and rushed off, desperate to get home by the nearest fireplace before her mother's wrath could turn on her.