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[littleangelbarbra-deactivated20]

Whoa

Blaine was sitting in the library happily working on the potions assignment. When a book collapsed next to him making him jump. “Merlin, you frightened me, mate,” he said looking up at the other, passing them their book.

[reiko-lachance]

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry! I was just about to ask if anyone was sitting her, but I dropped my book. I didn't mean to scare you!" Reiko said in a hushed tone. "I'm just so focused on this stupid transfiguration essay I have."

[phoenixannestuff]

To the Base || Caspian, Simeon, & Reiko

[phoenixannestuff]

"Wizards too," the boy added. Reiko’s laughter was contagious, and he couldn’t help but grin a little. Her presence eased his worries, and he felt lighter around her. It perplexed him, really, but he wasn’t dumb enough to question it.

  Her question left him baffled, however, and Caspian blinked, confused. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, observing the phonograph. It certainly had a lot of parts, and he didn’t know what all of them did. Were all of them necesary? What was the purpose of the huge horn-thing? The boy shook his head, still pretty unsure. "You minimize it," he explained. "With a spell. Then you can fit it in your pocket." Carefully, he tapped the phonograph, shrinking it into a tiny version of itself. When he was sure she had seen, the boy changed it back. "Do muggles have a different system?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. "If so, how does it work?" Simeon’s story rang true to the boy, and his eyes widened in shock and surprise. “Merlin,” he exclaimed, shaking his head. “The same thing happened to my group. Thomas got hurt, head injury. He was in my group but… I don’t know. The professor who saved us… He didn’t seem to know what was happening either. It’s frightening, really. I think it might be beyond their control.” Caspian sighed, rubbing his temples. Reiko’s story was sinister too, and he wondered what had caused all the trouble. “We’ve got to get down to the bottom of this. Any ideas on what happened?”

[simeonberke]

Simeon shook his head. “No friggin idea…”

It was definitely scary, not knowing what had happened or what else may happen. And term had just started, so the potential for more horror was quite real.

"That literature prof came up and freaked out. Scary thing, though—she couldn’t stop whatever happened. She distracted those…things, but we just had to run.”

Simeon was embarrassed to admit he ran, but the fact that a professor had done the same did help. He wasn’t a pushover, not really, not since a fully grown witch couldn’t fix it.

That didn’t ease his panic that Hogwarts was going to eat them alive, though. “Either the professors want to kill us, or Hogwarts is really that hands-on, or someone’s doing something bad.” He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. “I dunno which is worse…”

[reiko-lachance]

Staring into Caspian's blue eyes, Reiko lost track of everything else. It was just the two of them laughing and having a good time. There was no responsibility of having to learn about an entirely new world or tasked that pulled at her sanity. Just the two of them... and Simeon. Crap! I'm not to loose focus like this. I need to succeed. I can't be thinking about Caspian all the time. Reiko refocused herself on the first thing she saw. The phonograph.

Glad that Caspian did not seem find her ignorance about a music box idiotic. Reiko went on to explain to try to explain about the mugggle technology. "Music is just stored on chips that computers read. It's all really simple, and you put the chip in your phone, sunglasses, car... whatever. So, you have it everywhere.

Listening to Caspian's story caused Reiko stomach to drop. How could so many bad things be happening to at least three of the groups? "I don't understand, though. We're eleven. I would think the whole lot of us would be pretty easy to take down if someone really wanted to, right? But, you're right Simeon, there is no way this is a confidence, but do you really think it could've been a professor? I mean, who would want to harm a bunch of new students before classes even starts? None of this makes sense...

[phoenixannestuff]

To the Base || Caspian, Simeon, & Reiko

[phoenixannestuff]

Caspian laughed, amused by the fact that Simeon seemed to be losing a battle with a dust cloud. It was strange; he had heard so much about the base and now he was finally inside of it. Did it live up to his expectations? Kind of. It was both more and less than he’d imagined simultaneously, but on different planes.

The colored vials were definitely a surprise, and he looked at them with wide eyes. “Mischief, I’d presume, judging from the stories I’ve heard. Maybe a little sabotage as well.” He sifted through the vials, stopping at one that appeared to have a label. “Love potion,” he read, carefully setting it back on the shelf. Those things were crazy, not to mention dangerous, and he shuddered a little. What were they doing with one of those?

"The Archetypes," he noted, nodding towards Reiko. "You into music at all?"

He grinned, setting a record onto the phonograph. It spun wildly, magnificently, filling the room with catchy (albeit crackly) tunes. “Me neither,” he admitted. Navigation really wasn’t one of his strong points, and he feared he’d often get lost around the castle.

"So," he began, attempting to mask his hesitancy with a casual drawl. "How did your tasks go?"

[simeonberke]

With one last violent swat the cloud of dust dissipated, and Simeon was left covered in what could very well have been a decayed human or some ground up foul potion ingredient.

This made his normal glower even worse, but it wasn’t nearly as effective as a cleaning spell would be. Unfortunately, he didn’t know any of them.

"Well, we almost died, for one. They locked us in with rabid beasts. First there were rodents and random debris, then wolves. And ghouls." He shook his head. "Thankfully a prof came, but I don’t know what the hell these guys are playing at. That’s not a team building exercise; it’s torture."

He may have sounded scared, but he was. If those tasks were par for the course, the next seven years would be miserable. He considered then whether it would be better to risk it or leave and be unable to do even a simple cleaning spell.

But options sucked, but Seb’s name was on this wall, and there was no way he’d keep being the little useless brother.

So he’d stay.

But dammit, those profs were trouble.

"Your guys’s any better?"

[reiko-lachance]

"Umm, yeah, but I've never heard of any of these people before." She laughed as she looked up at Caspian's face, "I guess I never realized  witches had their own music."

Reiko stared as Caspian started playing music in the most complicated way she had ever seen. She knew they didn't have common technology at Hogwarts, but she had so far felt like magic replaced it perfectly. Until now... "Shouldn't there be an easier way to make music with magic? Why are there so many parts... and so big? What do you use when you want to take the music with you? Is it this complicated?" She couldn't get over how complicated it all seemed. Music was one of the simplest things in the muggle world.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she walked up to Simeon concerned. "Why would they do that to you?"

"Well, mine started off fine, but I don't really know what happened. One minute I was following strange symbols on the wall, and the next minute I felt like everything had... changed." I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I was definitely falling, but then I was running from something, I think. I'm not sure it all felt like a dream, but then it all just stopped, and I was in a hallway with a professor. It was strange."

[phoenixannestuff]

To the Base || Caspian, Simeon, & Reiko

[phoenixannestuff]

Caspian nodded towards the boy, lacking the enthusiasm to return his small wave. A grave and ponderous feeling seemed to permeate the air as the two silently awaited Reiko’s arrival. He wondered how Simeon’s task had gone, but judging from the looks of things probably not so well. 

"Hey Reiko," he greeted, smiling halfheartedly. "The base is westward, or so I’ve been told. Past the twelfth classroom and then left a little bit. C’mon." He set off, walking at a quick to moderate pace. Though shaken, he was eager to see the base, along with all the surprises it surely had in store. His brothers had filled his head with countless stories about it, but it was his time now. After fifteen or so minutes of roaming the halls, he finally caught sight of the retired classroom where the base was supposedly held. It had an old door, with large brass handles and a frame that was bordering on decay. “I know it doesn’t look like much,” he began, “but we can’t accurately judge it before getting inside now, can we?” He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, ruffling through his pockets to retrieve tattered slip of paper . “Maleficium,” he read aloud, tapping the leftmost door-handle with his wand. Click. The door opened with a weary creak, allowing Caspian to poke his head inside. "Lumos," he whispered, before finding a gas light that better illuminated the room. "Woah.” His eyes widened, taking in the sight of the place. It was fairly disorganized, with some old butterbeer bottles and droobles wads lying around, but other than that the base looked absolutely amazing. A map of Hogwarts lay plastered on the front wall, with what appeared to be colored pins marking Merlin knows what. There were Quidditch posters, armchairs… Even an old phonograph in the corner. Suddenly, what seemed to be a flickering list of names caught Caspian’s eye, and he slowly moved towards it. “Prank Militia,” he read aloud. “Members include Kenton Grey, Cormac Grey, Delia Larson, Ash Finney…. The list goes on and on. See anyone you might recognize Simeon? Anyways, I reckon we check out that map and see what’s going on with that.”

[simeonberke]

After what they’d been through, a room to themselves—a haven of sorts—didn’t seem so bad. It was big and nondescript and possibly safe from rabid beasties.

"So Seb was here…” Simeon mused, tracing the name “Sebastian Berke” with his fingers. The bastard had never told him. Yeah, he’d run with the Grey boys, he knew that much, but a prankster? Was that really Seb?

Simeon turned away from the names and flopped down in an armchair. A cloud of dust flew up and choked him as if it had hands of its own.

Turns out it did, and as he swatted at the plume, it seemed to fight back.

"God, Seb!" he said, jumping backwards and coughing to clear the dust out of his lungs. "What on earth did they get up to in here?"

It was clear, of course, but it was all so new Simeon didn’t know how to process it. Nor did he know what the hell the hundreds of trinkets and phials were that lined the shelves. “No chance they left instructions, huh?”

[reiko-lachance]

Stepping into the base, Reiko was immediately overwhelmed. Yeah, she had seen some pretty fantastic stuff in Hogwarts so far, but she'd never seen so much stuff in a room that seemed completely out of place. The room itself was normal. I could have easily been an old gaming room in after school center. But, vials filled with strange colored liquids and moving posters plastering the walls did not belong in someplace so comfortable... so familiar.

She walked toward a low bookcase and started shuffling through the old magazines trying to find something in the room that made sense to her.She grabbed one with what seemed to be a boy band on the cover. And forgetting the fact that the pictures where all moving in the magazine and that she didn't have a clue whom she was reading about, Reiko actually felt like she could have been back home. 

Hearing Simeon cough, Reiko looked up to see the boy being pawed at by dust hands. She giggled as she walked away from the magazines to look at the map of Hogwarts. "I had no idea the castle was actually this big..." She said aloud as she wondered how she would ever find her way back to the Slytherin common room. Not that she'd mind staying in this room for the next couple years.

[phoenixannestuff]

To the Base || Caspian, Simeon, & Reiko

Caspian was curled up in an armchair, still shaken by the tower incident. It had been an hour or so since the group had been rescued, but he still couldn’t shake the growing sense of inadequacy that seemed to building inside him.

His performance at the task had been absolutely pathetic; a failed idea, a debilitating wound, and a catalyst for wolves and falling planks. Maybe he wasn’t as well prepared as he’d initially thought, maybe he was completely and utterly useless.

Without magic, he’d resorted to whacking hedgehogs with wooden boards, which, although effective, wasn’t plausible in most situations. The PSG members, he decided, would have to learn to some non-magical combat techniques along with the standard hexes, spells, and Wizarding skills. That way, if a time ever came when they weren’t able to use magic they’d at least have something to fall back on.  Sighing, he scribbled a note on his communicative chocolate frog card. “Meet at GH after tasks. Going to check out the base. -C.G.”

The sooner they could get started, the better prepared they’d be for the challenges Hogwarts was sure to throw at them. By the next task, they’d be ready for anything. So Caspian ventured down to the Great Hall, awaiting the arrival of the other card-holders.

[simeonberke]

Simeon almost felt bad leaving his group, but they had a professor who, though obviously frazzled, was more capable than he was.

Still, he wondered if Edward was okay. He’d have to check on him later to make sure there wasn’t irreversible mental trauma. There probably was considering how fragile the kid was, but he might enjoy more beans or chocolate or something.

It took Simeon longer than it normally would have to reach the Great Hall considering he kept looking cautiously around corners for more monsters, but luckily there weren’t any.

When he arrived, he saw Caspian. He waved and walked over, wondering who else, if anyone, was coming. Without a word, he sat down and crossed his arms. He was usually antisocial, but nearly getting eaten apparently made his surly tendencies even worse.

[reiko-lachance]

Heading down to the Great Hall, all Reiko could think about were the runes. They had been so strange. Was all magic like this. She wanted to know more about them, and seeing as her friends all grew up in wizarding families, they must know all about them.

Sure, the runes had caused some interesting things to happen, but Reiko had already pushed that from her mind. Classes hadn't even started yet, and she already had friends that she was hanging out with. And unlike the kids at her old school, these ones are already determined to get ahead and improve. Something Reiko valued very much in people. Being so determined and focused at such a young age had made her an outcast at her old school, but here, she had found people how understood her drive to succeed.

As Reiko skipped up to the two boys, she could tell that something was wrong. She couldn't tell if something had happened or if they were just arguing. Either way, she was afraid she was going to have to stop the boys from killing each other. "So... where's this fancy base I've been hearing so much about?" She said hoping to break the tension.

[reiko-lachance]

{PSG Message: Meet at GH right after tasks. Going to check out the base. -C.G.}

[reiko-lachance]

The Guiding Light {Reiko, Jasper, and Talia}

Growing up in a home that could not always afford to pay the electric bill aparently had some advantages Reiko thought as she stood in the pitch black... room.. corridor? Wherever she was, she was not afraid. Waiting for the runes to appear, Reiko ran through the runes on the paper she had shoved in her pocket; she felt as though she knew them well, but she didn't know how similar the decoy runes were going to be.

She took a deep breath as green runes illuminated a wall not three meters from her face. She walked even closer as she studied them. She knew immediately which ones had been on the list, and in what order she was to touch them; however, for a while she found herself trapped by her own curiosities about the strange magic.

She was inches from touching a rune that had particularly gotten her interest when she realized that she was on a task, and activating the wrong rune was definitely not going to help her succeed. 

Reiko shook her head and touched three different runes. As the activated runes began to glow brighter, the others began to fade. The next thing Reiko knew, the light shot off the wall and she could only see a faint star in the distance.

[phoenixannestuff]

The Fourth Compartment || Caspian, Simeon, Reiko & Oliver

[ollypierce]

Oliver was the one thing about the magical world he hated most would be the unnecessary sum of people. It was just as tight as the muggle world, but in this place there was the threat somebody could blow you up if you pissed them off. Brushing past a myriad of people, Oliver could feel the chocolate frog card in his pocket and repeated it’s message in his mind. Meet on train car four tomorrow. 

To say Oliver was thrilled was an understatement. He’d be an elite with the amount of extra training he’d go through, and with the help of Caspian, he’d surely rise to the top. Almost everything Oliver knew now was because he taught himself. If he was to be a wizard then he couldn’t walk into this new world blind. 

Oliver’s ignorance was caused by maternal feelings. Julia Pierce wanted to children to feel equally loved, and Aaron and Reid would surely be jealous if they saw their older brother doing things they could only dream of doing. They were instantly labeled below him - nobody needed to say anything. They were powerless muggles, and Oliver, a wizard. 

Finding his way onto the train, Oliver walked along isles until he found car number four and slipped inside. Before him, he saw three people, and thankfully, they’d all already met. Simeon sat with that scowl Oliver was sure he’d never remove. The other girl he met earlier was there, and then there was Caspian. Were these his friends? 

"Hi there, guys." Oliver said, waving briefly before putting his luggage on the rack above his seat and got comfortable. This is it. This is the start of it all. Turning to Caspian, Oliver pulled out his card and motioned to the others, signaling if they were in the plan. He didn’t want to say anything aloud if they weren’t and possibly ruin Caspian’s plan. 

[phoenixannestuff]

Caspian opened his mouth, about to give Simeon a reply when Reiko walked in. “You’ll see,” he mouthed, turning to face the other student. She was standing in the doorway, (in her awkward Reiko way), so he smiled, gesturing towards the inside of the train car. Reiko sat down, finally, but she still seemed a little nervous. He managed to catch her wary glance, aware of the fact Simeon’s cantankerous presence wasn’t helping in the slightest. He shot the boy a pointed look, hoping he’d at least try to be nice to Reiko. In the worst-case scenario, however, he’d have to try and deflect Simeon’s rudeness from her onto him. Merlin, where’s Oliver when I need him? Just in time, however, did the boy appear, and Caspian breathed an audible sigh of relief. He returned Oliver’s greeting, waiting for him to get settled before scribbling a note on his frog card. "Ready when you are. -C.G." The other boy gestured towards the others, and Caspian moved to join him. This was it, his only shot at convincing Simeon and Reiko to join him. So he held his head high, trying his best to speak every word with conviction. "I apologize for how vague my invitations were yesterday. I had to make sure you’d show up, you see. I’m glad you did though, because you were all chosen for a particular reason. Simeon," he began, turning to face the boy. "Your boldness, ambition, and unwavering sense of self make you a formidable ally; or opponent, if you choose to be. To be honest, however, I’d be much happier knowing you as the the former." He took a deep breath, acknowledging the boy with a firm nod. "Reiko, your indomitable spirit and incredible strength of character are hard traits to come across nowadays. They make you powerful beyond your years; and I deeply admire your resilience." Finally, he turned towards the boy next to him, fixing him with a solid gaze. “Oliver, you’ve got a true knack for magic, and more potential than anyone I’ve ever met before. In addition to this, you’ve got a ravenous hunger for knowledge and a work ethic that’ll lead you far. You’re dependable, and seeing the bigger picture comes easy to you. That’s why I talked to you first.” He gave the three kids a short moment to reflect, then quickly dove into the PSG idea. After getting through the explanation, he gave Oliver the cue to expand on the chocolate frog cards. "So what do you say?" He inquired, pulling two chocolate frog cards from his sleeve. He was practically trembling with anticipation, but he hoped they couldn’t see that. He’d done his part; now all he could do was wait.

[simeonberke]

"You are eleven, right?” Simeon asked before saying anything else. Caspian definitely had the vocabulary of an old man, and it all sounded wrong. Too forced, too formal, and it made him look like a complete ass.

Still, he had a point, however convoluted it was. Extra practice couldn’t hurt, and especially if he was going to be a suitable rival, he couldn’t let Caspian get a leg up.

"Either way, I’m in," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms across his chest. "No way I’m letting you get ahead of me. And I like the idea of beating my brother at O.W.L.s."

[reiko-lachance]

The momentary joy at hearing Caspian's compliments about her felt like a cold knife to the heart after hearing what he had to say about Oliver. And what exactly makes Oliver so special? The girl thought to herself as she smiled politely at Caspian's explanation of the PSG. He doesn't even know what my potential is!

Her distaste for the child sitting across from her only grew when Caspian handed control over to him. She couldn't believe that this boy, who was afraid to walk through an alley, was already in on the entire thing.

"I'm in too!" Reiko said, a bit too excitedly. "I can't wait to work with you guys! I feel like this is going to help all of us grow!" She smiled around at the boys and thought to herself, anything I have to do to be better than... him. 

[phoenixannestuff]

The Fourth Compartment || Caspian, Simeon, Oliver, & Reiko

The train car rumbled in anticipation, mirroring the the Grey boy’s own emotions. As usual, Caspian was impeccably early. He hoped the other first-years would get there soon, as it was a little boring just sitting there.

His parents had already left; yanked into a last-minute, ‘oh-so-important’ meeting. It was a fairly common occurrence though, so the boy shouldn’t have been so surprised. He was still pretty disappointed, but he understood the importance of business.

Caspian sighed. He wouldn’t be able to talk to them until after his sorting, and his nerves were running rampant inside of him. What if I get sorted into Hufflepuff? The boy shook his head, pushing the thought towards the very back of his mind. It wouldn’t happen, and he’d have lots of time to worry about it later.

A rustling sound pulled him out of his thoughts, and he turned, grinning widely at the new arrival. “Took you long enough! I was beginning to think you got lost on your way over.”

[simeonberke]

Train car four. That’s what Caspian had said as he darted off after his mother.

Just “Train car four.” No explanation, no rationale, nothing.

Did this guy assume they were friends? The idea was unsettling. They’d just met, and yeah, they’d had fun, and Simeon did enjoy the banter, but why did Caspian expect him to just show up?

He kissed his mom goodbye, stuffed a note from Seb in his pocket, and shoved his way through the hordes toward the train. Yes, most of them were new, but they clearly hadn’t discovered the secret of traffic flow. If they congested the halls at Hogwarts…

Who was he kidding? He knew they would.

He eventually managed to push through the narrow train corridor and find the fourth compartment, where that Caspian kid was sitting waiting.

"Hordes of fucking children," he said, hauling his trunk in and heaving it onto the rack above their heads. "I’d like to think that I’m not that bad, even if I am the same age."

He sat down across from the kid. “So why am I here?” he asked, before realizing that sounded horrible if Caspian just wanted to hang out. “Sounded like you had something you wanted to talk about,” he added, hoping that covered the awkwardness.

[reiko-lachance]

Coming out the other end of a magical wall, clearly, should have been the highlight of anyone's day. The sensation of passing through something solid and coming appearing in a completely new place, it had to be the coolest thing Reiko had ever seen in her life. Until, she looked around the room she had appeared in.

There here tons of kids with their parents wearing robes and waving their wands around. Dozens of owls and cats and several animals that Reiko couldn't name. And the train itself was so fantastic. She'd seen tons of trains before, but she'd never seen one like this. It was a magical train; she could tell.

Reiko stepped on board the train hoping that the children would get out of her way. However, they didn't really seem to notice her standing next to them staring at them. She saw a boy a head of her shoving though, and decided that it would be the only and took his lead... a bit more politely.

After apologizing to a dozen different kids, she finally saw car number four. She pulled the door open and slipped inside. There he is. She thought to herself as she started close the door. "Hi" She said to him smiling and waving. She threw her hand down immediately realizing how awkward she looked. Why did I come here? She thought. Do I really need to embarrass myself more in front of this boy.

Then she noticed the boy sitting across from Caspian. He looked rather grumpy, but she smiled and held out her hand as she sit beside Caspian. "Hi, I'm Reiko, Reiko LaChance." She said giving Caspian a sideways glance. 

[reiko-lachance]

Finding Wizards {Reiko and Edward}

[shslmotivation]

Edward was running down the street- well, if you could call the hap-hazard, arms-flailing stumbling that was all he was capable of running. His parents had told him where to go, but Edward being Edward, he had forgotten it in under twenty minutes. Still, he was sure he’d work it out. After all, he was about to go to Hogwarts, surely that meant that his luck was changing!

Yes, he could imagine it know. Going to school a bumbling fool, and coming out top of his class. Closing his eyes, he imagined himself acing every exam, making his family proud, finally becoming a great wizard. However, a not-so-great consequence of running with your eyes shut is that you can’t see where you’re going- so Edward smashed straight into a stranger, sending her tumbling backwards.

Immediately his daydream stopped, and a long string of apologies streamed from his lips. Bending down and holding out a hand towards her, he laughed a little nervously. “I am so very sorry! Are you hurt? I hope you aren’t hurt! You are the second person I have knocked over… Let me help you up!”

[reiko-lachance]

Reiko fell flat on her bum, but couldn't help but laugh at the super energetic boy that was assisting her up. "No, trust me, I'm sure it was my fault to. I never pay attention to what's going on around me."  As she started to fix her skirt, she looked up at the boy, "I'm Reiko by the way. Thanks for the help up. No, but seriously, I ran into an old bald man about twenty meters down, and I thought he was going to kill me."

"So, what are you running around for anyway?" Reiko asked. She couldn't help the curiosity over the boy's excitement. He seemed like he was about to shoot off like a rocket. "Are you trying to catch someone?" She glanced down the street half expecting to see Simon Amstell or something, but nothing seemed to be special.

[reiko-lachance]

King's Cross {Reiko & Marcy}

[hannahswritings]

Marcy had been at king cross for about two hours buying food, text her dad Where she was supposed to go and adjusting the straps on her wheelchair.  Her mother was going to meet her at the entrance to platform 9 3/4 but she was there early.Marcy walked over to you pulling her cart and a wheelchair ” You ok?” she said sitting beside you

[reiko-lachance]

Reiko looked at the girl. She seemed to be about the same age, and she was also pulling a trunk. I wonder if she's going to Hogwarts as well? She thought to herself. "Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled at the girl. "I just ran over myself with the cart."

"I'm heading off to school now. It's my first year at this school so I'm pretty nervous, but I hear it's a really good one. The train leaves from her to the school." She decided this would be enough to test what the girl knew.

[reiko-lachance]

King's Cross {Reiko & Marcy}

Reiko got off the train at King's Cross station in London. She had her ticket and truck full of magic. As she wondered around the station, she was glad that they had sent her very specific directions on how to get onto the platform. She could not figure out why on Earth the platform needed to be through a solid wall, and how exactly she was to walk through a wall without getting noticed.

She was just about to the wall when she lost control of her cart and ran over her own foot. She made a small yelping noise that caused everyone to look at her. How do you do these things, Reiko? She asked herself as she went to sit down on a bench and wait for all the people to stop glancing at her awkwardly.

[reiko-lachance]

Finding Wizards || Reiko & Caspian

[phoenixannestuff]

He doubted she’d understand the term, and he knew he’d feel awkward explaining it, so he quickly changed the topic. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?” He suggested, tilting his head to the side. He was genuinely curious, as usual, and the girl came from a society he didn’t understand yet. His parents weren’t too interested in Muggle studies, but Caspian was intrigued by almost everything.

"Definitely," the boy agreed, looking curiously at the strip of paper in her hands. It must have been some sort of Muggle currency, he deduced, judging by her comment. "Tell you what," he proposed, taking some coins out of his pocket. "I’ll trade you thirty galleons for that ‘pound’ or whatnot- a one to one trade. I’m sure some Muggle currency could be helpful in the future, and a few Galleons wouldn’t do you any harm." Caspian raised a pointed brow, hoping she’d take him up on his offer. It was sort of an act of charity, but Reiko didn’t need to know that. "It was my pleasure," he replied, dipping his head in courteous manner. He squinted his eyes at the girl’s next statement, wondering if Professor Starkey would still be in his former location. "I met a Professor at an ice cream shop a little while ago," he began. "It’s just up this way but I’m not sure if he’ll still be there. Let’s take a look anyway, yes?"

[reiko-lachance]

Maybe it was the way he changed subjects so swiftly or just the word purist itself, but Reiko couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said. Blood purists… She didn’t know what it meant exactly, but she knew it was about her, and that it wasn’t good.

Reiko went on about her life without paying much attention to what she was saying. She was still trying to figure out the dark secret that this magical world was hiding from her. She spewed out far too many things about her life with her filter off like this. Things that she would have preferred be kept a little more private like her father abandoning her and her mother when she was two, or how she’s basically been taking care of herself since she was eight. Reiko was just mentioning how her schoolhad sent her home once because she was ‘maturing’ to quickly and needed to buy a bra before she came back when she realized that she was talking. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been going on about myself. Tell me about some stuff about you.” She smiled at him and added, “I’m sure going up with magic was far more interesting!”

She looked at him skeptically, ” Is it really just a one to one exchange rate? That, I guess, makes sense… is it based off the pound?” Looking at the money in her hand, she had more questions for the boy. “What would you ever need to buy with pounds, though? Surely, you could buy anything that dull at a wizard shop too.” She smiled at the boy. “I really don’t want to trouble you with money that you’ll never be able to use; I could just go to the currency exchange.” 

Reiko considered the boys offer of help. She didn’t want to keep the boys time any more than she had, but she really did not want to run around by herself in this foreign world. “That would be brilliant! Way easier than running up and down the street yelling for Hogwarts professors.” She giggled, “Lead the way.”

[reiko-lachance]

Knockturn Alley {Reiko & Olly}

[ollypierce]

A massive weight rolled off Oliver’s shoulders the instant he saw a nonthreatening human being before him. He couldn’t help the sigh escaping his parted lips. 

"To be honest, I wasn’t really looking at the signs." Oliver glances around him to see if anyone was listening, but he seemed to be in the clear. He leaned forward and whispered. "Everyone here looks like they’re about to maim me, but err, I’m trying to get the last of my schoolbooks."

"I’m a wizard, and I plan to attend if I don’t get killed in this place." He gave a nervous laugh and tried to hold his end of the conversation. "I just got mine a little while ago too. I’m Oliver. Nice to meet ya’."

Looking over his shoulder, Oliver figured he would be safe with someone else even if she was only the same age as he was. “Did you want to look int he shops? I’d feel guilty leaving you here”

[reiko-lachance]

Reiko looked down the street again. She noticed that there didn’t actually seem to be any other children walking down it, and started to wonder why. She was curious what she could find in the shops, but with four galleons in her pocket, today was not the day to get mugged.

As she looked back toward the boy she shook her head in agreement. “Yeah, they don’t exactly look pleasant down here, do they? Is the shop you’re looking for down this way?”

"Yeah? We’ll be classmates then!" She said smiling at the boy. "I didn’t even know about magic a month ago. So, this is all really exciting to me! I’m sorry if I’m talking your ear off."

"If you’re off in this direction, I’d be happy to join you! But it doesn’t really look like they’re going to have much down here that I would be able to use. I really hate how behind I feel."

[reiko-lachance]

Finding Wizards || Reiko & Caspian

[phoenixannestuff]

"It depends," Caspian replied. "Robes are obviously made to fit an individual’s biological sex, but there’s always a choice of pants or skirts. So really, it’s all about what you’re more comfortable in."

He smiled, pretending to know where he was going. Directions weren’t exactly his strong suit, and he’d never been this far from the main street before. Still, if he kept walking, he’d get there eventually. The boy bit back a laugh, looking away to conceal his amusement. “It’s a wizarding currency,” he explained, pulling a wallet out of his pocket. “You’ve got knuts, sickles, and galleons.” Caspian pointed towards each one, making sure Reiko saw. “Galleons are the most valuable, with sickles coming next and knuts being the smallest amount. Got it?” He looked around, happy to see civilization ahead of them. He’d gotten lucky, this time. “Well, welcome to Diagon Alley,” the boy exclaimed, gesturing towards it with his hand. “Are you meeting a staff member here or….?”

[reiko-lachance]

"Oh, that makes sense." Reiko said smiling. "So, are both of your parents magical?" She asked him curiously. "You seem to know a lot about this stuff."

As they walked down the street together, Reiko tried not to stare at the boy. His face was just so perfect; she has trouble trying to look less like a creeper. It didn’t help that every time she looked at him she would trip over her own feet. She couldn’t figure out why she felt the need look so foolish in front of her future classmate; she was just hoping that it got better.

She started to realize that she needed to stop asking this boy questions. He was going to think she was stupid.

Reiko smiled and nodded as Caspian explained his money. “Yeah, I’m going to need some of that I guess.” She said with a giggle. “I suppose that the shops don’t actually take pounds.” She said as she pulled out her £30.

"Thank you, Caspian Grey." She said. "You have been beyond helpful." She thought back to her letter. "You know, I don’t know where we’re meeting."

[reiko-lachance]

Knockturn Alley {Reiko & Olly}

[ollypierce]

Oliver dug lunar shaped marks into his palms as he approached the alley. It was dark, and if he had the option to amputate his legs or walk in this alleyway, he would’ve probably chosen the former option. Though, with his luck, the bookstore he needed to find was on the other side of this joint. 

People hid their faces with hoods, shops were painted black, and if Oliver had to guess, he’d assume this place was where criminals hid out while pursuing careers of running international drug cartels. A few beads of sweat rolled down to the nape of his neck, and the young wizard thought maybe he could come out with minor injuries if some deity took pity on him. 

With some determination, Oliver’s legs began to move in an almost steady rhythm, and just when he thought he was going to get out with all his limbs, the boy’s shoulder hit someone passing. This was it - he was going to die alone in a magical world he didn’t know much about. 

Turning to the victim of his shoulder bumping, he began a soft spew of apologies. “I- I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you, and I was walking too fast, m-my bad.” 

[reiko-lachance]

Reiko looked at the boy apologizing her. He looked to be about her age and seemed like he wasn't going to mug her. "No no, it's fine! I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry!"

"I was just heading to see what shops there are down this alley." She smiled at the boy. "Is there anything good? I've been through all the shops in the main alley, and I haven't found what I'm looking for." She took a couple more steps into the alley before asking, "Where are you heading?"

"Are you a wizard? Do you go to Hogwarts? I'm starting at Hogwarts this year. I just got my wand. Oh sorry, my name is Reiko."

[reiko-lachance]

Knockturn Alley {Reiko & Olly}

Finally having finished her shopping with Professor Starkey, Reiko walked around Diagon Alley looking around all the shops. Her mother had given her £20 to buy something special, but she couldn't find anything that seemed good enough that she could actually afford. This was the most amount of money she'd ever had to spend on something that wasn't groceries.

Everything around her was so amazing. She could spend hours looking at the broom stuff or the magical animals. However, she knew that if she bought something that she didn't actually use she would feel so guilty about it. She'd gone through dozens of books at the book shops, but she didn't have a clue what would come in handy. She needed to know more about this world. She needed someone who could teach her what life as a witch was like.

Reiko turned a corner and found herself facing a dark alley. She could feel that the atmosphere was different.  Most of the people walked around with their hoods hiding their faces, and many of the shops windows where completely dark.

She started walking into the alley....