friends in unlikely places | gretchen & emmeline
@gretchen-whoisleft
Sundays were often quiet in Hogsmeade, something that Emmeline greatly appreciated. She didn’t hide her paranoia, nor anticipation, when she was walking through the high street. Those who were here so early in the morning didn’t seem to care about the way she wrapped her robe closer to her chest and kept her wand in her hand by her side. It was absolutely useless, of course, but they didn’t know that. And regardless of how it wasn’t responding to her, she still felt safer having it brandished.
Emmeline had a shopping list this time – the last time she went to Hogsmeade, things she needed went forgotten. She needed some quills still, and some ink. Then she needed to buy some clothes from Gladrags Wizardwear, remembering her closets in her new flat were disastrously empty. Her last stop was Dervish and Banges, at the very end of Hogsmeade and the furthest away from Hogwarts.
Truthfully, she’d been putting it off. It was a little out of her comfort zone. But she wanted to buy a present for her little brothers, and they sold a whole lot of unusual things that she was certain would entertain her siblings for a while.
The shop was quiet and dark when she entered, cluttered with mostly useless looking items. The man behind the till looked up from his book to nod at her presence before returning his attention back to his piece of literature. Emmeline didn’t care about his lack of greeting, heading through the shops to browse. The further back she went in the shop, the harder it was to see, her eyes straining in the dark.
She held her wand up, cast Lumos. But her wand, instead, flicked backwards out of her hand and landed on the floor behind her. Emmeline turned, frustrated, picked it up and tried again. The same thing happened. It was only when she turned the second time that she realised she wasn’t alone. Another witch was in the shop with her, although whether or not the new arrival had noticed her magical issues was another matter.
She tried for ignorance. “Good morning!” Emmeline said happily, tucking her wand up her robe sleeve but not letting go of it completely. “They have amazing things in here, don’t they?”