Family Outing {not}

[Alice]

Alice De'Lourne leaned against the wall of the shop, casually licking an ice cream she'd bought earlier that day. An amused grin was on her flushed face as she watched her brother and sister try to escape from her gaze, and she knew that they would probably run rampage across all of Diagon Alley and then have their Mother blame her for letting them out of her sight. Of course, it wouldn't have been- she couldn't help but be distracted by the colorful displays in the shop window nearest to her.

At home, Alice barely ever got out of the house. But, this year would surely be different, as she would be spending most of it at Hogwarts School and Witchcraft and Wizardry. Not to mention that that granted her the joy of going to Diagon Alley, where most magical folk in London bought their school supplies and such.

"Abigail! Don't kill your brother's robes!" Alice had to call, before biting her lip. She was always doing that without meaning too, speaking before she thought. Especially with her youngest siblings, who were more liable to disobey her commands after she shouted them then they had been before.

Unlike most of the people school shopping, Alice and her siblings had been literally forced to wear their long, floor-length coats and a pair of their nicest robes they usually saved for cocktail parties and fancy dinners. Overall, the robes made her feel like she was locked in a room where there was nothing to breathe. She'd never say that outloud, for if she did, she'd probably earn herself a hard slap.

With a sigh, Alice was brought back to reality with a hard thud when she realized that Abigail had splashed mud on her robes. But, before she could do anything, the little urchin had sulked somewhere else- and Alice just shrugged, knowing that she wouldn't be able to find them even if she tried her best. And, of course, before the few hours of lecturing when she got back home (using the Floo Network, of course), she should enjoy herself.

With a sidelong glance at the shop nearest her, a curved, wicked smie replacing the former one, she edged towards the shop slowly.

[James & Ava]

From around the corner and meters beyond strode two figures, stumbled, more like, one wrenching the other along with a strong, firm grip and a binding gaze.
"Let - me - go!" Ava Aderholdt cried, trying to pull herself free from her elder sister's arm as they rushed through the tunnel between Diagon and Knockturn Alleys.
"No," Matilda whispered in a hurried undertone, flashing deadly looks at the bystanders along the walls of shops as she shuffled. "You had no right, you insolent little brat, to call Mr. Borgin that while sissy was doing business. After, perhaps this would have turned out different -"
"HE CALLED OUR MOTHER A -"
"I heard perfectly well what he called your mother, missy -"
"What do you mean, my mother? She's your mother, too!" Ava yelled, attracting attention from the wizards and witchs crowded around the Quidditch shop.
"She's no mother of mine." Matilda put this bluntly, seemingly signaling the end of their less-than-hushed conversation. Then, she proved thought wrong as she spoke once again; "What he called darling Miss Aderholdt was true - she is a murderer."
The tall, slim girl whirled her sister around, clutching her by the shoulders and digging her polished fingernails into her lavish dress' fabric.
"And if you remain loyal to your mother, than you're no sister of mine, either!"
Ava's almond green eyes grew wide and round, then began to water: her sister had an extremely firm grip, and her nails were long. As they reached her skin, the young girl let out a wail of despair, then with newfound strength, pushed her sister away and ran into the nearest shop – one entitled Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.

Next door, a boy watched the commotion through the window, witnessing it all.
James Sirius Potter ran to his uncle’s store, worried by the fact the girl may have been hurt.

[Alice]

Alice's eyes widened as they drank in the scene. Biting her lower lip, she wondered if she should actually go into the store or not now. Closing her eyes and inhaling softly, she went through the door, crossing her fingers in some odd Muggle emblem of hope. Or lie, in some cases.

The shop, unlike others in Diagon Alley, was packed and quite loud, not to mention warm. Alice had to plug her ears for a moment, letting them adjust to the assault hailing upon them like metorites made of words. She drew her cloak about her uncomfortably, hoping no one would notice the grimace on her face.

After she had recovered some sort of composure, she was able to find the girl easily, along with a boy who was probably fretting in his mind, wondering if the girl was hurt or not.

"Excuse me," Alice began, hating how her voice always sounded- breathless and soft, as if she'd just run a long way. "But are you hurt? I heard you cry out, and I was wondering if you needed any help. Unless-" Her eyes flickered over to the boy again, taking in the tousled black hair that could probably only mark him as one of the Potter family- "He is already assisting you, of course, upon which I will then take my leave."

As if to emphasize her point, Alice turned slightly in the direction of the door. Her eyes stayed fasten on the two though, and she still in front of them, if not directly.

[James & Ava]

Ava stumbled backwards into the shop, bumping into a brawny boy as soon as she set foot in. The shop was awfully loud, but Ava somehow managed to hear him growl, "Watch where yer goin', scum." Perhaps it was the distance between them that allowed this - there was almost none.
She opened her mouth to retort, but was shoved aside by a rampaging group of children, all with various toys in their arms that were exploding before Ava's very eyes. She felt her back hit a wall, and a sharp wand gouged her further in the shoulder. At her flesh's touch, the wand transformed itself into a gigantic fist-sized spider, running hastily over Ava's open-toed sandals [at which point she screamed], and into the great, noisy crowd of shoppers.
The girl reached a hand over to her left shoulder, fingers gingerly running over the gash left by the wand. There was no blood, yet, she thought, but her sister's nails hadn't helped at all - they'd added a few nice, large scratches to her otherwise uninterrupted skin.
How could that toy have been so sharp? Where was she - a hell of pain and fright? One look to the front of the store explained all her questions.
Amid the fervent, yelling wizards and witched stood a tall man with long red hair. His head looked a short bit lopsided, and Ava stifled a gasp – she was no doubt within the blood-traiting scum of a wizard George Weasley’s shop: Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.
Oh, how she would be punished if her mother ever found out she’d set even a toe into the store! She turned back, and ran right into another boy – about her age, this one was.

“Are you all right?” James asked, looking the girl over curiously. He did not expect her reply to be snappish.

“Move –“ Ava started, shoving the boy out of her way, and noticed the boy’s hair. Shaggy and unkempt, a true son of; “Potter!” she screeched, then feverishly tried to brush herself off as if she’d landed in mud. “Ew, he touched me; he touched me!” Then with this, Ava fled right from the scene.

James blinked. “Was it something I said?” He asked no one in particular, then noticed yet another girl standing near him. Quite a pretty one, as well, though considerably a bit taller than him. But she dashed off as well.
Now James was irritated.
“Oi, you!” he called, and ran after the blonde.

[Alice]

Alice ignored the boy, giggling as she heard what the girl had said. She almost stopped as she heard him call out, but shook her head, deciding to chase after the girl instead.

Blinking as she went outside the door, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight, she found the other girl, and raised an eyebrow as she saw her shoulder.

Obviously, this girl is a pure-blood, and a prejudiced one at that, Alice thought. Almost, for a second, she thought of turning away, but stayed where she was, fidgeting with the silver fastenings of her cloak.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at simply being here, and biting her tongue to stop from asking if ickle Potter-kins had hurt her. "But I take it you're not, considering the cut there."

She pointed at the cut with one slim finger. Idly, she whistled a low tune under her breath and began to brush the mud coating of her robes and cloak with her left hand, waiting for the other girls' response.

[James & Ava]

As Ava ran, she noticed she hadn't a clue where to. So as she reached a small alley, she took a turn and walked into that, then sat down on a rotting bench to regain her energy. Her purse suddenly felt slightly heavier than it had seconds before, and the girl arched a brow. She unwraveled the silver silk ribbon tied around the top of the bag and opened it up.
Inside was her wand among numerous other things. Ava picked it up with her slim, long fingers, examining it curiously. Her mind traveled to the cut on her shoulder, but eyes remained on the wand. If only...
No, no, Ava, she thought, horrified that she, a law-abiding girl, would think such a thing. You'll surely be expelled if you do.
But the pain - the cut stung badly...
And suddenly, the clip-clop of heels against stone echoed through the dark alley. Ava stashed her wand back in her purse quickly, jumped to her feet and dusted off her skirt, then pretended to be interested in the wall carvings at her side.
As another girl sunk from the blinding sunlight and into the shadows of the alley, Ava turned her head and scanned her with her glossy green eyes.
"I'm fine," she said coldly, covering her shoulder with her jacket and veiling it from sight.

Then Potter came along, doubling over, out of breath.
"What's - the - big - idea?" he managed, between large gulps of air. "I try to... help, and you - two - run... away."

"I need no help from scum like you," Ava replied in a shrill, high voice, tugging her jacket closer to her skin.

[Alice]

"Now, now," Alice said coolly, "No need to call anyone scum. And no need to act so coldly to me, as I'm just as pure blooded-" Alice's eyes flashed, and she spat out the word pure blooded like it was some filthy curseword- "as you are."

"Unless, of course, you're just like acting like you are. Many, many people resent those of the family who brought down the Dark Lord, and some are of mixed blood. Even though I can be pretty sure you're a pure-blood."

Oh, how ecstatic, Alice thought, her tone as cold as her voice had just been, Mum would be if she saw who I was with- a bloody pure-blood and the son of Harry Potter. Well, she would be if she saw the girl, but not the son of Harry Potter. Definitely not.

"And," Alice said, turning to the boy with a sigh. "I rushed after the girl because she was the one hurt. But obviously, she doesn't want to talk to me. I might as well go find my siblings instead of hanging around in this dumpy alley way talking to someone considerably rude, and get even more mud flung onto my clothing..."

Alice was, actually, pondering that decision in her head. Half of her wanted to leave, the place, but the other half wanted to hang around and watch what the conversation would turn into.

[James & Ava]

A smile of amusement tugged at Ava's lips, giving the impression of a smirk. All she did was cover up her cut; what did she care if the girl was as pure-blooded as her or not? Well, of course she did, but how would the girl know? Idiot. Ava giggled, and it came out unnaturally - as a cold, low laugh.
"Goody-goody little girl, now, aren't you?" she sneered, paying no attention to Potter. She wouldn't let her eyes rest on him for one second after, or she'd surely face her mother's wrath.
"Fancy Ravenclaw? That's probably what you'll get Sorted into, silly thing like you..."
And with a slight huff, she pushed past the girl and Potter, who were standing close enough to form some sort of fence barricading her escape. No matter. Her presence in that dump of an alley was unneeded; it was a mere waste of time. So Ava fled from the shadows quite as she did Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and back into the sunlight of the street of Diagon Alley.

But James just stood rigid, utterly flabbergasted. What had just happened there? he thought to himself, then blinked.
"Get a load of her, eh?" he grinned at Alice, but expected no reply; she didn't seem to enjoy his presence, either. And if possible, perhaps less than Ava's.

[Alice]

Alice giggled as she heard the girl call her a 'goody goody little girl.' Now, how would she know? The girl had only met her for several seconds, so it was kind of impossible for her to actually catalog her personality. For all she knew, Alice could be the worst people she could ever meet... and, if she talked to her like that again, her wand just might be pulled out.

"Well, at least, I think I got enough of her for one day." Alice said, stopping her giggling. She sighed then, running her hand through her hair as if she was agitated. "I don't fancy meeting her at Hogwarts, really. Because, then, I'm afraid I'll have more than a couple fancy words slid up my sleeve..."

Alice had to resist a sort of urge to follow Ava, to pull her wand out and jinx her- but she didn't really want to get a warning before she was even at school. Instead, she just let her eyes linger on the place where she had last stood, a slow smirk on her face as she tugged at one of her bangs, pushing it behind her ear.[/size]