Waiting for Mother

[Laelia Lule]

Laelia drummed her fingers impatiently. She was seated at the Leaky Cauldron under firm instructions from her Mother to wait there while she finished her other shop orders.

She would have like to gone down Knockturn Alley but Mother had not said what time she would have been back. She came and Laelia was not here...

She was bored, and not even the thought of a pumpkin juice was enough to entertain her. Right now, a dancing dragon had a better chance to do so.

Sighing, she placed an order for pumpkin juice.

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke stumbled into the Leaky Cauldron, a bunch of books in her arms. Her uncle had seemed to thing that she needed every book in Flourish and Blotts before she went to school. She sighed and dropped them on the table.

Her hair was a light blue colour and it was down in curls around her shoulders. She was wearing her old sweater, which was covered in scratches from all of the animals she was used to dealing with. She shivered, realizing how cold she was.

"Um..." She said as a waitress passed by. "Could I get a hot butterbeer, please?" The waitress nodded and walked away as Brooke sat down at one of the tables.

[Laelia Lule]

A flash of blue caught Laelia's eye. A girl had come in weighed down by a number of books. Laelia bit her lip. Mother refused to let her get her own books, despite her protests that she would not spend too many galleons on them.

Blue hair was strange even for witch. I wonder... she thought as her thoughts trailed off.

Nearing the blue headed girl, she introduced herself, "Laelia Lule. I'm bound for Hogwarts. I assume its the same for you."

[Brooke Edwards]

As the girl introduced herself, Brooke barely caught the name. She hadn't even been paying attention at all. She swung her head to look at the girl, her hair nervously turning black.

"Oh," Brooke breathed. "Hi...Hogwarts?" She stammered, trying to align her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm going there. My Uncle and I are here to buy my stuff, but he stopped at the Magical Menagerie to ask them about how well they care for their animals... He works with animals." Brooke paused to take a breath.

Then she stopped to take the girl in. She seemed nice enough, Brooke didn't know why she was so nervous. Brooke put her elbow on the table and rested her head against it. Then she remembered.

"Oh! My name is Brooke Edwards," she said, blushing.

[Laelia Lule]

So apparently blue hair was not the height of fashion, thought Laelia as she saw the blue hair change into black. A real live Metamorphmagus.

As the girl stammered her way, Laelia fought the urge to mock her. For now. Who knew what the future would bring?

It looked like her uncle had abandoned her for a while. Commiserating with the other girl she replied, "Mother left me here under strict instructions not to leave."

When the young witch finally deigned to release her name, she replied in kind, "Pleased to meet you, Brooke. May I call you Brooke?"

Gesturing towards her books, "You have an impressive small collection here. Are all of them necessary texts for Hogwarts?"

[Brooke Edwards]

"Mother left me here under strict instructions not to leave."

Brooke frowned slightly, wondered why her mother had just left her all alone. She knew her uncle would be back any minute. Brooke was glad when Laelia changed the subject, she didn't want to ask any questions about Laelia's mother. It might be a touchy subject, Brooke thought.

When Laelia asked the question, Brooke turned around to look at her huge stack. She smiled awkwardly, letting her hair fall in front of her face.

"I like reading," She said with a smile. "I especially love book on animals, so my Uncle bought be a few extra books. He knows how much I love to read." She stopped there.

"Where are your school things?" She asked simply.

[Laelia Lule]

Laelia shrugged. "I like reading as well. Though animals are not my preferred subject. I like reading about myths."

She sipped on her pumpkin juice slowly. "I have been known to overindulge myself on books, which is why Mother has decided to finish shopping for my textbooks, and other things." She smiled wryly. "Normally, she is indulgent of my habits but today we have many things to get done."

She raised her brows. "She send most of my things directly to home. I have my wand though. Would you like to see it?"

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke nodded at Laelia's explanation. She could understand being overindulgent with books. She loved them as much as she loved animals.

"A Wand?" Brooke questioned. "Of course. I bought mine today too. It's pretty nice." Brooke was smiling. She loved making new friends. She didn't know many wizards other than her uncle and she knew at school she would meet so many more.

Brooke's hair changed colour again, while Laelia got her wand out. It changed back to it's bubblegum blue colour.

[Laelia Lule]

This making friends thing was not all too hard, thought Laelia, as she brought her wand out.

She pointed the tip of her wand upwards, in case of accidents, and recited its main features, "Its made of elm with unicorn mane as its core. Twelve and three quarter inches."

She carefully placed her wand back. She glanced at the other witch, "And yours? What is it like?"

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke smiled at Laelia's wand and pulled out her own energetically. A little too energetically, it slipped from her hands and hit the waitress who was bringing her butterbeer. Brooke let out a gasp and quickly stood up to help the lady.

After she had helped the woman clean up the mess, she came back to the table with her wand, all red faced at acting so crazily. She smiled awkwardly at Laelia.

"Oops." She said simply. "Where were we?" This is so awkward. Brooke was afraid of losing her new friend. She opened the case that her wand was in and pulled it out.

"It's Rune inscribed larch, with a unicorn hair also. It's nine and a half inches. Apparently it's good at all spells, but I haven't had the chance to check it out yet." She blushed while saying this.

[Laelia Lule]

Laelia shook her head. So clumsy and she came by it naturally. She winced as the waitress went down, but made no effort to help. Miss Edwards would have to learn how to deal with the consequences by herself.

She said airily, "Put it out of your mind." Her eyes widened as Brooke's wand made its appearance. Very niiicccee. It would do well to cultivate Miss Edwards' friendship, if what she said about the wand was true.

As she was admiring her new acquaintance's wand, a tall lady with ash blonde hair dressed impeccably in elegant dark blue robes which were the height of the latest wizarding fashion. Karina Lule had appeared on the scene. Spying her daughter with an shoddy dressed young girl, she briskly glided to her table.

As her shadow fell across the table, Laelia looked up. Spotting her mother, she rose from her seat and greeted her, "Mother, I did not expect you back so soon."
Turning to her companion she introduced her, "Mother, this is Miss Brooke Edwards, who is bound for Hogwarts as well. Miss Edwards, this is my mother Madam Karina Lule."

Mrs. Lule smiled slightly to her daughter's companion, and with slightly accented English said, "A pleasure to meet you, young Miss Edwards. Please do excuse our hurried departure. So much to squeeze in today. I'm sure you will see Laelia at Hogwarts soon." Turning to her daughter she said, " Let me arrange for a floo back home, while you say your goodbyes." With a regal nod to the young girls, she departed to speak with the Inn keeper.

Exasperated, at the shortness of the conversation, Laelia made her apologies, "Miss Edwards, perhaps, I shall see you at Hogwarts soon. Good bye and I hope the rest of your day goes well." She nodded at the girl, and left the half finished pumpkin juice at the table.

Soon, her mother joined her at the fireplace, where they departed for their home at parts unknown.

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke couldn't help but feeling intimidated by Laelia's mother. She was a little intimidated with Laelia at first, but her mother was much worse.

I feel like such a muggle-born, she thought sadly. Her hair fell around her eyes again, to hide them from Laelia's mother's gaze. Brooke began to gather up her books, seeing as they were spewed all over the table. She was stacking them neatly.

Brooke looked up to say goodbye to Laelia, but apparently after those few words, she had just left. Well, Brooke thought, At least I'll know one person at Hogwarts when I get there... And she seemed nice enough. Brooke smiled, picked up her books and wand, and walked out, looking for her uncle Bryan.