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Jul 21, 2019 23:53:59 GMT
Post by Briony Veronica Welles on Jul 21, 2019 23:53:59 GMT
Open | The condensation on her butterbeer stein was rolling down the side, and collecting at the bottom; waiting to drip all over her when lifted to sip. She tried to concentrate on that, rather than thinking about what she was supposed to be thinking about. The minute dragged on, and she dared not look up from the dew on the table. There was only so much that she could think about butterbeer: curiosity of how it was made, where the recipe originated from, whether it had to be poured at a certain angle to be considered adequate.
Her mind wandered...
The Leaky Cauldron was having a minute silence in honour of those who had been killed earlier that spring. No matter what; she couldn't cry. It was unfair to cry. She hadn't been close to anyone who lost their lives; not particularly. But the top of her nose was stinging as her tear ducts wanted to release, and she had to forcibly sing a song inside of her head to clear the horrid thoughts of death and macabre...
The bell chimed three times, and conversation immediately broke out. Briony, who seemed to have been holding her breath, released it quickly. She took a sip of drink, and shrieked. Cold droplets of dew splashed on her bare legs, rolled down the side and pooled underneath her thigh. She tried to wipe it all away without moving too much. Flashing her knickers to Leaky Cauldron punters would be bad, particularly as there was a bloke eyeing her up the entire time; looking suspiciously werewolf-like in the sideburns.
She shuddered.
This outing wasn't supposed to go this way. She had only wanted to exchange some muggle money to galleons and buy a few things that had nothing to do with her fifth-year book list (besides, she hadn't received that letter yet). Now she felt awkward, horribly alone, and on the verge of tears. Her friend had supposed to meet with her, but had something come up last minute. Briony hated doing things alone, but she wanted to make the most of the time she had in Diagon, away from her bloody Aunt.
If her Mum knew she hadn't met up with her friend, she would be worried. Perhaps Briony should be worried too, but she wasn't. The wizarding world was harrowing in the sense that it was the same, despite the mass murders that took place mere months ago. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2019 6:09:29 GMT
Time was moving excruciatingly slow.
It had been doing so since 7:03 this morning when Jun had woken up on the first day of his holiday. There were no trade deals to be negotiated nor contracts that needed to be drawn up, Jun was not expected to show up half way around the world for a conference... he wasn't even expected to take minutes for the morning meeting. He had the day all to himself.
And he had been very excited for every minute leading up to his day off until now.
The simple goal of just 'relaxing' was much easier said than done. He felt himself growing more restless the harder he tried to relax. He just felt so uncomfortable with so much time on his hands, but he couldn't think of anything immediate that required his attention to keep busy. He had done a lot of wishful thinking that morning- If only his brother had been present, he would have known to suggest something enjoyable to occupy the both of them... Why did he have to be away with other friends today of all days? It annoyed Jun. His brother knew that Jun only had a few days off this holiday. And Jun really wasn't as good coming up with these sorts of plans himself.
By lunchtime, the quiet in the house had driven him mad.
Which was how he had found himself in Diagon Alley. He had decided that he could purchase some Hogwarts supplies now, spend some time productively and most importantly avoid the peak season and save himself some money for next year. Not that money was an object of issue for Jun... People often found it strange for him, of all people, to be concerned about spending. Though he had learned from his father that one can never get any richer if they waste their money on useless things. He had taken that lesson to heart; having a lot was not a good excuse for wasting anything.
And as productive as he was being, he still felt bored. Things seemed no busier in Diagon Alley than it had at home. Which disappointed Jun greatly.
He had forgotten that there was a memorial service today but realizing quickly what everyone else was doing, he too had stood in silence as the blanket of quiet was draped over the street. He was not missing a heart (contrary to many rumours)- his mind wandered to the people who had not been as lucky as himself after the attacks. He made a silent wish that they could find their way again and overcome their grief. It was the most he could do with that minute.
But neither was he an excessively emotional individual and as soon as the bell chimed, he continued on his way. He came at last to the Leaky Cauldron and paused outside it. If his brother was here, he would have insisted that they both go in and relax for a moment. He didn't know if he could relax by himself but evening was still a long way off and Jun needed something to kill time... He might as well just stay for a drink and regain some strength...
He opened the door and walked in. He took a moment to study the interior- it was not brimming with life but it was definitely more lively than the streets at this moment. He ordered at the bar and went to take a seat not far from another younger girl (he guessed she must also be a student at Hogwarts). Her eyes seemed glassy and she looked a little shaken, the memories of those she had lost? He felt a little bad for her, especially if she was alone... He thought about talking to her but he wasn't sure what to say? He wasn't sorry... Neither did he know anything about her...
After a few seconds in thought, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of tissues. "Do you need one?" He offered to the girl. He half-regretted doing anything, suddenly finding himself feeling very awkward and nowhere near as confident or smooth as he liked to be.
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Jul 25, 2019 16:28:27 GMT
Post by Briony Veronica Welles on Jul 25, 2019 16:28:27 GMT
Briony had boarded the train of unhelpful thinking, and hoped she had a return ticket. She had heard of the dementors who guarded Azkaban prison, although she'd never had the misfortune of being close to one. They sucked the happiness out of you. That's how she felt now: sat there, entertaining all these horrible thoughts that wouldn't be there if she was with company.
She thought about how her family could be in danger. She thought about that silly little town of Singleton where she grew up, and its residents trying to comprehend bad magic and curses. She thought about her three muggle friends that she was close to growing up, before she knew Hogwarts existed, and people - wizards and witches like her - hurting them. There was no hope for wizardkind if they were thought of as terrorists. Muggles wouldn't trust them. They wouldn't, because they didn't understand them: not entirely.
Her mind locked down to the most pessimistic conclusion: the world was going to end.
A soft thunk of a heavy glass on wood broke her free from the burden of thought. A boy, sitting nearby, had engaged her. She looked down at the tissue he had offered her, and again felt the sting of her tear ducts. It was such a small and simple gesture of human kindness, that she almost broke into tears because of it. Just by that small gesture, she was reminded that there were kind people in the world. It didn't matter if they were muggle or wizard.
Briony took the tissue, and smiled at him meekly.
"Thank you," Her voice had turned down an octave as she struggled to swallow the lump in her throat. "I'm just being stupid..." Her Mum said that being self-depreciating just gave others an excuse to be disrespectful towards you. It showed weakness. But, she wasn't thinking very clearly right now. The boy was nice, she didn't have to worry about things like that.
She held the tissue in her hand, but didn't need to use it. "Do you... are you..." She looked at him properly. "Do you go to Hogwarts?" She managed, finally. "My name's Briony, I'm in Hufflepuff. Fifth year. Or, well, I'm going to be in September..." He looked a little familiar, after all.
@jun
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2019 2:00:12 GMT
Jun tried not to stare at the girl but- were the tissues making her sadder? Jun wanted to get a closer look just in case his eyes were deceiving him. She looked like she was on the verge of a complete breakdown now. Had Jun made a mistake? Was there something about offering tissues to a sad person that made them worse than before? How should he have known? If Jun were about to cry publicly (for the record, something he has never done and will never do) he would have wanted something to hide the fact; he would have been grateful for the tissues. He wished he hadn't given them out to begin with- he was at a total loss with what to do with the girl now. "I'm just being stupid..."" A bit," Jun had no choice to agree with her, crying in public and getting teary over being handed tissues was not a rational nor logical way to behave. Perhaps that was a little harsh. What would his brother say? He would know how to make this better. Was he going to make her actually cry? He didn't want that... Jun struggled to find the right words. He opened his mouth. His dark eyes met hers. " But I guess we're all allowed to act a little stupid from time to time." Jun continued after a few seconds delay. He didn't want to lie to the girl so he answered honestly. Jun also had his moments... just not in the Leaky Cauldron. "Do you... are you... Do you go to Hogwarts? My name's Briony, I'm in Hufflepuff. Fifth year. Or, well, I'm going to be in September..."Jun nodded. Hufflepuff, figures. He straightened himself a little, smoothing the creases in his jacket. He wanted her to remember him as a little more impressive than the socially inept teen he had just acted like. Not that it mattered. From the looks of it, she wasn't someone he'd waste his time with when they returned to school. But he didn't want her blabbing about how awkward he had acted so he'd make a bit more of an effort. " Jun Lee. Just finished my fifth year. Slytherin." He answered. " Are you going to be okay?" He asked, more concerned over what he had gotten himself into rather than Briony herself. Briony Veronica Welles |
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