School supplies and a Plesant Surprise -Irina-

[lycoris faith sunders]

Oh the joys of shopping for school. The joys started all of six years ago, at the age of eleven, when she first was allowed to take a step into Diagon Alley for herself, and not her sibilngs. That was one of the best days in her short sixteen years. Now, entering her sixth year at school, the joy of Diagon Alley hasn't faded. The best stop of her shopping trip though, was Flourish and Blotts. The famed bookstore.

Lycoris had always been an avid reader, something that had not faded over the time at Hogwarts. Especialy since there was a library full of old books that she had not even thought of touching. A smile spread across her face thinking abotu all those untouched books. The smell of nice new books broke her concentration though, and she was brought back to reality. Her eyes moved around the bookstore, deciding where to start.

of course, school books were the first on the list. Cori made her way over to where they kept the textbooks for Hogwarts students, and casually glanced down at the list in her hand to check which ones she needed. If her parents didn't want to keep up the appearance of actually loving their youngest child, they would tell her to use one of her siblings old books, but no, she was allowed to buy new books each school year, which suited her just fine. Her hand moved softly across each spin as she moved towards the books she needed, eyes scanning as she walked. she didn't even notice that someone was in the same isle, and that Lyc was about to bump into her.

[irina graciela villarreal]

;;i. g. VILLARREAL;;

For the uncountable time that day, Irina blew strands of dark hair out her eyes as she crouched over a box of new arrivals. She straightened herself to redo the ponytail that sat high atop her head but could not seem to restrain her hair. Even with the dull aches that came from working the front part of the store, it was a far sight better than the catastrophic ordeal held in the backstage of the small cafe or the hours of listless boredom spent in the storage room. Besides, she was nimble and good with shelving - something her siblings lacked.

Flourish and Blotts was always busy - something that delighted her parents endlessly and made her siblings (and sometimes even her groan). It wasn't that she disliked the shop she had grown up with - she loved the smell of fresh parchment, the sight of gleaming books that just itched to be opened and the tinkling of bells as customers entered and left, always loaded with purchases. But even she got tired of being holed up among books.

A lot of students had been around that week, mused Irina as she started to place copies of The Standard Book of Spells, Year Three on some of the shelves. She'd seen classmates come in and out, barely acknowledging her. It made her mother glance at her questioningly, especially when her baby sister was flocked by gaggles of her third year friends. Irina bit her lip as she turned to steal a glance around the room. She recognized a few faces and adjusted her turquoise employee vest self-consciously.

Irina took six books into her arms, balancing them with expertise. She turned around to resume her work, a moment too early. If she had taken a second longer, she might have avoided the body that collided with hers, causing the pile in her arms to fall to the floor. "Oh Merlin!" Irina shouted, immediately dropping to her knees to pick the books. She looked to the face the customer, before realizing who it was. Lycoris Sunders, a girl in her house and year whose offer of friendship had been rudely turned away by Irina during their first year.

[lycoris faith sunders]

Everything in that one instant moved in slow motion. One moment, she was scanning the books, the next a bump with another person, then a shower of books presumably from her hands, and then the sound of them hitting the floor. In reality this took all of two seconds, but it felt like so much longer to Lycoris. "Oh my gosh!" She said, bending down to help pick up the books.

At eye level with the girl she had bumped into Cori made an interesting discovery. Irina Villarreal. They were in the same year, and house, and yet did not really know each other at all. way back in their first year of school Lycoris had tried to make friends with her, as she had with her other house mates, but Irina hadn't been interested. Throughout their five years Cori had noticed the girl, often alone, and wondered why that was. She didn't try to make friends again though, didn't seem to be wanted anyways.

A small sheepish grin crossed her face. "Sorry, I should have been paying more attention." She said next, handing Irina the books that she now had in her hands. "Stocking up on spell books you already learned?" She asked with a slight laugh, looking at the title of the books. Her smile faded as quickly as it came though, remembering exactly who she was talking to. Cori stood back up, eyes still on Irina for a few moments. She then realized why she was there and sighed, wondering if it was worth it to try to continue the conversation, or just get her books and leave Irina be. The social side won that battle and Cori said conversationally "Some list of books this year huh."

[irina graciela villarreal]

;;i. g. VILLARREAL;;

She found this incredibly awkward. How is one supposed to address a rejected acquaintance? Irina hadn't found this a problem in the years before, the asylum offered by the Hogwarts Library and its caretakers had sheltered the brunette from any human interaction. She could feel her instincts telling her to flee, but she ignored them. Those were the same instincts that had caused her to be so rude in first year, and she was no longer eleven.

The corners of her mouth quirked upwards at the small joke and she shrugged helplessly. "I work here," she offered by way of explanation, gesturing to the turquoise employee vest that branded her as her parents' minion.

But soon enough, Irina felt tension settle between them. Irina sighed internally: why had she been such a sorry excuse for an eleven year old? It wasn't as if it was an inherited trait, all of her siblings had normal socially active lives and her parents always took the time to visit friends. The brunette didn't resent her family but she couldn't help but feel as if they had never encouraged her in the way they should have. No one had ever bothered to send a toddler Irina to a daycare or arrange playdates. Sending her to Hogwarts had been like throwing a defenseless puppy into a shark pit.

Irina knew one thing though - she wasn't going to waste her time on awkward chit chat. That, as far as she was concerned, was for old women who were simply so set in their ways that they couldn't remedy the situation. So, biting the inside of her cheek and breathing in deeply through her nostrils, she said the first thing that she hoped would help clear the air.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, shamefaced. "For being a rude little brat."

[lycoris faith sunders]

Lycoris watched as Irina began to smile. This was a good sign in her opinion, even if it may not last long. The fact of the matter was, there was a smile, that a person had caused, on the face of someone who chose to not be social for five years. This was huge in Cori's books! She wondered how long her luck would hold out, though still debating on leaving Irina be.

Wow, she works here. Lycoris couldn't help but feel a little bit of envy with that one simple statement. What would it be like for someone who loved books to work in a bookstore? Cori noticed the gesture to the vest and couldn't help but grin sheepishly at herself for not noticing it before. The words came out before Cori could really process what she was saying "Your so lucky!" As soon as the words came out of her mouth Lycoris slapped her hand across her mouth, a small laugh breaking through.

"Sorry, I just love books. What's it like to work here?" The question spilled out. Curiosity really did kill the cat. She grined sheepishly, waiting patiently for an answer. It was no wonder the girl had kept to herself all those years, with access to all these books whow ouldn't be? Okay, that was a total Ravenclaw speaking there, but who cares?

The next words out of Irina's mouth shocked Cori. Sure, she had been hoping to actually get to know this girl before they graduated, but she did not expect it. As smile crossed her face then, thinking about all that could happen this year. Then, forcing her brain to slow down enough to focus on the present, Cori said simply "It's fine." That was it? All she could come up with? She laughed at herself. "I mean, its not like everyone is a social butterfly." Okay, that was dumb. "sorry,I'm just kinda shocked is all. I didn't expect this to happen, ya know?"

[irina graciela villarreal]

;;i. g. VILLARREAL;;

Lycoris's comprehension was something that made Irina at peace - as cliché as it may sound. It had troubled her over the years, a bit of a sour patch in her life. Nobody had ever raised her to be a social butterfly but Irina now understood that it wasn't okay to be an ostrich with its head in a hole.

Feeling a lot more lighthearted, she teased, "I like to be unpredictable once in a while." Teasing. Irina couldn't quite believe it (her, teasing? Joking with another human being?) but something felt right about it. Irina's smile grew to one of larger proportions - if this was what making friends felt like, then she had been missing out on a lot these years.

The brunette let her dark eyes roam over the bookstore, remembering Lycoris's enthusiasm over her job. "I guess I am a bit lucky," she conceded. Of course, when she dealt with some of the crazier books (guess who found the two hundred copies of The Invisible Book of Invisibility and sent them crashing to the ground?) she felt it was an absolute curse but all in all, she did enjoy books. "My parents own the shop, so I've been around all this for ages. It's just home to me."

She stole a glance at the shelves she had spent hours organizing. Yes, even with the aches of working late, this shop would always represent home to her.

Her mind returned to the present conversation. Even with this strange turn of events, she still had to remember that she was at work, surrounded by her curious loose-lipped family. Irina could already see her elder brother inching towards here, and that brought no good. Her family had, for the first time that summer, taken notice of her during work and Irina was not going to allow them to butt into her life like this. If they did not strike up conversations with her at the dinner table, then they weren't going to initiate now.

"Do you need some help with the school shopping?" offered Irina politely, loud enough so her brother would retreat and give her mother a report on her excellent customer service.

[lycoris faith sunders]

Lycoris grinned at Irina's teasing. What had changed with her over the summer? She had never been like this before, but cori was not exactly objecting to it either, it was nice. "Well then, maybe you should be unpredictable more often!" She said, a large grin appearing on her face. It was strange how easy this conversation was going at this point.

Towards the next comment Lycoris nodded vigorously. "I would love to have a job around books." She looked around enviously as Irina spoke of the bookstore being like home to her. "Your lucky," She paused to think for a moment, then continued. "I don't know what I would do if my parents owned a store...probably run away from home. That would be scary." She shuddered at the thought.

Cori's eyes wandered off around the store again, forgetting momentarily why she had come into the store. Everything seemed to happen so quickly. Who would have ever thought that Irina would be so friendly? Who would have ever thought that she would run into Irina at the bookstore? Definatly not Lycoris. Her eyes wandered back to the face of Irina, and Cori couldn't help but smile. This was definatly nice.

Irina's voice brought her back to reality, breaking what ever train of thought she had been on. Help with school shopping? Right! That was why she was here. "Umm...I could probably manage, but I'm rather enjoying a friendly face right now too." She smiled kindly, wanting to keep the conversation going as long as she could for fear that it would never happen again. "Unless you have more important things to do....like put those year Three books somewhere...?"

[irina graciela villarreal]

;;i. g. VILLARREAL;;

"I'll try to be unpredictable, then," agreed Irina, allowing herself to grin. "I know I must be a bit boring," she confessed, shrugging a bit. The brunette was aware she'd cultivated the image of a perfect hermit over the years, reclusive and solitary. She shook her head in mock disappointment. "I can't believe I've spent six years imitating a hermit crab."

At the mention of books, Irina smiled. That was something she knew almost too much about. "The shop isn't the best part," she mentioned, with the air of one about to divulge the secret of the missing link. "When my parents bought this place, they also bought the previous owners personal underground storage. It has everything - even first editions," Irina recounted wistfully. She stole into the room when she had time, often choosing more than ten books to bring with her to her quarters. It was a cavernous room, dusty and full of more literary delights than Irina could dream of.

The brunette had always considered herself perceptive, and she certainly didn't miss the part of running away from home. "Why?" escaped her lips, an uncharacteristic display of curiosity. But it was out there now and Irina couldn't deny that she was curious about Lycoris. The brunette was smart enough to know that there was something wrong whenever the blonde received letters but had never considered it her place to pry.

Irina eyed the pile of books with certain distaste. She wanted to prolong this conversation, excitement building at the thought of having someone to discuss opinions with, but she couldn't leave the books lying there. An idea occurred to her.

Taking a thin wand out of the pocket of her swishy skirt, she waved it in a small motion before muttering Scourgify under her breath. "I don't usually use magic, but I can make exceptions," she smiled a bit shyly, watching the books place themselves neatly in order. It was always nice to see magic do its work. "The Ministry generally ignores underage magic in Diagon Alley, there are to many people to pinpoint the source," she explained as she moved away from the shelf.

[lycoris faith sunders]

Lycoris beamed at Irina's statement. So this wasn't going to be a one time only thing! A small frown appeared just a quickly to replace the smile though, as Lycoris pondered how to answer that one. "I wouldn't go as far to say boring. Just.....strange." She scrunched her nose at the word, not really liking it much, but not being able to come up with anythign else. "Some of the girl's in our year think your weird. Like, maybe you have some huge secret that you are too afraid to let loose if you talk to anyone. Or even that you just plain old can't talk." An idea hit her then, and she beamed once more "Just wait till we go back to school though! You can totally come with me whenever you want!" Again with the excitement!

And cue the eyes widening farther than Cori thought was possible. "You have got to be joking! Some of those books must be like...thousands of years old!" a thought crossed her mind just then and Cori couldn't help but laugh at it "Man, it must be really dusty down there." The picture of thousands of old dusty books came to her mind, all with a layer of dust that was about two inches thick because they were so old. She shook her head, a smile on her face.

"Why would I run?" Cori asked. She considered how best to answer the question. She could go on to say that she was like a weed in a feild of flowers in her family. Or she even considered trying to explain how if her family owned a store that Cori would be the one doing all the dirty or hard work while they sat around all day and ate food. Her nose scrunched up once again thinking about it. "Lets just say that my family and I do not exactly see eye to eye. They were a bunch of Slytherins, my parents and older siblings. I'm the odd one out, always have been. Not to mention I don't think my parents really wanted me in the first place..." She watched Irina's expression, hoping that Cori didn't scare her too much with her dreadful tale of her family.

Cori watched, eyes wide, as Irina performed an underage spell. She was never a stickler for the rules, except that one. She did want to finish school so then she could leave her family home and be on her own. She laughed at what Irina said about the Ministry. Cori couldn't help it. "Its because they have too much else on their platesto really worry. Oohh, your using magic to help in your job." She rolled her eyes "Because being smart about work deserves to be banned from finishing your schooling. I think they should take that rule out anyway. All our parents use magic around the house, why shouldn't we be able to as well?" She nodded at the end of her sentance, as if agreeing with herself. She grinned then as well, realising that the books being put away meant that Irina could 'help' her with ehr book shopping. "Guess that means that you could help a poor customer like myself huh?"

[irina graciela villarreal]

;;i. g. VILLARREAL;;

"They think I'm mute!?" exclaimed Irina, startled at the thought. Of all the things she'd supposed her peers thought of her, 'mute' was not one of them. "I can understand 'strange', but really, mute?" She laughed a bit at the idea, before brightening at Lycoris's suggestion. "Maybe this year they'll find out my big secret... I'll have to come up with something good to tell them - I can't let them down after years of expectations."

The suggestion that the place was merely 'dusty' was one of the world's largest understatements. Irina remembered how black her fingers would get when they first started cleaning the spacious storerooms. She had no idea of how the previous owner had let it accumulate that much dust. "Dusty? I wish. It was filthy when my father purchased this place, just breathing there took ten years off of my lifespan." It was exaggerating of course, but it had taken them months to return the room to decency.

Lycoris's tale of her discordance with her family struck something in Irina. As she spoke of being the odd one out, the brunette remembered years of going unnoticed at the dinner table and she gave a soft, sad smile. "They sound awful," she said, rather bluntly. It then occurred to her that that may have been the most tactless phrase to exit her mouth since... ever. "I'm sorry! I insulted them, it's not my place to do so. But blood relatives are sometimes not..." she struggled to find the right phrase. "Not really family, I guess."

The brunette listened as Lycoris proposed to abolish the underage magic restrictions. "It does seem unnecesary... You learn magic so you can use it, right?" Irina spoke, thinking of hours of work in the storage rooms. "I know there are some who would take it a bit too far, but really? Restrain an entire generation because of what a stupid minority would do? I don't think allowing underage magic has the equivalence of the apocalypse, despite what the Ministry believes."

Once the books were stacked neatly, Irina smiled as she turned to 'help' Lycoris with her shopping. "Of course, how could you go on without me?" she teased.

[lycoris faith sunders]

Lycoris was slightly startled by Irina's response. Only because Lycoris hadn't really thought about how Irina would respond when she heard what others thought about her. Cori could do nothing but nod her head, until Irina said that she woudl have to come up with some big secret. Cori laughed, nodding once again. "Ya really. I have no ideas what the secret could be though... Not something I often think about really." She grinned, trying to think about anything that could be classified as a 'big secret.'

Cori laughed at what Irina had said about taking years off her life with the filth in the storage rooms. "I can understand that. Just cleaning the dust bunnies from under your bed can be killer. I would hate to see thousands gathered together. Thats like...night of the living dead!" Cori laughed, thinking about thousands of dust bunnies ganging up together to fight you was a funy thought to imagine.

It was hard not to laugh at what Irina had said. Her family was aweful, she was not going to deny that. "No, your right, they are aweful. My parents always go on about some accomplishment one of my older siblings have, and they put me down for it." Even though what she said was depressing, Cori still smiled. "I'm just happy that they won't allow even me to look any less than the rest of them. I end up with top of the line things because they want to keep up the image of wanting me. As soon as we graduate I'm gonna find my own place, probably in Hogsmead." She nodded, not really having thought before now as to how she would pay for anything, but that woud come when it happened.

"I know eh? Cori exclaimed in response the the magic ban. "Like, we are allowed to apparate soon, and that is before we graduate. Is that not using underage magic?" Lycoris shook her head. The minsesty had a strange way of thinking. You were allowed to apparate pretty much all throughout your seventh year, but you were still not allowed to use the basic spells that you would use every day as soon as you graduated. That was pretty lame.

Cori grined. "I dunno, I think I would get lost in a store this massive without help. Guess I am fortunate that you have enough time to help a poor lost soul such as myself." She smirked, thinking about all the times she had found her books on her own, with no assistance. Really, it wasn't as if she didn't know where each book was generally going to be located. Lycoris was just happy to finally be getting to know the girl who had been a puzzle for the past five years of their life. It wasn't quite mystery solved, but by the time the year was over Cori was sure that they would be very good friends.