Stopping By PV Closed

Charlie had been sitting in the Leaky Cauldron for a number of minutes now. He liked it here- it was warm, and usually just the right amount of people were present, and he could hear a number of wonderfully interesting conversations take place.
Disregarding the door that opened a closed loudly and the long bar that lined the wall, he was sitting alone in a table squeezed against the wall with glossy iced windows, staring at his food with a bored expression. Today was quieter than most, not many interesting conversations had sparked around him, and he found that the room was in a far more idle state.

While thinking about a number of things, he glanced up from his soup. He wasn't going to sit around forever so he might as well have examined the space around him. Most tables were quiet but full of groups of people. He didn't want to intrude on them- how awkward would that be?
While scanning the room, he noticed a young boy also alone, ginger and twig-like, though a very pretty person overall. His hair seemed windswept, and he noted that the boy's green eyes were staring around.
Charlie didn't see anyone else near where he was that was alone, and he was far too afraid to approach the bar, so he slipped out from the chair and approached the boy, presenting a wide smile. Perhaps his trip would end in a new acquaintance?

"Hello!" He said enthusiastically, waving his hand in front of the boy's face to grab his attention. "I noticed you're just standing here all alone!" He crossed his arms as he spoke. He was a bit louder than he wanted to be- and might've drawn some attention to the pair, but he didn't mind. "My name is Charlie! What's your name?"

It had been nearly 20 minutes since Sean had given his parents the slip, and he knew that they were due to find him at any time. He figured the first place they'd look would be at Weasly Wizarding Wheezes, but he was one step ahead of them there. That'd just be too easy. Right now, they were probably nervously traipsing through Knockturn Alley, knowing that Sean had always asked to go there, the request being repeatedly rejected. By his calculations, his parents would waste perhaps a half an hour searching Knockturn Alley before moving on to their next destination. Sean hoped that Leaky Cauldron would be low on the list. They hadn't given him any pocket money today...probably hoping that it would dissuade him from running off, and The Leaky Cauldron was pretty dull and useless unless you were ordering a drink. Maybe it would even be the last place they check.

Sean was scanning the bar yet again for scared and annoyed faces of his parents, when a hand suddenly shot in front of his nose. It was a seemingly excitable boy who was around his own age....apparently a boy named Charlie.

"Hiya!" Sean replied, ducking his head back slightly from the waving hand, "Me name's Sean. I'm s'posed to be shopping with me mum and dad, but it got bloody borin', so I bunked off and escaped here into the pub. How 'bout you? What's the story?"

Sean craned his head one more time to see if his parents had entered the pub yet, but he didn't see them yet. Supposing he aught to be polite, Sean wriggled his right hand out of his trouser pocket and extended it towards Charlie in a gesture of friendly greeting.

Charlie smiled, taking Sean's hand eagerly. He seemed exceptionally nice, considering his past run-ins with magic-folk. As he shook it, he shrugged a bit, laughing at the question.

"Wasting time, you know how it is. I don't really have anywhere else to be at the moment, so I just thought I might hang around in here since I've done all my shoppin'." When they released from the handshake, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He peered over his shoulder to see what Sean was looking at, but nothing peculiar stuck out to him, though for a second he thought he saw someone familiar at the bar. Most likely a mistake. He thought, turning back to Sean, head tilting slightly.

"Waitin' for someone to walk through that door?" He smirked. "I've got a table just over there- you can see the entrance quite well from it if you'd like to sit down." As he awaited a response, he examined the boy further. He was around his age, probably. Was he going to Hogwarts as well? He turned on his heel slightly, pointing one foot towards the table, as he began to make his way over to the table again, he looked behind him to see if Sean would follow. "Are you going to attend Hogwarts too? It's going to be my first year there." He said with a wide grin. "The idea of a magic school is really exciting, don't ya think?" He was curious to see what the kid thought about Hogwarts.

Charlie's handshake was firm and exhuberant...just how Sean was expecting it to be. He opened his mouth to answer that his folks would be coming through that entrance, but before he could get a word out, Charlie was asking him about Hogwarts. Sean grinned. He enjoyed boisterous people. He found them entertaining, and they could always produce a bit of fun in nearly any situation.

"Firstly," Sean replied, "I don't want to be seen by the people who I'm waiting to come through that entrance."

Sean craned his neck, and saw an open spot at the counter where two lads their size might fit...right beside a girl with brown shoulder-length hair who appeared to be sipping on some soup.

"How 'bout we squeeze in at the counter o're there?" Sean pointed with one finger towards the indicated spot, taking a few steps in that direction.

"Oh, 'n yeah, mate....I'll be goin' to Hogwarts. In fact, that's why me parents were takin' me shoppin'. Had to get me school supplies. I'm excited about it too. Me mum and dad talk about it all the time. I can't wait to learn how to use magic! Did you get your wand yet?"

Sean procured his own newly bought wand. It looked so elegant. There was no wand more beautiful than this one! Sean twirled it between agile fingers, and scarlet sparks flew from the tip.

"29.5 cm, chestnut wood and phoenix feather...flexible," Sean bragged, still brandishing the wand, "Mr. Ollivander said that it was drawn to wizards who are naturally lucky. I hear that chestnut matches to wizards who are natural fliers. Maybe I'll be a famous Seeker!"

Charlie turned to follow Sean, listening intently as the shuffled through the pub. He seemed entertained by Charlie, talking with great pride as they made their way to the bar. "Did you run from yer folks or something?" He said laughing as Sean mentioned not wanting to be seen. When Sean pointed out space by the bar to sit down, he thought he saw someone familiar again- which would have been impossible seeing as he was hardly acquainted with anyone, unless it was... No.

"Oh, 'n yeah, mate....I'll be goin' to Hogwarts. In fact, that's why me parents were takin' me shoppin'. Had to get me school supplies. I'm excited about it too. Me mum and dad talk about it all the time. I can't wait to learn how to use magic! Did you get your wand yet?"

He seemed very excited, whipping a beautiful wand out from his pocket. It was extremely cool looking, Charlie thought, at least compared to his- which was a bit boorish looking.

"29.5 cm, chestnut wood and phoenix feather...flexible,"

He bragged as they continued to approach the counter. He went on about it- Charlie nodding and showing interest. He seemed just about excited as he was about the whole thing! We might definitely get along then.. He thought with a small smile.
As he finished talking, Charlie gingerly pulled out his own wand, it was a far simpler design than Sean's but was still an elegant craft.
"Mine's walnut. 29.2CM... Phoenix Feather core as well!" He didn't attempt to produce any sparks or magic with his wand like Sean did- he was barely comfortable just holding it in his hands. "Mr. Ollivander said these wands go to one of two people... Brilliant Innovators- or those without conscience." He extended it to show Sean, happily proud of it, but still as careful as he could be as he brandished it.

"You mentioned wanting to be a famous seeker? That's a position in Quidditch right?" Despite having been introduced to the magic world, he knew almost nothing about it- He'd heard of Quidditch when he passed by the broom shop, something about seekers and keepers and chasers.. "I prolly' sound dumb saying this- but what exactly is Quidditch?"
As he asked, they finally reached the bar. Charlie wasn't exactly paying attention to the surrounding people, trying to listen to Sean as best as he could amongst the number of other witches and wizards present. He sat down, awaiting a response from Sean.

Sean's smile grew bigger as Charlie pulled out his own wand. He loved seeing all the different designs and hearing about wandlore....how they may be attracted to each witch or wizard. He knew that walnut wood had a tendency to be attracted to those of high intelligence, so perhaps he just discovered the friend who's homework he could copy! A phoenix feather as well! Seemed to Sean that he and Charlie would be two peas in a pod.

"Ah, brothers of the Phoenix!" Sean cried, clapping one arm around Charlie, though loosely, so that he could easily break away. Sean thought he just may like this kid, and didn't want to ruin the mood by making him uncomfortable...he guessed that he probably wouldn't mind, though.

Sean gaped at Charlie in astonishment when he asked if Seeker was a position in Quidditch...his eyes widening in true horror when Charlie followed up by asking exactly what Quidditch was. He wondered if Charlie was a Muggleborn. No witch or wizard can grow up in the wizarding world and not know what Quidditch is. If Charlie was Muggleborn, it only excited Charlie more....one more thing to cheese his parents off with. Surely they expected him to make friends with high-born purebloods.

"Blimey, mate!" Sean exclaimed, "I can't imagine living an entire life without ever knowing 'bout Quidditch! Were you muggle-born?"

Aurelia scooped some soup from the bowl and brought the spoon to her lips. It was a familiar taste of tomato stew. Ever since July, she had never returned tothe magical world not even for a visit. Her home town was in Cheshire and she spent most of her time there or stuck in the mansion when her parents weren't there to apparate her. Now that she was back, she couldn't wait to get back to the Scottish castle of Hogwarts and start her second year.

Aurelia was sipping from her mug of butterbeer when she heard a voice. It had a foriegn but familiar accent to it. She had ignored it anyways and continued with her meal. Then the stool beside groaned when it was pulled backwards. Aurelia turned her head slightly only to see a pale red head boy conversing with someone across him. Red head's were common in Hogwarts, before she entered the school, people with ginger hair was a rare sight but now it was something she would see almost everyday. The boy was probably a student too. The boy he was conversing with sounded too familiar.

Curious, Aurelia peered over the red head's shoulder. It was the boy she had saw when her parents brought her camping in Texas. That was the accent, the Texas accent she was hearing. Their first meeting wasn't so pleasant. Aurelia had sort of abducted him when he had stumbled upon the campsite. He had later gotten away when she had her back turned. But if he was here it meant that he wasn't a muggle. She knew there was magical in him.

"I don't believe it. You're the boy from Texas. Charles... Or was it Charlie... Why is everybody's accent bothering ya'?" The girl had tried mimicing his accent at the last sentence but it was nowhere close to his. He had tried pestering her previously in the tent with his accent and it made sense if she got back at him. The blond boy had his wand in his hand. He had probably only got it recently and it seemed to be the balm of their conversation. Comparing wands, typical.

"Hello, I'm Aurelia and you?" She intoduced herself to the red head boy. Charlie seemed to have made friends quickly. Aurelia herself took sometime before she had found her first in the Hogwarts castle during her first year where as the two had not even stepped in the castle and had made friendly acquaintances already.

"I can't imagine living an entire life without ever knowing 'bout Quidditch! Were you muggle-born?"

Sean asked as they sat down. Charlie had a weak smile run across his face.
"I dunno, I never knew my real parents. My adoptive ones were muggles though. I'm from Texas by the way, If my accent wasn't enough of a giveaway." He jokingly made his accent more pronounced.

As they spoke, Charlie noticed there was another girl just behind Sean. She met eyes with him. It was Aurelia Besh- Benzuide- whatever her last name was. The girl from the forest that nearly had his memory wiped! His mouth was left gaping for a moment. What were the odds of seeing her again? Close to impossible, it seemed, but there she was...

"I don't believe it. You're the boy from Texas. Charles... Or was it Charlie... Why is everybody's accent bothering ya'?"

She said, using reference from their last conversation. He tried to smile, but he was still a bit dumbfounded.

"You ain't gonna break my ankle again are you?" He managed to say aloud, laughing a bit. Now that he was definitely a wizard, she'd have no reason to wipe his memory, so he immediately relaxed a bit. The fact that Sean was sitting between them also helped.

She then introduced herself to Sean, trying to be polite it seemed. "So why are you here?I mean- at the counter eating soup." He attempted to help the conversation along.