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essayelI got stressed out last night and didn't get this finished in time, so Happy Belated Birthday to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
katbeseroc, I hope you had a blast.
You asked for unforseen circumstances, and here it is. I tried to make it 'unforseen circumstances and hilarity ensues' but it wouldn't do it. I hope this sort of works.
Excerpt from WIP
Diagon Alley, August 31st 1993
Annie paused to look in the shop window, her beast of burden patiently stopping as well. He just shifted the basket on the arm she wasn't holding, as well he might because, she smiled to herself, it must be getting heavy by now. Gilbert, she was sure, was so blown away by being alloowed to go shopping with her that he'd forgotten to charm the basket.
"They are wearing robes shorter this year," she said. "Just as well, they are murder on stairs."
"That's what 'skirt-lifter' charms are for," Gilbert said looking over her head at the new robes. He caught her eye and grinned. "Honestly - historically they were applied to trailing skirts and robes so you didn't break your neck when scampering around your castle. It's only in these wicked times," he waggled his eyebrows and leered, "that they've had a whole new application."
The leer warmed Annie's heart but she still gave him a cool look and smiled inwardly when he flushed and looked away. He was coming along. A month ago he'd have stammered an apology. Two months ago he'd have been too tongue-tied in her presence to even think of humour.
"What else is on the list?" she asked, giving him something else to think about.
"Errrmmm," Gilbert hastily patted his pockets then found the list in the basket. "Herbs, spices, potion ingredients, breadmaking flour, yeast, olive oil, two pork chops, small cauldron - erm - no that's it."
"Well, weren't you going to get a new pet?" Annie reminded him. "It's been a while since you'd had one, you said. "
Gilbert considered for a moment and Annie did too - that the colour in his cheeks, this time, was from pleasure that she had remembered something he had said the week they met - then he smiled and nodded along the street. "If you've got time," he said, "the Magical Menagerie is just along there."
"Of course I have," Annie said, smiling. "What are you thinking of getting?"
"Well, I had a toad when I was in school," he said, then followed up with a short list of much loved companions. "Of course I couldn't take it to work with me, God knows what Hambone and Bean would do to it, so it would have to be able to amuse itself. Maybe a cat? I like the idea of seeing a cat on my windowsill waiting for me to come home from work."
"It would have to be a big cat," Annie pointed out, "because that windowsill is really high."
"How did you know that?" Gilbert asked, staring at her. "Mandrake Mews isn't on the way to anywhere."
Now it was Annie's turn to blush. "I - er - have a friend who works at the Malkin sweatshop," she invented hurriedly, "just happened to notice your place as we were passing. Anyhow," she steered him hastily back to the subject, "a kitten wouldn't really do would it?"
"Well no," Gilbert said, "but luckily Magical Menagerie has just the thing. I saw him last week when I went in to get more rat feed for Ogden's subjects. The poor old thing has been there quite a while and he'd be just the thing. Two surly bachelors together."
"Oh you're joking," Annie said. "Not that huge plug ugly ginger thing! Gil, you'll need more than two pork chops. He'll cost a fortune to feed."
"It'll be worth it," Gil said cheerfully. "And it's not as though he'd need much cossetting, just warmth and food and quiet during the day and, I hope, a bit of a cuddle of an evening."
At the shop doorway they paused, seeing a movement inside, and Gil held the door open for the exiting customer to pass - a girl with bushy brown hair and her arms clamped tight around the ugliest fluffiest ginger cat in all Diagon Alley. Annie heard a boy say, "You bought that monster?" and the girl reply, "He's gorgeous, isn't he?" but she was looking at Gilbert whose face had fallen.
"Ah well," he said.
"We could ask if they have something similar," Annie suggested, but he shrugged and shook his head.
"Not now," he said. "I'll have a think. A rat might be less bother. Oh - want some tea?"
"Tea would be lovely," Annie said, and squeezed his arm as they headed for Fortescue's.
katbeseroc, I hope you had a blast.You asked for unforseen circumstances, and here it is. I tried to make it 'unforseen circumstances and hilarity ensues' but it wouldn't do it. I hope this sort of works.
Excerpt from WIP
Diagon Alley, August 31st 1993
Annie paused to look in the shop window, her beast of burden patiently stopping as well. He just shifted the basket on the arm she wasn't holding, as well he might because, she smiled to herself, it must be getting heavy by now. Gilbert, she was sure, was so blown away by being alloowed to go shopping with her that he'd forgotten to charm the basket.
"They are wearing robes shorter this year," she said. "Just as well, they are murder on stairs."
"That's what 'skirt-lifter' charms are for," Gilbert said looking over her head at the new robes. He caught her eye and grinned. "Honestly - historically they were applied to trailing skirts and robes so you didn't break your neck when scampering around your castle. It's only in these wicked times," he waggled his eyebrows and leered, "that they've had a whole new application."
The leer warmed Annie's heart but she still gave him a cool look and smiled inwardly when he flushed and looked away. He was coming along. A month ago he'd have stammered an apology. Two months ago he'd have been too tongue-tied in her presence to even think of humour.
"What else is on the list?" she asked, giving him something else to think about.
"Errrmmm," Gilbert hastily patted his pockets then found the list in the basket. "Herbs, spices, potion ingredients, breadmaking flour, yeast, olive oil, two pork chops, small cauldron - erm - no that's it."
"Well, weren't you going to get a new pet?" Annie reminded him. "It's been a while since you'd had one, you said. "
Gilbert considered for a moment and Annie did too - that the colour in his cheeks, this time, was from pleasure that she had remembered something he had said the week they met - then he smiled and nodded along the street. "If you've got time," he said, "the Magical Menagerie is just along there."
"Of course I have," Annie said, smiling. "What are you thinking of getting?"
"Well, I had a toad when I was in school," he said, then followed up with a short list of much loved companions. "Of course I couldn't take it to work with me, God knows what Hambone and Bean would do to it, so it would have to be able to amuse itself. Maybe a cat? I like the idea of seeing a cat on my windowsill waiting for me to come home from work."
"It would have to be a big cat," Annie pointed out, "because that windowsill is really high."
"How did you know that?" Gilbert asked, staring at her. "Mandrake Mews isn't on the way to anywhere."
Now it was Annie's turn to blush. "I - er - have a friend who works at the Malkin sweatshop," she invented hurriedly, "just happened to notice your place as we were passing. Anyhow," she steered him hastily back to the subject, "a kitten wouldn't really do would it?"
"Well no," Gilbert said, "but luckily Magical Menagerie has just the thing. I saw him last week when I went in to get more rat feed for Ogden's subjects. The poor old thing has been there quite a while and he'd be just the thing. Two surly bachelors together."
"Oh you're joking," Annie said. "Not that huge plug ugly ginger thing! Gil, you'll need more than two pork chops. He'll cost a fortune to feed."
"It'll be worth it," Gil said cheerfully. "And it's not as though he'd need much cossetting, just warmth and food and quiet during the day and, I hope, a bit of a cuddle of an evening."
At the shop doorway they paused, seeing a movement inside, and Gil held the door open for the exiting customer to pass - a girl with bushy brown hair and her arms clamped tight around the ugliest fluffiest ginger cat in all Diagon Alley. Annie heard a boy say, "You bought that monster?" and the girl reply, "He's gorgeous, isn't he?" but she was looking at Gilbert whose face had fallen.
"Ah well," he said.
"We could ask if they have something similar," Annie suggested, but he shrugged and shook his head.
"Not now," he said. "I'll have a think. A rat might be less bother. Oh - want some tea?"
"Tea would be lovely," Annie said, and squeezed his arm as they headed for Fortescue's.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-23 12:43 pm (UTC)The beginning of the story is here (http://community.livejournal.com/hpmugglestudies/1858.html) in a short lived challenge community that sadly went no further.
There are other bits in my PC but they haven't been cobbled together yet.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-23 05:12 pm (UTC)