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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2016 4:46:38 GMT
Ollie was spending the day following a very unreliable lead that brought him deep into Knockturn Alley. The Hit-Wizard didn't mind the more sinister section of Diagon so much, some of the shops were rather interesting and there were a few Not-So-Cursed antiques that could be found in Borgin and Burkes. Time seemed to get away from him as he poked around one of the run down shops in the back, hoping to catch a glimpse of his target. It was hard to judge what time of day it was, given that the alley always seemed dark even in the middle of the day. He'd moseyed his way up to the cashier and was going to attempt to strike up a leading conversation with the man when he caught a glimpse of something bright through the store front window. It was hard to miss, standing out against the dark and dingy surroundings.
There was a little girl with curly hair weaving through the crowd of Knockturn Alley without a care in the world. Her eyes were trained on a brilliant blue insect that fluttered above the heads of the alley goers. It wasn't really safe for a child to be wandering alone anywhere, Hags were becoming a problem and would lead a stray child off to dinner--er--become dinner but Knockturn Alley was the least ideal for a lost child to find themselves. Ollie set down the skull shaped paperweight in his hand and exited the shop. He was quick and light on his feet but managed to maintain his normal calm demeanor so he didn't alarm the child.
The insect stopped and hovered in place, giving him a chance to slide right up next to the girl. Ollie crouched down to her level, marveling up at the thing himself. "That's a billywig. It's very pretty, isn't it? And you're very brave for following it all the way in here. Sweet?" It wasn't 'til after he slipped a sugar quill from the pocket of his leather jacket that it occurred to him it might look a little off to offer an unfamiliar child candy on the street. He didn't exactly out of place with his beard, long hair and knit cap. Come to think of it, he really didn't care how it looked.. Let them call the aurors, they'd have a good laugh about it later in the pub.
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Post by Daisy Watson on Nov 27, 2016 5:36:14 GMT
Daisy liked bugs, a lot. She didn't really understand why most other people, even grown people, called them creepy. Even most of the wizards and witches she had met so far didn't like them! She had expected differently from people who were sort of...strange, themselves. They even had much cooler bugs here, and they still didn't like them! Strange indeed.
Daisy liked bugs because bugs liked her mum's flowers. The bugs helped keep the flowers alive, and to Daisy, they were just as pretty. Bunnies and puppies and kittens were cute and all, but bugs were like flowers in that they had variety. Daisy marveled at all the shapes and colors and sizes they came in. And adding magical creatures to that mix...the girl was absolutely mind blown. No wonder the normally shy and timid girl wandered into the dark heart of Knockturn Alley alone, just to follow a pretty blue bug. That had to be the biggest one she'd ever seen!
Knockturn Alley was exactly the type of place Daisy had nightmares about, but she paid absolutely no mind to the very strange people and places she passed by. Her head was in the space above the Alley, following the bug as it darted through the air. What kind of bug was it? Why was it so blue? What could possibly be the benefit of having wings on one's head? And was that a stinger? Daisy just wanted a closer look, but the little guy stayed far above her head and she just couldn't reach. If only she could do magic already!
That's why she was in Diagon today, actually. Her mum dropped her and Rose off to finally get their magic wands. They couldn't use them yet, of course, but they'd finally managed to save up enough to get them! Rose, ever the twin to go first, was in the process of finding the right wand when Daisy caught sight of the big blue bug floating by the shop window. One glance at her sister told her that they were going to be here a while, so surely stepping outside for one minute couldn't hurt?
Thus, Daisy was captivated, following the bug all the way down to where she currently stood. The bug had finally stopped, and Daisy was calculating how she could possibly get closer. If only Rose was here, she'd be brave enough to climb that stack of boxes in the alley...
Oh! Suddenly, there was a man kneeling down beside Daisy. The girl took an instinctive step back before she even got a good look at him, suddenly overwhelmed by his presence and her dingy surroundings that she just now noticed. She stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. He did look kind of soft, and fuzzy...and he knew about the bug...oh, and he had candy. Parts of Daisy's mind told her to run away back to her sister, the old parts of her mind that had always been that way; but this new world bred a lot of curiosity in the timid girl, and she sometimes found she could use her inquisitiveness in order to be brave. Never did it cross her mind not to trust this stranger, she was just anxious about suddenly finding herself in a new place.
"Thank you," she said, making a face at the candy that didn't really look like candy but taking it anyway. She briefly looked around, but didn't like the way her surroundings made her feel. She stared anxiously back at the man, and then her attention was drawn back up to the bug. "What did you call it? A billywig? Why's it called that?"
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2016 6:59:07 GMT
The poor dear looked as if she finally noticed where she was when he interrupted her bug investigation. It wasn't a place for even adults without purpose to wander around on their own. The vultures who could be considered 'regulars' in Knockturn preyed upon those who weren't prepared to navigate the con artists and sketchy alley dwellers. With the tenderest parts of his heart aching for the poor lost soul, Ollie made sure to soften his features as he reached back into his pocket for a sugar quill of his own.
An amused grin played the Hit-Wizards lips when the child didn't seem impressed with the candy, maybe a little deflated? Perhaps she wasn't familiar with it. "I'm quite fond of sugar quills myself." Ollie told her, reaching back into his pocket to fish out one for himself. "They're tasty and you can eat them right in front of the professors. Bosses too, and they're none the wiser." He popped the end of the quill into his mouth, enjoying the sweetness on his tongue. Who wouldn't carry around a pocket full of them? "They look almost exactly as regular quills. I've accidentally chewed on a few feathers, expecting them to be sweet. Lemon's my favorite flavor, which one have you got?" Perhaps a casual little chat could ease the girl's anxiety at suddenly finding herself in such an unsavory place.
She certainly was fond of the billywig or at least curious about it. He straightened up, knees popping in protest. He wasn't old but Hit Wizardry tended to be physically demanding, it wore on the body. He would swear he had the joints of an old man. "I dunno. Probably because that's what it's mum named it. And what did your mum name you? My name's Ollie."
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Post by Daisy Watson on Nov 27, 2016 7:56:03 GMT
Sugar quills! The realization dawned on Daisy and her expression relaxed a bit, even a little excitement stirred in her chest. Everything about this new magical world got her excited, it seemed...as long as it was nice and pleasant and not dark or scary. "Oh, my sister told me about these!" Jasmine wasn't allowed to show them everything about magic, but she did bring candy home sometimes. Daisy twirled the sugar quill between her fingers, looking closely and trying to determine if it would feel like feathers even if it was sweet, because that didn't sound very pleasant either...
The man made her laugh, both with his story about being sneaky with candy (as a child, Daisy was very familiar with this tactic) and about accidentally eating feathers. Strange, strange wizards...they really did use quills to write! Daisy thought that was pretty neat, actually, but wondered if it was going to be hard to learn. Hopefully she didn't chew on any feathers. The man prompted her to try her sugar quill, so with just a little hesitation, she popped the candy in her mouth. The taste was pleasant and sweet on her tongue, crystalline and not feathery at all. "Mmm, strawberry. Thank you, sir," she said again, smiling this time.
The man stood up, and again Daisy took an instinctive step - but this time, it was toward him. Daisy was easily, maybe too easily, trusting - and she decided she liked this man a lot more than the people and places surrounding them. He seemed safe; and he was funny. He made Daisy laugh again with a joke about the billywig. "My name's Daisy. Um, Mister Ollie, where are we? I was supposed to get a wand in Diagon Alley but then I wanted to see that billywig...I think I'm lost."
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2016 9:46:15 GMT
Ah ha! There was the reaction he was expecting to his candy. The child's demeanor changed, the candy ringing familiar for her. And she was absolutely precious. He loved kids, they were cute and made for quite the entertaining conversation and he was already smitten with this little one who despite his explanation of a sugar quill still seemed a touch apprehensive. He probably should've been worried about her willingness to accept candy from strangers, maybe have a talk with her parents about instilling stranger danger in their children especially during a time where hags were attempting to lead them off be devoured.. Maybe it was the badge, ever present on his hip, that put her at ease? He'd hate to think about her trusting the wrong sort of person.
Ollie grinned as she tried the sugar quill. "Stawberry is nearly as good as lemon. Better than grape, at least." Grape was on par with chamomile and was prone to eliciting the dreaded Super Frown. He sucked thoughtfully on his own quill, which made him look rather pensive and erudite in his opinion. As if he had lots of deep thoughts that he pondered with a quill in his hand. When he straightened up to his full (average) height the child stepped closer and it was clear that he'd gained her trait. "Daisy, like the flower? It suits you very well."
When she asked where they were the gentle smile on his face fell a bit. "I do think you're lost. We're in a place called Knockturn Alley" His voice was very even and matter of fact, taking care not to frighten the girl but he also didn't want to make light of the situation. "It's not a place for children, not everyone is as friendly as they are in Diagon." Ollie eyed a pair of witches on the street corner, warty and dressed in rags. Hopefully they were witches. He offered a hand out to Daisy. "Let's get you back to the wand shop, mm? You must be very excited to get your own."
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Post by Daisy Watson on Nov 27, 2016 22:30:53 GMT
Daisy nodded her head in agreement on the rankings of candy flavoring, wrinkling her nose. "It doesn't even taste like real grapes." Seriously, what was with that? As much as Daisy loved candy (what child didn't?), she usually preferred the real thing - fruit over a flavored piece of sugar - when she could get it. It was just as sweet, and there was really nothing better than pulling a fresh strawberry right off its stem and popping it in your mouth. These sugar quills were definitely up there, though. Their sweetness even blocked out the faint echo in her head of her mum telling her once (or twice) not to take candy from strangers. Daisy knew the rules, she wasn't stupid. Sometimes she just had to ignore them because sometimes strangers were really nice. That had to be alright.
Ollie noticing her flowery name spread a genuine smile over Daisy's face. "Thank you," she nodded enthusiastically. "We're all flowers, my mum and sisters. Violet, Jasmine, Rose, and Daisy." Daisy was very proud of this fact. She thought it was just perfect that Mum and Dad ran a flower shop and had all their little flower children, too.
Because she didn't want to look anywhere else, Daisy was watching Ollie very closely. When his face fell, anxiety kicked in her gut. Knockturn Alley sounded very unpleasant, and it sounded like she wasn't supposed to be here. It was just then, with the man at his full height, that Daisy noticed the badge on his hip. Oh, no. "Am I in trouble?" Was he a wizard police officer? Was she going to get arrested? But he said he was just going to take her back to the wand shop, and he was so nice...Daisy chewed on her lip and took his hand, one last glance over her shoulder at the pretty blue billywig prompted by her overwhelmed brain. "Yeah, I'm really excited." A smile slipped back over her lips - it was hard to quell the excitement even with the anxiety and everything else. "My sister is getting hers right now. Is it true the wand picks you?"
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 6:24:22 GMT
Ollie found himself enjoying the conversation, even though the girl was lost. "You've got quite the garden, there." Violent, Jasmine, Rose and finally little Daisy, the parents must have had a thing for flowers. He liked flowers himself, they easily brightened a space right up. "I'm fond of tulips myself, do you have one of those in your family?" The flowers reminded him of spring time, a nice thing to think about on a cold fall day. The thought made him feel just a little bit warmer.
Daisy was watching him, and he was watching her just as closely. As a Hit Wizard he was trained to watch for details, read people's expressions for signs of trouble or dishonesty so he didn't miss the subtle switch to anxiety. When she spoke he had to fight to keep the grin from his face. It was amusing, such childish innocence. "No, not at all." he assured her, his face relaxing into a gentle smile. He followed her gaze to the billywig. "You do have to be careful around billywigs, though. One good sting and you'll levitate right into the clouds. Witches aren't meant to fly without brooms."
Once they started towards the wand shop, Ollie slipped his hand from hers to place a protective arm around his shoulders and steer her through the crowds. "That's what they say. Wands do have their own personality." With his free hand he slipped his own wand from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it over to his new friend. It was medium brown in color, plain with little embellishment. An unassuming but powerful wand for an unassuming but powerful man. "Mine's made out of poisonwood, it can be a little stubborn at times but it's been a faithful companion. Maybe you'll get one made out of Lilac. A friend of mine has a Lilac wand, it smells like flowers."
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Post by Daisy Watson on Nov 28, 2016 8:40:30 GMT
A little garden family. Daisy smiled at the thought - that's exactly what they were! At Ollie's question, she tapped her chin in thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. We grow lots of tulips, though, at my mum's flower shop. People like to buy them for their own mums in springtime. Does your mum like tulips, too?" Daisy was quite the little chatterbox today, excited and inquisitive about every little thing. The magical world always made her feel that way, of course - but she also found that if she just kept talking, her chest didn't feel so tight and her eyes didn't dart into the dark shadows as much. Plus, talking about her mother's flowers was almost as good as being with them and her, and that's when Daisy always felt most at peace.
Ollie smiled at her again, which helped her feel at peace here, too. Just a little bit. At least she wasn't in trouble. When he told her more about the billywig, she looked back up at him in awe. To her, that was amazing! There was no Muggle bug that could make you levitate, as far as she knew. Not that Daisy was at all interested in levitating - Jasmine told them all about broomsticks and Daisy wasn't so sure about the whole flying thing yet. She would want to watch how Rose did it first.
"It's probably just a defense mechanism, you know," Daisy said matter-of-factually as the pair left the billywig behind. "Most bugs don't mean any harm. They get scared just like us and they have to protect themselves because they're little." She didn't know if that was true of magical bugs, really, but it was true of a lot of the bugs she knew. Why was she telling Ollie this, though? No idea. Daisy just really liked bugs and she wanted other people to not be so afraid.
Under Ollie's protection, Daisy didn't feel afraid, either. Even when they had to move back up Knockturn Alley with no shiny bug distraction, she felt safe with him. And she did eventually get another distraction - his wand! Daisy held it gingerly and with much reverence, looking it over like some ancient treasure. It was crazy how something so ordinary could be so powerful - and have a personality! That made Daisy smile, thinking a piece of wood could be stubborn or faithful. But really, she believed it. She'd certainly already learned weirder things about the wizarding world. "Have you had the same wand your whole life?" She asked, handing it back (she was afraid something might happen if she held it too long). Ollie's anecdote about his friend's wand made Daisy clap her hands together in excitement. "Ooooh, that sounds lovely. I'd like that. Or maybe something from a fruit tree."
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 9:38:55 GMT
Aha. Her mum ran a flower shop, that explained the affinity for flower names, and perhaps the young one's apparent love of nature. It became obvious throughout their conversation that she was fond of natural things, bugs and real grapes and other sorts of flowers. There was a very brief flicker of sadness over Ollie's otherwise gentle and serene face, so quick that one would have missed it if they blinked. His own mum was long gone and when he thought back to her sometimes he felt just a little bit heavy in his chest. "She loves them." he nodded, returning back to his easy and smiling demeanor. He actually couldn't remember her favorite flower, she'd been dead so many years, but that wasn't something to delve into now. It bothered him that he'd forgotten things about his parents but he had a job to do, get the girl back to where she belonged and that's what he focused on.
Speaking of the child, she had a kind spirit. Someone who had compassion for insects was something special, perhaps she'd find herself in Hufflepuff next September. "That makes sense." he commented, eyeing the billywig. "You can't squash it if you're floating above it, can you?" If one thought about it, a wand was sort of a wizard's 'stinger' in a way. They used it to protect themselves. And to summon objects. And shoot sparks. In a way, it wasn't a perfect analogy.
Daisy held his wand as if she was afraid she might break it. "They're more durable than they look." His old trusty wand had survived many falls, drops, and an explosion or two. Magic was very volatile especially when wizards were hurling it with the intent to maim each other. The conversation about wands seemed to work well to keep her mind off the scary atmosphere and the occasional leering, hunched over witch or wizard. When she passed it back Ollie tucked it away in it's pocket, nodding with an "Mmhm. I've had my wand since I was your age. It doesn't get as much use as it used too, though." He stopped, raised Muriel, his right hand, and drew a circle in the air as he cast a wordless and wandless Orchideous charm to conjure a single daisy. Ollie caught the flower as it fell and handed it to the girl. "I don't always need my wand for magic." Her love of nature shined through once again as she hoped for a wand from a fruit tree. "I hear Pear wands are nice, the meaning isn't too bad either."
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Post by Daisy Watson on Nov 28, 2016 17:06:24 GMT
Daisy did blink, and she did miss the brief passing of sadness over Ollie's face - which, in the grand scheme of things, was probably a good thing. Otherwise the girl would have stopped right there and devoted the rest of their day to helping him not be sad anymore and they wouldn't have gotten anything else done. Daisy was a helper, even when people didn't ask for it. She just thought she could tell when they needed it. When she looked back up at Ollie, though, he was smiling. "They're very pretty," she smiled back.
"Exactly," Daisy nodded, sending her curls bouncing. See, Ollie got it. She knew he would. She knew he was a nice person - people that helped lost little girls and didn't squash bugs couldn't be anything else but nice, right?
It helped that he indulged her in her excitement over everything magical, too. Even this plain-looking magical wand was amazing to her and holding it in her hand was an experience. It simultaneously felt like a twig she could snap between her fingers at anytime, and also something strong and alive in her palm. Almost like a little friend. Daisy tilted her head up at Ollie quizzically when he said his wand didn't get much use anymore. She watched him with her eyebrows scrunched together when they stopped and he--
Holy cats! He made a flower appear out of thin air! He didn't even use his wand! Daisy's mouth was hanging open as she took the daisy from him. "Did you just do that with your hand? Wow! Can all wizards do that?" Daisy stared in awe down at the flower - yep, a real flower - as they began to walk again, before tucking it in her hair. This was all just too exciting. Flowers out of nowhere, wands that smelled like lilac...even woods had different meanings in this world. "What does it mean?" She asked. And then, after a pause, "Mister Ollie? You're really smart. And you have that badge. What's your job?"
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2016 2:48:28 GMT
Ollie's flower conjuring magic trick had it's exact intended result. Daisy, his new little friend, was amazed and he was quite pleased with himself. It was a pretty impressive skill if he did say so himself, something he worked very hard to achieve. He preferred to go Wandless when he could, the magic felt more personal as it was flowing directly from him and not through a wooden conduit. It felt more in control, like the power was a part of him. He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "If they take the time to learn it, I'm sure everyone could." It took discipline and dedication to learning it, but he didn't see why everyone couldn't pick up the skill. Dead useful, wandless magic was. He was never truly defenseless, even if someone relieved him of the poisonwood wand.
What did it mean? He wracked his brains to remember the exact wording. He'd read about wands and their woods in a book once while learning to use magic without one. "Pear looks for a witch it can respect. I think it'd like how nice you are to bugs." The child was a precious little thing and he thought any wand might take an instant liking to her. "Mine's made of Poisonwood. It's all about strength and perseverance. Do you know what core you're hoping for?" Cores were just as important as the wand's wood, they worked together to make a good companion. "Unicorn tail hair's the most common. Mine..." he tapped his coat pocket. "Is dragon heartstring."
His job? Ah. Ollie pressed his lips into a thin, thoughtful line as he figured out the best way to describe it. From her excitement over magic and unfamiliarity with Knockturn he figured she was likely a muggleborn, which made it all the more important to get her where she was supposed to go. Anti Creature and Being sentiments were all the rage, but anti muggleborn sentiments lurked underneath them, left over from Voldemort's reign and waiting for a chance to come out of hiding. The sort of person who would judge a person's worth by the 'purity' of their blood was not someone he trusted to leave a child alone. "I'm sort of like a wizard police officer." More like wizarding SWAT but he wasn't all that familiar with the muggle law enforcement heigharchy to make a better association.
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Post by Daisy Watson on Nov 29, 2016 6:59:41 GMT
"I want to learn how to do that. But I want to learn with my wand first. I definitely want a wand," Daisy nodded to herself. Best not to get too far ahead of herself. To Muggles (and Muggleborns), witches and magic wands went hand-in-hand. Daisy definitely wasn't going to miss out on that opportunity - even if the most powerful wizards and witches in the movies and stories always did their magic with their hands. She was going to have to learn how to even do magic first before she got to that stage. "You must be a powerful wizard," she commented offhandedly. "But you seem kinda young. Your beard's not even grey."
Daisy grinned with pride at the thought that her wand might even respect her. She would certainly respect it - she made a silent vow to herself, right then and there, to never ever break her first wand. "Bugs and trees do go kinda hand and hand," she commented, tilting her head. Wands were technically dead trees...but maybe they didn't mind so much. Getting chopped down to become a powerful magical wand had to be a pretty sweet deal.
"I think that fits you," the girl offered on the topic of poisonwood's properties. Ollie seemed strong - and perseverance was one of her vocabulary words from last year that she couldn't quite remember the meaning of, but it sounded like a good thing and Ollie was probably that, too. On the topic of cores, Daisy tapped her chin, grinning with pure giddiness (again, for the thousandth time since she found out from her sister) at the confirmation that unicorns were actually real. And dragons! Daisy could not wait for Hogwarts, when the topic of learning about these magical creatures came up. All her dreams, come true. "I think I'd like a unicorn tail hair. Dragon heartstrings sound...loud?"
Ollie took a moment to answer her about his job, but Daisy wasn't worried. In her eyes, there was no way he could be a bad guy anymore. When he said 'wizard police officer', she nodded like she knew all along. "I thought so. Is this mostly what wizard police officers do, know lots of stuff and help lost girls? It doesn't seem like there are too many bad-guy wizards and witches. You all seem too nice." This, coming from the mouth of the girl just found wandering in none other than Knockturn Alley. Daisy was truly naive sometimes. But in her defense - Jasmine hadn't really told them about the Dark underbelly to the wizarding world yet.
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