Ice Cream
Two weeks had passed before another owl had arrived. Lirum was smoothing out The apple wood handle of what would hopefully soon be Percy’s wand. When it appeared in the window above the work desk, again one Lirum did not recognise. They where sure at that point they would not be receiving replies from the Weasley’s. When they opened the letter they where happy to find Cedric had finally after two years of friendship sent them a letter.
Dear Lirum,
I bet you thought I got grounded again didn’t you. No, I’ve just been a bit busy. We've been practicing on my new broom for next years quidditch season. I got my prefect badge in today you know! Looks like we’ll get to bully Percy when we get back. Can’t wait for another game of Shag, Marry, Kill, this time with the whole prefects carriage to mortify the prude.
Cedric
“How did this boy get prefect?” Lirum joked to themself.
Dear Cedric,
How did you even get prefect, You trouble maker! Can you imagine us running around, not having to hide? The only worse people they could have chosen would be Fred or George. Although I suppose that would mean it would solve the sneaking out problem. Also why are you all so insistent on bullying Percy?
Lirum
They folded up the letter and tied it up to the Diggory’s family owl. As they picked up their tools to resume their work a barn owl took their place in the window.
“Is this what it’s like to have friends? If so, I'm not a fan of it.” Lirum muttered to themself opening the window to find another letter.
Dear Lirum,
I hope I’m not interrupting anything important. Me and gran are going to be in Diagon Alley next week for our school shopping. I was hoping you might want to see each other. I've sent Luna an owl as well to see if she’ll join us.
Neville longbottom.
They looked up from the letter at the clock on the wall to see it was time for lunch and made their way up to the kitchen. Taking there place, they sat down across from their grandfather. He was siting happily reading the daily profit as Lirum looked at the front page they read.
Black still at large
Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held at Azkaban fortress, is still alluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today “we are doing all we can to re capture black.” The Ministry of Magic Cornelius Fudge, this morning “and we beg the magical community to remain calm.”
“Oh Merlin!” Lirum said, taken aback. “I-I didn’t know you could do that! How’d he manage that?”
“No one did really.” Their grandfather spoke from across the table. “And I believe if they knew how he escaped he wouldn’t still be at large.”
“Well that’s fair I guess?” Lirum said awkwardly, grabbing something to eat. “I was going to ask, I know we’re coming up on the busy season and everything but-“
“You already have my blessing to go with the weasley boy-“ Mr. Ollivander chuckled.
“Well,” Lirum started, nervously.
“Not the Weasley boy?” He asked, eyebrows quirked.
“No, well yes also that-“ Lirum ranted for a moment before taking a deep breath. “I still want to go shopping with Percy, but Luna and Neville are coming next week. I’m not asking for all three days of course though just one day next week for Neville and Luna. Then the week after with Percy.” Lirum explained nodding.
“It would have been alright if you had wanted the three. You’re always here you haven’t left for a single day all summer that wasn’t an errand. Go! Have some fun! Just not too much fun, I can’t handle another kid.” He joked.
“Grandpa!” Lirum could feel the heat rising in their face. “That’s so inappropriate I would never! I was worried because there's a murderer on the loose and you’re worried I’m gonna sneak off to shag someone!”
“I don’t think that’s something you’ll need to worry about, and never is a very strong word. You’re fifteen going on sixteen-“ Lirum turned around and left before he could finish whatever nonsense he was going to claim.
As the next week passed Lirum put the final touches on Percy’s wand in between helping new first years coming into the shop looking for their very first wands and other students looking for minor wand repairs for cracks and wood splitting from mishandling or improper storage over the summer. That was until they heard the door open and in walked Neville and a surly looking older woman they thought must have been his gran.
“Neville, it's good seeing you! How was your summer.” Lirum asked, walking out from behind the counter.
“It’s been good with no Snape or potion’s assignments to worry about!” He said happily. He was still a bit round-faced but had sprouted up tall and let his hair grow out a bit. “We’ve almost finished our shopping! All we have left is to grab my books from Flourish and Blotts. We wanted to know if you’d like to come with us then go for ice cream at Florean’s?”
“I think that sounds lovely. I can go ahead and grab mine too while we’re there.” Lirum answered before peaking into the store room to say goodbye to their grandfather “Hey grandpa?”
“Yes dear?” He said holding a piece of birch wood up to the light testing it’s flexibility.
“Neville and his grandmother are here is it alright if I head out?” Lirum asked, watching as he lowered the wood out of the light and looked back at them in the door way.
“Of course dear, just be back by dark.” He said casually. When they stepped out they stood beside Neville’s grandmother who eyed them up and down.
“You must be Lirum. I have to thank you. I’ve heard you’re the only reason he scraped through potions last year.” Mrs. Longbottom said, leaving Lirum a bit shocked.
“You’re welcome, I guess? I did it for him though, he has talent. He just needs to overcome his fear.” They answered watching as she walked ahead ignoring Lirum.
“He’s never been good at magic. You don’t need to lie to me about it. Even I thought he was a squib as a child,” She insisted, leading the way down the street toward the book store.
“You’re wrong about that. The potential is there, if he just had-“ Lirum argued
“It’s alright, let’s just get our books so we can meet luna for ice cream.” Neville said quietly.
As they approached the store Lirum noticed the window, usually full of gold embossed spell books, now stood full of a giant metal cage full of fuzzy books that seemed to be attempting to tear each other to bits. A small sign read, ‘Monster book of Monsters’, beware they bite!
“Oh no! Please don’t tell me that’s-“
Hogwarts?” The manager yelled. “Come to get your new book!”
“Y-yes?” Neville answered as the manager charged towards them pushing past the two to get to the cage.
The man threw open the cage door and the books where snapping at him and each other wildly as he grabbed two of them and shoved them into bags.
“I just want one normal year. Is that too much to ask for? Now we have textbooks that bite!” Lirum ranted, grabbing one of the two bags.
“What else?” The Manager snapped at the two.
“I need-wait” Neville was patting the pockets of his robes anxiously.
“You’ve lost it haven’t you?” His grandmother snapped.
“It’s alright, we’ll need two copies of ‘The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts’ I need a Standard Book of Spells Grade Five and he’ll need Grade Three, Intermediate Transfiguration, Unfogging the Future,- did you pick up muggle studies or Ancient runes?”
“Both?” Neville answered nervously,
“Ah then he’ll need ‘Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles’ and ‘Ancient Runes Made Easy’ your list probably mentioned a rune dictionary but there's one in The library when we get back to school.” Lirum finished helping to pick up all of the books they’d need around the store.
“You remembered all that?” Mrs. Longbottom asked, before nodding toward Neville. “Maybe you do need two ravenclaws as your walking memory, since you don’t seem to have one.”
“Do you ever stop to question if the way you talk to him has anything to do with why he’s always so nervous?” Lirum snapped, crossing their arms and shooting their sharpest glare at the old hag.
“You have nerve too. I like your friend Neville.” She said before walking to the till and paying as if nothing had ever been said.
“Why are all the adults left in this world so bizarre.” Lirum asked themself following the longbottom’s down the street.
As they approached the ice cream parlour Mrs. Longbottom changed directions to go somewhere else as Neville and Lirum continued toward the shop. Soon they saw two very distinct figures. A short girl with long scraggly blond hair, and a tall brunette boy wearing a black and yellow pin on his everyday robes. It was Luna and Cedric who Lirum hadn’t seen all summer and missed dearly.
“I see you weren’t lying Mr. Hufflepuff Prefect!” Lirum joked as soon as he came into ear shot.
“Lirum!” Cedric and Luna cheered together happy to see their friends.
“Luna, you never wrote me a letter?” Lirum teased pulling the young girl into a hug.
“We don’t have an owl.” Luna chimed. “I would if we did.”
“You should have told me before we left for the summer I could have sent Grayson and asked him to wait for you.” Lirum argued as they took a seat at one of the tables.
“Grayson?” Luna asked as she took her seat next to Lirum.
“Yeah, That’s Lirum’s owl!” Cedric answered, sliding in to the booth across from Lirum.
“That’s what I did to tell you to meet us here. That’s why Tristan stayed to get your reply.” Neville said following Cedric into the booth and sitting across from Luna.
“That’s really nice of you to do for me, thank you.” Luna said making eye contact with Neville in a way Cedric and Lirum’s attention was snapped to each other.
“I-It was nothing really, I-I just wanted to be a good friend.” He replied, so nervous you could feel it.
“Oh I’m glad we chose the seats.” Cedric joked under his breath.
“This is gonna be fun. Is this what it’s like to sit next to me and Percy?” Lirum whispered, putting their hand up to act as a wall so the kids couldn’t hear them.
“Or like you and Fred.” Cedric teased, eyebrows wiggling. Joining Lirum in using his hand as a mini walk between them and Neville and Luna.
“There's nothing going on between me and fred!” Lirum argued, in a hushed tone.
“And there’s nothing going on between them if you ask Neville.” Cedric argued back.
“What are you two whispering about?” Neville asked, staring at the two prefects. Looking over their makeshift wall of hands.
“Wait! As prefects, how many people do you think we’re gonna catch snogging in closets?!” Cedric asked, excited. Lirum gasped.
“The Drama!” Lirum said, shocked. “How could Percy never tell me? That’s so much more motivation than what being a prefect could do for me after school.”
“You’re a prefect?” Luna asked head cocking to the side.
“I will be this year which means I’ll be making sure people aren’t sneaking out or doing anything dangerous.” Lirum explained.
“I am too! Don’t forget about me!” Cedric cheered.
“You didn’t even care about being a prefect until you just realised you’d get the first hand scoop on all the newest rumours.” Lirum teased, and he shrugged before another stroke of realisation crossed his face.
“Do you think that’s where most of the rumours come from?” Cedric asked, shocked.
“Well that, and the paintings I think?” Luna pondered.