Madam Puddifoot's

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

Valora and Lucille entered Madam Puddifoot's just in time. It was starting to drizzle and Valora was still wearing her short and t-shirt from earlier in the day, when the sun was out.

The little shop was packed full of people and finding a table was hard. Valora looked around and saw one in the corner, out of the way from everything, and everybody, else.
"Does this table look good?" Valora asked as she flicked a piece of uneaten bread off the table.
Disgusting. Somebody really needs to do their job a bit better.
Before Lucille could answer, Valora sat down at the table and began to drum her fingers on the table. She was quite nervous, hanging out with a Slytherin wasn't always easy...but who was she to label Lucille? Valora herself was often misunderstood. She just wondered what people would think of her later. Everyone knew that it was Valora's dream to become a Slytherin, she hoped they wouldn't assume that she was following Lucille around out of envy.

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:55 pm

Lucille nodded at Valora, flicking her wand at the bread crumbs and throwing them off the table. The place was packed full of people, most of them students from Hogwarts, though it was harder to tell since none were wearing school robes. She settled herself down on a chair across Valora, looking out the window, which was foggy and drizzled with rain from the outside.

She was still thinking about the Fool's Ball. Icky was out of the question, he probably wouldn't even attend. Sigh. Well, at least she had a potential friend...she didn't care if people thought it weird for her to be friends with a Ravenclaw.

A nervous-looking dwarf waitress bobbed her way to their table and asked, in a rather shaky voice, "W-What would ye b-b-be orderin', misses?" Lucille looked at her curiously, then answered, "White tea for me. How 'bout you?" She glanced at Valora.

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

Valora watched as a scrawny dwarf wobbled towards the table.
"I will have the same, and can you bring me some extra sugar?" Valora said to the waitress.
The dwarf nodded her head and scurried off. Valora looked around, everything was decorated in honor of the upcoming Fool's Ball. Dancing couples in beautiful attire swirled and twirled around in the pictures on the walls. Valora saw a pair kiss out of the corner of her eye.
Damnit, I was trying to get away from all this crap...
Valora looked over at Lucille, "Depressing, isn't it?" she nodded towards all the decorations.

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:45 pm

Lucille laughed lightly. "Yeah, it is," she agreed, nodding at the poster of a couple kissing. "Cut it out, will you? There are first years here," she sneered at the moving pictures, and they instantly stopped and resumed dancing, though they looked quite annoyed.

She took out a licorice wand Valora had given her earlier and started eating it, waiting for their tea to arrive. The only downside to Madam Puddifoot's was there was no Firewhiskey available, and Lucille loved that drink. "Are you pure-blood?" she asked Valora out-of-the-blue. "No offense." She looked around suspiciously, as if expecting some Muggle-born to yell in anger.

She just needed to get that question out of her head. She believed in the importance of blood purity, but tried not to talk about it, since that controversy usually started arguments. Besides, there were fewer pure-blood families now, after the war.

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

Valora giggled at Lucille's question. She knew it would arise sooner or later.
"I am pure." Valora said. "I should have been a Slytherin, honestly. But the bloody hat thought differently."
Valora blushed at her confession. If Lucille hadn't known that Valora envied Slytherins, she did now.
"No use in asking you, I already know the answer. You must be a pure blood."

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:01 pm

Lucille sighed with relief. It somehow felt more comfortable talking to Valora knowing that she was pure-blood. "Ha, well, yes...I am pure-blood. I don't mind talking to those who aren't, but I try not to get too close."

She shrugged and looked around again, wondering if she could spot a familiar face in the crowd. She turned back to Valora and said, "Oh, I did hear some rumors about you. Some girl in the corridors called you a Slytherin-wannabe, or something." Lucille rolled her eyes. "I understand if you didn't want to be put into Ravenclaw, though. I know of people who hate their own houses."

The dwarf waitress came wobbling back to them, setting down two cups of tea from her heavy tray. "Jus' leave some m-m-money on yer t-table when yer done, misses!" she said jumpily, "Just five s-sickles each! I'll b-b-be off now!"

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

Valora blushed when Lucille mentioned her wanting to be a Slytherin. It was true, but embarrassing to not be 100% loyal to her own house. She watched as the waitress came to the table with their drinks.
"Damnit my tea is cold. She's not getting a tip from me." Valora waved her wand and with a few mumbled words, her tea was steaming again. She watched as Lucille looked around the tea shop.

OOC: Sorry for the short posts, it is getting late here, and I am tired xDD

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:49 pm

"Damnit my tea is cold. She's not getting a tip from me."

Lucille giggled and charmed her own cup of tea to make it nice and warm. She took a sip, thinking. Why did Valora want to be put into Slytherin? Maybe she had a fight with a Ravenclaw or...? Gah. Lucille hated having to think about things. She would just ask her.

"So what's with wanting to be a Slytherin?" she asked coolly, stirring her cup around and watching the tea leaves swirl. "Ravenclaw isn't such a bad house." She nodded to herself and took another sip. Mmm...yup, this tea was good. Maybe the dwarf would get five knuts from her.

((ooc: That's fine, I do short posts too. xD))

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

"So what's with wanting to be a Slytherin?" Lucille asked as she swirled her tea "Ravenclaw isn't such a bad house."
Ugh.
Valora hated this topic. It meant she had to talk about her parents, she hated doing that.
"Well, I suppose it is mostly because my mother was a Slytherin. The rest of my family was all sorted into Ravenclaw. I've always wanted to be just like my mother, we are a lot alike you know? Or at least, that's what my grandmother says..." Valora thought of her grandmother.
I wonder what she is doing right now, probably shooing the garden gnomes off her lawn. Pesky little things.
She sipped her tea and let herself think for a bit. How much could she trust this Lucille? Nobody really knew much about her life outside of Hogwarts, and usually nobody asked.

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:14 pm

Wait...was Valora's mother...? Oh. Maybe she was. Lucille furrowed her eyebrows and thought of what Valora said. Or at least, that's what my grandmother says. So perhaps Valora's mother was...not alive anymore. Lucille just nodded. She knew the feeling. Her father...well, she didn't want to think about him now.

"I see," she said quietly, staring at the tea leaves as they formed an odd shape, like that of a cross. "You live with your grandma, huh?" It was a casual question, wasn't it? She didn't want to dwell on the topic of death. In fact, she didn't want to talk about anything that was even vaguely related to her own family. She stirred the leaves to ruin the cross shape.

She looked up uneasily at Valora, wondering if she had a less-than-pretty story, too.

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

"Oh yea, I live with her. She is absolutely wonderful. She has the whole grandma thing down, you know? Cookies, goodnight kisses, and all that jazz." Valora smiled for a bit and then it faded. "But, I'm not really sure how much longer she will be around. She told me once that she bought herself an oven mitt that was said to last a lifetime. Everytime she looks at it, her face becomes a bit more pale. The oven mitt is falling apart now, and I have a feeling she thinks of it as herself." Valora sighed. "I just hope she doesn't get to 'leaving' too soon. I would like to be out of school first." Valora smiled again, the thought of graduating filled her with joy.
"I really can't wait to be out of this crap hole."
Valora looked up at Lucille, who was still stirring her tea. Had she rambled on for too long? She hoped she hadn't said anything too personal and was going to scare Lucille off.

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:28 pm

Lucille thought of her own grandma. She wasn't very...grandma-ish, she was rich and rather classy for an old woman, but she was still very nice. Lucille frowned when Valora told her about the oven mitts.

"Oh, don't say that...maybe you could sew the mitts up so they'll look nice and strong," she said, silently laughing at her silly idea. "I kind of like this crap hole," she added, smirking just a little, not at Valora, but at herself. It was true. Hogwarts was a place where she actually felt happy. Being home with her mum was great, but it reminded her too much of her dad.

"But I'm excited to graduate, it'll be so awesome," she said, "But I'll have to pass my N.E.W.T.s first...that is, if I qualify to take them..."

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

Valora smiled. She always excelled in her classes.
"I am not too worried about the N.E.W.T.s, I have plenty of confidence that I will do well. Do you have any plans for after school?"
Valora pondered the question for herself a bit, as she waited for Lucille's answer. Valora had always wanted to just be a mom, one that stuck around, unlike her own. She fantasized about having a large family, five children with a utterly handsome husband. She thought of herself looking out the window and watching them all play outside, while her husband barbecued hotdogs using the Incendio spell.

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:59 pm

Of course she has plenty of confidence about stuff like that, she's a Ravenclaw! Lucille smirked but didn't say it aloud. Not that she was annoyed, no, but she wished she had brains like Valora's. She was not dumb; she actually was very smart for a Slytherin...but still. She failed in Muggle Studies, and barely passed Care of Magical Creatures.

"Plans?" Lucille repeated the word in her mind. Plans. "No," she answered, shaking her head, "Not yet...how about you?" She wondered why Valora suddenly had a faraway look about her. Was she thinking of something, or someone? Hmm...Come to think of it, Lucille always wanted to be Ministress of Magic, or at least work at the Ministry.

Or be a Death Eater. Haha, yeah. That could work.

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

"Oh, I have a lot of plans. Mostly I just want to settle down though. Strange for a wizard, right? I just always thought it would be nice to have a big family. I might make a good mom someday..." Valora smiled at the thought, she knew she would be a good mother, but she didn't want to sound so sure. She looked around and noticed the tea shop had become fairly empty. Only a few strangers sat around the tables now.
"It's getting sort of late, do you need to get back to school for anything?"

Subject: Re: Madam Puddifoot's Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:17 pm

Mother...Lucille wondered if she would be a good mother. But then that would mean she would have a husband. And she was irked by unmarried couples having children. So...she'd need to get married. But who...? She put down her cup, pushing the thoughts away.

"It's getting sort of late, do you need to get back to school for anything?"

Lucille nodded, though she didn't really have anything to do back at school, she'd rather go back than stay and sleep at the Three Broomsticks inn . "Yeah, we should get going," she said while rummaging through her wallet, "The rest of the Hogwarts students must be ready to leave, we won't want to be left behind."

She took out five Sickles and put them on the table, waiting for Valora. She turned her head and realized there was only six other people now in the tea shop - three Ministry of Magic wizards, two small children, and a happy-looking hag.

Posts : 335 Join date : 2009-03-10 Age : 33 Location : USA

Valora waved off Lucille's sickles.
"I told you it was my treat, plus I suppose she could use a tip."
Valora peered over at the dwarf waitress and noticed how ragged her clothes were. Did she want to dress that way? Valora pondered and decided that nobody could possibly intentionally dress themselves to look like that, unless they had no other choice.
Valora placed 20 galleons on the table and walked away.
There's my good deed for the day.
She followed Lucille out of the door and onto the rainy sidewalk.