Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

[Lily Evans]

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[Violet Lockwood]

Violet is here with a massive waffle cone stacked absolutely full of mint chocolate chip. She's found a nice corner seat by the window, though the sunlight filtering in is making her ice cream melt a bit faster than she would like. That doesn't stop her from eating slowly in her normal yet strange way though, as she's using a tiny spoon to excavate most of the chocolate chips out, eating those before eating the minty green ice cream. If anyone happens to be bored, she wouldn't be opposed to a new friend to join her for some dairy deliciousness.

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda walks in to the ice cream parlour, standing up straight and walking purposefully. When she sees that no one who would disapprove of her eating ice cream in public is present, she orders a bowl of black cherry ice cream from the counter, her mother's voice echoing in her head. One must always eat like a lady; ice cream cones for children, Andromeda, and while you may be a child, you are a Black and therefore not a common ruffian. She notices a girl around her age sitting at a table; deciding that she wants company this afternoon, she walks over to the table. "Do you mind if I sit here?" Andromeda asks.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet glanced up from her mess of melting green ice cream, and offers the unfamiliar girl a genuine smile. "Of course not." Kicking the chair across from her out away from the table a little, she wordlessly invites the girl to join her. "What kind did you get?" She glances at the girl's bowl, trying to figure which of the many types of ice cream had been heaped inside. She spent a lot of time here when she could, and prided herself on knowing all the flavors on sight, as useless as the ability was. "Black cherry is it? I've never been much of a fan of cherry, but that does look delicious."

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda smiled politely as she sat down across from Violet. "Yes - how did you know? It's one of my favorites; I get it whenever I can," Andromeda said. She ate her ice cream in small spoonfuls, letting each bite melt slowly on her tongue; she rarely ever ate the delicious dessert and had to savor it when she could. "What kind is yours?" she asked, looking at the green mixture in the girl's cone. It looked tasty, though the color seemed a bit unnatural to Andromeda.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet shrugged, glancing around the shop for a moment before poking her ice cream with her tiny spoon again. "I'm in here a lot." She dug out a few more chocolate chips successfully, well, almost successfully. She dropped one on the table and mourned the loss. There were never quite enough little chocolate pieces for her taste, and a wasted one was a terrible crime. She was brought out of her silly momentary sadness quickly as the other girl spoke up again. "Oh, mint chocolate chip. One of my favorites. I suppose my favorites would also have to include chocolate frog chunk, lemon sherbet, triple chocolate cauldron bubble, and the new coffee kind." She nodded, thinking that must be the complete list of her favorites. "I'm Violet by the way. Violet Lockwood." She extended her hand to the other girl, after checking to make sure there was no sticky ice cream on it. That wouldn't do at all, especially since this girl seemed so proper.

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda watched the chocolate chip fly across the table. She carefully scooped up the chip using her napkin. "Andromeda Black," she replied, shaking the girl's hand. "I wish I could visit here more often, though I doubt my mother would approve of that. I like the idea of coffee-flavored, though the cauldron bubble and chocolate frog ones seem interesting." Andromeda looked closely at Violet, trying to see if she recognized her from Hogwarts. "What house are you in?" she asked, hoping the answer was not Gryffindor or Hufflepuff; she doubted her family would approve of acquaintances from those houses.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet hardly noticed as the girl wiped up the chocolate chip she dropped. "But that's all the more reason to come, isn't it?" She laughed, scooping a bit of the ice cream that had dripped over the edge of the cone, putting it back on top with the rest. "The cauldron bubble is fun, it sort of pops and crackles a little in your mouth, like it's bubbling while you eat it. And not to mention how much chocolate is in it." She smiled, licking her ice cream since she had gotten most of the chocolate chips out. "I'm in Slytherin, though I've only been at Hogwarts for a little while. I was home schooled before, well, sort of. It's complicated." She shook her head as if to dismiss it. "What about you? Slytherin as well?"

[Andromeda Black]

"Chocolate is always delicious, though I prefer dark chocolate, especially from Honeydukes," Andromeda said. She liked the bitterness of it, how it wasn't completely sweet, and Honeydukes always made the best chocolate. "Yes, I'm in Slytherin too." She was silently grateful that they were in the same house - it made social interaction much simpler. She found Violet charming and wanted to continue interacting with her. "Do you like Hogwarts? I can't imagine being home schooled; I'd miss the freedom that comes from living in the castle."

[Violet Lockwood]

The smile on Violet's face grew. "I've got to agree with you there. Honeydukes is one of my favorite places in the world." It had been such a great surprise to find Honeydukes in Hogsmeade the first time she visited there with her classmates at Hogwarts. She had gone alone of course, having been slow at making friends and not keen on talking to strangers at first, but it had been wonderful. "I do like it at Hogwarts. Lack of freedom is definitely an understatement though, I couldn't get away with anything back there. Lack of any real friends too unfortunately, but it's looking much better this year and I'm excited for start of term coming up. Are you here to pick up some things during the last bit of summer, or just for fun?"

[Andromeda Black]

"I'm glad you're enjoying Hogwarts. Have you been to the Three Broomsticks yet? If you haven't, I'd love to show you it," Andromeda said, smiling at Violet. She felt a twinge of pity for the poor girl with very few friends; Andromeda could understand how that could happen in Slytherin house. She herself had very few genuine friends, apart from her sisters and a few cousins. "Oh, I'm picking up a few things for myself - mainly books. I'm like a Ravenclaw when it comes to them. What about you?"

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet grinned. "I haven't. I'd love to go with you sometime if you don't mind!" She took a large bite from her ice cream cone, finally figuring she had better eat it before it turns to soup in her hand. "Today I'm just getting a few potions supplies that I've run out of. Tomorrow though I think I'll start getting some new quills and things like that. And maybe our book lists will arrive soon and I can go ahead and get those. I'll have to go by Gringotts for those first though. Bloody expensive, our books." She leaned a little closer, lowering her voice a bit. "And to be honest, the goblins sort of freak me out. They always look at me like I'm the most vile thing ever, and with their pointy little teeth? I just feel like they want to eat me and leave my bones in the bottom of their caverns or something." She blinked, sitting up again, and glancing awkwardly at her ice cream. "Sorry if that sounded weird."

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda never worried about the cost of her school supplies; as a Black, her family could afford the best and a little more. Goblins, on the other hand... "No, I understand. They are certainly...intriguing creatures," Andromeda said, shuddering at Violet's mention of Gringott's workers. She had never been particularly fond of them and their peculiarities: their obsession with gold, their almost possessive nature when it came to goblin-made treasures. While many of her prejudices could be explained by her pureblood upbringing, Andromeda knew that she would dislike goblins, even if she were from a Muggle family. "What year are you in?" Andromeda asked.

[Violet Lockwood]

"Intriguing is one word for them," Violet chortled, quickly eating some more of her ice cream before it melted. She nibbled away the cone to catch up with the shrinking level of ice cream inside it. "I'll be a seventh year. Sort of scary and sad in a way, to think that this will be my last year at Hogwarts. Not sure what I'll do after, but I suppose I've got all year to figure that out. Parents left me a vault full of money, but I know it won't last forever. Besides, I couldn't be happy just sitting around with endless money, anyway. I want to do something with my life, you know? What about you? Er, the year I mean. Though if you know what you want to do and want to share that as well, I'd like to listen."

[Andromeda Black]

"I'll be starting my seventh year as well. It's rather frightening, to think that it's almost the end of my schooling," Andromeda said. Now that she thought about, Violet did look vaguely familiar. "Ideally, I'd like to be a producer of Healing Potions, which involves gaining experience related to both fields. Though I doubt I will be able to fulfill these ambitions if I find the match my parents desire." Whether Andromeda desired the life of a pureblood housewife was irrelevant; it was what was expected of her, and therefore it was what she would do. Besides, many wives had small side businesses - nothing extremely profitable, more like a hobby to fill one's spare time. But that would have to wait until child rearing was completed and the children had begun their Hogwarts education.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet tilted her head, listening as she ate more of her ice cream cone, only having a little bit of it left in her hand by now, successfully not dripping any on the table despite the fact that most of what was left was simply green liquid. "Match or not, I don't see why it should matter if there's something you really want to do. Finding someone is nice and all, and marriage is great I suppose, but if you've got an idea of something to do with your life, I don't think anything should stop that. You should go for it." She nodded decisively, her mid going back to how she'd always been taught to do what she dreamed of, no matter what was expected of her. Of course it had gotten her in trouble while being home schooled with the other girls, but it was one thing from the happy days of her complicated childhood that she had kept tucked away in her mind.

[Andromeda Black]

"Thank you; I hope that you are right," Andromeda said, desperating wishing that Violet was right, but knowing that dreams, unless they were of marriage and future heirs, were foolish and unattainable goals for a girl of Andromeda's standing. Part of Andromeda had always dreamed of rebelling, becoming a cousin Sirius, but she was not a brave, foolish Gryffindor. She was a Slytherin, who knew that following that status quo was the safest and most secure option. "What classes are you taking this year?" Andromeda asked, trying to move the subject away from her future.

{I'm heading to bed, so this'll be my last post for tonight. Good night!}

[Walden Macnair]

Macnair had been walking down Diagon Alley when he passed Fortescues and noticed two girls by the window. Both were familiar to him and he stopped in a shadowy doorway opposite to watch for a while. The dark haired girl he knew to be Andromeda Black, on of the sisters and a fellow Slytherin at Hogwarts. He knew her older sister Bellatrix far better but he had enough knowledge of Andromeda to keep him satisfied for the itme being. It was the blonde girl sitting with her who interested him the most. The Lockwood girl, surrogate daughter of the late Bobby Lockwood, a famed duelist who had died years ago. He had seen her at meetings lately with one of the lesser families and had taken an interest in her. Though they had only had minimal contact he had been watching her during the meetings and the mock duels that took place after. She never pulled punches but he could also tell she was holding back, unwilling to show her full potential. An enigma to him, he couldn't help but stop for a while and continue his observations before carrying on to his initial destination.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet tried to give her a reassuring smile, but knew that it probably didn't help much by the look on Andromeda's face. She squinted a little in thought, looking off at nothing in particular as she tried to recall her classes for this year. "A bit of everything, really. It's all I could do since I've no clue yet what I want to do after. Well, not really. I have one idea, but I don't like to talk about that in such a place as this." She moved on quickly, brushing past that point as if she hadn't said it. "I've got potions, transfiguration, astronomy, defense against the dark arts, and arithmancy. Oh and I think I'm signed up for herbology as well but I can't remember." She finished off her ice cream and glanced out the window for a moment, and turned back to Andromeda. A second later however, she was looking out the window again, this time just peeking out the side of her eyes. There was someone standing across the street, and she could swear he was staring at her. He looked familiar, though she couldn't place him. Eventually he disappeared, and she tried to brush it from her mind, though she made note to try and find him to question him later about it. "What about you? Potions and herbology for sure, I assume?"

[Goodnight! More tomorrow evening!]

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda saw Violet glance behind her. Andromeda inclined her head slightly to see what had fascinated her. She recognized Walden Macnair; he was from a respected pureblood in their year, though one not at the level of the Blacks, but then most families only dream to attain the level of purity the Blacks have. She betrayed no sign of recognition and quickly turned back to Violet. "Of course, though convincing my parents that Herbology was acceptable for a young pureblood woman was difficult. In addition to that, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes." No Defense against the Dark Arts for her; anything she needed to learn she could learn from Bellatrix or one of her associates.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet grinned at the idea of this girl trying to talk her way into herbology class. "I can't imagine they were keen on the idea of you having dirt under your fingernails." Thoughtlessly she reached for Andromeda's hand, turning it so she could check her fingernails. "Perfect as I expected. I'm sure your mother wouldn't be pleased to see them right after class." She laughed softly, relinquishing Andromeda's hand and returning her own hands to her lap where she picked at her fingernails nervously. Hers were almost never nice, and had never ever been as flawless as Andromeda's looked. It came with her history she supposed. "Ancient Runes? That's another I'd thought about taking, only it conflicted with something else, I think. Sort of disappointing. It always seemed like such an interesting class. Not sure what exactly it would be useful for, but then again, anything's useful when you don't know what to expect for the future."

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda smiled politely as Violet examined her nails; they were left their natural color and kept at a reasonable length - long, but not too long to be cumbersome in her everyday activities. Normally, she would be annoyed by Violet's sudden gesture, but the girl seemed sweet and slightly innocent. "I convinced them that Herbology was a good hobby for a housewife. Ancient Runes is fascinating; it gives a completely perspective on history and literature, being able to read them in their original languages. It's useful in Potions, especially when dealing with recipes for older Potions. You can form a recipe based on the original notes, not someone's translation." Andromeda loved academia and the culture that came with it.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet listened, fully interested in what Andromeda had to say about Ancient Runes. She nodded, and her eyes were wide with intrigue. "So you prove me completely wrong, it's not slightly pointless at all. I never thought about it that way. But you're absolutely right, the originals of old potions or stories or text books, that would be grand to be able to read those versions. Hm," she made a sort of pondering face, biting on her lip like she did when she was really concentrating. "I think I may be able to rearrange my schedule a bit to fit that in. It would certainly be worth it, now that you've opened my eyes to all the uses of Ancient Runes. I should thank you. So, thank you!" She laughed, and a warm happiness covered her expression. "Also, er, even though it might not be my place to say, I still say you're too good to just be a housewife, even if that was just an excuse you gave your mother. I hardly know you, and yet I must admit you seem like the sort of person who could really do some incredible things in your life." She shrugged nonchalantly, as if this were the sort of things that new acquaintances told each other all the time. Violet lived by the philosophy that if you had something to say, you'd better just say it, because tomorrow was never guaranteed and your thoughts ought to be shared while you still can share them.

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda knew that while the majority of the world thought that she would make a terrible housewife, those closest to her saw it as her inevitable fate. In her deepest, most private fantasies, she spent the next five years of her life training to become a Potion's Master and Healer simultaneously, instead of planning her wedding and producing at least one heir for her husband. However, she would never share those dreams with anyone; Occulmency tended to keep those foolish ideas hidden from the most prying eyes. "Thank you," Andromeda said politely. "I wish you were right, but being a housewife isn't so bad." And if she said it enough, she would begin to believe it herself.’

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet smirked a little, shrugging lightly. "If you say so. It's certainly not for me, but I suppose I admire a woman who could be a good housewife. I'm terrible at cooking and keeping a home and things normal girls like me are supposed to be able to do. Pureblood or not, I'm not so sure the whole 'finding a suitable match' thing will work for me. Who'd want a nearly nameless orphan anyway, no matter what my blood apparently is?" She laughed, hiding how she hated not knowing who her parents were. "If that's what you're going for in life though, I wish you the best of luck. Merlin knows it's not a job I could do, the whole 'wife' thing."

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