Books, Broomsticks and Butterbeer Oh My! ((Jim))

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione was excited for the day ahead of her. It was finally time that she could bring Jim to Diagon Alley with her, so he could see a part of the Wizarding world. It had taken some time, since she had needed to talk to Minerva McGonagall and Arthur Weasley, and sign off a few scrolls to bring a Muggle to Diagon Alley. But Hermione had followed the letter of the Wizarding laws in these regards, so there was no worries on her end.

She had decided to open the PINpoint portal in her own home, a small cottage located in Wiltshire. After all, it was best that a portal wasn't open in Diagon Alley, where any wizard or witch could discover it, and try to gain access to the Nexus themselves.

Hermione send out a quick message to Jim, hoping that he was available.

Good morning! Feel up to exploring some of the magical world with me? Hermione

Comments

[mudblood_andproud]

"Articles of clothing can be woven with the shielding charm in them, if you have any interest in something like that." Hermione offers.

[boldygoing]

Jim considers it, but shakes his head. "I don't think that'd work. I go through a lot of uniforms. Thanks though."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Anything else you want to see at Hogsmeade? Or would you like to head back to London and go into Diagon Alley."

[boldygoing]

"Nothing jumped out at me, but if there's something you want to show me, I'm game." He smiles at her.

[mudblood_andproud]

"Let's stop at Honeydukes and pick up some sweets, then we will catch the train back to London." Hermione leads him back to the main streets of Hogsmeade.

Then she leads him into the sweet shop. Immediately, they were surrounded by shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable.

"Some of these are magical sweets, so ask before you taste test," Hermione advised.

[boldygoing]

Jim leaves the training wand tucked into his waistband, lightly concealed beneath the hem of his jacket, as they return to town. He hasn't been in a candy shop... possibly ever, and he turns around in a slow circle to take it all in, not even sure what half the things he's looking at are.

"Because they'd do something to me?" he guesses at her warning.

[mudblood_andproud]

"Not really to you, but some have area affects, like there are bubblegums that will fill the store with bubbles. Or others are animated, like the Chocolate Frogs and the Licorice Whips. And others might have a taste that you have never imagined before."

Hermione picks up a box of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "Like these. When we say every flavour... we mean it. You could eat a jelly bean that tastes pleasant like strawberries or cotton candy, or something unpleasant, like snot flavored."

[boldygoing]

"Really? Why would anyone... kids, right." Yeah, that makes sense.

Jim wanders through the aisles, looking at the various sweets on offer. "You said some are animated. They're not alive, just magicked to act like it, right?"

[mudblood_andproud]

"Right. The Chocolate Frogs are a good example of that." She leads him off to an area, where there are a few unboxed Chocolate Frogs that are hopping around a habitat.

[boldygoing]

Jim leans towards the display, a little disturbed at how lifelike the movements are. He can easily remember having to catch small animals like this to survive, and now that he's looking at ones made out of actual chocolate, he doesn't quite know how to feel about this.

"That's bizarre."

[mudblood_andproud]

"You can buy the Chocolate Frogs in a collectors box, each one holds a frog and a Wizard Card, detailing a famous wizard or witch. I know of a few people who try to collect the whole set of cards."

[boldygoing]

"I've never really understood the whole collector thing, but good luck to them." He looks up at her and smiles slightly. "So, you said something about flavors I won't recognize?" That's what he'd really go for, assuming they're good flavors anyway.

[mudblood_andproud]

"Well, there is the Fizzing Whizbees, which are rumored to be made with dried Billywig stings. The Acid Pops, which will actually burn a hole in your tongue. There are the Sugared Butterfly Wings, which are made from organic butterflies, organic dark chocolate, milk, sugar, and coconut. The Bat's Blood Soup, which I am told tastes like blood." Hermione lists off a few of the sweets in the store.

[boldygoing]

"Who would want to eat something that'd burn a hole through your tongue?" Jim exclaims in mild misbelief. Wizards get weirder the more he learns about them.

[mudblood_andproud]

"Those are given as practical jokes..." Hermione rolls her eyes.

[boldygoing]

Jim shakes his head. Unbelievable. "I'll trust you to make me some recommendations that aren't gonna be harmful."

[mudblood_andproud]

"I am not the practical joke type." Hermione selects two servings of never-melt ice cream. She also picks up Salt Water Taffy, candyfloss and a bag of Honeydukes Mix. There are two of each things that she had selected.

"Anything you are curious about?" She asks Jim, before she heads to the counter to pay.

[boldygoing]

"The sugared butterfly wings sound interesting." Many people are squeamish about eating bugs and bug-related products; Jim isn't one of them. "And I've never had pumpkin pasties before."

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione picks up both the sugared butterfly wings and a pumpkin pastie for Jim.

Then she takes everything to the counter to pay for everything.

"This will keep us covered in the sweet area for a little while." She is not rushing to eat her ice cream. Or worrying about giving Jim his.

[boldygoing]

"Provisions for the journey, right?" Jim says, giving her a teasing sort of look. If she's not worried about the ice cream melting, he won't either.

[mudblood_andproud]

"Well, I do have a picnic basket packed. So we can have lunch on the train." Hermione will place her items into her pouch. And give Jim his sweets, so he can place them into his backpack.

[boldygoing]

"Picnic on a train? I'm game." He's not entirely certain that's the standard way of doing things, but what the hell, today is Everything Is Weird day, apparently. Jim stashes his sweets in his shoulder bag, and follows her back to the train station.

[mudblood_andproud]

When they board the train, Hermione will guide him to one of the private cars in the back of the train. The car has plush benches. There is also a pull-down table, that they can use. Hermione will wait until the train starts moving, before pulling down the table and reaching into her pouch.

She pulls out a full picnic basket from that tiny pouch. And a glass container of white milk. "I made club sandwiches. And there is a fruit tray in here too."

[boldygoing]

Sandwiches are all right, but 'club' usually means bacon, and Jim inspects the sandwiches to see if that's the case. "How do you ever find anything in there?" he asks, gesturing towards her bag.

[mudblood_andproud]

It appears as Hermione made a vegetarian-style club sandwich. There is no bacon. No turkey. Instead, there is watercress and carrot salad and tomato in between the toasted pieces of bread.

"Would answering with 'magic' be too easy of an answer?" Hermione grins.

"I think of the object I am looking for, and it usually comes to me."