June 21st, 1890 — Beachfront at the Sanditon Resort
Sunday Fudge

"Next summer you have to come with us to Egypt. Do you think your mother will let you?" Archie asked, turning the page of his parents' manuscript. It was filled with hand-drawn images as well as photographs that he couldn't remember being taken. It was one of his most prized possessions, as not only was it the product of his parents' lifelong goal, but also a history of his upbringing.

"You see those statues? I've been right there! You have to wear charmed shoes or else you'll sink into the sand. It's nothing like here," he explained. The Sanditon beaches were as beautiful as ever, and for once there was not a cloud in the sky. It was his only second week at the resort, but it felt like he and Sunday had explored the entire beachfront already. Now the two had spread out on a picnic blanket near the water's edge, surrounded by books and a collection of random rocks and shells they'd found, while Archie's parents were scribbling away at their notebooks a hundred feet back.

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"Oh, mummy might!" Sunday chirped as she reached into the basket to pull out the jug of pumpkin juice they'd been supplied with. She poured some into both their glasses before putting his beside him –– thank Merlin they had magic on their side, and the glasses were spelled to not tip over, even on the uneven terrain.

"At least I hope so, she knows how I long to visit far off lands, at least!" She took a sip from her glass with both hands before peering over at the drawings Archie was gesturing to. She glanced down at her own shoes and tapped the toes together in thought. "Does that mean Muggles have never been there then?" She mused, supposing they'd probably found out the hard way.

  

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Archie could only imagine what it would be like having Sunday in Egypt. She'd love it, of course, because she had the same love of adventure that he did. He was used to exploring with Gertrude, but there was a unique thrill in showing someone around a place they'd never been.

"Well, ask her then!" he piped, his mind already beginning to create a personal itinerary that he'd likely forget within the next hour. He picked up his glass of pumpkin juice and took a swig. They didn't have pumpkin juice in Egypt, but they did have mango juice, which was almost just as delicious and twice as sweet! Had Sunday ever tried a mango?

"You can tell her it'll be a learning experience. My papa will show you what charms are best to use in sandy environments, so you'll learn magic that you won't learn from Hogwarts. And not to mention all the history." He ran his finger over the image of the sand dunes, trying to remember how it felt. It was different from the Sanditon sand—much softer, and definitely hotter.

"No, they've been there. Mama always told me muggles have their own ways of getting around, but it's so inconvenient. It's much easier to do with magic." If only his parents would allow him to try magic next summer! He doubted it, because even though they'd broken muggle laws in Egypt, they were all about following British law. But then again, they wouldn't be on British soil, would they?

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Sunday wasn't sure how her mother would like her going off to Egypt without some sort of chaperone, but she knew it wasn't an impossibility. Not if she managed to convince her it would be to the benefit of her education! "I'll tell you what," she said, "I'll ask her on the final day that you and your parents are here. She might say yes, but it would help her if she knew your mum and dad better!"

She glanced down at the book again, blinking in curiosity. "You mean the Muggles manage to navigate the sand without magic?" She said, her interest piqued even further. She wondered if any wizard had tried to do it without magic.

  

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He could be content with that. The worst thing Sunday's mother could do was say no, and although it would be a disappointment, he hadn't come to the Sanditon with the expectations of having Sunday come with him next year. It would be fine. They had these two weeks to play and explore before his parents dragged him and his siblings back to their Hogsmeade home to wait out the rest of the summer. (That was plenty of time for his parents to get to now Mrs. (and Mr.?) Fudge.)

"Deal," he agreed with a warm smile before pushing the thoughts aside to focus on his book. Over the years, questions about muggles had popped up in the Diggory household. They were not particularly fond of muggles, but considered them a separate equal; they live parallel lives to wizards, and neither side would ever truly understand how the other lived.

"They do," he replied eagerly. "They have their own creatures to help them get across, and they have tools to prevent them from slipping. I've seen it myself!" If only his parents had included pictures of muggles in their manuscript!

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"Tools!" Sunday repeated, her eyes wide, a sandwich halfway up to her mouth as she marvelled at the resourcefulness of muggles. She glanced back at his parents - both of them immersed in their doodling.

"Have you talked to muggles before?" she asked Archie -- having grown up predominantly around magic-folk, she vaguely wondered what a conversation would be like with one who is entirely unaware magic exists.

  

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Archie's smile widened behind his book as he flipped through the pages in search of anything to do with muggles. If only his parents had been more interested in the locals; there was almost nothing about the non-magical folk that lived in the area!

"They don't have wands, so they have to use other things. Hammers and other hand tools. They have these wide slippers that their shoes fit into avoid sinking, but most of the time they use camels. My mother never let me talk to one, but I've seen my parents talk to them, he explained, pointing to a moving picture of his parents talking to a group of Egyptians (albeit magical ones). "They're different from us. They speak Arabic, not English."

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How resourceful! Sunday thought, her eyes fixed on him as he told her of the ingenious ways muggles lived without magic. She looked down at the book again, her imagination filled with the idea of meeting an actual muggle. How they must have such complex answers to the problems they might easily fix!

She figured he might just be talking about the people his parents talked to and not referring to the entire population of the world - it'd be quite odd to hear that Americans spoke a language different from ––

American? Or did they just speak English and called it American-English?

Sunday had encountered a few Americans at the Sanditon Resort, but no one had informed if their accent meant they spoke a different language! Archie's response drew her back to the present and she shifted her gaze back to the pictures on the page. "Too bad your mum wouldn't let you talk to them. I bet they're fascinating!" she responded enthusiastically.

  

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magnificence by mj <3

Archie nodded. Egyptians were some of the most fascinating people. Britain might have been an old country, but Egypt was absolutely ancient. Their society had undergone a number of changes over its thousands-years existence, but he thought they were still worthy of admiration.

"I spoke to some Egyptian wizards, though," he added, perking up a bit. "That's how I learned Arabic as a child. My family were the only ones who spoke English for miles."

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"Was it hard, being the only English speakers?" Sunday asked, still enthralled. She didn't have much to add, merely wanted to pick his brain more before they were called to wash up for the afternoon.

  

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Archie nodded, then stopped, thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Not really," he said. "It doesn't take too long to learn a new language when you're surrounded by it. Did you ever learn another language? French?" he asked, since it was the language most English girls were taught.

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"Yes, French!" She couldn't imagine being in a place where they didn't speak English. It all sounded so fascinating though! Sunday thought about her own training — certainly she and her sisters had been taught French like a lot of other girls but she had never sought to actually excel in those lessons.

Today was the first day that she thought she should actually pay attention to their language lessons."But I —" Her train of thought was interrupted by the calls of his parents. It was time to head back to clean up before the evening. As she and Archie stood up to begin packing up, Sunday continued where she left off, telling him all about how she might just start taking their language lessons seriously.

  

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magnificence by mj <3