June 22, 1890 — London

"What are you doing? Trying to get rid of a worm?" Annie asked, though she couldn't see any worm. It was an unusual sight to see someone carrying a stick in London, and even weirder to see that someone talking to it. As observant and smart as she was, her only explanation was that this person was (1) trying to get something off the stick, or (2) they were a troubled person. Of course, that then begged the question as to why they were carrying a stick to begin with, and... well, she digressed.

"You might as well smack it against the wall. I'm not sure you're doing any good," she added with a tsk tsk as she nosily tried to get a better look at the (carved?) stick.

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— Open to a witch or wizard, preferably someone no more than 4-5 years older than her! —

  

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

"Merlin."

It was just his luck that he'd been nearly plowed over by a man lugging buckets of water. He'd been promptly sloshed and cursed at, even though he hadn't been the one moving.

It was habit, really, that he'd reached for his wand. The Hot-Air Charm was one of those spells he had made sure to master since it seemed he had a habit of finding himself trapped out-of-doors whenever it decided to rain. Bad luck truly followed him everywhere.

He was just about to go through the full wand motions when he realized where he was, and that he wasn't at school. "Guess I'll dry on my own," Archer mumbled, oddly speaking to his wand. He started to put it away, but it seemed someone had seen him.

With a startled expression, he whirled around to look at Annie, "A...A what?" A worm? Why would he have a worm? His head quickly shook at the suggestion of hitting his wand against a wall. It would surely break. "I-I...No." Hastily, he tried to stow his wand away where she could no longer see it.

"I-it's nothing."

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   Annie Moneypenny

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MJ is the best!

Maybe it wasn't a worm, then. She speculated that boy had no clue what he was doing, either, because he was fidgeting and stuttering about. The more she thought about it, he was probably like that because he was—for some reason—soaking wet. There hadn't been any rain, had there? Annie cocked an inquiring brow.

Her eyes followed his hand, which made quick on an attempt to conceal the stick from her sight. It was more ornamental than she'd originally thought, and a little larger, too. Maybe he'd failed to carve a walking stick? Or maybe whatever had splashed him had split it in two? Yes, that had to be it.

"You don't have to be ashamed, you know. Things break all the time," she said, craning her neck to the side in another attempt to get a good look. "Did it break? It looks expensive."

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

"I-it's not broken."

He insisted, putting his wand back where it was meant to stay hidden. Really, he should have left it at home. It wasn't like he could use it in the summer, but it seemed safer if it was on his person. He feared it breaking, or that he'd misplace it and go back to school wandless. No, it was more important to keep it with him.

He looked to Annie, not sure how to answer. It was expensive, but he couldn't tell her that. What if she wanted to steal it? Or she broke it?

"It's...just a plaything."

Which maybe he was too old to be toting about toys, but it was the best explanation he could think of. After a moment, he tried to well up some sort of courage and say something assertive like Claire would have done.

"What...what's it...what's it to you?"

Well, that fell flat.

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   Annie Moneypenny

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MJ is the best!

So it wasn't broken, and it was a plaything, but it was also worth hiding from her for no apparent reason. What reason did he have to hide a toy from her? She didn't look like the type to steal, did she? She glanced down at herself momentarily, making sure she hadn't accidentally splattered dirt on her skirt while out and about. Nope—all clean!

"Well, it wasn't anything to me. Not really. But now..." She smiled at him. It was one of those knowing, teasing smiles, the type of smile meant to know that she wasn't going to end her nagging. "Now you're being silly and I'm being nosey." She stepped to the side and tried to get a better look, a wide smile breaking out on her face as she did so.

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   Billie Farrow

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

Archer find himself idly wonder what would happen if a muggle got a hold of a wand. Surely, nothing, since they didn't inherently have magic to channel through it, but would the wand react on its own accord out of defense? He found that he was abysmally in the dark about wandlore. He might need to pick up a book or two on that.

It seemed his question had backfired, and he tried to hold back a groan. Nosy girls were something he was ill-equipped to handle. "I-I'm not being silly." If she caught a glimpse of it as he hid it, she'd notice it was made of redwood, twelve inches long. It was carved in a very simple way only so that it had a handle.

"Who...who are you anyways?"

  

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MJ is the best!

He was being silly—very, very silly. What sort of boy stammered at a simple question? If it was nothing worth hiding, then why hide it? The mystery was more alluring than the object himself, and now teasing him was a more alluring prospect than either.

"You are silly," she said, matter-of-factly, because it was true and he should know it by now. "You're silly because you're hiding a stick, unless you mean to tell me that your stick is something you shouldn't have." She raised her brows, hoping he would go on the defense. No boy wanted to be caught red-handed in possession of something he ought not to! (He didn't look very much like a thief, though; he was dressed too well, and he did not scatter like the street boys did whenever someone spoke to them.)

"My name is Nancy. Nancy Moneypenny. But it's such a mouthful, so people call me Annie if they do not call me Miss Moneypenny—which most people do. You may call me Annie, though." Because we might be friends in a world where you weren't so silly, she wanted to add, but did not.

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

Archer already knew he was silly. He wasn't like normal children who could get through a regular conversation without anxiously stuttering out his words. No matter how many times he practiced, even with those he didn't fumble around, he couldn't seem to rein it in. Other children didn't get so nervous in class that they felt like they were about to faint, even though he knew the material and could do the spells more than competently in private. Other children made friends readily and didn't scare them away by their oddness.

No, he wasn't going to deny he was silly.

"I-I didn't...I didn't steal it. I-if that's what you mean." He'd purchased it fair and square, but he couldn't exactly tell her that. Muggles didn't go out buying what likely looks to be a random stick. However, he didn't need her alerting the police that he was some sort of thief. Maybe if he just showed it to her properly, Annie would get off his case. "It...it's really just a...a play thing. I-If I show you, you have to...to promise not to t-touch it."

If Archer wasn't the honest type, he might have supplied Annie with a false name. Really, it would have been the sensible thing to do, since she was likely a muggle he wouldn't ever see again. However, he was a nice boy who thought it rude to pretend he was someone else, "I-I'm Archer Belby."

  

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MJ is the best!

So he wasn't a thief. That was good, because the longer this conversation continued the more Annie began to like him. She knew few silly, stuttering boys; most of them were rude and crass and had opinions about her family and their beliefs that made her want to knock them square in the nose (in the most ladylike way possible). She still couldn't figure out what plaything was made to look like a stick, and why he'd be so worried about keeping it hidden until he wore her down. However, it seemed her waiting was coming to an end. Annie smiled.

"Well show me then, Mr. Archer Belby," she said, rocking back and forth on her heels excitedly. Maybe she was becoming the silly one, standing there like a dog ready to play fetch with a stick. She was a curious one, though, and she knew it—not to mention the triumph in wearing him down!

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

With a bit of a sigh, Archer held out his wand so that Annie could fully see it. It was about twelve inches long and made of redwood. It had a handle with a few lines that swirled around it, but it was otherwise fairly plain. He was a boy with simple tastes. Honestly, he had just been pleased a wand had selected him at all that he hadn't even entertained the passing thought to have it appear more decorative.

"It isn't terribly interesting," he stated, though he seemed at the ready to snatch it away if Annie decided to try and make a grab for it. He didn't want to explain to his mother, or possibly the aurors, how his wand had ended up in the wrong hands or damaged. He was already dreadful at doing spells under pressure, what would a broken wand do to him?

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   Annie Moneypenny

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MJ is the best!

The boy held out a stick—wait, not, it wasn't just a stick. It was made from wood, yes, but it was delicately carved. It looked like a toy of sorts, or a kind of pointer that a teacher might use on the board. She inched closer, squinting her eyes in an attempt to look at the details.

Then, she had her hand on it.

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   Archer Belby

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

As soon as Annie touched the wand, a few red sparks shot out from it, singing the skin on his hand. Startled, Archer dropped it, and it clattered to the ground. For a moment, all he could seem to do was stare at the girl. He hadn't done that. Clearly, she wasn't a muggle, but did she know?

Realization dawned on him that they were utterly exposed in public, and he hastily bent down to pick up the redwood wand and tuck it away so that it was safe on his person once more. Archer's mouth opened, closed, and opened again, no sound escaping. What was he supposed to say?

  

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MJ is the best!

Annie snapped her hand back and stilled. She stared at him, with wide, questioning hazel eyes.

"What—?" she managed, but nothing beyond that. She'd felt something the moment her hand touched the stick, but she wasn't sure if it was the shock running through her veins or something else. "I-I..." She trailed off, unable to find her words or her wit.

Then, she turn around and ran.

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

"It's okay. Y-you--"

Archer felt as if he owed it to her to explain what had just happened. If it had been him, he would have wanted someone to reassure him about what had just happened. That it had been normal. That he hadn't been hallucinating.

However, the words were stuttered out too late, and Annie had already started to make a run for it. He stood there dumbstruck for a few seconds more, just watching her disappear into the London crowds. Turning on his heel, the young Ravenclaw fled toward home. He wished to inform his mother, convinced the aurors would be knocking on his door for performing underage magic. Even if it hadn't been him to do it.

  

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MJ is the best!