April 22, 1890 — Whizzard Books

The only place in Hogsmeade that rivaled Honeyduke's, in Charity's opinion, was Whizzhard Books.

The only thing she was more fond of than reading was collecting books, and there were so many books in the wizard-run bookstore that she didn't have! There were spellbooks and potions books—and books she coudln't even categorize with their weird languages—but her favorites were the storybooks.

She'd been told to pick out two books for pleasure while her governess went to pick out some study materials, and that meant going to the back corner of the store. There was another child there, but she did not pay him much mind until she felt a hand on her waist.

"What are you doing?" she snapped, pulling her knapsack back to her body. She glared at him, and, for the first time in what felt like months, felt a surge of rage course through her. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to keep your hands to yourself?"

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Yuri Podsnapper

  

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Yuri didn’t make a habit of looking at books in book shops, mostly because other than his basic letters he couldn’t really read. But it was a useful place to scope out people with ready money. People tended to buy books with cash rather than on credit as they did in other shops. Also, the owner was nice, and wouldn’t chase him away from the fireplace if the store wasn’t busy and on cold days he appreciated the courtesy. As a result he did try not to steal from the patrons too often when they were in the shop and would take his chances with them on the street. But his stomach was rumbling, it had been days since he ate, and he didn’t want to go back to the home, so he pick pocketing was looking like his best shot.

The little girl looked loaded, well dressed, well fed, the sort of child that had fancy staff and lots of toys. She wouldn’t miss a few knuts. When she looked away he slipped his hand into the little bag she had with her, there were bound to be a few find things in there. But he had been too eager and her fiery little eye snapped to him and started making demands. He was glad that she didn’t start screaming and demanding aurors be called.

’Don’t got no mother’ he sniffed, trying to look sad, the ploy, more often than not worked on adults who felt sorry for the raggedy little orphan, ’So never been taught nufin’ by no mum’ He had never tried this on another kid before so who knows how the ploy would work.

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

It quickly became apparent that he was poor. Not just poor, but 'homeless'-level poor. Despite her problems in life, Charity had never worried about homelessness, nor did she have experience with anyone who had. His clothes were dirty and ragged, and he was just the same. Dirt covered his patched-up shirt and even extended onto his wrists, and he smelled like he hadn't bathed in days.

"I don't have a mother, either, and I know better than to go touching other people without their permission," she said, and regretted it almost a moment later. It was true, but it was harsh, and there was no way to compare the two apart form their lack of mothers. She had a pretty, clean dress that Uncle Evander had bought her, while his rags—oh she couldn't get past them!—looked like they hadn't been mended in months.

"If you wanted a book so badly, you could go to the library. You don't have to steal from me," she said, a little softer yet still not in the empathetic tone she was aiming for. He was just... dirty. Stinky.

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Yuri stopped short very suddenly when she bit back her own retort about not having parents. It had been used to that being his trump card - orphans were ragged street urchins not little red heads in nice clothing. He had never met an orphan who didn’t live at the home, and if he had he had never really had the chance to speak to one.

’Wasn’t looking for a book’ he scruffed, scratching the back of his head with knuckles black with grime – his finger nails would have made a school mam faint. He didn’t think it would be a good idea to admit that he had been hoping to snag a few knuts, or even a sickle from her little bag`. ’What you need books for anyway – you ain’t in school yet?’

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

He wasn't looking for a book, but he was still rummaging through her bag, which obviously meant... "You're a thief, then," she said matter-of-factly. There was no question in her mind. He fit the description perfectly: scrawny, stinky, and rough around the edges. Maybe he needed a book to keep his attention off other people's pockets!

"Some people like to read for pleasure. You should try it sometime," she said, crossing her arms protectively across her chest. He might've been a stinky street rat, but he was still good inch or two taller than her and could probably take what he wanted if he was willing to make a run for it.

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He couldn’t argue with her accusation, it wasn’t the first time he had been accused of being involved in something like this, it wasn’t the first time he had done something like this – so it was hard to argue with. He shrugged in response to her words, she could call the Peelers on him if she felt strongly enough.

’Sounds boring’ he sniffed, rolling his shoulders and flicking a spot of dirt off his filthy jacket ’Better ‘fings to be doing than readin’’ he moaned – the truth was Yuri could barely read, in fact he was functionally illiterate, while he was technically enrolled in the church school he could count on one hand the number of times he had attended and the fact that he couldn’t read was rather a sore spot. ’only stupid people read’ he grumped sticking his tongue out at her

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

Charity opened her mouth to speak, but promptly closed it. There were so many directions to go with this boy. Reading was for stupid people? There were better things to do—for a boy like him, who needed it the most? And he hadn't denied being a thief, either, which left Charity one step closer to painting a good mental picture of who this boy was and what his life was like. (Except probably more fluffy because she imagined that he at least had a room to sleep in and someone to tuck him in at night. Why weren't they reading him bedtime stories?)

"Contrary to what you believe, smart people read. My Uncle Evander reads lots, and he's smart." And she, a girl who now owned thirty-four books, was very smart as well. "Stupid people can't read. If they could, they'd pick up a book and they wouldn't be very stupid anymore," she finished, proud of her sound logic.

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'I'm not stupid!' he roared back, the irony of his recent declaration that readers were stupid was completely lost on him. his reading or lack thereof was a rather touchy subject for Yuri. If he had gone to the church school on a daily basis as he was supposed to he might have known a little more than his basic letters, and even some of those he wasn't to hot on - M, N, and W, all seemed a little too similar for comfort. But he didn't go - he mitched ever chance he got and if someone didn't frog march him to the doors he never went.

'Books are stupid and only snooty gits read'em' he snapped back, 'Best use for 'em is burnin'' he growled, kicking at the stack of books closest to his foot.

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

She took a step back and looked around frantically, worried that the shopkeeper might come to chastise them for yelling in a bookstore. Then she'd have to explain that he tried to steal from her, and he might get arrested; and although she really thought he was stupid, she didn't think it was very fair for stupid people to go to jail because they didn't know any better. If he could read a book, he'd see that thieves were always the bad guys.

"So I'm going to take it that you can't read," she said, a little more gently. "But not all hope is lost! If you pay attention at school, you might even learn to read before Hogwarts. You're going to Hogwarts, aren't you?"

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'I shouldn't 'av to go!' he moaned, not on a roll and feeling very sorry for himself, 'I'm in my 20's! I shouldn't have to do no more schooling'. is lower lip stuck out and he pouted petulantly with his arms crossed as though the girl herself was going to go. He harumphed for a moment, as though the girl herself was going to make him go to school.

After a moment of concerted pouting, he looked up from under his knitted brows. 'You going to 'Ogwarts soon? I'm meant to go in September.' he grumped.

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

Charity pursed her lips. "I don't think anyone can make you go, but it's in your best interests to," she warned. Boys could do almost nothing without a good Hogwarts education. They had to work to keep their place in the world unless they were filthy rich, and no one here was. Charity had to go, too, because what if Uncle Evander was only planning to keep her until she seventeen then she had to have a way to support herself! (But he wouldn't, would he? Charity hated to think so, but it was still a very real possibility. She couldn't expect Uncle Evander to fund a whole debut and season for her, and she wouldn't ask him to, she'd decided.)

"I'm only eight, so I have two years before I can go," she replied morosely. Two years before she could buy a wand, and two years before she could get sorted. Charity still knew very little about the house system beyond the names of each of the four. Uncle Evander had been a Hufflepuff, and Uncle Alfred a Gryffindor. She wondered what their defining characteristics were.

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there had been almost nothing in his life that Yuri had not been forced to do, his absconding trips from the Borstal and the school for inconvenient children were attempts at reasserting his autonomy. He had never really had a choice in anything - never afforded the luxury of deciding when, or why, or how he did anything. The idea that Hogswarts might be a choice was strange. The odd man who taken an interest in Yuri was, as he now understood it, to not be commanding him, but offering him? What a strange thought.


'Oh he responded, she somehow seemed older than she was apparently. She was almost his height, and good nutrition has obviously given her a sturdiness that Yuri's diet of want and deprivation had never given him. 'But you're looking forward to it yeah?' he confirmed, his tone suspicious.

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

Charity was looking forward to it. She looked forward to it with every flipped page in every book on magic she'd acquired for her library. She looked forward to it every evening when she flipped open a page in her General Hogwarts History book and attempted to sketch out the staircase, memorizing every step in doing so.

"I am," she said with an uncomfortable nod, because although she looked forward to school, there was a possibility that she might not be in a position to attend two years down the line. "I can't wait to be a real witch with a wand. I'm always surprised that they don't use them more. I'd use mine for everything."

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Inspite of himself Yuri smiled at that, the idea of being a proper wizard was perhaps the most appealing part of the story so far. Magic had never benefited him in anyway, thus far in his short and inauspicious life. No one had shown him how to use magic for anything other than hurting someone else. He had used it accidentally and been scolded for it, and when it had been used on him he had been turned into a bird bath, so it wasn't exactly a shock that he had no positive associations with magic. It had only ever been used against him and to his detriment.

Yuri stood 'Maybe I'll see you there.' he acknowledged scuffing his foot off the floor. 'I can show you around' he added with a rye laugh, although 2 years seemed a long time to spend in one place. He got up to leave, his stomach compelling him to go and seek out something or other to eat, he stopped a few feet from her 'and...eh...sorry'. He gestured to her bag, but took off running before she could remember he had tried to steal from her and might still want to call the constables.

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[wrap?]

  

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!