June 27, 1894 — Hogsmeade Market, High Street
Bronwyn Moony Daffodil Grimstone

Georgia thought that the market probably wasn't for her--she mostly just liked wandering past the stalls and browsing. Theoretically, she was also looking for a birthday gift for her niece, but she had wandered over to a vendor who was selling--among other things--whistles, and somehow she suspected Lillian would be less than thrilled with her for buying anything that made a lot of noise. On the other hand, the urge to annoy one's older sibling really never left a person, so here she was, thinking very seriously about buying one anyway.

"I wonder how loud they get?" Georgia said aloud to another, presumably, potential customer. Obviously, she wasn't going to test them.

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The Hogsmeade market was one of Winnie's favorite places to meander, not for anything particular, but when she had the time, enjoyed the crowds and the different wares, even if she could not afford anything superfluous on her budget. Even without paying two sets of rent, Winnie had always been frugal with her coin, this was no different.

"I suppose that depends on how much urgency you put into it." Winnie mused of the mentioned whistle. Winnie's eye had been caught by the penny whistle and what a pity it was that Anne's birthday was so far off. Perhaps she would keep the idea in her pocket for another time. The urge to annoy one's older siblings truly did not discriminate, no matter how much Win loved her sister-in-law.

Smiling at the woman who had spoken, Win realized she recognize her as a housemate, possibly a year or two above her from Hogwarts.

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Georgia turned to the woman next to her, and, returning her smile and recognition, said, "Yes, I suppose you're right." Probably not a gift her sister would appreciate then, no. Georgia wasn't an expert on children--and had no intention of ever having reason to become one, for that matter--but she was fairly certain that what constituted a need for urgency to a child was not always the same for any rational person. That was either part of their charm or part of the reason to avoid them until they were a bit older, depending on how you felt about children in general. For her own piece, Georgia thought she fell somewhere in the middle of those two sentiments.

At any rate, she probably ought to look elsewhere. "Probably not a good gift for my niece then," she mused. "Not if I want to stay in my sister's good graces, anyway."

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"I wouldn't say so." Winnie chuckled. "The only thing that would stop me is how much I adore my sister-in-law. My brother would survive." Probably. Winnie hadn't seen Kit in a while, but she did see Emilia regularly. Em was the only thing keeping her sane these days, outside of work, even if she hadn't said as much.

"Shopping for a birthday present?" Usually Win wouldn't pry, but she did have some experience in the auntie department.

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Georgia laughed. "That is probably fair." She didn't have brothers, but she could understand the sentiment regardless. "And yes, my niece's birthday is coming up." She sighed. "The older children get, somehow the less I know what they would like." Georgia was sure she wasn't that old, and yet here she was.

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Winnie nodded along. "I'm afraid I might not be of much help, but niece is not into the typical things young ladies enjoy. She plays quidditch, so I usually lean that way somehow." Anne was her father's daughter through and through; a little reckless and impulsive. But Winnie also saw so much of Emilia in there to balance it out, she had faith Anne would be just fine in the long run. "Is she at Hogwarts yet?" That might help at least give some kind of direction.

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"No, she still has a few years to go yet," Georgia answered. And of course, her sister had been less than helpful when Georgia had tried fishing for ideas. That might have explained her apparent desire to annoy her--besides, of course, the natural inclination of a younger sibling that never quite went away.

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Win tried to think back to when Anne was that age, but it felt like an eon ago at this point. When had she gotten so old? "A book of interest? Something to do with her hands? Some paints perhaps?" Most girls of that age liked to create somehow, at least she had. Winnie had never been particularly artistic, but one did not need to be good at it to enjoy creating art.

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Georgia tilted her head thoughtfully. "Paints, perhaps," she said, less because she was sure her niece had a creative bent, and more because creativity was a thing she thought ought to be encouraged. "I should think the experimenting is as enjoyable as the actual outcomes.

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"Agreed," Winnie smiled. "It is a fun sensory activity, if nothing else, mixing paints and colors on canvas, or even with one's hands." She was not artistic by any means, but she did find the motions and the strokes soothing on the few occasions she had thought to try. Art class at Hogwarts had been a passing fancy, it didn't quite fit into her schedule, not when she had goals in mind, but she had somewhat enjoyed it, despite being awful.

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"Sounds like just the thing," Georgia said. "Thank you for the suggestion, Miss..." Unfortunately Georgia was sure their paths had crossed in the past, but a name was not helpfully making itself known to her.

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Well, that had been easy. Winnie smiled, pleased that she had at least been some kind of helpful instead of a nuisance. "Bronwyn Moony, but I go by Winnie. I think we went to school together?" Win was usually pretty good with faces, but names came and went. Usually there had to be some kind of connection though.

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"Yes," Georgia agreed with a smile. "Forgive me, I'm not as good at remembering names as I ought to be." At least she usually remembered faces well enough. So if nothing else she knew when she should know someone's name. "Georgia Brierley."

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Winnie chuckled, "I'm not as good at is as I used to be either if it doesn't relate to work." She shrugged. "But it's nice to see you again," It was funny how you could go to school with someone for multiple years and totally lose track of them once school was over.

She was about to say something further when an tiny screech owl came out of nowhere. "Speaking of work, it calls." Winnie was nothing if not a slave to her occupation. Fortunately she always carried her carpet bag with her and her apparating license came in incredibly handy. "Off to London to help another babe enter the world. It was good to see you!" She added before disapparating on the spot.

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