Fri, 14 June, '94 — In front of The Florist Potts, High Street

"Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose..."

The treble notes floated from an urchin's mouth, one that could do more than just spit and snark. She stood leaning against the building's facade with one foot pressed against its sturdy bricks, singing audaciously into the throng of passersby. There was little care in her heart whether they were serving as a proper audience or not, just so long as the words reached their ears in front of The Florist Potts shop.

"Shall I ever see thee red?"

If not for how many times she'd sung this ditty, Charley might have grinned, knowing what came next. The words weren't exactly right now, she'd repurposed the tune and first line for her deeds, to serenade the customers of her employer's rival business.

"Withered blooms and thorny clumps,
Naught green shall spread."

Charley started again, singing to a whole new set of ears by now. Her fingers worked idly on the petal in her hands, prying apart the soft material between its veins. She scooped up another when it was done, they fell every so often from the plants and bouquets in the hands of customers walking past. Just another reason why Montague's was superior, naturally.

Of course, pointing that out just got her shooed away by the onerous shopkeeper and her daughters.

Nobody likes a critic, but everyone likes a song. So the urchin kept her song going until she spied the odd-faced witch striding purposefully for the shop. A girl, she realized looking again, maybe a few years older from the hair and her skirt hems. For a moment, Charley sized her up, looking for weak spots. Young people, especially young girls, were much more gullible. Which meant they made far better marks for her than even the richest geezer with galleons spilling from his mouth.

"Yer not planning on goin' in there, are ya?" she asked casually from the side of her mouth. Charley had decided against trying to trick or run into the girl, whose dress wasn't quite as fine closer-up. If there were only knuts to be had, they were better off spent at Missus Crouch's shop instead. She tossed her capped head toward the window, where the nicest plants and flowers were shown off.

"That shop's but a wilted corner of nature's abandoned garden," the urchin muttered derisively, "Wouldn't you say, Miss?" She smiled warmly, an act but one she'd found convincing for certain types. And this older girl sure did seem like a type. "Now, if yer after pretty petals as'll stay fresh 'til long after yer back home...I know just the spot."

---

Anne Moony

---

  

---

Anne strode down the street with determination. She'd finished up her chores at Mr. Grimstone's shop early, eager to see if Millie was working today. Even though Anne relished the freedom of movement that came with summer, she hated the quiet and lack of magic. Anne couldn't believe she'd grown used to sharing a room with a group of other girls, but her room at home felt eerily quiet now. At least she could beg mum to have pity and let Millie stay overnight. That still seemed to work.

Anne noted someone singing and the abrupt stop, but she didn't think about it until she heard the last line and the location of the musical urchin. Face growing stormy as Anne caught on to the game, she pinned a warning glare on the younger kid. "This is the finest florist in town." Pulling herself to her full height, Anne looked down her nose at the other child. "And I dare anyone to say different."

---

The following 1 user Likes Anne Moony's post:1 user Likes Anne Moony's post
   Charley Goode

---

MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log

Now, that just wouldn't do. Charley's nose pinched, freckles bunching together in a splotch of orange, shooting her own glare right back at the other girl. She had a horse's face but a mule's stubborn streak, and that couldn't be good for anyone's health. Not that it mattered much to the urchin, who could have laughed herself silly at the horseface girl's proclamation.

Right up until ol' Horseface drew herself up a mighty few inches taller, like she was hiding it before. Ashamed or something, maybe trying not to draw all that much attention. That was something Charley could have understood, just not the words spitting out of the foul girl's mouth. Even from a few feet away, the heat of them was hard to mistake, and the urchin was hardly one for making mistakes of that sort.

Kicking off the wall where she'd been leaning, one foot up to scrape against the mortar between the bricks, Charley closed the distance between the two girls. She could see just fine with her head craned back, the finger that tipped her hat up just a bit was only to make the action more deliberate. The dramatic flair, as Dad might have put it once. From this angle, the urchin could almost see right up through the haughty girl's nose, and her glare again met the one crashing down from those black pits of eyes.

Charley sniffed, just to see if she could make the girl blink.

"Different, it is," she dared, and Charley could almost see her own nostrils flare. No one was about to intimidate her, she wasn't scared. Not the least for a horsefaced girl with too little sense to see the the truth right in front of her eyes. How anyone could think that the Florist Potts —and what sort of corny name was that, anyway?— was the finest florist in Hogsmeade was baffling. Pure hogwashery, and not the sort that was owed little more than a tut-tut. It was plain and simple to Charley, the brazen bit o' crumb was just dead wrong.

"Anyone worth their salt knows the best's at Montague's," the urchin put a thumb in the air, pointed back down the street towards her place of employment. Surely the other girl had heard of Montague's House of Flowers, for all her years there was hardly any excuse. Especially if she thought the huffy Pottses were the best Hogsmeade had to offer.

Except it wasn't a Potts in front of her, so Charley thought there could be a chance to win a new customer. She could be a picture of grace, too, as much as it pained her to weather the slander in the meantime. "Every flower and vine's a sure smile, and that's a promise!

With a hand clasped over her heart, Charley grinned as cheerily as she could, loosing her gritted teeth to show off their gleam, just as pretty as a plant from her shop would be.

---

The following 1 user Likes Charley Goode's post:1 user Likes Charley Goode's post
   Anne Moony

---

Not that bright was Anne's assessment of the singing street girl. The silly creature walked right up to Anne, well, as close as she could. Anne had the overwhelming desire to pat the smaller girl on the head, just to remind her that little dogs that yapped weren't scary. The thought made Anne smirk, the shorter girl seeming vaguely familiar, but Anne couldn't think of any students her age who would be so reckless in her presence. Her mind decided the kid was a Gryffindor, but out of school robes, Anne wasn't sure. Definitely not that bright.

Anne laughed dismissively at the younger girl's proclamation. "Montague's? Only if you want dead flowers and an empty garden plot. And that," Anne's eyes narrowed, her face stern, "Makes you a liar." Anne added as she stepped around the girl, purposefully bumping her shoulder, "I don't bother with liars."

---

The following 1 user Likes Anne Moony's post:1 user Likes Anne Moony's post
   Charley Goode

---

MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log

Charley's smile quickly vanished, replace by a seething scowl. The horsefaced girl had no sense of respect, just none at all. Anyone could see her song was just a silly gimmick, it couldn't do any real harm. It wasn't like the urchin wanted to see the Potts shop burned down or anything terrible to befall them. Still, as long as she lived —or worked at Montague's, anyway— the Florist Potts would be her number one enemy.

The older girl rocking her shoulder was making a strong case for number two.

"Oi!" she cried out with the force of the blow, and spun around just as fast. Charley struck without thinking, thrusting the heels of both her hands right into haughty girl's back and shoving hard. The motion almost knocked her out of balance herself, which only drew her narrowed eyes in further. Rude as it was to lay her hands on another, it was ruder still to try knocking the urchin down to the ground.

The fury in her came down hard, planting the other foot behind her first. Charley squared her shoulders, and puffed her chest forward, wishing herself two sizes bigger so she might make a bolder impression. "I en't a liar," she started, the indignant word full of spittle hoping to reach the other girl. There were times when she had been called uncouth, but here was the living, breathing definition of the word. Her freckles blurred together now, with her eyes both threatening to cross the other. If she wasn't wearing it herself, Charley might have started seeing red about now. "An' you don't fool me, I know yer kind."

She snorted this time, feeling the bullish heat coming from her own nose. The urchin tossed her head once, if it was only that easy to lose the scent gave her such disgust. The ill-mannered girl could have come along, even just to humor her. Then they would both be smelling the sweet scent of flowers, rather than this odious reek. "Thinking yer so much better 'cause yer still at Hogwarts. Not everybody gets to point their nose that high."

---

  

---

Anne expected the response but not the force of the shove. Dueling and flying gave Anne fantastic balance, which she needed as she went careening forward. Catching herself in a crouch, Anne smirked. Oh, street urchin was in for it. Anne popped back to her feet and turned on the shorter girl, her cocking smirk on full display. "I say you're a liar and a weak one, if that's the best you got." Anne challenged, committing fully to wrecking this brat's day. "And you don't know anything: not about flowers, not about anything." Anne's eyes narrowed, expecting to block a punch, not a barmy tangent. "Of course, I'm still at Hogwarts, you dolt. You, hang on," Anne took half step back to look over the girl. Anne prided herself on knowing Hogwarts and this girl didn't feature in any memories coming to mind. Not a quidditch player, not in clubs, and not in classes. "You saying you went before?"

---

The following 1 user Likes Anne Moony's post:1 user Likes Anne Moony's post
   Charley Goode

---

MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log

The older girl recovered too fast, too easily, spelling a sour turn for things. Charley, coiled with bitterness, waited uneasily for the coming punch or kick, but all she got for her efforts were a bunch of words. Same as before, if she was keeping track properly. And she had to be, far worse than a punch would await the urchin if she couldn't keep a few words straight or who said them.

Masking a grin, Charley leaned over and spit on the ground.

"Heard ya the first time," she answered, in case the loogey wasn't enough. Charley had ol' Horseface in a circle, but a bit of a deadly one at that. Without a good come-back, the girl might spin herself round and walk straight back into the Potts' shop. And when Mrs. Mann said she was good at turning people around, the urchin didn't think that meant sending them to the competition. "You got pretty big words for someone that's never been."

Charley would have remembered a face like this one, and the foul smugness that followed her. Not that she did from her own Hogwarts year, either. There were a lot of faces in that castle, most of them older and smugger, too. Someone new to magic had plenty of pranks and cheap laughs thrown their way, by now the urchin was used to people who reminded her of how little she knew. It used to bother her more then, now she just shrugged.

When Charley knew enough about enough, it was her who'd be laughing.

"'Course I went," she scoffed, not willing to let the suggestion get under her skin. Charley would rather have someone laugh at how little she knew than think she was a dullard, or an idiot. Missus Crouch and Mrs. Mann could prove how teachable she was, and how fast she learned. In a year or so, she might even know enough to run the whole shop herself. The urchin rolled her eyes, but her tongue had another lie ready that it was sure would invite something real from the horsefaced girl. A punch this time, or some different words anyway.

"I'm too dangerous to be allowed back, yaknow?" The urchin let her eyes go wide, like even she found it alarming. "Snuck into the Restricted Section an' learned all the real nasties, hexes and the sort." This kind of story usually worked better on younger children, the sort who hadn't gone to Hogwarts and could be confounded by its mystique. Then again, the girl had called her a liar, so Charley figured she might as well put on a good show for it.

She shrugged her shoulders, letting out a thoughtful sort of sigh. "Shouldn't even trust me near a wand, so I stick with plants, yeah?"

---

  

---

Anne made a face at the urchin's gross display. Few things bothered Anne, but spit was up there. This child desperately wanted a beating, and Anne was getting close to delivering it. And she was stupid. Of course, Anne was at Hogwarts, and she was hardly forgettable. She'd made sure of that. "I've been there four years, you loon!" She snapped in exasperation, "I'm a Slytherin. Sly-ther-in," Anne drew the word out as if the girl was having trouble hearing. "I'm a proud Slytherin and the seeker. Everyone knows me." Anne meant the boast whole-heartedly. She was a seeker, outspoken in clubs and class, and potions champion. Who wouldn't know her?

Anne's eyes narrowed at the girl's story, not buying this for a moment. Anne didn't like liars, but the girl's nerve was impressive. It was stupid, but impressive. This little snot was running her mouth at the expense of the Potts family, pushed her, and now thought she could lie about Hogwarts. It was time to put this brat in her place.

Anne had plenty of questions about the brat's boasting, one of them being whether or not the urchin could read, but Anne couldn't keep from blurting out, "Name three. You know what? I'll take two. Name two "real nasty" spells you learned."

---

The following 1 user Likes Anne Moony's post:1 user Likes Anne Moony's post
   Charley Goode

---

MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log

It wasn't easy for Charley to get bothered by someone sounding out her intelligence, but she was surely having a hard time keeping from it today. She might almost prefer if the Slytherin girl just threw a punch after all. Mrs. Mann would be furious, and might fire her, but it would be worth it. The urchin would sleep soundly, anywhere she found to sleep, if she could only smack that smug expression off that pretentious horse's face.

"Think I'm stupid?" Charley wasn't asking the question, really. It was already clear the horsefaced girl thought she was, but someone had to say it out loud. And then there it was, in the space between them, waiting for whoever would make a move on it. The urchin's hands were ready, curled into fists, with her feet just as ready to duck around or under a swing.

When it didn't come, she made her move anyway.

"I could show ya, but dunno if I oughta." The glimmer in Charley's eye and the twitch at the edge of her lips delivered the rest of her punch. Let the seeker live up to her own words and find the mockery in there. It was her turn for it now, anyway. "'Sides, I don't even got my wand now. Middle of the day, on the street?" She blew out a breath, dry this time. "I en't doin' that here."

She turned her head, letting her eyes drift to the alleys between shops. Later in the day, there would be plenty of shadows there to hide them, and farther past were the slums themselves. Enough folk there would find a duel entertaining enough not to bother them, so that's where Charley would take down ol' Horseface and make her regret all her insults. "Catch me down there, tonight. Bring yer wand..."

The urchin started past the girl, swinging her own shoulder as if she meant to hit. At the last second, she stepped away. It wasn't going to be her starting the fight in the middle of the street, but Charley was absolutely sure she would be the one to end it tonight. A cold laugh followed the last of her taunt. "...if you dare!"

---

  

---

Anne's sneer was a full snarl by the time the urchin turned tale and ran, issuing her insane challenge. "More than stupid, you're bloody suicidal." Anne all but spit in the smaller girl's direction. The brat had actually challenged Anne to a duel, an honest-to-Merlin duel. Anne's response was twofold: first, she would make the urchin eat dirt. Second, she was still going to be shocked if the child showed up with a wand she wasn't on her way to steal now. "Be here at dark, you clod!"

---

The following 1 user Likes Anne Moony's post:1 user Likes Anne Moony's post
   Charley Goode

---

MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log