Auguest 4th 1889 — Diagon Alley Robes Shop

Ronan moved into the robes shop with her daughter and smiled, "Well ain't this ah bit quaint lass." Nevermind the store clerk giving them the stink eye. Perhaps it was the flaming red hair, or her own robes which were near rags. Ronan paid it no mind though, she wasn't about to let uppity snobbery ruin a day out with her daughter. She moved directly past the mannequins with the nicely embroidered robes, past the front desk with the woman who stood with a sneer, and down to the back towards the hand me downs.

"Me figures if we gets them bout three sizes bigger I can alter it for ye, then as ye grow it will grow hmm? Get ah neutral grey so no matter what house ye in it will do. Wee bit, come here, help me sort."

@"Alina O'Malley"

  

Like her mother, Alina ignored the shop clerk immediately. Not worth her time. "Quite quaint." She responded as she stopped briefly to look at the embroidered robes. One day, perhaps. One day she may be able to buy something like this. But she moved on quickly to keep up.

"Yes ma." the younger witch said to her mother as she began helping. It was a smart move. And surely there will be some attire provided for first years. And perhaps she can preform charms at school to change the colors of her clothing when need be.

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Magic by Lady!

There was a large bin filled with everything from thread bare robes, to bits of scraps, and only a few good numbers in between. Ronan kept digging though trying to find something that didn't have any holes, but the best she found was a robe that only had two. One in the front and one in the rear, literally. Looked like someone may have gotten attacked by a dog or a crup. She sighed and looked to Alina, she wanted better for her, but they could not afford better and still be able to eat and have a roof.

"Alright lass, try this on, I can patch up the holes, maybe find ah second one too so if somethin happens to one ye got ah spare. Potions can be dirty business and charms dangerous." She handed the robe with two holes over, "How the pockets, they big yes? Big for at least one rock?"

Ronan had a thing for rocks, she always kept one in her pocket, not for luck but for protection, and she harped on her daughter to do the same. If anything worked to get away from an assailant it was bludgeoning them with a rock. The bigger the rock, the better.

  

While Alina didn't resent her mother for the life they had, she did want better. Had always wanted better for herself and those she cared for. Partially out of basic human need, and partially out of stubbornness to not simply be content. She did her best to not make a face at the holes. It looked as if someone had gotten into a fight with an animal.

Her mother's fearful words regarding magic made Alina hold back a scoff. True, magic can be dangerous. But so can riding in a carriage. And rich people did that all of the time. But she was attempting to be respectful as she took the robes. She checked the pockets and scrunched her nose. "A pebble, more like." That would need fixing as well.

It was sound logic to keep a rock with her, though having a wand would be far better in the long run. However, until she was seventeen, she would not be able to properly use a wand outside of school. While poking an assailant with a stick might work, a rock would be far more efficient. Though the stupid things kept hitting her legs and left bruises at times.

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Magic by Lady!

She saw the hint of displeasure on her daughter's face as well as such an expression being whisked away. She sighed, "I'll do me best to make the patches seamless." She stated. Ronan was actually a pretty good seamstress. Between her years at the nunnery and doing piece work she had developed a steady hand. It was just her eye sight that gave her trouble. Candle light simply didn't offer enough assistance, and there was rarely time to use sunlight.

"Ah pebble? Must not have been Irish." She said rather assuredly. Unlike her daughter, what sailed through her mind quickly ventured off the tip of her tongue. "Well that we can fix. Alright let's see..." She moved around Alina measuring mentally and using her fingers to guide the way. She told her daughter to put her arms in various positions so she could configure the alterations and then nodded.

"Try this one. Now ye list says three, but two will have to do, this one be ah bit darker hmm? Ye can use it for nicer nights, Sunday hmm?" Despite her own venture with the church, against her desire, Ronan was still stuck with good old Catholic guilt, and she expected her daughter to carry it as well. "Ye be goin to church on Sundays." It wasn't a question or request. "Good Lord got us this far. "

As Alina tried the next one on she looked to the first one on, "I can line it with an extra layer of wool, help keep ye warm in the colder months, ye remember how chilly Scotland can get?"

  

Alina hadn't meant for the judgement to lay on her mother's shoulders. Mostly it was cast towards the one sending in the robes without at least trying to fix them first. Those with more priviledge always seemed selfish to Alina. Would she be the same if she was born to other circumstances? Perhaps.

Of course they hadn't been Irish. It was likely a local. Born and raised in London. Perhaps one of those folks who worked with beasts. "I hope it doesn't get too torn up during classes. I hear there's a class where you actually interact with beasts." She did as her mother told her to, as she wondered whether or not a school would actually allow students to interact with potentially dangerous creatures.

Sunday. A day that Alina did respect. Though she did have hesitance with the anti-magic teachings that muggles provided. She heard of a wizarding church. But Heaven forbid she look into that while her mother was around. No, perhaps she could ask a classmate about it. "Ma, we can't leave school grounds except on holiday. I can't go to church." She pointed out.

"There was a magical blizzard a few years ago. I heard of that. I don't know if it speard to Hogwarts." Perhaps there were charms to make sure students didn't get too cold?

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Magic by Lady!

"Aye, there is, though wasn' there long enough to work with 'em, but ye do as the professor says, no cuttin up aye, or smugglin home." She stated firmly, "End up in the pot like all the other scruffy bits Vincent tries to bring home."

She then heard her daughter try and weasel her way out of church. She seemed to have an answer for that too, "That's what ye rosary is for." She went about getting more measurements from the second garment and then paused looking to her wee bit, "Wee bit, there are bits of the castle that require ye to go outside, like the green houses and the court yards, ye know to get to point A and B, walls can' protect ye from everything, neither can magic, so promise me ye won' catch ye death, and ye will keep warm." She went to move that bright red hair back behind the girl's ear, smiling. Then shook her head, "Ye grown so fast, if I could put ah brick on ye head to stop it me would." She said with a soft laugh.

  

That was one of the things Alina didn't like. Her mother cooking anything. Some of those animals could have been pets. Some of them tastes disgusting. "I suspect many magical species aren't supposed to be eaten." She pointed out instead.

Her rosary. Another thing she did respect. Though it did make her nervous to be bringing that out at school. What would her classmates think? What would her professors think? But she nodded. She will figure all of this out.

"I will, ma. And I'll ask the elves for something hot to drink, on the coldest nights." If they didn't provide it already, of course. She scrunched her nose at the idea of staying her height. "People will think I am half-goblin if I stayed this height." She protested. A likely fact to.

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Magic by Lady!

Ronan gave it thought, her memories dancing to the fore thought, "Aye, flesh eatin slugs are not meant to be eatin." It was the one thing Ronan refused to throw into the cauldron, though she had never mentioned why until now. "One day, when ye Grandmam, er me Mam, was actually feelin alright she decided to cook us ah stew. Problem was the only thing we had about was flesh eatin slugs, infestation ye see." She laughed again, "We all turned green, and that night me brother and I snuck out with the cauldron and threw it out in the street. Would of gotten away with it, had it not stunk up the road for ah week, but our Dah, ye Grandah had mercy for savin his stomach and got Mam to calm down." She didn't often talk about her child hood, so it was a change to see her open up a bit.

Another laugh escaped for a different reason, "Not bad bein goblin, sure it means ye good with money." She shook her head "Oy now I feel like ye Auntie, all this positive yammerin. Come on wee bit, let me just get ah bag of scrap fabric for patches and then I think we be ready to get to the next shop." She moved over to the shop girl who looked to them as though they might have the plague. "Excuse me miss, can me has ah bag of scrap?"

  

To say the least, Alina was surprised. But she didn't bring it to attention. Saying something on the matter might cause her mother to stop talking about the subject entirely. Instead she wore the other expression that came to her easily. A sort of 'I told you so' sort of glance. She did, really.

Not bad being a goblin? That didn't amuse her one bit. She dropped the subject and got ready to leave before following her mother. The look given to her mother rubbed Alina the wrong way. Her nose scrunched in annoyance, all too tempted to say something on the matter.

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Magic by Lady!

"Scrap, of course." Said the shop girl who looked to be a bit younger than her mother. "Will that be one pound...or fifty, I only ask because I'm most certain you'll want to make a dress." She cast a deplorable glance over to Alina then looked back to the girl's Mam.

Ronan kept an easy gaze on the woman, but she wasn't smiling. Rather her lips formed a thin tight line. "Life is a quilt lass, me and mine don't mind confronted it. Can yours do the same?" A single red brow quirked, wondering if the woman dare accept her challenge.

The young shop woman bristled and put a satchel of five pounds. "I'm sure you won't mind if they are a bit smelly." She retorted stiffly before giving the price of the robes, bit of wool, and scrap.

Ronan pulled out her coin counting it and then setting it before her. "Atleast we know our shit stinks, perhaps ye would too if ye realized ye head was wedged up ye arse. Top of the mornin too ye." She gave a nod and then looked to Alina, "Come on wee bit, spent enough time in the privy we have." And she set for the exit.