holly hols

[chanuphis]

When Christmas hols roll around, everyone goes home.

And Renée makes a suggestion and Miranda sends some owls, all with the same underlying invitation:

Mum wants to go shopping in Muggle Edinburgh and said I should invite some friends. You can Floo in or she can pick you up by Apparition, as you like, and we'll get lunch and she'll have you home in time for supper. Want to come?

She invites Karen and Jenny and Emma and Alli, and as an afterthought also Vivian, since she and Karen have been friendly and another muggleborn might ease Karen's jitters.

Comments

[parental_guidance]

Emma's parents are thrilled. She's been invited on a trip with Silverlight. Emma doesn't point out that she's been friends with Silverlight for years, actually; she'd rather just let them chatter excitedly and not think too much about the fact that they're going to Muggle Edinburgh. She writes Miranda back a quick note, saying thank you, she'd love to come, she'll meet them in Edinburgh by Floo.

But when she sees her parents discussing what she should bring, and what she should wear- Jenny gets a panicked owl.

[metamorphmaga]

Jenny checks her pocket money, makes sure her cousin is free to babysit, then decides she can probably make it work as long as Miranda's mom picks her up. And of course Emma's owl just makes the whole thing that much better. She packs a bag and sends Emma a reply that just says Don't worry! I've got you covered. You're my favorite clueless witch ♥

[slythervivian]

Vivian tells her parents she's spending the day with friends, without saying with who, or where. Her parents immediately ask, because of course they do; she names Miranda, but claims that they're going sightseeing in Piccadilly. Her parents don't like that they haven't met Miranda, she can tell, but Showing Around Tourists isn't an activity they have a good objection to, and they don't like thinking about where she makes her friends, so they don't push to be introduced. Vivian sighs internally and asks to be picked up in Diagon Alley; she can get there by herself, at least, and then Miranda's mum won't have to interact with her parents.

[witch_please]

Alli's mother doesn't even ask why she wants Floo powder. Alli dances internally on her way north. Scottish adventures!

[chanuphis]

So Miranda's mum picks up Jenny at home, and Vivian at Diagon Alley, and deposits them in the Floo station at Cross-Crosscauseway, where Miranda is already waiting.

[parental_guidance]

Emma is offering Miranda a bag when the others appear- "Thanks for inviting me. I, um, I brought snacks-" when she sees Jenny. "Jenny! Do you have-"

[metamorphmaga]

"I tooold you I had it covered!" Jenny hums, and hands Emma a bag, smirking. Then she offers the other one to Alli. "This one's for you, I knew you'd need it."

[witch_please]

While Emma digs in her bag, Alli eyes her own bag suspiciously. "What is this? Clothes? I'm already wearing clothes, babe."

[parental_guidance]

"Um, no, those are robes," Emma points out. "You didn't remember we'd need Muggle clothes? That's why I asked-" then she pulls out the shirt Jenny brought her. "Jenny. This is pink."

[chanuphis]

Miranda, for her part, is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. And has loaned Karen a set of same, which don't fit her all that well but will serve. "I can go back and get a non-pink shirt for you to borrow if you need me to?"

[parental_guidance]

Emma pulls the shirt out of the bag and holds it up. It is not just bright pink; there is a unicorn made out of purple sparkle gel on the front. She raises her eyebrows at Jenny.

[metamorphmaga]

Jenny looks at her innocently. "You asked for clothes. What did you think I owned?"

[witch_please]

Alli solves the problem by swiping the shirt from Emma and throwing hers at Emma instead. Emma has to dodge to catch the shirt rather than having it land on her head. "Sparkles! Gimme!"

[parental_guidance]

Emma inspects the replacement shirt. There's still a unicorn on the front, but it's not made of glitter and the shirt itself is black. She shrugs. "Good enough. Thanks Jenny." And then to Alli, "You're weird. You hate pink."

[witch_please]

"It's sparkly," Alli says, as though it explains everything.

[chanuphis]

"Do literally all your shirts have unicorns on them, Jenny?"

[metamorphmaga]

"Of course not! Some of them just have horses. A couple have kittens."

[chanuphis]

"But they all have things you think are cute?"

[metamorphmaga]

"Er, not really? I had plenty of boring shirts, but those handed down to the ducklings when I left for school cause I started wearing robes, and the boys weren't interested in 'girly' shirts." She rolls her eyes tolerantly. "And now I mostly just have things they won't wear left. So- unicorns and ponies and kittens, oh my!"

[chanuphis]

"That makes sense."

[pleating]

"These trousers are so uncomfortable."

[chanuphis]

"I don't really have any skirts, sorry."

[witch_please]

"They're not that bad," Alli says thoughtfully. "I mean, they're weirdly tight, but look!" She turns and wiggles. "My arse looks fantastic."

[slythervivian]

Vivian is not staring at people's trousers. She is not she is not she is not. Look at her over here not staring at anything.

[chanuphis]

"Is everybody dressed tolerably for a day of wandering around in Edinburgh?" asks Miranda's mum.

"I think we're good. We good?" asks Miranda. And when no one volunteers a desperate need, she nods at her mum.

"Stick together," says Renée. "I think there's - yes, three and three if we count Miranda. Why don't you all pair off one person who knows Muggle things and one person who doesn't?" She waves vaguely at the girls. "And then if you want to split up or wander a bit ahead of me you won't be caught out too badly."

Miranda nods. "Vivian knows Karen better than she knows the rest of us, I think - Jenny, who do you want? Or perhaps, Emma and Alli, who wants Jenny?"