STILL OUT TO GET ME / *, the junk shop, open

[▲HARRISON FRANK LONGBOTTOM]

how could this be done

by such a smiling sweetheart

it was rare for harrison longbottom to be seen in the sunlight.

his life revolved around the night, whether he was working at the three broomstick's, or going out and partying or sneaking around and killing people.

just the thought of that last night time activity made him frown...yet somehow it had become a part of him. somehow he could think of it without wanting to throw up.

that scared him a whole lot.

the nameless man (the man who had introduced him to killing and had given him all the necessary directions and hadn't been seen since he killed samuel urquhart) had given him many directions, but the one he stressed the most was to go about as if nothing has changed. it was quite a ridiculous concept, especially since everything possible had changed but harrison understood the severity. he understood how important it was to act like the joke-ster he was, or to smile big, or to still charm as many people as he did during his school days.

during his hogwarts years he had gotten into drugs, but just for fun, just as a teenage thing. now he was into them because they were the only way he could pretend anymore. they were the only way he could cope.

they helped him live in all the worlds he created for himself to live in.

he relied on them way too much, now, but he relied on far too many things now. he had once been an unbound wild-boy with no worries in life, and now he had everything to worry about. his life, his sister, a love lost. everything was starting to pile up, and he needed days like this to just wander the mostly calm streets of diagon alley, and not have to think about those lifeless eyes that always stared up at him from his dreams, or even the order members who looked up to him for whatever reason.

was he playing his part that well that he could fool them so easily?

he always liked to go into the junk shop; not that he needed more junk at his house. he was a single man living alone...things just seemed to pile up by themselves. but there was something about the atmosphere, or the idea of finding a diamond in a sea of sand. there were people like that in his life (his sister, his friends) and he cherished them dearly...even if he had to distance himself from them. for their safety he kept telling himself...for their safety.

he found himself hoping to see no one he knew...it was so tiring to be social all the time, especially when all he wanted to do was go home and bury his head in his palms and cry.

but murderers should never be allowed to get what they wished for, and he looked up sharply at the ding of the door, announcing someone entering the musky shop.

• CHUCK

[DELILAH EMILY CADWALLADER]

SCREAM FOR HELP.

A day off was something of a relief. Most of the time, it seemed like there was always work to be done - letters to send, things to approve, portkey's to make. It is always seemed like there was things to do and most of the time, Delilah Cadwallader liked to be at work. It used to be that she couldn't wait to get home, but things were different. Things had changed, and even though they seem to be staying that way, Delilah still held out hope. Of course, she understood why Lily had taken to being silent...sort of, but she wanted her to talk again. She missed her voice and her laugh and the way that she could just talk to Delilah. They'd been friends since they were eleven years old and Lily had always been her voice. Now she had to be Lily's voice and she still wasn't sure how she liked being the voice of a group. Or at least interpreting for Lily. But that was what friends did.

So instead of being home that afternoon, Delilah had put on light clothing to beat the heat, grabbed her bag and wand and shoved her newest book into the bag and waved to Lily as she left their cottage. She'd magiced her hair into a braid before leaving and as soon as she had stepped outside, she knew she'd made the right choice. Walking down the lane, she waved to a few neighbors before realizing that just staying in Hogsmeade like she originally planned wasn't going to suit her appetite for something more and apparated at the end of the lane to Diagon Alley. It had been so long since she'd been here, since most of the time she skipped down to The Three Broomsticks and called it a day. But today she would wonder around the Alley that reminded her of her days at Hogwarts.

From what she could see, there were kids with their parents picking up their school supplies, wizards stocking up on potion ingredients and woman gossiping next to cauldrons. There was always something going on here, it was much livelier than Hogsmeade usually was at this time of day. Delilah stopped in Madame Milkin's for a moment, leaving with a new robe for work folded neatly at the bottom of her bag. Then she made her way up the street, contemplating getting an ice cream from the parlor a few store fronts down. But then she noticed the junk shop and decided to have a look around there first. Junk first, ice cream second. Well, maybe ice cream third because she also wanted to stop in Flourish and Blotts to see if there were any new books that might interest her (and maybe to say hello to Albus should he be behind the counter) and they usually frowned when she brought the frozen treat into the shop with her. She wasn't clumsy or anything like that, but they frowned at everyone who came in with a food item or beverage - especially children.

But that was further down the Alley so the Junk Shop came first. She was hopeful that maybe she could find something from a far off place for Lily, maybe to get to to smile, or something that might look high end for her brunette fashion forward friend. She was also on the hunt for something pretty and maybe colorful and glass for her own room. It was missing something with its blue walls and the dark bookshelves that lined the wall across from her bed. It was almost full and she'd have to think about getting rid of some books. But for now she was shoving them in places and piling them on top of one another. But that was for another day and today, she would just enjoy the browsing. Maybe she;d find a new lamp. Delilah slipped her way inside, even though the bell on the door rang. She hated those, because when she shopped she liked to usually be left alone to her own devices. There was a man inside, and she thought that she'd seen his face somewhere before. Maybe he was friends with Lily, or James or maybe they'd slept together in the past and she'd forgotten.

Delilah smiled sheepishly at him - he'd looked over when the bell rang - and then turned away, biting her bottom lip and looking at the odds and ends near the window. She didn't want to bother him, if he didn't want to be bothered. Then again, she wanted to place the name with the face, because it bothered her that she couldn't remember. Delilah was usually so good with names and faces. Slowly she turned to look at the man again, casually pretending she saw something else on a different table. She looked at them, her eyes flashing upwards every few minutes. It was hard to place him...maybe he had looked different before. She got a little closer, still leaving space between them as she set one foot in front of the other. But before she knew it, she was staring at him across the table that he'd been standing at. And then she quickly looked down as if something on the table caught her eye. Who was he!!!

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OUTFIT: here NOTES: I LOVE ME SOME WENDY THREADING

[▲HARRISON FRANK LONGBOTTOM]

how could this be done

by such a smiling sweetheart

time passed slowly in the junk shop, and it almost seemed like it was at a standstill, caught in between the past and the present. maybe finding a place suspended in time would be beneficiary; a place where you could sit and take the time to think about who you have become, who you want to be, what actions are right to take, and who you're running away from. harrison liked to tell himself that he wasn't running from anyone, that he was stronger than that and could take any and all challenges head on. he had always been a slightly delusional boy, though; his delusion stemming from a mellow cockiness that most boys had and eventually grew out of.

growing out of things meant growing up, though, and harrison never wanted to do such a thing. you would think that being a murderer would make him grow up, become dark hearted and steely eyed, but it seems to have a quite opposite effect. he strives to live in the past now, those days of hogwarts glory and glorified youth. there's that side to him that is terribly haunted, but it isn't a grown up side...how can it be? it's a side that curls up in bed and cries into the pillowcase, a side that wishes he would never have strayed from the safe path, a path well lit and absent of blood stains blooming like roses on a dark alley street.

he's looking through a steep pile of old suitcases, but he isn't sure why he is looking at suitcases. he certainly is not planning a trip anywhere, and he's pretty certain most of these suitcases were eaten by whatever pesky rodents or magical creatures lurked in peoples' attics. he tilts his head at a burgundy suitcase, as he sizes it up, and he nearly jumps back in surprise when he realizes that he's sizing it up in order to see if a body could be fit into it. his mind is trained, now, and even when he tries to push such thoughts away they sneakily creep back in. the shopkeeper looks at him warily before turning towards the door, where a young blonde walks into the shop. harrison follows the shop owners gaze, and he tilts his head at the blonde. she certainly looks familiar. she's young, so he assumes she went to hogwarts, but harrison had always liked older women and he wasn't particular to blondes. the only exception to both of those rules had been a certain felicity davies...she was definitely the most eccentric and fun girl he had ever dated, but she gave all other blondes a bad reputation, at least in harrison's eyes.

he smiles at her but is relieved that he doesn't really know her; if he did he'd have to put on that goofy brave face of his, and after the thought that had gone through his mind when looking at the suitcase he isn't sure he can play his award winning role of 'goldenboy harrison longbottom.' he grabs some fabric, hoping his sister will be in the mood to make him a scarf or sweater for the upcoming cold weather, and stands in line to pay.

(hey megs keep in mind the under 600 wc rule, thanks)

• CHUCK

[DELILAH EMILY CADWALLADER]

SCREAM FOR HELP.

Maybe she didn't really know him, it was just a trick. Maybe he just looked like someone that she had slept with once. That could be it, or maybe they'd slept together and she couldn't remember. He seemed to sort of avoid her and maybe things had ended bad. But she couldn't for the life of her remember who he was. Biting her lip and turning red, Delilah turned around to look in another bin as though she was just rummaging though things around the store and not stalking him (which wasn't really the case either). But the bin next to the one she'd been looking in was just broken muggle looking things - the handle of a tea kettle, springs that sort of bounced on their own, a battery, a ripped piece of flowery wall paper Delilah was sure was spinning. They'd probably all come from muggle items that had been charmed and caught and turned into junk. It was nothing that Delilah needed and she bit her lip and turned again.

Try as she might, she wasn't paying attention to the contents on the shelves or bins anymore. The blonde kept sort of looking back at the other boy. Maybe she'd just seen him around school. Maybe he'd been one of the boys that made fun of her or maybe he'd tried to smooth talk her into a Hogsmeade date. It was bothering her, because she usually got faces and names together and couldn't stand it. Maybe she really didn't know him and looked like Edmund from a few floors up. But that was silly because Edmund was blonde and a bit pudgy and liked to come talk to Delilah because he was sure she slept with just anyone and that wasn't the case. Plus, she was sure he only showered once a week. No, this wasn't Edmond. She bit her lip.

No one had gone into the line behind him and Delilah figured that maybe she'd grab something, anything, and make idle line conversation while they waited. She was usually horrible at line conversations because she was horrible at talking to people that she didn't know well, but she'd been getting practice at a more forward type of conversation that Delilah figured that she'd probably be able to do it this time. At least just to get his name, then maybe she'd pinpoint when or where she'd met him before.

Grabbing a flowery bag she figured someone in her house would like and a pair of champagne flutes that she was sure was probably used for someones wedding but that she would now use on her own, she moved towards the line and stood behind him, rocking back and forth on her toes for a few seconds before clearing her throat and biting her lip again. Maybe she wasn't so good at this conversation thing yet. But she knew it would eat at her if she didn't just ask. She just had to ask...like taking off a band aid or telling your brother you accidentally broke his action figure. Just...do it. Just a few simple words and then asking if they knew one another. It would be so simple. Just say Hello...Hello...Hello..."Do I know you" her eyes went wide because not only had she blurted out a question, she'd done it a bit too loud. She'd have to work on volume control.

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OUTFIT: here NOTES: OH GOODNESS I TOTALLY FORGOT I'M SO SORRY!