#alevent01

“Stay close, Liza,” commanded Elizabeth in a soft voice, her fingers reaching out to caress her daughter’s hair. The four year old took after mother in almost every way appearance wise, except for the ice blue eyes that were all her father. Those blue eyes in question were wide as she took in the unfamiliar sights that had been set up in diagon alley, and Elizabeth couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, despite her disdain for the makeup of the crowd. If she had her way, she wouldn’t have brought her daughter to a place where she would surely be mingling with filth, but Draco had let gushed about the upcoming event on the Malfoys’ last visit, and Elizabeth couldn’t distract her daughter from the event. 

Ah, well. There was sure to be some of those that Elizabeth would want her daughter to consort with, as well, and it never hurt to appear in public with her fatherless daughter. It was always good to drum up sympathy for the poor Notts. Fixing a diplomatic smile on her face, Elizabeth turned her attention away from her daughter (but still kept her hand where it was to keep Liza close) and joined the girl in taking in the sights. 

The Ministry really had outdone themselves on the event, and Elizabeth knew that there would be more to come in the rest of the month’s celebratory events. Of course, Elizabeth would rather don a mourning attitude for anniversary of the fall of her master, but that wouldn’t do as far as keeping the public’s sympathy, so she would have to show her face at these events and pretend to be just as delighted as the rest of them at the last five years of peace. If only she could figure out a way to have her master return sooner. What poetic justice for him to reveal himself on the five year anniversary of his defeat. The thought brought a smile to her lips, one that someone passing her in the crowd seemed to take as a greeting. Elizabeth was pulled from her thoughts as the passing person spoke her name, and she forced herself to return the greeting.

In all honesty this celebration had been the last thing she had wanted to come too. Big gatherings like this made her anxious, and she really just wanted to hold Neville a little cloer, and protect him from all harm. Her little boy was six now though, and Frank was always saying he needed more independence, so he’d taken him off to have some fun. Whilst that was all lovely, Alice knew she was just going to be on edge until her boys were back at her side. She was pretty worried that something would happen to them, and she wouldn’t be there to protect them. 

She sighed, shaking her head as she pushed those thoughts away. That was when she nearly walked into someone. “Oh. Sorry...” She murmured, stepping to the side as she looked up at the person. “Oh. Lucius. Hello.... lovely to see you.” Or not so lovely. She wasn’t so sure how she felt about being on talking terms with the Malfoys now. She was still so suspicious of them. So, she was more guarded around them, than welcoming them with open arms. But.... she tried

Mary wasn’t normally one for big celebrations. She used to quite enjoy them, when she was younger. She enjoyed the bright lights and loud music that parties and festivals offered -- probably because they were so far removed from the day to day life she was used to with her parents, one which, while pleasant, was frightfully dull. She’d attended a few parties and such through her time at Hogwarts, and while she’d loved them at the time, it was difficult for her to find the same enthusiasm for such events as she once had. Nowadays, large gatherings did nothing other than set Mary on edge. She didn’t like being surrounded by people, and even less by strangers, and her overactive imagination had a tendency to run rampant with worst case scenarios in situations like this.

Why was she here, then? Good question.

While Mary didn’t like large gatherings like this one, the same could not be said for her husband and daughters. Much like Mary had once been, Ellie and Maisie were awestruck by the festivities, the bright lights blinking in their irises and enchanting them in a way that only seemed to work on children. Reggie had insisted on only going if Mary was comfortable, and, though she wasn’t, she could tell that this was something he wanted, too, and he’d made enough sacrifices for Mary in their relatively short life together. She could suck it up and attend a damned street festival for him, even if it killed her ( though she really hoped it wouldn’t ).

Reggie had taken the girls to the designated child area, where a number of fun activities had been set up. As soon as her daughters had heard about the sorts of things that had up for offer over there, they’d been tugging on their father’s sleeves to try and beckon him over there ( it seemed that Reggie had naturally fallen into the role of fun parent, much to Mary’s feigned annoyance ). Mary had insisted that he take the girls and see what was going on, while she tried to get a little shopping done ( if she was here, she might as well try and get some bargains ), and had smiled as she watched her family run off in the opposite direction while she entered one of the nearby shops.

Mary had found what she was looking for, and emerged triumphant from the little store with a bag full of goods. Unfortunately, she didn’t think to look where she was going as she did so, and stumbled out onto the crowded street, colliding head first right into another person. She grimaces instinctively, every muscle in her body tensing as she looks up at the person she’d unintentionally assailed, mumbling an apology before she’s even made eye contact -- “I’m so sorry,” She says, “Are you alright?”

It was odd for Lily to have so much free time to just wander in and out of the shops of Diagon Alley, and especially so to not have Harry hanging on her arm while she did it. Of course, the shops were all massively crowded, but Lily had never minded large crowds of witches and wizards. There was still a little awed muggleborn within her that loved to just watch the eccentricities of the wizarding world. She smiled to herself, remembering the first time she had set foot in Diagon Alley with her parents in tow. As familiar as this world had become, there would always be a bit of nostalgia wrapped up in this place.

Knowing that she wouldn’t last through the whole festival, Lily decided to pop into Flourish and Blotts. Since she had the day off and Harry would be at the Weasleys for the evening, she had time to read for pleasure for the first time in longer than Lily could remember. Thinking of the glass of wine and bar of chocolate that would be waiting for her at home, she picked up her pace, weaving through the crowd and entering the bookshop. 

It was crowded in here as well, but not as badly as some of the other shops, and Lily was able to maneuver through the shelves easily to find the fiction section. Humming to herself, she traced the spines of books with her finger, looking for a title that interested her. People always said not to judge a book by its’ cover, but in Lily’s opinion, a cover could say a lot about what kind of book she was about to get herself into. She had just pulled one that interested her off the shelf when she heard her name sounding from behind her. Turning around, Lily recognized Mary. “Oh, Mary, hi!” 

001. DIAGON ALLEY STREET FESTIVAL

to kick off the month of October festivities celebrating the fifth year anniversary of the end of the war, the Ministry for Magic is proud to announce that they are partnering with the shopkeepers of Diagon Alley to host a street festival. This kind of event is the first of its’ kind, and will include live music, street vendors for food and drink, a fun area for the kids, discounts at all of your favorite shops, and live music to end the night! 

——— The Details

What — a street festival to kick off the month of events celebrating the end of the war

Where — Diagon Alley and its various offshoots (Knockturn Alley will have its’ own celebrations)

When — IC: October 5, 1986; OOC: June 13-June 20

Trivia — it’s rumored that a new up and coming band called the Weird Sisters will be performing on the steps of Gringotts at the end of the night.

Lily hated the bar where Sirius worked, but she tried not to gripe at him about it -- partially because of how much he did for her and Harry, and partially because whenever she did, he just turned the tables back around to her job. The fact that Sirius and Remus both disapproved of the career path Lily had chosen to follow after James’ injury (as well as the fact that they both seemed to think they had a right to comment on her life choices) was a source of constant annoyance in Lily’s life, so she tried not to say or do things to provoke the topic anymore.

Still, Lily tried not to go into the bar if she could help it -- it was shady, and she knew that some less than legal transactions went down in this bar, right under Sirius’ watchful eyes. She didn’t want him caught up in those things, especially when he was basically helping her to raise her son. But fighting with him about it had gotten them nowhere, and she needed to talk to him, so she was forced to make her way into the dark environment.

Approaching the bar, Lily tried not to meet anyone’s gaze, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on Sirius, who was currently wiping it down. When she reached him, she tried to bite back her disapproving sniff, but wasn’t sure she was entirely successful. “Sirius, can you take your break now?” 

Alice did have to admit to herself that she was enjoying this little celebration. Sure, she hadn’t really wanted to be here, and if anyone asked she would much rather be cuddled up at home on the couch with Frank as they watched their little boy play. But she would admit that she was actually enjoying herself. Frank and Neville were a few feet in front of her, looking at the stalls, and the shops, and Alice just found herself smiling. She knew she didn’t get out much, and events like this really did make her wonder why. She knew why really. The anxiety she had felt in the run up to this event had nearly been enough to stop her coming. It was only because of Frank that she had come. She made a mental note to thank him for yet again helping her to over come her anxiety and actually do something that she ended up enjoying.

She paused for a minute, the smile on her face as she looked around. It was nice to see friendly and familiar faces. The good feeling she had wouldn’t last, she knew the guilty and anxiety would come back, but maybe for a little while it would be enough. “Hi!” She murmured, recognising the person that was coming up to her. “Lovely afternoon isn’t it?”