Happy Birthday to me.......

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen had been trying out some new inventions all morning long and needed some fresh air to clear her head and hopefully get ideas for more manic enterprises. She had promised her parents she would only be gone for an hour or so but it had already been three hours since she had left the apartment they had invested in while she would be getting organised for Hogwarts. As soon as she started there, they planned on going right back home again. She had been in and out of various shops already from joke shops to the muggle market. Having walked the length and breath of Obsidian, it was with a bit of relief that she discovered another street just off of it.

Today Carmen dressed like the proper witch she was, a purple travelling robe and hat covered a similar coloured t-shirt and black pants. Under this was the least magical thing of her ensemble, which were the muggle skeetchers her crazy aunt had gotten for her on her last birthday. Today as it so happened was her 11th birthday and she wanted to be anywhere else but celebrating it in the confines of her family and their suffocating ways. Walking further along the dark coloured cobbled stones she began to notice the people down here were not quite as sunny and 'normal' as they had been around Obsidian, these people seemed of a darker elke, had about them a more sinister air. And yet like a fool she kept walking, she knew it was stubborness now that pushed her on and told herself it was the would-be Gryffindor in her that made her do silly things like walk down dark alley ways that she had no clue about.

"Today I'm eleven years old, if I don't do something new today which is the perfect day for doing something new then I never will" she whispered to herself as she walked along. The shops here seemed so old and even dangerous. A smile close to a challenge over came her as she began imagining all sorts of concoctions she might be able to find in them. A noise behind her made her spin around to see a hunched figure in a hood slink into a doorway and stay almost motionless there. A cold chill went down her spine, she wasn't scared was she? Turning around she began to walk a little faster down the lane and as she looked towards a shop window noticed the reflection of the hooded figure following her.

 

[River Dallas]

River had just had a huge disagreement with her brother Sage. Maybe it couldn't even be called a disagreement. It was more a talk in which Sage had called River too scared to even think about having any chances of getting into Gryffindor. Sure her first choice sat in Ravenclaw but as time when on and River spent more time here in New Zealand, she was thinking more and more about the great house of the lion.

In an attempt to prove Sage wrong, River stormed out of the house. Today her outfit consisted of a long flowing black sun dress and her long red hair was up in a messy bun with two chop sticks stuck in there. It was more an outfit that was worn around the house which exactly what it was intended for, that was until Sage had got on her bad side.

Now here River was walking at a fast pace, much faster than her usually pace, much too fast to stop and smell the flowers. But really where River was heading she wouldn't want to stop and enjoy the day. This young red head was walking to the dark part of the alley, a place where few of the intellegent went. "Stupid Sage Doesn't think I'm brave. What does he know. He's just jealous that he isn't going to Hogwarts yet" River muttered to herself as she walked feeling the aura of the place fall onto her shoulders.

Half way through her walk she let out a deep breathe releasing all the anger she was harboring. After doing so she looked around finding this place rather creepy, though it wouldn't be so bad with company. The small girl's eyes rushed around the place looking for someone anyone, maybe her brother following her, but nothing. Well not until she noticed a young girl about her own age only a few paces away.

Again with the large strides, River made her way over to the girl. "Hey" She said from behind hoping that she wouldn't spook the girl.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen heard footsteps getting closer, long strides catching up with her and then a voice. Inside she leapt about a mile high, outside she paled almost afraid to turn around and see the hooded figure but the voice had sounded young. She slowly turned about and breathed a visible sigh of relief.
"Phew, hiya" she smiled at the girl, who she judged to be about the same age as herself.
"You come here often?" the joke was made with nervous laughter as she looked behind the girl only to see the hunched figure lurking in a nearby doorway again.

"Let's just pretend we've been best buddies for the longest time and make our way down here or anywhere away from here" she whispered to the girl as she linked her arm through hers. Carmen wasn't usually this friendly but this place gave her the creeps and she thought that if whoever that hooded figure was, if he or she were under the impression that she was not alone they might actually back off.

"Don't know if you've noticed but I was being followed. Paranoia much I know" she nodded her head back in the direction of the shop doorway, "don't make it obvious you're looking" her voice had returned to a whisper."
"I'm Carmen by the way".

 

[River Dallas]

River let out a small sigh glad that the girl hadn't jumped or screamed. Both would have called way too much attention to the both of them. Gosh that probably wouldn't be the best thing in the world. They both stood out already age wise. At least River blended in with her black dress but her bright red hair probably undid any chance of ever blending in.

"Hey" River repeated giving a small smile directed in her way. Though she could tell that the girl was nervous. River couldn't blame her, but really River would put up a front and act as if this place was sending chills up her spine at the very moment. "And no I've neve been here" River added "Favorite Hang out spot for you?" River asked returning a small laugh

Surprised slightly as the girl hooked up with River, River just shrugged and went along with it. "Best buddies of coarse" River said putting a smile on her face. Even though this whole thing was a bit odd, River decided that maybe it was just the aura of the place that made it so.

"Why were you being followed?" River asked quietly tilting her head to side slightly showing a bit of curiousity. Why would anyone ever want to follow this girl who soon introduced herself as Carmen. Brushing a small piece of red hair off River's shoulder the young girl turned her gaze slightly behind her noticing the cloaked figure. Slowly moving her head facing the front once more, River's face went emotionless for that one second. "Creepy" She said aloud though it was meant to be only in thought. "Oh I'm River. Nice to meet you Carmen. Even in this circumstances" River added wanting to look back again but something inside her told her that looking back wasn't the smartest move.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

"Nice to meet you River, hey cool name" she grinned as they began to walk along slowly, "I don't know why that person is following me but since I got down here I've noticed him. I thought first it was just my imagination but I've been keeping tabs through the shop window reflections and no matter which way I've turned down this street, it keeps following me."

Carmen knew she came from a very wealthy family, a very old family but surely no one in New Zealand would know that and wish harm to her as a result. She knew that some mental cases went in for kidnapping children and grandchildren of illustrious families but surely she was inconsequential here. Maybe he was just going to rob her, that thought seemed to ease her conscience a bit. Robbing from her seemed the better option to her.

"What if he wants to mug me or something? He's less likely to do it now with you here as well. Though two underage witches against goodness only knows whats under that cape, we'd end up the worse for wear I'm sure".

 

[River Dallas]

River smiled as Carmen said she had a cool name. Really River had always thought she got cheaped out of the good names that her other siblings had. Even though River knew the name fit her as did her sisters' names and brother's name. Maybe it was just meant to be that way. Pushing thoughts out of mind her River tuned back into the environment that she was in now, it wasn't a very nice on in her opinion either.

"Well there are way to many creepers out there" River admitted knowing that Rose, River's mother, had warned her about all the people out there that were not considered nice people. Though River had never met such people, River assumed that plenty would be lurking in an area like this.

When Carmen seemed to state her worries aloud about the scary caped follower, that didn't help River's thoughts be any more eased. Not showing an ounce of worry, River kept the smile on her face. Be brave and prove Sage wrong River thought as she looked around the dark area knowing that she wouldn't want to go shopping in any of these shops.

"Well let's just hope nothing bad happens. I mean I don't have any money on me so I doubt that's want the guy wants." River said shrugging a bit thinking that it would be rather silly to mug two eleven year olds. After all not too many of them carried money with them. "Maybe he's just watching us curiously wondering what we are doing here" River said looking back briefly before deciding that this probably wasn't the case. "Why are you down in a place like this?" She asked finding it a rather good question.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

"Not sure really I seemed to just stroll down here, my feet have a mind of their own" she smiled feeling a lot easier now that she had company as useless as both of them would be in a confrontation with anyone.
"You're right, I don't think we're worth robbing really" she didn't want to mention the ten galleons in her pocket but surely the hooded figure didn't know that, surely he was just curious as River had suggested. That seemed more plausible that was for sure.

"I think I've had about enough of this place actually but it'll probably take me another twenty minutes just to get out of here again. This is actually my birthday and I usually do something silly at least once on my birthday. This seemed as good a stupid thing as any".

 

[River Dallas]

River listened as Carmen said that her feet just sort of lead her here. That seemed like a rather good excuse that happened to River enough times. At least Carmen hadn't meant to be down here unlke River who had stupidly taken Sage's words to heart and had to prove him wrong. out of all the people that could get River all wired up it was indeed Sage.

River tried to put the figure that had seemed to come way to close for comfort in the back of her mind. Instead she tried to think about how she was going to prove to Sage that she had actually come here.

Though this red head was jerked out of her thought when she heard Carmen said it was her birthday. "Oh breithlá shona duit" River said brightly taking herself a few minutes to understand she had spoken in gaelic. "Sorry" River said letting out a small laugh. "I meant Happy birthday"

Looking over at Carmen "No offense but this isn't the best place to spend your eleventh birthday" River admitting just guessing that Carmen was turning eleven.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen listened as River said something which she told her was in Gaelic.
"Cool you can talk that? I thought that language was dead" afraid incase she had just insulted her new friend, Carmen blurted more out, "I am so sorry. I didn't mean that it's just that I have never heard anyone speak it before. Which of course is not any reason for it to be a dead language. I mean I have never heard Italian or Japanese but they aren't dead are they?"
She made a motion as if to take something out of her mouth.
"I have a habit on occassion to swallow my foot big time. You'd think that when a girl hits 11 that she'd stop doing that but oh no!" she grinned rolling her eyes.