Hey Little Flower Lady

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi smiled down at the little girl whose hand she was holding. They walked down the block together, both heading for the shop where the former Gryffindor's wedding dress was being altered and where, hopefully, the tiny girl beside her would settle on a dress. "Thank you for agreeing to be my flower girl, Livvy" she said cheerily as the wind blew her hair gently across her face. She reached up her free hand to move the hair so she could continue speaking without getting a mouthful.

"Do you know what color you want your dress to be?" Cyndi asked. She of course had a color in mind, but she was more than open to changing her mind if another dress suited the little girl more. She was determined to not be a crazy, control-freak of a bride.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia's grin was wider than a Cheshire cat's as her companion thanked her. Being four, the girl was still no pro at this whole manners thing, yet her missing teeth and pink cheeks said more than a You're welcome ever could. Olivia hopped with each step and hummed a tune she'd learned long ago. She wasn't exactly sure what a flower girl was yet, but was sure proud enough to brag about it.

It was obvious that Olivia thought the world of Cyndi. Who wouldn't when the woman was so pretty and smart? She was even a teacher. It was because of her that Olivia wanted to be a professor too- that was, on the days when she wasn't being an auror and a dragon trainer.

"I don't know," Olivia responded sheepishly, smiling, "what color are you gonna wear?"

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

"Me?" Cyndi asked with a slight note of surprise in her voice. She'd been fully expecting Olivia to give her a list a mile long of things she wanted for her dress. The girl was adorable and Cyndi enjoyed watching the little girl bound around. She was a ball of energy.

"I'll be wearing white, but only the bride can wear that color. Even Cameron has to wear a different color" she said with a grin before adding, "even my mommy can't wear white on the wedding day." She nodded her head to punctuate the point.

They reached the front of the shop, a small wizarding boutique with an awning that read Mallory's Bridal Shoppe. Mallory, the owner, was a whiz with her wand and a dress. She just knew she'd be able to find something for Livvy inside. "Ready to go in, Livvy?"

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia could only shrug. Why she wasn't allowed to wear white was beyond her, but the little girl wouldn't want to wear that color, anyway. She didn't even use the dreaded word why ten-thousand times. Nodding, Olivia stepped into the store with Cyndi, the four-year-old's eyes widening in awe. "Ooh, pretty!" she squealed, racing to a dress that was fit for a princess. She ran her hands all over the sleek fabric. The dress was purple, donned puffy sleeves, and was twice as tall as the girl who wished to wear it.

Not a few seconds had passed before Olivia abandoned that dress for another. It appeared she would be here forever- who could expect her to make a decision with so many choices? "I love them all, Cyndi!" she announced, her face drowning in delight.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi felt pretty pleased with herself when she realized that Olivia had been pleased enough with her response to not question it. This is pretty easy, she thought to herself as she walked through the door behind her best friend's daughter. It was only a few seconds before Olivia was bounding around the store, touching this dress and that, all of which were meant for bridesmaids. Unless the little girl had giant blood in her, it would be years until she could wear those dresses without tripping over the hem. She chuckled at the girl's reaction, not realizing the potential for a problem at all.

"I love them all too" she agreed. "But I don't think any of these will fit you. The flower girl dresses are on that side" she said, pointing to the opposite side of the shop where dainty, poufy little dresses were on display. She shared an amused look with the owner, who was busy working her magic on what appeared to be a bridesmaid dress. A pair of shears were snipping the hem off and the witch was busy putting needles in place by hand.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Of course Olivia knew these dresses wouldn't fit her, but she wanted to wear them all the same. She couldn't wait until she was a grown-up and could do anything she wanted. Kids like her always had someone to tell them what to do. With a generous sigh, the little witch wandered to the dresses just her size. None of them snatched her attention.

Turning to Cyndi with ample pout to her lip, Olivia whined, "I don't like these ones."

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Uh-oh, Cyndi thought to herself as she heard the sigh that escaped Olivia. The young woman wasn't around children very often, but she knew that any time she sighed that way, it was because she wasn't happy. She wasn't too worried...not yet anyway. As soon as Livvy takes a look at the flower girl dresses, she'll change her tune. Cyndi was sure of it.

She looked at the little girl's pout for a second and could hardly understand it. "What do you mean? Look at how cute these are" Cyndi said, pulling a dress off the shelf and holding it up. It was yellow with a lace bow in the back. "Don't you like it?" She shook it back and forth slowly, as if she was attempting to hypnotize the little girl into picking the dress.

 

[Olivia Drage]

"Nope," Olivia intoned, ambling over to a case of beauty supplies. She just wasn't interested in those baby dresses now. Reaching into a pile of nail polish, she grabbed a vial of pink liquid and unscrewed the top. The brush jerked from her hand and began painting her nails.

Fascinated by this little dose of magic, Olivia remembered she wasn't supposed to open things without asking. Good thing her mother wasn't here to scold her. Turning to Cyndi, she grinned widely, showing off her fingers. The girl gasped in surprise when the pink on her nails changed to blue. "I want this stuff!" Olivia exclaimed.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

The dress was left dangling on her finger as Olivia walked off. With a shocked expression on her face, Cyndi kept one eye on Livvy as she haphazardly replaced the dress. "Livvy...don't" Cyndi said, but it was too late. Olivia was fast as a snitch, so she was much too late to stop the girl from opening the bottle. The polish was already working its way across her fingers.

When the little girl turned to show them off, Cyndi looked at the little bottle. "Oh, I don't know Livvy. We're supposed to be looking at dresses" she reminded the little girl as she pointed at the area they'd just come from. "And, does your mum even let you wear nail polish?" she asked uneasily as the little brush attempted to brush her nails. Cyndi grabbed the top and guided it back to the bottle, making sure it shut itself tightly.