In love with Paris

[Kady Perrin]

Kady sighed, twirling once as she walked the streets of Paris alone. Well not completely alone obviously, as she joined the crowds of tourists crowding the city, even in the middle of winter. She was dressed warmly and prettily, as usual. Her thick mittens kept her fingers warm as they curled around her camera, raising it to capture the many moments she was loving here. The city of love, or whatever it was called, was certainly proving to be true for Kady. She hadn't met any cute guys or anything, though she had seen many, but she had fallen deeply and undeniably in love with the city. It was so pretty, especially covered in a layer of snow that made it look like the postcards she had been sent by her aunt.

Having not yet been to the Eiffel Tower, Kady began to make her way in the direction of the tall tower. She was thoroughly enjoying being left to do as she pleased in this city, on holiday with her family. Her parents had taken her little brother sight seeing, and understanding that a fourteen year old girl didn't particularly want to watch Barney jabbering in french, they gave her some money and set her loose. Her pink cheeks and sparkling eyes reflected the happiness of being able to independently do as she pleased. Raising her camera to take yet another shot of the beautiful landscape dotted with tourists, a figure crossed across her view just as she took the picture "Oops. Sorry, I caught you on camera" she apologised quickly, forgetting that her American accent probably wouldn't register with most here.

 

[Brad Kuang]

Brad waved at his twin sister Vivian, she was going to go back to her dorm in Beauxbaton while Brad stayed a little longer in the city. The only reason why he wanted to stay there was to chat in his new phone and he knew that there was no connection back in the castle since it was all using magic not all these muggle gadgets and electricity. He took off a glove as he warmed a hand with hot pack and smiled as he chat with his friend through the phone. Even though Brad's father was a pureblood, he was a big fan of muggle gadgets that was why he let the kids use those gadgets. The boy threw the hot pack into the trash can as he wore his glove and start jumping, it was pretty cold since the wind blew all the time and it was pretty hard.

The phone rang and Brad picked it up, it was from his older brother Zac "No dear brother! I'm not going back to that school" He hunged up "Stupid Beauxbaton" He muttered right before a girl with American accent apologize. He wiped his phone and try to figure out where the girl was. He spotted her not too far from him and smiled at her "Oh it's alright" He said with his Canadian accent which wasn't THAT different than her American accent. His phone then rang again and it was from his brother, AGAIN. He picked up and sigh "Alright alright! I'll be back in a couple hours" He hunged up "Stupid Beauxbaton" He muttered again. "Sorry it's my brother" He apologize, if the girl was a muggle then she shouldn't know what Beauxbaton was but if she was a witch or wizard then she should know what that was.

 

[Kady Perrin]

The figure who was now saved in a picture on her camera didn't seem all that annoyed about being captured like that. She had been a little weary of somebody shouting at her in french and grabbing her beloved camera. She was surprised and delighted to hear him speak in not french, but Canadian. Coming from Alaska, she knew the voice well, as her own accent was quite similar. Her brown eyes widened slightly as she thought he said 'Beauxbatons'. That was the magical school of this country, and she wasn't aware of any muggle things sharing the same name. "What did you say?" she said, a little sharply as she looked up at the stranger, a small frown creasing her brow. She herself attended Durmstrang academy, also in Europe, however she wasn't about to reveal this until she was sure that this boy was also a wizard. It was entirely possible that she had heard him wrong.

Kady watched as he talked into a muggle cellphone. That made her highly doubt that he was a wizard. Most of her friends at Durmstrang found the muggle devices silly. Coming from a mainly non-magical background, she was used to them "It's fine" she said, with a smile. She was quite good at meeting new people and befriending them, even in France.

 

[Brad Kuang]

Brad narrowed his eyes and frowned as he looked at his phone, again his brother was bothering him through messenger, telling him to go back to the castle along with Vivian but Brad wanted to stay longer. He stopped and widen his eyes hoping that he wont accidentally confess to the girl that he was a wizard "Ummm... I said it's alright?" He bit his lower lips and quickly smiled and changed the topic "I'm assuming that you're from the state huh? I used to live in Canada but now I live here" He said, Brad's dad did give him an luxurious apartment in Paris for him to stay with his sister Vivian so if he was ever tired he could always stay in the city and not go back to the castle when it was holiday. Brad loved the city, his older sister hated and she was staying with Zac.

Brad put his phone back to his pocket and lean on the wall behind him. "How do you like Paris? You should have come here earlier, like last week. They had this fashion show all over the city and it was really fun." It was fun but wasn't as fun as snowboarding, he was planning on snowboarding last week but his twin sister twisted her ankle and she couldn't snowboard so that was why he came to the city. It was true that Brad was also a big fan of fashion but he loved snowboard more than fashion even more than dancing...!

 

[Kady Perrin]

Kady watched his reaction to her question closely, though perceiving others actions and emotions had never been her strong point. Her brown eyes fixed intently on him, she realised that she had never actually met a fellow witch or wizard from the world she had been dropped into three years ago, outside of school. She now had many friends at Durmstrang, however she had never randomly met a witch or wizard. Now that she thought about it, Kady supposed that there must be a lot of other magical people in Paris, she might have even walked past them that day! It was a funny thought, one that she had never pondered. His answer was quite suspicious, Kady decided "No... Before that" she said carefully "Stupid... What?" she asked, her eyes almost imploring him to understand what she was meaning, and telling him what she knew. If she was completely off the mark, and this boy was in fact just an ordinary muggle, then this situation could turn out to be quite awkward on her part. However Kady was the sort of person that wasn't worried by awkward situations. She could deal with them easily.

Kady smiled, showing braces with pink and green coloured bands on them. It was a nice question, one that she would be happy to answer "I love it! Especially in winter, with all the snow..." She said, trailing off almost wistfully. It reminded her of her home in Alaska, which was far colder than this with plenty of snow at this time of year. "Oh wow, that would've been so cool!" she added, knowing that a fashion show would've appealed her, a completely artistic girl who loved anything to do with design.

 

[Brad Kuang]

Brad decided to tell the girl what he said, if she was a muggle, she wont know what Beuaxbaton was anyway so he could always tell her that it was his cousin. "Ummm Beauxbaton?" He said hoping that she was a wizard or witch. Brad had met a lot of wizards in Paris especially during the fashion show, he met five of them in coincidence. It was quite fun, having all those people around him but honestly, Brad loved being around muggles since their gadgets and clothes were cooler than his wand. It was true that wand was cool but he still had to learn how to use it and wand could be dangerous as well unlike muggle gadgets that wasn't as crazy as his wand. But from the look of the girl's face, she knew what Beauxbaton was and Brad was assuming that she wasn't a muggle or at least she was a muggleborn who learn magic. Sometimes he imagine about being a muggleborn who didn't believe in magic but suddenly got a letter from the school telling him that magic existed, he would probably freak out and ran away and start calling the police. But thankfully, that never happen to him since he wasn't a muggleborn.

The boy decided to talk to the girl beside him, Brad loved talking to new people but sometimes he asked too many questions which annoyed people. "Stupid? My brother's who goes to Durmstrang's being stupid" He said not caring if the girl knew the school or not, if not then he'll just say that it was a school somewhere on earth but if she did then he didn't have to explain to her. "Not sure if you know where it is but oh well" He said awkwardly and quickly changed his topic. "I'm Brad by the way. You live here?" He asked randomly and snapped his finger feeling stupid for asking that question "I mean... Visiting? Where from?" He quickly added before she thought that he was an idiot.

 

[Kady Perrin]

A smile lit up Kady's face when the boy confirmed that he had in fact said Beauxbatons. And assuming that it was the only word with that meaning, she exclaimed "You're a wizard?" looking hopefully up at him, her pretty features still alight with her grin. She wasn't quite sure why she was so amazed and excited about meeting another magical teenager, there were plenty at Durmstrang that she saw every day. Just meeting one by chance like this was new to her, and it seemed that this guy was pretty cool also, with the added bonus of being Canadian. Alaska wasn't all that different to Canada, well at least not the land directly across the border where she had spent some time, working in the summers for the last couple of years.

Kady nodded "I sure do know where that is, it's where I go to school" she told him. She immediately wondered if she knew this boy's brother. There were a lot of people at Durmstrang, and she only really knew some in her year. Still, there was a possibility "What's your brother's name" Kady asked, half expecting him to be one of her friends from school "I'm Kady, and no" she replied, before hearing him correct himself. She smilled, letting him know that it was okay "I'm from Alaska, actually. When I'm not at school" she told him "Where abouts in Canada are you from?" she asked in return, wondering if she'd been there. Kady was in fact genetically a Canadian. French Canadian to be exact. Her wizarding parents were both born and raised in Canada, both speaking fluent French which they had made sure was something that they passed on to their children. That was a part of the reason they had decided to come to France on holiday.

 

[Brad Kuang]

Brad was pretty surprised that the girl was a wizard as well. The boy smiled, at least he had something in common, eh? "Vancouver, but I go to Jasper every weekend. Do you know where it is?" Brad loved Jasper more than Vancouver since i was colder and it had nice view from up there. But he had to stay in the city since all his private teachers were all there, but again, Brad's father wasn't a maniac, he let his kids hang out every weekend or every time they wanted. He was glad that his father was far from his uncle who forced his kid(s) to learn 24/7.

And surprisingly, Kady was in the same school as Brad's brother and sister. "Zac and Sally Kuang, But Sally is pretty new there. You should know Zac... Well... Maybe..." Zac was older than Brad so he wasn't sure if the girl knew Zac, but there was a chance of Kady being in the same age as Zac. After all, there were a lot of people who had baby face, right? "That's nice, I stay in Paris when it's holiday, but depend. If it's Summer holiday then I'll go back to China but if it's like only two to three days or a week then I'll stay here. Or go back to the manor" He chuckled "With floo powder of course, not plane" Brad could never stand on a plane, it took too long, he couldn't sit on a chair for more than 5 hours even though he was in a business class.

 

[Kady Perrin]

Kady was a little disappointed. She had never been to Vancouver, or any of the other big cities in Canada for that matter. Big cities had always appealed to her a lot, having been raised practically in the middle of nowhere. That was probably why Paris appealed to hr so much, she thought. The hustle and bustle, and the endless rows of little shops were very attractive to Kady, a small town girl. "No, I've never been to Vancouver. And Jasper, Alberta?" she asked, though she had never been there. Her Geography was reasonably good, especially since it didn't involve numbers, which she struggled with. Her knowledge of Jasper was that it was that it was in some sort of big park. Sounded reasonably fancy to her. Kady looked at the boy's appearance. Now that she noticed, he seemed quite wealthy.

"Sally and Zac Kuang..." she repeated slowly. The names rang a bell, but she couldn't remember ever meeting them. Kady's impression of Brad being wealthy was proven as she listened to his explanation, her brown eyes widening slightly. Money. "Wow, I couldn't imagine travelling that much" she replied, a little shocked. Going to and from her home in Alaska to Durmstrang every holidays was enough for her. Kady came from a comfortably wealthy family herself, who were easily able to afford to go on holiday to a different part of the world each year, but that was all. Kady's nose wrinkled slightly. She did not like travelling by floo powder, though unfortunately it was necessary for her travel to and from Durmstrang.

 

[Brad Kuang]

Brad was quite surprised that Kady knew where Jasper was. A lot of people didn't even know where it was located "Wow! I'm surprised that you know where it is" He said and smiled at her. Many people didn't even know where Beijing was, what they knew that it was in Asia. Did they even know where Asia is!? Perhaps Harry Potter should live there so that people knew where it was. But hey! Cho Chang was originally from Asia, right? The boy smiled widely at the girl, it seemed that he made a new friend. "Traveling? Depend, if you're using plane then I'd rather not travel but floo, I'm sooo going!" He said and laughed.

"Hey my uncle has a restaurant near by, wanna drop by? And perhaps eat?" The family had a fancy restaurant in Paris as well but the restaurant there wasn't Brad's dad's, it was Andy's brother's, Genvieve and Saria's father who owned it. Brad's father owned the one in Beijing, Shanghai, Vancouver, New York, many more but not the one in Paris. "Come on, I'll treat you" He winked playfully as he walk toward the restaurant, trying to see if Kady wanted to come with him or not. If not then he would just stay there, or if she was about to go home then Brad would just go and hang out by himself and perhaps go see if Genvieve jie was there since she was in charge of the restaurant both in Paris and Wellington.

 

[Kady Perrin]

Kady was quite pleased with herself "Well I've never been there or anything, just my geography is quite good" she said much more modestly that she felt.It was true. Even at the young age of fourteen, Kady knew where her talents and interests lay. Art. All forms of art. Photography, drawing, writing, painting, acting, you name it, Kady had tried it. Though photography was her number one passion, which she had become quite good at. The camera still clutched a little protectively in her hands was taken everywhere with her, and documented every special moment she encountered at every hour of the day. Kady shook her head good naturedly at his words "Floo powder? Yuck. It makes me sneeze" she replied, still smiling.

Kady's eyebrows raised a little, and a bright smile lit up her face, her braces showing again. It wasn't every day that you were asked to lunch in Paris by a complete stranger. Normally she would be weary, however she was feeling bright and independant that day, and just guessed that this was part of her growing up "Sure! As long as it's kinda downtown. I have to meet my family there in a couple of hours" she said, as she began to follow him. Kady didn't really want to have to leave in a couple of hours, especially if the restaurant was nice. Oh well, they won't miss me she thought lightheartedly with an inward shrug.

 

[Brad Kuang]

The restaurant wasn't too far from that place, so there shouldn't be any problem for Kady to come with him. "It's alright, it's right over" He took a few steps as the door that was made of glass was opened "Here" He continued as he walk inside the restaurant not seeing Genvieve jie anywhere. "Hmmm... I've never been here before, this restaurant belong to my cousin but oh well" He shrugged and ordered one of the waiter to open the family room. There was always a room for the family, it was located on the back and had a balcony that was facing the city. It was only for the family and friends, no costumer could go in there. "Heeyy! She did a great job!" He said being excited about the place. There was a big round table in the middle and smaller tables outside in the balcony. Brad walk toward the balcony, turning the heater on and sat on the chair.

Kobe beef was the most popular food in the restaurant "I'll have Kobe Beef" He said in Chinese. "You can have anything you want, don't worry, they can speak English" He chuckled, he was referring to the waiter and waitress. The family picture was hung inside the room, they were all either Brad's siblings or cousins. And beside that picture, there was another picture that was framed neatly. It was the picture of Brad's parents and his uncles and aunts. "You see there? That's my cousins, the one beside me is my twin sister Vivian and then there! Zac ge and Sally jie! Right beside Vivian. And oohh ohh! Genvieve jie and Saria jie, they're twins and just move to Durmstrang. And that little baby is Mason, he's also my cousin" (jie= big sis, ge= big bro) Brad loved telling everyone about his family until they feel annoyed.

 

[Kady Perrin]

Kady nodded, glad that it was quite close. It didn't even occur to the fourteen year old girl how bad of a situation she could be landing herself in. Lucky for her, this was completely innocent, but the easily trusting girl was very easy to lead. "Oh cool" she replied quietly, gazing around at the restaurant. It was very nice, and her rather empty stomach grumbled as a delicous smell wafted towards her. Wrapping her arms around her stomach to silence it, Kady followed Brad into a different room. It was obvious that family was quite important to his culture, which was fine by Kady. It was quite nice away from the public bustle of the restaurant. She followed behind him, unsure if anybody would object to her being back here. She hoped not. It wouldn't be very good to offend people in a foreign people in a different country without her parents. Kady began to feel a little vulnerable as she sat awkwardly on the edge of the seat opposite Brad.

Blinking a little blankly as Brad spoke rapidly in a completely different accent, Kady turned to the waiter herself "Uh. Rice, please?" she asked. She assumed that they'd have it, and she didn't trust her ability to chose a dish that she had never eaten before. Rice was the safest. She turned to the picture that Brad was pointing out. Her brown eyes focussed on it, taking in the line of children and teenagers "So where are you from originally? I mean, apart from Canada. China?" she took a wild guess. Kady then remembered that Chinese and Japanese didn't like being mixed up. At least, that was what she'd been told. Hoping that she was right, she added "It's a nice picture" with a small smile. Looking a little closer, she realised that she vaguely recognised the two from Durmstrang, though she had never spoken to them.

 

[Brad Kuang]

Brad snapped his finger ordering the waiter to give another menu, the menu that was given by the waiter was the family's favorite dish which was the Asian food but there was another menu of the whole food that was sold in the restaurant. "Sorry about that, here" He handed Kady the menu "We have pizza and pasta if you want" He said, perhaps the girl wasn't familiar with Asian food? He didn't know... "My dad is Chinese, yeah 100% Chinese, he was born and raised in Beijing however he used to live in Shanghai with his brothers. My mother is half Japanese and half Korean so that makes me...." He chuckled, Brad, Vivian, and Zac were all the same, half Chinese quarter Japanese and Korean but Sally was half Chinese and Korean since their mother was different.

The Family room was obviously different, the design of it was very Asian. Too Asian.... While the one outside the family room was completely different which was odd for Brad. His father wouldn't like this kind of design but again this restaurant wasn't his, it was his uncle's and his cousins, so it was all up to them. "What about you? You know your root? My second cousin from my mother's side is half French, she lives somewhere around. Mehhh I don't know" He laughed, he hadn't get a chance to meet her, all he knew was that he had heard about her before and all he knew was that their family was a mess. So it was better for him to not mess with them or he would be in a big trouble.

 

[Kady Perrin]

Pizza was something that Kady could eat a lot of, though she wouldn't here. She nodded thanks as she took the menu and scanned it quickly. Nope, nothing could beat pizza. She could live off the stuff. "Okay then, pizza for me" she said, smiling back up at him, placing the menu neatly on the table in front of her. She wasn't bothered by flavours, having been raised not to be a fussy eater and eat what was on the plate on front of her. She turned her attention away from the images of melting cheese in her mind, back to Brad's explanation of his background. "Oh wow, that is so awesome. I've always wanted to go to Asia, the fashion looks really cool" she said. It was true, of the pictures and muggle movies that she had seen in Asia all the people had amazing hair and strange but wonderful style. Though that was just the big cities, she supposed. "Have you lived there? Or has it just been Canada all your life?" It was hard to tell, with him having a flawless Canadian accent, and also being able to speak rapidly to the waiter in some language. She herself was fluent in two languages also, French and English. It was quite a handy skill to have, Kady had found.

Kady looked around the room in admiration. It was beautifully decorated, nothing like her and her family ever visited. She nooded, a smile lighting up her face again. She enjoyed telling people about her background, as she considered being bi-lingual quite an interesting skill "Well both my parents are actually from Canada, Montreal origianlly. Both French- Canadian, which makes me French- Canadian too. I speak both languages" she told him, keeping his gaze and using the manners she had been taught growing up. Kady was feeling the need to adapt to her surroundings, and since she was seated in a wealthy restaurant with good company, it was only appropriate.

 

[Brad Kuang]

Brad rose his eyebrow a little when his new acquaintance order pizza, he hadn't been eating pizza for a while. "On second thought, I'll just have pizza" He told the waiter and laughed and turned back to Kady who was asking him if he had ever lived in Asia. "Yeah well every summer I'll go back to China, I was born there and live there till I'm...?" He paused, narrowing his eyes a little trying to remember "About... Nine? Yeah nine!" He snapped his finger and leaned back to the seat, taking off his gloves, it was getting warmer there since the heater wasn't too far from him. "I guess I can live anywhere" He chuckled, Brad was pretty picky but about living, he didn't really mind since he was used to it.

"I can speak French" Brad said in French and let out a small chuckle. "Since I go to Beauxbaton so... Yeah I guess I HAVE to speak French. My sister who used to go there couldn't speak the language at all and she was struggling, I don't know how she handle her little problem" Just then, the pizzas came and were served on the table. "Bon appétit" Brad wasn't that good at French, people could tell that he wasn't native, but Vivian was good. She was so much better than him and he was jealous of it.