Sisterly Indifference

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was peeved, very peeved. Her parents were enjoying a nice cup of tea and taking a break from assisting her in her school shopping and they'd had the bright idea that Amber should show her little sister Sophie around Obsidian Harbour for a bit. It made no sense, it wasn't like Sophie was even able to get school supplies yet! She still had to wait a year. If anything, it was mean, like rubbing it in her face. Though, Sophie didn't seem sad. She just looked bored, like she usually did around Amber.

She had started out trying to do what her parents had asked. Showing Sophie the store where she had gotten her school robes and pointing out Ollivander's, where a few new first years were looking through the windows. It felt strange, knowing that she wouldn't be the youngest at school anymore. It felt even stranger to know that sullen Sophie would start the following year. But even the wand store didn't seem to interest Sophie, she was looking around like she'd rather be anywhere else. Any attempt Amber made at conversation ended in a dead end as her sister refused to go along for more than two sentences, it was so frustrating!

So Amber stopped trying, if Sophie wasn't interested she couldn't make her. She just started walking to stores she liked and wanted to look at, with fashion or jewelry. All the while making sure her sister did stay close to her. It would still be bad to lose her in the crowd, even if she was infuriating. All the while, she kept an eye out for anyone she recognized. She was dying for a friendly face, someone that actually liked being around her.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie wished she was home. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy seeing the stores where she would be buying her own school supplies in a year, but she didn't enjoy seeing them with Amber. Amber just did not get her, and she never seemed to try. Sophie had been looking longingly in the direction of a bookstore, so she could get a look at the different books they'd need, but Amber hadn't even mentioned school books. All she wanted to show Sophie was where they would get her school clothes next year, of course. Amber had the same interest in fashion and clothing their parents did, but Sophie didn't really care. Clothes were clothes, it wasn't that interesting.

Her older sister also didn't stop when they passed by the Magical Menagerie, where Sophie could see a lot of interesting looking animals. Sophie knew she should probably have just asked Amber if they could go in, but her sister would have recoiled and probably refused. Amber wasn't fond of animals. Still, Sophie regretted not having asked to go inside the bookstore earlier. But just for once she would have liked Amber to be the one to ask what Sophie wanted to do, instead of just pulling her along to things she had no interest in.

She could tell she was annoying her sister by not replying to her silly chatter, but she didn't see the point of a conversation where nothing was actually said. Besides, Amber never showed genuine interest in her, Sophie knew she was only tagging along because their parents had told Amber to do it. She wished she was home, curled up in the attic with a new book. So, she rolled her eyes a lot and hunched her shoulders, hoping Amber would give up sooner that way. That way they could go back to their parents and ask them to go home.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Walking down the same street that had been so exciting and new and terrifying all at once just a year ago made Ainsley realise just how much she had changed in her time at Hogwarts. The crowding on the street was nowhere near overwhelming, feeling like a moderate breakfast rush at best. The shops held no more mystery, reminding her instead of the exciting and fascinating things she had spent the year learning. She felt like a part of this world, instead of a stranger tiptoeing from the real world into the magical one, and it was a good feeling.

Ainsley wasn't paying much attention to anything in particular as she walked down the street, letting her gaze trail from shop to shop, wondering which of her new school supplies she should begin looking for first. Over the last year had gotten so used to her best friend's face that at first she didn't even register it as anything to be excited about, eyes passing over Amber as she looked around the shops, brain assuming 'well, of course Amber's here, Amber's always around when there's magic...'

A second pass of the eyes though, and Ainsley realised how exciting it was that Amber happened to be here on the same day. Ainsley hadn't seen her best friend since the end of the school year, and it felt like eternity since they had been together. Bounding down the street like a tall, ginger, barefoot gazelle she dived on Amber, giggling delightedly as she wrapped her in a tight hug. "AMBER!" Ainsley beamed, squeezing her best friend tight. "I missed you so much!"

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber let out an alarmed little cry that quickly turned into a shout of excitement as she realized what - or rather who - exactly had attacked her. "Ainsley!" She gasped, clinging to her taller friend. "You scared me!" She said, starting to laugh. "Where did you come from? I didn't see you at all!" Amber pulled back slightly, looking her friend over critically. "You've grown." She said with a frown. "You're even taller now, that's no fair!" But she couldn't stop smiling, even as she pretended to be annoyed. For some reason she associated Ainsley so much with Hogwarts that it was strange to see her here. In her mind she was as much a part of the castle as her favorite chair in the Hufflepuff Common Room. But seeing her here made a bad day suddenly wonderful. "Are you shopping too?"

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie had just resigned herself to being bored for a lot longer when Amber spotted a clothes store she hadn't seen before, when her sister was attacked by something big and ginger. Sophie gaped at the girl clinging to her sister like she was the only thing keeping her upright. What was happening?

It didn't take too long for her to figure it out once her sister started talking. So this was Ainsley, the friend Amber had told their parents all about. Honestly, from Amber's stories Sophie hadnt expected this girl to be so ... well, weird. She was nothing like Amber, her clothes were a mishmash of things that might belong to a grandmother that had gotten lost in the woods, and she wasn't wearing shoes. Her hair was a huge mess as well, something Amber supposedly hated. And she was looking at Amber like she was the most wonderful person in the world. Sophie scowled and crossed her arms, no wonder Amber had come home so happy. The prissy Princess had finally found someone to worship her.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Sophie asked, her voice loud to cut through their irritating babble. Amber would probably be annoyed at her lack of manners, but Sophie didn't care.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley clung to Amber for a long time, giving a couple of excited jumps. She was ecstatic to see her best friend again... just a year ago, Ainsley could have never imagined having a friend so close that a few little weeks apart would be enough to make her pine for them, but here she was, heart bursting with delight to be reunited with Amber, even if it was only a random encounter in the middle of the street.

"Amber Amber Amber!" She said delightedly, giving her best friend an extra squeeze before letting go. "I'm shopping and I saw you and I had to come say hi! I missed you so much!" She giggled at her friend's annoyance, stretching right up as tall as she could stand without rising onto her toes. "Wow, I did get taller! You're so little, I'm like a giant! Mum was so surprised when I got home, I got almost as tall as her while I was at school, I never realised how short she was!"

Ainsley hadn't even noticed the smaller person standing next to Amber until she spoke up, turning to the smaller girl in surprise. She couldn't help giggling a little at the question she had heard so many times over the last year. "Well, why are you wearing shoes?" She asked in response, hoping this stranger would leave them alone to catch up, not having made the connection that she was shopping with Amber yet.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

"I missed you too!" Amber exclaimed happily. "Even if you are a giantess now, I can't catch up!" She laughed and let go of her friend, fussing a little with her hair. "I don't know how you always get twigs stuck in here. And I especially don't understand how you manage to make that look work!" She smiled at her friend to show her that she didn't mean it in a bad way. If anyone but Ainsley had looked that way, Amber would have disapproved. But it was just so... Ainsley. She couldn't imagine her friend looking any other way.

Then Sophie just had to interrupt. Amber had almost forgotten her sister was there, and she just had to ask the one question Ainsley always got. She frowned at her sister. "Sophie, don't be rude. Ainsley just likes to not wear shoes, that's perfectly fine." She looked back at Ainsley. "Oh, this is my sister. Sophie. Don't mind her, she's in a bad mood." As usual. She thought to herself.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie scowled. Why was Amber of all people acting like her question was somehow weird? Sophie highly doubted that Amber would have said it was perfectly fine if Sophie had decided she just didn't feel like wearing shoes today. No, in fact, she could almost hear Amber's lecture about looking nice and presentable in her head. But if it was this girl it was fine? Sophie eyed Ainsley, wondering why Amber liked her so much.

"It's just weird. Don't your feet hurt? What happens if you stand on something sharp? Don't they get filthy?" Amber didn't like her asking questions? Too bad, Sophie would ask every question she could think of. Amber's comment about her just being a bad mood stung. She was in a bad mood, but Amber would never even consider the possibility that she might be the reason.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley laughed, delighted. "If I get too much taller I can just carry you everywhere, like a little bird on my shoulder..." She grinned, giggling as Amber felt through her hair. "They're from home! I spend a lot of time in the forest and it's the easiest way to keep interesting things I find, like sticks, and leaves, and..." She paused and reached into a deep tangle of hair, pulling out a slightly battered bright orange flower, beaming and handing it to Amber. "Here!"

Ainsley smiled excitedly at Sophie when Amber introduced her. "Oh! I didn't know you had a sister!" She smiled kindly at Sophie. "It's very nice to meet you..." All the questions about her feet made Ainsley giggle, shifting from toe to toe, oblivious to Sophie's irritation. "If you go barefoot all the time, your feet get so strong you don't need shoes. You weren't born with shoes on, people got along just fine before they invented shoes. They don't get dirty if you wash them, and you don't step on sharp things as long as you're careful..." She curled her toes happily, smiling at the small girl.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber giggled at the mental image of being a little bird on Ainsley's shoulder. She felt like Ainsley was already making her laugh more than she had for the entire holidays. She hadn't even realized how much she had missed her friend until now. "Is keeping things in your hair really the easiest way?" She asked, tilting her head. "Not in your pocket?" She laughed in delight when Ainsley suddenly produced a flower from her hair and gave it to her. It was such a sweet gesture and she beamed. "Thanks!"

Ainsley was so patient with Sophie and answered all her questions, probably not realizing Sophie just liked being contrary. Still, it was sort of nice to see them talk, like her home life and school life colliding in a nice way. Though Sophie was, as usual, frowning too much for it to be a really nice moment. She wished her sister would smile a bit more.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

I didn't know you had a sister.

Well, Sophie wasn't surprised exactly. But it still hurt to get her suspicions confirmed. Here was Amber's best friend in the world, and she didn't know that Amber had a sister. Well, great. Sophie glared at Amber, but her older sister seemed oblivious as always. Why didn't she get that this sort of thing sucked for Sophie? Amber was always so considerate and sweet, everyone said so, but she seemed to forget sometimes with her own sister.

Well, Sophie knew how to annoy Amber like no other, and she deserved to be annoyed. She smiled at Ainsley, honestly, the girl seemed nice enough. It wasn't her fault Amber had somehow fooled her into thinking she was perfect. "Oh, wow. That makes a lot of sense. I think I'll try it." She shot a look at Amber and then started taking off her shoes. Amber would hate this, but would she be able to voice that out loud in front of her barefoot friend? Sophie doubted it. She smiled a little to herself, wondering what her sister would do.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley beamed as Amber took the flower, giggling a little. "Well, flowers would get smushed in my pockets, and it's just not so much fun to keep them there." She smiled, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Sometimes you just have to do things because they're fun, I think..."

Ainsley laughed and clapped in delight as Amber's sister took her shoes off, perfectly illustrating her 'do things because they're fun' motto. "Yes! Your feet might be sore at first, but if you do at least a little walking every day without shoes on they'll get so strong, you'll be able to walk anywhere you like!" Ainsley beamed, wiggling her toes. "It's so nice, you can always tell just where you are when your feet are right on the ground. And some things feel really nice on your toes, like grass and sand..."

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber smiled at her friend, feeling a fluttery sensation in her stomach that she was starting to associate with Ainsley. It was so nice to be around her, to see her again. She was so unapologetically herself, and Amber wished sometimes she could be a bit more like that.

Amber's face fell as Sophie started taking off her shoes. Oh, she knew exactly what her sister was doing. Being contrary just for the fun of it. If Ainsley hadn't been here, she would have stopped her right then and there. It wasn't right for her to be without shoes, it was filthy and she knew her parents wouldn't like it. Who would get the blame? Amber, of course. But it made Ainsley so happy, and Amber hated the thought of being the reason that smile disappeared from her face. So, reluctantly, she sighed. "Alright, Sophie. Just be careful where you step, alright? And don't lose your shoes. And wash your feet before going inside once we're home." She said wearily.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Her stunt with the shoes had finally managed to take Amber's attention away from her precious friend and back to her. Good. She didn't get why Amber kept looking at her friend and laughing at everything she said, but she didn't like it.

Fully prepared to be admonished and ordered to put her shoes back on, Sophie's mouth almost dropped open when her sister told her it was alright. This wasn't what she had planned for, she didn't actually want to be barefoot outside. What was the matter with Amber? Sophie hadn't imagined this would happen in a thousand years, but apparently the fear of offending this weird girl was larger than Amber's love of telling Sophie off for things. Hogwarts had really changed Amber, and Sophie wasn't sure what to make of it. For a moment, she considered putting her shoes back on. But no, as much as Amber tried to pretend it was fine, she knew it would bother her sister. "Fine." She said breezily as she kicked them off and put her feet down on the street. It felt strange, and she wondered why anyone would do this for fun.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley clapped delightedly as Sophie took her shoes off. "You see! Doesn't the breeze on your feet feel nice? I don't know how people's feet breathe, trapped in shoes all the time. It can't be good for your skin..." She wiggled her toes happily, thinking about how nice Amber's sister seemed to be.

Smiling warmly, Ainsley linked her arm with Amber's. "So, what are you doing today? Do you have many more shops to go to?" She asked, leaning against her friend a little, Amber's warmth and the smell of her shampoo familiar, reminding Ainsley of Hogwarts. "We should hang out!"