Dream & Shadow

2* Visit to Hogsmeade

The hall of the town house emanated the quietness of an unoccupied place. Leonor powered up the lights to glance at the mirror. She turned in front of it, carefully stepping over some luggage in the narrow passage between the front and back door. Leonor laced the hair quickly in a tight bun. It matched well with the long wizarding gown. She smoothed out invisible creases in the dress and felt satisfied with the seriousness issued by the dark colours and the formal appearance. Leonor owned this house, one that felt not like a home yet. She barely knew the details of the rooms and was again about to leave for today.

Pauline, Leonor's eagle owl, delivered an application letter to Hogwarts. The answer to it came late and took Leonor by surprise after some weeks of waiting. Leonor applied for many jobs in the past years; she was used to it. Still, an invitation to Hogwarts was something special and her heart pounded in anticipation. Leonor gave private lessons at the university to earn muggle money with little effort. It was the only teaching experience; her hopes to be accepted as a teacher at 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' were small. A teacher wasn't her regular profession and Leonor never intended it to be.

She stepped into the backyard and the tension changed into mild excitement. Leonor looked forward to apparating into Hogsmeade. She planned a visit to the well-known wizarding location and to buy some Christmas presents. She'd not been to the place before but heard of it. It was worthwhile to do some sightseeing before the interview began.

An almost imperceptible plop announced Leonor's arrival in a quiet main street of the wizarding settlement. The village was cosy, and much larger than Leonor had expected it. There were many shops for various wizarding needs. The lights showed the approaching season. One store window caught Leonor's attention. It offered Italian robes and Leonor couldn't help to visit it straightaway. It reminded her of the warm climate in Rome, and the hospitality given while enjoying delicious food. The laughter of southern breeziness sent a friendly shiver down Leonor's spine.

"Good morning! How do you do?" greeted the shop assistant with a chubby face.

Leonor smiled back at the young woman and replied, "Good morning! You sell Italian designer clothing. Where do you get it from?"

"It's a Christmas special. We usually order based on catalogue for our clients from a dealer in Milan. Would you like to try something?"

"Sorry, not today. I've got an appointment and look for some presents, but I will return if I have more time. It's very quiet here, isn't it?"

The shop assistant grinned mischievously. "You should come if the students flood the street! It's totally different. Weekends and evening hours are busy too. May I ask where you are from?"

"I live in London and find Diagon Alley too busy most of the time. It's my first visit here. Can you recommend a place to have a good lunch?"

"I suggest 'The Three Broomsticks'. Madam Rosmerta will spoil you with plain cooking, but it might be busy too. There are more and more frantic last-minute shoppers. Please come here, we have nice little things for your loved ones. Our bestsellers are those pretty fine scarfs, very soft and charmed to never cool off." The young woman led Leonor to a side table with a nearly finished pile of silk scarfs. It was a beautiful gift for Maria. Her friend would like the quality and the warm colours.

Leonor exited happily to walk into the next shop with an excellent hint about what to buy for Francesco and Matteo. Belgian chocolate would do for the father and some funny joke item for the son. Leonor liked Hogsmeade. All shops made a professional impression without pressing sales talk. The village was a beautiful mix of the slightly outdated wizarding society. An apothecary and a weird pub in a side street seemed the only blot in the provincial life. A pity, it would have been too perfect to even buy potion supplies here.