Stocking Up For The Year

Jasmine was not ashamed to admit that she couldn't live without a handy stock of sweets at the ready in case of an emergency. Having just ran out of her favourite chocolate covered almonds, she raced towards the Diagon Alley sweetshop. Sugerplum's had nothing on Honeydukes, but Jasmine wasn't being picky. She just needed the sweets and needed them now.

She opened the door, and breathed in the sweet air. Oh, how she loved sickly sweet, jaw breaking, sugar coated delights. She could definitely live here, if her parents let her. Walking along the shelves, Jasmine wondered what it would be like to have enough money to buy out the entire shop. Wishful thinking but not unpleasant.

James knew that he would not survive a full year at Hogwarts without a decent supply of sweet things. He made sure that a trip to Diagon Alley's sweetshop was on his shopping agenda.

Walking in the store, James grinned. The place was teeming with students, all with one thing in mind; stacking up for Hogwarts. James quickly sidestepped before he was pushed by a burly older looking student who found the 2 for 1 sale on the Acid Pops. James shook his head at the madness of some people and walked over to a slightly less crowded area of the shop.

He took a deep breathe, feeling like he finally could, when he noticed a girl standing there. She looked around about his own age.

"Can you believe this place?" he asked her, gesturing to the crowd with his head. "Madness. Acting like they haven't seen a sale before."

Jasmine spun around at the sound of a voice nearby. She didn't think he was addressing her until she realised that he was looking at her. Jasmine hadn't really even noticed the crowd until he mentioned it. The way the boy expressed it Jasmine envisioned the entire store replaced by middle aged women fighting over a clothes sale or something. Jasmine laughed.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" Jasmine said, smiling at the sight of the bedlam. She giggled as nearby, a student almost dived at a new batch of Treacle fudge. "What people will do for sweets." Jasmine shook her head, still grinning.

James turned to look at the scene that the girl was referring to. His face mirrored her own.

"Ah, well that I can understand. Treacle fudge is amazing." He made a mental note to grab some before he went to purchase his goods; if there was some left. The student by the plate looked to be inhaling the treat by the second.

"I've never seen the place so packed. Can't move without almost being barreled over by someone. 'Spose it's good practise for my dodging skills."

He looked at the girl who looked the same age as him. "Going to Hogwarts this year?" he asked, picking up a Sugar Quill and twilling it around in his hand.

Jasmine smiled at his words. He was rather amusing.

"I have to admit, I didn't really notice the crowd until you mentioned it." Jasmine truly didn't. She put it down to being in a world of her own.

She nodded but was distracted by the twilling of the Quill in his hands. "I hope you're going to buy that," she commented. She wasn't a germaphobe, but he did have his fingers all over it. That's just gross.

"But yes. I am going to Hogwarts this year. First year too. I'm pretty excited. How about you?" She glanced at him, thinking he had an air of confidence that led her to believe that he wasn't going to Hogwarts for the first time. He didn't look much older than her though, so Jasmine put him at Second year. Yeah. That sounds about right.

James raised an eyebrow, looking around the near suffocating shop.

"You didn't notice this?" he questioned again, casting an arm around the place. It had a feeling she would find it offensive to call her blind. Maybe she just wasn't observant.

James looked down at the Quill in his hand and then back up at the girl. He smirked a little, still twilling the Quill around, perhaps just to annoy her more than anything.

"Nah, I was thinking about just chucking it back on the pile. Not really into Sugar Quills." He waited for her reaction. It would be classic.

"Yup. First year as well. Should be good." James realised that he didn't even know the girl's name.

"I'm James Potter, by the way."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes slightly at the boy. She didn't know what it was about him, but his confidence had the ring of arrogance around it. She didn't like it. Perhaps he wasn't always like this. Jasmine decided to give him a very narrow window to improve himself. A part of her mentally thought, 'Perhaps he's always like this,' but she squandered it.

"That's gross. I'm gonna make you buy it!" Jasmine exclaimed, thinking that if he placed that Quill back with the others, there would be a scene, and she would be causing it.

Jasmine almost groaned. He would be a first year too? She didn't think anything could damper her excitement about going to Hogwarts, but this almost did. She just prayed to whoever was listening that they weren't in the same house. She didn't know if she could handle that. Jasmine shook her head slightly, reminded herself that she was trying to be nice and to give him a chance. It was a hard task.

Jasmine was nothing if not polite so she offered up her own name when he introduced himself.

"Jasmine Hall."