Details for Mascot Alley |
Summary: | Ranger Agent Camilla Fawley comes out of the Menagerie after having Tea with her friend there and takes the Hogwarts Mascots that are in her care for a stroll. Students and Auror's alike have a mix of reactions to the Mascots. |
Date: | June 3, 1937 |
Location: | Diagon Alley |
Related: | None |
Characters |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Featuring: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Central London — Diagon Alley — West
Diagon Alley is the largest collection of Wizarding businesses in the United Kingdom so it is no wonder that people always come here for their shopping needs. Especially just before school starts this crooked little alleyway is filled to the brink with people, vendors and even a few charlatans.
At this western side of the diagonal alley notably the hodgepodge buildings that lean at precarious angles over the alley are numerous shops of all sorts, shapes, and sizes. A fancy shop looms right beside another shop that's so rickety it leans against the nicer shop. Tall numerous leveled buildings make the bare little lot beside it seem all the more empty. This sort of whimsical mismatchedness continues to crook off to the northeast towards the central area of Diagon Alley.
A cloudy but dry early afternoon finds Jo out and about in Diagon Alley once again. She's going shop to shop, just looking through the displays at things for sale, though not actually heading inside any of them. Not yet, at least. She's dressed in her usual, and rather worn and dirty shirt, vest, and shorts.
The red headed Irish gal is making her way through Diagon Alley, hoping to get the last of the things she needs to take with her to school. After a deep breath, she ponders and looks around, wondering to where her parents might've wandered off. Looking up, Siobhan eyes the clouds and hmms, as they remind her of a story, now lingering in one of the doorways.
Angelus was mostly prepared for the coming year of school, but that didn't stop the boy from looking. Who knew, he could always come across something else to bring. Stepping out of the Quidditch store after having finished browsing, the young blonde haired boy was dressed in neat, nice quality robes: hues of blue mixed with white. The young Eibon boy glances around the area as he starts to make his way along the alleyway.
A roar fills the alley and startles quite a few witches and wizards. But nerves settle when the young lion that is the source of the rukus appears to be on a leash, a thick scarlet red leather collar and leash both are decorated with golden studs. The leash in the firm and able grip of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures Agent, Camilla Fawley.
Annoyed at her lion companion the golden eagle with 'blonde' coloring, which means a lighter bronze like hue to her feathers and royal blue jesse's spreads out her massive wings and beats them in agitation before she settles down on Cami's shoulder that is equipped with a harness like apparatus that doubles as a perch for the eagle. A bit of meat is pulled from her utility belt and she passes it up to the eagle to help sooth her down.
"Everything is alright." She assures those still nervous around her. She even flips up the leather cover over the badge denoting her as a RCoMC Agent on her belt and that seems to disrupt the two other animal companions she has with her. The blunt black nose of a very young badger peeks out of a satchel attached to her belt while the green 'tie' she was moves and coils and the silver banding on it shimmers as it moves so the snakes' head can poke out from under her collar to inspect what's going on.
With na'ry an eye towards the sky, Bannon exits Potage's Cauldron Shop with bounce in his step. Instead of his usual walking stick, the be- Muggle suited man uses an umbrella as a walking stick. He stops out in front of the shop, craning his neck to catch a view of the roaring lion. He raises an eyebrow a fraction of an inch, takes a deep breath and sighs with a shake of his head. He looks out across this portion of Diagon Alley, the gears behind his eyes turning quickly.
Jo is one of the many who jump at the lion's roar, but she doesn't run. She turns quickly to look for the source, and a grin comes to her face. She starts to step over closer with obvious curiosity. She hasn't noticed Bannon among the crowd yet, her attention on the animal. "Now that's what I call a pet cat!"
Siobhan is glad to be in a doorway, because it makes it easy to jump back and duck behind the edge of an alcove. Peeking her head around she catches her breath, "Bloody hell," she mutters as she watches. For the moment, all others on the street are lost, even as she watches the parade go by and shaking her head, she exhales a breath, glad to see an official badge but still. She however enjoys the much quieter and less frightening eagle instead, until she spies the badger. That gets her attention and her eyes sparkle, since it's obviously the cute aminal.
Angelus doesn't exactly jump, but his attention is directed toward the lion. His blue eyes rise up to look at the woman in control of the creature, and whatever uncertainty that might have been vanishes. Having ended up close to the doorway where Siobhan is, the boy glances her way and he can't help but grin. "I think that it's safe," he says with a bit of amusement. "You're in Ravenclaw, aren't you?"
Camilla smirks at the Lion, "There, you proud of yourself Godric? Silly kitty." She scolds lovingly. To Jo she gives a smile. "Godric's not a pet little Miss. He's a mascot." A wink is given to the girl. "You know what a mascot is? Can you guess what he's the mascot for?" As she talks she smoothly pulls a bottle out of her utility belt and offers it to the badger and hungrily the animal nurses from the bottle. "Godric shouldn't be a pet. But someone had thought that it would be neat to have a lion. But he learned very quickly when he was put in Saint Mungo's by Godric's claws and sharp teeth." She makes a clicking sound down at the Lion and his lips twitch and sneer to reveal his teeth and lifts a paw and flexes his claws demonstrating. "Only very well trained people should 'own' wild animals like Godric, Rowena," She looks up at the eagle, "Helga," the badger is pointed to. "Snakes too. Though Sal here isn't poisonous. You know how to tell if a snake is poisonous or not?" Seems it's time for a little creature education. Camilla can't help herself.
The gears stop turning, and Bannon frowns meaningfully to Siobhan across the road. He raises his voice to carry across the street, in an accent that screams Oxford with a hint of the West End, mixed cleverly with reproach, "Language, young lady." His next 'look' is for Angelus, which (though it may be the shade from the bowler hat) conveys a sense of opinion that Angelus has waved 'bye-bye' to his common sense. He adds after a moment, "It's a lion on a leash, lad. Of course it's not safe." He turns his attention back to the woman who flashed a Ministry badge. He takes a few steps towards her and answers the question, "Common logic would dictate that one should simply incite the snake to bite them, and then simply wait. Sadly, common logic often wins in the battle against common sense." He then grins, "Yet, if one were a learned man, they would perhaps say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul. Perhaps then also, the souls intentions."
Jo smiles still as she looks at the animals, mainly the lion, though she doesn't get too close. She nods, "I know what a mascot is, I love sports, but what… oh!" She digs into her pocket, pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper. "The symbol on my letter. It has a lion, a snake, a bird, and a.. whatever that is." Indicating the badger. Then the next question comes and she shakes her head, "Never seen a snake before." Then her attention is caught by the voices behind her, and she looks back, waving to Bannon and the two unknown kids, friendly smile given even to the strangers, "Hi."
Siobhan frowns as someone seems to be chiding her, but then she notes it's an adult and with that she blushes and says, "Didn't mean nuthin' by it," with her voice filled with an Irish accent. She glances though over to Angelus nearby and nods, "Aye, I mean…yes, that I am…sorry, I don't recall yer name, but seen ya 'round the school. I'm Siobhan." She notes Jo's call and peers a moment, but is distracted by the animals, speaking more to Angelus just because he is closest to her, "I can't rightly trust that we're safe and all, but…I'm glad it ain't like there's more than this menagerie about."
Angelus frowns briefly, which only lasts until his gaze focuses on the adult. "Safer than if the beast were wandering un-aided," he explains as his shoulders shrug back slightly. He says nothing more until Bannon moves off to talk to Camilla, where the blonde haired boy looks to Siobhan. He flashes another grin. "We've never actually met, but I've definitely seen you around. You're one of the prettier girls at school." He nods his head once and adds in, "Angelus." He offers a hand out politely. "Though Gel is just as good." When his gaze shifts to the approaching child, he gives her a warm, if faint smile and a nod of greeting.
Camilla makes a few strange noises, they are snake like but not Parseltongue. At the noises the snake actually ducks into her collar and the fabric over her shoulder and sleeve lifts and hills up like a burrowing mole. Out from her cuff does Sal's head poke and then he winds around Cami's wrist and through her fingers weaving like a celtic knot about her hand. A rumbles sound from her has Godric lays down on the sidewalk where they have sort of paused in their stroll. "Exactly right. What's your name?" She praises and then asks Jo. But then she holds up her snake hand and waves those interested in the animals closer. The bottle has been drained so Cami puts it back away and then pulls out her wand. "You see how Salazar's head just sort of smoothly goes from 'cheeks' to neck? Well, what letter does Venomous start with?" Poor Salazar finds himself the 'victim' of a transfiguration spell that morphs his head into something more closely resembling a viper. "Now see, how his head is more 'V' shaped? Poisonous snakes have this shaped head. I learned it as Cheeky is Cheeky but V is Venomous." Salazar is returned to his normal handsome self and then moves to crawl back into her sleeve to hide. Rowena is very well trained, but she's been eyeing him more tastily since he turned into a viper looking snake. "So you see sir, no need to get bit." She finishes the lesson off, dark eyes sparkling at the man.
Lifting the umbrella off the ground as the snake takes the floor, Bannon tucks it under his arm with the handle sticking out in front of him. He gives Camilla a smile and considers for a moment, "Well, it more along the lines of a commentary on the lack of common sense in society today, but I suppose your advice is spot on. However…" He glances down towards the snake briefly and then continues, "…in my like of work, it pays to be practical. I learned that if the eyes are eliptical, run in the same direction the snake is moving, only faster. Wonderful lesson, never the less. Well done." He tilts his head down and to the left, looking towards Jo for a moment and giving a nod, "Hello again, Miss Davies. All is well?"
Jo's attention quickly shifts back to Camilla and the lesson, after greeting the others. She smiles at the praise and then answers, "Jo Davies." Pocketting her letter once again she looks to the lesson, watching the snake and then nodding seriously. She doesn't answer the question about spelling, looking unsure, but thankfully it's answered soon anyway and she smiles, "That's easy." She glances back up to Bannon again then and nods, "Everything's brilliant. I was kind of bored, but not anymore."
Siobhan blinks a moment and blushes, "Ahhh, well, yer a blind fool if'n yer thinkin that but…thanks," she says to Angelus, "Gel? Alright then," as she shakes his hand. She points over to the collective of animal lovers and the lesson in place and says, "Well, did ya want ta get a closer inspection, or were you cowering in the corner like me? I have to admit, 'tis only the lion that give ya a bit a' fright," grinning a moment. She ponders and says, "Ya seen the likes a' these folks before. That fella don't like ta hear ya with a harsh tongue, it seems."
Angelus shrugs lightly as he watches Siobhan. "Well it's great to finally to meet you," he replies. He turns his gaze over to the woman parading around with all the animals. "I'll follow if you want to take a closer look." He quietly surveys the scene for a little, but he doesn't really show too much interest himself about the animals. "I guess I'm kind of accustomed to seeing plenty of creatures with what my mother does for a living." He just shrugs casually.
Camilla smiles over to Siobhan and Angelus keeping their distance from Godric. "Would you two like a closer look at Rowena?" Seems she overhears the fright over the lion and with her wand in hand again assures, "I promise, Godric is a little Lamb." Then in a whirlwind of gold that pales to white and shrinks in till it tightens and takes solid form of a lamb.
Siobhan hmms and nods to Angelus and then Camilla before she hears, "Siobhan! Get yerself over here! La, what am I ta do when yer eyein every single thing in the alley?!?" Her mother's voice seems to come from everywhere a moment, before she blushes a deep crimson and says, "M-Maybe next time." She waves and says, "I'm gonna…yeah…with the…go."
Glancing back momentarily towards Angelus and Siobhan, it doesn't seem that Bannon misses a trick. He looks back towards Camilla, "Please, dear woman. Godric, as you call him, looks like a lion, smells like a lion and has teeth like a lion. Therefore he must be…" With a whirlwind of Camilla's wand, Godric is now a lamb in spite of a facts apparent only moments ago. Not shaken, for this is the Wizarding world, Bannon nods his head, "That's better." He tips his hat to Camilla, introducing himself as well, "Bannon Benjamin Bryson Bates, of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement. I thank you again for your lesson." He glances away for a moment, towards one of the shops and then adds, "If you will excuse me, I must be paying a quick visit to Amanuesnsis'."
Jo blinks, suddenly, and looks up to Bannon in surprise at the words 'law enforcement'. She looks at him for a few moments then gives a small wave as he says he has to visit someone. And then the shouting of a mother and she waves to the other girl too, "Bye."
Camilla offers her hand that does have the snake up her sleeve towards Bannon. "Ranger Agent Camilla Kharna Fawley, Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures. You are very welcome, knowledge as you say is well needed in this world. Have a very nice day in the Alley. Then she looks to Angelus and Jo, her remaining audience. "So what about it? Would you two like a closer look at Rowena?"
Reaching forward to take the hand, Bannon gives it a light shake and a polite nod, "You as well, Ranger Fawley. Thank you again for the lesson. I'm sure it will prove to be most valuable to the children." He looks towards Jo, taking a step away and adding, "Miss Davies, I am sure you know it would be wise to treat a lion as a lamb until it stops acting like a lamb. Until next time." He turns, removing the umbrella from beneath his arm and returning it to the position of walking stick. He begins walking towards the Quill shop with little preamble.
Angelus sighs quietly, but nods a little in response to the woman. Then he looks toward Siobhan again, a small, amused smile flitting over his lips. "We'll meet again," he says, just slightly above normal volume as she heads off. His attention swings back to Camilla, and he shrugs as he approaches. With his conversation partner departed, he decides not to miss out on anymore of the scene. He eyes the lion-turned-lamb, both brows arching briefly, but he doesn't comment. Instead he looks up to the avian. "The eagle?" he asks obviously. Since, duh, Eagle and Ravenclaw.
Jo turns her attention back to the animals then, and on seeing the lion is now changed she grins, stepping closer finally. "I accidentally changed a knife into a rat once," she comments kind of randomly. But she nods then as she looks up to the eagle. "She won't get mad, us looking?" As Angelus comes up she gives him another smile and says, "I'm Jo." Of course, he probably heard her say that earlier too.
Camilla seems to like Jo more and more and it can be seen with the further her smile warms and widens to the girl. "A fellow creature and animal lover /and/ a transfigurist too! A girl after my own heart." She praises towards Jo and then out of a small pouch at her belt she pulls out a very large smooth piece of driftwood branch. "If you two would like to hold onto each end of this? Hold tight now, she's pretty heavy for being mostly air and feathers."
Angelus looks to Jo again, smiling weakly. "It's Angelus, if you weren't close enough before." He shrugs and looks to the branch. He reaches out quietly to one end, though he's quick to add in politely, "Thank you." His gaze flicks to Jo again. "So you must be starting this year or I'm sure I'd have seen you around."
Jo smiles up to Camilla at her words, though one seems lost on her. "Trans-fig-ur-ist," she sounds it out, and asks, "That's what someone who changes things is called? It's happened a lot, didn't know it was me doing it until my birthday." She takes one end of the piece of wood, holding tight with both hands just in case. Then she nods to Angelus' question, "Yep, starting at Hogwarts this year. Never been to school before, hope it's fun."
Camilla makes a squeaking noise by sucking air just right through her teeth and Rowena stretches out her wings and then hops down the leather harnessed arm to the hard leather gauntlet and thick leather glove that Cami slides on. Then with a little lift of her arm the Eagle flaps up and takes flight and then comes to land on the stick between Jo and Angelus and gives a little proud cry.
Angelus quietly watches Jo as she speaks, a brow curiously flicking upward. "If you like to learn," he comments lightly. But he's quiet for the most part, in case the woman has any more information about the creatures to share. He watches the eagle lifting into the air, and although his lips twitch into an easy smile, his blue eyes show a little more intrigue. "She's impressive," he comments after she lands on the branch, shifting his gaze briefly up to Camilla before returning it to the bird.
Jo shrugs to Angelus, but then her eyes widen as the bird lands on the wood between them. The weight gives her a bit of difficulty, but she keeps the board up. "Wow. This is brilliant. She's so big!" She'd probably reach up to try to touch the bird, if both hands weren't busy holding the wood up.
Camilla slides into teaching mode when the eagle is on the stick and seems comfortable there. "How wide do you think her wing span is from tip to tip? She's surprisingly heavy isn't she? Most of that is just her muscles. A bird, any bird's bones are actually hollow. Which is what allows them to fly. An eagle Rowena's size can take down a lamb like Godric looks without any difficulty. She can even take down foxes and small canines." A pieces of meat is placed in her gloved fingers and she gives a whistle. The whistle has Rowena launching back into the air to land on Cami's arm. Giving the kids' arms some time to relax. The Ranger also saw the look in Jo's eyes so one other factoid is dropped. "We don't want to ever touch or pet our bird friends too much. Not even our owl messengers. Do you know why?"
If he's straining at all with the weight, well the only sign is that he switches to hold the branch in two hands. Angelus watches the eagle, occasionally flicking his gaze onto Camilla, as he listens quietly to her. The boy nods in response, but he doesn't interrupt. He only shakes his head at the questions. Gel could probably guess at the wing span and possibly be close, but he's not certain, and because of that he decides not to answer. "Why not?" he asks curiously in response to petting the birds.
Jo gives a little sigh of relief as the bird lifts off, and she stretches her shoulders a little. She looks surprisedat first at the instruction about petting birds, but she thinks about the question for a moment. "The feathers, they're like an acrobat's outfit. Anything sticking out wrong can throw them off balance?"
Camilla smiles and taps her knows at Jo, the girl is awesome in Cami's book. "Exactly, there is one other thing that is important to know about touching a bird." She moves over to a window of a shop and after settling Rowena up on her shoulder the gauntlet comes off and she then puts her fingers on the glass and removes them to point to the natural oil fingerprints left on the glass. "The oils in our fingers are very harmful to the delicate structure of their feathers. The oils break down the important fibers in the feathers that keep them neat. So if you ever see some owl coming flopping into the Great Hall during Mail time, or if you see one in the Owl Tower, you make sure to tell the owner this, alright? Spread the knowledge. Will I be seeing you two in Care of Magical Creatures Class at some point?"
Angelus' blue eyes move from watching Jo to Camilla, listening quietly and nodding accordingly. His gaze shifts back onto the eagle, giving her his interest. "Well I wouldn't want to mess up her feathers. She's definitely one of the incredible mascots." The boy is silent after the question, giving it some thought. He ends up shrugging back his shoulders uncertainly. "It's one of the classes I thought about, at least."
Jo smiles again at the praise, and says, "My mum was an acrobat. I was going to be too, but she died. I know some, like walking a high-wire." Then she nods seriously to the instruction and says, "I promise, I'll tell anybody I see like that." Then her eyes widen again, "There's a class for that? Brilliant! I will! That sounds really fun."
Emerging from Amanuensis Quills, Bannon Bates makes his way back towards the group surrounding the animals and the Ranger agent. He is back to holding his umbrella beneath his left arm, with the handle protruding out in front of him at an upward angle. In his left hand is a back from the same shop he had just exited. He listens for a few moments and then he asks Jo, "Miss Davies, I am sure you weren't aware of this, but each of the animals with Ranger Agent Fawley is representative of the houses of Hogwarts. This one…" He points to the lamb, "…is named Godric. Godric is usually a lion, which is the house mascot of Gryffindor House. He is named after one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Godric Gryffindor." He looks back up to Camilla, "Ranger Agent Fawley, would you introduce the signifigance of the names of your other animals for Miss Davies?" He reaches up with his right hand, adjusting the bowler atop his head to reveal more of his forehead and unshade his eyes.
Camilla grins and nods to them both, but she can't help but grin a bit wider at Jo, though it does fade hearing her mother died. "You know I used to pretend I was in the circus, I would walk the beams of the barn. My Gran did not like it when I did that. It was very dangerous and reckless for me to do. There is a class. It was my favorite class - of course." She giggles and then rubs her fingerprints off of the window with the cuff of her sleeve after she does so Sal comes slithering out of the hole at her wrist before the cuff and looks rather dizzy as she flicks his tongue out at her before ducking back inside. "Sorry Sal." She apologizes to the snake before she smiles towards Bannon as he returns. "Miss Davies did an excellent job deducing that they were the mascots for each House at Hogwarts." She praises before doing as bid and explains the others. "Rowena Ravenclaw was the brilliant booksmart witch that founded the Ravenclaw House. They are the eagle so that's why Rowena is named that. Salazar Slytherin nasty old man, he could talk to snakes, not like I can, he has a special ability to talk to snakes only using Parseltongue. Then we have…" She must pause so that the badger's satchel can be opened and gently the young little badger is pulled out and cuddled against Cami's chest like a mother with her infant. "This is Helga. She is named after Helga Hufflepuff. They are a lot like a badger. They look cute and adorable, but you cross them, and they'll make you rue the day for a very long time."
A buzzing rumble comes from Camilla's badge and she flips the leather cover up and the badge along with it to peer down at the mirror set into the back of the badge there's a woman surrounded in wires, some of them glowing and sparkling and she's putting the outputs into a bunch of inputs in a board that is row after row after row of small mirrors. "Agent Fawley, there's been a code 2-15-7-7-1-18-20." The operator has a very tinny voice. Camilla nods along with the numbers given seeming to know what they mean. The operator continues, "Just outside of the Lickspittle Tavern on Knockturn Alley. Please respond." Camilla gives a polite if short, "Excuse me." To those who she was getting to know and immediately heads back towards the Menagerie to drop the Mascots off with her friend their for Mascot-sitting. "Ranger Agent Fawley in pursuit." Is her response and she's off.
As Camilla gets called off, possibly temporary, to deal with a magical creature incident further down the alley, Jo looks back up to Bannon and says, "Why are there four houses? Why are people sorted into them? If none are the best, that mean they're all the same, like different football teams are just different for where they're from?"
With a smirk, Bannon replies, "And herein lies the wisdom of our wizard acquaintence. If you had asked a majority of Wizards that question, one would ask how the game is played as well as which charm is used to turn one's foot into a ball." He takes a moment to formulate his response, his eyes tilting towards the overcast sky to check the weather before he looks back down to Jo and asks, "What is the other key difference that differentiates football teams from each other?" He purses his lips, "For example, would you call Sheffield Wednesday the same team as Leeds United?" He smiles thinly, amused at even his own question.
Jo giggles, and nods, "Oh yeah, they don't play football, they play Quid-something. It sounds fun, Alexis told me about that too." She considers the question and then shakes her head quickly, "They play different." Then, she seems to get it, and grins, "Different people."
Bannon nods his head solemnly, "Right you are, Miss Davies. The game is called Quiditch, long story, more balls than rules. At any rate…" He takes a deep breath, "Not only is Sorting into houses a clever way to handle the myriad logistical problems one faces in the charge of so many young, irresponsible and by any stretch of the imagination, powerful children, it is a way to honor the founders of the school. The Sorting Hat sorts First Year students into houses based on personal characteristics. The courageous and the chivalrous are sorted into Gryffindor. Those known for their wit, wisdom and their ability learn may well find themselves in Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff House values hard work, patience and virtuousity in all of its forms. Slytherin houses those students who show the most ambition, cunning and leadership. In each house, those qualities which are noticed by the Sorting hat are nurtured amongst your peers and given room to grow. It also helps stave off clashes of personality in all but the most public of settings."
Jo listens with obvious interest as the Houses are described, rocking a little on the balls of her feet. "So it really is a hat that reads minds? It keeps secrets, though, right?" Then she considers, and says, "Bet I'll be in Gryffindor. Nothing scares me." Or so she likes to think, anyway.
With a chuckle, Bannon nods his head, "Yes, it does read minds, but that is not so important to the function of the Sorting Hat as its ability to read hearts. Take me, for instance. I was a lonely, intelligent boy with the ability to learn well and was scared of everything. I was a shoe-in for Ravenclaw, but the Sorting Hat saw things differently. It is folley to think for a moment that there are no fearless people in the other Houses." He then adds, "The Sorting Hat does not disclose its findings to anyone. Not even the headmaster of Hogwarts himself. The professors trust the judgement of the Sorting Hat enough to know better.
Jo thinks about that and nods a little, "What House did you end up in?" Then she says, "I'll treat it like a surprise then. Surprises can be fun, sometimes. Bet it'll be fun no matter what it picks." She smiles again, confident in a bright future it seems.
Bannon replies curtly, "Why, I was sorted into Gryffindor where I found a capacity for courage that I didn't know I had. Nearly caused a hat stall! You'll find many of us Muggle-born amongst Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Godric Gryffindor respected courage above all else, no matter the source, and Helga Hufflepuff, it is said, swore to teach anyone who had Magic in their blood to be the best wizard possible should they wish to put in the work." He then nods, "Very good. It is meant to be a surprise, and is meant to cause trepidation. You will learn things about yourself that you didn't even know."
Camilla smiles warmly as she returns from her crisis happy to see her two companions from earlier milling about. "You're both Muggle-Born hmm? He's right you know, about the Hufflepuffs. Everyone and anyone is welcomed in our burrows." She winks down to the girl. Another satchel one that was seemingly empty now thrashes about at her side, the flap makes no part to burst open though, magically sealed. The weight and movement from the satchel also doesn't seem to phase the Ranger at all. "Terribly sorry about that." If anyone was paying close attention, she did come from Knockturn Alley.
Jo nods to Bannon and smiles, "You must be brave, to be a copper. Unless criminals aren't as smart or mean when they have magic." She looks back up to Camilla at her return and says, "I think my dad was a wizard, but dunno for sure, never met him. Mum might've just been telling me fairy tales." Glancing to the bag, she asks, "What is that?"
At the initial thrashing of the bag, Bannon reacts on instinct. On edge since Camilla's appearance from Knockturn Alley, he reaches up to the handle of his umbrella, pulling at a knob on the end and freeing his wand from the scabbard contained within. He points towards the satchel, standing stock still. He whispers words beneath his breath, giving the wand a leisurely twist. He then visibly relaxes, returning the wand to the base of the umbrella. He smiles innocently enough to Camilla, offering a quick, "My apologies, Miss Gray." He peers towards Jo now, his eyebrows creasing together, "Miss Davies, criminals are not nicer for practicing Magic, nor are we called coppers. In the Wizarding world, people in my line of work are called Aurors. We are a specialized group of wizards who bring evil wizards to justice."
Camilla doesn't flinch at all when a wand is drawn and pointed at the satchel. "Just someone thought to have a bit of 'fun' and release a Boggart is all Auror Bates. I'm sure you can imagine the things it was manifesting into down that alley. Which reminds me… Miss Davies, can I call you Jo? Down that street is filled with Dark Magic. Many a child has gone down that road and never came back out. I know you are brave and fearless. Just promise to stay away from there please?" Cami knows better than to tell an 11 year old not to do something, so instead she asks very nicely for promises.
Jo looks up to Bannon and nods, "Aurors?" It's almost as if she's trying the word, and then nods, smiling, "I'll remember." She looks back to Camilla then and asks, too curious not to, "What's a boggart?" She glances then to the alley Camilla went down and back to her. She bites her lip, not exactly happy about making such a promise apparently, but she does, "I promise."
Camilla nods with a smile, glad for the promise and trusting Jo to keep it. "A boggart is a Dark Creature that has no form until someone looks upon it. Then a bit like the Sorting Hat does, but with evil intent does it look deep into your soul to pluck from it your greatest fear and then it takes that very shape." She then removes the satchel and offers it over to Bannon. "If you'd dispose of it Auror? Or would you prefer that I take it to the Ministry?" Where someone else, or herself will dispatch the Dark Creature.
With a hmm, "Indeed. What scares the wicked?" He glances towards Jo, "There is no jest in her words. Knockturn Alley holds nothing of interest or promise for you. Just sadness. By my count, you've had too much of that already." He looks towards Camilla with a nod and reaches out to take the satchel. He looks around and then adds, "Why don't we take care of it here? So we may properly illustrate why Miss Davies should not venture into Knockturn Alley. Promise or no, it is my experience that young wizards tend to find a reason to venture into those dark depths should the curiousity exist." He draws his wand from the bottom of the umbrella's handle, then turns and offers the umbrella to Jo, "Here you go. If my deepest fears turn out to be a severe thunderstorm, that may prove quite useful. Don't hold too high, however, it's it's a low passing storm." He looks around the alley and then waves his wand. A mist begins to rise, thickly surrounding the three wizards with a fog so putrid looking (yet smelling slightly of lilac) that most others give it a wide berth. He looks back towards Camilla as he speaks again to Jo, "As Agent Fawley has mentioned, the boggart will show you your deepest and darkest fears. Being that we three are here, it may show us one, more or all at the same time. Leave it to me." He takes a step back with his left foot, raising his wand as he tucks his arm behind his back, "Agent Gray, when you're ready."
Jo's eyes widen a little at the description of the creature, but there's some excitement there too. Just the description sounds exciting to her. She looks back up to Bannon and nods seriously to his words about Knockturn Alley. She still looks curious, though, but that's quickly distrated by the chance to see a Boggart dealt with, and she smiles, "Really, I can watch?" She obediently takes the umbrella and nods quickly to the instructions, her excitement obvious on her face.
Camilla opens her mouth and lifts a finger like she might protest revealing the Boggart she just spent quite a while wrangling into the satchel right back out. But then the Auror makes her smirk and smile when he conjures up his protective fog and the pleading excited look from the girl has her relenting quickly. She takes out her wand as well to prepare to once again wrangle the boggart with an audience. "Ready Auror Bates."
Camilla takes a deep breath and of course the Boggart pissed at being caught by Camilla turns on her and a black mist rushes out of the satchel and turns into Hitler himself and comes at her with a wicked looking billy club that's dripping in blood and he is yelling at her in perfect german all sorts of racial slurs that does have cringing as she sharply points her wand at it and gives a commanding shout of "Riddikulus!" Then in a whirl, almost like the one that turned Godric from Lion to Lamb the German Dictator does a spin and as he spins his khaki uniform dissipates and a pastel pink leotard, toe shoes and tutu appear on the Nazi and looking rather stunned and ashamed he dances around for a moment before he turns on Jo and there's another whirl as it seeks out her worst fear to turn into. Camilla still standing at the ready to protect the girl with another Riddikulus Spell when the Boggart gets to close to the girl.
Jo blinks, watching with wide eyes at the image it reveals, though she can't help but giggle at the leotard and tutu. The giggle doesn't last long, though. When it turns to her, it turns into… a woman. Dark-haired like Jo, she's got an athletic build and she's dressed in a tattered yellow dress. Her throat's been slit, however, and blood pours down her front. She starts to yell at Jo, "It was your fault, you didn't protect me! You ran away!" Jo tries to scramble back so fast that she stumbles and ends up on her behind on the ground, tears coming to her eyes as she shakes her head, opening her mouth but unable to find a voice.
The woman in the yellow dress who is yelling at Josephine turns towards Bannon. She bares her teeth as she prepares to begin a verbal assault against Bannon. Long teeth. Those kind of teeth used for sucking the blood out of human beings to sustain the afterlife of a vampire. For a moment, Bannon's breath hitches in his throat and his eyes widen. He grits his teeth, and steels his nerve, just as she begins to move in on him.
"And you! I thought you-"
She is cut off abrupting as Bannon waves his wand and shouts: "RIDIKULUS!"
With a puff of smoke and a loud bang, the boggart's former appearance melts away, leaving in its wake the slim and dashing form of a mottled gray and blue house elf in a a beautiful fitted tuxedo, white spats, and a tall black top hat. It is holding a cane beneath his arm as the top hat is settling on to his head. There are trumpets playing a jaunty tune. Along with the tune, the House elf turns away, drops the cane, and catches in his trailing hand. He spins four times, approaching Jo and asking in a clear and sing-song voice that no house elf could truly obtain:
Have you seen the well-to-do,
Up and down Park Avenue?
bOn that famous thoroughfare,
with their noses in the air?
High hats, and arrow collars.
White spats, and lots of dollars.
Spending every dime,
On a wonderful time!
Bannon reaches out, gently taking the umbrella from Jo with a word of warning, "You musn't be polite, Miss Davies. You must laugh. Laugh at the bogart, laugh at me. Anything. It is the only way to banish the beast. It will not be destroyed unless there is laughter."
To supplement the dancing house elf, Bannon himself steps into the middle of the fog-created circle with a grin towards the House Elf. They begin with a one measure strut to the right, with Bannon slamming the tip of his umbrella onto the cobblestone and tapping his feet quickly on the pavement as he does. He then begins the same strut to his left, the House Elf continuing to sing as they effect a very pompous and high-class stroll complete with over exagerated shoulder rolls and rediculously high steps. There is a tap dancing number, and the two begin to sing in harmony:
Now, if you're blue
and don't know where to go to
why don't you go where fashion sits?
He slams the tip of his umbrella into the ground as the House Elf slams his wooden cane into the ground with a break in the music. Together they sing:
Puttin' on the ritz!
Bannon is already laughing as he continues to go through the dancing routine, matching the house elf tapping step per tapping step. They are spins, turns, more struts and of course more singing. He encourages the other two during a music break, "Keep laughing, both of you. We have this dashing gentleman on the run!"
Camilla is laughing and clapping and goes over towards Jo to make sure she's feeling safe and better now. "And now for the great finale Auror Bates?" They are liable to get into trouble with his colleagues at the MLE for keeping up such a fog for very much longer, that and she really should fetch the Mascots from where she left them with the owner at the Magical Menagerie.
Jo blinks a few times, wiping her eyes quickly though it takes her a moment before she's recovered enough to laugh. But, even after what she just saw, it's hard not to laugh at the dancing elf and Auror, and she starts. At first, it's just a giggle, but then onto full laughter as the dancing and singing continue.
Bannon nods quickly to Camilla, indicating that it is indeed the time for the grand finale. Kicking their knees almost to chest level, the house elf and the auror stomp them down in perfect syncronization to the horns section which is playing from the ether. Bannon and company execute a quick spin, banging the ends of their canes to the left and the right to keep the beat before tapdancing off once again. They both fall to their knees, pounding out the rhythm on the cobblestone.
One, Two.
One, Two.
Three.
One, Two.
One, Two.
Three.
They both slam their canes down flat on the floor, stand, turn away and then turn back with a tap. They suspend their hands above their canes and both mystically shoot back into their hands, like a broom springing to its rider. With the bogart getting weeker, it is noticeably beginning to fall behind Bannon in the dancing. The auror is shifting back and forth and kicking his feet out as he tapdances towards Jo and Camille, the bogart obviously almost finished. Spinning furiously, Bannon continues tapping until the horns reach a crescendo. He shoots his left leg out, creating a near-perfect line from his left hip and fitted suit, and then kicks his own right leg out from under him to land on the cobblestone on his knee. As he drops down, he slams the handle of his umbrella into the cobblestone by way of the house elf's head. The bogart disappears in a puff of smoke, properly banished.
Bannon takes his feet once again, tucking the umbrella beneath his left arm as he replaces his wand into its handle. He looks first towards Jo, and then towards Camilla. Being that Camilla is a fully trained wizard and used to these situations, Bannon looks longer towards Jo to appraise her state. Finally, he nods his head, "Well, that was quite bracing." He waves a hand, banishing the fog as he continues, "Saw that whole scene play out in a propecy shared on my initiate tour of the Magical Mysteries Department. Well done, if I do say so myself."
Jo stops laughing as the Boggart is finally banished, still grinning for just a moment. Then memory seems to come back and she sits there hugging her knees to her chest for a few moments. Finally, though, she stands back up, brushing at her eyes again. "That's the kind of thing down that street? I ain't ever going down there." Then she blinks, looking up to Bannon, curious once again, "You knew that was gonna happen?" She's still looking a bit pale and she says, "Think.. think I wanna go practice my reading on my own a while." In other words, a safe activity until she feels brave again. She waves to both adults and says to Camilla, "Nice meeting you!" Then she's running back towards the Leaky Cauldron.
Camilla waves to Jo with a sigh. "That's one of the nicer things down there. It'll be okay Jo! It will be! It's just like a nightmare, think happy thoughts and the Dark can't get you! Take care Jo! Hope to see you again soon." She then looks very guilty towards Bannon when Jo's skipped off. "Poor thing. Orphan? It's always so hard on them. 11 is a hard age to learn that everything you knew was only the half of it." She doesn't sound like she's talking from experience and she knows it. That she knows all she can do is sympathize, which she completely does.
Bannon smiles simply to Camilla, "If that were only the case, Agent Fawley. Josephine Davies isn't an orphan some much as a case of abandonment. Her father left her mother while she was pregnant with Miss Davies. He was a Wizard. Then her mother was murdered and she was left on the street until an aquaintence of mine picked her up and brought her to the Leaky Cauldron upon her acceptance from Hogwarts. It will be a great favor to me if you can keep an eye on her if I'm not around. She's Muggle-born and Muggle-raised, and there is a dangerous fascination with the wizard world amongst Muggles that lends them to try dangerous things."
Camilla hmms and nods, looking towards the area where Jo ran off to. "Well if she needs a place to stay, there's plenty of room at the farm. While I'm not offering to adopt the child or anything she is welcomed to come live and learn and pull her own weight at the Farm. I'm not sure if you're aware, but the Fawley family have been caretakers of the Forbidden Forest for generations now. I'm the latest installment. I'll of course keep an eye on her. But it sounds like you know her assigned guardian better than I do. So if you think it's viable. Feel free to broach it." She tucks a bit of loosened braid up back into place with a little shy but yet still confident smile. "It's close to dinner time. If you can wait for me to pick up the mascots and floo us all home, I can change and be back at the cauldron for some dinner. If you didn't have plans that is Auror Bates."
Bannon seems to consider this for a long moment, "She does need a place to stay while she's not at Hogwarts. She simply can't reside in the Leaky Cauldron her whole adolesence." He looks after Jo for a moment, his eyebrows creased in vexation, "You two did get along famously right there." He clears his throat, looking back towards Camilla, "I will take this up with her tonight over dinner. I've been appointed her guardian until she goes to Hogwarts. Her original guardian got called away to Eastern Europe. So… I wish to formally invite you to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron with Miss Davies and I, Miss Gray."
Camilla smiles bright, teeth all pearly white and sparkling. "Excellent, Mr. Bates. I will see you then. Any specific time and place? The Leaky Cauldron I take it? Cause yeah, she's a real sweetheart. I lost my parents when I was very young. If it weren't for my mother's parents on the Farm. I hate to think how I'd end up. The Farm is a great place for people with no idea of who they are to really find themselves. She also sounds like she's real good with Transfiguring. I can help her out with that. If she'd like me to."
Demetrius comes through the entrance from the Leaky Cauldron Courtyard.
Bannon tilts his head, "She's Eleven years old, Miss Gray, of course she isn't any good with Transfiguring. She has the makings of a good Transfigurist, but nothing more as yet. As I'm sure you well know, a diamond in the raw is still just a rock." He considers it for a moment, reaching into a pocket of the his vest and removing a time piece. He looks over the hands, which are spinning wildly across
the dial that says things like "half-past the prat" and "time to get a new watch". He looks up towards Camilla and asks, "Will you be available at the hour of seven, Miss Fawley?"
Camilla smiles and nods, "I would be available…" and then she notices Demetrius and she lights up and waves him over. "Mr. Bates, you were talking about Quidditch earlier with Jo. Are you a fan? Perhaps of the Appleby Arrows?" She continues to give Demetrius a beckoning wave. "I would like to introduce a very close friend of mine…"
Demetrius is doing a bit of casual strolling along the Alley, not seeming to have a particular place to go and thing to see at the moment. Camilla's summons is quickly noticed, a pleased smile coming to his face as he moves his route towards the talking pair, "Good afternoon, Miss Gray. Good afternoon, sir. I trust all is well?"
Bannon smiles sourly, his umbrella tucked beneath his left arm, ready to be employed in the pursuit of dryness. He smiles ruefully towards Camilla, "I haven't followed quiditch for quite some time now, Ms. Fawley. Time constants. However, when I was a more proactive fan, I was a diehard fan of the Chudley Cannons."
Camilla smirks and is obviously trying not to crack to large a smile upon hearing he was/is a Cannons fan. It's only the team with the worst record of failures ever. It's like every bad sports team in the muggle world combined. "A very noble dedication." She's not being sarcastic there either. "My friend here, Mr. Demetrius Orpington is a Beater for the Arrows. Mr. Orpington, it's my pleasure to introduce you to a new acquaintance of mine, Auror Bannon Bates."
Demetrius restrains himself much better than Camilla about the other man's choice in team support. "A game with the Cannons is always enjoyable, they have very loyal fans." He offers a hand, "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bates."
With a defeated sigh, Bannon replies, "I'm nothing if not stalwart, Miss Fawley." He extends his own hand, "A beater for the Arrows, you say? Well, nobody is perfect, old chap." He smiles broadly, winking once to Camilla before he adds, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mister Orpington. I was discussing a charge of mine and her possible placement on Miss Fawley's family farm. We were going to continue the discussion over dinner at the Leaky Cauldron at Seven. You are, of course, welcome to attend as well if you will be remaining in London."
Camilla smiles chuckles now as the gentlemen banter about Quidditch. "Well with that conversation starter, I'll excuse myself and finally go fetch the animals from the shop and then I hope to see you both(?)…" She peeks questionably towards Dem. "…At the Leaky Cauldron at Seven."
Demetrius takes a quick glance to the sky and ponders a few moments before nodding, "Thank you for the invitation, I am remaining in London for a few more days so I'd be happy to join you both for dinner." He smiles to Camilla, "A good afternoon to you, Miss Gray."
With a nod of his head to Camilla, "Good day then, Miss Fawley. Until seven." He then looks back to Demetrius, "Wonderful, Mister Orpington. Excited to have you accompany us. My young charge is Muggle-born and expressed an interest in learning about the game of Quidditch. The best explanation I could give considering the circumstances was that the game had more balls than rules. She is, no doubt, eagerly awaiting someone who can provide a better answer than that." He then adds, offering a hand again, "Until then, Mister Orpington?"
Demetrius grasps Bannon's hand and gives a firm shake, "I think I enjoy talking about Quidditch almost as much as I enjoy playing it. I'm sure we'll have an enjoyable time explaining the game. Have a good afternoon, Mr. Bates, I shall see you again at seven."