| Details for Junk Sifters |
| Summary: | A group of witches and wizads sift through the donations in the junk shop, each looking for something different… |
| Date: | 1939-08-09 |
| Location: | Whatchamacallit Junk Shop |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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It's a warm and calm evening. The store is quite peaceful and clearly open a tad-bit late for those busy customers willing to dig through the riches that this store has to offer. The store is lit dim this evening with some firelight and a few customers are even bewitching their own Lumos spells in periodic locations not quite lit right.
Keith stands in a pair of plain forest green robes. His wavy hair appears to be flowing freely as he crouches and digs through a nearby wall of gadgets. It appears he's looking for something, but what is still up for answers.
Standing near a pile of glass tubes, vials, and various other products in varying stages of condition, Ben uses the glowing tip of his wand to push a bit of the cracked glassware this way and that. He is void of a normal robe, as is his normal fare. A black neatly folded robe has been tossed over one shoulder, however. He holds it there with one hand while the other words his wand into the pile of glass.
Kahren is one of those witches holding a lit wand aloft, eyeing the piles of junk with curiosity. In her other hand she holds… a bubble wand. Every time she waves it about, more bubbles appear, without the thing needing any bubble solution. "Well, isn't that charming?" she muses quietly.
"Well this just won't do… no I don't need that…" Keith mutters as he moves his wand around while digging through the wall of objects. He begins to stands finally looking around himself examining the rest of the patrons. His gaze lands on Kahren for a brief moment before he looks to his other side to see Ben rummaging through the piles of glassware. "I don't think I need glassware, but I do need something to help with my research. I wonder if they have any old magic boxes. I doubt they'd have a charmed chest just laying around." He sighs seeming to almost be talking to himself without realizing it.
Seeing the woman he met at the orphanage wine sale — or rather, first seeing a gaggle of bubbles float by and following them TO her — Ben turns to look at her and smirks at her find. He looks as if he is about to say something, but pauses when he over-hears Keith. Ben jabs the glowing end of his wand over his shoulder towards one of the corners. "I found a trash bin over there that was charmed to only take socks." He glances again at Kahren and her bubble wand as he adds; "Not much to surprise you in here."
"…what would one do with a bin that only takes socks?" Kahren muses in a thoughtful tone, glancing at Ban with an amused smile. "I suppose it could be useful for pranks. What happens if you try to toss something else into it? Does it bounce off? Or does it take it - and then toss it right back at you?" The latter would be better.
Keith snaps out of his trance like state when the man speaks to him. "Oh… oh, no. Granted a sock only hamper is only going to so useful." He looks at the woman streaming bubbles and tilts his head slightly. "Excuse me, miss? You look familiar, but I can't place your face." He then narrows his eyes seeming to be concentrating for a moment before saying, "You didn't happen to go to Hogwarts around nineteen-thirty did you?" Might the wizard have passed the young woman in school in their heyday? It's entirely possible, but only time will tell.
Keith clears his throat before proceeding to walk toward the other two with his wand up enough to illuminate his face. "I'd presume it's a charm to take stuff and then toss it back at the assaulting user. It was a common enough prank in Ravenclaw dorms with fourth years…" It sounds a bit out-of-character for normal Ravenclaws to stoop to such levels. Though it's possible those less serious students possibly could have practiced such pranks.
Ben nods towards Kahren and grins. "Indeed, it tosses everything back out. If you dump a pile of items into it, they sort of spin around like it's sorting through them. It's really rather fascinating for a useless charm." He bends over and moves some large glass bowls as he listens to Keith talk. At his question, Ben eyes the other two, but if he recognizes them from school he doesn't say. He would have been a bit younger anyway.
"I was a sixth year in 1930," Kahren answers easily. "I was a Hufflepuff myself, though. Kahren Umbridge," she introduces herself, switching the bubble wand into the hand holding her actual wand, and offering over her hand.
"It does sound like a wonderfully useless bin. I wonder where I could put it…?" The Healer's lounge in St. Mungo's, perhaps?
Keith chuckles finally breaking his serious streak as he nods at Ben. "As I imagined. Charms work can be use useful in some occasions, but also so quite useless upon improper usage. Normally I would expect such charms to be bewitched on recycling bins or storage bins for proper sorting enforcement." It sounds like Keith has studied practical applications of various otherwise useless charms over the years.
Upon the reply from Kahren he finally points at her with his free hand before nodding in agreement. "Oh right, I do think I saw you around Hogwarts castle. I was a Seventh Year in 1930. Graduated with decent marks in Charms and Transfiguration back in the day." It might sounds like bragging to the untrained listener. Though Keith was a typical Ravenclaw know-it-all. He then takes the lady's offered hand in a friendly handshake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Keith Lovegood."
Keith stands in a small gathering with Ben and Kahren. They seems to just be meeting each other and discussing the various gadgets around in the area.
Ben is standing near a pile of glasware, bottles, flasks and the like. His wand tip is glowing thanks to lumos, and he prods it again through the pile. He isn't too far from Keith and Kahren who both seem to be doing similar activities amongst the junk. "Good to know you are so versed in bins, mate." He says over his shoulder towards Keith. "Next I need one, I'll be sure to look you up." Ben flashes a crooked grin, though it can't touch the sarcasm in his words.
A yelp sounds off to the left of the loosely assembled group of wizards and a witch, some yards distant. There's a few thuds, and then a thunderous crash as one of the piles comes sweeping down on top of some helpless person just out of sight, now partly buried beneath spare parts and trinkets. Keith might recognize that familiar yelp (which is often enough heard, given his cousin's clumsiness) while Rook begins digging himself out of the avalanche of oddities. There are a few more thuds and thumps as Rook loosens the tide around him and tries to extract himself from the collection of junk, murmuring absently to himself.
He doesn't appear to be harmed any, aside from wrinkles and a general disheveled appearance, blond hair in disarray and his muted lilac colored robes crumpled. "Really, who needs that many spoons. Nobody, nobody that's who," Rook mutters, dislodging a silvery spoon from his shoe and tossing it back onto the pile, brushing himself off haphazardly with presently empty hands. The young man, in his mid to late adolescence at best, comes treading around a pile, paying little heed to where he's walking.
"Well then, it's good to see you again, Mister Lovegood," Kahren responds easily, smiling at the man warmly.
The sound of the crash quickly earns her attention, however, as she turns her gaze and her wand in that direction. "Are you alright?" she asks with some concern. She doesn't see any cuts, though, and he doesn't appear too badly battered. "Be careful."
Seren steps in through the main door and takes a moment to remove the headscarf that covers her hair. She folds it while slowly perusing the nearest items, then spots some of the others. A moment later, careful not to brush any of the more precarious piles, she begins to slowly walk in their direction. That progress slows to a stop at the sounds of crashing, but she merely observes from her spot in one of the "aisles", while her hand rests inside her jacket pocket, most likely reaching for her wand. When it appears the teen is undamaged, however, she withdraws that hand and puts on a polite smile, nodding to the others.
Keith looks over at Ben upon his snide remark. "Being sarcastic to a complete stranger is not going to help you make friends." It sounds equally snide and a bit aggressive when spoken by the Charms worker, but someone had to state the obvious.
Keith snaps his attention when a small clattering of items begins to fall upon an innocent victim. It's only after a second of processing that Keith seems to register the tone of the yelp. "Merlin's Beard cousin, what are you into this time?!"
He walks down the small passage of object before waving a few flicks of his wand to assist in dislodging the young wizard. "Rook, are you sure your parents know you frequent this establishment? If so, maybe I might suggest they take a life-insurance policy out on you." It's said with a bit of a chuckles as though Keith is well aware of the occasional shifts of objects within this shop. He offers his cousin a hand up while saying, "Do you need help up?"
It's only when Keith finds his cousin lacks the need for assistance that he turns toward the others. "It appears everything is alright Kahren, seems my cousin has inherited the family curse of two left feet."
Ben winks over his shoulder at Keith at his aggressive tone. "Friends are over-rated. But no offense meant, mate. Just joking around with—" At the sound of the crash, Ben spins around and points the beam of light coming from his wand at the tumbling pile. He holds his wand with a bit of a defensive stance before he shakes it off. He takes a few steps closer and inspects the young man as he comes into view. Ben gives the youth a once over gaze, and not seeing any injuries, he smirks. "Alright then, squirt? Watch your step, eh?"
"None the worse for wear. I'm very resilient," Rook quips, flashing Kahren an impressively exuberant smile that gleams with white teeth. Flicking away a few more specks of dust, Rook seems to pay little heed to the state of his hair, or his robes beyond brushing away any sort of debris. The wrinkles remain, stubbornly. "Two left feet? Do you think if you had two left feet you would simply walk in circles all day? You'd never get anywhere." Withdrawing his wand from the fitted breast of his robes, Rook glances about himself, squinting in the relative darkness at the unfamiliar faces beyond his cousin's. "Hello, hello. No, no. Can't watch my step, if I do, I'm guaranteed to walk into something. That's an awful idea, really. Look here-" There's a pause, and Rook hefts the wand, brandishes it, muttering 'accio Archimedes', and here comes a brightly colored toad floating its way around the stacks. "Anyway, I'm here for a gift."
"Boys - there is no reason to act like children in here," Kahren points out, frowning at the two bickering men. Ridiculous behavior for grown wizards.
Her attention returns to Rook as she smiles at the boy, amused by his cheery attitude despite the accident. "I'm glad you're alright. Oh what a darling little toad you have - and so colorful, too. Will it grow any larger?"
Seeing that Rook appears to be all right, and tended by his cousin Keith, Seren turns from the commotion to instead study first Ben, then Kahren before she does finally withdraw her wand, though only to make it glow as she begins peering at some of the items nearest her. At one point, spotting something of interest, she lets the glow fade before she prods a small knickknack with the wand's tip. Producing no effect, however, the narrow beam springs back to life as she continues to search, drawing nearer the other group. "I see I'm not the only one curious about this shop," she offers with quiet, polite cheer.
Keith lands his gaze upon Ben once more before nodding, "Oh, I see. Well as long as we're on the same page." Keith proceeds to walks along with his cousin Rook, occasionally glancing off to their sides to ensure no further destruction is awaiting their next steps. He then looks down at his own feet in small shame as the woman scolds his behavior. "Most certainly right."
It's when his cousin poses the question that the pauses to stroke his chin. "You know, I didn't think of that angle cousin. I am sure that would be a possible outcome… clearly being blessed with such might make life much more difficult." He then laughs as his cousin replies to the other patrons on watching his step. "Very logical my fair cousin."
Keith then looks at Rook with a nod, "Oh, is it someone's birthday already?! Should I be shopping as well?" Keith looks a bit curious and the slight bit anxious at this annoucement. Clearly he might have forgotten another relative's birthday.
At the scolding, Ben only offers a flash of white teeth in a smile and bow of his head towards Kahren. With a shake of his head and an amused grin, Ben returns to the pile of glassware. Lovegoods. He chuckles to himself. A large glass flask with muggle measurements marked on the side is picked up and inspected. "How does something like this even get in here?" He sets it down at the edge of the pile, and continues his digging.
"Not sure I'd call two left feet a blessing unless the only shoes you could find were lefties," Rook observes with a sincere, yet thoughtful seriousness. "Or being trapped in the middle of a lake of fire, cursed to die unless you keep moving. Then it would be a blessing." Beat. "Oh, I'm Rook, by the way. Rook Lovegood, and no, no. He'll never get any bigger without magic." Rook peers down at the toad grasped between his fingers after pulling the toad safely from the air; Archimedes is no longer than two inches at most in length, a rather smallish toad brightly colored with mottled green atop his back, and a vivid orange-red belly. "But, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. He's just the size he ought to be." The toad is set atop Rook's shoulder absently. "It's nobody's birthday that I recall, I just wanted to get a gift for someone I like very much, but this isn't something I'm terribly good at. So if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears." Rook's nose wrinkles slightly. "Not literally, mind you. But, yes. Very curious, this shop."
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Rook, and you're right. He's just the perfect size - what a darling he is." Kahren smiles warmly, a hint of amusement tugging at her lips. He was an odd boy - though it wasn't without its charms. Whatever schoolgirl he was shopping for would be a lucky lass.
"Why don't you tell us about her?" she asks.
Keith nods as Rook speaks his very logical reply to the theory of having two left feet. It's quite insightful to say the least. "That is right Rook, toads only grow to their own optimal size before finding their strengths there-in." He then laughs in relief as his cousin clarifies. "Oh wonderful, I'm almost certain one of these day a relative is going to wollop me for missing another family gathering." He then looks about the shop before seeing Seren and grinning at her. "Oh yes, this shop is a place a visit on a fairly infrequent basis. Always good to see if fate has me encounter something I otherwise would have never thought to purchase. Last time I was here I found a little jewelry box that was charmed to hold much more interesting objects. Though I presume no one thought to rummage through the contents before pricing it."
Seren gives Rook another curious look when he mentions the purpose for the gift, then smiles when she hears Kahren's question. Still keeping herself to the fringes, however, she continues to peek at item after item, sometimes carefully kneeling or leaning to get a closer look, though she rarely actually touches anything except with her wand. "My apologies for interrupting," the pale woman finally says once she's drawn a little nearer. "Do you know who the proprietor is here?"
Ben straightens and pulls up a retort from the pile, and inspects it. Finding a crack he sighs and lays it also at the edge of the glass pile. "Not sure this is the shop you get thoughtful gifts from, squirt." He says towards Rook. After a thought, the wizard shrugs. "Unless they're a collector of the strange and unusual." The last bit rings slightly as his voice echoes off of the glass near his face, now bent over again into the pile.
Ben is given a somewhat disapproving glance for the word choice in reference to him, but there's no lingering malice from Rook. "He's a rather out-spoken seventh year Gryffindor who studies too much and has too little. Oh, and he'd like to be an Auror. It's been sort of hard to find out his interests besides studying. He's taking four bloody NEWTs. Willingly, rather." A small shudder courses through the young man, but he simply ends in shaking his head. "Doesn't everyone collect strange things? That's what makes them unique, and good gifts. But I really don't know who owns this place." Shuffling a few feet closer to one of the piles, Rook leans over and studies it more closely, green eyes running over the varied oddments clustered here and there in no particular order as if in search of something particular.
/He/? Oops. "So. He probably doesn't want this bubble wand I just found," Kahren remarks with amusement, taking her mistake in stride. "Well - from what you said, he might just like books, or rare potion ingredients… Hmm - does he have a sweet tooth?" she asks.
But finding something in /this/ mess for a studious, Auror-hopeful Gryffindor…? She couldn't begin to think where to start.
Keith looks at Seren with a friendly smile planted across his face. "Actually I have no idea who the proprietor of this place is. Though I'd imagine they have a few seeing how many objects seem to amass at this place." He the motions around himself his Lumos charm illuminating things as his wand glances over them. "Though I have to say their taste is rare finds is quite interesting."
Keith then looks over at Ben with a shrug. "I don't know, there are some pretty rare finds within these walls. I've found one or two things that seem to assist in everyday practical usage while rummaging here." Clearly the wizard is a bit too optimistic as this place never has the same thing twice. Though stranger things have happened in the wizarding world, right?!
"A fellow student taking four NEWTs?! Rook, you really should talk to this person more. Clearly he'd be a good influence, yes?" The statement might sound a bit repeatitive to the young Hufflepuff. Surely his parents have said the same about this very topic. "I'm afraid not EVERYONE collects random objects, dear cousin. Though surely as a Lovegood heir we're expected to assist in engaging the less inclined to do so."
Scratching the back of his head, Ben finally shrugs and gives up. "Never going to find a decent retort in here." The glow on his wand vanishes with a flick and the wand itself vanishes into his vest. He turns to the others, listening to the conversation. "Is that many Newts?" The wizard grins rather crookedly, though it doesn't seem to touch his icy blue eyes. He jabs a thumb into his own chest as he speaks. "Try six." Where Keith's boasting may have been simply Ravenclaw norm, Ben's is nothing short of bragging. Allowing a dramatic pause, he finally gestures over to an aisle near Seren. "If he's a bookworm, I saw some books over there. One of them looks like it could give you a lovely tan."
"He likes sweets, yes," Rook responds distractedly to Kahren, because his attention is still affixed to his cousin. "I already talk to him a lot," Rook tells Keith with something verging on mild trepidation. "He's tutoring me in transfiguration. Besides, I'm already expected to take four NEWTs, and I'm not really looking forward to it. At least the charms, arithmancy, and ancient runes should be easy." Beat. "I hope." Turning away from the other three, Rook starts digging through the mixed and poorly matched odds and ends of a nearby pile, including several ribbons that seem rather out of place next to a placard. "Six. Nobody takes six," Rook says simply. "Nobody with any bloody sense would take sense. Four is awful enough. I'm never going to get any sleep."
Seren looks momentarily disappointed when no one seems to have the shop owner's name. She peers toward the back of the shop, but perhaps deciding the path was too precarious, she simply nods to the others nearby. "Thank you very much. Good luck with your gift hunt," she adds for Rook before nodding to the adults. Removing her headscarf from her jacket's pocket, she turns to make her way toward the door again and soon disappears into the growing dark of evening.
"You have to talk to your head of house, and probably even the Head Master, just to take five," Kahren agrees with Rook. "I've never heard of anyone in six. But four /is/ doable. It was a lot of work but… well. Healers and Aurors manage it, or we wouldn't have any.
"If he likes sweets - why not just visit a sweet shop and pick up a few things?" she suggests. "It'd probably be easier."
Keith rolls his eyes at the bragging announcement from Ben. Clearly about the write off the man before he speaks of nearby book trove. "So they do have a collection of books in the supply this time?! Oh how exciting!" Yep, he's ecstatic for the new possible collection of books he can sort through. Not likely that they'll have anything extremely useful. This isn't known to be a highly reliable bookstore like others in Diagon Alley. He looks over at his cousin before saying, "Who doesn't like a bit of book reading, yeah?" Clearly this is only a statement a Ravenclaw would make, clearly not remembering how often Gryffindor students aren't as nearly inclined to read.
It's only when Rook's statement of being tutored finally sinks in that he looks at his cousin critically. "Oh, having problems with Transfiguration? It is one of the most difficult to manage when not naturally inclined…" He then chuckles as he remembers his cousin also loves Charms. "Oh yes, you will LOVE NEWT Charms. It's one of my favorites, I'm sure you know."
Holding up his hands, Ben grins and winks at Rook. "Okay! okay! It was only five. But don't worry, squirt. NEWTs sound far more scary than they actually are. You'll get plenty of sleep." He lowers the hands and nods to Keith, "Nothing too exciting." Ben moves over towards the mentioned aisle. "Ah, here they are. There's a couple old school texts, a treatise on the Bolivian tree-cow, that book about beaches I mentioned." He shrugs as he finds the books and looks over the spines again. "Bolivian tree-cow. Honestly."
The door opens and in ones another into the store, he isn't sure where to begin on the search he's offered to make and this was close by and so hey presto. Graham peers about quickly before he steps further inside the shop hearing the voices of people speaking he'll look in to see who it could be though when he does he only recognizes the healer so far. "Kahren." he greets easily as he begins searching through a few things while he's at it.
"It was terribly nice to meet you!" Rook is calling after Seren as she quietly exits, winding her way out of sight through the unsteady stacks piled up. Rook is still picking through one of them, though it's growing harder and harder to say. Brandishing his wand, he murmurs the proper incantation for lumos, lifting the bright glow to aid in his search. "I already buy him sweets, but sweets don't last very long. I want something that will last." Rook's fingers dislodge something from the pile, which begins to sway back and forth, threatening to come down on the oblivious blond's head. "Ah, here we are. This is very pretty." And it is; a brightly colored blown glass bottle, stopper included, in a rainbow of shades, empty now. "I do alright with Transfiguration, it's just that I never really tried much. There were better things to do, like nap. Or think. That sort of thing." Neatly clutching the bottle, Rook slips in next to Ben, intent on freeing up the odd text on tree-cows.
Keith moves over toward the books Ben mentions with a nod. "Yes, I see. Just a few texts that I remember from school. However a book about Colivian tree-cow doesn't seem to be appealing. There was a reason why I didn't opt to take Care of Magical Creatures in school." He cringes clearly not a fan of the more wildlife of the magical kingdom. "I'd much rather keep my head in studying various Charms work or finding a good manual on household usage of Transfiguration."
It's only minor the sound coming from a stack near Rook, but just to be safe Keith waves his wand attempting to charm the stack from tipping this time. "Well you certainly speak the truth Rook. A good and thoughtful gift does last quite longer." He then nods seeming to understand his cousin isn't as motivated to experiment with spellwork than Keith was at his age. "Well certainly more practice wouldn't hurt at this stage in your education."
"Tree cows?" Kahren repeats in bafflement. "How would you even milk them?" She shakes her head in amusement, then looks over to Graham with a welcoming smile. "Graham. Good evening." She waves her lit wand and the bubble wand over her head in greeting - a shower of bubbles swirling about her as a result.
"Ah, well, if you're already buying him sweets, I can see the urge to treat him with something different. Hrm…"
Ben takes a step back for Rook to get a look at the books. He shrug towards Kahren. "Very carefully and with a sturdy ladder. I don't even know if there is such a thing, or of the author is batty." Resting one hand on his waist, Ben looks up and down the aisle before his eyes settle on Rook's new found bottle. He flicks the glass with a nail to give a short an sharp noise. "Nice pick. Can never have too much decorative glassware, I say. Going to fill it with anything?"
Graham looks confused catching the tail end of the conversation "Tree what? I hope all is well?" he says with a chuckle looking to Kahren at least she gets a warm smile as he stops looking through the items for the moment to look to the others but he cant immediately recall them. "Hello, I'm Graham Cohen." he gives each a nod in turn though he does have a purpose from coming here and so with a reach into his sleeve he removes his wand a moment but doesn't do anything else for now.
"Something I have to agree with. A good collection of glassware does come in handy." Keith says as he nods at Ben's comment. "Certainly a good gift to someone more inclined in Potions and household concoctions to say the last." It's when Graham introduces himself that Keith chimes in again. He extends his free hand toward the new comer. "Keith Lovegood, nice to meet you." He then looks around at the others shrugging before saying, "We were just discussing if Tree-Cow is actually a magical creature. I'd presume so since clearly the author had to have some inspiration. It also doesn't appear to be small enough to be just a child's tale."
"I was considering whether or not maybe the moon is for sale, but even if it were, I'm not sure I have enough to afford it. But he does rather like potions a great deal. So this'll have to do, filled with mead. Mead, mead…" Rook's voice trails off, and he pries the book loose from its compatriots still buried in the stacks. "Tree cows. I wonder if milking them produces sap. What if they're just trees shaped like cows? Or cows shaped like trees? You know, instead of a cow in a tree. Hmm." Prying the cover open, Rook is thumbing through the pages carefully, the glassware carefully tucked away for safe keeping. Whether he realizes it or not, Rook is so engrossed that when he starts away from the little group, attention still buried in the book, he simply forgets to offer his farewells while muttering under his breath.
"Oh, I'm fine. Rena and I are going to go see a show together - she said she'd try to find us some tickets," Kahren remarks brightly. "Not sure when it'll be, but I'm looking forward to it.
"And I'm just fascinated by the idea of a /tree cow/, aren't you? I bet it's darling. I'd love to see one. Cow shaped trees is an interesting notion…"
He accepts the handshake and will chuckle "Pleased to meet you as well Mr Lovegood." Graham looks back to the healer now and grins "That sounds like a lot of fun, I have plans eventually to go to the cinema or something myself. I hope you two enjoy yourselves." he considers the next part "I must admit that I had not thought about it before, but I imagine that would be interesting indeed to see."
Ben offers a nod and a slight smile towards the newcomer. "Pleasure, sir. Ben Crouch. Ben, if you would." He moves to offer a hand to Graham but pauses as the wand appears. An eyebrow is cocked oh-so-slightly as he simply adds, "Mingled at the wine sale for the orphan squirts the other day, eh?"
A nearby clock sounds striking a new hour and Keith perks at such a sound. "Oh have I already been in here that long? Or might that be just a mistake clock laying about?" He ponders that statement before looking around at the others. "Does anyone else have the time? I have yet to get myself a time piece… typically I don't need one. Though if I am late arriving back home surely my dining experience will be cut short again." He sighs before saying, "Well at least tomorrow is Sunday. Am I right?!" He also begins to wonder off through the random paths of object, might he be seeking an exit or he might just be seeking more choices in purchases.
"Cinema?" Kahren asks curiously. "What's that? I don't think I've of that before. Is it another sort of Muggle stage show?" There is never any end to the fascinating /Muggle/ things in the world. They're also so baffling.
Smiling at Ben she adds, "I'm Kahren Umbridge - or did I already say?"
Graham will chuckle and accept the others hand with his free shaking it quickly before realizing with the reminder "Ah, yes I do remember." he speaks of the wine sale though he looks to a few more things before he'll motion to each "One moment." he flicks his wand "Accio, Niamh's Wedding Ring." he calls not loudly but nothing happens and so he'll slip the wand back into his sleeve "I didnt think so but worth a try." he looks back to the healer "Something like that, I was invited to go and it sounds like fun."
Shaking the hand firmly, Ben grins towards Kahren. "I think so, but I'm horrible at names anyway. Pleasure, Madam Umbridge." He takes a step back from Graham to give him room in his summoning, taking the moment to pull the folded robe from his shoulder and start putting it back on. "I spent some time in New York, met a few muggles. Never saw a cinema, but I heard about it. They use some contraption to make a wall come to life and tell a story. A bit strange, but then they often seem to zig when they should zag." They being muggles, of course.
"Miss is fine," Kahren laughs. "The wall comes to life and tells a story?" she repeats, sounding puzzled and looking thoughtful. "I wonder how any contraption could do that? I'd be curious to see it."
Her attention shifts to Graham next before asking, "Did someone drop their ring? That's unfortunate."
"I'm not entirely sure how that works, but once I've gone I'll let you both know what happens." Graham looks to Ben now as he speaks "Muggles have their own way of doing things but are quite inventive, some of the things they've created are brilliant." the auror speaks though his smile and face falls at Kahren's question shaking his head "I wish it were just that Kahren, Niamh is Healer O'Shea's sister she's believed to have been killed in the terror attacks but some items are missing." namely her wedding ring.
Ben shrugs a bit and smiles, settling the robe finally over his torso. "I won't argue that point." At the mention of the attacks, Ben frowns a bit and glances around the store. "I really should be going. I still have a decent retort to find, and the day grows short. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Graham. Miss Umbridge." He grins and flashes her a wink before striding towards the door.