Dream the day away

Liesl leant against one of the only blank bits of wall in Diagon Alley and watched the people go by.  It was more than a month before school went back, but already some of the people walking past were muggleborn children with their muggle parents and on another day, they might have been prime for the pick-pocketing.

Today, Liesl wasn't in the mood for that.  She knew her mother disapproved of her preying on the muggles.  After what had happened to Grandfather it made the family look bad, and it really wasn't their fault they couldn't protect themselves with anti-thieving charms.

But even without any money to spend (she never had money to spend), Diagon Alley was interesting.  Certainly more interesting than Knockturn or Miser, where if she returned, Liesl would be expected to help with the endless chores her mother seemed always to be toiling over.  At least out here she could imagine she had a better life.

As usual, one of the first things Danika saw when she stepped through the portal from the Leaky Cauldron was Liesl Dolohov lurking around Diagon Alley.

To be honest, Danika felt sorry for the other girl and a little guilty, although she knew that was foolish.  It was only that her own father had been part of the Anbrechen and heavily caught up in chasing Dolohov when he tried to flee to Germany.

"Hello, Liesl," she said with a smile.

Liesl was startled out of her daydream as someone called her by name.

But it was only Danika Prazak. That Hufflepuff probably thought she had to be polite even here.

"Oh, hi, Danika," Liesl replied, making special effort to seem unimpressed by the other girl's attempt to be nice. She was a Dolohov, after all.

"What do you want?"

To say she was put out by Liesl's attitude was putting it mildly.  Just because she was a Hufflepuff didn't mean Danika was an automatic pushover, although that was what most people seemed to think.  Why, Danika could never quite understand, since Hufflepuffs were famed for their loyalty.

Still, she bit back the retort that sprung to her lips - something about how this was why Liesl had no friends - and tried to see things from Liesl's points of view.  If her grandfather had left her family practically destitute, she would probably be bitter too.

"I'm going to pick up some things for school and wanted some company, if you're not doing anything more important?" she said, resolved to be cheerful.

Liesl pushed herself away from the wall she'd been leaning on. It wasn't as though she had anything else to do.

"Of course you assume I don't have anything more important planned," she said.

UGH.  No, no matter how badly off she was, Danika would never have been as rude as Liesl Dolohov.  Her parents would never have condoned that kind of behaviour. 

"Does that mean you're coming?" she asked. 

She wondered whether she ought to offer to buy them both lunch, or if that would just insult Liesl more.