Chapter 13: Seeing Red

Charlie Weasly was still waiting for my reply when my brain thawed. Using what felt like a stuttering voice, I replied "Yes, yes I am. My name is Alise, Alise Parker. Are you going to Hogwarts as well? I mean you have the badge on your cloak. So it wouldn't make sense if you weren't, I guess. Although you could be helping someone else get a fitting. Though it is more likely that you are a student yourself." My nerves were failing and I decided to shut up and let him answer before I said anything else to paint myself deeper into a corner. " That's right!" His friendly smile grew as he continued " In fact, I'm going to be a Prefect in Gryffindor house this year." He seemed totally fine with my inability to speak.

Pulling out my stupid stick and hitting myself with it a few times. I needed to remember that I was a blank slate. Some information might be vastly different from what I knew in my head. I asked him what Gryffindor was and exactly what it meant to be a Prefect. "A Prefect is a job that the school gives to certain students. They hold a position in the school that is charged with going around and making sure that the students are following the rules. They help the teachers patrol the school as well. Did you understand so far?" I nodded my head. I was glad he was taking the time to explain this to me.

Charlie continued with his explanation." Gryffindor is one of the four houses at Hogwarts. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin are the four founders of Hogwarts. Each has a house named after them. Their houses select students that match the founder's intent. Each stood for a different school of thought. Gryffindor values courage, chivalry, and determination." He took a breath in between this run of information." Ravenclaw wanted those with intelligence, knowledge, and wit. Hufflepuffs are all hard workers. They have dedication, patience, loyalty. They also value fair play. Last, are the Slytherins. They value ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness. Each new student is sorted upon arrival at the school." Finished ticking the houses off his fingers, he turned to me and asked: "So which do you think you would be?"

Thinking hard on what house I might be placed into, I considered each house. I could imagine the sorting hat placing me into Slytherin. After all, I had been sneaky and I would need to be cunning to survive in the coming years. I'd already lied to hagrid when I first visited the Alley. Expanding on that idea I could see myself in Slytherin. In most fanfictions, it was written that each student had their own room and bathroom. Meaning I wouldn't have to share a room. Plus Slytherin was one of two houses not situated up a giant tower. Who wants to end their day climbing seven flights of stairs. The more I thought about it, the more the "evil" house appealed to me.

Saying that aloud in the present company might come off the wrong way. Shrugging I said, "I don't really know where I would be placed." I decided that giving the most noncommittal answer was the best way to go. I want to avoid lying as much as I could. Halfway through his explanation Madam Malkin had finished her measuring and pinning of Charlie and moved on to me. Following her gestures, I tried to focus on Charlie's words. Instead of the woman jabbing me with pins and invading my personal space. Even when she started using her floating tape measure and backed off. It was still uncomfortable. She was staring intently at the tape, and by extension me, as she wrote things down on a tiny piece of paper. By the time Madame Malkin finished, Charlie had long stopped talking. Charlie was being kind. He was waiting with me since my discomfort at the situation was obvious.

Madame Malkin's parting words to me as she finished were "You can pick up your uniforms from the front of the shop. Different additions will cost more and will be discussed at the counter. Once you decide everything you're getting just simply talk to my assistant." Turing about she hurried to the other people waiting. They had seemingly entered without my notice. I had been too intent on Charlie and the fitting to notice. Quickly stepping into the hall to get away from the mirrors and the people. I paused briefly to inhale deeply. Stepping in beside me Charlie started talking. Trying to distract me from my nerves. He described what Hogwarts was like and I started calming down. With something to focus on it helped me regain my calm and I appreciated his kind gesture. Since Charlie was from the books, it made my interactions with him easier. He was still his own person but I had been reading the books for so long. All of them felt like family. We finished walking the corridor in between the fitting rooms and the front desk together

Approaching the front desk Charlie insisted I go first. I was alone and obviously ill-informed. Charlie was clearly trying to make all of this as easy as possible. The clerk offered me a small booklet of all the options I could choose from. I asked for a full package of summer and winter self-cleaning, and adjusting robes. With cloaks of the best quality, not forgetting my pointed hat and dragonhide gloves. All of Madame Malkin's robes came with self-ironing and repair. It was important to get good quality clothes. That way I wouldn't need to replace them as often. It also meant that I wouldn't have to go through this again.

Paying out the 15 galleons I stood to the side. Since Charlie had waited for me I would wait for him. Perhaps I could talk to him afterward. "I'm going to need one new set of school robes and that's it." Seeing his order I felt bad. I'd asked for all kinds of upgrades. Not to mention the best quality of fabrics. I knew that Ron had an inferiority complex for having received so many hand me downs. Here is front of Charlie I had thrown around money like it was nothing. And I was complaining about having too much money. Making a split decision I stepped back up to the counter and around the bigger boy. "Scratch that order. He will take all the same things as me." I plunked down the money on the counter before Charlie could say anything. The clerk seems to be working on commission seemed pleased and quickly marked it down. Charlie seemed dumbfounded by my actions "Is something … wait, what?!" I took the receipt and shoved it in his hand before he could protest any further. I fled to the seats in the corner of the shop to wait for my order.

Trying to calm myself and rationalize that I had done something good. I shrunk into the chair wishing I was invisible. I may have messed up. Staring hard at the floor and shutting my mouth tightly thoughts flooded my brain. Weasley kids don't accept charity. My actions weren't that, but it could look that way. Hopefully, he would see it as a kind gesture. Instead of arguing with me that it was a handout. Charlie had been kind to me, I wanted to repay that kindness. It didn't cost me anything to do it. Wishing in my head I hoped that I hadn't just made a huge mistake and offended him. and make him hate me. My dream of blending into the furniture was crushed when I found a shadow cast over my seat. Charlie standing in front of me. He waited a few moments before sighing.

Peeking up from looking at the floor, I tried to get a better look at his face. A frown decorated his lips but there wasn't any malice in the gaze. My eyes swiftly moved back to the floor as he started talking "Alise... could you please look at me?" Shaking my head I saw his shoes move to sit down in the chair next to mine. His lanky legs were all I could see of him. He paused again before continuing "Alise. It doesn't matter if you look at me. Could you please tell me why you did what you did that?" I still couldn't make any words come out. At least none that would make sense right now. My mouth was filled with cement. Shaking my head again I could feel him moving and all of a sudden he was laying on the floor. Smiling up at me. Bubbles of laughter threatened to escape from my throat. He was being very silly. Making every effort to get me to talk. Tapping down my smile I waited for him to say something else.

"Soooooo... What are you going to do with four sets of boy's clothes? Use them for a fancy dress party?" Wiggling his eyebrows ridiculously at the suggestion. "Perhaps pull some funny pranks? That's what my two younger brothers would do." Charlie rolled over on the ground and placed his hand on his chin. He knew how to make a person laugh. With his eyes deep in thought paired with his silly pose, he continued "You know you'll be in the same year as the both of them. Maybe you can become friends with them too." Gulping, I felt the stone caught in my throat had dislodged itself. He had called us friends. Realizing for himself that I was trying he had offered his friendship. Even though I was weird, he was waiting for me to explain myself. He could have scolded me. I was so much younger and he must have had a lot of practice as a big brother. But Charlie had decided to be kind.

Suddenly I felt talking wasn't so much of a burden. There wouldn't be any pressure from him, "They're for you... I can't fit them... I wanted to repay you. For telling me about Hogwarts and trying to make me feel better about standing up on the platform. And, and staying even though you could have easily left. It might not be a big thing to you but I can't handle people, and I thought I might die. Or trip and take someone out in my foolishness or or or" Spewing the words out I had missed the counter woman walking over with two bulky looking packages. My face must have been as red as Charlie's hair. The woman took one look at me and then proceeded to hand them to him. "The dear looks like she might be exhausted. Don't let her carry that she might hurt herself. It's verrrrry heavy with all you've ordered and she's so small." Plopping the second package into his arms she walked away.

Staring dumbly at each other he broke away first. "What should we do with all this?" lifting up the packages in his arms. Thankfully he wasn't going to fight me about the order. He had to keep it since it was already made. "Well... you could give me mine." I reached out both hands ready to receive my half. Charlie seemed skeptical " Are you sure you can lift it with your little muscles? I'm right here for free labor. It's the least I could do. For someone as small as you, you might be crushed under all the fabric" He teased.

Giving him a scathing look, I gestured for the package marked female. I must have looked just like a stubborn little kid. Because Charlie replied back with "Fine, but tell me if you need any help. I need to do something to balance this out. I know you think this is fair but I think I still owe you some." The latter part of his statement made me happy again. It meant that he wasn't really mad at the stunt I pulled and was just playing at it being fine. Handing me down the package I could see what the woman had meant. She hadn't been exaggerating when she said I shouldn't carry this. My arms were already bending a little.

Charlie's skeptic stare at this made me want to mess with him. With a flourish of my arms, I opened my bag. Proceeding to shove the package in. It was so wide it barely fit through the opening. After a few good pushes the package was no more. Looking up I smiled at Charlie. He seemed perplexed by the fact that I had a magic bag, but no clue about Hogwarts "Where did you get that?" Being caught out I simply told the truth, "It was a present from a friend. They said it could fit anything inside of it as long as I could get it in the opening. It doesn't even weigh anything." Nodding his head at the explanation we made our way out of the shop.