Chapter 16: Jack-in-a-box

Charlie led me down the south side of Diagon Alley. Stepping into the trunk shop wasn't as surprising as other shops on the street. People who loved The Container Store would both love and be horrified by the interior. Like most of the shops in the wizarding world, there wasn't much organization. Trunks were stacked twice as tall as Charlie in the shop. More focus was placed on the aesthetic then gravity. I guess if you had magic you could place anything as wonky as you wanted. Functionality went straight out the window. The stack of trunks in front of me could give The Leaning Tower of Pisa a run for its money. It came close to a 45-degree angle. A stack that tall and poorly placed should have fallen by now. If I didn't think there were precautions for customers in place I wouldn't have stepped in here. Nobody was stupid enough to stack things like this and not secure it somehow. I was tiny in comparison to these giant trunks. If one fell from the top I'd be squashed like a bug. They'd never have customers if any fell.

A person I assumed to be the storekeeper popped out his head from between the gargantuan piles. I almost missed his little head. Stick thin and short to boot he was a wisp of a man. If someone had decided to shove him inside one of his products and lock it nobody would have noticed. Though that might help him sell some trunks. If he could show a whole person popping in and out they might seem more impressive. My brain couldn't help thinking of him as a jack in the box. Humming a tune and ready to pop out at a moment's notice from somewhere.

For such a small man he was a fast and steady sprinter. He had covered the distance between us smoothly weaving through stack after stack as if it was a stroll in the park. He could have won parkour competitions. A name tag pinned to his apron flopped into view. Out of all the names that could be inscribed on it, it actually read 'Jack'. Opening his mouth a bouncy vibrato tumbled out from his throat. "So what can I do for the two of you today? Looking for anything in particular?" A puppy. This man was just a puppy in human clothes. I could imagine ears and a tail to go with his eager smile. He bounced from foot to foot and he leaned ever so slightly forward. If he was any bigger it might be scary. But in a man so small it just looked like natural peppiness. There were new people and he was excited to meet them. He bounced on his toes, too much energy contained in such a small stature. If I had been taller than him I might have been tempted to pat him on the head. Since Charlie didn't know what I wanted exactly, I took the lead for once. " I need a trunk for school. One that's easy enough for me to lift on my own. It would help if it was big enough to fit all my things in one container. I have a lot to transport."

Eager to prove himself useful he started on his sales pitch. "Well, miss. We have a wide range of trunks. Starting with our standard option is an average-sized trunk. It comes with a simple latch style opening. Kept safe with lock and key. Most students start with this choice. As it is easy enough to fit all your schooling needs and happens to be an affordable choice." He gestured toward one of the trunk stacks next to him. "If you think the size isn't enough we have a selection of trunks that have been expanded upon. Some have doubled the size of the interior. Our most expensive range of trunks allows the buyer to add on specific sections. Whether you are looking to include a library, an easy wardrobe, a kitchenette or a potions room. We have an option for every need. You can even shrink down the contents to carry as a key chain. If you are a bit of a worrywart we have extra security measures also. A bit of a warning though, some living things do not respond well to being shrunk inside." You could tell from the lilt in his voice he took pride in his products.

Jack peppiness grew with each of his words and his intent stare matched it. He looked ready to leap at any trunk I could point out to take." I would like two of your best trunks with all the things you've just mentioned added in." A broad grin occupied his face at my words. Looking ready to break into a dance he replied: "If you are sure about that all together it'll be 150 Galleons." Charlie with his mouth agape seemed utterly stunned at the price.

Since it was a lot of work that seemed like a fair price to me. I nodded my head in agreement and said "I'd like mine in a black and brown color. Nothing too eye-catching. The other one is for him." Turning toward charlie I tried nudging him to give his input. He was still petrified by it all. I guess with how much money everything cost it was only to be expected. Deciding it would be faster to just talk myself I turned back to Jack. "Can you make the other one in Gryffindor colors with a dragon design on it?" I looked towards Charlie to see if he had any other comments. He just squeaked. Speech wasn't going to be an option for him for a few more minutes. I took his squeak as a yes and continued with the order, handing over the money. I winced at the sheer amount of it all. Even without knowing the conversion rate it was still a lot.

Jack received it gladly. I had a feeling if he hadn't been holding on to something he would have thrown his arms around me in a bear crushing hug. His grin nearly split his face in half with glee. "Since it is such a large order it will take at least an hour to get everything finished. Would you rather wait around for it or have it delivered?" Telling him we would be back in an hour for our purchase I dragged Charlie out of the store. Even when we exited the store he didn't seem to be getting over anything. Icecream was decidedly the best solution for this. Dragging him we made our way to Flortescue's. Entering the store I was back to paradise.

The most perfect smell in the world is the smell of a freshly cooked waffle cone. That fact could not be stressed enough. I was practically starving after the walking and anxiety had taken itself out on my stomach. At this moment Florescue's was my eutopia. Sugary sweetness coated the air and enveloped me in a blanket of warmth. I was almost intoxicated. Keeping my brain focused, I dropped Charlie at a table and got in line for some sweet deliciousness. Being obsessed with waffle cones of course I got a waffle cone bowl for myself. They had several more flavors to choose from this time. Cookies and cream and a cookie dough scoop was what was called for today. Cookies are always a good choice when added to ice cream. Charlie got a random scoop and made my way back to the table. Plopping down his food in front of him I dug into my bowl with gusto.

Focusing on the ice cream rather than the frozen Charlie was a better use of my attention span. Crunchy bites of freshly baked cookies swarmed my mouth with soft morsels of cookie dough. Melting in my mouth and in bliss, I didn't notice the fact it had disappeared. I had bulldozed through the whole thing. Tears up a bit, I thought I should have gotten more. Next time I would. With only the bowl left I slowly picked off bits and threw them into my mouth. My attention finally turning to Charlie. Like me, he had taken the chance to devour his while I was distracted. He wasn't as quick about it as I was, but the dazed look was finally out of his eyes. The clouds had finally parted for him but now he was staring at me. Thoughts were quickly crossing his face. Dropping the eye contact I looked back at my bowl. Fiddling with it, I broke it down further as I spoke up. "Why are you staring at me like that?" My voice a whisper. " I've never seen anyone eat ice cream faster than I do. It was like a happy little hamster."

Heat filled my cheeks as I tried to steer the conversation away from my eating habits." So… have you recovered now?" My eyes wavered between him and the waffle cone. A beat passed before he opened his mouth. A long and drawn out sigh escaped. Tinged with exasperation he spoke, "You know, Alise, that you don't need to buy me things. I'm helping you because I want to, not because you pay me too. Spending money like that isn't good. It might just attract the wrong sort of people. What if I was a bad person, I could have just tricked you into giving me all your money and then ran off with it. You're so tiny I could have just stuffed you in a sack and walked off with you like potatoes. Just a sack of potatoes, nothing to see here. Certainly not a kidnapped girl."He had scrambled his hair into a crazy mop while talking. Laughter nearly bubbled out from my pursed lips. His crazy analogy had me in stitches. Charlie was trying to be completely serious about this. My eyes finally stopped on his baffled face. He didn't understand why I was tittering. Trying to make a serious face I nodded my head " Yes, yes I do know I'm tiny, and money doesn't solve everything." Looking slightly appeased Charlie sat back and rubbed his hand against his face. He wasn't 100 percent satisfied with my answer.

Tapping his spoon against his bowl he looked like he was giving up the subject for now. Choosing to make a subject change of his own he started "Since we have the time, we probably should knock your owl off the to-do list." Excitement had me nearly jumping from my seat. I was ready to pick out a little birdy to take home. Making a feathered friend. Copying Jack's antics, I was dancing in place. I trilled happily in agreement. Charlie smiled back at my enthusiasm. Chuckling softly at my silliness. Quickly cleaning up our mess we headed off to Eeylops.