What are friends for, if not discussing murderous wishes? Who: Tracey and Ophelia Where: Hogsmeade (various) When: 10am; Thursday, January 7th, 2016 Warning: January BMA PR Plot related events being discussed. Mentions of blood, death, and near-death experiences. Status: Closed/Completed
Tracey was sat at the breakfast nook that overlooked the more expansive part of the grounds that remained from when their planation was, well, a little less of a friendly to others place. It did always spark some level of amusement in her that her Mother had gone so off of the deep end with her choice of partner, yet the Madison family was more like the Marteau's than they would ever admit. It wasn't a foreign thought to Tracey, how much many Purebloods and Magical folk ignored how truly ruthless Muggles could be. Though, it could be argued that it was the way she justified not being Pureblood herself. Her train of thought was broken by the sound of her Father and Brother entering the room - with a heavy sigh she pushed the coffee cup from in front of her. "So much for some alone time." She said, her brother rolling his eyes in response. "You could have breakfast with us Tracey, we're going to go into town and go to the diner." Her Father offered, to the clear distaste of Brandon. Tracey didn't respond. She merely walked out of the room and over to their fireplace, "Going out." She yelled brashly - tossing the floo powder downward before either parent had a chance to respond, "Hogsmeade." Leaving her lips, a defiant enthusiasm behind the words. She had never been more glad for her Mother's family than that stupid floo connection - they had insisted upon having it put in 6 years ago, the first time they agreed to come for the holidays, so that they wouldn't have to meander through the Muggle town near by with their small children. They had called it many things, amoungst them 'debasing', 'humiliating', 'outlandish'. In the end, after much push back and more financial input than her Father was comfortable with - it had been done. In retrospect it hadn't been a bad idea, 15 or 20 wizards dressed in cloaks and hats walking through a southern Muggle town definitely... would have raised some eyebrows. It was the only sanity Tracey got over breaks, though thankfully she was soon to be 17 and that would no longer be a problem.
She stepped out onto the streets of Hogsmeade, leaning down to fix the laces on her boots - cursing in her head that she was wearing only jeans and a flannel over a regular t-shirt. It was a little colder in the mountains than in the swamp. First stop - Owls. She hurried quickly along the streets, a light dusting of snow on the ground and a sincere chill in the air that was no good for the way she was dressed (and people's stares only validated that). With a quick trot inside she pulled a piece of paper and quill out at the counter and jotted down a quick note:
'Lia, Heard a rumour you were at school early. In Hogsmeade for the day, very much alone. Will be at ABC drowning my sorrows in overpriced caffeine. TRM'
She paid quickly and gritted her teeth as she stepped back outside, she considered briefly trying to go through the backsides of the buildings - just jumping the fences - to get to ABC easier, but decided against it. She pulled her flannel tightly around her as she grit her teeth, "10 points for Tracey for this one." She mumbled as she rounded the corner onto the High Street, quickly pushing through the people out and about for the day before slipping into the cafe. With a relieved sigh she let go of her tight grip on her flimsy outer layer and rubbed at her arms for a moment before heading over to the counter. "Flat white. Mug, I'm staying." She said, a brusk tone to her voice as she reached into the small leather purse on her shoulder - that, she'd at least thought to grab on her dash through the living room (thankfully). She took the mug offered and left the money on the counter without a word of thanks, before seeking out a quiet place in a corner that was unoccupied - possibly due to the proximity to the fireplace, but that was precisely was she needed right now. A bit of warmth.
Tracey sat there, eventually finding her gaze landing on the dancing fire a foot or so away from her, where she lost herself in her thoughts for a few moments.