Phaedra had been staying at the Leaky for two nights and already she’d had enough of the place. The noise, the constant bustle, the substandard food and bedding, the never-ending tide of riff-raff that flowed through its doors. Really, they let anyone in. Yet it was the cheapest and safest option available to her, so she swallowed her complaints and made do as best she could.
She’d taken to waking up early (with those beds, it wasn’t much of a choice) and spending the whole day out attending to errands before returning for dinner and a late repose. This evening, she’d decided to treat herself to her usual delicacies in one of the finer restaurants of Diagon Alley, justifying that it was her only splurge since her arrival not one week ago. The bill, however, had left a bitter taste in her mouth that rendered the splurge itself useless, as she felt markedly unwell at the thought of the many days’ rent she’d just thrown away. All to maintain the illusion, if only for a night, that she still occupied her old life with all its old privileges.
She’d never even liked that restaurant.
It was proving more of a trial than she’d expected, having to fend entirely for herself with no one to whisper encouragements or display disapproval at her behaviour. All of a sudden she was completely untethered, light-years away from the circles she used to center, driven to searching out the cheapest rents and scrimping and saving like she’d never imagined she’d ever have to. And to add insult to injury, she’d begun to second-guess her instincts- even a perfectly fine eatery she’d happily frequented prior to her departure now left her disappointed and unsatisfied.
Even worse was the burgeoning suspicion that it had always left her unimpressed, and she’d merely taken others’ enjoyment as her own for all that time.
She couldn’t stomach the prospect of yet another distressing revelation so soon after the nasty surprise that had been her welcome home. So she sought out something to take her mind off the uncomfortable self-analysis to which it had been subjecting her, and ended up infront of Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour.
Disregarding the urge to be frugal for the second time that evening, she stepped out of the near-empty shop with two boules of dark chocolate and raspberry, feeling confident that this, at least, was something the enjoyment of which was not imagined. Turning into the path that led out of the Alley, she balanced her handbag in the crook of her elbow and glanced down for half a second to make the first scoop.
The spoon hadn’t even reached her lips when the impact of another body crashing into hers forced her to drop it. Her first instinct was to check her clothes for damage, and the sight of a big dark splodge right in the middle of her white shirt was enough to provoke an irritated exclamation.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! Watch your step!”
by Phaedra Rosier Tue Aug 30, 2016 3:30 pm
