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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 7, 2017 17:14:22 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2017 17:14:22 GMT -7
Angie worked most weekends since that was the time when the cafe she worked at was the busiest. Students often spent a lot of time in Hogsmead over the weekends and Madam Puddifoot's had all hands on deck to accommodate the dates of the students. However, it meant that Angie didn't often get to spend weekends with her daughter. Making up for it, however, Angie always got days off during the week rather than her weekends. She only sent Olive to her muggle daycare center on days when she worked, otherwise she spent all day with her.
March was coming to an end and the weather was starting to clear up. Angie figured this was a perfect opportunity to spend the day out. She packed a small lunch into her purse and the two girls headed to St. James Park in muggle London. After a little walk through the park, Angie let her daughter loose in the play area. Olive was a friendly girl and often made friends with the other kids at the park, but Angie sat on a bench very close by to keep an eyes on the girl regardless.
@karen
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 7, 2017 19:31:15 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2017 19:31:15 GMT -7
Kara was just taking a walk. Normally she wasn't out during the day, Karen was, but today she got to have the spotlight. She left those horrible glasses that Karen loved so much back home and went out to the park with her friend Andrew and his son. It was a nice Spring day, and she wore a short sleeved top and jeans, not really bothering to bring a sweater. She wasn't worried about that.
Andrew was American too, a muggle, and they grew up down the street from each other, so when she came to England last year they had made contact. He was married with a six year old son, Patrick, and she had grown close to the family. His wife was working today, so the three of them were off to the park! Kara was great with kids unlike her counterpart.
While on the playground, Patrick started playing with the cute little girl. Kara instinctively glanced around to try and figure out who the mother was. She caught sight of the woman on the bench and gave a small wave, crossing over to her. She knew most mothers appreciated knowing other adults in the area when they were out playing. "Hi! I'm Kara," she introduced.
@angie
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 8, 2017 16:31:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 16:31:29 GMT -7
Angie smiled when she saw that Olive had made another little friend, a young boy. Olive was quite the little charmer and with her extremely active imagination, she was never short of ideas for play. Angie was approached by a woman, whom she assumed based on her previous behavior, was with the little boy whom her daughter was playing with. "Hi Kara, it's nice to meet you, I'm Angie." Angie smiled in response, she did appreciate when parents introduced themselves, it always made her feel a little better about the world. Children always made friends so easily, even back in school Angie remembered making friends easily. However, adults seemed to have a harder time. There was always awkward small talk and pleasantries. Perhaps because adults weren't blind to the world and it's complexities and problems as children were. Perhaps adults were busier and had little interest for such things. Maybe because adults knew better than children to be hesitant around strangers and that not everyone in the world was good. Angie had never worried about good people and bad people until she had a child, before that point she saw people mostly in the moment and rarely the big picture. "Is the little boy yours?" she asked with a friendly smile, giving a gesture to the young boy playing with Olive on the slide.
@karen
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 10, 2017 12:39:16 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2017 12:39:16 GMT -7
Angie introduced herself and Kara grinned, offering and nod of greeting. She wasn't really the type to just sit down and watch, but she was intrigued to have a conversation with this woman at the moment. So, she sat on the bench beside her. "It's lovely to meet you," she returned. Angie asked if Patrick was hers, and Kara shook her head, grinning. "No, his father is one of my best friends." She lifted a finger to point at the man who was bent down near the slide watching Patrick. I"'m a family friend," she added. "His mother works a lot, so I'm kind of the other feminine presence in his life while she's gone," she laughed. "I'm guessing that little girl is yours? She is very sweet!" she said, turning away from the playground for a moment to smile at Angie.
@angie
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 10, 2017 14:18:05 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2017 14:18:05 GMT -7
Angie felt a little embarrassed for assuming the boy was hers, but she supposed it didn't hurt any. And it was a decently fair assumption to make since they were at a park with children and it would be considered odd for an adult to be watching without at least having come with one of the children. "It's very nice that you're so close to him." Angie insisted, she had a very small handful of friends that she trusted enough to leave Olive with and it was lovely that people like that existed in the world. A lot of people ignored their friends after becoming parents, but smart parents realized that adult friendships were important to maintain, especially once kids come into the picture. "Yes, she's my little Olive." she joked with a smile, "she's very friendly, makes friends wherever we go, and a very active imagination so it's nice that your friends son isn't scared away by her level of make-believe." Olive got fairly intense with her dedication to the imagination stories. Angie could see her making a career of acting or story telling.
@karen
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 14, 2017 13:31:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2017 13:31:45 GMT -7
"Thank you. It's nice for me, they are great people," she said with a nod. "I know they appreciate having a babysitter they know well," she added. She knew that was a hard thing for a lot of parents, to leave kids behind with other people. Angie told her the girls name and Kara grinned, and even made an 'awe' sound. "Oh, Patrick is very inventive! He watches Star Wars religiously and I think it's made him even more creative than either of his parents," she chuckled. "Do you play make believe a lot in your home, then? I know Andrew," she gestured to Patricks dad, "use to use star wars playtime as a way to help Pat clean his room and things," she laughed, "Pat's outgrown it, but they still have a great time. I'm impressed with Olives level of confidence," she added, complimenting.
@angie
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 14, 2017 17:04:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2017 17:04:01 GMT -7
Angie slowly began to realize that she had no way of knowing that this girl was a wizard or a muggle, they were in muggle London, likely surrounded by muggles who had all brought their children to the park. She had nothing against any muggles, but she couldn't very well explain that their version of make believe was more along the lines of Hyppogriff rides around the house (during which Angie was the Hyppogriff) and not sound like a loon to any normal muggle who had never heard of the creature. "Our house is full of make-believe." she agreed, not having the heart to tell the girl that she had never seen Star Wars. Angie was a half-blood and had muggle grandparents on her fathers side, and she owned a television and took Olive to see movies, but she had just never seen those particular films. It wasn't exactly the type pf story that interested her. "Olive loves to pretend she can fly. She's got a real affinity for air." Angie smiled, the girl was always flying, she couldn't wait to get her a toy broom once she got a little bigger. "You can never outgrow make-believe." Angie insisted with a smile.
Angie watched as her little 3 year old run over to them. "mummy, can we have some sweets?" Olive asked for her and her friend. "Alright." Angie agreed, reaching into her bag and pulling out two sugar quills. What an excellent test, if the woman was a muggle, she'd ask what they were and Angie could easily just tell her they were lollies shaped like feathers, but if she was a witch, she'd know exactly what they were. "But have him ask his daddy first," she insisted, the little girl took the candies back to the young man. "I hate being the mum that gives children sugar if their parents aren't okay with it." she admitted to Kara with a shrug.
@karen
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 24, 2017 5:57:00 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2017 5:57:00 GMT -7
Angie confirmed that her home was full of make believe, and Kara grinned. She said Olive liked to pretend she could fly. If these people were magical then Olive could someday... Kara wished there was some kind of secret code to find that sort of thing out... she'd think of something. She always did. "I agree!" Kara exclaimed enthusiastically when Angie said you could never outgrow make believe. "And who knows. Maybe she will fly someday... there are ways," she suggested, overdoing the casual nature of the comment.
Olive ran over to them and asked for sweets, and Kara smiled at her. Then, Angie pulled out two sugar quills and Kara's jaw dropped for a moment, and then her lips grew into a smirk. "Oh, yeah, I'm sure Andrew will say yes. That's a good concern to have, since the parent has to deal with the sugar rush afterward," Kara chuckled, "I'm more of a Pixie Puffs fan myself," she admitted, in reference to another wizarding candy. She raised an eyebrow at Angie, "guess flying really is in the cards, eh?"
@angie
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Aug 24, 2017 18:09:48 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2017 18:09:48 GMT -7
Angie found herself pleased and relieved when the woman not only recognized the sugar quills, but commented on them and listed another wizard candy back to her. It was a little more comforting to know that she was in the company of someone like her, not that she ever minded talking to muggles or having her daughter associated with them either, she just didn't have to watch what she said quite as much when she was with wizards. She didn't have to worry about saying something about toy brooms or pretend hippogriffs and then make up some silly excuse about reading a pretend story or worse, having to minorly oblivate the muggle. "Pixie Puffs were a favorite of mine too." she admitted with a smile, feeling a little more connected to the woman. "And yes, I could absolutely see her flying. She doesn't know it yet, but she's going to get a toy broom for her birthday in May." Angie said a little quiet to not be overheard by Olive or muggles around. "Are they also like us?..." she asked nodding at the child and his father that she was with, just out of curiosity.
@karen
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Sept 1, 2017 7:20:11 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2017 7:20:11 GMT -7
Angie said Pixie Puffs were a favorite of hers too and Karen squealed happily and clapped her hands. Then Angie said how she could see her daughter flying and how she was going to get her a toy broom! "That will be so great!" Karen celebrated. Then Angie asked about Karens friends and Karen shook her head. "No, they're not. We grew up down the street from each other in a muggle neighborhood back in America," she explained. "We have just stayed friends. He doesn't know about me, and I'm not sure if or when I'll tell him. He's pretty happy with life so I don't know if I want to throw a wrench in it. Plus, statute of secrecy and all that," she rolled her eyes. She thought keeping wizards and muggles separate was silly, but she understood why it was an important thing to the government. It was just too hard to deal with all of the chaos. Especially in America, where things had been particularly bad for magical people against muggles for a while. Including muggles who pretended they were cursed by other people just to get them murdered... Salem Witch Trails. Good times.
@angie
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Sept 3, 2017 11:10:08 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2017 11:10:08 GMT -7
Angie nodded when Kara insisted that getting the young girl a toy broom would be a great gift. She was excited to get it for her, she only regretted that the little family didn't have a backyard for Olive to play with it in. They lived in a two bedroom flat in muggle London that Angie paid for herself with her salary from working at Madam Puddifoots. It wasn't the nicest flat, but it was home and Angie had used magic to make it a lot nicer on the inside. Perhaps she could find some way to convert their little balcony patio into a lawn that was actually bigger than it looked, but still looked the same to muggles around her. Kara explained that her friends were muggles, and Angie nodded along, she loved when she met people who were as open to muggles and wizards co-mingling as she was, it was rare that she met people who were against it, but it still gave her more and more hope in humanity when she met someone who was like her. "Yeah, it's awful that you won't be able to tell him." Angie agreed. She couldn't imagine how much of a weight that would have been on Kara to have to hide something so big from him. "I mean, unless it works out that you marry him or something," she shrugged, not suggesting anything because she really didn't know the two, but just stating the obvious loophole. "Or maybe his son will end up being magical, you really can't tell with children for a while." she said. Her daughter had yet to show any signs, which didn't really make Angie nervous yet since she was still so young.
@karen
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Sept 8, 2017 21:59:04 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 21:59:04 GMT -7
Angie agreed that it was hard that Kara couldn't tell Andrew and then made the comment about how it would work out if she married him. Kara chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm not the marrying type," she said casually. Then Angie suggested that maybe Pat could be magical. Kara grinned, "well, that would be a great way to get into it!" she said with excitement. She doubted that would happen, but it would make life a heck of a lot easier in that regard.
"Any signs from Olive? She is quite young," Kara noted, knowing that maybe she wouldn't have any signs yet. It was always cool when kids showed early, though!
@angie
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Sept 10, 2017 17:51:06 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2017 17:51:06 GMT -7
Angie couldn't blame her for not being the marrying type. She wasn't either, otherwise she guessed she would have tried harder to her Olive's father to marry her, or at least have dated her. Angie hadn't had a lot of serious relationships, she had a handful, however, she had gone on way more casual dates. Though, neither had happened a lot since Olive was born. "Can't argue there." Angie said with a smile in regards to marrying. A part of her hoped to marry one day, but she was doubtful that it would ever happen because there were few men who wanted to marry a woman with a child. Her best bet was to find someone maybe a little older, or with a child of their own, someone who was mature enough to understand that by marrying her he agreed to help father her daughter. She nodded also when Kara said that it would be nice of his son was magical, though there was no way to tell until it happened. "Uh, no, she hasn't yet, but she is so young, so I'm not worried or anything yet. And I'll love her either way, of course." Angie smirked, though she knew squibs weren't very common. "Do you ever want children?" she asked, just making conversation. "Or, is Patrick enough for you?"
@karen
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Sept 14, 2017 5:32:37 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 5:32:37 GMT -7
Angie said she couldn't argue with the marrying thing. Karen was the marrying type, some day, but Kara didn't really see herself getting that involved with someone on paper... It all seemed too official. But if Karen got married... Was she technically married, too? Yet another mystery of a shared mind.
Angie said Olive hadn't showed signs yet, and Kara nodded happily when Angie confirmed that she would love her daughter either way. Then Angie asked for Karas stance on children and Kara shrugged, "I think I prefer being the 'cool aunt' to other peoples kids," she explained. She wasn't sure if she could go through with having a kid around all the time. She loved kids, but she didn't think the responsibility was for her. Karen would make a great mom, though. She was all responsible all the time.
@angie
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last online May 14, 2024 18:25:05 GMT -7
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Sept 14, 2017 17:30:32 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 17:30:32 GMT -7
Angie couldn't help but smile when Kara said that she was alright just being the cool aunt. Olive had an aunt in Angie's younger sister, but her younger sister was too young to be a proper aunt and Olive really only got to see her aunt during Holidays when the girl was home from Hogwarts. To be honest, she wasn't sure that Olive had that kind of figure in her life right now. Though once Angie's sister got older, maybe she'd take on that role more fully. "Hey the role of the Cool Aunt is not one to be taken for granted. I solute you." Angie gave a laugh. Angie wasn't one to judge anyone based on their lifestyle choices. She had experienced enough judgement from people as a single, young mother and hated that people thought they had the right to make assumptions about her and her daughter based on her age or relationship status. "it really does take a village." she nodded.
@karen
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