Someday My Prince Will Come | Lusie & Wesley

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Lusie Windsor wasn’t a big fan of crowded places. She had never been. Crowded places meant people, and people weren’t always nice and welcoming to a young princess. Sometimes, however, they were a little too nice, Lusie hated finding herself in conversations with older witches and wizards who just continued to ask her questions without caring that she might have somewhere that she was trying to go on her own. Of course, they were normally good minded and didn’t mean to keep her in awkward conversation about every detail of royal life. However, it happened enough to make Lusie dread leaving the palace most days. But she didn’t want to spend her entire life indoors. She needed to be brave. Lusie made her own way to Diagon Alley that day, trying not to make eye contact with most people as she made her way down the alley. A few kids from school waved and greeted her. She waved back with her ever friendly smile, but kept walking until she got to the ice cream shop. Ice cream sounded really good. Lusie walked through the doors and over to the counter.

@wesley

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Wesley was trying to be careful. Before he and his cousins had left Luxembourg, his grandfather had warned him that they had no idea how far the insurgence spread, and whether or not there were people in Britain who would be just as pleased to see the Grand Duke removed from his seat of power as the head of the magical community. It was difficult to tell how seriously to take his grandfather’s claims, at least for Wesley – the old man had been prone to paranoia, but one thing this whole situation had proved was that the paranoia was, in part, founded. Wesley had considered asking one of his cousins to come with him to the Alley where the would find most of the English magical community, but decided against it. If one prince would draw attention, then a drove of them would be even worse. Now he was wandering down the alley, trying to find some place that looked interesting. There was an ice cream shop, and Wesley decided that would be just as good of a place to stop as anyway. Wesley entered, and found himself squinting at the prices on the menu. He tapped the girl in front of him in line. “Excuse me.” Wesley said, grabbing a handful of coins out of his pocket. “Which one of these is a Sickle?” He asked, opening his palm to show the coins to her. Wes had never had to pay for anything by himself before, much less pay in a foreign currency, so this was just… weird.

@lusie

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As Lusie was waiting in line, trying to decide what she wanted to get, she felt a tap on her shoulder. A young man stood behind her with a few coins in his hand and asked her which one was a sickle. Lusie smiled, happy to help. Being a muggle born herself, Lusie knew that there was a lot of learn about the wizarding world and she never wanted to judge anyone who was still learning. However, this boy seemed far to old to be a muggle born getting ready for their first year of school, and he wasn’t American based on his accent, she couldn’t quite place his accent. It was European, she thought. But definitely not British. “The silver one is a sickle.” Lusie said with a friendly smile. “It took me a while too… I just think about how they both start with S and it helps.” she admitted, feeling a little silly about divulging her trick. Lusie had a few of those little tricks for remembering things, especially when it came to learning languages. So many words sounded similar in multiple languages.

@wesley

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The girl in front of him smiled, and Wesley smiled back, glad that he had at least picked someone friendly to bother with his mundane question. She said that the silver one was the Sickle, and Wesley nodded, repeating that in his head. Wesley opened his mouth a little in shock when she said that they both started with s, and that made it easier to remember. “Is it too much to hope that Galleons are gold? Both g?” He asked. Man, if that was how it worked, then Wes wouldn’t have a problem learning this entire currency system… except for the conversion factors, but he was hoping that if he just paid a little more than he thought he needed then he’d be good. And if a shopkeeper gave him the wrong change… well, Wes’s family could afford a few missing coins. “I’m Wesley, by the way.” He introduced himself. He narrowed his eyes a little. “Have we met? I feel like I’ve seen you before.” Wes had seen a lot of people, though, between all of the different functions he was required to go to as a royal. Maybe the girl just had one of those faces, though.

@lusie

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The boy asked if Galleons were the Gold ones and Lusie smiled. “Now you’re getting it.” she nodded, confirming his question on whether the galleons were the gold ones. “And the knuts are the other ones. There’s really no good system for those, they’re just the ones that aren’t the other two.” Lusie was sorry to say, she didn’t have a handy memory device for the third one. But knowing two out of the three were good enough. He then turned the conversation and asked if he knew her. Oh great. Here it was. Without giving herself a big head, most people in England knew who she was, or recognized her face and would ask. “Oh um, I’m not sure. I’m Lusie… Do you go to Hogwarts?” she asked, deciding that since the boy didn’t offer his last name, she didn't have to either. And without hearing Windsor, a very recognizable name

@wesley

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Wesley nodded when the girl said that the Knuts were just the other coins. He didn’t think he’d ever hassle himself with counting out Knuts, since it seemed like they weren’t all that valuable in the first place. Still, knowing which coins were which was good for his whole ‘fitting in’ thing. He was sure that his parents would be proud that he was getting a head start on that. The girl in front of him answered that she was Lusie, and Wes nodded. Everything made sense now – she was one of England’s princesses, so they had probably met each other, or at least seen each other, at one of the high-society events that he was often taken to. Wes’s place in the monarchy wasn’t the highest – his father was the last-born of the current Grand Duke, which meant it was virtually impossible that Wes would ever take the throne – so it was less likely that she would recognize him than vice versa. Wes was content just knowing where he had seen her before, though – no need to make a big fuss about her being royal, especially if he wanted to keep his own cover. “No, I don’t. I’m homeschooled – but I’m transferring in the fall.” Wes said with a smile. “Want to eat together? I could use a few tips on the school.” Lusie was certainly safer than most of the people at Hogwarts as far as Wes was concerned; she could hardly lord his position in the monarchy over him (if she ever found out) without being a hypocrite.

@lusie

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Lusie thought that she saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes when she told him her name, however, the young man didn’t say anything about knowing her or not, instead he just explained that he had been homeschooled and was going to start Hogwarts this year. “Where are you from? If you don’t mind me asking. I actually really love studying languages and I don’t think I can place your accent.” she admitted, feeling a bit like a dork, for the second time in the course of the short conversation that they had. However, Lusie had been around so many people from so many different countries and aimed to be able to determine where people were from based on the way that they spoke. She was had been studying French, German and Spanish since she was a child, and while she was entirely proficient in any of them, she could speak enough to have a conversation if necessary. Her goal for the summer was to start Italian lessons. “Sure! I’d love to talk about Hogwarts, hopefully I can answer any questions you may have.” Lusie nodded when he asked if she wanted to eat with him. Neither had ordered their ice cream yet, but she was really in no rush, and this boy seemed nice enough. Plus, Lusie was a very accommodating person. Once it was her turn at the counter, she ordered a single scoop cone of the coconut ice cream and paid for it while she waited for the young man behind her to order also.

@wesley

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Lusie asked where he was from, and Wes paused. He knew that it would probably be safer to lie, but really, if Lusie hadn’t shown any sign of recognizing him, was knowing where he was from suddenly going to strike her like a lightning bolt and make her realize he was royalty, like her? Wes didn’t think so. He didn’t want to start overthinking things, so Wesley went with his gut reaction, and smiled at Lusie. “I’m from Luxembourg.” He replied. He didn’t think his accent was that strong, but he supposed in a world full of Brits even the slightest change in accents would be peculiar. “Don’t suppose you know Luxemourgish.” His country’s language wasn’t all that popular, but Wes didn’t mind – it made it easier to have private conversations with his cousins if he wanted to, now that they were in Britain. If Lusie did know the language, though, Wes was going to need to reconsider that strategy – or at least let his cousins know that there was someone in the castle capable of eavesdropping on them.

Wesley was relieved that Lusie agreed to talk with him about Hogwarts. She mentioned answering any questions that he had, but Wes was honestly so clueless about the school that he didn’t even know what questions to ask. He waited until after Lusie had ordered her ice cream to order his own single cone of chocolate ice cream, stepping up to be beside Lusie when he had the cone firmly in hand. “I don’t know much about Hogwarts at all.” He admitted. “Do you want to give me an overview?” Hopefully that would give him an idea of where to start.

@lusie

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Luxembourg. He was from Luxembourg. “Oh that’s a beautiful country! I’ve been to the main city a few times.” Lusie insisted with a smile. That also cleared up for Lusie why his accent was just subtly off. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had just been from another part of her own country where they spoke slightly differently. Getting the accents and inflections right was the hardest part of speaking a language or learning a new one. She was trying to devote this summer to learning Italian, she wanted to add another language to her repertoire. “No, I don’t. It’s on my list but I haven’t got to it yet. Maybe you could help teach me” she shrugged with a small laugh; she wasn’t entirely serious about him helping her, but if she ever did get around to learning it and they ended up becoming friends, it would be nice to have someone to practice with. It was rather far down on her list, she had to admit. It was a small country and the language wasn’t one of the major ones spoken throughout Europe.

The young man procured his ice cream as well and then asked for an overview of Hogwarts. The idea of giving an overview of the school felt like a daunting task since there was so much to tell about, but Lusie nodded, she could at least attempt such a task. “Sure. Do you want to sit down somewhere? There’s a few tables in here, or we could find a bench somewhere in the alley?” she suggested, not really minding either, just wanting to get out of the way of the other patrons. Lusie often felt like she was in the way, or under foot and wanted to oblige everyone else as much as possible. Once they found a place to sit, Lusie Windsor began to think out loud, “let’s see… where to begin? Well, Hogwarts is a big castle, built a really long time ago by 4 founders. And there are 4 houses which stem from the founders: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff.” She explained. “And people are sorted into those houses when they first arrive at the school based on… I don’t know exactly. Personality and such - I guess.” Lusie said - she really hadn't questioned why exactly the sorting hat put people where they were. It just knew, didn't it? 

@wesley

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Wesley felt a small pang in his chest when Lusie said that Luxembourg was a beautiful country. He agreed with her, of course, but if he focused too much on his home he was worried that the homesickness would be even harder to shake than it already was. She mentioned having visited the main city, Luxembourg City, before, and Wes smiled. “That’s where I lived.” He told her. The royal family lived in the capital city not only for the reason of Muggle politics, but also because that was where the main office of the Ministry of Magic was, and his grandfather obviously needed to be able to go there regularly without causing too much of a fuss. Lusie said that she didn’t speak Luxembourgish, but it was on her list, and Wes cracked a smile. “I also speak French, German, and Italian.” Wes paused. “And English, but I think you probably figured that out.” Wes tried not to blush at the obvious statement that he had made, and hoped (not for the first time since coming to England) that he didn’t come off as bragging about his accomplishment. He was hoping that someone who had a list of languages to learn wouldn’t be intimidated by Wes’s laundry list of spoken languages, but he couldn’t really tell.

After Wes received his ice cream, Lusie asked if he wanted to sit down somewhere, and Wes nodded. “Just in here is fine.” Wesley responded. He much preferred the closed environment of the ice cream shop, where he didn’t feel like he had to be watching his back constantly to make sure he wasn’t recognized. He pointed to a table in the far corner, where they’d be able to speak without the people behind the ice cream counter hearing them easily. Lusie began to explain how Hogwarts worked. She started by saying it was a castle, and Wes nearly choked on his ice cream. He had known that, kind of, but he hoped that Hogwarts didn’t feel as much like a prison as his former home had. He managed to get the ice cream down his throat without actually choking, and then tuned back into the conversation. Lusie said that there were four houses, and Wesley cocked his head at her. “What house are you in?” He asked. Maybe they’d get to be together, though Wes wouldn’t be Sorted until the first day of the term.

@lusie

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He had lived in the main city, he told her. She smiled in response. She always loved travel. She was a very cautious person, but she loved to explore. She loved to learn and she especially loved to learn about other countries and their history and culture. She had no idea what she wanted to do when she grew up, but she did think a lot about the idea of just going into the muggle world and doing something involving her outside studies. Languages or history or politics. She didn't have great people skills, nothing like her older brother had. She was shy and being in front of people made her anxious, however, maybe she could find a way over that little barrier? She had plenty of time to decide. “French and German I know.” she agreed. “Italian is actually my summer project - I just started learning the sounds that the letters make.” she admitted. She wasn’t at all thinking that she;d learn the entire language over the summer holiday, but she’d at least get a good start on it, especially with her tutor and all of her time devoted to it.

She tried not to make too much eye contact she as explained the castle, or at least, started to explain the castle. She felt awkward about talking in front of people, and while he was only one person, and someone that she was enjoying talking to, it was still awkward. There was a balance to be kept, she knew, but the limits of that balance, she knew not. She didn’t want to overwhelm him with information and scare him. “I’m in Hufflepuff house.” she told him when he asked. “Hufflepuffs are known to be loyal and just.” or at least that was what it said in Hogwarts: A History. And the sorting hat always said something of the sort in his song.

@wesley