yesterday once more | lyka

[lea cruz malkin]

and I'd memorize each word

those old melodies

July 3, 2027
lyka cruz malkin

Lea skimmed her class list. It was odd starting classes over the summer rather than waiting until September. But this was the new Hogwarts. A whole new structure where she had even bumped into students that had already graduated, but they were there for their career training. She was still adjusting, but in the meantime, they were all back in a routine. The weekend meant that Lea was helping her grandmother mend robes, and occasionally, she would be tasked with the simpler alterations. Lyka, on the other hand, was consuming all the Quidditch information she could get her hands on to compensate for their year at the American school.

She wasn’t sure, but she could’ve sworn that Lyka kissed the ground as soon as the portkey landed them back in London. But now, it was nearing the end of the day, and Lea was taking a break. Business was steady, but the next month's rush for the younger students who attended M.A.G.I.C. Folding the parchment, Lea put it back in her pocket as she heard the bell from the shop door open. Lea walked from the back room to the front in case a customer had questions. But it was only her sister, which Lea didn’t mind as it meant she could stay on her break. ”I don’t think I’ve seen you all day.” Lea commented, walking behind the cashier counter to lean on it.

Or maybe she had. The weekend blurred together at times. But her father was certainly taking advantage that Lea could use magic outside of school. Plus, she was a natural for the delicate charms used for alterations and the like. A certain focus and finesse were required, so one robe’s sleeve wasn’t longer than the other.

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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While she had been subjected to the nine realms of Hell known as the United States and Ilvermorny, some genius had discovered a way to record video of Quidditch matches and post them online. When she left London, phones and laptops were useable but just barely. Now it seemed like the floodgates had opened and matches could be viewed if one had their device attuned to the correct magical wifi router. So that meant she’d pulled an all-nighter catching up on what she had missed. The dark circles under her eyes were worth it, though when she saw herself in the mirror that morning she was shocked to see how bloodshot they were as well. There wasn’t a whole lot of blinking going on whilst scrubbing through hundreds of hours of gameplay. She was going to find QuidditchFanatic69 and drop on one knee for them, because they literally saved her entire last year and made it all better in one fell swoop.

Her mum hadn’t been too happy about seeing the state she was in though, and decided chores were in order. So instead of sneaking back off to her bedroom with a pastry and tea, she had to eat at the table and then get ready for whatever task she was needed for. Her groans of protest about having schoolwork didn’t work, her mum retorting that she ‘Shouldn’t’ve stayed up all night then,’ which was hard to argue against. The apparent job was to go and pick up ingredients for a birthday cake, which could only mean for Lea since that was in a week. Why that had to be done know was sort of strange, but whatever. The alternative was to man the shop, and she was absolutely not doing that. So, she got ready very slowly and ran off to a muggle grocer to get everything on the piece of paper her mum shoved into her pocket as she tried to leave without it.

Shopping was easy enough, though the closest store wasn’t exactly close to Diagon Alley at all. Most of her trip was spent walking two and from there, and trying to lug a bag full of flour and sugar back was not easy. She’d lost a lot of her forearm strength with the lack of Quidditch at Ilvermorny and it was only now showing. Next time she was bringing the charmed bag and throwing everything into that. The plan was to go back up to her room once she got back home, but apparently that was going to have to wait because she was immediately directed to head to the shop after putting everything away. A shipment of materials for new robes had come in, in anticipation for the new students soon, and she was to help open all of them. Couldn’t Lea just do that with a couple flicks of her wand now that she could use magic outside of school? What was the point of doing it the old-fashioned way?

Lyka almost got into a fight about that one but was promised that once she finished it, she was done for the weekend. Which used to actually mean something when she had a summer. That didn’t happen anymore because Hogwarts had to go and blow up and they decided to make the older students come back earlier now. So much for any sort of break. Dragging her feet over to the shop, she wasn’t surprised to see it empty. Her sister came out from the back and immediately went to the counter, probably assuming she was a customer at first. “I’m supposed to help with the delivery that came in,” she responded unenthusiastically. “Then I’m allowed to go back to bed.”

lea cruz malkin ● 619 ● Of Wolves and Men by Adrian Von Ziegler

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[lea cruz malkin]

and I'd memorize each word

those old melodies

July 3, 2027
lyka cruz malkin

Lyka didn’t look the least bit thrilled to be there, but Lea had expected nothing less. In fact, if her sister had been jumping with joy, she would have surmised that something Quidditch related had been promised. While Lea had always been well-behaved and obedient, always listening to what her parents or grandmother told her to do and without any complaints, Lyka wore her emotions like a bright orange shirt. At times it was amusing, and other times, Lea simply wished Lyka would make it easier on herself and just do whatever was asked. ”It just got in.” Boxes upon boxes were stacked high in the back, and even Lea wondered where to start.

But she didn’t drag her sister back there just yet. It wasn’t a busy day, and their grandmother or mother wasn’t hovering, so they could wait a moment. ”Did you catch up on all the matches?” Lea had wished she’d gotten her sister some headphones for her birthday, but it hadn’t really crossed her mind. All this technology was not difficult to learn but far from what they’d grown up with. But it wasn’t hard to tell who Lyka’s favorite players were when the same clips played repeatedly. The Quidditch commentator yelling out their names. ”You can help me with the small boxes. The big ones are too heavy to deal with without magic.” She’d tried it once, years ago. The entire thing must have weighed more than her. And even with a much smaller Lyka’s help, her father had simply chuckled and shook his head.

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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Their parents were the owners of the store, right? Both of them. Apparently child labor was their definition of fairness and a way to build character. At least that was what her mum was always telling her every time she wanted chores like this done. Only two more years. That was all she had left before she could move out if she wanted to. Obviously staying longer meant helping out. But at that point it would be on her. Getting paid instead of the pocket change she got for watching the till occasionally would be great though. She could only begin to imagine how many toy model brooms she could buy...or even a new set of water-repellent goggles. The self-wiping kind even! This whole deal right now wasn't cool though, and it was all because of her shortened summer. Lyka knew in a normal break she wouldn't have cared too much. Especially when someone as great as QuidditchFanatic69 wasn't in her life. That changed everything though.

She only nodded at her sister in response to catching up on the matches. Every single on that she deemed important enough. The newspapers had helped determine that, but now it was like she was actually there. She could even see the sweat on Dustin Bainbridge's forehead when the camera zoomed in on him during Falcons matches. Merlin, he was dreamy...

Lyka snapped out of it as she heard Lea finish detailing what they needed to do. Something about the bigger boxes being too heavy without magic. "Don't rub it in," she stated flatly, having only heard the second half. She knew in her exhaustion that she was starting to get a tad snappy. Even the little things were irritating now. "I can pick up the small ones no problem. See?" Except even the largest of the small boxes was a struggle, and her spaghetti arms felt like they were going to snap as she put her everything into the unmovable object.

lea cruz malkin ● 328 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[lea cruz malkin]

and I'd memorize each word

those old melodies

July 3, 2027
lyka cruz malkin

The magical world held many examples of family-owned businesses with generations of history. Theirs was no exception, much like Ollivanders on the other side of Diagon Alley. Not that such trivial facts mattered to Lyka, at least not in the Quidditch realm. And Lea learned at a very young age not to argue with her younger sister on this front. Personality-wise, Lea was the older sister on paper alone. She watched as Lyka could barely pick up one of the smaller boxes. Merlin, this would be trickier than she thought—even with magic.

But just as Lea thought about how to best move the boxes en masse, the bell rang, and someone entered through the door. It was not a customer, however. Their father looked around as he always did. Ensuring the shop was tidy and presentable, they had a reputation to maintain after all. And then he watched his youngest daughter almost buckle under the weight of the box—no doubt a small roll of expensive and somehow very dense fabric. ’Lea, start sorting the boxes so Lyka can open them.’ Lea nodded obediently, looking at Lyka to see if she would argue. At least the boxes could be moved with magic, and Lyka wouldn’t risk getting squished under the weight of one.

[ end lea ]

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