danse et danse [Adeline]

[cara june bainbridge]

@adeline

10.19.2024

Radio silence. That was the only way Cara could describe what followed Dominic from the second she saw him get onto the Hogwarts Express almost two months ago. She didn’t really expect much from him, though a response telling her to bugger off would have been nice. That was the least he could do if he couldn’t bother to scratch out a simple response to her. The frustration had subsided sometime at the start of the October but seemed to be bubbling back up over the last week. Cara couldn’t contain it anymore and decided to make a trip out of her Saturday. Getting out cleared her head, but she was starting to get tired of always going to Diagon Alley or wandering around London and staring at the muggle shops. There was only so much she could take it. And it wasn’t like she had anything else to do, a break from the writing she was finally doing would be nice as well. So Hogsmeade was the destination. If Dominic managed to elude her there, or didn’t show his stupid face, then she’d find one of her sisters to bug for the remainder of the day. Dustin had made a surprise visit once last spring, and it was pleasant to run into him then, so she was sure they would appreciate her presence as well. Except Kinsey. But she could suck it up and deal with it for once in her life.

Going to Hogsmeade whilst out of school was…strange, to say the least. She had been there during the summer months before, but never of her own volition like today. Upon popping onto the edge of town, Cara felt a chilled breeze pass through her, arms immediately crossed in front of her chest to try and combat the wind. She was an idiot. Of course it was going to be a little colder here than at home. Quickly making her way to the closest shop, Cara popped through the door, not really caring what the place sold. She could browse for a few minutes, as long as it let her warm up a bit. The process moving forward was going to be hopping from store to store, all the while looking for Dominic. Leaving the chilly outside behind, she stepped all the way into what looked like a clothes store. Lifting up a pullover laying on a table, it looked like everything seemed to be in style with the season. As far as she could remember, this place had never been in her sights while she was in school. Then again, the last two years or so had been so stress filled, that missing a clothing store was easy.

[Deleted]

Since the school term had started, her store had been bustling with activity; both from adults and the students trip to Hogsmeade. Many students came into her store just to look around, but there were times when some of them purchased something that caught their eye. However, this day was a rather slow one, slow enough that Adelaide had sent Helena home early that day. It was funny enough that the younger woman had offered to stay, even with the slowness, but Adelaide wanted her to get the chance to enjoy the day. The girl was somewhat happy and disappeared not long after she helped clean up the small mess that had appeared, and thus, it had left Adelaide to her own accord.

That was how she found herself in the backroom doing a bit of inventory on what she had and what she would need. The sound of the doorbell dinging as someone entered, but Adelaide didn’t move, not until she was done counting one of the rompers she was currently messing with. Once finished and they neatly placed back into the box, she carried it back into the main room, sitting it down on the counter as she surveyed the place and took in the female taking in one of the displays. The woman looked familiar, like someone from Hogwarts that had been there when she was, though much younger. She frowned, looking at the clock on the register, what was someone from Hogwarts doing here?

“Shouldn’t you be back at the castle?” she questioned, having the girl’s name on the tip of her tongue, they had been in the same house at one point; that is if she recalled this girl correctly.

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cara june bainbridge

✪

[cara june bainbridge]

@adeline

10.19.2024

A voice coming across the store caught Cara off guard, her mind wandering as she mindlessly observed the clothes in front of her. Getting back to the castle wasn’t nearly as important as finding a something long-sleeved and warm to wear for the rest of the day. It took a few moments for her to realize what was wrong with that thought process. There was no going back to the castle anymore – she had finished with school almost five months ago. That alone grounded her for a moment, before pulling her back to the question that the shopkeeper was asking her. Cara shook her head as she stepped around the display she had been at, hoping to get a clearer idea of who the woman was. She didn’t look all that familiar, but she was younger. Probably the hired help for the owner. “No,” Cara responded, not realizing until after that she was being cryptic with her one worded answer. It was obvious that the woman thought she was still a student, and more than likely concerned that she was going to get slapped with a punishment for getting back to the school late. If Cara had ever been rebellious like that while in school, her whole image would have been shot down by her sisters in a matter of seconds. She couldn’t have that happen.

“How much is this?” she asked, holding up one of the pullovers she liked, not bothering to look for the price tag on it as she did so. It was easier to ask the woman anyways, since she seemed to be so interested in what her customer was and wasn’t doing at the moment. There was no harm in leading her on for a few more minutes and then breaking the news that she was actually a graduate. It would make the afternoon more interesting that way.

[Deleted]

‘No’ – that was the only information she got out of the younger girl, and it just made Adeline frown deeper. She could have sworn the girl was younger than her and had been in the same house as the blonde once was. Was she sneaking out to Hogsmeade to look around? Or had she graduated? Was Addie getting that old that people she remembered from school having graduated already? It was then; she went about her business, and Addie kept a close eye, she smiled as she drew closer to the pullover display the girl was admiring. “That is £50, it’s a new item that we just got in. There are other colors that I can show you as well. I have yet to unpack them.” she said professionally before she asked once more. “Weren’t you in Ravenclaw? Have you graduated yet…?”

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cara june bainbridge

✪

[cara june bainbridge]

@adeline

10.19.2024

“£50?” Cara repeated, wanting to hear the number come from her own mouth. Yeah, no. That definitely was not going to be purchased now. Staring at the pullover for a few more seconds, fingers moving the material around to get a feeling on it, she carefully placed it back in the manner she found it. Her eyebrows were still raised in disbelief that something so light and bland could cost that much. She was perfectly fine going to a muggle department store and buying a £10 one there instead. Those were always pretty warm, and she knew she couldn’t go wrong with them. “That’s quite expensive, wouldn’t you say?” she challenged the storeowner, blatantly disregarding the fact that the article of clothing was a new piece in the store. Something so simple didn’t have business being that pricey. How did she expect students to ever be able to buy from her? That was the whole point of having a store in Hogsmeade, right?

Then the question about being a student came, like she had expected it to. Obviously she still looked like one, it hadn’t even been half a year yet. The ink on her diploma, or whatever it was they had given her, had barely dried. It was an easy mistake to make. “I was. And I did,” she answered, moving onto a new rack of clothes and pulling another item off of it, turning it around to see what it looked like from the back. “How’d you know I was in Ravenclaw?” Cara asked as she flipped it back around, before returning it to its rack again as well. She didn’t recall a bougie woman like this ever being around Ravenclaw. Maybe a younger sibling was?