Never Seen the Rain (Lee)

[Deleted]

Thread Begins: July 2025

"It was sort of strange to have time to prepare to go back to Hogwarts, since the decision of her going to attend the school with Lee as her guardian was such a rushed one. Stranger yet was that Lee was no longer just her guardian; she was, legally, her adoptive mother. Though Lee might have had a different title, it didn't feel natural for Chrissy to refer to her as her "mother", or "mom", or anything else. It wasn't anything against Lee, but Lee was just… Lee.

Chrissy wasn't sure if she really needed new school supplies. The supplies that she had had for the previous semester that she had been at Hogwarts still worked just fine, though she did need a few new books for the upcoming school year. She was secretly grateful that she did; she was afraid that Hogwarts was going to hold her back because she had started the second half of the year with such a lack of preparation, and it felt like a miracle that she had passed all of her exams. She hadn't passed with flying colors or anything like that, but exams at Hogwarts didn't matter so much until the end of fifth year, anyway.

With a year to get firmly on track (and fewer anxieties about switching homes or schools than before), Chrissy was maybe looking forward to starting her fifth year. The "maybe" came into play with the knowledge of what had happened at the Quidditch finals. She hated fireworks, regardless, because of how closely associated they were with the Fourth of July, and she hated the Fourth of July because it was the worst day of the year and of her life: the anniversary of her parents' deaths and her kidnapping. Being so far from California on the anniversary helped and hurt, and it didn't make turning fifteen feel any better.

Lee didn't have very many days off, but she had offered to take her out to buy what she needed for school. It was a little early in the summer, but Chrissy preferred it to scrambling at the last minute. That way, she could be sure that she had everything in order by the time that she went back to Hogwarts—this time, as Chrysanthemum Pond.

Chrissy waited by the apartment door for Lee to finish getting ready. It wasn't far to go into Diagon Alley—and she had done it by herself already, with Lee's permission—but it wasn't as though she couldn't wait a few more minutes for Lee. It was nice to spend time with her.

@alyra

[Deleted]

Lee had asked Chrissy if she wanted to go shopping for school supplies even though she was sure that the girl was going to insist that she didn’t need much other than the new books that were required for her classes. But she also knew that Mazie, being a year older than Chrissy, might have been willing to just pass the books down anyway. Either way, Lee wanted to take her to get new things. She was sure her potions ingredients could use a restock and it might be nice to get a few more Ravenclaw robes since she’d be spending more than one term at Hogwarts now. Perhaps she’d like the scarf and hat as well for the winter months which were only vaguely experienced last year since they arrived in the middle of the coldest seasons.

Lee wasn’t one who spent a lot of time getting ready, but she also hadn’t been out of the house for more than a quick trip to the grocery store, or to go to the office in weeks, not since the events at the Quidditch world cup. She had been busier with work than ever before, which did make mothering a teenager more difficult. She was glad Chrissy and Mazie were already such independent girls and trustworthy enough to not need constant supervision. She flicked a quick coat of mascara on her lashes and then rubbed her tongue along her teeth just to make sure they were still clean before she walked out of the bathroom and saw her daughter waiting for her. Lee never once in her life thought she would ever have a daughter. Or any kids at all. It was still a weird thought. “Hey, you ready?” she asked, adjusting the strap on her small, cross body purse.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

July 2025

It was hardly any time at all before Lee emerged from the bathroom. "Hey, you ready?" she checked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Chrissy nodded, smiling a little at Lee as she entered the room again. "I was just wanting for you to finish getting ready," she shrugged. She knew that she probably could have run on ahead; she knew the way there and felt more confident that nothing was going to happen to her if she was alone, but it was nice to spend time with Lee. Maybe that made her weird, to be fifteen and to want to spend time with her mother, but it was different for her. Lee didn't feel like her "mother"; she'd had a mother, yet having Lee made up for all the years of not having her mother alive to do things with her… like school shopping. It was sort of complicated, Chrissy guessed, but she knew how it all fit together for her.

"Oh, wait!" she remembered, seeing Lee's bag. "My bag!" That would have been helpful to have, though Chrissy didn't have to go far to grab it; it was sitting on a chair nearby, and she retrieved it before turning back to the door. "Ready now."

@alyra

[Deleted]

Chrissy insisted that she was ready and had just been waiting for Lee to be ready. Lee scrunched up her nose at her, she didn’t think that she had taken that long to get ready, but she understood the angst that teenagers experienced around outings like this. She always thought that her parents took ages to get ready to take her shopping or to take her to the train to school. Like they couldn’t possibly drag their feet any more. “Well let’s go then.” she insisted, but then Chrissy jumped up and remembered her own bag, before insisting again that she was really ready this time. Lee gave a laugh. “Alright, and you’ve got your school list?” she asked, the last thing she wanted to do was forget the list and risk forgetting any necessary supplies.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

July 2025

It was annoying for Chrissy, too—being so close to being ready to go but needing to grab her bag before she and Lee headed out to go shopping. "Alright, and you’ve got your school list?" Lee checked; leaving without that wouldn't have been very productive.

"Yep," Chrissy confirmed to her, fishing the list of supplies that she would need for the upcoming school year from her bag and holding it out so that Lee could see that she did, indeed, have it with her. "Got it." Carefully, then, she put it straight back into her bag. She didn't want to prove that she had it and then leave it at home.

"I don't think it'll take too long," Chrissy considered. She was looking forward to the outing, but it wasn't going to have to be an all-day affair. "Like, I don't really need new robes or anything," she pointed out. It had only been a few months prior that she had bought the uniforms and most of the school supplies that she currently had, and she hadn't worn through anything that quickly. "So, you know, probably just books and whatever else?" Maybe a few new quills or something?

@alyra

[Deleted]

Chrissy confirmed that she had her list but then went on to explain that it shouldn’t take too long because she didn’t need new robes or anything. Lee shrugged. “But we could get you something if you want, something extra for your house or something.” she suggested. When she had first taken the girls school shopping, neither had been sorted into a house and so neither had much that corresponded with the house that they’d spend at least another year in.

“Books, and potions ingredients, and all that good stuff.” she nodded. It had honestly been a while since she was in school, she couldn’t remember exactly what she used to get. But then a thought popped into her mind. “And I know Hogwarts allows animals, we could always browse through the shop, if you’d like.” she looked down to the girl by her side to gage how she felt about it.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

"But we could get you something if you want, something extra for your House or something," Lee pointed out to her. That was true, and it was something that Chrissy hadn't really considered getting something that was Gryffindor-specific. She was still getting used to having more money at her disposal for things that weren't exactly essential, but she thought that a Gryffindor hat and scarf or something might have been useful for when the weather eventually got colder again. Besides, it would be a nice souvenir for when they did eventually go back to the United States.

Still, the majority of what she needed to purchase was "Books, and potions ingredients, and all that good stuff," as Lee put it. But that wasn't all she said. "And I know Hogwarts allows animals," she added. "We could always browse through the shop, if you’d like."

Not just window shopping, in other words. "Wait. Lee. Like a pet?" Chrissy questioned, trying to keep her eyes from lighting up too much before ensuring that she'd heard Lee properly.

@alyra

[Deleted]

Lee nodded when Chrissy clarified “Yeah, I mean only if you want one. I know they’re a big responsibility, but I also know I liked having a cat when I was in school.” she shrugged. She wasn’t sure if Chrissy had ever had a pet, or at least not one that was strictly hers, and Lee would love to give the girl the opportunity if it was one she wanted. “Or a broom.” Lee added with a shrug. She wasn;t sure she had ever questioned Chrissy’s ability to fly or whether or not she even liked it. Lee herself didn’t much like flying, but she had to be able to fly decently enough for Auror training so she at least knew how. Though it kind of made her motion sick if she was being honest. “Or both, really we can just browse through the shops and see what you might like.” she concluded, not wanting to ramble on too much.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

July 2025

Lee made the clarification that she didn't have to get a pet; it was only if she wanted one, because they were a lot of responsibility. Lee herself mentioned that she had had a cat in school, which sounded nice. A cat wouldn't have any difficulty blending in if she had to bring it into the No-Maj world for any reason, Chrissy knew, and that was probably better than something that was specifically magical.

"Or a broom."

Chrissy laughed. How had Lee's thought process gone straight from a cat to a broomstick? She thought that it was pretty funny, at least. "Yeah, um, that's totally me," Chrissy joked, imagining herself looking like how the No-Majes always assumed that witches were supposed to look. "Riding on a broomstick and cackling with my cat beside me, off to jinx some No-Majes?"

Of course, she knew what Lee had really meant. She could get a broomstick if she wanted one. It probably wasn't a bad idea for transportation, though she wouldn't have much of a use for it outside of school. She also wasn't sure if she really wanted to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and it seemed like a waste of money to spend if she had no plans to be playing the sport. Lee also offered her the possibility of both a broom and a pet. Really, she said, they could just browse until they found something.

"Um, pet yes… broom no?" Chrissy offered Lee. She had learned how to fly early on at Ilvermorny, but she had always been too jumpy for Quodpot. She somehow didn't picture herself enjoying the feeling of dodging Bludgers.

@alyra

[Deleted]

Chrissy made a sassy comment about flying around with her cat on her broom and Lee laughed too and rolled her eyes at herself. “Okay, no broom then. Sorry, just throwing out ideas.” she admitted rather dramatically for added comic effect. But then seriously Chrissy agreed to the idea of a pet but declined wanting to get a broom. Lee nodded and then added. “it doesn’t have to be a cat, even. We can just go and browse and see what you like.” she insisted. “Though, we should get everything else first that way if we do get an animal we won’t be lugging it from shop to shop.” she added, thinking a bit more sensibly. That was more like Lee. “So, potions ingredients first or books?” she asked.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

July 2025

It was nice to be able to joke around with Lee, mostly because Chrissy knew that she was one of the few people with whom she could joke around without worrying that something was going to enter more iffy territory. She was a teenage girl; she still wanted to have fun and enjoy being a "kid" while she could, but it was hard when so many of her peers thought that things like jump scares were funny. Even though she didn't want to be a buzzkill, Chrissy knew that she had maintained certain limits for a reason. It made her feel like she wasn't as "mature" as some of the other kids from school sometimes, which was definitely weird and uncomfortable.

Lee mentioned that it didn't even have to be a cat if she didn't want one, though the idea was sort of growing on Chrissy. A cat would be nice, and it would get to stay in the dormitory with her, whereas an owl would probably just stay in the Owlery most of the time. Lee did suggest, though, that they should plan to get everything else first before going to get a pet; that way, she said, they wouldn't have to bring it from shop to shop with them.

"So, potions ingredients first or books?"

"Potions ingredients, probably?" Chrissy thought. "Those'll be lighter than the books, since I don't need a new cauldron or anything like that for this year, and then we can go to the bookstore after that, and then maybe see what pets there are?"

@alyra

[Deleted]

Chrissy decided on potions ingredients first, stating that they would be lighter and easier to carry. Lee appreciated her logic and led the way into the apothecary to gather all the supplies that Chrissy had on her list. “We should get enough to last you until the winter holidays at least.” she commented, knowing they could go shopping again for more during the holiday, and she knew that the school had an extra store as well that the students could use if they ran out, but she wanted to make sure Chrissy was prepared. She felt very strongly that it was important that Chrissy went into her 6th year of school feeling extremely prepared with nothing to worry about but studying and enjoying her time with friends. She wasn’t sure the girl had that luxury before.

Once they had collected the ingredients from the list, they stepped back out into the crowned alley and Lee looked around. “Okay, books? Or do you need any sweaters or uniform pieces?” she remembered.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

July 2025

They arrived at the apothecary for her potions ingredients, where Lee told her that they should plan to get enough to last her until her winter break, at least. That sounded like a good plan to Chrissy, too; she didn't want to have to deal with borrowing too much from the schools' supplies, since she had the ability to purchase her own instead of relying on those. It would make it easier than having to order stuff to be delivered to her at Hogwarts. She didn't think that having an owl drop some sort of eyeballs in a jar onto the table while she was trying to eat her breakfast would be very appetizing. It would be better to buy what she needed all at once and then bring it to class as she needed it.

It hadn't been hard to find all of the things that she needed. The staff members working at the apothecary were fairly helpful, and most everything in there was pretty organized. Chrissy guessed that they couldn't really risk having it disorganized in there, anyway. They would have a lot to answer for if someone bought something with the wrong label and it turned out to have done something absolutely disastrous to a potion. There wasn't very much exciting in buying potions ingredients, either. There wasn't much variety to choose from. It was mostly just in and out, though Chrissy wondered as she was browsing the shop what it would have been like to shop for those things with her mother—her late mother, rather than Lee—who had been a potioneer. It probably would have taken longer, since her mother would have known precisely for what everything was meant to be used.

Once they had finished at the apothecary, they headed back into the alley, which had become pretty crowded. "Okay, books?" Lee checked. "Or do you need any sweaters or uniform pieces?"

Even though everyone who wasn't walking around outside was probably in the bookstore to buy their books, Chrissy knew that they would need to head there eventually. It would be a waste of time to go and find any new uniform items. Hers were all fairly new and had held up well enough that she didn't think that she needed anything in addition to what she had. "No, um, I think I'm good for uniform stuff for now?" she replied. There wasn't anything that came to mind, even as she thought about it a little harder. "We should probably go get my books, though. I don't know how long the line is gonna be in there, and we don't wanna be stuck there all day."

@alyra

[Deleted]

Chrissy admitted she didn’t need anything new as far as uniform items, but she agreed that they should probably get in and get her books now so they wouldn’t be stuck in there all day. Lee nodded her agreement. The last time they had shopped for books was in the middle of the winter holidays and so the book store wasn’t nearly as packed with students and parents trying to gather everything for the new year like it seemed to be now. “That’s a good idea, might as well bite the bullet.” she agreed though she dreaded going inside. Lee wasn’t a huge fan of crowds.

She led the way across the alley to the book shop and they made their way in between others who were exiting. The shop was crazy busy, however, it looked like the staff was prepared for it. It was organized well and they seemed to have made sections for each school year and the required books for every lesson to streamline the process. Chrissy knew what classes she had and what books they required, so Lee followed her, carrying any books she was handed along the way until they had collected everything. Then she remembered. “What about any quills or ink?” or parchment or notebooks or anything else she might need for assignments. If she remembered correctly, they had all of that here as well.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

July 2025

Lee agreed that it wouldn't hurt to go ahead to the bookstore. The expression that she used—about "biting the bullet"—had always struck Chrissy as sort of funny, mostly because she didn't understand why anyone would bite a bullet. The whole concept of No-Maj weaponry was a little weird, too, to stop and think about it. They used guns, sometimes huge ones, and the things served no other purpose than to injure someone or something. Wands, although they could be used for the Dark Arts, could be used for plenty of other, more productive things.

They moved on to Flourish and Blotts, which was just as busy as Chrissy had feared it would be. It did look like the staff were doing a good job of keeping it under control, though, which made it easier to manage. Chrissy noticed as she entered the store that the schoolbooks were organized by year, thankfully; she wouldn't have to search around the whole store for what she needed.

While it wasn't stress-free, it was as close to it as they were going to get. It was quick enough to find the specific books that she needed for the school year, and Lee remained on hand to carry the books for her as they went along. Even though Lee had a few books stacked in her arms already, she checked if she needed any quills or ink.

"Maybe some more ink?" Chrissy asked. It wouldn't hurt to get some; ink was ink, and Lee could always use it, too, if they ended up buying more than she needed for school. "Just, like, regular black ink. Nothing fancy," she added. There wasn't any point in buying anything besides black or maybe blue ink. "I don't think I need any new quills, though. The ones I have are still in good shape."

@alyra