The first sights and sounds of Wizarding London were overwhelming to Laura when she stepped off the train. Grant watched her reactions carefully, then took her by the arm and led her into Diagon Alley
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"That sounds good. Of course, what we think of as adventure is probably par for the course for them."
He looked at the cover of the book. "I can't think of any of my friends who wouldn't want to know about the wizarding world. Billy was amazed to see living dinosaurs, but it was like he had always expected to see them. I think he'd take magic in stride, too. What about you? Would your friends want to know?"
"Depends on the friend, I think. Most of the people in Twin Peaks couldn't or wouldn't see the weird things that went on around them every day - I mean, we were living right on top of a portal to another dimension out in those woods, energies spilled out of there and affected things around us all the time, but most everyone just rationalized all the crazy away.
But then there were others, like the Log Lady and my friend Harold and a couple of the Salish I knew, they were aware of it and found it harmful to them - they didn't want to know, but couldn't un-know it, if you follow. And then you got people like Audrey Horne and Agent Cooper as he was when he first came to town, who couldn't stop themselves from trying to uncover these kinds of mysteries even if they tried."
She put the book back and pulled out another one, 'Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed.' "Now this looks like it could have some practical value for both of us!" she laughed.
Laura sighed. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: Do not mock the Log Lady. She's very nice, and very sad. The log she carries around with her talks to her. And yes, she does seem like a garden-variety kook, except that the things the log tells her have often turned out to be true."
She cocked an eyebrow up again. "Do you want to turn some of the popcorn back into people, or is there somebody at school you want to turn into popcorn? Should Agent Cooper be watching his back?"
He smiled. "I'm not making fun of the Log Lady. It's just an interesting nickname. What kind of things has the log told her?
It's not that. Many of the people who are popcorn deserve to be popcorn, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. You weren't here when Voldemort was running around, and I can tell you that he was one of the most miserable sons of bitches that I've ever come across. It's just that somebody turned them all into popcorn, and that person still hasn't been caught. You never know who's going to be next."
"It told her the owls were not what they seemed, for one thing. Mostly she kept her secrets to herself - she may be a kook, but she's no fool - but before I died she told me I needed to observe everything very closely. I think she knew the end was coming and wanted to warn me.
You think someone's causing the popcornings? I figured it for a natural phenomenon. After all, some people do come back from being popcorn, pretty much at random. I thought it might have something to do with all the magic energies building up in the castle. Well, I'll add this one to my stack just in case there's something in here that'll help with the popcorn. Maybe we can make sure a few people stay popped."
"Maybe the ones now are random, but there was no way the first time was a natural phenomenon of some kind. Over fifteen people were popcorned in one week, and it was Voldemort and his crowd. That's not exactly a coincidence."
He shrugged. "Voldemort, Snape, Fenrir, and a lot of other nasty people are in there. I would be thrilled if they stayed popped."
"Hmm. So the popcornings are a recent phenomenon? When did it start?
Voldemort and Fenrir I've heard of, but who's Snape, and why is he better off as a snack food?"
She counted the books in her stack. "I think I've done as much damage here as I can for one day. Definitely on my list of places to come back to, though." She looked around the bookstore happily. "This place really does need its own separate trip to dig through everything. I doubt if even the manager knows everything they've got in here."
"Point me in the direction of the cash register, please? I've gotten a bit turned around in the stacks."
"The popcorning started in mid-March, with that first batch of people. Professor Snape was the Portions Master before Dr. Maturin. He was completely under Voldemort's thumb." Grant cast a warding spell. "The Headmistress had to order him to make enough wolfbane for everyone who wanted it. They were withholding it as a form of punishment and control over the werewolves. It's not really a conversation to be having in a public place, though." He let the ward drop.
"Have you ever heard of a bookstore called Powell's? It's the size of a city block and four stories high, all crammed with books. I doubt they've got half the number of books here. Maybe you could make another trip during the summer."
He pointed back the way he had come. "It's back that way. You're going to have to bring a search and rescue party the next time you come. Can I help you with some of those?"
"Sure." Laura handed Grant a few books of the top of her stack. "I'd try the old trail of breadcrumbs trick next time, but wizarding culture is so bird-friendly I think it probably wouldn't last long enough to help."
"And yes, I've heard of Powell's. Oregon, right? Some families take their little kids on pilgrimages to Disneyland, Donna's family took the kids on pilgrimages to Powell's - which should explain a lot about how she got put in the 'the smart one' box at school. The funny thing is, though, she showed me pictures and Powell's looks like it's big enough to hold everything they've got. But this shop looks tiny from the outside! Where are they getting the room for all this? Is it a tesseract or something?"
"And as for our friends the popcorn pieces - every time I think I can't get angrier or more horrified on your behalf, you let another little bit of that story slip out..." She shook her head ruefully. "I don't have very much more than that to add to that conversation whether it's public or private, actually."
He laughed at her joke and took the books from her. "Portland, Oregon. I can see why someone would want to take a trip there."
"After spending a month in the castle, does a big building with a tiny exterior surprise you? At least it doesn't have any moving staircases. This whole place is an architect's worst nightmare. I'm sure you could probably find a book to explain it, too."
"Probably could. And yeah, told you I'm still in culture shock here. Whenever I think I've started getting the hang of things, something new comes along to surprise me."
They made their way carefully through precariously stacked towers of books toward the checkout, and Laura snagged a bookbag enhanced with antistress charms off a rack nearly hidden behind two book stacks on the way. She paid for her purchases and they started for the door.
"So what now? I think most of my shopping list is accounted for. Should we knock around here a little bit, or are you ready to call it a day? Either way, someplace to sit down a few minutes wouldn't be a bad idea - I'd like to get this stuff organized a little better before we start traveling again."
"I've got everything I need. We can go back and look at the animals in that one store, if you want. I wouldn't mind." They found an out of the way bench and sat down to sort out Laura's purchases.
"Well, it is on our way back. Let's see how we feel when we get there."
She shuffled through her packages, putting smaller ones into larger ones until she had everything condensed into two large shopping bags plus one well-packed bookbag.
"Oh, hey, did you find your field journal? We can try again at the stationery shop if you didn't."
He looked at the cover of the book. "I can't think of any of my friends who wouldn't want to know about the wizarding world. Billy was amazed to see living dinosaurs, but it was like he had always expected to see them. I think he'd take magic in stride, too. What about you? Would your friends want to know?"
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"Depends on the friend, I think. Most of the people in Twin Peaks couldn't or wouldn't see the weird things that went on around them every day - I mean, we were living right on top of a portal to another dimension out in those woods, energies spilled out of there and affected things around us all the time, but most everyone just rationalized all the crazy away.
But then there were others, like the Log Lady and my friend Harold and a couple of the Salish I knew, they were aware of it and found it harmful to them - they didn't want to know, but couldn't un-know it, if you follow. And then you got people like Audrey Horne and Agent Cooper as he was when he first came to town, who couldn't stop themselves from trying to uncover these kinds of mysteries even if they tried."
She put the book back and pulled out another one, 'Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed.' "Now this looks like it could have some practical value for both of us!" she laughed.
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That could come in handy! Do you think we'd be able to find the spell that turns people into popcorn?"
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She cocked an eyebrow up again. "Do you want to turn some of the popcorn back into people, or is there somebody at school you want to turn into popcorn? Should Agent Cooper be watching his back?"
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It's not that. Many of the people who are popcorn deserve to be popcorn, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. You weren't here when Voldemort was running around, and I can tell you that he was one of the most miserable sons of bitches that I've ever come across. It's just that somebody turned them all into popcorn, and that person still hasn't been caught. You never know who's going to be next."
Reply
You think someone's causing the popcornings? I figured it for a natural phenomenon. After all, some people do come back from being popcorn, pretty much at random. I thought it might have something to do with all the magic energies building up in the castle. Well, I'll add this one to my stack just in case there's something in here that'll help with the popcorn. Maybe we can make sure a few people stay popped."
Reply
He shrugged. "Voldemort, Snape, Fenrir, and a lot of other nasty people are in there. I would be thrilled if they stayed popped."
Reply
Voldemort and Fenrir I've heard of, but who's Snape, and why is he better off as a snack food?"
She counted the books in her stack. "I think I've done as much damage here as I can for one day. Definitely on my list of places to come back to, though." She looked around the bookstore happily. "This place really does need its own separate trip to dig through everything. I doubt if even the manager knows everything they've got in here."
"Point me in the direction of the cash register, please? I've gotten a bit turned around in the stacks."
Reply
"Have you ever heard of a bookstore called Powell's? It's the size of a city block and four stories high, all crammed with books. I doubt they've got half the number of books here. Maybe you could make another trip during the summer."
He pointed back the way he had come. "It's back that way. You're going to have to bring a search and rescue party the next time you come. Can I help you with some of those?"
Reply
"And yes, I've heard of Powell's. Oregon, right? Some families take their little kids on pilgrimages to Disneyland, Donna's family took the kids on pilgrimages to Powell's - which should explain a lot about how she got put in the 'the smart one' box at school. The funny thing is, though, she showed me pictures and Powell's looks like it's big enough to hold everything they've got. But this shop looks tiny from the outside! Where are they getting the room for all this? Is it a tesseract or something?"
"And as for our friends the popcorn pieces - every time I think I can't get angrier or more horrified on your behalf, you let another little bit of that story slip out..." She shook her head ruefully. "I don't have very much more than that to add to that conversation whether it's public or private, actually."
Reply
"After spending a month in the castle, does a big building with a tiny exterior surprise you? At least it doesn't have any moving staircases. This whole place is an architect's worst nightmare. I'm sure you could probably find a book to explain it, too."
Reply
They made their way carefully through precariously stacked towers of books toward the checkout, and Laura snagged a bookbag enhanced with antistress charms off a rack nearly hidden behind two book stacks on the way. She paid for her purchases and they started for the door.
"So what now? I think most of my shopping list is accounted for. Should we knock around here a little bit, or are you ready to call it a day? Either way, someplace to sit down a few minutes wouldn't be a bad idea - I'd like to get this stuff organized a little better before we start traveling again."
Reply
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She shuffled through her packages, putting smaller ones into larger ones until she had everything condensed into two large shopping bags plus one well-packed bookbag.
"Oh, hey, did you find your field journal? We can try again at the stationery shop if you didn't."
Reply
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She took it and turned it over in her hands. "Why would - I mean,
what's the occasion?"
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