MTL NOVEL Chapter 39: July 31 - Sunny
If someone had told Joey in her first year that she'd one day be hanging out with Flami in Diagon Alley, she would've thought they were crazy. Even now, as she sat outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, watching Flami approach in a sleek green dress and silver shell bag, Joey wondered if she'd lost her mind.
Joey glanced down at her T-shirt and sweatpants, suddenly understanding Linda's frequent lament: "There's no girl like you."
"Hi!" Joey waved enthusiastically, hoping Flami would see her.
Flami spotted Joey from a distance, swinging her legs and eating ice cream. To be honest, Flami felt a little awkward too. It was as if some secret friendship had been exposed. She blamed Joey's nonsense letters for corrupting her.
Her parents had taken a neutral stance on her friendship with Joey, seeing it as a potential business opportunity given Dumbledore's influence. But the Forest family, being American, held no sway in the UK, so they didn't consider Joey a particularly valuable connection.
Flami sighed. Her parents always acted for profit. But growing up in such a family, she'd learned to hide her true feelings behind a polite smile. She'd convinced her parents that Joey's mother's family had ties to influential British wizarding families, securing permission for this outing.
To Flami, Joey represented a different kind of life—one she secretly cherished.
"Hi," Flami said, sitting cautiously beside Joey. She declined the chocolate-flavored ice cream Joey offered and asked, "Where do you want to go shopping?"
Joey devoured her ice cream and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I need broom polish, owl food, and some school supplies. What about you?"
Flami winced at Joey's list but replied politely, "I'm visiting Madam Malkin's for robes, then Twilfitt and Tattings for clothes, and finally Mrs. Primpkin's Beauty Parlor for skincare."
"Ah, the places girls love," Joey said with a grin.
"You're a girl too!" Flami snapped, finally dropping her polite facade.
Joey laughed. "That's the Flami I know!" She couldn't stand Flami's stiff, fake smile. It was like talking to a puppet.
Flami resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "This girl is insane," she thought.
---
Joey dragged Flami through her shopping list, though Flami refused to enter the owl emporium. "It's full of cute owls! Don't you want to see them?" Joey asked.
Flami shuddered. "No, thank you."
Joey gave up, especially since Flami had endured the Quidditch shop without complaint, despite her obvious disdain. Joey even "accidentally" bumped into a few classmates who were whispering about them.
After stashing her purchases at the ice cream parlor, Flami finally relaxed. Now it was her turn to teach Joey how to be a proper girl. She couldn't believe Joey had been drooling over the Nimbus 2000 in a shop full of sweaty boys.
At Madam Malkin's, they encountered two boys getting fitted for robes. One had black hair and looked nervous, while the other, a blond, was boasting about Quidditch.
"Have you ever played Quidditch?" the blond asked arrogantly.
The black-haired boy shook his head, looking embarrassed.
"That's Draco Malfoy," Flami whispered to Joey. "He's starting Hogwarts this year."
Joey recognized the name. "The Malfoys—pure-blood elitists." She couldn't stand bullies.
"Hey, first-years can't try out for Quidditch," Joey said, stepping in. "Didn't your dad tell you that?"
Draco glared at her. "Who are you?"
"Your sister," Joey said boldly.
Flami stifled a laugh. Technically, Joey "could" be considered his sister, given their families' connections.
Draco's face turned red. "I don't know you!"
Joey ruffled his hair. "You should call older girls 'sister.' Didn't your dad teach you manners?"
Draco looked furious, but before he could retort, a cold voice interrupted. "Draco, don't be rude."
Joey turned to see a tall, elegant woman—Narcissa Malfoy. Flami greeted her politely, but Narcissa's gaze turned icy when she saw Joey.
"Is there a problem?" Narcissa asked.
Joey shrugged. "No, I just thought Draco was cute."
Narcissa's lips tightened. "Not everyone is qualified to be Draco's sister."
Flami stepped in. "Mrs. Malfoy, this is Joey Forest. Her mother was Linda Shacklebolt before marriage."
Narcissa's expression shifted. The Shacklebolts were connected to both the Blacks and the Malfoys. Reluctantly, she nodded and ushered Draco out of the shop.
---
Later, Joey and Flami ran into Hagrid and Harry Potter. Joey's jaw dropped. "The Boy Who Lived!" She barely registered Harry's polite thanks before he left with Hagrid.
"That's Harry Potter!" Joey whispered excitedly.
Flami rolled her eyes. "There are probably a thousand Harrys in London."
Joey shook her head. "You don't understand."
---
The real torture began when Flami dragged Joey to Twilfitt and Tattings. Joey tried on twenty corsets, thirty dresses, and forty pairs of uncomfortable shoes. She felt like she'd been through a Quidditch match.
"Stand up straight!" Flami ordered, tightening Joey's corset.
"Why do I need this?" Joey groaned.
"You'll thank me when you wear a dress," Flami said firmly.
Joey left the shop with a shapewear, three dresses, and a pair of white lambskin shoes. She thought the ordeal was over, but Mrs. Primpkin's Beauty Parlor was worse. Flami forced her into a beauty chair, where her eyebrows were plucked, her hair styled, and her legs waxed.
"Why are you removing my leg hair?" Joey whined.
"What's the point of keeping it? Does it keep you warm in winter?" Flami shot back.
---
When Joey returned home, the entire Forest and Weasley families were gathered in the living room. They stared in shock as she stepped out of the fireplace, looking completely transformed.
Linda burst into tears. "My little Joey! You finally know how to dress up!"
Joey blushed. "Flami made me do it!"
Fred's eyes widened as he took in Joey's new look. George whistled, but Fred quickly covered his mouth.
Joey felt self-conscious under their stares, especially Fred's. His gaze was intense, almost unsettling.
Later, as Joey sorted through her broom polish in her room, Fred knocked on the door. "You look... beautiful today," he said, his voice soft.
Joey's face turned red. For once, she was at a loss for words.