Louise and I hopped onto the double-decker bus, choosing seats near the back of the lower deck where we could talk more freely. The worn leather seats squeaked as we settled in, and I caught a whiff of that peculiar mix of diesel and cleaning products that seemed unique to London buses.
Jarvey had settled into an unusually well-behaved state on my shoulder, though I could feel him twitching every time Louise reached over to pet him.
Through the grimy windows, London rolled past - grey buildings against a greyer sky, decorated with strings of Christmas lights that had begun being placed at the start of December.
The radio played softly through the bus speakers, mostly background noise until a somber announcement cut through our conversation.
"It has been 10 years since John Lennon was shot down in New York, a vigil is being her in Liverpool to honor the musician."
The news put me in a bad mood, the Beatles were a band I constantly listened to at home, even if I was only one when Lennon died it still fucking sucked. "It's already been 10 years since he died, huh" I said.
"Yeah, time flies," Louise said, her expression softening.
"To honor the musician we will be playing some of the Beatle's and Lennon's greatest hits."
As Happy Xmas began to play I couldn't help but think about it, the news. The Beatles had been a constant presence in our house - Dad would play their records all the time, heck it was the reason why I had wanted a guitar in the first place.
Instead, my mind wandered to the radio itself, fascinating in its own way. An idea began to form - what if I could build a magical version? It would be perfect for Hogwarts, a way to commemorate Lennon and introduce wizard-born students to Muggle music. Plus, it could serve as an information network throughout the school.
The bus lurched to a stop, and we made our way into the park. The grass was frosted over, crunching beneath our feet as we walked. A few determined parents pushed bundled-up children on the swings, their breath visible in the cold air.
Mr. J's ice cream truck stood in its familiar spot, the paint a bit more faded than I remembered, but the cheerful awning still as welcoming as ever, now I know eating ice cream in winter are you mad Felix, well what could I say I loved ice cream sue me. As we approached, his sea-green eyes lit up with recognition, crinkling at the corners.
"Well, well!" he exclaimed, his face breaking into a broad smile. "If it isn't my two favorite customers! Oh, it's been a while since I've seen you both - more than four months already?"
"Hello, Mr. J," we chorused, falling easily into old patterns. Some things, it seemed, never changed, no matter how much magic entered your life.
"The usual then?" he asked, already reaching for the scoops. His movements were quick and practiced, like Professor Flitwick demonstrating a charm.
"Yes, please," Louise replied, then glanced uncertainly at Jarvey, who was trying very hard to look like a normal ferret.
"One chocolate for my ferret," I added, attempting to sound as though requesting ice cream for an oversized ferret was perfectly ordinary. Mr. J raised an eyebrow but didn't comment - I supposed when you'd spent years serving ice cream in London, you developed a certain tolerance for the unusual.
We settled on our usual bench, the winter air making the ice cream almost painfully cold. Jarvey attacked his cone with surprising delicacy, managing not to get any on my clothes - a first for him, really. The park was quiet except for the distant shouts of playing other children and the occasional passing car.
"So," I said, watching Louise dig into her mint ice cream, "you haven't been coming here much?"
She shook her head, her short brown hair catching the weak winter sunlight. "Been busy with school mostly. Made some new friends too." She paused, licking a drip of ice cream from her cone. "Besides, it just felt weird without you here."
"Wow, I didn't think of you as such a sentimental, how honored should I be?"
"Shut up," she laughed, punching my shoulder lightly. I couldn't retaliate, juggling two ice creams as I was. The moment felt weirder than it should have for some reason, I guess hanging out with wizards all the time made stuff like this weird in the end, still I think I enjoyed this a bit more.
We finished our ice creams in companionable silence, watching the winter sun sink lower in the sky. Jarvey had fallen asleep on my shoulder, chocolate smeared around his tiny mouth, thereby staining my hoodie but oh well, all's fair in hunger and ferrets I guess. My own hands weren't much better - managing two ice creams wasn't exactly a neat affair.
"I should probably head home," Louise said finally, standing up and brushing off her school uniform. "Mum's making dinner tonight, salmon teriyaki - my favorite."
"That actually sounds good," I replied, standing as well. "Dad's probably experimenting with something new. Could go either spectacularly right or spectacularly wrong."
She smiled, then stepped forward and hugged me, quick but tight. The gesture caught me by surprise - we hadn't hugged since before I left for Hogwarts. Despite everything that had changed, despite the memory charm, some connections remained unbroken.
"Happy Christmas, Felix," she said, stepping back. "Ring by any other time, maybe I could meet some of your friends too."
"Most aren't in London, but sure why not and happy Christmas, Louise."
I watched her walk away, her school bag swinging at her side, until she turned the corner and disappeared from view. Jarvey stirred on my shoulder, yawning widely.
"She seems nice," he said sleepily. "For a Muggle though her decision for ice cream is the worst, seriously mint, what the hell is even that, I only smelled it and it was horrible."
"Mint is mint I guess."
"Awful ice cream decision."
"Yeah," I agreed, starting the walk home. "Mint doesn't make good ice cream, you're getting pretty cultured after all."
"I already was," he said stretching his body outward. "You just don't believe me for some unbelievable reason."
The winter air had grown colder, but I barely noticed it. My mind was already racing with plans - the magical radio project, mastering illusion magic, understanding my visions, researching what it meant to be a Scribe, figuring out how magical sentience worked, improving the map, and of course, planning my heist for the Sorting Hat.
My list of projects was getting longer by the day. I really needed to start finishing things before taking on new ones, but every discovery seemed to lead to ten new questions.
But those were thoughts for another day. Right now, my stomach was growling, reminding me that ice cream wasn't a proper dinner, and I was curious to see what culinary adventure Dad had embarked upon today.
"Hey Felix," Jarvey mumbled from my shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Can we get ice cream again tomorrow?"
I laughed, scratching behind his ears. "We'll see, you chocolate-covered menace. We'll see."
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