𝕲𝖔𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖈[𝕬 𝕿𝖔𝖒 𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖉𝖑𝖊 𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞]

There Goes the Self-respect

"Aren't you excited!"

Maybelle cringed at Zayden's volume and scooted away from him for the sake of her eardrums. He was clutching his Hogwarts acceptance letter to his chest. She had also received her one not too long ago. Her eyes were running over the list of things she required for the school.

She was quite surprised to see that girls were allowed to join the Quidditch team even in the 1940s, not the first years of course. With a small sigh, she handed her letter to Helena who seemed to be more excited compared to her. Zayden's mother, on the other hand, had to wrestle it out of his hands with quite a difficulty.

Zayden's family was associated with the Wright family for many years. Though they were not as successful as Wrights, Andrew and Helena never looked down upon them. In fact, they helped them in every way they could. In a way, they were almost family friends.

Maybelle always took interest in trade affairs. She even helped Andrew with much advice to expand his business. That led to a decision Maybelle never expected. Andrew had promised her that, after she would graduate from Hogwarts, she would become his business partner and eventually take over the entire trade. She was more than amazed to hear that, even shed a tear or two, but she would never admit it.

"We have to go to Diagon Alley to buy your things!" Helena clapped in excitement. Zayden tried to swing his hand around Maybelle's shoulder but she just dodged it.

"Will we be using the floo powder?" Zayden asked.

Helena nodded and ruffled his hair making him giggle.

"Belle, Andrew won't be coming with us. So, we're on our own. Go and wear your clothes," Helena instructed. Maybelle grumbled under her breath but nodded anyway.

Dressing up was just another thing she hated about her current timeline. Ladies just had to wear dresses on all occasions. She dragged her lazy feet towards her room and open her closet which was already filled with a few new dresses Helena brought for her. According to her, Maybelle was growing too fast. Her height had increased by four inches in just a couple of months. Helena blamed her intense training and eating habits for that. She also told that women are meant to stay a bit short which was quickly dismissed by Belle.

She grabbed the plainest looking dress she could find in her closet and threw it over her body. She smoothed down the fabric with her hands and faced the mirror in her room. It was quite scary how much she had changed within a few months.

She wasn't a skinny little girl anymore like she was back at the orphanage. Her skin was not pale and her eyes were not sunken with lack of sleep. But the thing that completely changed her look was her hair. Her once curly, waist-length hair was cut short. Strangely enough, it had become silky straight and a lighter shade of golden brown. Maybelle had to fight a war against Helena to cut her hair.

The deal was to cut it till her shoulders but being the sly girl she was, she shortened it till her neck. When Helena saw the final result, she almost had a heart attack. Maybelle had to go through a lecture that lasted for one week. But Helena's priceless expression was worth the pain.

Maybelle brushed a few strands of hair away from her face and sighed at the maroon dress. If only she could wear sweatpants.

"Belle, come downstairs!"

"Coming!"

Zayden, Mrs parks and Helena were already gathered in front of the fireplace by the time Maybelle reached downstairs. Helena eyed her for a minute and attempted to pat down her wild hair. She then draped a black cloak around her neck and they were ready to go.

It was the first time Maybelle was using the floo network and she couldn't tell if she liked it that much. Her sneezing fit started as soon as she stepped out of the fireplace into the Leakey Cauldron. Her hand patted all over herself in a desperate attempt to get rid of all the powder from her clothes.