Bloodlines and Genders

Chapter 9

Harry was munching on a mushroom omelette (don't judge, they're really good in my opinion)
when Ash said she'd let him leave to go shopping. He scarfed down the rest before throwing on a t-shirt and jeans.

"Hey, come on slowpoke, we don't have all day!" Heather was frantically waving to him, to where everyone else was.

It was Harry, Quincy, Heather, Peter, and Deanna.

"You ready for a makeover at the mall? And also, being serious here, we are not here to judge. Pick out what you want. We're only here for fashion advice and security. Alright?"

Harry nodded, happy knowing they won't care in his evolving taste in clothing. It was comforting, knowing there was someone supportive.

It took a long walk to get to the bus, and when they got there, they got the expected stares and judging faces. One person actually commented that they were gonna go to hell for dressing like that. It was a surprise when Deanna retorted with this

"Oh I've already been there, it's quite nice having a conversation with Lord Lucifer and Lady Lilith. Much more interesting than talking with your false god."

The lady who commented put her hand to her chest in surprise. She said nothing more. Harry caught a glimpse of Heather flipping her off.

Harry laughed. "What was that about Deanna? I couldn't tell if you were being serious."

"Oh I was. Sorry to break this to you on a public bus, but they're real. The old gods too. Like the Greek or Norse gods. Pagans are a real thing in modern day. I'll advise you on all this. Some call it witchcraft, but this ain't no wand waving- bippity boppity boo shit."

Harry got a nervous pang in his chest at the mention of witchcraft. But at the last part he relaxed. They didn't know about Hogwarts and all that. But the muggle version of magic sounded interesting.

"You know what, sure. It sounds weird, but I'll give it a try" Harry said.

"Nice, So well stop by the bookstore while we're in the mall"

The rest of the bus ride was in varied conversations and topics, Deanna teaching the absolute basics.

"So, negative energy build up over time, and I'm gonna have to teach you how to sense that energy. But we can't leave that negative energy there, or we attract negative spirits, or the energy actually starts to affect our lives. To keep spirits at bay, we use warding and protection, and to get rid of negative energy , we use cleansing, Now there are different ways to cleanse-"

She was cut off as the bus stopped abruptly. The driver called for anyone going to the mall. They all got off, and raced for the entrance.

The mall was huge, many shops and stalls lining all of it. In front of them was the food court, the smell of many different kinds of food wafting around.

Heather tugged on his sleeve, and led him away from the food court. He looked at all the shops, unsure which to go to first.

Heather and Deanna went for this shop called Ross (idk if they have those in Britain so I'm just gonna use American stores). Quincy and Peter went for Spencer's.

Seemingly, without thought, he automatically went with the girls. At first they were surprised, but then smiled.

"Come on, this ones great! They've got all sorts of stuff here for cheap."

Heather grabbed him by the wrist, them all laughing giddily. Pretty soon they were both piling clothes into his arms, giving him suggestions and advice after asking him what he wanted.