somewhere in London, England
1 July, 2026
9 am
Mr Singh’s Corner Store
1 July, 2026
9 am
Mr Singh’s Corner Store
A smooth, bouncing bassline resonated joyfully inside the small corner shop. There sat a young man, softly bobbing his head to the lyrics. A soft smile sprouted on his face as he sat at the solitary table by the register. The soulful singer continued to laud his secret elation that came from his most recent breakup. Gus found that the subtle taps of a cowbell in the background added a nice fullness to the song's beat. The boy’s mossy green eyes flicked from one passerby to the next, each moving with hurried step. An idle thought floated: Why do these people move with such urgency? Sadly, that thought would never get its answer as his pontification was interrupted by a woman in the most ostentatious plum petticoat. Her obviously dyed hair was half-hidden underneath the floppiest sunhat known to wizard and Muggle alike. It ungulated with each scampered step. Her eyes were shrouded behind the thick lenses of oversized sunglasses, which engulfed the small woman’s face. Yet most interesting was the silvery whisker of semi-translucent thread that poked directly upwards from the top of her skull. It lifted lazily from atop her noggin, pointing directly to the heavens before being blown to the left by a non-existent wind. It was by far the longest he had seen in quite some time. Nearly 3 feet long, by his best guess. Which was almost a record, if it weren’t for Mr Pasternack from down the street, who once had his thread at nearly fou—
Snap. “—gie.” Snap.
The music faded away. What is that?
“Augie, Gus“ Snap. Snap. “Augustus.”
He blinked, eyes peeling away from the oddity. Quickly coming into focus was a hand that had been snapping directly in his face.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Oh, of course. The proud owner of that hand was attached to the now pouting freckled face of Ari, Gus’s cousin. She swiped her brunette pigtail off her shoulder, annoyed and sat beside him, aghast at his apparent lack of interest in whatever topic she was rambling about this time.
“Wha-Oh, I’m sorry—” He paused before glancing back to the woman from before. She continued to walk away, but the thread that only he could see was gone. He had only caught sight of it for a moment before it was whisked away. “What were you saying?” Eyes now fixed on the girl. Ari huffed and repeated herself, but with obviously more sass than what Gus imagined the original had.
“I said, Why do you think your parents decided to bring everyone to my mother’s parents?” She harrumphed, “It’s just weird that everyone is tagging along. Like, did the entire family have to come?”
Gus didn’t disagree to the oddness in the choice of family vacation, but the Graves family always had a way of whipping things out of proportion. So in the instance of Aunt Prudence’s return home to see her family, it had turned into a chance for the rest of them to play Muggle for a little while. Augustus could remember the words his mother had used, ‘a chance to explore a non-Wizard lifestyle’, which was honestly a bullshit excuse. It was just flat out weird. So when the black-haired boy seized the chance to run to the shops, it was a no-brainer to pull himself free of the torture that was listening to his parents and relatives regurgitating the slang that they had heard from the non-wizards. Luckily enough, Ari was already gnawing at the bit to fuck off to literally anywhere else.
“When are you going to catch on that you can’t really fight it? This family is going to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants. There isn't a point in trying." Gus flashed his fellow escapee a sardonic grin before shrugging and casually lifting the paper cup of now-tepid coffee to his lips. A look of disappointment flashed across his face, seemingly heartbroken that his coffee, that was steaming only moments ago, had gone lukewarm. Augustus stood, glancing at the watch on his wrist. “I don’t imagine that we’ve been missed, but we should probably head back.” As he spoke, the boy dropped the cup into the trash and pushed his way out of the door. “Plus I heard that Aunt Perpetua is making her pasta salad for lunch.”
Ari rolled her eyes. “Oh, fuck off. You’re the only one who eats that shit,” she said, pushing past and in front of her cousin.
Gus laughed. “What?” He took a few strides to catch up. “It’s good!”
Snap. “—gie.” Snap.
The music faded away. What is that?
“Augie, Gus“ Snap. Snap. “Augustus.”
He blinked, eyes peeling away from the oddity. Quickly coming into focus was a hand that had been snapping directly in his face.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Oh, of course. The proud owner of that hand was attached to the now pouting freckled face of Ari, Gus’s cousin. She swiped her brunette pigtail off her shoulder, annoyed and sat beside him, aghast at his apparent lack of interest in whatever topic she was rambling about this time.
“Wha-Oh, I’m sorry—” He paused before glancing back to the woman from before. She continued to walk away, but the thread that only he could see was gone. He had only caught sight of it for a moment before it was whisked away. “What were you saying?” Eyes now fixed on the girl. Ari huffed and repeated herself, but with obviously more sass than what Gus imagined the original had.
“I said, Why do you think your parents decided to bring everyone to my mother’s parents?” She harrumphed, “It’s just weird that everyone is tagging along. Like, did the entire family have to come?”
Gus didn’t disagree to the oddness in the choice of family vacation, but the Graves family always had a way of whipping things out of proportion. So in the instance of Aunt Prudence’s return home to see her family, it had turned into a chance for the rest of them to play Muggle for a little while. Augustus could remember the words his mother had used, ‘a chance to explore a non-Wizard lifestyle’, which was honestly a bullshit excuse. It was just flat out weird. So when the black-haired boy seized the chance to run to the shops, it was a no-brainer to pull himself free of the torture that was listening to his parents and relatives regurgitating the slang that they had heard from the non-wizards. Luckily enough, Ari was already gnawing at the bit to fuck off to literally anywhere else.
“When are you going to catch on that you can’t really fight it? This family is going to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants. There isn't a point in trying." Gus flashed his fellow escapee a sardonic grin before shrugging and casually lifting the paper cup of now-tepid coffee to his lips. A look of disappointment flashed across his face, seemingly heartbroken that his coffee, that was steaming only moments ago, had gone lukewarm. Augustus stood, glancing at the watch on his wrist. “I don’t imagine that we’ve been missed, but we should probably head back.” As he spoke, the boy dropped the cup into the trash and pushed his way out of the door. “Plus I heard that Aunt Perpetua is making her pasta salad for lunch.”
Ari rolled her eyes. “Oh, fuck off. You’re the only one who eats that shit,” she said, pushing past and in front of her cousin.
Gus laughed. “What?” He took a few strides to catch up. “It’s good!”