Jenni sighed. Another bloody assignment for the Daily Prophet. Quidditch
again. Why was she always stuck with something so boring? At least she
wasn't alone. Her best friend Nancy had been stuck with this assignment
as well. She surveyed the streets as she reached for the quill in her
bag. Jenni was only 5'2" with brown hair that hung just past her shoulders
and shimmered auburn in the sunlight. It was rather straight, and today
like on most other days, it was pulled up into a ponytail. Her clear blue
eyes traveled up and down the streets for any place to sit and rest. It
was hot, and her pale skin didn't take long to burn, never mind freckle,
she thought ruefully as she rubbed the back of her neck.
Behind her, a slightly smaller girl with chestnut brown hair that fell in loose curls to her small shoulders stepped out into the sun. Her light brown eyes were hidden behind rather large glasses and she winced as she glanced up.
"Damn sunny out today, Jenni, maybe we should just wait. . ."
She looked over at her friend, knowing that she hated mornings as much as anyone. Putting on a wheedling smile, she tucked her quill behind her ear and said with a wink, "Not a single person has been able to understand our Romanian anyway. Come on. We could just go back upstairs and say we never found anyone."
Jenni glared at her. They had a job to do.
"Sleeeeeeeeeepy. . . you're getting very. . ."
"Nancy. . . don't you sta. . ." Jenni paused to yawn mid sentence. "Don't even start with me. You know we won't get anything done if we quit now."
Nancy made a silly face at her and then shrugged. "Fine, I'm up. . . I'm dressed," she glanced down, "in these FABULOUS brown robes. Gee, look at me, I'm a brownie!" Her giggles were contagious, and the girls missed their first opportunity of the morning when an older man in dark red robes crossed to the other side of the street, all the while giving them strange looks.
Jenni tried hard to control her giggles, and began to scan the streets again.
"So, Nancy. What exactly was our assignment? Quidditch in Romania?"
Nancy shrugged. "I have no idea. You got called first."
Jenni glared, "Do you even know the name of the Romanian Quidditch team?"
Nancy glared back at her, offended at the insult to her intelligence before she stuttered, "N-nn-no." Before Jenni could celebrate her victory, though, Nancy shot back, "Do you?"
Jenni looked over helplessly at Nancy. "Nope."
The two girls stared at each other in amazement. They'd come all the way out here with absolutely no idea what they were supposed to be doing aside from Quidditch and Romania. Suddenly, Jenni grabbed Nancy by the arm, "Come on! I got an idea!"
Nancy wailed in protest, "OW! Jenni! That hurts! Where are you taking me?"
Jenni pointed across the street, "To get a paper." She grinned at Nancy, impressed by her own ingenuity.
As Jenni reached for a paper, the man at the booth began to yell harshly at her. Jenni and Nancy looked at each other with shocked expressions.
Wincing at the rising tone of the man's voice, a though occurred to Nancy, who nudged her, "I think he wants money."
"Hey!" Jenni protested loudly as Nancy began to rummage through her bag and produce several coins that seemed to shut the man up.
"I didn't bring any money. And besides, you always have spare change in the bottom of your bags."
Jenni rolled her eyes. No matter what she did, Jenni could never stay mad at Nancy. She stuck her tongue out at her best friend before scanning the newspaper for anything that might help.
Nancy's mind wandered, distracted as Jenni tried to find some correlation between English and Romanian. Well, one thing you can say about Romania, she thought, it sure has distinctive clouds. She stared up at the fast moving one on the horizon, wondering vaguely why it was going against the wind. It was glinting rather oddly, too, now that she looked a little closer. She blinked, and squinted into the sun, cursing the reflection on her glasses as she realized she'd lost sight of it. With a shrug, she turned back to Jenni, who was squealing delightedly.
"Ah HA! This. . . THIS word has GOT to mean Quidditch!" She pointed to something on the second page. Nancy leaned in.
"Ugh. That's not even the same ALPHABET. I think they use the Russian one in this region or something. . ."
"Oh. Really? You sure? I thought it was just smudged," Jenni's face reddened and she snatched the paper back. "Little miss dated a linguist for three years. . . how come YOU'RE not reading this?" she muttered under her breath.
Behind her, a slightly smaller girl with chestnut brown hair that fell in loose curls to her small shoulders stepped out into the sun. Her light brown eyes were hidden behind rather large glasses and she winced as she glanced up.
"Damn sunny out today, Jenni, maybe we should just wait. . ."
She looked over at her friend, knowing that she hated mornings as much as anyone. Putting on a wheedling smile, she tucked her quill behind her ear and said with a wink, "Not a single person has been able to understand our Romanian anyway. Come on. We could just go back upstairs and say we never found anyone."
Jenni glared at her. They had a job to do.
"Sleeeeeeeeeepy. . . you're getting very. . ."
"Nancy. . . don't you sta. . ." Jenni paused to yawn mid sentence. "Don't even start with me. You know we won't get anything done if we quit now."
Nancy made a silly face at her and then shrugged. "Fine, I'm up. . . I'm dressed," she glanced down, "in these FABULOUS brown robes. Gee, look at me, I'm a brownie!" Her giggles were contagious, and the girls missed their first opportunity of the morning when an older man in dark red robes crossed to the other side of the street, all the while giving them strange looks.
Jenni tried hard to control her giggles, and began to scan the streets again.
"So, Nancy. What exactly was our assignment? Quidditch in Romania?"
Nancy shrugged. "I have no idea. You got called first."
Jenni glared, "Do you even know the name of the Romanian Quidditch team?"
Nancy glared back at her, offended at the insult to her intelligence before she stuttered, "N-nn-no." Before Jenni could celebrate her victory, though, Nancy shot back, "Do you?"
Jenni looked over helplessly at Nancy. "Nope."
The two girls stared at each other in amazement. They'd come all the way out here with absolutely no idea what they were supposed to be doing aside from Quidditch and Romania. Suddenly, Jenni grabbed Nancy by the arm, "Come on! I got an idea!"
Nancy wailed in protest, "OW! Jenni! That hurts! Where are you taking me?"
Jenni pointed across the street, "To get a paper." She grinned at Nancy, impressed by her own ingenuity.
As Jenni reached for a paper, the man at the booth began to yell harshly at her. Jenni and Nancy looked at each other with shocked expressions.
Wincing at the rising tone of the man's voice, a though occurred to Nancy, who nudged her, "I think he wants money."
"Hey!" Jenni protested loudly as Nancy began to rummage through her bag and produce several coins that seemed to shut the man up.
"I didn't bring any money. And besides, you always have spare change in the bottom of your bags."
Jenni rolled her eyes. No matter what she did, Jenni could never stay mad at Nancy. She stuck her tongue out at her best friend before scanning the newspaper for anything that might help.
Nancy's mind wandered, distracted as Jenni tried to find some correlation between English and Romanian. Well, one thing you can say about Romania, she thought, it sure has distinctive clouds. She stared up at the fast moving one on the horizon, wondering vaguely why it was going against the wind. It was glinting rather oddly, too, now that she looked a little closer. She blinked, and squinted into the sun, cursing the reflection on her glasses as she realized she'd lost sight of it. With a shrug, she turned back to Jenni, who was squealing delightedly.
"Ah HA! This. . . THIS word has GOT to mean Quidditch!" She pointed to something on the second page. Nancy leaned in.
"Ugh. That's not even the same ALPHABET. I think they use the Russian one in this region or something. . ."
"Oh. Really? You sure? I thought it was just smudged," Jenni's face reddened and she snatched the paper back. "Little miss dated a linguist for three years. . . how come YOU'RE not reading this?" she muttered under her breath.