Vanessa blended into the crowd of shoppers about as much as Dumbledore did in a field of daisies. With a velvet romper showing off creamy skin and blonde hair curled to perfection she'd put zero effort into doing so and quite frankly was enjoying the looks she was getting, the occasional person who dared approach her. A shopping bag hanging from the crook of her arm and a long list of Christmas things to buy for friends, family and co workers, the day was gonna be a long one.

Still, no matter how bright Vanessa made her smile, the twist of her lips hid an exhaustion inside. Work had been difficult recently with Vanessa completely dry of inspiration and unable to write. Thanks to the angel that was Sasha, Christmas plans were looking better than Vanessa could possibly have expected, though her family had had a few things to say about it. Still, it was their fault for being so difficult to deal with. It was more the recent break in that had Vanessa feeling this way. Despite security now being much better, Vanessa still couldn't help but feel uneasy back at the penthouse and it had been affecting her sleep quite a bit.

Merlin Vanessa needed a drink.

Vanessa paused outside Madame Malkins to eye some robes in the window critically, head tilted. Maybe mum would like them? Heaven knows V would never wear them, she objected to anything that didn't show off her killer figure, but she could hardly see her own mother, well into her fourties, in anything Vanessa owned.

Vanessa's hand went to the doorknob and she was just about to open it when someone from inside did just that, sending the door swinging open and smacking into her. She fell with a little yelp, head hitting the ground hard. "Hey what the hell!" Vanessa snapped, temporarily forgetting that she was in plain view for all of diagon alley to see and letting annoyance seeping into her voice. Could you blame her? She hadn't been in a good mood to start with, Vanessa couldn't help but let her perfect facade slip.

As people stopped to stare, Vanessa became aware of just that though. But if anything it just pissed her off even more and as she raised a hand to her throbbing head, pale fingers coming away stained red, she shot a glare at the person who'd caused her fall.

Just inside Madam Malkin's, Eirene picked up a set of leather gloves, sniffed in disdain, and set them down. She'd been hoping to find something for her mother here, something of quality that stood out, something special and pretty that would go well with her mum's more functional outfits. She loved her mother, she really did, but when she wasn't working long hours at St. Mungo's she chose to wear the same dress robes again and again. Who had time to read Witch Weekly fashion tips while saving lives? Not her mother. And so Eirene would pay attention for her.

Buttoning her royal blue coat and adjusting the single, small shopping bag in her hand (something for Noriko), Eirene strolled out of the shop, glancing over her shoulder to sniff unhappily at the shop assistant wishing her a good day.

The door banged into someone, hard.

"Watch it!" Eirene snapped back, then blinked down in surprise at the young woman sprawled on the ground. Oh.

She glanced around, horrified at the thought that people might have seen her knock her over.

"Well it wasn't my fault," she knelt beside her, digging in her pocket for a nicely folded, embroidered handkerchief. Oh no, was that blood on her head? How had that happened?

"Not my fault you ran into the door as I was opening it," Eirene went on, her stomach sinking as she took a closer look. At the woman, not the blood. She looked familiar, fashionable, put-together.

"I have shopping to do! Important things. It's the holiday season and I have a limited amount of time to buy presents! I just arrived from Hogwarts this afternoon and I can't be distracted, I can't simply pause to help up clumsy-"

Eirene was about to dab at the young woman's forehead with her handkerchief, but she drew back.

"You," her heart almost stopped. "You were in Witch Weekly!" Her tone shifted from scorn to total admiration.

What was her name, again? The popular new singer?

Eirene glanced down at her handkerchief, dabbed at her own brow, adjusted her own hair, and beamed contritely at her. "I am so, so sorry! I can't believe I - I'm so clumsy! That door, it just swung out of nowhere!"

Vanessa's glare lessened somewhat when the girl bent down to help and she realised that she was just a kid. Well, technically she wasn't that much younger than Vanessa when you looked at the bigger picture, but she was still a kid. It turned to a faint smile as the girl recognised her and amusement at the sudden panic that overtook her.

"Hey hey that's alright," Vanessa reassured, biting back laughter. "Vanessa Carson, nice to meet you kiddo."

She ignored the dull throbbing to her head and pulled herself back up, managing to do so remarkably smoothly considering the six inch heels she wore. Then again she practically lived in heels, was that really that impressive?

Glancing over her shoulder, Vanessa had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the many stares they were getting. Time to get a move on. But Vanessa found walking around Diagon Alley with nothing but her thoughts to accompany her had lost the little appeal it had had in the first place. Blue eyes found their way back to the girl in front of her and an idea popped into her head. She said she had been shopping as well, right? Well Vanessa could do with some company. Before she could think it through, Vanessa just went ahead and asked.

"You said you were buying presents? Need any help?"

What the hell, it might be fun. Anything to distract herself.

Vanessa. Carson.

Vanessa! Carson!

Eirene's mouth formed a little 'o', caught between horror and elation as she hovered over the Vanessa Carson! Who she'd just clumsily barreled into and knocked to the ground! Horror! But the singer was smiling at her! Elation! She'd called her a kiddo! Horror! But she forgave her! Elation!

Eirene offered a hand to help her up and then blinked at her in awe. Those were some cute shoes. She probably hadn't found them in Diagon. Focus, Eirene!

"You are so kind!"

She glanced around at all the staring people, scarcely able to believe that the young woman was offering to... help her? Really? Eirene had practiced sarcasm since she was thirteen or so and this didn't sound like that! It might be a game, but if it were a game, she would play along until Vanessa truly forgave her.

"I'm Eirene Antonopoulos," she resisted the urge to shake her hand. "I know I look a bit young, but I'm a fourth year. Ravenclaw. I just turned fifteen exactly five days ago. So truly, I'm fifteen going on sixteen."

Smiling widely, Eirene flipped her braid over her shoulder.

"Where do you normally go shopping? Fabulous places? Perhaps I can help you! Carry your things! Enchant your things with a feather-light charm and carry them, of course! It's the least I can - oh. Oh, hold on a moment, we shouldn't go anywhere until-"

Eirene pulled out yet another embroidered handkerchief. This time, she shook it out with a flourish and gestured to the girl.

"There's a bit of blood, just a spot! On your forehead. May I?"

Her critical eye looked over the girl's forehead. Not a pimple! Not a blemish! Just a bit of blood! How tragically beautiful!

The girl, Eirene as she'd introduced herself,'s enthusiasm was infectious and brought a genuine smile to Vanessa's lips. Eirene rattled off sentence after sentence, leaving Vanessa wondering how she was breathing. Merlin she half expected her to keel over and faint from exhaustion.

"Relax," she told the girl. "They're barely heavy anyway, there's no need. Don't forget to breath, birthday girl."

Vanessa smiled and took the embroidered handkerchief from Eirene with a quick thanks when she offered it, lifting it to dab away at the cut on her forehead. It stung a little as she touched it but she didn't show it. It seemed like a minor cut anyway. Satisfied, Vanessa ran a quick hand through blonde curls, flipping them out of her face.

"See, you've already gone and helped me."

She handed the handkerchief back with a little flourish of her own and a wink.

"Remind me to buy you some replacements," she added, referring to the handkerchief. It had a few blood stains now after all.

"You here with your parents?" Vanessa continued as she began to make her way down the street in the vague direction of the leaky cauldron and the outside muggle world. "Don't want them freaking out when they see you making off with some stranger."

Eirene may have been fifteen going on sixteen but that didn't mean her parents would be happy if she wandered off for ages. Then again Vanessa had noticed earlier a much higher proportion of school aged children were running around, was there some event going on she'd forgot about? Most likely Hogwarts had just broken up for their christmas break, that would make the most sense.

A surreptitious glance to the rest of the street proved that she hadn't been imagining it, there really were quite a few children milling round. It also proved that most had lost interest in the little scene and returned to whatever it was they had been doing. That was one of the thinks Vanessa liked the most about paparazzi, they had the attention span of fish.

"Or are you here with friends?"

Relax? Impossible! But Eirene was very happy to be called birthday girl, and to be helpful, and to know that it was her handkerchief being used to help.

"Remind me to buy you some replacements."

"Thank you so much, but there's no need, I have many," Eirene's eyes widened. Oh Merlin, did Vanessa think she couldn't afford replacements? Horror! And why replace something that was bound to be as valuable as a signed autograph? Elation!

Eirene held her head high, glancing into the windows of the shops they passed, stepping in her two-inch sensible heels just a small pace behind Vanessa so that the people in the windows could clearly see that they were walking together, almost like friends, and talking together, almost like friends.

"Oh, no, my mother and father are both working today. They work very hard, because they're so dedicated." Certainly not because they needed to! "My mother's a head healer at St. Mungo's and my father's a lawyer at the Ministry," Eirene said proudly.

Friends? Hmm friends.

"My best friend, Noriko, had something to do after we got off the train earlier," Eirene answered after a slight hesitation. "Which is fortunate, actually, because I needed to buy a present for her," she lifted the small bag. She did not mention to Vanessa Carson that Noriko was one of her only friends, one of the few who could handle her energy.

"I am here on a holiday shopping mission, Vanessa."

Vanessa! She'd just said her name out loud. Eirene let out a giggle behind her hand.

Her shopping list was burning a hole in her pocket, but she still couldn't believe this was happening. The older students at Hogwarts didn't talk to her like this, or offer to shop with her, or ask her personal questions, even though Eirene was bound and determined to become a prefect next year and to order them all around. They had to pay attention, then! They would admire her, then! Why didn't she remember Vanessa from school? She couldn't be more than twenty. She must have graduated from Hogwarts to sainthood.

"Thank you so much, but there's no need, I have many."

Vanessa was quick to dismiss this with a small wave of her hand. Heaven knows she had too much money herself and besides, she was feeling generous. It was Christmas and all that after all!

"Well then let me get you something else," she hummed. "Think of it as your bribery. I might need a little help buying some presents of my own."

Vanessa still had a list of people to buy gifts for of her own, even if she was pretty stumped as to what to get a fair few of them.

As Eirene continued, moving on to the subject of her parents and her friend Noriko, Vanessa nodded and smiled in the appropriate places. Mother a healer and father a lawyer... what on earth would they want for Christmas? She was invested now. here was a welcome challenge, finding the perfect gifts for Eirene's parents. And she could knock a few off of her own list at the same time!

"I am here on a holiday shopping mission, Vanessa."

Vanessa couldn't help but laugh at that , shaking her head in amusement.

"Well then, what's the game plan cap?" she replied, quirking one brow. "If Noriko's present is all accounted for then that just leaves your family, right? Tell me, what would they like?"

Vanessa's dad was easy to buy for on account of him being the sort to love anything as long as it was given to him by his darling girl. Perhaps Eirene's parents would be the same, though Vanessa had to admit, she couldn't help but hope for the opposite. Not because she wanted to make Eirene's life harder, no, but because who didn't love a challenge? Especially when it didn't directly affect you? Vanessa was no stranger to people who were difficult to buy for. Her mother could be very picky for one, and her brother took after her. Though as of the last year or so, the only thing Vanessa planned on gifting Oliver was a bomb. Or maybe a glitter bomb. Let's be honest, those're worse.

Vanessa's gaze moved to the shop windows they passed by, slowing down to better search for suitable presents. What would she buy her parents this year? Come to think of it, she probably ought to get something for Sasha as well, though what she couldn't imagine. Her eyes drifted over the various displays, taking note of anything of interest and filing away shops she ought to have a little look in.

"My parents are a bit difficult to shop for," Eirene admitted, her smile dimming. "They buy most of the things they like on their own, whenever they see it. Or they save the expensive things as gifts for each other. I'm not supposed to spend all of my allowance on them."

She had, before! She'd attempted to buy fancy jewelry for her mother and fancy cuff links for her father and then had to go through the shame of returning those items. She'd just wanted her parents to smile and be pleased with her.

"I think I'd like to buy my mother something fashionable and my father something organizational, for his desk at work," Eirene nodded, then glanced at the older girl who had paused to look into the decorated shop windows. "What about you, are you shopping for family? Or your entourage?" Yes she knew that word! So French! "I'm sure you'll get a million presents. You deserve nothing less," she declared with a lift of her nose in the air.

She might be the kindest celebrity that Eirene had ever fangirled over. She might be the only celebrity that Eirene had ever fangirled over, but shh, details.

After just a moment's hesitation, Eirene took her list out of her pocket and unfurled the neat, tidy scroll. At the top of the list were her parents' names. Then Noriko Wakahisa, then Tim Pepper, then a few other Ravenclaws.

Further down, in a separate category, she'd listed the names of all of her professors. Professor Sylvain Onuris was first, of course. So French, so handsome!

In the third category she'd listed the names of the current prefects. She was trying not to go overboard this year.

Last but not least, way down at the bottom of the list, she'd lightly inked one other name.

Sasha Schlagenweit ??

Eirene started and looked over Vanessa's shoulder anxiously as she remembered that she'd dotted the question marks with little hearts.

"Oh, you don't have to read all of it! My parents and friends are listed at the top," she spoke quickly. "The rest are just professors and prefects."

Mmhmm, sure!