Jazelle had a sudden craving.  Looking all around her house, she was put out to find that it contained no satisfactory items for said craving.  Her mother was at work and her brother was in classes all day, so Jazelle was all alone that afternoon.  Well, I won't be gone long, there's no need to leave a note, she thought with a shrug.  Sighing dramatically, she tied up her vans, buttoned her top, placed her wand in her enchanted jeans pocket and grabbed some wizard money.  In another step, Jazelle apparated to Diagon Alley.

Giggling in delight at the sensation, Jazelle stumbled a bit upon landing, but laughed even louder as she did so.  Noticing the weird looks from other witches and wizards, Jazelle gave a slight bow and continued on her way.  She was now in the heart of Diagon Alley.  Momentarily forgetting why she was there, Jazelle took it upon herself to check out the new pets in Eeylops Owl Emoprium.  Smiling like an eager child at a candy shop, she cooed at each owl and animal alike, praising them on specific characteristics.

Jazelle had been thinking about buying an owl, rather than using the school's supply.  Now that she had the money, Jazelle was finding it hard to think of a reason not to get one.  The truth was, her mother wouldn't approve of an owl staying in the house, no matter how tamed it was.  This thought brought a sour mood upon her head, making her sigh in frustration and back away from an adorable eagle owl.  Something caught her eye, though, and made her turn on the spot to see the cutest little tawny owl she had ever laid eyes on.

Immediately her mood shifted to impenetrable delight at the sight of the owlet looking at her with big eyes.  Covering her mouth to muffle most of her high-pitched squeals, and jumped up and down on each foot to contain her excitement.  She didn't care who saw her acting like a weirdo; Jazelle just found the cutest fowl ever created.  And she had to have it.  Pursing her lips as she approached the owlet, she cooed soothing words to ease the little thing.  Jazelle tapped the bars of the small cage gently, face close and beaming with joy.  "Hey there little guy," she whispered happily.  As the owlet hooted back in the cutest little way, she had one of those random spurs of decision making.  It was inevitable: she had to buy it.

"Excuse, me, how much is this tawny?" she asked the shopkeeper sweetly, only cocking her head to the side slightly, eyes still locked on the owlet.

Sup?

Ugh. Summer. If there was something he hated more than talking about himself and being touched, Church would probably say it was summer break. And actually that was a recent development where he found that hanging out with his old Muggle friends meant dealing with his ex and her fool of a new boyfriend.

Fine, whatever. Soon enough he would for the most part have to leave the Muggle world behind anyways. It was about time he started growing accustomed to spending time with the wizarding world outside of Hogwarts. And so Church found himself leaning on a street corner in Diagon Ally, reading from a Muggle book nonetheless.

Now that he thought about it, Church figured he should get some more items for his owl, Archimedes. And so with a sigh he pushed off the wall he was leaning upon and began making his way down to the Owl Emporium. Yes, he could walk without running into anything and read at the same time. In fact Church was always somewhat surprised when people couldn't, it seemed so easy.

Finally reaching his destination he closed his copy of The Phantom of the Opera with a snap and stepped inside. And to his great surprise he saw someone from his Muggle life in here. Well technically. They had met at school when they were kids and had been friends since. In fact it was quite a surprise seeing her on the very first Hogwarts Express ride at the start of their first year. He had never expected anyone from his old Muggle school to show up there. But perhaps that's why he actually felt close to her, unlike most of the people he knew. After all, for the most part all his Muggle friends were also hers. So they both shared in a secret that their past life would never know.

"Sup, Jazz?" Church said casually stepping up beside her. "I don't remember you owning an owl, so I guess you're buying one?" he turned his eyes to the small tawny she was standing before. "And unless I miss my guess, it's this one?"

"That'll be seven Galleons, miss," the shopkeeper answered in amusement.  "Most people don't bother with the youngin's.  They can stay here for months at a time without finding a home," he added with a sigh, turning back to his business.  Seven Galleons?  Damn, I only brought five. she thought with sad eyes, looking at the owlet lovingly.  Suddenly a familiar voice called out her nickname, making her jump a little before turning her head toward the source.  Feeling a warm smile spread across her face, she rotated her body so she faced Church completely, crossing her arms slightly across her midsection.

"Well, it's not really why I came to Diagon Alley in the first place.  I was actually craving some blood pops and licorice wands, but I got distracted," she said lightly with a chuckle.  "And you know me.  I can't resist such cute little things like him," she added and motioned to the tawny owlet looking up at her expectantly.  "The problem is, I need two more Galleons.  But I'm afraid if I leave even for a minute someone will swoop in and take him away." she sighed dejectedly and shook her head.  "I'm hopeless, aren't I?" she commented playfully with a dramatic sad face.

"But why are you here?  Archimedes running low on sustenance?" she asked curiously with a cocked head.

Church smiled and idly reached into his pocket and wrapped his hand around his pouch of money. "And don't forget about food and other various items required to care for an owl," he said somewhat sarcastically. "I think that makes it more like ten." And with a slight smile he added. "Don't worry I'll front you the money."

Without waiting on her reply he pulled out five galleons and handed them to Jazz. "And yes I'm here cause Archimedes is running low. I swear he eats his weight in food on a daily basis." Sighing Church pulled a bag of food off the shelf and handed the Shopkeeper the appropriate amount of money, having long since memorizing it.

"So how are you enjoying yourself?" Church asked calmly as he hadn't seen or heard from Jazz since the ride home. "Talk with anyone from the old gang?"

Jazelle smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and let out an embarrassed sigh.  "Of course he'll need food." she said, shaking her head and reluctantly taking his money.  "You know I'm good for paying you back.  'Pfft,' aren't I a superstar?" she added with a hint of sarcasm and smiled up at him sheepishly.  "I swear, it's only been a week and a half and you look like you've grown another inch.  Or I've shrunk.  I hate being so short..." she trailed off and handed the shopkeeper her seven and Church's five Galleons.  "I'll never make it on the big stage at this rate."

Picking up some food for the owlet and a few other essentials, she shrunk them and placed it in her back pocket.  Finally turning to the tawny, she smiled joyfully and picked up the tiny cage, eyes glittering with happiness.  "I am a sucker for big dark eyes..." she sighed with a smirk and looked back up at Church.  "Speaking of which, no, I haven't spoken to anyone from the old gang." she frowned slightly, shrugging and started walking out of the store.  She, of course, was referring to Johnny (Jazelle's friend she fell in love with) and Jeanette (Church's ex girlfriend).  "Not for lack of trying, though," she added flatly.

Johnny had recently dropped out of school and resorted to shady things, such as drugs and hanging around with the wrong crowd.  On numerous attempts, Jazelle tried reaching out to him, wanting nothing more than to help him.  But, like so many times before, she realized she can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.  It had now been months since she's seen or spoken to Johnny.  She didn't even know where he was or what he was doing.

Church shrugged. "Yea you can be quite the super star when you want to be," he said with light sarcasm. Smiling he turned and opened the the door for the both of them to leave, naturally allowing Jazz to go first before stepping out onto the lane. It suddenly seemed a lot brighter outside than Church had remembered. Idly he glanced upwards, as if he would see an extra inch on top of his head. "Maybe, I've grown some, dunno."

Hearing that she hadn't heard from anyone Church let out a sigh. "Weird," he said flatly. "From what I've gathered a few of them have been trying to get me to go out with them. And actually I was planning on it until they told me the roster," Church shook his head and let out another sigh.

"Can't go anywhere without seeing her."

Jazelle furrowed her eyebrows and stuck her tongue out the side slightly.  "Well, you and I could just hang out with Nichole.  Although she's looking for a second job, so maybe that's not such a good idea." she said a little dejectedly.  "This summer looks uneventful.  I think we're going to have to find other people to hang out with outside of our gang." she added with a sigh.

She looked up at him in concern, hating to see him so upset.  Jazelle couldn't believe how Jeanette turned out to be; she was just a heartbreaking liar all along.  She mentally hated herself for not seeing it earlier; as if she could've stopped Church from suffering so much heartache.  Jazelle always had a strained friendship with her, but she still liked her all the same because she made Church happy.

She didn't know how to make him feel better in a situation like this, and it made her guilty.  He had helped her during the whole Johnny thing, and Jazelle felt she should return the favor.  The thing was, she didn't know how.  Church was always a troubled kid: under his cool facade housed a depressed soul.  He was one of her best friends, and she hated that she couldn't help him out.

What do I say? she thought nervously, knowing in his usual bouts of upsetting occurrences it was best to give him his space and have him come to her when he was ready.  Though this was something entirely different, or so it seemed.

Church feigned a strangled choking noise. "Nichole? Are you serious?" he shot her a teasing look. "She's always so... Oh I don't know. She's just not as much fun on her own." Church thought for a moment about some of the latest gossip he'd heard from his friends before he declined their invitation. "Besides isn't she dating Jack now? Me and him never really got on."

He glanced at Jazz and suddenly noticed that she was eying him with... concern? It certainly looked like concern. With a sigh Church stopped walking, turning his body to face her completely. "Okay what's with the look?" he asked. "I don't think I've seen you look this worried since you-know-who made himself a drug addict and went AWOL."

Jazelle winced a little when Church mentioned Johnny, stopping slowly and facing him.  It was still a sore subject for her.  "It's, well... it's no secret that I care about you.  You're one of my best friends, and... what... she did was just," she shook her head and flickered her eyes away nervously.  "I'm sorry, I don't want to bring it up, but... I just want to help.  But I don't know how, and... ugh," she trailed off and groaned in frustration.

"After what you did for me with... Johnny, I feel like such an awful friend because here I am going on about candy and my height and this adorable little owl and I have no idea what to say or what to do!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, which caused her new owl to screech in surprise.  "And now I'm making a scene in the middle of Diagon Alley and causing my new owl to have a heart-attack." she added and hung her head slightly, dropping her hands at her sides and shutting her eyes tightly, feeling utterly useless.

Church was a little take aback at the sudden outburst from Jazelle. Strange he hadn't picked up about how sore the subject still was for her. But why shouldn't it be? After all it was very similar to his problem with Jeanette. And naturally she wanted to help. But how she could help him was a mystery. Church didn't even have an idea as to how someone could help him with his problem. Which was weird because he always seemed to know how to help someone else.

"Jazz," Chuch said quietly. "Calm down. No really, look," he gave a slight huff. "I'm fine. Don't worry about what to say. It doesn't bother me any. I at least know your trying." Again Church sighed. Glancing upwards he noticed a few witches were eying them, whispering furiously to each other. Church had to resist the urge to show them his favorite finger.

"Did I ever tell you that I punched Johnny in the face last time I saw him?"

Jazelle's eyes widened at his admission at punching Johnny in the face.  Not that it was uncharacteristic of him, of course, Jazelle knew well enough what Church was like.  Before recently, Jazelle would be furious with Church for doing something like that to Johnny, since he was the biggest sweetheart she knew.  It was just hard to comprehend the fact that Johnny really had changed: that he wasn't the person she loved anymore.

Looking up at Church sheepishly, she pursed her lips and softened her gaze before sighing in defeat.  "I didn't know that, no.  Though I suppose... he had it coming." she shook her head quickly and rested her forehead on his shoulder lightly, knowing he didn't like to be touched, but kept it very subtle.  "When will it stop hurting?" she asked softly, though loud enough to hear.  Eyes closed, she pictured Church giving Johnny the punch to the face; wincing a bit at the image.

"Johnny... and Jeanette aren't worth it, but..." she trailed off and moved stepped back somewhat, not wanting to make him too uncomfortable.  "It's hard to come to terms with the fact that they're not who we thought they were." she said, giving him a sheepish smile.  "But, you know I'm here for you.  No matter how... limited my help will be."

Church visibly flinched as his friends rested her head against him, every muscle tensing up. Dear God in heaven how he hated being touched. It probably said something about his own fortitude that he didn't completely shove her away from him. He gave a very stiff shrug to her question about when the pain would go away. "I don't know, maybe never," Church said bitterly.

"No, they're really not," Church agreed, trying to keep his voice even. It almost pained him more to say that. He despised how much he still had emotions for her, sickened him, really. But Church guessed that's what happened when you let someone into your like. Probably for the best to never let that happen again.

"And I know you are," he commented in a sort of reassuring way. "And that's all that really matters."

Jazelle ran her free hand through her hair and took another deep sigh.  "Enough about all this.  Wait here while I set this little guy up in my room.  Then I'll come back and give you your money.  It'll just take twenty-three seconds." she said and disapparated on the spot.

With another fit of giggles at the sensation, Jazelle found herself in her bedroom.  Setting her owlet on the clear area of desk and grabbing some money from her drawer, she said goodbye and disapparated yet again, reappearing in front of Church in record time.

"Hah!  seventeen seconds!" she exclaimed happily and handed him five Galleons.  "So, where are you headed to next?" she asked lightly with a small smile.

Jazelle's sudden shifts in mood was a normal thing for her: she usually went through several shifts in mood on a daily basis.  This usually made those around her either uncomfortable, confused or just weirded out.  It was one of the reasons why it was difficult for her to build friendships.  To most it was off-putting, but the select few who tolerated it or even liked it were the most important people in her life.  That included Church, her other childhood best friend Nichole, her close friend Elizabeth, and up until a few months ago, Johnny.

Church smiled and rolled his eyes slightly. "I counted eighteen, actually," he said sticking his tongue out at her and pocketing the money. "And I haven't a clue." Church shrugged. His plan was to do nothing, maybe intentionally piss off some stuck up rich people, maybe even a pureblood or two. But that was it. And he doubted Jazz would find it quite as amusing as he did.

"We could go get a drink, or something," Church offered with a shrug. Now that he was seventeen Church had considered actually buying alcohol. May as well try it once; who knows, he might even like it. "Leaky Cauldron fine?" he asked as if she had agreed with him. "Or would you rather hop over to Hogsmeade?"

Jazelle stuck her tongue out playfully at Church and made a face.  Chuckling slightly, she pretended to thing really hard, looking up and stroking her chin as if it were a beard.  "Hmmm..." she hummed and furrowed her eyebrows as if in concentration.  Eying Church and going back to normal, she gave a warm smile.  "Leaky Cauldron is just fine.  Much seedier than Hogsmeade, for sure.  The patrons always fascinate me." she said cheekily.

Jazelle liked exploring even the shadiest places around: including the depths of Knocturn Alley.  Though it was always odd to see someone like her around those kind of areas: people weren't sure if they should feel sorry for her or fear her: since it's always the nice ones to look out for.  She found it amusing or just didn't care enough to notice the weird looks given to her.