Too Short Again

Autumn's robes weren't really tattered or anything. Just stained. And the Cerisier crest was falling off. And the zipper was jammed. And if she were really being honest, there was a tear in the lining that was about six inches long. Julie-Pierre was forcing her to go, but he refused to actually go with her. She had promised him, and she wasn't the type of girl to break a promise. Even if she wasn't being checked up on.

So she kept the promise and went into the robe shop and got re-fitted. Same size as before. The smallest and shortest robe size, but hemmed up several more inches.

She rolled her eyes. She hated not being taller. She looked up at another student getting fitted, too. "This is ridiculous," she said. "When did you get taller?" Autumn asked.

Tamara had been working at Monsieur Nightingale’s shop for over a year now. She was growing more accustomed to the work and found herself enjoying it a bit more.

She liked the interaction with people and Monsieur Nightingale was letting her do more and more around the shop. Right now she was taking of one customer who was being fitted for robes. Tamara laughed to herself when the girl over to her right seemed rather upset about her height.

The older girl looked over to her and piped in. “I got taller around my third year. I kept growing too.” Tamara finished up the measurements of the customer in front of her before turning to the younger girl again. “What year are you, sweetie?” She asked politely.

Autumn blushed when the woman fitting the other student answered her. She couldn't have been much older than her twenties, but it was enough to embarrass her regardless. "I hate waiting," Autumn said. "All of my friends are taller than me. And even some of the first years I've met are taller. It doesn't make sense." She felt guilty for her words. "I apologize for complaining," she told the woman. "It was rude and I shouldn't have done it."

"I'm a second year now. Cerisier is my house," she answered. Autumn figured she had already said too much. The shop wasn't super busy, but she was still interrupting this woman's work. Autumn's father got irritated with her if she bothered him in his office, even if it was an emergency. Your mother stays at home with you and your sister for a reason. he'd say, as if she were really being some sort of nuisance. She sighed. She didn't even know where to begin with her parents. And she had just apologized moments ago, just like she had been taught.

"So you went to Beauxbatons, too?" Autumn asked quickly so she wouldn't have to explain her random sigh. "When did you graduate?"

Tamara did not mind one bit that the girl was chit chatting with her. Honestly, it was talking with the customers that made her job much more enjoyable. She liked the interaction with people. Tamara giggled softly at the younger girl’s blush, she clearly wasn’t expecting her to answer that was for sure. “Oh, I was incredibly impatient as well. I used to be quite short, but by the time I graduated I was one of the tallest girls.” She nodded with a smile. “Oh, no worries. The shop isn’t that busy.”

She sent the student she was fitting to look at some materials while she took care of their robes. “A second year! How exciting, soon you’ll get to go into the village on the weekends.” Tamara smiled, reminiscing back to her times at Beauxbatons.

“I did go to Beauxbatons.” Tamara nodded and grinned at her. “Ironically I was in Cerisier as well. Best house if you ask me.” She giggled. “I graduated two years ago.”

"Well, if I only have to wait one more year, I think I can manage.

Autumn was relieved when the woman said that she wasn't mad. However, Autumn was still angry with herself. She tried to calm down, but it was a struggle. When she did, she spoke again, "I hadn't thought about that. What is in the village?" she asked." I see all the older kids leaving to go and hear them talking about it, but I've never heard them say what they were going to do there."

Autumn still wanted to go, even if there wasn't anything interesting to do there. She wanted the whole school experience.

"I don't spend a whole lot of time with my house. My best friend is in Feu, so I spend a lot of time with those students. Did you have friends outside of your house?" Autumn questioned.