Chapter 5: The pale blond annoyance
As soon as I stepped into the store, a short and fat witch in a purple robe came to greet me, smiling warmly.
"Are you a new student at Hogwarts? Come try on some clothes first. We have reserved many sizes. Another child is trying them on too."
"Okay, okay." Even with Quasi by her side, Della was still not used to facing such enthusiastic people. She could only smile and follow the witch into the back of the store.
As soon as she entered, a bright golden color caught her eyes. This was probably the lightest golden hair Della had ever seen. Maybe because her gaze was too direct, the boy who had stretched out his hand to cooperate in taking off his robe looked at her. Della blinked and gave him a toothless smile.
The boy's gaze was not friendly, but Della was least afraid of staring into each other's eyes.
Following Mrs. Mokin's instructions, Della stood on the footstool next to the boy and put on the robe following her movements. She watched Mrs. Mokin's stubby but flexible fingers flying as she pinned her size. Quasi beside her also admired Mrs. Mokin's skillful movements in amazement.
"Are you going to Hogwarts too?"
To Della's surprise, the boy next to her spoke to her. She tilted her head slightly to look at the delicate boy with his light blond hair meticulously combed back and a somewhat arrogant look on his face.
"Yes, hello." Thinking that the other person might be her future classmate, Della still responded to him with a smile even though she felt uncomfortable with his arrogance.
Draco had completely taken off the robes used to measure his size, but he did not get off the footstool. Instead, he spoke slowly and loudly, "Go and get me some robes in my size. My parents are not here yet. I am a Malfoy child, and I want to try on a few more clothes."
The witch behind him paused, then at the glance of the store manager beside her, she swallowed the words "You can choose it yourself" and obediently went to choose clothes for him.
After saying that, he glanced at Quasi beside Della with contempt, raised his head slightly and looked at the beautiful black-haired girl beside him who was as pale as himself, and found that she was also smiling and looking at him.
This was much better than the rude boy just now, and it made him feel a little better, but he didn't intend to say anything nice when he opened his mouth.
"Why do you keep such a lowly house elf around? Are your parents doing your shopping for you at other stores?"
Not every wizarding family has house-elves. Although Draco did not see any family crest on his pillowcase, he still assumed that the girl in front of him, who was not dressed very elegantly, must be of house-elves, probably not so poor that she could not show her family crest.
"House elf?" Della didn't react for a moment, but she still rejected the words of the boy in front of her, "Kuaxi is my friend. He came here with me to buy things."
"Friend? This is the first time I've heard someone call this kind of slave a friend." Draco sneered arrogantly, but his voice was quickly drowned out by Quasi's happy screams.
"Dela said Kwasi is her friend! Dela said Kwasi is her friend! This is the first time a wizard has said Kwasi is a friend! Kwasi is an elf who is a wizard friend!"
Della looked at Quasi, who seemed to be about to cry with joy, and didn't quite understand his excitement. The boy next to him who said his name was Malfoy frowned and shouted:
"enough!"
Now Della, Mrs. Mokin, and even Quasi all looked at the young master who suddenly got angry.
"May I have your name!"
Hearing the boy's questioning tone, Della frowned at him unhappily. She didn't want to respond to the boy's words.
"Let me ask you, are your parents both wizards?" Realizing that the girl didn't want to answer, Draco became even angrier and shouted at Della in a more aggressive tone.
"I don't know, I'm from an orphanage." Della said coldly.
"I can't believe I've been with such a dirty bloodline of yours for so long!" Draco yelled, jumping off the footstool and rushing out, just in time to bump into the witch who was bringing back some exquisite robes. Although the boy was thin, he still had the impact of a cannonball. The robes in the witch's hands fell to the ground. Draco looked at the scattered robes on the ground with almost red eyes, and growled: "Wrap them all up for me!" As he said that, he rushed straight out the door, as if the place where he had been before was contaminated by something.
Besides being angry and ashamed, Della was also a little frightened. She stared blankly in the direction the boy left, until Mrs. Mokin beside her touched her arm soothingly and she came to her senses.
The pitying expression on the short and fat witch's face overlapped with the face of Aunt Mason in his memory. An unspeakable sense of grievance surged in his heart, and tears that had not appeared in many years suddenly welled up in his eyes and were about to turn into golden beans and fall down.
Madam Malkin quickly put down the pin in her hand and gently stroked Della's delicate cheek with her calloused fingers. "Don't cry, child. It's not your fault. Some wizards have prejudices since childhood."
"Yes, yes! There are always some little bastards!" Quasi also responded to Mrs. Mokin vigorously, trying to comfort the friend in front of him.
Maggie, who had been hiding herself from Madam Malkin, also gently rubbed the skin she could touch. Della sniffed her slightly red nose and forced a smile. "Thank you, I just don't understand, but I feel much better now. Let's continue, Madam Malkin."
Mrs. Mokin lovingly touched the girl's smooth, slightly curly black hair, and her nimble fingers began to dance again. After a short while, she had determined the size and asked the well-behaved girl to go to the counter to get it.
When Della was ready to jump off the footstool, Mrs. Malkin stopped her movements. Della watched her take out a beautiful white pearl hairpin from her pocket and put it on her head before Della could react.
"Don't refuse, my dear." Mrs. Malkin squeezed Della's frightened hand. "You are a lovely child. I want to give you this."
The biggest blush of her life appeared on Della's pale face. For the first time, she didn't dare to look into the eager eyes that she had always longed for. She blushed and thanked Mrs. Mokin, and walked out of the shop with a kind laugh.
At this moment, she felt even more euphoric than after she went shopping with Quasi.
Although it was still unpleasant to think of that annoying light golden-haired creature, it did not affect Della's good mood.
After leaving the store, Della noticed that the sun outside had grown higher. It seemed like a long time had passed, but when she thought about it carefully, it was only half a day. Just half a day broke all her usual cognition.
Raising her hand to block the glaring sunlight, the eleven-year-old girl had a subtle sense that things and people had changed.
She smiled and looked down at her first little friend in the magical world, "Kwasi, I'm a little hungry, do you have any store recommendations?"
"There's one! Kwasi heard them say it's Pedre's in Diagon Alley! There's the most delicious minced meat tart! Kwasi wants to take Della there!"
Quasi became excited again. Della followed Quasi with a smile, carrying a small and light handbag. Magic was so convenient. It could hold all her luggage and today's shopping proceeds, but it was still so light.
After a while, Quasi brought Della to Pedre Restaurant. This time when they arrived at the door of the restaurant, Quasi tugged at the corner of Della's clothes, looked up at Della with his big watery eyes, and then took two steps back.
"Della, go in by yourself. Wizards' restaurants don't serve house-elves."
Quasi's usually high voice dropped inexplicably.
"Why is the wizarding world like this? Why don't we just not go..."
"Ms. Della, please come in! Quasi wants Della to taste the most delicious minced meat tart!"
Quasi's voice rose again. He interrupted Della and quickly ran to the flower bed next to the store. He sat on the marble in the shadow and waved to Della with a smile, asking her to go in first.
Della was about to catch up with Quasi, but the words that the annoying guy in light blond hair said in the robe shop suddenly popped into her mind. She paused, leaning forward slightly, smiled at Quasi who was still looking at her, and walked into the shop.
Quasi, who was outside the store, didn't wait long before he saw Della open the door and come out. He was a little surprised at how short Della's meal time was. Della looked very happy and ran towards him, then opened her handbag and took out three well-packed lunch boxes.
He heard the black-haired girl in front of him say that she told the owner that she wanted to bring some to her family to try, so she bought some and took them back, and also asked for a piece of raw meat for Maggie. It just so happened that we could sit here and eat together now.
He didn't remember how he reacted afterwards. It was the first time he ate food from a wizard restaurant with a wizard. He couldn't even describe what the so-called most delicious minced meat tart tasted like.
The dining situation that day was actually very strange. They sat on the flower bed outside the hotel and ate the minced meat tower that was usually cut with a knife and fork, carefully paying attention to the gravy that might splash out. Miss Della's snake was still feasting on a box of raw meat with a bloody smell. The wizards passing by looked at them strangely.
But Quasi had never been so happy and satisfied. He thought he had met the best Della and this was indeed the most delicious minced meat tart.