we all knew , open

[cho vivian chang]

The crunch of snow beneath her feet served as a distraction. Well for now, as she walked through the crowded streets of diagon alley. For the most part she wasn't a part of the news anymore. Which she was happy about, thinking about all that fame and luxury wasn't really her. She could be the wealthiest girl in the world and some how she would still be miserable. The sudden gust of wind made her forget her thoughts and shiver from the cold. It was only November and the snow had already began to fall.

She sounded like she never seen snow before, but of course that wasn't the case. Picking her glance from the mushy snow beneath her feet, she started looking for signs of shops. Reading each name silently. The dark haired girl was treating herself to a day of shopping. She had recently moved to her own flat. It didn't come to a surprise that her mother had practically used up every excuse for her leave. She promised herself never to be so overprotective like her mother, but it was apparent that Cho would have her moments.

She sighed softly feeling the snow flakes begin to pile up around her. She settled for the next shop she came across. She wasn't picky especially when she wanted to get out of the cold. Shaking the snow out of her hair she made her way through the shop, looking at all sorts of decorations around. She really had to stop leaving the house with out a list. She moved slowly around the shop, looking at the various designs of framed mirrors they had.

outfit: clicky

[audrey claire robineaux]

It was a very rare day when Audrey had enough money to go shopping, but there she was. Every year on her mother's birthday she would go to Diagon Alley and buy herself something frivolous. It was a tradition in her family that on one's birthday, instead of getting presents, one bought presents for the people that were a significant part of one's life. Audrey's mother had called it "giving thanks for being born into a life that allowed you to meet that person," and Audrey hadn't had the heart to retire the tradition when her mother had died two years previously.

As it were, she was standing in a building that seemed to be made of mirrors, or at least coated in them like a thick paint- there were mirrors on the wall, mirrors propped up on the floor, against furniture, even mounted on the ceiling. She was a horrible shopper, and had been there for most of the afternoon deciding between three particularly beautiful mirrors, torn between which would look best in her mostly barren living room.

Audrey was big on presentation, and she was determined to get it just right, to find the perfect mirror. She ran her fingers over the gilt edge of one, and caught sight of something in the reflection that wasn't welcome. "Oh bloody hell." She mumbled, turning to frown at the opening door. It wasn't the woman entering that had caught her attention, but rather the draft of cold air and the snow blowing around outside. Audrey hated winter, and preferred to stay away from snow if at all possible, but apparating with an object as large as a mirror wasn't exactly one of her strengths, so she could either wait it out or walk down to the pub to use the floo network, which was just as uncomfortable an idea.

She sighed and pulled her wool coat tighter around her, her attention momentarily drawn from the snow to the woman, who looked familiar. Why? Then it hit her.

"Cho Chang." Audrey actually smiled, recognizing her former housemate. The girls hadn't exactly been close, having been two years apart, but Audrey had never thought badly about the girl. "How are you?"


clothes: www.polyvore.com/audreywithcho/set?id=22941283

[cho vivian chang]

She reminded herself that she need to really start making lists of things she was going to do, or things she was going to buy. It was always good to be organized. She made a mental note of that, hopefully she had the good sense to remember it. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes as she reached for the door to the shop that she was about to enter. She felt a gust of wind as she turned to close the door. It had been pretty cold inside and she hated letting in the cold air in such a warm place.

Her brown eyes looked around the seemingly empty shop only to met eyes with a former housemate. She smiled when she heard her name. Instantly walking towards the former ravenclaw girl. She waved before reaching the girl."Hey, Audrey. I'm alright, just a bit cold, but who isn't these days."Cho said with a laugh and the nervous movement of her fingers to brush her hair away from her eyes.

Was she alright. She shook her head shaking the thought away and causing the rest of the white powder that didn't melt from her hair to shower the floor and her face. Wiping her face she started to ask Audrey the same question. Moving to grab a mirror that had caught her eye."What about you? How have you been. Its been quite some times since we last talked."Cho said with a small laugh.

[audrey claire robineaux]

"No kidding." Audrey responded, making a face. Audrey's expression was always so easy to read, and it was evident that winter and snow weren't exactly high on her list of likes. "I'll probably just stay here until the snow stops."

Her gaze sized the other girl up, taking in her trendy clothes, her lithe frame. Cho had always been beautiful, and she probably always would be- but Audrey knew as well as anyone that Cho had had a hard time since losing Cedric. With Rita Skeeter buzzing around during the whole tournament, it was hard not to know about the personal lives of the champions, but to have actually known Cho and Cedric herself... well, Audrey felt for the younger girl. The pain of loss was miserable, and she couldn't imagine what it was like to lose someone you were in love with. At least everyone expected to lose a parent sooner or later, even if it still hurt. A lover... it was hard to fathom.

Still, Cho looked well enough, and Audrey didn't know Cho well enough to question her self assessment. "I've been all right, I guess. I've been busy with work- I work at the ministry-" she added in explanation, "and that leaves me little time for anything else. Other than that, nothing that exciting is going on in my life- single again, the usual. How about you? What have you been doing since graduation?"

[cho vivian chang]

Cho laughed once more as she looked at Audrey's expression."Hey, I'm sorry but don't take it personally. I really don't keep in touch with people. Its sort of a weird habit I haven't gotten rid of."She said with a small sigh. She wasn't kidding, the only person she would of kept in touch with was gone now....One of her reasons for not wanting to keep in touch with people was because she didn't want to feel like she was bothering them or something close to it.

She looked at her and smiled. Her words could be taken in different words and instead of being lost in her words Cho would ask questions."You mean here as in here, or here as in the shop."She said hoping she didn't sound too ignorant. She placed the mirror back where she had picked it up and continued to browse. Looking back up at Audrey when she had began to speak, she smiled and nodded."That's good to hear. Ah, jobs at the Ministry can keep one very occupied."

It was to be expected, its how a conversation was kept alive. By asking questions, well most of the time. She brushed her hair back and her brown eyes remained fixated on the mirrors."I've been good, especially after leaving quidditch behind. I've become a healer, I work at St. Mungos."She said with a nod, knowing the very reason why she left quidditch."I've just moved into to my new flat. It took ages for my mum to let me go."She said a bit embarrassed about her mom not wanting to let her live on her own. Her mother and well her father had always been so overprotective, she figured it was because she was their only child.

[audrey claire robineaux]

Audrey shrugged again, she figured she could understand that. She didn't have too many friends from school that she kept in touch with either, not since she had gone abroad for the year after her mother died. Her friends had either died facing Voldemort, or found replacements for her in their life, knocking her from best friend status to outer periphery friend. Audrey figured she was okay with it, it was most self induced. She had really shut down after losing her mother. "Can't really say I have either, on reflection." Audrey gave her a wry smile.

"In the shop, unless you had a better idea." Audrey replied, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. She didn't fancy going out in the snow, but there were several suggestions that would entice her out of the warmth of the store and down the street a little further, if given the promise of company. It was alone that Audrey would rather sit and wait.

As far as Cho's questions went, Audrey didn't mind so much. She wasn't as much of a questioner as an observer herself, but she could respect the approach- it was lot better than pretending to understand what one was talking about, and really having no idea. "That it can." She answered vaguely- it was never good to elaborate much on the ministry with Voldemort running things, better to stay vague.

"A healer, really?" Audrey blinked in surprise, and picked up her mirror, tucking it under her arm as she followed Cho further towards the back of the shop. "You'd make a good healer." She said after a moment, and it was true, Cho would- Audrey had just never thought of her in that light before. Still, Cho was vivacious and funny, and everyone liked her- just the right combination for a healer. "Why'd you give up Quidditch?"

Audrey smiled in response to Cho's commentary on her mother, her own had been the same after Audrey had graduated. She would have been more than happy to keep her daughter at home until she was married, and even then Audrey could see her mother trying to keep both her and her husband in the house. "Parents can be something else, for certain. It's good you got out on your own, though, there's nothing quite like it."

[cho vivian chang]

She smiled at Audrey when she said that she really didn't try to keep in touch with any of her friends. If Cho was know for one thing at school, besides her quidditch, was that she was always surrounded by people. She just had that ability to start talking to someone with out feeling uncomfortable, but of course that was back when she was in school, things have changed and so had she. Or at least she wanted to believe that she had changed.

She smiled once more at Audrey and shrugged her shoulders softly."Well after your done shopping here, if you want we could go get a hot chocolate or something to eat. Though I am craving some hot chocolate or a cheeseburger."She said with a laugh. Cho wasn't a picky eater, despite her thin figure it could be taken as she was, but she eat anything that tasted delicious to her. And at that moment she was fancying a cheeseburger and some fries.

"I'm sure you won't melt, once you step outside. Or well depending on the situation, I highly doubt you would freeze."She said in a playful tone. She nodded once more, in agreement to what Audrey said about working at the Ministry. She didn't want to ask to many questions, she knew some lines shouldn't be crossed, especially during these times.

She couldn't help but laugh softly at Audrey's expression, after telling her she worked at St. Mungos."Is it really that surprising."She asked jokingly. Cho, knew she wasn't the smartest person in the world, but she wasn't dumb either."Thanks,"She said in reply to Audrey saying she would be a good healer. Hopefully Audrey didn't her the breath that was caught in Cho's throat when she was asked about quidditch. It was in the daily prophet, which was bad enough, but at least the truth wasn't printed."Quidditch is fun and all, but some people are not cut out for all that fame and being in the spotlight."She lied, before picking up a mirror that had caught her eye."That is true."Cho said with a small laugh.

[audrey claire robineaux]

"Sure!" Audrey agreed cheerfully. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually sat down to have a meal with anyone, and she hadn't even had breakfast that morning. Paying someone else to make her lunch sounded a lot better than going home and making it herself, that was for certain. Besides, now that she was out of Hogwarts, Audrey had a lot more in common with Cho than she had while at school. Perhaps this could be the start of a closer friendship.

"I might not melt, no, but I have the unlucky ability to catch a cold pretty much every time it snows. I don't properly thaw out until spring." She joked, tilting her head so that her ponytail fell over her shoulder. The only thing that Audrey ever willingly ventured out in the cold for was Quidditch during school, but she wasn't such a fan of the professional arena, which was mainly why she didn't have any idea why Cho had quit.

"Not surprising, no. I just... I don't know, I figured Quidditch would be your thing. I suppose we all grow up though, don't we?" She asked vaguely. There was a time when she wanted to teach, but she had long ago given that up, even before finishing school. Instead, she had taken a position as an Unspeakable, trying to figure out the mysteries that couldn't seem to be solved by normal magic. It was fascinating work, she had to admit, but not as rewarding as teaching.

[cho vivian chang]

Cho smiled when Audrey had agreed to go out to eat with her."That's great, it shall be my treat!"Cho told her as she grabbed her mirror and headed towards the counter to pay for her new decoration. She dug into her pocket pulling out the exact amount and handed it over, before getting her mirror. She thanked the cashier and moved out of the way so other people could pay for their items as well. Cho laughed when Audrey responded about not melting but that she might get a cold and that she didn't thaw out till spring."How do you manage to go out? It has to get very boring just staying cooped up."Cho said teasingly.

She laughed and shook her head at Audrey's response."Its alright, your not the only one who has given me that response. Not all of us have to grow up so quickly though."Cho said with a nod."What did you really want to do before you had to grow up?"Cho asked her curiously."Oh, where do you want to go get a bite to eat?"Cho asked her, wondering if Audrey had a place in mind.

[audrey claire robineaux]

"You don't have to do that." Audrey said, raising her brows. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had paid for her for anything- then again, she didn't go out very often with anyone that wasn't related to work. As Cho went to pay for her own mirror, Audrey hung hers back up- she would come and pick it up on her way home so that she didn't have to carry it around. Besides, if someone decided to buy it, it simply wasn't meant to be.

"Mostly I apparate to work, sometimes I convince someone to bring me lunch..." She said jokingly. She did go out on occasion, but it was much rarer in the winter months. Snow made her want to stay inside, where it was warm.

"Me? Oh, teach, I suppose." She shrugged, tying the sash on her long coat so that it would provide insulation against the wind. "I always figured that was what I would do. Now I'm at the ministry." Audrey, being an unspeakable, wasn't allowed to say what she did at her job- which was study the mysteries of the world, and try to decipher what the mysteries really were. "Anywhere's fine. There's a cafe up there, and a restaurant back that way." She nodded over her shoulder. "What about you? If you could have a chance to do everything over again, be anything you wanted, would you still be a healer?"

[cho vivian chang]

Cho laughed softly and shrugged."I really don't mind. Besides its just a mel, its not like I'm buying you a house or something. We could always go out to eat again and then you can pay for it."Cho said with a smile as she stuck her mirror in her bag. It looked like it wasn't going to fit, but Cho had charmed the bag to be bigger on the inside. So at least all she had to do was carry her bag. She watched Audrey hang the mirror that she had in her hands but didn't think much of it. She laughed softly at what Audrey said,"Really, well at least you only have one destination. From your home to work and back again."

She nodded as she headed towards the doorway, hearing that Audrey wanted to be a teacher. Cho smiled softly at her question, she stayed quiet for a couple of seconds. She really didn't know. She figured it all depended on the situation. She nodded when Audrey explained how she decided to stick with working at the Ministry."What did you want to teach?"Cho asked curiously."Well, if I could I don't know. I mean sure I would want to, I mean I still love quidditch and all. But helping people is fun too....despite the dying....but I guess...I'm not sure."Cho said honestly as she opened the door and adjusted her coat tighter against her small frame."The restaurant sounds better, if you don't mind a bit of walking."Cho said teasingly.