hey, soul sister

Paloma moved around the library, looking through shelves, trying to find something worth reading, when something caught her eye. She frowned, but a big smile replaced that frown when she saw what it was: her favourite book.

"YES!" she exclaimed, not believing they actually had this one at Hogwarts. It was hard to find, it was a Muggle book her sister had gotten her for her 12th birthday, but it was one she never got tired of reading. "Merlin, I can't believe it!"

Thinking she might have been talking a little too loudly, she turned to mutter an apology to the librarian and her jaws dropped.

"Alice?! What are you doing here?!"

Alice was sorting out some books when she heard a girl's voice and was about to scold her for talking loudly when she turned around and realized who it was.

A big grin spread on her face as she saw her little sister, mouth wide open, in front of her. She had forgotten Paloma didn't know she was working at Hogwarts. . . weird how it was already November and they still hadn't seen each other.

"Lola!" she gave the girl a big hug, "What do you think I'm doing? Working, obviously."

Paloma rolled her eyes and frowned. "I can tell you're working- well, supposed to be, you're not doing your job very well if you're letting me scream around the library - but why? How come? What about that joke shop?"

"Merlin, I've missed you," she hugged her again.

Alice nodded, "Yeah, what was all that squealing about anyway?"

"Closed down," she muttered sadly, she really loved that place. "Everyone was fired, someone bought the place and they're turning it into a nightclub or something," she said, "I'm not even sure. It better be a good one."

"So I got a job here," the ex-Hufflepuff motioned to the Library, smiling, but it quickly faded. "Well, mum and dad did," she said bitterly.

"I've missed you too sweetie."

"Oh, that," Paloma grinned, showing her the book, "Look at this! They have it here!"

She snorted, "Let's be honest, even if it was a bad one, you'd still go there." She added, "But that's too bad about the shop closing. I know you loved working there. But here might not be so bad!" She knew her sister loved books and Hogwarts

"Alice. . . " Paloma warned, already knowing this topic was not going to be fun.

Alice smiled, "Of course they do. Who do you think got it?"

"You know me pretty well, sis," she laughed, "Of course I'd go. And I'd bring you with me."

"It's temporary, Lola," Alice said quickly, "I'm not going to stay here for the rest of my life. I love Hogwarts, but I just got the job because you know I need one."

"You should have seen their faces when I told them I was looking for a job," she said, shaking her head, "They were practically jumping with glee." She sat down in a nearby chair and patted the one next to her, motioning for her sister to join her, "It's not the Ministry, but they think it's a good start. You know how they have their connections, they got this job easily, how long do you think it's going to take until they send me to work there?"

Paloma squealed and hugged her sister again. It was weird how happy she was because of a book, but it was just a really special book to her. "I should have known you had something to do with it," she said, "Thanks Ali. I wanted to bring my copy, but mum said I would have too many books to read at the Library."

She rrolled her eyes and smiled at her sister's comment, but didn't say anything. She frowned when Alice said she wasn't going to work there forever. "Why not?" she asked her, "You love working with books, you have a place to stay, you have food. . ."

Sitting down next to the blonde, she sighed, "What's so bad about working in the Ministry, anyway?"

Alice chuckled, "Calm down there, squirt. It's just a book."

"I know I have all that," she said, sighing, "but it's just not my place, you know? I love working here - you don't know how hard it is to even admit that, you know I hate owning mum and dad -, but it's just not where I belong."

She looked at her sister in disbelief as she sat and huffed, "Don't even get me started, Paloma. We've had this talk already."

"I understand, I guess," Paloma said, sighing, after glaring at her sister for saying it was 'just a book', "But what if you don't find anything else?"

She nodded. They'd had this talk too many times. She knew how her sister hated the thought of working in the Ministry and, honestly, a job there didn't look like Alice at all.

"I've been thinking of working there," the Uchitel admitted after a while and looked up, worried about how Alice was going to take it.

"I will," Alice assured her. And if she didn't, well, she'd keep working there until she found a job.

Her head shot up when her sister said she had been thinking about working at the Ministry and her eyes widened. "What? Why?" she asked her, "Are mum and dad making you do this? That is so like them."

Honestly, she was overreacting, Alice didn't hate the Ministry. Sure, she thought a lot of people there were corrupts and still prejudiced against Muggles, but she didn't hate it. Hate was a strong word. The older Poots simply hated - and that, she truly hated - the fact that her parents expected all their kids to be perfect, grow up and become Ministry employees. And they wouldn't take no for an answer.

Paloma shook her head, sighing at her sister's reaction. "No, Alice, they're not," she explained, "It's not like that- they're just. . . talking about it, you know?"

In reality, they were more like planning her future as Minister of Magic, but she wasn't going to tell her sister that.

"Talking about it like they talked about it with me?" Alice asked suspiciously, eyebrow raised. She sighed and pushed a strand of hair behind her sister's ear.

"You don't have to do everything they say, Lola," she told her softly. She only wished her sister would see that.