CARNIVAL du MYSTIQUE
A Harry Potter UNIVERSE/ Sasporilla Bucket Fan Fiction
by Darren Kelly
Chapter 3
The realities of summer employment rarity were hitting home with Sasporilla as She had spent the better part of every day this week chasing down leads to jobs. Any small job would do to fill small financial voids. Sasporilla she knew she didn't really need the money but the responsible young witch was not the type to sit around and live off insurance funds or other monies put away for a rainy day.
Sassy found herself near Piccadilly Circus on Friday night finishing off a bacon, cheese and onion butty from her Uncle Nicks favourite food cart. Hidden just down an alley way, outside an after hours club, an older elf named Orlix had run this food cart for decades. Every time she was in the area Sassy was sure to stop in. Sasporilla reached into her bag and pulled out a slip of paper and an couple of coins. Three knuts, two sickles. Exact change for the sandwich and a drink off the cart. Sasporilla looked at the paper. It was the circular for the carnival she'd been handed the other day.
Piccadilly Circus was alive with the hustle and bustle of muggle traffic as the sun set on the purple horizon. Sitting in the center of the of side walk was a box office surrounded by a wave of barred turn- style. muggles walked around the brightly coloured and brightly lit object, unseen and unperceived.
"Step right up young witch and get your ticket to the finest carnival this side of Europe. Win fabulous prizes in tests of your magical skill! See feats of magical prowess undreamed of! See rare magical creatures the likes of which you thought you'd never see in your life time! Ride the fabulous magical thrill rides of the great wizard engineer Nikos Tesoracto! Your journey starts here with an admission ticket for just one knut!"
"Well just one knut is a bargain only a fool would turn their noses up at!" Sasporilla laughed.
"Right you are young miss!" The ticket taker laughed noticing the young witch not digging into her purse for admission money.
"And only a fool would believe that everything inside is free for that one low price?" Sasporilla mused.
"Well there are some further fees once inside of course." The ticket taker shrugged. "Not every one wants the same carnival experience. Pay as ya go hives ya a better chance to get the show that's right for you!"
"I see." Sasporilla said. "And how much more do you think that might just cost me?"
"That's completely up to you mum." The tick master smiled. "Go in for a knut. Look around. See the show examples, watch the rides and the light shows. Leave. Your our no more money. Play some games. Have a ride or two. Buy yourself a treat, well there's a couple galleons well spent easily."
"Well since you put it like that." Sasporilla said pulling a knut from her bag and exchanged it with the man for a ticket.
"Go right in." The ticket master smiled through his baked bean teeth.
Sasporilla stepped into the turnstile that went around the back of the ticket booth. The muggle world seemed to darken and fade to silence as carnival music and light swelled before her eyes.
Sasporilla exited the turnstile on the right side of the ticket booth. Piccadilly Circus as muggles knew it, was gone. The street was alive with the Carnival du Magique.
A calliope played as clowns danced and juggled. A Siamese monkey cat, a creature with the body of a monkey and head of a cat, danced with a cup fot sickles and knuts. A small stage was set-up by a tent on the far side of an alley way of games of skill and of chance. A woman scantily clad in silken robes danced to the music of the far east played of exotic instruments. She cast wielded fire from her wand and manipulated it as a living serpent through the air around her. Intricately she interwove it through its own coils and high into the sky then exploded it in a shower of coloured sparks which pleased the patrons of the carnival.
Sasporilla inspected the games as she passed. Knock the cans down with a knock down jinx for a knut and win a doll. Knock them down three times, win a Niffler for the kiddies. Take it home, it will rob you blind and return here. Water spray jinx into a balloon. First to burst it wins a teddy bear for a galleon. Do it three times, win a Niffler... it was all pretty standard Carnival scam stuff.
Sasporilla found a small tent with an all seeing eye painted on it. A small sign sat outside saying fortunes told, 1 galleon. Sasporilla didn't really like knowing her future. Quite frankly if she had known all the bad things that had happened, were going to happen, and she could nothing to stop them, she'd have been a worse mess than she'd been when she' been in them!
Sassy chuckled to herself, silly thing, as she stepped inside the tent to see a young woman born with no eyes, or place for eyes, only forehead, sitting on the far side of a table. The table had a crystal ball at it's center, a deck of Tarot cards to one side, a pot of tea and a cup to the other and a palm readers poster on the back of the tent.
"You aren't sure if you'd like your fortune told?" The young woman said.
"I am trepadacious." Sassy smiled.
"Can't say as I blame you." The young woman said. "Those of us who have seen more than our fair share of life's mysteries, don't really want to know when more are coming our way."
"You took the words right out of my mouth." Sasporilla said.
"Join me in a cup of tea while you decide." The young woman smiled, pulled her wand snd conjured up a second cup. "No charge. I would most enjoy the pleasure of your company."
The tea she poured was exotic but quite lovely. It seemed a mix of early grey with hints of lavender and lemon grass.
"Agnes." The young woman said.
"I beg your pardon?" Sassy asked surprised.
"You were about to ask me my name." Agnes smiled. "It's Agnes Moorsehead."
"I was indeed Agnes," Sassy said tersely setting down her cup, "though such shenanigans, real or otherwise, I'm sure impress your usual clientele, I personally find the answering of my questions before I've asked them quite presumptuous and rude."
"Do forgive me." Agnes said placing her hand on Sasporillas. "It's a force of habit. Showbiz and all that. I did not mean any offence. I'll try not to do that anymore."
"Thank you." Sasporilla said. "And my name is Sasporilla Bucket."
"It is very nice to meet someone as uniquely free spirited, yet well mannered as you Sasporilla." Agnes smiled holding out her hand.
"Like wise Agnes." Sassy smiled shaking her new friends hand politely. "I do believe I would like you to tell me my fortune."
"Excellent." Agnes said. "How would you like it read?'
"Do you actually need any of the conventional tools of the trade?" Sasporilla asked. "After all you have no eyes. How do you see?"
"Much clearer than most." Agnes said.
"That was rude of me." Sasporilla apologised. "I am sorry, I don't know what I was thinking?"
"It was a common enough mistake." Agnes said. "You see I was born without my terrestrial eyes like normal witches like yourself, but my third eye is very powerful and sees the mystic truths revealed in the tools set before me. You are correct though. There are times when a persons fortune is so strong it defies the tether of the mystic vortex and comes forward to reveal itself to me whether I like it or not."
"Well perhaps I'll stick with tea leaves." Sassy said finishing up her tea and slipping a galleon into Agneses hand.
Agnes picked up the cup and saw the swirl of brutality and pain that had flowed through Sasporilla Buckets young life. The loss of loved ones, so tragic. The young loves that brought bitter sweet short joy. A smile rose upon her lips, then a look of concern and out of no where Agnes Moorsehead began to chuckle like a woman gone mad!
"Sasporilla Imaginarium Bucket, thank you!" Agnes said handing Sassy back her Galleon. "You fortune is full of such joy, pain, strife, shock, glory and love! I could never have been told a story and been so entertained!"
"I don't understand?" Sasporilla said.
"I will not tell you of the great things that await you. The choices you will face. The decisions, hard decisions for some, that you will make. The great things you will accomplish but I will tell you one thing in two parts."
"What?" Sassy said amused and confused.
"You HAVE found love in the past." Agnes smiled. "And when that love circles back like a fully matured rose, he will give himself to you, your love will blossom and be he will yours, forever."
Sasporilla gulped. "I've enjoyed our tea."
"It's my special blend." Agnes said. "I sell bags of it if you're ever interested, but you're always free to stop in any day Sassy."
Sasporilla walked out into the midway. She turned back to see the tent flap shut and the sign down.
"Last client of the day." Sassy laughed and walked on.
A tall thin man, with wild black hair and buck teeth stood next to sign encircled in flashing lights depicting a terrified wizard riding a white knuckle roller coaster through a fiery depiction of the nether world, much to the sinister delight of a red skinned, horned devil laughing in the background.
"Dare to take a ride on the DEVIL'S FORK!" The think man barked. "Designed by the great magical thrill ride engineer Eldor Coffschtedtter this roller coaster guarantees you more than just the ride of your life! It promises a death defying trip through the nether realms, past the dark things that seek to poison our world and destroy all life. Through the pits of fiery souls where you'll hear the screams of the damned and within the reach of the icy claws of the prince of darkness himself."
"Sounds delightful." Sasporilla chuckled. "How much?"
"One Galleon." The thin man smiled. "But I do not accept cash."
"I beg your pardon?" Sasporilla asked.
"You see all rides on the midway only accept ride tickets." The thin man smiled pointing at a lonely thin ticket booth across the way. "You can purchase ride tickets at the ride ticket booth, over there."
Sasporilla looked at the ride operator a bit bewildered. She had yet to go anywhere, where money was not accepted in place of ticket???? Oh well if that's what they wanted, Sassy walked over to the ride ticket booth and placed a galleon on the counter.
A young woman filing her nails and blowing a bubble with her bubble gum sat inside unconcerned with her customers presence.
"One please." Sassy asked.
"You want to spend two galleons." The girl said popping her bubble.
"No I believe I just want one." Sasporilla insisted.
The young girl sighed, frustrated by the witches inability to grasp this basic fact that everyone seemed unable to grasp.
"One ride ticket costs one galleon," the girl cracked her gum with contempt as she chewed, "but you can get three ride tickets for two galleons. It's a better deal. Everyone wants to ride more than one ride so might as well get a deal right?"
"You make sense." Sasporilla said. "I was looking at the ferris wheel as well so, why not?"
Sasporilla dug into her bag and pulled out another galleon.
"Two galleons, three tickets." The girl said handing the long thin ride tickets over to Sasporilla. "Enjoy your rides."
Sassy stood for a moment looking between the Devil's Fork roller coaster which hid, cloaked behind a magical sign, and the large ferris wheel that was of equal distance away. Perhaps the peaceful gentle ride of tje ferris wheel is where she would start her midway ride journey this evening.
Along the way Sasporilla stopped at a cart with a giant clear blue spider hanging from a candy web above it.
"Web candy miss?" The elf asked.
"Oh ta, yes please!" Sassy smiled as the elf passed her a paper cone filled with a loose puffy ball of fine blue sugar webs. "How much?"
"Just one knut miss." The elf smiled.
"For real Glucuastromantia web candy floss that's a bargain!" Sassy smiled handing over the coin.
Each gossamer mouthful was a unique sweet flavour experience. One bite tasted of blue Or-berries. The next tasted of rainbow song grass. One bite even tasted like an old butter scotch candy from the bottom of miss Daisy's hand bag, complete with the bit of fluff on it! That spider-floss vendor had old Bertie Botts beat hands down.
The ferris wheel was gigantic. It stood hundreds of feet high and leaned decidedly to the left. Hence the name the "LEANING WHEEL". The ride glowed blue in against the night sky with specks of yellow and red light interwoven in its struts and spokes.
Sasporilla handed the ride operator, a stout little man dressed like a train conductor, one of her three ride tickets. The man rotated the wheel one stop and brought a fresh car into place. The ferris wheels cars were quite large. Big enough for six to eight people. The funny little man slid the car door open and yelled "All aboard!"
Sasporilla stepped on and took a seat. There were three other people in the car. An older wizard who seemed excited at a night out and a young witch and wizard who were so in touch with each others company, the rest of the world might not as well exist at all.
The door to the car slid shut and the giant wheel began to turn. The car creaked and groaned as it lifted into the air. It wasn't long before Sassy realised that unlike muggle ferris wheels, this car did not just rotate with static to the motion of the wheel. It rotated on three axis! The outside world around her spun but Sasporilla felt very little motion. In fact, the foam on the old wizards fun cup of butter beer was barely moving from side to side. Likely some sort of stabilisation spell.
As the wheel climbed to the top the car came to a grinding halt. The car stopped its spinning in all directions and all but the floor and safety rails disappeared. Sasporilla stood and gasped in amazement. She looked at the out at lights that lined the city at night. It stood a beautiful testament to the muggles ability to build such grand homes as these. Seas of brick and mortar awash across the land, a light at night with the magic of muggle technology. The cool night summer air washed over Sasporilla as the old wizard walked over to her.
"This is my favourite part of the ride." The old wizard smiled looking out at the city. "So peaceful and tranquil above the city. Above the rush of it all where it's just the peace and you."
"So wondrous." Sasporilla said.
"When I was your age I preferred the thrill of the roller coasters. Now, I like the peaceful feeling I get from riding the big wheel all day."
"Surely you don't mean you ONLY ride the ferris wheel all day?" Sasporilla asked surprised and amused. "You must do something more?"
"Oh well I do still take care of some day to day things around here," The old wizard said. "but the rest of the day I like to ride the ferris wheel."
"Oh!" Sasporilla said coming to the realisation. "I didn't realise you were part of the Carnival."
"Oh my yes." The old wizard smiled turning to shake Sassy's hand. "This is my carnival! I am Ferdinad Beauxchamps, and you are?"
"Sasporilla Bucket." Sassy smiled shaking the old mans hand. "Pleasure to meet you but I was under the impression that this was Areus Extravagonzo's carnival?"
"Yes he certainly does like to give that impression." The old wizard chuckled. "Though I assure you he is not. The Carnival du Magique has been passed down through my family for seven generations. I have seen the great days of the show come and I fear go. I believe we may be in the last days of the Carnival. Modern wizards and witches are pulled away by other forms of entertainment. Even muggle entertainment has greater pull than ours."
"That's terrible." Sasporilla said concerned.
"That's showbiz!" The old wizard smiled casting a small bust of gold confetti from his wand much to Sasporillas delight. "No one wants to run away and join the carnival any more, I'm afraid."
"Well I would if I thought there was a job for me," Sasporilla sighed, "but there is simply no summer work this year."
"Can you juggle?" The old wizard asked?
"No." Sasporilla answered.
"Can you dance?" the old wizard asked hopefully.
"Not very well, no." Sasporilla said apologetically.
"Ah can you..." the wizard looked Sassy up and down. "... no you look far to honest the type for that. Perhaps it would be easiest to ask what it is you CAN do?"
"I'm a student of wand making." Sasporilla said. "I've apprenticed under Mr.Olivander. Ran my own wand maintenance stand one summer."
"Really?" The old wizard asked surprised. "How much did you charge?"
"One galleon for full polishing, basic maintenance, and repair." Sassy said. "Olivanders charges Five galleons usually."
"Hmmmmmm." The old wizard said. "Perhaps we could use a wand service technician. I don't believe anyone takes pride in their wand any more."
Ferdinad Beauxchamps pulled his wand from his robes and held it up before him. Sasporilla politely took the wand from the old wizards hand.
"Willow eleven and one third inches very springy. You keep it nicely polished. It could use a touch of straightening. It has a Unicorn hair core, in dire need of a tuning."
"Sounds like you know your stuff." The old wizard Beauxchamps smiled. "Can you repair mine?"
"Of course." Sasporilla said pulling her wand. "Accio wand kit."
It was a moment for her small leather case to find it's way to Piccadilly Circus in, around the turnstiles and up the ferris wheel to arrive in her hands. Sasporilla caught it and walked over to the bench to set up. She polished, straightened, tightened and tuned the wand. Sassy had been so focussed she hadn't noticed the ferris wheel car walls had formed around them, and had begun the wild decent back to the ground.
"There you are good as new." Sasporilla said. "I even fixed a crack that you've had for a very long time by the looks of it. My educated guess would be it happened in a duel."
"Yes, that was a long time ago, back in Hogwarts." The old wizard chuckled. "It was over the affections of a girl. I lost the duel but won her heart. Unfortunately her father wanted better for her than a life of that of wife of a carnival show wizard."
"In the end, what did she want?' Sasporilla asked.
"Not to disappoint her father." The old wizard placing his wand into his robe and pulling out two galleons. "You do most excellent work Ms.Bucket. If you so choose to join our travelling company for the summer be here Sunday night before the stroke of midnight. I can promise you two galleons per company wand serviced. You must supply your own food, lodging and mode of transportation. If I can find any other small paying jobs for you around the show throughout the summer, I'll send them your way."
The ferris wheel stopped, the doors slid open, and the old wizard showman
Ferdinad Beauxchamps stepped out in the hustle and bustle of the carnival night air.
The realities of summer employment rarity were hitting home with Sasporilla as She had spent the better part of every day this week chasing down leads to jobs. Any small job would do to fill small financial voids. Sasporilla she knew she didn't really need the money but the responsible young witch was not the type to sit around and live off insurance funds or other monies put away for a rainy day.
Sassy found herself near Piccadilly Circus on Friday night finishing off a bacon, cheese and onion butty from her Uncle Nicks favourite food cart. Hidden just down an alley way, outside an after hours club, an older elf named Orlix had run this food cart for decades. Every time she was in the area Sassy was sure to stop in. Sasporilla reached into her bag and pulled out a slip of paper and an couple of coins. Three knuts, two sickles. Exact change for the sandwich and a drink off the cart. Sasporilla looked at the paper. It was the circular for the carnival she'd been handed the other day.
Piccadilly Circus was alive with the hustle and bustle of muggle traffic as the sun set on the purple horizon. Sitting in the center of the of side walk was a box office surrounded by a wave of barred turn- style. muggles walked around the brightly coloured and brightly lit object, unseen and unperceived.
"Step right up young witch and get your ticket to the finest carnival this side of Europe. Win fabulous prizes in tests of your magical skill! See feats of magical prowess undreamed of! See rare magical creatures the likes of which you thought you'd never see in your life time! Ride the fabulous magical thrill rides of the great wizard engineer Nikos Tesoracto! Your journey starts here with an admission ticket for just one knut!"
"Well just one knut is a bargain only a fool would turn their noses up at!" Sasporilla laughed.
"Right you are young miss!" The ticket taker laughed noticing the young witch not digging into her purse for admission money.
"And only a fool would believe that everything inside is free for that one low price?" Sasporilla mused.
"Well there are some further fees once inside of course." The ticket taker shrugged. "Not every one wants the same carnival experience. Pay as ya go hives ya a better chance to get the show that's right for you!"
"I see." Sasporilla said. "And how much more do you think that might just cost me?"
"That's completely up to you mum." The tick master smiled. "Go in for a knut. Look around. See the show examples, watch the rides and the light shows. Leave. Your our no more money. Play some games. Have a ride or two. Buy yourself a treat, well there's a couple galleons well spent easily."
"Well since you put it like that." Sasporilla said pulling a knut from her bag and exchanged it with the man for a ticket.
"Go right in." The ticket master smiled through his baked bean teeth.
Sasporilla stepped into the turnstile that went around the back of the ticket booth. The muggle world seemed to darken and fade to silence as carnival music and light swelled before her eyes.
Sasporilla exited the turnstile on the right side of the ticket booth. Piccadilly Circus as muggles knew it, was gone. The street was alive with the Carnival du Magique.
A calliope played as clowns danced and juggled. A Siamese monkey cat, a creature with the body of a monkey and head of a cat, danced with a cup fot sickles and knuts. A small stage was set-up by a tent on the far side of an alley way of games of skill and of chance. A woman scantily clad in silken robes danced to the music of the far east played of exotic instruments. She cast wielded fire from her wand and manipulated it as a living serpent through the air around her. Intricately she interwove it through its own coils and high into the sky then exploded it in a shower of coloured sparks which pleased the patrons of the carnival.
Sasporilla inspected the games as she passed. Knock the cans down with a knock down jinx for a knut and win a doll. Knock them down three times, win a Niffler for the kiddies. Take it home, it will rob you blind and return here. Water spray jinx into a balloon. First to burst it wins a teddy bear for a galleon. Do it three times, win a Niffler... it was all pretty standard Carnival scam stuff.
Sasporilla found a small tent with an all seeing eye painted on it. A small sign sat outside saying fortunes told, 1 galleon. Sasporilla didn't really like knowing her future. Quite frankly if she had known all the bad things that had happened, were going to happen, and she could nothing to stop them, she'd have been a worse mess than she'd been when she' been in them!
Sassy chuckled to herself, silly thing, as she stepped inside the tent to see a young woman born with no eyes, or place for eyes, only forehead, sitting on the far side of a table. The table had a crystal ball at it's center, a deck of Tarot cards to one side, a pot of tea and a cup to the other and a palm readers poster on the back of the tent.
"You aren't sure if you'd like your fortune told?" The young woman said.
"I am trepadacious." Sassy smiled.
"Can't say as I blame you." The young woman said. "Those of us who have seen more than our fair share of life's mysteries, don't really want to know when more are coming our way."
"You took the words right out of my mouth." Sasporilla said.
"Join me in a cup of tea while you decide." The young woman smiled, pulled her wand snd conjured up a second cup. "No charge. I would most enjoy the pleasure of your company."
The tea she poured was exotic but quite lovely. It seemed a mix of early grey with hints of lavender and lemon grass.
"Agnes." The young woman said.
"I beg your pardon?" Sassy asked surprised.
"You were about to ask me my name." Agnes smiled. "It's Agnes Moorsehead."
"I was indeed Agnes," Sassy said tersely setting down her cup, "though such shenanigans, real or otherwise, I'm sure impress your usual clientele, I personally find the answering of my questions before I've asked them quite presumptuous and rude."
"Do forgive me." Agnes said placing her hand on Sasporillas. "It's a force of habit. Showbiz and all that. I did not mean any offence. I'll try not to do that anymore."
"Thank you." Sasporilla said. "And my name is Sasporilla Bucket."
"It is very nice to meet someone as uniquely free spirited, yet well mannered as you Sasporilla." Agnes smiled holding out her hand.
"Like wise Agnes." Sassy smiled shaking her new friends hand politely. "I do believe I would like you to tell me my fortune."
"Excellent." Agnes said. "How would you like it read?'
"Do you actually need any of the conventional tools of the trade?" Sasporilla asked. "After all you have no eyes. How do you see?"
"Much clearer than most." Agnes said.
"That was rude of me." Sasporilla apologised. "I am sorry, I don't know what I was thinking?"
"It was a common enough mistake." Agnes said. "You see I was born without my terrestrial eyes like normal witches like yourself, but my third eye is very powerful and sees the mystic truths revealed in the tools set before me. You are correct though. There are times when a persons fortune is so strong it defies the tether of the mystic vortex and comes forward to reveal itself to me whether I like it or not."
"Well perhaps I'll stick with tea leaves." Sassy said finishing up her tea and slipping a galleon into Agneses hand.
Agnes picked up the cup and saw the swirl of brutality and pain that had flowed through Sasporilla Buckets young life. The loss of loved ones, so tragic. The young loves that brought bitter sweet short joy. A smile rose upon her lips, then a look of concern and out of no where Agnes Moorsehead began to chuckle like a woman gone mad!
"Sasporilla Imaginarium Bucket, thank you!" Agnes said handing Sassy back her Galleon. "You fortune is full of such joy, pain, strife, shock, glory and love! I could never have been told a story and been so entertained!"
"I don't understand?" Sasporilla said.
"I will not tell you of the great things that await you. The choices you will face. The decisions, hard decisions for some, that you will make. The great things you will accomplish but I will tell you one thing in two parts."
"What?" Sassy said amused and confused.
"You HAVE found love in the past." Agnes smiled. "And when that love circles back like a fully matured rose, he will give himself to you, your love will blossom and be he will yours, forever."
Sasporilla gulped. "I've enjoyed our tea."
"It's my special blend." Agnes said. "I sell bags of it if you're ever interested, but you're always free to stop in any day Sassy."
Sasporilla walked out into the midway. She turned back to see the tent flap shut and the sign down.
"Last client of the day." Sassy laughed and walked on.
A tall thin man, with wild black hair and buck teeth stood next to sign encircled in flashing lights depicting a terrified wizard riding a white knuckle roller coaster through a fiery depiction of the nether world, much to the sinister delight of a red skinned, horned devil laughing in the background.
"Dare to take a ride on the DEVIL'S FORK!" The think man barked. "Designed by the great magical thrill ride engineer Eldor Coffschtedtter this roller coaster guarantees you more than just the ride of your life! It promises a death defying trip through the nether realms, past the dark things that seek to poison our world and destroy all life. Through the pits of fiery souls where you'll hear the screams of the damned and within the reach of the icy claws of the prince of darkness himself."
"Sounds delightful." Sasporilla chuckled. "How much?"
"One Galleon." The thin man smiled. "But I do not accept cash."
"I beg your pardon?" Sasporilla asked.
"You see all rides on the midway only accept ride tickets." The thin man smiled pointing at a lonely thin ticket booth across the way. "You can purchase ride tickets at the ride ticket booth, over there."
Sasporilla looked at the ride operator a bit bewildered. She had yet to go anywhere, where money was not accepted in place of ticket???? Oh well if that's what they wanted, Sassy walked over to the ride ticket booth and placed a galleon on the counter.
A young woman filing her nails and blowing a bubble with her bubble gum sat inside unconcerned with her customers presence.
"One please." Sassy asked.
"You want to spend two galleons." The girl said popping her bubble.
"No I believe I just want one." Sasporilla insisted.
The young girl sighed, frustrated by the witches inability to grasp this basic fact that everyone seemed unable to grasp.
"One ride ticket costs one galleon," the girl cracked her gum with contempt as she chewed, "but you can get three ride tickets for two galleons. It's a better deal. Everyone wants to ride more than one ride so might as well get a deal right?"
"You make sense." Sasporilla said. "I was looking at the ferris wheel as well so, why not?"
Sasporilla dug into her bag and pulled out another galleon.
"Two galleons, three tickets." The girl said handing the long thin ride tickets over to Sasporilla. "Enjoy your rides."
Sassy stood for a moment looking between the Devil's Fork roller coaster which hid, cloaked behind a magical sign, and the large ferris wheel that was of equal distance away. Perhaps the peaceful gentle ride of tje ferris wheel is where she would start her midway ride journey this evening.
Along the way Sasporilla stopped at a cart with a giant clear blue spider hanging from a candy web above it.
"Web candy miss?" The elf asked.
"Oh ta, yes please!" Sassy smiled as the elf passed her a paper cone filled with a loose puffy ball of fine blue sugar webs. "How much?"
"Just one knut miss." The elf smiled.
"For real Glucuastromantia web candy floss that's a bargain!" Sassy smiled handing over the coin.
Each gossamer mouthful was a unique sweet flavour experience. One bite tasted of blue Or-berries. The next tasted of rainbow song grass. One bite even tasted like an old butter scotch candy from the bottom of miss Daisy's hand bag, complete with the bit of fluff on it! That spider-floss vendor had old Bertie Botts beat hands down.
The ferris wheel was gigantic. It stood hundreds of feet high and leaned decidedly to the left. Hence the name the "LEANING WHEEL". The ride glowed blue in against the night sky with specks of yellow and red light interwoven in its struts and spokes.
Sasporilla handed the ride operator, a stout little man dressed like a train conductor, one of her three ride tickets. The man rotated the wheel one stop and brought a fresh car into place. The ferris wheels cars were quite large. Big enough for six to eight people. The funny little man slid the car door open and yelled "All aboard!"
Sasporilla stepped on and took a seat. There were three other people in the car. An older wizard who seemed excited at a night out and a young witch and wizard who were so in touch with each others company, the rest of the world might not as well exist at all.
The door to the car slid shut and the giant wheel began to turn. The car creaked and groaned as it lifted into the air. It wasn't long before Sassy realised that unlike muggle ferris wheels, this car did not just rotate with static to the motion of the wheel. It rotated on three axis! The outside world around her spun but Sasporilla felt very little motion. In fact, the foam on the old wizards fun cup of butter beer was barely moving from side to side. Likely some sort of stabilisation spell.
As the wheel climbed to the top the car came to a grinding halt. The car stopped its spinning in all directions and all but the floor and safety rails disappeared. Sasporilla stood and gasped in amazement. She looked at the out at lights that lined the city at night. It stood a beautiful testament to the muggles ability to build such grand homes as these. Seas of brick and mortar awash across the land, a light at night with the magic of muggle technology. The cool night summer air washed over Sasporilla as the old wizard walked over to her.
"This is my favourite part of the ride." The old wizard smiled looking out at the city. "So peaceful and tranquil above the city. Above the rush of it all where it's just the peace and you."
"So wondrous." Sasporilla said.
"When I was your age I preferred the thrill of the roller coasters. Now, I like the peaceful feeling I get from riding the big wheel all day."
"Surely you don't mean you ONLY ride the ferris wheel all day?" Sasporilla asked surprised and amused. "You must do something more?"
"Oh well I do still take care of some day to day things around here," The old wizard said. "but the rest of the day I like to ride the ferris wheel."
"Oh!" Sasporilla said coming to the realisation. "I didn't realise you were part of the Carnival."
"Oh my yes." The old wizard smiled turning to shake Sassy's hand. "This is my carnival! I am Ferdinad Beauxchamps, and you are?"
"Sasporilla Bucket." Sassy smiled shaking the old mans hand. "Pleasure to meet you but I was under the impression that this was Areus Extravagonzo's carnival?"
"Yes he certainly does like to give that impression." The old wizard chuckled. "Though I assure you he is not. The Carnival du Magique has been passed down through my family for seven generations. I have seen the great days of the show come and I fear go. I believe we may be in the last days of the Carnival. Modern wizards and witches are pulled away by other forms of entertainment. Even muggle entertainment has greater pull than ours."
"That's terrible." Sasporilla said concerned.
"That's showbiz!" The old wizard smiled casting a small bust of gold confetti from his wand much to Sasporillas delight. "No one wants to run away and join the carnival any more, I'm afraid."
"Well I would if I thought there was a job for me," Sasporilla sighed, "but there is simply no summer work this year."
"Can you juggle?" The old wizard asked?
"No." Sasporilla answered.
"Can you dance?" the old wizard asked hopefully.
"Not very well, no." Sasporilla said apologetically.
"Ah can you..." the wizard looked Sassy up and down. "... no you look far to honest the type for that. Perhaps it would be easiest to ask what it is you CAN do?"
"I'm a student of wand making." Sasporilla said. "I've apprenticed under Mr.Olivander. Ran my own wand maintenance stand one summer."
"Really?" The old wizard asked surprised. "How much did you charge?"
"One galleon for full polishing, basic maintenance, and repair." Sassy said. "Olivanders charges Five galleons usually."
"Hmmmmmm." The old wizard said. "Perhaps we could use a wand service technician. I don't believe anyone takes pride in their wand any more."
Ferdinad Beauxchamps pulled his wand from his robes and held it up before him. Sasporilla politely took the wand from the old wizards hand.
"Willow eleven and one third inches very springy. You keep it nicely polished. It could use a touch of straightening. It has a Unicorn hair core, in dire need of a tuning."
"Sounds like you know your stuff." The old wizard Beauxchamps smiled. "Can you repair mine?"
"Of course." Sasporilla said pulling her wand. "Accio wand kit."
It was a moment for her small leather case to find it's way to Piccadilly Circus in, around the turnstiles and up the ferris wheel to arrive in her hands. Sasporilla caught it and walked over to the bench to set up. She polished, straightened, tightened and tuned the wand. Sassy had been so focussed she hadn't noticed the ferris wheel car walls had formed around them, and had begun the wild decent back to the ground.
"There you are good as new." Sasporilla said. "I even fixed a crack that you've had for a very long time by the looks of it. My educated guess would be it happened in a duel."
"Yes, that was a long time ago, back in Hogwarts." The old wizard chuckled. "It was over the affections of a girl. I lost the duel but won her heart. Unfortunately her father wanted better for her than a life of that of wife of a carnival show wizard."
"In the end, what did she want?' Sasporilla asked.
"Not to disappoint her father." The old wizard placing his wand into his robe and pulling out two galleons. "You do most excellent work Ms.Bucket. If you so choose to join our travelling company for the summer be here Sunday night before the stroke of midnight. I can promise you two galleons per company wand serviced. You must supply your own food, lodging and mode of transportation. If I can find any other small paying jobs for you around the show throughout the summer, I'll send them your way."
The ferris wheel stopped, the doors slid open, and the old wizard showman
Ferdinad Beauxchamps stepped out in the hustle and bustle of the carnival night air.
PLEASE REMEMBER
I am in no way affiliated with Warner Bros. or with J.K.Rowling. My work is purely that of fan fiction & do not ask for, nor accept money, gifts or other compensation for my work. If you really feel you must do something, donate to J.K.Rowling's charitable foundation LUMOS! Link below! ( https://www.wearelumos.org/ )
I am in no way affiliated with Warner Bros. or with J.K.Rowling. My work is purely that of fan fiction & do not ask for, nor accept money, gifts or other compensation for my work. If you really feel you must do something, donate to J.K.Rowling's charitable foundation LUMOS! Link below! ( https://www.wearelumos.org/ )