Dawdley and Piddley

Now that things had been arranged, it was time to really get going on the wedding preparations. After all, they now had less than a week! Minerva decided, at Dumbledore’s suggestion, to take Mika to Diagon Alley to be fitted for her wedding robes. Using flu powder, they set off early the next morning.

“I will take you to the best tailors in the wizarding world, Dawdley and Piddley. They specialise in wedding designs. But I must warn you,” Minerva whispered. “They are a bit… odd.”

“What do you mean by odd?” Mika asked, warily.

“You’ll see when you meet them,” was all she’d say.

The two women made their way through the busy magically hidden streets of Diagon Alley, where time had seemed to stand still sometime back in the late Victorian era. Minerva strolled along, her nose in the air as if she owned the place. Everyone they met in the street seemed to know her and greeted her in passing.

Mika, on the other hand, marvelled at all the wonderful sights and sounds and smells that filled the ancient street. The shops they passed were like none she had ever seen. She made a mental note to get Remus to bring her here when they could spend more time just browsing. It all seemed so fascinating.

Before long they came upon a shop that was a bit brighter and cheerier than all the others. In fact, it seemed strangely out of place. It was draped in white gauze and brightly coloured flowers both inside and out. Above the large plate glass window was a sign painted in fancy gold lettering. It read ‘Mssrs. Dawdley and Piddley, Dressmakers to the Magical Realm’.

Mika made a face as they entered the shop; everything was so flouncy and foo-foo-y.

She looked around whilst Minerva sought out the proprietors. She was admiring a black gypsy sort of dress when the two ‘men’ strolled in.

“Awww Mrs. McGonagall,” the one ‘gentleman’ greeted her with a flounce and a kiss on the hand. The other one merely curtsied. Yes, curtsied for both were adorned in full Victorian costume… women’s costume.

“And what can we do for you two lovely lay-dees today?” the first one, tall with dark ringlets and way too much makeup sang in a deep falsetto voice.

“My friend here, Miss Mika, would like to be fitted for a wedding dress. She is to be married on Saturday,” Minerva stated matter of factly but not without a trace of proud excitement in her voice, almost as if she were the bride’s mother.

The man strode over with an exaggerated grace. “Oh, Miss Mika, congratulations! And do we know the lucky wizard?” he said, looking between the two women.

“You may have heard of him,” Minerva responded. “Professor Remus Lupin.”

The two men gasped. “Not THE Remus Lupin?” the tall one gasped and looked over to his partner who was shorter and much rounder and had a moustache as well!

“Oh, my, what a lucky lucky man he is!” said the round one, approaching Mika and taking her hand.

“Allow me to introduce us to you. I am Miss Piddley and that is my partner, Miss Dawdley and we are totally at your service,” the strange little man curtsied, as did the tall one who was still standing by Minerva.

“Miss?” Mika said, casting a questioning glance at Mrs. McGonagall. The witch only shrugged and shook her head. “But you are guys, right?”

The tall one, Miss Dawdley glided over quickly to stand beside his/her partner. “Oh no, can’t you tell? We’re lay-dees!” They both said the last bit in unison.

Mika just looked at them, a shocked and puzzled look on her face. Minerva came to her rescue. “Trust me, my dear, these two are the best dressmakers in the wizarding world, in spite of their rather odd ways,” she said this casting them both a disapproving glance.

“If you say so,” the timelord said sceptically. “But Dawdley and Piddley? That sounds like they’re maybe a bit… slow. The wedding is Saturday. Will it be done….”

“Ohhh yes, my dear don’t let our names fool you,” said Piddley.

“We are in fact the fastest dressmakers in the world! If you select the pattern and material that you like now, we’ll have it done before you can finish your lunch,” added Dawdley.

“So, if you lay-dees would step right this way, we can begin to design a dress fit for a queen.”

Mika snickered at the way they both pronounced ‘ladies’ and followed them into the fitting area.

They seated Minerva and Mika down in a pair of elaborate, overstuffed Victorian armchairs and began showing samples of their wares. There were robes and dresses everywhere as well as the familiar moving photos of happy brides in their lovely garments on their happiest of days. Dawdley and Piddley themselves even modelled a few of their favourite designs themselves. It was very hard to keep from laughing.

But Mika was finally beginning to feel like a bride to be should, being surrounded by all this and being fussed over. She felt a shiver of excitement travel down her back and bring a smile to her lovely face. Before long she had picked out one that she really liked and hoped that Remus would like. The wizarding dressmakers extraordinaire then brought out their tape measures and autoquills to take down Mika’s measurements.

Once this was done, they spent the next few minutes choosing just the right fabric. In the end she chose a beautiful white silk embroidered material that seemed to have almost an iridescent sheen about it.

“It goes lovely with your magnificent eyes, does it not Miss Dawdley?”

“Oh indeed, Miss Piddley. You are soooo right.”

“Now, you lay-dees run along and finish the rest of your shopping…”

“Have a spot of lunch…”

“And we should be ready for the first fitting by the time you’re through,” they took turns saying as they ushered the women out of the shop so that they could begin work.

“They are certainly an odd pair!” Mika announced once they were outside the shop.

“I told you they would be,” Minerva almost giggled. “But you cannot deny that they are very good at what they do.”

“Hmmm, you were right about that too. So where to now?” she asked the older witch.

“Perhaps some lunch, as they suggested?”

Mika nodded and the two women turned to head down to the Saskia Lemongrass’s Sandwich Shop when they ran smack dab into none other than Lucius Malfoy.

“Ladies,” he greeted them coolly.

“Lucius,” Minerva eyed him as she always did, with contempt.

“Mr. Malfoy,” Mika nodded her head.

The elegant looking wizard glanced up to take note of the shop they had just emerged from. “Dawdley and Piddley’s?” he said, arching an eyebrow in curious amusement. “Don’t tell me that you’re getting married again, at your age, Minerva?” he drawled.

“As a matter of fact, I am not, Lucius,” she fairly spat out his name.

“I am,” Mika couldn’t help but beam at the thought.

Malfoy’s eyes widened in astonishment. “My dear! So soon have you captured the heart of some lucky man? My sincere congratulations. May I ask who this very lucky wizard is? Is it someone I know?”

Mika grinned coolly, knowing full well he would not like the answer. But she was proud and happy and couldn’t care less what Lucius Malfoy thought about her choice of husband.

“I believe you know him,” said Minerva. “It’s Professor Remus Lupin.”

The smile vanished from Malfoy’s face. “Lupin?” he nearly choked on the name. “My dear, you do know that he’s a…”

“Werewolf? Yes, I do. And it’s no matter to me. I love him and we’re getting married,” Mika said, her eyes filled with love for the sad professor. “Quite soon, in fact.”

The women could tell that he was both dumbfounded and extremely envious. Despite the fact that he was already married, Lucius Malfoy was so vain that he expected any woman whom he deemed beautiful to naturally have eyes only for him.

But apparently he must have held a great esteem for Mika for he refrained from doing his normal routine by sneering down his nose and making defamatory remarks about her choice of husband. “Well, my dear,” he was clearly struggling to maintain his cool charm. “I wish the both of you all the very best.” He took her hand and kissed it, with perhaps too much relish. “I shall bid you good day, then. Ladies.”

With a nod of his head, Lucius Malfoy strode off very quickly, as if he couldn’t wait to get away… or go and spread this news.

“Now that was most peculiar,” Minerva shook her head as she led Mika off in search of lunch.