Today was Hogsmeade Day cold, bright, and buzzing with the kind of anticipation that made even the most composed students a little giddy.
Emmeline and Pandora had taken it upon themselves to "help" me get ready, which, in their language, meant a full-scale campaign involving hair, scarves, and far too many opinions.
Emmeline sat cross-legged on my bed, brushing my hair with determined strokes. "I still can't believe Amos Diggory actually asked you out for Hogsmeade," she said, her tone hovering somewhere between delight and disbelief.
Pandora, who was sitting nearby with a tin of enchanted pins, grinned wickedly. "Imagine my shock when I heard you said yes."
I rolled my eyes. "I was just being polite. He asked nicely I couldn't exactly say no."
"Of course you could've," Pandora teased. "You're just too kind for your own good."
"I'm not that kind," I muttered, earning identical looks of disbelief from both of them.
Emmeline began weaving a soft braid into my hair. "Oh, you definitely are. "
When they were finally satisfied with my hair, we gathered our cloaks and scarves. I slipped on my gloves, glancing at the frost creeping along the dormitory window. "We should get going," I said. "I told him I'd meet him at the entrance."
The three of us made our way down to the common room, laughter trailing behind us.
Andrew, Felix, and Severus were already there, gathered near the fireplace. Felix was lounging on one of the armchairs, a familiar mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
He looked up as we approached and gave a mock gasp. "Blimey, Petunia you look... fancy. What's the occasion? Got a secret meeting with the Minister of Magic or something?"
Andrew grinned. "More like a trip to Hogsmeade with a certain Hufflepuff, if the rumours are true."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, for Merlin's sake. It's just Hogsmeade."
Felix leaned forward, chin propped on his hand. "Although, I'm not entirely sure Diggory's going to make it."
That made me pause. "What do you mean?"
Felix's grin widened in that maddening, mischievous way of his.
Andrew and Felix exchanged glances the kind that said something happened, and none of them wanted to be the one to say it first.
Pandora frowned. "What accident?"
Felix sighed dramatically, as though recounting some great tragedy. "We had a practice match with the Hufflepuffs this morning. Poor Amos lost control of his broom."
Emmeline gasped. "He crashed?"
"Straight into the stands," Felix said cheerfully. "Still unconscious in the hospital wing, from what I heard."
Pandora's eyes widened. "That's awful! How did that happen?"
Severus's voice was calm "He lost control of his broom," he said, not looking at me.
I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes. "You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"
Felix feigned innocence. "Us? Perish the thought."
Pandora raised an eyebrow. "Felix."
Andrew coughed into his hand. "It's not like they meant for him to fall. The wind just... wasn't in his favor."
Emmeline groaned. "Translation: you lot meddled."
I stared at Severus, who remained perfectly composed, flipping idly through a book that I doubted he was actually reading.
"Severus," I said warningly.
He looked up slowly, his expression unreadable. "He's fine," he said simply. "Madam Pomfrey said he'll be awake by dinner.
"That's not the point!" I said, exasperated. "You can't just hex someone's broom because you don't like them!"
His eyes flickered with something sharp guilt, irritation, I couldn't tell. "I didn't hex it," he said flatly. "It was a simple malfunction. Perhaps next time, he shouldn't polish his broom mid-flight."
Felix snorted, clearly enjoying every second of this. "Malfunction," he repeated. "Right."
Emmeline shook her head. "You're all impossible."
Pandora sighed. "Well, there goes your Hogsmeade date."
I sank into the nearest chair, rubbing my temples. "Honestly, I didn't even want to go that badly."
Felix grinned. "Good. Saves us from having to chaperone you."
I threw him a glare. "You mean sabotage me."
Andrew smirked. "Semantics.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help glancing toward Severus. He was still avoiding my gaze, pretending to study the faint scorch marks on the hearth as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, almost too quietly, he sighed. When he finally looked up, his expression had softened
"We can go to Hogsmeade instead," he said, his tone steady but his eyes careful. "To make it up to you. For your Hogsmeade trip."
I blinked. "How?"
He hesitated, then gave a small, almost awkward shrug. "Well... we can buy whatever you want. My treat."
I smiled, shaking my head. "You really don't have to, Sev."
"I know," he said quietly. "But I want to."
Felix immediately perked up, grinning. "Wait did I just hear 'my treat'? Does that extend to the rest of us?"
Severus gave him a flat look. "No."
Andrew gasped dramatically. "Wow. Favoritism. You heard that, right, Felix? He's choosing favorites now."
Felix nodded solemnly. "Tragic. All those years of friendship, and what do we get? Nothing. Not even a Chocolate Frog."
Emmeline rolled her eyes, grabbing her scarf from the back of a chair. "Oh, stop being dramatic, Felix. Let's go, or we'll be late for Hogsmeade."
Pandora slung her bag over her shoulder with a grin. "Right. And if you two keep whining, we'll leave you behind.
Hogsmeade was alive with its usual weekend bustle snow dusting the rooftops, the scent of butterbeer and roasted chestnuts in the air. Felix, Andrew, Pandora, and Emmeline had scattered almost the moment we arrived, laughing about some grand plan to raid Zonko's for "research purposes."
Severus and I lingered near the cobblestone street, the winter chill painting our breath white.
He turned to me, a little hesitant but resolute. "You can buy anything you want," he said quietly. "I meant what I said earlier."
I smiled, shaking my head. "It's fine, Sev. I told you, I'm not mad."
"I know," he said softly, his gaze flicking to the shop windows. "But still... come on. Whatever you want."
I laughed under my breath. "What about Emmeline, Pandora, Felix, and Andrew? They'll think we abandoned them."
He glanced down the lane toward Zonko's, where distant laughter echoed. "They're in Zonko's, they won't be lost. They'll manage."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. ". Now, come on let's go to Scrivenshaft's."
We stepped inside, the familiar scent of parchment and ink filling the air. Shelves of quills, notebooks, and neatly stacked rolls of parchment lined the shop. Severus immediately drifted toward one of the displays, eyes gleaming with quiet interest.
Before I could say anything, he picked up a set of enchanted quills and placed them in my hand. "These would be useful," he said simply. "Good for taking notes."
"Sev—" I started, but he was already scanning another shelf. A moment later, he added a small bottle of ink to the pile. "This one doesn't smudge."
I gave him a look, half amused, half exasperated. "I don't need that many things, you know."
"You need them for stock," he said matter-of-factly. "For the future."
Before I could argue, he brought everything to the counter and paid for them himself, ignoring my protests. I just shook my head, smiling a little.
Once the shopkeeper wrapped the items neatly in brown paper, Severus handed me the package and said, "Come on. Let's go to Honeydukes."
I blinked. "Honeydukes?"
Before I could say more, he was already steering me out the door and down the cobblestone path. The warm, sugary scent of Honeydukes hit us the moment we stepped inside rows upon rows of sweets gleaming under the enchanted lights.
Severus, of all people, looked oddly determined. Every time I paused to look at something, he picked it up and handed it to the shopkeeper.
"Sev—" I protested, laughing. "I was just looking."
He gave a small huff, pretending not to hear me. "You might as well try them," he said, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. "You'll never know if you like them unless you do."
I stared at the growing pile of sweets Chocolate Frogs, Peppermint Toads, Fizzing Whizbees and shook my head with a helpless smile. "You're unbelievable"
Without missing a beat, he reached for a box of Sugar Quills and handed it to me. "Your stock was getting low," he said casually, as though he'd been keeping track all along.
I blinked at him, a little surprised, then smiled softly. "You actually noticed that?"
He gave a small shrug, eyes focused firmly on the counter instead of me. "You chew on them whenever you're studying. Hard not to notice."
After he paid for everything, we stepped back into the chilly Hogsmeade air. The street was busy with students carrying shopping bags, laughter echoing between the snow-dusted buildings.
As we walked, something caught my eye — a small cart outside The Magic Neep, where a display of enchanted flowers shimmered faintly in the light. Their petals changed color with every passing breeze, like they couldn't decide what shade they wanted to be.
I slowed, smiling a little. "Those are beautiful..."
Before I could move on, Severus followed my gaze and tugged lightly at my hand. "Come on. Let's go there."
I shook my head, laughing. "No, it's fine. I was just appreciating it from here."
He didn't listen, of course. Typical Severus. He was already walking toward the stand, still holding my hand as if he might lose me in the crowd.
The shopkeeper, a cheerful witch in a green apron, looked up as we approached. Severus tilted his head slightly, studying one of the plants with genuine curiosity. "What kind of flower is this?" he asked.
"The Chroma Bloom, dear," the witch replied with a smile. "Changes color based on the holder's mood."
Severus leaned closer, examining the petals as they shimmered between soft lilac and pale blue. "How long does it last?"
"Oh, indefinitely," the witch said proudly. "As long as it's cared for. It likes calm energy and steady hands."
He nodded thoughtfully, then, without another word, reached into his pocket and handed over a few galleons.
I blinked. "Sev what are you doing?"
He ignored the question, taking the small pot from the witch and holding it out to me. "Here. You can keep it on your desk. Maybe it'll help when you're studying."
I looked from him to the flower, then back again, half exasperated, half touched. "Okay, you've done enough shopping for me today," I said, shaking my head.
I know you have a lot of galleons to spend, but this is too much."
He raised an eyebrow, looking faintly amused.
I crossed my arms, trying to sound firm even as I smiled. "Come on, it's my turn to treat you. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks."
The walk there was cozy snowflakes drifting lazily through the air, the sound of chatter and clinking mugs spilling from the open door. Inside, the inn was warm and bustling, the scent of butterbeer and roasted nuts filling the room.
We ordered two mugs, and before Severus could even reach for his coins, I slid mine across the counter first. "My treat," I said quickly.
He gave me a look that was half amused, half resigned, but didn't argue this time.
We found a small table near the window, where the light from the fireplace flickered across the glass. I took a careful sip the butterbeer was sweet and frothy, warming all the way down.
Severus leaned back slightly, watching me over the rim of his mug. "Did you enjoy it?" he asked quietly.
I smiled, meeting his gaze. "Yeah, I did."
He gave a small nod, a faint, satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Good."
Before I could reply, a familiar voice broke through the cozy quiet.
"There you are!" Emmeline's voice rang out, half scandalized, half laughing. "We've been looking all over Hogsmeade for you two!"
Pandora appeared right behind her, arms crossed dramatically. "Honestly, you vanish for ten minutes, and next thing we know, you're having a cozy little date at the Three Broomsticks."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry! We didn't mean to ditch you."
Emmeline raised an eyebrow. "Didn't mean to? You disappeared faster than a Niffler in a jewelry shop."
"Exactly," Pandora said, pretending to glare. "I demand compensation."
I grinned, holding up my hands in surrender. "Fine, fine how about a round of butterbeer? My treat, as an official apology."
Felix, who had just walked in with Andrew behind him, perked up immediately. "Now that's the kind of apology I can get behind."
Andrew smirked. "Generous and guilty. I like this version of you, Petunia."
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling all the same. "Just sit down before I change my mind."
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