That next morning, Celeste awoke. The lights in her room were off. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around, seeing only the morning sunlight filtering through her windows. She looked down at the address of Snape, still clenched in her hand, like it had been all night long.
Celeste did not understand why she was crying. She had a boyfriend, one that she loved very much. He was the one she wanted, the one she would never be able to stand a breakup with. Maybe that was it, she thought. Maybe just the thought alone of Snape dumping her made her cry.
Charlene, across the room, was in her own bed, snoring loudly, one arm tossed over on her side, the other bunched up near her chin. Celeste now fought back laughter, not tears. What was the matter with her, anyway? One minute she was crying, laughing the next…Celeste shrugged and decided she should get out of here as soon as possible, so as not to wake Charlene up or anything.
Celeste got her towel and put it in the bathroom. She took her clothes off and got in the shower, only to realize it was freezing cold. Enough to qualify as Dementor cold, she thought in a short moment of exasperation with the only person who could have used up all the hot water, Charlene. She rolled her eyes and tried to wash her hair and face through the freezing water. Finally, she managed it. Then she stepped out of the shower, and put the towel around her. After she had gotten dressed, she went into the living room of their apartment, which had about three rooms: A bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room; it was all they could ask for. Celeste sat down on the couch in her and Charlene's living room.
She wondered what she would do today. Then the answer hit her, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before: She should just go somewhere with Snape today, shouldn't she?
Duh, said the voice in her head. I don't think it's such a good idea, though.
"Well, I don't care what you think!" Celeste informed the stupid voice, only in a quieter tone this time, so as not to wake Charlene in the next room. She imagined it recoiling in fear and surprise, if it even took a form. Celeste didn't care, she just hated it. It was probably a memory of her overprotective mother back in France, she thought, rolling her eyes again. Just then, Celeste remembered how she didn't have any means of contacting Snape without going right to his doorstep. Although her stomach did a back flip at the very thought of it, Celeste knew she would have to do this to talk to Snape again.
She went back into the bathroom, where she combed her hair and put it into the loose ponytail she always wore it in, except when she was in the shower or sleeping. When her hair wasn't up, the little ponytail holder was always around her wrist. She decided to get some breakfast and then just let her hair air-dry, which always gave her prettier results than when she fussed with a hairdryer. Celeste got out her favorite cereal, Froot Loops, even though it made her feel childish. They were fruity and delicious, after all, just like the commercials said. Celeste waited about an hour for her hair to dry, then re-combed it so it wouldn't look stringy. Then, when she was sure she was as pretty as she could be, she went back into the bedroom, found the slip of paper with Snape's address on it, and called a cab.
"Can we go to…umm…" She read off her boyfriend's address, word for word.
"Sure," said the cab driver. Celeste wasn't that nervous for the first time she would be in Snape's house when they were first driving out of Hogsmeade, where Celeste lived, but the farther away they got, the more Celeste wished she wasn't doing this at all. She realized how just how far away from Hogsmeade her boyfriend's house must be. Finally, they reached a stop by a river that was very dirty. It was the last house on a street called "Spinner's End." The taxi driver, who was a Muggle, shrugged and let off Celeste, who was getting increasingly more nervous. Was this the right house…or not?
She took a great intake of air and almost forgot to let it out. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous; she had known Snape for a week now. Maybe it was because she was turning up at his house uninvited. Yes, that was it. Wouldn't he be glad to see her again, though?
She knocked timidly on the door. Her hand hardly made any noise. Then she swallowed and let herself rap harder on the door. When nobody answered, she wanted to just call another cab and run back as fast as she could, but that was no longer an option, as the door had just opened.