Chapter 4

And, I'm back. I seen the midnight release of Fantastic Beasts and I loved it so much! And it gave me some more inspiration to get back to writing. So without further ado, here is chapter four. Enjoy!

I had been working in Honeydukes for only three weeks, but it felt like a lifetime. And not in a bad way.

It was strange but for the first time in a long time I felt exactly where I was supposed to be. I mean, I love my grandparents more than anything in the world, and miss them terribly, (The feeling was clearly mutual considering the post by owl, which Annie would kindly deliver to me each evening) but being surrounded by magic, and interesting characters all day every day, never seemed to get old.

I had even come to grow fond of Annie and her ever-growing colourful personality. Using the leaves she had collected, she decorated the house both inside and out. I watched amazed as she put a charm on them, ensuring they kept their bright autumn colours weeks later. She'd made our house into what looked like a haunted house. Pumpkins carved into the most amazing things, what looked like live bats, circling the chimney, and endless, endless amounts of candles in blacks and oranges.

After saying goodbye to Annie, I entered the shop to find both shop owners working away.

'You both look busy,' They both looked up, Rose setting down a jar of sugar quills to move towards me, 'Am I late?' I checked my watch, wondering if the battery which had worked for so long had finally worn out.

'Oh no, no dear!' She said smiling, 'It's the Halloween weekend for the Hogwarts students-'

I cut her off, 'Hogwarts students!' I felt myself start to smile. 'As in the people, who live there and go to school there and are wizards and witches-'

'Well aren't you just full of information.' Mr Flume quipped, not looking away, as he waved his wand, stacking the chocolate frogs on a shelf.

'Oh shush you!' Rose waved a hand at him. 'Yes, dear. The shop almost always becomes busier when they all come down. Great for business.' She waved her wand, motioning me to follow her.

'So, the older students come down as well?' I felt my stomach flood with butterflies.

'Oh yes, yes of course, everyone above… uh…'

'Third year, dear.'

'Yes thank you, everyone above third year comes down. So we put the pumpkin themed products; you know, Pumpkin Pasties, Pumpkin Juice, that kind of thing, yes well we put them on a sort of deal. Like a… a…'

'Mix and match.'

'Yes, yes, a mix and match. Now if you go and chuck your things downstairs, I'll fill you in on the prices and such. Oh! And if you're up for it, you can help me with some decorating!'

'Sounds like a plan!' I smiled, and made my way down to the basement, hanging my coat up on the hanger that Mr Flume got for me when I started. 'Oh I can't believe it!' I whispered to myself, the butterflies attacking me at full force.

I hadn't told Matthew I had been coming, and while I had been owling him, he hadn't caught on that I was closer than he thought. I missed him a lot.

We had met when he was fifteen and I was sixteen. He moved into my village at that time, and came looking a job in the bakery. He didn't get one. Though I like to think he's not too upset by the outcome.

And now I was going to see him.

Hurrying back upstairs, I made sure I was working in direct view of the windows at all times, ensuring I would see when the Hogwarts pupils came storming towards the shop.

The shop quickly started to fill up as the day went on, many Hogwarts students hording inside, grabbing the sweets from the shelves, garbed in the famous house colours. By the fifth restock run down to the basement, my legs were burning, my back sore from carrying the heavy boxes. It was times like these I wished more than ever I could just flick a wand and the box would float for me.

This was the busiest the shop had ever been since I started all those weeks ago; people treading on my toes, having to shout to get past anyone, and hearing the constant ding of the till as sale after sale went through.

Yet despite all this, I kept one eye constantly on the lookout for Matthew. Each hour that went by I felt my excitement turning to disappointment, as I didn't catch a glimpse of his tall, skinny frame. I was so sure he would show, considering how much he would usually have stashed away.

As it had been so busy, I was working longer than I usually would, so I wouldn't even have time to go look around the rest of Hogsmeade for him.

At some point in the evening, Annie came into the shop looking for me, and Rose, taking pity, let me go. And so following her instructions, Annie and I, decided to enter The Three Broomsticks, letting the warmth from the crackling fire wash over us.

'What's up buttercup?' Annie questioned, as two steaming bowls of stew were placed in front of us. We had sat in a corner away from the few others occupying the premises, the last few Hogwarts students leaving, the bell jingling as the door shut behind them.

'Hmm?' I pushed the stew around the wooden bowl, not even glancing at her.

'You have this look on your face. It's like impending doom or something.'

I looked up at the slurping noise she was making, and cracked a smile, 'Impending doom, eh?'

'Or something along those lines.'

I let out a small laugh, 'I was hoping to see someone today.'

'Was it a guuuuuuy?'

'Maybe…'

'And he didn't show? Am I gonna have to hex someone?'

I laughed loud at the thought, 'No, no,' I shook my head, 'I never actually mentioned to him I was going to be here, although now that I think about it, that would have been smart…'

And so we spent the next hour or two talking; me telling her all about Matthew, and her telling me all about her ex Leah, whom she had broken up with not long before I had met her. It was the most serious, and most focused I'd ever seen her, and I didn't like it. It just didn't seem like the young woman I had gotten to know.

Eventually, when the room was almost empty, we, left, the cold turning my nose red, and making me pull my scarf closer around my neck. We chatted quietly, making our way down the familiar road, past all the shops.

'Beth, I'm just trying to help!'

We stopped, turning to look at the two figures standing a bit away from us.

'Go back to school Matthew!'

'Hey that's funny. You were looking for a Matthew.' Turning to me, Annie saw the not so subtle look on my face. 'Oh no way!'

I watched the two in front of me bicker back and forth, though they were talking in frantic whispers. Opening my mouth I began to say 'Matthew', when I was cut off by an orange sneaker flying through the air, hitting Matthew's brown haired head.

'OW!'

He spun around, an accusing look in his eyes, 'What're you…'

Eyes wide, everyone just stared, the only noise that could be heard was the soft blowing of the wind, and the faint noise of the bat wings circling my chimney.

'Sorry,' Annie broke the silence, awkwardly hopping on one foot over to her fallen shoe, 'My foot's frigging cold,' Popping the shoe back on with ease, she straightened up, and stuck her hand out to Matthew, 'I'm Annie, Harriet's new best friend.'

Matthew looked at her, then at me, the most confused I'd ever seen him.

'Wha- What?'