Woot, woot, guess who just realised that, although FF doesn't like her Word documents, it supports her Wordpad ones!! Woo!
Well, it IS Valentine's Day, I couldn't resist a Madam Puddifoot's scene...
12.Madam Puddifoot's
"You're not fecking serious." said Gráinne.
"Please." said Cameron. "Only I spent all of my money in Honeydukes and-"
"You don't get, like, a family discount or something?"
"They disbanded that long ago." said Cameron. "You know that."
"I thought they might have changed it ever since I wrote to your dad in the summer complaining about how I always had to pay for you and James." she muttered.
"I still can't believe you did that."
"Yeah, well I did! And still here I am, lending money to you yet again."
"So you'll lend it to me?"
"Last time." she said sternly. "I'll give you Five Sickles, alright? Because I'm not getting any allowance for about a month so I've got to keep it all safe."
"I love you Granny."
"I know. Which is why you're never going to call me Granny again."
Cameron grinned. "Okay then."
He skipped the queue (his status as a Weasley did give him that privilege) and paid before coming back to her.
"Right, where to next?"
"Should we get James something?"
"It's his own fault for landing himself in detention," Gráinne said. "Besides, his dad sent
him a parcel the other day."
"Okay. Should we just wander round?" Cameron asked. Gráinne nodded.
"Sure." she said.
Outside everyone was in groups of two. Cameron felt distinctly uncomfortable walking among the couples with Gráinne and no James.
"Isn't it weird how everyone's suddenly a couple in mid-February?" she said.
"Yeah, I guess." Cameron said uneasily.
"Happy Valentine's by the way." Gráinne said.
"You too."
"How about we go somewhere to celebrate?" Gráinne said. She waggled her eyebrows. "Are you up for Madam Puddifoot's?"
Cameron forced his shock into a signature grin. "I'm game if you are."
"I'm always game for anything." Gráinne said and led him to the little tea shop past Dervish and Banges.
"This'll be a laugh." Gráinne said.
But as soon as they opened the door Cameron couldn't help blushing.
"What?" Gráinne asked. Her deep blue eyes shone out of a prettily flushed face. "You're not embarrassed to be seen with me are you?"
"Well, a little," Cameron teased, "after all you're so horribly ugly, with not a whit of brain or good humour."
"Well, at least I'm not a redhead so lacking in charm as yourself."
"Are we square then?"
"I guess we are."
They sat down and a waitress who Cameron thought was incredibly pretty came to ask them
what they wanted.
"Just tea please. For both of us," Gráinne added, seeing that Cameron was practically drooling over the waitress' overflowing white blouse.
She left again.
"So…" Gráinne said, bringing her friend crashing down to reality. "Hey, have you done your History of Magic?"
"No. I was just going to copy yours. You?"
"I was just going to copy Violet's." Gráinne said with a grin.
"We certainly put our brains to good use." Cameron said.
The conversation carried on in this manner. Cameron was so caught up he didn't notice the pretty waitress return with their drinks, or when she came back to take the empty cups away.
Gráinne looked up halfway through a story. "It's getting dark. We should head back up to the castle." Cameron nodded. She left some money on the table and stood up.
It was possibly the clumsiest first kiss in history, but Cameron still relished te fact he had kept his vow from all those years ago on the train. He still remembered Gráinne's shock when she bumped into him and how quickly he pressed his mouth to hers.
"After all," he said. "We are in Madam Puddifoot's."
"And it is Valentine's Day." Gráinne said with a grin. "Only…"
"Let's never do it again?" Cameron asked with a sinking feeling.
Gráinne shrugged. "Well, at least not for another couple of years."
"That's alright." Cameron grinned.
He could wait.