The four strange teens stood on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The cobblestones where still chard black from the horrors of last year. They could still remember the choking smoke and the flames that reached high into the sky, singeing everything they touched. Most of the shops were able to rebuild, but the Slytherin's could still see the chard husks of some of the old long had they been there? 100 years? More? And they were gone in a matter of hours. Campbell felt a chill cascading down her body, making her hair stand on end.
None of them were brave enough to step into the town, not after everything that had happened. Theo could still feel the heat of the flames on him now, hear the screams.
"We should go back. Maybe we can get Hermione to get you those night clothes Blaise?" Campbell offered.
"She really is turning into a servant isn't she," Malfoy commented. Theo glared at his friend.
Theo grabbed his sister's hand before she or any of them could turn around. "We have to go in there sometime, and Hermione is expecting us." He took the first shuttering step onto the blackened road and Campbell followed, Zabini and Malfoy strolling along with them. It seemed that only a few of their fellow Slytherins made the trip to Hogsmeade along with them. Parkinson and Greengrass where linked arm in arm close to Honeydukes and Davis was looking at new quills farther down the street.
The uneven ground of the cobblestones was forcing Campbell to hold onto her brother tighter than normal or risk a twisted ankle. Theo looked down at her shoes. "Why would you wear those things?"
"They're cute," Campbell argued.
"They're impractical."
"I just need practice."
A snort sounded from behind them. Campbell shot a look over her shoulder to see Malfoy laughing quietly at her. She flashed him a soul withering glare and turned her head back around to notice that Theo was leading them towards Honeydukes.
"Ladies," Theo inclined his head towards Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass who turned as one, arms linked together in an unbreakable chain.
"Hey boys," drawled Pansy which made Campbell's eyes roll. Pansy had always done that, on purpose to be sure, excluding Campbell, or treating her as an afterthought.
"Hi there Campbell," Daphne cooed from Pansy's right. Campbell flashed her a wide smile in thanks.
"We going inside or what?" Blaise asked with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Campbell stopped a frown from forming. Blaise wasn't going to be buying anything at Honeydukes let alone any other shop, not for a while. She hooked her vice grip on her brother and looked straight at Blaise.
The boy was perfect. His skin was smooth and chocolaty and his eyes, green as the forbidden forest. He looked dark, dangerous, and otherworldly charming. He somehow made the most simple of outfits look elegant.
She took the lead and walked into Honeydukes, packed with students already, the chatter was so loud she could barely hear the bell that chimed as the door opened. The smell of sugar assaulted her nose and she smiled. Campbell had missed this sweet mess of a place. She turned to see if her compatriots had followed her in and she was surprised to see a small smile on Pansy's face. Campbell wasn't the only one to miss this place.
Campbell grabbed hold of Blaise's hand and dragged him towards the chocolate frogs. It was hard to shoulder her way through the other students, especially with a slightly reluctant Blaise in tow. All the chocolatey goodness was presented in front of her. Chocolate wands, cauldrons, skeletons, even the Honeydukes Best Chocolate. Campbell smiled up at her friend like a child at Christmas.
"You look like Frankie Firstyear trying to get a sugar high," Blaise tried, and failed, to keep a stern face.
"I am looking for a sugar high." Campbell kept a hand intertwined with Blaise's and with the other she started picking up candies. "Fall into a sugar coma with me!" It wasn't a question, more of a demand. With a handful of chocolate she got sight of the Sound Changing Sweets.
She pulled Blaise with her, nearly pushing over some 5th year and dropping all the candy she had gathered. "Come on we can invite Theo and Dean and whoever else."
Blaise wasn't an idiot. He knew what she was doing. Campbell felt bad because all his money was hanging frozen at Gringotts with little hope of retrieving it soon. The real smile on her face thinking about the candy she was going to eat was well worth it.
"Come on Little Nott, let me hold something before you drop it all." Blaise smiled as his friend released him finally and dumped her whole haul into his awaiting arms. He trailed after as she continued to circle the store, adding nearly every candy she could grab to the pile in Blaise's arms. He had to cast a wandless charm to make sure it wasn't going to all topple to the floor.
Malfoy caught a glimpse of the smaller brunette and the overloaded black boy. He walked towards him and a distracted Campbell nearly ran right into him. "So Zabini is your bag boy now?" She cast him a dark look that made the right corner of his mouth twitch up slightly. He couldn't help it, she was just so easy to taunt.
"Blaise and I are hosting a candy party in his room," Campbell announced as if it should have been obvious.
"Wait, my room?"
Campbell ignored the boy behind her and tried to move past Malfoy, but he just stepped smoothly into her path. "Am I invited?"
"Everyone is invited." Her neck was red and the stain was slowly starting to creep up her face.
"And you wonder why people treat you like a child." Malfoy looked over her head at something that seemed to be much more interesting than her.
"You don't have to come Malfoy," she spat his name like a curse. He glanced down at her for the barest moment, then flicked his gaze to Blaise.
"There better be alcohol there," Malfoy warned and walked away.
Blaise came up behind Campbell and bent down so only she would hear. "Malfoy seems to be getting under your skin there." She could hear the smile in his voice. She turned her head to glare at him. Blaise chuckled lightly so as to not tossle the mountain of sweets. "When did this party move to my dorm?"
Campbell just rolled her eyes and tapped him lightly on the cheek. "Oh honey, it was always in your dorm room." He watched her walk towards the sugar quills and grudgingly shuffled towards her.
By the end of the Honeydukes trip, Campbell had five bags stuffed to the top with sweets and Blaise cringed at the price of it all. She waved him off as if it where nothing, and he supposed if he had his money, it would have been nothing to him as well.
"Alright, let's stop at Gladrags to get you some night clothes." Campbell led the way balancing the bags on her arms, looking like a scale about to tip one way or the other. "We can make the candy party a pj party as well!" Blaise had to chuckle behind her. She seemed happy. After yesterday it was nice to see.
They pointedly avoided looking at the husks of buildings and the scorch makes on some of the old stone walls. Blaise remembered riding overhead on a broom, high above the town, the flames and smoke threatening to drown him completely. After that and the horribleness of the Room of Requirement, just the smell of smoke made him want to run to the closest lavatory to retch. Little Nott was fortunate enough to not be in the Room of Requirement when Goyle almost killed them all, but she was in Hogsmeade. They all were. Blaise wondered if she woke up with the sound of screams still echoing in her ears like they did in his.
They walked into Gladrags Wizardwear to see an onslaught of dress robes and silly socks. Walking towards the back they saw closer to muggle styles, with actual dresses and sweaters, all perfectly tailored of course. All the way in the back were a few selections of night clothes, mostly for females but Blaise saw a pair of silk black pajama pants. He picked two of them and Campbell raised an eyebrow.
"That's it?" Blaise shrugged and Campbell rolled her eyes. "Alright, well I'm getting some new night clothes too."
"What do you usually wear?" Campbell's mouth twitched at the sides.
"You want to know what I wear to bed?"
He laughed. "You know what I mean Little Nott."
"Mmh." She let out a sigh. Campbell had known for a long while that Blaise was not even close to interested in her. "I usually wear a T-shirt and under garments."
"A muggle T-shirt?"
"Yeah. Theo and I went into muggle London this summer. Get away from all the prying eyes you know?"
Blaise looked down, his eyes going to the pajama bottoms. "Yeah," he sighed, "I know."
Campbell bit the inside of her cheek and turned back to the night clothes selection. She was tempted to get something green, just to hold onto being a slytherin. She held up a silk night dress that ended a few inches below her arse. It was a dark green with black lace trim. "How about this?"
Blaise looked at it with his normal bored looking face. "Little sexy."
Campbell smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah." Blaise looked over the brunette. "Does Little Nott want to be a little sexy?"
Campbell rolled her eyes. For the first time that day, Blaise realized how tired she looked. "I kind of do." She took a small step back. "Is that bad? Is Malfoy right?"
Blaise slung a free arm around her shoulders. "Malfoy is never right. Come on, you should get it, but maybe also something practical."
Campbell looked back at the selection and tilted her head in contemplation. "What about those?" She nodded her head towards a white set that consisted of pants much like Blaise's and a spaghetti strapped top.
"White?" Campbell bit her lip. "Yeah I think that would be good." She smiled up at him.
"Okay good. You should get a pair of the white pants so we can match!"
"Not today Little Nott." She just shrugged her shoulders and reached for the white cotton pajamas. Practical, sexy, and candy. So far it was turning into a very interesting trip to Hogsmeade.
I just love Blaise and Campbell's friendship. Brings me smiles.