Hogsmeade held bittersweet memories for me. The distractions of shopping for school supplies and being surrounded by magic was a special type of naive I missed. As if putting bad memories out of my mind would reverse them, instead rewriting them took precedence.

Passing Olivander's was a real treat for me as I remembered the sparkles that flooded the shop as I found my wand. As if it was reliving the memory with me, I almost felt it hum in my pocket against my leg.

"I'm starving," Glinda groaned from beside me, the twins turned their heads slightly at her remark.

"Girls eat?" Fred asked incredulously, "Can't be."

"My delusion is broken, how can I go on?" George played along.

"How about the Three Broomsticks?" I asked, slowing to a stop as the twins moved off to the side to talk.

"Mm, it's kind of bland," she complained.

"You're just a bit too posh," Fred countered. "Nothing can beat a warm glass of butterbeer in winter, right Soot?"

"R-Right," I was caught off-guard by him asking me. Usually he'd go to George for back up.

"Well," Glinda looked between the three of us, realizing she was entirely outnumbered, "If you insist..."

"As I do," Fred triumphantly replied.

The gaggle of us continued in our little huddled group, all of us complaining when a particularly cold gust of wind tried to blow us over.

"We had to go when it was snowing?" I whined to Glinda quietly, so Fred wouldn't hear me complain.

The sight of the Three Broomsticks peaking between the buildings filled me with relief as it grew nearer and nearer. Just the thought of a crackling fire warmed me up from the inside out.

"Get on with it," Glinda grunted, suddenly pushing forward and shoving the twins to walk faster.

They let out surprised laughs as their feet stumbled to keep up with the new pace Glinda had set, and I straggled behind with a small smile on my face.

It felt like I finally had friends, not like I didn't have any before. Of course, I had always had Glinda, but she was pretty much a given. Nobody else wanted to hang out with Glinda, just like how nobody else particularly wanted to hang out with me.

And yet here were these two goofballs, who were popular and had their pick of friends, accompanying us through Hogsmeade just to eat and walk around. Surely, they had more important things to do, more interesting people to see, and yet...here they were.

George walked ahead and pulled the door open, "M'ladies," he bowed exaggeratedly as he held it open.

"Thank you good sir," Fred giggled, covering his mouth with his hand daintily and curtsying before walking in. Glinda and I made sure to roll our eyes hard enough that George could see.

"Ah, that feels good," I breathed out, pulling my scarf from my face and letting the heat soak into me.

"Right it does," Fred murmured, glancing down at me for a moment.

"I'm all soggy," Glinda whined, jiggling her coat around on her small frame, "Let's sit down so I can take this off."

"Yes ma'am," George chimed in, "Allow me to take your coat."

She rolled her eyes, but I could tell he was growing on her. With an annoyed smile she gracefully allowed him to slide her coat off and hang it over his arm.

"Let's sit over here, this booth is my favorite," Fred walked away from the group, weaving us through tables and around other customers until we approached a booth that was pretty much hidden until you were standing right beside it.

"Very nice," I politely commented, sliding in beside Glinda on the left.

It was circular, so it didn't feel like the four of us were separated into 'Thomas and Glinda' and 'Fred and George'. Which is an odd observation, but I noticed that's how we typically sat anywhere unless George and Glinda had a hand in choosing the seats.

"So who's getting the drinks?" Fred sat down, "I chose the table, so someone else has to get the drinks."

"Is this why you made me sit on the outside?" George asked, catching on quickly. He was still standing as we all looked at him expectantly. "Fine, fine. What are the orders?"

We listed off a few things, my eyes grew wide when Fred and George both decided on firewhisky. Something about the barkeep rarely checking age or something like that, it made me nervous-then again when did they do something that didn't make me nervous? George grumbled a bit before he left us to go up and order, giving his sibling an especially hard glare.

"I have to use the restroom," Glinda slyly remarked, sliding out of the booth and giving me a cunning stare as she left me and Fred alone in the booth.

Immediately I felt humiliated, why do they keep doing this? I feel like I'm in some first year's fanfiction or something with all the cliche situations those two keep creating. My chest began to feel jittery as Fred shifted beside me, making me suddenly aware of how close we were sitting.

Would it be rude if I scooted a little away? He might think I don't like him-and it's not that I don't like him! I'm just nervous, but-

"So, Soot, George tells me you were at quidditch tryouts. Did you chicken out of joining the team?"

"Oh, no, I was just there to watch...Glinda. She was doing tryouts for Ravenclaw."

"Really? I didn't see her," he tapped his fingers in a simple rhythm on the wooden table, creating a hollow thumping noise that my heart quickly replicated. It's a bit embarrassing how attractive just his hands moving was. Oh, that's weird-ignore that. Push that down immediately.

"Must've been busy doing your own tryout," I nervously laughed.

"You wouldn't play quidditch, would you? I don't think I could bear seeing you get thrown from your broom," he smiled in a teasing way. I didn't know whether to be flattered that he was insinuating he cared about me or the fact he was implying I'd be so bad at quidditch.

"I'm not really the athletic type," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"It's good for me you aren't, otherwise you wouldn't be the studious type-and then I wouldn't have my own personal herbology tutor." He leaned on his elbows, drawing a bit closer to me.

My hands immediately clenched themselves together between my legs, and I prayed to whatever divine being was listening that George would hurry up and come back. My fingers threaded together tightly, and I fought the urge to melt and turn into a small puddle.

"Glad to be of help," I smiled, hoping he would go back to brainstorming about flavor changing whoopee cushions or something.

"Come to think of it, I was actually wondering if you could help me with studying for my O.W.L.s, nobody else in Gryffindor can compare to you."

Again, I couldn't help but be flattered. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but the way to my heart is to endlessly shower me in compliments about how smart I am. Is this what flattery feels like?

"Well, sure, want to meet in the library? I don't know if Glinda will-"

"Oh, I was talking about one-on-one. George keeps making fun of me for asking for tutoring," he rolled his eyes at the mention of his twin's teasing.

"So where..?" I trailed off, not really thinking of another place to meet where it would be quiet.

"Well, I think most of my roommates are going to be going home over the Christmas break. I wouldn't mind staying back a few days."

"Won't McGonnagall get onto you for not giving your name?"

"Nah, she won't even know I'm here."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Well, I'm very serious about my herbology O.W.L."

"You know, you two are the only other people I know who are also freaking out about O.W.L.s right now. They're not for another few months at least, you know. It's not some pressing matter."

"Let's just say you and Glinda are rubbing off on us," he smiled, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand.

"I wouldn't say that's a good thing," I sheepishly countered, thinking about the hours of studying Glinda and I subjected ourselves to simply because we were addicted to it.

"Oh rubbish, anyone would kill to have your stamina," he continued, "I can't bear to look at a textbook for longer than an hour. It'll come back to bite me, I suppose."

"I don't-"

"Drinks!" George crashed the glasses on the table, breathing heavily from his trip from the bar to the table while carrying all four drinks.

"Oh-" Fred and I jumped at the sudden noise, causing George to look around the table.

"Hey, where's-?" He looked where Glinda had been sitting, then between me and Fred, before making a face like he'd really messed up. "Anyways, what's up?"

"Just talking about how Soot and Baker are so good at studying, I'd kill to have their skills."

"Ooh, boy," George whistled, "You're telling me. If I had grades like that, man..."

"I'm back," Glinda announced, shooting an icy stare that George skillfully avoided with a long gulp from his drink.

I let out a breath I had been holding since she left, and congratulated myself silently on surviving that conversation.