Chapter Forty-eight
Araminta and Sarah Michelle strolled up and down the snowy streets, enjoying iced frappucinos from Madam Puddifoot's. There was a special charm on the coffee that would let the drinker have as much as they wanted and not get cold, so the girls each got a double tall with whipped cream on top.
"Mmm," said Sarah Michelle, licking a fleck of whipped cream off of her lip and then choking. "I hate it when I accidentally forget to swallow!"
Araminta giggled and nearly spat out some of the bitter brew. "You must have some sort of drinking problem, then," she joked. "Liquids go down, otherwise you might end up with it coming out of your nose!"
The two girls flopped down on a bench and laughed until they were practically blue in the face.
"So, tell me a little about yourself," Araminta said to Sarah Michelle.
"Well," Sarah Michelle began, "I'm in your year, but I'm a Ravenclaw. My dad's a wizard and my mom's a Muggle, so I'm a half-blood but only the stupid Slytherins seem to care about that."
"Hey, I'm a Slytherin--well, I'm half Slytherin--and I don't care," Araminta said hotly.
Sarah Michelle patted Araminta on the shoulder. "Well, you don't count. You're cooler than the average Slytherin jerk," she said, teasingly. "Don't get your panties in a knot."
"Oh, they're just fine," Araminta said, before she caught on that Sarah Michelle wasn't serious. "Oh, you. Come on, now."
"Oh, oh, oh," Sarah Michelle cried. "You're so good. Anyway, I'm president of the Charms club, I enjoy riding horses, going out with my friends, and shopping. Oh yeah, and I enjoy Ron Weasley, from time to time. We're going to the Quidditch Ball together, which is why I need a costume to wear. But enough about me. Let's talk about you."
Araminta sipped her iced frappucino to stall for time. She decided to tell the truth since it was stranger than fiction. "Well, growing up, I lived with my dads, but I just found out that I have a mom and a dad. My mom's Muggleborn, and my dad's pureblood. I'm going to try to convince them to get back together. I mostly enjoy doing magic, but I enjoy riding horses and singing too. And I like to eat waffles a lot. Oh, and play Quidditch. It's one of my greatest passions." She smiled. "There's nothing like winging through the air on a broomstick and trying to avoid all those balls flying at you! It's dangerous, I swear!"
Sarah Michelle nodded. "It frightens me to see Ron going at it. You'll never get me on a broomstick for that very reason. I'm surprised that you like it, Araminta. You don't seem like a Quidditch-playing sort of girl."
"That's my dads' influence, really. I don't know if I would have played it on my own. But my dads were great Quidditch players in their time, and they could play professionally if they wanted to. Oh, shoot!" Araminta accidentally spilled some of her iced frappucino down her cloak. "Why am I always getting stuff all over me?"
"Because you don't get out of the way fast enough?" Sarah Michelle helped Araminta perform the cleaning charm and the drying charm and then took their used cups to the trash can. "I guess it's an omen. It's time to get shopping!"