2 : Drinks For Two
Harry knew Hermione preferred to stop in Scrivenshaft's before anything and began making his way in that direction when she turned off the path and headed to a shop on his left.
"Where are you going?" he wanted to know before following her.
"Honeydukes. Dr. Whattanutter. For Ron, remember?"
"You two coming?" Harry asked Neville and Luna.
"No," Luna stated matter-of-factly. "Neville and I are going to back to the Three Broomsticks. Would you like to join us?"
"Actually," he nodded, starting toward them.
"Harry!" Hermione called from within the sweetshop.
"I'd better not. We'll meet up later, though."
Neville and Luna watched as Hermione exited the shop just to grab Harry's sleeve and pull him inside.
"Drinks, then, eh?" the boy queried, looking at the girl beside him and fishing in his pocket for his money.
"Thank you, Neville. I thought you'd never ask."
She turned toward the Three Broomsticks and he quirked an eyebrow as she walked away.
"She's definitely something else," he mumbled, going after her.
"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly just outside the door, tugging on her ear lobe.
"Are you okay?"
"Someone's talking about me."
"I'm sorry?"
She laughed a little shrugged, "That's what my father used to say: whenever your ear rings, it means someone's talking about you."
He smiled, nearly surprised that she didn't go into one of her outlandish tales of some tiny creature picking up stray WWN signals from within her brain.
'You're not as loony as everyone thinks,' he thought to himself, opening the door for her. 'Innocence isn't crazy.'
Again, she stopped walking, but scratched her nose this time.
Neville eyed her warily and, concerned, asked, "You're not coming down with whatever Ron's got, are you?"
"Quill mites? No. Someone's thinking about me," she told him as he held a chair for her and she sat down.
"Your nose itches when you're on someone's mind?"
"I bet yours does, too. Someone must be thinking about me a lot," she added, still scratching.
He, then, realized that he was thinking about her, and that he had been talking about her before.
'Surely not …'
On a whim, he quickly thought about his shoes and Luna inhaled deeply with a smile, "Ah, they've stopped. Much better."
Madame Rosmerta approached the table, looking as good-humored as usual.
"You look like you want something different today," she grinned.
Neville looked at the girl across the table from him with eyebrows raised.
"Whatever you're having would be lovely," she told him.
He thought for a moment before ordering.
"Er, uh … two hot chocolates, please."
Rosmerta winked and headed for the bar.
He watched her walk away for a second before sniffing once and scratching his nose. Thinking something suddenly amiss, he looked at Luna sideways. She smiled vaguely and turned away from him to look around the bar.
Looking at her properly as she avoided his eyes, he noticed something unusual about her appearance.
"Where's your necklace?"
Harry knew Hermione preferred to stop in Scrivenshaft's before anything and began making his way in that direction when she turned off the path and headed to a shop on his left.
"Where are you going?" he wanted to know before following her.
"Honeydukes. Dr. Whattanutter. For Ron, remember?"
"You two coming?" Harry asked Neville and Luna.
"No," Luna stated matter-of-factly. "Neville and I are going to back to the Three Broomsticks. Would you like to join us?"
"Actually," he nodded, starting toward them.
"Harry!" Hermione called from within the sweetshop.
"I'd better not. We'll meet up later, though."
Neville and Luna watched as Hermione exited the shop just to grab Harry's sleeve and pull him inside.
"Drinks, then, eh?" the boy queried, looking at the girl beside him and fishing in his pocket for his money.
"Thank you, Neville. I thought you'd never ask."
She turned toward the Three Broomsticks and he quirked an eyebrow as she walked away.
"She's definitely something else," he mumbled, going after her.
"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly just outside the door, tugging on her ear lobe.
"Are you okay?"
"Someone's talking about me."
"I'm sorry?"
She laughed a little shrugged, "That's what my father used to say: whenever your ear rings, it means someone's talking about you."
He smiled, nearly surprised that she didn't go into one of her outlandish tales of some tiny creature picking up stray WWN signals from within her brain.
'You're not as loony as everyone thinks,' he thought to himself, opening the door for her. 'Innocence isn't crazy.'
Again, she stopped walking, but scratched her nose this time.
Neville eyed her warily and, concerned, asked, "You're not coming down with whatever Ron's got, are you?"
"Quill mites? No. Someone's thinking about me," she told him as he held a chair for her and she sat down.
"Your nose itches when you're on someone's mind?"
"I bet yours does, too. Someone must be thinking about me a lot," she added, still scratching.
He, then, realized that he was thinking about her, and that he had been talking about her before.
'Surely not …'
On a whim, he quickly thought about his shoes and Luna inhaled deeply with a smile, "Ah, they've stopped. Much better."
Madame Rosmerta approached the table, looking as good-humored as usual.
"You look like you want something different today," she grinned.
Neville looked at the girl across the table from him with eyebrows raised.
"Whatever you're having would be lovely," she told him.
He thought for a moment before ordering.
"Er, uh … two hot chocolates, please."
Rosmerta winked and headed for the bar.
He watched her walk away for a second before sniffing once and scratching his nose. Thinking something suddenly amiss, he looked at Luna sideways. She smiled vaguely and turned away from him to look around the bar.
Looking at her properly as she avoided his eyes, he noticed something unusual about her appearance.
"Where's your necklace?"
