Disclaimer: Same as ever...
THIS IS A TEST: Hello Hello
The test above was just checking if bold and italics work ok? Ignore it
CHAPTER 3 – HOGSMEADE WEEKEND
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It was a bright, sunny morning, and the seventh year Gryffindors were walking up the path leading to Hogsmeade. Although it was very chilly, and snow covered the ground, they were all chattering wildly about the serene village they were about to enter.
Harry and Hermione (thanks to Ron letting them have some 'time to talk') were talking again, which made the journey much more enjoyable than it would have been if they weren't.
Honeydukes was jam-packed with Hogwarts students. People were everywhere; at the counter paying for their sweets, browsing randomly, and even just chatting while casually sucking on an Acid Pop. Harry, Ron and Hermione decided it was best to come back later – the crowds were getting larger by the minute.
Instead they strolled off for a foaming Butterbeer each in the Three Broomsticks, their favourite pub. After they had finished, they went to look around the shops.
Harry kept glancing at his watch to make sure he wasn't late for Sirius. Ten minutes to go...five minutes...two minutes...one...thirty seconds...
"Harry...where're you going?" asked Ron, curious as to why Harry had begun to walk down the streets that lead out of Hogsmeade. He swiveled on the spot, wishing they hadn't seen him run off.
"Umm...just...having a coffee with..." He said the first name that came to his head, "Neville...in that café...Madam Puddifoot's...down the road..." Hermione eyed him suspiciously, but he just said,"Well, better go, see you back at school."
"Have you got the feeling Harry's not telling us something?" murmured Ron to Hermione when Harry was out of earshot. She shrugged and walked off to the nearest shop, Dervish and Bangs.
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"That was close," said Harry, under his breath. He made sure they weren't watching him, and then darted off a side road and to the mountain path.
When he got to the mountain cave that Sirius hid in when he was looking after Harry, he found Sirius slumped against the wall, vaguely scanning through the current issue of The Quibbler. He hadn't noticed Harry's arrival, so Harry poked his arm. He dropped the magazine in surprise.
"Harry! Nice to see you again, how're you doing?" he asked, but before Harry could answer he added,"Or should I say, how are you and Hermione doing?" He grinned at the sight of Harry's blushing.
"Well, you see that's the reason I wanted to talk to you. I've never had a girlfriend before, so I don't' really know how to treat her..." He trailed off sheepishly. Sirius grinned again. He straightened himself up, and then nodded.
"Well...you talk to her normally in public, but when you two are alone, you should be a bit more intimate. Compliment her, don't talk about other girls while you're on a date, that sort of thing," he said reasonably. Harry thought about it for a while. How did he know about all this?
"Did you ever have a girlfriend?" he asked tentatively. Sirius nodded, though he looked suddenly very miserable. Harry noticed this and asked, "Why? What happened?" Sirius turned away, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter.
"Her name was Emily Donovan," whispered Sirius. "She's...dead."
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(FLASHBACK)
"Where are we going Sirius?" asked Emily, her smooth hands outstretched in front of her. He laughed, one hand covering her pretty navy blue eyes, keeping the surprise secret from her...until...
He took his hand away. She looked around her, seeing the ancient Hogwarts castle across the vast lake. Under her dainty feet was the rough ground of Hogsmeade village, but on the outskirts of it – there were no students around, just a few cottages here and there.
"Do you like it?" asked Sirius, beaming at her. She smiled her dazzling smile back at him and batted those very black eyelashes.
"Of course, it's beautiful, just like the man who brought me here," she said, pulling Sirius into a tight embrace. "I love you so much." Sirius's heart jumped in excitement. But was it enough for his next surprise for her?
Don't do it, he thought. Imagine what you'll feel like if she says no. But what if she says yes? He took a deep breath, and then bent down on his knees and took her gentle hands in his.
"Emmy," he said, producing a small box from his pocket, which he laid down on the floor, "I-I just wanted- would you- of course if you don't want to- will you marry me?" He looked up at her expectantly. Her expression was full of delight as she grinned at him, pulling him up from the ground into a passionate kiss.
When they finally broke apart, she said, "Yes, of course I will!" That beautiful girl, Emily Donovan, made his day as she exclaimed those words into the daylight. These words echoed in his mind, he couldn't get them out of his head, they were so wonderful.
He picked up the small box on the ground. He gave it to her, and she opened the simple cardboard box to find a lusciously decorated ring inside. It was made of pure gold, adorned with diamonds and pearls. Around the inside was engraved 'To my Emmy, who has given me a reason for living'. She looked up from the ring and just gasped in amazement at how simple, yet meaningful those words were.
A few more kisses later and they were off down the road to Hogwarts, both happier than they had ever been in their whole lives.
(END FLASHBACK)
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Harry noticed the finality in his voice. It meant it was time for him to go away. He slowly backed out of the cave, but Sirius stopped him.
"Don't walk away just because I was fed-up with life. Here, take a seat, I need to tell you a few things," he said, grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him down to the cold stone floor.
"Ok, firstly, the number one rule for relationships is to never, ever do anything stupid," he said seriously. Harry was utterly confused. "What kind of stupid things could you do?" he asked Sirius.
"Well...the thing I'm talking about is something I did – slitting your wrists. Never, ever do that. It is the most stupid thing you could ever do," he said, very seriously. Harry had absolutely no intention of ever slitting his wrists. He nodded, agreeing to Sirius's promise.
"Secondly, you're in charge. You have to look after her; it's your responsibility to care for her."
"Thirdly, tell her if you're going too fast. Tell her if you feel uncomfortable in a situation, ok? You don't want to regret stuff you do with her, trust me." Harry nodded again, making a mental note.
"And lastly, never dump her if things are going bad. Just tell her you want to be her friend, not her boyfriend, ok? Make sure you say it the right way, don't offend her," said Sirius, his eyes fixed upon Harry's, making him understand. Harry nodded again, and then noticed the time on his watch.
"Oh my gosh, I've got to be back at the castle in ten minutes!" he said hurriedly. He gave Sirius a swift 'goodbye', then dashed out and down the path to Hogwarts. He saw Hermione and Ron waiting for him expectantly, and so he ran towards them.
"Harry, where've you been? We've been looking for you for the last five minutes or so..." said Ron, as if he was suddenly beginning to uncover the secret.
"Come on, Ron, honestly you're so thick. Of course Harry wasn't at the coffee shop, were you Harry?" asked Hermione, a mischievous smile playing in the corner of her mouth. "For starters, Harry hates Madam Puddifoot's café, so why would he choose that place to go for a quick coffee? And secondly, I just saw Neville and he told me that hadn't seen you all day."
Harry opened and closed his mouth several times. He tried to hide the guilty look on his face, but Hermione saw it clearly. She saw everything clearly...
"Ok, fine, I wasn't at Madam Puddifoot's. I was talking to Sirius," he said, much to the surprise of Ron and Hermione. They dropped their jaws in astonishment that he hadn't told them he was meeting Sirius.
"But...but why didn't you bring us along? I would've liked to talk to him!" said Ron, in a slightly hurt voice. Harry turned away; he didn't want to tell the truth in front of Hermione. He muttered 'later' in Ron's ear when Hermione turned around.
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"So what were you talking to him about?" asked Ron, as they were now in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, alone.
"Well...stuff...like....ok fine. I was asking him how to look after her," Harry finished, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Go on, laugh!" But Ron didn't laugh; he moved over to Harry's bed and sat down next to him.
"That's great Harry! He'd know all about that wouldn't he?" he said, with a hearty grin on his freckled face. Harry smiled to himself. It was so good to have Ron as a friend.
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Thanx for the reviews, as I say EVERY TIME I like more reviews and I don't add unless I get reviews!
NEXT CHAPTER: A major 'OH MY GOSH' moment for next time, so stay tuned....
THIS IS A TEST: Hello Hello
The test above was just checking if bold and italics work ok? Ignore it
CHAPTER 3 – HOGSMEADE WEEKEND
-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8- 8-8-8-
It was a bright, sunny morning, and the seventh year Gryffindors were walking up the path leading to Hogsmeade. Although it was very chilly, and snow covered the ground, they were all chattering wildly about the serene village they were about to enter.
Harry and Hermione (thanks to Ron letting them have some 'time to talk') were talking again, which made the journey much more enjoyable than it would have been if they weren't.
Honeydukes was jam-packed with Hogwarts students. People were everywhere; at the counter paying for their sweets, browsing randomly, and even just chatting while casually sucking on an Acid Pop. Harry, Ron and Hermione decided it was best to come back later – the crowds were getting larger by the minute.
Instead they strolled off for a foaming Butterbeer each in the Three Broomsticks, their favourite pub. After they had finished, they went to look around the shops.
Harry kept glancing at his watch to make sure he wasn't late for Sirius. Ten minutes to go...five minutes...two minutes...one...thirty seconds...
"Harry...where're you going?" asked Ron, curious as to why Harry had begun to walk down the streets that lead out of Hogsmeade. He swiveled on the spot, wishing they hadn't seen him run off.
"Umm...just...having a coffee with..." He said the first name that came to his head, "Neville...in that café...Madam Puddifoot's...down the road..." Hermione eyed him suspiciously, but he just said,"Well, better go, see you back at school."
"Have you got the feeling Harry's not telling us something?" murmured Ron to Hermione when Harry was out of earshot. She shrugged and walked off to the nearest shop, Dervish and Bangs.
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8-8-
"That was close," said Harry, under his breath. He made sure they weren't watching him, and then darted off a side road and to the mountain path.
When he got to the mountain cave that Sirius hid in when he was looking after Harry, he found Sirius slumped against the wall, vaguely scanning through the current issue of The Quibbler. He hadn't noticed Harry's arrival, so Harry poked his arm. He dropped the magazine in surprise.
"Harry! Nice to see you again, how're you doing?" he asked, but before Harry could answer he added,"Or should I say, how are you and Hermione doing?" He grinned at the sight of Harry's blushing.
"Well, you see that's the reason I wanted to talk to you. I've never had a girlfriend before, so I don't' really know how to treat her..." He trailed off sheepishly. Sirius grinned again. He straightened himself up, and then nodded.
"Well...you talk to her normally in public, but when you two are alone, you should be a bit more intimate. Compliment her, don't talk about other girls while you're on a date, that sort of thing," he said reasonably. Harry thought about it for a while. How did he know about all this?
"Did you ever have a girlfriend?" he asked tentatively. Sirius nodded, though he looked suddenly very miserable. Harry noticed this and asked, "Why? What happened?" Sirius turned away, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter.
"Her name was Emily Donovan," whispered Sirius. "She's...dead."
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(FLASHBACK)
"Where are we going Sirius?" asked Emily, her smooth hands outstretched in front of her. He laughed, one hand covering her pretty navy blue eyes, keeping the surprise secret from her...until...
He took his hand away. She looked around her, seeing the ancient Hogwarts castle across the vast lake. Under her dainty feet was the rough ground of Hogsmeade village, but on the outskirts of it – there were no students around, just a few cottages here and there.
"Do you like it?" asked Sirius, beaming at her. She smiled her dazzling smile back at him and batted those very black eyelashes.
"Of course, it's beautiful, just like the man who brought me here," she said, pulling Sirius into a tight embrace. "I love you so much." Sirius's heart jumped in excitement. But was it enough for his next surprise for her?
Don't do it, he thought. Imagine what you'll feel like if she says no. But what if she says yes? He took a deep breath, and then bent down on his knees and took her gentle hands in his.
"Emmy," he said, producing a small box from his pocket, which he laid down on the floor, "I-I just wanted- would you- of course if you don't want to- will you marry me?" He looked up at her expectantly. Her expression was full of delight as she grinned at him, pulling him up from the ground into a passionate kiss.
When they finally broke apart, she said, "Yes, of course I will!" That beautiful girl, Emily Donovan, made his day as she exclaimed those words into the daylight. These words echoed in his mind, he couldn't get them out of his head, they were so wonderful.
He picked up the small box on the ground. He gave it to her, and she opened the simple cardboard box to find a lusciously decorated ring inside. It was made of pure gold, adorned with diamonds and pearls. Around the inside was engraved 'To my Emmy, who has given me a reason for living'. She looked up from the ring and just gasped in amazement at how simple, yet meaningful those words were.
A few more kisses later and they were off down the road to Hogwarts, both happier than they had ever been in their whole lives.
(END FLASHBACK)
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Harry noticed the finality in his voice. It meant it was time for him to go away. He slowly backed out of the cave, but Sirius stopped him.
"Don't walk away just because I was fed-up with life. Here, take a seat, I need to tell you a few things," he said, grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him down to the cold stone floor.
"Ok, firstly, the number one rule for relationships is to never, ever do anything stupid," he said seriously. Harry was utterly confused. "What kind of stupid things could you do?" he asked Sirius.
"Well...the thing I'm talking about is something I did – slitting your wrists. Never, ever do that. It is the most stupid thing you could ever do," he said, very seriously. Harry had absolutely no intention of ever slitting his wrists. He nodded, agreeing to Sirius's promise.
"Secondly, you're in charge. You have to look after her; it's your responsibility to care for her."
"Thirdly, tell her if you're going too fast. Tell her if you feel uncomfortable in a situation, ok? You don't want to regret stuff you do with her, trust me." Harry nodded again, making a mental note.
"And lastly, never dump her if things are going bad. Just tell her you want to be her friend, not her boyfriend, ok? Make sure you say it the right way, don't offend her," said Sirius, his eyes fixed upon Harry's, making him understand. Harry nodded again, and then noticed the time on his watch.
"Oh my gosh, I've got to be back at the castle in ten minutes!" he said hurriedly. He gave Sirius a swift 'goodbye', then dashed out and down the path to Hogwarts. He saw Hermione and Ron waiting for him expectantly, and so he ran towards them.
"Harry, where've you been? We've been looking for you for the last five minutes or so..." said Ron, as if he was suddenly beginning to uncover the secret.
"Come on, Ron, honestly you're so thick. Of course Harry wasn't at the coffee shop, were you Harry?" asked Hermione, a mischievous smile playing in the corner of her mouth. "For starters, Harry hates Madam Puddifoot's café, so why would he choose that place to go for a quick coffee? And secondly, I just saw Neville and he told me that hadn't seen you all day."
Harry opened and closed his mouth several times. He tried to hide the guilty look on his face, but Hermione saw it clearly. She saw everything clearly...
"Ok, fine, I wasn't at Madam Puddifoot's. I was talking to Sirius," he said, much to the surprise of Ron and Hermione. They dropped their jaws in astonishment that he hadn't told them he was meeting Sirius.
"But...but why didn't you bring us along? I would've liked to talk to him!" said Ron, in a slightly hurt voice. Harry turned away; he didn't want to tell the truth in front of Hermione. He muttered 'later' in Ron's ear when Hermione turned around.
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"So what were you talking to him about?" asked Ron, as they were now in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, alone.
"Well...stuff...like....ok fine. I was asking him how to look after her," Harry finished, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Go on, laugh!" But Ron didn't laugh; he moved over to Harry's bed and sat down next to him.
"That's great Harry! He'd know all about that wouldn't he?" he said, with a hearty grin on his freckled face. Harry smiled to himself. It was so good to have Ron as a friend.
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Thanx for the reviews, as I say EVERY TIME I like more reviews and I don't add unless I get reviews!
NEXT CHAPTER: A major 'OH MY GOSH' moment for next time, so stay tuned....