Chapter Five - Hogsmeade and Blushing

Students, mainly third years, bustled around the streets of Hogsmeade. Summer was slowly fading into autumn. The leaves were beginning to change into bright reds and yellows. The students talked excitedly. Ginny and her friends walked down the street, past windows filled with magical items. Brooke waved her pom-poms to and fro.

"Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch!" she chanted.

"Brooke!" Christine and Ginny yelled.

"Quidditch?!" Brooke asked.

"No!" Christine answered.

"But you made the team!"

"I know," Christine said.

Brooke danced and sang. "You made the team, you made the team!"

Ginny set her hand on Brooke's shoulder. "We know. Calm down."

"Yes, please!" Christine said.

"But we made the team!!" Angela yelled.

The girls talked in circles for a few minutes before Harry, Ron, Hermione walked over to them. Brooke was still dancing with her pom-poms.

"Hey," Harry said, "I just wanted to let you three know that our first practice is Monday evening."

"Yay!" Brooke said.

Ron gave her a strange look. "What are you 'yay-ing' for? You're not on the team."

"QUIDDITCH!!"

"She is worse than Looney Lovegood . . ."

Evangeline walked slowly with Annie. She stopped to look in a window, clutching a small bag.

"Wow! This is so cool!"

"Yeah," Annie said, munching on Every Flavor Beans, "it was cool, but it eventually gets kinda boring. Well, er, except for Honeyduke's."

"I like everything here," Evangeline remarked. "I want to the book store, of course. There are a few books I want to pick up, then we have . . . to . . ."

She stopped mid-sentence and blushed when Ron passed and smiled. Annie grinned, and a light bulb came on. She grabbed Evangeline's wrist.

"I think we need to go and get you dress robes for the Yule Ball."

"But I don't want to go to the Yule Ball," Evangeline argued.

Annie dragged her toward the robe shop. "Oh, you're going whether you like it or not."

She pulled her into the shop. A small witch behind the counter looked up. She wore a large Victorian type hat.

"Can I help you?

"Yes!" Annie answered, before Evangeline could say anything. "She wants to buy a nice dress robe."

She pulled Evangeline forward. Evangeline straightened her glasses.

"Damn you," she cursed.

"Ah, of course. Come here, my dear," the witch said cheerfully.

Evangeline stepped forward, glaring at Annie. She took off her plain school robe and folded it. The witch began taking Evangeline's measurements.

"Hrmm," said the witch, "how about a nice midnight blue? Hold still, I need to measure,"

"Tell me why we're doing this again," Evangeline said to Annie.

The small witch exited to a back room.

"Because I saw you blushing when Ron passed . . . You like him, don't you," Annie asked.

Evangeline blushed. "I blush whenever any guy pays attention to me . . ."

Annie sighed and shook her head. "You're too shy. I bet you don't like many guys, do you?"

"You'd be surprised . . ."

"Like who?" Annie laughed. "Malfoy?"

"Draco?!" Evangeline yelled, pretending to gag. "Never!"

"Seriously," Annie requested.

Evangeline looked around the small store. It was filled with every robe imaginable. Plain robes, dress robes, and Quidditch robes to match anyone's favorite team. Annie stared at her friend. Evangeline turned back to her, knowing Annie sensed her evasiveness.

"Well," she began, "at my old school there was one guy. The captain of one of the Quidditch teams (which reminds me, we gotta get Quidditch stuff). But I was always too shy to say anything. Then Mom died, and I moved here and never saw him again. Like it matters, he'd never give me a second glance."

"Oh . . ." Annie replied with a split second of sympathy. "Well, you wanna talk about a good-looking Quidditch captain, you should have been here a few years ago when Oliver Wood was still Gryffindor captain."

"Yep," Evangeline agreed, blushing, "I know what you're saying. I follow the Puddlemere matches just for that reason."

Annie sighed. "He was a keeper in more than one way . . . "

The robe witch returned with a midnight blue and black velvet robe. It sparkled in the candlelight of the shop.

"Here, try this."

Evangeline took the robe from the woman and tried it on. She turned to face a full-length mirror. She played with her hair, gathering it on top of her head.

"You'll look great in that!" Annie said.

"You think?"

"Yes!" she replied. She turned to the woman. "She'll take it!"

Evangeline rolled her eyes and dug into her small purse on her shoulder. She pulled her school robe back on. She paid for the robe and strolled out of the store with Annie close behind.

"I don't know why you do this to me," Evangeline muttered.

"We need to fix you guy problem."

"I don't have a guy problem!"

"Well, then, who are you going to the Yule Ball with?" Annie asked her.

"No one," Evangeline replied with no hesitation. "I'm gonna sit there, maybe still be talking to you then. If someone asks me to dance, fine, but other than that, I'm a wall flower."

"A what?"

"Never mind. Besides Christmas is three months away."

"Un-uh," Annie said, "Can we get some food now?"

Annie, delighted to have food, fell on her plate with wild abandon. Evangeline sighed.

"FOOD! AND BUTTERBEER!" Annie exclaimed.

"You are far too easily pacified . . ." Evangeline said, rolling her eyes.

Malfoy and Cassandra entered. Evangeline appeared just so pleased to see them.

"Great. Just who I wanted to see," she said, flatly.

"Get us a table, and I get some drinks," Malfoy instructed Cassandra.

She nodded and smiled, then sat at a table close to the door. She opened a small bag and took out a book and began to read it. Evangeline looked away, shaking her head. The small bell on the door jingled as someone entered.

"Ooohhh!" Annie uttered, observing then person nearing the bartender.

Oliver Wood, now nearing the age of twenty, was speaking to the man behind the bar.

"A butterbeer, please," he said.

Annie looked as if she were going to faint. "He's HERE?! HE'S here?!"

She began bouncing in her seat. Evangeline pulled on Annie's sleeve.

"Who's where? Sit down!"

"Oliver! He's here!!" she yelled, turning scarlet.

"Sit! Quit causing a scene!" Evangeline told her, still tugging on her robe.

"But he's hot!"

"Just a little . . ." Evangeline answered sarcastically.

Annie started to stand. "I'm gonna jump over the booth!!"

Evangeline held her back. "STOP! Sit so I can see!"

Malfoy glanced over at the two excited girls. "What are they so bloody excited about?" He looked at Cassandra, who blushed and gazed at Oliver.

"Ahem . . ." Malfoy cleared his throat.

"Oh . . . sorry . . . " she answered.

Malfoy shook his head. Oliver walked across the room and took a booth across from the one that Evangeline and Annie shared. Evangeline sighed.

"Oh," she uttered.

"What?" Annie whispered.

Evangeline pointed in Annie's direction. "He's behind you,"

"What? Where?" Annie squealed and spun around.

Oliver looked up, both surprised and confused. Evangeline tried to hide under the table, with little success.

"Oliver! I love you!" Annie announced.

"Er . . . okay . . . " he answered.

Evangeline pulled out her wand.

"I think you're--" Annie began.

"Silencio!" Evangeline cast.

Annie mouthed the rest of her sentence. She gave a confused look and turned to Evangeline, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry, Annie," she apologized, "but you talk to much."

Annie tried swearing at her but couldn't. Evangeline still understood what she was saying. Oliver laughed.

"How did you ever get into Ravenclaw? Honestly!" said Evangeline.

"Hello, ladies," Oliver said.

Annie tried to speak, but then sulked. Evangeline looked down and busied her self with a napkin, blushing.

"Hello," she replied.

"That's an odd accent you have. Where are you from?" he asked the perpetually blushing Evangeline.

She looked over the rim of her oval glasses. "The United States."

The bell of the Three Broomsticks jingled again. Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered. The breeze from outside sent a ripple through Evangeline's hair.

"Ah, I see," Oliver said.

The Gryffindor trio approached Oliver's booth. Harry looked shocked.

"Wood!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Potter!" Oliver answered, "Just who I wanted to see. Come, sit,"

Oliver gestured to the benches by the booth. Evangeline blushed as she made eye contact with Ron. She gathered up her bag and grabbed Annie's sleeve. Annie tried to escape but failed. She waved to Oliver, who was too busy chatting with Harry and his friends to notice. As the girls passed Malfoy and Cassandra's table, Malfoy glared at them. Evangeline flipped him off and exited the Three Broomsticks. Outside, the sun shined brightly. The streets of Hogsmeade were still filled with Hogwarts' students. Evangeline muttered a spell.

"What was that for?!" Annie raged.

"You talk too much," Evangeline explained. "It was embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?!" Annie asked. "You liking Ronald Weasley is embarrassing!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't like Ron?!"

"Right . . . Well, if I'm that embarrassing, guess I'll go" said Annie, walking away.

"Annie! No! I'm sorry!" Evangeline called to her. "You're like the only person who care about me! Wait!"

Evangeline jogged after her, her robe flailing behind her. Annie stopped so her friend could catch up.

"I knew you couldn't live without me!" Annie told her, making a stupid face.

Evangeline laughed. "You're just as much of a freak as I am!"

"Yeah, you're right. Apology accepted." Annie said, with an evil grin breaking out over her face. "Let's go to Honeyduke's!"

"You just ate!" Evangeline said, exasperated. "And you don't need any more sugar!"

"Sure I do!" Annie responded, jumping up and down.

Evangeline shook her head as the pair began walking in the direction of the candy store anyone with a sweet tooth would think was Heaven. They strolled past the robe shop were they had been previously that afternoon. Through the window they saw Cassandra and Malfoy. Cassandra was trying on several dress robes, looking like a Muggle teenager in a mall.

"Look, our favorite people," Annie said.

"Who cares?" Evangeline replied. "Those two are disgusting. She forgot to bring me my kneasle last week because--"

"How is that thing?" Annie interrupted.

"He's fine," Evangeline said. "He just needed a simple potion like I told you."

Annie didn't answer, as they continued to walk. She sighed.

"What is it?" Evangeline asked, worried.

"Nothing," Annie answered, flushing. "Just thinking about Oliver . . ."

"I love his accent!" Evangeline said, dreamily.

"He seemed to fancy yours," Annie told her friend.

"No he didn't. He said it was 'odd.' He probably thought I sounded like a hillbilly."

"A what?" Annie asked.

"Never mind,"

"You don't have high self esteem, do you?" Annie said.

"No, not really," Evangeline answered, sadly.

"Don't worry," her friend reassured, "we'll fix that. But first HONEYDUKES!"