I made my way down the steps towards the nearly empty common room. With the Yule Ball having ended just a few hours prior not many had finished with their night's sleep. The rest of the girls had still been sleeping when I left the dormitory. Lev was sleeping as well, probably alongside most other Slytherins. The few that weren't were in the common room though all looked to be half asleep and unaware of my presence. Amongst the scarce number of them was Draco, sitting by a window seat and looking onto the lake. I made my way towards him.
"Morning," I greeted when he didn't. Draco continued to stare blankly into the waters as if he hadn't heard me. I was aware he was going to be difficult but I didn't think he would start this early. I sighed and sat down next to him.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Draco asked turning towards me. He looked tired but not the kind that was caused by lack of sleep.
"Not sure, I just wasn't that tired I guess…" I answered. He stayed quiet, making me sigh again. "Are you angry about something?"
"What could I possibly have to be angry about?" Draco muttered in an uncaring tone. I gave him a look.
"Well, personally I think there shouldn't be anything but obviously something is bothering you."
"Whatever do you mean?" he replied sarcastically. With a smile I leaned forward and ran my fingers through his hair, ruffling it as much as I could. While normally he would have been annoyed when someone touched his hair, or him in general, it was me this time and I was special. Draco looked down trying to hide his smile, but I saw it break through his previously blank expression.
"Please don't take this the wrong way but you are truly the most insufferable person I have ever met" I informed him as I untangled my hand from his hair. It made him smile wider.
"Obviously you've never met yourself" he retorted with a look. After a second his smile faded if only slightly and he leaned back against the window. Draco looked me over once before letting go of a sigh. "Why must you always push my patience?"
"Because that's what I'm here for. If you want someone who just agrees with everything you say, well, isn't that what Pansy is for?" I shrugged and laughed as I noticed Draco's grimace. "So, would you like to open your present now? Assuming you're done with your latest fit that is."
"No, not quite, but I doubt you'll let me get through it without constant nagging so we might as well" Draco smirked at me. I stood up.
"I'll meet you in your room" I nodded as he stood too.
"Tell me again why you insisted on waiting till now to do this" Draco grumbled.
"You know I like exchanging gifts in person" I rolled my eyes. This had been a thing since we were kids so he knew well enough it would happen again.
"Yes one of the many annoying traits I constantly have to put up with" he smirked down at me. I gave him a look and he laughed.
"Shut up. Besides, you know you love me" I smiled back and started towards the stairs. Draco rolled his eyes but did the same.
Up in the dormitory I did my best to get Draco's presents without waking the girls, Pansy and Daphne in particular. If I woke Daphne she would whine for the next several hours that I didn't let her get her beauty sleep and that it would be my fault if she developed wrinkles by the age of twenty-five. And while I normally didn't care about waking Pansy she would have also thrown a fit and would have acted even more annoying had she noticed I was planning on giving Draco his presents then. Once I had the gifts in hand I quietly made my way out of the room, kissing Lev on the top of his head before leaving.
Making my way straight from my stairs to the ones leading to the boys' dormitories I saw some very sleepy boys mumbling to each other unhappily. Draco must have thrown out his roommates so they wouldn't bother us while opening presents. I finished making my way to Draco's room and opened the door without knocking. He greeted me with a tired expression from his bed as if he disapproved but knew bringing it up wouldn't change anything.
"You know they're going to get really sick of you if you keep kicking them out of their room all the time" I commented, sitting on the empty space next to him. Draco watched me place his gifts to the other side of me before speaking.
"They told me last night to wake them up" he lied, though rather convincingly. If I didn't know him as well as I do I might have believed him. Instead of saying anything I rolled my eyes at him and reached behind him, where I could tell he had placed my presents. Before I touched them Draco pulled them away. I pouted at him making him laugh. "This time I go first."
"You always go first" I complained but handed him his gifts.
"You know that's not true" he smiled at me before opening it. Unwrapping the gift Draco pulled out a long silver piece of fabric. He looked at it for a second before turning back to me. "A scarf. So I'm guessing you bought this last minute."
"Don't be a jerk; say thank you" I scolded ignoring his look to me. I kicked his foot and moved closer to him.
"Well you did insist on taking mine as your 'Halloween present'" he reminded me, with an unnecessary use of air-quotes. I rolled my eyes at him.
"And why do you think I did that?"
"Because you're a selfish brat" Draco said in an even tone, meaning what he said. I stuck out my tongue at him and he smiled.
"While that is true it is also true that I wanted you to wear this scarf."
"Because you're a selfish brat" he repeated with a smirk. I gave him a look but smiled back.
"Just shut up and say thank you" I crossed my arms against my chest.
"Pick one or the other but you can't have both" he continued to smirk as I glared at him. Draco chuckled and wrapped his new scarf around himself. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, now hurry up and open part two" I smiled, and handed him the second gift. He gave me a curious look making me giggle. "I assumed you got me at least two gifts this year so I did the same. I can't have you outdoing me now can I."
"Because you're a selfish brat" Draco chuckled as I hit his arm.
"Just open it" I rolled my eyes as Draco began to open his gift. At first he looked confused, then intrigued, then finally smiled at it and at me. "It's a watch."
"I can see that" he smiled at my obvious statement, pulling the shiny wristwatch from its packaging.
"Now you can't have the excuse of not knowing what time it is when I tell you to meet me somewhere. So you better always be on time" I explained as he tried it on. The wristwatch fit him nicely; snug but not tight against his skin.
"It's nice" he told me, turning his wrist to look at it from different angles. It was a simple watch but I still found it elegant. I had liked it and figured he would too, plus he could certainly get some use from it. Draco smiled at it then at me but his look change slightly. "I've noticed a trend with you lately."
"And what would that be?"
"You've been getting me presents that are more convenient for you than for me" he answered. When I gave him a look he continued. "Like, for instance, how many times from now until I stop wearing it will you ask me what time it is?"
"If you don't want it I'll keep it" I frowned at him. Draco chuckled, knowing he was right, but shook his head.
"No, no, it's mine now. It's just something you should keep in mind next time you're shopping for gifts" he replied with a smirk.
"Yeah, sure, but now it's my turn" I squealed happily, reaching behind him to take my gift. Draco chuckled and tapped me on the head at my attempt. I pouted making him laugh a bit more. He reached behind him and handed me his gift. I gave him a brief smile before tearing away the wrapping paper hiding my gift from me.
"'Traveling Shadows'?" I read the name out loud. Usually when he got me books it was because I had told him I wanted that particular one. That or because he was sure I had a similar one. I looked inside to the front page of the book, where its name was written just above the author's. Outside the hardcover was plain, no words or patterns on it.
"It's by that Magizoologist writer whose books you're always reading" he said scooting closer to look at it.
"I've never heard of this one before" I said sounding slightly surprised. I thought I had all copies from that author.
"I was hoping you hadn't. It technically hasn't even been published yet" Draco smiled triumphantly at me.
"How did you get this?" I asked looking down curiously at the book.
"I got it during one of our family trips this summer" he began explaining. "Father and I met the author. He told us about his newest book and how it was nearly ready for publishing and such. It sounded like something you'd be interested in; about some dark creatures and how they're not as bad as they seem, I think. Anyway, I managed to convince him to give us a copy. I was planning on giving it to you as an extra for your birthday but they had to do some final revision or something so I had to wait until Christmas. I had to have it bound too since they don't even have the design done. I think it's not set to publish until mid-next year" he added with a shrug. I stayed quiet for a moment before speaking.
"You went through all that trouble?" I asked a little touched.
"Annoying as you are, and trust me you are" Draco emphasized with a smile, "you're still my best friend."
I leaned in and hugged Draco around the waist, thankful to have such a caring friend. Whether the book ended up being very good or completely uninterested I still appreciated the gift. I was also slightly aggravated seeing as he always managed to outdo me when it came to exchanging gifts. Draco patted my head and it took me a second to realize he was trying to call my attention.
"There's more" he smiled, handing me part two of his gift.
"I knew there would be" I nodded to myself, having guessed correctly.
Draco smirked, watching as I let go of him and took my second gift, opening it excitedly. Inside was a cluster of green slightly worn knitted fabric. I reached down and pulled out the jumper. It looked large enough to fit me yet a lot smaller than I remembered it being. I looked up to see him still smirking.
"Last year you gave me a hand me down, now it's my turn."
"This is my sweater" I told him with a slight frown. It was the sweater I had made for him our first year at Hogwarts.
"And just as sentimentally valuable as the tea set I got" he smiled. I continued to frown at him, making Draco shake head. "It doesn't fit me anymore so I figured you should have it."
"But I made it for you" I insisted. Draco sighed at me but with a small smile on his lips.
"I told you it doesn't fit me. Besides it will probably still fit you, as little as you are—"
"Don't call me little" I interrupted but he continued.
"And that way it's still in good hands. What did you want me to do? Throw it away?"
I pouted looking between him and the sweater. I had made it for him. If I wanted one I could just buy one or make one myself. It was supposed to be special; I had even made it. Well that was the last time I ever made him anything. Draco didn't even look regretful which I would have expected. He didn't look the slightest bit upset over it but… But that might be because he's not getting rid of it, not really.
"Are you asking me to take care of it for you?" I asked, realizing what he was trying to say.
"If you don't want it then I'll take it back. It's probably just going to sit in one of our empty rooms if you do though" he told me, turning to look away. He wanted me to keep his sweater safe but he had too much pride to say so himself. Still, it meant enough to him to go through that much trouble to keep it. I smiled up at him and hugged his arm.
"Alright, I'll keep it. But I'm only doing so because I did such an amazing job."
Draco still wasn't looking at me but I knew he had heard my words. The boy was such a sweetie when he wasn't being an arrogant jerk. I let go of his arm and moved to kneel on the bed. This caught his attention. Draco turned to look at me but before he realized what I was doing I tackled him into a hug. We fell back against his bed. He let out a grunt and I giggled.
"Would you get off!" he yelled after a second but made no attempt to push me off him. I climbed a little higher and placed my head on his shoulder before sticking my tongue out at him. Draco sighed and rested his head back against his pillow. "You are such a headache."
"Shut up and hug me" I scolded him and poked his chest. He seemed to think about that for a second before letting out a second sigh and readjusting himself from under me.
Draco gave me a look but wrapped both arms around me as I lay on his chest. I smiled at him and kissed his jaw, since I couldn't quite reach his cheek, before resting my head against his shoulder again. Thinking about it I realized it was probably a good idea that he had kicked his roommates out to the common room. If he hadn't he would certainly not have acted so sweet. He put up a front around most other people but when he was with me, as annoying as he was, Draco was a sweet boy.
We were only there a few minute before Draco returned to acting like his usual snide self, deciding to kick me out as well having already received his presents. I scowled at him but obliged, it was his room after all. That and he had already lowered his guard enough for one day, too much longer and he would start acting like that around the others too. After helping him tidy up his room a bit, what with all the wrapping paper that had been scattered about, I made my way out of his room. Draco had told me he had plans with the other boys for the day though he didn't elaborate on them. But instead of asking I let it go seeing as, if it were to do with something against Hogwarts rules, I would not be accountable as an accomplice. We said our goodbyes and parted for the day and I made my way to my room.
The morning went by pretty regularly. I read, had breakfast, then woke Daphne who looked both happy and annoyed at me for doing so. According to her it was bad to oversleep just as it was to under-sleep but that didn't mean she was glad to be woken up. Eventually she got over it and we decided to take Lev for a walk, one which resulted in a lot of complaining from both of us. She complained about the cold weather and I complained that she should stop complaining and just go inside if it really bothered her so much. Of course neither of us actually did anything regarding that and merely continued to wander around the grounds.
"Should we go after him?" Daphne asked suddenly pointing a little ways ahead of us. Lev was chasing what looked to be a rabbit into the Forbidden Forrest. I shrugged at her in response.
"Why should we? Because he can't take care of himself?" I asked with a look her way. She giggled a little and nodded.
"Good point."
After a while we decided against continuing the walk. Seeing as there wasn't much point in walking Lev if he wasn't present Daphne and I agreed that heading back inside was probably in both of our best interests. We began to head back to the Hogwarts castle. Daphne greeted nearly everyone we passed by, as she usually and unnecessarily did. I mostly half smiled at half of the people I knew and pretended not to notice the other half. I did see one familiar face that I found worth greeting. I waved at him and he grinned back. Next to me Daphne looked pleasantly surprised to see me follow in her footsteps; pleasantly, that is, until she saw who it was I was waving at.
"Hey there you are" George smiled, shuffling his way towards me.
"Here I am" I shrugged back at him. George stopped in front of me and leaned down a little closer to me. Daphne frowned at us.
"I wanted to talk to you actually…" George began, looking down at me, but paused when noting my frowning company. He turned and smiled politely at her. "Do you mind if I steal her from you for a bit?"
As if he had shouted at her, rather than used the polite tone in which he'd spoken, Daphne turned to give me a look. I returned it, reminding her to be just as polite to him, regardless of how she felt about him. Daphne rolled her eyes at me and walked away without a word. I shook my head but let her go. I'd have a talk with her later.
"Lovely isn't she" I muttered turning back to look at George. He shrugged at me, looking completely unfazed by her behavior.
"So, how've you been?"
"What?" I giggled though George looked to be waiting for an actual answer. "How have I been? It hasn't even been a day since I last saw you. What do you mean 'how have you been'?"
George shrugged, smiling at me, still awaiting my answer. I doubted he was genuinely interested in what had happened in the less than twenty-four hours prior to our meeting but I humored him nonetheless. I giggled once more and shook my head.
"I've been good" I answered though not toning down my sarcasm.
"Good" George repeated approvingly with a nod. "Well, aside from wanting to know how your day was, I was actually wondering if you wanted to accompany me to Hogsmeade today."
"Hogsmeade?" I repeated a little surprised. George nodded. "You want me to go to Hogsmeade with you? You do realize we're not allowed to just cross the bridge whenever we fancy, right?"
"Well Fred's busy so I can't take him" he sighed though not looking too upset over it. George said nothing for a moment as if having finished responding. I gave him a look making him remember the second half of my question. "Oh, yeah, don't worry about the bridge either. I know a way."
"George, just because you know a way doesn't mean it is suddenly allowed" I shook my head at him.
"I won't tell if you won't" he smirked in response. One look at my face told him that wasn't enough of an argument. George pouted at me. "Fine, we don't have to go. I mean it's not like it'll be super fun and we'll have the place basically all to ourselves. Or like you'll be able to just wander the shops without having to wait in the queue for that special ingredient you probably want to get..."
George let his offer hang in the air for a moment. While it was tempting I wasn't sure if I wanted to risk it. Although, seeing as he had made the trip several dozen times by now, I highly doubted he would get us in trouble. That alone was a good enough reason to go with him, not to mention the fact that if I went back to the room now all I would hear is Daphne complaining about how I let him talk to her in such a disrespectful way when in fact she was the one being disrespectful. That did more to convince me than anything else.
"Alright then" I smiled in agreement. George's face brightened. "But won't the clerks mind us being there?"
"They won't mind" George waved off the comment. "So long as you spend some money they could care less where you're from."
I shrugged at the comment. George smiled at me and began to lead the way. Rather than walking towards the grounds like I had expected George made his way towards the castle. The corridors looked mostly empty as most were still sleeping. We walked up to the third floor before slowing down. George looked around making sure no one was around to see us before stopping in front of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor's statue. Often plainly referred to as the one-eyed witch, Gunhilda was rather famous for being the Healer to discover the cure for dragon pox.
"Dissendium" George uttered quietly, tapping the back of the statue with his wand. It's hump opened to reveal a slide into a passage. I looked at it curiously as George once again looked around, double-checking that we were alone.
"Did you make this?" I asked as he moved closer to the opening.
"No, just found it" he answered with a smile. That smile turned teasing as he saw me continue looking down. "Don't be scared."
"I'm not" I answered honestly. "I just find this set up… curious. Why did someone hide this passage here? What was their purpose for needing to get to Hogsmeade? Why put it in such a normally crowded area, so close to the library and equally accessible from all houses. And isn't it possible that someone could make the opposite use of this and sneak into the school?"
"I have no idea, I just use it" George shrugged moving closer into the opening.
He turned to smirk at me for a second before jumping into the hole. I watched him slide down a portion of the way before disappearing from my sight. It didn't look very deep but the tunnel was dark. For a moment I reconsidered. It's not like I needed anything from Hogsmeade, or like it couldn't wait until the next scheduled visit. If I got any dirt on me it would probably be a pain to clean off. And I wasn't in a particularly enthusiastic mood to take the long walk to the little village. I frowned and George noticed my hesitation.
"Don't worry, I'll catch you" he called up to me and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"I'm not worried" I huffed at how he was making me sound. He laughed but I ignored it.
I stepped closer to the opening. It wasn't like there was anything to do at Hogwarts either, and I was interested in seeing just how the two managed to visit Hogsmeade so often. With a shrug, and a sigh to myself, I stepped closer one more time and pushed myself onto the slide.
The slide wasn't a very long one but it was a considerable length down. It took a moment before I was caught by George, he hadn't lied. The passage was dark with the only exception being the faint light coming from the opening in the witch's statue. I turned to ask George a question but paused remembering he was still holding me. He was holding me against his chest, with one arm behind my knees and the other around my waist for support. The distance between us, or lack thereof, made me blush a little and look away.
"Told you I would catch you" George said softly, also having noticed our sudden closeness.
"I believe you, now can you put me down" I muttered still not looking at him. I heard George chuckle a little before setting me down. The darkness became slowly more profound. I glanced up to see the statue's opening closing gradually. George looked unaffected by that, meaning it was a rather normal occurrence. I frowned up at it and reached for my wand. "Lumos"
A bright light erupted from the tip of my wand before gradually dimming. I let my arm hand by my side; it was bright enough to sufficiently light a decent amount of the passage on its own. Carefully I began walking forward. After a second George reached my side and grabbed onto my free hand. I stopped walking and turned to look at him. He smiled.
"Don't want you getting lost now" George teased walking ahead and leading me forward. I rolled my eyes at him.
"I highly doubt I would get lost. This tunnel seems fairly linear" I debated making George smile at me.
"You know, for such a little person you use a lot of big words" he continued to tease me. I gave him a look.
"How are those big words? And what do you mean by 'little person'?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I mean you're slightly below average height" he smiled down at me, emphasizing his point. I frowned at him. George paused in front of me. He looked down for a second before looking at me. Slowly he bent down until our noses touched. After a moment he looked back to me and smiled a little. "See, I even had to lean down to do that."
"Didn't you need something from Hogsmeade?" I reminded him as he halfheartedly pulled back, straightening up.
"Not really, no" George smiled at me, chuckling when he noticed my confused expression. "I just like to look around from time to time and I figured it'd be more fun if you joined me. So far I think I was right. But if you want I can buy you some sweets while we're there."
"I don't need you to buy me anything" I shook my head at him. George made a face.
"Trust me. I know" he mumbled and continued forward, still holding my hand.
The passage was interesting to walk through. It was tall enough that I didn't have to worry about hitting my head against the top of it. But it was short enough that, had he been a few inches taller, George would have his hair scraping against the top. It was also somewhat narrow. George was walking almost directly in front of me, seeing as we couldn't have fit comfortably standing side by side. Even so George kept hold of my hand, not seeming to mind being slightly tilted back because of it. The random twists and turns of the passage were a bit annoying, and every now and then we slowed down to step over uneven footing, but George looked very familiar with the place and traveled it easily.
"How much longer is it?" I asked finally having had enough of the silence. Not that I normally minded it but it was becoming boring. I was pretty sure we had been walking for at least an hour too. George turned back and smiled down at me when he saw my annoyed expression.
"It's a secret passage not a shortcut. It'll be a few more minutes."
"My shoes are wet; the floor was damp" I continued, not really finding it a big problem but needing something to whine about.
"I could carry you if you'd like" he looked back to me for a second but kept walking.
"I'm not an invalid, I can walk just fine" I frowned turning away. After a second I paused, realizing that had sounded offensive. It was the kind of banter I used around my normal company but it didn't feel right talking to George that way. I turned to him and saw he was still looking forward. "George?"
"Yeah?" he smiled back at me. I returned it; sometimes I forgot how little he cared about what others said.
"You said you don't have any plans for Hogsmeade but then what are we supposed to do there?"
"Like I said I mostly wanted to spend time with you" he smiled one more time before stopping. It took me a second to realize why he had done that. Ahead of us a set of stone steps were visible. It looked to go a long ways up. "Want me to go first or do you want to?"
"I guess I'll go" shrugged and began climbing. George made a sound behind me before making his way up the stairs too.
It took a while but eventually the stairs stopped and a trapdoor appeared overhead. George climbed a bit higher until we were at eyelevel. He listened for a moment before stretching out to open the trapdoor. With a nod to me he gestured for me to finish climbing. We stepped into a cellar littered with wooden crates and boxes. George leaned down to gently close the trap before moving to stand next to me. He gave me a smile and took my hand again, moving towards yet another staircase for us to climb. Turning to me George put a finger to his lips then crouched down, waiting for me to do the same. I frowned a little hoping this was the end of the passage and saw that it was, noting my surroundings. We were in Honeydukes, walking past the counter. The owners didn't notice us however, busy talking to each other loudly about a new shipment they were expecting. It sounded like an interesting argument but I didn't have time to listen as George slid through the main door, pulling me out with him before I could hear more.
"See, it was just a few of minutes" George smiled, stretching his arms over his head. I rolled my eyes at him.
"The whole passage took at least an hour to get through" I reminded him but he waved it off.
"I meant from when I said a few more minutes it did take a few more minutes" he replied and took my hand one more time. "Come one, let's go look around."
"Wait, didn't you want to get some sweets at Honeydukes?"
"Yeah but it's best to do that last. We'll be leaving through there anyway, right? Now come one" George smiled at me and pulled me forward.
Hogsmeade felt a lot lonelier without the rabble of students all excitedly entering and exiting the shops. It's not like the place was deserted, there still looked to be costumers. Well this was the only wizarding village in Britain after all. It was surprisingly easy to blend in with the other costumers. Without our school uniforms we looked like a couple of tourists like all the others. Being holiday we didn't need to wear them so I had chosen something else to wear, luckily for both of us. It made it simpler to fit in and if George had told me to go change I wouldn't have been too enthusiastic about joining him. Not that he would have done so but it would most likely have still put me off.
For some time we just wandered in and out of shops looking at the content of them calmly. George continued to hold my hand the entire time. I would have probably complained had it not been so warm. After a while in Hogsmeade it felt like another good hour of time was spent. I turned to frown at George.
"I'm hungry" I grumbled looking up at him. He gave me a sweet smile.
"That's right, it's nearly lunch time. Want to go into The Three Broomsticks for a bite?"
"Shouldn't we be getting back to the castle?" I asked but he shrugged.
"Even if we leave right now we'll be late for lunch. We might as well get some here, right?" he grinned though I doubted he was sure that would happen. But I wasn't in much of a mood to walk yet another hour to get back so I nodded.
"Alright, let's go."
George and I made our way to The Three Broomsticks. It felt unusually empty without the usual large amount of students but it was certainly not without costumers. I moved to find our seats while George got us our food. Normally this was just a rest stop through the Hogsmeade visit so I had never actually eaten any of the food here. It was surprisingly good considering it was a pub. Not the best I had ever had but not many places could compete with Alla's cooking. We stayed for a while, chatting a bit even after we finished our meals, and then went back to wandering through the shops in the village.
For the next couple of hours we explored the shops, buying a few things here and there when we fancied it. I shopped for some supplies and such I had been wanting and George mostly made impulse buys for random things that made him smile. We spent the most amount of time in the Herbology shop where I generally thought about the different brews I had plans to make and what ingredients were needed for them. I had it written down back in the room but since I hadn't planned on visiting Hogsmeade it hadn't occurred to me to bring it along. I did buy a few of the ingredients that I remembered. That is before the owner decided it was time for us to leave.
"Why did you have to argue with the shopkeep?" George asked as we walked away from the shop we had just been escorted out of. I rolled my eyes at him.
"He thought Atropa Belladonna grew on trees! That's like saying bushes grow on trees!"
"How is everyone supposed to know it's its own plant" George smiled at me.
"I would assume someone who deals in Herbology would know that" I gave him look but he ignored it.
"Why do you need an Atroba—"
"Atropa Belladonna," I corrected, "also known as Deadly Nightshade."
"Why didn't you just say that?" he asked as if that would've helped. If the shopkeeper didn't know something so simple why would using a different name fix that? "Wait, isn't that a poison?"
"Yes and because it is Professor Snape doesn't allow students to have any, even after I asked nicely" I pouted making George laugh. I smiled at him and went on. "We have some growing in our garden at home and while normally I'd just ask my father for some he's not letting me have any because of the thing with Bobby."
"Well you have to understand why he wouldn't want to give his daughter, who almost killed someone with lightning, a poisonous plant" he said but I shook my head at him.
"Under normal circumstances he wouldn't give it a second thought, but given recent events he's taking unnecessary precautions. Besides I'm not going to use it as a poison. It takes approximately ten to twenty of its berries to kill an adult so it would be wasteful to use it. Plus it tastes bitter so it would be hard to disguise it in foods. There are far more potent poisons I could get my hands on if I wanted to kill someone" I shrugged at him. George laughed again and led us towards a nearby bench. I sat down and stretched my arms above my head.
"So what are you going to use it for then?" he asked sitting next to me and placing our bags on the other side of him.
"If mixed properly Atropa Belladonna doesn't have to kill, it just numbs. It can be made into an anesthetic. It can also take away a person's ability to speak" I smiled thinking of all that uses I could get from that.
"That's still not good," he chuckled, putting his arm on the back of the bench behind me. "Why do you want to make that?"
"Because it's complicated and I want to learn how to make it."
"Yelling at clerks and talking about the uses of poisons" George shook his head and gave me a smile. "This is an interesting date to say the least."
"A what?" I asked turning quickly to look at him.
"This is a date" he repeated casually as if commenting on the weather. I paused and took a moment to process words.
"Shouldn't you have asked me first" I scolded him, feeling myself starting to blush. George smirked at me and leaned in closer.
"I did ask you."
"But you didn't say it would be a date" I insisted as he continued to smile at me.
"If I had said the word 'date' when I asked you then you would have turned all cute and shy and wouldn't have replied" George explained poking my cheek. I frowned at him.
"All what?" I gave him a look. "I would not have"
"Mm hmm" he nodded and leaned closer to me again. George wrapped an arm around my waist pulling me towards him as the other, the one that lay behind me on the bench, wrapped itself around my shoulders. Our noses rested only inches from each other. He didn't move he just smiled. "Kind of like this."
"Shut up" I turned around, knowing my face was turning redder. George chuckled and let go of me but put his hand on mine.
"Want to go?" he asked me standing up without letting go of my hand.
"Yeah" I nodded and stood as well.
George and I made our way towards Honeydukes. He bought some sweets for us which we ate as we continued to look around the shop. Oddly enough the shopkeep didn't mind. I would have bought my own but George had insisted on it, before we turned to make our way back towards Hogwarts. We stepped down the stairs into the cellar, careful not to be seen. Opening the door towards the underground passage we walked yet another flight of stairs. I let out a sigh not enthusiastic about the amount of walking we would need to do to get back to the castle. I got my wand out to give us some light as George paused at the foot of the stairs and began taking my bags from me. They looked like a handful but he insisted on carrying them himself, and it didn't look like it bothered him to be honest. I remained standing by his side waiting. There wasn't really much reason to walk ahead of him.
"Did you have fun?" he asked, having placed our things on one of the steps for the moment.
"Yeah I did" I smiled at him and nodded.
"Good" George smiled back and leaned into me.
Stepping closer to me George placed me between himself and the wall, not leaving me many directions in which to go. He placed a hand on my cheek, holding my face softly and leaned in once more to kiss me. It was a minute before he let me go. Even when he did it took another for him to step back. And once again, after he moved away, I felt myself begin to blush. I was getting into the annoying habit of doing that lately. George smiled down at me making me look down.
"Why do you keep kissing me" I blushed as he pulled away. I heard him chuckled and looked up.
"Your lips taste sweet" he smiled and ran a finger over my lip. I noticed very clearly he was not answering my question.
"It's probably the Glacial Snow Flakes you bought us earlier" I rolled my eyes but it had made me blush more. I started walking away from the stairs and towards Hogwarts. Quickly George grabbed our things and followed after.
"No, no they always taste sweet... And they're soft..." he said with a faraway look. I pretended not to hear him and continued to walk.
"We should hurry back before it gets too late" I mumbled looking forward. George sighed.
"Fine" he said and quickly stepped in front of me. As I was forced to pause George looked down at me and smiled. "But only if I get to carry you."
"No" I said with a serious expression. His expression remained unchanged and I shook my head before clarifying myself. "You can't carry me, George."
"Why not?" he pouted at me.
"I can think of plenty of reasons for why not" I frowned at him. "But why do you even want to carry me?"
"I can think of plenty of reasons for that" he answered, touching the tip of my nose with every word he emphasized. My expression remained unchanged.
"No, George."
"But I'm the only one who knows where to go" he protested crossing his arms. I gave him a look.
"No, you're not. All I have to do is follow the passage."
"Yes but which way?"
"That—" George stopped my sentence short by pulling me in and spinning me around rapidly. He moved his position as well in an attempt to make me further lose my sense of direction. When he stopped George smiled at me and I returned a glare. "Really?"
"It's your choice: want me to carry you or would you rather get lost?" he asked me with a shrug.
"You're a child" I half smiled at him, crossing my arms.
"Come on, or do you want to walk all the way back to Hogsmeade before realizing you went the wrong way?" he asked with smirk and extended his arms, apparently having forgotten he was also holding our bags. As if that wasn't enough for him to carry already. His expression remained and I shook my head.
"You do realize that the stairs to Hogsmeade are literally right there" I reminded him, pointing to the bottom step to the Honeydukes cellar that was still plainly visible. "How stupid would I—"
"Fine, how about a piggyback ride?" he interrupted before I could say no again.
"What?" I asked being taken a little by surprise.
"You know what those are, right?" he asked me but went on when I gave him a look. "It's a compromise. That way I'm not really carrying you, I'm just supporting your weight."
"I don't like compromises" I told him but his cheerful smile remained. I sighed and took a moment to think about it. I really didn't like compromises, especially ones that were heavily weighed against me, but it didn't look like he was going to give up on the idea anytime soon. I still didn't understand why he was insisting on it but with a sigh I gave in. "Fine."
George gleamed in front of me and stepped closer. He handed me our things, having remembered them again, and knelt down on one knee, facing away from me and apparently not caring about what happened to his clothes. Carefully he reached to grab one of my hands and wrapped it around my neck. I mirrored his actions and did the same with my other. Making sure both my arms were securely around him, George leaned forward and stood up, taking me with him. The sudden weight from our bags surprised me making me move and slip a little to the side. Gently George placed a hand on each of my thighs and placed them on either side of his hips, securing me in place. With that George turned to smirk at me and started forward.
The ceiling now felt a lot closer than it had before. I had to keep my head down next to his shoulder so that I wouldn't accidentally hit it against the ceiling. This newfound height wasn't something I was even remotely used to. It wasn't only that, but the lack in distance between us was very noticeable. I was blatantly aware of his hands on my thighs. Normally the only person I was even remotely this close to was Draco, but this felt different somehow.
"Aren't you going to get tired?" I asked suddenly. George looked momentarily surprised by the question before smiling. He shook his head.
"No I'll be alright. You weigh no more than the stuff we bought at Hogsmeade" he smiled making me frown.
"I definitely weigh more than that" I protested. George didn't say anything for a moment. It wasn't until I felt his movement that I noticed he was quietly laughing. His shoulders shook slightly shaking me along with him. I looked to the side and grumbled. "Well it's true."
"You know, you're the only girl I have ever met who insists on being called heavy" he chuckled making me smile a little.
"Well seeing as the entirety of my weight is on your back it's only natural to assume I would be heavy, don't you think?" I insisted but relaxed, leaning comfortably against him. George noticed and smiled.
"Have you ever gotten a piggyback ride before" George asked curiously, though avoiding my question. I shrugged to myself, not caring much about that, before answering.
"Actually I have but I was never insistent on them" I said quietly, turning to look down at my wand. The light was still shining brightly from it letting us see where we were going. But I had the feeling that even if the light were to go out George would still know exactly where to go.
"Why not?" he asked again, curious. I didn't answer at first making him turn to smile at me. "We still have a bit to go, you might as well tell me."
"Fine" I sighed knowing he was right. We weren't even halfway back and knowing him he would be unnecessarily interested and not want to talk about anything else until I answered him. "When I was younger I used to get piggyback rides a lot, mostly by my brother. He would do them but it wasn't to be nice, it was more because he liked to use them as a way to make fun of my height. I've always been slightly smaller than others…"
"So in other words, you've always been cute" George summarized with a smile. I smiled a little too but didn't answer. He noticed and chuckled. "So that's why you're not a fan? Because they remind you of your brother's teasing"
"I suppose so; though it wasn't always like that" I shrugged. He nodded then paused and turned to me again.
"So he didn't always comment on your height?"
"Oh, no he did. Nikolai knew it annoyed me when he did so he always brought it up" I complained but smiled.
"That's right, you said it was mostly your brother" George said, remembering. "So who else was gave you piggyback rides?"
"Draco was the only other one I think" I answered thinking back on it.
"Really?" George asked calmly, though his tone had drastically changed.
"Yeah, he did" I answered with a nod. "The piggyback rides were mostly for when I got lazy and didn't want to walk to wherever we were going. It wasn't often but if I was tired I made him carry me since he was nearly always around when we were younger. It's better than walking at least."
"He doesn't still…" George didn't finish his question but I understood it.
"No, of course not" I shook my head. None that I could remember at least. "But he did a lot as a child."
"He's still a child" George grumbled at me. I pulled myself up slightly and leaned in over his shoulder so he could see my face.
"You're the one who insisted on the piggyback ride like a child" I smiled at him. George turned to look at my face and smiled back. He stopped walking for a second. Suddenly George leaned in towards me and kissed my lips. It was only a second before he pulled away, smiling at me as he did.
"I had my reasons" he shrugged and started walking again. I turned my attention down and towards the light of my wand.
"Why do you insist on doing that all the time" I asked looking back up for a second to see his face. It was momentarily serious but with a light smile on his lips.
"Because now I know you'll let me" he answered and continued to look forward.
We spent the rest of the walk in silence. There wasn't really any more to talk about, we had been talking the whole time at Hogsmeade. But the silence wasn't uncomfortable, it felt nice. We didn't need to talk but if we wanted to we could. Instead I spent most of the trip back thinking. Mostly about what I would be doing first, once I got the ingredients I had just bought back to the room. Other than that I pondered why George had suggested to carry me back. I expected it had to do with the fact that I would probably be complaining most of the way back. Now I just had to wait comfortably against his back as he took on the weight of myself and our things. I would have insisted on walking, to take that burden off him, but he didn't look or acted the least bit tired by it.
"We're here" he announced suddenly, catching me by surprise. George kneeled down slowly just as he had before and let me gently off his back. He took our things back, as if needing something to hold onto, only leaving me with the small bag of my half of the sweets from Honeydukes. "So, anything else you want to do here while it's just the two of us?"
"No" I frowned not understanding what he meant. George chuckled and stepped closer to me.
"You know, you're really cute like this" he smirked as I continued to frown at him.
"I'm not cute" I complained as he stepped closer once more.
"You are very cute" George argued, touching our noses together. He smiled at me before stepping back. "Although, I will say, you're also quite terrifying."
"Thank you" I said in agreement making him laugh. I nodded and turned towards the passage entrance but paused. George stepped closer and gave me a curious look.
"What is it?"
"There weren't stairs here before" I frowned wondering if somehow we had taken a wrong turn. It didn't seem likely considering it was a pretty linear path. Then again, secret passages aren't known for being simple.
"How exactly did you think we were going to get back up?" George laughed making me guess this was the right way after all.
"I guess I didn't really think about it" I shrugged starting the climb up. George followed.
"It's okay, we didn't really think about that either the first time we came through. Lucky for us the slide turns to stairs on the way back, otherwise Fred and I would've been in serious trouble" George laughed thinking back to the first time he and his brother decided to make use of the place.
"Hey George," I called turning to look back at him, "how did you and Fred find this place anyway?"
"I, uh, can't really say" he replied, looking to the side and away from me. Before I could ask why he answered. "Fred and I promised each other we'd keep it a secret. Not just from you but from everyone."
"What if I ask nicely, will you tell me then?"
"I don't know if I could say no to that" he joked though I had a feeling he was also telling the truth. I smiled at him and made the rest of the way up the stairs without asking anymore questions.
Thankfully for us the halls were fairly empty when we came back. Outside the windows the sunlight was shining brightly meaning it was still early, not quite time for dinner. I squinted at it as George closed the entrance behind Gunhilda's statue. It was good knowing that there was a passage there, though I doubted I would be using that again myself anytime soon. As we stepped out from behind the statue I began to shake the dirt my cloak had gathered from the trip. It wasn't much help.
"Hold this for me, would you?" I asked George, handing him my cloak. He didn't say anything, just nodded and took it. "Hold it out in front of you."
If there was something Daphne was useful for it was knowing how to solve superficial problems. She wasn't the most scholarly of people but she knew far more about clothes and hair care than I would have ever bothered to learn. I extended my wand and recited a spell she had shown me. As if it were leaves in autumn the dirt began to gently but surely fall at our feet. I repeated the process with my shoes, not wanting to have evidence of our walk there. The rest of my clothes were fine, having been covered by the cloak. I nodded to myself and took the cloak back from George.
"Want me to clean you up a bit too?" I asked noting how much messier he seemed when comparing him to my newly cleaned cloak. George smiled at me and shook his head.
"That's okay, I don't mind being a little dirty" he smirked making me giggle a little. George's smile changed as he put his hands in his pockets and looked at me.
"We had fun, right?"
"Well I did but I can't really speak for you" I shrugged at him.
"I had fun too" he nodded happy with my response. Turning to look out the window George smiled. "It's still early. Want to go out to the grounds for a bit? We still have some sweets to eat."
"Katerina" an annoyed voice called out to me. George sighed.
"Of course" he mumbled to himself as Daphne quickly came into view. When she reached us she gave us both a look. She tapped her foot impatiently but didn't say anything, as if waiting for me to do something. George smiled politely at her then turned back to me, having noticed her impatience too. "Another time then."
"Sure" I nodded as he started to walk away. George moved to the main stairs and began to climb up, most likely to his common room.
"Where have you been all day?" Daphne finally screamed, not being able to contain herself and not even waiting until he was at least out of earshot to yell at me. I gave her a look then turned to make my way down the stairs. Daphne followed closely. "I've been looking all day for you! Okay maybe not all day but it was still a lot. You weren't in the common room or our room. Lev was getting worried about you, you know! I even asked Draco and he said he hadn't seen you since morning either!"
"I was out" I said truthfully before she added more people on the list of those she asked. Daphne gave me a look.
"Outside? All day? You weren't even at lunch!"
"So?" I asked with a sigh, "It's not like this is the first time I've skipped a meal. You know I would much rather just go straight to the kitchen when I'm hungry. Why are you making such a big deal about all of this? Is it because I was with George?"
"I don't know, were you?" Daphne asked before realizing she already knew the answer to her own question. She moved on before I could point that out. "Did you two spend all day together?"
"It's not late enough to accurately say that" I smiled making her frown.
"But it is late! Why were you spending all day with him and what were you two doing?" Daphne insisted on her interrogation as we reached the Slytherin Dungeon. "And why, of all things, do you have that bag of sweets with you?"
"Because they're delicious" I answered taking a bite of one. Daphne glowered at me and I smiled back before stepping into the common room. She gave me a frustrated sigh but followed after.
"I don't understand you sometimes" she shook her head. I giggled at her and smiled.
"That's okay, I get that a lot."