Chapter 4:
Christine lay on her bed thinking about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. It was 4:00 in the morning and she couldn't sleep.
"What am I doing? If this doesn't work out, we'll never be able to be friends again." For the first time in her life, Christine didn't know what to do. She decided to go down to the common room and read until everyone else was up. She grabbed her book, quietly made her way downstairs, and made herself comfortable in the armchair by the fire. She was not there for very long when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She didn't even bother to look up, as she was completely hypnotized by her book. Again, she heard footsteps on the stairs, but this time she heard a door open and close, then once again, silence. She turned her body with her back against the armrest and legs hanging over the other side. Her long brown hair was loosely tied in a ponytail that hung to the middle of her back, and framed her face in the firelight.
"Christine, wake up," Harry was trying to get Christine to wake up the next morning, as she had fallen asleep in the chair.
"Oh, thanks Harry," she blushed a little as she was embarrassed at falling asleep in the chair, "Um, what time is it?"
"About 7:00. You better go get dressed, breakfast is almost over," he replied taking the book away from her as she got up from the chair.
"Thanks Harry, I'll see you in class," her voice trailed off as she ran up the stairs two at a time. She raced to get ready for the day, ate breakfast so fast she finished before Neville who had been in there for 20 min, ran back to Gryffindor Tower and then down the corridor to the Transfiguration class room. She was groggy and tired throughout the whole day, but before she knew it, classes were over, andshe had to meet Hermione in the library. Shefound her sitting at a table in the corner, books everywhere and open at random.
"Hi Hermione," Christine said as she joined her at the table, and began unpacking her books.
"Tell me everything!" Hermione had a look of excitement and expectation on her face. Christine had no idea what in the world Hermione was talking about, and apparently, Hermione recognized this and added quickly, "What did Harry want to talk to you about?" It suddenly dawned on her, she hadn't told Hermione about what Harry had asked her.
"Um, yeah, about that," she started, then paused, shedidn't know what to say after that. After a moment of thought, she said as casually as if they were talking about the weather, "He just wanted to know if I would go to Hogsmeade with him." Christine looked up to see Hermione's reaction, but by the look on her face, she couldn't tell if she was extremely happy or extremely angry.
"Oh my gosh!" apparently, she was thrilled as a smile spread across her face. Hermione couldn't control herself, she seemed to be more excited than Christine.
"Hermione! Calm down!" Christine shouted to her andhad to almost wrestle her back into her seat. "I'll tell you when we get back to the comm–" but she was cut off in mid sentence as Hermione had packed everything up at record speed, and was dragging Christine out of the library. When they reached the common room, Christine's wrists were red, but that didn't bother Hermione. She grabbed Christine's wrist again and pulled her next to the fire where they wouldn't be overheard.
"Now tell me!"
"It's not that big of a deal. I've gone to Hogsmeade with him before."
"But not like this, Ron and I have always been there too," Hermione was making Christine nervous about the whole idea, and she didn't like it.
"Hermione, we've been alone before, I mean when you and Ron fight, we usually leave you two alone," Christine admitted, knowing that Hermione had never noticed their absence.
"Christine, how long have you really like Harry?" Hermione was now coming to the point she was trying to make.
"Since the third year, you know that," Christine answered now starting to piece the riddle together.
"Sine third year. Then why when he finally asks you out, are you not as excited as you should be?" Hermione's famous I'm-right-and-you're-wrong smile appeared on her face.
"But I'm nervous about something," Christine walked up to her dormitory, with Hermione close on her heels.
"What are you nervous about? You just said that you had no problem hanging out with him by yourself?" Hermione shut the door to their room and went to sit on the bed, Christine was standing by the window watching the breeze softly rustle the trees.
"I'm not nervous to be alone with him. It's the way he sounded and looked when he asked me out," Christine turned back to look at Hermione, "He said he wants to show me something."
"Do you have any idea what it might be?" Hermione had finally calmed down and was no longer as excited about the Hogsmeade trip as she was earlier.
"No. But until I find out, I'm not going to get too excited about this."
The next few days passed by uneventfully. Lessons seemed to fly by as they had so much work to do, and then were assigned mountains of homework. In the evenings, the boys went to Quidditch practice, leaving Christine and Hermione to chat with each other. As they were both muggle-born, they would talk about their families and kept up on muggle news.
Friday night rolled around, the day before the Hogsmeade trip. Christine, Hermione and Ginny were in Christine and Hermione's dormitory waiting for the boys. Ginny was actually waiting for Seamus, who usually went to watch the practices and came back with the rest of the team. However, while she waited she looked through a few of the magazines that Christine had with her from the muggle world.
"Christine, how do muggles live without magic?" Ginny asked as she looked though one of the magazines. Christine, who was frantically searching for something to wear the next day, turned away from the mirror and smiled at her.
"Ginny, muggles are smarted than you give them credit for. Their lives are actually quite comfortable," she continued turning back to the mirror and holding up a shirt to see how it would look.
"But they have nothing to challenge them like we do. They can't even entertain themselves without trying to use magic, like those magicians," Ginny looked at the magazine again and saw an add for a Magicians Kit that promised you could learn to read minds.
"Ginny, you'd be surprised what they come up with."
"Ok, what did you used to do before you learned magic?" Ginny asked in a prove-it-to-me-now type of tone.
"Have you ever been to see a movie or a play?" Christine waited for Ginny to look up at her and when she did, she saw that Ginny had no idea what those things were. "Well have you ever been to a zoo? No? Muggles go to the zoo and theaters and enjoy learning about different things," Christine professed to her bored looking friend, who was now looking at a Playbill from Phantom of the Opera.
"What's this?" she indicated holding up the Playbill.
"That is like a program, it tells you who's going to be playing who in a play," at this Ginny seemed to take an interest in the play.
"Oh, what does that mean?"
"Ginny, I'm sorry, I forgot," Christine and Hermione both chuckled to themselves, "A play is like a bunch of muggles acting out a story. The Phantom of the Opera, is one of the best out there."
"She's right Ginny, one summer, you should come into London with us and we'll show you what we mean," Hermione added.
"Sounds like fun. Well, I have to go meet Seamus, I can hear Angelina coming up the stairs. See you later," finished Ginny as she walked out the door.
"Bye!" Christine and Hermione shouted back at the same time.
"Well, should we go down and meet the boys then?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I'll meet you down there, I just want to finish putting my clothes away." Hermione nodded her head and made her way down the staircase. Christine sat on her bed and looked around her. She began to think of all the pressure she was putting on herself; trying to find the perfect outfit, practicing the perfect way to start a conversation. She sighed, and began to put her clothes back in her dresser.
"What am I doing? This is my best friend, and all he wants to do is show me something tomorrow. Why am I making a big deal out of this? Because Hermione scared the living day lights out of me that's why! Well, nothing has changed yet, so I'm just going to hang out with my best friend." Christine thought to herself as she finished putting her clothes away. A few minutes later, she was sitting with her friends, listening to their jokes, and their complaints about the Slytherins. One by one the group slowly thinned out as the time crept by. Soon Christine found herself reading her book in her favorite armchair legs over one armrest and back to the other. Finally, around midnight, she decided to go up to bed and felt herself drift into dreams as soon as her head hit the pillow.
The students woke up the next morning to that a fresh blanket of soft snow had once again come to the grounds of Hogwarts. Christine couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to go to Hogwarts. She loved the winter, she loved that cozy feeling she got when she could curl up on a comfy couch or chair. She got up dressed quickly, and went down to the Great Hall to have breakfast.
"Morning Hermione, Ron," she said cheerfully as she sat down next to Ron and across from Hermione at the table.
"Morning," Ron replied absent mindedly.
"Hey, did you see the paper this morning? It seems that some information has leaked from the ministry and it seems that the Dailey Prophet has gotten wind of it," Hermione stated with a look of alarm on her face.
"Really? What is it?" Christine inquired as she buttered herself a piece of toast.
"They seem to think that there is an Auror in Hogwarts," she continued as both Christine and Ron looked up at her.
"No, they couldn't know. I mean," Christine looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention to them, "They wouldn't print something like that for death eaters to know would they?" Christine whispered.
"Let me see that," Ron muttered as he took the paper from Hermione.
"Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about Christine," Ron said as he quickly glanced at the paper and set it down again.
"What do you mean? They know about Professor Twopenny?" Christine questioned and she put an extra emphasis on Professor Twopenny.
"Well not exactly. They never actually say who it is or what they are disguised as here, plus the article is written by Rita Skeeter. Nobody is going to take that woman seriously," Ron continued as if it was an everyday observation. However, Christine and Hermione were staring at Ron with open mouths, they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"What?" Ron looked at the girls defensively. The girls just looked at each other in amazement and smiled before turning back to their breakfasts. They finished breakfast, went back to the dormitories, where Christine decided on a pair of jeans and a black long sleeve shirt that hung slightly off the shoulders, and met Harry in the corridor outside the Great Hall.
"Hey ready to go?" Harry asked Christine as she walked up with Ron and Hermione.
"Yeah, um, we'll see you later then," Christine stated tuning back to Hermione.
Harry and Christine walked in silence all the way down to Hogsmeade. Christine was gazing around the trees in the forrest, occasionally noticing Harry looking nervous. She smiled to herself, but never said a word.
"So, what do you want to do first?" wondered Harry, catching Christine completely off guard and startling her.
"Oh! Uh, what?" Christine responded slightly out of breath.
"Sorry," Harry choked as he cleared his throat and giving her a weak smile, "What do you want to do first?"
"Oh, um, I don't know, how about we go to, " she hadn't quite made up her mind, but she saw his eyes wander over to the Quidditch shop, "the Quidditch shop, perhaps?" Harry seemed to come back to where he was, and again looked embarrassed.
"Uh, sure," he replied rather absent mindedly, and they walked into the shop. Christine liked Quidditch, so she didn't really mind that they were there. She always liked to keep up on latest news, even though she didn't have a favorite team. She had heard Ron and Harry talking about how they were holding tryouts for a new chaser since Katie Bell had graduated last year, and was thinking about trying out. She wasn't as good as Katie, but she was okay. She looked over at Harry who was waiting for her by the door with a bag in his hand and thought he had probably bought himself a new broom cleaning kit.
"Ready?" she grinned as she joined him by the door.
"Yeah, I was thinking, I think we should go get something to drink at the Three Broomsticks. What do you think?" he continued as they heard the jingle of the bells from the closing door.
"I think I would like that," she replied as they turned the corner to in the direction of the Three Broomsticks. The rest of the afternoon went by pretty fast. Christine had a great time with Harry, but still had a strange feeling about what he was going to show her. However, they made their way out of town and down towards the Shrieking Shack. Christine was watching as Harry let go of one of the Wizard Wheezes he got from George over summer. When it finally flew into the forrest, Christine sat on the tree trunk that was in front of the fence. Harry leaned on the tree a few feet behind her and stared out at the "haunted" building.
"Are you ready for the surprise?" Harry asked as he walked up to where she was sitting.
"I guess so," Christine answered, hesitating slightly.
"Let's go then."
They walked through the forrest a little ways before coming to a cave.
"Harry, I don't think we should go in there," Christine muttered to his back.
"Do you trust me?" he replied.
"What? Of course I trust you," she answered.
"Then follow me, and don't worry," he reassured her.
She followed him through chambers of the cave that were as big as the Great Hall and others as small as Hagrid's hut. They climbed over boulders into rooms with underground springs, then into rooms that had no light whatsoever, except from the tip of Harry's wand. In one of these dark rooms, Christine heard something, and it sent chills up her spine.
"Harry, I think we should go back, now. I don't like this," Christine mumbled.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked noticing the fear in her voice, but not keeping the excitement out of his own.
"No, I guess I really don't want to leave," Christine admitted and hoped that they would be able to get back to the town soon.
"Okay then, it's just over this rock."
Christine was right on his heels as he hoisted himself up over the rock and turned back to help Christine. When she reached the top, she was greeted with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The cave had suddenly opened up into a beautiful clearing, that looked like it led back into the Forbidden Forrest. There was a waterfall off to the right, and emptied into a stream that ran all the way around the clearing and into the surrounding forrest. She thought it was strange that the green grass wasn't covered in a thick layer of snow and that the water didn't seem to be freezing.
"Do you like it?" Harry asked encouragingly.
"I...I..." a speechless Christine stammered, "Do I like it?" She walked down and examined the clearing in a trance-like daze.
"I love it," Christine gasped, turning back to face Harry, "How did you find it?"
"The Marauder's Map," he grinned, "I had to find the perfect place."
"For what?" Christine choked, holding back tears and gazing up at the waterfall again. Harry hesitated for a moment, as if trying to find the best way to phrase it.
"To ask you out, a-as my girlfriend," Harry stuttered. Christine again turned to face him, but was rooted to the spot, she couldn't think of anything to say. Embarrassed by her staring, she turned back around and tried to think of what to say.
"Christine," Harry said in a more loving tone and taking another step towards her, "Will you be my girlfriend?" She turned back to him with all the courage she had left, and looked straight into his bright, emerald green eyes.
"Yes," she gulped as a smile of relief came over his face. He hugged her, and she threw her arms around his neck; she couldn't believe that after waiting three years, he had finally asked her out. But their moment of happiness was temporarily interrupted as Harry noticed it was getting late.
"Hey, we better be getting back. It'll be dark soon," Harry sighed, not wanting to let her go.
"Yeah, let's go," she agreed. They again found themselves engulfed in darkness as they made their way back to Hogsmeade. When they arrived back in town, they met Ron and Hermione and returned to the castle. Hermione of course, noticed the shy smile on Christine's face and couldn't wait to find out what had happened.
The friends took their normal seats around the fire in the Gryffindor common room. But this time, Harry settled into the corner of the couch, and Christine sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. There was little conversation as Ron had already gone to bed, and all Hermione wanted to talk about was Christine and Harry, but didn't want to talk to Harry. They watched the flames dance gracefully across the logs in the fire with an occasional crack, and listened to the wind howl through the top of the chimney.
"Well, I'd hate to leave this party," Harry said sarcastically, "But I'm off to bed. Night." He gently kissed Christine on the cheek and walked up the stairs and out of sight. Hermione, with the mentality of out of sight, out of hearing range, looked over eagerly at Christine, expecting to be informed of everything at that moment. However, Christine had simply picked up her book and taken her favorite position in the armchair and was back reading her book.
"Well, Christine? Don't you have something to tell me?" Hermione blurted out in an exasperated tone.
"Hermione, I'm sure I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about," Christine said casually not looking up from her book.
"What!" Hermione looked as if the floor had been dropped from under her.
"Relax, Hermione," Christine reassured her, "I was only joking. What do you want me to tell you?"
"What happened after you left the Shrieking Shack?" Hermione squealed, noticing the look on Christine's face, "Sorry, I followed you, I wanted to see what happened down there."
"Well, he took me to a cave in the forrest surrounding Hogsmeade. Inside the cave were the most beautiful, yet strange chambers that led to this clearing," Christine stopped and was hypnotized by the image of the clearing in her mind. "In the clearing was the most beautiful flowing waterfall, that emptied into a sparkling stream. And the stream was winding around the greenest meadow I have ever seen, and scattered in the meadow were huge, ancient oak trees.
"Wait, there was no snow or ice? How is that possible?" Hermione interrupted.
"I don't know, it was as if the little clearing was untouched by anything outside of it. But when I asked Harry how he had found it, he said he had to find the perfect place to ask me out," Christine finished, her eyes slightly glazed over as she re-lived the day in her mind.
"Wow," Hermione gasped, "So now you're going out with Harry. Are you still nervous?" Hermione teased, making Christine snap out of her trance and smile. Hermione smiled back and the girls got up and went up the stairs to bed. Soon, Christine found herself at ease with everything around her, and falling asleep dreaming of Harry, and the clearing, not knowing that the next day would lead her into another daring adventure with her friends.