"Really?" Haylie gasped, her solemn face lighting up abruptly, "We're going back to Hogsmeade?" Hermione gulped down a sip of her pumpkin juice and sighed, tired of repeating the same piece of information so many times.
"Yep, next week," Hermione dipped her shiny silver spoon into her applesauce, which appeared fresh and supple, "I suppose it's to buy Holiday presents." Harry nodded in agreement beside her and Ron, who sat beside Harry, let out a sort of grunt that resembled a "yeah". As Haylie continued to wolf down her dinner, she couldn't wipe the joyful smile off her face. Now, Haylie had time to get some money, so she could finally buy the earrings she had lusted after her first visit to the village of Hogsmeade.
"I personally can't wait to buy Mum some stuff," Corinne added, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Haylie turned in her seat to face her best friend, "Like what?"
"I don't know," Corinne muttered, lifting her chin, thinking hard. Then her eyes opened wide and she jumped a bit in her seat. This made Haylie react the same way, but for no reason yet identified.
"What?" Haylie shot, pushing her bottom farther back on the bench.
"I want to go back to that jewelry store. You know, the Silver one. I saw the perfect bracelet in there! My mum would absolutely adore it!" Corinne said, shoving a loose piece of her dark hair behind her left ear. Haylie smiled and returned to her scrumptious feast. At first she felt as though something warm was touching her neck, but then the feeling changed. A soft, sweet tickle surrounded her collarbone. Haylie snapped her neck around to view behind herself. Nothing was there. She immediately grabbed at her neck until she found the culprit. Clutched in her palm was the silver necklace she had received from that crazy saleswoman the day at Hogsmeade. The tickling feeling faded and she gazed at the necklace, a small "H" still embedded in fine, curled letters resembling cursive. She once again felt it's magic grab her gaze and keep pulling, not allowing her to let go or even look away. Then a familiar voice cut in.
"I didn't like Hogsmeade that much," Elvin mumbled, rolling his frosty green snow peas around his plate with a fork.
"Well you just don't know how to have fun at all Elvin," Eileen retorted, glancing over at Haylie. Eileen's forehead creased and she shook her had as Haylie caressed the silver necklace between her fingers.
"Do you really still have that thing?" Eileen stopped to flick a pea at Corey Price before continuing to speak to Haylie, "I got rid of mine ages ago. That is nothing but a cheap piece of metal."
Natalie, who sat between Elvin and Eileen looked up at Eileen, her face surprised. "I thought that the woman said it was real silver," she said, also smiling and flicking a small piece of bread at Corey Price once more.
"Don't tell me you still have it?" Eileen questioned, disapproval outlining her voice. Natalie shook her head in disappointment.
"No, I lost it," Natalie admitted, finishing her dinner and placing her fork beside the empty plate, "I really liked it to! It was pretty."
"I don't have mine any more either," Corinne exclaimed, glaring at Eileen," I put it on the bureau and never saw it again." A slight blush appeared across Eileen's face as she stubbornly denied having any part in the necklace's disappearance.
"Why does everyone blame me for every little thing that goes wrong."
"We don't," Corinne retorted, "But when someone clearly despises something and it suddenly goes missing, we can't help but be a tiny bit suspicious."
"Whatever," Eileen scoffed, fixing her ponytail. After every strand of her long hair had been slipped back into a soft scrunchie, Eileen turned to face Haylie. She then looked in all directions, trying to see if anyone was listening. When she was satisfied that no ears were intently following their conversation, she leaned in close to Haylie.
"So have you got that thing from under Elvin's mattress yet?" Eileen whispered, moving a few inches to let Corinne listen in. Haylie didn't want to talk about the problem that had eaten away at her for weeks.
"No, not yet," Haylie answered, noticing Hermione's curious face beside her.
"What are you three whispering about?" Hermione said, her left eyebrow lifting in suspicion. Haylie wished her older sister would just stay out of her problems. She didn't want Hermione or her friends getting hurt.
"Nothing," Haylie snapped, throwing her napkin on her clear plate and backing out of her seat. Eileen and Corinne followed. As soon as Haylie burst open the huge Great Hall doors and all three girls voices were hidden by 6 inches of heavy wood, Eileen began shooting questions at Haylie like bullets.
"Why haven't you gotten it yet?" Eileen demanded, almost out of breath from walking at top speed, trying to reach Haylie's side.
"I just haven't had time to sneak into the boys dormitories," Haylie replied, slowing her pace, feeling more relaxed. They were approaching the Gryffindor Tower.
"Well, I say we do it right now, while everyone is at dinner," Eileen proposed, practically screaming the password at the Fat Lady, who seemed to be knitting a sweater. The Fat Lady jumped in surprise and glared at Eileen.
"Fine! Don't get your panties in a twist dear," the Fat Lady spat, as the huge picture swung open, revealing the empty Common Room. The room felt cold as Haylie stepped inside. She let one small shiver pass before grabbing her wand and jabbing it in the direction of the black hearth. Instantly, a large fire crackled and burned, allowing heat and light to illuminate the girls' cheeks. Haylie remembered the last time she had walked into the empty Common Room, only to find her sister and an injured Elvin. The memory of that scene had haunted her for days, leaving Haylie to wonder whether she was to blame, forcing her to take action and proceed with the cloaked figure's commands. A warm hand pulled her arm toward the boy's dormitory stairway.
"Let's go," Eileen whispered, even though no one was around to eavesdrop. Haylie gave in, not wanting to fight, and knowing she needed to go up those stairs sooner or later. Hot breaths on her neck, shifting the placement of her loose hair, let Haylie know Corinne had followed. All three first-years climbed up the stairs higher and higher until they finally reached the hallway. Small wrinkles appeared on Haylie's scrunched nose as the same scent that had wafted through her nostrils a month before entered again. Beside her, Corinne seemed to smell it as well.
"Why do boys stink so much?" Corinne groaned. Eileen giggled beside Haylie.
"Do you know which room is Elvin's?" Eileen asked Haylie, not seeming to notice the stench. Haylie nodded. They were coming upon Elvin's dorm. Finally, Haylie stood in front of the closed door. She couldn't even imagine what she was going to find, as Elvin didn't seem the sneaky type.
"Come on," Eileen shoved past Haylie, "What are you waiting for? His permission?" Haylie gulped and allowed Eileen to turn the golden handle and push open the door. It creaked loudly, which punctured Haylie's ears. She narrowed her eyes into tiny slits and felt a great sense of relief when the horrible sound ceased. Having absolutely no fears at all, Eileen plunged into the room. Corinne and Haylie, still hesitant of things to come, took itty-bitty steps at a time. None of the three dorm mates graced the girls with their presence. Only their empty beds and quiet belongings loomed inside the lit room. Elvin's bed was located on the far right, pressed tightly against the crème-colored wall. His bed was perfectly made, his prized possession, a raggy old teddy bear, placed in the center. He had his own nightstand, where a few pictures of his family and few sheets of parchment called home. The floor around his bed could be seen clearly, as no objects were lying upon it.
On the other hand, the other two beds left in the room appeared to be hit by hurricanes. The one in the middle, Haylie knew to be Damon's bed and the other occupied by Hanson Jones. Both boys certainly needed some help organizing and cleaning. Corinne giggled and pointed to a lone article of clothing lying by the door.
"I wonder whose boxers those are," Corinne said naughtily, still giggling. Over near Elvin's bed, Eileen rolled her eyes in annoyance, as she leaned over to yank the mattress to the right. She suddenly stopped, not continuing with her action. At first Haylie became worried; she thought something was wrong.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Haylie asked, hurrying to Eileen's side. Suddenly, Eileen jumped around to face Haylie, her eyes wide and scared.
"Boo!" Eileen yelled. Startled, Haylie fell back onto the bed, shrieking loudly.
"Hahaha... you totally fell for it!" Eileen laughed, her hand on her stomach. Anger boiled inside Haylie, and she could feel her heart beating wildly.
"Why did you do that?" Haylie roared, certainly not laughing. This statement caught Eileen off guard, and her laughing immediately died.
"Sorry Hay, you were just acting so... nervous," Eileen told the fuming Haylie, twirling her hair, "I just stopped because i thought that you would want to be the one to look under the mattress." The heat that had risen to Haylie's cheeks cooled. She gave Eileen one last venomous glare before shoving past her friend and pushing the mattress with all her strength. The blankets on his bed fell to the ground in one huge heap, with Elvin's teddy bear rolling across the rough carpet.
"Where is..." Corinne's voice faded. No one spoke a word, mainly because no one had the slightest clue what to say.
"Let's go everyone! All first-years stay close to your older leaders! Neville put that down!" Professor McGonagall was screaming as all the Hogwarts students rushed to get a seat on the busy train. Haylie stood close to Hermione, who grabbed her hand and ran towards an open train door. Beside them were Ron, Corinne, and Eileen, who were also running full speed to claim a compartment to themselves.
"Where are Elvin and Harry?" Haylie called to Hermione over the deafening noise of hundreds of teenagers talking and laughing.
"They're coming!" Hermione screamed back, shoving a third-year girl, standing in the center of all the hustle-bustle, out of her way. Haylie's ears felt as though they would burst, with all the "Move" and "Hurry up, will you?" being screamed from one group of students to the next.
"Ow!" Haylie groaned, tripping over a broken camera lying on the floor. Glass from the lens of the camera was spread throughout the whole train hallway, even about twenty feet ahead. Finally, Hermione came upon an empty compartment and practically pushed Haylie into the wall as she hurried inside. Ron, Corinne, Eileen, Elvin, and Harry soon shoved their way through the crowds and into the small compartment.
"Don't you just love Hogsmeade days?" Ron joked, taking off his wool hat, revealing a mess of red hair.
"I don't see why we all can't just use Floo powder!" Eileen muttered, pulling off her tight gloves and throwing them on her lap. Haylie rested her throbbing head against the compartment wall, just wanting all the noise to stop. Eventually the noise did stop and all that was left was the high-pitched squeal of the train's greasy breaks and the joyful giggling of her friends' conversations.
"And then the clerk says it's not a TV, it's a microwave!" Ron says, laughing so hard, he appears to be crying. Everyone joined in, not wanting to laugh, but knowing the joke was just too stupid not to be funny.
"So where are we going first?" Hermione asked the group, trying to end Ron's long line of horrendous jokes.
"Just one more joke Hermione!" Harry suggests, looking around his circle of friends for approval.
"Yeah Hermione! Please," Eileen's pleads, curling her lower lip in her usual suck-up, puppy-dog face. Hermione shook her head.
"Fine," Hermione gives in, resting her head in her palm.
"Okay, well there was this guy who reads his copy of Witch Weekly, "Ron continues with another joke, "and he sees that a local pastor is looking for someone to ring the large bell in the clock tower above the church. Well, the man goes to the pastor and says "I want to Ring the bells!" and the pastor says, "How can you possibly ring the bell? For you have no arms!"." Hermione moans and rolls her eyes.
"Then the guy says, "I can! Watch me!"... So the guy runs up all the stairways and finally reaches the bell. So then he leans back as far as he can and rams his head into the bell, causing the bells to ring and come back and hit him back on the head. This hit him so hard that he fell down the steps and all the way to where the pastor is standing. Then a man walks up and asks "Do you know this guy?" and the pastor says, "Yeah, his face rings a bell!"."
"Oh Ron! That was pitiful," Hermione said.
"Wait it's not done!" Ron assures them, clearing his throat and stretching his long arms.
"Two days later the guy's brother, named Tom, comes to the pastor and says, "I have decided to take my brother's place as the bell ringer for this here church. It needs to stay in the family." Then the pastor says, "How can you possibly ring the bell? You, too, do not have any arms." Then Tom says, "I will show you!"... So Tom climbs all the stairs and finally reaches the bell. He, also, rams his head into the bell, which in turn comes right back and hits his head as well. So when it hits him it hits him so hard that Tom rolls down all the steps and falls out into the street. The pastor goes out and finds him. Then a man comes over to the pastor and looks down at Tom and says, "Do you know this man?"... and the pastor replies, "Yeah, he's a dead ringer for his brother."
"That was so funny!" Harry yelled and everyone cracked up laughing, even Hermione who had tried her best to keep a straight face throughout the entire joke.
"Come on everyone! Off the train!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang throughout the entire train. There was no hesitation. Everyone grabbed their belongings and plummeted off the train, running and screaming into Hogsmeade Village.
"Let's go to Honeydukes!" Corinne suggests, grabbing Haylie and Eileen's hands. All three of them ran to Honeydukes in a flash, not even waiting for their chaperones to catch up. Ass they approached the busy store, they could see the door open, welcoming all newcomers to take a peek. Outside the door, by about 6 feet, there was a stand, with dozens of people buzzing around it like bees on pursuit of nectar from a sweet rose. Haylie soon realized it was a lemonade stand. The original, pink lemonade, chocolate lemonade, lemon-lime lemonade, and butterbeer lemonade were just a few of the outrageous flavors listed on a cheap sign made of parchment and the handwriting of a tiny girl.
"Welcome all you people! I am Brandon and this is my little sister Cora! Try some of our delicious lemonade! You know you wanna," A boy, who appeared around the age of eight, yelled to the crowd of customers admiring their set-up. Beside him sat a tiny girl with blond curls and a truly innocent smile. Small dimples on her rosy cheeks added to the sunshine illuminating her round face.
"Yeah! Try some of the chocolate kind. It's new!" Cora added, giggling as an old lady in a yellow and pink polka-dotted sundress handed her three sickles. Cora then took a pitcher out of a small box beside her, pouring some of the light brown liquid into a red glass. Cora, then, stuck her hand under the rickety table once more and emerged with a wand clutched between her fingers. After a few taps of her wand, Haylie watched in amazement as the glass suddenly frosted, tiny droplets of moisture forming on the outside of the cup.
"Oh, how wonderful," the old lady gushed, patting Cora on the top of her head, allowing her curls to bounce frantically. Haylie smiled, wanting desperately to buy some from the cute little girl. She sighed, knowing she didn't have enough money with her to buy both the earrings and the lemonade.
"What's wrong?" Eileen asked, noticing Haylie's melancholy gesture.
"I don't have enough money to buy the lemonade," Haylie told her. Instantly, Eileen dropped her book bag to the ground and began rummaging through her items, sending tissues and lipstick canisters every direction. Soon Eileen popped back up to standing position with three silver coins held tightly in her palm.
"Here," Eileen handed Haylie the three sickles.
"Oh no, I couldn't!" Haylie replied, rejecting Eileen's generous offer.
"I won't take no for an answer! Any way, Vicky will just send me more later," Eileen pushed the money at Haylie. This made Haylie smile, hearing Eileen call her mother by her first name always amused her. Haylie stared at the money a moment before gazing up at Eileen and finally accepting.
"Thank you," Haylie said, giving Eileen a friendly hug, and turning to the stand, realizing she was next in line.
"What do you want?" Cora asked politely, flashing Haylie another sparkling smile.
"One chocolate lemonade, please," Haylie answered.
"Who are those kids anyway? I saw them the last Hogsmeade trip," Corinne said, licking a scoop of buttermint ice cream she had just bought at Honeydukes.
"They're the grandchildren of Mr. Honeyduke," Hermione told her, taking a bite of her own almond cone, "Brandon and Cora Honeyduke." The whole group traveled down the winding streets of Hogsmeade, eager to find the jewelry store they had visited once before. Well, at least the girls were eager enough.
"Why exactly do we have to go to that jewelry store...again," Ron whined, carrying a bag full of treats that he planned on sending to his older brothers. Hermione turned her head to face Ron, stabbing him with a cold stare, a stare not worth messing with. Apparently, Ron understood.
"Fine! I get it... you want me to be quiet," Ron surrendered, reading Hermione's facial expression. She nodded and turned back to Haylie.
"So what exactly do these earrings do? All the silver in that place have some sort of special power," Hermione asked, reaching in her pocket and grabbing a napkin, trying to salvage her melting ice cream scoop.
"I'm not sure," Haylie said, looking to her left and spotting the store, "Look! There it is!" All of them looked at the store in front of them. It was almost unrecognizable with all the crowds bombarding the merchandise.
"Come on! We need to get the earrings before they're all gone," Corinne yelled, pulling Haylie's free arm. Haylie quickly handed her ice cream to Harry and ran off with her friend as they twisted and turned around the flock of busy shoppers. As if it wasn't hard enough to get inside the store, it was even worse trying to reach the earrings counter. There wasn't even a single line, just a bulge of boisterous, shouting idiots trying to buy the perfect Christmas present for their ungrateful relatives.
"We'll never get in there!" Haylie cried.
"Yes we will! Repeat after me," Corinne took a deep breath before continuing, "Just...PUSH!" Corinne blasted into the ball of people, not allowing anyone to stand in her way. It seemed to be a wonderful idea from Haylie's point of view, so she also bent her head down and ran towards them like a bull, ready to push and pull her way through. Luckily, it worked. Haylie reached the counter and found herself beside a very sweaty Corinne, who let out a long relieved sigh.
"I amaze myself," Corinne laughed.
"Can I help you?" a large dark woman in her forties asked, a little sliver and gold tag on her chest, stating her name as "Rochelle".
"Yes, I saw these really pretty earrings about three months ago... they were hoops with little diamonds and blue stones...I... there! In that picture!" Haylie jabbed her finger to a thumbnail size photo of the earrings, resting on a tiny stand. Rochelle huffed loudly and shook her head.
"Sorry hun but the last pair of those earrings was just sold about ten minutes ago," Rochelle mumbled, "Would you like anything else?" This shocked Haylie. After all the walking they had done to get to the store, after all the letters home explaining to her parents why she needed the money and after all the happiness Haylie had felt on the train ride to Hogsmeade, knowing she would finally get her claws on the earrings, she was let down. There were no more left.
"No, but thank you any way," Haylie muttered, trying to plaster a semi-believable smile on her face.
"You have a nice day now, you hear?," Rochelle smiled, beginning to take someone else's request, "You shouldn't have to worry about anything at your age." Oh, how little Rochelle could have known.