Chapter Two – Operation Hogsmeade!

Adrien wrapped his coat tightly around himself as he headed down the picturesque village street. He adored Hogsmeade. He loved his time at school, but being able to leave the castle and stroll around the shops for a few hours was freedom like he'd never known. There was Honeydukes to satisfy his sweet tooth, Zonko's to nurture his flawless sense of humour, and of course, the Three Broomsticks, where he was about to meet Nino.

Or so he'd thought.

When he arrived at the familiar pub, looking all cosy with its steamed-up windows, there was someone huddled in the entrance. And that someone definitely wasn't his best friend.

No…this someone was slightly shorter than him, wearing a cherry-red knee-length winter coat, dark jeans and boots, a Gryffindor scarf, and a matching bobble hat. Two blue-black pigtails poked out from underneath it, confirming his suspicions as he drew closer to her. Yes…this appeared to be his lucky day.

'Marinette?' he called as he bounded over to her like an excited puppy. She seemed to have been lost in her own world, because she jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of his voice.

'Whoa – er – Adrien?'

'Yeah, um, hi. Sorry – I, er, didn't mean to startle you.'

'No…you didn't.' Her cheeks were rosy from the cold. They matched her beautiful pink lips.

Adrien came over and leaned on the wall next to her. She blinked her blue eyes in surprise.

'Aren't you heading inside?'

'No, not yet. I'm meeting Nino here outside. He'll arrive any second now.'

'Oh, right, of course. I'm meeting Alya too. She should be showing up right about now.'

'Ah. Cool.'

A minute passed in awkward silence. Then another minute. And another.

'I'm sure Alya said outside the Three Broomsticks at two o'clock,' Marinette muttered to herself.

'Maybe those two have gotten a little…distracted?' Adrien suggested. 'I mean…you know how they can be when they're alone together. They might have lost track of the time?'

'Yeah…maybe.'

Just then, the doors opened and sounds of merriment drifted out. Glasses clinking, chairs scraping, people laughing. It sounded very inviting to Adrien. He had a sudden urge to take Marinette's hand and lead her inside. To find a sofa, enjoy a nice warm drink and snuggle up together. But to his dismay, she was still glancing up and down the road for Alya.

The doors had been opened by two of Adrien's friends, Ivan and Mylene. They were the two Hufflepuff prefects in fifth-year. They were also an adorable couple. Adrien would be lying if he said he wasn't extremely jealous.

'Oh hi Adrien, Marinette,' Ivan said as he let the door swing shut again.

'Lovely day for a date, isn't it?' remarked Mylene.

'W-what? A d-d-d-d-d-date?' stammered Marinette. 'Oh, no! We're just meeting our friends. Our friends who are going to show up any minute now.'

Adrien's heart sank into his boots. She seemed horrified at the thought of going on a date with him. Perhaps bumping into her hadn't been so lucky after all.

'Okay,' said Ivan, and he and Mylene shared a look. 'See you back at school.' Adrien couldn't shake the feeling that they knew something he didn't. There was something in their eyes. Or…maybe that was just a couple thing. Which he wouldn't understand, of course. He watched enviously as they walked off down the street, hand in hand.

Marinette was watching them too, frowning. She was also shivering. Now was his chance. Nothing would happen if he didn't at least ask her. What did he have to lose?

'Look, Marinette, um…' He scratched the back of his neck as she turned to look back up at him with wide, curious eyes. 'Alya and Nino seem to be running late…wouldn't it make more sense to wait for them inside? Maybe grab a Butterbeer? Just…uh…until they get here.'

'Oh! Um…that…that makes sense, yes. Inside. That would be better than standing out in the cold, for sure.' She nodded.

Well, it's a start, Adrien thought with a shrug as he opened the heavy door. Then he had an idea. He held it open and gestured for her to go through first.

'After you, m'lady.'

Marinette turned the same colour as her coat as those gorgeous lips parted slightly. Then she smiled warmly up at him, and scurried through the door. Adrien followed, and closed it behind them. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, Adrien's bad luck chose that moment to decide enough was enough.

The hubbub of noise died down a little as the heads nearest them turned and noticed them come in. Then, a tall, dark-haired girl wearing a Ravenclaw scarf yelled:

'Oh my Merlin! It's… Adrien Agreste!'

In his excitement at getting Marinette to go on a sort-of date with him, Adrien had forgotten that he'd been on the cover of quite a few teen witch magazines. The Ravenclaw girl and her friends were clutching reminders of that in their hands. And they were starting to rise out of their seats.

Uh-oh.

He stood frozen in terror as about half of the Three Broomsticks descended on him, waving magazines in his face, clamouring for his autograph. His voice completely died in his throat as he stumbled backwards. He was just wondering what on earth to do now when a soft, petite hand slipped into his own.

'Run for it!' Marinette yelled in his ear.

Adrien didn't need telling twice. He and Marinette legged it back towards the doors, threw them open, and dashed outside into the cold once more. As the harsh wind slapped their cheeks, Marinette pursed her lips, turned her head a few times, weighing up their options, and then dragged him off to the right.

'Where are we going?' Adrien called over the noise of the mob pursuing them.

'I have no idea!' she replied, letting out a little laugh as they barrelled along. Watching her run, with that determined look on her face, he realised this was more like Chaser Marinette. Strong, fierce, and capable. Just a few of the many things he loved about her.

'Adrien, wait!'

'Will you sign my copy of Witch Weekly?'

'Why are you running away?'

'Where are you going?'

'Who's that girl?'

Marinette yanked him round a corner, and their eyes came to rest on a large statue of some famous wizard or other. Surrounding the statue was a waist-high brick wall. They met each other's eyes, nodded once, ran at the wall, and leapt over it like a well-oiled machine. Only when they landed did they finally release each other's hands.

They ducked down as low as they could, gasping for breath, while footsteps thundered past. When the last of the thudding and screaming seemed to have died down, Marinette poked her head out.

'Phew! Guess we won't be waiting in the Three Broomsticks, then.'

Adrien could have kicked himself. How could he have been so stupid?

'I'm so sorry, Marinette. I wasn't thinking. I should have known that would happen. I'm an idiot.' He held his head in his hands, shame washing over him.

'Don't be silly. You're not an idiot.' She put a hand on his shoulder. 'You've been at Hogwarts nearly four months – you'd think people would be used to having you around.'

'Well, at least we seem to have lost…'

'ADRIEN'S HIDING NEXT TO THE STATUE – WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND!'

Or not.

The pair leapt up once more. Adrien jumped nimbly over the wall, but in the shock at being discovered, Marinette's clumsiness got the better of her. She tripped and face-planted in the freshly fallen snow with a very un-ladylike grunt. So much for being Adrien's hero, saving him from those crazy fans.

She struggled and wriggled, trying to get up, but just ended up making the world's messiest snow angel. Just as the horde of fans were starting to reach them again, Adrien grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet as if she weighed nothing at all.

'Come with me!'

Now, it was his turn to lead. Spitting out a mouthful of snow, Marinette let herself be pulled along, her hand in his strong grasp. When nobody was looking, he led her down an underground passage. It sloped downwards, then along, then upwards. When they popped out, she recognised where they were. Hogsmeade Railway Station.

'Good thinking,' she panted, hunching over with her hands on her thighs. 'They won't come to look for us here.'

Adrien was looking around curiously.

'Ahh…so this is where the Hogwarts Express gets in.'

'Oh yeah, of course. You've never gotten the Hogwarts Express, have you?' Marinette, of course, knew full well that Adrien's father sent him to and from school in a private Thestral-drawn carriage, but she didn't want to creep him out by having memorised too many details of his life.

'Nope.' Adrien sank down onto a bench and sighed. 'I've missed out on so much.'

'Hey.' Marinette went and sat next to him. She hated seeing him sad. 'You're here with us now, and that's what matters most. And hey…if your dad let you come to school, maybe, with a bit more persuasion, he'll let you get the train next time.'

Adrien turned and gave her a look that made all her insides turn somersaults. It was a look of deepest admiration, warm and affectionate.

'You always see the positive in everything, Marinette. That's one of my favourite things about you.'

One of them!? she wanted to reply. What are the others? Before she could ask him to write her up a very detailed list, he continued:

'I'm just sorry I dragged you into this mess. Now everyone thinks you're my girlfriend, which is probably the last thing you need.'

The thing I want most is to be your girlfriend, Marinette thought. But obviously, there was no way she was saying that out loud. So she settled for:

'Well…that could be a lot worse. And technically...I dragged you into it.'

'I'm serious.' He reached across and closed the gap between their hands for the third time that day. 'I'm going to warn you now. Unwanted attention is the price that comes with being my friend.'

She squeezed his hand firmly.

'That doesn't scare me. You're worth having as a friend.' And I want more. So much more.

'I was secretly hoping you'd say that.' He hesitated. 'Is that selfish of me?'

Marinette raised her eyebrows. She couldn't believe this boy.

'You've been cut off from the world for most of your life with only Chloe and Felix as your friends,' she told him with a shudder, 'And you're one of the sweetest, kindest people I know. You deserve friends who are willing to do anything for you. Like me. And Alya and Nino. Wherever the heck they are right now.'

She caught his eye and they burst out laughing.

'You have no idea how much that means to me.' He glanced around. 'Well, I don't hear anything. Do you think it's safe to go back?'

'Hmm…maybe. It's a shame we're not allowed to use magic outside school. Otherwise we could have cast Disillusionment Charms on ourselves.' An idea popped into Marinette's head, as if someone had cast Lumos in there. 'But hey…I know what we can do!'

'What's that?'

She removed her Gryffindor scarf and matching bobble-hat and held them out to him.

'Here. Put these on. You'll be less recognisable.'

'Are you sure that'll work?'

'It's worth a shot.'

Adrien removed his yellow-and-black Hufflepuff scarf and offered it to her in return. She wrapped it round her neck. It was soft and warm. She inhaled his delicious scent and felt butterflies cascading through her stomach. Mmm, yes. This was a great idea of hers.

Adrien wrapped her red-and-gold scarf around the bottom half of his face, tucked his soft blond hair into the hat and pulled that down past his eyebrows. Laughter bubbled up inside Marinette.

'Oh, you do look funny!'

'I don't look like myself, though, right?' came his voice from inside the mound of wool now sitting opposite her.

'Nope. Now let's hope we don't get chased again.'

They got up and made their way back down the passageway leading to Hogsmeade village, shoulders brushing.

'Where did you get this hat, anyway?' he asked as they walked. 'I've never seen one like it.'

Marinette shrugged.

'Made it.'

'You made it yourself?' He looked impressed. 'Wow. Brave and talented.'

Marinette wished she had access to a video camera so that she could record all the lovely things he said to her. She'd just have to make do with locking them up in her heart. Or writing them in her diary later.

'Thanks. I'll make you a Hufflepuff one, if you like.'

'I'd love that.'

Treading cautiously, the pair emerged onto the street where they'd fled from Adrien's fans. There were only a handful of people milling around – the rest seemed to have cleared off. Marinette recognised the group of Ravenclaw girls that had started the whole thing.

'They might not realise it's you,' she whispered, 'But I don't think it's worth the risk. Let's take a different route.'

'Good idea.'

Keeping their heads low, they made their way across the street and down a narrow alleyway. They'd been hoping it might lead back to the town centre – but it looked like a dead end. There was, however, something they hadn't expected to see.

'A giant ice-cream?' Marinette wondered aloud. She walked over, drawn to the delicious-looking treat that was almost as big as her. But when she reached out to touch it, her hand went straight through as if there was nothing there at all. 'Huh.'

'Hmm.' Adrien wandered over to join her. 'An illusion spell. Shame. Looks delicious, doesn't it?'

It did look delicious. Three scoops – a red, a white and a blue. Unless she had imagined it, his eyes had flicked over to her on the word delicious.

'Whoever cast the spell must be the owner of this place,' she observed. She looked up and read the sign over the window. 'Andre Glacier's Ice-Cream Parlour.'

The front of the shop was painted the exact brown of a waffle cone. Quaint antique lamps dangled on either side of the door. And in the window was the most impressive display of ice-cream flavours Marinette had ever seen. There were even a few she'd never heard of, like Pumpkin Juice and Cauldron Cake. A bell began to ring in the corner of her mind. Andre's…she was sure she'd heard that name somewhere.

'This place looks perfect,' said Adrien, eyeing up the ice-cream.

'I don't know…ice-cream in January? Isn't it a little cold for that?'

'All the more reason! The guy could probably use some business. It's out of the way, no-one will find us here. And one does work up quite an appetite running from crazed fans.'

'I'm just hearing excuses now, Mr. Agreste.' She found herself teasing him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He gave her that famous smirk that she was getting to know so well.

'Very well. You stand guard out here and I'll eat your ice-cream for you, since you obviously don't want any.'

'In your dreams.'

'That's what I thought.' He grinned. 'Shall we, then, m'lady?'

There it was again – m'lady. It sent the same shiver up her spine as it had the first time.

Adrien pushed open the door and a bell tinkled merrily over their heads. The place, despite being an ice-cream parlour, was warm and steamy. Polka-dotted tablecloths and jars of roses made it look like something out of one of Marinette's favourite muggle romcom movies.

An extremely plump, merry-looking wizard seemed to appear out of nowhere. Perhaps he had, Marinette thought. She guessed this must be Andre.

'Hi there,' said Adrien. 'Are you Andre Glacier?'

'I am indeed! And what do we have here? A brand-new pair of lovebirds? Ah, yes. What a beautiful young couple!'

Adrien and Marinette both froze as if someone had put a full body-bind curse on them. Then, they started talking over each other.

'Oh, no, he's not…'

'We're not…'

'I mean…'

'It's just…'

'We're just…'

'Friends,' they both finished, not meeting each other's eyes.

'I see,' Andre said, and he did seem to understand perfectly. And suddenly, Marinette noticed something she hadn't before. All the other customers in the café were couples. There was nobody sat on their own, no groups of three or four. Just couples gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, feeding each other spoonfuls of ice-cream, even kissing! Everyone was around their age – they must all be Hogwarts students. And then she remembered where she'd heard of this place before. From Alya, who'd been here on a date with Nino.

The sweethearts' ice-cream parlour.

Her first thought was Oh my gosh, I'm here with Adrien! followed by a much more panicked Oh my gosh, I'm here with Adrien! They would be expected to do romantic couple things together, and her heart might just explode if they actually ended up doing those things.

Luckily, all the couples in the room seemed too interested in each other to notice that a famous model had just walked in. And Adrien seemed more interested in the ice-cream than in what everyone else was up to. She shook her head fondly. Boys.

'Now, my dears, since it's your first time with me, I'll explain how it works,' Andre was saying. 'I find out a bit about the pair of you, and give you the flavours which suit you best.'

Marinette frowned.

'You pick our flavours…for us?' This wasn't like any ice-cream parlour she'd ever been to.

Adrien shrugged.

'Fine by me. I like all of them.'

Marinette giggled.

'What are your names, my dears?'

'Marinette.'

'Adrien.'

'And you say you two are good friends?'

'Uhhh…yeah. Such good friends.'

'That's right,' Adrien agreed. Did he sound a little…disappointed?

'Well now. It's time for you good friends to experience the magic of Andre's ice-cream. Ladies first. For you, Marinette…' He placed two large scoops of ice-cream on top of a chocolate-covered waffle cone. 'Peach pink for his lips and mint for his eyes.'

Okay, Marinette thought, this was a terrible idea. She suddenly found herself wishing she was older and knew how to Apparate, so that she could vanish herself away somewhere. Anywhere. Why, oh why did he have to mention lips!? She didn't dare look at Adrien.

'Oh,' she choked out as she took the ice-cream. 'That looks…nice.'

'And for you, Adrien…' It was Adrien's turn to receive a delicious frozen treat. 'Strawberry with blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice cream just like her sky-blue stare.'

'Mmm,' came Adrien's voice from beside her. 'Looks yummy. Thank you, Andre.'

'You're welcome, my dear. Now…let me see…ah yes, we have one table left. Hmm…it seems all the window seats are taken…'

'Perfect!' exclaimed Marinette. 'We don't want anyone to see us.'

'That's right,' said Adrien. 'If anyone asks, we were never here, okay? It's…a bit of a long story.'

'Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.' He winked. 'Now, go and enjoy those ice-creams before they melt.'

The pair didn't need telling twice. The ice-creams looked so wonderful that their mouths were watering. They hurried over to the table and sat down.

'I've just remembered that Alya and Nino once came here on a date,' confessed Marinette. 'I totally forgot about the whole sweetheart thing.' She glanced down at the polka-dotted tablecloth and realised that the polka-dots were in fact tiny hearts. 'I…uh, don't think Andre got the message that we're not a couple. It's not too awkward for you, is it?'

'Not at all. I'm glad I found this place with you, Marinette. I just hope none of those crazy fans come back. They'll be talking about it for weeks if they see us here together. They'll have quite the scoop on us.' He looked down at his ice-cream and chuckled. 'Scoop on us. See what I did there?'

Marinette giggled.

'Very funny.' She looked at her ice-cream. 'I guess it was…mint to be that we came here.'

Adrien threw back his head and laughed.

'Good one. You're the sweetest, Marinette. The way you refuse to give up on being my friend.'

'Of course. I'll never dessert you.'

They both dissolved into laughter. A few of the other couples turned around to look at them, causing them to stifle their giggles, not wanting a repeat of the Three Broomsticks.

'Oops. Maybe we'd better actually eat the ice-cream,' Marinette half-whispered.

'Absolutely,' said Adrien, before grabbing a heaped spoonful and digging in. Marinette joined him, starting with a spoonful of mint. It melted in her mouth, fresh and cool.

'Interesting system Andre has for choosing flavours for us,' Adrien remarked. Marinette couldn't quite meet his eyes, still embarrassed about the lips thing.

'Um, yes. Rather unique, isn't it?'

'Very. Although I'd have to say, he made a pretty good choice.' He scooped up another spoonful and held her gaze as he savoured it slowly. Marinette gulped.

'So…um…did Andre guess your favourite flavours?' she asked, feeling very warm all of a sudden. Was it getting hot in there?

'Hmm…not quite. My favourite flavour is actually passionfruit. But…peach is pretty close to that.'

Marinette's eyes went back to her own ice-cream. Up until now, neither had acknowledged the fact that each ice-cream came with not one but two wooden spoons. They were meant to share. And that was clearly what Adrien was hinting at.

'Would you like to try some?' she asked shyly. Adrien beamed.

'I'd love to.'

Marinette took the unused spoon, and as she did so, it glowed brightly in her hand for a second. Moments later, it looked just like before, except now there was a name engraved onto it. Adrien.

'What the…' She shook her head. Magic, of course.

She scooped up some peach and handed him the spoon. Adrien accepted happily and closed his eyes as he popped it into his mouth.

'Mmm, delicious.' He licked his lips, reminding her vividly of what the peach flavour represented. Then he looked thoughtfully at his own three flavours. 'Now, which do you like best out of strawberry, blackberry and blueberry?'

Marinette blushed.

'Oh, you don't have to…'

'It's only fair. And the spoon says so too.' His sharp eyes lingered on her reddening cheeks and his lips twitched upwards. 'Strawberry it is.'

'But I…' Marinette didn't get to finish her sentence before a burst of strawberry exploded over her tongue. She closed her lips around the spoon that Adrien had slipped into her mouth, and swallowed as he pulled it out again.

'Tasty?' he asked with a cheeky sparkle in his eyes.

'Mmm,' she replied, feeling the blush spread to the roots of her hair.

'Would you like to try some more?'

There was only one possible answer. However...the power of speech seemed to have deserted Marinette, as it often did around him. So, instead, she nodded. Adrien held up a spoonful of blueberry, and this time, she parted her lips obediently. She closed her eyes. Somehow, this flavour was even more sumptuous than the last.

Opening her eyes, she decided to offer him some more of hers. Otherwise she might spontaneously combust on the spot.

'Do you like mint? Oh, um, of course you do. You like all flavours. You said so. Ha-ha.'

'That's right, Marinette.' He seemed to be fighting the urge to chuckle at her stammering. 'Go on.'

She filled the spoon with cool green minty ice-cream, which did match his eyes perfectly, and held it up. This time, she wanted to feed it to him as he'd done for her. But just as Adrien was opening his mouth, her hand shook a little and it ended up on the tip of his nose.

'Oops!' Marinette panicked for a second. 'Sorry!'

Surprised, Adrien caught sight of himself in the reflection of one of the pictures on the wall. Then, he burst out laughing. Relieved, Marinette laughed too.

'I didn't mean to,' she giggled.

'No need to apologise. I like not having to worry about the way I look. Makes a nice change.' He wiped the ice-cream off his nose with his finger and licked it up. 'Mmm. Scrumptious.'

One by one, other couples came and went as Marinette and Adrien told each other stories from their drastically different childhoods, shared more ice-cream, and giggled over puns and jokes.

'So...how come you ended up as a fashion model if your dad works at the ministry?' This was something Marinette had been wondering.

'Interesting question,' said Adrien. 'I think he secretly wanted to become a wizard fashion designer instead of having a boring office job. So he's given me that chance too. At least, that's the way I like to see it. It also brought in more money, which will be mine when I turn seventeen. So it's prepared me for the future too.'

Suddenly Marinette realised how dark it was outside and that the café was empty apart from the two of them. They'd been so wrapped up in their own bubble that they hadn't even noticed.

'Not that I want to kick you two out,' said Andre, approaching their table, 'when you're clearly having such a good time…'

'Oh…' Adrien's face fell. He was clearly disappointed but smoothed it over with a smile. 'Not to worry. We really should get back to school before we get in trouble.'

'Yes. Especially since I'm a prefect!' Marinette had completely forgotten about that part of her life for a few hours.

They said goodbye to Andre, assuring him that they'd be back again soon.

'You're always welcome,' he told them.

As they headed back through town, there was no ignoring how empty the streets were.

'Wow. I guess we really lost track of time,' said Marinette.

'Time flies when you're having fun,' Adrien told her with a wink.

They made it back to school just in time and hurried inside, where they were enveloped by the warmth from the Entrance Hall. The Great Hall looked empty, with only a few clusters of students dotted around the tables, finishing off their dessert.

'I guess we missed dinner,' Marinette deduced.

'Never mind,' Adrien shrugged. 'I don't think I could manage anything after all that ice-cream.'

'Me neither. It was delicious, wasn't it?'

'Totally. And I wonder what Andre meant about it being…magical.'

'Oh, umm…' Marinette's heart skipped a beat. She knew exactly what Andre meant and was sure Adrien did too. 'Probably just that it tastes really good. Yeah. It's not like it's, you know, actually magic or anything.' She gave an awkward, nervous laugh.

Adrien was looking thoughtful. He was studying her carefully, as if trying to read her thoughts. Thank goodness he couldn't. Or...could he? If it turned out he was a trained Legilimens, then she'd be in trouble.

'Well, I guess I'll see you in class on Monday?' she said half-heartedly.

'Oh…yeah, sure.' They both hesitated, neither wanting to part from the other's company. They didn't want their wonderful day – dare she call it a date? – to end.

Adrien seemed to come to a decision. He smiled and held out his arms. Marinette, unable to believe her luck, stepped forward and let him envelop her in a hug. It was warm and soft and just tight enough to feel cosy without him crushing her. She wanted to stay there forever, her head leaning against his shoulder, but she figured Adrien might have an issue with that, so after a few seconds she reluctantly pulled away. She was delighted to see that he was grinning all over his face.

'Bye, Marinette,' he said, smile bright as the sun as he started to head for the stairs leading down to the basement. Marinette stood frozen to the spot, feeling luckier than she'd ever felt.

'Bye, Adrien.'

Adrien replayed the lovely hug with Marinette in his mind as he crawled along the dark, earthy tunnel to the Hufflepuff Common Room and emerged into the warm, welcoming space. It had been so wonderful and sweet, holding her slight frame in his arms, drinking in her enchanting scent, her soft dark hair tickling his nose…

'Here he is,' called a familiar voice, snapping him out of his thoughts. Adrien glanced over at the bright yellow sofa in the middle of the room and saw Nino lounging there, arms resting over the back, wearing a huge grin on his face. Next to him sat Ivan and Mylene, who were also giving him knowing smiles. Plagg, his cat, lay curled up next to the fire, snoozing lazily. On a pile of mustard-coloured cushions at their feet, Rose and Zoe were playing a game of Exploding Snap, but they, too, looked up when he came in, deciding he was more interesting.

'Nino!' Adrien strode over. 'Where were you today?' he demanded.

'Studying in the library with Alya,' Nino said matter-of-factly.

'What? You were supposed to meet me at the Three Broomsticks, remember? And Alya was supposed to meet Marinette.'

'Ha! That's what you both thought.'

Adrien frowned.

'Am I…missing something?'

'What Nino's trying to tell you,' Mylene explained, 'Is that he and Alya set the whole thing up so that you and Marinette would end up together.'

Adrien's jaw dropped.

'You did…what?'

'And by the looks of you, it worked!' exclaimed Rose.

'What…do you mean?'

'Nice scarf, dude,' Nino teased. 'And a matching hat? Very dashing. Brings out your eyes.'

Adrien's friends all burst out laughing as he realised with a jolt that he was still wearing Marinette's clothes. He tugged them off, his face turning the colour of the hat and scarf.

'Marinette and I swapped because I got recognised by some fans,' he explained. 'That's the only reason. And I guess we…forgot to swap back.'

'You forgot. Totally,' said Zoe mockingly.

Adrien felt like facepalming. He'd been tricked so easily. And everyone had known. It was as if the whole room was laughing at him. Even the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff on the far wall seemed to be glancing over at him with a merry twinkle in her eyes. She didn't seem to mind a bit that he'd walked in wearing Gryffindor attire. He narrowed his eyes, but he wasn't really mad. Far from it. He'd just had the most perfect day, after all.

'So come on,' said Rose. 'I want to hear all about your date!'

Everyone agreed, begging Adrien for every detail. He stuck his nose in the air.

'I don't know…it's getting late…'

His friends immediately got up and dragged him down onto the sofa, surrounding him from all directions.

'Spill. Now,' demanded Zoe.

'Don't make us cast the Tickling Charm on you,' warned Mylene. Adrien squirmed, secretly loving teasing his friends.

'Okay…first, Marinette and I went into the Three Broomsticks to wait for Alya and Nino.' He gave Nino the side-eye. 'But that didn't quite work out…'

His friends' expressions slowly transitioned from horror to joy as Adrien explained how he and Marinette had outrun his fans and ended up at Andre's.

'Oooh,' said Mylene, 'Ivan and I go there on dates all the time! Don't we, Teddy Bear?'

'Uh-huh,' Ivan confirmed. 'They say that couples who go there together, stay together. It's rumoured that the ice-cream is magical.'

'Tasted just like regular ice-cream to me,' Adrien shrugged, choosing not to mention the two little wooden spoons resting in his pocket. He'd slipped them in there on their way out, when Marinette wasn't looking.

'Maybe it's not about the ice-cream,' suggested Rose, 'but the person you share it with?'

'Nah, I think it's secretly laced with Amortentia,' Nino joked.

'Adrien doesn't need a love potion,' Zoe exclaimed. 'And by the sound of it, neither does Marinette!'

Adrien laughed along with everyone else, hoping with all his heart that last bit was true. Did Marinette like him back? He'd love to take her to Andre's again. Maybe next time it would be a real date…

Marinette was still grinning from ear to ear as she climbed through the portrait-hole into the Gryffindor Common Room.

'And where have you been?'

She turned around to see the Gryffindor Quidditch team, plus Ondine, sitting in a cluster around the fire and giving her funny looks.

'Hey, guys. What's up?'

'We've just been discussing team tactics,' said Jess. 'We tried to find you, but we couldn't see you anywhere.'

'Everyone else got back from Hogsmeade hours ago,' Alix informed her.

'Yeah…I did stay out quite late.' Marinette went and plonked herself down. 'So…what'd I miss?'

'Never mind that,' said Nora. 'Are you going to explain why you're wearing a Hufflepuff scarf, Dupain-Cheng?'

'What – oh!' Marinette burst out laughing. 'It's a bit of a long story.'

They all fixed her with a look that said tell us, or else.

'Well…I kind of spent the day with…uh…'

'Adrien?' Socqueline prompted. Marinette nodded, unable to keep from smiling. Everyone whooped and cheered, causing her to cover her ears.

'Called it!' Alix punched the air. 'Kim, you owe me ten Sickles.'

'Dang it.' Kim reached into his pockets. 'I'm happy for you though, Marinette.'

Marinette rolled her eyes.

'Placing bets, guys? Really?'

'What can I say. I like the satisfaction of beating Kim.' Alix pocketed Kim's silver coins and then stretched out her legs, warming her toes by the fire.

'Sooooo…' Jess piped up. 'What happened?'

'Well, we were supposed to meet our friends, Nino and Alya, but they never showed.'

'Ha! My sister and her boyfriend totally set you up,' said Nora. 'That is such an Alya thing to do.'

'You're right,' Marinette agreed, shaking her head. 'Oh, well. I think it's safe to say her plan worked. Adrien and I went into the Three Broomsticks…'

It took a lot to keep a bunch of rowdy Gryffindors quiet for ten minutes, but the entire group sat spellbound as Marinette recounted her day. By the end, they were all grinning like Cheshire cats.

'Adrien is so into you,' Jess declared.

'You two are made for each other,' said Socqueline.

'Why don't you ask him out?' Adam suggested.

Marinette sighed dramatically.

'I've tried, believe me, I have. But I always get tongue-tied. Or Chloe does something to ruin it.'

'Ugh, that Chloe,' Nora spat. 'I'd like to turn her into a Flobberworm. She gets on my nerves and I don't even have class with her! I don't know how Alya stands her.'

'You should keep trying, Marinette,' said Alix. 'I know you, and you don't give up on anything. Not when it matters to you.'

Marinette couldn't help smiling at this. Everyone was right – she shouldn't give up hope.

The gang did some more complaining about Chloe, which evolved into a competition to see who could do the best impersonation of her saying 'My father will hear about this!' A few other Gryffindors noticed and joined in. Their raucous laughter must have been particularly loud, because eventually Professor Mendeleiev, their Head of House, came and told them all to start heading to bed or risk losing house points.

'Oh…Marinette!' Kim exclaimed just as they were heading for the stairs to the dormitories. 'Alya wanted me to give you this.'

'Oh, er, thanks.' Marinette took the piece of parchment. There was a message scribbled in her best friend's writing.

You're so welcome, girl. Tell me everything tomorrow! – A

Marinette rolled her eyes. That was so typical of Alya and Nino to play matchmaker. Now she'd have to tell her story again. Not that she minded talking about Adrien, of course.

As she got into bed, she glanced up at the ceiling of her four-poster, which was covered in magazine clippings of a certain blond model. She smiled. Pictures were great, but they didn't compare to the real Adrien. She knew that better than ever now. She drew the curtains and fell asleep with the smile still on her face. And if she wrapped Adrien's scarf around herself in the dark, well…nobody had to know.