Bumblebee (A Fred Weasley Fanfiction)

- CHAPTER THREE -

The Hogsmeade Trip

It was a few weeks later and, to Emmie's relief, she hadn't had any run-ins with Juniper and her boy toy. Every now and then they would give her dirty looks in the great hall or transfiguration class, in which they had been moved away from each other, but Emmie got the impression that they were scared of her after what had happened.
It was getting colder now and Emmie was spending a lot of time in the Gryffindor common room with Fred and George and some of the other Gryffindors she had made friends with.

Harry and Fred returned to the common room one evening after training, cold and stiff but pleased with the way Quidditch practice had gone, to find the room buzzing excitedly.
Emmie was sat with George, who had returned a few minutes before, talking to Ron and Hermione, who were sitting in two of the best chairs by the fireside. "What's happened?" Harry asked them, "first Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old notice board. "End of October. Hallowe'en."
"Excellent," said Fred, "I need to visit Zonko's, I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."
Harry threw himself into a chair beside Ron, his high spirits drifting away. Hermione seemed to read his mind.
"Harry, I'm sure you'll be able to go next time," she said. "They're bound to catch Black soon, he's been sighted once already."
"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry, the next one might not be for ages-"
"Ron!" Said Hermione. "Harry's supposed to stay in school-"
"He can't be the only third-year left behind," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall, go on, Harry-"
They continued to bicker as Fred slowly walked away from them and joined Emmie and George.
"Are you going to Hogsmeade?" He asked her, "oh I don't know, probably not," she replied causing the twins to look at her.
"What?" They spoke in unison,
"I don't know, I just don't have that much money."
"Neither do we but it doesn't-"  George was interrupted by Ron shouting. "CATCH THAT CAT!" As Hermione's cat Crookshanks sprang over the table and chased after Ron's rat Scabbers.
George made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed; Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his legs and started making furious swipes beneath the chest of drawers with his front paws.
As Emmie watched and laughed at what was happening Fred leant over to her, "I've got a portable swamp with your name on it," Emmie pulled away from him confused, "come to Hogsmeade with us."

*

On Hallowe'en morning, Emmie awoke with the rest of her dorm and went down to breakfast. After breakfast she found the twins and they walked to the Entrance Hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.

The trio arrived at Hogsmeade and, although Emmie had been there before, she was still in awe of what she could see. The picturesque little village was full of cute thatched cottages and shops. "So. Where'd you wanna go first?" George asked,
"Honeydukes?" Emmie suggested.
"Last one there's a giant troll!" Fred shouted before pushing George to the side and running towards the quaint shop.
"You get back here Weasley!" Emmie shouted as she ran after him. Fred tripped on some stone steps he was climbing, as Emmie laughed he grabbed her ankle and pulled her down with him.
"Suckers!" George shouted as he ran past them both and reached the door of Honeydukes Sweetshop.
They stepped inside, there were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-coloured toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavour Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizzbees and levitating sherbet balls. Along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-coloured bubbles that refused to pop for a day), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills and exploding bonbons.

Emmie, Fred and George stepped out of the shop with bags full of sweets and their stomachs full of free samples. "Where to next?" Emmie asked, "Zonko's!" The twins both spoke.
As soon as they approached the bright red joke shop, it was almost as if the twins weren't working anymore, they ignored everything Emmie said as they admired Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap and Nose-Biting Teacups.
"Fred!" Emmie called, "I found the Stink Pellets... You said you needed some."

To close their Hogsmeade trip and to warm them up, the group made their way to The Three Broomsticks. The pub was filled with other witches and wizards trying to shelter from the biting cold. Fred and Emmie sat at a table in the back corner next to a glowing fireplace and soon George joined them with three Butterbeers in foaming pewter tankards.

*

By the time they got back to Hogwarts, it was time for the feast. The great hall had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant waters makes.
Emmie parted ways with the twins to sit at the Hufflepuff table and tuck into the array of food. It was so delicious that, even after all the Honeydukes sweets she had eaten, Emmie still managed second helpings of everything.
The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a spot of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a re-enactment of his own botched beheading.

- Princexiero xx