Party Police.

Chapter Fourteen.

The previous chapter for those who could not read it: (Y/n) met two Hufflepuffs; Leanne and Anthony; through Katie during the time they were working on their Herbology final. (Y/n) also met an older Ravenclaw; Penelope Clearwater, who she now saw as an older sister figure.

(Y/n) carried Hoshi's carrier through the corridors, searching for her friends. She wore a green turtleneck beneath a knitted (and buttoned-up) cardigan, and still, they were underneath a tan fleece coat. She had brown corduroy pants and green knitted gloves (one messier than the other as she and Cho made it together). She wore earmuffs and no scarf. Earlier that day, she had gifted Professor McGonagall the painting with the request of not opening it until the Professor celebrated her respective holiday.

(Y/n) set her larger suitcase and smaller suitcase down with the luggage already stacked. To her luck: it was snowing. She found Marietta and Cho already outside and as they waited for instructions on what to do in terms of getting to the train station, they kept an eye out for Katie, Leanne, and Anthony (both of whom they accepted into their friend group).

"I think I see Anthony," Cho said, squinting as a group of Hufflepuff joined the waiting crowd. "Definitely Anthony and Leanne," she corrected. They waved them over. Leanne was shivering, even with her large fleece coat. Anthony was dressed lighter, but his nose was flushed and his eyes had tears. A fog came out of his mouth as he rocked back and forth. Cho handed the both of them a pair of gloves, a scarf, and a beanie, all Hufflepuff-themed. Cho, ever the saint, had gone ahead and knitted each of her friends a set of winter gear a while in the works. Leanne put them on in an instant, covering the lower half of her face. Anthony tossed one of the ends of his Hufflepuff scarf over his shoulder. They all waited for Katie. (Y/n) was huddled against Cho, closing her eyes. 

"I think... I have an um...umbrella," (Y/n) said through clattering teeth. Cho took the carrier as (Y/n) searched for her umbrella in the bag she carried Effie in. She then raised it and hit a button, thus expanding it. They moved closer to the crowd already under a pavilion to get out of the snow. The two that did not fit under her umbrella stood under the pavilion whilst Cho and Anthony stood with (Y/n). It was not long before Katie joined them, rather unaffected by the cold, for she had a larger jacket. She rubbed her ungloved hands together and blew on them, looking around. 

"Where are the professors?" she asked.

"Dunno," Cho answered, followed by a sniffle. She proceeded to offer Katie a pair of her many knitted gloves, hat, and scarf (Gryffindor themed). 

"I should have..." (Y/n) panted with the cold "...taken my scarf out of my trunk."

"That would have been wise," Cho mused. She tucked her free hand (the one not carrying her owl) into her pocket. Laurie peeked his head out of her satchel and seemed to bask in the little snowfall his head received. Effie, on the other hand, was not happy at all. (Y/n) was sure that if a cat was capable of murder, she'd be long past dead.

All of the sudden, the professors appeared and announced that the carriages would be taking them to the train station. Not too far away, (Y/n) saw Bill shuffle through the snow with three of his younger siblings behind him (Fred, George, and Percy). 

"Four to a carriage!" announced Professor Flitwick. They all looked at each other.

"...I can probably ride with Alicia and Angelina," said Katie. "We can always ride together during the actual train ride."

"I'll... join you," Leanne said, still shivering. They were soon gone and the Ravenclaws and singular Hufflepuff were left with their own carriage.

"They're heated," Cho said suddenly. (Y/n) then noticed she was much warmer than she was previously. They were in a closed, boxed carriage that did not have any horses or riders, though, because (Y/n) had read Hogwarts a History, she knew they were lead by Thestrals, a creature that cannot be seen by anyone other than those who have witnessed death.