𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒔 - pjo x hp

xxiii. christmas and benches

𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘𝐃𝐔𝐊𝐄𝐒.

Another Hogsmeade weekend had been scheduled right before the Christmas break, and Raya had no idea how she was going to manage to get presents for everyone. 

Her dad had a game on Christmas again, so she was heading home for the break. Her mom was going to spending the holiday in Godric's Hollow with them.

Because of that, she needed to buy the gifts and send them all off before leaving for the holidays. She'd gotten her dad some nice broom polish and the sugar quills that he's in love with. Her mom was going to get a free spa day at one of the Muggle spas in the area and a SodaStream. She got some candy for most of her friends, along with little gag gifts or jewelry and other small trinkets.

Now, Raya just needed to figure out what to get Luke.

He'd gotten her a beautiful locket last year, and she wasn't sure she was gonna be able to get something as nice as that.

"Oh, fuck it," she muttered, grabbing nearly every candy in the shop.

She still needed to figure out what Luke's main present was going to be, but for now, the candies were okay.

"Meow," Loki stuck his out from her hood.

"Hi bubba," she muttered, rubbing his ears.

"What?" the cashier looked up.

"Oh," Raya blushed. "Sorry, I was talking to my cat."

"Okay," the cashier made a face, but bagged her items.

Raya paid quickly, running out of Honeydukes and into the Three Broomsticks.

Her friends had already finished their Christmas shopping and were waiting for her there. Cierra pushed a basket of chili cheese fries her way, and Raya nodded her thanks.

"You done yet?" Thomas asked her. "Or is there another stop you have to make?"

"Shut up," she muttered. "I'm all done. Well, except for Luke. I think I'm gonna have to go shopping over the break for his present."

"Curfew's coming up," Meredith commented, checking her watch. "We should head out if we don't wanna get stopped by dementors."

Her friends all murmured their agreement, cleaning up and heading out. Elias blew a kiss to Madam Rosmerta on their way out. Raya grabbed his ear as she pulled him along, apologizing to Rosmerta on Elias' behalf.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Elias muttered as Raya dragged him along.

Raya let go of him as they reached the end of the street. Her and her friends walked past the Shrieking Shack and over the hill, through the school entrance and down the halls to the Ravenclaw Tower entrance... where Harry was waiting for them.

"Harry?" Nathaniel asked. "What's up?"

"Uh, I was looking for Raya," he started, "but the door knocker's kind of annoying."

"We call him Saul," Elias said. "And yeah, he's a little brat sometimes. Of course, he's no match for our Thomas here."

Raya blinked at Harry's statement. She didn't realize they were good enough friends to go searching for each other at random times.

"What's up?" she tried for a smile.

"I wanted to talk... um, it's kinda private," he said to Raya's friends as they all tuned in on those words.

"Go inside," Raya told them. "Curfew's been hit, so everyone should be in there already."

They all groaned, but made their way inside once Thomas answered the riddle.