sunlit meadows, winding brooks ✮ slytherin boys

chapter eight // page of cups

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

January 31, 1995

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

          Charlotte strolled down the bustling street, her floral snow boots crunching the blanket of fresh snow beneath her. She trudged through the snow, trying to keep herself preoccupied and warm. She passed Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, Tomes and Scrolls, and even Dogweed and Deathcap. As she tried not to slip on the scattered patches of ice, memories of her conversation with Theo in the Great Hall flashed through her mind.

          "Our class is taking a trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow," Theo started with a calculating look, "it gives us the perfect opportunity to display our undying love for each other," Theo snickered as he raised his eyebrows and sipped from his goblet.

          Charlotte rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, stabbing a grape with her fork. "Fine, but we must go to Honeydukes." Thrill pulsed through Charlotte as she visualized her favorite place in all of Hogsmeade. It was a green and pink colored heaven. Glass jars lined the walls, filled to the brim with mouth-watering sweets of every color, flavor, and size. It's almost impossible to leave without paying for something.

          Theo smiled at Charlotte's lit-up expression. Initially, his gaze was locked onto her sparkling eyes, then, they inched lower to her mouth as she spoke. He admired the way her soft lips moved. He suddenly realized he was staring and snapped himself out of it by clearing his throat.

          "If I don't spot you at the station, I'll meet you right outside Honeydukes," Theo nodded.

          She was now standing awkwardly outside of the multi-colored sweet shop, observing her classmates in wool sweaters and hats wander by, but Theo was nowhere in the mix. Her hands were beginning to freeze and she wished she'd just gotten butterbeer with her cousins instead, but she then heard one of her new favorite voices beside her.

          "Ciao bella, I didn't mean to leave you waiting. Lorenzo wouldn't stop dragging me into Spintwitches Sporting Needs." Theo peered down at Charlotte, immediately noticing her rubbing her hands together for warmth. He wrapped one of his gloved hands around hers, using the other to brush a stray strand of hair that kept falling into her face because of the harsh winds. She turned her head away from him, choosing to ignore the aggressive beating of her heart at the feeling of his hands intertwined with hers.

          "Let's get you inside, you're freezing," Theo observed her chattering teeth. She and her poor circulation had never been fans of the cold weather—only the warm feeling of the holidays could redeem the season.

          Fingers tangled together, they stepped into the soft glow of Honeydukes. Charlotte took a moment to bask in the comforting smells of the place. It reminded her of her childhood.

          During Charlotte's first year at Hogwarts, she and her cousins opened the lime door to Honeydukes for the first time. They thought it would be amusing to buy four boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and see how many they could fit in their mouths. Evangeline stepped up to the challenge and fit every jellybean from all four boxes into her mouth on the first try.

          "What are you guys laughing at?" Evangeline pouted through a mouthful of jellybeans.

          "You look like a chipmunk!" Charlotte exclaimed. The girls burst out laughing, jellybeans flying everywhere. They cleaned up jelly beans in the shop for hours that day.