Lucinda Evans - still in progress

Chapter 12 - Trip to Hogsmeade

Everybody was busy making their potion when suddenly something caught Professor Snape's attention.

"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger," says his icy voice breaking the silence in the quiet dungeon, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor. Ah, reading magazines under the table as well?" Snape snatches up a copy of a magazine. "A further ten points from Gryffindor... oh but of course Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings..." 

Mer and I start laughing and so do the Slytherins else. The dungeon rings laughter, and a smile curls Snape's mouth and he begins to read the article aloud.

"Harry Potter's Secret Heartache... dear, dear, Potter, what's ailing you now? A boy like no other, perhaps... " Snape pauses at the end of every sentence to allow us to laugh. "Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate...," Snape sneers. "How very touching. Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter — that table in front of my desk. Move. Now." 

It's clear to see that Harry Potter is furious when he goes to the front desk, followed by Professor Snape. Mer and I give each other a last smile before resuming our work. The faster this is done, the faster we can go and do something else.

There's a knock on the dungeon door. The class looks around as the door opens and Professor Karkaroff comes in. Everyone watches him as he walks up toward Snape's desk. 

I look interested to the desk and try to hear something but I'm too far away to hear anything. 

"Stop being so damn curious and move on. I want to go and have lunch," Mer complains and gets my attention back to my potion. When the bell rings I hand in a sample and the two of us go to the Great Hall.

-----

"So wait, let me get this straight: you fancy Malfoy?" 

"But you're not," Mer sniggers.

"You know what I meant with it," Ernie rolls his eyes before looking back to me.

"Just let it go already!" I groan. This is not how I imagined my lunch to be.

"I'm sorry but that is not gonna happen. That is just something I can not forget. So tell me, how did that happen?"

"There is nothing to it. I swear!" I cry out of frustration. Some people who are seated a bit further away turn to look at us. I turn away, with a red head, to not encourage their attention.

"You are a terrible liar, Lucinda Evens!" Merope says and I give her a death glare. Why must she betray me like that, Ernest could have bought it!

"Oh, come on! He noticed right away. He didn't need my help to find that out," Mer defends herself.

"Yes, I did. And can you please stop talking like I'm not here. It's annoying. Now, back to the subject; what happened that you fell for Malfoy's mysteriously dark charms?"

I sigh because I know there is no way he will ever give up if I don't give him something.

"I just think he has like the most stormiest eyes. That's all," I shrug while looking at my plate.

"You do realize we have the same eyes, right?" Mer spoils it again, wich gives me an alibi to give her again one of my death glares. "Fine, I get the hint; different subject. So Ernie, are you going to Hogsmeade today?"

"Of course I am. I need a new stock of stuff from Zonko's Joke Shop. You can come with me if you want. Luce, told me you're a prankster so I think you should really have been to  that shop at least once."

It's both amusing and annoying to see both their eyes lighting up at the idea of going to this shop. Cause that means they both want to prank people and we'll totally get into trouble and then Mr. Malfoy will be angry again. Mer doesn't care about that, but I do! That man is scary when he's mad and I can't really say that I enjoy his punishments that much to go and ask for them. But I do like the looks on peoples faces when they get caught off guard... Damn it! 

"Looks like your mental fight is over. So it's time to go shopping!" Mer cries out, people looking at us again. Damn, she knows me too well.

-----

"Over there you have Dervish & Banges. It sells and repairs all kinds of magical instruments. If you need new quills you need to be there, at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. They sell various quills and parchment. They even sell rainbow ink. And there you have Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, it's a small teashop mostly for couples. But's way too pink in there if you ask me. At the end is The Three Broomsticks Inn. It's a rather popular pub. We can go there to drink some Butterbeer later," Ernest enthusiastically gives us a tour at the High Street at Hogsmeade. "Oh, and over here we have Honeydukes. That's a legendary wizarding sweets shop. It's mostly famous for its chocolate and many, wonderful and wild sweets. We can you in if you want," Ernie suggests when he sees Mers eyes light up at the mention of chocolate.

"Yes!" she cries out and drags us with her to the sweet shop.

Inside there are 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; along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' sweets: Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, peppermint creams shaped like toads, fragile sugar-spun quills and exploding bonbons.

"Wow, amazing!" Mer says in awe when we just stand there in the shop, "I need a bit of everything!"

I roll my eyes when I see her run away to the shelves to collect her candies. She always needs to exaggerate. I laugh a little when I see Ernie with an expression of disbelieve in his eyes.

"Is she really gonna take a bit of everything? That's really expensive!"

"She's rich. She can afford it," I just shrug. I'm used to this already.

"Damn, rich people," Ernest mutters softly to himself.

When Mer was finished we first go to Zonko's Joke Shop and then to The Three Broomsticks.

"Gosh, this is delicious," I say when I take a nip from my Butterbeer. 

"I know right," Ernie answers and takes another swig from his glass to empty it. "Looks like it's almost time to head back to the castle."

Mer and I quickly finish our Butterbeers before leaving the pub.

"Look who we have here," Ernie mumbles looking in the direction of the mountain. "Hey, Potter. Looks like your Grim is walking right next to you. Maybe it's a bad omen for the next task."

Mer shoves him in the chest while I scroll him; "That is not a nice thing to say. That boy has already enough problems to worry about."

"Aw, I thought you fancied Malfoy," he looks at me before he faces Mer, "and you Fred Weasley. Why do mind Potter so much. Does one of you fancy him too?"

"Of course not! Don't be silly. But it's just not nice," Mer answers angry, ready to hit him again. 

"Ok, Ok. I get it! Please don't hit me again," Ernest puts up his hand to show his surrender.

We just walk back to the castle. I turn around a lot since I have this creepy feeling we are being watched. But every time I look back to see who is following us, I see nobody.