Fire Whiskey in the Moonlight (Remus Lupin)

Chapter Sixteen: Christmas Time Without You

The weeks before break passed by unbearably slow. Annie and I were worse off than ever, Remus and I weren't speaking (yet again), Tyler had taken my sudden desire to hang out with my Gryffindor pals more frequently as a sign that I had totally forgiven him, and of course, our professors were burying us with homework to prep for mid-terms.

At least I had one thing to look forward to, the last Hogsmeade trip of the semester. Katie, Eric, Tyler and I were all going together but I planned on ditching them at some point to go Christmas shopping.I loved receiving presents just like everyone else, but I loved buying presents even more! Although I was always too excited to keep my mouth shut about what I bought people.

The day of the trip the four of us all meet inside the great hall for breakfast before heading out.

"I'm so excited! Nothing beats a warm Butterbeer on a cold day!" Katie cooed.

"Nothing except meeting a pair of warm lips under the mistletoe." Tyler so unbecomingly added.

I saw Eric blush as he became increasingly focused on his eggs. Katie however giggled and wiggled her eyebrows at me, "Who would you want to get caught under the mistletoe with Viv?"

I tried to quickly think of a name other than Remus Lupin, but my mind had gone blank, "Not Tyler James." I smirked across the table at him.

"You're gonna have to give up this hard-to-get thing eventually Viv." He winked.

"You're a creep," I said before turning towards Katie and saying the first name that came to mind "I guess Oliver Wood."

"He's a hottie but I don't think I've ever heard him talk about anything other than quidditch."

"You would think with such an obsessed captain we would have won the Quidditch cup at some point in the last couple of years." Eric chimed in, clearly excited to be able to change the subject.

We talked about our predictions for the rest of the matches coming up this year as we finished up our breakfast. When we were all done eating we stood up and began walking out of Hogwarts. As we exited the large wooden doors Eric grabbed my robes and pulled me back a bit behind the others.

"Katie." He said abruptly.

"No, I'm Vivian," I mocked.

"If I could kiss anyone under the mistletoe. It'd be Katie." He whispered nervously.

A smile broke out on my face, "And when did you realize you liked her?"

"A couple of months ago, I guess. I just have no idea how to approach the subject with her. I've been waiting to ask you for help, but when you are around I never have the chance to pull you to the side without it looking sketchy".

I couldn't help but laugh, "Eric, we eat lunch and dinner together every day, you couldn't find any excuse to talk to me alone then?"

"I'm talking to you now. Come on, I need help!"

"You don't need any help, Katie has liked you since third year, just go for it."

"Wait, really?"

"Ya," I chuckled, "Tell her how you feel or just get her under the mistletoe and kiss her like we were talking about earlier."

He nodded, his confidence obviously restored. We rushed after the others who were already almost 30 meters ahead of us.

***

Hogsmeade was just as mesmerizing as I remembered it during the holidays. A crisp, sparkling layer of snow lined the streets and icicles decorated the edges of the rooftops. Every door was dressed with a holly and cranberry leaves, illuminated by floating candles that took the place of muggle twinkle lights. But what really made Hogsmeade special around this time of year was the scent of peppermint and hot cocoa that magically filled the whole town.