The Girl Who Believed

Hogsmead

Pic of Theo above

Athena's POV

The first week flew by pretty fast. And before you know it, it was the first Hogsmead trip for us third years. I won't lie, I'm excited to go there I read and heard a lot about it. The only downer is that I'm going to probably be alone.

I don't have any friends in school, all my friends are muggles. I do have acquaintances, though. Lily, my dorm mate, but she has her own group of friends. She's nice though. There is Natasha who I help with herbology. There is Nathaniel who I help in astrology because he sucks at it. There is also Remus Lupin. We're library buddies. We just sit there at our table and study and occasionally share notes. And this is it. My social interactions are limited to those people. It's sad, yes, but I'm shy and a bit socially awkward so no one bothers. Frankly, I prefer it that way. I don't like telling people about my condition, I feel judged.

In the muggle world, however, I have more friends. Close friends. We practically grew up together so I'm not shy at all and always free to express myself anyway I like around them. I'm like a totally different person. Knowing that I have them makes it easier to accept the fact that I don't have any real friends here.

I was standing in my dorm searching my trunk, trying to find something to wear to Hodsmead since we don't have to wear our uniforms. The weather was nice, so, I decided on a simple yellow summer dress, a jeans jacket, and white converse. I didn't feel like putting makeup on, so I just put mascara and chapstick on my lips. As for my hair, I just put it in a messy bun.

Surprisingly, it was still early. I guess I didn't take that much time getting ready. I don't know about Lily, but she left to get ready with her friends in the other dorm. I looked at my watch and saw that it's time for breakfast now. I'm not hungry and I hate having breakfast, but I need to eat before taking my medicine.

I entered the Great Hall and sat close to the edge, away from everyone. Although, there aren't as many students at breakfast today. They're probably either sleeping in or getting ready for the trip.

"Good morning," someone said behind me. I ignored it, they're probably talking to someone else. "Is this seat taken?" I jumped when someone sat next to me. I wasn't expecting that. But, what I really wasn't expecting is that the guy who sat next to me is the Hufflepuff boy I ran into on the train.

"Hi," I said and blushed slightly and smiled, "no, it's free."

"So, how was your first week?" he asked.

"Um... it was fine, it passed by really fast," I said in a low voice which is the normal voice around people I don't know.

"It did. We have divination and herbology together," he said and looked at me expectantly. What was I supposed to say?

"Oh? I-I didn't notice. I usually just focus on the teacher in class, that I don't look around." I quickly added the part of me not looking around usually so he doesn't take it personally. I honestly don't pay attention to students.

"I noticed that," he chuckled, "By the way, we weren't properly introduced. I am Theodor Argent, but you can call me Theo," he said and offered me his hand to shake it. I looked at it confused. Why is he being friendly?

"I'm Athena Royal," I said and shook his hand.

"Cool name. Are you going to Hogsmead today?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Cool, I'm going, too. Will I see you there?" he asked. Is he serious? Did he indirectly ask me to meet him there? I tried to play it cool.

"Um... probably," I said.

"Good," he said and got up, "see you there then," he said as he turned to go to his friends. I noticed that they just entered, along with many more students. Oh, I guess he was talking to me because none of them were here. I'm sure he will forget about me once in Hogsmead.

I finished eating my breakfast and went to my dorm to take my medicine. As expected, the dorm was empty. I quickly swallowed the tablets with some water, took the permission slip for the trip, and left the dorm.

Hogsmead lived up to my expectations. It was magical. There were many shops for everything you would need or want. Stepping into Honeydukes was like stepping into dreamland. It was full of all kinds of sweets. Even the decorations were shaped like sweets, It was really hard for me to choose what to buy. So, I ended up buying more chocolate frogs, 2 lollipops, 2 bags of licorice wands, pumpkin pastry, and sugar quills.

After I stuffed them in my bag I got out of there. The place was so full of people, it was suffocating. I decided to check out the bookshop. I can already tell it will be my favorite shop. Rows and rows of books that I can't wait to read. With a smile, I went to the fiction section to check out what they have.

"Oh, come on, Lily, we won't be long. Just one hour. We will have some butterbeer or tea or whatever you want to drink." I turned around and saw James Potter following Lily like a lost puppy. It was kind of amusing, except that Lily didn't enjoy it and wanted to get rid of him.

And of course, where Potter was, the rest of the Marauders were. They followed behind him, Sirius seemed amused, Remus was looking around at the books and Peter was, well, just there.

Remus noticed me and walked up to me. "Hello,  Athena, how are you enjoying Hogsmead so far?"

"It's nice," I said. 

Remus was always polite and would say the occasional 'hi' whenever he passed me in the halls or corridors. He was my study buddy after all.

"Just nice? That's all you have to say. Girl, it's amazing!" Yelled Sirius who popped from behind Remus.

"Um... okay, it's amazing then," I said. Sirius looked at me weirdly, was I awkward again.

"W-well, I have to go. It was nice seeing you." I said in a low voice and left the bookstore feeling a pair of eyes staring at me.