laconic • t.nott ✓

28 ➺ best friends

「 BEST FRIENDS 」

HOGSMEADE WEEKEND TURNED OUT TO be grimmer than anyone had anticipated. It was mostly owing to the fact that the Carrows had checked and double-checked anyone leaving the castle with a fierce, suspicious glint in their eyes while Filch poked and probed them with a rusty looking stick that Theo doubted did any work, as though the students weren't looking for a few hours of recreation but were planning to overthrow Snape and blow up the castle.

Regardless, Theo was relieved when he finally broke free from the clutch of the twins and Filch, and was on his way to Hogsmead with Seamus.

The weather was gloomy, with reluctant winds halfheartedly blowing his hair across his face. The snow crunched under their boots as the warm colours of the Hogsmeade shops drew them toward the heart of the village. With an unspoken agreement, they walked leisurely, not willing to shorten their trip any more than they needed to. Theo wanted to look around to see if Blaise had come, but he resisted the urge to do so.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Theo saw Seamus pull back the sleeve of his left arm, revealing a blue bracelet. As he looked closer, he noticed that it was knitted, with bronze coloured beads at regular intervals. The bracelet was secured around his wrist with a neat little knot. Theo couldn't help but recognise the Ravenclaw colours.

"Luna gave it to me," Seamus explained just as Theo finished the thought. "We weren't even friends, you know? I was friends with Neville and Ginny and that was enough for her, I reckon."

Theo nodded, thinking about the shawl she had given him. It was tucked carefully under his pillow - he had considered wearing it to Hogsmeade today but he wasn't careful with clothes and he wanted to return it to her - whenever that would be - in near perfect condition. Though, he thought, Luna possibly wouldn't be happy to know that he hadn't worn it considering that that was the precise reason she had given it to him.

Thinking about presents naturally led his mind back to the Christmas holidays, when he had received a pair of socks from Blaise. Theo frowned suddenly. Where had he kept them? For the life of him, he couldn't remember. He recalled putting them on right after taking them out of the box Blaise had sent them in, but then - what? The other students had returned from Christmas break the very next night, Theo's excitement to see his best friend was punctured when he found out what had happened to Luna and any thought of a pair of socks was completely pushed out of his mind. In fact, the time before and after that point - the point where he was blissfully oblivious of Blaise's actions - was completely hazy in his head. Like someone had reached into his mind and gently chiselled off the memories. He made a mental note to look for the socks once he returned to the dorms.

Seamus let his sleeve fall, covering up the bracelet. They fell silent and walked into Hogsmeade without any more discussion.

The atmosphere of the village was subdued. Huddled in tight groups, students walked around with swift steps, heads bowed in front of them. Some had bags hanging from their elbows, others carried mugs of butterbeer. Theo's eyes did another sweep of his surroundings to look for Blaise but came up with no result.

He suddenly realised they had made no plans.

It was okay with Blaise. Theo didn't need to make any plans when it came to hanging out with him. One cannot be friends with someone for seven years without developing a sort of spontaneity between them. But Seamus was different. Their friendship has, so far, been mostly out of necessity, confined between the looming walls of Hogwarts. Though they were trying to change it, no one had said it was going to be easy.

Seamus cleared his throat loudly, proving that he was thinking the same as Theo. "So, where do we go first?"

"Well, a trip to Hogsmeade won't be complete without indulging in an unhealthy amount of sweets."