star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Come on, Seamus, please?" Arabella pleaded with the stubborn boy. "I'm going to be alone otherwise."

"What about your boyfriend?" Seamus asked her.

"He's got himself in detention with McGonagall."

"How'd that happen?"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Avoiding answering the question. Interesting."

"All right, fine, he hasn't been doing his homework. Happy?"

"What? Why would someone not do their homework when their girlfriend is top of the class?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Seamus, but this has nothing to do with you coming to Hogsmeade with me."

"I don't get why you don't just stay here, too. You've been to Hogsmeade loads of times, it's not like you'll be missing anything."

"Because I quite like Hogsmeade!"

"I like Hogsmeade, too. That doesn't mean I'm going to go out in the freezing cold just to visit the same shops I've been visiting for the past three years."

Arabella sighed. "You really won't come?"

"No."

"Fine. You can take care of Gerald while I'm gone, then." Arabella took the pink Pygmy Puff off of her shoulder and handed him to Seamus.

"Fine. We'll have a grand time up here in the warm common room, won't we, Gerald?"

"You know he can't understand you."

"Then why do you talk to him?"

"I get lonely!"

"Ari, that's sad."

"Whatever. I'm leaving now. Bye!"

And so Arabella left Gryffindor Tower and went down to Hogsmeade by herself, of course having to get searched by Filch and his Secrecy Sensor. She had been walking down the path by herself for a while until she saw Ron, Hermione, and Harry walking a bit in front of her. She ran to catch up with them.

"For weeks you carry around this book, practically sleep with it," Hermione was saying, "and yet you have no desire to find out who the Half-Blood Prince is?"

"I didn't say I wasn't curious, and I don't sleep with it," Harry replied.

"Well, it's true," Ron said. "I like a nice chat before I go to bed. Now all you do is read that bloody book. It's like being with Hermione. Or back at home sharing a room with Bella."

"It's not nice to talk about people, Ron," Arabella said, startling him. "Especially when they can hear you."

"When did you get here?"

"Just now. Do you mind if I join you guys? Draco's in detention, Ginny and Dean are no doubt off snogging somewhere, and Seamus refused to leave the common room."