Heart & Soul (The Untold Harry Potter story)

Chapter 54

"Anywhere!" Pollux reappeared just as she began to part her hair down the middle to plait her hair into her signature braids. Her twin was clad in a pair of faded jeans and his favorite leather jacket pulled over a simple black t-shirt. His wild midnight curls were pulled back into a half-bun, having complained that they kept getting in his face, yet he refused Mrs. Weasley's pleas to let her cut his hair. "We can visit Diagon Alley again, or we can check out that muggle bookstore we walked past the other day."

"Ha! 'Muggle'! Listen to you talking like a true Brit!" She smirked as he rolled his eyes. "Can we at least stop for caffeine first?"

"Anything you want." Pollux smiled at his twin, nodding his head for her to lead the way down the stairs. She made sure to grab her wand off her dresser, as well as double checking that the house would remained locked up while they were away. Professor Dumbledore had ensured that the charms that kept their house hidden were still intact after Nathan's death, only giving him that much more reassurance that Castor and Pollux would be okay when not staying at Hogwarts under his watchful eye.

"Anything I want?" She echoed bounding out of the front door and waiting by the gate for Pollux to follow after her. "Well then, you're buying!"

She heard Pollux sigh as he closed the front door behind them. "I did set myself up for that one, didn't I?"

With both of them pulling on their sunglasses and triple checking they had their wands, they walked down the street towards the Thames. There was a new tea and coffee stand that had just opened in the last few months, and Castor had dragged Pollux back just about every day, claiming they brewed the best Earl Grey tea in all of London. Pollux would always order a Chai Tea latte, the earthy spices reminding him of his nights spent curled up in front of the fire of Thunderbird tower at Ilvermorny.

Pollux passed over the correct change, taking the disposable cups handed over to him and walking over to the bench where Castor was waiting, gazing out over the water.

"Thank you." Castor blew on her tea until it was cool enough not to burn her tongue. "Have you heard back from Eliza?"

"Not yet. But she said she's been really enjoying visiting her extended family in France, so I'm not too worried."

"When did she say she'd be back?"

"Around Mid-August. Just after the new book lists will be sent out." Pollux looked around curiously at the other families walking along the boardwalk. Nobody seemed to be paying them any attention, and for once, Pollux felt somewhat normal. Well...

As normal as one can be when being hunted by Voldemort and his followers.

Castor and Pollux began their adventure then, walking down the road towards the book shop he'd mentioned earlier that morning. They arrived in little time, and he and Castor both smiled at the woman behind the counter who greeted them when the bell above the door signaled their entrance. They spent the next hour or two browsing the shelves and just generally enjoying the atmosphere. Castor compared libraries and 'To be read' lists with the store clerk, and when they finally left, each of them carried a bag with the shops name printed on the side.

They stopped at a small, hole-in-the-wall bistro where he smiled at Castor's drowning of her pancakes in maple syrup, and the way she failed to stop him from stealing one of her pieces of bacon from her plate. For a moment, they could forget about the rain cloud that followed them, or how once the seemingly perfect day was over, they would still be returning to an empty house. Pollux did his best not to think about it, instead choosing to do his best to continue to make Castor laugh and playfully argue over what flavor of ice cream was best at Florean Fortescue's shop in Diagon Alley.