Scratches (Fred Weasley)

(6) Hogsmeade Halloween

There was some kind of cheerfulness when the students woke up on the weekend of the first Hogsmeade trip of the school year. After weeks of nothing but schoolwork, they were glad to finally visit the village they could never get tired of visiting. Nicolai had miraculously woke up thirty minutes before Florence could even pop an eye open.

By the time she was fully awake, Nicolai was already sporting a plain white shirt and muggle jeans, beckoning her into the showers and repeatedly telling her to hurry up.

She made a mental note to wake up extra early during the next Hogsmeade visit.

Alexander was patiently waiting for them at the common room by the time they had gotten out of the girl's dormitory. Nicolai let out a furious groan by the sight of the blonde boy, who now had an impish look on his face as the girls descended from the staircases. "I told you to hurry up!" Nicolai muttered to Florence, who remained half asleep and was oblivious to the whole situation.

Until Nicolai handed Alexander three galleons.

"Perfect for a couple bags of chocoballs." grinned Alexander as he tucked away his newly earned money, "Thank you, Flo, for dragging Nicolai down."

"Come on, we're not going to bloody waste another second in this castle. Hogsmeade and all it's joyous wonders awaits us on this beautiful day!" yelled the brunette, who practically ran out of the Ravenclaw tower, Alexander and Florence a little bit behind her. "You know how she thinks she can turn into freaking Shakespeare when she's happy?"

"Yeah?"

"She can't," Xander stated in an unembellished tone, "She's inadequate."

Florence chuckled, watching her friend skip on every step, "Tell that to her and she would probably skin you alive and beat you with a bag of your own shredded skin."

"Yep. Sounds like our Nicolai— Merlin's beard." Alexander gasped, stopping in his tracks before letting out a silent groan, Florence frowning. "I think I'm going to die." he whispered, staring at something in the distance. "I can't see anything, Xan. You know how short I am—"

She stopped in mid sentence, seeing what her friend was seeing.

Apparently, Jillian was with a date, a lanky seventh year brunette who looked strikingly attractive in his muggle clothes. Alexander subconsciously stared down at what he was wearing, before exhaling. "Yep, that's it. If you want anything, I'll be drowning in the Black Lake surrounded by Grindylows." he said, walking off to the opposite direction, Florence grabbing him by the hem on his shirt.

"Oh boo, you. You're seriously intimidated by that? He looks like Filch dressed in expensive clothes."

"Atleast he's dressed in expensive clothes." he muttered gloomily.

"Shut up, Xander. You know you're lucky it's me who you're talking to about being jealous, and not Nicolai. If it was, then she'd probably be judging you by a hundred-fold right now."

"Like you aren't judging me." he chortled.

"Maybe I am. But atleast I'm not voicing it out."

"Hey slow arses! Are you two bloody waiting for Christmas?! Come on guys, you're wasting precious time!" Nicolai yelled from where she was stomping her feet impatiently.

Hogsmeade was packed with a lot of people, from seventh years to third years visiting the village for the first time, it was quite a large crowd that the three opted to hold each other's hand like kindergarteners, so that they wouldn't loose each other in the sea of people.