A Dementor's Kiss - Phan

Valentine's at Puddifoot's

“This feels weird,” Dan muttered.

“I know,” Phil agreed. “I think it’s because we’ve never been on a date before, like, we have, but we’ve never said it was a date. It’s Valentine’s Day though, there’s no avoiding it. To be honest, I haven’t got a clue what we’re supposed to do.”

“Me neither. I reckon we should follow them – they look like they know what they’re doing.” Dan gestured at Cedric Diggory and his pretty girlfriend, a little way ahead of them.

“Good idea,” Phil nodded. “Let’s just copy whatever they do.”

Cedric and Cho made for a small, pokey looking coffee shop as they entered Hogsmeade, and Dan relaxed slightly.

“Coffee, I can do that.” Dan said, relieved.

Phil grinned. The February air was chill and he slipped his cold hands into Dan’s woollen mittens. “These are cute. Did you get addicted to that knitting spell?”

Dan flinched against Phil’s icy touch, curling his own fingers around Phil’s in the warm cocoon. “You’re like an icicle. Why didn’t you wear gloves?”

“You haven’t knitted me any yet.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “You say I’m addicted. Alright, but I’m not sure how well I can do fingers, they look fiddly. You might get six by accident.”

The little teashop was cramped and steamy, and everything seemed to have been decorated with frills and bows.

“Um, cute.” Dan said with a wince.

“Yeah…”

Dan and Phil squeezed themselves into a cosy window table, brushing pink confetti off the chairs so that they could sit down. The candle in the centre of the table was violent pink, with a single red flame that twisted into a smoky heart. It smelled strongly of strawberry jam, and Dan wrinkled up his nose.

“Well. I guess it’s, er, romantic.”

Phil picked up a menu with a giggle. “I think I’m going to get the Lover’s Hot Chocolate with extra marshmallows.”

“Interesting,” Dan raised an eyebrow. “What do you reckon makes it a ‘Lover’s’ hot chocolate, as opposed to a normal one?”

The difference, it transpired, was in colour. The tall mug was filled with a sickly lavender liquid that looked nothing remotely like chocolate, and Phil prodded somewhat doubtfully at the fluffy pink marshmallows. Dan had gone for a straight coffee, but it had been served in a heart shaped mug which probably not the most convenient shape to drink out of.

Phil sniggered as Dan spilled hot coffee down himself for the second time.

“Shut up,” Dan complained. “How’s your purple gloop?”

“Surprisingly tasty. How are the pink sugar cubes?”

“Strawberry flavoured.”

“Ah.”

Dan and Phil only had eyes for each other, mostly because the rest of the shop was filled exclusively with couples glued together in sloppy kisses or crooning embraces.

“They’re letting their lovely drinks get cold.” Dan said in a stage whisper.

Phil snorted into his hot chocolate. “Oh god. I’m not sure how much longer I can take this. Don’t suppose you fancy ditching the singing cherubs and finding Chris and Peej?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

~

The Hog’s Head couldn’t have been more different. A battered, wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture on it of the severed head of a wild boar, leaking blood onto the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. The pub consisted of one, dingy and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that may have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted in grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead by the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. Clearly, the landlord had made no attempt to decorate for Valentine’s Day.