"Abby, where should I go to in Hogsmeade? Ron only mentioned Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks, but surely there's more than that." Harry asks me a few days before the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Dad signed his permission slip and personally sent it to Minnie over the summer, making sure that Harry could have the experience with his friends.
Our first trip is unfortunately on Halloween this year, and I wasn't going to go, but the twins begged. They were desperate to talk to the Zonko's joke shop owner and needed me to keep them focused during the conversation, and they promised I would be back before night. So, I relented and decided to join them.
"Zonko's, for sure, the twins and I are heading there first. There's also the Shrieking Shack, but don't waste your time on that, it's actually just where our parents would go with Remy during his monthly time." I tell him happily, it's just the two of us in training right now, so I can talk opening. "There's a music shop if you want to pick up an instrument, I'm actually going to look into getting a violin from there. I'd avoid Madam Puddifoot's tea shop unless you want to vomit in your mouth." I stick my tongue out in disgust at the amount of snogging teens I saw there last time. "And there's a nice book store there, in case you want to take Hermione to her own heaven." I jokingly add on and he chuckles.
"Why would I vomit at Madam Puddifoot's?" He asks curiously.
"All the hormonal teenagers take their dates there and make out at the tables. Ruins an otherwise good tea house, I do love their collection. So far I've only gone when sneaking out to Hogsmeade, it's calm then and only has the locals or other ditchers there." I laugh off.
"Thanks then, I'll definitely go to the joke shop, and I'm sure Hermione will drag us to the bookstore." Harry responds with a grin as we wrap up our sparring.
Harry's been a slow learner for physical combat, he's too sweet and kind, like Cedric, so he doesn't want to hit me at all. I can't train him like I did with m little brother Tim in my last life, who I just brutally attacked at random intervals for six months solid, arrogantly taunting him and riling him up. Harry has a short fuse, but I know it's not the best way to train him. He needs the basics first, but he's getting them well enough, just slower than I'm used to being around.
Quidditch for Harry is going better this year thanks to the lack of Dementors. He still didn't win his game against Hufflepuff though, the storm was massive and it was so hard to see, but Cedric genuinely did find and catch the snitch first, sealing his team's victory for the first match of the year. Harry beat himself up so much about it, and Wood looked ready to cry at the end of the game. Harry at least didn't fall off his broom and break it though, so he wasn't going to be getting the Firebolt this year, no matter how much drooling all of us did over it when we were back to school shopping. The twins were bitter that Cedric specifically had won, and they seemed to have an especially deep rooted hatred for the Hufflepuff boy.
"Guys, I'm going to grab something from the music store, I'll catch you later at the Three Broomsticks, ok?" I tell the twins after we finished our two hour long, rather jovial interrogation of the joke shop owner. He gave them wonderful advice, and I listened closely as well. The twins want me to join them at their shop as a partner, but I didn't think it was what I truly wanted to do, so I only told them maybe, or that I'll be a part timer, or just help with inventions. We stocked up on little bits and pieces for the school year while we were there, our mischievous minds growing with thoughts on how to use them and on who.
"Alright, don't be too long, we're only going to Honeydukes before there. You want anything?" George asks me before parting. I decline his offer and head to the music shop.
I look around at all the instruments, admiring the beautiful violins. I played a bit in my last life, and I've found I miss the calming sound of it. I don't necessarily have the free time to play these days, but it would be nice to have as an option.
"Abigail?" Roger's voice calls out to me as he walks into the store. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm looking at the violins, I'm thinking about getting one. You?" I ask curiously.
"I'm in the music club, I'm just picking up some sheet music. I play the lute, and the piano." He answers proudly.
"Oh yeah, I forgot there was a club." I chuckle out, completely forgetting that was a thing. He knocks the top of my head in exasperation.
"Well, I'm glad I ran into you." He says nervously, and I look at him curiously. "I was trying to find you earlier, but you were always with the twins... Uh..." He clears his throat with a blush, and I start to realize what he's nervous about. "Would you like to go to Madam Puddifoot's with me? As a uh, date?" He finally chokes out.
"Ah..." I falter out, not prepared for this right now, but I had a feeling it was coming. "My uh, dad forbid me from dating anyone underage." I think up on the spot. "Yeah, sorry about that, but he asks very little of me, so I respect his wishes for this one." I say with more confidence as his face falls.
"I guess I can accept that... I just thought there was maybe something between us, like a spark. We're great friends, and you're beautiful, so I just thought that maybe..." He says sheepishly.
"We're great friends, but that doesn't automatically make us have something between us." I say awkwardly. "Uh, I don't really know about any... spark? Between us?"
"I don't uh... know much about that either." He admits awkwardly. This situation is painful, in so many ways. I think of a plan to make it both a lot more awkward and also resolve this theory of his.
"Here, let's test this theory and then move on from it?" I offer up, taking a step closer to him.
"What?!" Roger squeaks out. "T-test the t-theory?" He stammers out.
"Yup, it's the fastest way to resolve this so we can laugh about this later and move on." I say firmly, and step forward again. "If you want to, that is." I add on, leaving the ball in his court.
He thinks about it for a moment, and nods thoughtfully. "Test the theory." He says confidently, and steps forward. I close the gap between us, and lightly press my lips against his, wait a moment, and then pull away. It was awkward, but fine. There was no spark, and he could see that. "Huh." He huffs out lightly in realization.
"Hypothesis failed then?" I smirk at him. "You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm ok. Bummed, I think, but it's better this way. I enjoy my time with you too much, you're a vision of beauty and an unobtainable Princess, so I think I'll stick by your side, and be your nap buddy and loyal subject." He says with a genuine grin.
"My flirtatious nap buddy. Keep bouncing your lame lines off me, I find them hilarious." I say honestly to him. He's been flirting with me all term, so I figured this was coming soon. I enjoy his flirting lines, he comes up with witty ones and they make me happy and laugh. Ultimately though, he's a child, so I'm not attracted to him like that, so my excuse of Dad not wanting me to date underage boys wasn't a full lie. Plus I've just never really felt any spark between us like that, but I love him dearly as a friend.
"And you can bounce yours off me, I bet you'll have some great ones. You'll be a dangerous weapon then once you start dating, I'll make it my mission to sharpen you like a blade!" He says confidently, parting ways to get his sheet music.
I got a mahogany violin from the store, it has gold and black designs on it and was stunning. I chatted away happily with Roger the whole time, all awkwardness gone between us instantly. I may have cheated and gave him the lamest kiss on purpose, but it resolved the problem for us.
Roger and I parted ways as I headed towards the Three Broomsticks, knowing I was way late to meeting the twins. We had drinks happily together, they admired my new violin but threatened to turn it into something else with different spells, and I threatened to cut them with my blades, which made them stop teasing.
"Uh, Abigail?" I hear a soft voice behind me as I am putting on my cloak to leave with the twins. I turn and see Cedric. He eyes the twins nervously but looks at me with a sheepish crooked grin and light blush on his face, and I feel the dread in my stomach.
Surely I wouldn't get two in one day, right?
"Hey Ced, what's up?" I ask casually, turning to face him fully.
"Do you mind if I talk to you for a moment?" He asks, and again looks to the twins, both of whom are glaring openly from either side of me. I turn to face them, masking my guilty and horrified expression.
"Wait at the fountain for me?" I ask the twins, and they glare but nod to me, heading out the door.
I breathe for a moment before facing my friend again, not wanting to have this conversation. Cedric's less literal than Roger, so my 'kiss spark' theory plan won't work on him. Plus, he and I are closer with each other emotionally than Roger and I are.
Cedric and I step into a quiet corner of the pub and he faces me, taking a deep breath before beginning to speak.
"I uh, wanted to say that... I've noticed how sweet, kind, smart, and beautiful you are." He says softly with a nervous but genuine smile, standing close to me but not invading my personal space, being the perfect gentleman he always is. "You've been one of my closest friends, always honest with me, and always pushing me to be better. Our training together has been one of my favorite things last year, and I wanted to thank you. And also... I wanted to know if you wanted to go out with me?" He asks sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck but smiling with a charming and sincere smile.
"Cedric..." I start off quietly, feeling my chest tighten with guilt about hurting him. "You are one of my best friends too, and I do really like you and care for you because of that." I admit softly, truly meaning what I'm saying. "But... As you said, I'm really honest. And the truth is, I'm just not interested in dating anyone right now." I tell him, and watch the sadness in his eyes but push on, though internally I feel like I kicked a puppy, a really cute puppy that I adore. "Plus, my dad insisted that I can't date anyone underaged, and so I respect his wishes, it's the least I can do for him. So... please, I'm sorry but I have to say no right now, but please stay my friend." I finish my sincere speech, hating the crestfallen look on his face he's trying to hide. Cedric and I have always been close because of our training sessions, and we respect each other a lot. He is someone I could see myself getting closer to in the future. But for him especially, I have to make sure he has a future first and foremost.
He smiles softly at me, "I understand, really I do. And I wouldn't stop being your friend for anything, you know that." He smiles a little broader then. "Thank you for being honest with me, I appreciate it. May I... May I kiss your cheek?" He asks politely, and I grin at him for his chivalry.
"You may, sweet prince." I say cheekily, and it makes him chuckle. He leans forward slowly and gently places his firm, full lips against my cheek, and I in turn do the same to his cheek before he parts fully away from me. "I really am sorry, Ced. And if you wanted to stop our occasional training together, I understand."
"Not on your life." He grins broadly at me once again. "You helped me the best at dueling with those."
"Second best." I add arrogantly, and we press our forearms together in camaraderie. "I'll see you tomorrow bright and early for hell then."
"Wait, tomorrow? The day after Halloween?" He blanches out.
"Yup, you gotta work off all those sweets you're going to eat." I poke his hard stomach, both of us knowing he won't gain any weight over it. I've teased him frequently he has the best physique in the school these last couple of months.
I leave him then, heading to find the disgruntled twins waiting for me.
"What did pretty boy want?" Fred asks with a scowl.
"To ask me out." I tell them with a grimace and watch both their eyes narrow. "Roger did the same in the music store too, I was going to tell you once we were back in the castle. That's two of my best friends I had to reject today." I complain sadly, feeling horrible and hoping I didn't break anyone's heart today. "I hate Halloween." I say bitterly.
"Wait, you rejected him? Both of them?" George asks in shock.
"I'm not interested in dating right now. Besides, Dad would have a heart attack, he's too young to die." I say to them.
"Our little heartbreaker!" Fred calls out in exaggeration, throwing his arms over my shoulder as we walk.
"Miss Princess of Hearts. Off with their feelings!" George says, imitating the Queen of Hearts, also throwing his arm around my shoulders. I laugh at their jokes, but shove them off my shoulders.
"You two aren't going to confess your undying love to me too now, are you?" I ask in mock fear, knowing they don't feel that way about me. On perfect que, they both drop to one knee in front of me, each taking one of my hands despite them being full of stuff.
"My darling Abigail, doth hast stolen my heart!" George says in a heavily posh accented voice.
"No, you have stolen mine! And stomped on it, rolled it around in dragon dung, and shoved it back in, all dirty and smelly." Fred adds in, matching his brother's tone. I burst out in laughter while they both hold a straight face.
"I'll keep my distance from you then, oh Knight of Dung, and from you, oh Heartless One." I smirk at them in between laughter and they join me.
We banter and joke the whole way back to the castle before we part ways at the Great Hall. I wander over to make a stop at the kitchens to get myself some dinner while they go off to put all our stuff in our common room before the feast.
"Black?" Adrian says when I round a corner leaving the kitchen a little while later and literally bump into Adrian's chest.
"Ow." I say, rubbing my nose from where it hit him. "I should watch where I'm going."
"I don't mind you falling into my arms, you're the only lion I'll allow to touch me." Adrian says confidently with charm.
"Oh, how worthy I feel." I deadpan at him, and then smirk. "Breaking into the kitchens, Adrian?" I ask him cockily.
"No, just on my way to the feast. Why were you in the kitchens?" He asks me genuinely.
"I hate Halloween, so I eat up in the dorms alone. I was reluctantly pulled out of my solitude by the twins today, and it resulted in a reminder on the fact that I hate Halloween." I say vaguely.
"Cryptic." He observes. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to it. Unless, do you... want company?" He asks me casually.
"Nah, I'm good on that. Enjoy the feast with your friends." I say with a smile.
"You're one of them though." He says quietly.
"I'm one of your best friends, get it right." I grin arrogantly at him, but he doesn't match it this time like usual, which makes my grin drop in concern.
"Abigail..." He says slowly, and the dread builds again. He steps forward to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I value my breath, so would you stop taking it away all the time?" He flirts smoothly to me, stepping closer.
"Adrian..." I say slowly, looking up at him. "What are you doing?"
"Be with me, Abigail." He says softly and sincerely. "I like you." His confession was simple, yet I could see how genuine he was with it. He isn't over confident or cocky right now like we usually are to each other. He's being sincere, and straight to the point.
"Adrian, I like you too, you're one of my best friends." I admit, and I start to say the next part, but before I can form the 'but', he leaned forward and closed the distance between us quickly. His soft lips pressed against mine firmly, forming around my own before pulling away.
"I wanted to get that in before the rejection." He says in a whisper against my lips.
"But..." I start to speak again, feeling really bad about this and feeling yet more ache in my chest. "I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. I can't, either. My dad doesn't impose many rules, so I respect the ones he does. No dating anyone underage... I'm sorry Adrian, but for now it's a no." I tell him truthfully. I do like him too, we have the best banter together. I like his arrogance and clever comebacks, and we are very like minded on a lot of things. He, like Cedric, is also someone I could potentially see myself getting closer to later.
"That means I can have a chance later then." Adrian says confidently. "And at least I got the kiss from you." He smirks before stepping away. "The offer still stands to join you for Halloween, though just as friends."
"Thank you, Adrian, but I'm going to rest tonight." I say quietly. "And thank you for telling me how you feel, and I'm sorry. Please, have a good evening, and we'll go back to being amazing friends again tomorrow, right?" I ask him nervously.
"I suppose." He sighs dramatically. "I am amazing, aren't I?"
"The most amazing." I say softly, then smirk wickedly. "After me, that is." We grin arrogantly at each other before parting ways, feeling like our old dynamic is back in place.
I make it back to my dorm and unpack my shopping. I take advantage of the empty dorm room and play my new violin. It's been a while, but it came back to me after an hour of practice. I was feeling down after all the rejections though, so I went to Remus's room after the feast ended. I told him all about the three rejections I had to do, and he made us both some cocoa to drink and we cuddled up on the couch together. He understands why I had to reject them all because we're only 15/16 and I view them as children.
I don't know who, if any of them, I would potentially be with later in life, but I didn't want to have to reject them all. Especially not on the same day, which of course was stupid Halloween. Remus consoled me for the evening and I fell asleep on his couch in his office.
Classes on Monday were good, all three boys were back to normal, and even a little less awkward for one of them. Roger especially was less awkward, and we started to have a new tradition of trading pick up lines and flirting good naturedly with each other, both knowing it wouldn't result in anything. I used to do this with my friend Kankuro in my first resurrection, and it was fun to have someone else to do this with again.