Magical Hogwarts

Walking through the stairway with some friends, Hazel had overheard Benny and Tomie making plans to visit a cafe in Hogsmeade this weekend to try their latest special. This gave Hazel two very important opportunities – the chance to have a delicious new drink, and to make some progress in getting one Benny Rivera to admit his feelings for her. Brendan wasn't just here to be a manipulation tactic, however. She had been meaning to spend more time with her friend otherwise, and this way she would be able to catch two kneazles with one toy. (She kept trying to adjust killing two birds with one stone ever since she agreed to join MARS for Trudy.)

“Thanks for coming with me,” she told Brendan, staying in step with him and standing awfully close. If he asked any questions, she was prepared to blame the weather. Truthfully, she'd become quite the schemer as of late. Although he was dating Shelby, and Hazel was quite happy for the pair, she needed ammunition. And Brendan was one of the few boys Hazel felt close enough to to use in this way. Who else was she supposed to hold hands with, or share a milkshake with, or pester to borrow their coat to mimic all of the romantic plays she'd seen? Accident-prone Archie? She'd sooner eat her scarf. So, she owed Shelby an apology (assuming she even found out about this little trick) but Brendan was her helper for the day, even if he didn't know it. It wasn't a big deal, anyway. It was just pretend.

Crushes drove people to do silly things.

Once they entered the cafe, Hazel spotted the Gryffindor duo sitting by the window. Not wanting to be too obvious, she led Brendan to a seat two tables away, but still in their line of vision. Hazel removed her own furry green coat and placed it on the back of her chair, then took a seat. She unhooked her coin purse from her belt and rested the pouch on the table. She placed her fingers on the table in front of her and smiled at her friend. "How are you?" she asked. "We should study together soon." Their friendship began with books, but both of them had fallen busy. Hazel did miss her friend a lot. As he answered, she nodded appropriately. But when he was finished, instead of responding properly, the Slytherin let out a bright peal of laughter.

"You're so funny, Brendan," she said, unnecessarily louder than usual. She glanced over at Benny who was wholly focused on whatever conversation he was having with Tomie. Hazel tried not to roll her eyes. Honestly, Tomie wasn't that interesting. Luckily, a server came over to save her from the embarrassment of not having yet been seen. "I'll take the special. With two straws, please."

Hogsmeade, Scotland || Saturday, 26th February 2005

Wrapping his cloak a bit more snugly around him, Bren fought back a shiver as a blast of icy late-February wind tousled his hair and sent his scarf streaming behind him like a banner. Spring was, allegedly, right around the corner… but it certainly didn’t feel like it just now. He was walking a bit more briskly than usual in his haste to get indoors, but fortunately it wasn’t such that Hazel couldn’t keep up. In fact, nearly the whole way down to the village, their shoulders had bumped together gently every few steps; he’d kept apologizing, assuming that he himself couldn’t seem to walk in a straight line (a not-uncommon occurrence for him, as he often got distracted by his thoughts), but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Thanks for coming with me.”

“Yeah, ‘course,” he replied, offering a soft smile to avoid exposing his teeth to the biting wind.

Once they entered the warmth of the café, he sighed with audible relief and let Hazel lead them to a small table a short distance in from the front window. She’d told him a bit about the place earlier today; while he was a creature of habit for the most part, he certainly wasn’t averse to trying something as harmless (and potentially enjoyable) as a new café.

Once they were settled, Hazel smiled and leaned in slightly.
“How are you? We should study together soon.”

Bren nodded emphatically at the second part.
“Okay, thanks. But, ah… could really use your help with Cheering Charms, actually,” he added hopefully. Bren wasn’t above asking for help, but he also didn’t want to cause his friends extra work. “I reckon I’m too heavy-handed with them, or something? Tried one last night and I’m pretty sure the entire castle heard the maniacal laughter…”

Hazel nodded – but then she let out a peal of laughter.
“You’re so funny, Brendan.”

He blinked and nearly flinched outright, taken aback by her unexpected and abrupt (and loud) reaction. Was he funny, though? He had his moments, maybe, but all-in-all he certainly didn’t think so. But she was still smiling at him, at least for the moment, so he returned it slowly.

The server came by, then, and Hazel ordered the drink on special – with two straws. Bren’s gaze shifted from Hazel to the server to the menu and back again. Most people didn’t usually get two straws unless they wanted to share…
“D’you, er, want to split one?” he asked, suddenly remembering Aimée’s very pointed advice to never make assumptions about what a girl might want.