The trips to Hogsmeade were always the most long-awaited events for the students of Hogwarts. In those rare occasions, they could dress up in casual clothing, not worry about their academics, and simply spend time in a place that wasn't the castle. And so, even if Analeigh felt like she was freezing and could barely see what was in front of her due to the heavy snow falling down on them, she and her friends did not want to miss this opportunity to head down to Hogsmeade that weekend in November. Besides, she didn't have any other plans that day; Cedric was unfortunately busy with his program and had written to her a few days ago, saying that he wouldn't be able to make it.

As they made their way down the icy path to the village, Hermione was in the middle of scolding Harry — which, Analeigh realized, wasn't unusual at all.

"For weeks, you carry around this book, practically sleep with it, and yet you have no desire to find out who the Half-Blood Prince is?" Hermione was saying.

"I didn't say I wasn't curious — and I don't sleep with it," Harry said indignantly.

"Well, it's true," Ron pointed out, receiving a glare from Harry that screamed you're not helping. "I like a nice chat before I go to bed, but now all you do is read that bloody book. It's just like being with Hermione."

"Ooh, I've been there," Analeigh said. Similar to Ron, she received a dirty look, but from Hermione this time. "After having been your roommate for more than three years now, I learned not to speak with you before bed."

"You're exaggerating," Hermione huffed.

"Fine, I am," Analeigh raised her hands up in defense. "You nod your head once in a while, so I suppose you do listen."

"Anyway, I was curious about the book," Hermione went on, ignoring their jabs. "So, I went to —"

"The library?" Harry and Ron finished.

"And?" Analeigh pressed.

"... and nothing! I couldn't find a reference anywhere to the Half-Blood Prince."

"There we go," said Harry in satisfaction. "That settles it, then."

"Filius!" a jolly voice sounded. The group slowed down, their steps coming to a halt a good distance away from two figures who they concluded to be Professor Slughorn and Professor Flitwick. "I hoping to find you in in the Three Broomsticks!"

"Uh, no, emergency choir practice, I'm afraid, Horace," Flitwick chuckled awkwardly, brushing past the tall man. It couldn't be any more obvious that he simply did not want to drink with him.

While Slughorn went on his way and Flitwick walked past them to return to the castle, a mischievous glint lit up in Harry's eye.

"Does anyone fancy a butterbeer?" he said.

"Weren't we gonna go to Honeydukes —" Analeigh began.

"Brilliant," Harry cut her off, already on the way to the pub, Professor Slughorn just a couple of paces before him. Analeigh, Hermione, and Ron exchanged confused looks at that. After a beat that served as an unspoken agreement, they decided to follow Harry.

As expected, the Three Broomsticks was fairly packed with students, teachers, and other sorts of witches and wizards when they entered. Analeigh welcomed the warmth inside the little building, shrugging off her thick jacket and holding it by the arm. She was already making her way to one of the empty tables nearby when Harry stopped her.

"No, not there," he said, forcing her to turn her body to another direction.

"But —"

"Over here." He led them to another table behind the staircase, giving them a perfect view of the bar — or, more specifically, Professor Slughorn, who so happened to already be sitting there and chatting to some wizards about his sledging adventures in Clasby Hill. At least, that's what Analeigh could hear from their table.

"Ron, sit beside me," Harry urged.

"Okay?" Ron said slowly, walking around the table to sit next to him. And so, Hermione ended up sitting in front of Ron, and Analeigh took the last empty seat across Harry.

"Leigh, could you scoot a little to your right?" Harry asked. Analeigh grumbled in annoyance but obeyed anyway, dragging her chair sideways.

As they settled into their seats and Harry finally stopped pestering them with orders, a server came up to their table.

"Something to drink?" he said.

"Four butterbeers and some ginger in mine, please," Hermione answered. The man nodded and proceeded to head to the bar to prepare their drinks.

"Oh, bloody hell," Ron suddenly said, eyes glued to the corner of the room. Analeigh, Hermione, and Harry all shifted in their seats to see what Ron was staring at: Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas, alone at a table and looking intimate with one another. "Slick git."

"Honestly, Ronald, they're only holding hands," Hermione said. But when they looked at the couple once more, they were now sharing a pretty heated kiss. "... and snogging."

"I'd like to leave."

"What? You can't be serious."

"That happens to be my sister!" Ron whisper-yelled, trying to keep his voice down when the server returned with their orders. Still preoccupied with ridding herself off of the cold from outside, Analeigh was the first to pick up her glass of butterbeer and take gulps of the warm liquid that she swore had some addictive potion in it because of how delicious it was.

"So? What if she looked at me and saw you snogging me? Would you expect her to get up and leave?" Hermione chattered.

Analeigh's hand paused at that comment, her glass of butterbeer suspended mid-air. She observed how Hermione had found her own butterbeer very interesting now, and how Ron was gaping at her words. She wanted to dissect all of this a little bit more — especially since whatever was even going on between the Hermione and Ron was becoming painfully clear by now — but she didn't have the right words to do so, and it wouldn't be a good idea to demand answers from them like that. Thankfully, Slughorn ended up approaching their table, diverting their attention to him instead.

"Hey, my boy!" Slughorn greeted Harry, coming to stand in the space between Analeigh and Hermione's seats.

"Hello, sir!" Harry stood up and shook his hand, beaming from ear to ear. Analeigh found his switch in personality quite strange, and she was sure the others felt the same way, too. "Wonderful to see you."

"And you, and you!"

"So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, the Three Broomsticks and I go way back further than I care to admit! I remember when it was One Broomstick!" Slughorn chortled, accidentally tipping his mug in the process. A splash of whatever liquid was in there spilled onto Hermione, causing her to flinch. "All hands on deck, Granger!"

Analeigh winced sympathetically, handing Hermione a clean napkin before going back to drinking her own butterbeer.

"Listen, my boy. In the old days, I used to throw together the occasional supper party... for the select student or two," Slughorn continued. "Would you be game?"

"I'd consider it an honor, sir," Harry said. His answer brought a grin to the older man's face.

"You'd be welcome, too, Granger," Slughorn looked down at Hermione.

"I'd be delighted, sir," she said.

"Of course, you as well, Heart!" Slughorn added.

"Oh, thank you, sir. I'll make sure to be there," Analeigh said politely.

"Splendid! Look for my owl." Then, Slughorn faced the last person at the table, his smile going from sincere to forced. "Good to see you, Wallenby."

And then, Slughorn was off, presumably to find another fellow wizard to ramble some stories to. Harry sat back down, looking like he was back to normal.

"Care to explain?" Analeigh demanded, dying of curiosity. "You clearly have an ulterior motive, so spit it out, Harry."

"Yeah, what are you playing at?" Ron said, completely weirded out by Harry's actions earlier, not to mention offended that Slughorn didn't invite him to his upcoming supper or even get his name name right.

"Dumbledore's asked me to get to know him," Harry confessed.

"Get to know him?" said Ron in disbelief.

"That's what he's been telling you during your lessons?" Analeigh asked. She was admittedly thrown off for she thought Dumbledore was teaching Harry some advanced magic or giving him more information on Voldemort, yet here he was, asking the bespectacled boy to get close to the newest addition to their staff.

"Dunno," Harry sighed. "It must be important. If it wasn't, Dumbledore wouldn't ask."

The group lapsed into silence, focusing on drinking their butterbeers instead. When Hermione finished downing hers and set her glass down, Ron found himself staring at her.

"You've got a little bit..." he motioned to the top of his lip.

Hermione hurriedly wiped the traces of whipped cream over her mouth, looking embarrassed. Wanting to relieve herself from this strange atmosphere, Analeigh pushed herself up to her feet.

"I'll go return our glasses, Hermione," she announced. "Do you want more?"

"No, I'm good," Hermione cleared her throat.

On her way to the bar, Analeigh could see the employees hard at work as they wiped down tables and filled up more glasses of drinks. But what was more interesting was a little more to the left of the bar. The door to the bathroom that was open, and Draco Malfoy had just walked out of it, his eyes scanning the room rapidly as he did so.

Has he always looked this suspicious? Analeigh wondered to herself. She knew Malfoy was always up to no good, but after all the times Harry insisted that he was now a Death Eater...

No, he couldn't be one, Analeigh tried to convince herself as the Slytherin boy eventually exited the building. But what did it matter? Malfoy may be a distant relative, but he wasn't family, so she didn't have to care. Still, she hoped he wouldn't go down the same path her dad had once been forced into, and was still reaping its consequences to that day.

"Need help?" a voice asked right behind her ear. Startled, Analeigh felt her grip loosen on one of the glasses. She mentally prepared herself to hear it crash and break into pieces, as well as the embarrassment that would consume her afterwards, but it never happened; a hand caught it with ease just before it could hit the floor. "I guess I still have my Seeker reflexes."

Analeigh watched as the person straightened up to reveal himself. He had bronze hair, rosy cheeks that contrasted his fair skin, and a tall and lean build, all of which Analeigh was all too familiar with and missed terribly.

"Cedric!" she exclaimed.

"Miss me?" he grinned. Analeigh kissed both his cheeks excitedly. "I'm gonna take that as a yes."

"Why and how are you even here?"

"I Apparated." Before Analeigh could reprimand him since she was sure he knew what she meant with her question, he went on to say, "Who did you come here with?"

"Who else?" said Analeigh. "I'm always stuck with Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

"Good. Just wanted to make sure that another man didn't sweep you off of your feet while I'm not around," Cedric joked.

"Is that so? If I recall correctly, you were the one who's been here on a date with another girl before," Analeigh challenged playfully.

"And that was way before I really got to know you and fell for you. I'm all yours, now," Cedric said easily with a smirk. "Come on."

"Where?"

"I'll just go and say hi to your friends, and then I'll steal you away for a bit."

And so, the couple walked together hand-in-hand back to where Analeigh's friends were waiting. When they saw her coming their way, this time with Cedric by her side, they were pleasantly surprised.

"Cedric," Harry was first to notice. Ron and Hermione followed suit, greeting him kindly.

"Hey, everyone," Cedric smiled. "Great to see you all again."

"We didn't know you'd be here today. Leigh said you'd be busy," said Hermione.

"If I said I was coming, that would ruin the surprise for her, wouldn't it?" Cedric said with a hint of humor.

"You and your surprises," Analeigh rolled her eyes, though she was far from displeased.

"Anyway, I hope you don't mind if I take Analeigh away from you three today."

"Not at all," Ron replied. "Get her out of here."

"So eager to get rid off me, aren't you?" said Analeigh sarcastically. "You've just got your wand in a knot because —"

"Okay, that's enough," Hermione cut in before they could bicker. "Don't bother with Ronald, he's just in a bit of a bad mood for... no reason. Go on, you two. I hope you have fun."

Analeigh and Cedric bid the trio goodbye, bundling themselves up in their coats and scarves again before heading for the door.

"So, what's really got Weasley so worked up?" Cedric asked once they were out of earshot.

"Ah, it's because of Ginny. She's on a date with Dean Thomas."

"Er... is there a problem? He's that Gryffindor in your year, right?"

"Yeah. Apparently, Ron finds it scandalous that his littler sister and roommate are dating," said Analeigh as they stepped out of the pub. "In his defense, they were snogging, so I do see why it made him uncomfortable."

"Snogging, huh? We haven't even done that today," Cedric said in a low voice. He leaned in, his face just inches away from Analeigh's.

"What do you suggest we do about that?" she whispered.

In response, Cedric gently cupped her face with his hands clad with thick gloves, tilting her head upwards just a tad bit. He leaned in even closer and tentatively brushed his lips onto Analeigh's, almost as if he was waiting for her to make the next move.

And so, she did. She pressed herself closer to Cedric to kiss him once and for all. His slightly parted lips gladly accepted Analeigh's. Their hearts raced and stomachs did flips as their lips moved fervently yet softly against one another, speaking volumes of just how much the two of them had been yearning for one another after what felt like an eternity apart.

★ ★ ★

The icy winds stung Analeigh's face and the falling snowflakes clouded her vision as she walked down the streets of Hogsmeade. Despite these unfavorable conditions, she found herself feeling warmer and cozier than earlier just by having Cedric next to her now, their hands intertwined and fitted together like two puzzle pieces. Meanwhile, her free hand held a paper cup of steaming hot cocoa that she and Cedric purchased from one of the stalls down the road. She should've been full from the butterbeer, but she couldn't pass out on another warm, tasty drink to enjoy in the winter.

"The first few weeks were like a review of everything I learned about Transfiguration, but not as manageable as I thought it would be," Cedric was saying, in the midst of sharing how his program was currently going. "It was like they had condensed all those topics, threw them at our faces, and expected us to remember every single detail and perform each spell perfectly."

"That's harsh," Analeigh said, imagining how intense the workload must have been for him. "So, what were the results?"

"I passed, of course," Cedric winked.

"I expected nothing less from the Cedric Diggory."

He shook his head modestly and guided them to an empty bench to sit on. "Honestly, it felt like a miracle from Merlin himself when I did."

"Nope, that was all you," Analeigh praised him. "Does that mean you're part of the collaboration with the Ministry?"

"That's right. The others have to retake those series of reviews and tests, but for the ones who passed — well, the Ministry's only just given us past cases on accidental magic that we're supposed to review and give our analysis on."

"That'll certainly make you feel like you're doing homework in Hogwarts again."

"I know," Cedric chuckled. "Soon, though, they'll be asking us to do field work. You know, actually be on the scene and solve things."

"I wonder if you'll be doing —"

"Oh, hello again, Heart!" said another voice. Analeigh and Cedric jumped in surprise as a tall, stout man walked up to them — the very same one Analeigh already encountered back at the Three Broomsticks.

"Professor Slughorn," Analeigh said, standing up to acknowledge him. Cedric followed suit to be polite, as well as out of curiosity since he hadn't met this teacher yet.

"Had your fill of butterbeer already? I certainly did!"

"Yes, I decided to go out for a bit of, er, fresh air."

"Without Harry and Miss Granger?"

"Oh, I had... other plans."

It was only then that Slughorn noticed the boy next to Analeigh. Not quite recognizing his face, he asked, "And who might you be?"

"Cedric Diggory, sir," Cedric replied, extending a hand for him to shake.

"Diggory?" said Slughorn. His eyes lit up when the name registered in his mind. "Ah, the Triwizard Champion! You and Miss Heart here were partners, eh? Wonderful, wonderful!"

"That's correct," Cedric confirmed as Slughorn began shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"You graduated from Hogwarts already, haven't you? What are you up to nowadays?"

"Well, I —"

Before Cedric could answer, Analeigh subtly tugged on his jacket, desperately hoping he'd get the hint. If he started to talk about himself, even if it was just a tiny detail about his life, Slughorn would undoubtedly find a way to make the conversation last forever. She could already imagine him asking about his endeavors back at school, how the Triwizard Tournament unfolded, and what he was doing with his career in the present.

Clearing his throat, Cedric came up with a half-lie, "I'm actually required to head back to work soon, so I was about to have a little stroll with Analeigh here before I leave."

"Oh, I see! Life after Hogwarts sure is busy, eh?" Slughorn said. "Well, I won't keep you two here."

"Thank you, sir. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I do hope we get the opportunity to speak properly another time."

"Of course!" Slughorn nodded, successfully charmed by Cedric. "I hope we can one day talk over some tea or butterbeer. As for you, Heart, don't forget to wait for my owl!"

Slughorn left them with a bounce in his step. Sticking to their story, Analeigh and Cedric went on their way to take a walk down the path.

"What's Slughorn sending you an owl for?" Cedric asked.

"An invitation. He's hosting a dinner party soon," Analeigh explained.

"Sounds fancy. Are all of your friends going as well?"

"Sadly, no. It's an exclusive event. Slughorn said that he used to gather a bunch of his favorite students for a meal back when he first taught in Hogwarts, so I suppose he hasn't let go of that habit."

"You must have made quite an impression on him to be chosen for that," Cedric nudged her playfully.

"I know it's precisely because I'm a Triwizard Champion — that's all there is to it," Analeigh laughed. "He's a decent teacher, but he can sometimes be a bit... much."

"I can tell. You didn't exactly hide how much you wanted to leave before I got the chance to talk about myself to him," Cedric joked.

"And I want you to — another time. Trust me, though; if you had said one thing about yourself earlier, he would insist on hearing your entire life story and there would be no end to that."

The two of them continued to walk through the streets of Hogsmeade, downing the rest of their hot chocolates and disposing them in the process. Eventually, they caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the distance, their figures still highly distinguishable to Analeigh despite their layers of clothing and the falling snow that partially clouded her vision.

"Oh, it's Harry and the others," Cedric noticed shortly after she did. "Wanna go and catch up with them?"

"Looks like they're heading back to the castle already... I'll catch up with them later on," Analeigh said casually.

"Looks like someone wants to spend more time with me," said Cedric in the same tone, a teasing smile on his face.

"Nope, I'm just tired of being around those three all the time," Analeigh shot back.

"Is it that hard to admit that you wanna stay with me a little longer?" Cedric pouted.

Good Godric, he was adorable when he did that, so much that it made Analeigh falter instantly. She tiptoed slightly to peck his cheek, saying, "Fine, I do want to stay —"

A high-pitched scream cut through the air. Analeigh and Cedric stopped what they were doing and searched frantically for the source. They could only see the figures of Harry, Ron, and Hermione a few meters away, but they looked unharmed. Then, a fourth person approached them — a girl, clearly a student, but Analeigh couldn't make her face out from where she was standing. All she knew was that this girl looked panicked, scared even, as she spoke to the trio.

"I warned her not to touch it!" they could faintly hear the girl say.

"We should check on them," Analeigh said when she felt that something was wrong, which Cedric nodded at. They picked up their pace, trying to get to them as fast as they could through the snow. However, they ended up halting in their tracks once again when this time, something — no, someone — rose into the air.

"Merlin's beard," Cedric spluttered, eyes wide like saucers as he processed what was happening.

"Oh my goodness," Analeigh gasped when she recognized the girl. "That's Katie Bell!"

Katie stood out against the stark white background as she levitated, with her bright red coat and dark hair. Her arms were spread wide, her mouth agape, and her eyes open but unfocused as if in a trance. But everyone on the ground was frozen, not knowing what to do or how to help at all. After a few seconds, Katie dropped back onto the ground beside the four students, limp and unmoving like a rag doll.

Before Analeigh or Cedric could make a move, someone else arrived, his presence hard to miss due to his massive stature and build.

"Hagrid," Analeigh addressed him, still in shock. "Did — did you see? Katie, she..."

"You two, stay here — or better yet, go back into the village," Hagrid said firmly. "I'll take care of it."

Analeigh could only wordlessly nod at the man's orders, watching as he made his way to the group standing next to the now-unconscious Katie.

"Don't get any closer!" Hagrid warned them. "Get back, all of you."

Hagrid carefully picked up Katie, a concerned frown etched onto his face as he observed her. Meanwhile, Harry inched closer to the ground where a package had been left, one that Katie had been holding previously.

"Do not touch that except for the wrappings," Hagrid stopped Harry before he could carelessly grab it. "Do you understand?"

Analeigh, clutching Cedric's hand for comfort, shared a worried glance with him. It truly seemed like every time they thought they had seen everything, they'd be proven wrong. Sure enough, they had just witnessed Katie Bell being cursed.