Hogsmeade

𓅓𐂂⏃ ϟ ⚯ ϟ ⏃𐂂 𓅓

Warning(s): None, but there's minor cursing toward the middle/end-ish.

     Helena was sitting in her dorm, thinking.

     'Wow, what a surprise, one of Hogwarts' biggest pranksters is thinking!'

     Why's that a surprise? Helena just saw her brother's dead body, and despite all the jokes he made about being alive, Helena was not amused.

     Along with thinking about her own fear, she thought about her friends' fears as well. Capella feared being hated by her fellow Mini Marauders, Ruby feared being hated by her father, and Elizabeth feared something that she didn't even know. Her father was dead! Why would she be afraid to join him?

     Professor Lupin called the girls to his office after lunch that day and apologised for being frozen while all that chaos went on. The girls accepted the apology and assured him that they were alright. Were they, though?

ϟ

     The weekend of a trip to Hogsmeade was soon. Incredibly soon. Soon meaning later that very day. Helena was upset that she could go but Harry couldn't. Helena asked Aunt Petunia to sign the permission slip instead of Uncle Vernon, knowing that she'd have more luck. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that Harry didn't do the same and only found out the day everybody was leaving for Hogsmeade

     The girls were going to make big plans, but it was because of Capella that they got canceled. Capella claimed that she had 'business' to do in Hogsmeade, so she wanted the day to herself. The other three agreed and made their own plans. Ruby was going to join a group of students touring the historical village and Helena and Elizabeth decided that they'd join Draco, Pansy, Theo, Blaise, Vincent, and Gregory.

     Helena and Elizabeth were heading to a line to be checked by Filch. Capella and Ruby had left earlier, Capella for reasons unknown to them and Ruby so she could meet with the prefects in charge of the tour of Hogsmeade.

     "Helena! Beth!" somebody called.

     The pair of them spun around. Helena jumped back upon noticing Draco practically in her face and accidentally shoved Elizabeth into Blaise. Theo snickered at their reaction and Pansy was right next to him, smirking at the girls.

     "Oof, sorry," Elizabeth muttered, flushing.

     "It's alright," Blaise said, grinning at her.

     "You bloody idiot!" Helena scolded at Draco. "Why did you have to shout our names when you were right behind me? Obviously, that was–"

     "Oh shove off, Potter," Draco grinned. "You know that you loved that."

     "Merlin, when did you get so cocky?" Helena complained.

     "Him and the one and only Mr. Zabini here," Pansy agreed.

     Draco did a mock bow as the trademark Malfoy smirk grew across his face. Suddenly, Vincent and Gregory came over to them and whispered something to their fellow Slytherins. Helena caught the words 'Potter,' 'Weasel,' and 'mudblood,' so it seems that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had arrived.

     "C'mon," Theo muttered. "You two should hide before your friends notice."

     Blaise looked a bit upset but didn't say anything. All six Slytherins hated the fact that they couldn't have an open friendship with the girls. Unlike their parents, the Slytherins and Mini Marauders were supportive of inter-House unity.

     "I'm sorry that you have to do this all the time," Elizabeth sighed sadly.

     "I'm used to it," Theo replied. "We all are. Us Slytherins are always looked down upon by the rest of the Houses, so we always have a little less than everyone else."

     "Staying here, Potter?" Draco shouted, causing Helena's head to spin around at the sound of her surname in case he was talking to her (he wasn't). "Scared of passing the dementors?" When Harry didn't respond, Draco got a bit angry as he always did when people didn't pay attention to him. "At least your sister has more courage!"

     "Helena?" Harry asked immediately. "What about her? Did you see her? Why do you care?" When Malfoy only laughed, Harry made a motion to go up to him before being held back by Hermione and Ron. "Answer me, Malfoy!" Harry growled. "Why do you care about her?"

     Hermione whispered something to him so Harry simply shot a glare at Draco before turning on his heel and exiting the Entrance Hall. (Please, that phrase sounds like an oxymoron. Like someone's exiting the Entrance Hall.)

     "Oh my God, Draco, give my brother a break," Helena groaned.

     "It's funny!" Draco protested. "Besides, Potter's reactions are bloody hilarious. He's so protective over you, and you're the older sibling!"

     Blaise snickered again, amused. "Y'know Draco, with your constant 'Potter this' and 'Potter that,' you act as if you fancy him." (Blaise ships Drarry 🤔🤔)

     "I don't fancy Potter!"

     "Bet," Theo challenged. "I know that you'll date Potter by the end of our... fifth year? Maybe sixth year at Hogwarts?"

     "You're on," Draco agreed. "Ten Galleons?"

     "Fifteen."

     "Deal."

     "Honestly, you boys are complete idiots. Betting on Draco and Potter getting together? The chances are as low as Eloise Midgeon's acne getting better!" Pansy exclaimed.

     "That's rude," Elizabeth frowned. "Eloise is quite nice, actually."

     "Whatever," Pansy rolled her eyes.     

     "We're here," Theo pointed out.

     Filch stared at each member of the group and ticked their names off a list in his hands. As Helena, Elizabeth, and the Slytherins walked toward the carriages to Hogsmeade, a voice yelled at them.

     "Helena! Beth! Wait up!"

     Everybody turned their heads to notice Hermione running toward them. As Helena opened her mouth to greet her, a second voice came.

     "Helena? Beth? What're you doing with them?"

     It was Ron.

     "Weaselbee," Draco sneered.

     "Shut up, Draco," Helena hissed so Ron wouldn't here. 

     "Hello, Ron," Elizabeth said casually.

     "Are they bothering you?" Ron asked, his overprotective brotherly self starting to show.

     "No," Helena replied. "Well, yes, but I just kicked Malfoy. Wanna see?" Helena kicked Draco right in the private parts, making him squeal in pain and hop around

     Ron snickered. "Nice one, Helena! He deserved it." 

     Then, he walked off, Hermione behind him. Just as they went out of sight as the path turned, Hermione winked as if to say 'your secret's safe with me.'

     After waiting a few moments to make sure that the chance of them running into Ron was low, the group continued toward the carriages to Hogsmeade.

     Capella hated lying to her friends, but was it really lying when she just wasn't stating the entire truth? Well, she told her friends that she had 'business' in Hogsmeade, but it was really a date. Not an ordinary date; a date with the Cedric Diggory! The 'Golden Boy' of Hogwarts! He was even kind enough to meet her at the carriages.

     "Hey, Capella," Cedric said kindly.

     "Please, call me Ella."

     "My mistake," Cedric apologized. "Lovely to see you, Ella."

     "You too, Cedric," Capella greeted.

     The pair settled themselves comfortably side by side on the carriage. Thankfully, nobody sat next to them, so they could talk freely.

     "D'you want to go to the Three Broomsticks or tour the village since it's your first time here?" Cedric asked.

     "Well, I want to shop at Zonko's and Honeydukes, so we can go there first before visiting the Three Broomsticks. Anywhere but Madam Puddifoot's, really," Capella replied.

     "Yes, ma'am," Cedric mock-saluted in response.

ϟ

     The pair made it to Zonko's, Capella tugging on Cedric's hand while whining for him to hurry up. Cedric found the younger girl hilarious, so he purposely found a reason to stop every few seconds.

     "Cedriccc," Capella complained. "C'mon, I want to check out Zonko's!"

     "Patience, Ella," Cedric chided, smirking widely. "I'm just talking with Cho."

     Cho frowned, glancing between Cedric and Capella. "Uh... what?"

     "He's supposed to take me to Zonko's, but then he decided that every passerby looks like the perfect person to talk to!"

     Cedric winked charmingly at Cho, causing her to grin. "Yeah, well, I have a better idea. You know, my friend Marietta is on a date, so why don't we go to Madam Puddifoot's? We can date-crash my friends and I can introduce you to all sixteen of them!"

     "Noooooo!!" Capella wailed, beginning to smack Cedric in the arm and drag him in the direction of Zonko's. 

     "Alright, alright," Cedric sighed dramatically, "I guess we can go to Zonko's. See you around, Cho!"

     "Bye!" Cho said, the slightest trace of a barely-concealed blush on her face.

     "She's nice," Capella commented.

     "Yeah," Cedric agreed, smiling dreamily after Cho's retreating figure.

     "Soooo... you and her..." Capella smirked.

     "Merlin, no!" Cedric yelped. "Helga, you're worse than my friends!"

     Capella's smirk widened.

     "Stop smirking already! Besides, I'm on a date with you! I wouldn't have accepted your request if I liked somebody else," Cedric reminded her.

     "True," Capella said thoughtfully. "But, I don't think that running into Cho was an accident."

     "Shut up already," Cedric groaned.

     "Shut up already," Capella mimicked.

     "Make me," Cedric taunted jokingly. 

(Has he not read enough fanfics to know what will happen next? Like boiiii, you're not supposed to be naive. Make a Wattpad account already, Cedric!)

     Suddenly, Capella smirked and she spun around and quickly placed a small kiss on Cedric's lips. Even if she initiated the kiss, Capella froze for a moment as she struggled to comprehend what was going on. She just kissed Cedric bloody Diggory! It wasn't considered snogging, but it still left Capella flushed once she pulled away and faced a grinning Cedric. 

     "Y'know, you're a pretty good kisser," Capella commented.

     "Of course I am!" Cedric exclaimed, pretending to flip back a long sheet of hair behind his back.

     "Ugh, your ego is overly-inflated," Capella complained, rolling her eyes at the older boy.

     "Why thank you!" Cedric beamed.

     "Shut up and take me to Zonko's, or you might not come back to Cho in one piece."

     "Okay, Miss 'Y'know-You're-A-Pretty-Good-Kisser,' " Cedric told her.

     "Ced?" Capella said, gently tilting Cedric's chin toward so he was looking down at her.

     "Yes, love?"

     Capella ignored the flush of red that crept up her face at the pet name and simply smiled up at him. "What did I just say?"

     Cedric mimed zipping his lips and took Capella's hand in his larger one and led her to Zonko's.

     Ruby was with a pretty nice group of fellow third-years. There were a few older students and prefects (Percy Weasley included) who were leading the group through the village, touring every single shop and talking about every small detail. Ruby didn't hate it, and she was one of the few who had a quill and some parchment out to take notes about whatever they found interesting.

     "Here is Zonko's, the joke shop!" a Hufflepuff student announced.

     "You'll normally find Percy's brothers, Fred and George, over here," one of the Ravenclaw prefects added.

     "Brilliant," Ruby whispered to herself. A few students close to her looked a bit worried at the thought that one of Hogwarts' biggest pranksters was standing in front of Zonko's, one of the best joke shops for wizards. (Weasley's Wizard Wheezes doesn't exist right now, peeps 😃)

     "Yes?" a Gryffindor prefect called out upon noticing Ruby's raised hand.

     "Can I separate from the group and stop by Zonko's?" Ruby asked. "As soon as I get everything I need, I'll rejoin the group," she added.

     "Sure," the older witch shrugged.

     So, as Ruby entered the shop, the small group moved on. The moment she entered, Ruby felt both comfortable in the chaotic atmosphere and a little shocked and excited at the sight. Everything inside was brightly colored with contrasting signs that advertised different products. There were different types of fireworks, prank candy, potions, and just about everything a prankster could want.

     Two blurs of red appeared right next to Ruby as Fred and George chose the perfect moment to approach her.

     "Hello, Rude-y," Fred said, using the nickname he'd come up for her after she made a snarky remark the first time they ever had a proper conversation.

     "Hello Forge, Gred," Ruby greeted.

     "First time here?" George asked.

     Ruby nodded.

     "No fear–" Fred began.

     "–Because the experts are here!" George finished.

     "We know this place by heart–"

     "–And once we give you a small tour, you will too!"

     "Brilliant," Ruby said. "So, where to first?"

     "Over here," George said, gesturing toward a display with fireworks, "you can find the fireworks your lovely friend Capella used this morning."

     "They're easy to charm so they can change shape instead of staying the basic form," Fred added.

     "Nice!" Ruby commented.

     "And over here..."

ϟ

     Ruby met up with Helena and Elizabeth at the Three Broomsticks, a popular pub in Hogsmeade. They all ordered butterbeer, which was supposedly the best drink (according to every Hogwarts student ever).

     "Hey, girls!" Ruby called loudly upon seeing her friends. "How's your time at Hogsmeade so far?"

     "Amazing!" Helena responded immediately.

     "Of course it was," Ruby said, rolling her eyes at the girl as she and Elizabeth sat at the seats Ruby saved for them. "You have a crush on Dr–"

     "Be quiet!" Helena shushed her, looking around frantically. "He might hear!"

     "The only people who might hear her are Ella and her date," Elizabeth chuckled.

     "What? A date? Who?" Helena asked quickly, turning her head around to try and spot her friend.

     Ruby, however, had a different view on the matter. "A date? She's too young! And with... Cedric Diggory?!" As Ruby looked horrified upon spotting the pair, Helena giggled excitedly at the sight. "He's so much older than her! Diggory's in his fifth year!"

     "Honestly, Ruby," Elizabeth sighed. "Y'know how Ella is... she claimed that she was dating some Ravenclaw bloke and then flirted with a group of Hufflepuff first years."

     Ruby looked shocked. "I'm sorry, what?! When did she do this? First years? I'll bloody–"

     "You won't do anything 'bloody' because people are beginning to stare," Helena cut off firmly.

     "Besides, look at the bright side!" Elizabeth said happily. "Remember what we agreed to do last year? If one of us ever gets a date, the others have the right to ask about every little detail!"

     A mischievous look appeared on Ruby's face. "I remember now!"

     Suddenly, perking up, Helena's smile brightened considerably and she noticed a familiar group of people behind Elizabeth. She nudged Ruby, who was sitting next to her, and the two girls waved for their friends to join them.

     "Hello, ladies!" Theo greeted.

     "Hey, Theo!" Elizabeth smiled at him, moving her bag full of goodies to the ground to clear up the spot next to her.

     Draco turned to Helena. "Why did you leave us behind?" he whined, his lower lip protruding as he pouted.

     "Because you're a drama queen," Blaise pointed out, casually removing his jacket as he dragged a second table over next to the girls'.

     Pansy snorted. "Don't deny it, Draco. You know it's true."

     "Where's Ella?" Draco asked, ignoring his friends.

     "She's on a– dmpfh!" Elizabeth's voice became muffled as Ruby moved her hand to cover her half-sister's mouth.

     "Ask her when you get the chance," Ruby told Draco. "For now, you can order your own butterbeer and sit down before we have to get back to the castle."

     Draco looked confused but muttered to Blaise before sitting down. He, along with Theo, Pansy, Greg, and Vincent, handed Blaise a few coins to pay for their drinks before moving a table over to sit next to the girls.

     "So," Theo said, "how was your Hogsmeade trip, Ruby?"

     "Brilliant, thanks," Ruby replied. "I went around the entire village! And, I have a foot's worth of notes about the village, too. Isn't that amazing?"

     The look on Theo's face clearly meant that he did not find that 'amazing' as he stared at her. "...Right."

     Draco scoffed. "Talking about something more interesting, will you? And you, mind your own business," he called to a Gryffindor fifth-year who was shocked at the sight of the five Slytherins hanging out with the two Gryffindors.

     "I don't know how that Gryffindor can 'mind her own business,' because I certainly can't," a voice commented.

     Cedric Diggory was there, smiling slightly at the sight of them.

     "What gave you the impression that you can talk to us, much less eavesdrop on our conversations?" Pansy snarled.

     "Whoa, chill!" Cedric chuckled. "My date's just in the washroom so I decided I'd pay for the butterbeer before she gets back. Besides, the most popular group of Gryffindors with a bunch of Slytherins? Nobody saw that coming! It's like one of those attempts at inter-House unity."

     "Mm, sorry, I'm failing to remember when I asked," Pansy said.

     Cedric cocked an eyebrow, but other than that, he didn't seem affected by Pansy's comments. "Well, even though I'd like to continue talking with you," he began, causing Pansy to scoff and mutter the word 'Hufflepuffs,' under her breath, "my date's coming back to our table, so I have to go." With that, Cedric left.

     "Diggory and his bloody fangirls," Pansy snorted. "Last time I checked, he was blushing at Chang."

     "Why would you check?" Theo teased. "Unless you're one of his fangirls? Huh, Pansy?"

     "Piss off, Nott."

After that, the rest of the trip went by smoothly. Ruby and her fellow Mini Marauders, however, we're eager to get back to their dorm for the questioning session they prepared for Capella.

ϟ

     Elizabeth wasn't known to be one of those giggly, meddlesome girls, yet she couldn't stop a few giggles from escaping her lips as she, Helena, Ruby, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Pansy, Greg, and Vincent made their way up to the castle.

     Leading the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins, Helena and Draco were arguing about whether or not Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were gay. Behind them were Ruby, Pansy, and Blaise, who were trying to discuss the best method of studying. Ruby and Blaise agreed that starting to study the moment an assignment was assigned was the best option, but Pansy kept insisting that it was fine for her to do all the studying a day prior to the due date.

     Meanwhile, Elizabeth, Theo, Greg, and Vincent were laughing at their friends while making small talk.

     "The best team is the Hollyhead Harpies, obviously," Elizabeth insisted.

     "Nah, the best are the Bulgarians. They have Viktor Krum!" Theo argued.

     "Viktor, Shmiktor," Vincent said, rolling his eyes. "The Irish are the best team to ever exist! They have Lynch!"

     Greg grinned at him. "I agree! Lynch is so cool!" he began chatting animatedly about Lynch's skills and nobody had the heart to tell him that they couldn't understand a word he was saying because of the speed in which his words spilled out. Greg seemed dumb to others, but he had brilliant ideas. He'd only share his thoughts with his closest friends, and that happened to include the Mini Marauders.

     "The gargoyle can talk?" a rowdy voice came from behind them. "Wow, that's quite a surprise!"

     A group of Gryffindors laughed as they shoved past the group and ran off. As the Mini Marauders looked closely at the group, they recognized the members to be made up of a group of fangirls who had an obsession with Harry, and Romilda Vane happened to be the one who insulted Greg.

     "You b*tch!" Helena hollered at her. "You complete arsehole!"

     Helena absolutely loathed Romilda. Mostly because the girl was extremely annoying, but also because one of Romilda's hobbies was crushing on 'The Boy Who Lived.' Helena, though she didn't seem like the type, was extremely protective over her twin, and the feeling was mutual between the two. Harry, too, could become quite aggressive if someone dared flirt with his sister or even talk to her in any way other than friendly. The problem was that Harry, like many other boys, was oblivious when it came to girl drama unless it was a full-out verbal or fist fight. So, Romilda and her clique of fellow simps could do their thing, while Helena and her fellow Mini Marauders would constantly target pranks toward them without anybody finding out.

     Elizabeth decided to join in on the screaming. "You might think that you're so cool, but Greg is ten times cooler and kinder than you!" Romilda simply flipped them off as she skipped past, causing the girls to scowl deeply.

     Greg looked surprised at the girls' angry outburst. "I am?"

     "You are," Helena confirmed.

     "You too, Vince!" Elizabeth added, creating a new nickname for him.

     Both boys looked touched.

     "Well, obviously I am!" Vincent joked.

     The group chuckled as they made their way back to the carriages, back to the castle.

ϟ

     After the day went by and just an hour before the Halloween Feast was due to begin, the Mini Marauders gathered in their dorm. While Capella was changing in the bathroom, Elizabeth, Ruby, and Helena exchanged glances. They planned to dig for every little detail about Capella's date with Cedric, and they didn't want to miss a thing.

     "Hey, girls!" Capella exclaimed. "I'm out!" She didn't get a response, as her friends were too busy giving her mischievous grins. "Why... why are you looking at me like that?" Still no response. "Okay, I'm sorry for not going to Hogsmeade with you. Happy?"

     The three girls started laughing their heads off. Capella looked flabbergasted at that point and looked from girl to girl.

     "We were curious about your date, silly!" Ruby chuckled.

     Capella stared strangely at her. "Date– what date?" Her dormmates looked unimpressed, then– "Alright, alright, yes I went on a date with Cedric Diggory. Now get yourselves together!"

     "How about this?" Elizabeth suggested. "We can all chill on our beds, and then, Ella, we'll get to ask you questions about your date. And no hiding anything, okay?"

     Capella groaned. "You spent the whole day planning, didn't you?" Elizabeth shrugged. Helena and Ruby simply smirked. "Fine! I'll do it! Just don't ask anything weird."

     "Did you do anything weird?" Helena asked her. Capella shook her head quickly. "Are you sure?" Helena pestered.

     "Yes, I'm sure! Merlin! Just shut up and I'll tell you about the date!" Capella grumbled.

     So, the girls gathered on their respective beds and waited for someone to speak first. Capella's face was in her hands as she readied herself for the worst. Elizabeth, Ruby, and Helena were looking expectantly at one another as if expecting them to make the first move. Finally, Helena spoke.

     "Diggory came over to us at the Three Broomsticks. He said that you were in the washroom and he was paying for your butterbeer."

     Capella sighed. "Yeah, that's true. I didn't see you lot though."

     "Draco was asking about you," Helena added.

     Suddenly, Capella's eyes widened. "You didn't tell him... did you? He will kill Diggory when he finds out!"

     "He doesn't know," Elizabeth said quickly. "He was asking, but we didn't tell him."

     "Thank Merlin," Capella sighed in relief. "Any other questions?"

     "Where did you two meet? Where did you go?" Helena questioned.

     "We met at the carriages–"

     Ruby made a small noise of protest. "Why didn't he pick you up from outside the common room? Or even the line where Filch stood? A proper gentleman would've done that."

     Capella shrugged in response. "We were going to Zonko's, but Cedric kept being annoying and stopping to talk to people. He even made Cho blush!"

     "Cho? Chang? The Ravenclaw?" Ruby asked. "Why? Was he flirting with her? Did she try to make a move on him?"

     "No," Capella said. "He said that he'd talk with her later and– don't say anything else, Ruby– and I'm fine with it. At the end of the date, we decided that we're better off as friends, and because he paid for everything, I told him that I'd set him up with Cho as a thank-you."

     Helena stared. "Blimey, I don't think any of us would do that. Or even think of doing that for anybody. If I was in that situation, I'd keep pranking him as revenge for flirting with another girl while he was on a date with me."

     Elizabeth frowned at Helena. "That's why you're not Ella. That was kind of you, though!" she told Capella.

     Ruby thought for a moment. "So you only went to Zonko's and the Three Broomsticks?"

     "No, we went to Honeydukes, too," Capella responded.

     That's when Helena asked the last question. "Did you two snog?"

     "..." Silence from Capella. Helena repeated the question, and after an extremely long sigh, Capella responded. "We kissed, but no snogging. It was more of a peck, honestly."

     Nobody had anything to say. Elizabeth was happy for her friend, Ruby was just plain shocked, and Helena was staring in the distance.

     "Well, I'll be going to the feast," Capella said. "Are you coming with me?"

     "Yup!" the three girls chorused, jumping off their beds to join Capella.

August 21st: Sooo... that's the end of the chapter. This is kinda a filler, but at the same time, it isn't. It's at a bit over 4k words right now, and that's pretty good, I guess. The friendship between Capella and Not-Deadric-Yet is pretty important for her fourth year, but that's still a while away. School is taking up most of my writing time, so updates will be 1-2 times every two weeks instead of one, but that might change because it's literally August 21st and school started like two weeks ago. Anyways, have a lovely day!!

November 10th: It's been a while since I posted a chapter, so here's this one! Again, it's pretty old writing, but I can't say that my writing style has changed a lot since the last chapter. LMAO THIS CHAPTER IS ALMOST EMBARRASSING BECAUSE IT BARELY HAS ANYTHING GOING ON. I'm far behind with other chapters, so don't expect Chapter 4 until, like, a month or more from now (probably December?) Consider this a show of respect to Lily and James Potter (Jr.) since their death anniversary was on October 31st and a Happy Late B-day to Sirius Black. Bye loves <3

December 11th: I decided to change the scene where lovely Ronald finds out about the Mini Marauders' friendship with our Slytherin buddies <3