Emily Potter - Book 1 - The Sorcerer's Stone

Chapter 7: A Day in Hogsmeade

When the match had ended with Gryffindor taking home their victory, the Weasley twins and Emily had spent the remainder of the day by enjoying a trip to the village of Hogsmeade. It was odd to leave grounds with Draco since they had stuck to each other at the very beginning, but Emily began to feel overwhelmed by certain elements of their friendship. They seemed to wander off into unknown territory, and that alone triggered her fight or flight response; Emily had never had a friend like Draco nor had she ever felt any romantic feelings, so experiencing them all together was, at least to her, terrifying.

When the triad had stepped out of the carriage and strolled into the village, an assortment of activities simply laid itself before them. Emily felt like she had just walked in a snow globe by the picture-perfect landscape of Hogsmeade, crisp layers of snow had frosted the roofs of all the establishments in sight. The snow that had gathered in the trees appeared almost to look like royal icing that dripped from its branches.

"Where shall we explore first to, lads?" Emily asked the twins who stood behind her like her bodyguards, if her security detail comprised of two lanky thirteen-year-old boys. Fred and George exchanged glances and shrugged, "It's your call." The answered in unison.

I still find that creepy. Emily thought to herself, rewinding all of the conversations she had with her own twin, thankful that they were neither identical nor in sync to the point that they finished each other's sentences.

With no help at all from the twins, Emily led the way to Zonko's Joke Shop and possibly went overbudget within the ten minutes that she was in there. Aside from the joke items she brought for her own use, Emily also got something for her brother and Draco, as well as little trinkets for her roommates Millicent, Pansy, and Daphne.

Fred and George seemed to know their way around Zonko's, they had finished shopping far quicker than Emily but came out of the shop with twice as much items as she did. They're even madder than I am. "Fancy a butterbeer? My treat for the star players of Gryffindor's Quidditch team." Emily said, mockingly putting air quotes as she said star players.

George caught on quick and understood what Emily meant, he immediately took it upon himself to put the girl in a headlock, causing her to sway around as she walked much like a crab near the shoreline. "We are star players! We absolutely destroyed Slytherin, and not to mention Harry wouldn't have been able to catch the Snitch if it weren't for us to protect his behind from those nasty Bludgers."

"Alright, alright! You've proved your point, bloody get off of me – how are you so heavy?" Emily asked, shaking George's arms off of her head before they went into the Three Broomsticks. Fred open the tavern door and smacked George's behind as he walked in, "Behave yourself."

"You're the one who hit me, and you're the one saying that I should behave." He said in faux disbelief, his hand dramatically pressed against his chest. "The audacity, good sir."

Emily eventually had to drop her bags onto the vacant booth before dragging the Weasleys and ending their skit. They had ordered their first round of butterbeer, and it was exactly how she imagined it to taste like and more. It was delectably buttery and smooth without being overly sweet, there were undertones of ginger, butterscotch, and a hint of maple rum that tied all of the flavors together in perfect harmony.

The found themselves immersed in deep conversation. Emily found herself to indulge on the stories Fred and George told about their brothers and their only sister, clinging onto the hope that she may have the same close-knit family with Harry. She was also told to keep a look out for their sister who would be joining them in Hogwarts next year when she comes of age to attend.

"I just know that you two will get along splendidly." Fred predicted, wagging his finger at Emily as if it were already set in stone. George gladly backed up his claim and nodded unquestioningly. "You're going to love Ginny; we have no doubts about it."