Although Lucia had grown to be comfortable with Lupins presence not long after meeting him, it didn't make her comfortable with him and his friends walking into Hogsmead behind them. She didn't really trust men so it put her on edge, in fact all three of the girls were on edge and dealing with it differently.

Lucia drew back and observed quietly. Estelle grew louder and more reckless. Lucia always thought she'd be good in a situation where a bear was after them because she'd either scare off the bear or fight the bear with intent to win. Yet they had never gotten to be with a bear that put them on edge. Hazel also got loud and reckless, a bit more insane but it was different as she normally seemed to have it together. Sometimes she'd also completely withdraw.

The loud group behind them also put Hazel on edge as she walked closer to Lucia and counted her steps "Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen..."

Estelle, refusing to let any emotions be seen on her face, put her hands into her leather jackets pockets and said, "Let's go into this building first, we'll just start in here and go in as many as we can." She nodded towards a shop, eager to get away from the crowd.

The group traveled through a few shops, just exploring as the crowds into Hogsmead thinned as the chilly autumn weather. Estelle loved fall, the comfort of the oranges and reds, wearing long sleeves again. Hazel was miserable with the change, preferring to have the hot summer.

Hazel decided the best way to avoid the leaves which she hated feeling under her feet and the changing temperature was to drag them into a shop as fast as possible and staying for as long as possible.

Hazel pulled the pair up two stairs and through a brown door, Lucia looked for a sign to figure out what kind of shop it was and Lucia just smiled, ready for anything.

What they walked into though was completely unexpected and nobody was prepared as Estelle made eye contact with a brown eyed woman.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?" The young woman screeched, holding a bundle close to her chest in a panic, clearly unprepared for three teenagers to run into her house.

"Hello ma'am." Estelle said to the woman, winking with an almost flirtatious tone of voice.

"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!!!" She screeched back. The trio scrambled backwards out the door and into the street.

Landing on their butts hurt but for some reason the awkwardness of watching the door slam shut in front of them stuck seemed to matter more.

"Why'd you try to flirt with her?" Hazel questioned as she stood up, brushing her pants off.

"And why were you so bad at it?" Lucia asked, jumping up, used to worse pains than landing on her butt.

"One, it was just a reaction, two, I haven't really flirted with a woman before, much less one that's probably in a relationship and has a child." Estelle stood, not bothering to clean up her pants. "Now," she started, looking around "Let's go into that shop in that alley and after that find this... What was it? Three? Four? Two? Broomsticks or something that people were talking about."

"Weren't we avoiding that place?" Hazel questioned, not ready to give in to what everyone had recommended.

"Yes," Estelle sighed, "But no where else was recommended to get a good drink at. After that experience, we need a drink."

"Reckon they have fire whiskey?"

"I hope so."

The trio crossed street and went into the alley. The shop seemed like it was supposed to be overlooked, it's brown and dirty door blending in with the walls quite well, the sign hanging was unreadable so in search of adventure they entered anyway.

It's was a poorly lit room with music playing and bins.

Estelle looking in the bins realized they were records, cassettes, CDs and more electronic devices.

She smiled as she picked up a Billy Joel tape. She hasn't used her walkman much since she got to Hogwarts, it was mostly late at night before she fell asleep.

She started collecting tapes when she was nine, finding the music calming. It cleared her mind, helped her focus and function. She picked up a few that she didnt have.

Hazel, Estelle and Lucia didn't have much money but they always found ways to get some when they went to diagonally so Estelle knew she could buy a few.

Lucia and Hazel wandered the shop, looking at the music, smiling at the which at the counter.

Estelle grabbed some Abba, Queen, Beatles and Billy Joel, knowing she didn't have those specific tapes but she knew some of the songs and liked the bands. She picked up one in a clear case. The label on the tape simply read fall, she shrugged and added it to her pile.

"Those are used, some are just some odd mixtapes." The sales witch said. "They all work, I've tested them, only 2 knuts each."

Estelle nodded with a small smile. 10 knuts worth of music so far, she could go higher.

Cranberries, 12 knuts.

Green Days, 14.

Tears for fears, 16.

Nena? Estelle furrowed her eyebrows before shrugging and adding her to the pile. 18 knuts.

"She's German, I think you'd like her." The sales witch said before returning to her witch weekly magazine that seemed to appear from no where.

Estelle almost decided she had enough but couldn't possibly end on an odd number so she added another random mixtape and pay.

The sales witch complimented her taste in music and recommended they come back next time because new music is constantly coming into the store and she'd hold anything that seemed to fit Estelle's taste.

  Estelle smiled and talked about the shop the whole way to the Three Broomsticks. Hazel and Lucia listen patiently, trying not to remind her that they too had just been in the store. When they entered the three broomsticks the only available table was next to the large clan of teachers and students that  Hazel dreaded being anywhere near.

  Estelle moved towards the table as Lucia followed the lead of every one buying drinks at the bar.

  Hazel half ignored Estelle's musical rant as her leg bounced up and down under the table.

  She hoped the Potters beside her didn't even look in her direction, it seemed every time she was in the same half of the castle as one, people used it to "prove" their theories about her.

  Estelle had moved on to writing down lyrics onto her napkin as Lucia came to the table. 

  "We're only allowed butterbeer here." She blinked, using a straightforward dead voice to explain what was in the cups.

  "What?!" Estelle exclaimed. She took a swig of the butterscotch drink and looked at Hazel as she spit it back into the cup.

  "I worked all that time to get my tolerance up and now I can't even have whiskey?!"

1178 words
Sorry it took so long.
If you want an explanation comment but I don't want to seem like I'm making excuses cause I don't know the difference anymore.

September 23, 2024