Blue In Hogsmeade
Their original destination had been Prague, but how could she say no to her Princess?
Dru had dragged her onto the Hogwarts Express in London instead, and they'd found themselves a nice compartment with curtains to ride in. Unfortunately, no snacks, since it was December and all the kiddies were already in school, but they ate before they left (a lovely young witch and her husband bound for Hogsmeade on their honeymoon) and there'd be plenty of food there.
So the two of them slept on the ride there, after Willow sealed the curtains with a spell to make sure they wouldn't peek open and set someone on fire, and awoke at dusk, just as the train was pulling into Hogwarts. "Hogwarts is the stop, next is Hogsmeade," came the engineer's magically amplified voice.
After a peek outside to make sure there was no more direct sunlight out there, Willow lifted the spell on the curtains and opened them. Dru lunged at the window and stared outside, cooing and whispering in wonder. Willow herself couldn't help but be a little giddy, especially when she noticed figures up at the castle, darting around on broomsticks. She gave a laugh of wonder and awe and gratefulness that she could see these sights forever.
"My little girlie has never seen Hogsmeade!" Dru realized with a gasp. "Ooh, we'll have to do something special tonight."
"Sounds like fun," Willow smiled.
"First the candies and then the kiddies," Dru giggled, ticking her plans off on her fingers. "They lie about the Shack, no ghosties there, but no one to bother us while we visit either, the wolf is gone."
"Shack?" Willow repeated. "Dru, how long were we gonna stay?" In a normal community, she'd be all for a few months, of course, but this was a magic one. Word would be getting around after their visit to Diagon Alley. People would get suspicious. People would find them. And the last thing Dru needed was that kind of excitement.
"Oh, no one will bother us, love, don't you worry your pretty little head," Dru said, kissing Willow on the nose as the train pulled into Hogsmeade. "They've all got bigger fish to fry."
Dru had a point. Voldemort's return would keep people distracted. And they had to be used to vampires coming through. Willow shook her head. Why was she worrying? They'd be fine. They always were.
As soon as they stepped off the train, Dru dragged her down to the town, still babbling about her plans. Willow listened with half an ear, looking around in fascination. She'd heard about Hogsmeade, of course, but it was far more interesting than she'd even imagined. Like Diagon Alley, it was crowded with figures of varying shapes, sizes and colors, but there seemed even more variety here. She noticed a gaggle of goblins, a few leprechauns, a couple of veela (Dru seemed entranced by these), and of course a seemingly endless number of your garden-variety witches and wizards.
Dru led her along, finally pulling her into "Honeydukes Confectioners: Catering to the Magical Sweet Tooth Since 1066". Willow watched in amusement as Dru wandered around the shop, chit-chattering over sherbet balls and lemon drops. She stood watch, keeping an eye on the proprietors, who didn't seem to suspect anything. "Come on, Dru, we'd better be getting a move on, she finally prodded gently. "Did you want anything?"
Dru nodded shyly, tapping a case of sugar roses, which looked to be real roses bewitched into various colors and flavors. "Just one," she says. "The blue one."
Willow tossed the shopkeeper twenty-five knuts and reached into the case. She pulled out said rose and, with a flourish, handed it to Dru, who giggled, curtsied, and took the flower carefully. Willow noticed, as they headed back out into the night, that the rose was enchanted to glow softly, and cast the slightest indigo light on Dru's fingers.
"I think I'm going to like Hogsmeade," she said to Dru as they meandered through the streets.
Drusilla gave a knowing smile, as though she had planned this from the beginning. Which of course was more than possible.
They made their way through the still-crowded streets, Drusilla silent, now totally intent on slowly peeling off petals of the rose and popping them in her mouth only after toying with them for several minutes. Willow watched Dru with half an eye, constantly on guard for any possible threat.
"Come on, baby," she said as they passed by Gladrags. "We'll need some clothes if we're going to stay here for long, won't we?" She had stolen the Gringotts keys off of the couple in Diagon Alley earlier today and cleaned out their vault while Dru was in Eeylops. They weren't rich, but there was enough for her and Dru to live comfortably for several weeks, considering that they didn't eat normal food and Dru seemed to have a place where they could stay free.
Dru's eyes lit up at the mention of new clothes. Willow didn't mention the fact that she'd turned their bags into Portkeys of sorts and that as soon as she summoned them, they'd come to her, full wardrobes within. She really did spoil Dru rotten, but who could blame her?
The two of them walked into the store and ignored the Hogwarts girls scattered throughout (from what she's gathered from Dru, the students are allowed into Hogsmeade every few weeks, and there's some kind of ball up at the school around Christmas). Dru headed immediately for the silks and laces, while Willow's eye fell on a black dragonhide half-cloak which had been spelled so that it twinkled red in the candlelight. She had a pair of black leather pants and a red blouse this would look perfect with.
"Hogwarts, honey?" the thirty-something woman running the store asked, seemingly having popped up out of nowhere. Willow jumped, startled, then turned to the pretty witch.
"No," she said. "No, I'm long out of school."
"Really?" the owner asked, seemingly ready to make conversation until a pair of girls who were in Hogwarts robes approached her about a few dress robes. Willow took that opportunity to slip away, keeping the leather thing with her, to find Dru.
Her girl was entranced by a two-layered cloak (the lower layer a gossamer-wispy shimmering blue satin, the top delicate white lace) with a tasteful silver triskele clasp. The sugar rose lay on the floor, forgotten, as Dru toyed with the lace and draped the cloak over herself, giggling. "This one," Dru whispered, grinning.
"Lovely," Willow whispered back. "Keep it on, I'll pay the woman for it. And here -- " she leaned down, scooped up the rose, and presented it to Dru again. The brunette gasped in faux surprise and real delight, and kissed Willow just for the briefest moment. Her lips were gone as soon as they were there, leaving just the barest hint of ginger on Willow's.
She threw the red cloak over her black corset and tapped the shopkeep lightly on the shoulder. "This," she said, nodding to her purchase, then towards Dru, "and that blue thing."
The woman nodded. "Fifty Galleons," she said in a quiet tone, seemingly amazed by these strange young customers. Willow spilled the money into a cauldron on the counter, and she and Dru were back in the night instantly, ready to take the town.
"Come on, love," Willow whispered in a giddy sort of awe at the fact that she could have this forever, "let's go have some fun."