A visit to Hogsmead... (Al)

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

Rory's eyes crossed a bit to fallow a snow flake she'd singled out from the dusting of them floating down all around them. As it got closer she poked out her tongue to catch it on the tip and pull the cool, flavorless water crystal back into her mouth as it melted. Winter was awesome.. true it could be cold and sitting through potions in the dungeons was no treat when you had to bundle up to your ears to keep warm and your breath puffed out in visible gusts while your freezing fingers fought with cutting up or crushing half frozen ingredients.. but the she didn't have to deal with potions today. No, today she'd woken with a grin to nearly match that of a quidditch match morning. She gotten out of bed, and tossed on the first and warmest thing she could find. Never mind that the vivid green sweater bearing a large purple R (a gift last Christmas from Al's grand-mum because she was just awesome like that..) and dark blue jeans clashed horribly with her bright orange mittens and maroon and gold Gryffindor scarf in a way only Rory could pull off with out being laughed at. Let someone just try and take the mickey out of her for her clothes and she'd have them tripping over their own words twisted round and back on them before they knew which end of the hippogriff was up.. and failing that.. well.. she'd just deck them in the nose. Digging through her trunk she'd pulled out what galleons she had hidden away and had made a mad dash down the stairs and joined Al in heading down to the que waiting to be excused from the school for an entire day of freedom in the village of Hogsmead.

Which brought her to where she was now, crunching through the well trod snow down the middle of the high street in Hogsmead. She eyed the sights and the shops around them, the students hurling snowballs at each other, the laughter.. the fun.. it was infectious.. and Rory was an individual who leaned towards being a bit on the hyper side anyway. Watching as a Ravenclaw girl tackled a Hufflepuff boy into the snow not to far off, rubbing a handful of snow on the back of his neck and shoving it down his back she smirked.. must be good friends, Ravenclaws weren't that playful as a general rule..least not the ones she knew..and then the puff pulled her to him and they kissed.. heh.. or more.. her eyes jerked away from the couple, she just didn't feel it right to stare at them like that, and up to take in Al's face. And maybe..maybe she was just a 'little' jealous of what the Ravey had going for her?.. knock it off Rory, your here to have fun with your best mate yeah? Don't ruin it for your self pining for stuff that can't ever happen... Al was starring off at something. A wry grin formed on her lips and she leaned down to scoop up a handful of the snow.. right. " Hey Al?.. "

She waited for him to turn his attention to her and then smacked him in the face with the loose puff of cold white fluff in her mitten.. "Ha!!.... got ya!.." Snickering she tore off away from him through a large knot of students walking by, and ducked into the nearest store. If she knew anything about Al she knew he'd have paybacks for that in store for her. In here at least it wouldn't be in the form of icy snow down her nice warm back. The sounds of various creatures suddenly registered in her ears. Squeaks, growls, purrs and chirps along with a handful of noises she wasn't sure shes ever heard before. A pet store.. wicked! It must be a new one since she didn't recall one being here last year. You never knew what bizarre creatures up might come across in one of these places. Moving along down one of the rows she cast a glance about.. the shops owner stood behind a counter at the other end of the store, apparently lost in paperwork of some sort.

Dropping her gaze to the cages and other containers lining the wall, she paused at a table holding both large basket, in which a grey mother Kneazle, spotted in black was tending her kits.. and a large cage in which a bird about the size of a chicken but with a much thicker build to it was strutting around. As she stepped up closer to the bird it disappeared in a puff of feathers only to reappear in another part of the cage a moment later looking rather irritated. She hadn't meant to startle it... Reaching out a hand she was just about to reach a finger in through the bars near the base of the cage.. try and coax the bird over, when a small and slim creature white creature appeared beneath her hand, bumping its back up into her finger, moving it away from the cage with a purr. Wrinkling her brow she looked down on the pure white rather scrawny kitten.. one of the Kneazle's from the basket, had to be.. it had the big ears and the lion like tail, weren't they all suppose to have spots though? Shrugging off the thought she turned her focus to the bird again, reaching towards the cage to stick her finger in again. The kitten again wedged itself between her finger and the cage, this time landing a sound nip on the tip of Rory's finger and though it wasn't hard enough to break the skin, it still hurt.. "Ow!! ...why you little bugger! " Frowning she shoved her finger in her mouth and glared down at the back of the kitten. She still had yet to see its face.. little rat probably had red eyes and horns hidden by those big ears where she wouldn't be able to see them.. Lifting the kitten with her non offend hand she muttered at it " What's your problem anyway..like I've ever done anything to you?" As she spoke the kitten looked up to meet her eyes and Rory blinked in surprise. Starring back at her were two eyes, each of a totally different color. One of the kittens eyes was a vivid green, while the other a bright sky blue.. She found herself so surprised by the fact that her gaze remained on the kitten, never taking in the sign just beyond that was pinned to the top pf the vanishing birds cage.. CAREFULL I BITE!![/b]

[mgirl03]

Al would have been lying if he said that he wasn't at least a little bit nervous about going out to Hogsmeade--for a couple of reasons. A major cause for his worry was the fact that Regulus Lestrange and his Death Eaters were wreaking havoc worse than his mother had, and that right before December there had been an attack on Diagon Alley. Now sure, plenty of the kids at school were probably nervous about what was going on--some were even being pulled out to be kept at home. For Al, though, it was very different.

As much as he would have liked to say that he forgot about Malfoy Manor, he couldn't. Occasionally he still had nightmares about it, leaving him shaking and sweaty in the morning. Sometimes he would change and see the scars on his chest and stomach, and a wave of memories would take over. What had happened to him had him scared about what more could happen to him. Of course, that was why he had started getting lessons from his dad, so he wasn't so scared about protecting himself, really. It was just...he had seen what Bellatrix could do to him and his friends. Regulus was worse...so what might happen in an open village where so many people that he cared about could get hurt?

It was thoughts on this that haunted Al as he woke up the morning they were to go to Hogsmeade. Despite the fact that there might be trouble, though, he couldn't help but to be a bit excited. He had a smile on as he talked to his roommates and got dressed. One glance out the window had told him that he needed to dress warm, so he had grabbed a t-shirt and a red sweater with a gold A on it (from his Grandma, who's sweaters were warmest), some warm jeans, a Gryffindor scarf and a pair of red gloves--plus, of course, boots. Once he was all set, he had clambered down the steps from the boys dorm and had waited into the common room, where Rory soon joined him.

Rory wasn't another reason that he was a bit nervous about this Hogsmeade trip. Sure, she was his best friend, but that didn't stop the fact that he had feelings for her. And the two of them would surely be hanging out alone together, because that's what usually happened. Ever since the hospital wing...problem, he had found himself more and more attracted to Rory. His nervous feeling wasn't lifted when he saw what she was wearing, something that instantly made the smile grow on his face. Only she could pull off not matching in a way that made it cute. And it were thoughts like those that had him worried.

The trip down had been fun and basically uneventful, and Rory being around both made Al more calm and more nervous at the same time. With his bestfriend, it was harder to feel nervous about Regulus Lestrange jumping out from behind ever tree ready to kill them all, and at the same time being around her was like a constant test on his own self control--his self control not to snog the living daylights out of her, that is. It was getting worse and worse, his feelings, and in his opinion Christmas couldn't come any sooner.

Christmas was the last reason why he was nervous about this trip--at some point, he would have to ditch Rory so that he could make it to a magical creature shop and buy a Kneazle that his best friend would hopefully like as a Christmas gift. As they finally made it into the village, he forced his thoughts away from that to worry about later. For now, he just wanted to enjoy his time with Rory. He glanced at her and let out a soft laugh as her tongue poked out to catch a snowflake. However, his eyes were drawn away from the redhead next to him to a sudden movement.

With only a glance Al saw that it was an Auror that worked with his father, and he felt a weight lift from his chest. Good, there was protection around the village. He should have known that there would be a very tight security. Even the adults were scared about all of this. Al had just been squinting his eyes to see if he recognized the guy, when Rory said his name. He had just turned to face her with a smile when a big, cold, fluffy ball of snow smacked him right in the face. He stopped, blinking and sputtering as he quickly wiped away the snow, which thankfully hadn't made it down his sweater.

Once he had all of the snow off of his face, Al looked around, seeing a door closing to a shop and a flash of red hair. With an amused grin he quickly jogged over to the store, pulling open the door and ducking into the warmth gratefully. He shook his head, black hair sending about little specs of white that had collected from the continually falling snow outside. Looking around, his eyes found Rory at once along one wall and he moved over to her, reaching for the wand in his back pocket, mind whirring over different ways he could get her back.

He had just decided to pour water over Rory when he saw what she was holding and heard her speak to it as she turned the animal around. Al came up behind her silently, and what he saw over her shoulder startled him as much as it had her. The kneazle she was holding was pure white, an odd thing in itself, but its eyes were what really had him stunned. One bright green and one light blue--his eyes and Rory's eyes when they were his favorite shade. Albus blinked hard, his eyes taking in the large ears and the little fluffed out tail. It was definitely a baby kneazle, just an...odd one.

"Woah," he said, making himself known behind Rory as he reached out to gently tickle the little thing's fur. The kitten made a purring sound and her cracked a grin, his eyes wandering over the bird in the cage and the sign above it. He rasied one eyebrow as he moved to stand in front of it, still grinning at Rory. "This is quite a little kneazle. But did you say it did something to you?" Al's gaze fell to the little creature again and he couldn't help but to pet it gently with one hand, marveling at its lack of spots and different color eyes that represented both him and Rory. This was a very unique kneazle.

It was perfect. He had to get it for Rory. This was the one.

((edited last paragraph))

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

Al's exclamation on seeing the Kneazle's eyes caused Rory to jump a bit. She hadn't known he was standing there for one thing. For another, the kittens eyes had brought to her mind the same thoughts that, unknown to her, Al's was thinking. Or at least along the same lines. It was like a bit of her self and her best friend blended into one being. Not to mention, odd as that coincidence was, it had also triggered thoughts sort of like those she'd had a short while ago.. thoughts on her best friend as,... well..something more than that... because you might think your best friends eye color neat, or cool or interesting.. but you'd not be thinking how handsome a color they were.. how easy it was lately to get caught up in them, dare to hope that the intensity that you saw there might mean deeper feelings on his part as well. Yet at the same time being afraid of the same and hating yourself for having such thoughts to begin with.. it was getting to be really freaking confusing.. more and more so as her feelings for Al seemed to continue to grow despite her efforts to stop them. So when Al spoke right behind her she not only jumped, but took on a rather guilty expression.. a flush spreading over her cheeks that she'd have to hope he'd assume was from the cold outside.

Right, maybe he hadn't noticed, he was on about what she'd been saying to the kitten. Wanting to know what she'd said to it. Wrinkling her nose at the little fur ball that was currently gazing placidly back at her she frowned. "Yeah, it bit me! I was trying to get that bird to come over and stop vanishing and before I could it bumped my hand away and gnawed on my finger! Jealous little prat!.. " Her head lifted as she heard the sound of the animals further up the row chittering and carrying on. Maybe it was because the shop keeper was likely the one who also fed them all, but for whatever reason the ladies approach had sent this end of the shop into an uproar. The woman bustled over and smiled at them. Hello dears... help you find anything? Her gaze dropped down onto the kitten and she frowned softly making a soft clucking sound of pity with her tongue..Yes..poor little dear..born without a spot on him I'm afraid.. doubt he'll be finding much in the way of a home. The missing spots and double color to his eyes are defects you know. More common in mundane creatures than magical such as these...actually quite rare in magical ones.. but.." She shrugged and sighed in a 'what can be done?' sort of way.. he's proof that it 'can' happen isn't he? Poor little misfit...might not even have the gift common to his breed of detecting those those untrustworthy, who knows? Their not mine of course, selling them for someone in exchange for getting to keep the mother.. dead useful to have a Kneazle around and their not terribly easy to come by. If it were up to me I'd drop the little fellows price in hopes someone with a kind enough heart might give it a good home. But I'm afraid that's out of my hands.. He'll go for fifteen galleons like the rest or not at all. The woman smiled sadly at the kitten and after pausing to scratch the mother behind the ear she set off across the shop, calling over her shoulder as she went.. I'll be at the front if you need anything dears..

Rory watched after the woman with an odd look in her eye and a set jaw. After a moment her gaze came back to the kitten in her hands. " She thinks somethings 'wrong' with it just because its different? ..Because it might not be able to do what they can.. " Her Question was voiced quietly and with a bit of an edge as she looked over at the basket of spotted, normal kittens. Frowning she tucked the kitten gently into the crook of her arm and dug in her jacket pocket.. pulling out what was in it.. half a licorice wand.. a wrapped piece of Droobles best blowing gum and six shiny galleons.. her face fell. Right then. Sighing a bit she shoved the contents back where they'd come from and settled the kitten back in the basket with its mother. After a moment lost in thought she nodded. I'll ask dad.. owl him when we get back to school.. if its not sold by the time we get another visit here then maybe he'll loan me the galleons.. let me work it off or something.."

[mgirl03]

Had he not been so engrossed in the little kitten that Rory was holding, and how much of a coincidence it was that he had found the perfect kneazle for her in seconds, he would have noticed how she jumped when he spoke, her face coloring and an odd look taking over her face. However, his eyes were mostly on the little white fluff that Rory had, so by the time he actually looked up at her, she was already beginning to frown, looking at the kneazle with a bit of distaste in her gaze. Al felt a small sense of doubt take seed in his stomach.

Was it possible that Rory didn't even like this kneazle? As she explained what it had done to her, he found his grin falling to be placed with a slightly worried frown. Sure, the kneazle was cute, with eyes that matched his and Rory's when it was that perfect shade of their friendship, and sure it was different, something that reminded him of Rory and even their own relationship. Yet, if she already had bad feelings towards the little thing, he couldn't well just get it for her. He already knew that Rory wasn't patient when it came to cats, and while a kneazle was different, it wouldn't seem so if she didn't like it.

After a few seconds of fretting that he would have to find another kneazle, or at least broach the subject with Rory and see if she would even be interested in such a creature, Al realized that Rory had said she was trying to get that bird to stop vanishing. Looking up from the cat, his eyes landed on the sign again, warning against biting, and then his eyes fell back to the kneazle, filled with amazement once more. That little tiny thing had known what Rory was doing and had stopped her from getting a finger bitten off? Merlin, it was like a feline him--protecting her already.

A smile began to form on his face again, and Al was just about to point out to Rory that the 'jealous' kitten had saved her a finger or two, but at that moment the sound around them took a large upswing as the shop owner he had seen at her desk swept over to them. As she began talking, Al felt a small stab of annoyance at the way she was talking about the little guy. As if it were his fault that he didn't have spots, and had different eyes. In Al's opinion, that made him better than the rest of the kneazles--it was different, and he liked different.

Not to mention that he knew at once she was wrong about the kitten now being able to detect untrustworthy characters. If it could figure out that Rory was going to get her fingers bit off and save her, then it would only be natural for it to have the same exact abilities as the other kneazles, right? Maybe it was even more magical, because Al didn't see any of those other 'normal' ones coming over here to save his best friend an injury. The precious mother kneazle the shop owner talked about wasn't even paying attention to anything around them--and yet this little 'misfit' kitten had moved just to save somebody it didn't know. That made it the best, in Al's eyes.

As the owner walked away, Al frowned heavily and looked over at Rory, just to see her looking every bit as irritated as him. Her words brought an admiring smile to his face, at the indignation that was in her voice. He watched as she gently held the kitten in one arm, searching her pocket with the other hand. Albus' heart gave a jump when he saw her pull out galleons--was she going to buy it, and he was going to miss his chance and have to pick a new Christmas gift?--but she seemed to be out by a good chunk of money. Her plans to ask her father for the money, so that she could buy him, brought a small lift to Al's heart.

So it seemed as if her previous feelings for this kitten had changed, because of what the lady had said. If Al was corrrect, he would say that Rory had been a bit offended with the way the kneazle had been called a misfit because of how it was different. After all, Rory was a different person--she was a tomboy and a metamorphmagi, strong and independent. To some people, maybe they didn't think a girl should act that way. However, like how Al enjoyed the unique qualities in this creature, he also found Rory's differences appealing...Attractive, even. It was what made her Rory.

So now he knew that she would like to have a kneazle, and not just any kneazle, but this one. She said she would see if she could get the money from her dad if the little guy wasn't already taken. Formulating a plan quickly in his mind, Al gave a mental nod. Right. He knew for a fact that he had the money to buy the kneazle (he had done lots of chores over the summer because he knew Christmas demanded it). What he needed was at some point to get away from Rory and tell the lady that he wanted to by the kneazle. Then, he would contact his dad, and get it picked up and sent home to be kept there until Christmas time. It would be tricky, but it would work out--he was determined.

"That lady's wrong," he said suddenly, smiling as he looked at Rory. With one hand he pet the kneazle again, and with the other he gently touched her shoulder, although Al removed the hand quickly and shoved it into his pocket. "He's not a misfit, and I'm positive he's got the same powers as any other kneazle. For example," here he paused and lifted out his hand to point at the sign above the bird cage, "you almost put your finger into a cage with a bird that would have bit it off, and the little guy stopped you. Saved you a trip to the healers, he did."

Albus grinned at Rory, glancing down at the pure white cat. "And I think his eyes are cool. He's much more interesting than any boring, normal kneazle. But you know that I prefer unique over ordinary." Feeling a bit daring, Al's eyes connected with Rory pointedly, holding her gaze for a moment before slowly looking back down at the little fuzz ball.

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

Rory's gaze lifted from the basket to Al as she felt the gentle pressure of his hand on her shoulder. At first his words brought a grateful smile to her face as he voiced his agreement with her own thoughts on the kitten. Some people and well,... apparently animals..were just different. It didn't make them messed up or useless .. they just.. had their own personal way of stirring the potion of life.. it got mixed either way so why fault those who chose to stir left when everyone else was stirring right yeah? Her smile wavered as small nervous twinge in the back of her mind spoke up to quietly remind her that sometimes it 'did' matter if the potions recipe were specific.. stir it the wrong way and you'd have the potion..'or you mothers confidence in you'..blowing up in your face. She forced the thought away though and looked back with determination at the kitten. They'd prove them wrong together then.. she and the spotless little Kneazle.

She hadn't noticed Al's quick removal of his hand, lost in thought as she was, but as he continued to speak her eyes lifted again to follow his hand as he pointed to the sign on the birds cage. Her brow went up, her frown deepened, and she glanced down to her hand, over to the kitten and back to the sign again. Paleing a bit as the what had really happened sank in. It had saved her from losing a finger?.. huh! .. a cat,..well, sort of a cat... with a brain that's thoughts went beyond finding irritating ways to annoy her. A slow grin pulled itself to her mouth and she reached over to scrub behind the kittens ears. It arched its back to her hand and purred.. so maybe she didn't dislike 'all' cats after all... at least not all cat 'like' creatures.

Al started talking again, commenting on the kitten and she glanced at him as he did, intending to focus on the kitten again. That is, she was.. until Al pointedly caught her eye and the comment he made with the look had something in her chest giving an excited and frightened leap all at the same time. She stared transfixed for a moment, back into Al's intense green eyes until the blush that had taken it upon itself to creep back into her cheeks caused her to tear her eyes away..damn cheeks..and look back down to the kitten. On the surface the only thing out of place was a rather uncharacteristically quiet Rory, cheeks flushed a pretty shade and a small though pleased smile that she couldn't seem to force away touching her lips as she pulled the kitten from the basket again to give her hands something to do, anything but look at Al again for the moment. Inside her mind was racing.. she was reading to much into it.. he'd just been trying to reassure her that he had her back as always. He'd caught on that the lady's comments had bugged her and, having been there when she was so upset over her moms disappointment in her, he just wanted to reassure her that it was alright to be herself.. that she was a good friend just the way she was.. all that.. because he was her best mate, and that's what they did for each other yeah?.. So why had his eyes been so intense then? Like he was trying to get some deeper point across ... Merlin Rory, that's what you get for all that thinking about his eyes and what not..now your reading stuff into things that just 'isn't' there..stuff you don't 'want' to be there, *why* was telling herself that getting to be so hard??.. he's your best mate and if you don't want to screw things up and have them get all weird then you better get it together yeah?

Lifting the kitten to eye level she pressed its forehead to the space between her eyes.. her own, flecked with a confused dusting of light blue and yellow flecks over the typical grey, all but crossing to lock with the Kneazle's own half hooded two toned gaze. It hung contentedly limp as she supported it gently beneath its front legs and a mild purr resonated from its small chest. Her voice was a bit distracted, quiet, as she spoke to it. " You did that yeah? ... If you had any clue how much I dislike the hospital wing you'd know just how much I appreciate it. " Smiling at the kitten she pulled it down from her forehead and planted a light kiss on its head before setting it back in the box..

[mgirl03]

Albus wasn't very good at flirting, at least in his own mind. To other people, it may not seem like he was horrible at it. The problem was, a lot of the time he wasn't trying to be cute or flirty when he did things--he was just acting normal, and it came across that way. When he wanted to try and flirt, and win somebody over, though, it seemed as if he couldn't do anything but trip over his words and sound like a complete wanker. But of course, things with Rory were always different than they would be with any girl.

As he kept his gaze locked with hers for a moment, green eyes staring into light blueish grey, he realized that really, he shouldn't be surprised that he liked Rory. It had been Rory that Al had talked to with ease, a girl he didn't even know. Rory who became his very best friend, Rory who came over in the summer, Rory who he talked with and laughed with. They had things in common, they got along, they fought but learned how to work it out. They balanced each other out, and in the end they always came out of everything with a strong relationship. Maybe, then, he was, and would be better, at...flirting with her than any other girl.

Just as he thought this, Al's eyes took in the subtle hint of pink that appeared on Rory's cheeks, just before they both looked away, and he felt himself feeling very confused, his heart beating fast. His stomach twisted as something in his chest gave a big, hopeful lurch, like a creature sniffing the wind when it thinks it smells food. Albus stared at the floor for a moment, trying to clear his head and figured out what had just happened. Without any conscious thought, his eyes moved over to look at Rory, who was silently standing there, blushing and smiling a very pretty smile. Al swallowed hard, unable to look away from her.

She was blushing, and smiling. They had connected gazes, and he had a very strong feeling that his point had gotten across. Which led to her blushing and smiling, which was...well, that was a bloody brilliant thing! Did this mean that maybe, just maybe, she felt something there for him? Why else would she blush, if there wasn't something there that was triggering embarrassment at his comment? And she must not have minded, because she was smiling, staring down at the little kneazle. Al's heart gave a small jump, but he forced a deep breath, trying to calm down, even though a smile had already curved his face.

He shouldn't jump ahead of himself, though. Al took another deep breath, the smile shrinking down to a barely noticeable one, although it was just as pleased at Rory's. Maybe she did feel a little something, and just didn't realize what it was, like he had back when this all first started. Maybe she had just blushed because he was staring at her a bit too long. Either way, he couldn't help but to feel a bit more hopeful about his plan that he would put into action at Christmas. Maybe things would work out in his favor and he would be able to do the unthinkable, and date his very best friend.

Al blinked, running a hand through his hair as he watched lift up the kitten, pressing her forehead to it's so that their eyes were locked. Very quietly, and a peculiar tone of voice, Rory thanked the little cat for saving her a finger and a trip to the hospital wing. Al let his hand drop to his side as he watched her, his head tilted a little, his heart still beating unnaturally fast. The pleased smile on his face grew a bit as he watched Rory lower the kitten and kiss it on the forehead, and he felt the urge to swoop over and kiss her again. Damn, did she have to be so cute? Albus mentally shook his head, bringing his hand out other hand out of his pocket as she sat the kitten back into the basket.

"Let's go, yeah? I'm sure he'll still be here later, if everybody else is like the lady up front and thinks the little guy isn't as good as the others because he's spotless," Al said, smiling at her again, although he didn't quite meet her eyes. His heart was still pounding fast, distracting him, and he didn't want to connect gazes again and freak Rory out, or say something stupid. Yet at the same time, he felt that urge to do something stupid, to be daring. After a pause, in which he swallowed hard, he reached out with his right hand and gently rested it a little lower than midback on Rory, putting pressure on it.

"Where d'you want to go next?" he asked her, trying to keep the nerves out of his smile as he steered her towards the door slowly, casting a polite nod at the lady over Rory's head, trying to ignore how sweaty his hand seemed to feel. Al reluctantly let his hand drop from her back as they neared the door, reaching out to open it and hold it open for her. His cheeks seemed to hold a small pink tint to them as he smiled crookedly, looking more confident than he felt.

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

Her mind was still doing its best to dismiss the meaning she'd read in Al's gaze and she'd only just set the kitten back down when Al suggested they leave and do something else. He was right of course. She didn't have the money for the little guy at the moment and standing here starring at him wasn't going to make it suddenly appear. She'd ask her dad about getting it in advance and working it off later, much as the idea of her physical labor loving dads ideas of 'odd jobs' were unpleasant.. (she'd never quite figured out just what 'moral lesson' he'd been certian could be learned by her doing things like washing the dishes by hand and helping him cut fire wood when it could so easily be done with a wave of his wand.) If they gave her the extra galleons she needed then she'd willingly give into doing them. And if someone bought him.. well.. then maybe she and Al weren't the only witch and wizard with some sense out there, yeah? If someone else saw the kneazels worth before she could buy it, she'd be disappointed sure. But at least he'd still have gotten a good home.

Her thoughts on the kitten were cut short as a startlingly pleasant thrill went through her. Just as her mind had begun to simmer down, convincing her it was reckless, stupid, friendship wrecking thinking on her part that Al's comment had been meant with anything more than friendship behind it, she felt his hand come to rest on the small of her back. Right.. he was just impatient to get out to the shops they actually planed to buy from today. That was it.. nothing behind the gentle pressure she felt as he guided her towards the door.. nothing at all to the smile she could see playing on his lips as he walked beside her.. what was with the bloody lump in her throat and why couldn't she swallow the damn thing down? Nerves she felt it impossible to fend off lightly colored her voice, and yet she could feel a subtle difference in them.. a mixture of the dreaded ones she'd been having anytime she thought of Al ..well, like that.. and a much more pleasant and thrilling type that while it set her on edge it was in a bizarrely pleasant way that she knew she should be angry at herself for, so why couldn't she wipe the bloody smile off her daft face? Blushing like a fool and acting like one of the dress up doll gossiping twits that were deemed the normal ones of her gender... rubbish.. Trying her best to shrug away the pleased expression from her face and doing a rather bad job of it she nodded. "Right, lots of shopping to do yet yeah? Joke shop and Honeydukes.. think I might fancy a butter beer first though. Awfully cold out today.. we could get warm together and then head for the.." Rory blanched as her wording caught up with her and finished weakly... "shops".. could she be any more of a daft, bumbling idiot today? honestly..

When they got to the door and Al reached forward to open and hold it for her she stopped for a moment, her eyes widening a bit and her brow arching over one eye. She cound'nt help herself as she lifted her gaze to take in his face. What was he playing at? some victorious part of her selfish heart beamed and whispered.. explain that one away..he's not done that for you since your first year when you totally took the mickey out of him for it. Her eyes settled on Al's crooked smile and she felt that horrid, thought telling, blush heighten in her cheeks.. it was now officially in competition with her eyes for her least favorite body part that she had no control over. Godric he was cute when he smiled like that..

Ducking her head she bit her lip and sighed before stepping just past him onto the stoop of the shops steps. This was just to much.. she had to get away from Al for a bit, clear her head. If she kept making daft comments and blushing like some love struck dolt she'd lead him on if she was right in what she was starting to suspect and he actually liked her that way. Well it wouldn't be leading him on seeing as happy about it or not she obviously cared for him.. but.. it just couldn't be like that.. Soren's face and all their awkward run-ins since splitting surfaced in her mind and her heart lurched. She wasn't going to let that happen between Al and herself, she needed what they already had to much to risk that. Mustering what sarcasm and cheek she could in her current mindset she turned and grinned.. " Feeling our house today are you? ..extra bout of chivalry and all? Not like I couldn't get it but...ermm.. thanks.. yeah? "

She turned to look back out at the traffic of Hogsmead. What the hell was all that rubbish?? Could she have said anything more lame? Sure she liked him but she'd liked Soren to and he'd never reduced her to a seeming lack of brains.. you couldn't even call what she'd said taking the mickey out of someone. If she gave her mouth any more chances to open before collecting her thoughts Al was sure to notice something was up.. and if she was wrong, though she was starting to doubt that the case, then Godric.. that would be bloody embarrassing. Glancing around the street her eyes settled on one of her dorm mates walking away. Pointing at the girl she spoke to Al without looking back at him again. "Hey ... s'one of my dorm mates. I've got to ask her about something ok? Might take a few minutes.. I'll meet you at the Three Broom Sticks ok?"

That said she hurried out into the street in the direction her dorm mate had gone. Not that she really needed to talk to the girl, but it was as good an excuse as any to put a bit of air between herself and Al.. give her a chance to think and reason and remind herself of all the reasons those pleasant feelings back in the pet shop had been wrong and things to squash out and avoid. Besides, she still had to stop in at a book store and pick up a few things for her Christmas project she was trying to pull off for Al's gift.

[mgirl03]

Lessons with his father had began to ingrain into Al an ability to act on a whim, think on his feet, and notice anything and everything he could. When fighting, being aware of your surrounding, especially the people in those surroundings, could save your life on more than one occasion. So as his hand found its way to Rory's lower back, and he gently guided her towards the door, out of the corner of his eyes he saw her cheeks brighten, something they seemed to be doing a lot more since he had became determined to flirt with her and win her over. The smile that was on her face made the one on his widen a little bit--was it possible that his plan was working? Physical contact and pointed looks definitely seemed to be doing something to Rory, and it didn't seem to be a bad something.

A small seed of confidence and pride had lodged itself into his stomach, taking its place among the nerves and worry that had usually dominated it. Rose had said that he needed to subtly hint to Rory that he liked her as more than a friend, and by Merlin he was actually achieving it. He, Albus Severus Potter, the king of awkward when it came to girls, was making his best friend blush in a pleased sort of way. It made him feel taller, to know that he could actually overcome a flaw if he worked hard enough on it. Of course, her next words showed him that he wasn't an expert by far.

As Rory had been talking, Al had merely nodded, still smiling, agreeing that there were shops to go to, that it was cold, that maybe they should go to the Three Broomsticks. However, when the words 'get warm together' left Rory's mouth, he felt his cheeks heat up a bit more, his green eyes widening. A part of his brain realized that it was most probable that the wording had just been weird, which was proven right by the way Rory stumbled over herself, looking increasingly embarrassed. However, there was a hopeful part of him that wished maybe they could go warm up together, like that. He gave himself a mental shake of the head, cursing hormones and everything in the universe that made his mind so...not innocent.

"Yeah, of course," he said immediately after she was done talking, forcing his face into a relaxed expression that still had that tiny smile on it. "Going to the broomsticks to warm up sounds great. Butterbeer would be perfect right about now. Then we can get shopping done." Al mentally congratulated himself on keeping his calm, even when his heart was pounding, his stomach twisting, his chest awakening in a way that didn't feel natural. He was getting pretty good at this--Occlumency probably didn't hurt his prowess at it.

He further congratulated himself at being 'suave' enough to open the door for Rory, which was really just an excuse to turn and look at her more than he could when steering her ahead of himself. Al knew that under normal circumstances, Rory would either make a snide comment about this, or just take the mickey out of him. He remembered the first time he had held the door open for her--which was something that his mother had told him was polite, and which he did for most everybody. Rory had said that she was perfectly able to open the door for herself, thanks, and had teased him for being old fashioned, which had successfully steered him from doing so again. Something in his gut told him that this would be okay, though, so he just smiled a bit uncertaintly, his eyes trained on Rory's face. He didn't go unrewarded.

He saw her eyes widen a bit in surprise, and the blush work its way onto her cheeks again. He saw just a small flash of her biting her lip before she was ducking her head down so she could hide behind her curtain of red hair and moving out the door ahead of him. Al's crooked smile softened as he moved out of the shop and let the door swing shut behind him softly, coming to a stop next to Rory, glancing down at her as the wind picked up suddenly and whipped at his black hair. Albus shivered a bit, sticking his hands into his pockets just as Rory turned and thanked him in a way that he could tell was supposed to be mocking. It didn't seem very certain though.

"Don't worry about it. Feeling nice today," he said, letting out a soft laugh, feeling the heat in his cheeks highten just a bit. Maybe holding the door open for her hadn't been as suave as he was hoping. Rory didn't exactly hate his gentlemen complex, but it wasn't like she was out looking for that knight in shining armour, right? She'd rather be a knight herself, take care of things. Al shoved his hand deeper into his pockets, thinking on that now, his brows furrowed a bit. She did let him help some, and she didn't seem to particularly mind that he had held the door open. She'd seemed a bit nervous, and she had been smiling, the mocking sent towards him a bit weak. So maybe she foudn it kind of cute? Damn, why did girls have to be so bloody confusing?

Al was snapped back to the present as Rory spoke again, and he looked down to see her pointing at a housemate. Before he could respond to her she was hurrying off, and Al lifted one hand to run through his hair, confused. "Erm, alright," he said to the empty space around him. Another gust of wind tore through him and he shivered again, looking up and down the street. Rory was hurring out of sight and seemed occupied, so he quickly turned and made his way back into the shop that he had just left, listening to a little bell that sounded over head.

The lady at the front desk looked up at him curiously, but before she could say anything he was already hurrying away towards the kneazle basket. Al smiled down at the 'misfit' kneazle, his hands reaching down to gently scoop the little guy up, listening to him purr with a grin. Turning down the aisle, he grabbed a medium sized bag of kneazle kitten food, and took both of the things back up to the counter, placing the bag down but holding the kitten. With his free hand he dug into his pocket, pulling out a handful of galleons and setting them on the counter.

"Fifteen galleons, fourteen sickles. Will this be all for you, dear?" the lady asked, seeming bewildered about why he would be buying the kneazle that supposedly had something wrong with it. Al smiled politely at her as he counted out the money he needed and shoving the rest into his pocket again. "Well, I actually was wondering if I could leave these things here. You see, this is a Christmas present, and it's a surprise, of course. So, would it be already if my dad came to pick the kneazle and food up tomorrow? I could pay a holding fee or something..."

The lady looked at him, taking in his black hair and green eyes, his pale complexion, and he could see the wheels in her head turning, connecting him to the man he looked so much alike. A smile took over her face, and he felt that having Harry Potter for a dad wasn't all bad when it came to the perks. "Of course, dear. Don't worry about it. I'll just hold the little guy for Mr. Potter. You'll inform him of our closing and opening times?" Al assured her that he would with a nod, and after getting his change, he strode from the shop, smirking at the shocked look that had been on the lady's face.

As Al left the shop for a second time, he kept his hand in his pocket, counting out his money by tuoch. He still had a significant amount. He had figured out in the past that while his parents gave him pocket money (they weren't exactly short on it), Christmas always took away most of it, and sometimes it wasn't enough to just have a couple of galleons. That right there had cost him near sixteen galleons--sixteen galleons that he had made in the past year doing manual labor for his mum and dad that made it possible for Rory to have a pure white kitten for Christmas.

Bending his head against the wind, Al wished for a moment that he had brought a cloak with him as he made his way down the street towards the Three Broomsticks. By the time he had made it to the door his hair was a complete mess, worse than ever, and he was shivering in the decently warm sweater that his grandmum had knit him. His looked practically white from the snow that clung to it. He tugged the door open and hurriedly stepped inside, the warm air washing over him and making his shoulders untense, a sigh escaping his lips. He blinked, pressing his hair down as he surveyed the room in front of him. It was packed, unsurprisingly--there weren't many warm shops in Hogsmeade, and everybody loved butterbeer. Al saw plenty of people that he knew, and while he got a few waves he merely shook his head and smiled. He was determined to be with Rory and Rory only.

He didn't see her yet, so he moved to the bar, waiting for a moment before Rosmerta came over to him, beaming. Albus smiled back widely, leaning on the counter and ordering two butterbeers, which she had made in record time. She even put a warming charm over them, since he informed her that Rory had yet to shown up. She sent him off with a wink and smile, and he moved slowly towards the back, where there was an empty table, snug in the corner. Perfect. He beelined for it and sat the
mugs down.

Shaking his head and taking off his scarf, Al watched the snow melt in his sweater and fall, shivering again. Sitting down, he took the mug of his drink into his hands, taking a sip and closing his eyes just as he heard the door open and the sound of wind enter the building.

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

Heading down the street she kept her gaze trained ahead until she was certain that the distance between her and the shop she'd just left would be swallowed up in the swirling gusts of snow. Risking a quick glance over her shoulder to be sure that was the case she then turned off from the direction she had been going. She hadn't lied to Al, not really.. she did have a thing or two she could ask the dorm mate she'd pointed out to him. They were just things that weren't quite as pressing as she'd made them out to be.. stuff about class and finding out if that daft ginger kitten of the girls had stolen her missing striped sock. She sure hoped that the kneazle, if she ended up being able to buy it, would prove a bit more clever than the cats she'd put up with so far in the dorms. Thinking back on the little things mellow attitude and the gentle way it had rebuffed her from the birds cage she grinned. Yeah, it would have to be.. after all so far its personality reminded her very much of Al. And he tended to have enough common sense for the both of them.. To bad he couldn't use that fact to help her with her current problem. No.. what she was facing now as she hurried through the street, shoulders hunched against the cold wind and blowing snow, was something Al didn't need to know anything about right? Because it might ruin things between them.. and because Al's pointed looks and actions over the last bit in the store back there had given her an idea on what he thought on the matter, or was starting to think.. or something. It was bloody scary and unhelpful and totally went against her trying to keep things 'normal' between them,.. and it was causing a very big bubble of hope to rise up inside her that made her want to smile and cry all at the same time. She thought she could still feel the warmth of his hand where it had rested on her back, a warmth that had felt so 'right' even though she knew it wasn't.. she should be discouraging him, if that was even his game. Not grinning like some daft idiot and sending him all the wrong signals. So why couldn't she then? ..yeah ok, so she 'knew' why and that was the bloody problem, yeah?

Ducking into Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop she rubbed her snow dusted, mittened hands together trying to warm them up a bit. The snow melted into them, but at least the warmth of the store made it a warm sort of damp. Her gaze dropping to roam over the quills, parchment and other supplies lining the shelves. She'd figured out over the last several tries and with a good deal of patient book study, (something bizarrely out of character for her.. but then this was study for 'Al's' gift, one she hoped he'd like a lot, so strangely it had been almost fun in a way) that for what she was wanting to pull off the enchantment had to be placed on the subject being written on rather than the quills themselves. If she simply enchanted a stack of parchment.. they might run out. So one evening lost in thought on the matter in the common room her eye had been caught by Rosie, Al's cousin, writing in her journal. Rory had never really had the patience to keep one herself.. but the book had given her an idea. If she used two books for the enchantment she could also maybe figure out some way to get the words to fade out over time. So by the time they reached the end of them the first pages would be of use again. Stopping before a Christmas display she grinned as her eyes fell on a stack of books.. the sign boasted of candy cane red, snowflake blue and Christmas tree green journals. Rory however only had eyes for the blue and green.. which matched the quills she already had in her and Al's favorite colors. The quills that in turn matched the two toned gaze of a certain kitten that looked to be a blending of Al and Rory's own eyes.. his brilliant green and her own when content, which more often than not tended to be around Al. Lifting a green one she flipped through it to eye the crisp new pages inside before letting the cover settle into place again. Running her thumb over the cover a thought occurred to her.. Her favorite color was green because Al's eyes were green.. not just any green but a brilliant shade that she'd found herself liking for quite some time.. though to be honest the thought of it had never quite brought Al to mind ever time she saw it like it did lately..or cause that pleasant flip in her stomach..Her eyes flickered to the blue journal on the table. Blue had been his favorite for a long time to so with all the other coincidences..could it.. could it be 'her' eyes that made him like it so much? Another pleased flip and damned if it wasn't hard to make herself want to push it away.. she shouldn't have to yeah? Nothing wrong with liking that Al thought her eyes were cool yeah? Glancing back at the green cover in her hands she sighed a bit.. if only she could honestly say she thought his simply cool and nothing more...

Right, frowning she pulled herself from her thoughts and plucking up the blue journal to go with the one in her hands she set off to the register and payed for them. Having explained to the young man behind the counter that they were for a Christmas gift he gave her a wink and transfigured both covers to resemble new potions and transfiguration texts and slipped them in a bag. Flashing him a grin of gratitude she turned and headed back out into the blowing wind outside.. it had picked up a good bit. Tugging her jacket a bit more securely about her shoulders she set off for the three broomsticks, shopping bag clutched firmly in her hand. Nearly there, absorbed in her task of fending off the worst of the wind and snow flurrys, she'd failed to see a set of practical jokers snickering behind a drift. She also didn't see the three snowballs that came whizzing at her head. That is until they exploded against it and her shoulder and the snow floffed down into the bag with the books. Cursing she stopped and yanked the books from the bag, dusting the snow off of them and shaking the bag empty. Once they were back in place she looked up with a scowl and scanned the direction they had been hurled from.. Her eyes narrowed as they settled on the laughing pair of boys and she scooped up a good bit of snow, packing it good and tight with ice crystals before letting it fly in their general direction. Hearing a satisfying yelp of surprise and possibly pain she rolled her eyes and picked the bag up again before heading the rest of the way to the broomsticks and letting herself in the door, a gust of wind dancing in along with her.

She gave the snow on her jacket a disgruntled shake before looking up to take in the tables.. had Al not made it yet? Maybe he'd stopped off somewhere first. She'd been just about to search out a place to wait for him when her eye caught on a head of messy black hair in the corner. Good.. he's found a table.. her brow rose.. and already had drinks for both of them.. o..k.. heading over to the table she managed a tense smile at him before slumping grumpily down into the chair beside him and setting her bag down. That done she yanked her orange mittens off the first with her teeth and the second with her now free hand. Her fingers were bloody frozen between the snow that had melted into them in the quill shop and refrozen when she'd gone out again, and the new layer of icy crystals that was now melting from her retaliation snowball. Eying her red hands she grimaced and wrapped her fingers around the mug of warm butter beer.. and let out a deeply contented sigh.. yeah it was odd Al had bought hers but at the moment she wasn't in the mood to complain. Maybe he was in a bit of a hurry to get to shopping and figured by going ahead and getting them he'd save time. Bringing the mug up to her lips she took a long swig of the drink, her nose twitching against the tickle of the froth on top, and was grinning on setting it back down. She wiped with her sleeve at the Froth mustache left behind but unknowingly didn't quite get it before she started rummaging in her pocket for the coin to pay Al back for the drink. "Thanks for getting me one yeah? I've got the money for it here..just a second. " Pulling out the coins she reached over and set them in front of Al. Her brow lifted up again as she noticed a few white hairs clinging to the sleeve of Al's sweater.. she plucked them off without thinking about it and eyed them. Had he held the kitten?.. She didn't think he had.. of course she was a bit distracted soo.. right.. flicking the hairs away she steered herself from those thoughts.

[mgirl03]

The blast of cold air from the door opening was so fierce that it tore through the whole room, making it all the way back to Al, who shivered but didn't open his eyes. Tilting his head back, he felt the hair slowly fall off of his forehead as he held his mug tightly between his two gloved hands, wishing he had worn a cloak or something. He was usually the one to preach about dressing warm enough, and yet all he had worn out was a 'pretty warm sweater'? He blamed it on the distraction of nerves as he had gotten dressed. A small smile quirked Al's lips, just as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps and squinted open his eyes, sitting up at the sight of Rory.

He noticed immediately that she didn't look particularly happy, so he stayed silent as she sat down and barely smiled at him. Albus raised one eyebrow slightly as she took off her gloves forcefully, his eyes tracking her every movement. He saw the tension leave her body slightly as she wrapped her hands around her very warm butterbeer and couldn't help but to grin back at her after she had taken a sip from the drink that always hit the spot, especially around this time of year. The grin fell a bit as his eyes alighted on the little bit of foam that she had failed to wipe off of her upper lip. Well, that was going to be distracting.

Blinking hard, Al made himself focus on the fact that Rory was pushing coins across the table towards him, trying to pay him back, which made him frown just a bit. He had not intention of taking that money--yeah, sure, she usually bought her own drink. He had long since learned that Rory was independent and perfectly capable of doing things like buying drinks. However, he wanted to buy this one for her--and the next one, and the next, and the one after that. He wanted to get the hint across, and doing things he didn't normally do seemed the perfect way. He was just about to speak up and refuse the money, when Rory reached over and casually plucked a few white hairs from his sweater.

Swallowing, Al tried to look innocent, as Rory looked merely curious and then tossed aside the hairs, as if she couldn't think about it right now. That was good, he didn't need her suspecting anything. After a second of silence, Al took his hands off his mug and tugged off the gloves, pushing them to the side. His eyes lifted and landed on Rory's again, but the little bit of foam right above her lip distracted him once more, and before he could stop himself, he was leaning forward across the table. His right index finger crooked a bit, the top knuckle gently grazing her skin and wipping away the frost. He glanced up at her eyes at that exact moment and froze, realizing that he was only a few inches away from her.

Al felt his heart skip a beat, the little annoying thing in his chest humming in a contented way that made him want to stay this close for a very long time. However, his brain was screaming at him to move before he freaked her out (even though it had probably been a second, if that). Slowly, he removed his finger and sat back down, leaning back into his seat, his face a distinct pink color now. Al cleared his throat and rubbed his thumb across his finger, making the frost disappear. He took a deep breath that was hopefully hidden from the large lump of a sweater he was wearing, trying to calm down while reprimanding himself for being such an idiot at the same time.

"Had a bit of foam," he said softly, and then hastily looked down at the coins in front of him. He folded his hand around them and pushed them back across the table, shaking his head a bit and trying to grin, his voice rising just a bit in volume. "Forget about it, my treat. I rarely buy us both drinks, and its Christmas time, right?" Taking his hand back, he wrapped them both around his mug once more and took a tiny gulp from it, setting it down again with a very soft 'thud'. He tried to adopt a firm facial expression to tell Rory that there would be no arguing over it, but he knew that his face still probably looked pink and goofy, with his nervous smile, not at all threatening.

After a moment, Al let his gaze drop back down to his drink as he took a long gulp from it, trying to collect himself. He had been so in control earlier--the hand on Rory's back, holding open the door, even buying her a drink. And then he gets sort of close to her and suddenly he's all mush, with no thought process whatsoever. If he wanted to flirt and win Rory over, he had to be better than this. Even if his heart was jumping and his stomach churning, he couldn't let anything like that affect him. He needed to stay calm at least on the outside so that Rory didn't question him too early and get put off by his actions.

"So, what's in the bag?" he asked after he had drained his mug, setting it down once more. Lifting up his right hand he pointed at the bag by Rory, his left hand running through his hair, while his mind tried not to think on how Rory's outfit was still unbelievably amusing and cute at the same time. Before Rory could answer, however, Al heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked to the side, to see one of the young workers that now helped Rosmerta come to a halt beside him.

"I've got two more drinks for you, Albus," she said with a large smile, and he smiled back at her easily as she set them down on the table. Before Rory could make a move he already had the coins in the woman's hands, who stuck it into a pocket and gave him a cheeky wink, which made him chuckle a bit nervously. "You just wave us over if you need some more, yeah? Enjoy." "Thank you," he said over the sound of the others in the room, and the girl gave a brief smile to Rory before heading back to the bar. Al's eyes immediately went back to the redhead he was drinking with, his face relaxing into a more genuine smile, although the bridge of his nose was a bit more red. It was always embarrassing, things like that.

"I know, I know, you can buy your own drinks," he said quickly, shrugging his shoulders a bit and trying for a winning smile, his green eyes twinkling. "But like I said, I don't buy your drinks barely ever. It's almost Christmas, yeah? I'm feeling in the spirit." He let out a soft laugh, and he noticed that his voice had dropped and he had leaned his body across the table a bit so that Rory could hear him better. His right hand wrapped around the new drink carefully, as his eyes flickered to the bag once more.

"Now where were we? Oh, right, the bag. Wouldn't happen to be a present for a devishly handsome young lad, would it?" Al said with a large grin.