The first Hogsmeade weekend was the weekend before Halloween. That morning, I spent at least a quarter hour choosing an outfit that I was content with, and another half hour deciding how to style my hair and what makeup to apply.
Elizabeth noticed the frantic way I was going about it. "For goodness sake, Ana, you're only going to Hogsmeade, not a fashion show!"
I was exasperated. "I'm not just going to Hogsmeade, Elizabeth! I'm going on a date in Hogsmeade!" Lizzie rolled her eyes and walked away.
When I was finally happy with how I looked, I made my way to the common room and was surprised to find Fred already waiting for me. "Why, hello there! Finally decided to join us mortals?"
Blushing, I nodded. "I'm ready when you are."
"Fantastic! Shall we go, then?"
"Where are George and Lizzie?" I was excited to finally be having some time alone with Fred, but all the same I felt a little uneasy about going anywhere without my twin.
"They've already gone ahead of us. Come now, I thought we were having a little time to ourselves!" Fred pretended to be offended that I had apparently forgotten. At least, I thought he was only pretending. I hoped he was.
"Of course," I replied, loosening up a little. After all, I didn't have to do everything with Lizzie, did I?
As usual, Filch was at the front door to the castle, checking everyone's permission slips. Everything went smoothly until a third year, Catarina Smith, was stopped. "Who's leg do you think you're tryin' ter pull?" Filch growled menacingly. "You think I don't know what a permission slip looks like? I don't rightly know what this is, but it ain't no permission slip!" He was so angry that he shredded the sheet right then and there.
Catarina was completely taken aback; she looked as though she were on the verge of tears. It was a moment before she could find her words. "Oh," she squeaked. "Um . . .I'm sorry, Mr. Filch, I really thought I picked up my permission slip. I . . . er . . .suppose I'll just run back up to the common room and get it?" With that, she scurried back in the direction of the common room.
"Mind you be quick about it!" Filch shouted after her. "I sure as 'ell ain't standin' here all day waitin' on you," he mumbled. Then he glared at us and said, "I 'ope you two 'ave the sense to give me a real permission slip and not the garbage that girl tried ter give me?"
"Why, of course, my good man," exclaimed Fred, handing him the permission slip. I silently gave him mine. Filch eyed Fred suspiciously, not taking his tone kindly. He said nothing, though, and let us through with no problems.
"I hope that girl finds her permission slip," said Fred. "I mean it. It'd be a shame not to be able to go to Hogsmeade. Remember when Harry couldn't go because those Muggles wouldn't sign his slip? Poor chap, I always felt sorry for him myself."
I wasn't sure what to say. I did remember; Harry and I were in the same year. I remembered him talking about it with Granger and Fred's younger brother whose name I could never seem to remember. I also remembered him talking about some kind of map that showed him the entire castle, as well as everyone in it and where they are and what they're doing every minute of every day. He'd said that Fred and George had given it to him. I decided to just say, "Yeah, I remember. I hope she finds it, too."
On the way there, we caught up to Harry, Granger, and Fred's brother. "Hello, Harry, Ron, Hermione."
They stopped for a moment to see who was calling their names, and then Harry said, "Hi, Fred. Going to Zonko's?"
"Ah, Harry, you know me too well. I suppose you three will be going to Honeyduke's?"
"Actually, we were going to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer; it's quite chilly out for October." It was Granger who spoke. Then she noticed me. "Oh! Hello, Ana." She said it politely.
"Hello," I said stiffly. I was always uncomfortable speaking to her and generally didn't bother trying to hide it.
Fred seemed to notice my unwillingness to speak while in her presence, so he took over. "Zonko's could cure that in a flash. A good joke always warms me up," he said with a wink.
"Yeah, well it looks like you've hit your stop," said Ron slightly gruffly. "Go get your laughs, then." We all said a short goodbye, and the trio continued on the Three Broomsticks while Fred pushed open the door to the joke shop.
"Have you always been like that with Hermione?" asked Fred once we'd made it in.
"I've always disliked her, if that's what you mean." I didn't want to admit that I was just jealous, although I suppose it amounted to the same thing.
"Really? I never even noticed. What's wrong with her? Don't want another Muggle-born competing with your brains?"
I knew that he was joking, but the fact that he'd guessed so close to the mark stunned me; I stopped walking, much to the irritation of other students in the shop. Fred quickly realized that I wasn't right next to him anymore and spun around to see me staring at him in astonishment. "You're jealous," he whispered, pulling me gently toward the shelves of merchandise.
There was no point denying it; he'd know right away that I was lying. I explained everything to him. "Well," he said when I'd finished, "nothing a good laugh can't fix, right? You know what?" He dropped his voice to a whisper. "We'll pull a prank on her, a good one." When he saw my look of apprehension, he said, "Oh, don't worry it'll be perfectly harmless, but I think it's just what you need. You want to see her fail at something, right? You think she's too smart for her own good. Let's do this - you see this?" He held up what looked like a perfectly normal wand. "This here is a fake wand. It's a classic prank. Just replace her real wand with this when she's not looking and she'll take it to class with her - next thing you know, she tries to cast a spell with it and poof - nothing happens. With this one, anyway.," he added with a sly wink.
Was he being serious, or was he trying to make fun of me? "You know, Fred, I'm surprised," I said.
He raised an eyebrow. "At what, that I'd help you make a joke at someone? You shouldn't be."
"No, not at that," I said. "This prank seems a little . . . small scale for you."
"You're right, it is," he replied. "But I don't think you're looking to get expelled or anything, so I think small-scale is the way to go on this, don't you?"
I smiled and nodded. I couldn't wait to see the look on Granger's face when none of her spells worked.
That problem solved, Fred led me through the rest of the shop, showing me everything from sugar quills and Dungbombs to Extendable Ears and Frog Spawn Soap. Wondering why I had never bothered to venture in here, I bought several products to show Elizabeth when we saw each other again in the common room.
After spending quite a while in the joke shop, Fred and I left, arms full of merchandise. We trekked back to the castle, chatting away and just enjoying each other's company. When we arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, we were so out of breath with laughter and from the by then heavy merchandise that it was several minutes before we were able to give her the password.
"You know," began Fred as we stepped into the common room, which was still quite empty, "I really enjoyed myself today. We should do this again." I don't know how, but I could tell he was completely serious.
"Yeah, we should," I agreed. Our eyes met for a few moments, and right then I wished desperately that our arms weren't so full so that maybe, just maybe, it could be me he held in his arms rather than a pile of joke stuff. "Well," I said, "I suppose I'll go put this away."
"Yeah, I think I will too."
Nodding, I walked up the stairs to the dorm. I carefully placed everything in a neat pile so that it wouldn't get in anyone's way, then sat on my bed, thinking about what had happened that day and hoping that I would have another day like it.
