Seeker of my Heart

4. Just a Love Potion

I sighed against the cold, watching the way the air puffed out into a visible cloud in front of me. I shivered as the wind picked up, feeling my face pull into a frown as I trotted to keep up with Vyanya and Caleb. The crazy love birds were smiling adoringly at each other, their arms linked as Caleb leaned down to whisper something into Vyanya's ear that made her gasp in mock shock as she slapped his arm.

"We should have stayed in the castle." I said in a low voice, stuffing my chin into the collar of my old winter jacket.

"You love Hogsmeade!" Vyanya said with a winning smile as she turned her attention on me.

"In the fall or spring, and I would give my left nut to live here in the summer." I countered, trying and failing to keep a slight whine from my tone. "But winter sucks and I'd rather stay inside where it is warm."

"Aww," Caleb pulled his full lips into a convincing frown as he released his girlfriend and threw his arm over my shoulders, pulling me roughly into his side. "Does my little Panda-bear hate the cold?"

I scowled and punched him in the side, not hard enough to bruise but hard enough that he howled and jumped away, rubbing the spot for effect. "I am not a baby, don't treat me like one." I snapped.

"How about we stop at the Three Broomsticks?" Vyanya suggested, ignoring the fact that I'd punched her boyfriend. She really was the best.

"But we usually go there last!" Caleb protested. He'd been talking nonstop about visiting Honeydukes since we'd gotten back from Christmas Break.

"And the candy isn't going to taste any different today than it has in the past four and a half years." Vyanya countered. "At least if we go to the Three Broomsticks now, we can get some warm Butterbeers and feel a little better about being out in the cold."

"Maybe I should just head back to the castle." I replied instead. It was weird sometimes, being around them. The three of us have been friends for years, even before we started playing for our house Quidditch teams, but the two of them have only been dating since fifth year. That didn't help the third wheel feeling I would sometimes get. Especially when we went places that seemed geared specifically toward couples. Like Hogsmeade a month before Valentine's Day.

"Not gonna happen." Vyanya said, mirroring Caleb's position of only moments before as she threw her arm over my shoulder. It was slightly funny because she was several inches shorter than me, but I wasn't really in a touchy/feeling mood today. Just as I was maneuvering my arm so I could pinch her (even I didn't hit girls if I could help it), she shook her head and pinned me with her gaze. "If you inflict bodily harm against me at all today, I will make you run dodging drills for the next three practices straight."

Caleb winced and gave his girlfriend a sly, appreciative look. "Fine." I quipped, tucking my hands back into my armpits as another gust of wind tore through the thin fabric of my aging coat. "Let's go then." I struggled away from Vyanya's grip and stomped a few feet ahead before either of them started following me.

My lack of any real protection against the cold probably didn't help my hatred for the season. I scowled down at my nearly ruined boots and the fluff escaping from a pretty deep tear in my elbow before my friends fell into step next to me. I could have spent my earnings from working in my father's welding shop on new clothes but I needed most of it for my books and other school supplies since my father refused to support my 'witchy' ways.

I listened quietly as we walked while Vyanya and Caleb talked about classes and teachers and other students. It wasn't that I didn't have opinions to share or particular students I wished my best friend would use her status as Head Girl to ruin their lives, it was just... my mind was preoccupied by a stupid dark haired Slytherin it felt impossible to avoid. I couldn't get the itching, irritating feeling of tension between us to go away.