STAY WITH ME | Draco x OC x Theo

07

Clementine maneuvered through the crowds of students mingling in the streets of Hogsmeade as she rushed to follow Neville before he disappeared. She let out a huff of disappointment to find the alleyway empty upon her arrival. She was too late.

"How does he keep doing that?" She groaned in frustration. She had lost him again.

Clementine looked around the alleyway for any signs of where Neville had gone, noticing that it wasn't entirely bare.

There was one small shop tucked away with a delicate looking sign that read Pensée Apothicaire in gold lettering. The window display was full of various crystals of all shapes and sizes including a giant amethyst geode that glittered when the light hit it just right.

It didn't look like somewhere Neville would shop, but it was the only store in the tiny alley, so she opened the door and stepped inside to see for herself.

Pensée Apothicaire was dark and gloomy, but there was a warmth to the room. There were small candles floating overhead that cast a glow that danced across the walls, reflecting on all the crystals that lined the shelves.

Clementine stopped to look at one of the crystals one the shelf. It was a beautiful block of obsidian, so shiny that she could see her own reflection in the black rock. She traced the  smooth surface with her fingers, thinking about the stone's protective properties.

A door behind the counter opened, and Clementine looked up to see a familiar face studying her carefully.

"Clementine Beaumont," Pansy Parkinson's infamous drawl carried through the store, "I heard you came back to Hogwarts, but I never expected to see you with my own eyes."

Clementine blinked, almost too stunned to speak as she stared back at the witch. The once gangly and unfortunate looking young girl had bloomed into a breathtaking grown woman. Her blunt-cut bob accentuated her strong bone structure, and she had freckles that spread across her face like constellations. A few tattoos danced in a similar style to Cho Chang's across her arms.

"I didn't expect you of all people to still be here." Clementine blurted out, realizing that the silence was lingering a bit too long.

"And where did you think I might be?" Pansy quirked her perfectly sculpted brow awaiting an answer. She seemed amused at the idea.

"In Cannes, or possibly somewhere like Sofia." Clementine guessed. "Somewhere much more high-brow than this."

"Sofia, Bulgaria?" Pansy's shoulders shook as she laughed, "That's not really my scene."

"So you're not into quidditch players so much these days then? That used to be all you talked about. Theo and Draco's broom thighs were of great interest to you, I recall." Clementine tried to read Pansy's expression, but the witch was incredible at playing coy.

"My time spent chasing quidditch boys ended a long time ago." Pansy said offhandedly. She had no real interest in the topic, so she pivoted the conversation. "What brings you into my shop?"

The crystals suddenly made a lot more sense now that Clementine knew it was her shop. Pansy always had a proclivity for more natural forms of magic than most witches.

"I thought I saw Neville come this way." Clementine admitted, "You haven't seen him, have you?"

"Longbottom?" Her tone went sharp, "He doesn't come in here much at all. I haven't seen him."

"I could have sworn I saw him walk this way." Clementine craned her neck to see into the back room. She could see a bouquet of flowers laying on a table that looked almost exact to the ones Neville had been carrying. Pansy noticed her looking and shut the door with the wave of her wand.