Cherry Lips // s. black

-DECEMBER. 3.-

"I think I'm sick of the cold now." Charlie grumbled, wrapping his green and silver scarf around himself tighter, and huffing out a misty breath into the cold air around them.

The two were waiting outside Honeydukes while Ace ran in to buy some sweets. Her parents hadn't sent her a present this year, after she'd sent a fiercely worded letter about how she'd been brought up, so she was running low on pepper imps.

From what Carmilla could work out, it was a mix between the pink haired girl discovering who exactly she was, and also the fact her bedtime stories were about vampires killing her in her sleep and Squibs hitting her with cars.

She still felt guilty about it, but Ace insisted the fight had been a long time coming.

The girls hadn't explained this to Charlie, since he didn't know that Carmilla was half vampire, but he just seemed happy to be invited. It was the last trip before school went back, after all.

In all honesty, Carmilla didn't feel the cold her best friend was complaining about that much. Maybe it was because she was literally stone cold, having no blood, or she was just one of those people that wore skirts and shirts when it snowed.

She still wore the beanie Charlie knitted her for Christmas. He was her best friend after all.

"The snow is pretty, but it makes it hard to practise quidditch." Carmilla sighed. "And we need all the practise we can get."

The best friend part of their friendship was her biggest problem at the moment, and she tried not to dwell on it as they waited outside the busy shop.

She loved Charlie, so much, but she wasn't quite sure if she was his best friend.

Not that he'd ever done anything to prove otherwise, but it was more embarrassing to ask someone if feelings of friendship were returned then all of that romantic stuff, in her opinion.

Carmilla might be a Care of Magical Creatures friend who kept dragging him around to study and go to Hogsmeade and sneak him into her dorm to listen to records and read books in the afternoons. She might be really annoying. He might complain about her to his dormmates and his Slytherin guy best friend.

Whatever. It was annoying to think about.

She kicked a pile of snow.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ace called, squeezing between the tight crowds outside the shop and following them to The Three Broomsticks, arms laden with paper bags. Her parents certainly hadn't cut her off their Gringotts account.

Carmilla stepped through and took a breath of the buttery vanilla smell that filled the cozy pub, doors swinging shut behind her as the bell tinkled above. A group of teachers no one would make eye contact with sat in one corner while the locals of Hogsmeade milled around the bar they had permanently claimed.

Christmas trees were scattered around, creating private little pockets in the large pub that probably weren't the brightest idea considering how many older students were taking advantage of them.

After bumping into Professor Sprout, Ace managed to snag a couch and an armchair behind a heavily tinselled tree near the window, elbowing some first years out of the way.

It was probably a bit mean, but it meant Carmilla got to lounge on the squishy couch with a spring in her butt cheek rather than stand near the toilets awkwardly. She took her beanie off and pushed the sleeves of her navy-blue sweater up. "How many days left?"