'With a heart like that,
You deserve the world.'
><><
"This is a really bad idea, you know that, right?" Harry mumbled beneath his breath, footsteps crunching as they penetrated the untouched snow to the buried path, her nose and cheeks flushed pink beneath the Invisibility Cloak.
"Yes—a very really bad idea," Addie whispered in reply, though neither party hesitated in continuing.
The cloak covered Adeline entirely, given her short legs, stepping in Harry's already made footprints as he led the way to stay out of sight—given she wasn't exactly allowed to leave the Castle. Hogsmeade finally appeared in the distance, though stayed a silhouette for a few minutes, snow firing from the clouds like icy, white bullets. But there were two silhouettes—the second belonging to a familiar, malevolent phantom, whose black cloak rustled violently in the wind. Though Ad's invisibility, he stared openly in her direction, head following as the two preserved their trek.
She took a quivering breath to slow her heart rate, quickly averting her gaze the other way in order to maintain her composure. And, sure enough, he disappeared.
><><
After plonking down opposite Harry in a small, cushioned booth, Adeline delicately emerged from beneath the cloak as they reached a secluded area of The Three Broomsticks, taking extra care to remain inconspicuous as she tucked it discreetly beneath the table.
The pub glowed from flickering lanterns and homely fireplaces, an immensely popular place given the torrential weather outside, occupying mainly middle-aged wizards or the odd group of Hogwarts students, loud with laughter and talk. Addie untucked the hair behind her ear, permitting dull, white light to leak onto the side of her face from the fogged, grimy window to her left.
A young waitress squeezed past the crowded tables over to them, her short hair slightly dishevelled, sweat beaded on her forehead, as she dryly recited her usual 'What would you like to order?' for what felt like the thousandth time that day. Harry ordered Butterbeer's for the both of them; however, Adeline was perplexed by the name and refused to try it with a rapid shaking of her head, leaving Harry to laugh and order two hot chocolates instead—much to the waitress' annoyance.
Ron would have joined them if Hermione hadn't forced him to stay behind to finish, or, really, start his essay due the next day, leaving Harry to sneak Addie out beneath the cloak, lying to Hermione she'd gone to the Hospital Wing for her routine check-up. It was his idea, anyway.
"So..." He urged her to speak, though Addie avoided his look.
"Hmm?" She played innocent, brows raising in an act as she pretended to be busy staring outside the window—even though the condensation made it much too indistinct to see out of anyway.
Harry rolled his eyes; Ad knew he was going to bring this up, and found that delaying her response was much easier than facing it.
"So, why were you passed out at the Hospital Wing last night?"
"I was sleeping." She shrugged.
"With a giant bruise across your forehead?"
"It's not a bruise." Ad looked over to him.
"Then what is it?"
"...ink."
"Ink?"
"Yes."
