Open Your Eyes

"So what exactly are you saying?" I questioned as we continued walking. "I'm just saying that once you sit down and have a conversation with him, he's actually not that bad." She smiled ever so slightly, pushing her hair back behind her ear. I actually almost couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"So, what, are you going to start dating him now? I mean, we both know that he doesn't want to be just friends." I scoffed ever so slightly. This seemed to capture her attention. "No. Maybe- I don't know yet. Won't you just give him a chance?" She pleaded with me. The tone of her voice almost sounded kind of,well, pitiful. "Do I have to?" I whined, throwing my head back like a child. "I mean, I would really appreciate it Amery." She nodded her head.

She is my best friend.....So I caved. "Fine, but he has to tone down that god-awful ego of his." I warned her.

Lily laughed loudly, throwing her head back as we continued walking. I could see Hogsmeade off in the distance now. "I don't have to do it today, do I?" I questioned, the thought just popping into my mind. I might have agreed to do it, but that doesn't mean that I really want to. However, if she thinks that this is something that will make her happy, then I"ll stand by her and support her.

"Actually, I was hoping you would. James was wanting to meet at the Three Broomsticks for a drink at some point today." Reaching out, she placed her hand softly on my arm. So I guess I was pretty much backed into a corner. I didn't want to upset her by saying no. "I guess I can come meet you after I buy my things." I suggested.

She almost seemed shocked by what I had said. She pulled her hand away from my arm, and looked down at me with wide eyes. "You don't want me to go with you?" She questioned me.

As we approached Hogsmeade, I could faintly see James Potter and Sirius Black standing off to the side of the entrance to the Three Broomsticks. How on Earth had they gotten here before us- no way in hell had they left the castle before we did.

"I just mean, well, look he's already waiting for you. So, I'll go do my shopping and then I'll come back to meet up with you all." I explained as we continued to approach the small town. The closer we got, the more things became clearer- tiny details became more and more obvious. "So, you actually showed up! Here I was thinking that it was never going to happen." Sirius laughed, looking directly at me.

I rolled my eyes as we came to stand in front of them. "Well, we're here now. So let's go inside, yeah?" Lily said with a large smile. Immediately, they all turned to walk into the small pub.

"Actually, I've got some stuff to do. I'll meet you back here in a bit." I spoke up. The small group of teenagers stopped in their tracks and turned around to look at me. Lily looked like she wanted to say something, but instead just nodded her head ever so slightly. So, I walked away before anyone else had a chance to say something.

On to get some books.

Now, when I say that I was going to get new books, I didn't mean that I was going to buy new books. Hogsmeade doesn't have a bookstore. My parents were constantly buying and sending me new books to the post office that was located in Hogsmeade. That way they wouldn't all but kill the Owls with how many books they send me.

When I walked into the post office, the only person I saw was the man who worked there.

"Back again so soon, Amery?" He smiled, standing behind the counter. He was an older man, and we've had some lovely conversations when I've been here in the past. He is a nice man. "Of course! I cannot leave those books waiting, now can I?" I smiled as I approached him. As I did so, he already set to work getting my packages together. There were three large ones that resembled books, and one that looked like just a regular letter in an envelope.

"Now, that would be a right tragedy wouldn't it? Now a days, books don't get the amount of respect they deserve." Richard spoke, setting the packages down on the counter. Picking up a bit of twine, he swiftly tied them all together.

"Do I owe you anything for this lot?" I questioned, motioning to the packages on the counter that was between us. "No, your parents have already taken care of it. So, go, enjoy your day in the village." He ordered, pushing the books towards me. Laughing, I stepped up to the counter and picked up the packages that were waiting there. "Thank you. Have a nice day, I'll see you next time!" Smiling, I waved at him as I walked out of the building.

Outside, the wind was blowing. The sudden change to the cold of outside from the warmth inside the post office caused goose bumps to form on my skin. With one hand, I pulled my jacket closed as I looked around. Hogwarts students were running amok through the village, enjoying their day of freedom.

Stepping away from the post office, packages in hand, I began walking down the street to Honeydukes. It was past the Three Broomsticks, just down from the Station. The Three Broomsticks is actually in between Honeydukes and the post office, kind of right in the center of the village. So, as I was walking past the Three Broomsticks, I paused briefly and looked through the window. On the other side of the window, I saw a smiling Lily sitting at a table enjoying a few drinks with James and Sirius. She looked genuinely happy- and I don't want to ruin that for her.

Walking away from the window, I continued my journey down the street to Honeydukes. The small candy shop is wildly popular with Hogwarts students such as myself. It was one of those must go to placed, like when you go on Holiday.

Because of this, when I walked into the sweets shop, it was crowded and over flowing with Hogwarts students. It made it a bit difficult to get through the shop, but I was able to squeeze through none the less. There were so many different options for sweets, I wondered if I would ever be able to try at least one of everything.

There were creamy nuggats, toffees, levitating sherbet balls, fizzing whizzbees, toothflossing stringmints, Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, exploding bonbons, sugar-spun quills, and so much more. But even with all those options, my all time favorite just so happened to be chocolate frogs. Succulant, savory milk chocolate that tasted amazing- that is of course when you could catch them.

That is exactly what brought me into Honeydukes today. A craving for my favorite sweets.

Paying no mind to the mob of other students that were surrounding me, I made my way over to the familiar corner of the shop. Reaching out to grab some of the sweets, my hand collided with someone else's. Quickly, my hand recoiled, as my eyes found who the hand belonged to. Standing in front of me, was the one and only Remus Lupin.

Shocked to see him standing in front of me, I sucked in a deep breath. The boy towered over me, almost making me feel as small as a bug. "Oh, hell, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." The boy started speaking rapidly, spitting out apologies. "Don't worry about it, I wasn't paying attention- it's not your fault." I countered quickly.

The tall boy towered over me with wide eyes as the other students pushed and shoved their way past us. Oh, my. His eyes. His eyes were absolutely beautiful. They were this kind of mix between blue and green colors that almost kind of reminded me of the sea. Yet, even with how beautiful his eyes were, you could see something in his eyes that gave him away- like he has a secret that was causing him so much pain.

"Here, you take it. I'll get another one." He smiled ever so slightly, holding the boxed sweet out in my direction. I hesitated slightly before reaching out and taking it from him. "Thank-you. They're my favorite." I smiled. I wasn't sure why I blurted out the piece of information about myself, but I had and there was no taking it back now. "Really? Mine too!" He seemed a bit surprised that I had said it as well. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him reach out and grabbed a few more off of the shelf.

"You're Lily's friend, Amery, right?" He questioned me suddenly. I felt a bit taken by surprise by the suddenness of the question. "Uh, yes, I am actually. I was on my way to meet you all at the Three Broomsticks when I'm done here." I nodded my head slightly.

There was a slight moment of silence between us.

"Do you, uh, want to walk over there with me?" His words also took me by surprise. Remus Lupin isn't exactly known for his socialization skills. Quite the opposite actually. He was more known for hiding away and avoiding just about everyone. "Yeah, okay." I nodded my head.

So, together we paid for our sweets before making our way back into the cool air. It was starting to get late in the day, so students were starting to head back to the castle. Due to this the streets of the village were becoming more and more crowded. Thankfully, the walk to the Three Broomsticks from Honeydukes was a short one.

As soon as we walked in, the sound of laughter filled my ears. Looking around, I saw that the laughter was coming from the table our friends were occupying. Yet, when Remus and I approached the table their laughter died out and their faces fell serious. "Amery! Did you get everything that you wanted?" Lily smiled as I sat down in the vacant chair next to her. I set the packages of books on the floor next to my feet, and put my hands palms down on my thighs.

Almost immediately, a butterbeer with cinnamon sprinkled on top was set down on the table in front of me. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did. So what are we talking about?" I questioned, taking a sip from the drink that was sitting in front of me.