Hogsmeade Carnival, Day Three!

[fi_admin]

Date: Monday, 28 August
Time: All Day Long!
Place: Througout the entire Village
Characters Involved: EVERYONE! (Remember to add your character's 'tag' if you enter the thread here.)

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[m4moony]

Along the main road through Hogsmeade, in the last third of the stretch along the way to the castle on the mountainside, stood a small booth covered in wine red velvet curtains trimmed with black ribbons. A sign above the front of the booth procalimed it a Kissing Booth in bold crimson lettering.

When the curtains opened at precisely ten o'clock Monday morning, a less sybartic interior was revealed. The wooden structure was made up of a wall surrounding the entire space, which were painted in a faux marble pattern of black and shimmering golden veins -- more for the protection of the workers inside from potentially over-enthusiastic patrons than to keep them locked inside, though some may have felt that way. Behind the front wall sat two tall chairs cushioned with pillows in the same rich velvet and raised so that the occupants could sit comfortably during the day, while maintaining the same level -- and therefore strategic 'advantage' -- as those who would come to stand across from them on the other side of the wall.

A small black placard in the center of the front wall proclaimed in gold lettering:

One Sickle for One Kiss
or Two Sickles for One Minute
or Two Sickles for One Minute
or Two Sickles for One Minute
or Two Sickles for One Minute!

[broken_harry]

Harry hadn't been patroning the Carnival at all since it's opening. The crowds, the 'fun', the idea of running into anyone he might not want to all made the decision to stay home all that much easier. However, now, the person he most wanted to avoid was at home, so it was time to drop by the carnival and give himself a distraction wrapped in bright colors and silly games.

And a Kissing Booth...

Harry had almost forgot Remus's confession of manning a certain booth at the carnival. And to think, he'd almost missed being witness to this sight. Even more grateful he'd decided to walk the carnival grounds right at it's opening to avoid the rush later in the afternoon, Harry crossed the lane to the still lineless booth. He fished in his pocket for a coin and once he found the right one and was in reaching distance, he flipped the golden galleon onto the counter.

"Can I pay to hear about all the birds you've had to kiss instead?...Because I may think you're brilliant and all, Remus, but there's no way I'm kissing you. No offense."

Harry leaned against the side of the booth with a wink, arms crossed and looking very smug with a smirk to match.

[m4moony]

"Ha, ha, ha." Remus chuckled ruefully at Harry's greeting.

The day had been much quieter at the booth than the previous two. Remus' mind, of course, was anything but quiet. It had been a complicated couple of days. But at least the hordes had seemed to clear today. He had already resolved notto ever let himself get talked into something like this again.

Eying the galleon on the counter, Remus' face broke into a wide grin, the light of mischief in his eye.

"For that much you can hear about the birds, the bloke, and maybe even get a kiss out of my lovely partner here for your money." Remus nodded towards the other side of the booth where Fleur sat waiting for customers alongside him. He matched smirk for smirk with his young friend, flipping the coin between his fingers as though deciding whether to add it to the proceeds.

"So, you come over here just to give an old wolf a hard time?"

[thelastgranger]

Hermione wouldn’t have been able to keep away, not when she knew he was here… In a kissing booth. There was taunting to be done, that was for sure. There was nothing else she wanted to see here, but she'd probably have a quick look around before she left.

Which is why Hermione found herself sitting opposite the man, reaching into her pocket she pulled out a few coins, setting them down in front of him.

“That should get me a good few kisses, mmm?” She was excited, not about a kiss but about the fact they’d be working with one another again, she’d be working in general. “Maybe you’ll even hold my hand if I ask really nicely?”

The sort of people that had come through here… Hermione wasn’t even sure she wanted to know. What sort of kiss was he offering? That was another things she chose to ignore, she’d be more than content with a kiss on the cheek or two.

She couldn’t have been the only past student stopping by, the poor man must have had at least a few awkward moments. What ever had possessed him to agree to it, Hermione had no idea at all. “Having fun?”

[m4moony]

After Harry's visit, Remus could only shake his head at finding Hermione now facing him across the barrier of the kissing booth. It seemed today was the day his 'children' had chosen to take their pleasure in teasing him. Probably just as well. Things were quieter and he did not anticipate any further embarrassing encounters with former students or bittersweet moments of closure on past relationships or confusing revelations with friends.

"If you ask really nicely, I might even stop myself from patting you on the head like the impudent child you are," he teased the young woman, rolling his eyes at her cheek. Still, he'd take a few moments with someone he could relax around over the hordes of misty-eyed 'fans' clutching his picture he'd been forced to endure the last two days.

Thank the gods this was the last day the booth would be running for the Carnival!

"But, if you'd like to place a coin or two in the jar, I could find it in my heart to gift you with a salacious, improper, and thoroughly tasteless...kiss on the cheek or two." Winking, he assumed a look of careful innocence for a moment before sighing heavily and leaning tiredly on the booth wall.

Fun? Well, it had been interesting to say the least.

"Not in the slightest." He glanced warily in Fleur's direction before lowering his voice even further. "The next time you hear I've gone and agreed to anything even remotely like this, please hex me on the spot."

[thelastgranger]

“Oh yes, feel free to pat me on the head when you’re not sitting in a kissing booth.” Hermione dropped the coins into the jar he’d indicated, the grin on her face widening. Yes she’d had to grow up too quickly, but there were times the child in her really insisted on getting out. Like when she had the opportunity to taunt her friend.

She’d been very surprised to hear he’d be participating in a kissing booth, of all things! Somehow Hermione had always seen him as… A prude? No prude wasn’t the right word. But he definitely wasn’t the sort to go around kissing this girl that girl and the other.

“As long as you promise it’ll be improper and thoroughly tasteless. Then how on earth could I refuse?” It wasn’t often Hermione had anything to tease him about, he was much too prim and proper.

“Well not fun until now.” Hermione pushed her hair behind her shoulders, extending her cheek in his direction. “Well you’ve already signed up, so pucker up.” She was on the verge of loosing herself in fits of giggles, bitting down on her lip to hold it back.

It was questionable just how much she’d be able to get away with, but Hermione assumed it would be a fair bit.

[m4moony]

"Such impudence," Remus returned in his best impression of Professor McGonagall -- which really wasn't very good. "Did no one ever teach you to respect your elders?"

Shaking his head at her in fond exasperation, he leaned over the booth wall and kissed her chastely on the right cheek. Then, with a mischeivous glint to his honey-brown eyes, he moved to her left cheek and blew a spectacular raspberry against it.

"Improper and tasteless enough," he asked, eyes wide with a mock innocence which was belied in the wicked grin he threw her as he leaned back onto his 'side' of the wall. Tweaking a stray curl on the breeze, Remus settled more comfortably on his chair.

Had he known she saw him as prim and proper, he probably would have laughed and regaled her with tales of the stunts he had joined his friends on. Underneath the mild-mannered professor was a punk rock, leather wearing werewolf who just didn't get out much.

"So, besides tormenting your soon to be supervisor and one time professor, what does Hermione Granger find interesting at the Hogsmeade Carnival?"

[thelastgranger]

No, he wasn’t really that good at all. Both Ron and Harry said she had a ‘Professor McGonagall’ tone, but Hermione liked to think they just said that to get under her skin.

Hermione laughed at his actions, somewhat surprised but much too amused for it to show. “Cheeky, prat.” She said as she wrinkled her nose and wiped her cheek. “I don’t think I can respect my elders when they’re behaving as such!”

If Hermione had found out that really, he was a leather-wearing wolf, she’d probably have been somewhat relieved. Too often he seemed much too perfect, but she loved it when this sort of thing shined through. Fun.

Really, he wasn’t old. “With all this ‘respecting your elders’ nonsense, you’ll start believing you’re an old man. You should be out in all the most raging pubs, enjoying gratuitous dances with barely dressed females. Enjoy all this attention before you really do become an old man.” It was a good day. She was feeling good and thus, it was time to tease her friend mercilessly.

“Apart from getting kisses from you? Nothing. Really I’ve just come to see this.” Hermione looked him up and down with a grin. “And so far, it’s worth it.”

Hermione rested her elbows on the divider, placing her chin in her hands, doing her best to look as innocent as possible.