Things I Never Knew: Chapter Sixteen
Chapter 16: A Rainy Day at Hogsmeade
Harry stood, shivering in the freezing rain, in the alleyway outside of Honeydukes. He reflected that Hogsmeade looked much less impressive from this back alleyway. It was muddy, narrow, and the paint on all the buildings had faded to various shades of dull grey.
“Where are they?” he thought nervously. “They should have been here by now.”
Harry blew on his hands, trying to dispel the cold.
“Right now I could be having some hot cider or butterbeer or . . .”
The hatch to the cellar was creaking open but then abruptly slammed shut.
“Ouch, Caydon! Those were my fingers!”
“Sorry,” he heard Caydon gasp. “It was so heavy.”
Harry leant down and lifted the hatch. Two very dirty faces looked up at him.
“Did I look that dirty after coming through that secret passage?”
Lydia grinned at him and Caydon’s mouth made an O, as though surprised.
“Come out of there,” Harry said, taking Lydia by the hand and half lifting her up. Caydon scurried behind her.
“So this is Hogsmeade?” Lydia asked, sounding a bit disappointed.
“This is what it looks like from behind,” Harry told her. He took out a dirty, crumpled handkerchief and handed it to Caydon. “Here, wipe your face off, both of you.”
Caydon looked at it dubiously, took out a cleaner version and began smearing it all over his face. Harry saw that Caydon’s robes, which were a dark shade of blue and a course material, were also quite dirty. Caydon noticed Harry looking at him.
“Well, it’s really muddy today!” he said defensively.
Harry sighed and looked over at Lydia who was a bit cleaner. “Where do you want to go?” Harry asked her.
“Let’s go in Honeydukes since we’re already here and all,” she said brightly.
“Yes, I want to go in Honeydukes,” Caydon agreed.
Harry didn’t particularly want to take them to such a popular shop, but he supposed that any normal child would want to go in Honeydukes and he hated to say no to them.
“Alright,” Harry agreed, “but pull your hood up, Caydon,” he said, seeing that Caydon was wearing one, “And Lydia, you keep your head down. I don’t want you two recognized by any teachers.”
The children agreed and he took them into the shop, which was extremely crowded, as usual. Lydia began picking out as many overwhelmingly sweet things as she could find and Harry went to buy some chocolate.
“Caydon, where are you going?” Harry asked, catching the boy about to go out the door a while later.
“I don’t much care for sweets,” Caydon said. “I was going to wait outside.”
“You don’t want anything?” Harry asked incredulously.
“No.”
“Come on, I’ll buy you some chocolate.”
“I don’t like chocolate.”
“Who doesn’t like chocolate?”
“Me, okay? I just . . . don’t like it,” Caydon said angrily.
“Okay, okay,” Harry was taken aback. “I was just trying to be nice, you know.”
“Sorry,” Caydon voice was grumpy.
“Let’s not fight. I’ll go get Lydia and we’ll all leave if you don’t want to be here.”
“Fine.”
Harry asked Caydon where he wanted to go next and Caydon gave the name of another popular shop. They went to several other shops, but it was almost as though Caydon didn’t want to be at Hogsmeade at all. It was quite bemusing. Lydia, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of her life. She bought nearly everything that she saw, Caydon’s mood didn’t seem to bother her in the least and when the boy started to snap at her, she promptly shoved a piece of licorice down his throat.
“I’m hungry,” she whined while Caydon was still trying to recover.
Harry did not see how this was possible, considering the amount of sweets that she had consumed, but he was getting a bit hungry himself.
“Well, let’s go get lunch, then.”
“Can we go to the Three-Broomsticks?”
“No,” Harry said hastily. “There are always lots of teachers there and one of them might see you or Caydon.”
Harry looked around the street to see where else they might go.
“How about here?” he said, pointing to a small, new restaurant which was off to the side, a bit. “My treat.”
Once they were inside Harry realized that it was a muggle themed restaurant. Caydon was looking around wide-eyed.
“What is this place?” he asked looking at the plastic booths and employees in dorky, red uniforms.
“Um . . . come on, I think you have to go up to the counter to order,” Harry said.
Harry had quite a time actually getting Caydon to order something. For one thing, he seemed very shy about accepting anything from Harry. It was as if he thought Harry was trying to give him charity. He also seemed completely unsure about what to order, having never eaten at a muggle fast-food restaurant. Harry finally gave up and ordered him a chicken sandwich. Lydia, however, knew just what she wanted and wasn’t timid about the cost of the food. She got two cheeseburgers, jumbo fries, and a huge vanilla milkshake which she proceeded to gulp loudly. Harry watched her eat in some awe as he ate his own cheeseburger. How could such a skinny little girl eat so much?
After a while, the girl noticed Harry looking at her. “Shworry,” she said around a mouthful of food. She gulped it down. “It’s been so long since I ate anything like this.”
“Are you a muggleborn?” Harry asked her.
She shook her head, “Halfblood,” she said shortly, closing her eyes as though to savor the flavor of her milkshake. Caydon rolled his eyes at her antics.
“Oh lighten up, Donnie,” she said, punching him in the arm lightly. Caydon glared at her, but somehow Caydon managed to look cute even when scowling. “You’ve been a downer all day,” Lydia continued.
“I’ve told you that my name is not Donnie, Lydia,” Caydon said, somewhat irritably.
Harry snorted with laughter, nearly blowing his soft drink out of his nose.
“Well, you needed a nickname,” Lydia told him with dignity.
“You can call me Cay like my brother does. If you must, that is.”
“I could call you Curlylocks,” Lydia laughed, flicking Caydon’s hair.
“I can’t help it! My hair curls in the rain!”
“Hold on,” Harry said suddenly, “you have a brother Caydon?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know that! How old is he?”
“A year younger than you, I think. Fifteen.”
“Fifteen? Why isn’t he at Hogwarts?”
Caydon looked at Harry significantly. “Not everyone goes to Hogwarts, Harry,” was all he said.
“Oh . . . ahh,” Harry said. He remembered Snape saying something about only really exceptional Owned being allowed to go to Hogwarts.
“Just so it won’t be another shock to you, I also have a little sister, Sophia. She’s eight.”
Harry had gotten used to the idea of Snape having a son, but he was having trouble wrapping his head around the idea of Snape having a family.
“So . . . are your parents married?” Harry asked.
“No, my father found me under a cabbage leaf.”
Harry blinked at him.
“Of course they’re married!” Caydon giggled. “What kind of question is that?”
Harry tried to picture Snape with a wife and failed miserably. Harry looked over at Lydia who seemed to be having a similar dilemma and grinned. Suddenly, Harry really liked Lydia.
“What’s your brother’s name?” Harry asked.
“Braedon.”
Lydia giggled.
“What now?” Caydon asked her.
“Well . . . it’s just . . . that sort of rhymes with Caydon doesn’t it?”
“So?”
“So . . . I’m just trying to picture Professor Snape giving his kids rhyming names.”
Caydon sniffed. “Our mother named us.”
“Gee, I couldn’t tell.”
Harry laughed at this.
“If you two are done mocking my family . . .”
“Oh, you know I was just kidding,” Lydia said giving Caydon a hug around the neck as the boy tried to glare at her again.
“If that’s what you say, Lydia,” Caydon said, giving his friend a half smile.
“Oh, come on. You’re saying that you don’t find the idea of your father saying “I think I’ll give my sons cute rhyming names” the teeniest bit funny?”
Caydon’s lips quirked. “Well, maybe. But I thought you liked my father.”
“I do, but it’s still funny. Isn’t it funny Harry?”
“Yeah, it’s a little funny.”
“But we all know that he hates my father. Don’t you hate my father Harry?”
Harry opened his mouth. He didn’t know exactly how to respond to this. He certainly didn’t like Snape, but he couldn’t tell Caydon that he hated the man. Especially since Snape had tried to help him in so many ways.
“Well, every time I start to kind of like him, he acts horrible to me,” Harry said.
“He is very unfair to Gryffindors,” Lydia added.
“He’s not unfair to you.”
“Only because I’m friends with you, Caydon. He’s really unfair to some of the boys in our year.”
“Have you actually talked to some of the boys in our year, Lydia? And Rick and Corbin are awful to me.”
“But he should be impartial, shouldn’t he? Ah, what am I arguing with you for? Sometimes I wish that someone would slap those gits silly.”
“Exactly,” Caydon said firmly. “One of the best things about going home for Christmas is not having to share a room with them.”
“At least you two want to go home for Christmas,” Harry said glumly. “I usually stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, but this year they’re putting up all these protective spells, so it looks like I may have to spend Christmas with my aunt and uncle.”
“And you don’t want to spend Christmas with them?” Caydon asked with an odd look in his eye.
“Gah. No. We don’t get along.”
“So why not stay with friends?” Lydia asked.
“I can’t,” Harry exhaled, miserably, “Dumbledore says he has to find somewhere safe to put me.”
“So Dumbledore is still looking then?” Caydon asked him.
“Yes, but I think he’s just trying to hold off to get me used to the idea.”
“Ah, I see,” Caydon said, sipping his drink.
The conversation lulled and Caydon excused himself to go to the bathroom. Harry bought Lydia a piece of pie and by the time she finished it, she was looking at Harry like he was her fairy godmother.
“Where’s Caydon?” Harry asked, when it seemed that the boy had been gone too long.
Lydia shook her head. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “I worry about that boy sometimes. He’s so tiny . . .” Harry smiled at the girl’s sudden transformation into a mother hen.
“There you are!” Lydia cried, looking over to where Caydon was coming out of the back and waving.
“I’m tired,” Caydon whimpered, walking over to them and leaning slightly on Lydia, “can we go back to Hogwarts now?”
“Of course,” Lydia said, patting him on the head.
“I’ll come with you guys this time,” Harry said.
“I can’t believe we made it!” Lydia said as they stepped out of the secret passage. Harry was careful to make sure that it closed firmly.
“Did you think I would have done this if I thought we would be caught, Lyd - Lyd . . .” Caydon trailed off, looking at something behind Harry.
Harry looked whipped around and saw Adele staring back at him coldly.
“Professor . . .” Harry said.
“Mr. Potter, where have the three of you been?” Adele asked, jutting her chin out.
Harry followed her gaze down to the hem of his robes and belatedly realized that they were all covered halfway to the knee with mud from traipsing around the wet back streets of Hogsmeade all day.
“Err . . . outside,” Harry explained, lamely.
“Outside?” Adele asked, stepping closer to Harry. “And what would you and Mr. Snape and Ms. Deetle be doing outside?”
That was a bad sign. Adele calling anyone by their surname was never good. Harry was suddenly aware that Adele had stepped in so close that they were pressed chest to chest. She was tall for a woman, and her heels put her level to Harry. Harry was nearly choking on her perfume again, and he wanted desperately to step away, but there was something in Adele’s eyes - something challenging that forced Harry to face her.
“I was outside practicing Quiditch, I have no idea what these two were doing, I just met them on the way in,” Harry told her.
Adele gazed at him for a long moment, her eyes calculating, then her face abruptly broke into a crooked smile and she began spinning a tendril of her hair around her pinky finger.
“Well I guess that’s all right then, isn’t it?” she tittered. “I have to tell you, Harry, that I’m no good at doing the stern teacher thing. I mean, can you honestly imagine shaking my finger at some misbehaving first year like - like McGonagall,” she dissolved into giggles as though this were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.
Harry made a weak attempt at laughter, while Lydia merely looked at her like she was insane. Many people still didn’t know what to make of Adele.
“Well goodbye children,” she said airily, with a wink at Harry as though to suggest that he wasn’t a child.
When the click of her heels on the floor had died away, they all let out a relieved sigh.
“That was close,” Lydia breathed. “But what’s wrong with you Caydon?”
Harry looked down at the boy and realized that he was quite pale and was positively shivering.
“Nothing . . . just that was so close wasn’t it? She’s so scary.”
“No,” Lydia laughed at him, “that was not scary. Getting caught by Filch - scary. Getting caught by your dad -- scary. Getting caught by Adele . . . bizarre.”
“Speaking of which, we had better get back up to our rooms and change before another professor catches us. If Adele was suspicious, then you can bet that McGonagall or Snape would figure us out in a second.