The Promised Hogsmeade Visit ((Caitlin))

[Colin Morgensen G7]

Colin looked down at the parchment in front of him, frowning intensely. His quill was dancing just above the paper as he tried to decide how to start it. Leaning against the desk near the window, Colin stared down at the Grounds, watching the little matchsticks that were people move about. It was one of the nicer days they'd had in a while and Colin already had plans to carry out. Which brought him back to the blank parchment. How was he supposed to start the letter? He thought back to all the letters he had written before, yet even more questions popped into his mind. Should it be formal or friendly or more than friendly or... This reminded Colin immediately of the struggle he had dealt with when he tried writing Caitlin during the summer and had failed. This time he was confident that he would finish this and give it to her, but how to go about it was beyond him.

Dear Caitlin, how have you been? I hope you're doing well since - he began, but immediately scratched it out. Dear Caitlin, how have you been? I hope you're doing well since- Caitlin, meet me in the common room at 1:00 p.m sharp![/i] No, that didn't seem right either. It sounded too demanding, though the beginning sounded appropriate. Dear Caitlin, how have you been? I hope you're doing well since - Caitlin, meet me in the common room at 1:00 p.m. sharp! - Caitlin, please meet me in the common room, unless you have something else planned - That sounded just pitiful. Colin tried again and again to perfect his paper until it was only blobs of scratch - outs. Sighing in frustration, Colin looked at his clock and realized it was already noon. Groaning, he crumpled the parchment into a ball and tossed it into the garbage, which burped heartily. "I can do this," Colin told himself, taking out a whole new parchment.

Caitlin, meet me in the common room at 1:30 so we can go to Hogsmeade. I'll be waiting. If you can't make it, send this owl back to me. He'll know where to find me. Perfect. Dotting his i's and crossing his t's, Colin rubbed his hands together with glee at the letter in front of him. It was perfect yet simple, formal yet friendly, confident and not pitiful. It was perfect. Smiling broadly, Colin attached the note to his owl's leg - which he had got in his fifth year - and told him to find Caitlin. Owls were amazing creatures and Colin knew that, but he also knew that owls often understood only several words. So making a conversation with an owl wasn't logical, but he did it anyway. He was just beginning to explain Caitlin's hair color when he realized that the owl probably didn't understand nor care what he was saying. Sighing, Colin sent it off, hoping that he would find Caitlin no matter where she was.

At 1:30 Colin found himself waiting in the common room. He had sat down in the cushioned armchairs as leisurely as possible, yet all he wanted to do was stand and pace. He was incredibly nervous and afraid that his hopes would be dashed, or in other words, broken if Caitlin didn't show up. What if she was spending her weekend with someone she considered more worth while than Colin? Now you're just looking for pity, the little voice in his head said with disgust. Licking his lips, Colin leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath, but that didn't stop his eyes from moving between the staircase to the girl's dorm and the entrance to the common room, one of which would be the place Caitlin came from.

[Caitlin Martinez G7]

"I want a boyfriend to make out with."

"Tori!"

"What?! It's true." Caitlin stared at the girl with amazement. Her eyes staring blankly at her friend. The Hufflepuff was rather blunt and Caitlin should have been used to it by now, having known the girl for four years. Tori smiled, her pearly white teeth flashing at Caitlin. She was rather pretty with auburn hair that fell a little bit past her rib cage and green sparkling almond shaped eyes. The fact that she was blunt did deduct from the gorgeousness of the sixteen year old, however. Caitlin shook her head and flopped onto the grass, the breeze blew by the two girls. Tori giggled as her hair blew across her nose and tickled it. Caitlin looked over toward her and narrowed her eyes. Tori stopped giggling and tilted her head, "What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked, bringing her right hand up to her face. Caitlin laughed and shook her head. Tori took her hand back down from her face and then layed down beside Caitlin. She looked at her fingernails a moment, the blue fingernail polish chipping off, and then looked back at Caitlin. "So, if I didn't have anything on my face, what were you looking at me for?"

Caitlin shrugged, "I was just wondering where what's his face went off to. You said you wanted a boyfriend to make out with, didn't you have one like two weeks ago?" Caitlin had never really had a boyfriend, and honestly, if she went through them like Tori did - she wasn't certain she wanted one. She couldn't put someone through something like that as often as Tori did. It was cruel and almost inhuman. Tori opened her mouth to reply, when there was a hoot. Both of the girls looked up as an owl flew above them and then swooped down, landing on Caitlin's shoulder. It stuck out it's foot and with her hands - quite awkwardly- she undid the tie and took the parchment off. Quickly, she pulled out a treat and fed it to the owl, "Good job." The owl flew away and Caitlin unrolled the parchment. Caitlin, meet me in the common room at 1:30 so we can go to Hogsmeade. I'll be waiting. If you can't make it, send this owl back to me. He'll know where to find me. Caitlin smiled. She thought he had forgotten the date they had made in Astronomy. Jumping up as she re-rolled the parchment. Tori looked up quickly.

"What's going on? Where's the fire?" Caitlin didn't reply, she was already running toward the school. She needed to change out of her uniform and she wanted to get some studying in before the trip. She rushed up the flights of stairs, through the common room, and into the sixth years girls dormitories. There she grabbed a pair of jeans, some undergarments, and a shirt. She dashed into the bathroom, jumped into the shower, washed, jumped out and dressed. With a towel wrapped around her hair, she walked back into the dorm and sat down at the vanity. She let out her hair and dried it with her wand. With another flick of her wand, she had a subtle tone of make up on. Satisfied, she put some shoes on, grabbed her rucksack and left the dorm. She made her way down to the great hall. She sat at the Gryffindor table and began to write her essay. It wasn't something she normally would get lost in, but it was for Astronomy and Caitlin had actually enjoyed that class. It wasn't until a half hour later that she realized what time it was. 1:38. Caitlin's eyes widened and she grabbed everything, threw it into her rucksack and rushed out of the Great Hall.

When she reached the portrait that led to the Gryffindor Common Room, Caitlin stopped and took a deep breath. So she wouldn't appear to have run from point A to point B. Except she had. So maybe it would be alright. Still, for some reason Caitlin made sure she wasn't out of breath before she spoke the password. The picture opened and Caitlin stepped inside. The common room looked as lovely as ever. She sighed, and put her ruck sack down on the nearest table. Running her fingers through her hair, she walked toward the siting area. "Colin!" Caitlin's face broke into a smile as she saw him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up from the chair. Laced her fingers with his and started to drag him out the common room, "Let's go! I'm starved!" She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. It felt natural to just grab his hand and go, even though they weren't anything. He was Colin. And she was Caitlin.

[Colin Morgensen G7]

Colin tapped his fingers on the armrest rhythmically, trying to take his mind off the hurt. It was 1:34 and Caitlin was no where to be seen. He had really hoped she would come, but apparently he had been right in assuming she had better and bigger things to do. It was no wonder, since Caitlin was so wonderful, that she would have made plans with someone other than Colin. What did he expect? For her to give all her attention to him? How spoiled had he become? Colin sighed heavily and let himself fall deeper into the chair. He knew he was far too emotional and that he thought too much, but he couldn't help it. Not after last year. The old Colin would have gotten up from the armchair and whistled his way back to the dorm, but this Colin... this one refused to give up hope, even when it was obvious that he would be crushed. 1:36. Colin sighed for what felt like the hundredth time and tried to ignore the way people were laughing around him. His eyes glazed over in an attempt to shut it all out, especially the hurt. Yes, especially that.

"Colin!" someone cried, causing him to stir. Blinking, Colin felt himself be pulled out of the chair and walked out of the common room. The voice on its own made Colin smile and, even if he hadn't looked, he would've known that the person pulling him along was Caitlin. "I thought you weren't going to come," he muttered as they walked through the corridors. "I thought for sure you either hadn't gotten the note or... yeah," he concluded rather lamely. Now that she was here, Colin felt ashamed to have assumed she would have skipped out on him. Squeezing her hand a little to reassure himself this was really happening, Colin allowed a silence to fall among them as their feet pattered against the floor. It was a comfortable silence, where Colin found himself relaxing.

Soon they were out of the castle and on the Grounds, and the silence soon became bothersome. Breaking it, Colin said, "Did you mention you're starved? Let's go to Honeydukes first then. They have the best snacks... unless you want a real meal, then we can go to the Three Broomsticks." He smiled at his own enthusiasm. "I remember when I first tried the butterbeer there," he continued. "It tasted better than anything I ever had. I'm sure it tastes just as good as the last time I had it..." he trailed off as he tried to remember the last time he had drank butterbeer. It seemed so long ago, like a distant dream. Colin shook his head and tried to rid himself of these thoughts, for they would only put a damper on his mood. As they neared Hogsmeade, Colin gave Caitlin a little smile.

"Where to?"

[Caitlin Martinez G7]

Caitlin tilted her head slightly so she could look at Colin, wondering what he had thought about her being late. If it was one thing Caitlin didn’t want to do, it was hurt him in anyway. She cared for him more than she cared for practically anyone else in her life. She listened as he spoke about what he thought about her being late and when he squeezed her hand, she squeezed back and smiled reassuringly, “Colin Creevey, you’re the last person I would ever skip out on. I thought you had forgotten the plans we had made until your owl landed on my shoulder. The moment I read your note, I jumped up and rushed off without telling poor Tori anything. See? I left a friend to make sure I would be here for you.” She sent him a toothy smile and let the silence engulf them. There was a time when Caitlin despised silences, but there were a few silences that made her happy and comfortable. The ones with Colin were usually comfortable, and she would love to be in them all day, but she loved talking to Colin more than she did just standing there and being next to him. Though, on some days, that was rare and she missed it.

After a few moments of silence, Colin broke it by thinking of places they could go first. She listened to him ramble a bit, a small and sweet smile still on her face. When he finished and asked where to, they were nearly at Hogsmeade. She pressed her lips together in thought and then nodded, her brown hair rising and falling as she did so, “Let’s go to the Three Broomsticks. All your talk of Butterbeer has me wanting some. And I’m more likely to eat a healthy meal there instead of Honeydukes. But we can go there after, because I do want some sweets.” Caitlin’s smile grew and she started in the direction of the Three Broomsticks, her hand still in his. It felt natural, and she knew people were probably assuming they were a couple, but Caitlin thought that it was none of their business. But maybe, deep down, she wanted it. She shrugged it off and opened the door to the Three Broomsticks, smiled sweetly at Colin as she waited for him to enter. Once he had, she followed after him and slipped her arm through his, looking for a table. She spotted one in the back and nodded toward it, before starting toward it.

Caitlin sat down and propped her elbows up on the table, watching Colin from across it. A waitress came by and set down two glasses of water. She then went away and Caitlin shrugged, that’s fine- she’d be back again. “I’m glad you found a way to contact me. I haven’t done anything since last year.”

[Colin Morgensen G7]

"Really?" he asked, a grin forming on his face. He kicked a random stone a little bashfully, though really he was very glad. Even if Caitlin had stopped spending time with her friend just for him, he felt very proud of it. That she would do such a thing for him nearly made him burst with happiness, but the only way he could describe it was by continuing to grin stupidly. Colin had never been good with words. Often times, words weren't enough. "Thanks," he added after realizing how stupid his question sounded. "I was just worried..." he explained, not wanting to sound as if he thought of Caitlin badly.

"Sounds great," he agreed when Caitlin decided where they were going. They were upon the village now and all Colin's previous worries had been left on the trail behind him. Now he felt like a whole new person, like the old Colin. Smiling all the while, he didn't mind when they continued to hold hands; in fact, he rather enjoyed it. They soon made it to the Three Broomsticks. Usually Colin would shy away from the prospect of going into a busy place, but this time he didn't even think about it. Maybe he was too paranoid or maybe he thought too much or maybe he was emotional, or just maybe it was all three and more, but today Colin didn't care. He just didn't care. Memories never truly fade, but in happiness they can be forgotten from time to time.

Sitting across from Caitlin, he sipped some water from the glass given by the waitress. When she mentioned him contacting her, he immediately set it down so he could talk. "It was really hard," he exclaimed. "I mean, I always have trouble finding the right words and... on paper, they just seem even worse, you know? Because you can always go back and read them over and over again, while when you talk, it's just once and done. And I'm rambling again, aren't I?" Colin sighed. "Sorry, but... I dunno, I feel really good today. Right now, I mean." He smiled, wondering if Caitlin knew how much she mattered to him. He wanted to tell her, oh yes, so very much, but it was harder than anything, even harder than writing a letter. "I'm glad you could make it," he added. "I'm enjoying myself already and we've hardly done a thing."

[Caitlin Martinez G7]

Caitlin smiled and took a drink of the water the waitress had placed by her. She listened to Colin speak about how hard it is to write, especially when it was hard for him to put anything into words. It wasn’t long before he was rambling, and Caitlin’s smile grew. When he realized he was rambling, she let out a small laugh and took another sip of her water. He was quiet for a minute, and then said he was glad she could make it. “I’m glad I could, too. I’m glad you agreed to this weekend. Truth is, we hadn’t done anything all summer. I was really sad, but I figured you needed time, so I didn’t mention it… or write to you, but that’s for a different reason. I mean, I wanted to write you, of course I did, you’re my best friend; the person I care about most in this world, why wouldn’t I want to write you?” Caitlin suddenly stopped, and closed her mouth, “Now, I’m the one rambling. Sorry.”

She took another drink of her water just as the waitress came back. After she ordered her food and butterbeer, she waited for Colin to order and the waitress waved her wand. The food appeared before them, and Caitlin thanked her before picking up her fork. She speared a lettuce leaf and put it in her mouth, salad could do no wrong. She ate a moment and then stopped, her fork half way to her mouth. Caitlin narrowed her eyes and then set her fork down. “Colin… did you really think I would skip out on you? I mean, it sounded like you did and I’m not that type of person. Unless I completely despise the person, but you aren’t just someone I despise. Honest to goodness. You do believe me about that, don’t you?”

For some odd reason, Caitlin felt the need to make sure Colin knew just how much, or at least a bit, he meant to her. She couldn’t stand it if he only thought she thought of him as a casual friend who she only spoke to on certain occasions or when she saw him. Because that wasn’t the case at all. She had nearly gone insane over the summer, without talking to him or seeing him at all. It only gave her time to think about what school would be like when he left next year. It wasn’t something happy. Not something she wanted to think about.

[Colin Morgensen G7]

"Yeah, sorry about that," Colin apologized, fingering his water glass. He had felt guilty over the whole summer because of the fact he didn't even contact Caitlin, let alone see her. After all the help she had given him before break, his repayment was hiding away from her and the world. Yes, there was the guilty feeling again, squeezing at his stomach without mercy. He sighed lightly and tried to think of an excuse, but there wasn't one. As she continued to talk, Colin didn't notice her rambling until she pointed it out herself, by which time he was smiling. "It's fine," he said, waving it away like a bothersome fly. In fact, he would rather listen to Caitlin than start talking himself. He had nothing interesting to share so he was sure she would rather not listen to him ramble about nothing.

The pause reminded Colin that is was his turn to comment. He opened his mouth to say something just as the waitress arrived, asking for their orders. He hadn't even looked at the menu, but his memory served as one and he ordered what he always used to get. With a wave of her wand, the waitress served their food and left, probably going to serve another group. Colin smiled a little as he remembered the time when he had first visited the Three Broomsticks. He had heard the tales of it, but he was still amazed at how she could produce food out of her wand. Now it seemed natural and expected. He started when he heard Caitlin say his name, though in the end he wished he had still remained lost in thought. Unsure how to respond, Colin picked up his burger and took a large bite out of it, biding time. When he had swallowed, however, he knew that he couldn't stay silent any longer.

"I believe you," he said. "It's just - I dunno - I was so worried you might not. I mean, after the whole kidnapping and everything," at this he swallowed hard, "I've always been putting myself down. I knew you'd come, but I prepared myself for the worse. " He sighed. "Does that make any sense? It's hard to explain..." Colin laughed a little to himself, though it sounded more like another sigh. Besides, what he was laughing about wasn't at all amusing. "You're one of the only true friends I have," he admitted. "And it would lessen the pain if you did something... like... yeah, and I was prepared for it." He smiled a little. "Pretty pathetic, huh?"

[Caitlin Martinez G7]

Caitlin smiled and looked down at her salad, which now didn’t look too appetizing. “Don’t be sorry, it was a two way street. I could have written you, and for some reason or another I never got to it.” Now she wished she had, though. She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, where would he be a year from now? Where would their relationship be? Would their even be one? Would they still be in contact after he left? Caitlin stifled a sigh and then looked up, as she speared a tomato with her fork and popped it in her mouth. She tilted her head to the right and listened to him explain. She shook her head after he had finished, and put another forkful of salad in her mouth. Chewing the food that tasted like ash now, she used it as something to buy her time. She didn’t quite know what to say, but she was certain it would come to her. Words always seemed to come to her now, and so easily too.

“It isn’t pathetic, Colin,” she said after swallowing her bite of salad, “Sometimes one really good friend is all you need. Sometimes it’s that person that makes everything appear brighter, you don’t need thousands of adoring friends. That would probably be lonelier than having just one.” Caitlin looked him in the eye and sent him a bright smile, “You aren’t pathetic, and actually, I think you’re quite amazing. You can’t be amazing if you’re pathetic. It’s a proven fact, because you prove it.” She took a sip of her butterbeer and waited for him to say something, anything. Caitlin finished off her salad, golly was that a small salad, and within seconds the plate was gone. She smiled at the use of magic and then looked back up at Colin.

“I guess it’s understandable as to why you prepared yourself though. I mean, there are a lot of people like that… someone who would ditch others just ‘cos they feel like it. But I’m not that type of person, Colin. At least not with you. I wouldn’t ever ditch you, I might ditch someone else to be with you but that’s someone else and not you.” She smiled, wondering if that made any sense to him at all. Probably didn’t, but she knew he would understand what she meant regardless of how she said it. It was Colin, it was who he was and that was one of the many things Caitlin loved about him.