[1]

For once he wasn't worried about his sister.  She'd elected to stay at the castle, or that's what she told him, while he went to Hogsmeade.  Sky was just probably going to go another day.  He needed to find her the perfect christmas present and he'd not found anything yet.  He'd bought presents for his parents weeks ago, but Sky was the only person he ever had trouble buying for.  Shade groaned in frustration just thinking about it.

He'd left the castle right after eating breakfast and headed towards the village.  He could of grabbed a carriage to make the trip shorter, but he preferred to walk as it helped him think.  Once in the village he went to the joke shop first.  No matter what he was in the village for, he almost always went to the joke shop first.  Not only to see if they had any new items yet - and Hogwarts population hadn't heard of it yet - but to see if he could over hear anything about the last Falcons match.  Shade's parents were usually pretty good at sending him the score and outcome of the matches, but he'd not heard anything about the last one.

After looking around the store for a good ten minutes, Shade went back outside and sat down on a bench that was against the storefront.  He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around to see if he could get some small clue that would help him buy something for his sister.  He just hoped it wouldn't take too long, he didn't want to have to owl order something at the last minute for Sky, she'd never let him live it down.

1.	Sorry about the title, I was having trouble coming up with something. But it suits Shade's personality just letting you know it had nothing to do with romance or anything, just a reflection of Shade's character.

[1]
Chloe stumbled around the streets of Hogsmeade, her arms full of bags, boxes, and some things just loose. She had covered her mom, dad, John, Mason, Thea, Heinrich, and a variety of things for the Hunters. Don't tip, don't tip, don't tip! She thought, as she walked along the brick road.

Her boxes rose above her eyes, as she started to sway, as she lost her balance on a loose rock, rolling her ankle, and dumping the boxes, and falling on top of Shade. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She said, as she climbed off him. She went to stand up, but fell, when she put pressure on her ankle. "Ow!" She said, holding her ankle.

1.	Don't you worry. Chloe's taken anyway

Shade didn't know how to react when Chloe's boxes and assorted packages fell and then her on top of him.  But when she climbed off of him and fell again because of pressure on her ankle he immediately went to her aid.  "Sweet Merlin, are you alright Chloe?" he asked her as he kneeled on the ground next to her.  He didn't care that it was extremely cold and he could feel it sinking through his pants. 



He held out his hand to her, intending to help her up, but realized that her ankle was probably sprained and she wouldn't be able to stand for a few minutes.  "Let's get you onto the bench." he stated as he looked her in the eyes, "Will you allow me to lift you Miss Chloe?" Shade asked her, some of his father's accent and charm coming through.  He'd often asked his father where the accent came from, but all his father would do would be to smile and shake his head and stay silent on the matter.  His mother was no better, both of them were closed on that subject.

He stayed down by her as he waited for her to answer him, he would never touch a girl without their permission and he knew that Chloe was taken by Heinrich so that wasn't even possible, not that he was interested in her like that. Chloe was a good friend - one of the few that hadn't been scared off by how protective he was of his friends and especially his sister.  As Shade waited for Chloe's response he took his wand out of the holster under his coat and with a well cast summoning charm, Chloe's packages all came together in one pile and he straightened them for her while he waited for her reply.

It was a good thing she stumbled into Shade. He was always quite helpful. He fixed all her christmas presents for her, and even came to her side to help her up. She smiled, a little at him, her ankle throbbing in pain.

"Will you allow me to lift you Miss Chloe?"

"Yeah, totally." She said, thankful that there still nice people in this world. She was so thankful that it was he she stumbled in. He was always really protective, and she knew Sky was a bit reckless for her liking. At least Shade tended to play it safe.

Shade carefully picked Chloe up and sat her down on the bench before sitting beside her and pulling her sore ankle up onto the bench between them.  He transfigured a pebble into a pillow and placed it under her foot.  "Would you like me to send someone for Heinrich?" he asked her.  He could probably make her feel tons better than he could, and he wasn't so sure that Heinrich would be pleased to see Shade taking care of Chloe instead of him.

Shade picked her up, and put her on a bench. "Thanks." She said. He transfigured a pillow under her foot, and she smiled at him. "Have you thought about becoming a healer? Because I swear, you'd do awesome as a healer." She said. She would have liked to say that her ankle was feeling better already, but it wasn't. Not yet.

"Would you like me to send someone for Heinrich?"

"No, no, I don't need him. I'm fine really." She looked down at her ankle, which now looked swollen. "Okay, maybe I'm not fine, but let's face it. He'll be here in a matter of minutes regardless of whether or not we call him."

"I have actually thought about becoming a healer, but I'm just not sure that Sky would be able to get along without me." he said, but he knew in the back of his mind that getting a job seperate from his twin sister would be hard.  Sky would never make it through healer training, and she didn't have the concentration it needed either.  "I would like to though." he added.

Shade nodded when Chloe said that Heinrich would be there soon anyways, "That's good. Because even though I'd do it if he weren't here, seeing me carrying you back to the castle probably wouldn't be a good moment for him?" He chuckled and then touched his wand to her ankle and said the only spell he knew off the top of his head for relieving pain.  "That should help, but since I'm not good at it, it won't last very long." Shade told her.

Chloe looked up at Shade. "Always looking after her, huh." She said, referring to Sky. Sky was a little, wild, at times. Chloe wasn't about to say reckless, just, fun-loving. Shade was the more cautious and slow of the two. He always seemed to think things through before carrying out a plan of action. It was Shade Chloe seemed to relate to more.

"That's good. Because even though I'd do it if he weren't here, seeing me carrying you back to the castle probably wouldn't be a good moment for him?"

Chloe smiled. Heinrich was like that. He was very defensive, and she liked that about him. Shade muttered a healing spell to ease the pain. It helped a little, and helped Chloe get her mind off of it. "So." She said. "What's new, Shade?" She asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Not much, still reeling from the Falcons last defeat." he muttered, he was still upset about that.  He hated when the Falcons lost.  It was like his whole life was less bright when it happened.  "I'm still trying to decide what to get Sky for Christmas, I've bought presents for everyone else, but she's always the hardest to shop for." he told her.

"How are you and Heinrich doing?" Shade didn't really care, but he was nothing, if not a good friend, and that meant listening to stuff he didn't really care about and listen the whole way through.  "How's he doing with the tournament?" Now that was more his speed, while he could of joined the tournament, he really didn't want to.  he didn't want to compete against everyone else, it just wasn't his thing.

"Not much, still reeling from the Falcons last defeat."

Chloe smiled. Finally! Someone who loved quidditch as much as her. "Oh I know, right? I was just so upset, I mean, we were doing so well! I wish every game played out like the one on September 20th. That was a great game." Chloe raised her shoulders. "They'll figure it out. They always do. Torret was off her game, I will admit that, but she'll straighten out, and, well," Chloe smiled. "We'll be back winning soon."

"I'm still trying to decide what to get Sky for Christmas, I've bought presents for everyone else, but she's always the hardest to shop for."

"Sky, Sky, Sky. What to get her. She's gotta be hard to shop for. I'd just go anything brightly colored, or exciting." She laughed a little. "Sky's just, well, Sky. She's like her own person. Like, a present that you'd by for Sky wouldn't be for anyone else. She's so unique." Unique. That was the word.

Heinrich and I are doing well, you know, nothing too exciting. He did great in the tournament. I'm just so proud for him." She found herself smiling, even if she didn't want to. She couldn't not smile when talking about Heinrich. "What about you, Shade. Any lovely ladies you've got your eye on?"

Shade smiled when Chloe started in about the Falcons.  He was glad that he liked Quidditch, that led to him having more friends than he normally would have if you took out the sports aspect of his personality.  Without the sports, he'd just be a normal guy who was way too overprotective of his sister and got good grades.

"I hope so." he answered and then heard her explanation of what he should get Sky, "Yes, unique would certainly explain what to get her, and her personality.  I often wonder why we are twins, I mean we are almost complete opposites." He took a deep breath and tried to inconspicuously[1] cast the spell to relieve pain again.  He didn't want to overdo it, just ease the pain a little more. 

And the rarely seen flirtatious Shade came out at Chloe's last question, "You mean besides you?" he said with a smirk and eyes sparkling with laughter.  He hadn't meant it, and he hoped she knew it.  He only flirted shamelessly with close 'girl' friends, those whom he was sure knew he was joking.  But just in case, "You know I'm kidding right?" he asked nervously.  It wouldn't do to get pummelled by Faust before Christmas.

1.	thought I spelled that word wrong so I copied it from the internet

"You know I'm kidding right?"

"Wait... You mean you're not in to me? Well gosh-darn it Shade. Now I need to find someone else." She said in a joking fashion, with a snap of her fingers. She smiled. "You're a funny kid, Shade. You do know you could get a girlfriend, right? I'm telling you!" She placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Look, I could probably find someone super cute, and set you two on a blind date. It'd be easy."

Chloe smiled brightly. "Oh, come on. Let me set you up. It'd be cute, and adorable, and, well, cute!" She said, her teenage girl side taking over.

Shade chuckled as Chloe joked right along with him.  It was weird, his mum mentioned it once that it was funny that Sky had more guy friends than he did and he had more girl friends than she did.  They truly were opposites.

"I don't know Chloe, I'm not sure there are any girls out there for me."  He was telling the truth.  "Name one girl that would put up with how overprotective I am.  If you can find one, I'll give it a shot, but not until then." he groaned inwardly at having agreed to be set up on a blind date, this could very well be a disaster.

"I'm putting my trust in you Chloe, please, no brainless wonders please." It was a sign that Shade was nervous as he said things he didn't mean when he got nervous.

Chloe smiled and clapped her hands. "Oh, don't you worry, Shade! It'll be adorable, and great, and, well, adorable!" She said excitedly. Chloe then started to think. Who could be a good blind date. Had to be a 7th or a 6th year. No one younger. She worked out the equation she learned back at Oulton broad. Divide your age by two, then add seven, and that's the youngest you could date.

Shade was what. 16? 17 at the oldest? With 16, youngest he could date was 15, but he was probably closer to being 17. And that'd be 15 and a 1/2. Still seemed too young. Who to set him up with! Couldn't be some idiot, and not some radical that he'd have to worry about. Then, the name came to her. Teagan Bell.[1]

"Don't worry. Super sweet girl. Caring, not some idiot, and she could use someone." Chloe explained. Now, she had to think about meeting areas. The lake would be cute, but it was getting cold. She could use the Room of Requirement, but would that make it awkward? Maybe somewhere a little more public.

"All you've gotta worry about is what to wear. Something cute. And ooh! Wear a red flower, somewhere! It'll be like the films, like, on the blind dates, when they meet up, and they know that they're supposed to be together because they're both wearing red flowers!"

1.	Talked to her about it, and she said that she'd be interested.

"Alright m'dear, but just remember," and he took on a southern accent as he finished, "My heart is a fragile thing." He chuckled. Shade enjoyed the rapport he had with his friends, his good friends.  He could be himself, not the overachieving, overprotective brother he always was, but the boy that could have fun and laugh with everyone.

"How's your ankle?" he asked her.  "Can you walk on it?" he wanted to get back to the castle now because for some reason he was both excited and terrified to meet this girl now.  He didn't even know who she was and his heart was beating a mile a minute just thinking about it.  He was nervous.  Shade hardly ever got nervous.