Valentine's Day is such a silly holiday, anyway. Carys Whitman thought this as she tread lightly along the sidewalk in front of the line of shops in Hogsmeade Village. The castle had been a flutter for weeks with talk of the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, people taking the chance to use the (un)fortunate timing to spend some romantic time together, and of course there was that entirely ridiculous speed dating event happening in Pudifoots the following day. Under the guise of charity people would be lining up, no doubt hoping to meet the man or woman of their dreams amid a sea of pink, cupid, and corny hearts. It was all so very, very silly and Carys Whitman walked with her head held high, trying to give off an indifferent and aloof impression.

Though she would never admit to anyone- even herself- Carys was jealous of those with the freedom to pursue romance in their spare time. She had attended the Yule Ball with Erin Harper- for strictly social reasons. Quidditch captain, Slytherin, and Hogwarts Champion he made an excellent date and it had paid off strategically. Carys was constantly trying to set herself apart from her fellow Ravenclaws in the hopes of finding herself openly welcomed into the arms of the Slytherin girls she idolized so much. It was easier when Maeve was at school to help influence others to accept her... It was also easier with Maeve's guidance to behave as a young pureblood lady ought to. But she had managed well enough on her own, and had no doubts that she could continue on being successful in this endeavor.

Carys tugged gently at the brim of her hat as she ducked through the doors of Honeydukes. Just because she hated Valentine's Day did not mean she could not enjoy some of the perks. Such as a nice box of chocolates. Carys also needed to send a lovely gift to her mother. She'd already sent a bouquet of flowers by owl, but felt that it wasn't quite enough. Besides, who wouldn't enjoy a nice selection of truffles?

The selection had been picked over, but one of the clerks was currently restocking the shelves. Carys hung back a moment, then moved to have a look at some of the other candies in the shop. She did not want to hang over the clerk's shoulder impatiently- that would be rude, and it was better to simply let the clerk get the chocolate put out on the floor in peace. Carys could have a more thorough look at what she wanted to buy for herself then.

In the mean time, she picked up a small shopping basket and began to pick out some items for her younger brother. Maxen was a horrid little thing to be sure, but he was too young to come and enjoy Hogsmeade. She thought it might be nice of her to buy him some sweets. It was odd to see Carys picking up things like cockroach clusters, fizzing whizbees, jelly slugs, and pepper imps. She even tossed in a couple of sugar quills for those extra boring days in classes. Turning to her left, she addressed the person nearest to her. "What other sorts of candy do you think a twelve year old boy would enjoy?" she asked. "I really haven't a clue."

The morning had passed sooner than expected, but wasn't that always the case when you were having fun? Sophie had bid her farewells and was off to spend the rest of the day with her boyfriend. Lucas did not hold it against her so much as it left him the rest of the afternoon to find something to do with himself and a very full head at that. The idea of Gracie's birthday party had come up and when he initially heard of it, he acknowledged it and dismissed it in the practically the same breath. It wasn't as if they were even talking to one another, much less amiable to one another. Things were far less tense than where they'd left things on the train back to London, but they weren't exactly back the way they had been either. Each, carefully choosing to ignore the other.

At least, that had been the case.

Something had shifted just a bit. An awkward run in, a stilted conversation and though Lucas still wasn't completely sold on the idea, he didn't want to be caught without something to give Gracie if he did decide to make an appearance as he said he might. So, here he was at Honeydukes, the shelves lacking in any of the things he knew she liked, but there was hope on the horizon as the clerks restocked the shelves. He'd wandered over to look at a fuller shelf as he waited. There was a girl perusing the same area, another sixth year Ravenclaw like himself, but he couldn't remember having said more than two words to the blonde in the past six years. Carys asked a question and it took a second for Lucas to figure out that the girl was actually addressing him.

"Oh," he moved a bit closer to see what she already had. "I liked Bertie's Beans when I was about that age. And those pops that change your tongue color each time you suck on it."

Carys offered a thankful smile to Lucas when he moved toward her, peering into the basket she'd begun to fill up for her little brother. Bertie Bott's were a good option, and if she was lucky the whole bag would be filled of disgusting flavors like booger and vomit- her brother certainly deserved it. She plucked two bags of them and dropped them into the basket, as well as a few of the lollipops that he was talking about. "Thank you, Lucas. I think that should round out he gift for Maxen quite well." The gift he would likely be incredibly ungrateful to receive, but there was nothing to be done about that fact. He was a horrid child, terrible brother, and complete and total brat- more or less a Whitman through and through, as much as she was loathe to admit it.

"I have never understood his fascination with such candies. Even as a young girl I disliked them. I prefer knowing exactly how something will taste when I eat it, and I prefer for it to taste good- not strange. Perhaps that is a novelty lost on young ladies, though. You say you enjoyed such things at that age, perhaps these are more marketed toward boys." She gave a non committal shrug, then glanced over her shoulder at the chocolate display. The clerk was still not quite done restocking it, and Carys had to fight the urge to heave a heavy sigh. Even the simplest of errands were stressful during such a silly little holiday.

Turning her attention back to Lucas, she carefully smoothed the skirt of her dress. "So what brings you into Honeydukes?" Carys asked. "Looking for a Valentine's Day gift, I presume?" It was a nosy question, and really none of her business, but Carys wasn't sure what else to say to him on the matter. She wasn't exactly good at basic social interaction with her peers, unless they were of a certain heritage or personality type. Carys had always likened herself as a misplaced Slytherin (however incorrect that picture she tried to paint of herself actually as). "If you need a lady's touch, I would be more than happy to offer you some aid, since you were kind enough to give me some suggestions on what to do for Maxen."

 "Happy to be of service," he replied with only a hint of amusement after Carys thanked him for his input. It seemed that the conversation was not quite over, however, as Carys went on to divulge all of the musings she seemed to have on the subject. Lucas couldn't blame her for that, obviously, sometimes one simply had to contemplate the entirety of the situation. Weighing why and the why nots and sometimes it was nice to have someone listen to these thoughts simply that they did not go to waste in one's own head. Lucas, himself, had never contemplated the candy industry all the closely and could only nod a bit.

"I think they're made for people who like a little risk with their sweets," he finally decided. "Then again, I don't think my sister liked them all that much either. Happens when you get earwax when you're going for popcorn." The memory made him laugh a bit as he glanced over the clerks.

So, what brought him here, Carys wanted to know. It was the second time he'd thought the conversation relatively over and the second time Carys surprised him by continuing. They were both waiting, they might as well make polite chatter, right? That is until she went on to guess that he was, in fact here for a Valentine's Day gift. She could help, if he needed a girl's point of view.

"Sort of," he admitted. "It's not for a girlfriend," he was quick to supply. "I'm not even sure I'm going to give them to her or not." Technically, he already knew what he wanted to get for Gracie, but the longer he was in Honeydukes, the more he considered whether or not he needed to pick anything else up. He could grab something for his own sibling, probably. Evie came to mind, if only to show his gratitude on introducing him to the kneazle she'd found the month before. "What sorts of things do you like?"

Carys scrunched up her nose. "Precisely why I don't eat Bertie Bott's. Regular jelly beans are fine, I suppose, but every flavor? Too dangerous. Though one has to wonder exactly how they know what such foul things taste like... I don't think I would want to be the one making those candies. I don't imagine it is a very fun job."

"I understand that. I'm here to buy some chocolates for my mother." No need to add that she was going to get some for herself, too. It wasn't lady like to eat a bunch of junk food. It especially wasn't lady like to talk about it. But he had asked what kind of things she liked, and Carys wasn't one to lie. "Sweets wise?" she asked, then tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment. She liked a lot of different sweets, but tried not to overindulge. But if there ever was a time to do just that, it was on a Valentine's Weekend you were going to be spending more or less alone. (The exceptions to that being Gracie's birthday party, of course. But that wasn't a holiday event, thank goodness.)

Shifting the basket to her other hand, she tucked a stray bit of blonde hair behind her ear. "I am particularly fond of chocolate, especially dark chocolate. And fruits dipped in chocolates are especially delicious. I also like chocolate and mint together. In cold weather I am fond of peppermints and cinnamons. Honeydukes has a nice selection of mint and cinnamon hard candies which will actually help warm you up. They're especially handy for outdoor lessons or attending quidditch matches. I love toffee, too. Caramel, butterscotch, white chocolate..." She listed the last few off on her fingers.

"Other than candy most girls like flowers. But if it isn't romantic, then you have to be very careful. It might seem childish, but I still like stuffed animals," Carys confessed with a light blush. "Cosmetic things, too. Like nice hairbrush sets. I also love books, nice quills, pretty inks and nice inkpots..." She paused for a moment, then gave a quiet, awkward laugh. "I'm sorry, that's a lot of stuff to just list at you. Buying for girls can be really difficult. Even for me- and I am one. You walk a fine line of a gift being appreciated or being considered incredibly offensive- depending on what it is. I hope that was at least semi-helpful," she offered. "If not, I apologize. I might be more useful if I knew the sort of person you were buying for. Family, friend, et cetera." She twirled her hand a little in the air as she spoke.

"Oh look! They've restocked the chocolate finally!" she said to Lucas as the clerk finally moved on. She took a few steps in the direction of the display, quickly eyeing the lovely boxes of truffles. "Truffles are especially delicious." Carys picked up two boxes- one for herself, and one for her mother. "So what kinds of things do boys your age like?" she asked. Not that she had a Valentine, but she'd rather not let that be known. If she asked, maybe he'd assume she had someone in their year or the year above to buy for.

Lucas wasn't quite sure what to do what the large amount of information being sent in his direction. He'd been searching for ideas on treats because treats seemed benign in the large scheme of things, but all at once Carys had taken it down a road he'd been avoiding. Girls liked flowers, cosmetics, hair pretties, but it wasn't romantic he had to be careful. None of this was meant to be romantic, not giving something to Gracie or potentially picking something out for Evie. Would they see it that way? He sure as hell hoped not. Gracie would know better and Evie, well, Evie seemed oblivious to Avalon so she probably wouldn't take it to be anything than what it was.

There was a line though, Carys explained. A gift could really go one or two ways and he was starting to regret thinking he should do any gift buying to begin with.

"It was enlightening," Lucas finally said after absorbing the last of what Carys had to say. She might be of more help if he explained who it was he was buying for exactly. "Well, one's a bit complicated. Technically I know what to get her, but now I'm not all that sure I should." It was honest, at least, without getting into the sordid details. The chocolates were finally stocked and Lucas reluctantly followed Carys. What sort of things did boys his age like, she asked after picking up two boxes of delicious truffles. He glanced again to what she'd gathered for her brother. "Cockroach clusters, pepper imps," he said with as much seriousness as he could manage and grabbed the white chocolate strawberry things Gracie loved so much before he changed his mind. "Really, I like chocolate covered pretzels."

For the last five minutes, she’d been agonizing over whether or not she should make herself known.

Five minutes earlier, Gracie had just stepped into the village’s one and only sweetshop, her heels hardly pausing at the threshold when she’d pushed open the door—her mood buoyant as it always was when she could only expect good things from the day. And today, why wouldn’t she? In a bit (maybe an hour or so—Merlin she was still awful with time) there’d be a party at The Three Broomsticks, and after that, another one—for her, because tomorrow she’d be seventeen, and there was a whole bunch of people who cared and even more who just liked an excuse to party, which, hey, she could respect–

(Also, because Sundays were just no. They were widely considered hangover mornings, thankyouverymuch, and she, for one, was not about to break tradition.)

And so here she was, at Honeydukes, looking for something to tide her over until then. In her defense, it had seemed like a pretty good idea five minutes ago, and how was she to know a likely awkward situation was, literally, waiting just around the corner?

Shuffling quietly toward the end of her aisle (dammit, heels), Gracie bit her lip, fingertips lightly trailing along the shelves. They were trying, she and Lucas—or, were trying to try, by implicit agreement; something changed the day when she’d tentatively cautiously approached him about her party and he’d said he’d think about it, and it had left her with a maybe- that had her feeling hopeful.

Because before… before, they’d been friends—good ones, actually. And if she was honest with herself (which was something she’d been working on over the summer), she kind of missed him.

Fingers tightening around the edge of the shelves, Gracie made up her mind – steeled herself – and let go, hand lightly trailing along them as she turned the bend and passed the next one, until she wound up at the foot of their aisle. She could be smooth, she decided firmly; a simple ‘hi’ couldn’t be too painfully awkward. Maybe she could even stay long enough for a ‘how are you’d to be polite-

And then her gaze fell on the chocolates in Lucas’ hand, and her surprise was enough to startle a laugh out of her. Almost immediately she swallowed it, her eyes flying up to meet Luc’s in guilty amusement before quickly looking away, at– “Carys!” she greeted, beaming as she stepped up exchange kisses. Mwah, mwah. “Hello. I like your outfit. Hi, Luc,” and she shot him a quick, wide-eyed smile, before turning back to the taller girl. “Are you shopping for Maxen?”

---

She watched him pick up the white chocolate dipped strawberries, and nodded when he stated he liked chocolate covered pretzels. "I'm sorry if I managed to complicate things for you. My mouth runs away with me sometimes. Girls are complicated, though, as unfortunate as it may be. Even we don't understand ourselves all of the time." She picked up a pack of chocolate pretzels, too, settling them in the basket with all of the things she'd picked up for Maxen.

Her attention diverted as Gracie approached. Carys offered a polite smile, kissing both of the Slytherin girl's cheeks. "Oh thank you! It's a bit plain, I suppose, but I have always loved this shade of brown. The hat is one of my favorites, especially warm when it's snowing outside. I adore the top you're wearing. Lace really is underestimated. Girls should incorporate more of it into their wardrobes!" Compliment for compliment, it was the way things worked between girls."I've a white dress made of a similar lace that I like to wear in the summer." Of course, for Carys, it was dresses year round. She did not think of trousers as appropriate attire for a girl of her bloodline and status in the world. It wasn't lady like and would not help her find an appropriate husband when the time came.

"Indeed, I am," she answered Gracie's question. "Since he can't come into Hogsmeade himself, I thought perhaps I would be nice and get him some sweets. I'm certain I will regret it. He is always such an ungrateful little brat about these things, but I still try. Horrid as he might be, he is my brother, and that does dictate that I treat him well and do my very best to love him... Lucas has been helping pick things out for him. I needed a male's point of view on this one. I've never been a twelve year old boy, after all. And after discovering they actually enjoy cockroach clusters have no desire to be." 

"I am very excited about your party!" she said to Gracie. "I hope you'll like the gift I got you. I was thinking of picking up some cupcakes from Magicakery- do you know if anyone else is bringing a cake?" Carys asked. "I'd hate to overstep any boundaries or step on any toes. I just want to do my part to aid to the festivities!" A pool party wasn't her usual idea of a good time- Carys disliked showing so much skin, and would probably feel incredibly awkward the whole time, but she was determined to do her best to have a good time with her Slytherin friends. "Are you going to Gracie's party, Lucas?"

Lucas heard Gracie before he saw her and his back tensed because he knew he'd been caught. The chocolates really really couldn't be for anyone else and she knew it and the sheer irony of his ex girlfriend catching him buying her favorites was just too much. He looked at her, feeling his cheeks warm just a bit, but the embarrassment didn't last long though. He lifted the box.

"Cheers," he said with a slight laugh, because what else could you do in this sort of situation? Gracie turned her attention to Carys and his stiff muscles smoothed out just a bit. It was still weird, and really, he figured it would be weird for some time. It wasn't overwhelming right now though. He didn't feel the urge to escape and for the first time it seemed like they might be okay again one day. The girls chatted a bit about their outfits and Lucas had zoned out, eyeing the rest of the display for something to give Evie. Alice liked truffles, he remembered, and grabbed a box of those before deciding on a box of assorted pieces for Evie. When in doubt, get something that had everything.

He heard his name and it was only after he looked to Carys did the question register. Was he going to the party? Well, now he felt a bit obligated to give a real answer, something he wasn't sure he wanted to do yet. "Oh," he glanced to Gracie and shrugged some. "How could I miss it?" Not without Sophie, obviously, but that he could handle later. "Carys has been giving me an education on things girls might like for Valentine's Day. Thanks for your help," he gave Carys a smile lifted his selection a bit.

When the blonde mentioned her brother, Gracie’s face twisted into a sympathetic grimace. She didn’t have any personal issue with the first year– liked him, even, albeit from a notably safe distance, the way one might enjoy seeing car wrecks in movies but not in real life– but those anecdotes… Merlin, she could only imagine. And she’d rather not; knowing the people her parents were, the girl was pretty sure she was a fluke. She was a lot of things, to be sure, but she was not like them.

(And this was how she dealt with the occasional loneliness, of being an only child. It just went to show blood only counted for so much, anyway.)

Cake, on the other hand, was a welcome thought. But before the Slytherin could answer, she found herself staring at Luc expectantly, and breaking out into a wide, pleased grin. His confirmation was a lot surer than before. “I’m sure it was most helpful,” Gracie hummed innocently, eyes gleaming with a familiar glint—before the look smoothed itself out into something merely curious, when she turned it onto Carys. “You don’t have to, but cupcakes would be great,” she beamed, tossing a wave of brown hair over a shoulder. “I’m having a cake brought in from Alohomocha – Bran’s taking care of it – but we could always do with more cupcakes. Almost all of the snacks are anything but, I’m afraid.” It was almost odd, if a non-patron thought about it, but those who knew better knew that if one went to the cafe for reasons other than its drinks, then it wouldn't be for cupcakes—just madeleines and mille-feulle, and croquembouche, and an assortment of other things with French names and origins on top of everything else.

“Giftgiving is very important around this time of the year,” Gracie solemnly agreed, deadpan. “What about you, Luc? Are you…” She tipped his finds a nod- and offered him a little smile, to take the sting (-well, some of it) out of her teasing, “done?”

"I thought it would be a nice addition, and I don't mind at all. I'm sure Bran won't be offended if I add some cupcakes alongside the lovely cake he'll be bringing." Besides, Carys was often trying to make plays in the Slytherin social circles that might garner her some favor in the long run. Bringing some lovely cupcakes to Gracie's birthday party might be a socially advantageous move on her part. That, and really, who could have a birthday party without cake? "If you can think of anything else that you might need for the party, let me know." She wasn't directly involved with the planning, and wasn't sure what had or had not been organized. Carys really needed to make it a point to ask Liviana more questions about what was going on in Slytherin instead of just expecting her cousin to tell her everything.

She beamed with pride when Lucas stated that she'd been helping him, and then thanked her for her advice. Carys was glad to know that she was able to actually be of some help, and judging from the different chocolates he'd picked up, Carys had a feeling that he'd done a good job. "You're quite welcome. I just hope that my advice hasn't steered you in the wrong direction."

Carys also wished that she would be receiving some sort of nice box of chocolates from a handsome boy. It was strange to her how she usually didn't care much at all for romance- she was more or less resigned to the fact she'd end up marrying whoever her parents wanted her to- but everyone at Hogwarts being all aflutter about Valentine's Day had gotten to her. But there wasn't a whole lot to choose from in the world of Hogwarts. Many of the Slytherins these days were halfbloods, and Carys could not end up involved with one. School was more important in the long run, anyway.

She looked over at Luc and Gracie, watching the interchange between them. Carys smiled a little at the way Gracie teased him. There was something going on there, but Carys wasn't sure what. She must have missed that piece of gossip along the way.

"Only time will tell," Lucas said looking to Carys. "If it turns sour, I know where to find you." He wasn't feeling much better about the whole thing now that Gracie knew. It eased the awkwardness of the whole thing, somehow. And this entire venture into talking again was nothing if not awkward.

Being teased was much better than being ignored, Lucas told himself when he felt the first signs of defensiveness bubbling up. Gracie wasn't being mean or snide or any of the other awful things she could be. It was a stab at him, but it wasn't meant to be unkind. It was also something he would have to deal with if he hoped to keep this whole thing going with Gracie.

"I wouldn't want to offend anyone," he replied with the utmost seriousness. Was he done with his shopping? Lucas looked to what he'd chosen and then glanced to Carys. "Maybe something small for my excellent teacher?" He looked to the shelves, his eyes landing on a bag of dark chocolate drops. Dark chocolate had been somewhere on the list of things Carys liked, right? He added it to his pile. "I've got some other errands to run, see you laters?"  He gave the girls a smile and headed to the register to check out.

As he picked out another box, an even brighter grin spread across her face. Oh, Luc; lingering awkwardness aside, it was impossible not to smile even a little bit (never mind how much easier it was, these days), and even more so when he seemed as determined as she was to move past it.

It wasn’t easy – wouldn’t be, for a while yet – but for now it was enough to give a girl hope.

Waving him off, Gracie looked back at Carys, that shit-eating grin still in place. Gratitude or not, the gesture was still pretty sweet of him. “You must have been verrry helpful,” she said, wiggling her brows.

Carys flushed when he picked up a bag of dark chocolate drops, stating they were for her. "Thank you very much, Lucas, but you really don't have to do that..." She picked at the hem of her dress, casting her eyes down to the ground. She missed the way he smiled at them before heading off to the register to purchase his items.

She looked up at Gracie when the Slytherin spoke again. The way that Gracie waggled her eyebrows made Carys' blush grow deeper. "I- n-no, not really," the Ravenclaw girl stammered awkwardly. "I was just telling him the sorts of things that girls I know like. Just trying to be helpful is all since Lucas was kind enough to help me with Maxen."

"So are you looking forward to your birthday party?" Carys asked, hoping to divert the conversation away from Valentine's Day. She didn't want Gracie asking her if she had any big romantic plans or a date or anything like that. Carys always tried to deflect those sorts of questions that girls were often asking. Her friends loved to gossip about romance and boys, and though Carys enjoyed listening to the gossip, she rarely had anything to ask. After she had gone to the Yule Ball with Erin, people had assumed that maybe something more was going to come of it. No matter how many times she had stated that she was disinterested.

"I think it should be quite fun. I just hope that nobody makes any trouble. I can't imagine why they would, but some of the people at this school are't exactly well behaved. But I hear that a few of the prefects and the Head Boy will be making an appearance, so that ought to help in that arena. I have never actually attended a pool party before." She didn't like being so scantily clad around so many people. It made her uncomfortable. It was like wandering around in your underwear to her. 

A wicked grin stole across her face. “Consider me honored for being your first,” Gracie leered, once more for posterity before she let it go. Smiling normally– sincerely– she patted Carys’ shoulder, “really. I do hope you enjoy yourself.” The Ravenclaw was so prim and proper that she refused to wear trousers, Gracie could only imagine how apprehensive she might be about later. There wasn’t really a dress code– hell, Gracie herself was planning on wearing a bit more than her swimsuit, at least before taking a swim –but the Slytherin had a feeling the reassurance wouldn’t be appreciated much. Carys always did worry about fitting in a little more than most, particularly when it came to Gracie’s more popular Housemates. “I will be very annoyed if someone’s stupid enough to ruin things.”

Which, she wasn’t all that worried about, to be honest, though she knew that was subject to change. While some prefects had promised to be there, it was, ultimately, her party. Which meant she had first crack at asskicking, if it came to it—and she was very, very good at it.

After all, she wasn’t Alex’s co-president for nothing.

“Just… relax when you get there,” Gracie suggested, as she glanced at the shelves. After a moment of decision, a box of assorted truffles (cappuccino, coconut, French vanilla and hazelnut praline) was tucked into the crook of her arm; a beat later, a bag of caramel turtles joined them. “Grab a drink, have some snacks—seriously, Bran’s brother is a pastry god—and just, have fun!” Something everyone needed. Seriously. Between classes and homework– and new teachers and projects and the tournament, even, Merlin –the girl strongly felt that everyone needed as much of it as they could have.

(Especially Ravenclaws. Barring certain acquaintances, Gracie had a dreadful suspicion their idea of a proper drink were Wit-Sharpening Potions.)

Unaware of the comparisons that were being drawn between swimwear and underwear, she offered the Ravenclaw a bright, inquisitive smile. “What kind of suit are you wearing?”