Who: Susan and Hannah What: The Pre-Valentine’s Day Blues When: Sunday, Feb 13, 1998 Where: Madam Puddifoot’s Rating: PG
As a rule, Susan tended to shy away from Madam Puddifoot’s. It was all far too… frilly for her taste. Sure, she had been on a date there - who hadn’t - but, that didn’t mean that she had to like it. And around Valentine’s Day the atmosphere was almost sickening. But, she and Hannah had decided that a good cup of tea was in order and that simply (and unfortunately) could not be found anywhere else in Hogsmeade. So, here Susan was, making her way through the thin layer of snow on High Street after leaving Honeydukes. She had picked up a few boxes of Pepper Imps and, of course, some chocolate. There were also a few Sugar Quills and some Licorice Wands just for fun.
For Susan, today seemed bittersweet. Sure, it was a Hogsmeade weekend and she was glad for that. But, Valentine’s Day wasn’t exactly her favorite holiday. She had had a valentine twice and things had not exactly ended very well. The first was Ernie when they were little and he made her cry. The second was Justin and things had not exactly ended very well… She didn’t seem to have much luck with boys.
Upon entering the café, the overwhelming scent of potpourri hit her like a ton of bricks. Susan removed her scarf and began searching for her blonde friend. She figured that someone seated alone would be easy to find in the sea of couples… But apparently not. It didn’t help that Susan was so short and there was a particularly large Ravenclaw and his date standing directly in front of her. She sighed exasperatedly and waited for them to move away toward a table. Finally, she spotted Hannah’s blonde curls and hurried over to her.
“I almost didn’t see you!” she told her as she unclasped her cloak, draping it over the back of her chair. “You might have gotten a table a little closer to the door.” Susan was thinking of their escape later; the last thing she wanted was to be boxed into their table.