Chapter 13: Shopping in Hogsmeade

Disclaimer: My attempts at brewing Polyjuice have not worked, so I'm still not JKR. (Luckily though, nor am I a cat like Hermione ...)

Author Notes: A huge thank you to DracoGurlFurever for her amazing beta job, despite have some real life issues going on at the moment. Also, thank you for sticking with me so far, and I hope you enjoy the chapter and that it gives you a giggle.

Chapter 13: Shopping in Hogsmeade

The next Hogsmeade weekend fell on the last weekend of term before Christmas. The common room was a hive of activity; all the students who were third-years and above were preparing for their excursions to hunt down last-minute Christmas gifts. The weather outside was cold and blustery, the glass panes shaking in their frames as they were hit by particularly strong gusts of wind. Sophia and Lily were perched on one of the tables near the window as they waited for the four Marauders to emerge, and Sophia gripped her teal coat tightly as she studied the weather outside.

Their plan for today was to go to Gladrags and find kilts for the four boys before joining Melanie, Lucy and Niahm to shop for dresses for the Hogmanay dance. The boys had upheld their rather vocal protests to Sophia's kilt idea (or, as Sirius called it, 'obsession'), but she had held firm. She had spent many free periods trying to convince Sirius on the matter, for he had protested strongly against the idea of wearing a 'skirt' in public. Eventually, however, they had all grumbled their assent – though, she knew, they did so grudgingly. To be completely honest, she was actually rather touched that they had even agreed to the kilt idea, and she'd made a promise to herself that, if they still hated the kilts after trying them on, she wouldn't persist in asking them to wear kilts for the dance.

Sophia checked her watch quickly and saw that the boys were due downstairs at any minute.

'What time is it?' Lily asked, catching sight of Sophia as she pulled her sleeve straight again.

'Nearly nine thirty; they should be down shortly,' she replied, Lily nodding in silent agreement before turning her attention to her nails. 'Are you sure you want to come today?' Sophia asked. Lily tilted her head up to meet her eye. 'You know I don't mind taking them shopping myself. You could go with Melanie, Lucy and Niahm, and then I could catch up with you all later to get our dresses.'

Lily shook her head, a small smile on her lips. 'No, I'll come. I've got most of my Christmas shopping finished already, so I wouldn't have much to look for if I went with them. Besides, I'm rather intrigued to see how you put the kilt and everything together.' She shrugged in a non-committal way, but Sophia could detect a slight amount of tension in her friend's posture, which told her Lily was trying to suppress something.

'Uh huh,' Sophia replied somewhat sceptically, not totally convinced that she knew what her friend was hiding, but having a few ideas floating around her head. However, before Sophia could probe further, the Marauders came down the stairs. All four looked like condemned men, their heads hanging low, their feet slightly dragging as they walked. Sophia had to stifle a laugh at James and Sirius in particular, who were milking it for all it was worth.

'Alright there?' she said, her voice thick with a bright cheeriness in a deliberate attempt to wind Sirius up. It obviously worked; he looked up and glared at her.

'We're only about to become cross-dressers – we're doing just peachy,' he replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes dramatically at him and stifled a chuckle. When she looked at Sirius again, she saw the familiar glint in his eye that always let her know that he was messing around.

'And just what is it about our predicament that you find so amusing?' he queried, a slight tilt appearing at the corner of his lips.

'You mean, apart from the fact that you are all acting like a bunch of babies? Gee, I can't think of anything,' she replied, still giggling. 'Come on; the sooner we get down there, the sooner you will be free.' She threw her coat on, and the group made their way to Hogsmeade and Gladrags.

The path down to the village was a thick tide of students, each one walking swiftly in the bitter wind. Sophia adjusted her woollen scarf, bringing it snugly up against her chin, then buried her mitten-covered hand back into her pockets. Remus walked along beside her, his head bowed as he trudged down the path.

'So, explain to me a bit more about these outfits,' he said as they walked.

'Okay, well, you have the kilt part, obviously,' she started, 'and there will be lots of different tartans to choose from. Normally, you would wear the tartan of your clan, as determined by your surname, but as there is no 'Lupin' tartan, you can choose anything that you like the look of.' Remus smiled, and Sophia continued. 'Then, you always wear the same knee-high socks – normally in cream, but sometimes black – and black lace shoes that tie up around your calf. For formal occasions, you would wear a shirt with either a bow tie, or just a tie, and then there are two different styles of jackets to choose from. Oh, and finally, there is the sporran, which is worn around the waist and helps to ... er ...'

Sophia paused, her cheeks tinging pink. She really should have thought through her sentence before she had started speaking, she realized; now, Remus was looking at her intently, his eyebrows pinching together slightly in confusion.

'Helps with what, exactly?' he drawled, somewhat suspiciously.

'Um ...'

'Sophia.'

'Ithelpskeepthekiltdown,' she whispered quickly, staring at the path as she did so.

'What was that?' Remus asked, leaning closer to her.

She took a deep breath. 'It helps to keep the kilt,' she gulped, 'down.'

'WHAT?' Remus shouted, his eyes going wide as he stared disbelievingly at her.

Everyone else in the group stopped, then threw curious glances at them.

'Okay, that's it – I am not wearing a kilt!'

'Um, what's going on?' Peter asked, looking slightly bewildered as he glanced between the pair of them.

'You know that sporran thing?' Remus started; at Peter's nod, he continued, 'Well, its sole purpose, it seems, is to keep the kilt down.'

'What?' James and Sirius said simultaneously, their panicked faces turning to Sophia.

'Eh?' Peter muttered. Then, suddenly, his small eyes grew wide too, almost doubling in size. 'OH!'

Sophia looked at the goggling boys in turn. 'Oh, relax, will you. It's not like I'm asking you to be a true Scotsman or anything,' she huffed. However, if she had hoped her comment would pacify the boys, she had been sadly mistaken; they now looked even more horrified. She exhaled sharply before speaking again. 'Listen, I promise you, you would have to be dancing pretty ... energetically ... to make the kilt fly up that far anyway. I'm sure your dignity will be kept intact.' The boys made no effort to speak, so Sophia resorted to begging. 'Please, just try them on, and if you really aren't comfortable, we'll sort out suits for you instead, okay?' She looked to each boy in turn, and slowly saw each one soften slightly.

The boys shared glances between them before Sirius finally huffed and shrugged his shoulders. 'Fine, we'll try them on, but we aren't promising anything.'

Sophia beamed at them and stepped forward to hug in boy in turn. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' she exclaimed excitedly, turning then to share a secret smile with Lily before the group continued on their journey to Hogsmeade.

Gladrags was located nearly at the other side of the village, its gold gilded sign swinging violently in the wind. Sophia pushed the door open – the bell above it jingled merrily as she did – and they were greeted by a petite witch with greying hair swept back into a bun. Half-moon spectacles framed her hazel eyes.

'Good morning, dears,' she said, her smile welcoming. 'My name is Rosabella; feel free to call me Rose. What can I do for you today?' she asked, studying the four boys who were standing behind Lily and Sophia as if they were about to be mauled to death by either Rose or one of the dresses.

'I was hoping you could find kilts for these four,' Sophia said, waving her hand lightly behind her. 'They are going to a Hogmanay celebration and need to be in the right attire.'

'Why, how lovely,' Rose said with a smile. 'Of course I can help you – which of you would like to go first?' she asked, looking at the four boys.

'Remus will,' Sophia said firmly; stepping aside, she grabbed hold of his jacket sleeve and, ignoring his stutters of protest, pushed him forwards.

'Right, dear, now there's nothing to be frightened of,' Rose said, reassuringly patting the back of his hand as she did; Remus, however, looked like he would very much like to disagree with the aging witch. 'I'll just take a couple of measurements, and we'll get you trying on some kilts and see what suits you, okay?'

As she led Remus over to the fitting area of the shop, Sophia and the rest of the group took up seats just outside the changing room area. As Rose flicked her wand, a tape measure worked its way around Remus' body; she noted down each measurement. Once finished, Rose gave another flick of her wand, and three kilts came sailing to her outstretched arms.

'Here we are,' she said, offering the kilts to Remus to take. 'Now, you go try on your favourite from these three while I move onto one of your friends.'

Remus still looked unsure, but he took the kilts without protest and made his way to one of the changing rooms. Sophia gave him a warm smile, and Lily gave him a thumbs up as he passed. Rose plucked Peter from his seat and began to work on him.

'I can't believe we agreed to do this,' Sirius muttered a few minutes later. 'Can someone just remind me why we are?'

'You're doing this as a favour to me because you know it will make me happy,' Sophia teased light-heartedly, not noticing Sirius' sudden dip of his head. 'I'm getting a bit worried about Remus, though; he's been in there for ages.' She chewed her lip as she glanced over her shoulder to the changing rooms.

'He probably just doesn't want to come out; I can't say I blame him,' grumbled James, who was slouched in his chair, arms folded in protest.

'Right, well, he's coming out sometime, whether he likes it or not,' she declared determinedly. She walked across the store to Remus's changing room and gently called in to him. 'Remus – are you ready yet?' There was no reply. 'Remus? Are you going to come out?' she continued, a little more forcefully, but he still didn't answer. 'Remus John Lupin, if you don't come out right this minute, then I will open these curtains myself, regardless of whether you have that kilt on or not!'

'Fine!' he shouted back, poking his head round the curtain, his eyes narrowing. 'But I look ridiculous!'

'I'm sure you don't; in any case, we need to see more than a floating head to give you our opinion, so will you please just come out of there?' she gently replied.

Reluctantly, Remus slid out of the changing room. He had picked out a Scotland the Brave tartan; it was mainly blue with purple, green and white. However, it was hard to tell how it really looked on him; he was still wearing his own jumper and socks. Sirius and James started laughing, and Sophia shot them a stern look.

'See? I look ridiculous. I'm not doing this, Sophia!' Remus protested as he tried to go back into the changing rooms.

'Oh no, you don't,' she replied, grabbing him by the arm while she addressed Sirius and James. 'You two can just shut up because, in case you've forgotten, you'll be doing this soon enough,' she said harshly, instantly causing them to sober up; she could now hear Lily's muffled giggles at Sirius and James' reaction. Turning her focus back to Remus, her voice softened as she tried to coax him. 'You don't look ridiculous ... it just looks a bit ... odd because you've not got on the rest of the stuff, that's all. Is it possible for him to try on a shirt and jacket, and maybe the other accessories?' Sophia asked Rose, who was helping a pale-looking Peter pick a kilt to try on.

'Yes, certainly, dear. The jackets are over there, and the shoes and sporrans are next to them. Jackets and shirts are paired, as are the shoes and socks. Just find his size, and he can try them on.'

Sophia and Rose set about helping Remus and Peter get all the various things together before directing them to the changing rooms to try them on. A few minutes later, they both emerged from behind the curtains at the same time. Safety in numbers, Sophia thought to herself with a chuckle.

'You look great!' Sophia exclaimed as she studied them both. Peter had chosen a Perry Dress tartan which was mainly red and black with yellow and white. Peter had a red tie to match his kilt, and was in an Argyll jacket which had a single button done up in front; Remus was in a Prince Charlie jacket over a black waistcoat and had a black bow tie. Sophia stepped up to Remus and began to undo the buttons on his jacket, missing the widening of Remus' eyes as she did. 'The only problem here is that the Prince Charlie jacket is generally left undone,' she said, popping the buttons free.

Remus breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank Merlin for that – I wondered what the bloody hell you were doing there!' Sophia looked up in surprise before chortling at him.

'So, anyway, how do you both feel?' she asked.

The two boys shifted about slightly before answering.

'Well, I suppose it's all right now that it's all on together,' Remus replied as he looked at himself in a mirror. He pulled at his cuffs and flicked at imaginary fluff on the jacket as he looked over his outfit.

'I quite like it. I mean, I wouldn't want to wear it every day, but for one night I think it will be all right,' Peter said cheerily.

'You know what – they don't look that bad,' James said as he, Sirius and Lily stood up and walked over. 'I could be convinced that this might actually be a good idea.'

'Now, dears, are you happy with everything?' Rose asked. Remus and Peter nodded. 'Right then, you two get changed back into your own clothes, and I'll sort out your other friends now.'

James was the first to be measured, and Sophia took Sirius over to choose a jacket and shoes.

'Do I have to wear a jacket and waistcoat? It's just that ... well, it's not really me, is it?' Sirius asked, picking a jacket off the rack and holding it up to himself for emphasis.

'The jacket is more formal–' Sophia looked at Sirius and saw that he was not impressed with where she was going. She gave him a smile before she spoke again. 'No, you don't have to wear the jacket if you really don't want to.' Gently, she removed the hanger from Sirius' grip, placed it back on the rail, and instead pulled down a cream cotton shirt with long sleeves and a v-shape cut down the front all pulled together by a brown leather cord. She held it out for Sirius to look at. 'Why don't you try a Ghillie shirt instead? You won't need to wear a jacket with it, and it will be cooler for dancing in because it's cut to be slightly bigger than a normal dress shirt.'

Sirius seemed pleased with this new option and took it from Sophia as she tried to find him a pair of shoes in his size. With this accomplished, Sirius then went over to Rose to be measured, and James joined Sophia to find a jacket. Soon, both boys had everything they needed, and they were pushed in the direction of the changing rooms.

After about ten minutes, both James and Sirius emerged; James was dressed in a Prince Charlie jacket, waistcoat, and bow tie just like Remus. He also had on a Wallace Tartan kilt that was red, black, and yellow. Sirius was wearing his Ghillie shirt and a Black Watch tartan kilt of dark blue and green.

'What do you think?' James said with a grin as he flung his arms open and did a spin.

'I think you look very nice,' Sophia giggled. She had known that she could convince them that wearing kilts was a good idea if she could just get them to try them on.

'Yeah – you both look good,' Lily chipped in. James's grin grew even wider when he heard Lily say that. Sophia was sure she saw a slight smile appear on Lily's face; her cheeks looked slightly pink.

'How about you, Sirius? Do you feel comfortable in that shirt?' Sophia asked as she looked him up and down. She couldn't help but think how good he looked in the loosely fitting shirt and the kilt – he definitely had a rugged appeal about him, and now, more so than usual.

'Yeah, feels great, thanks,' he said with a grin to match James.

'Great!' Sophia said, clapping her hands. 'Well, you two better get changed, then. Lily and I need to do our shopping now, and you won't want that inflicted on you. I know how much you all hate shopping.'

'Yeah, and I think I hear Zonko's calling our names; don't you, James?' Sirius quipped as he gave Lily a wink.

'That I do,' replied James as he turned back to the changing rooms.

*

Lily and Sophia spent the rest of the day in Gladrags trying on a variety of dresses while chatting about how the morning had gone.

'You seem to be getting on better with them now,' Sophia said, sitting outside the changing rooms once more as Lily was trying on her third dress.

'Yeah ... well, after how they all behaved with that thing between you and ... er ... you know, I started to see a different side to them.'

'You seem to be getting on well with James, too,' Sophia continued, an enquiring tone in her voice.

'Yes ... well ... um ... anyway, what do you think of this dress?' Lily asked as she came out of the changing room. This time, Sophia was sure that she saw Lily blush and couldn't help but smile at Lily's reluctance to admit that she might have been wrong about James.

Lily was wearing a beautiful, pale green dress that perfectly complimented her eyes, skin tone and hair colour. It was a satin, knee-length dress with a boned top which nipped in at the waist before the skirt flowed out over her hips. Around the hem of the dress, there was a white satin band that was matched by a white satin belt tied at the waist.

'I think we have a winner! You look gorgeous!' Sophia exclaimed with delight as Lily did a twirl. 'It will be great for dancing in, too.'

'Honestly?' Lily asked cautiously before she broke into a grin as Sophia nodded emphatically. 'Good, because I really like this dress. You know what – I think it's your turn now,' Lily said with a smile before going to get changed into her own clothes.

Try as she might, though, Sophia could not find a dress that suited her. She felt like she had tried on half the dresses in the shop, and yet she still hadn't found something she liked. Even after Niahm, Melanie and Lucy arrived sometime in the early afternoon and helped her look, she still couldn't find anything. Rose had pretty much left them alone since the boys had disappeared, but, just as Sophia was about to give up, the older witch came over to her.

'Not having any luck, dear?' she enquired.

'No, I'm afraid not. It's not that the dresses aren't lovely, because they are, but I just can't seem to find what I'm looking for.' Sophia sighed.

'I think I might have just the thing for you. Wait here a second; I'll get it for you.' Rose then disappeared into the back room and re-emerged a few minutes later with a long, blue dress. 'Here you are, dear – try this on for me.'

Sophia smiled and took the dress into the changing room to try it on. She slipped the floor-length, silk, halter-neck dress over her head; the fabric felt smooth and cold against her skin. The skirt flowed and rippled around her legs as she turned to look at herself in the mirror. The dress was a mix of two different fabric designs. The skirt was a vivid azure colour down one side; it faded into smoky mauve on the other. The two colours were separated by a line of cyan coloured flowers of varying sizes that ran up the centre line of the dress from the low neckline to the floor, and this design was exactly mirrored on the back of the skirt.

The other fabric made up the hem line and top of the dress as well as being placed around the empire bust line. This fabric was more of a peacock blue with black printed flowers over it; the blue looked even more vibrant against the pale skin of her exposed shoulders and the upper part of her sternum. She studied herself and the dress in the mirror, realising that she had never seen a dress like it before in her life, but also knowing that this was exactly what she was looking for.

She stepped out of the changing room with a small smile on her face. 'What do you think?' she asked the girls and Rose, who stood chatting.

'Oh, Soph! It's beautiful!' Lily said, causing Sophia to blush.

'Really?'

'Yes, dear – I knew it would suit you. He won't be able to resist you in this dress,' Rose said, giving Sophia a knowing smile.

'What do you mean?' Sophia inquired, sounding puzzled.

'Why, that boy with dark hair who got the Black Watch kilt,' Rose responded, a touch of surprise in her voice.

'Sirius? Oh, no, we're just friends,' Sophia said, trying to sound as natural as possible even though she felt her cheeks becoming hotter. She also noticed the exchanged glances between her friends at the older witch's comment.

'My mistake,' Rose replied, turning to walk away; Sophia could still see a twinkle in her eye.

'Okay, my turn now,' Lucy exclaimed delightedly; Sophia was glad for the change of topic. 'Soph, you go back in there and get changed, and I'll try these on.' Lucy held up the three dresses that had caught her eye before disappearing into the changing room next to Sophia's.

A few minutes later, Lucy emerged in a soft, rose-coloured, satin dress that sat just above her knee and was strapless. The top of the bodice was heart-shaped, and there was a matching ribbon around the waist that tied at the back of the dress.

'Lucy – that looks beautiful,' Niahm praised as Lucy did a twirl; the other girls all murmured their agreement.

'I don't think I'm going to bother trying on anything else – I just love this dress.' Lucy was giving them one of her dazzling smiles. 'So, who's up next?'

'Me!' Niahm said as she jumped up from her seat and grabbed hold of the dress that she had selected.

Niahm tried on four dresses before she found one that she liked. It was a floor-length A-line dress made out of silk taffeta in deep aubergine with pencil straps and draped bust detail. The deep colour contrasted nicely against Niahm's strawberry-blonde hair, and the cut of the dress suited her body shape.

This left Melanie. 'Come on, you – time to play dress up,' Lily teased as Melanie frowned at the array of dresses the other girls had picked out for her. She was putting up a fight that was almost on par with the Marauders.

'You know how much I detest wearing dresses,' Melanie responded, not budging.

'Well, it's a good thing that we are only asking you to wear one dress, then, isn't it,' Niahm retorted as she emerged from the changing room. Melanie stuck her tongue out in reply. 'Real ladylike, Melanie,' Niahm sniggered.

'How about a compromise? You can wear black.' Sophia held out a floor-length, black dress for Melanie to try on. Reluctantly, Melanie stood, took the dress, and went to change.

When she emerged, Melanie was struggling to stop a smile appearing on her face, and the other girls had to hide their sniggers. The dress had Grecian-style gatherings around the bust, with wide shoulder straps that had small diamante buckles where the straps met the dress. It was plain and simple, but the simplicity was what made it elegant; hopefully, this would mean that Melanie wouldn't put up too much resistance to wearing it.

'What do you think?' Lucy asked as Melanie studied her reflection.

'I suppose it's not that bad; and, at least if it's black, I won't stand out too much,' Melanie replied evasively.

'Oh, give over,' Lily admonished. 'Just admit that you like the dress.' Melanie turned slowly to face the girls, her face inscrutable.

'Fine, I like the dress.'

The other girls clapped and cheered as Melanie's cheeks flushed, and she dived back into the safety of the changing room.

The girls left with their purchases and headed back up to Hogwarts, all extremely happy and excited about the Hogmanay celebrations that would be upon them in a few weeks.

Author Notes:

Hogmanay is the Scottish term used for New Year.

The Marauders' tartans can all be found on the following here. Just enter in the following codes in the search box at the top left.

Remus: Scotland the Brave – Code 2563

Peter: Perry Dress – Code 1214

James: Wallace – Code 1208

Sirius: Black Watch – Code 207

Just because my beta asked, I shall explain what tartan is to anyone who doesn't know. Tartan is basically a woven cloth of different colours (the same as plaid). In Scotland, the different tartan desgins are usually associated with family names (e.g. Stewart, Ross), and were used so people could recognise what 'Clan' you came from by the tartan you wore. However, in recent years more generic tartans have been designed (e.g. the Scotland the Brave that Remus wears).

The rest of the Marauders' outfits can been seen here:

Peter's Argyll Jacket

Remus and James' Bonnie Prince Charlie Jackets

Sirius' Ghillie Shirt

Oh, and bonus points to anyone who can spot the adapted line from Friends ;-)