"Why do you shop so much?" cried Dylan. "Don't you have enough already?"
"I'm not buying these only for myself! These are gifts I need to give to everyone for Yule," said Astoria defensively.
"The next time I volunteer to shop with you, would someone please confine me to the Hospital Wing? This is torture!"
Astoria laughed. "Oh, alright you big baby! Let's take a break. Look! Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop is just around the corner."
"What's that? Do they serve good pastries?"
"They do. The older students go there for - ahem - anyway, the pastries are quite good. Come on."
"As long as I get to eat, I'm fine with it."
They entered the shop and Dylan raised his eyebrows. The decorations were all pink and frilly and his eyes widened.
"Tori, don't you think it's a little inappropriate to come here when we're not dating?" he asked, blushing slightly.
"Is that an invitation for a date in the future?" asked Astoria coyly as they took a seat. "Is that what you're saying, Dylan?"
Dylan's face turned pink and glared at her when he saw her snickering. Suddenly, he groaned and buried his face in his hands.
"No, not again! I swear I'll be scarred for life with those two around me!"
Astoria looked at him with raised eyebrows and turned back to see what was happening and immediately regretted it. Her face too turned pink in embarrassment. Behind her, Harry and Daphne were sitting at a table, ignoring their tea, engaged in a very intense make-out session. Dylan felt like banging his head on the table.
"What do you mean 'again'?" asked Astoria curiously.
"Have you forgotten that I live with that dolt?" whispered Dylan. "You would think that living in such a large castle would give them ample privacy but nooo… I have lost count of the number of times I have walked in on them like this; no, I have walked in on them when it was worse. At least Harry is wearing clothes this time."
"NO!" whispered Astoria in shock, urging him to go on.
"YES!" Dylan grinned. "Harry doesn't care much for clothes at home; it's one of his little quirks. I was quite embarrassed when I first saw him naked, just after he had achieved his Animagus transformation, and again after I moved into Potter Castle, seeing him move around in a state of undress. What surprised me was that he didn't seem to care. When I asked him about it, he said that he was more comfortable that way and that he had gotten used to moving around without clothes since the time he was seven or eight years old. He said that in his house, he would do what the hell he wanted. It was a little awkward for me for a few days, but then I got used to it until I didn't even realise it much. As for my brother and to-be sister-in-law, they don't really care that people might be watching but at least Daphne has the sense to keep her clothes on. Harry, on the other hand," he chuckled and continued, "There have been some amusing instances too, though. Why, this one time, my dog Tango began chasing Harry and it turned out to be something hilarious. You see…"
An hour later, they finished their food and walked out, idly noting that the older couple was in no hurry to finish their date.
"So," said Astoria casually. "Have you ever walked the corridors of Potter Castle nude, just to test Harry's theory of it being comfortable?"
When Dylan was looking anywhere but at her, refusing to meet her eyes, she burst out laughing. "Please tell me you didn't!"
"He was not wrong in his theory of it being comfortable! The only other occupant of the castle was my brother and he obviously didn't mind and there were no girls around, so what was the problem? As he said, I'll dress, or in this case, not dress, the way I want in my house. It's big enough to give us ample privacy and the portraits don't really count as people."
"Isn't it awkward?"
"It's a personal preference, I guess," Dylan shrugged. "I admit, I couldn't look Harry in the eye for a couple of days in the beginning, but once I got used to his presence, it didn't feel strange. I also had to get used to being comfortable in my own skin, and that took courage and self-confidence, something I didn't have at the time. As for it being awkward, he's my older brother, not some boy or girl next door who likes to perv at me. It's our house, Tori. If we're comfortable with it, then that's what we'll do. As Harry said, no one has the right to deny us that freedom."
"I see now why you appear to be a lot more confident than last year," teased Astoria. "Maybe I should sneak in when you're least expecting it to take a peek and see what you're hiding under those clothes. What do you say, Dylan?"
"Shut up," mumbled Dylan, his cheeks colouring pink. He coughed; he couldn't stop blushing. Why was it so hot all of a sudden? Wasn't it supposed to be winter?
Astoria snickered.
....
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