Even in the cold of late autumn, the shops in Hogsmeade were still bustling.
A new ice cream shop had opened here, and it was just as packed. Su Er and Hermione went there and ordered an ice cream with extra toppings. Each holding a spoon, they walked side by side along the street, taking turns eating and listening to their classmates' conversations.
Before coming to Hogsmeade, Harry had said he had arranged to meet Sirius and had specifically invited Su Er and Hermione to join them. The meeting place was the Shrieking Shack on the outskirts of Hogsmeade.
But Su Er had already agreed to meet Fred and the others at the Three Broomsticks later. He did not turn down Harry's invitation either, merely saying that he and Hermione would look around for a while before joining them.
By the time they reached the Three Broomsticks, Su Er and Hermione had finished their ice cream. Eating ice cream in cold weather was a very particular pleasure. It felt as though their whole bodies had become one with the chilly wind, and, strangely, they did not feel cold at all.
Su Er had just thrown the container into the bin outside the Three Broomsticks and dusted off his hands, ready to take Hermione's, when they came face-to-face with a witch wearing jeweled glasses. A middle-aged man holding a camera followed behind her.
It was Rita Skeeter.
Her eyes visibly lit up. She swiftly stepped in front of Su Er and Hermione, her eyes darting toward their joined hands.
"Ah, hello, Su Er Bones, and this young lady..." Rita Skeeter quickly took a piece of parchment and a quill from the crocodile-skin handbag slung across her body. When she let go, they floated in midair. "You're a Gryffindor student, aren't you?"