AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, here we are with another chapter, and this one goes out specially to Fallen Seraphim Azarael. :smiles: Well, hope everyone likes it! It's a bit long... won't let me make my little smilies that I love so much, I have to emote, which I like to do also, but it's just not the same. :cries:
Student Professoring
Chapter 2: Owls
Eliza flipped the omelet over briskly and flicked an eye over the dishes from earlier that were washing themselves. She hummed a verse or two of the song that was stuck in her head and shifted her weight to the other foot, careless of the light spatter of oil that jumped from the frying pan onto her robefront occasionally. The robes were simple house robes of a deep brown, quite inexpensive, but comfortable. Eliza's hair was in a long braid down her back and her face was set in a content expression.
The last of the dishes washed themselves just as the eggs finished and Eliza sat down to enjoy some lunch. The tantalizing smell of cooked food reached her nose, but she didn't get a stab at instant gratification because at that moment, there was a rap at the window and Eliza looked up to see a handsome barn owl hovering behind the glass, carrying a sealed envelope. She hurriedly let it in, and seeing the crest on the seal, ripped the envelope open, heart racing and lunch forgotten.
Dear Miss Vance,
It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted as a student professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your class assignments and schedule is enclosed along with your tour and meetings dates. Congratulations on your accomplishment. We hope to see you here on August 29.
Warm Regards,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Eliza squealed in delight and spun around the room in ecstasy and proceeded to nearly kill the poor owl by squeezing him in a feather-crushing hug of joy. She was going to be a student professor at Hogwarts! And if all went well, a full-fledged professor at Hogwarts! Oh, this was some great good news indeed! She'd have to owl some friends immediately! This was cause for celebration!
Scarfing down the eggs, Eliza quickly placed some water and owl treats before the bearer of good news and hurried upstairs to get dressed.
Rummaging through her closet, she settled on green dress robes with deep green embroidery. Simple, yet effective. Sweeping up her raven tresses, she left them in their natural half-wavy, half-straight form and pulled them up into a high ponytail, tying it in place with a green ribbon she found on her desk. Put up this way, her hair brushed just past the small of her back. Slipping on some sandals, Eliza rushed out of the house, a broad grin on her face.
She stood on the corner of the street and flagged down the Knight Bus. Hogsmeade sounded good.
Remus Lupin sat at a middle, window table of the Hog's Head and sipped his butterbeer worriedly. Across from him sat Severus Snape, whose expression was set grimly, although the jut of his chin suggested defensiveness. "It simply can't be done this time, Lupin," he was saying.
Remus sighed and stared out the window at the gray afternoon with worn eyes. There was definitely a storm brewing. His hands clenched and unclenched around the bottle in agitation. "You- you don't understand, Severus, I need that potion." There was a note of urgency laced in the insistence in his voice now.
"I'm quite aware of that," Severus said coolly. "But as I was unable to acquire toadstools this passing new moon, you'll agree it's out of the question." He shifted impatiently in his seat. Remus was about to reply when he was abruptly cut off by a loud exclamation from the door of the Hog's Head.
"Aberforth!" Eliza called, running around the counter and bowling the old man over in a hug. "Oops, sorry old man. Guess what!" she continued excitedly, helping him to his seat. He resumed his fruitless cleaning of the glasses and Eliza hopped from one side of him to the other in her unsuppressed excitement. Occasionally, she'd poke his side and say, "Go on, guess."
Aberforth sighed and put down his rag as though all he ever wanted to do was polish those glasses, and Eliza was interrupting his life's work, however, when he turned to face her, there was a slight smile on his lips. "What, lass?"
"Guess who got the job as student professor at Hogwarts!" she asked, eyes sparkling, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Aberforth turned back to his glasses and tossed a suggestion over his shoulder.
"The giant squid?"
Eliza's smile vanished to be replaced by a somber expression. "Almost. You see, it was very close, but in the end, Dumbledore decided I might be a tad better... Not so high maintenance, you see." Her face broke into her customary grin once again and she caught the barman around the neck in another jubilant hug.
He wrapped a warm arm around her waist fondly and patted her head in a proud, paternal way. She smiled, feeling five again, although she was past the point where she could sit in his lap and harass the customers by reading aloud at them.
"How about a celebratory toast?" she suggested. "Can I get you a drink?"
"In my own pub?" he asked dryly. "How generous of you."
"Hush!" she admonished with a smile and handed him a glass of something clear ad red, pouring an identical one for herself. "To Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and all things great!" she said, raising her glass. Aberforth did likewise.
"Cheers." He took a gulp of the liquid, winced, and made a face as if to spit it out, but opted for forcing it down his throat instead.
Eliza chugged hers unperturbedly smacking her lips and sighing afterwards. Catching Aberforth's dark expression, she raised an eyebrow in question, although she looked as though she knew what was coming.
"It's juice," he said sullenly.
"And quite appropriately so! You wouldn't be considering drinking vile drinks in front of me would you?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Eliza severely disapproved of drinking and Aberforth knew it.
"Of course not," he mumbled. She discreetly heard the words, "summit stronger", gave him a Look, and waltzed over to the customer side of the bar.
"So, gramps, how's business been with you?" she asked, spinning around on the broken barstool.
"It's been about as good as it ever gets. Hadn't heard from you in a while, though."
"Ah, yes, was busy looking for a job and taking care of Auntie's final wishes..." she stopped spinning.
"There was a small pause. "She would've been proud."
Eliza nodded, but didn't speak. The door of the pub banged open then, and there stood a short, young, brunette witch and a somewhat frazzled, blond, young wizard. They scanned they scanned the room quickly before breaking into grins and slapping Eliza congratulatory slaps on the back.
"This calls for celebrations!" the boy announced.
The brunette got a wicked gleam in her eyes and said, "How perfect. Hogsmeade just opened a club that I've been eyeing recently." The gleam intensified. "You know...a dance club!"
Eliza's eyes widened in horror. "Dear God- no! I don't dance!" The blond wizard snorted in disbelief. "-in public!" Eliza amended hastily. But between the two, it was a lost cause. They manhandled her out the door, overriding her desperate pleas for freedom to Aberforth, who merely shook his head.
Remus watched the girl go. She did seem to rather be acting her age... He glanced at Snape, wondering if there might be any chance at all to acquire the Wolfsbane Potion, but it was apparently not to be. Sighing, Remus rose, donning his cloak.
"Thanks anyhow, Severus. I'll be taking my leave now..." When Snape made no comment, Remus headed towards the door.
"Oh, wait, guys, I haven't paid yet!"
"Eliza! Honestly, he's like a grandfather to you, he won't care!"
"It still doesn't feel right. I'll catch you guys up in half a second!" She jogged back to the pub, jerked the door open, and ran into someone on their way out. She staggered back into the slight pressure of someone's hand at her back and rubbed her nose, blinking away the tears from her smartly stinging eyes.
'Why did men have to have such hard chests?' she wondered a she glaned up at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, sounding like he meant it. The brown brows over his gray eyes looked genuinely concerned in their frown.
She smiled a watery smile at him. The pain had abated anyhow. "It's my fault, really," she said. His hand fell away from her back now that she was steady on her feet, but he still looked concerned. "Really, I'm fine, thanks very much, I shouldn't have run into you like that, the blame's all mine."
He glanced behind her. "Ditching your friends?" A smile tugged at his lips.
"Oh, shnaps! No, no, I came to- Aberforth, how much do I owe you for the drinks?" she called. He waved away the tab with his hand. "No, no, I insist!" She reached for her money bag, grabbed a handful of knuts, and threw them at the bar. The barman caught them deftly, shrugged slightly and waved her off.
"Off with ye, lass."
She grinned, then turned and regarded the man she'd bumped into. "Well, it was nice...bumping into you." She caught the possible double meaning of her statement two beats later and her cheeks flushed with color. The man raised his eyebrows. "N-not like that or anything! I just...uh...have a nice day, sir!" she blurted out, turned, and left, hurrying to catch up with her friends before they thought she did ditch them and came looking for her.
Remus smiled and shook his head, nodded a farewell to Aberforth, who'd resumed his favorite pastime of polishing his glasses, and stepped outside to a heavy gust of wind that carried the scent of a storm on its wings. Sure enough, a drop of rain plonked in Remus' eye as he contemplated the sky.
A few seconds later, the drop had called to his fellows and it was raining properly before Remus made it to the Shrieking Shack.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please do tell me what you thought of it, I'd appreciate it so much!