"Evening, Becca" said Madam Rosmerta as a tiny bell announced my entrance into the Three Broomsticks.
"Good evening," I answered walking towards the bar. I sat down at one of the bar stools.
Madam Rosmerta's forehead reflected the lights in the room and strands of hair had escaped her loose hair bun. "Long day?"
"As always, Becca, long, tiresome but oh so wonderful." She said, wiping a table clean.. "We've been crowded all day long. I barely had time for lunch. Do I look sweaty? I feel wet" she said, wiping her forehead with her arm.
"Sit down, It's my turn" I said leaving my seat. I took the damp cloth from her hands and went into the kitchen.
I had been her plenty of times before. When I had nothing to do I usually helped her, and other shop owners, out. My favourite was Honeydukes. Partly because everytime I went I got to pick a treat from the shelves. I hanged the damp cloth by the sink and brought a tray out to the bar. I began collecting dirty glasses from the tables. Madame Rosmerta sat down and reached for the Evening Prophet.
"Did you do anything fun today?" she asked as she skimmed through the paper.
"I had a walk in the forest" I said. "Nothing special really" No way I was telling her about Nathan, or the whole village would soon think I was marrying him and moving into Hogwarts to live in his dorm. Gossip spread fast in Hogsmeade, and Madam Rosmerta loved to feed the fire.
"Would you look at that" Madam Rosmerta said to herself.
"What?"
"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes has bought Zonko's"
"Wow, really?" I said. "That means Zonko's can sell their products now? Or are they renaming it and turning it into a Weasley-shop?" The Hogwarts students would go crazy with excitement either way.
"'It's something we've always been interested in, and now we are finally going through with it,' says founder George Weasley. 'Zonko's will still be Zonko's, though, with it's usual products. With the addition of some of our best stuff'. 'We just want to make our products more available to the students at Hogwarts,' adds Ronald Weasley, George's brother and co owner of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." Read Madam Rosmerta. "Wow, those boys are going far. Why didn't Howard say anything? Not much of a talker he is."
"Cool," I said. I wasn't very interested in joke-products. Not since I lost all my friends. If i'd use them on my mum she'd haunt me forever. Speaking of which.
"What a surprise to see you here" mum said sarcastically as she entered through the door. Her black robe was wet.
"It's raining?" I said. I hadn't noticed.
"Yeah, not to much thought" mum dried her robe with a flick of her wand. "So, what's for dinner, Becca?"
"Golden, beer-battered cod and french-fried potatoes, with a splash of salt and vinegar, served with marrowfat peas, which has been boiled overnight and…"
"Okay, okay. Could we have two fish and chips, please" mum said to Madam Rosmerta.
"Coming right up. And butterbeer?"
"Yes please" mum said as she sat down at a table. I finished clearing the tables and left the glasses by the sink in the kitchen. Mum had picked up the paper.
"Look, it's about Hogsmeade!. Zonko's.."
"I know, it has been bought by the Weasley's" I said.
"Interesting. Do you think they'll come here? So we can spot some celebrities?"
"Mum you're so weird!" I said pretending to be very annoyed.
"You're the one to talk. 'Golden, beer-battered…' You know, as I was leaving my office, I thought 'I wonder what Becca will cook for me tonight' and then, I just knew. 'No, she's not going to cook today. She'll wait for me at the pub'. So I went straight here and I was right. Isn't that odd?"
"Do I do this often?" I said, truly wondering. Maybe I did.
"I guess we share the same brain. We've been spending too much time together" mum joked. I smiled but it hurt a little. She changed the subject, so I knew she realized it too. Yes, she was my best friend, my only real friend.
"What did you do today?" mum asked as Madam Rosmerta put down our drinks at the table. I took a sip as I thought about my answer. It would be nice to tell her about him. But… No. I couldn't tell her. There really was nothing to tell. If she knew she would somehow figure out who he was and embarrass me.
She works at hogwarts, my mum. As teacher of Transfiguration. She's been there all my life, I think. We don't really talk about my early years, my dad and her life before me.
"Nothing, really. Just walked around in the forest. Read a book for a while." I said with a shrug. "And you? How was your day?"
"You know, going through essays on a saturday isn't so bad. Especially when half of the students are in Hogsmeade. I don't get interrupted by having to go teach a class, or students knocking on my door saying they accidentally transfigured their cat into a pot and can't get it back." she said sipping on her glass. "Although missing out on a whole saturday kind of sucks" she added. "We should do something tomorrow. Something fun"
Madam Rosmerta arrived with our food, and took place at our table. She didn't ask if she was invited, because she always was.
"Oh this looks delicious, Rosmerta" mum said. "Now, spill the tea, I want to hear everything about my dear students."
"Mum, you are so bad."
"Curious, my dear child, it's called curious."
So Madam Rosmerta leaned forward and told us all about the teenage drama of Hogwarts.