Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related. Any terminology, places or people that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Four

'Why can't I be of age and able to use magic during the holidays?' Roxanne thought to herself. She stood up, stretching her back and sighed as she looked at all the boxes of merchandise she still had to go though. Her father was as bad as his word, giving her one day of rest then making sure she was there bright and early the next day. It had been about a week since then, and she couldn't believe she was still unpacking boxes. The last owner had, before he left, made sure to have a gigantic everything must go sale to obviously make as much money as he could, leaving the Bennett's with nothing. Her father was sending frequent owls trying to get everything set up, while Roxanne was in charge of unpacking box after box as they arrived. A bright side was that her father had given her creative license to decorate how she wanted, so she was pretty excited about that. All of a sudden, a big thud was heard at the door and Roxanne jumped. "Geez." She walked over to the door, opened it, and saw another box lying on the stoop. She stuck her head outside the door and saw about six owls all flying off. "Dad!" She called into the back. "Can you help me? I think some of the brooms came!"

"Oh excellent, we've been waiting for those haven't we?" Her father came into the room with a clipboard and a quill with what seemed to be a checklist. He pointed his wand at the box on the stoop and led it in. Finding an empty space on a table was going to be hard, but somehow he found one and set the box down. "There you go honey. You need anything else?"

"You to unpack this box?" Roxanne asked innocently.

Noah just laughed. "Here, I'll compromise with you." He used his wand to open the box and he lifted the brooms out of it, knocking the box out of the way and setting them on the table. "There. Now all you have to do is unwrap them and put them away."

Roxanne shook her head. "Thanks?"

He laughed again. "No problem," and with that he disappeared into the back room again.

Roxanne sighed and picked up her quill and parchment and started counting brooms. They had to catalog everything, her dad was insistent on it. Just then, a tinkling of a bell sounded and somebody walked into the shop. They had their register set up and everything, so they had their open sign up, but Roxanne didn't figure they would get any people, once they got a peek into the window and saw how messy the place was at the moment. Roxanne turned to tell the shopper to excuse the mess when her voice caught in her throat.

"Wow. You guys are doing some serious redecorating." Ryan Thompson, the Slytherin boy Roxanne had been staring at on the train platform, said jokingly.

Roxanne nodded and finally found her voice, chiding herself for being so ridiculous. "Yes, we just got the store recently and the last owner pretty much took everything, so I apologize for the mess. Please feel free to look around and ask any questions you may have."

Ryan smiled and nodded. "Do you know much about Quidditch?" Maybe it was just her imagination, but Roxanne thought she heard a slight sneer in his voice.

"Probably more than you," she said matter-of-factually.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged. "Okay, you could help me pick out a broom then." He said with his eyebrows slightly raised.

Roxanne shrugged. "That's what I'm here for. What were you looking for? Speed? Precision? How much were you willing to spend?"

"Well I'm definitely looking for both those things, and no more than 100 galleons I expect."

Roxanne's jaw dropped and Ryan laughed. "Sorry?" He said jokingly.

She quickly shut her mouth. "No, no, don't be sorry. Well then, you could definitely go for a more high end broom. My advice would be to go for the Nimbus, they are still considered the best brooms on the market right now. The Nimbus 1500 came out a couple months ago, want a look at that?"

Ryan nodded. "That would be great, thanks."

"Follow me."

Roxanne led him further back into the store where there was a huge glass display case lining one whole wall that was two stories high and full of brooms. Roxanne tucked her blonde hair behind her ears and got onto the attached ladder. She climbed up, opened the case and carefully grabbed a brand new Nimbus 1500. She descended slowly and handed the broom to Ryan.

"Lightweight, the handle is made of mahogany, it'll take you to.. oh I'd say 110 miles per hour on a good day."

Ryan looked at the broom happily. "You mind if I take it outside?"

"So you can steal it? I don't think so?" Roxanne laughed.

"Common. Two minutes just so I can get a feel for it."

"Fine. Two minutes. I must be crazy. If my dad catches us, we're dead." Ryan nodded in understanding. "I'll be quick," he told her.

Roxanne nodded gravely and followed him outside. He mounted the broom, his muscular thigh obvious against his pants, which made Roxanne blush and turn away, and rose into the air. He made a couple laps up and down the almost empty shopping street and then landed gracefully in front of Roxanne again.

"I think I'll take it," he nodded his approval the moment his feet touched the ground.

Roxanne smiled. "Guess my dad won't be able to kill me after all."

Ryan chuckled and followed her back into the store.

"Roxanne? Whats going on?" Her father asked. He obviously came into the front and noticed her gone.

"Oh dad. I was just about to call you. I was just outside with a customer. He wanted a bit of a trial run, but he's ready to make a purchase."

Ryan's eyebrows shot up, obviously confused with the professional manner Roxanne was referring to him in. Her father brightened. "Really?" He said, trying to contain his excitement. "Well that's wonderful! You know where the wrappings are Roxanne?"

"Yes dad, I'll go grab one now."

"Excellent. Ah," he said, directing his attention to Ryan. "The Nimbus, yes, wonderful choice, best broom on the market."

"Yes, your daughter was just telling me," Ryan said with a nod. "She's very knowledgeable."

This made Noah brighten up even more. "Oh yes, she is wonderful isn't she. Couldn't keep her from Quidditch if I tried. The girl's hooked. You play Quidditch at all young man?"

"Yes sir. Chaser."

"Indeed! Well wonderful. You'll have a great broom to do that with, that's for sure! Ah Roxy, perfect."

Roxanne had just came back with the packaging, and held out her hand for the Nimbus. Ryan reached out to give it to her, and Roxanne's hand grazed his. It was a little rough, she mused, probably hanging on to his broom all the time. She chided herself again. They finished the transaction for Ryan and gave him his broom.

"Thank you both very much."

"Of course, of course son, think nothing of it. Come back again," her father told him. He waved, turned around and went back into the back room.

"You showed me I guess. You do know a lot about brooms" Ryan told Roxanne, a smile in his eyes.

"Well I do try," she laughed. A silence fell between them. Not an uncomfortable silence, Roxanne noticed, but not exactly perfectly comfortable either.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around. Thanks for the broom." He stepped a little closer, making her breath catch in her throat. She could smell him, he smelled like a musky aftershave.

"Of.. of course," she told him quietly, not being able to look anywhere but his bright blue eyes.

He stepped a little closer, so the smell of aftershave practically consumed her, and almost whispered, "I'll come back."

All Roxanne could do was nod, but he seemed satisfied. He walked toward the door, paused to wave, then left.

It took a few seconds before Roxanne realized she wasn't breathing. She took a deep breath and shook her head, slightly confused. The thought of sending an owl to Dorcas right away and seeing what she thought about this nonsense crossed her mind, then left it just as quickly. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to tell anyone.

The one thing Dorcas loved the most about the holidays was the fact that she could sleep in for as long as she wanted. She was currently getting ready for the day, pulling out her straightener. She had just started to pull it though her black hair when there was a tap on her window. She smiled as she saw Sirius' family owl's wings beating steadily up and down waiting for her to let it in. She immediately crossed over to it, letting the owl fly though easily. "Thanks," she smiled up at it, but like most of the Blacks, it just gave her a stern look and took off again. She chuckled softly and opened the letter.

Dorcas,

I hope you are having a good holiday. How is your family? Mine is... well who cares about them eh? I've been bugging my mother to let me skip out to James's, and I'm pretty sure I've got her convinced. She hates having me in the house anyway. So perhaps this weekend, I'll be there. Any chance of convincing your parents? I miss you a lot Dorcas, I really do. I know it's only been about a week, but its true. Anyway, let me know. I hope to see you soon.

Love ya,

Sirius

Dorcas read though the letter happily, but then her eyes widened as she read the last two words. 'Love ya?' She certainly cared for Sirius, but love never crossed her mind. Her heart started beating faster as she just kept staring at the letter in disbelief. A few seconds later she chided herself. It just says love ya.. its not like he told her 'I love you and I will until we both die' or something. She shook her head to herself. It was fine, not a big deal, and she chuckled with how silly she was being. It's just two silly words right? Right. Dorcas put the letter on her nightstand and resumed her hair care. She had asked her parents yesterday about going to James's and just as she had predicted, they still wanted more time with her. After all, it had only been a week. She also needed to owl Marlene and ask when they were planning on going to Green Lanes, she had made the decision that she wanted to go too. Then she would probably go to James's house after that. She hoped Roxanne would be able to come, the last owl she had gotten from her was telling her how busy she was. She glanced at the letter on the nightstand again and shook herself mentally. They were just two silly words.

Lily,

How's your holiday? Mine is fine, mostly just sitting around stuffing my face. You know, my mom makes the best food and you should totally come over and eat some of her food because it is really good food and it would be great if you could come and eat some.

James sighed and ripped up the letter, throwing it into the trash with the other torn up tries. He didn't understand how even with Lily not being here he could be so tongue-tied. He was trying to figure out how to put in a letter how much he would like her to come visit, but he couldn't seem to do it without sounding completely pathetic. Just then, Roxanne's words of advice came back to his mind. Just be yourself! She likes that guy! James nodded with resolve and grabbed another piece of parchment, determined.

Lily,

Hi. I hope you are having a really great holiday. Mine has been pretty quiet, but its nice just being here with my parents, they missed me something terrible. Anyway, I'm just writing to let you know that you are welcome to come over anytime you want. Sirius was going to arrive sometime this week, and it would be really great if you could join us. If you can't, I understand, but it would be great seeing you somewhere other than school and the train platform. If you do come, I promise to make it worth your while. We'll find some fun stuff to do.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

James Potter

James reread this letter about five times before he was satisfied with it. He couldn't detect even a hint of bragging or egotism. He sealed up the letter and sent his owl with it as soon as he could find her, hoping that Lily would want to come. James had already informed his parents that he had invited all his friends, and they couldn't have been happier which made him smile sadly. His parents wanted nothing more than to have a house crawling with children, but his parents unfortunately had a hard time conceiving. Just then, his mother called his name and told him to get ready for lunch. 'Don't have to tell me twice," he thought to himself, making his way to the kitchen.

Rhiannon was stomping around her room in a temper. She had brought her father's blood status up to her mother again, but she wouldn't listen to sense. Her father had hidden the fact that he was a muggle-born for so long that Rhiannon had almost forgot about it, but now she couldn't think about anything else. Voldemort had come out into the open very recently and was very open about his goal; that mudbloods must die. Bellatrix had openly commented in the Slytherin common room that she was only too ready and willing to join the Death Eaters as soon as she left Hogwarts, which disturbed Rhiannon to no end. She never exactly imagined that Bellatrix could actually kill someone, but apparently she thought she could. Brienna, who pretty much went with whatever Bellatrix wanted, voiced her eagerness to join up as well, but Rhiannon was less eager. She sat down on her bed and ran a hand though her hair. What would happen to her father when a Death Eater found out he was a muggle-born? Rhiannon was sure that there was some in the ministry, spying for Voldemort. She was also equally sure that Bellatrix's father was most likely already one. She brought her knees up to her chest and stared off into space. She really just didn't want anything bad to happen.

Dorcas' mother and father were already in the kitchen settling down to lunch when she made it to the kitchen. She had missed breakfast because she slept so long, and now she was famished.

"Are those BLT's?" She asked her mother happily. Her mom chuckled. "Yes dear, help yourself to as much as you want. You missed breakfast, are you hungry?"

"Extremely," Dorcas said already helping herself to some toast and putting mayo on it. Dorcas looked at her father who was at the head of the table, immersed in the Daily Prophet. "Anything happen?" Dorcas asked sadly.

Her father lowered the newspaper thoughtfully. "More murders. The dark mark being set above the homes of course. No arrests." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "No more than expected I suppose."

Dorcas could just nod. Things were getting bad.

"But enough about that. Eat up, you look skeletal," her father told her grinning.

Dorcas scoffed. "Oh please. I do not look skeletal." He just laughed. "So dad, have you thought anymore about when I'll be able to go to James's house?"

Her father shook his head. "No. Do you really hate us that much?"

"No! Why would you..." Dorcas stopped mid sentence when she noticed the smile on her dads face. "Jerk."

He laughed again. "Here, I'll make you a deal. Once we get your O.W.L results we'll let you know if you'll be able to go or not."

Dorcas nodded. "Okay, that sounds fair."

"Good. Now eat your BLT."

It was Dorcas's turn to laugh. "Okay."

Roxanne and her father were having a similar conversation over at Quality Quidditch Supplies. Her father had finally gotten most of the ordering done, so he was unpacking the boxes with his wand, and putting the merchandise on the shelves under his daughters vision.

"So what do you think dad? Let me off the hook for a week so I can go to James's with all my friends?" Roxanne asked hopefully.

"I don't know Roxy. There is still a lot to do." Her father said slowly.

"Please dad? The decorating is almost done, and all we really have is inventory. Make Olive come and count brooms. I bet she could do that. Maybe," she shrugged.

"Okay, tell you what. If your O.W.L.'s come and I'm happy with them, I'll let you off the hook, but only if I'm happy with them." He said sternly.

"You got it dad. You won't be disappointed."

"I know," he smiled at her. "Okay, Golden Snitches, where should these go?"

A.N. This speedy update is dedicated to my first reviewer, FastTyper! :D Hope everyone is liking it so far. Oh, review! :)