Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily, guided by James and the Marauder's Map, set off for the Three Broomsticks.

As Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily approached, a girl opened it from the inside. This girl was a costumer who was leaving, and she held the door for Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily as they entered the three Broomsticks.

Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily saw that the girl who had held the door for them was seventh year Ravenclaw Jill Kirke. Though none of them actually knew Jill, they recognized her by sight from when she had received an honorable mention during the announcements of the Hogwarts Writing Competition winners.

Jill was clearly on her own and that didn't surprise Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily in the slightest. While sixth and sevenths years were always less likely to go into Hogsmeade than the younger students, sixth and seventh year Ravenclaws almost never went to Hogsmeade. It was a well-known fact at Hogwarts that Ravenclaws in N.E.W.T years stayed at Hogwarts on Hogsmeade weekends to take advantage of the Ravenclaw Common Room and the library being quieter and less crowded than usual with students in years two through five (formerly years three through five.) being away in Hogsmeade. Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff all always had a few older students who still enjoyed Hogsmeade trips but for a sixth or seventh year Ravenclaw to be in Hogsmeade was almost unheard of. Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily didn't have much time to think about this as they were greeted quickly.

Once Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily were inside, the waitress approached them. She looked familiar to all of them, but it was Ainsley and Lily who were happiest to see her.

"RACHEL ROBINS!" exclaimed Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily.

"Indeed, it is," replied Rachel, "Yes I am the latest Three Broomsticks waitress."

Devon, James, and Hugo had never had much contact with Rachel, but she had been a Quidditch teammate of Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily in her final year at Hogwarts. Because Ainsley and Lily developed stronger bonds with other people than Samantha and Stephanie did, Ainsley and Lily were the ones who really felt the happiness of "seeing an old friend again," albeit not an overly close one. Still, Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily were all happy to see that Rachel seemed to be having some success in her post Hogwarts life.

After the second Wizarding War, Madam Rosmerta had been fired as waitress of the Three Broomsticks once it got out that she had slipped the cursed necklace to Katie Bell. While this firing wasn't exactly fair as Rosmerta had been under the influence of the Imperius Curse at the time, customers were scared, and the owners of the Three Broomsticks felt like something had to be done.

Since then, the Three Broomsticks had gone through a number of waitresses who had short tenures. Waiting wasn't an overly appealing career choice and most of these short tenured waitresses had also left to take better paying jobs. Still...

"Being the waitress of the Three Broomsticks isn't a bad first job for a girl just out of Hogwarts," said Rachel pleasantly, "I don't want to be a waitress the rest of my life, but as a first job, being the waitress of the Three Broomsticks is a good gig."

"How is your post Hogwarts life treating you, Rachel?" asked Lily kindly.

"I'm happy with the position I'm in," said Rachel matter of factly, "When the appropriate opportunity to take a more permanent job comes up, my heart will tell me it's the right time to move on."

"Do you plan on marrying?" Ainsley asked Rachel.

"If it ever happens fine and if it never happens fine," answered Rachel in a firm voice, "If it's meant for me to be married, then the opportunity will present itself naturally. I'm not going to go out of my way to look for it."

"Did you ever consider a career in Professional Quidditch?" Ainsley inquired.

"No," said Rachel instantly, "I don't want to put my body through years of that kind of punishment. I enjoyed playing on the Gryffindor team at Hogwarts and winning that Quidditch Cup-

"Thanks to my awesome skills as the greatest Keeper in Hogwarts history," injected Samantha.

"Seriously, Samantha," asked Rachel irritably, "Do you really need to be as conceited, selfish, and full of yourself as Gilderoy Lockhart?"

"Do NOT compare Samantha with that loser!" said Devon angrily.

"I didn't complain about it or say anything about it at the time, but we heard this from Samantha all last year," Rachel reminded them.

"You don't know the real Samantha Saver," said Stephanie, "The rest of us do."

"True, I was never that close with Samantha," admitted Rachel, "OHHHHHH!"

"What did you just remember, Rachel?" asked James.

"Something I should appreciated more when it happened," responded an embarrassed Rachel, "In our last match last year, Stephanie missed a Bludger and it broke Samantha's nose and caused her profuse bleeding and intense pain. Samantha did not say a word about this to Stephanie nor did she criticize Stephanie to the rest of the team. That says a lot about what kind of teammate she is. Even if I was never that close with Samantha, well, something like that should have caught my attention more. "

"Stephanie would hit that Bludger away from me ninety nine times out of a hundred times," said Samantha supportively, "There's not another Beater I'd rather have protect me than Stephanie Saver."

"Rachel," said James firmly, "Do you know about the personal tragedy Stephanie suffered over the summer?"

"I did read about that," said Rachel sadly, "It was gut wrenching to read about a former teammate losing her family and her home. I have no idea who the witch daughter referenced in the paper is though. Supposedly, a witch daughter persuaded her parents to take Stephanie into her family to get her out of the orphanage."

"Samantha is the witch daughter," said Stephanie emotionally, "That's why I'm now Stephanie Saver."

"Wow, good for you Samantha," said Rachel proudly, patting Samantha on the back, "Talk about being there someone when they really need someone to be there for them."

"That should prove beyond a shadow of doubt that Samantha is NOTHING like Gilderoy Lockhart," said Hugo fiercely, "Gilderoy Lockhart was truly a conceited, stuck up, selfish, full of himself person. While Samantha may seem like that kind of person on the surface, the true Samantha Saver has a huge heart beneath that exterior. Gilderoy Lockhart is a person I'm really glad to have never met. "

"Hear, hear," agreed James, "And let's hope we never do meet him. On the other hand, we're lucky to have Samantha in our lives. There's no doubt she will always be there for us when we need her. She's proven that, as Stephanie knows best."

"Remember too that Samantha made a major donation to Worthy Wands on the day it was founded," said Lily appreciatively.

"I get it," said Rachel, "But back to the original question, I want to be able to enjoy a normal life with a healthy body later in life. That means pro Quidditch is NOT for me. Whatever is will be clear to my heart when that opportunity presents itself and I'll pounce on that opportunity like a tiger when it comes."

"Good luck, Rachel," chorused Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily.

"Thanks for your kind words," said Rachel cheerfully, "Let me find you seven a place to sit."

Once Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily were seated, Hugo placed their order "seven hot butterbeers."

Rachel decided to make a suggestion to Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily before proceeding.

"Butterbeer can be served hot or cold," explained Rachel, "Hogwarts students traditionally get hot butterbeers. I would like to suggest trying butterbeer cold today and trying it hot in your second Hogsmeade visit in December. Butterbeer is generally preferred hot. However, I think it would be a great experience for you all to try hot butterbeer for the first time when it's cold. You only get to try hot butterbeer the first time once. Besides, cold butterbeer is damn good in its own right. I suggest you try the cold butterbeer today. I'm not trying to force anything on you, but I am making a suggestion."

"I've heard that butterbeer "warms up your insides," said Hugo, "I've been looking forward to that experience. But what you say makes all the sense in the world. The best possible experience of trying hot butterbeer for the first time would be during the cold winter."

"As the only one apart from Rachel to have actually tried butterbeer and as someone who has had it both hot and cold, I say get it cold today. Do try hot butterbeer for the first time when it's cold," James advised them.

"If the waitress and the experienced butterbeer drinker both say to have it cold today and wait to try hot butterbeer for the first time until it's colder, we should take their advice," said Hugo matter of factly.

Everyone agreed to this, and Rachel went to retrieve seven bottles of cold butterbeer.

Once Rachel had served Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily one bottle of cold butterbeer each, it was Devon who took the first sip.

"Wow," said Devon happily, "This stuff is GOOD. Obviously, we have no reference to the hot venison to compare it to but man this stuff gets an O in O.W.L."

At this proclamation, Hugo took his first sip followed closely by James, the only one of the seven who knew what to expect.

"Thank you, James, thank you, Rachel," said Hugo instantly, "Especially you, Rachel, this cold butterbeer is the best cold thing I've ever tasted and I still get to look forward to trying hot butterbeer for the first time as a Christmastime treat. You gave me the best of both worlds. I get to have something that is AWESOME today while still being able to look forward to something I think will be more awesome at Christmas. Rachel, thank you for making that suggestion. Waitress knows best!"

"I was just giving a little friendly advice," said Rachel humbly, "I'm glad it worked out for you."

Ainsley, Stephanie, and Samantha now took a sip each.

"I'm glad I waited," smiled Ainsley, "Amy always told me to never drink butterbeer, be it hot or cold, prior to my first trip into Hogsmeade. Amy always told me that trying butterbeer for the first time was one of the great experiences of that first Hogsmeade visit that made the first Hogsmeade visit so special. Amy was right about that. This also has a bit of a rite of passage feel to it."

"HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" squealed Samantha, "This stuff is really tasty. I can't image anyone trying this and not liking it. I suspect the hot version is even better. Rachel, is butterbeer THE most popular beverage in the Wizarding World. I know it's near the top but is it number one?"

"Easily," answered Rachel matter of factly, "Butterbeer is easily the gold medalist of wizarding beverages. All other wizarding beverages are niche drinks."

"It's easy to see why," piped up Stephanie, "But does anyone know what the ingredients are in butterbeer?"

"Water, sugar, and butter," answered Rachel.

Lily was the last one to try her butterbeer and she grinned the nanosecond the drink touched her lips.

"Rachel," said Lily warmly, holding out her left hand, "I want to shake your hand. The combination of your suggestion and your work making these butterbeers has helped make this a very enjoyable first trip into Hogsmeade with the promise of an even more enjoyable one to come in a few months. Thanks for your friendly advice and for your work in making the butterbeers."

Rachel put out her left hand and accepted Lily's handshake but said, "Butterbeer will come out the same no matter who makes it. It will not be better or worse because of who manufactures it. It's not the nature of the product. It would have been just as good if anyone else had made it."

"Still, you put a lot of work into making those butterbeers and you deserve to be acknowledged for that," said Lily warmly.

Rachel smiled. It meant a lot to Rachel to see how much Lily appreciated her work.

Lily was the last to finish her butterbeers, savoring the last few sips.

Once they had all finished, Samantha asked Rachel, "Do we need to tip you?"

"That's a muggle thing," Devon explained to Samantha, "Tipping is not done at Wizarding Establishments."

"Rachel," asked Samantha, "Would it help you if we did give you tips?"

"It would," said Rachel quietly, "While I will keep my salary to myself, I will admit that my pay is not great and that it would help me out a lot if tipping did exist in the Wizarding World."

"Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, and Lily," requested Samantha, "Can everyone please pitch in and give Rachel some tip money here. Waitresses have a thankless job that rewards them with low pay in the process. I know everyone here can afford a little tip, would you all please pitch in and help Rachel out here?"

"Of course, we will," smiled Lily as Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, and Stephanie all nodded, "How much should we tip Rachel?"

"Seven galleons each," requested Samantha, "I sense Rachel needs some help right now and we each give her a seven galleon tip that would give her forty nine extra galleons."

Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, and Lily all agreed to this and when they paid Rachel for their butterbeers Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily each gave a seven galleon tip.

Rachel had tears in her eyes as she accepted these tips. Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily clearly genuinely cared about her.

"Thank you," said Rachel emotionally, "T- this is the first t-time a- any of my customers h-have ever appreciated my work. The acknowledgements of and appreciation for my suggestions, work, and effort meant something in and of themselves. Customers usually take me for granted. But to go the extra mile to help me when you sensed I could use some help says everything about what kind of people you are."

Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily all nodded, and Rachel smiled back at them.

Another group of customers now entered the Three Broomsticks and Rachel had to go tend to them, but she exchanged quick goodbyes with Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily and gave an additional thank you as they got up to leave.