Starbucks vs the Cauldron (Open to All)

"Beauxbaton. Beauxbaton...that name does sound familiar." Mordecai frowned as he toyed with the word. It did ring a bell and since it was a school he had to have come across it. Never knew anyone that attended the place but after 37 years of being out of the classroom his mind was bound to get a little rusty.

"A charms professor? Now that's impressive. I bet your parents are expecting great things from you." He said as they descended the staircase. He pointedly ignored the sideways glances that they were getting as he headed for the entranceway. Middle of the day during the week, what business did a bloke like him have doing with a young girl like Christabelle? Ah well, people always had to stick their noses where they didn't belong. It was the same with Muggles as it was with Wizarding folk. Curiosity killing cats and all of that nonsense.

"Now what's so bad about Hogwarts? Never been myself but I've heard that it's a top notch place to be. Has quite the history to it, recent as well as ancient. Christabelle Whittle. Quite the catchy name. As for your father, can't say that I know him. I make it a point to stay away from Ministers. Can't stand the lot and I'm pretty certain that the feeling is mutual." He mused as he stepped through the automatic doors and turned toward the Leaky Cauldron. The large metal sign swung lazily in the afternoon breeze but no one aside from the two of them seem to notice it.

Muggles. They couldn't see anything even if it jumped out in front of them and bit them on the nose.

"As for Seeker, now that's something I know about." His care-worn grin reached his eyes as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something that was hidden in the palm of his hand.

"Hup!"

He gave her no other warning before he pitched the object in his hand straight for her head, slightly to the left so that it wouldn't hit her if she missed. Something small and round zipped toward her as quick as the wind and roughly snitch size. Only it wasn't a snitch. Just a plain ordinary walnut.

"Not too many things." she replied, smiling. She was after all an only child and next to her cousin who was practically her twin them having been born on the same day and year, and told even in the same room just minutes apart she really didn't know what all her parents expected of her. Except to make them proud of her. So far she had done her job perfect to a T. Even having to be transferred to a school that would give her a challenge if only because of the language barrier to keep herself from finishing early.

"Its just weird." she replied, "Too many things that are different. I never had to live at school til I came here for one, and I quite like my castle nestled in the Bavarian Alps." It was true. She loved her Neuswanstein.

She had always learned to watch people carefully and she kept an eye on his hand. Automatically though seeing something flying towards her head she dipped it a little to the left throwing her hand up catching the object tightly in her fist. She looked down and opened her hand..a walnut. "Trying to test my skills?" she asked a smile placed on her face.

"Well done." He grinned as he gave her a small applause. If he ever did manage to land the job as Quidditch Coach at Hogwarts walnuts were going to be the least of these kids worries.

"I'm just warning you now for future reference. Once I get started on Quidditch there is no stopping me. Alas yes, I'm on of those long-winded types that loves to talk about "the good ol' days." The curse of old age." He winked as he glanced up at the Cauldron sign. He really should get a move on and get to Hogwarts. But how? Broomstick? That would takes hours. Apparition? He'd have to do a side-along and he hadn't pulled that one off in many a year. Last thing he wanted was to leave the poor girl in pieces. Hmmmm. Floo Network it was.

"Ah change. Miss Fortune always seems to send a curve ball your way now and again. Difference may be difficult at first but what doesn't kill ya just makes your stronger. But a castle in the Alps. Sounds quite the spread." He whistled between his teeth as he headed for the Cauldron's entrance. Sweet Merlin, a castle in the Alps. Talk about your prime real estate. What other students went to Hogwarts? Sultan's daughters and Asian princes? Well whoever they may be Mordecai couldn't care less. If they could stay on a broomstick and take a bludger to the mid-section then they were worth teaching. If not, well, there was no room for mollycoddling in his game repertoire.

"Listen love, I need to pay off my tab with old Sparky in here and collect my things. How does Flooing it sound to you?" He asked as he wrenched the heavy oak door open and stepped aside in order to let Christabelle enter first.

"I don't think I'm nearly that obsessed." she replied to his comment about going on for days with Quidditch. "Its more just something I do for fun but nothing I really plan to make a career out of to say the least." She entered into the pub as she listened to what he had to say.

"Tis all too true." she replied about fortune. "However futures can change at a moments notice. Great thing about seeing the future. It gives you a chance to change it." After they entered the pub she sighed. "Flooing is fine with me though you can not floo or apparate onto Hogwarts grounds, so you'll have to go into somewhere in Hogsmeade."

'Seein' the future eh? Some things are never meant to be changed." He muttered under his breath as the door swung shut behind him. At the mention of foretelling the future Mordecai's demeanor darkened somewhat. It was a subject that he knew a lot about but disliked discussing. Why? Well, he had his reasons.

"Aye, that's what I've been told. I'll get Sparky to set up a connection with the Hogshead pub. I heard the bartender there knows how to serve a drink." He ushered Christabella over to the bar and out of the line of traffic that was coming and going between the front door and the back. "Right I'll be right back. Try not to turn too many heads while I'm gone."

He gave the bar top a hefty slap with his large hand and a moment later the bartender arrived with a Butterbeer. Mordecai withdrew a Sickle and flicked it to the man who caught it in mid-air with a wink.

"Drinks are on me." Mordecai chuckled as the bartender slid the Butterbeer over to Christabella. Mordecai didn't hang around to share idle gossip with a few dowdy looking witches that were sitting nearby with their heads together. Instead he wove his way easily through the tables and sprang up the staircase taking the stairs three at a time.

" 'At man knows how to 'old his drink. Am gonna miss 'is patronage." The bartender sighed as he picked up a wet pint and began to dry it with a white rag that was slung over his shoulder.

It didn't take Mordecai too long to shove all of his personal belongings into a large canvas sailors bag. Most of it had already been packed and stayed that way. Yet the man moved like lightning as he grabbed a few loose shirts, pants, a pair of hiking boots and a hand-knitted scarf with the Macaw colours that a mum of a good mate of his back in New Zealand made for him. "To keep away that damn English chill." She had said. Good woman. She always knew what she was talking about.

He darted into the tiny bathroom that was attached to the room and scooped up his razor and the rest of his toiletries before he dumped them all into a leather carrying case and chucked it into the canvas bag. A heavy hoot sounded out and Mordecai looked over his shoulder to see the large form of Barnholt, his newly acquired Eagle Owl, staring down at him from the shower curtain rod.

"Be seein' you at Hogwarts mate. Don't get lost." He chuckled as the owl blinked and swooped off his perch, cuffing Mordecai around the head before he flapped out of the bathroom and then out of the open bedroom window. Ahhhh that owl. It had taken him a while to get used to the blokes feathered ways. Back home Mordecai had a Kookaburra named Cody to deliver his mail. Hilarious little feather duster he was. However upon making the decision to move north Mordecai had to leave the little fella behind. The bird wouldn't last five seconds in a fall rain never mind a snowstorm. At least now he was going to be well taken care of, having been given to the Macaws as a second mascot along with Big Sparky, the phoenix. But Mordecai sure missed that little barrel of laughs.

"Right. Anything else?" He asked himself as he quickly tied his wayward hair into a ponytail and glanced around. The bed wasn't made and there were a number of Daily Profits scattered about but he tipped the cleaning lady well so that was all good. Mordecai quickly checked his pockets to make sure he had everything, such as his wallet and sack of galleons, his wand, his Navigator and the small round lump that was tucked away in the breast pocket of his shirt. His lucky Snitch was safe and sound right where he left it.

"Okay then, here goes nothing." He huffed as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He turned around and glanced in the mirror and only then did he realize what was missing. His robes.

"Agh, hell." He growled as he tossed the bag back onto the bed and tore off his jacket and shirt all in one move. He wasn't one to go around in the full-robed scholarly look, he enjoyed wearing pants far too much. However he was going to have to show up at the school looking somewhat professional instead of looking like an Urban Muggle. He yanked out his travelling cloak and shoved on one of his old Quidditch jerseys before he took out the necessities from his jacket and shoved them into his pockets. There, that was going to have to do for now. He was a Quidditch player and now a coach not a bloody bureaucrat. He just hoped that no-one at Hogwarts expected him to look like Merlin or something to that effect.

"Right then, ready to go?" Mordecai seemed to materialize behind Christabelle as if out of thin air with his heavy bag in his hand and his cloak slung over a shoulder.

Christabelle sat down at the bar after he ushered her out of the way of the witches and wizards who were starting to make their way into the pub. She flashed a small smile of thanks for the butterbeer before speaking. "Danke." she replied not realizing she had said thanks in german rather than english. It was a common thing for her to do, but she took a sip of her butterbeer as he left to get his things.

People were staring at her as she sat all alone. She was used to it, having being a half-veela it rather came with the territory. She kept to herself as she pulled out her book reading through it as she continued to drink her drink. She was just finishing it by the time Mordecai had returned. "Um...yes I'm ready. she replied putting her book up and getting up from the stool at the bar. She eyed the bag curiously, it must have weighed a lot but she really didn't think much on it.

"Great. Oy, Sparky. Can you set up a connector to Hogshead?" He barked at the barman that had drifted off to converse with a shabby looking wizard that was nursing his drink.

"Be m'pleasure. But don't be a stranger now." The bartender said as he meandered his way over to the two of them, picking his teeth with a toothpick. "But afore I do, you need t'pay your bill."

Mordecai rolled his eyes dramatically before both he and the barman broke into a fit of friendly laughter. "And since when have I ever not paid up eh? Don't think that I'm good for it do you? I'm hurt Sparky. Really. Right here."

Mordecai thumped his hand over his heart and "Sparky" rolled his rag and snapped it at Mordecai. Like a shot Mordecai ducked and snatched the rag right out of the other man's hand before he knew what happened.

"Gotta be quicker on the draw there Mac if you'll ever wanna put on over my head." Mordecai grinned a toothy grin as he rolled the rag into a ball and chucked it back at the barman. The man let out a small "oomph" when he caught the rag and shook it. Nestled in the rag were a bunch of galleons and a few sickles and clinked merrily against each other.

"Sure sure sure. You Quidditch players are all like see. Quicker'n most but not much goin' on up heres. Too many bludgers to th'head and that." The barman laughed as he quickly pocketed his money without bothering to count it. He knew it was all there and if it ever came up short, he knew where Mordecai worked. "Right this way then if'n y'please."

Mordecai stepped aside and waited for Christabelle to pass him before he followed the barman to the large fireplace that was located on the far side of the room. As Sparky busied himself with his Floo Powder the two gossiping witches at one of the tables spoke up.

"That's him I tell ya. The Australian. That's the one that got fired for nearly killing that other player. What was his name...the Keeper for the Sumbawanga Sunrays. You know, the Tanzania team. Yea, he's the one. I'd recognize him anywhere with that hair of his. Shame really. Bad accident and all that but they put the blame on him and now look at him. Out of work and in London of all places!"

It was hard to tell whether or not Mordecai had heard the woman but she spoke in such a tone that nearly everyone in the place couldn't help but overhear.

"Hurry it up Sparky, would ya?" Mordecai said in an even tone but there was a hard look in his eye that could have turned a gorgon to stone. For once the barman had nothing to say and threw a handful of powder into the fire.

"Right you are then. Hogshead's where it's at." The barman said as he stepped aside.

"Christabelle?" Mordecai looked at the girl and waited.

Christabelle watched Mort and "Sparky" play fight with the rag and couldn't help but laugh. But then again she didn't know many people who wouldn't laugh at something like that. It reminded her of how she and her cousin Godric played around. She missed those days, the days before they were seperated by school and different houses in them.

She hadn't caught what the witches had been talking about but she could tell it wasn't exactly something pleasant. Call it a sixth sense about things like that. She could always tell when someone wasn't exactly as nice as they seemed...well most of the time she could anyways.

"And thats not completely true!" she said looking at the bartender, "I'm a seeker and probably as smart as some of the best witches out there." she went on defensively. It had been true. She hadn't heard of many witches or wizards that finished school early without dropping out. She was proud of that accomplishment as being the reason why she was at Hogwarts. "Um, Hogs head is in Hogsmeade." she said biting her lip before flashing a veela charm smile at the bartender to keep him from informing the school that she had cut classes. It was something she had done many times and was used to not getting caught for it.

"Much obliged Sparky. Be seenin' ya." Mordecai interjected before the two busybodies on the other end could comment about something that they had no business sticking their bloody noses in.

"Ah don't let him worry ya. Half of what he says is true. Mind you I do know of a few blokes that have lost a few marbles over the years but there's a time and a place for that story and it's not today." He cleared his voice before he stepped close to the fire and stared into the flickering green flames.

"Hogshead Pub!"

His voice rang out loud and clear and a second later Mordecai was gone in a flash of brilliant green light.

(Not my most original but would you like to continue this over in Hogsmead?)

Now, Jess wasn't exactly drunk, he was just incredibly hungover from a friend of his' party last night. It'd been a pretty awesome party, with the firewhiskey flowing freely, and the butterbeer being brought about in a seemingly never ending abundance. Anyway, it had all caught up with him, and now he had a headache which felt like a dragon was squeezing his brain as tight as it could, all the while scratching and gnawing on it.
Jess had a theory about how to make the hangover go away. It was something his old pa had told him when he was young... god knows why he did it, why would a 5 year old child want to know a cure for hangovers?
But anyway, the idea was that the best way to get rid of a hangover was to drink more, so Jess wandered through london to the Leaky Cauldron. Only thing was when he intended to enter the pub, he accidently walked into the store next to it. Once he entered he was greeted by a wonderful aroma, so he followed his nose and emerged in a small coffee/book shop. He looked about and saw where the smell was coming from, so he walked to the counter and pointed at the coffee beans.
"Can i get an espresso?" He asked, pulling out his wallet, and pulling out some muggle money he had to pay for the beverage. As he waited for his coffee to arrive he looked about the room, spotting a familiar face. "Mordecai!" He called out, walking up to him to shake his hand. "Good to see you my friend." He said