The absence of toast and you.

Dragons weren’t dangerous, no! It was all lies. They were cute as a button, soft as hell and so what if they liked to breathe fire? Breathing fire was almost as awesome as swallowing it. Nothing was better than a good dragon - unless of course it singed your eyebrows off which was true in the case of poor old Robert Grisham who walked into the Magical Menagerie on Monday morning with what looked like pencilled on eyebrows. This was later proved by Jimmy Tindle who poured water over Rob shortly after the latter arrived in the shop. He’d retreated into the back room an hour earlier to sort himself out, and Jimmy had followed, if only to wind up Rob even further. This left Pippa out in the store by herself, among the animals chirping away their own songs in their respective pens and kennels. The store owner was out and with the boys doing Merlin only knows what in the back room, Pippa was by herself.

As it was, she wasn’t up to much.

Pippa had gotten in early that morning. Her mother had ejected her from the house again but this time she’s sent her with fifty quid and an overnight bag - as if her daughter had anywhere to stay for the night. Pippa knew that fifty pounds wasn’t going to cover anything for the night but she’d decided to push that out of her mind for now. She’d kicked her feet up onto the counter and had leaned back into her chair with a large book on the discovery of old magical tombs in her lap. The store was dead but it was expected to pick up as summer waned and people needed their school supplies. Pippa was done already with hers. She’d sewn patches into her jumper, lengthened her robes and bought herself a new pair of shoes and a couple of skirts in preparation. Her books were the only problem and she knew that the fifty pounds she’d been given to survive the night wouldn’t be enough to cover it. The next paycheque would be, however; which was why Pippa was so looking forward to it.

Glancing up from the page, Pippa sought out the clock that she knew to be mounted on the wall above the store room. Eleven thirty. That meant another thirty minutes until she could go and set about finding herself some lunch. Pippa was looking forward to that immensely. Unfortunately, her mother wasn’t as kind as her sister was and she sent Pippa out without shoving toast between her teeth - so although yes, she did have to dress in the front garden again, she didn’t have anything to munch on while trying to keep herself together. She had had nothing to keep herself together - and so she’d walked dejectedly to the Leaky Cauldron, barely keeping her tears at bay.

Thirty minutes until lunch. She could do that. Maybe she’d even get out early - hopefully.

He'd gotten out alive. He saved a couple of lives. His mentor had gone into retirement because of his age and the fact that he could not stand another war like that. Doyle resigned as professor, but stayed as Headmaster. He was now the only one left within the halls, the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. James William Wilson managed to survive the attack on Hogwarts, another one, and way now enjoying his well-deserved vacation. Just yesterday, he returned from Paris where he spend a week resting with his family and he was now rediscovering the streets of London he had not seen in ages because of his duties at school.

He strolled through Diagon Alley, observing the people and the shops that had changed since the time was here at the age of 11. It was not that long, he was not an old man, but still, things managed to change, some owners changes, some shops disappeared and some have been replaced by new ones. He wondered how interesting it would have been to observe the change in DIagon Alley, to observe how history and time take their tool on this small place accessible only to the few lucky ones that posses magical abilities. But, he comforted himself with the fact that he had witnessed another history, the history of Hogwarts, the academic institution that had made him into what he is today. Witnessing that history was something special and something he was glad to have been a part of. In some way, his name shall be remembered within the archives of the school, both as a professor and as acting Headmaster on a couple of occasions. He smiled.

As his tall persona moved through the bodies that paraded Diagon Alley, Wilson managed to his something he soon realized to be a human being. He observed everything in front of him, but was, until now, pretty successful in avoiding small obstacles, which is why he, mechanically, stopped looking down. Now, though, he hit something, or someone and he was not too happy with such a course of events. He positioned his glasses and cleaned his dark blue suit before observing the child that he had probably hit. He then directed his view upon her. He was, and that was an underestimated deduction, surprised to see that the child he had hit was actually his student, his pupil with whom he had some extra classes last term. He did not know how to react, so he just smiled stupidly and greeted her with a nod. ''It's... you'', he said, looking at her with a bewildered expression. He liked that girl, but his reaction was probably the result of his poor social skills and lack of company. He smiled at her once again.

In thirty minutes, you could save the world. Countless action-adventure films had proved that. In thirty minutes, the shop had managed to get busy so the book on ancient tombs was shoved back into her duffle bag and rose to her feet, the chairs she’d been sat on scraping painfully across the hardwood floor. In those precious minutes, Pippa said goodbye to some of the animals she’d fed that morning, shovelled kilogram after kilogram of various wet to dry pet foods into bags and took galleon after galleon off of customers. The sparkle of gold seemed to tumble into the till and Pippa wasn’t about to protest overspending or foolish mistakes made by amateur pet owners. Her job was to take the money and offer her expertise when asked. Nothing else was required of her and so she did little else but take the money and smile brightly at the people as they departed through the narrow entryway with their beautiful little creature in hand.

When the clock struck twelve, Pippa slid out from behind the counter, poking her arms into her pumpkin-coloured summer jacket. She left it unbuttoned and made sure to fetch her money before sliding out of the shop behind an elderly couple who had purchased a pair of Kneazles mere moments before. Pippa fell into the lunch time crowds with ease, allowing the hustle and bustle lead her up the alley towards the little cafe she usually ate lunch in. Pippa couldn’t wait to get in there. She suspected it would be more than a little bit crowded - full, even - but she could order something out and disappear into a bookshop until she needed to be back. It was a weekday which meant she’d be at football practice for most of the evening. That put off the need to find a place to sleep even further. She knew that over lunch was the best time to give it some thought.

Unfortunately, Reid just wasn’t an option right now otherwise Pippa would have gone to him. He’d already expressed his opinion on her moving in with him - temporarily or otherwise - and Pippa didn’t want to put him out. She didn’t want to put anyone out. She just wanted somewhere other than a park bench to lie her head for the night. She’d figure it out but there was a tuna wrap with her name on it waiting in the cafe.

Lost in her thoughts, Pippa didn’t even realise she’d bumped into someone until she heard a voice above her. Braving a glance up, she realised that she had bumped into the Professor that had so kindly helped her last year. Pippa’s mouth fell open and she took a step back in surprise. Her cheeks flushed bright pink and she pulled her mouth closed again before reaching up and running a hand through her hair, her words coming out quick and stuttering,

“H-hello Professor. Fancy seeing you here!”

Why did he help that little girl, in the first place? Wilson was not the one to endorse random altruism, he even doubted such a thing existed, but despite that, he had helped that little girl when she needed help. He met her in the hallway during his route, he then remembered. That's how it all started? Since when did he get attracted to people he should have punished for being out of their dormitories at the time? A lot of question raised themselves as he observed that little girl that was, obviously, as much as surprised as himself.

He had expected a more elaborate answer from her, something more than a frightened reply that was the exact thing he should have expected from her. He had expected too much from her, especially since he also gave just a pale reply that wasn't even resembling a proper reply a professor should direct to his pupil, especially to someone like her. ''Ummm... hello, Pippa. How are you? What brings you here... no wait, that is something you should ask me... ummm... Everything alright after the fight at the castle? Have you practiced your Defense?'', he asked. That was the first adequate thing that came to his mind and he decided, after a long self-debate, to ask her that just to avoid this being an even more awkward than it is now.

Pippa was just...useless. She was a big ball of emotional mess that was counting down the days until she could get on that darned train and go back to her real home. Hogwarts was safe. No one at Hogwarts chucked her out of bed, threw a bag of clothes into her arms and sent her out into the world to fend for herself. She was beginning to learn what it meant to hate someone and she didn’t like that feeling. She didn’t know when she’s stopped looking at her mother with love in her gaze. She didn’t know when she’d stopped liking her sister, when she’s stopped wanting to be exactly like Nora. She couldn’t get rid of those feelings though and she just wished someone would look up and tell the pair of them to stop treating her as poorly as they did. Until her father or her brother did that though, she had no choice but to keep those feelings coursing through her. There was also that underlying need to get revenge - to make them feel the same pain. She didn’t want to be like that though. She wanted to be the better person.

That didn’t mean though, that her wand didn’t twitch every time one of them walked into the room. It didn’t mean that her mind didn’t give her a list of hexes to use on them.

Pippa was surprised by the Professor’s response. She had expected something along those lines but he was just as hesitant as she was. It was undeniably weird to see one’s Professor outside of school. Pippa didn’t hold the belief that teachers actually lived at school but that didn’t mean it wasn’t bloody weird to be stood among the crowds of Diagon Alley, being thumped by those who were trying to get past, talking to the Professor she’d, well, bonded with towards the end of the school year. He was noticeably flustered though, more so than what Pippa was, and she couldn’t help but giggle at him. It felt brilliant to laugh again, though odd that she was laughing at her Professor.

“I’m fine Professor - how are you? Right, yeah, that’s my line. Uh, what brings you here?” Pippa smirked at him. “I actually work at the Magical Menagerie, to answer your question. I’ve been alright since the battle I suppose. Same as ever I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders at the last question. “My mum isn’t fond of magic,” the missing ‘or me’ hung limply in the air and Pippa smiled sheepishly. “I was just going to get some lunch actually...would...would you like to have lunch with me?"

Again that giggle. Little Bennett's giggle was one of those sounds that always stayed in your head because if its characteristics. It was strange, but yet again wonderful and memorable. It has become, in a way, a memorabilia that he would keep in his mind even after decades of work. You work as a professor, but you seldom get students that you will remember your whole life. He was certain that he would remember this little girl even when he's retired, old and white. She was a very interesting and that was, probably, the thing that allowed him to bond with her. He smiled.

''I am fine, thank you. A little tired from cleaning up and restoring the castle so you could attend classes normally, but fine generally'', he said and paused for a moment to clean his glasses. ''I've been to Paris with my family and I hadn't been here for a long time, so I decided to rediscover Diagon Alley, to check what had changed. They allow students to work now? That wasn't so common when I was in school. Some of my colleagues were turned down during our sixth and seventh years'', he replied. ''I am glad to hear you're doing well. Your mother... why does she have a problem?'', he asked. Upon hearing her invitation, he remembered that he had not eaten anything since early morning and it was about time to put something between his teeth. ''Lunch? You lead the way, Miss Bennett'', he said.

They were now trapped in a funnel the people of Diagon Alley had created as they moved. Pippa looked about herself, smiling a little as the people, with irritated expressions marring their faces, skirted around them as if they were an obstacle that could not possibly be avoided. Perhaps they recognised them - the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts and that strange girl from the Magical Menagerie. Perhaps they recognised that it was a good idea to steer clear from them. They were an awfully miss-matched pair. Pippa, standing there in her converse, knee-high rainbow socks, patchy skirt and some sort of frilly top and the Professor in a state of dress that suited him well - yes, they were rather strange. It made Pippa smile though. Strange was good; strange was excellent. It wasn’t nearly as appreciated as Pippa would have liked. Had it been then circumstances would have been drastically better.

“Oh! I would have helped but I couldn’t come...” Pippa dropped her gaze to her shoes and felt her cheeks redden a little. “I heard Paris is lovely this time of year,” She offered with a smile as she lifted her head once more. “Oh, yes. It’s quite good because I like the Magical Menagerie. It’s really nice. Reid Devereoux and I bought a load of cats from there not too long ago,” Pippa smiled optimistically. “He seemed enthusiastic at the time. I don’t actually think he’s too happy about all of the cats in the flat now, though.” Pippa giggled and ran a hand through her hair. “My mum she’s...difficult. She’s never liked ‘weird’ things. So, uh, I’m not her number one fan because I’m as weird as they come. It doesn’t matter though. It’s her problem. Um...right, food...this way!”

Pippa smiled and bobbed past her Professor, down the road towards one of the lesser known cafes that poets and failing musicians seemed to inhabit. Pippa pushed open the door, pleased to find it was relatively empty, and held it open for Wilson. “They do really good cakes here.” Pip informed him.

''Nah, there wasn't much work after all. Wands would always do the trick when I repaired stuff, this time was no exception'', he said with a smile. ''Paris? I actually have no idea, I've been there once during the winter and now, during the summer. It is lovely city, actually, but I've visited other destinations. I deduced that it would be better to see things now, now that I am still not old enough, and then, when I finally reach the point of no return, decide which of them I should return to'', he explained calmly, thinking about his plans for the future. He never noticed how far ahead he had planned.

''And who might that be? I mean, I don't know the name of my students, so excuse me if I have no idea who that person is? You are living with him?'', he inquired as he heard the French name from Pippa. ''Your mother... she is a Muggle? I mean, that would explain a lot, but I've never been an advocate of discrimination, from either side'', he explained.

As she told him to follow, he took a slow pace and started walking behind the small girl. She soon led him to a small café that reminded him of a couple of historically relevant places in Paris. It was relatively empty so he entered as held the door for him. ''I do hope they have something with vanilla'', he commented.

The cafe that Pippa had taken her Professor to was one of the smaller, more personal ones in Diagon Alley. Not personal for them, but personal to those who ran it. Inspirational posters and band posters were plastered against the wall with Muggle tape in a hope to obscure the peeling wallpaper. Musicians would sit in the corners of the room with coffees and pastries to work on their songs or merely strum a few of their old ones on the guitars nearly every musician seemed to carry. She couldn’t spend as much time in there as she liked but it was a great place to eat and relax for at least an hour, before the pressures of reality were forced back onto her shoulders. She would enjoy this hour, savour it, until it was gone.

Pippa took her wallet out of her pocket and opened it up. She pursed her lips before closing it and sticking her hand into her pocket. She retrieved a handful of sickles and counted them before looking up at the board above the counter displaying what they had to offer. She took a step forward and smiled brightly at the familiar face behind. “Hi Richard, um. Could I get a glass of lemonade and a tuna roll please?” She handed him the sickles and then turned to her Professor. “I really wish I could have come. I miss Hogwarts. Still, not long to go. I’m excited. The Fat Friar said he wanted to throw a party when we all came back so that should be fun. I don’t know how he’ll pull it off, being a ghost and all, but he seems to want Peeves to come too. I don’t know quite what he’ll do but I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Tucking her money back into her pocket, Pippa looked at the man, her eyes scanning his face for an inkling as to his emotions. “Sounds like a plan,” She murmured. “Reid? He graduated a few years ago. He was in Gryffindor. Uh, no. No, I’m not living with him. Would be useful. My mum...she’s difficult. She never really liked the Wizarding World. I mean my Uncle...he was a Wizard and she sort of got the rough end of the stick. She missed out and I suppose it hurts still.” Pippa shrugged her shoulders. “I can deal with it though. It’s fine.” But, if it was fine, then why was there a little voice in the back of her mind saying liar?

It was small and not overly crowded, something he would have chosen if he still knew his way around the Alley. Such things did not exist 15 years ago when he was still in school, this was mostly a business place with a very few leisurely places you could visit and kill some time. He sat down with her and ordered a glass of orange juice and vanilla ice-cream from the boy whose name was Richard. ''I was never that good with sweets. I always kept it... simple'', he said and looked at her.

''There really wasn't much work, just manual labour that I did with my wand. But, you'll soon be back in Hogwarts and we should soon be able to continue with what we have started last term'', he said. ''The ghosts weren't much of a help, not even morally, although I haven't seen Peeves, which is a good sign if you ask me. I still can't forget what he has done... but that's not the topic at the moment. The school should be repaired soon and I am certain that it will all start on time'', he said calmly.

As he got his order, he payed the young man, took a sip of his juice and started eating his ice-cream. He liked vanilla, he liked only vanilla, for that matter, and only a certain brand of chocolate. He avoided the rest. ''He was in my House, then... but I do not remember his name, although, that is not something you should be amazed about'', he said. He ate his ice-cream as he observed her and then smirked in the end. ''You can deal with it? How?'', he asked with a smile.