Even Vampires Need A Break

Oded walked out of his room in the Leaky Cauldron wearing a pair of jeans and a dark blue tank top. He threw on his cloak as he decended the stairs heading for the front door of the pub. He needed some time to himself as well as time to take a few minutes away from his duties. Oded knew there was a park nearby the pub and he wanted to take a short walk to clear his thoughts and release the stress that had been building that week. He was thankful that it was the weekend and he was not working at the current moment. Oded entered the park and took a long slow breath of the air as he walked around the path.

Susan decided to take Drew to the park for a while. Amelia was still in Australia so it was just Drew and Susan. After all the stress they were going through taking a walk in the park sounded like a great idea. Drew wanted to get out of his grandparents’ house so badly he would do anything to get out. As they left Drew decided to take football his grandfather had gotten him for his 13th birthday, he still liked football though it wasn’t Quidditch it was still fun.

Most mothers would have sat down on a bench to watch their kids play, not Susan. She was out in the grass kicking the football with her son. She loved being able to do things with her son that wasn’t Quidditch related for once. She’d take playing football with her son over sitting somewhere reading the Daily Prophet or a book any day. She knew how short of a time she really had left with her youngest son since her eldest child had moved out and was on his own.

Oded walked through the park and smiled seeing a mother playing ball with her son, then his smile faded. He knew that he would never be able to experience that seeing as that was taken from him the day he was bitten by a vampire. He walked over to a nearby bench sitting down stretching out his legs as he began thinking. Oded looked up at the stars shining through the canopy of trees smiling remembering being back at Hogwarts. He remembered looking up at these same stars when he was in his seventh year there. Snapping out of his reverie he looked around as he yawned softly.

Susan saw a man sitting on a bench at the corner of her eye. This put her on alert. She was an single mum with two kids, she had heard too many horror stories. She wanted to make sure this man was safe to be in a park where children often visited. She purposely kicked the football into the bushes then sent Drew to go fetch it.

She walked over to the man on the bench with her hands in her jacket pockets. Inside of her jacket pocket was her wand just in case this man were to attack her. She didn't trust anyone anymore, not with her being involved in what she was. "Excuse me sir, I noticed your all alone," she said with less tack then she normally had. "I meant to ask what brings you here today?" she asked with a deep breath.

Oded looked up at the sound of a woman's voice and said, "I'm just trying to get some air and get away from my work. I own a pub near here and it needs so much work that if i didn't get away i would probably pull out my own hair. I'm not here to cause any problems for you or your son i just need air or at least time away from everything. Not many people trust people like me just for obvious reasons." Oded looked at her wondering if she was a witch or if she was a muggle, he was hoping for more towards witch.

Susan nodded as the man spoke. He didn’t seem that dangerous but then again most people don’t until their wands were at your throat. She hadn’t taken her eyes off the man until her son came complaining about something in the bushes. She was quite shocked when she realized that the dead bodies of her children were just a boggart. Merlin, she can’t get away from work even when she isn’t at work. She looked around for any muggles and didn’t see any. “Riddikulus,” she muttered drawing her wand barely out of her pocket. She could have gotten the football but she made Drew get it. She wanted him to get that even if something scares him he has to face it.

While Drew wrangled with the bush Susan turned back to the man. “Which pub is that?” she asked. She knew this would tell her if this man was a wizard or muggle. “I get rid of the unwanted for people,” she said to show that she trusted him, somewhat. She hated the fact her job as the Spirit Specialist at the Ministry made her sound like an exterminator. In a way she is, she chases boggarts most of the day and evicting ghosts who were haunting illegally. Yes, a ghost can haunt illegally much to even Susan’s own surprise.

"I own the Leaky Cauldron in London. It's a nice place but very difficult to find if you don't know exactly where it is at." Oded said looking at her wondering what her reaction would be. He knew that most of the Wizarding community knew that the new owner of the Leaky Cauldron was in fact a vampire. He only hoped that this woman wouldn't think that he was dangerous and would take a bite out of her in a second. "Well let's hope that i never get into a fight with you because i can probably tell you can kick butt. Not many muggles come out at night by the way and you could have said your spell a little louder if necessary. I have very good hearing being who and what i am." Oded said looking towards the sky once more.

Susan nodded. He knew of the man since she had spent so much time in the Leaky Cauldron the past few months. She didn’t see him as a threat since she had her wand and knew how to use it. He wouldn’t attack her unless he had a death wish. She wondered what the man was thinking.

“You know that being different is like being stuck in a bunch of rose bushes. Every time you move you feel like you have a new thorn stuck in your backside,” she sighed. “You’re Oded O'Hurley, right? Don’t worry about me, I don’t care what you are,” she said with a smile. He was a man, maybe not fully human, but a man. He deserved respect and he hadn’t given her a reason to be worried about him. “I’m Susan Bones, by the way,” she added.

Drew had finally gotten the ball out of the bushes and was now trying to do tricks with the ball. He mostly ended up falling on his but when he stepped on the ball. Then he tried kicking off the tree and it bounced off the tree and hit him in the forehead. He got up right away and moved on to trying to do tricks.

“Drew, don’t aim at any muggle cars! I don’t want to explain to your grandfather about football!” called Susan to her son. He nodded a bit insulted that she was thought he was that ‘stupid’. “That probably went in one ear, out the other,” she whispered to herself. It would be his own fault if he got into trouble.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Susan, I am amazed that you know my name. Well it also makes sense since everyone has been talking about me recently. Many people actually do care what i am seeing as they think i'll drink them dry but i don't do that. Well i do have to say that your son is quite a kid, he doesn't give up trying with that football. Is your husband working late?" Oded asked curiously not wanting to be rude by asking.

"That he is. He loves football. It’s he only sport I can help him with. I can’t play Cricket, I don’t even try rugby and Quidditch is out of the question. He got into it because of my muggle mother, she use to tell my kids about football back when she could remember about it,” Susan said smiling at Drew. He looked so much like her side of the family. His grandfather called him the ‘mini-Edgar’. She had to admit he look a lot like Edgar, from the pictures she had seen of him.

“I’m happily devoiced. Marriage is a two way thing if you side isn’t working at it, well it falls apart. My husband got too wrapped up in his family farm, so wrapped up none of our kids have any interest in it,” she added frowning slightly. She had tried so hard to keep her relationship together but it didn’t work. She didn’t mind being a single mother at all. She actually liked being able to work and truly feel in control of her life. Ernie had been a nice guy but too traditional for herself.