Nice running into you

Hogsmeed was a small town just outside of the Hogwarts school grounds, a place where a few people lived and students frequented on the weekends. Today was not a weekend, it was a bleak and cloudy Wednesday, but that could not keep Johnathan inside. He’d been cooped up for far too long, and needed to stretch his legs. The cool crisp air brought a smile to the young man’s stubbled face. He was headed for a hike up a mountain not too far off from the village edge, it was going to be a nice change of scenery from the three broomsticks. Dressed in a light washed blue jean and a green long sleeve button down unbuttoned over a white t-shirt (his signature look) he slung a bag over his shoulder and started toward the trail. It was a very short walk before he walked right into another person. “Oh I’m sorry.” he said, reaching out to steady them so they would not fall. “Are you okay?” concern in his eyes accompanied by a sheepish smile of guilt.

There was nothing truly special about cobblestone beneath her feet, but this particular trail certainly filled her with nostalgia: a sensation Rhiannon categorizes as tasting both bitter and sweet simultaneously.

She remembered frequenting these streets as a young student and as much as it was permitted by the professors. Unfortunately, as she was the only remaining member of the Morgan family that had had the honours of studying at Hogwarts, she did not have the means of celebrating the return with her beloved sister, although the lack of taste could be remedied: just as in the past, so did Vesper in the present gather enough sweets to last at least a week and send it to Elyse. Whether or not her ballet dancer of a sister would actually consume the said treats with the performances coming up was a completely different topic and not something Rhiannon focused on. The deed had been made and her sister had never returned the packages either way.

So now the young auror stood in the middle of the street, her pale blue eyes idly scanning the surroundings; she took in the familiar display of colourful houses, signs and sweets, the familiar scents and even some faces. The day was young and the sights she wanted to re-discover populated a bit too much for her tastes. Rhiannon glanced up at the sky; the darkening clouds were threatening with a downpour, but the lack of smell or taste of rain in the air implied that she had a bit before she’d need to retreat somewhere warm. So, to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the locals (read: small talk), Rhiannon opted to follow a trail leading up to the mountains. She remembered passing through them as a student, but her adventures to Hogsmeade never took her anywhere else other than the streets. Hence, she decided to remedy the lack of discoveries done in her youth.

The silence grew around her as she ventured further. Eventually, the life of the magical village was left behind and Rhiannon was alone with her own devices. Perhaps it was the fresh air – a great and welcomed change to the city life and the constant buzz that surrounded her work – or the rhythmic flow of the wind that rustled the trees around her, but Vesper discovered that she’d submerged into the depths of her mind far too late; late enough to notice that the dirt was suddenly beneath her knees and not her feet, but someone managed to hold her up to save her from completely crashing face in with the mud. “Oh.” The impact itself did not hurt her in the least, and her voice expressed only a surprise rather than shame. And, with her profession, she should feel ashamed for having someone stumble into her with such ease.

Vesper passed her training with flying colours.
This was an unsavory performance at best.

Regaining her composure, Rhiannon slowly stood up and took a careful step back. She quickly gave her appearance a one-over, tugged at the sleeves to arrange them to sit properly, and then her eyes fell on the person who managed to surprise her. “I’m fine.” A familiar face, albeit she could not exactly pinpoint the name or the house. Not that she truly paid attention to boys or girls around her while studying; as someone born and raised in the muggle world, Rhiannon had been immensely fascinated by everything and anything magical, and she had completely immersed herself in studies. Then she took in the details regarding the young man’s physical appearance. Judging by the light choice of clothing, Vesper deduced he was simply sightseeing.

“Thank you. And I apologize myself. I was not watching where I was going.”

His hand fell away once the woman was settled and watched as she regained her composure, she looked really familiar. They had had some classes together, oh what was her name…. “Oh, no it’s not your fault at all,” John said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly with thought, “I really need to work on being more attentive when out here.” His head was slightly cocked to the side then he looked around them. It was very nice out today, with lush foliage slightly wet with dew. A great place to get away, relax and get some deep thoughts out of the way. “Could have run into something a lot worse than you.” He added running his hand through his hair. “I know we were in the same year, but I seem to have forgotten your name.,” he added “I’m John.” He brushed his hand off on his jeans before holding out his hand to greet here with a formal handshake as if it were the first time they had met.

She hummed quietly and in contemplation.
Apparently, the young man had some manners as he attempted to disregard her apologies. Truthfully, Rhiannon reckoned that the two of them were at fault for not paying attention to their surroundings in an area so unpredictable as the forest, but she kept her mouth shut. It was not necessary to make the situation even worse. However, for the sake of appeasing her own (taught) suspicion of the surroundings, her pale blue eyes scanned the immediate area to ensure they were, indeed, safe. By the looks of it, the two sightseeing individuals only had some forest critters as their company; they, on their own, did not seem to mind the two wizards on the trail.

"Highly doubt it," the auror mused quietly at the prospect of having any other forest animals threatening them. "The local animals are not known to intervene with the residents here. It is a popular tourist attraction and it would not be beneficial to have students and adults alike to be assaulted by an angry bear or a wolf." Furthermore, Rhiannon believed that the residents had made some magical alterations to ensure that the forest and its trails would be safe to explore even for the most unsuspecting folk.

And there it was! The ice breaker! Frankly speaking, Rhiannon was thankful that it was John who decided to breach the topic of re-introducing one another. But even when he mentioned his name, and she politely accepted his handshake, her own grip firm but cold from the gusts of wind, she still could not recall if they'd actually spent any time together outside of classes. She, on the other hand, was probably hard to avoid. Vesper had towered over the other girls in her year; at age sixteen, she was about as tall as some of her professors. Thankfully, that did not continue, but it certainly left a mark in some people's memories. She even wondered briefly if John could recall her because she once posed as a threatening presence during the quidditch games. "Rhiannon Morgan. Pleasure to get re-acquainted with you, sir." Her lips stretched into a hesitant smile and a pair of dimples appeared on her pale cheeks.

She released John and took a step back, establishing thus a polite distance between them. "Remind me again... You're a Gryffindor graduate, correct?" The years of having her small talk revolve around work alone had made Rhiannon incredibly bleak at small talk. 'Not that I've ever been good at it,' she thought bitterly. A more charismatic person would have probably reminded John of some connections they might have had, spoken of a silly tale or invited him to have a better talk over a warm dinner, but instead -- there she stood, hands awkwardly forced into her pockets. She clicked her tongue. "And how have the years been treating you?" she attempted after a moment of consideration. Catching up with someone always seemed like a good tactic. "I did not expect to meet anyone from my year today, but it is good to see that I am not the only one drawn back by nostalgia."

“Oh that's right, I knew that,” John chuckled as the two shook hands, when their hands were separated he stuck his in his pockets out of the way, and looked out over the view before them. “Yes, Gryffindor, and you were in Ravenclaw.” he watched the woman out of his peripheral vision as she spoke. She seemed kind of awkward. “Oh they’ve been fine, my siblings started their first year at Hogwarts, so I took up a job at the three broomsticks. Sticking close to keep them out of trouble you know” He let out a small chuckle at the thought of the twins and the trouble they could be getting into. Dearyn would do anything his sister set her mind to, it didn’t matter how much trouble they got into doing it. “How about you? What brings you back here today?” he asked.

While Rhiannon was delighted to hear that John had a better memory regarding his school years and other people (perhaps he had a better face memory?), that did not yet ease her own lack of comprehension as to who this young man was. Not that it truly mattered; the two could get re-acquainted, share some stories, reminisce about the past and school years, share perspectives and discuss how their lives went once their whole year graduated – and then never meet again. Truthfully, the concept of talking to someone outside of work sounded appealing right now. Why not focus on something else? That’s why she came to this secluded forest path.

“Hmm. Speaking out of experience, then?” Rhiannon took the liberty to scrutinize John once more in hopes of refreshing her memory. Still nothing much. Evidently, staying far from most of the students did not prove beneficial outside of dorms and classrooms. “Were you a troublemaker, John?” She briefly wondered if her own sister would have stayed close fi she’d ever gone to Hogwarts.

“Nostalgia,” she answered honestly. It had been years since she last saw these familiar streets, since she last felt the pleasant way her heels touched the cobblestone or since she was last embraced by the scents that spoke of savoury treats and good, warm butterbeer. Rhiannon could go for a bottle of one before departing back home. “Life’s been busy after graduation. This is the first time I’ve set foot on the school territory in years. I must say it is nice to rediscover Hogsmeade and bear witness to change… or the lack of it.” And explore some, but John did not need to know how foreign she truly was to these forests.

“How is work treating you, then? I think I recall some students mentioning they want to work here. Have your expectations been met?”

John chuckled and scratched his stubbily face when Rhiannon asked if he had been a troublemaker in his Hogwarts days, "Were you not?" he asked his head tilting to the side in curiosity. Johnathan was always causing some time of trouble. loosing points and detention were his specialty.
He nodded in understanding, the feeling stepping into Hogsmeed for the first time after years provided. It was a familiar place, which held many memories from school. He listened thoughtfully to her speak about the past few years. "Its' work," he shrugged, "I'd rather be spending my time out here, but being adult, you know." he gestured to the scenery around them as he spoke. "At least there are people to keep me company while I do it. How about you?"