Enjoying the Day (open)

[Alexandra De Mose]

As Alex walked out of Diagon Alley and into the dim light of The Leaky Cauldron, she found herself to be quite satisfied by how much work she had done today. That is if you considered shopping work.

Exhausted, Alex claimed a table. She set down her new broom and some bags full of school supplies on the floor underneath her chair.

Alex ordered a butterbeer than leaned back hoping the slight ache of her feet would wear off so she could feel better. She ignored the scuffing of chairs and the roar of voices until a set of footsteps stopped at her table.

Opening her eyes, Alex gazed at the newcomer with curiosity. What did this person want with her?

[Calamity]

I'd left Knockturn Alley and was on my way to The Leaky Cauldron when James McCoy, a Ravenclaw from my year piped up his loud, annoying mouth behind me. "Hey it's Calamity. Start any fires lately, mudblood?" I scowled, reaching up my sleeve for my wand. I kept my arm behind my back as I turned around, my wand firmly in my grip. "James, still being a right prat I see." I raised my wand and pointed it at the ground between us. "INCENDIO!" I grinned wickedly as fire errupted from my wand and formed a barrier of flame between me and James and his pounce friends. "Ametuers."

Turning my back on them, I slipped my wand back into my seeve and picked up my bag from Borgin & Burkes, intend on getting to The Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer. I wandered my way toward Diagon Alley, ignoring the shouts from James and his mates. He'd been a prat in school, and he'd been a prat out. He's lucky a small spell was all I did. Some day I'd make him eat his wand.

There was a descent crowd in the Cauldron, what with everyone going back to school. I'd been out of school for a year, but had already spoken with Professor, or rather, Head Mistress McGonagall about returning this year for some extra credits in Potions and Transmography. If I was lucky, I might be able to secure a position as a Professor's Aid in Potions or Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was either that, or work for the Ministry for the year. I had time to decide, since I wasn't sure just what department I would excell in at the Ministry. I aced my O.W.L.S, my N.E.W.T.S, and scored high enough to be placed in any position I wanted. I didn't have to use a Confundus Charm, though the thought had crossed my mind.

I ordered a butterbeer from the barkeep, and turned to find a place to sit and enjoy the foamy, buttery goodness. I say a girl I recognized vaguely from Hogwarts. She was a Slytherin. But I think she was a fifth year when I was a seventh. Yeah...Andrea...no, Alexandra. Yeah, that was it. I grabbed my butterbeer and bag and moved over to her table. "Alexandra, right?", I said to her smiling.

[Alexandra De Mose]

Alex smiled back. "Yeah and you Calamity right? You were a seventh year in Slytherin this past year right?" Alex said.

"Would you like to sit with me, Calamity?" Alex asked, "I'm a bit curious as to how you are doing since you've graduated? I've heard that the transition is difficult for some but I'm pretty sure you haven't had those problems since I've heard you were such a high scorer in your N.E.W.T.S."

Alex made sure her purchases were out of the way so that Calamity wouldn't feel cramped. Alex was very happy to see Calamity. Of course at this point she'd be happy to see just about anybody considering her parents had left her at home while they were away with no company except for her old house elf.

[Calamity]

"Yeah, I thought you looked familiar. I should know better, having been Slytherin's Prefect my seventh year, but hey, there's a lot of us." I set down my bag from Borgin & Burkes and took the empty chair. "Great, thanks.", I said as I sat down. I grinned, sipping my butterbeer. "Ugh, not much, unfortunately. I mean, I have all these options, sure. But I can't bloody decided what to do. I remember my first year, I had all these plans for after I left Hogwarts, and now...I got nothing." I laughed.

"Yeah, I did real good on my N.E.W.T.S. but I just haven't figured out what to do with myself. I'm thinking about maybe working for the Ministry. Or maybe seeing if I could get a position at Hogwarts. I don't know. I'm going back this fall for some extra credits in Potions & Transmography. And a few other courses just for fun. I always liked Defense Against the Dark Arts. And let's face it, we've never had a good run with a Professor for that class." I leaned back in my chair, butterbeer in hand.

"So what have you been up to? Did you have an exciting summer?" This was the first time I'd ever really gotten to chat with Alexandra, and I realized I liked this girl. I should have made friends with her while I was still registered at Hogwarts, but I'd been so busy my seventh year studying, and starting a few fires, that I didn't bother with making new friends. I wanted high scores to secure my future, whatever that may be.

Just as we got comfortable chatting about Hogwarts and whatnot, none other than James McCoy and his groupies came straggling in. I noticed James no longer had eyebrows and I had to laugh. "Sorry," I said to Alexandra, "that prat James has always been on my case. We had a little spat earlier." Pretty much everyone that knew me, or knew of me, at Hogwarts had heard the rumors of my affection to fire. James glared over at our table as him and his cronies approached the bar. If he started anything in here, things could get ugly real quick. As much as I wanted to thoroughly roast him, I didn't want to burn down The Leaky Cauldron, or worse, get banned from the place for starting fires. They had the best butterbeer in Diagon Alley.

[Alexandra De Mose]

"It does seem that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is rather hard to keep filled. I don't think we've had a teacher yet that has lasted more than a year or two at most," Alex laughed thinking about how one of the professors had suddenly ran screaming out of his classroom a few years ago when his position at the DADA teacher had finally made him snap, "Perhaps you would be able to fill the position. After all, from what I've heard, you'd stand a better chance than any of those spineless fools who have taught that position in the past."

"My summer has been quite uneventful. My parents have been out of town so I've been left with nobody except out old house elf who seems as if she could turn into a pile of dust at any second," Alex said before taking a sip of her butterbeer.

"I'm assuming you were the one who burnt off James' eyebrows?" Alex said, "It's a nice touch but I would have snuck a potion into his drink that would cause him to break out into sores all over if he had messed with me."

"If you really want to I could probably get away with slipping something in his drink. Everyone thinks I wouldn't ever hurt a fly but that just goes to show that you can never judge a book by its cover," Alex said feeling the devious grin she had inherited from her father stretch across her face.

[Calamity]

I grinned at Alexandra. "Thanks. I'd really like the job, and I'm bloody sure I'd last longer than any of the other Professors. The only problem is getting all the credits and junk I need to even qualify. Might as well give it go anyhow, right?"

I kept James and his cronies in my peripheral vision, just in case any of them tried anything beastly. I wouldn't put it past them, the bunch of sodding asses. I'd love to box his ears one of these days.

"At least you have a house elf. Is she old, then? Me mum had one that went completely off his trolley when he got up there in age. Poor bugger."

I snickered. "Too right I did. The twit's always been shirty with me. There's only so much I can take and he really gets my wind up. I've taken enough of his prattle over the years. The wanker deserved it." I smirked. Even though I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than burn off his bleeding eyebrows.

I nearly spat out my mouthful of butterbeer when Alexandra put up her offer. "You know, if you threw a spanner in the works, that'd be smashing! A real one off!" I laughed. "Cheers mate!" I clinked my glass to hers and took a sip. "Just happens that I nicked a potion that'll make him waz his britches and drop a biggie that'll leave the stench of a filthy loo on him for a fortnight." I could feel a mighty mischievous grin spread across my face. "What say we do this right an' proper, ay'?"

[Alexandra De Mose]

"You should definitely apply for the job. Who better than a girl who has a backbone such as yours? No hag or ghoul would ever mess with yeh," Alex said with another swallow of butterbeer.

"Yeah Aubey is pretty old. She's been around since my gran was only a kid so she probably has more webs than boxes in the old attic if yeh get what I mean," she said as she noticed Calamity was still keeping an eye on James and his posy.

"You definitely should have done worse than that," Alex said after taking another sip of her butterbeer.

She drinks to the cheers and feels her devious grin pull taught across her face.

"I shall love to see that little bugger's look of horror as that potion takes hold. Hell yes to giving that man a real reason to look sour and rue the day he ever met you," Alex said draining the rest of her butterbeer.