A warm Saturday Morning

[ASHLEY ELIZABETH RIDER]

Of course you couldn't apparate from hogwarts. There for she had joined some of the students for a trip to hogsmaede. First one of the year and she had apparated from there. The day had started the same as everyday. Waking up, morning routine and breakfast. She knew that she didn't need to stay in school for detention, something that rarely happened. So she had this lovely day for herself.

After she had done all that she wrote something down on a small piece of parchment. The name of a new book, came out only recently and it handled over her subject. Defense against the dark arts. She liked teaching it. She had her license to apparate and she clearly remembered the lessons and the people who splinced. She wasn't one of them though.

She arrived at the leaky cauldron. It was Saturday and she guessed that it should be around ten am or something. She quickly emptied a butterbeer, she loved the drink and she didn't care if there was anything that was a bit more 'adulty'. It was her choice anyone who didn't like it well that was their problem.

She was wearing a simple Tank top on a black Jeans It was more then warm enough for it. besides she wasn't afraid of a little cold. it had been an unusual warm September. She loved the summer though. She looked at the busy street known as diagon ally and smiled for a bit. She clearly remembered her first time here. And all the rather stupid questions she had asked. Well now they seemed stupid.

She made her way trough the crowd. It always was so busy here, maybe today a bit more because it was a Saturday. She walked into the florish and blots and went to seek her book. Between the many many books that were here it was a bit hard though after fifteen minutes she found and payed for it. She was glad she found the little thing. It was always good to learn and read.Over the time she had read quite allot.

She walked outside the shop and onto the busy street. She tried to make her way trough the crowd without bumping that many people. Unfortunately for her she slightly failed in that mission. She was hardly outside the shop or she bumped into someone and nearly fell to the ground. She had been able to stabilize herself right on time.

[nicholas]

( who are we really )

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In a burst of utter boredom, Nicholas could be found walking around the castle, easily catching students who had chosen to retire to some dark corner and sending them back to the common room, breaking apart their kissing streak with a choice of words that told them that they shouldn't do it. He really didn't like doing his rounds, but when left to his own devices, this was the best plan that he could formulate. So it was perhaps sheer luck that he caught the figure of Professor Rider leaving the school with a few students, heading to Hogsmeade. Raising an eyebrow at the fact that she was going too - it wasn't her duty, Nicholas knew that - he decided that it wasn't a bad idea to follow her.

And follow her he did.

So this was where the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor disappeared to whenever she wasn't around, Nicholas found himself observing with a triumphant smile as he apparated moments after she had, arriving at a spot not far off from where Ashley herself had arrived. Giving himself a pat on the back silently, Nicholas was more than amused at the fact that as one of the few who never had natural talent for the books, he did have a hell lot of talent in practical application of it. It came with the fact that he was the Dueling teacher, as had been his post for the past five years.

That was well put into use by the tracking spell he had invented prior.

It took him some time to follow after her, but after landing in Diagon Alley, he was pretty sure that he had gotten the right spot. Running a hand through his hair as he stared around, he muttered to himself, "If I was a Defense Professor, where would I go...?"

[/color] Moments after that query had left his lips, a figure bumped into him, causing him to waver slightly in his stance but caused a greater shift in stability in the other. Turning his head as he parted his lips to apologize, said lips curled into a smile as he realised who it was.

"Running into me, of course,"[/color] he murmured dryly, before giving a smile at Ashley. "You okay, Professor?"[/color]

TAG! Ashley. NOTES! Na-dah. CREDIT! Banner to NICOLE BB @ Caution 2.0.[/font][/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[ASHLEY ELIZABETH RIDER]

Ashley was half surprised of the person who she bumped into. Most professors didn't exactly leave hogwarts allot. Not like she did. And she knew that there had to be at least two or three professors who stood by Rowan. She however didn't. No she was a proud member of the order. And as far as she knew it Nickolas Halliwell was neutral.

Of course the last thing Ashley was interested in was the gossip of the castle. She learned things only when people told them. Otherwise nine of the ten cases they were wrong anyway. She held her book in one hand as she answered her fellow professor. "Fine fine." she said. But what was the dueling professor doing here?

"I hope i didn't harm you" she said. She, like most of the time, had a smile on her face while her blue-gray-ish eyes scanned the street. Had someone else been following her? Had he even been following her because it all could just be coincidence. She knew that she couldn't just jump to conclusions whenever she liked it.

"And what are you doing here?" she asked him. He didn't exactly seemed the type who wanted to spend his Saturdays shopping or something like that. Maybe he was here for the exact same reason as she was. Though that seemed a bit unlikely as well. It was her curiosity that had asked the question.

She placed a strand of her long black hair behind her ear as she patiently waited for him to answer. She knew that he wasn't supposed to do anything, walk trough the corridors or anything. Neither was she but she had never known him to come here.

(OOC: Sorry for the shorness, writers bloc)

[nicholas]

( who are we really )

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"You sure about that? I'd hate for the students to be short one professor due to my meddling ways of bumping into people,"

[/color] he said jokingly, smiling at her as she asked whether he had been harmed by her. Raising an eyebrow, his brown eyes met hers as he joked, "You're not serious right? Sorry, Ashley, but as lovely as you are, you really couldn't do much to me."[/color] Patting his figure, he gave a wry smile. "I'd like to think that I have some brawn, at the very least."[/color]

Winking at her as he rubbed the bottom of his jaw at her next question, he look innocent at her silent probing, not willing to actually admit that he had been following her. "I got bored,"[/color] and that certainly wasn't a lie - "And since everyone was heading out, I thought it wouldn't hurt to follow. But they don't sell the nice drinks in Hogsmeade, so I decided I'd pop by the Leaky Cauldron."[/color] He paused, before shifting his gaze over to her. Without missing a beat, Nicholas probed, "How about you then, Ashley?"[/color] Looking surprised, he shifted his weight to the other foot, his mouth breaking into a smile once again.

"Although, if it wouldn't be too troublesome, I certainly wouldn't mind if you'd be my companion for a drink or two? I'm not a heavy drinker, so no worries about escorting a drunk companion back. I'll be perfectly sober, cross my heart,"[/color] Nicholas said smoothly, doing the action of crossing his heart as he said those words. It seemed like a favorable situation, after all, since Ashley was certainly no lacking companion, and he would consider himself lucky for procuring her companionship.

Nicholas nudged her lightly, offering to carry whatever she was carrying as he said, "Come now, you don't actually hate my companionship, do you?"[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote][/font][/size][/justify]

[ASHLEY ELIZABETH RIDER]

"I think the students wouldn't mind having one class less." she started. A little airy laugh coming out of their mouth. "But i don't think they need to worry." she'd be able to teach if she would have fallen of a broom and broken her wrist. "And has no one ever told you to never underestimate a girl?" Though she hardly classified herself as a girl anymore. After all she had been an adult since she was seventeen.

She had asked him quite a bit of questions but that was just typically her. His answered didn't surprise her. Boredom, well there wasn't exactly that much to do around the castle. Not when you already had spend seven years there. "I am here to get myself a new book." as she held it in clear view for a moment. "I know your lessons don't have much books to go with but mine does." she said on a slightly teasing tone.

"That, Nicholas, certainly wouldn't be a problem at all."She said answering his question. She didn't feel like returning to the castle just yet anyway. And if neither of them had anything to do why not go drink something. They both were adults after all and he had promised her that he wouldn't be drunk. Now that would be something the students shouldn't see.

I absolutely do not hate your companionship. But i do not think there will be much trouble with me carrying a simple book." Not that she had something against chivalry but she could carry that on her own. And he was defiantly not a bad guy to spend some time with. "Shall we go then?" she asked him. It was a pretty pointless question. But it had seemed that her day was working out better then she thought it would be.

From the boring start at hogwarts, were she had nothing to do. She left to pick up a book and now she was going for a drink with one of her colleagues. She didn't mind how this day was going at all. Nicholas was probably one of the best choices to spend time with.