[Prof. Office] A Little Time

[Prof Brianna O'Donnell]

Photographs were wonderful, Brianna thought, as they showed happy times that you wanted to remember. As a child, one of Bree’s parents would always have a camera and whenever they went anywhere photos were being taken. Those were happy times and Bree held them in a special place in her heart even though the photos burnt when their house was attacked when she was eight. She hadn’t understood then what her parents did for the Ministry but as she got older more and more began to make sense and those fearful nights or running became less of a burden on her heart.

The burden that now sat on of her heart was helping her friend over come the sadness that was consuming her and if it meant conspiring with the cause of her friend’s pain, so be it. Bree paged back in the photo album and looked at the other photographs. The happiness and smiles that she saw weren’t necessarily the truth but the idea of happier times was the point, she felt. Dan began to speak and Bree looked up from the album, looking at Dan. Brianna’s hand lingered on the photograph, her long index finger tracing the edge. She smiled at Dan’s words and nodded, looking back to the photo.

“That’s good,” she said slowly. Then she realised the ambiguity of what she had said and clarified, “that she hasn’t heard much of him. It makes the likelihood of an ‘accidental’ meeting more probable. Especially if he just happens to be in town.” Bree closed the photo album and swept a particularly annoying piece of brown hair out of her face. Since she had cut her hair that particular piece of hair had persisted in dropping into her face at every turn. Her tea came to her mind once again and she picked up her cup and began to sip it slowly.

At the mention of using Girty as the messenger, Bree nodded, distractedly. She was pondering the logistics of this deception. She finished her cup of tea before she spoke again. “Alright,” she began, “so this Sinbad character will work well. Next Friday I’ll take Dia out, to erm … the pub. Yes, The Three Broomsticks will work well I think.” Bree drummed her fingers on her pursed lips for a moment, staring off into nothing. “Yes, that will work well.” She tapped the book with her long finger as she spoke. “Tell him that he should give us a moment to get comfortable before coming over. We’ll leave at about eight, I think that is a good time. What do you think?” Bree’s enquiry seemed odd. Since when did she care what the chauvinist thought? But she had said it and left it there.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

The two professors sat in silence for what seemed an age, Dan sipped on his tea while trying to ignore the images of Dia with Sebastian. Them talking, drinking, laughing, kissing…Dan started to feel sick with jealousy and for a moment he thought about turning to Bree and telling her to call every thing off, that Dia was his and his alone and if he could not be with her then no one else could especially that low life of a cousin of his.
But as he turned to look at Bree to tell her that he could not live with this decision he suddenly remembered the reason why he was doing it all, he was doing it because he had caused Dia enough pain and to not allow her to move on would be punishing her even more, he was the one who screwed up, he was the one who ruined everything, he is the one who should suffer.

Bree then started to describe her plan to him, where she would taker Dia and at what time so Sebastian could accidentally turn up and just happen to catch Dia’s eye and hopefully allow a smile to grace her lips once more. Nodding his head slowly Dan slid off his desk and picked dup the book and carried it back to the chest and closed the lid.

“Next Friday it is then.” He confirmed in a sombre mood, his gaze fixed upon the chest as he tried to stop the bile from rising up in his throat. “I will have the message past onto Sebastian. I will tell him the basics but he had no need to know every detail of the situation.”

Pushing himself up Dan finally made eye contact with Bree and summoned a small smile he was purposely avoiding answering the question about what he thought about the plan as his honest answer would be that he hated it and then beg Bree to convince Dia to take him back. But there were two problems with this plan, the first being that Dan was not really the begging kind defiantly not to anyone like Bree O’Donnell, and second of all Dan did not know what Bree could say to convince Dia, so much time had passed that that chance of a reunion seemed slip away with everyday that past by.

“If we are in agreement Professor I think I may retire for the evening so unless you plan on staying for the night I think it would be wise for you to leave.”

Dan chuckled softly to himself and his pulled out his wand and the pot to tea and the cups vanished from the table. He knew it was a very hostile way of say goodbye and he even worried that Bree would take the part about staying the night to heart and slap him, but he hoped that after everything she had seen and heard tonight she might have realised that for Daniel Hubbles there was only ever going to be one woman.

[Prof Brianna O'Donnell]

Bree turned and watched Dan put the album away, leaning on the desk and smirking to herself. The demeanor he held belied the feelings Bree could see bubbling just under the surface. She could understand that he did not like the idea of pawning his one and only on another and a relative at that but he said nothing so Bree assumed he had gotten over his foolhardy thoughts as she was certain they were.

He managed a smile and Bree lazily pushed herself off the desk, reaching behind her for her cup. She did rather enjoy having tea. She rarely had it as Brianna was more of a Firewhiskey person but settled on coffee when others frowned upon having any form of alcohol at eight o’clock in the morning. She strolled towards the table where the tea pot was perched and listened to Dan speak. As she reached for the tea pot it disappeared, along with the tea cup in her hand.

Bree rubbed the fingers of her out stretched hand against one another before wrapping her hand in a fist and dropping it to her side. She continued to look at the spot where the tea pot had been as she slowly straightened. An ironic sort of smirk came to her face as a deep hmph echoed in her throat. She turned and gave Dan a brimming leer before snorting.

“If you wanted me to stay, Mr Hubbles,” Brianna chirped mockingly, “all you needed to do was ask.” She tapped her hands on her legs before looking to the door. This was her chance to leave the loathsome man’s presence and she wasn’t about to let it slip by. A quick intake of breath and Bree began to slowly make her way to the door. “However,” she said, slowly reaching for the door handle while still maintaining eye contact with the professor, “since you have stopped drinking I can’t be expected to hang around you in this sorry state. So I shall be off, perhaps Fagin has another bottle stashed in the Staff Room.”

Bree chuckled loudly and turned the door handle, pulling open the door. Bree turned, her green dress swaying loosely on her slender frame. “Good night, Hubbles,” she said, waving a hand over her head as she pulled the door shut behind her. She made a mental note to start harassing Dia about going out in the morning. She would too have to remember the arrangement and not let on that she knows anything. Dia wasn’t stupid, at all times, and Bree knew that if her dear friend found out about their plan she too would loose favour with her and that Bree could not stand. She made her way quickly out of the Charms classroom and headed away as quickly as she could.