(RoR) Sleepless Night

[Carrieanne Darke]

Laying curled up underneath her satin sheets and comforter, Carrieanne laid there with a blank look and thought. She rolled over and closed her eyes, but found herself unable to sleep at all. A subtle sigh slipped from her lips as she tossed the covers back and got up. Stretching her body and changed into a pair of black jeans and a blue t-shirt. Her brown eyes wandered around the dark and peaceful room, she had sat down on the edge of her bed and slipped her shoes on. She sat quietly for a few moments trying to think of why she couldn't possibly sleep. Well, she hasn't had much of a busy day, so what else could be the problem? Unfortunately she couldn't think of anything and got up proceeding to leave her room.


Taking a deep breath then exhaled, she began to walk down the hallway towards the Entrance hall. It was quiet and you could even hear a pin drop. She decided to take a walk around to try and tire herself out, since it worked before, why wouldn't it work now. While walking down the corridor toward the steps, she glanced around to see if anyone was up. It was apparent to her that they were either tucked down for sleep or were off somewhere doing something. Who knew. She walked aimlessly for a good three minutes before reaching the stairs to the first floor. Her body swung around the corner and headed up the stairs. Her mind began to occupy itself with some of the earlier events that happened.

Carrieanne managed to find herself entering the first floor, her footsteps were quiet so that she didn't disturb anyone. The long corridor had ended in going up what looked to be two flights of stairs, quite frankly, Carrieanne wasn't sure if she felt like walking up them. But she did anyway. Her feet carried her all the way to the second floor with no problem, the paintings on the walls were talking amongst themselves, but she had learned to ignore them. Walking down another corridor she noticed that it was empty. "Well that's strange, there's nothing here. Just a wall and a corridor." she said to herself with a bit of confusion.

Leaning up against the opposite side on the wall, Carrieanne stood there wondering what could be so important about the place and why it was made if nothing was there. "It sure would be nice to find a place to sit down and actually be comfortable instead of standing here." she thought to herself. The hall started to shake slightly and the wall started to reform itself as bricks moved around to shape what looked to be a door. After a few minutes, Carrieanne stood in shock that there really was something there. "That's impossible." she said in an unbelieveable tone. This was the first time she's ever seen that happen. Finally after ungluing her feet from the floor, she walked carefully to the wooden door, standing there for a moment. She gazed at the door and went to place her hand on the knob but stopped.

She narrowed her eyes a bit in curiosity, instead it got the best of her and she opened the door. The wind slipped past the little opening and ruffled her hair a little as she felt the cool gentle breeze caress her cheeks. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her and began looking around. Carrieanne noticed the room had changed its appearance into a place of comfort with a warm fire and a nice couch waiting to be sat upon. Her eyes followed the room around and stopped upon the window overlooking the school grounds.

So in thought, she decided to walk over to the window beside the wall and look outside. The sky was clear and lit up with twinkling stars and a few stars shooting off into space. Her brown eyes fixed on the setting below her and how the lights of the school lit up almost every bit of the area around it. "This is the more like it, but it sure would be nice to have a bit of company though." she sighed said to herself and glanced out at the grounds below.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

“This is hopeless…where the hell am I???”

Dan looked around the dark corridor without a clue of where he was going or even what floor he was on. He had left is wand in his office and he was now trying to make his way back to the Charms room so he might be able to retrieve it but his expedition was in vain. He had took a left when he should have took a right and walked through a passage way he could not remember even existing, Dan was going to turn to the aid of the portraits that hung on the corridor walls…but there did not seem to be any.

Dan had never really believed students when they said they got lost. In his eyes there was no simpler place to walk around normally stated he would be able to walk around blindfolded however after this little outing he may show a bit more sympathy.
Straining his eyes in hope of seeing something Dan failed to notice the wall jutting out until it was too late and he had walked straight into it. Swearing loudly he raised his hands to his nose almost expecting it to start bleeding but he felt no warmth of the blood just the throbbing of his nose being slightly bruised.

“I need somewhere to sit.”

Dan had no idea who he was actually talking to but he found it almost reassuring in the darkness and with it being Hogwarts you never knew what would be lurking in the darkness. Just as this thought fluttered through his mind he heard a sound and was convinced he saw movement. Forming his hands into fists Dan moved slowly to the other side of the corridor ready to throw a punch and the person who was creeping up on him, however it was not a person who made a noise, not even a something…it was a door.
Grinding his teeth Dan started at the wooden door and after a minute of consideration he slowly pushed it open not knowing what to expect behind it, he was however pleasantly surprised.

This was not a room he recalled seeing before; in fact he did not know a room like this existed. The main thing was it was full of light, it was warm there were sofas and….somebody else. Dan could have sworn he had seen her before but could not recall a name to suit the face so he thought it would be rude to intrude but then he would not get very far until he got lost again. With a small sigh Dan closed the door quietly behind him and walked further into the room before letting his presence be known.

“You do know you would get a better view of the stars up in the astronomy tower?”

[Carrieanne Darke]

While standing at the stone windowsil gazing out upon the grounds, Carrieanne was content however, she never thought a place like this would hold so many secrets. If only she were seventeen again and how her adventurous side would come out, the emotions of thrill and excitement swarmed through her body. She could almost feel the kid within wanting to rush out and adventure more, but she was an adult now and couldn't let that side of her come out too often, this place gave her just enough to give it a quick fix. If one could call it that. Her eyes traced the ground watching with a warm smile creased upon her lips as a couple students slipped back into the castle, the sparkle from the lake caught her eyes as they continued to trace the outlines of the grounds.

Carrieanne folded her arms around her slender frame to keep somewhat warm as the window let in a cool breeze, the lights from flames licking the logs that were placed within the fireplace danced around the room making it shimmer. Though when she wished for company, she didn't think that the room would bring it to her, that was the last thing she expected. In hearing a man's voice from behind her, the young woman turned abruptly as her long brown hair tossed over her shoulder and her dark eyes fixated on the man that entered the room. She had seen him at the Staff dinner table a couple nights ago, but the name never registered in her mind. It was apparent that he had startled her and the funny part about it, she wasn't as startled as she though she would be.

Finally after a few moments of silence, she nodded and smiled "Well, I sort of don't know where that's at to be honest." a soft chuckled escaped as she studied him a bit more before turning back to the window. "But this place seems to be quite nice, even though I really wasn't expecting to have a door appear in front of me like that door did." Carrieanne explained as she pointed to the door he just came through. Ungluing herself from the stone floor beneath her, she walked over and extended her hand out to him and introduced herself "Carrieanne Darke, I'm the newest Healer of the school." her tone was much softer than before and of course it was the way she spoke anyway. Carrieanne was always soft spoke, except for when she was angry or upset. But that was very rare.

Having to admit to herself on quite a few occasions, she was definately a patient one, always willing to forgive and forget or rather forgive but took a little while to forget actually. Folding her arms back into her, she gave her arms a gentle rub to keep herself warm "So what brought you here? Or should I safely assume that you too got lost?" she asked as her feet carried her to the chair near the fire and took a seat. "Wow, these are very comfortable chairs." she was already starting to settle in to the chair when she heard the fire crackle then pop which made her jump actually. Carrieanne returned her gaze back to the man and extended her hand out guesturing for him to sit if he so chose to.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan was startled by the woman admitting she did not know where the astronomy tower was it seemed common knowledge to all that had ever been to school in the castle, but then maybe she was another foreign teacher coming over to enjoy the splendour of Scotland and Hogwarts. However it was not until she mentioned about a door appearing from no where it dawned on him where he was, the room of requirements which meant he was on the seventh floor when he was meant to be going to the third and he had no idea how he had got there.

A frown filled his face as he looked over his shoulder back at the door still unable to believe he managed to walk up so many flights of stairs and not realise what he had been doing. However he was slowly coming to the conclusion of not adventuring out until first light so at least he would be able to find his way around the castle with ease but also without students to bother him.
As Dan turned back to look into the cosy looking room he saw the woman walking towards him with her hand outstretched in greeting. As she introduced herself Dan grinned at her and extend him own hand taking hold of her and giving in a small shake, he was tempted to kiss it gently, had it been a year ago then maybe he would have but now…now it did not seem appropriate.

“Daniel Hubbles.” He introduced himself. “Charms Professor, Head of Hufflepuff and a regular visitor to the Hospital wing, so you better get used to this face.”

Dan chuckled softly to himself as he thought about the amount of times he had lying in the beds on the first floor with people fussing over him. Dan normally enjoyed being the centre of attention but in the cases when he was in the hospital he was powerless. Dan watched as Carrienanna walked over towards the sofas and tried to strike up some casual conversation.

“Is it that obvious I got lost?” Dan joked as he walked over towards the sofa’s sitting down on the one directly opposite the healer, his eyes growing wide with surprise as he sunk into to cushions, she had been right these were comfortable sofas. This was only the second time Dan had been in the room of requirements, the first time he needed someone to store his collection of frogs when his head of house had decided to do a room inspection…he never did go back to fetch them.

[Carrieanne Darke]

Well, the place was nice and everything. Not to add comfortable and cozy along with that. Carrieanne gazed upon the man with the surprised expression upon his face when she mentioned not knowing where the Astronomy tower was, she kind of felt that maybe she should take a little bit of time to herself one of these days and go explore around. Except, she would have someone go with her just in case.

Still with her dark brown eyes, she studied the man's facial expression and it was clear that he was unhappy about something. So to hopefully lighten his mood a little, Carrieanne smiled warmly at him. This was her first real conversation with someone else other than Archi, even though the two of them have clearly been busy with other tasks that needed to be complete. So it was refreshing to see a new face.

In completion of their introduction, Carrieanne said "Pleasure to meet you." letting a warm smile crease her lips, then a hint of laughter escaped when Dan said that he was a regular at the Hospital Wing. "Oh I could get used to seeing a face like yours." Carrieanne realized what she had said and put her hand upon her face covering her eyes slightly and lowered her head trying figure out where that came from.

The Healer glanced back up moments later at him as her fingertips gently rested upon her lips. However, she was curious about his regular visits. Carrieanne raised her eyebrow letting a tilted smile rest upon her face. One could say that the expression on her face could be mistaken as being mischevious, but that wasn't the case here, it was out of pure curiosity.

Having to joke around a little bit, Carrieanne teased the Professor "Do I have to kiss all your boo boos and then send you back to class." unable to hold the laughter within, she let a chuckle escape her lips instead. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. It was just too tempting." As Carrieanne walked over towards the sofas, she took a seat guesturing for the professor to sit and make himself comfortable.

"A little, but I'm not one to judge upon an expression." she sat back crossing one leg over the other and intwined her hands together. "So tell me Professor, what makes you a regular at the Hospital? If you don't mind me asking that is." still in the curiosity of how he comes a regular so she'd know what to expect...to some extent. Watching as the room flickered with the different tones in color, it was interesting to see that, however someone else had her attention so her eyes shifted back upon the professor.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

That was something that Dan had missed, someone’s gaze fixed upon him and then the small slips of the tongue and even now it did not fail to make him smile and for that small moment in time Dan felt like his old self. She moved her gaze away from him for a while as she tried to get a hold of herself but when she looked back at him Dan gave her is winning smile as she joked with him, which was something he liked. Carrieanna did not lose all focus when she slipped up instead she used it and was able to carry on without making the atmosphere between them tense and uncomfortable.

“Oh yes I always make the pretty healers kiss my boo boo’s, sadly Nish is not my type….wrong gender.”

A cheeky wink followed automatically and Dan could not help put scream at himself in his head. After everything he had gone through and how he had convinced himself he had turned a new page in the story but it seemed Dan was back to square.
His smile faded slightly but he did not take his gaze off Carrieanna as she was the only thing in the room worth looking at. It may have been warm and well furnished with comfortable sofa’s but there were no paintings or bookshelves to stare absentmindedly at. There was a small pop and bookshelves appeared along the edges of the room and paintings sprung up on the walls, Dan had to push himself up in his seat to actually take in what he was seeing…Hogwarts never failed to amaze him.

“Oh it depends on the time of year…I find myself in their more in the summer then the winter. I mean this time last year I was lying bleeding to death, I have been beaten up on a few occasions…but it is mainly when students charms end up flying in the wrong direction and hit me square in the chest.”

Dan chuckled softly as he thought about the last time he had been hit by a Slytherin who had just been given a weeks worth of detentions, he could not help put think he might have done it one purpose. However he would be the one who suffered as Dan will set him the most arduous and boring detention he has ever had.

[Carrieanne Darke]

Seeing the smile upon Dan's face had made Carrieanne blush slightly, but it wasn't really that noticeable being that the lights of the fire flickered upon her golden skin. Adding a wider smile to her lips, she couldn't figure out where that statement came from but it was well worth it to see him smile. Carrieanne was always one that liked to see people smile and even if she slipped her tongue a little, it just made a smile wider like it did in this case. Carrying on her conversation as if what she said wasn't said, she heard his comment and laughed softly. Setting aside the fact that he called her pretty, she joked back and looked around the room "What pretty healer? You couldn't be talking about me? I'm just an average woman." she winked still with a smile that truly never went away.

Leaning forward as she crossed her arms and placed them onto the arm of the couch, Carrieanne just shook her head and smirked. A Professor with a sense of humor, very nice. She couldn't say for all of them because she had yet to meet any of them with the exception of May, the Transfiguration professor. She was nice, though really didn't have much to say or so she thought anyway. Carrieanne didn't gaze away from the handsome man before her, she did notice that his smile faded slightly and that he too was looking at her, again making her blush for the second time which was not all that hard to do. Hearing a couple of noises, Carrieanne witnessed the event that happened before them. Paintings displayed around the walls and bookcases filled with books lined the edges of the room. "Never ceases to amaze me." she muttered quietly.

Turning her head back towards Dan, her eyes lit up by the fire's light reflecting off her eyes which made them sparkle. She listened intently to him and gave a simple nod of her head "Yeah, students are pretty famous for that happening. Especially the new ones thinking that they are big shots and know how to handle their magic." she said as her lips slightly flattened like she was trying to hold back from laughing. "Well I'll make sure that I have a kit prepared for you with everything imaginable in it. This way I can just grab it and go." she said jokingly. It was nice to be able to joke around like she was with him, at first she was a bit reluctant to do it yet quickly over came that by just doing it. "So what else is there to know about you? Hmmmm.." she pondered with her index finger pressed against her lips.

Within a split second a question came to mind, "What made you decide to want to be a Charms Professor?" she smiled tilting her head. Her curious side was famous for asking a lot of questions, but it's good to ask... sometimes. Carrieanne found herself staring at him, so to not make it obvious, she moved her gaze to the painting behind him and every few minutes she would look back at him. But even that was making it sort of obvious, with the decision that she was finding it hard not to look at him she just let it go and looked back him. Only this time, she focused on his eyes, they were very nice. Carrieanne flashed another smile at him, also she thought about how nice it would be to have a drink. Of course she never indicated what kind of drink, a circular tray appeared on the table before them and a crystal bottle held some sort of drink with two glasses beside it.

Raising her eyebrow in response of her own thoughts of how that was possible, she shrugged and asked "Care for a drink Professor?" she asked as she leaned forward and took the glass bottle off the tray, popping the cork off and poured a little bit in each glass. Glancing up to the Professor, she placed the cork back into the bottle and set it down. Picking up both glasses, she reached over offering the drink and took a sip from the one she held in her other hand. "It's fire whiskey." she said feeling the warming sensation tingling her throat. Carrieanne wasn't much of a drinker, but she didn't mind having one every now and then.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

There was something with the way that Carrieanna smiled at him Dan could not help but smile back, he felt totally at ease with this individual and he soon forgot that it was the middle of the night and the only reason he was walking around the castle in a half awake manor was because he did not have his wand. When he left his bed chamber he would never have guessed that after walking into a wall he would be sitting on some sofa’s having a causal conversation with a complete stranger. Maybe it was the fact they did not know much about each other that made it easy, Dan did not feel like he had to act like somebody else and hide what had happened over the past few months. He had the chance of creating a first impression that was going to last instead of Carrieanna being swayed into a bias dislike for him like most of the other female members of the staff had done.

“What made me decide to be a Charms Professor?” Dan leaned back in the chair and stroked his stubble and let out a soft laugh. “It is a stop gap. I plan to leave at the end of the year, I only came here because due to illness more travelling was put on hold and I needed to get myself back on my feet and earn some money so I can get back to the rainforest. Also my little sister is at the school so I was able to spend time with her.”

Dan could not believe he was able to sum up the past five years of his life a couple of sentences. It made it seem like he had achieved very little in his life and everything was just a game to him so that he could get back to travelling, running away from responsibility. But the truth behind it all was that Dan liked it at Hogwarts, from time to time his heart longed for freedom and the ability to do what he wanted when he wanted, but he was 27 and he wanted stability in his life…but that did not seem to be happening anymore in the castle.

Clenching his jaw Dan thought he would try and move the conversation away from himself worried that they would soon be treading on topics that he did not want to even think about. So Dan turned the question onto Carrieanna. He returned her gaze and just like she was with him looked at her deeply in they eyes, it had been a long time he had held the gaze of a female and he forgot the thrill it gave him, how by a simple thing could make his heart beat faster, his old self sensing potential but his more rational side managed to overcome this urge and help him keep a cool head.

“So what made you want to be a Healer…and at Hogwarts. There are plenty of jobs in all the magical hospitals around the world…why a lonely school in Scotland?”

However before she could answer a bottle and two glasses appeared on the table in front of them. At first he hoped that the room would have been able to read his mind but he knew it only gave what people wanted and as Carrieanna poured the drink and he saw the fire whisky trickle out he froze…the room had given him something his heart desired more then anything.

Dan held the glass in his hand just looking at the light reflect in the honey coloured liquid, he swirled it around watching it closely like he was hypnotised by the motion and it was then when the smell hit him. His taste buds skipped into overdrive, he could taste the alcohol, feel the burning sensation in his throat it had been so long that his mouth was watering. Tearing his eyes away Dan gave Carrieanna a weary smile before placing the glass back on the table in front of him. He had come so far without drink he could not give it all up now; he was doing this for Dia to prove to her and himself that he can change.

“It looks so very tempting but I…I don’t drink anymore. I made a promise and I keep my word.”

[Carrieanne Darke]

It wasn't long until Carrieanne herself forgot what time of night it was, Dan had truly intrigued her in a conversation about things in general. It reminded her of how she and Archi could just sit there in the office and laugh away at different things, but they haven't really seen much of each other being that during the day it was quite busy and in the evenings well, wasn't really much time for chatting then either. With completing paperwork and filing, conversation seemed to lack here and there. As Dan began to answer her question, she sat looking at him interestedly. "I miss traveling, I use to travel all the time. But now after moving here, it's just been a bit complicated for me to do so." she said feeling her smile fade into a thoughtful expression.

A sublte sigh escaped her lips as she thought about her days of traveling. Being one that sought out on adventures, it was becoming less and less now that she worked as a healer at Hogwarts, even at Beauxbatons her traveling was limited. Carrieanne moved her arms of the large arm of the couch and wrapped them around herself, she felt cool and in attempt she found a way to keep herself warm. Women were so quick to get cold, especially her. She did however manage to glance around the room at the book cases and smirked "So I take it you like to read?" she asked in thought as she looked back at the Professor sitting comfortably on the sofa. Carrieanne stood up and walked over towards one of the paintings to take a closer look. "Da Vinci huh?" she raised her eyebrows with surprise.

Looking over her shoulder at Dan, she smiled "I love art. It's inspiring to see someone else work and you can tell just how creative someone can be through their work." turning back towards the painting, she gently touched the canvas feeling it's texture. Rough but smooth where the paint had dried. Turning back around she moved her hair from her face using her fingers as a comb, this way she could brush it back, she began to walk back to the couch and sat down on the edge of the couch smoothing out her pants. Keeping her focus upon Dan, it seemed like when she looked at him and he returned the gaze, he gave her a fluttery feeling within. Something she couldn't explain. It felt like she butterflies in her stomach.

The feeling heightened when she heard her own question returned but quickly vanished when she saw what she had thought about, a drink and two glasses appear before them. It seemed that the room gave them what they wanted. Sure she wanted a drink, but it still came as a shock for some reason. Carrieanne glanced back up at Dan as she poured the drinks and began to explain. "Well I wasn't always a Healer. I use to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I wanted a change and I was great in Herbology. So I took a temporary position at Beauxbatons , the school I had graduated from as a healer." Carrieanne paused offering the drink to Dan in which he had turned down, which was ok.

Giving him a simple nod, she smiled and thought of a cup of tea for him instead. It had appeared again to her surprise, but gladly picked it up and held it out to him " Instead, how about some tea?" she grinned cheekily. "What made me decide to become one was the fact that I enjoy helping others regardless of the problems that they are having. I don't judge people on anything that comes out of their mouths about themselves or about others. More than half of the time, I've been called more of a Counselor rather than a Healer. But I consider it to be one in the same. So after about six months being temporary, they put me on full time.." she added taking another small sip of the fire whiskey. That time it kind of burnt her throat making her turn her head and cough a little. "Wow that was just a tad strong." she said clearing her throat.

"Why at Hogwarts, a lonely school in Scotland. I don't know really. I love working at schools, children give me the desire to work harder and become better at what I do. I kind of look at them as they are my own. I know eventually I have children of my own, but for now all I can do is take care of the ones that are present. And even kissing the boo boos of a very handsome professor kind of makes it worthwhile working here too." she said reflecting back upon her earlier joke she had made to him. "I guess, schools like this makes me feel more at home.. Like a family I suppose." she gazed down at the glass of fire whiskey and found that she didn't have a taste for it anymore and wanted to exchange it for a cup of coffee instead. Which it changed into a cup of coffee and the two glasses and the bottle disappeared. "So, that's why I wanted to be a healer."

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Tea was something that Dan could not turn down it was a drink that was close to his heart it reminded him of Egypt and of the best summer he had ever spent and he was in the company of the most attractive and clever woman he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Looking wistful on at Carrieanna as she poured the drink and handed it over towards him, his fingers wrapped themselves around the warm porcelain tea cup and he sipped on the warm nectar. It was one of the nicest cups of tea’s he had ever had, just how Dia used to make them.
Closing his eyes for a moment Dan tried to focus properly and move his mind and broken heart off the astronomy Professors.

“Not sure if I could go a day without tea, it is the one thing that keeps me sane.”

He gave her a small smile and held the cup close to his chest letting the warmth spread through him. Although there was a warm fire crackling in the corner it did not seem to be making much difference to his overall body temperature that was until he had the tea. He felt better now that he was talking to Carrieanna and listening to her experiences in life. Dan always enjoyed meting and learning about new people, it was an area full of unknowns and pleasant surprises and there was always the thought in the back of your head of whether you would get along.

Although the longer Carrieanna talked and the more he learnt that small seed of doubt was soon buried away. It seemed like they had a bit in common, they had both travelled, they had even both taught some lessons, they seemed to have similar likes of art and books and now the biggest similarity was they were both at Hogwarts…in the same room…and smiling at each other.

“Now that is a better reason for becoming a Healer then I had of being a Charms Professor. I do not even like children when I came here.” A small sideways smile filled the mans face and a soft laugh escaped. “But you learn to respect and enjoy watching them learn and grow over the years. It does make you want to have your own as then instead of just seven years you have a life time to teach them and watch them grow and for me family is everything.”

There had been a time when he thought his dream could come true, he could imagine reading stories to his children, brimming with pride as he came home from work and they were there waiting for him ready to show to their father what they had achieved that day. For a while it had all seemed too real that this small dream might even happen, but it was smashed into a thousand pieces by the loss of Dia.
Letting out a small sigh Dan took another sip of his tea letting the sweet taste fill his mouth as he looked on at Carrieanna. She was young and beautiful, her smile lit the room and her laughter was infectious and the temptation to say or do something irrational grew inside of him. But Dan bit his tongue knowing he had come to far to lose it on such a wimp, so instead he picked her up on one of the last things that had crossed her lips.

“You council people? I could properly do with some of that.” He joked still unable to tear his gaze off her. “Maybe you could find a cure for my anger problems, I almost killed a student last year because of it…however she was a annoying, stuck up, know it all who hated me as much as I hated her.”

[Carrieanne Darke]

As Carrieanne sat there pouring the drink, she glanced up meeting his eyes with her own, only to glance back down at the cup of tea so it wouldn't spill over. Setting the kettle down on the hot plate that kept it warm, she picked up the cup and handed it to him. Her eyes followed the cup that he lifted to his lips then looked back up into his eyes, a smile pursed her lips and looked back down at the cup of coffee she had sitting in front of her and picked it up. The steam that rose from the cup filled her nose with the aroma of the coffee making her close her eyes as well, the coffee smelled so inticing that she lifted it to her lips and took a sip and let the taste tease her tastebuds.
The warmth that filled her within felt so relaxing that she took another sip to continue the feeling. Coffee in a sense was an aphrodieziac. Opening her eyes, she looked back up at Dan over the rim of cup as he started to speak. "The same here except with coffee, not only does it keep me awake but it's relaxing." she admitted. By the light of the fire as she gazed up at him, one could see how the flames reflection danced in her eyes making them sparkle or glittery. Another smile creased her lips as she sat back on the couch and continue to explain her reasoning for becoming a healer and at Hogwarts for that matter. Carrieanne didn't mind sharing her experiences in life, it was the only way for someone to get to know and understand the real her.

That and she's never put on a front, it just wasn't within her to do such a thing. Though as she spoke, she noticed that they had quite a few similarities. She laughed about the response that Dan had given as to why her reason for being a Healer was better than him being a Charms Professor, she replied "I think you are a great Charms Professor more than you give yourself credit for." Taking another sip of her coffee, she crossed her right leg over her left and listened as he continued to talk about how watching children growing over the years making you want to have your own, and he was right, it did. "Yes, I agree. Family is everything in your life, how it molds the rest of your life and your experiences that you have." Carrieanne replied, that reason alone was reason enough for her to want to be a mother.

The thought lingered in her mind and it was all in finding the right person and making sure that there is stability in the relationship as well as being on the same page about things and in life in general. As they sat in silence for a few moments looking upon each other, taking in features and recapping on what they've learned about each other so far, Carrieanne was amazed to find someone she had a lot in common with. It was rarity to say the least. Raising her eyebrows to his question while taking a sip of her coffee, she moved the cup from her lips and swallowed the warm liquid sort of harshly and cleared her throat some "Yes, I do but only if they want it. Most don't know that I do that sort of thing, but I find it that some people would rather turn to a total stranger then to turn to someone they know about what's going on in their life." she caught his joke and chuckled

"Oh really?" she said sitting up on the edge of the couch, placing her cup on the table and clasped her hands together "Do you think it's wise to go after a student who is all that you say she is?" she rasied her eyebrow in a joking manner. Carrieanne was sure that he was joking, at least she hoped otherwise she would suggest a couple of counseling sessions.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

This was the most Dan had felt at ease in a very long time, he was able to be himself and not worry about offending anyone or hurting anyone, impractically Dia. He had sworn to her never to hurt her and that he would always be there for her and now here is was sitting with the new Hogwarts healer laughing and joking like nothing had happened. The other bonus was that Carrie was nice to look at; she had a good personality and was not afraid to offer Dan the odd compliment.

Though the one thing Dan had noticed that ever since he had announced that he was leaving everyone was suddenly telling him how he was a great professor and a good fellow. Eh always wondered if people where saying that to make him stay or to make sure that he left with a good opinion of them, but which ever it was Dan never turned away from compliments.

Silence fell over them for a moment or two and Dan felt Carrie’s gaze pass over him, it felt like she was scrutinizing him almost as if she was trying to work him out even more and as a small smile graced her fair lips Dan could not help but grin back. He had forgotten what it was like to have someone look at you in such a way, the thought that the evening could end up with a little bit of fun. As Dan took another sip of his tea he watched Carrie over the rim of his cup losing himself in her eyes and as he watched the fire light reflect in them an idea came to the Charms Professor.

“Oh no it was the worst mistake in my life. She almost killed me.” Before he knew what he was doing Dan placed the cup on the arm of the chair and started to flick open the buttons on his shirt revelling a long scar down his torso. He guessed that being a healer Carrie might be slightly interested in these sort of things so with a soft laugh he looked up at her “Guess which spell?”

There had only been a few people who had ever seen the scar and he half expected himself to feel uncomfortable, after all he had only know Carrie for half an hour and he was already unbuttoning his shirt, even for the old Dan Hubbles that was quick progress.

[Carrieanne Darke]

While her thoughts were running away with her, Carrieanne studied the features of the man that sat across from her from head to shoe. He was tall, the way his eyes were formed in an oval like shape. Everything about the man she liked, from his personality and sense of humor to the way he looked and how he acted around her. It was kind of interesting how things went so smoothly between them as if they knew each other for a long time. Her eyes shifted towards the window from which she stood before he had entered the room, then gazed back at him for a few moments longer.

She couldn't help the fact that she had found Dan attractive on 'almost' every level and with the way her luck with men was almost frightening to see that he has taken an interest in her, well that's what she assumed by the way he looked at her. Carrieanne noticed that he had smiled back at her and let her eyes slowly shift to the flooring beneath them. What was the odds of Carrieanne Darke being in the same room with a good looking guy? Sometimes slim to none, the reason as to why she glanced down was to keep him from seeing her blushing for the third time tonight. Her eyes met his as she found him eyeing her over the rim of his very own cup.

It was something about the eye contact that made words mean nothing, all it took was body language to actually speak what was really going through a persons mind. However, with Dan it was kind of hard to tell but it must be good seeing how he has pretty much kept contact with her the whole evening. After hearing his comment about this student, he had her sitting on the edge in what her ususual posture would be like when talking with someone who had issues with things or people. Might as well call it her counseling mode. Carrieanne watched as he began to unbutton his shirt in front of her, almost causing her heart to leap out of her chest.

Instinctively her healer mode kicked in thankfully as she stood up and knelt down in front of him and looked closer "Sectumsempra spell." she replied almost instantly as soon as he asked. Carrieanne glanced up at him and paused as well as forgetting what she was about to say to him. Her eyes wandered over his face seeing that she was right there in front of him, the way the light from the fire danced in his eyes. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out and stated "I think I have some more vanishing cream.. It makes scars disappear, I mean unless you want to keep it as a battle scar.." she grinned thinking that he was probably proud of it.

Still upon her knees, she reached for the table behind her and placed her hand on it to support herself to stand up. Once she was standing, she looked down at him feeling butterflies in her stomach. Carrieanne turned and walked back over to the chair she was previously sitting upon and sat back down on it again. Reaching for her coffee, she gracefully took a sip from it finishing it off; remembering that she was in a place where needs were given to them, she immediately thought of how she needed a cup of coffee. Her eyes fell upon her cup as it was refilled and the way she liked it. It was great being able to say what you need and have it being given to you.

Carrieanne would rather work for what she needed or wanted but that's just her. Her eyes fell back upon Dan and let a small tilted smile crease her lips as she mentioned "I have to admit, I've never met a guy quite like you before. Nor someone as handsome as you are either." she stated with true honesty. She liked him and was sort of developing a bit of a crush if she could call it that. But who knew what was in store for the two of them, the night was still young and the fact that they were enjoying each others company was making it all the more worth while. Taking another sip of her warm coffee, Carrieanne licked the remains of the coffee off her lips then looked towards the window and got up from the chair to walk over and catch another view of the beautiful sight.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan ran one of his fingers down the length of the scar, it was something Dia always did as they lay in bed together, and they would just talk all night long looking into each others eyes and getting lost in there own small world. If he was to lose this scar it would be like starting again and losing all the memories that came with it, it was the thing that had brought him and Dia together and if he let it go he would be giving up all hope.

“No...”Dan said rather absentmindedly looking up from the scar “I think it is a good remind of not losing my anger at students….the scares I have on my body are more war wounds.”

Dan gave Carrie a small smile as he slipped his shirt off his left shoulder and turned around so she could see the round scar on his shoulder blade. This was his war wound, it was not a spell that had caused this one but a spear thrown at him by one of the tribes in the Brazilian rainforest.
“The spear had poison on the head, I fell ill with fever and had to be sent home. I was in St Mungo’s for almost a month and my mother forbid me to go travelling again until I had been in a job for a few years.”

Dan did not know why he was telling Carrie this but it felt right, he felt that she would understand, she seemed a caring and understanding person and he liked that about her. The smile did not leave Dan’s lips and it grew even wider as Carrie told Dan how she liked and found him handsome. Dan started to feel slightly smug with himself that he still had the ability to make women feel like this and he wondered why he ever gave it up, so Dan watched in silence trying to make up his mind on what to do next when Carrie licked her lips and stood up to walk back to the window.

She was good.

Standing up Dan began to walk slowly over to the window where Carrie was standing buttoning up his shirt as he feared the coolness of the breeze on his bare skin. However as he reached the window he felt no breeze but was at a lose of words for the wonder of the site from the window, however he was standing next to something who was just as breath taking. Dan turned his head slightly and looked down at Carrie soaking in everything about her. She was a beauty and Dan could not help put long to taste her sweet lips, it has been so long since he had done such a thing but as soon as he thought about it the image of Dia’s tear stained face appeared in his minds eye and he was forced to look away.

[Carrieanne Darke]

Watching him run his fingers down the scar, she kind of figured that it was a battle wound and something worth keeping. So the thought of the creme vanished from her thoughts. Carrieanne tilted her head looking into his eyes and gave him a tilted smile to go along with the look. If she were to get any closer to him, she would melt. As he told her no, she listened to the explaination but cut him off in mid sentence after he said war wounds "It's ok, I kind of figured it would be a reminder." she chuckled as she saw him face away pulling his shirt off his shoulder.

Instinctively, her eyes drifted to the very wound he began to explain. Carrieanne winced in understanding of what he was talking about, she too had battle wounds from both spells and non magical items. As she stood up and returned to her seat, she sipped on her coffee and gave him warm smile. As she explained her liking for him, she didn't feel in the least bit uncomfortable or nervous for that matter. She was at ease with the idea of being open and honest with each other. Her eyes travelled the length of his body and back up to his eyes over the rim of her cup as she took another sip of her coffee.

Shifting in her seat, she glanced over at the window and realized it was still night but didn't know what time it was. Quite frankly she didn't care either, all she knew was that she was enjoying her time with Dan and that's all that mattered. Standing back up, she took her coffee over to the window with her and set it on the windowsil as she looked out over the grounds. It was a quiet night for the school and hardly anyone out and about. A sigh escaped her lips trying to gain her focus back on the conversation, but her mind slipped into it's own little world.

But when she turned her head to see Dan standing next to her, she turned toward him with a questionable look as to what he was thinking. But suddenly he looked away which made her turn and look back out the window. "Isn't it a beautiful night?" she smiled taking a deep breath letting the air fill her lungs and then exhaled. Carrieanne turned her head to look at Dan, then at his neck seeing what looked to be another wound. Of course she could have been mistaken.