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Post by Professor Daniel Hubbles on May 15, 2008 19:06:07 GMT
The 10th of February had come around once again and it was on this day at 8:41 in the evening twenty-eight years ago that Daniel Alex Hubbles came into the world. From bouncing baby to Hufflepuff head of house Dan Hubbles wondered down then corridors of Hogwarts castle, his hands stuffed deep into his trouser pockets, his gaze passed from one passing student to the other as he made sure they were not up to any mischief and a small smile graced his features as he thought about how well life was treating him.
Glancing down at his watch he noted that he still had almost three quarters of an hour of his duty to go, just wondering around the corridors just to look out for the students. When he took this job he knew it was not going to be the most amazing thing in the world, the long lesson that drag on, the piles of work which you are still working on at silly hours in the morning, the early starts, no breaks the weekend and your only escape from it all was a small box called which was called an office. Dan longed for the holidays just as much as the students did, he could be carefree, do nothing except spend time with the most amazing woman in the world.
It would normally be at this point when Dan would drift off into a small dream about his future life with Dia Owen but something stopped him from doing this today because as he rounded the corner of the forth floor corridor he came face to face with the red haired librarian Offley Marsh.
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Post by Offley Marsh on May 15, 2008 19:06:56 GMT
If there was one thing Offley Marsh hated was when students messed around in the library but the thing she hated more then anything was when the school ghosts messed around in the library. They had no right to be there, ghosts can not read, they do not need to help out the students (that was after all why she was there) so why did they have to mess around and ruin the pristine organisation that was the Hogwarts library. One ghost had recently decided to mix all the history of magic books up with the muggle studies books and she had to try to explain to one poor confused Gryffindor that when muggle pull rabbits out of hats it is just a trick, not real magic.
This move had toed the line for the fiery red head and she was on her way to see the headmaster simply out of desperation when she found her self face to face with the one man in the castle she would had been avoiding for so long. Folding her arms in exasperation and tapping her foot impatiently on the floor Offley’s grey eyes scanned over Daniel Hubbles, of the people blocking her path it had to be him.
She wanted to try and find some sort witty remark with some long words thrown in to confuses the poor man but alas as so often happened when she stood face to face with him Offley could think of nothing. He always had this affect on her, even when he wore classes and had a comb over, Daniel always had a way of making her as dim as a Slytherin and she hated him for that.
Trying to collect her thought and tare her gaze away from his roguish smile Offley tucked a stand of her wild red hair behind her ear and took a deep breath.
“Professor Hubbles.” She managed to summon a small smile “I presume I should wish you many happy returns for the day.”
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Post by Professor Daniel Hubbles on May 15, 2008 19:08:46 GMT
Offley always had a way of putting things so eloquently, she made you think, she could never simply wish someone Happy Birthday she would have to find a different way of saying it. At least she said it, no one else had today, Dia had had a late lesson and Dan dared not wake her in the morning when he had to go to lesson and he has not seen her since. So instead of spending his birthday with the woman he loved he was with Offley, his fist love.
“Thanks sweetheart.” He shot Offley a rather cheesy smile. “Seems like only yesterday we were celebrating my 18th, I will never forget trying to get up for History of Magic the morning after…”
Dan broke off as he noticed the look that Offley was giving him, he had seen it all too many times. The look of disbelief, or anger and the one that broke his heart every time…the look of her love for him. He knew it was his fault she felt like this, he never gave her the opportunity to move on, he would always return to her for that weekend of fun in the knowing that she would never turn him down. It was selfish of him and it had taken him all those years to work it out and now there was nothing he could do but live the guilt as he watched one of his closed friends be emotionally ripper apart.
Pulling his hands out of his trousers pockets he reached out and gently took hold of Offley’s arm and led her to the far side of the corridor as they were starting to cause a traffic jam. His hand lingered a little longer then it possibly should have done before he let it limply drop to his side and almost in apology he offered Offley another grin.
“So…”He could not think of anything to say, “…where are you off to in such a hurry then babe?”
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Post by Offley Marsh on May 15, 2008 19:09:42 GMT
Typical Daniel Hubbles, never thinking before he opened his mouth and the unplanned and inappropriate words tumble out. Today he was at his best as in the space of a minute he had called her ’sweetheart’ and ’babe’, clearly words of affection impeccably designed for toying with her emotions to the point of wishful thinking that maybe there was still something. As a result it took the librarian a lot not to roll her eyes and come out with some cynical remark that would be lost on him and his thick skull; she knew the whole situation far to well.
Deciding that maybe it would be best to remained silent on the matter Offley controlled her tongue and thought about the question Daniel had presented to her. It was a simple ice breaker making it obvious that he had no clue what to ask her and was just as lost as she was.
“I was going to put a case to the headmaster about ghosts in the library; they are generating many a problem and hindering the education of the students.”
The frustration and pure annoyance was clear in her face, it was something she was passionate about, just like any book and the welfare of them was more important then the students in her eyes. The books in the library were just as unique as people, the thought and effort that had been put into them by the author, every page was part of the writer’s soul and that alone deserved to be cared for. However the look on Daniel’s face explained it all and Offley allowed a sigh to escape her lips and a weary grin to spread across her features. She was making a big deal over nothing, Daniel knew it just as well as she did, it normally took just a look or a few wise cracks by her old boyfriend to bring her down off her high horse.
“Oh do not look at me like that Daniel” She huffed.
“Like what?” Dan asked the amassment clear in his voice.
“The look that I need to get the stick out of my behind and enjoy life, you have given it me enough in the past.”
“True…”Dan paused trying to work out how he could save this situation. “…but that is what I love about you Off, your so passionate about everything you do.”
This time Offley allowed herself to roll her eyes but for once the ex Ravenclaw could think of nothing to say, she feared at showing her emotion to Daniel, always had and she always would. He once told her that he loved the fact she was strong and did not let emotion cloud her judgement and ever since then she refused to show emotion to him. Maybe that was why their relationship broke down in the end; she did not fight enough to keep Daniel when she had him and now it was too late as he was in love with someone else.
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Post by Professor Daniel Hubbles on May 15, 2008 19:10:40 GMT
They had hit the sore point or to be more exact Dan had hit the sore point. He told Offley that he loved something about her, it was true though, he did love her but not in that way anymore. She was one of his closest friends, she knew almost everything about him, she was his connection to the past and that was something he never wanted to forget.
Running his hand nervously through his hair making it stand more on end then normal Dan shock his head and as his hand reached the back of his neck it fell limply to his side. He did not know what to say, everything he had said already had backfired but he knew that was not the route of the problems, there was something else burrowing away in that mind of hers.
Reaching out, Dan tried to take hold of her hand in an attempt to comfort her but he all he could do was look on as Offley recoiled took a small step backwards. Dan’s out stretched arm remained reaching out for thin air for a while longer before he slowly recalled it back to his side. He may not have wanted things to change with Offley but they sure as hell had.
“Offley…what is wrong?”
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Post by Offley Marsh on May 15, 2008 19:12:04 GMT
“You got engaged Daniel. You are getting married to someone who is not me…”Offley trailed off and gave a nervous glance over her shoulder almost in fear that the other occupants in the corridor would have heard her little outburst. They had not, or at least they showed no indication that they had done, the only person who had whether it was lucky or not was Daniel. Frowning at the tall blond haired man as she turned back to look at him Offley was frustrated with herself that she had allowed her emotions to take control.
With a deep breath the woman’s features softened ever so slightly, she could not help it, the look on Daniels face was almost heart warming. In the past he would have been likely to have shouted at her but today he was just smiling, typical really, he always had the ability to make her planned and organised thought erupt like a volcano and make no sense. Daniel would say or do something that would contract reality and although the answer was blatantly obvious Offley still clung onto the smallest of facts, she hated the fact the fact she loved this man and hated him even more for not loving her in return.
“I am sorry.” She muttered knowing that what she had said was the most defiantly the wrong thing. “I just can not help…you never gave me chance to move on Daniel.”
Offley kept her eyes fixed upon Daniel but he had dropt his head, he could no longer look at her as the guilt was slowly consuming him again. Slowly stepping forward Offley wanted to wrap her arms around him, hold him close, breath him in, but she had to remember where they were and more importantly their personal circumstances. Daniel had Dia and even though she resented the woman for capturing the heart of Daniel she could never hurt him to ruin everything he had with the Astronomy Professor. If he was happy then she would be. Yet there was one question still bugging her and the answer would almost be her attempt at closure.
“Daniel do you think that we…”Offley paused which for her was a very rare thing as normally she thought everything through carefully before speaking. “…that if you never travelled we would still be together?”
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Post by Professor Daniel Hubbles on May 15, 2008 19:14:29 GMT
It was an interesting question and not one Dan really thought upon but now the question had been asked the answer seemed obvious to him and the man simply nodded his head at first. But as he thought on the matter some more he slowly raised his head and look straight in the piercing eyes and he could not help but tell the honest truth.
“Yeah I think we would have been, I loved you Offley, given a few years I properly would have asked you to marry me and then from their who knows…I guess a family.” Dan gave a small laugh as he thought about his teenage self dreaming of a future with the red haired Ravenclaw. “But I...in my heart I know that I love Dia more then I ever did with you. My heart craves to be near her, when she is not by my side I feel like a part of me is missing…I love her so much Offley I…”
His voice cracked with emotion and Dan broke off more to stop himself from saying anything else he would regret. He knew that he had just told Offley that they would have been together, they would have married, had a family…he had tempted her and then took it away and just to rub salt into the wound he rubbed in his own happiness that he was now in love with Dia more then he ever had been with her. If he had been in Offley’s position he would already be storming off down the corridor in the foulest of moods, but Offley was still looking at him, the slightest hint of disappointment was present on her face but she was carrying herself well.
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