[Honeydukes] Sweet Tooth (Victoria)

[Professor Ashton Laurent]

The tantalizing smell of fudge, bins overflowing with brightly colored candy, the tinkle of the bell as people came in and out. Honeyduke’s. The sweet lover’s paradise. Ash smiled as he stepped inside the shop. His candy stash was getting dangerously low, and it was high time for a refill! So, money at the ready, Ash made his way through the store stopping every so often to fill his bag with candy.

So focused was he on his task that he failed to notice the woman right in front of him. Until he walked right into her that is. Stumbling back, Ash glanced up. "Professor Potter! I'm sorry, I didn't see you. Are you alright?" he blushed. He hadn't meant to walk into her, he was just... preoccupied. Okay, okay... he knew he needed to watch where he was going. Give it a rest already. Sheesh.

He laughed sheepishly. "So.... how are things at the castle? Everything still going crazy?" he asked in an attempt to cover up his awkwardness. He already knew that things were crazier than ever, having just spoken to Laney a couple days ago. He doubted things had changed much since then.

Ash wondered when things would get back to normal around there. But then again, it was Hogwarts. What exactly was normal there?

[Prof. Victoria Potter]

That sweet tooth of hers would kick in every month around the same time. When that happened there was nothing that could stop her from making her way to Honeydukes. Her thing of choice were chocolate frogs. She'd buy them by the pound, often the owner would ask if she was pregnant. Vicky would simply laugh and say that she was being ridiculous. No was was she ready for that just yet. Though as the time went on her mind was opening up to the possibility of being a mother, but these thoughts were dangerous especially because of who she imagined this happening with. This would never be, hell it could never be.

Her bag held open as she practically dumped the whole container of frogs into it. As usual she got stares and people pointed. Trying to laugh it off she said "Oh come now how could any one person eat all of these, you're all being silly. I'm a professor these are for my students." Some nodded and turned back to their own business, some gave her suspicious looks but when about their business, one or two people tutted as if they thought she was flat out lying. No matter she got what she came for.

As she headed to the counter to pay she felt someone knock into her this of course made her loose her grip on her bad and frogs came tumbling out all over the floor. "Crap" she swore. Again she felt all eyes on her. PMS kicked in "Oh get stuffed all of you, I didn't say anything the lot of you haven't said before. Sheesh I'm a teacher not a saint." Holding the bag open again she pulled out her wand "Accio chocolates" and they zoomed back into the bag. Paying attention now she saw that the culprit who knocked her chocolates on the floor Ashton Laurent. A former student at Hogwarts. Her mood softened a little.

"It's ok no worries these things happen. So how are you Ashton? Things at the school aren't getting any better they're worse actually. Never know what you're going to get from day to day. We just don't know what's going on anymore. Good thing you're not there at least not right now."

[Professor Ashton Laurent]

Ash smiled. "I'm good. Jen's been keeping me busy, but that's probably a good thing. Otherwise who knows what trouble I'd be getting into?" he said jokingly. He nodded when she said the castle was crazy as ever. "Yeah, figured it would be. I just talked to Laney the other day, and she said the same. I guess I was just...you know, hoping things had calmed down since then." He shrugged. "But of course they haven't, and I can honestly say I'm not surprised."

Then he remembered something. "Hey, didn't you take over the Charms position? How is that going? I had talked to Dan before I left, about being Charms apprentice, but he said Girty already has the spot. So, that kind of sucks because I was really hoping to do that seeing as Charms was my best class. But, oh well."

[Prof. Victoria Potter]

"Oh how is Laney? I haven't seen her around much lately she's such a sweet girl. But yes things I'm afraid are just as bad as ever but what can we do. The last thing we want is to worry anyone, or have to close down the school so we deal with it the best we can and hope that by some miracle it calms down if and when that will happen is another issue all together. I just hope we can figure this out soon I don't enjoy going to a school that's more battle field and less place for higher learning." As she stood there talking the line behind her was growing. People hissing at her to hurry it up. She up ended the bag spilling all the chocolates onto the counter. The little witch stood staring but her years of customer service kicked in and she smiled while politely ringing Vicky up. Taking out the proper amount Vicky paid then turned her attention back to Ashton.

"Wow I taught history for so long I almost forgot about that. You're right I did take over charms. Sorry for you not getting the apprentice position if only I had known I would have fought for you. Not that I dislike Girty or anything." Could someone say a big fat nepotism when it came to that. Vicky just never rocked the boat by mentioning it to either one. She wasn't really in a position to say anything about proper behavior around school.

"So tell me what have you been up to lately? Are you still working at Queens Apparel? Have you thought about another apprenticeship there are still a few open if I recall or was your heart set on charms?" She knew about that she wanted to teach a magical class from the moment she set foot back at Hogwarts, she settled for history of magic but it was really a way to bide time, he could do that too.

[Professor Ashton Laurent]

Ash gave a slight shrug. "She's good. From what I can tell anyway. I haven't had a chance to talk to her in a long time what with everything going on lately. Christmas was pretty crazy too, my dad and her mom getting remarried and all that."

Ash smiled. "It's ok. I admit I was disappointed at first, but Jen is great and I love working for her, so I guess it all worked out in the end."

"So, what did you do over Christmas?" he asked his old teacher. It disturbed him at how little he knew about people these days. he supposed that was what you got when you left three months before graduation. Had that really been nearly a year ago?

[Prof. Victoria Potter]

Being a professor so a few years Vicky learned a long time ago that you need to learn to listen if you do nothing else just listen. So now as they stood in Honeydukes that's just what Vicky did. Granted he was no longer her student but that didn't make the lesson less valuable. She found out that their parents remarried to which she responded "Oh how lovely". That his holidays were crazy, and that he was still at Queens Apparel. The store was highly popular among the younger crowd, heck Vicky went in there whenever she got a chance. Shopping was one of her best outlets and lord only knew she needed an outlet to calm herself down.

He asked what she did over Christmas. Vicky tried to think back everything was such a blur in the wake of things going on at school. "Boy I couldn't even tell you what I did over the holidays things are just so crazy I spent most of my time thinking about what was going on. Even now I don't know what I did two weeks ago." Laughing, she thought it funny how much her life had changed.

"I just want things back to normal maybe by the time next Christmas comes along I can remember it all. So what are you up to today? I needed a break for a while plus my chocolate supply was running low. I could go for a coffee would you like to join me." Having some time away from the school away from him might do her a world of good.