[T.Broomsticks] A pint of bitter (Ashton)

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

It had been a while since Daniel Hubbles could say he had a day off, life as the Headmaster of Hogwarts was not how he had expected it, he thought it would be easy as pie and all he had to do was sit around doing nothing all day. However just like when you try and make pie you find out it is a lot harder then it seems and not as fun! But neither the less it was his job and he was a Hufflepuff and he would do whatever it took to get the job done even if it meant working himself to the limit.

Anyway, today was one of those rare days off where Dan could spend some time with this wife and other family members. But this clearly was not going to happen seeing as Girty was off doing something with Alex (he dared not ask what) and Dia was actually spending time with Bree! So all by himself Daniel Hubbles wondered out of the castle and down towards the small wizarding village but more importantly to the pub!

There were many watering holes in Hogsmeade now although Dan did not think that ‘Club Motion’ was his scene and he knew that as soon as he entered the Hogshead he would be roped into working so alas it would have to be the Three Broomsticks. Pushing the pub door open Dan glanced around at the locals shooting the ones he knew small smile before he plonked himself down on a bar stool.

“A pint of bitter please.”

[Professor Ashton Laurent]

Ash sighed as he pushed open the door to the Three Broomsticks, he had just spent eight hours working at Club Motion, and he was exhausted! Walking in the door, he practically collapsed onto one of the bar stools. He smiled as his friend Andie came over.

"Ash! Oh my gosh...I haven't seen you in so long! How are you?"

"Hey Andie." he greeted her with a tired smile. "I'm good. Just got back from France. I'm working at Club Motion now. How are you?"

Andie smiled, "I'm doing good. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No thanks, not right now. I've just spent an eight hour shift at Club Motion, I've seen enough drinks for now!" Ash replied with a laugh.

Andie laughed as well, "Alright hun, call if you need anything." and with that she walked off.
Ash looked around at the room, not much had changed since he'd left. The usual couple were tucked away in their little corners, the usual drunks were causing a ruckus in the back, Andie was still here, obviously. As well as... Professor Hubbles?

Ash did a doubletake as he noticed the man sitting further down the bar. "Professor Hubbles?" he asked, walking up to the man. Being gone for three months, Ash had not yet heard about the man's promotion. He did however, notice that he seemed to be extremely tired.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Andie kindly put the pint down in front of Dan with a small smile, however Dan failed to notice the smile as he was focusing on the patterns in the woodwork on the bar counter. It was strange that when you had nothing to do you longed to do something but when you had work to do all you wanted to do was sit at the pub. The headmaster knew that after a few pints time would fly quickly enough and he would start to make casual conversation with a stranger and for those few hours when they sat at the bar they would act like best mates…a very strange turn around from when Dan would be chatting someone up with the idea of leaving the bar with his arm around a fine looking witch.

It seemed however that the time for casual conversation was going to come before Dan had even downed half of drink. Someone had said his name, a very familiar voice at that, it was the slight French accent that did it. Looking away from his pint glass and towards the person approaching him Dan was pleasantly surprised.

“Well well look who it is.” Dan grinned as he slipped off his bar stool and embraced Ashton in a very manly hug, giving the old student a few slaps on the back before breaking free and looking the ex Ravenclaw straight in the eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought you had moved back to France?”

[Professor Ashton Laurent]

Ash smiled as the professor greeted him with a hug. "I'm fine. I did go back to France for a while, but I came back. I work at Club Motion now."

He sat down on a stool, eager for some rest. "So, how have you been doing?" Ash knew he'd probably missed alot in his absence and couldn't wait to get caught up on the current events.

"So...how are things at the school?" he asked curiously, drumming his fingers on the bar.

As he was talking Ash noticed some drunk come up and start flirting with him.

"Hey gorgeous, can I get you a drink?" he slurred, throwing an arm around Ash's shoulder.

Ash sneered in disgust. What was it with bars and gross drunk men, always trying to hit on him?

Ash plastered a large fake smile on his face. "Move it or lose it." he said through the smile, indicating the man's arm. He took the man's wrist in his own, and twisted it, applying painful pressure to show that he meant business.

"Ow, ow, ow!" the man's knees buckled as he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"Geeze, you almost broke my hand!" he cried indignantly

Ash scoffed. "Almost? Reach back over here again and I'll break your arm!"

"Alright, alright!" the man cried in a panic, scrambling away from Ash.

Ash glared at the man's retreating back. "Ugh...talk about desperate." he said with disgust.

He turned back to Professor Hubbles. "So, what were we talking about?" he asked, as he continued to drum his fingers on the bar.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan always found it strange when he bumped into people he used to teach, admittedly Ash had only been away for a few months but still after his sudden disappearance it was strange to meet him in the pub. Ash then explained how he had returned to France and that he was now working at the local night club, which at this statement Dan found it hard not to allow a small smile fill his face. It was good to see that he was getting on with his life yet with the boys apparent skill in Charms Dan the ex-charms professor could not help but think that the boy was wasting his life working in a night club, but then if that is what he wanted to do and enjoyed it then who was he to say otherwise.

He then asked about how things were going and what Dan had been doing and the man was about to answer when a scene unfolded in front of him that struck him dumb. A drunk had stumbled over and had started to chat Ashton up who in turn was having none of it. So instead of handling the situation like adults the Ravenclaw used physical force, which took Dan completely by surprise as Ash was never someone to threaten to break another persons arm…something really must have happened in France to create this turn around.

The drunk hurried away cradling more then a damaged pride and then almost as if that whole situation had never occurred Ash turned to Dan and continued with their conversation. Taken aback slightly it took Dan a few seconds to compose himself and try and organise everything in his mind. A part of him wanted to ask what the hell just happened but then he did not really want to know so instead the Headmaster answered the boy’s question from a few minutes ago.

“Things are…are…going ok thanks. The school is slightly crazy at the moment in more ways then one and it is hard keeping on top of everything. The ministry keeping asking me for answers but I have nothing to give as nothing like this has ever happened before.” With a small sigh Dan picked up his drink and took a rather large swig. “Oh well I am sure we shall pull through, although no one told me being headmaster would be this stressful.”

[Professor Ashton Laurent]

Ash barely held back the sigh that was threatening to escape his lips. He knew what Professor Hubbles was wondering. It was so blatantly obvious that the man might as well have had a huge neon sign above his head flashing what he was thinking.

"Professor, I know what you want to ask. So just ask." Ash said. He gave a tired, brittle smile. "I'm not going to threaten you bodily harm. I promise."

Then, he heard something about how no one had said being headmaster was going to be so hard. Ash did a slight mental doubletake. Had he heard right? Was the man in front of him now Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy?

Ash smiled again. "Headmaster? Congratulations. That certainly came as a surprise!"

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan did not know what he was more surprised about, the fact that Ashton had abused someone or the fact that he thought that he; Daniel Hubbles was scared of him. It had to be the latter of the two as being a typical Hubbles male Dan thought that he was better then most people and so the mere idea of someone thinking they could beat him was almost laughable.

“Ash I am not worried about you attacking me cause if you ever did try anything we both know that I would beat you.”

This was not Dan trying to sound all masculine or even challenging it was a simple fact. He was an almost thirty year old man who was reasonably fit, an eighteen year old boy who was particularly skinny and seemed to have no muscle would not stand a chance. But this was neither here nor there as the chances of the Headmaster of Hogwarts getting into a scrap with an ex pupil was very slim (although not impossible).

Taking another swig of his pint a brief silence fell over the two of them before the penny dropt and Ashton clocked onto what he had said. It had completely escaped Dan that this particular student had run away from school while he was away on his honeymoon so would not know about his promotion.

“Yeah, well you can say congratulations for five months back.” Dan laughed as nervously ran his hand over his stubble. “Right now though I am ready to retire. I found my first grey hair yesterday! Not even thirty and I have a grey hair, this job is stressing me out.”