(T.Broomsticks) Knickers On the Side

[Loren Hayes]

Not for the first time Loren had grimaced down at the engagement ring on her finger, the dappled light filtering through the windows glinting off the little diamond brightly. As much as she adored the attention of barmaids and young girls in shops doting upon her, cooing congratulations and enquiring about the big day, Loren couldn’t help but feel the slim silver band and shiny little diamond were just a little too modest.

She felt guilty every time she thought unavoidable thought, for she knew it was in fact a spectacular little ring considering how much it cost when Dax certainly didn’t have the money… but still. A gold band – or maybe even a sapphire to go with her eyes – would’ve been a much more, how to put it…? Accurate gesture. ‘You love him to bits. Love, love, love.’ Loren scolded herself under her breath, pressing the stone to her mouth and giving it a hard kiss.

The pub door swung open, an annoyingly merry chain of men snaking through the tables towards the bar, singing unevenly at the top of their voices. Loren guessed they were on a bar crawl – it looked like a stag party. ‘Fire Whiskey! Lots and lots of fire whiskey! Hurry!' The apparent leader shouted urgently at the barmaid, as if he were afraid his high were about to come down at any moment. Loren eyed him with an upturned nose. If Dax behaved like that on his stag night Loren would place him under house arrest for a month. Hmm, note to self – get Dax tailed the night before the wedding. She thought slyly, deciding it was the safest option.

Loren had been thinking many possessive, smothering thoughts such as this since he had proposed to her several weeks ago, the day they had left Hogwarts as students for the last time. Loren smiled dreamily, remembering crying loudly into Dax’s shoulder, distraught at the concept of leaving, when she had felt him slip something onto her finger as he held her hand…

‘HERE COMES THE BRIDE, KNICKERS ON THE SIDE - !’

‘Bugger off!’ Loren screeched venomously as the small drunken army swayed into her, ruining her lovely day dream and nearly knocking her off her stool. At this rate she’d be apparating back to London before she’d even got to see Dax!

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

There was one thing Dan hated more then anything was when he yawned when sitting at the bar, with an empty glass in front of him and no one around him. For some reason the Hogshead was strangely empty, even the bar staff seemed to be missing, well no one was re-filling his glass that was for sure. So after stifling yet another yawn Dan swung around on his bar stool and made a direct line to the door.

It was a warm evening; there were only a few clouds in the sky which a flock of birds were seemingly zig zagging their way around. It felt strange in a way to be wondering around Hogsmeade with out the added company of Dia, they would normally go out for a drink together or if she could not come Girty would normally leap at the chance. But then tonight they both had Astronomy so neither wanted to consume any alcohol before the long night ahead of them.

Slowly the Three Broomsticks came into view, the old pub sign creaking as it swung in the breeze and the sound of people singing inside. That brought a smile to Dan’s face, the place was not lifeless there were people and by the sounds of it drunk already. However as he pushed open the door the toxic fumes of the alcohol had not even set in when trouble had started. The group of disorderly wizards seemed to be bothering a young female, and Dan saw it as his duty to step up and make sure nothing was going to kick off.

“Oy!” A few of the wizards turned around. “Yes I mean you. Listen to the lady and BUGGER OFF!” Dan then started to Shepard them like sheep into the far corner of the pub where they could make as much noise as they liked and would be out of the way for the other customers. Feeling noble and positively pleased with himself Dan walked over towards the bar and grinned at the barman.

“I will have my usual and another glass for…” Dan’s grin faded as his eyes fell on the witch that was sitting at the bar. “Miss Hayes?”

[Loren Hayes]

Loren raked a hand cattishly through her hair as the men wolf whistled and yowling like tomcats at her, three of them roaring with laughter as one managed to jab her playfully in the ribs. ‘Leave me alone! You’re disgusting!’ She barked, glaring at them churlishly one last time before turning to face the dutiful gentleman who had moved them on. She smiled serenely, half suspecting that it was Dax here to surprise her, having thrown his voice to make it sound older and deeper. ‘Thank you so much, I – ‘ Loren’s voices faltered, croaking like a toad being throttled.

The ex-Ravenclaw swallowed dryly, and she suddenly wished the drunken gang would come back and surround her again. In fact she was now considering joining them…

Every private battle and feeling of resentment was finally put to rights through two words: ‘Daniel Hubbles.’ They felt dark and heavy to say, rolling off her tongue like two stones that had been stuck down her throat, an illness waiting to be choked out. Loren realised that his name somehow deserved its own dictionary definition: a vindictive, self-gratifying, sleazy man. The last person in the world she had wanted to see had in fact been the first to find her, and she turned awkwardly on her seat, instinctively afraid to have her back to him. She remembered all too clearly what had happened to last time she'd dropped her guard, and she didn't much fancy being thrown over another banister.

The last time Loren had seen Professor Hubbles he had been lying on the floor of a corridor, thick blood gargling out of him like a fountain, on the verge of death. Without knowing why Loren’s gaze travelled down to his throat to just where the neck of his robes parted. She could make out the faint, pale pink scars beginning between his collar bones, disappearing beneath the material. She suspected there were much more prominent ones just out of sight. It gave Loren a strange, pungent satisfaction to known she had left her mark where he could always see it.

Slipping off the stool Loren stood up straight, squaring her shoulders up meekly, unsure what to do. What did he want from her? Despite what Headmaster Darrow had told her to do she had never apologised to Professor Hubbles – was he here to finally claim it? ‘Who do you think you are, approaching me?’ She suddenly demanded, looking him up and down with disbelief and contempt. ‘You should’ve turned around and gone straight back out the moment you saw me!’ Loren grabbed her wand from her belt, raising it toward him.

What else was she supposed to do?

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

As soon as her name was spoken Dan knew trouble was a foot, it always was. They were two creatures that should never be let within a mile of each other, something about the other changes their personalities. They could be smiles one minute and then as soon as their gaze meets they are at each others necks, and to think it all started over a wrong giving of detention.
Loren Hayes always brought at the angry side of Dan, it is not everyday he would try and throw a student over the side of a banister to plummet a multi storey drop, but Loren made Dan want to do that and now was the prime example. They had merely set eyes upon each other and she already had her wand drawn.

As she questioned why he did not walk away Dan lowered his head and looked at the wood graining on the bar. How the patterns close up where full of fine detail, when far away it was just a block of wood, this was the best way to describe their relationship. From a distance it just looks like pure hatred, but on closer inspection their stories interweave, just like now. And this time Dan was going to try and learn from his mistakes.

“I am very sorry Miss Hayes. I will leave now if you wish seeing as you where here first. But please keep the drink.” Dan slid the coins over the barman as he produced the drinks. “I owe you one anyway. If it was not for you I would not be with Dia now, and she is the world to me and I have you to thank for that happiness.”

Dan picked up his drink and gave the ex-Ravenclaw a small nod of the head, his pint glass was dripping as much as his words were with irony. He was not going to lose his cool yet, not going to draw his wand (although he did not trust Loren with hers) he would tell her the truth and let her stew on it.

“Cheers Miss Hayes. Oh and congratulations. Dax told me about your engagement, you’re a very lucky witch to have him. He is becoming a good cook according to Girty. She regularly goes around in the evenings...alone…share a bottle of wine…”

Dan muttered the last few words as he made his way to a far table, placing his glass down upon it and waited for Loren to strike. He had missed their fun and games.

[Loren Hayes]

Loren screwed her face up as she glowered at Professor Hubbles, only gripping her wand tighter as it failed to set him on edge. It vexed her dreadfully when he mocked her with pleasantries, and although she used to play along with it as their own bizarre form of competitiveness, months of bitter hatred had left her with no patience for his stupid mind games.

He was smiling in his tell tale cheerful way, one that always said he’d got a comeback up his sleeve. Upon hearing about Professor Owen, Loren’s steely expression faltered, the news rather gruesome. She huffed sharply. ‘You need to work on your lies, Hubbles. Dia Owen has class – she’d never loose her self-respect enough to fall in love with you.’ Loren gave a shrill little laugh. It was meant to sound amused but it just came across as highly strung.

‘Hey!’ She snapped indignantly as Professor Hubbles picked up his drink and walked away, a small dismissive smirk on his face. Loren lowered her wand awkwardly and looked at the pint glass he had left for her. The fact that he had paid for it made it poisonous. She had indeed got her wish – he was gone. But suddenly she had a lot to say, and she wasn’t about to let him walk away with the last word, that wasn’t something she had ever been able to do. Loren snatched up the pint and marched after him. Her rational side knew he was baiting her, but her impulsive side was urging her to get one over him, and right now she was too reeled to listen to the voice that had her best interests at heart.

Slamming the glass down next to his Loren stood over him, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest as she glared down her nose at him. ‘You’d probably sink as low to fraternise with a House you hate, but Dia would never compromise herself for a Hufflepu –‘

As usual Professor Hubbles knew how to hit Loren’s nerves: this time by mentioning ‘Dax’ and ‘Girty’ in the same sentence. Loren gawked, stuttering furiously for a moment before stamping her foot. ‘Don’t even try and get me with that one! Dax isn’t interested in little girls, and even if he was I’m sure he’d have better taste than your frigid little sister! She can visit him with wine and bread sticks all she likes, Dax only has eyes for me!’ She laughed triumphantly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. ‘I bet that winds you up, eh Hubbles? All your efforts to split us up and you only made us better off – I suppose I should be thanking you as well…’

Loren put her hand over her mouth, giving an obnoxiously fake cough, the ring displayed quite prominently on her finger. ‘We’re tying the knot in summer. Thanks, Hubbles.’

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

It was working, he could hear the tone of her voice falter, her laugh failed Dan had shaken her. He never expected to stay at the bar; after bossing Dax around Loren’s second favourite past time seemed to be purposely insulting everything that he, Dan Hubbles, believed in and as long as she kept doing that then Dan would throw it back at her. Although when she dared even say Dia’s name Dan jumped into defensive mode.

His eyes narrowed as she walked over as he tried to hold his tongue. What he would have done to pull his wand out of his robe pocket and blast Loren into the opposite wall, but he had to reframe. Although he did take almost as much joy from seeing Loren stand in front of him, her anger building up inside at the mention of her precious Dax.

“I have already said my congratulations Miss Hayes, or did you want me to buy you a gift. How about a big chocolate love heart? I could get your names iced onto it to make it extra special.” Dan’s reached forward and took a rather large gulp out of his cool beer, this was not how he wanted his evening to go but then it was more exiting then sitting at the bar alone. “I look forward to the wedding, but I still stand by the fact that you do not deserve Dax. He is ten times the human being you will be Miss Hayes and I know the fool would do anything for you.”

Dan Hubbles talking to his sworn enemy about love, what had Dia done to him? The mere thought of Loren getting married to anyone, let alone one of his Hufflepuff’s was too much. The problem was he could not longer use the excuse ‘she is a Ravenclaw’ because his Dia was a Ravenclaw, no the one problem with Loren was that she was Loren Hayes.
He had been trying to stop himself from breaking into a rant about his sister, but as he fell silent his mind raced over what she had said, and he could stand it no more. He had to defend his sister.

“Loren, please never ever insult Girty in front of me. Remember the last time you did that? It did not end up well for you, so lets just leave it there shall we. If you have a problem with my sister say it to her face or are you scared that the person you depict as being pathetic is actually a better witch the you?”