[Hogshead] family ties

[Professor Lucas Hubbles]

The first day of lessons was over, thanking the high heavens for that he took a trip down to Hogsmeade to visit his brother, Warren. Still finding walking difficult after his run in with armour, he hobbled over the uneven ground, wondering silently if he could take being a professor in such a place. Sure, he had Freya to help him out and without her today, he'd have been in one hell of a rut. She had to keep reminding him students names and he was sure at one point a suit of amour was going to come rampaging down into the patch to finish the job they started.

Strange, how he had only come to see Dan and wish him congratulations... now he found himself with an office, a bedroom and a job. The pay sucked but Dan had said he needed him and Luke wasnt one to say no to a family member in need. Pushing open the door to the Hogs Head, it was just as dingy as he remembered it being on his seventeeth birthday when his brothers and cousins got him drunk... only then to be busted by a professor and landed in so much trouble he still believed he was paying for it. Taking a seat at the bar, he smiled when he saw Warren in depth conversation with a female, typical. Always talking to a pretty face, never noticing anything else going on around him. He was sure that was one Hubble's gene he hadnt inherited.

"The service in here is so lax." He said loudly to catch Warren's attention. Which he did easily. Lucas wasnt a big drinker after his seventeenth birthday fiasco, he only really got drunk on special occasions and tihs certainly wasnt one. But one drink never hurt now did it. Without asking, Warren gave him a beer, which Luke took a swig from. His eyes were tired, as was he himself but he had to come and say hello to Warren, Warren would never forgive him if he didnt. "I dont know what the hell Dan is doing up at the castle but I swear to god it aint good." Luke said without so much as an invite. "I went there on Friday to wish him late congratulations... I got attacked by a bloody suit of armour! Not to mention woke up the next day in the Hospital Wing covered in bandages! I wasnt allowed to leave until yesterday! I have a crazy portrait stalker! Not to mention I cant remember a single persons name! It has been the worst weekend since... well ever!" He took a breath and drained some of his beer, all the while wondering what he had gotten himself into. Well, Luke was a magnet for trouble. He always had been. Laughing slightly he shook his head and exclaimed he would survive no doubt. "Hows business running?"

[Warren Hubbles]

The going’s on of the castle was simply things he read about in the papers, heard mutterings about from his customers and tired sigh’s from Dan as he slumped into the backroom with Girty and Dia trying to keep away from the gazes of all the other locals. Tonight however it was just him behind the bar, Vicky had some work to do and seeing as it was not a full on Friday night Warren had let Cousin Bailey had the night off. So thing were going nice and simple, the background noise of the pub made a nice soundtrack as he chatted away to Dorothy Baxendale, an old Ravenclaw who he used to sit next to in Transfiguration in the fourth year. They were having a nice little chat about the good old days when the door of the Hogshead creaked open on its rusty hinges and in hobbled his younger brother. It was hard for a small grin not to fill the man’s face as he tried to divert his gaze back to the witch in front of him.

The call of his brother soon sounded out and with a small wink at Dorothy Warren walked straight over to the beer tap and poured his brother a nice refreshing pint which was skilfully slid across the bar counter to come to a stop right by Luke. It was strange that after the absence between the two brothers nothing needed to be said for them to fall into conversation. There was no loud cheer and manly, back slapping hugs, not even a small hello, it was straight into business with a pint of beer in your hand…the true Hubbles way.

“Business is alright.” Warren stated plainly, not feeling the need to comment on his little brother’s mini rant. He thought his wide grin and laughter had summed up that he understood what poor Luke was going through, most of the professors in the castle where feeling the same way at the present moment in time. “I get a lot of business from the school, the first thing I did in fact was take down the shrunken heads that yell at under age kids, they provide you with so much income it is ridiculous. I mean, they drink almost as much as the alcoholic professors.”

With a small smile Warren wondered away from his brother just too quickly serve another customer (a man who had a long black beard and an over powering smell of beats) before wondering back with his own drink in hand. “How is Alice? Don’t suppose you have heard from her?” It may have been cruel to pick on Luke in such a way but to be honest he could not imagine the guys favourite Welsh Green dragon picking up a quill and writing Luke a small sonnet…or if it could then his younger brother was more talented then he had expected.

[Professor Lucas Hubbles]

Luke caught the pint in his hand easily and drained more or less half of it. Luke hadnt spoke to Warren in about two years but there was absolutely no need for a catch up or anything along lines. Luke had always been quite close to Warren and it didnt matter if they were away from each other for a decade, they'd still be as close as every they were. Luke rambled off about his first week, leaving some minor details out but throwing in pretty much everything else. Even after a week, the young Hubbles professor looked extremely tired and rather drawn. He was thinking of just quitting, there was no way he'd have been able to put up with all this. Give him Firebreathing Dragons over a messed up castle anyday. At least he knew how to handle Dragons, he was in completely unfamiliar territory now.

"You know what?" Luke laughed, "That doesnt surprise me at all. You need alcohol to survive that place these days." He looked at the door of his brother's pub and remembered walking through it the first time all those years ago, Dan, Will and Sebastian all getting little Luke extreamly drunk for his birthday. It had been a rather mental night and even now, Luke couldnt remember what had happened. He was thankful though, part of him understood that he didnt want to remember it. Part of him knew that he was curious. "You seeing anyone yet?" Luke asked, it wouldnt surprise him at all. He comes home to find his cousin is married, his other cousin is broken hearted... why would his brother being with someone shock him?

"Actually I have heard from her." Luke laughed, he had gotten a letter from her a few days ago, taking it from his pocket he handed it to Warren. It was actually very amusing the thought of Alice writing a letter. Luke knew all too well it was Tifa taking full advantage of the fact Alice had been Luke's favourite. She was pretty docile for a dragon, she very rarely flew into a rage and could actually be quite friendly. Many a night Luke had found himself in Alice's clearing stroking her large head or reading a shakespeare book to her. Alice loved Shakespeare, she always calmed down whenever she heard a line from Romeo and Juliet. He had amazed himself with Alice if he was honest, and god how he had missed her.

Now he had his family back, or most of them. He was still getting around to seeing everyone, like Girty. He hadnt actually found her yet, she was very good at hiding. Luke didnt know what had gone on with her or who with, all Dan had said was that she was suffering from a bad breakup. Looking over to Warren he had half a mind to ask him but decided against it. It was her business, not Lukes. Yet he couldnt help worrying about her. "I was thinking of going back." He told Warren, "You know, to Aus? To see Alice over the summer... I was thinking of taking Girty with me... what do you rekon?"

[Warren Hubbles]

Warren did not know if it was brotherly affection or pure curiosity that he had asked such a question so bluntly. He guessed that being a Hubbles they did not have a perfect reputations on the whole ‘lover’ front and considering Warren was already a Dad with the possibility that his current girlfriend was pregnant…yeah pearly white reputation they had! “Er…yeah.” Warren said meekly as if ashamed to be admitting to his little brother that he was with someone. “You will know her actually...er…Victoria Potter. She teaches up at the castle, we have only recently got together…” Warren’s voice trailed off as he hurried off to the other end of the bar to serve another customer as he tried to hide his blushes from his brother.

After pouring a pint of cider for a rather tipsy looking wizard (the fact that his hat was lopsided and his glasses askew gave the game away) Warren made his way back over to Lucas to see him pulling out a rather tatty looking bit of paper that looked like it had been read over and over again. Plucking it from Luke’s hand Warren’s eyes danced over the words sniggering at the thought of a dragon writing a letter. Of course while he had been out in Australia they had corresponded a lot (maybe even more then when they were in the same country as each other) and so Warren knew a lot about his brothers favourite. “Well that was very nice of her.” He teased as he handed the note back over with a smug little smile.

The next thing that Luke said took Warren by surprise, not that his brother was not a kind hearted soul, but more that he was already thinking of helping others. Warren had been helping Girty with her break up by allowing her to drink for free but Luke was willing to take her to another country. “Yeah…” Warren said rather absentmindedly as a small smile appeared on his face. “I am sure she would like that, just make sure it is not a full moon.” Warren gave a small little howl before wondering off once again to serve another customer and put a few more gold coins in his back pocket.

“How are things up the castle then?” Warren asked as he once more retuned to his brother side, this time with his own pint of beer in his hand. “How are the lessons going?”