Drinks and a chat

[Jonathan Parisian]

"I graduated from here sixteen years ago, although I still struggle to believe that it was that long ago. Not much has changed here, it seems like time has barely even touched this place. Although, I would venture to guess that the professors are different now."

*Opening the door to the dining hall, he let her walk through before he followed her in. They walked over to one of the tables where they sat down. He had to laugh when he continued thinking about this place. He had caused his fair share of trouble while he had been here, but it had been some of the best times in his life.*

"God, the teachers all seemed so old back then. Knew what they were talking about though, even if I didn't think they did. Those were the days weren't they? When everything was so simple you could really get though everything without thinking about the seven different ways a decision is gonna impact everybody around you."

[Prof. Cora Strong]

Cora followed him into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee maker. She filled it up and turned it on, then pulled two cups from the cupboards.

"16 years? Really, 18 for me. So you are 4 years after me, yet you don't seem at all familiar. Ok, sure, age difference and all. Different years and groups. But it's a small school, always has been."

She shook her head and leaned again the counter. Cora had been fairly popular in her days, knew almost everyone in her year and above. It was the younger years that she didn't know well, but she knew most. But he didn't seem familiar.

"Yeah, I know. I did my fair share of spoofing and goofing. But not a lot. I was one of those kids that usually didn't get in trouble, I was too good at staying out of it. Cause chaos, but didn't get caught."

[Jonathan Parisian]

"I remember seeing you around the school from time to time when we were both here. You were in the group of girls the guys in my class called the untouchables. The girls we wanted to date but never had a chance with."

*He smiled as they stood there waiting for the coffee to finish. He remember sneaking into here on several occasions when he was here on some of the all nighters they had pulled. They hadn't been studying, just staying up and creating trouble.*

"I learned early on from my dad that if I was going to create some trouble, I had better not get caught. Lets just say when he found out what I had done, that was the last time I got caught...but ot the last time I was involved in something less then reputable here"

[Prof. Cora Strong]

"Untouchable? I wasn't apart of that group, truth be told, they despised me, and I them. I mean, those girls, they were always the super pretty but dead head, ok not dead heads, I know them, but they were, well, brain dead. Barely scrapping Acceptables, I was a tutor, that was why I was around them. Never really for the hanging out with them. No, I was nerdy, or kind of, ok not really. I just did the work and got decent grades."

The buzzer on the coffee machine went off and Cora smiled. She really needed coffee. Cora poured a decent amount into the two cups and replaced the pot on the machine. Blowing into it cooled the liquid for her to drink it.

"I did fairly well. My nerdiness kept me out of trouble most of the time."

[Jonathan Parisian]

"Well, them needing a tutor doesn't really surprise me. Those girls were a bit different. Even if you were their tutor, you were still untouchable...you were incredibly beautiful, and you were smart. Especially to the younger students like the guys in my class. I know some of those guys worshiped the ground you walked on."

*Taking his cup, he gently blew into it before taking a sip. Johnny had always taken his coffee black and strong, the perfect way to keep him alert. And this coffee was going to be excellent for both.*

"And from what I remember, you did better then fairly well in your classes. You were one of the top students in your year."

[Prof. Cora Strong]

Cora shrugged and bit her upper lip. So she had been told, brains and looks. But she never cared about that. She was always wrapped in what she needed to do or her friends, which were few but extremely kind and fun.

"Yeah, well, no worship needed. I'm not a goddess. I didn't need followers, I just wanted to have fun and get out. And then I came back. Teaching, charms. Always my best subject. But what about you? Which group did you belong? Jocks? Brains? Gravediggers? Oh I know. You were apart of the Zonites weren't you? They were always the... well, I don't honestly know what they were. The odd group, outcasts of the outcasts I guess."

[Jonathan Parisian]

"I didn't really belong to any group. I was a jock but I did well enough in my classes to be considered a nerd as well. I wasn't liked by the majority of the popular kids so in that sense I was an outcast, so I suppose I was my own group really."

*Johnny stretched a bit, his back had been tight from having a rough week of his own and not sleeping very well at all. He was happy to have an escape of any kind, and this was the best one he had gotten yet. Getting out of his office, which was a rarity these days, was a nice change for him instea dof being stuck around piles of paperwork all day long.*

"Well, you may not have wanted it, but you were THE girl when it came to the guys in my class. They all wanted to date you in the worst way."

[Prof. Cora Strong]

Cora smiled embarrassingly for a moment then shrugged it off. He was a lot younger then her, and she honestly didn't remember him, but she thought he was nice enough. The Headmistress sipped her drink and looked around the kitchen. It was so weird, the school so quiet, not so many students had come back this summer, a relief maybe.

"That's nice, but to be honest, I really didn't notice. And please don't think that I'm one of those girls that goes all modest when they get a compliment like that, because I'm not like that. I just never really paid attention."

[Jonathan Parisian]

"Well, that as they say is all in the past. Amazing how times flies though and you don't even realise it, makes you wonder how much you've missed out on. You must have a pretty good life going on these days, married and running this place. I would imagine it's like having about two-hundred children."

*John starts laughing a bit at the idea of any of his friends from school even having kids let alone tryign to raise them. If their kids ever found out how bad they had been in their days in school, they would never listen to their parents again. he had considered organizing some kind of reunion before, but hadn't ever had the time. He wondered if now was the right time for all of them to do it.*

[Prof. Cora Strong]

Cora bit her lip again and laughed. Two hundred kids, yeah, that was it alright. She was use to having so many of them, always around. Her students were always traipsing off down her street or knocking on her door in the evenings looking for permission for one thing or another.

"Yeah, I've got loads. Two hundred kids, I've got my fill of them. And yeah, time sure does fly, quickly. I don't remember that much from my school days, but I do remember graduation and the after party. I'm probably the only one that does remember that night."

Cora laughed again and sipped her coffee. Her friends weren't even legal yet, not a one of them, and all plastered beyond reason. The outer lands of the school wound up being the party spot, just outside the trees where no one could see or hear them, even for such a small school. Cora drank the most, got sick the least, and managed to make the best excuse for the morning after.

[Jonathan Parisian]

"I remeber bits and pieces of mine, mostly because I've blocked the majority of it out. Mine was basically almost all of the guys getting together, getting smashed beyond belief, and then puking their guts out before they passed out on the grass. Ahh, what a great night that was."

*John started laughing even harder remembering the insanty of graduation night. he got a vision of all the students coming up to her door, some of them close to midnight when they should be in bed, askign for permission to stay up later or something stupid like that so they could have an excuse to act like kids even longer.*

"As long as people don't come up to my hous eand ask for loans while I'm trying to relax or sleep, I'm happy. Cuz then I would need to hex them, and that isn't really something I want to deal with, you know?"

[Prof. Cora Strong]

"Oh, don't go hexing my students. You and I would have issues, believe me. Besides, they tend to stick off to the school and grounds. Rarely do they venture into the neighborhoods unless their families live there or something."

Cora yawned slightly and watched as the sunlight faded along the walls of the kitchen. It had been a long day, with a long night to come, but she didn't mind. She was quite fond of sticking there and chatting, she needed a break from all the work that she had piled on her desk.

"So, what mischief did your lot get into? I'd like to know, but don't let my students know. I'd really rather not have to hunt you down for giving them ideas."

[Jonathan Parisian]

"Well, lets just say my best prank was in my 3rd year when we charmed a bunch of bouncy balls to never stop bouncing. Was really interesting when we tossed them down the stairwell and they started bouncing all over the school. They never gained enough speed to hurt anybody, they were just tough to stop. We managed to make sure that Aresto Momentum and Impedimentia didn't work on them. Took almost all year to get them to work correctly, especially since we had to use the spell on each bouncyball one at a time."

*John finished his coffee and took the glass over to the sink. Filling it with hot water, he let it sit there as he moved back to his seat accross from Cora.*

"Yeah, I won't teach them any of my tricks. Most of the fun is coming up with your own spells anyway, and what fun is it repeating a prank somebody already pulled."

[Prof. Cora Strong]

"Wow, thats great. Unstoppable Bouncing balls."

Cora laughed and watched the light fade more.

"My worst, wow, I had to of been in my 5th year? No, 6th, I had just gotten into the swing of things with Brad and flying. My friends Mark and Alexis and I went to the roof of the school and set off fireworks, then ran to the fields and set off Fiz Bangers, not the cheap ones that go out in five minutes, oh no, we paid the expensive ones that last for over an hour. Then back up the steps, dung bombs all the way down, in every corridor. Alexis was set off to the gazebo and sent off markers and Wolpers, Mark went to the kitchen and let pixies fly. I, well, I was set to the basement and killed the power of the school and surrounding towns. Down for a week. Detention for Mark and Alexis lasted about 3 months kitchen duty, I didn't get caught, well, not by the headmaster, but students caught me and shut their lids quick, loving the week of no classes."

[Jonathan Parisian]

"The ones who were the best at it never get caught, it's what makes them so good at it. Of course, then you have people sticking the feet in their mouth and trying to take credit for doing it, which drives you nuts until they get busted by the headmaster. He knew that hadn't done it, I think he was just crossing his fingers that my friends and I would step up to claim what we had done since the idiot had tried to steal our thunder."

*Sitting back down on his stool, he shook his head remembering days that felt not long ago, and easier times then they had lived in. Life had changed so much, and yet, so little since all of that had happened. He did wish that some things had been different as he grew up, life had never been the kindest to him, but he rolled with the punches as it were. Growing up the son of two of the most successful Aurors in the world wasn't easy. Especially when you don't follow in their footsteps.*