Hufflepuffs are friends not food

Sometimes, though he would never ever ever admit it, James Potter missed school. Yes, he missed school and yes that was out of character for him and yes he would kill who ever realized it.

So when he started to really miss it, he had picked up on the habit to go to Hogsmeade. Hogsmeade was the closest he'd get to Hogwarts. Besides, there were a lot of memories from Hogsmeade weekends.

And The Three Broomstick would always have the best butterbeer in the whole wide world. So the dark haired boy, on his day off from work, if playing Quidditch could be called that, had decided to go to Hogsmeade for a drink and a moment to just let him self miss school. Again, as out of character that was. He also missed more things, but he wasn't going to admit it even to himself that he did.

He looked around, eyes running over the people there, wondering if he'd recognise someone. After a while, he did and a smile brightened up his face. He didn't know her well, he supposed, but he knew she was a Hufflepuff and had been in his year. "Beatrice!" he called out for her, motioning with his head to the seat opposite of him. "Come here for a second."

Bea had to go to the Hogsmeade bookshop to see if there were any deals to be made. Hogwarts library hadn't got any new books in ages and it was time to freshen things up, so Bea visited different bookshops and libraries to check up on any new books on magic. It was a fun way to spend her time when she wasn't around Lucy or Kiva.

On her way to the bookshop, she passed The three broomsticks and suddenly got butterbeer cravings. They didn't serve it at Hogwarts and she had really missed the taste of it. Deciding she could spare a few moments for herself. Bea entered the pub and walked up to the counter to get her beverage.

Just as she was placing her order, she heard her name being called out and she turned around in confusion. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of James Potter. Honestly, ever since she was dating Lucy, everybody she met was her girlfriend's family. It was getting ridiculous. Well, it was true that Lucy was a part of a huge family, but still. The Potters and the Weasleys were everywhere! Also, it wasn't like James and her were even friends. They have never spoken to each other, except that one time in their second year when they were partnered up in Herbology.

She smiled, still a bit confused and after she got her butterbeer, Bea made her way to his table. "Hi, James. What brings you here?" she asked as she sat down. Her job in the library has helped her to overcome her awkwardness and nervousness a bit; and she was sincerely curious why James Potter was here. She heard he played Quidditch professionally now.

Why was he there? That was a good question. Well, he knew why he was there. But it was stupid, and silly, and very wrong and un-James-ish, but would Beatrice Abbot know what was James-ish or not?

"Hi!" he greeted back, smiling a little. "I was bored," he replied. Which wasn't that far from the truth, he had been bored. "Reckoned I hadn't been here in a while and stuff. Why are you here?"

Was it bad that he had no idea what Beatrice did? She had graduated, sure, but did she work? Merlin, he had to pay more attention to people. He only knew what a handful of people had done once finishing, and he had only kept in touch with said handful of people. Maybe he was depressed. Louis would probably know. Fred probably knew, too. James definitely had to pay more attention.

Bea nodded, that sounded like a perfectly good reason to randomly visit the Hogsmeade village. People had to get out of their routine sometimes, she knew how it was. As much as she loved books, she had to get away from the library at times and when she did, Lucy was the prefect escape. That girl could break routine in a second.

"I know what you mean. I miss this place sometimes, even though I live so near." she smiled, taking a sip of her butterbeer. She had definitely missed the taste of that. "Oh, I'm in Hogsmeade on 'official business'." she told him, making air quotes. "I work in the library at Hogwarts and I was about to go to the local bookshop when I remembered how good the butterbeer tasted here." she motioned to her cup.

She worked at Hogwarts? Why hadn't he gotten a job at Hogwarts? James would've made an amazing Professor. Would smacking the kids be frowned upon?

If she worked in Hogwarts, even just as the librarian, then she surely saw his siblings from time to time. At least Lily, she was the reading type. "Oh, that's really cool." James said, after a moment, taking another sip from his drink. "You're smart, staying at Hogwarts." Was he admitting that he missed it? "So… Do you see Albus and Lily around, ever?" Was he admitting that he missed them?

"You can't get better butterbeer than the one you get here," James agreed, grinning brightly. "Honestly, I'm not sure how I live without this drink."

Bea made a non-committal chuckle at his comment that being a librarian is cool. She was sure he was joking, a lot of people found her job to be boring andwhatnot. While she wasn't totally indifferent to their opinion, it gave her an advantage where actually getting the job was concerned.

"Yeah, I see them around. I can send them a message or something, if you want? Surely you must miss them... I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I do miss my parents quite a lot. But it's easier to see them now that I'm working at Hogwarts and can pop home for a quick visit rather to just wait for holidays like I used to." she said with a small smile. It was true, she visited home often, especially because her Dad was still recovering from that injury.

"Oh, I agree. It's the best." Bea returned the grin and took another sip of the glorious drink. "You should visit more often, then."

"No, no message." James replied hastily, mentally kicking himself for even asking about his siblings. Really, maybe he should owl them, just to make sure they were alive. Or more like, just to make sure Albus hadn't murdered someone (or himself) and same with Lily, who was a scary bookworm. How could nerds be scary? It probably was the hair.

"Neh, you get used to the empty home," he shrugged. Which was a lie. The house was awfully empty with just him and his mother. "It's just me and mum around now, but I'm her favorite son, so I'm sure she's thrilled to have me around. How is your family doing then?" See, his mother would be proud of him, he was being well polite.

"I might start visiting more, especially if I run into people I know. Drinking butterbeer on your own is such a drag, don't you agree?" See, Hufflepuffs were alright. James had, had few Hufflepuff friends in the past. There'd been Tiffany, who had been one of his very best mates. Hufflepuffs were definitely better than Slytherins.

Bea raised her eyebrow, but didn't say anything. It wasn't any of her business and frankly, she didn't know how good the siblings went along when they were at home. She had a feeling James did in fact miss them and the thought made her smile, but (hopefully) before he could see anything, she hid her smile behind her cup as she drank her butterbeer.

"I suppose you do. I quite like being by myself, but it's nice to know you've got someone that's waiting for you." she shrugged out of her coat as she was starting to get warm. At his words, her eyes snapped up, but she quickly made herself relax and act normal. Well, normal for her. So the rumours were true, Harry Potter was really missing. Not that it made much difference to Bea, but she felt sorry for the Potter family.
"They're doing fine, thanks. Mum's a but worried, though, because of everything that happened at the Ministry that day, but otherwise they're okay." she gave a small smile.

"Yes, it is." she tried not to think of all those times she was doing exactly that, drinking butterbeer on her own. She had a different life now, she had a few friends and a girlfriend and she was happy. "You should, though, it'd be nice to have someone my own age around."

James felt a little bit awkward, it wasn't in his nature to admit that he missed people. Especially people like Lily and Albus. Okay, Lily was his little sister and everyone knew he did adore her and feel the need to protect her a lot. But James and Albus didn't really get along anymore. Especially not after everything that had happened with their Dad.

The Ministry. James's throat dried. He hadn't been there, he hadn't been there when his father went missing, his family was attacked, his best friend who was also family had been badly attacked, he'd just been at home. With bloody Lily.

"Did you parents get hurt? Did you?" he remembered something about it, he guessed, from the stories he'd been told about it. Kids getting attacked and people dying and it was just all a bit much for him to remember. He'd been really angry at the time.

"This could be our catching up place," James suggested, grinning. "I catch up with Louis at Leaky's. mostly for free drinks, to be honest." he grinned again. Free drinks were great, but he would pay them if he'd have to. He did miss hanging around with Louis, they did so much more of that when they were still at school.

Bea saw the effect the word 'Ministry' had on James and she felt guilty for bringing it up. She knew that was probably the day his Dad went missing and she could only imagine how that must feel like. Yes, her Dad was hurt, but at least she knew where he was at all times and she knew that he was safe.

"My Dad was tortured, yeah. But he's okay now, he's getting better." she nodded more to reassure herself than him. "I wasn't hurt, but my best friend almost was. It was horrible." she added quietly. "Were you there?" Bea asked after clearing her throat.

Her face brightened up and she nodded. "Where better to catch up than were the perfect butterbeer is, right? Oh, how is Louis?" She hoped he was better than the last time she saw him (and met him), when he had a concussion.

"I'm glad he's okay," James said. His voice was slightly strained, but he meant it. It must've been awful for her, he thought, watching people getting tortured and hurt and killed.

He swallowed before shaking his head. "N-No," he mentally kicked himself for stuttering. "I was watching over Lily, because she couldn't go. I never fancied Ministry events anyway." he should've been there. He should've been there to protect his family. "But, some of the people I know were in some bad shape. L-Louis, mum, Albus, even my cousin Dom got into some shit. And then Dad."

James smiled, drinking more of his butterbeer. "Louis is doing good, I think." James had to admit he wasn't that sure of how Louis was doing exactly. "I mean, like, he went through a lot of stuff too, at the Ministry. And my Dad is his uncle and stuff." he shrugged, eyes locked on the table in front of him. "We both kind of miss school." There it was, he'd said it. He frowned. "Which is ironic."

"Thanks." Bea replied in a small voice. She had no idea what to say or do, so she took another sip of her drink. Trying her best to focus on James and how he must miss his Dad, she pushed memories of Ministry away so she didn't see Kiva and Tommy tied up together, terrified. No, she wouldn't let herself think about that. They were alright now.

"Oh Merlin, James, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have- I'm sorry. I'm shit at talking to people, especially like this. Jesus." she hid her face behind her palm, thinking of ways to make him feel better. There was, of course, no way to make him feel better about his family getting hurt and his Dad being missing.

"Good to hear." Bea smiled. "Yes, of course. Must be horrible." she said quietly. "Listen, I know we don't really know each other, but you c- you can vent to me if you want to. I'm horrible at talking to people, but I'm a good listener." she smiled, a bit nervously.
"I think that's called nostalgia." she grinned.

"It's okay," James said quickly, focusing in his drink. "Really, Beatrice it's fine." He swallowed. "You went through a lot too. I wasn't even there, so, I'm sure you have it just as bad." He really didn't like this subject, he'd pretty much neglected it the whole summer. Though, sometimes he slipped up and mentioned his Dad to his mother or someone else. That never ended well.

Oh, Merlin. How much he wanted to just vent and just scream and break a couple of things. "Thank you," James said after a while. "I just…" he trailed off. "I just don't really know how I feel." he admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up a little. It was an awkward subject. "Albus thinks he's still alive. But, I just… I think he'd be back already if he was, you know? And Lily's just… well, I don't even know what to call it. And I don't know how Mum feels." he played with the edge of his cup.

God, was he being depressed. First he'd been all sad because he missed school and now he was going to be more sad with all the missing-father stuff. "I just, I kind of want to be a Gryffindor again. I'll even show up for classes."

"Just because I have it bad doesn't mean you don't, as well." Bea looked up at James and frowned. "It doesn't matter if you were there or not, your Dad's missing and your family got hurt. It-It's okay to feel sad, you know." she said gently.

Bea nodded at his words, as though she knew what he was going through, when in reality, she had no idea what it must feel like. She opened her mouth a couple of times, wanting to say something, to offer some advice, but she had none. "I'd say don't lose hope and that everything will be allright, but... I can't really say that. Do you want to just get drunk and, I don't know, smash something later on?" the young librarian asked. She wasn't really the drinking type and she's only gotten drunk once in her life, but she could give it a try.

She chuckled lightly at his words and took another sip. "I'm sure you can make a deal to just creep about Hogwarts, scaring little kids. Don't know if you'd get paid, though."

It was rare for Kiva to be in Hogsmeade on her own. It was rare for her to be on her own outside of school. Usually she would be there with Lily or Beatrice, but her older friend had important library-things to do, and her younger friend was about somewhere. And it was coming up to her brother's birthday, so she couldn't just not not go shopping for his present, just because she was a bit nervous about being outside on her own. She wasn't a child.

Being alone in Hogsmeade wasn't her favourite thing to do in the world though. Not since last Christmas. She didn't like to be on her own after last Christmas. Being alone scared her. What was she supposed to do if there was someone following her? Or if someone she didn't know tried talking to her, or-!

She came to a halt as she saw a familiar blonde in the Three Broomsticks, automatically opening the door and wandering in. It was warmer in there for sure. She got closer to the table Beatrice was at until she saw that there was someone else there, hesitating. She didn't want to intrude on something, if Bea was meeting a friend. It would be more polite to just leave her be, wouldn't it? But she really didn't want to go back outside.

"Hi, Bea," she mumbled, a soft smile on her face, shuffling her feet in her usual nervous habbit. "How-how is the library stuff going?"

James waved a dismissing hand at her, running his other hand through his hair, trying to look like he didn't care much for this conversation and didn't feel emotional about it at all.

Though, he wasn't going to say no to her idea. Getting totally wasted and smashing something sounded like exactly what he needed. But, this was a Hufflepuff. Did those even know what alcohol was? Professor Smith would probably know, he was probably a secret drunk, but he was mental anyway. Beatrice Abbot wasn't mental, was she?

"You drink?" he raised an eyebrow. But then there was a new voice and James turned to face the other person, whom he also recognized as a Hufflepuff he'd never really spoken with at school. Had he had something against Puffles or something? He barely had any puffle friends after Tiffany. Unless Albus counted as a Hufflepuff, but he wasn't quite a friend.

James grinned brightly, his darker mood from earlier starting to fade (especially at the mention of drinks). "Hello, Hufflepuff!"

Bea smiled shyly at his question and shrugged. "Not really, but that doesn't mean I can't try..right?" She wasn't sure she saw the appeal of alcohol, but she also didn't see the appeal of Potions, but she made them anyway.

"Kiva!" she stood up and hugged her best friend. "Wasn't expecting to see you here... Oh, it's good, I'm hoping for a new delivery this week. I was just about to go to the local bookshop when I got some serious butterbeer cravings." she grinned and sat back down.

"Want to join us? I mean, if you don't mind of course..." she said to James, suddenly feeling very awkward again. She was so happy to see Kiva, but she wasn't sure whether Kiva and James would get along and there was just so many things that could go wrong! Or were there? Now that Bea really thought about it and didn't let her anxiety get the best of her, she saw that there weren't really things that could go wrong here. So she smiled and took a sip of her butterbeer.

Kiva felt herself relax as Beatrice stood up and hugged her, returning the action gladly. At least that answered whether or not her friend would mind her intruding. You wouldn't hug someone you didn't want to see. "I've got to-to get my brother his birthday present some time," she explained. "Butterbeer cravings are a totally acceptable."

When the boy that Beatrice was with addressed her she finally looked at him properly, tugging at the end of her hair. She recognised him. Where was he-Lily's brother, that was it, this was James, Lily's brother. She smiled shyly and waved in greeting, not sure how to address him. Would it be weird if she knew who he was if they'd never actually met? Or did people usually know who Harry Potter's children were? He certainly had nice hair.

"I-I should probably get a-a drink first," she stammered, now fully aware that there was another person at the table who she was kind of technically addressing. "If-if your friend doesn't mind me sitting here because I don't mind if he does I can find somewhere else to sit if you'd rather I do have to go do my shopping so it's not a big deal but-!" she snapped her rambling off, feeling heat creeping into her cheeks. Should she apologise? She kind of felt like apologising. But maybe it was probably best to just not say anything. Maybe she should leave. Or wait for his reply. Just, you know, be quiet while doing it.

Oh sweet Merlin she was so awkward with new people.

Why were Hufflepuffs adorable? Was it a house-thing? Oh! Was that the reason Albus didn't qualify as one? That made so much sense.

He watched the two interact, a bit amused. Gosh, that was one rambling Hufflepuff. Could he handle two Hufflepuffs? Wait, what did this mean for the drinking? He needed the drinking.

"Sure, have a seat." he nodded his head, leaning back in his seat and playing with the edge of his empty cup. "I'm going to be needing another drink," he noted. "Do you two want anything?" See, he could be nice. Especially to Hufflepuffs, Hufflepuffs had this thing about them that had people wanting to be nice to them, James was sure of this. He'd have to mention this to Louis and see if he didn't agree. "You're Kiva right?" he hoped she was. "Have we actually met?"

"I could go help you look for it later, if you want. I need to go to the bookshop, but that won't take long, I promise." Bea smiled sheepishly at Kiva, remembering the last time she went to the bookshop and ended up staying there for three hours and spending a third of her pay check. But today would be different, she was on school business and wouldn't allow herself to buy any more books for herself.

She listened to Kiva's rambling and was torn between smiling fondly and cringing. The rambling wasn't new to Bea, it was a part of her best friend and she wouldn't change it for the world, but she knew people could be put off by a rambling Hufflepuff. That was actually a part of the reason why she never made friends until she met a fellow rambling Hufflepuff.
Before she could say anything to calm Kiva down, James spoke up and Bea shot a grateful smile at him.

"I'd like a shot of firewhiskey, please. I promised you drinks." she grinned in what she hoped was a confident manner, even though she was wary of alcohol. However, she wanted to at least try it.

Kiva nodded thankfully. "Th-that'd be nice. If you're too busy I don' t mind doing it on my own, b-but help would be appreciated. I never really know what to get for him. And I w-won't mind stopping off at the book shop," she never minded stopping off at the book shop. It was her favourite place in Hogsmeade. Certainly wasn't her wallet's favourite place though.

She gave a shy smile as James agreed to let her sit, making herself as comfortable as she could. He was going to be talkative, right? Because she wasn't. And she would be so awkward. "I-I'll just have some pumpkin juice please," she mumbled, kind of surprised at Beatrice's selection of drink. Though she was all adult and stuff now, and she couldn't really question it in front of Bea's friend. "If you don't mind."

"I-I am Kiva, yes," she played with the hem of her dress, nodding with her words, because verbally agreeing wasn't enough. "I don't think we have? I-I mean, I'm friends with Lily, so..." she couldn't really remember ever actually meeting him though. "You-you might've seen me around or something, b-but not met, no. You're James, right?"

"One shot of firewhiskey. One glass of pumpkin juice. Got it." What did he want? Maybe he could get a bottle of firewhiskey, then they didn't have to stop drinking. Was the other Hufflepuff - Kiva, James, Kiva - not going to drink? See, Hufflepuffs didn't drink. Why was Beatrice drinking? Was this some secret ploy? His mother had set them up to this, had't she?

After ordering their drinks (one bottle of firewhiskey, shot glasses and pumpkin juice), he made his way back to the Puffles. "So," he said, putting down the drinks and sliding back into his seat. "You said you knew Lily?" He despiiiised being so polite. Damn, Hufflepuffs.

James opened the bottle quickly, pouring firewhiskey for himself and Bea, wanting alcohol as soon as possible. "Are you sure you don't want some?" he added, eyebrows raising at Kiva.

"I'm not too busy," Bea shook her head with a smile. She hasn't been hanging out with Kiva as much as she'd like to lately and she was glad she had the opportunity. Plus, she knew how horrible it was to be buying gifts on your own.

She felt a bit nervous about this whole drinking thing. Yes, she'd had Firewhiskey before, but only because she bought a bottle for her Dad and they all tried it. Oh, this is not going to be good. Her eyes widened as James came back with a whole bottle of the stuff. Bea gulped and managed a smile as he gave her the glass.

"Thanks. Er, I should say, I'm not g-good at this. Drinking. I..." she let her voice ring out, as she didn't know what else to say. She definitely wasn't good at this and maybe James would want a different drinking buddy. Plus, Kiva was giving her strange looks and Bea didn't blame her, as she never drank. But she wanted to try and she said she'll have a drink with James, so she took the glass in her hands and grinned nervously at him.

"Cheers!"

Kiva couldn't help but be a little bit amused by the look on Beatrice's face when James returned to the table, though she was quickly distracted by the fact he'd brought a whole bottle back with him. So that was what it was. Well, it was certainly...she was happy with her pumpkin juice. Nice and safe. And not scary looking. "We might not be going to the bookshop," she mumbled, wondering if James and Beatrice planned on drinking the whole thing between them. Though maybe Beatrice was better with alcohol than she thought? She was all adulty now, alcohol might come with the job.

"Yes, I do," Kiva replied, thanking him for her drink. "We're good friends. Hang out in the library a lot together," she couldn't come up with something cooler than that? Not that she was ashamed of the library or anything but-well-she wasn't sure why she really cared so much right now. Her thoughts were making her get slightly flustered. "She-she's very nice! Helps me with my work sometimes, very clever, though I guess that's probably what you get for being a Ravenclaw."

Just let Beatrice and James drink and be quiet, Kiva. Best way to handle this situation.

"I-I'm-I've never really had Firewhiskey before," she admitted, looking at the bottle and the glasses Beatrice and James had. She focused on her friend, figuring it would be easier to speak to her than James. "It's not something I've ever had a chance to try. It smells very...strong?"

"Don't worry," James gave Beatrice a smile. "Just drink."

James gulped down the shot quickly, moving to pour himself another and then offering the bottle to Beatrice again, not sure if she'd want more. Merlin, he hoped she'd want more. He'd feel kind of pathetic if he sat next to two Hufflepuffs, drinking on his own.

"Oh yes, the Library," James failed at rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, it's Lily's second home?" he shook his head. "Ravenclaws," actually he had nothing against Ravenclaws. Why was his sister a Ravenclaw, that was so wrong on so many levels. He needed to drink more, obviously, to get over this. "So you're friends?" At least Lily had friends, he'd been a bit afraid that she'd manage to threaten everyone around her or turn them into some kinds of animals and therefor not be very liked. But at least she had a friend. He'd just have to hope this Hufflepuff could take care of his sister. If that wasn't a lost cause.

"Firewhiskey is great," James said, looking over at Bea. "Don't you agree?" he grinned, swallowing the second shot. "You should have some," he offered the bottle to Kiva again. Wait, how old was she?