A toast to Fond memories (Open)

Colin sighed as he slipped into a chair at the bar of the dimly lit Wizard hangout. The bar that straddled two world, hidden in plain sight.

He use to do that too - be in two worlds.

It appears to work better for the Leaky Cauldron than it ever did for him.

Then again, Muggles never came in here - not on their own anyways.

A soft smile pulled at his lips only to disappear into grimace as the fond memory was replaced by the all oppressive present.

There would be no more fond memories.

With that thought biting at the back of his throat, eating at his mind like acid, he waved down the bartender for a much needed drink.

It wouldn't be long now until he could forget.

Or more importantly remember something better.

Willow smiled and she walked into the Leaky Cauldron, no longer feeling scared about getting mobbed about the money that she owed someone, thanks to Jamie her business was on track and she was making a lovely profit.

What made Willow even more happy was the way in which that she could still let people have things for free as long as they bought something else.

"A butterbeer please!"

She called softly to the bartender before she looked around the pub for someone who she could talk to, biting her lip after seeing a man on his own Willow wandered over to him and smiled gently.

"Would you mind if I sat here?"

The bartender came with his firewhiskey quickly and Colin relished the burning feelings as it went down. He remembered a time, as a youth, when that feeling had almost turned him off of the drink.

He smiled ruefully at that memory.

As he tiped back his second sip, he heard a woman's voice asking if she could sit. He blinked a moment, pushing aside familiar memories so that his brain could process who was before him now, in the present - not the past.

It was a young woman, he guessed probably about his own age, and she had a kind smile.

He waved a hand at the empty seat and returned the gesture, "No not at all; company keeps the mind from wandering, and mine has done too much of that lately."

He turned back to his drink for a moment before remembering his mannors.

"Colin O'Brian, by the way," he added holding out a hand for a shake.

Miles walked into the leaky caldron, and orded a glass of Gillywater, he walked over to an empty seat, he looked around the room and noticed a man he'd seen before, he had seen him around Hogwarts but wasnt sure if he was a Professor. Then a sudden thought ran through his head, in his Occlumency, they had been recently learning about how to penetrate a person's mind to access their memories and thoughts. Miles casully drew out his wand and subtly pointed it in the mans direction and muttered the legilimency charm, now he would be able to delve into his thoughts and memories and find out who he was

Willow smiled happily when she was allowed to sit with the man, from far off he looked like he was unhappy, that his thoughts seemingly troubled him and she didn't want him to continue being sad if she could do something about it.

Sitting down with a small rustle Willow looked kindly up at him and took the hand that he held out for her to shake:

"It's nice to meet you Colin I'm Willow, Willow Hartman."

Once they had clasped hands Willow let go gently and sipped at her drink.

"What brings you here then?"

"Likewise, Willow."

Once she had shaken his hand, Colin moved them back to his drink, and began to fiddle with the glass, spinning it in his hands.

"Me?" he paused for a moment, thinking of an acceptable answer. What was he doing at the Leaky Cauldron? There were several answers to that but he decided to go with the simple one, "My work is done for the season; I decided to take advantage of the break while I can."

He gave a soft laugh, not exactly merriy but not quite bitter either, "I also needed a room for a couple of days."

"What about you?"

Smiling when the man shook her hand Willow brought hers back to her drink and sipped it softly enjoying the feeling of the sickly sweet butter flavour running down her tastebuds, it was something that always made her happy, never mind the small alchohol content it had.

"Oh really? What do you do then?"

Wondering if he worked up at the school Willow was anxious to hear about how it was there since she had left.

"Me? I'm here because I made a profit in my business and I decided to come and celebrate before going home, why I came here I don't know, better butterbeer I suppse."

Willow smiled gently and took another sip, making sure that she wouldn't get a butterbeer moustache on her lip.

"I start teaching astronomy at Hogwarts this year," he said taking another sip of his drink. He gave a soft laugh, "I assume you've heard of it."

He turned to the woman, "Profit? I'm assuming you have a buisness then?" He had always had admiration for people who struck off on their own so to speak.

Willow nodded her head with a large beaming smile on her lips, she loved hearing about Hogwarts and she had missed it a lot since she had been there as a teacher, with that she finished her butterbeer with a sigh.

"Yes I've heard of it, I used to teach there. Before the Headmaster had a reshuffle of staff...is it still wonderful as it was?"

She smiled, sadder this time but it quickly changed back to normal at the mention of her business.

"Yes I do! I run a small flying shop in Hogsmeade, it's doing quite well now that I have some help, I had the tendancy to just give stuff away..."

"Really?" Colin raised his eyebrows for a moment, "Well, I can't say how wonderful it was when you were there, for I was not, but - once I got use to my new postition - it was quite wonderful. I have to admit, for a while I wasn't sure I was cut out for teaching, but the little halfpints grew on me."

"Well, although giving stuff away is sure to make you happy with the customers I don't believe it would make you much profit," he laughed softly, taking another sip of his drink before going on, "I've always thought it might be interesting to run one's own business, but I must admit, I don't think I ever had the commitment to do it."

"Flying you say? I'm assuming you are a quidditch fan then?"

Willow smiled happily, she was both happy and profoundly sad that Hogwarts was every bit as wonderful as she had found it, however it made her heart tug slightly when she thought of how much she missed it, and how much fun she had had there with the Professors, now she had no-one.

"They tend to do that don't they?" she smiled happily, chuckling as she spoke

Nodding her head with a soft laugh Willow knew that now, only after she had gotten into some serious trouble because of it, and she would be sure never to do that again.

"It's very rewarding I'll tell you that, to see peoples faces when they buy things from you, especially peoples first brooms, that's always delightful to watch."

With a shake of her head Willow grimaced softly: "I was never a big fan of Quidditch, I just love to fly, the simple act of gliding through the clouds."

"I can imagine," he replied with a soft smile and a nod, "I remember my first broom - almost as exciting as my first wand. A wizarding right of passage in it's own way."

He made a soft surprised sound in his voice, "No Quidditch? That's I think a first; I must admit though I only had a passing fancy for it myself. Always more of a watching than a playing."

He shook his head and tipped the last remains of his drink into his mouth.

"My head was always too full of what was beyond the sky - stars, and planets -to get too caught up in flying through it."

Willow nodded, enthused by the topic and she was glad that Colin seemed to have an interest in the sky like she did, she wondered if it would be possible to get a mini lesson on the constellations from him.

"I remember my first broom too, I still have it, a little tired but it still works pretty well, I use it sometimes for a display in my shop."

Smiling softly Willow looked ashamed for a minute, like she should do the whole Quidditch thing, but she got over that when Colin didn't seem to make a big thing about it.

"I don't mind it, but I don't think it's the be all and end all."

Willow bit her lip and leaned forward in her seat, getting prepared to ask something as well as being enraptured by the passion that Colin had for his subject. It always made her engaged to see passion.

"Tell me, what's your favourite part of Astronomy?"

Colin nodded sagely at the 'be all and end all comment', "I find that almost nothing in the world is... even if we think so at the time."

It surprised him, what a human being - Muggle or Wizard - could get over if they truely want to. That was where he felt the heart of the matter really lied - desire.

"My favourite part?" he paused to think, and smile slightly at the expression on her face. She appeared more in rapture of his answer than his students, "That's a tough question, there is so much to like."

He ran through all he had stored in his head trying to find the most truthful, and right answer to that question.

"Well... what first attracted me to the night sky was that it was there in the first place, you know? The stars all shinning down at us, and that there had to be something out there making them." As he spoke he got a far away look in his eye as he fell into his lost himself in the memory of the sky.

After a moment he shook his head, and smiled.

"Then I just wanted to learn more," he laughed, "Of course when I learned more, it became a little less mystical but... I always get that feeling back when I just sit and look at the night sky."

Willow listened carefully to Colin as he talked to her, telling her of all the things that he liked about Astronomy, it seemed to her that it was he mystery that had begun to ensnare him when he was younger and now his passion is maintained by his knowledge of what it actually out there.

"Wow, it sure sounds like you love youre job, you love the stars so much, I think it's nice to have a hobby that you enjoy, it's even better if you get to do it as a job isn't it?"

Smiling gently at him Willow looked around for another butterbeer before adding

"It makes work kinda fun doesnt it?"

With that she sat back in her chair and smiled, it always made her happy to hear other people talking about their passions for what they did, it made her feel good to know that they had something they loved like she did.

Colin nodded, his eyes sparkling a bit at the thought.

"It really does. I didn't think it would make such a difference until I did it."

He began spinning his empty glass on the bar as he spoke, letting it clink around against the wood.

"I use to work at the Prophet before..." he trailed off as memories came back to him; his brain shut down for a moment before he was able to shake it off and bring himself back to the converstation, "Before I went to Hogwarts. I thought I enjoyed the writing, but I had no idea..."

He nodded as if agreeing with something, although those who were watching would not know what, for it was something in his head.

"Things are a lot different when you really love what you're doing and with teaching," he smiled ruefully, "Not all of them share my passion of course, but there are a few who... it's just nice to see the next generation take in interest in something."

Willow smiled, it seemed to her that Colin had now found a job that he was happy with and that made her feel a little better about him, he seemed however to be quite distracted by the past and she wondered why, but of course would never pry unwanted.

"Well, I always thought that the media was a very cut throat business, I dont think I'd be cut out for it to be honest!"

Grinning softly Willow steepled her fingers and rested her chin on top of them

"Its not very nice, when you see people get the job that you want and they don't seem to care when you really do, but now I have a nice new job that still has something to do with what I love."

Colin hummed and hawed for a moment, "It can be a little cut throat... I guess it depends on which section you were in... and how you want to play it."

He appraised the woman a moment as she spoke.

"Well, I am glad for that - it is a hard thing to watch others have what you truely want," he responded, smiling slightly.

Colin finally let go of his glass, and was about to make a move to either leave - or get another drink, he wasn't sure which until he had gotten there - when the door to the pub opened.

The man wouldn't have thought anything of it if it wasn't for the little girl - dressed in a frilly muggle dress and her curly blonde hair pulled into pigtails - who came running through yelling as she went.

"Daddy!!" she squealed at a pitch that only the young could reach, and upon reaching Colin threw herself into his lap without any ceremony.

Willow smiled softly and she nodded, it did depend on the place and the people you worked with, someone nice could turn even the most cut throat of businesses enjoyable after all.

"I agree, but, I'm glad that my business isn't too bad, there's no competition in Hogsmeade after all."

Tilting her head to one side as she heard the door open she looked at the girl who came in and immediately 'Awwwww-ed'

"Isn't she so cute?!"

But Willow blushed painfully as she came over to their table, and worst of all, said that Colin was her father, Willow held up her hand and grinned softly: "Uhm sorry about that."

Colin's eyes lit up and he laughed merrily as the little girl threw her small arms around him. He hugged her back just as tightly.

"There's my specially little girlie," he smiled as he let her go slightly and pulled on one of her curls. The girl giggled. Colin had missed that sound. He had misse her.

He turned back to Willow and gave her a grin, "Don't be; I may be completely biased but I'll agree with that sentiment."

He turned back to his daughter who was blinking shyly at Willow.

"Willow, this is my daughter Delaney," he introduced the girl to his new aquanance.

"Delaney, this is Willow," he lowered his voice as he looked at the girl, "Will you say 'hi' to Willow?"

The girl binked a couple more times before ducking her head and giving out a shy little greeting.

Willow chuckled lightly as Colin said that he agreed with her, it was in fact very bias but she didn't really mind, it was kind of cute to watch the two of them together, it was almost like imagining her and her father when she was little.

"That is a bit bias there Colin." she grinned

Waving to Delaney Willow smiled at just how cute she was being and when she was introduced to her Willow waved again:

"Hey there Delaney."

When the girl was still very shy Willow bit her lip and took her wand out of her pocket, waving it twice in the air she let a flurry of sparkles and butterflies come out of the end of it so that Delaney might come out of her shell a bit.

"She's lovely."

Colin gave her an amused smile, "We're all bais towards something."

He laughed and cuddled the girl closer.

Delaney, being shy only a moment before, 'Oo'ed and giggled as the butterflies floated around the room. She clapped as her eyes lit up.

"Again, again," she giggled.

Colin smiled at Willow, "Thank you."

He leaned down and whispered to the small girl, "Can you say thank you, Del-Bel?"

Delany stuck her fingers in her mouth and smiled her tooth grin, "Thawk you."

Willow smiled softly as Delaney liked the butterflies and it made her a little less wary of her, after all she had nothing to be scared of, Willow wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Of course!"

Waving her wand again different coloured butterflies came out of her wand tip and floated around Delaney, and they puffed into large pockets of sparkles that littered the floor of the pub.

"No problem Colin." Willow whispered

With that Willow smiled softly:

"Jamie is in for a lot of baby talk tonight, I want one." she joked

Colin started to bounce the girl on his knee as Willow made more butterflies come flying out of her wand. He looked at the glitter falling on the ground and gave the woman a rueful grin.

"They are going to be very happy they have to clean up after us," he chuckled softly.

"Delaney," he said after a moment a thought coming to him, "Where's you're aunt? You know you aren't -"

Delaney just point sharply towards the door, not happy at being distracted from the pretty display before her, "Dere."

Colin followed the gaze and saw his sister. She titled her head towards the back, and Colin nodded.

"Well, I don't know this Jamie, and I can't help you on the forever front, but would you mind watching her for a moment," he smiled kindly, "while I talk to my sister."

Willow smiled softly as she looked at how much Delaney was enjoying herself and she decided that it was definately time to do some serious baby talk with Jamie, maybe they should adopt.

"Oh well! I'll tidy up after I leave, scouts honour."

As Colin looked around for his sister Willow smiled softly at Delaney, she was just so cute! The little baby way she spoke in too.

"Huh? Of course! You take as long as you like."

Gesturing to Delaney Willow smiled widely.

"Want to come sit on my knee for a minute while daddy goes to speak to your Auntie?"