A Dozen Black Roses (Open)

Hayden entered the Hog's head and looked round for an empty table. She spotted one in the corner and made her way over to it, her hand clutching a parcel.

Sighing she dropped the parcel onto the table. Pushing a blonde curl behind her ear, she shook her head. She slipped one finger under the packaging and rip it open.

A dozen black roses fell onto the table. Hayden went a little pale as she pricked her finger, looking in shock as the startling red blood spread across her fingers.

Picking up the note, not caring as the blood stained the edges of the white paper, she read it.

Remember me Princess

Anastasia walked into the Hog's head and ordered herself a fire whiskey. She was still wearing her teaching robes and she gave a heavy sigh. It had been a long day. Looking about the pub she noticed Hayden, she'd seen her about the castle but was yet to officially meet her. Ordering a second fire whiskey she took the two glasses and placed one down in front of Hayden.

"You look pale. Are you feeling alright?"

Hayden was still glaring at the bloodied note in her hands. Her attention snapped away from the note as she heard the clunking of theglass as it was set down before her. Looking up, she saw a professor from Hogwarts. She hadn't met her before but knew the students called her Professor Williams.

Roughly she scrunched the note up and pushed it into her jean pocket. "Fine, thanks. I just cut myself" she half-smiled, moving the roses from the table. Wincing slightly at the throbbing pain in her finger, she smiled at her fellow professor and stuck her hand out,

"Hayden Starrstone, pleasure to meet you".

"Anastasia Williams, the pleasure is mine."

She took out her wand. "Would you like that healed?" A small sympathetic smile on her face. "Roses, they're beautiful, i guess you struck a thorn." she says with more a statement then a question before indicating to the seat beside her. "Seat taken?"

"Oh, yes please" she smiled warmly. "Yes, they are. But i prefer lilies" Hayden smiled.

"Thank you" she grinned, looking at her newly healed finger. "No, please sit down" Hayden said, glad of company.

With a simple Episkey, the wound is healed, and i sit down.

"So how long have you been teaching and what do you teach?"

"Well, I've been teaching since last year so i suppose about a year. Um..I teach flying" she smiled.

"What do you teach Anastasia?" Hayden questioned, sipping her firewhiskey.

"I've never been too good on a broom, was always picked last for Quidditch teams..." Drifts off into a memory for a short moment. Her accent strong, typical of anyone from Massachusetts. "Eight years of Magical Ethics and Domestic Magic, but now here i teach only Domestic Magic"

Smiles, taking a mouthful of her own fire whiskey, it burning all the way down her throat.

"I was never good myself at Domestic magic. I didn't see the point in it with me, myself coming from a rich family with house elfs. My father didn't want me to take it" she sighed.

"Your not from round here eh?" Hayden asked, picking up on her accent.

"I'm not from round here. My backgrounds in Italy. L'Italia è un paese così bello" she smiled, prettily.

"Did you go to a magic song yourself. I went to Beauxbatons" Hayden smiled, it was one of the only good memories of her childhood.

"I don't speak Italian... No my family are from Salem, I was born and raised there." A sigh of her own trying to force the memories away.

"My family were rich enough for me not to do Domestic Magic, but i took up cooking as a hobby and the rest sort of came with it."

"I attended Salem's School for the Magically Gifted, and taught at Standford Academy for Witches. So this is my first time since my own school days being in a co-education school."

Anastasia stretched and took another mouthful of fire whiskey.

"I said Italy's a beautiful country" she grinned, pushing curls behind her ears.

"I've never been there. Is it nice?" Hayden questioned, brushing down her blue skinny jeans.

"I can cook, a bit. Cakes, breakfast and a sunday roast is the most i can cook" she laughed, her gray eyes twinkling.

"Oh cool. Do you enjoy?" inquired Hayden.

Picking up her glass of firewhiskey she downed it.

"Yes I enjoy teaching and I enjoy cooking." Smiled at the question.

Her long brown curls cascading down her back as thought about her other question. "Salem, It was home. I loved it there. Sadly the muggles... In that town witches and wizards are hunted every century or so. That is why i left. Most of the original families stay but I could not."

Her smile faded a little and her hand came up to hold the engagement ring that she wore around her neck. "The last culling i lost someone very dear to me, since then My daughter and I have never returned to Salem."

A small smile returning to her face as she things of her daughter. "In America it's different of at least in Massachusetts It is. You start school when you're seven years old, provided your magic is showing then. Annabella will continue learning at Standford, till she's eleven and I can get her transferred here."

Watches the blond's expressions, before finishing the last of her own whiskey. "You miss your home land?"

"What a shame. Did they burn them? Because surely they could just place a freezing spell upon themselves" she said, truely sad.

"Your husband, boyfriend?" she asked, unlike most people she wasn't afraid to ask questions.

"Annabella? What a lovely name. Hmm, ge her to sign up to my lessons" Hayden smiled, pouring herself another glass.

"Of course but while it holds many good memories, it has more than it's fair share of bad ones" the smile on her face disappeared slightly. The room seemed to dim slightly because of it.

"I was engaged to Annabella's father and I never found out how he died. Alexander was never particularly good at wandless magic... So if his wand was taken...." She trailed off.

"Annabella is an excellent flier already I'm sure she'll happily sign up for your class."

"Oh" was all Hayden could say. Poor Anastasia, poor Annabella, she thought. It must be terrible to get over. "Can you do wandless?" she inquired, "I can do non-verbal and wandless" she smiled, twisting a blonde curl between her slim fingers and bit her full lip.

"I'll be glad to have such a fine flyer in my class" Hayden grinned, sipping at the firewhiskey.

She smiles a half smile, "I can do both non-verbal and wandless, among many other Advanced magical things..."

Stretches her stiff body and rubs her temples.

"Pretty good" smiled Hayden, stretching out her slim legs.

"I'm a animagus. Pretty good skill to learn" she laughed, sipping the firewhiskey.

After ordering another round of fire whiskey, Anya looked to Hayden.

"Yes, I've always wanted to become an Animagus. Maybe one day I will. What are you when you transform?"

"Yes, maybe one day you will. It's blimey hard to learn but the thrill when you finally transform is amazing. Oh...I'm an artic fox or vixen as you call the females" she smiled.

Hayden ordered a butterbeer.

Smiles and finds herself wondering if anyone else might join them.

"I noticed a few of the staff are dating each other, is this normal here?"

"Um...Is Hogwarts a normal school?" she asked, with a smirk playing at the side of her mouth.

"Lots of staff date each. It's pretty normal" Hayden grinned and took a swig of butterbeer.