House Hunting (Aimee and Gene)

Aimee after their meeting in the ice cream parlour had decided that despite his hurried departure and his altogether random behaviour that she would very much like to meet up with Gene again, besides she needed his help getting this house.

She kind of hoped that the owl that she had sent him would have reached him at Hogwarts but she hadn't gotten a reply so she'd be sitting here a long time if he hadn't got it.

Perching on a bench around the outside of a large square within the village she waited patiently for Gene to show up, if he would in fact show up.

Gene drove slowly into the town, and he was greeted by an elderly woman.

"Hello... Gene... How is everything?" She croaked, and Gene gave her the thumbs-up.

"Tell your husband for me, I got company today! Won't be watching Hogan's Heroes with him! Take care!"

Gene's Volkswagen slowly drove up the lane, in this tiny town, and when he reached the Town Square, he saw Aimee.

He got out and rolled a snowball, and threw it at her.

"Hey! Hit me if you can!" He laughed.

Aimee jerked her head up from reading her book that she had just begun when she heard a car rumble down the street, sighing she returned to reading until a cold feeling suddenly hit her face and she gasped snapping the bok shut.

"GENE!"

She shrieked playfully and Aimee made a snowball and threw it full force at his tummy before making another one and sending it at his head.

"Hello to you too..."

Gene took cover from behind his car, and he rolled another snowball and retaliated.

Suddenly, there was a loud cry as the neighbour hood kids ran out.

"War! War!" The little boys and girls shouted, and they all rushed at Gene.

"Hey! Hey!" Gene laughed, and they threw snowballs at him, until he was buried from knee-down.

"Hey! Stoooop! Or no sweets on Sunday!" Gene yelled, and they rushed at Aimee instead.

"Go! GOOD! RUSH HER!" Gene laughed.

Aimee grinned as the kids came out and started to throw snowballs at Gene it gave her a chance to creep behind a car and hide herself but as the kids came running away from him to find her Aimee squeaked and ran to hide behind Gene.

"Human sheild!!"

Giggling Aimee picked up two handfuls of snow and shoved them down Gene's top.

"HAHAHA! Payback!'

Gene yelled as he took the full blow of the kids, and he jumped as he felt snow down his back.

"Hey!" He pulled off part of his shirt to allow the snow to drop, before quickly pulling it down again.

"Alright kids, game's over!" Gene laughed as the kids made sad faces and left, singing songs.

"Let's go to my house first okay? I need to pick up my rifle. Come on!" Gene smiled, beckoning to her.

Aimee giggled as she saw Gene try to get the snow out from under his top and waving to the kids as they left the square Aimee turned to Gene with her hands on her hips and a not very impressed look on her face.

"Oh so I get to see the abode of the intelligent Gene Downie?"

Double taking Aimee looked confusedly at Gene and cocked her head.

"You need to get your what?"

"Like gun? Because there are bears sometimes. And I can't use magic until condition really forces. Don't worry, I'll just shoot at its foot in case we do meet one." Gene muttered.

"There's a mix of magic folk and muggles in this town of less than 60. The bread is lovely, like my home. There, right ahead!"

Gene pointed to a house painted wooden brown, a chimney protruding out of the roof.

Aimee gulped, she remembered that Gene had told her there were bears around here but she had just thought that he was joking, following him carefully almost like a shadow Aimee smiled when she saw his house.

"Wow, it's so cute. It's just lovely..."

Giggling slightly with the idle talk of bread she nodded at him, she wasn't really one for bread but she'd probably give it a try.

"Brown, or white bread, or that nasty one with seeds on?"

"Yes... The interior is nicer." Gene smiled, and when they reached his house, he opened the door, and with a flick of his wand, orange light lit up the house, and he placed his luggage to one side.

The place was paneled with wood, the flooring was red, and the fireplace gave the house a warm, cosy touch.

"Try the bread." He tossed one brown bread to Aimee.

He then went to his bedroom drawer, and pulled out a revolver, and his rifle.

"Aimee, you want to carry a gun?" Gene offered the pistol, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

Aimee just managed to catch the bread as she was too busy looking at all the decoration of the house, smiling lightly she nibbled a little bit of it before finding out that she quite liked it and eating the rest quickly.

"That was lovely."

Heart skipping wildly as Gene held out the pistol to her Aimee took it and felt it's heavy weight in her hands turning it over so that she could inspect both sides of it.

"Thanks Gene."

She whispered placing it in her deep trenchcoat pocket.

"See, a bear? Scream, and shoot. And... Take this Cola." Gene beckoned for her to follow and they left.

"Good thing about this town, is that you can leave your house unlocked, and no one will rob it. It's a safe little town. Come, I'll show you the house." Gene walked Aimee across the street, where a young lady was seated on a bench.

"Hey Gene! Long holiday?" The lady smiled, casting a long look at Aimee.

"I wish! Work! Work! Work! See you around, Karina!" Gene smiled, and after they walked into the well-laid forest path, they reached a small house, similar to that of Gene's.

"What do you think?" He opened the door, and inside, the painting was orange, with the floor brown. A fireplace was there as well.

"Look around."

Aimee smiled gently at Gene and as they walked towards the house the long look that the lady gave her made her blush a little bit, that was the bad thing about living in a small town everyone knew everyone and everyone knew everyones business.

"So you have a lot of work to do as a Professor yes?"

She asked intrugued by the position as a Professor, hoping that she herself would be able to work up at the school some time in the future.

"Wow, it's so lovely here! It's nicer than your house."

Pulling her tongue out at Gene she walked further into the house smiling when she realised that if she bought this place there would be virtually nothing that needed to be done to it.

"This is great, there's no work to be done, just buying new furnature I guess because they'll be moving this stuff and taking it with them..."

"Oh well, I teach History of Magic... I got a fair-sized class. But life's good. You should work there! Students are like my friends. I insist they call me by my first name." Gene smiled.

"Yes... I figure it'll be rather nice, just do a bit of renovation, add some cabinets for the kitchen and things like this." Gene looked around.

"I haven't been here a long time since... Oh, do you like this house?" Gene asked, cleaning his rifle.

Gene took out a land deed and placed it on the table.

Gene Christopher Downie

To: Aimee Cooper

Transfer of Property

"Just sign here. You'll get this house free of charge." Gene smiled.

Aimee was looking around the house at all of the features checking out the windows and fixtures and all of that stuff, she watched Gene bring out a peice of paper and she got a little nervous, she didn't have all the money in the book to pay for it yet, then, she double taked thinking her ears must have malfunctioned.

"Excuse me? Did you say...free?"

She raised her eyebrow and at his serious expression she clapped her hands to her face and laughed out loud rushing over to Gene and hugging him tightly kissing him on the cheek, signing her name with a flourish.

"Oh my Merlin Gene...why? You just gave me a free HOUSE!"

"Oh.. I have a lot of houses." Gene winked but didn't comment further.

"With regards to renovation, I'll help. Moving in, I'll help. But... You'll have to be wary of bears on your own from now on. Oh yes." Gene gave her the deed casually, and walked towards the wall, which he hammered with his fist, and it opened.

"This is meant for an emergency. Pull this, and I'll be here almost immediately." He pointed at the lever and closed it.

"This house was never neglected even though I didn't visit it. See? No dust." He slid his hand across the existing furniture.

"There's a nice muggle shop for furniture, you want to go?" Gene asked.

Aimee was more than a little bewildered about this man, he was so...odd...he barely even knew her and there he was giving her a house for free and offering to help her move in and renovate it?

"Wow...well...wow...what can I possibly do to thank you for such a kind act Gene...? Just tell me and I'll do it for you."

Biting her lip she listened to him talking about the shop to go to to buy the furntature and slightly wincing as he put his hand through the wall to show her a lever.

"That's very handy in case I get attacked by a bear thank you."

Aimee grinned and she hugged Gene again before letting go and did the finger test herself, seeing no dust she smiled and nodded at the suggestion to go to the furnature shop now.

"Yes I think we should. Lead the way kind sir."

She giggled as Aimee curtseyed to him.

"Treat me a meal next time. Oh excuse me." Gene smiled, and placed his cellphone to his ear.

"Hello? Ahh... Oil discovery eh? Good... Good... Do it." Gene said into the phone, and as he opened the door, suddenly, a bear pounced on him.

"ARGH!" Thankfully for Gene, he managed to swing his rifle to block the bear from pouncing on him completely.

Gene was gasping for breath, until he gripped the bear by it's throat, and started pressing it, causing it to choke, and try to get up.

Seizing the moment, Gene grabbed a can of pepper and threw it into the bear's face, causing it to run.
"Goodness, let's go." Gene said, as if nothing had happened.

"That place sells mostly wooden furnitures..." Gene said, examining a rather nasty cut on his forearm.

"What's your favourite food then, I'll invite you over sometime."

Aimee was paying too much attention to the phone call and she was about to walk out of the door when she saw a massive bear attack Gene and she stood there for a minute rooted to the floor in shock and she gasped when he managed to fight it off.

"Oh my!"

She cried as Gene told her to hurry after him, his calm demenour as if nothing had happened made Aimee feel a little better but the nasty cut to his arm made her frown.

"Here...let me fix that for you."

With a smile Aimee straightened his arm and closed her eyes, a green light surrounding her hand as she held it over the cut, in a matter of seconds it was healed and all back to normal.

"Anywhere else hurt? As a healer its the least I can do..."

"Thanks for fixing up that wound." Gene said nonchalantly and they exited into the streets.

"I figure you can complete move-in in just two days if you hurry. Or a week if you take it nice and slow." Gene muttered.

"Oh yes, don't take security regarding bears lightly. Carry a firearm around with you when your at home. They might just smash through your front door." Gene said slinging his rifle again.

"There's a lot of places I need to take you to. The Café... The old-school Bar... And other small town facilities. You tired?" Gene asked.

"You're very welcome Gene."

Aimee smiled and she followed him throughout the streets laughing lightly as he told her how quickly she could move in, she didn't mind when she did, she had a house now and that was all that mattered.

"Oh...that fills me with confidence."

She bit her lip and her hand touched the cold metal of the pistol in her trench coat pocket and tried to forget the encounter of the large bear just before.

"N-n-no I'm fine thanks..."

Aimee stuttered now turning her head at every snapping twig she heard just in case it was a bear lumbering up for an attack.

"Relax... We're at the town square already." Gene gestured at the furniture shop.

"Hmm? The Shopkeeper isn't here yet. Take a look around first." Gene told Aimee, pointing at classically designed furniture to Danish Moderns.

"Café is right beside, nice food and all..." Gene sighed.

Aimee sweatdropped when she realised just how stupid she was being to be this paranoid and she stopped jumping at every little sound and walked into the furnature shop to have a little look around at the stuff they sold.

"I have a thing for antique furnature..."

She smiled bashfully as she stroked her hand over a Victorian smoking cabinet.

"Hm...food...not really a big one on food, rather have a nice cup of tea...do they do good tea?"

"They specialize in furniture. They also custom-make if you can afford it. They've been going at this for over fifty years. They're one of the best." Gene said.

"Hey, Shultz! You there?" Gene asked, but there was no reply.

Gene heard her comment about the Café and looked at her from head to toe, then back.

"Figure your not a big fan of food." Gene joked, then he nodded.

"You kidding? Their tea is awesome! Let's just sit there and wait for Shultz to appear." He pointed at the Café, and led Aimee there.

"Wait, I'll go get tea and something to eat, for me. You'll get some bread instead."

Moments later, he appeared, carrying a tray, which was burdened with tea, a small basket of bread, and a dish of lasagna.

"I'm starving." He smiled apologetically.

Aimee smiled as Gene whisked her off to the nearby cafe and upon entering it she smiled broadly again it was so quaint and lovely, just the sort of place that she could imagine living.

"Are you implying that I am skinny sir?!"

She asked in mock outrage.

"Oh I get manky bread do I thanks for that."

Sticking her tongue out at Gene she took a seat and waited patiently for him to return, just looking at the lasagne made her hungry and she wanted desperately to rob a bit off him but she took her tea and sipped it gently, nibbling on a hunk of bread.

"At least youre stomach hasn't growled yet."