It had been about a year since Conner had been rather unceremoniously dumped into Dante's life.  Things had never really been the same since, against his better judgement, he had agreed to keep the dog.

It wasn't that Conner wasn't a good companion....he rarely barked, had learned to not chew on anything other than his dog toys, and he wasn't one of those silly frilly little dogs he often saw whipped men walking for their significant others.  However, he was a reminder of what happened when Dante let his guard down even for a moment.  Now, no matter what was going on at work, at a certain hour he was forced to return home to see to Conner's needs.  Endless nights of work at the office uninterrupted were now a thing of the past.  All because he had listened to someone who had betrayed him.

Making his way down the street, Conner trotting along beside him, Dante was suddenly brought to a halt when something slammed into his back.  Turning sharply he saw a group of children, probably not even old enough to be enrolled at Hogwarts, frozen in place and watching him with wide eyes.  The  snowball in the hands of one of the boys was all the evidence Dante needed to put together what happened.  One of the little buggers apparently had terrible aim.

"I suggest you find somewhere less populated to engage in your little games," he growled.  "Go on, beat it!" 

As the kids scrambled to get away, he started the futile task of trying to brush the snow off the back of his coat.  He shot a look at Conner who's backside was wagging in excitement as he was clearly hoping to follow the children.  The look went ignored and Dante rolled his eyes at the dog as he went back to trying to shake the snow off his back.

It had snowed in the morning.

Leyla clutched her robes close to her against the cold, cheeks red and sore from the winds racing down Diagon Alley. Leaving the Apothecary was a dreadful thing. She had known colder winters - and would know them better in the new year - but this was a bitter breeze.

Without warning, a cluster of laughing boys came slipping and sliding out of the blue. "Oi! Move it! He's off 'is rocker!" they bellowed heartily as she stepped out of the way. "Sorry miss!" a boy in a cap exclaimed, "Pardon us!" another followed and Leyla smiled after them warmly.

"Children..." she clucked her tongue, turning to continue down the street when she found herself having to stop. Oh, she knew that face. The dog was unfamiliar.

In fact, the dog was somewhat uncharacteristic but if Filch could have his Mrs Norris, then why not Dante Ward a familiar as well? Allah knew that all the grumps needed one.

"Scourgify~" Leyla's lip relaxed into a delighted smile, sweeping away the dusting of snow with a flick of her wand. "Seasons greetings, Scrooge!" she greeted the wizard with a trace of humour. "Come to do your shopping? Or to scare away little boys?"

How was it that children seemed to be able to target the exact spot one could not really reach on their own?  It seemed both the magical and the mundane were failing him when someone decided to offer a little assistance.  The voice was familiar, although he didn't share her humor.  Conner, however, was wagging his rear furiously obviously hoping for some attention from Leyla.

"Come to do your shopping? Or to scare away little boys?"

"This blasted holiday season can not be over soon enough," he grumbled.  "Every year it gets worse...more parents ignoring their ill behaved children while they shop, leaving the little buggers to show the entire wizarding world how they have been raised with a lack of manners."

At least he felt like there was some validity to his annoyance...the comparison to the old fictional miser wasn't entirely a fair one after all.  Even if he did tend to dislike everything about the month of December.  Despite the literary reference, Dante had a great amount of professional respect for Leyla that had been built over the years.

"I assume with the extra holiday shoppers you've been extra busy," he said.

"Why, hello there~" Leyla hailed the dog that had so enthusiastically greeted her as she approached her friend on the street. "What a pretty boy you are," she laughed, reaching to give its head a gentle rub.

Dante was in no similar mood to his pet and the witch glanced up at him, sighing through her smile. It was a good thing that he did not have children of his own- she feared that their misbehaviour would be inevitable, a cruel joke of Fate.

"Your mythic Santa Claus would have no names on his naughty list if these children don't run rampant," Leyla commented- obviously poking fun at her friend, though with no mean spirit. "I'm convinced you have scared them on to his good list." Or exacerbated their amusement.

Folding her arms close, as it was still cold and breezy, she smiled guiltily at his insinuation.

"Would it surprise you if I said no, friend?" her eyebrows lifted abashedly. "I've turned down my seasonal orders. Couldn't help it, you see, um.." she paused to cough into her hand. "It's Hogwarts. I've had an offer for a position there."

The offer had been sudden and recent so she hadn't a chance to write her friends with the news. Feman billuk. Some things were maybe better said in person.

Conner, ever eager for attention, practically wagged his entire body when Leyla reached out to pet his head.  Dogs were so blissfully unaware of what the world was really like.  Regular food and attention was all the was needed to buy their loyalty.  It didn't seem to matter what was going on with the rest of the world, Conner was perpetually happy.  If Dante was really being honest, in the last year he had almost grown to look forward to the dog's enthusiastic daily greetings.  Not that he would ever admit that to another person.

"I'm convinced you have scared them on to his good list."

He smirked despite his best effort to find no amusement in the situation and quipped, "Well, if that's the case then they should thank me Christmas morning when there's an over abundance of gifts waiting for them.  They can relish in being spoiled on yet another supposed holiday that has lost its true meaning for those who celebrate it."

When she mentioned turning down her seasonal orders he was quite certain the confusion had shown on his face.  The reason she had done so wasn't entirely what he might expect to hear.  Teaching at Hogwarts was quite a commitment, plus a classroom of children wasn't exactly for the faint of heart.

"Then I suppose as long as this is the professional change your looking for, I should say congratulations," he told her, trying to express sincerity.  "Teaching can be rather challenging...to say the least."