Stepping inside the Three Broomsticks, Sasha tucked the brown paper-wrapped package under his arm as he made his way to the counter to order.  Being of age - even if it was just in the wizarding world - did have it’s perks so, after ordering a beer, Sasha wound his way through the crowded pub until he found a rare empty table and took a seat. 

Hogsmeade weekends, like this one, usually led to a crowded pub room and a deficit of available tables.  All throughout the Three Broomsticks, adults and students alike gathered around refreshments and were either playing catch up or simply enjoying each other’s company.  As they did, Sasha turned his attention to his package - all the various odds and ends of business from the muggle world that couldn’t be sent directly to the castle. 

Most of it was boring - updates from family lawyers, the trustee and a few statements from their accounts manager.  Those could be dealt with later.  What Sasha was really eager for was the large manilla envelope from Wilhelm, their family groundskeeper.  He took a sip and then opened the envelope, letting the contents slide out onto the table.  There were a couple new comic books and a couple information packets from the first few horse shows early in the summer showing season. 

A shadow passed by the Ravenclaw’s shoulder as a familiar voice asked whether the seat opposite was open.  Sasha glanced up and grinned when he spotted Verity, nodding and quickly drawing his things to the side to make room.  “Of course,” he confirmed.  He grinned, awkwardly, ducking his head and blushing slightly as he straightened his pile. 

“How are you?” he offered, feeling slightly sheepish in the process.  He’d always thought highly of Verity.  As younger years, they’d been fellow muggleborns and she’d been easy to be around.  She’d joined the muggle appreciation club but Sasha had grown distant from her, and many others, over the past few years.  With a slightly guilty pang, he grimaced apologetically.  Despite class, “iot seems it’s been a while."

After a long week of tutoring sessions and exams, Verity decided that she needed a day off to de-stress, and a day in Hogsmeade sounded like the perfect way to get a bit of R&R. She walked into the Three Broomsticks, and smiled due to the boisterous atmosphere, already beginning to feel refreshed due to being surrounded by people who all seemed to be in even more of a hurry than she to relieve the stresses from the week. Verity ordered a butterbeer, and happily sipped it as she scanned the crowd for anyone she recognized, when she noticed a tall, blond boy sitting at a table covered with various Muggle items. With a smile, she sauntered up to him and noticed that he was focused intently on the items in front of him.

"Heya, stranger. Mind if I sit with you?" She inquired, chuckling warmly when he blushed and sat opposite the boy. "It's been awhile, I had been worried. But I'm tidy, just trying to not drown in all of my classes and extra-curriculars. Y'know me, I never realize that I actually have limits." She rolls her eyes and laughs at her own antics.

Verity had heard all sorts of crazy rumors about Sasha, but she refused to believe anything that Rita Skeeter wrote, and he'd always been kind to her during their first few years at Hogwarts. But she had been confused by his suddenly distant attitude, and was sad when he was dismissed.

"It has been too long, that's for sure. But I'm glad that you are back," she beams, and she notices the comics. "But how have you been? That's quite a collection you've got there."

"Having limits?"  Sasha scowled, feigning confusion for a moment as he contemplated the topic.  "What's this concept you speak of.  It sounds like something mystical, yet promising.  Like real, guilt-free pastries."  Sasha could never quite tell who had it worse come exam time: the overachievers that insisted on taking every class that could fit in their schedule or the slackers who put off all their studies until the very end.  Both seemed to suffer at the end of the term and, though Sasha wasn't likely to admit it outloud, both brought the state on themselves willingly. 

For the briefest moment, Sasha hesitated, his slightly awkward grin fading to a pensive scowl and his gaze unfocused.  Look at him!  Having a random, casual, social conversation.  Like it was normal.  Not awkward-free - he'd never been awkward-free.  Awkward was his middle name.  Or, last name.  Or...not really his last name if he wasn't, technically, a Schlawkward.  All of which was an awkward mental tangent that Verity neither needed nor was privy to. 

"Sorry," he quickly offered, shaking his head.  This was going to take getting used to, again.  He'd always been a bit prone to locking himself in his own head.  Continuing on with normal conversation..."Which exam are you dreading the most?"  Okay.  So, he'd never been very good at normal conversation, what with inquiring about exam doomsdays.   

"It has been too long, that's for sure. But I'm glad that you are back.  But how have you been? That's quite a collection you've got there."

Sasha grimaced apologetically and ducked his head, sheepishly.  "I'm sorry.  I know.  I didn't mean to.  Things got a little ... overwhelming?  I didn't mean to shut things out."  He just hadn't known how to deal with things and people, too.  Idle chatter hadn't been possible.  "Things seem to be getting better, though.  Feeling...a little more normal?"  It almost felt like a fever breaking after a long battle with a virus.  He wasn't healed, by any means, - he was still weak and there were still days that knocked him back down. 

"Stuff from home.  Mostly non-relatives who can't send things to school.  Property business, mostly."  He poked at the stack of envelopes.  He glanced at the comics and blushed, again, shrugging.  "I ... I don't know if this is more embarrassing since you know what they are.  It's a bit geeky."  But, well, he was a bit geeky. 

Verity barked a laugh at Sasha's comment about having limits, and equating it to guilt-free pastries. "The trick with pastries is all in justification. Let's take pumpkin pasties for example: pumpkin is naturally high in vitamin A, and I can't afford to let my eyesight get any worse. So it's well tidy that I stuff my face with them every chance I get." She winks, and sticks her tongue out slightly.

She noticed his mental retreat, and her brow furrows in concern. But she was not trained in legilimency , partly due to the fact that she found the practice rather abhorrent, and so could only muse what might have sent him into his pensive state. Though truth be told, he'd always been quite introverted, so the behavior wouldn't have made her fret if the past couple years hadn't occurred.

"Oh, no need to apologize," she assured him with a friendly grin when he awoke from his minor reverie. "Defense Against the Dark Arts, most likely." Verity unconsciously chewed on a length of her hair, and promptly spit it out once she realized what she was doing, while a blush crept over her face.

Regaining her composure, she frowned as he apologized for his reclusive behavior, and she placed a hand over his in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm just glad that you are back. Truly, no one can appreciate those Muggles half as well as you can. It's good to hear that you are getting better, but do know that I am here for you if there is ever an off day."

She beamed in delight as she looked at the comics. "Oh man, my mum and da raised me on X-Men. I should show you my collection. Anything good in there?" So few of the students knew about Muggle comics, and even the Muggleborn often seemed uninterested, so it was good to be able to geek out with someone.

“It's in the justification?”  His brows hitched up, slightly, and he grinned when the Hufflepuff stuck out her tongue.  She was right.  Pumpkin had a good deal of Vitamin A and glasses really couldn’t look snazzy with a three-piece.  Vitamin A didn’t negate the other part.  Wistfully and regretful, he said, “Still.  The butter.  It-” He shook his head.  “I wish ... but I have to be careful.”  He could be quite the calorie counter.  "Five weeks and I'll be in the saddle."  On an equestrian cross country eventing course, seconds - and therefore ounces - often meant the difference between winning and not.  His usual diet would make most kids cry. 

Professor Storm probably represented the most unpredictable examination they’d undergo.  He had a way of coming up with some rather unexpected challenges.  “I suspect there’s going to be a lot of nonverbal spell usage.  There’s been way too much emphasis all year.  Runes, though.  I hope Professor Fern-”  Fern.  Professor Fern.  Sasha was still struggling with the transition from stoic, proper Professor Reid to flowery Professor Fern.  “…is aware of what we covered for most of the year.” 

Sasha flinched slightly out of surprise when Verity reached for his hand but almost immediately followed the gesture with an awkward grin.  He considered her offer, but hesitated, at first.  “There’s a lot of, you know, messy stuff.  It’s…well, you probably have a lot of the gist of it.  Most of the school pretty much does.”  Along with much of the wizarding world.  After the long string of exposing newspaper articles the previous year, Sasha had become even more motivated to withdraw.  He’d gotten too use to people whispering, rubbernecking or asking blatantly insensitive questions. 

“Really?  Did your parents read them, too?”  Sasha tried to picture others in his own family partaking and came up short.  “I’m not quite sure if there’s anything good,” he admitted.  “Our stable manager, Wilhelm, doesn’t know much about them; he just picks them at random to send to me.  It’s rare I get them in order but it’s better then nothing.  Wilhelm knows I went to see Wolverine last summer so he’s been grabbing everyone with Logan on the cover.”  He flipped through the stack on the table, perusing the selection. 

"I have to often stay away from the Hufflepuff common room, just because it is too much of a temptation to be in such close proximity to the kitchen," Verity confessed. "But I have never actually ridden a horse. You must enjoy it to follow such a strict diet."

Verity enjoyed Professor Fern's flower child nature, and welcomed the change, but she could understand how the change could be quite alarming. "The nonverbal spell usage has been giving me a bit of grief, but mostly just due to the spells that are utilized in the class. Especially since we're expected to do more than protego... But I have actually found Professor Fern to be a breath of fresh air. Her passion for her subject is quite inspiring. But studying together would be tidy, if you would like."

She noticed Sasha flinch and pulled her hand back, and looked sheepish for the somewhat forward gesture. The papers did follow his story somewhat relentlessly, which irked Verity to no end as it was happening, since she felt powerless to stop it. Everyone should be entitled to their privacy.

"I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't heard the gossip, but most of it sounded absolutely ridiculous. I'm sorry that you had to deal with all of that, though. Those reporters should be ashamed for writing a lot of those things," Verity states, and fumes slightly, but takes a deep swig of her butterbeer to calm herself.

"My parents are rather nerdy, which I appreciate," she smiles remembering her da reading her comics as a child, and her Spiderwoman costume for Halloween the first year she transitioned that her mum sewed for her. "I am afraid that I am crazy behind, but what comic doesn't have an appearance from Wolverine? But that's very kind of him. I generally stock up on the volumes whenever I go home for the summer."

Sasha stared at Verity for a few moments, an expression on his face that lay somewhere between disbelief, pity and bewilderment.  Sure.  He totally understood plenty of people out there weren’t quite as horse…oriented as he was.  To never actually ridden a horse was beyond comprehension.  “Never?” he repeated, just on the off chance it had been an exaggeration to emphasize it wasn’t a frequent activity. 

“I do really enjoy it.  My family always had horses - I think I was riding before I could walk.  At first, it was just the only thing my parents thought I was good enough with the invest in so I started doing lessons regularly.  And, competitions.  Luckily, I liked it.  I guess it grew to an obsession,” he confessed with a grin. 

Exams were little over two weeks away.  With them so near around the corner, revising for them was definitely a priority.  “We can definitely do that.  We can work on those Defense spells, maybe.  Including the ones that do more than Protego.  If you want.” 

“I’m sorry,” he quickly offered when she removed her hand.  “I didn’t mean-“  Wait, no.  He wasn’t really wanting to imply he didn’t want her to move her hand.  Not that he did, or … he didn’t know.  "I’m … I’ve always been weird about, you know, personal contact?  Best to ignore it, really.  But, I hate to admit, most of it wasn’t far off.”  Well,, not most of Skeeter’s embellishments but most of the facts were too close to the truth. 

His parents - well, at least his mother and Gerhard had been close to the opposite of nerdy. Aristocrats.  Socialites.  Status seekers.  Supposedly, his father wasn’t much of a nerd, either, though that was a recent discovery.  “There are some…a few without Logan.  He’s not in - at least, he’s not the focal point on every one.  But, there will be quite a few Logan-inspired ones to catch up on when you stock up.  Especially with all the movies, he’s been more prevalent than usual.” 

Verity saw the look that Sasha gave her when she admitted that she had never been on a horse, and grimaced. "I guess I've just never really been presented with an opportunity. Except once at a fair when I was much younger, but that horse looked possessed, so there was no way I was going to ride it. But that's great to have something you're so passionate about."

She contemplated what the exams would consist of for all of her classes. To be honest, Transfiguration was the only one that didn't worry her. "That would be tidy. I just worry that someone might get hurt, especially with silent casting. But I can definitely use some help with some of the more offensive spells."

I can't believe that I forgot about his feelings towards physical contact. Verity berated herself, and frowned slightly when he said that most of the articles weren't too far off from the truth. "Really? But even if it was true, it doesn't give them the right to pry so much into your life."

She welcomed the conversational shift to comics, as she didn't want to accidentally put her foot in her mouth and say something that might cause Sasha to retreat. "I mostly read independent stuff, like Phonogram was amazing. But Runaways is my favorite Marvel title. Wolverine can get slightly irksome, because he's just so stabby. But I do really enjoy X-23, oddly enough. Possibly biased, though. Y'know, ra-ra girl power." She holds up a fist and smiles.

The Ravenclaw's shoulders hitched up slightly and he grinned, awkwardly.  "Well, you know, if you wanted an opportunity...  You may not be interested but if you wanted to meet a horse that wasn't possessed, you'd be welcome.  Or, if you just wanted to feed them a carrot.  I don't quite know where I'll be staying, yet, but once I do, I'm sure it'd be possible.  Only if you wanted, though." 

"Sometime next week, then?  Tuesday, maybe?  Divination finishes at eight and there's no late Astronomy class."  In contrast to the other days during the week when they didn't finish until History let out at 9 or Astronomy at 12:30.  "Perhaps the room of requirement - we can set it up with the practice dummies.  You can whack away at them."  Sasha grinned and took a drink.  Wandwork had been such a struggle for his first few year and, more so, he'd been a lot like Verity.  He'd been, for a lack of a better term, gun shy about the overtly offensive spells they learned.  It was strange to think he was now in a position to help someone in that area. 

Sasha grinned and nodded.  "Well.  He is stabby.  I mean, it's like 'Go Go Gadget Edward Scissorhands'."  He could see Verity liking X-23; it did make sense.  "She kind of got a raw deal, didn't she?  Family's that stab together?..."  Blushing, Sasha trailed off and shrugged.  "They say the Wolverine movie's supposed to be a trilogy - do you think they're going to introduce her?  Who do you think should play her?"

"What's the first thing you plan on doing when you get home?"  Sasha asked, after another drink.  "What do you miss most from the muggle world when you're here?  Do you have your license, yet?"

Seeing Sasha perk up at the idea of introducing her to a non-demonic horse made Verity beam. "I would really enjoy that. You promise that it won't kick me or bite me? But yeah, let me know whenever you figure out your living situation for the summer. I hope you find out soon, not knowing just seems incredibly stressful..."

"Yeah, Tuesday is tidy. My last class is Herbology, so I always have a lot of free time in the evenings. The room of requirement sounds perfect. I don't think that I would feel guilty about blasting some dummies. Unless you give them names... And some terribly tragic home life," Verity trailed off.

"I mean, Hugh Jackman is well lush, but I feel that sometimes he should find a way to solve a problem without using his claws. But yes, Laura has a horribly depressing backstory. I would love if she showed up in one of the movies, but I'm not entirely sure who would be the best to portray her. I worry that Kristen Stewart could possibly be cast, and that would be too much for me," Verity grimaces at the thought. "Do you have any thoughts on possible castings?"

Verity pondered what she would do first when she got back to Cardiff. "Well, honestly, my mum probably has some itinerary. But I will probably go to the Bay, and swim in water where I don't have to worry about giant squids. I don't know if I miss too much about the Muggle world, though... As terrible as that sounds. I guess Hogwarts just let me escape from a lot of issues. I miss my family, and I miss technology, but I can't really think of too much else. What about you? I wish I had my license, though it isn't exactly the most practical thing, especially since I spend most of my year here. And I don't have too long before I will be able to learn how to Apparate, which will be tidy."

The Ravenclaw nodded and tucked the idea into the back of his mind, pleased to actually be making social arrangements for the summer.  He hadn't been able to have company during the summers prior to his step-father's death and last year had just been odd.  "It's not that bad," he insisted.  "I'll probably head home to Germany for a couple weeks before that school trip.  I'll stay in England after the trip, though."  He didn't want to stay completely isolated down in Schönau-am-Königsee for the whole summer.  "It's a bit of a trek, but you're welcome to come down to my place in Germany.  The International Floo gates at the Ministry make it easy, though.  It's a nice spot if you like hiking or water sports." 

He was perfectly alright not thinking up some tragic home life for the poor practice dummies that occasionally occupied the Room of Requirement.  For some strange, inexplicable reason, contriving a sad story for an inanimate dummy didn't sound like a good time.  So, Tuesday.  8:00pm.  Practice session in the Room of Requirement. 

"He's lush?" Despite having dated Ferguson for a good chunk of their fifth year, it still caught Sasha off guard to consider the attractiveness of men.  He continued to feel slightly uneasy with letting his mind linger on such matters.  If he had to let his mind wander to the lushness of Jackman then, "especially in Kate & Leopold."  He'd take clean, proper over muscles and scruffy any day.  Kristen Stewart in any X-Men movie was just unfortunate and scary.  Hopefully, she was too busy with her whole Twilight life to be considered for that.  "She's not X-Men material.  No.  I wouldn't mind seeing Freema..." What was her last name.  "From Doctor Who?  Martha Jones?"  Apparently, this conversation was becoming a nerd test.  Professor Trishna was missing out. 

Sasha understood what Verity was saying, entirely.  Being at Hogwarts, it was hard not to miss microwaves and, especially, his computer but the castle was an escape.  "Going to the Bay sounds fun though a little cold.  I got my license back at spring break so I am looking forward to driving.  I doubt I'll be passing my Apparition test so it'll be nice to have an alternative to dusty floo fireplaces.  Mostly, I think, I miss cafes."  He grinned. 

Verity had been worried that besides the few weeks on the trip, she would be isolated in Cardiff all summer - and with Zel couch surfing over break, she wouldn't be able to spend her free time with him. Suffice to say, she was extremely excited about the trip, both due to the former reason and because she had missed it last year as it coincided with her family's vacation to New York City. But the prospect of going to Germany and hanging out with Sasha thrilled her just as much. "Tidy! I will be sure to wear sensible shoes and bring a bathing suit," she grimaced slightly as she made a mental note to buy sensible shoes, since most of her shoe hoard consisted of heels. "You have a place to stay in England after the trip?"

When Sasha commented on Kristen Stewart not being X-Men material, Verity nearly chokes on her butterbeer. "Oh, the actress who played Martha would be great, plus we need more people of color in the Marvel universe. She's my mum's favorite companion, and she always jokes that I'm not her daughter when I say I prefer Torchwood." Verity shakes her head and smiles.

It was strange to find herself looking forward to summer, as she often had to deal with seeing old schoolmates - who thankfully didn't recognize her, but it was difficult to refrain from hexing them whenever she encountered one of her old tormentors. "By Jube the weather is generally warm enough that you welcome any chilliness. But I don't handle heat very well; I basically melt."

Verity tilted her head in question when he remarked that he might not pass the Apparition test, as a strand of her wavy brown hair found it's way into her mouth. "Why don't you believe that you'll be able to pass the test? But yes, cafés are well tidy."

Just like that, Sasha had the makings of a social endeavor over the summer.  With a grin, the Ravenclaw nodded and settled back against the back of his seat.  "I'll send you the details on getting there.  There's a little wizard bookstore about a block from the ferry dock.  Unfortunately, magic or no, the rest of the way is by boat.  The ferry's only about an hour, though, and it's a nice trip.  The cliffs make apparating directly there impossible."  A fact which Sasha appreciated and didn't plan on rectifying.  Given current circumstances, making it harder for people to sneak on to the property was a good thing. 

"Not really.  Nothing definitive, yet.  There might be a few options but it maybe a bit last minute."  Sasha shrugged, the gesture a bit more casual than he felt.  "It'll work out.  Worst case scenario, I have to spend another month in my parents' old house.  Or, I'll stay in a hotel somewhere.  My family has muggle friends who own some hotels so I'm sure they'd help out."  Even if those worked out, there were always other options: getting permission from the estate lawyers to take out enough to rent an apartment for the month or, last resort, stay in the apartment off Hyde Park.  He, of course, wouldn't be homeless. 

"Martha kind of got the short end of the stick," Sasha admitted.  "The underestimated rebound companion.  I have to agree with your mum on the Torchwood bit."  Sasha considered the statement for a second, then, with a blush, quickly added: "not that I'd say you weren't my ... I mean, of course I'd say you weren't my daughter.  Because you're not.  It's ... you're ..."  Another conversation derailment.  Sasha took a deep breath.  "Is it the crime detective stuff you like more?  Less of the 'stranded on space ships'?  What about you?  Do you have a favorite companion?  Are you at all excited for the new Doctor[1]" 

The Ravenclaw shook his head.  "Have you side-along apparated at all?  Or, were you there at the lessons?"  Sasha asked, curious if the Hufflepuff was familiar with the sensation of apparating.  "Too many bad experiences with apparition, I guess.  The last couple times I tried to side along, I kept panicking.  And, you know how try to jerk back when you panic?"  The Ravenclaw shook his head, again.  "I know if I panic, I'll get splinched but knowing that doesn't make it easier to not panic, does it?"  If it weren't for the Ministry's tendency to monitor portkey use, Sasha would be content to stick with that and the floo network. 

1.	Matt Smith's first season started April 2010

Verity had no qualms about ferrying part of the way to Sasha's place, as she loved boats and having the breeze tousle her hair. At the mention of cliffs, Verity let out a small whistle. "Wow, your house is sounding more and more like some idyllic, get away resort," she mused. "Well, as long as your aren't homeless. That would just be unfortunate." The thought of Sasha sleeping in bushes and using newspapers as blankets was not a pleasant one.

As Sasha rambled along, valiantly trying to avoid putting both feet firmly in his mouth, Verity smiled and giggled good-naturedly. "No one appreciates Captain Jack. But it's adorable when you get all flustered." She stuck out her tongue. "There is that reason, and also the fact that Ianto and Jack are delightful. But I stopped watching Doctor Who regularly after Eccleston, so I guess I have to say Rose. But I know that my da swears that Donna is the best, and that I would love her if I continued. The new Doctor might be nice, because it would be an easy jumping on point, and my mum's last letter said that the new companion is quite tidy. Who is your favorite companion?"

Ever since she was tall enough, Verity always loved going on the fastest and most vertigo-inducing rides, so she reveled in the feeling of Apparating. "I have only had a couple experiences with Apparating alongside other people, which is not enough. But I view it as when I get in a vehicle with another person, they could get in a wreck and kill us both, but I trust them since they have their license. I find it rather thrilling, but the splinching horror stories are quite awful. I can definitely go my whole life without that occurring. But I still have a couple months before I can Apparate on my own." While she didn't completely loathe Floo travel, it could get rather claustrophobic for her tastes, so she looked forward to having an alternative.

Sasha blushed, glancing down and grinning, awkwardly.  If she thought it was adorable when he got flustered, she was in luck.  “It … happens pretty regularly.”  Sasha admitted.  “On occasion, people have been known to make a sport out of it.”  Okay.  Only a very select group of people.  “I…I have abnormally active facial capillaries.” Trying to explain to Flo that he couldn’t help but blush a lot didn’t seem to do him a lot of good.  He was hoping ‘abnormally active facial capillaries’ sounded more impressive. 

Favorite companion.  Thoroughly enjoying the nerd-fest, Sasha held the glass loosely between his hands, feeling the film of condensation collect into droplets around his fingers.  “Favorite companion…I’d have to say Jack.  I think.  I don’t know if he really counts.  He dresses very smartly.”  The Ravenclaw hadn’t really given the implications of that line of reasoning much thought before; he wasn’t so sure he wanted to consider it too deeply right now.  “Rose was a close second.  She and Jack seemed to be the two that grew the most.  As, you know, characters.  You should at least try the next few series, though.  You might like where the plot goes."

Sasha wished he could share the Hufflepuff’s optimism when it came to apparition and, cognitively, he did.  He understood that, like in a vehicle, the driver had just as much motivation to avoid an accident and he trusted most people to get him someplace safely.  After all, he’d trust Kronos to apparate with him after the werewolf attack.  He’d just insisted the old man make him unconscious before attempting. 

“Maybe one day.”  He wasn’t holding his breath.  “I’ll be spending a lot of time in the muggle world after Hogwarts, anyway, so it won’t be all that useful.  It’s kind of hard to explain materializing in the middle of a crowd of muggles.  Do you know what you’re going to do?  After Hogwarts?"