Historically, this had been the least reassuring statement Ambrose Augustus Pepper ever issued his Hogwarts classmates. Wand outstretched, the 17 year and two week old wizard commanded the full tray of drinks wordlessly from the bar of the Three Broomsticks. It was crowded, noisy and smoky in the inn, especially that Saturday when the students could visit. Ambrose's tongue poked out the corner of his mouth without realising as the drinks sailed up above the heads of the other drinkers in the busy pub, and an army of eyes followed its path warily.

They didn’t know he’d been practising at home with a tray full of glasses and jugs of water. Gabrielle’s house elf, Imp did. It had watched critically more than once, ready to save the glassware. Ambrose had spent the past two weeks perfecting it so he didn’t look like an absolute tool in front of his friends. This was his chance to celebrate turning 17 with them, and his parents had very kindly helped fund it as a present.

At a crowded table, the tray descended, the former fifth year’s concentration unbroken despite his wish to glance around and see if anyone was impressed. Hands reached out as it made the last couple of inches to the table, snatching drinks before there was a chance for the tray to crash down.

Young Pepper celebrated enthusiastically, both arms thrust above his head, wand still in hand, and sent a nearby stranger stumbling forward in surprise with his own pint slopping.

"To friends!" Ambrose toasted them all, ecstatic at seeing everyone.“It’s so good to see you all!” Ambrose grinned, pulling his own butterbeer towards him. “I can’t believe it’s October - London’s been epic, but how’s Hogwarts?”

Kelvin hastily and silently cast a shield above his head when he saw what Ambrose was planning.  He wasn't trying to offend his friend, but he also didn't want to get a butterbeer shower.  He tried not to be too obvious about it, but there was only so inconspicuous he could be and still aim his wand straight up above his head.  And he wasn't the only one to quickly grab his drink off the tray.  Apparently no one was overly confident in Ambrose's ability.

They had survived five years of classes with him after all.

He lifted his glass half-heartedly when Ambrose raised his and toasted.  "It's only been a month."  It wasn't like they were coming together for the first time in years... It had been a normal month of classes for everyone but Ambrose. "But it certainly hasn't been epic."

Eli couldn’t help but be impressed by Ambrose.  No, not by his floating drink tray trick (that was slightly terrifying), but by his decision to leave Hogwarts to pursue an apprenticeship.  It was amazing that he knew already what he was interested in doing as a career because Eli surely had no clue what he was going to do after leaving school, a problem that had been pestering him knowing that he only had two years left as a student. 

As Ambrose floated the tray of drinks over to their table, Eli noticed Kelvin take cover and the Gryffindor couldn’t help but snigger, not that he could blame him for doing so.  Knowing Ambrose, it was fully possible that half of them could be getting an unexpected shower here in the Three Broomsticks, but fortunately that was not the case. 

Eli quickly grabbed a drink from the tray as everyone else was doing, still fearing that something was going to go amok.  At Ambrose’s toast, Eli lifted his glass and nodded in agreement, “To friends!”  He took a swig of the warm butterbeer and set his glass back down on the table.  “Well, it has only been a month… That’s certainly not enough time for anything real interesting to happen.  But it’s Hogwarts.  Give it time, something’s bound to come up.” Eli said glancing at Kel and then looked back at the man of the hour, “Brosie, you know what school’s like so stop teasing us and tell us about life on the outside! Spill!”

It was Frank's first Hogsmeade weekend and he was happily soaking it in. He was trooping around with his friends from shop to shop, laughing and spending his spare coin wisely. Now he was at The Three Broomsticks! He was trying not the think about the last time he was here, when his mum had brought him here so they could meet his brother Figaro and tell them that their dad was going to Azkaban. Yes. He was doing a very good job not thinking about that!

Mostly because he and his friends found themselves at a table with the older kids! Even Ambrose Pepper was there, who'd left Hogwarts early to become and apprentice. Which sounded very important somehow. Most people had to go all seven years before they could start in the world. Not very many people did that, did they?

Frank was next to Kelvin, who was a bit morose as per usual, but Frank echoed his movements and toasted with his cup of pumpkin juice.

"Actually, not epic!" he agreed.

“It’s only been a month,” Kelvin retaliated, like a true Ravenclaw, measuring the minutes and comparing to the year. “… But it certainly hasn’t been epic.”
“Actually, not epic!” Sellaphix junior piped up. Ambrose couldn’t quite believe Frank was a Third Year, Ambrose still believed he had to be a first year.

“No?” Ambrose asked, a little disappointed for his former classmates.

“Well it has only been a month…” Eli confirmed, “… that’s certainly not enough time for anything real interesting to happen. But it’s Hogwarts. Give it time, something’s bound to come up.”

“That’s more like it!” Ambrose proclaimed, toasting the air towards his former dormmate.

“’Brosie, you know what school’s like, so stop teasing us and tell us about life on the outside! Spill!”

“Oh, merlin, where to begin. Like, it’s not nine to five, either. It’s up Snowdon coaxing down an escaped Granian in high winds or re-homing trolls from a muggle village, and this night I watched mooncalves make crop circles that ended up in the newspaper. It’s hard work, but it’s so good. I mean, I’ve even been converted to paperwork. I kind of get why we had to write so many essays and do so much research now.”

He shrugged, as if this academic epiphany was absolutely obvious, even though Ambrose had grumped and struggled through writing longer pieces of work all through his Hogwarts years. 
“I’ve just got to get my apparition test done though. You know me, odds are against…” He blushed. “What about you guys, are you taking it soon? Will you be doing lessons again at school?”