Quiet corners were a rarity this weekend and, sure enough, right outside the window of the Hogshead, overly exhausted parents were still chasing sugar-high kids through the energetic streets of Hogsmeade.  There were shouts and screams and running footsteps down the street.  Loud music could be heard drifting over the rooftops from the stage.  Last she'd seen, her own miniature-sized charge was back by the rides, enjoying the adrenaline rush.  There'd been some other young kids in the area and Tulojow was fully confident that they'd be able to entertain themselves.  It had been a fun, crazy weekend and Tulojow was rather pleased with herself that she'd managed to keep up as well as she had. 

Having the young energy around the farm had been a nice change of place from the usual quiet.  Despite the tough front the boy put forth, he'd been easier than expected to supervise.  Keegan had settled in quite readily though he was still, gradually, learning to accept that he wasn't going to get in trouble for every little thing he did.  She'd let him lead the way through most of the festival and he'd led an exuberant pace.

But, the time had come to sit back and catch her breath and relax and it looked as though she wasn't the only one with the idea.  A good drink was, very much, in demand.  The more popular and front street Three Broomsticks had been bursting to the rafters with refreshment seekers and it had been standing room only.  Tulojow's knee was aching for an opportunity to sit down and alleviate the pressure and, while the Hogshead was far from empty, there were a few empty seats. 

"Do you mind?" she asked, nodding to the booth's occupants and, then, at the empty seat.  "I need to sit down.  These last few days had just been a terror on the joints." 

The Woodcroft Days yielded their usual success, and Graham found his trunk of herbs lighter by almost half.  The extra coin in his pocket was a lovely jingle, and Graham couldn't help but wear a smut, satisfied grin.  The heat was beginning to wear on him, and as customers began to dwindle, he decided to take his own break.  It was well-deserved, in his opinion.  Choosing a pub less likely to pack in children from wall to wall, Graham settled for the Hog's Head.  Firewhiskey in hand, Graham slid into a booth.  The pub held quite a few memories for the not so young man.  As he reminisced, a certain bushy-haired memory became all too real.  Not only had he recently been forced to confront a gigantic three-headed runespoor, but had to endure the ordeal alongside one of the few with the claim of ex-girlfriend, Niobe Thursby.  As the thought arose, Graham briefly panicked, sitting up to peer about the bar for any sight of her tangled tresses.  Thankfully, there were none.  He breathed a bit easier.

The hubbub of the bar was an interesting cacophony as Graham pondered the large mug of beer.  Was it now half empty or half full?  Unfortunately a wayward child interrupted his thoughts by jumping into the empty seat in front of him.  Graham's head popped up instantly, his eyes scrunching in sync with the ascent of a fiercely pointed index finger.  "No," he stated, his voice allowing no room for argument as he pointed directly between the child's two innocent pupils.  Its lip began to quiver just as a parent swooped in to save the child from imminent danger.  Content that his territory was save from the innocence of youth, Graham's thoughts returned to his drink.

"Do you mind?  I need to sit down.  These last few days had just been a terror on the joints."

Graham looked up to see thankfully not a child, but a mature, experienced woman who was also a coworker.  "Of course," he replied, attempting to sit up and make himself appear less disreputable.  "If you'd like, I could make a salve for you," he offered.

Halfway across the darkened but busy pub room, Tulojow paused to watch the youngster scramble quickly out of her coworkers booth and make a hasty parent-escorted escape.  She offered the youngster a warm smile that went unnoticed on account of the tears pooling on top of the young boy's eyelids.  "Someone stole his cotton candy," Tulojow offered the mother and his son before making her way to the Herbology Professor's table. 

"I swear I've passed puberty," Tulojow offered the younger man as, while bracing herself with the edge of the table, she let herself drop onto the booth bench.  Despite her companion's attempts to appear more reputable, Tulojow rarely bothered with formalities herself.  She shuffled herself towards the wall end of the booth bench and leaned against the wall so she could prop her creaky leg up along the bench.  "I don't think you've made a friend there."

After ordering herself refreshments when the bartender swung by the table, she tugged a carved wooden pipe and a leather pouch from a pocket and hoisted it pointedly.  "Do you mind?"  she asked. 

"I would be grateful if you wanted to try concocting a salve but I won't get my hopes up too much.  They tried an immeasurable number of salves and ointments and potions while I was in St. Mungos.  We suspect its as good as its going to get.  But, I'm lucky to be walking at all, so I consider myself lucky." 

"How has your summer treated you?" Tulojow asked.  "Are you dreading the start of  the new term or are you ready to leave the summer behind?"  The year was shaping up to be an interesting one, that was for sure.