Gabrielle walked into the Three Broomsticks with a book in her hand. Without looking up, she ordered a butterbeer and began to walk to find an empty seat. She was reading a wonderful book on quiddich, and she couldn't help but not look up.

Just as she thought she found a spot, Gabrielle rammed into someone, causing her to drop her butterbeer, the glass shattering. It didn't hit her, but she blushed profusely. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry." She mumbled as she did a cleaning spell, still red in the face.

Albus did not sleep well at all the night before. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to a nice quiet drink at The Three Broomsticks. He hadn't slept well because of a bad nightmare about his girlfriend of a while back. She had been kidnapped and kiled, and on occasion he had nightmares about her being tortured. They always haunted him the next day.

After ordering some oak-matured mead, he was going to an empty seat, but somebody bumped into him. The lady had dropped her butterbeer, and he only just managed to hold on to his drink. He smiled at her, she was certainly a pretty one. Albus noted that she had a book with her, he was an avid reader himself. "That's okay, don't worry about it. I should have been paying more attention as well. How about I buy you a replacement, butterbeer, correct?" he asked her.

"Correct." Gabrielle replied, cheeks still tinged pink. Finally she looked up to the person she bumped into. It was a man, probably close to her age, and extremely familiar. How did she see recognize him? It was something that would bother her for a while. "I'm such a klutz. I'm so sorry!" She laughed at herself, she couldn't help it. It was a ridiculous situation she was in.

The woman who had bumped into him was blushing a little bit, it was kind of embarrassing. Albus looked at her, and there was something vaguely familiar about her. He couldn't say where, but he was sure he had met her before. "You don't need to apologize, I understand what it's like not to want to take my head out of a book. I'm Albus by the way."

"You're an avid reader as well, then?" Gabrielle asked curiously. It was a trait that she rather enjoyed in people. Not a lot of people either admit it or show it. "I'm Gabrielle. Gabrielle Regan. Nice to meet you Albus." Albus what? She bit down on her lip, trying to think. Nothing came to mind, and she carefully marked her book, and put it into her bag.

"Yeah, I always have to have something to read. I feel odd whenever I don't, you know?" Not many people were bookworms these days, he always enjoyed meeting another one. "Better give you my last name as well, it's Fenwick, Albus Fenwick." Gabrielle Regan, why did that name ring a bell. "Your name sounds familiar, were you by any chance a Hufflepuff?"

"I do too. That's why I always carry a book around." Gabrielle admitted with a laugh. "Then I always have something to do." It was nice that he felt the same way about books. It gave her an idea to talk about. "I was a Hufflepuff. Were you as well?" Maybe that was why he seemed so familiar. She hoped at least, she couldn't think of another reason.

"Good way to go." Albus agreed with her. Meeting somebody who liked books was nice, it gave them something to talk about. "Exactly, keeps the boredom away. What's your favorite book, and author?" He read a little bit of everything. "Yes I was, maybe that's why you seem familiar. I kept to myself mostly though, a bit shy."

"I can't really pick anything at all. I love reading anything I could get my hands on. I've never came to an end of the book and say that I hated it." Gabrielle explained passionately. "But I love poetry." Poetry was her favorite genre, if she had to choose one.

"Really? Maybe that is why. I was pretty shy myself, but I tried to talk as much as I could." Gabrielle was one of the girls everyone could trust, but she didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't want to bother anyone with her own problems.

"I'm the same way, haven't read a book I didn't like. Shakespeare and Dickens are probably my favorite to read if I had to choose though." Albus told her. "Poetry, huh? That's my favorite as well." Something about the way poetry made you think about things had always made him love it.

"Yea, I preferred being shut up with my books. Now I wish I had made more friends than what I did." There had only been one friend that he was closed to, and he had no idea what happened to him. "Want to find a seat? May as well sit down if we're going to be talking."

"Those are interesting choices. I do like the writing pieces from them, but Austen is another that I enjoy." Gabrielle knew Austen was dull, but the longer she read the stories, the more enchanted she was with the stories

"I wish I was with my books more than people. I didn't really feel like I had a lot of true friends." Gabrielle just didn't know how to tell people that she didn't like them. She just wasn't like that. "Sure, let's find a seat. Catch up, yeah?"

"Austen is alright, I have read Pride and Prejudice. It was decent, but not my favorite. Another of my favorites is the Lord of the Rings Series by J. R. R. Tolkien. Can't beat a book with wizards, monsters, and an epic quest in my opinion." For him, Austen was just a bit too focused on the love side of things. After a while it kind of bored him to be honest.

"Neither did I, haven't kept up with the one person I would have considered a close friends. But, in some ways books are like friends if you think about it. I know when I pick up one of my favorite books and start reading it feels like a friend." Gabrielle would probably think that was a bit weird, but it was true. "Yea. So what have you been up to since Hogwarts?" Albus asked. He found a table and pulled out her chair for her.

"No, I suppose that could be a good book series. I just couldn't see myself getting into them like other books I have read." Gabrielle didn't exactly love action books. She loved the mellow ones, like Austen's work. Focusing on love, yet drama at the same time.

"When I pick up my favorite book I guess I feel more relaxed. Better than talking to people. I drink tea and I read and I forget the world." In most ways, Gabrielle agreed whole heartedly with Albus. Books are better than friends in most ways.

"I'm the war columnist for the prophet." Gabrielle shrugged. "Nothing exciting, but it puts bread on the table." She sat in the chair that he pulled out, and smiled in thanks. "What have you been doing?"

"Fantasy and adventure isn't everybody's style. What poets do you like, though? I'd have to say my favorite are Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, and Robert Frost. Like a lot of different ones though." Poetry was something he always had an interest in. "Used to get teased because I liked poetry, most guys thought it was a girly thing to do." Albus admitted.

"Exactly, losing myself in a good book is one of my favorite things to do. It is better than talking to people, well...most of the time. Occasionally there is a person I enjoy talking to more." He had definitely enjoyed talking to his old girlfriend and his best friend more back in the day.

"That must be an interesting job." Albus thought it would be cool to work for a newspaper. Taking a seat, he smiled across the table at her. "I traveled around for a bit after Hogwarts. Now I'm the History of Magic teacher at Hogwarts. Always loved history, it can teach us so much."

"I like all of those, and I also like Emily Dickinson and E.E. Cummings. I just love anything in general. Every poet brings different things for me that I absolutely love." Gabrielle was shocked that Albus liked the same poets she liked. "Most men don't understand poetry I suppose." She felt like that at least.

"There is some people I would have a deep conversation with. But I just don't see those people as much as I should." Gabrielle admitted with a small frown on her face. No one really stayed close to her when they all graduated. She kept to herself like she had all throughout school.

"Yeah, it is." Gabrielle agreed with a smile. "I wanted to work in Hogwarts, but I'm sure you know that all the spots were filled." That was the only one spot left, and as she didn't really like history, she turned it down. "Good for you though. Where did you travel?"

"Ooohh, they are good too. I'm the same way, I can't not like a poem. Each one is so unique. One time I tried to write poetry, got a couple written, then I gave up." He remembered the attempts, he tried, but it wasn't a gift he had been given. That was something you had to be born with. "I'd have to agree with you about that. Can't say I've met any."

Albus knew how she felt, of the two people he used to have deep conversations with, one was dead. "Yea, I know what you mean, I only knew two people who I really had deep conversations with. One I haven't talked to since Hogwarts and I have no idea what happened to him. The other was my girlfriend, and she's dead now. Happened about five years ago now, still miss her sometimes. Sorry, you probably don't want to hear about that." he apologized. Talking about a dead girlfriend wasn't exactlyt he most cheerful thing.

"Most of the jobs were filled up, I got the only one available. Oddly enough not many people want to teach History of Magic." Albus joked a bit. "I traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Egypt, and a couple different countries in Central America. Egypt was probably my favorite, so much history happened there."

"I occasionally write poems. But what I really am doing is working on a novel. I intend to do poetry at some point, just not soon." Gabrielle was shocked that she hadn't recognized Albus before. It seemed like they both clicked rather well. "Well, you're the first man to really talk about poetry with me. Most of them look at me like I'm crazy."

"What was his name?" Gabrielle asked curiously. Maybe she knew him too. It wouldn't be unheard of, as they were both in the same house and the same age. "I'm sorry about your girlfriend. I can't imagine how hard that would be to lose someone that you were close to." She really had no idea. She was an only child and got most of anything that she wanted. Which was books and journals. So she never had to grieve about anything.

"I do enjoy history quite a bit, but I feel that if I taught it it would become dreadfully dull." Gabrielle admitted sheepishly. "I would love to go to Egypt! I've heard the wizard history is the amazing part." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Those all seem like amazing places. I have to admit, I'm jealous. I'm more of a home body myself."

"You're working on a novel? That's so cool, what's it about?" Albus asked, genuinely interested. He didn't really know her, but they did seem to get along fairly well. "Haha, I can imagine they would. Not many are interested in that type of thing. Beats me why they aren't."

"Jordan Croft." Albus replied. He hadn't thought about his former best friend in a long time. Jordan could be doing anything now, he really had no idea. "Thanks, she was kidnapped and then killed actually. Occasionally I have nightmares about her being tortured or something similar. That's actually why I came here, had a bad one last night, didn't sleep very well. Don't get them as often as I used to though, thankfully." Time was slowly healing the wound that her death had lost. A part of him would always miss her though.

Albus chuckled a bit at that. "It's true, history can be hard to make interesting at times." Traveling was something he had always wanted to do, and he had been stoked to go and do it. Every place he had visited was just as amazing as he hoped it would be. "If you get the chance it is definitely worth the trip. I was lucky to visit them, I'm not surprised you're a bit jealous."

"Tell me more about yourself Gabrielle, what are your hobbies and stuff?" He hadn't gotten to know a girl in a long time, and Gabrielle seemed like a great person.

"I'm wanting it to be a lens that is someone looking down at another person's life. Kind of like a ghost or something, looking at that person, and wondering what is tying them to that one person. I came up with the idea in a dream and I rather enjoyed it." Gabrielle explained with shining eyes. Her tone changed from shy to more comfortable, more fun. "They don't understand the finer things life puts out." Art was something Gabrielle loved, and she considered authors book art in it's own form.

"I don't remember the name. What house was he in?" Gabrielle's brown knitted together, trying to remember if she even knew a Jordan. Hearing about how his girlfriend died made her feel a bit remorse, and she shook her head slightly. "That's a terrible thing that someone did that. No one deserves to die like that. They all deserve a happy life." She would have nightmares about that too. She would be in the same situation. Gabrielle probably wouldn't get over it either, being as naive as she is.

"Maybe I should get out and do stuff like that. My job makes me travel as it is, but not very far." Gabrielle loved her job, but lately she felt like her calling was teaching. She didn't know if it was worth it though, as she was well respected in her field.

"I paint, I draw, I do pottery, obviously I write. I have a small art gallery not far from here, but hardly anyone buys." Gabrielle stretched, not realizing how stiff she was. "I'm terribly boring, I apologize. What are your hobbies?" She was beginning to get really interested in getting to know Albus. Something was a mystery about him. For example, why she didn't remember him, as they were both in the same house at school.

He just listened as she talked about her book. "Wow, that's definitely a unique idea. That sounds really cool, let me know if you want somebody to read over it. Dreams can give you good ideas sometimes." It was obvious that she had a passion for writing. "No they don't, kind of feel bad for them, they miss out on so much." Albus agreed with her.

"Ravenclaw, he was pretty shy as well. Major bookworm, even more so than I am." Jordan was one of the few people who had actually read more than he did. If he had to guess, that was probably one of the reasons they got along so well. "You're right, there are some horrible people in the world. I have a feeling that it is always going to haunt me a little bit. That's enough about that though, let's talk about something a bit more cheerful." Talking about her was something he could only take for so long.

"Well you must be allowed to take a vacation sometime, right. Just go travel for one of them, you'll enjoy it." Albus was glad he had decided to, it had been a really good experience.

"Wow, you have a lot of interests. I'd love to see your art sometime, I love looking at it. Sadly, I am horrible at it myself, but I do appreciate it." Albus stated. It would be cool to see her art, he had a feeling she was good. "You aren't terribly boring, sound pretty interesting actually. My hobbies are reading, writing poetry, playing my acoustic guitar, singing, and even written a couple of songs actually. Never let anybody hear my stuff though, except for Isabella. Music has always been something I loved, listen to a lot of Muggle bands." Not many wizards were interested in muggles, but their music and books were wonderful.

"You'll be the first to read it when I'm done." Gabrielle promised earnestly. She wasn't anywhere close to finishing, but it put her in a good mood when she gets another plot idea and starts writing again. It's something that gives her great joy.

"Really? That's shocking." Gabrielle teased with a grin on her face. It was getting easier and easier to talk to Albus. So, that's why she was being somewhat of a jokester. "Something more cheerful would be great right now." Gabrielle agreed with a nod of her head. Death made her sad, and though it would happen to her, she preferred to think about life and happiness.

"I will. It'll be a wonderful experience for me." Gabrielle always wanted to go back to Nice, where she was born. France would be a good place to start, as that's where her family grew up.

"If you want, I could give you a tour." Gabrielle didn't attract a lot of people, but when they looked at her art they came back to see if she had more. It's what motivated her. "Those all sound great. Are you in a band?" She paused, and she assumed Isabella was his girlfriend. "I would like to listen to your music, if you wouldn't mind." Gabrielle admitted with tinged cheeks. "Muggle bands are actually fairly decent." She agreed with a laugh.

"Well thanks, I'll look forward to it. Never been the first to read a book before, though I do love reading." Albus had tried to write a book before, but he never got very far when he did. Writing poems was something he was better at though.

"If you knew how much I read you would be shocked Gabrielle." he told her honestly. Sometimes he read three books in a week, it just depended on how good they were. "Hmm, what is your absolute favorite thing to do? Something that always cheers you up no matter what?" he asked her.

"Where do you want to travel to? What's at the top of your list?" People liked to travel to a lot of different places, he was curious where she wanted to go.

"That would be awesome, I'm sure your stuff is amazing." Albus said. He couldn't say he had ever met an artist before. "You're the first artist I've ever met. No, I'm not in a band, though I've always wondered what it would be like to be in one. Oh, Isabella was my girlfriend, sorry, forgot I hadn't told you her name." Most of the time he was pretty sharp, but he was occasionally forgetful. "Not at all, I get to see your art, you get to listen to my music. Sounds like a fair trade to me. I know, they are so interesting, listen to a bit of everything."

"Don't get too excited. My writing is forgettable. But, I continue doing it." Gabrielle was always extremely realistic with herself, and it may be considered bashing herself, but Gabrielle considered herself a extreme realist. At least she was honest.

"I blast indie music and I either paint, draw, or dance my troubles away." Gabrielle laughed at herself, shaking her head. "It sounds ridiculous, but it's what I do for fun." She began to feel uncomfortable, sharing what she did. "What do you do?" She turned to Albus curiously.

"I was born in Nice, so France, probably." Gabrielle hadn't been there since a young age, and she missed her family. "All my family lives in different parts of France, so it would be nice to see them again." Was France a exciting place? Not really. But Gabrielle longed to be back home.

"You're just flattering me. Flattery gets you no where." Again, Gabrielle was being brutally honest. Better than lying to herself. "The first? Wow, there's something I haven't heard." The shock lifted her spirits a bit. Hearing about Isabella, the corners of Gabrielle's lips turned down. "I assumed that. No need to tell me." Reaching over to Albus, she grasped his hand in a light squeeze of hopeful comfort. "It is a fair trade. It'll be a new experience for the both of us, I suppose."

"The important part is you enjoy it, and I'm still going to be excited. For all I know you could be an amazing author. It isn't like I've read anything of yours before." Albus said, smiling at her. Sometimes people were hard on themselves, she could be better than she thinks.

"None of that sounds ridiculous, seems pretty cool to me." he told her. "Blasting indie music is always fun, I listen to a bit of everything. Probably listen to rock and roll and alternative most often. I like to go running, settle in with a book, or just listen to music. My dancing is strictly in my room though, not fit for anybody else. Do like to dance once in a while still." He was beginning to feel more comfortable around Gabrielle, she was easy to talk to.

He nodded, it made sense that she would want to see her family. "It would be good to see family, especially if you haven't seen them in a while, seems like a great idea."

Albus blushed a little bit, and looked down shyly. "I just thought that you might be a good artist. Next time I won't say anything if you prefer it that way." He was a little embarrassed now. "You don't run into artists every day, at least I don't." Gabrielle frowned a bit at the mention of his girlfriend, which surprised him. "Ah, I see." When she squeezed his hand in a comforting way a slow smile spread across his features. "Yes, I suppose it will."

"No one has. I'm another person trying to make a living with writing." Gabrielle laughed at how positive he stayed, though she was the hardest on herself. She felt her cheeks pink with laughter, hoping that Albus couldn't tell.

"I bet that if I took you dancing you'd be wonderful." Gabrielle's eyes widened, a thought crossing her mind. "We should go dancing! Oh, that would be wonderful!" She smiled widely, the joke was obvious. But she wanted to see if he would go along with it. It was comfortable to joke with him.

"I just get frustrated with myself is all." Gabrielle felt bad, as he seemed to get uncomfortable. The blush was evident. She tried to be casual, but she knew her eyes showed the obvious care she felt. "Never." She shook her head, her curls bouncing on her back. She saw him smiling, and she felt herself blush. She looked down at her feet, hoping the hot patches she felt weren't showing.