To Start Anew (Daniel)

Veronika Rae had never been so excited in her entire life. When she was younger she'd loved Hogwarts because she'd loved adventures and now she was positively buzzing with glee at the feeling of returning home. Beauxbatons had been a great change of pace in the beginning, and after Ivan died she returned even though the halls still haunted her in her darkest of moments. Turning the corner even if she had been five months into a relationship she'd somehow hoped that she'd blink and there Ivan would be with a bouquet of white lilies and pink roses, surprising her with a sheepish smile on his face. And just that memory caused an ache she pushed away to form in her chest. 


Being with Ivan, had been for the longest time, what home felt like.


After cleaning up the old office space she'd be having and filling it with her own stuff, she sat at the desk, locked the door and had a good cry in the comfy reading chair she'd brought in. Leaving France felt like leaving behind the last pieces of Ivan, like leaving a false home, a niche she'd made. She left behind a good thing too; her students loved and respected her despite her youth. She could have spent another good twenty years there before coming back to England. But something was here for her. Something good. Secretly as she traced the scar of three claws stretching out like lightning bolts she wished for that something good to be someone good, someone to make her laugh and cherish her: someone she could fall in love with. That was the thought that jolted her into action as she straightened up.


Deciding that crying on a chair was going to get her nowhere in life, she pulled on her grey peacoat that matched the two inch grey heeled boots paired with her black jeans, she wiped the tears off her cheeks and drank a bottle of water before heading down to the Quidditch Pitch where she'd played from her third to seventh year as the a Hufflepuff Keeper. Memories of flying up in the air, high above where nothing mattered filled her with happiness and she wished she'd brought her broom. She'd fly again, she swore to herself, griping her wand tightly within her pocket.


She stood at the edges of the field, lost in thought, lost in the tantalizing idea that she could find another person to adore and love again in England.

Veronika had completely forgotten it was Feburary. Truth be told, a lot of her less than optimistic feelings were immediately repressed for fear any of her students would find out. The way she saw life was the things of your past do not define you so much as you do not let it affect your future. Living in the present was how she got by life; one day at a time. Her and Ivan celebrated Valentine's Day because he was a sap even if she wasn't; but secretly, she didn't believe in it. Every day with him was like a Valentine's Day. That sort of rush she got just from seeing him asleep next to her every day, or from sneaking back into bed after a bad fight that forced her to sleep on the couch, she got it everyday. She hadn't had that feeling in the longest time. She missed it.

At the sound of another voice, she snapped her head quickly, enough to get a mouthful of hair that she pushed aside in favor of smiling brightly. Oh a student without a Valentine's; he's rather attractive, he must be looking to blow off steam. Are students allowed to have a scruff? He makes it cute. He looks familiar too... Oh well.


"I suppose, although I haven't been here in a while, just transferred from Beauxbatons, getting reacquainted with my old school brings me back to my seventh year, speaking of which how are you enjoying yours?" Veronika tilted her head before gasping and realizing she'd been terribly rude by not introducing herself. She extended her hand. "Veronika Hollands, but you'll probably address me as Professor Hollands."

"I haven't been flying in forever and I miss it terribly so," she sighed as she stared at the Pitch she'd loved, "and I agree, the conditions are rather brilliant. Do you fly often?"

Veronika cringed, feeling all different shades of embarrassed now. If the ground could create a hole to eat her up, she'd love the Earth 100x more. She sort of wished he was a she so that he'd take it as a compliment. That'd be great. Veronika wasn't too talented at maintaining friendships once they started. The only lasting ones she had had been with Hogwarts friends and that was a handful. For Hufflepuffs that were friendly, they sure were lazy when it came to organizing dates to meet up all together like one big class reunion. At the moment, she was contemplating how to approach the situation or diffuse it. Nice, you're what? Barely into the new job and you're super close to losing it. Smooth, Nika, real smooth. You should have been born a boy so your parents could have named you Slick Rick. That's a way more fitting name than Veronika Rae anyway.

"I-I'm really sorry Sir, I - I didn't - you're just-," there are so many better ways to handle this, "you're handsome and so I just kind of assumed you were young but to assume is to make an ass of you and me so I'm sorry if I offended you." She dropped her head before realizing how she could have further offended him. She kept her eyes trained on the ground wishing it would just eat her up like she was English muffin. Please ground, eat me up. 


"You did?" She did a quick once over, deeming his body not out of shape (but she'd got that impression the first time she'd given him a once over) to fly. She drew that there just had to be some sort of psychological reason then. She opened her mouth, the question in her eyes, but it diminished. It wasn't her place to ask, not after the appalling assumption she'd made. She stayed quiet for a moment. 


"Thank you for telling me, I'm honestly sorry I - it was out of place for me to say that kind of thing." Veronika smiled warmly at him, her own voice soft like a cookie fresh from the oven. "Thank you for accepting me as a Professor, Hogwarts is the best thing for me right now. How long have you been Headmaster?"