After Dark

[Speed Stark]

It was the start of the year, and while Speed was happy to be back, the temptation to take the year off had been there. There was really no excuse for him to do something so drastic, other than dealing with some problems that had seemed to arise over the holidays that he would really rather be able to stay home and speak to Gregory. Maybe work things out between Sloane and Sladen as their relationship declined - making it very difficult to live with both of them. They were his family, he loved them, but quite frankly he wished they would behave much as Stephanie and go out and work on their own, independent lives without having to include him. Then there was the issue of his children, who were also causing him grief. On the other hand, perhaps it was best that he returned here - if only to catch a break from all the people and things that had been bothering him on his holiday. It was supposed to be a holiday, and he was only human and one that had never been successful in balancing the business and personal aspects of being human.

His ears twitched while in his animagus form, the form he took when attempting to think out problems or issues. In this form, he felt as if his ability to think was quicker, just like the animal was, although maybe not as complex as they should be - as one would expect them to be. However, complexity only made him procrastinate and waste time when more important things had to be addressed, such as deciding what he would do for the Fourth Years exam. He rather liked it as it was, but had been having thoughts of tweaking the exam slightly, perhaps making it so less Fourth Years had panic attacks when in there.

The animagus, doing his rounds of the grounds, found himself checking over the Quidditch Pitch. It was just hitting dusk, and he would be needed to do a few more rounds as day truly gave in to night. It was easier to spot people, as his ears were far more advanced, and they rarely saw him coming. Very few took much notice of a hare, and if they did, they often overlooked a European Brown hare. Although, after working as the school for quite a few years, he was sure that many knew of his animagus form and probably attempted to keep an eye out for it, but he was still capable of better hiding in this form than his humanoid one.

He paused and lent back on his hind legs, returning to his humanoid form. He thought he heard something, and decided that more light was needed. He wandlessly created some blue flames with the appropriate incantation, and placed two around himself in order to illuminate the area and locate who he had heard.
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[Owen Youngs]

Since graduating Owen's life had become hectic. He had moved from England to France, from France to Outer Mongolia and then From their to Australia and finally to New Zealand. He had arrived less than three months ago and already found a job and a place to stay. He had considered applying for the Charms job but instead found himself applying and getting the flying professor job.

He hadn't heard from anyone from school since leaving the place seven years ago. He remembered the graduation ceremony fondly, people crying, laughing, some happy to leave, others not so much. To begin with he couldn't wait to leave and explore the world, but after seven years, he missed school life.

Owen walked down from his office to the Quidditch Pitch needing to get some air to clear his head. He hadn't really met any of the other teachers, apart from Ava who welcomed him into the school when he got the job. As he was nearing the pitch he thought he heard rustling and his suspicions were confirmed when blue flames illuminated a young man, he vaguely recognized. He was obviously a Professor but he was still young looking, around Owen's own age.

"Er Hey, I'm Owen. I'm sorta new here, I teach flying to the first years." He said reaching out his hand to shake, while leaning his broom against his shoulder.

 

[Speed Stark]

It only took a moment for Speed to recognise the person as a professor, and not another student out and about breaking the rules as they pleased. He examined the man before him, finding the face familiar - but he would have seen the other man during the feast most likely. It was at the feast that he would have most likely heard the name Owen, and been able to place his name to his face right now. He accepted the stretched hand, all the while scrutinizing the name with the face. He was sure that this man was slightly more familiar that a secondary glance of recognition at the feast. Besides, that had been a while ago - he was sure he knew from from somewhere else, and the feel was nagging at him.

"Speed Stark, Care of Magical Creatures first to fourth," he replied, placing his hands into the pockets of his robes. The image of this man leaning against his broom was a little too familiar for the wizard to allow to pass without further inquiry. He had managed to run into an old face here before, perhaps it had happened again. "I'm just wondering what school you went to,Owen. You look familiar."
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[Owen Youngs]

Owen took another quick study of the man in front of him. Speed Stark, was definitely an uncommon name and he swore he knew a girl of the same second name, Who was on the house team all them years ago. He looked into the grey eyes of the man before him and saw recognition and maybe confusion.

He slowly thought back to his school years and remembered a few of the more important events, His sorting into Gryffindor, Becoming Chaser for the house team in his third year, Detention on the rooftop, The flood, Becoming a Prefect and failing the apparition lessons, becoming Quidditch captain and then graduation. Although this flood of memories Owen had the nagging sensation that he was missing something and then it clicked.

"I went to Hogwarts, well the one in Scotland. I graduated about seven years ago, although you do seem very familiar." Owen thought for a few seconds, trying to remember the girls name, then it came to him. "Steph! Stephanie Stark was in my house." He looked to Speed, recognition dawning on him, as he brushed down his top and jeans, starting to feel cold.

 

[Speed Stark]

Upon hearing that Owen had graduated at the same time he had, Speed instantly found himself remembering the man. They had both been prefects of their respective houses and so had been on patrol together at times. He had also been on the opposite team in Quidditch, Gryffindor. While Speed had been a player for the Hufflepuff team. "Stephanie's my sister," he clarified. She had been a Gryffindor, and on the Quidditch team as well, so would have surely been friendly with Owen. It seemed that it was a small world after all, what with so many people from his past showing up now. It was nice, seeing where everyone was after not speaking with them for so long. Some people lived up to the expectations created during school, while others did not have the life everyone thought they would.

"What brings you to New Zealand? Specifically a Flying professor?" From memory, Owen had been a very good flyer, but making the decision to go to the other side of the planet and wind up teaching at the sister school of ones old school wasn't something many did.
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[Owen Youngs]

When he confirmed that Stephanie was his sister, Owen found a lot of memories flooding back to him. The Prefects cabin on the train, the patrols, and the especially funny Ditch incident. He hadn't heard from Steph in about five years, after he had moved from England to France. He had missed her, but new memories had been made and gradually he forgot names and faces from his old school years.

"Well I was moving around a lot and I ended up in Sydney, then I heard about a wizarding village in New Zealand, so I fly there, and find an advertisement for a job, which I sorta need now, having no place to stay, except here at school... for the second time in my life." Owen realized he'd been trailing on so stopped talking abrubtly and smiled. "What about you, why New Zealand? And how come you're out here at night?"

 

[Speed Stark]

Speed nodded as he listened to Owen's story of how he came to be here. He found something comforting in hearing the stories of others, as he liked history, but not so much history overall, a more personalised type of history, such as someone's 'life story' of sorts. Hearing the experiences of others was always interesting, as sometimes it was a stark contrast to his own experiences. He frowned slightly at hearing that Owen didn't have a place to stay. As professor's they lived on site so they could keep patrol and all that boring stuff, but they weren't here the entire year. When the students left at the end of the year, so did they. "If you need a place to stay, I have plenty of room. You're always welcome." Of course, Owen would have to deal with his animals, and his sister, and is slightly estranged brother, but they were all things that could be worked around.

Speed shrugged his shoulders. "I've been here for a while now. After graduation I moved to work with my uncle, and continued study creatures. I was going to go travel with a magizoologist friend of mine, but then just decided to apply here." He tucked some hair behind his ear. "I'm out here on patrol- just finished, actually, but will probably do another round. That was why I was in my animagus form. The kids don't see me coming."
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