An Old Face in a New Place

[Enrique Martinez]

Was there a better day for a walk beyond the walls of the fine castle that posed host to the education of countless students?
The sun was beaming unbelievably bright for this time of year, and the brisk winds and cold rains seemed to have vanished almost entirely; even if it was just for today. Enrique wasn't one to miss an opportunity, and frankly, the one of the things he'd been unable to do was get out of the castle and experience the school grounds from the outer, rather than the cobbled stone interior. His walk gave him such a positive feeling. The sound of the birds chirping tunefully, and the sun rays breaking between the large trees which loomed over cliff side and across flatland.

It was truly like a painting; and so Enrique let himself soak in the moment for a short while. He stood, looking out over the wide spreading waters that came after the drop-away into the reflecting ripples and tried to look out to where it met the sky, far out; looking like the world had come to an end and finally met with the heavens. But he knew well enough that wasn't so. No less, the image was beautiful. He had his hands fastened in his pockets, a goldish-yellow scarf draped over his neck. Even despite the uncanny warmth that was being felt in comparison to the other days he'd experienced thus far in New Zealand, it was still brisk enough every now and then - especially on the waterside.

This was truly a sight he had not expected to see in his time at Hogwarts. He had expected beautiful greenery, well kept gardens and clean corridors and common rooms - but this? This was something else entirely. This was something truly magical. It was for that exact reason that he could not stand there, looking out on the water, without a smile. The view itself was so perfect and pure that it almost cleansed anything within you that was that other than positivity.
However, it was the quietness which brought Enrique to another state of peacefulness here. The brief, occasional sound of the water touching against the rocks below reminding him that he wasn't in a dream, but a perfect observance of the world at its finest.

Still, silence was an overrated thing and Enrique himself had always been one far more fond of conversation. He valued that aspect of life; the social interaction between others. The understanding of people, the respect he slowly began to grow to have for people. Because, while magic to the youthful students of the school was impressive and uncertain, for Enrique, it was people that brought that aspect to his life, now that he had grown older. It was the constant differences that you came across with people that made him pleasant, happy and constantly intrigued by the world around him. The relationships which he made; the true inspirations and loves of his life now.

So he waited, and he looked onward still, hoping someone else would come to enjoy this very view with him.

 

[Speed Stark]

It was the start of the year. The feast was over, the students had all been back for a few days and Speed was in his office setting up a few lessons. They would be starting very soon and he wanted to be prepared. However, it was quite difficult to prepare lessons that relied on the co-operation of magical creatures. The niffler he kept in his office continued to cause mischief. Three times he had set his pen on the table and the niffler kept taking it. Usually Speed would use a quill, but sometimes he had to give credit to muggles. Pens were so much easier to use, and they made funny clicking noises! Unfortunately, they were also shiny in direct sunlight, which made the niffler go crazy for them. Speed sighed and bent down, removing the pen from the hoard of goblin coins the niffler had. He placed the pen on his desk once more. He knew it wasn't going to stay there for too long, but what could he do? Instead of worrying about it for too long, Speed decided to just leave his little hideaway and go for a walk. The sunlight was too good for the professor to resist.

As soon as the door was closed, Speed shifted and raced around the lawn. He felt like he was racing at the speed of light, though this was obviously not so. He was heading to the lake. It was always a beautiful sight. Even though the sun was still high in the sky, Speed could still appreciate the lake. There were not many students out and about today, which was a mild relief. Speed loved the students, he would never have taken this job if he did not like children, but right now he was not looking for childish conversation. Whenever with children, he seemed to morph into a child. He flicked his head at the thought and continued, his hind legs enabling him to bound forward very quickly. It was a nice feeling, being small. Being fast. It was fun. The sun seemed to effect him more like this. He would have smiled if he could. He continued to look at the lake as it came closer, but got a little distracted by a student walking across. He leapt out of the way. That was close. It would be a nightmare if he were to be kicked by someone.

Speed's manoeuvre left him slightly off course. His eyes widened a little when a pair of legs seemed to come from no-where. Obviously they walked there, but Speed had not seen them to this. He turned to his side and tried to slow down, but it was no use. He flung right into the legs of the person and quickly jumped back up. Thankfully, he was not big enough to trip the person over, or that would have been another jar of worms entirely. He flexed and shifted back, shaking his head. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." He started, looking at the man he had ran into. His eyes widened. He knew this man. "P-professor?!"
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[Enrique Martinez]

Of all the things he'd come to suspect could happen here at Hogwarts, seeing someone from his past wasn't one of them. New Zealand was a long stretch from the rolling hills of Scotland or the beautiful beaches of Puerto Rico, where he'd been born and raised. Yet still, here he stood, feeling the impact of a small creature on his legs, and the unmistakable sound of an animagi transformation sounding from just a few meters off where he'd been hit. And that very thought of never seeing an old face in such a new land was cancelled out entirely.
It may have been countless years since Enrique had seen Speed Stark, but he never truly forgot a pupil's face. Especially when it was one as committed and well-behaved as the young gentleman that peered at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

Enrique, however surprised, suppressed his need to gasp and instead, his smile grew ever larger as he looked back on the young educator. Professor Martinez chuckled at the apology that he was offered and waved his hand as if to suggest it wasn't needed.
"It's no problem, friend. Who wouldn't be hopping about, enjoying the scenery on a beautiful sun-shinning day like this? I think we can forgive that more than easy enough!" and still, he was smiling - a smile that beamed like the rays of the sun.
And it was in that exact moment that he could see how Speed recognized him.

The Professor responded in the only way he thought he could. "That's me!" he removed his hands from his pockets, pointing open handed at himself. "Older and probably a little more frail than before, but me all the same." he chuckled at the truth behind that. However, Enrique couldn't help but take note of how much Speed had grown and changed since the last time they'd met. He'd been a young school boy, shirt buttons done up, tie sitting loosely around his neck and school wizarding robes draped over his shoulders - looking like he was wearing something a size or two too big for him, like most of the students did; at least until they had properly grown into their uniforms. "Of all the people I had expected to see here, in New Zealand, you were certainly not amongst the top. With that being said, my young friend, you are certainly one of the faces I am most thankful to see again." Enrique smiled warmly, his words possessing a delicateness and coolness about them.

Winking, Enrique brushed some of the fur off his leg from where the animagus had bumped into him. Picking a strand from his pants and lifting it, allowing it to blow in the wind, Enrique began, "Impressive work. Becoming an animagi." he smirked, thinking about the potential teaching position that Speed was in here and couldn't help but chuckle a little. A wizard that could turn into a little creature teaching a subject which inspired and promoted the care of the magical beasts and whatnot of the Wizarding world? A truly perfect match. "I'm going to go on a hunch and say you're the Care of Magical Creatures professor, here?"​

 

[Speed Stark]

It wasn't an everyday occurrence, running into your old professor. Especially if this professor should be in Scotland. Speed was just a little bit dumbfounded. After all, Scotland was quite a distance from New Zealand. Speed had come here for that reason. Speed scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. What was he supposed to call him? Professor? Mister Martinez? If he remembered correctly, his first name was Enrique or something similar. He couldn't just call him Enrique, it felt strange. Professor felt more natural, but he was no-longer a pupil. They were virtually on equal ground now, except for the obvious age difference. Speed sighed inwardly. He was complicating things. If he kept this up, he'd have a headache by the end of the day. He smiled slightly when Professor Martinez finally spoke. He was grateful that he didn't trip him over. That would have been awkward, especially if he fell in the lake or something. Wouldn't that be a great impression to leave on someone? Speed was lucky he hadn't ran into a student, they would have probably been tripped. "I'm just glad I didn't knock you over. But you're right. It is a beautiful day to be outside." He chuckled lightly, trying to remove any awkwardness he had accidentally created. Fortunately, Professor Martinez was making it very easy. He was still just as friendly as he had been years before. It was comforting.

Speed smiled and chuckled along with his old professor. He didn't look that different. He obviously look a bit older, but his eyes were still the same. Eyes never really tended to change, no matter how many years passed. Speed tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shrugged. Coming to New Zealand had been spur of the moment, but he was lucky enough to have some family here. "Trust me, Professor. You are someone I never expected to find here either. I would have thought that you would still be in Scotland, to be honest." Or at least in Europe, but not New Zealand. It was virtually another planet. Nothing here resembled Scotland, except maybe the sunset. Now there was something else to remind him of his old home. Because as it turned out, Professor Martinez was still very much the same, except he was probably far wiser now.

Speed watched quietly as the older professor removed some of his fur from his leg. That happened sometimes, especially when winter was making way for spring. His fur malting could be annoying sometimes, but it only ever really fell out if he ran into something, which happened more than he'd like to admit. If only trees would move out of the way. Speed's smile brightened. "Thank you!" He was proud to have finished his animagi training. As like most people, he continued to practise as he was still quite young. It was invigorating to become an animal, which was why training was such a delight. Speed nodded at the professor's 'hunch' as he called it. "Hit the nail right on the head. I teach years three to four on how to not die when dealing with magical creatures." It wasn't really that dangerous, however, especially when fourth years had to do their practical exam, it could get very hairy. Hippogriffs were always a temperamental creature if treated with disrespect. "But fortunately there have not been any casualties for as long as I have been here. I guess you're still working with Charms, yes?" He had been Speed's Charms professor for a time, so it was safe to assume that he was still teaching charms. "How long are you planning to stay here?"
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