Open Early Mornings

[Rory Fergusson]

Rory had officially left hogwarts, he’d left a lot of the things he wouldn’t need with his brother, packed everything away into a backpack with a charm on it so it was bigger on the inside and left the school. He’d been graduated all of a week, and he was still mostly without a place to live. He was staying with Flavio, his friend was letting him stay with him while he got himself on to his feet properly, and it was an experience. He had never really had to worry about things like, rent or shopping for food, Rory was just pleased that he didn’t have to worry too much about cleaning by hand, magic at least was a helpful tool for him to help him get on a little easier. However, he knew that Flavio was going out of his way to help him, he knew that his friend was having to do so much to help show Rory everything he needed to so that Rory was able to learn the basics, so he did him the courtesy of not being at the flat all of the time. It fell in line though, that Rory with his own worries and thoughts for the future had a lot on his mind which kept him up at night, and up early.

Rory was grateful for the place he had to sleep but it was not a whole lot and the teen was struggling to get much sound sleep. It was likely why, long before his shift at Ollivanders was due to start, Rory found himself sitting at the harbour, with a cup of hot coffee in a travel mug brought from home, staring out at the water. He knew he couldn’t stay with Flavio long, perhaps he needed to change up between friendly. He was half tempted to reach out to Anabelle maybe stay with her a few nights, or Andi. He raised the cup to his lips and soaked in the warmth the coffee’s steam brought him. He was tired, he had to work for most of the holiday before he could focus on getting himself a quidditch job, and he had to build up some money to get a place to stay. The was all the future, for now, he’d just try to enjoy a little calm before loud, soon to be first years gave him a day long headache. They were always so bratty, loud and had all of these demands he didn't care for. In terms of a job it paid well, but it was not fun. ​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

The shift from student to graduate wasn't an easy one for Amber, and she was quickly finding herself restless and bored without any homework or studying to do. Normally she would have vacation now, which wasn't all that different from her situation right now, but at least then she would know she would soon be back at the castle. Now there was no back to school shopping to be done. It made her nervous, there were too many possibilities ahead of her. She had thrown herself into work, taking up as many shifts at Gladrags as she could. Today she had the opening shift, which meant an early day. Amber only liked that, as she was used to getting up early. She had quietly left her parent's house a bit earlier than needed, just because she hadn't felt like saying inside a second longer. But now here she was, way too early for her shift.

She decided to take a walk, first passing storefronts before she ended up near the harbour itself. Amber looked out over the water, enjoying the general quiet of the early morning around her. It took her a few moments to realize someone else was there, sitting with a steaming travel mug of coffee. Rory Fergusson had been her classmate up until a few days ago, and at her graduation, he had been one of Amber's regrets. She didn't regret standing up for Flavio, but all of them had grown up. Rory had too, and Amber wished she'd taken the steps to at least end the animosity between them. It sort of had died down over time, but Amber had never reached out to him with the possibility of friendship. She knew he was one of Ainsley's coworkers, and had that in mind as she stepped over to him and took a seat next to him. She gave him a smile. "Nice day, right?" She asked softly, gesturing out to the harbour. "Are you working at Ollivander's today?"

 

[Rory Fergusson]

It surprised him, who joined him on the bench. If purely because he hadn’t figured that anyone else would be up, it was early, but it surprised him that Amber would want sit with him. They had only recently left school, and he and this girl had never really been friends. In fact for most of his schooling they had been enemies. ”Aye it is, bit early,” Rory replied. Towards the end of their school, their feuding had largely come to an end, but that didn’t mean that they’d reached any level of civility. Well, there hadn’t been much of a chance to either really. They hadn’t been friends and he hadn’t ever wanted to reach out in case she was still annoyed. He hadn’t gone out of his way with her and nor had she. Largely what had happened with them had occurred when they’d been kids. Things had changed since then, they were adults now. Certified, fully graduated adults, maybe it was time to put it all behind him.

The teen raised the coffee to his lips and sipped softly giving a little nod, ”Aye, bright eyed future first years eager for their first wand, it’s gonna be great,” he joked a little with her, he wasn’t sure if that would be something that she would find funny or be sympathetic to but he wasn’t sure what else to say, ”Is Ainsley working today?” Rory asked, since he knew that Ainsley worked with him now, had for the last few years. She’d been integral in getting Aonghas his wand, when he had insisted they get it from the wand store in New Zealand rather than back home. ”Are you working today?” he didn’t know if Amber worked, if she had a job, he hadn’t ever been close enough to her to ask and he had never bothered to ask Ainsley, it wasn’t like they’d ever been friends either. Maybe now was the chance to patch things up a bit, get to know who Amber was rather than relying on the old image he had of her from their early days at school. In fact he was almost amused by the thought that 11/12 year old amber might find his current situation laughable, while likely yelling at him for it too. ​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber knew the moment she sat down next to Rory, that it was definitely possible that he would reject her completely. He would be in his right to do so, as they had never really gotten along. But Amber was hopeful and optimistic, and a bright smile appeared on her face as he simply said it was a bit early. "I know, but I like it when it's this early." Amber said with a small shrug. "It's peaceful, don't you think?" It felt nice to have a normal conversation with Rory, even if it also felt a bit strange. She was grateful that he hadn't pushed her away, and was glad to take a moment to talk to him properly.

It wasn't a big surprise to hear that Rory was here because he had to work, and Amber giggled as he joked about how great it would be to help the first years. Rory didn't exactly seem the type to enjoy putting up with them, so she briefly wondered why he worked there. She decided not to ask, as it may sound like she was trying to imply that he wasn't fit to work there. "You've been working there for ages. You sold my sister her wand, do you remember?" She asked instead, smiling a little. "She's starting her sixth year soon. I still find that hard to believe." Back then she had been so mad at Rory because he had at first refused to help Sophie, but now she could laugh about the memory. "I think she works later today, but I could be remembering wrong." Amber said with a shrug. Their shifts often overlapped, but today that wasn't the case, or they would have made lunch plans together. Rory asked if she was working today, and Amber nodded. "I work at Gladrags." She said, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the store. "I think I'll stay there for a while. I'm honestly not sure what else I want to do..." It was a surprise to hear the words leave her lips, especially in front of Rory. As head girl, she had wanted to seem like she had everything under control, but now that they had graduated it was easier to let go. "What about you?"

 

[Rory Fergusson]

Rory had never maybe appreciated the early mornings when he was at Hogwarts, he’d never really thought about them much until she’d mentioned it then. He had grown up in a particularly nice area of scotland, watched the sun rise over the hills and bask the sunlight. He could remember the way the glen would glow an orange light during the autumn. He’d always been too bitter about coming to Hogwarts in New Zealand that he hadn’t taken the time to ever really appreciate it, maybe until now. ”Aye it’s peaceful,” the teen replied with a nod. Rory raised the cup of coffee to his lips and sipped lightly. It was still a little too early for his tastes and it didn’t particularly help that he hadn’t slept well, but it was peaceful, that much was true. The coffee was slowly warming his core, bringing him that strange awake that coffee did bring. The stage between sleepiness and real awakeness. At the statement and mention of her sister, he thought back to it, that would’ve been his first year of being part of the Ollivanders team, he had been young, angry and from what he could remember he’d been rather mean about selling Amber’s sister a wand. Their rivalry had been pretty strong then.

”Aye, ah wisnae very nice tae ye and yer sister,” he reminisced, with a little chuckle, ”Fae what it’s worth, ah’m sorry aboot that, ah wis bitter aboot havin’ tae work instead ae goin’ hame and it doesnae excuse it, but ye know,” Rory didn’t meet her gaze as he spoke, opting to just look at the cup, he had appreciated how nice Ainsley had been towards him and knew that’s how he should’ve been towards people, not that he could sometimes help how he was, kids were frustrating, but Amber and her sister hadn’t really deserved it. Rory didn’t really pay attention to when others would turn up for work, just when he did. He vaguely glanced towards where she was pointing, he knew the store. But it surprised him more that she didn’t know what she wanted to do, though he could imagine that the options were near endless to her. ”Ye’ve probably got the grades tae dae anythin’, there’s no real rush if you dinnae know,” Rory didn’t have much of a choice, he knew what he wanted to do, largely because it was the only talent he had but he couldn’t do it yet, ”Ah dinnae have much choice, ah’m hoping tae try oot fae some quidditch teams once the shop dies down. Cannae afford tae not work right now, ye know?” Rory knew he couldn’t exactly hide what had happened, it was done now, and he was out of school, so there was no pressure to keep it a secret. He didn’t necessarily want to tell Amber that he was staying with Flavio but if she was being nice maybe she’d understand. ​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

While Amber didn't think Rory was the same as he had been when he was younger, she still mentally braced herself for him to mock het enjoyment of the early morning. She relaxed when he simply agreed, then gave him a small smile. He really was different than he had been, or maybe he had always been a bit different than she had imagined him to be. The mention of their encounter in the shop when Sophie had bought her wand was a risky move, but to her relief Rory didn't seem too bothered by her bringing it up. Amber chuckled as well, adding a shrug. She was surprised he apologized. "It's okay, that's a long time ago." She said earnestly. "Besides, it's kind of funny to think back on, right? Us, these two kids arguing in a store. My sister was probably more annoyed with me than with you, so don't worry about that." Amber said, smiling as she thought back to it. "You were pretty young to work there, I remember." She said softly. "I didn't know you had to work." She added, her voice a bit tentative now. Amber knew next to nothing about Rory's home life, and now cursed herself for never even wondering what his background was. Kids didn't just become angry and mean to others without a reason, and now was the first time that she wondered what Rory's reason had been. She shuffled her foot on the gravel in front of the bench, in thought for a moment. At his comment about her grades, Amber blushed. "I just did well in school because I liked achieving good grades, I never looked at what sort of career I could get with the subjects I chose." She said, once again honest in a way she hadn't expected to be to Rory Fergusson of all people. "But... you're right, I can probably find something good once I know what I want." She added, not wanting to sound too negative. She wasn't sure what Rory meant with not having much choice, maybe his grades? She nodded as he said he was hoping to try out for Quidditch teams once the season for the store was over. She nodded again when he said he couldn't afford not to work right now. She didn't quite know what to make of that, as she had always thought Rory's family quite wealthy, but she could understand regardless. "Well, I'm working a lot too. I'm trying to save up so I can get my own place, maybe with Ainsley." She kicked a bit of gravel away, another blush blooming on her cheeks. "But also because i'd like to work in fashion, maybe, and with this job I would be gaining at least some experience in the field." She thought of moving on to a different subject, but something in Rory's voice gave her pause. "Are you okay, Rory?" She asked him softly.

 

[Rory Fergusson]

Selling Amber’s sister her wand, had indeed been a long time ago, it felt like a lifetime ago. he’d been quite bitter and outwardly angry for much of the early and later days in Hogwarts. But he’d known for a little while that at least she had been right about what she’d yelled at him for all of those years before. Rory had reacted poorly and behaved poorly, but that was all in the past, he’d come to learn that she’d been perhaps right, he’d come to largely mellow out, and the last year had really taught him that he didn’t and couldn’t act like that any more. Before it had never mattered, now it very much did. ”Ah definitely ‘hink she wis mare annoyed at ye, which ah found hilarious then,” he was sure there had been a conversation with the younger girl after about it. Either that or it was another instance of it with a similar outcome. He nodded and raised the cup to his lips sipping slowly, ”Aye, ah ‘hink ma da must of paid them or forced them tae hire me cause ah turnt thirteen that first year which wis a bit young. Ah just wanted tae go hame and play quidditch wae ma family,” Rory hadn’t needed to work then for money, his dad had wanted him to learn how to work in a shop, to prepare him for when he’d eventually come home. What a mistake that had been then. ”But, ah’m glad tae be working now,” he was thankful for the job, without it he didn’t know what he’d be doing.

Rory listened as she explained that she’d done well in school because she liked the subject and not so much for any career. He had never been too interested in learning, wouldn’t have been if he’d gone to Hogwarts scotland. Even before his sister had died, the path for him had always just involved coming home and working for the family, there were less strings attached but in principal he had never really had the need to do well, and never the drive either. Not until it matters. ”Ah wouldnae rush it either, like ye’ve got time and a family that’ll support ye while ye make yer choice or even just try a few ‘hings out. We’re still young,” Rory couldn’t help the little trace of jealousy as he spoke, it wasn’t her fault or really directed at her, more directed at his sh1ttier situation. He was sure that her younger self would be a little more pleased about his fall from grace than she would maybe be now, well, perhaps until he mentioned he was staying on Flavio’s couch. ”Ah that’s nice, how long have ye guys been together now?” the teen was genuinely curious, he was happy they seemed to have managed to find a good relationship. He knew both of them, so he was curious, and keen now to get to know someone he had tended to dismiss. He sipped the coffee and nodded, the job would likely help and if he was still part of his family he might’ve been able to help out with putting her into contact with people, but throwing his name around now probably would hinder more than anything. He looked at her as she asked if he was okay, a little smile formed on his lips and he couldn’t help the chuckle which followed, it was a bit of a loaded question for him now. He looked away from her and took a deep breath, blowing out slowly, ”Ah dinnae really know any mare, can ye ask me again the morrow?” he joked lightly with her, ”Ah ‘hink right now ah’m just tired, would ye believe that a couch isnae the mast comfortable place tae sleep?”​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber laughed softly as she remembered how grumpy Sophie had been. Back then it had often been contentious between the two of them, Sophie usually angry with Amber for one thing or another. Their relationship had changed a lot over the past few years, really since Amber started dating Ainsley. "It's funny in hindsight, but back then I found it very annoying." She said with a small smile. "That wasn't really your fault, though. Sophie would've been annoyed with me no matter what." She nodded. "Thirteen is pretty young." She said, thinking back. "But you must be doing a good job, otherwise you wouldn't still have a job there." She said, smiling.

Amber nodded at Rory's next words, though she did think there was a sad tone to his voice when he mentioned that she had time and a family that supported her. Amber suspected there was something under the surface there, but she didn't want to pry. They didn't know each other that well, and this was really their first nice conversation since they had met in their first year. She blushed a bit when he asked how long she and Ainsley had been together, she ducked her head and smiled. "Since yule ball in our fifth year, so around two and a half years now." She said softly. "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?" She dared to ask. Now that they were having a normal conversation, maybe it wasn't too strange to ask that of him. She wasn't sure if she had made the right choice in asking if he was okay. It seemed to be a loaded question. She bit her lip as she watched Rory look away. "I can ask again tomorrow if we see each other." She said, reacting to his joke lightly as well. She thought that would be all of it, but he spoke more. She winced. "Oh. I'm sorry. I don't know your situation and I shouldn't pry."

 

[Rory Fergusson]

Rory could imagine that it would pretty annoying, he could remember his own frustration at his older sister, especially when she’d died, it didn’t matter that he’d lost her and their relationship was gone, he was annoyed at her. Had been for a good while, only recently had he even started to let go of some of that old bitterness. He was older, far older than his sister had ever gotten to be, and it was just awful lucky which had put him on the path he’d followed. Things which had come later had been his choice. He just nodded, ”Ah never really thought it wis ma fault, ah just hated ye, so it wis funny tae me,” of course he had no idea about what had gone on between them what had cause their bitterness but he could understand a little about what could cause that sort of thing to happen. Years on, he felt frustrated about his own bitterness towards his sister. Bitterness that he’d held on to for far too long, tainting for so long his memories of her. But he focused on what she was saying. ”Honestly, ah dinnae know how ah haven't been fired,“ the teen chuckled lightly. He was glad he hadn’t been now, but there were days that he’d gone into work and actively not really helped anyone.​

​

Rory was a little surprised to hear that Ainsley and Amber had been dating for so long, he couldn’t imagine that length of time with someone, he’d been with girls, flirted hard with many, but he couldn’t imagine a relationship of that length, filled with actual love and affection. ”Wow, that’s a long time,” he smiled at her, ”Congrats,” the teen had a deep sincerity in his voice he would not have thought he’d ever use for Amber, in any conversation they were having, but he’d turned his back on the family half for the idea of love so he was glad that they were able to. ”Me? Naw. Kinda had a thing wae some sixth year, but with the way ma life is right now, ah cannae be making it more complicated,” the teen would’ve liked to be with Andi, she was nice and made his heart flutter but he knew that he didn’t have the time for it. His mind briefly cast to Therese before he focused back at Amber. At her reply to his joke he gave a little smile, ”It’s alright, it’s no a big deal,” the teen wasn’t sure if she would find out about his living situation from others and thought it might be better to hear the explanation of why from him. ”Ma parents kicked me oot nearly a year ago now, completely cut off fae everything. I’m livin’ on Flavio’s couch till ah can get on ma feet. Ah’m no taking advantage ae him, ah just have nowhere else ah can go, ma parents took pretty much everything,” Rory had refused to look at her as he explained instead staring intently at the mostly empty cup. He was worried that this truce that they had somewhat built had been crushed by his words, but he had to come to terms with what had happened and was happening because of it.​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber smiled a bit as Rory said he had hated her. It shouldn't be something that made her smile, but the feeling had been mutual so she understood. "I was very annoyed. But it all seems a bit silly now, doesn't it?" She asked him. It felt so childish and so long ago, and them talking normally now seemed proof of how much they had grown. Amber giggled a bit at his comment about being fired. "Well, they probably needed people pretty bad." She teased, hoping he wouldn't mind her joke.

As Rory said she had been with Ainsley for a long time, Amber reflected. "It is, isn't it?" She asked, almost a little surprised. "Thank you. It doesn't feel that long, but at the same time it feels like it's been forever." She shrugged, a little self conscious. "I know that doesn't make a ton of sense." She added with a small shrug. "I guess it just feels natural." She listened as Rory talked about a thing with a sixth year, and thought she could sense it was more important and serious than his wording suggested. But she wasn't going to pry. "I see." She said softly. "Maybe things will work out later?" Amber was always an optimist, she couldn't help it. She was surprised when Rory went on to explain his living situation, her eyes widening in horror as he told her his parents had kicked him out a year ago. She hadn't been expecting that at all, and it was startling to think of any parents doing that. Somehow, she had always pictured Rory a bit spoiled and coddled. It seemed like she had been wrong. She was silent for a moment, taking it all in. She could tell it embarrassed Rory, as he wasn't looking at her. She very hesitantly put a hand on his arm, only a light touch. "I'm very sorry, Rory. That sounds awful and I had no idea you were going through that." She said softly, her heart breaking for him. "I'm glad Flavio is still a good friend to you, and that he can help you." She paused. "If there's ever anything I can do, I'd be happy to. I know we were never really friends, and this is really our first nice conversation... but even if it's something small I'd be happy to help." Her mind was already churning. Sometimes she packed a lunch for Ainsley. Maybe she could pack one extra for Rory on days he was working as well?

 

[Rory Fergusson]

Rory nodded in agreement, ”Aye, very silly,” he thought of it back then, how, those little fights and the arguments had meant so much back then and were truly inconsequential now. After all, where he and Amber had never gotten along in school because of it, they were suddenly able to get along, this casual conversation at the beginning of a new chapter was so calm and collected, so good. He wasn’t quite sure it was happening, certainly it was a little surreal. Everything had mattered so much them, but it did not matter any more, not at all. It was nice to just talk to someone, nice to just sit and enjoy another person’s company at this early hour. The light teasing from Amber made him laugh, ”Nae doubt,” he replied with a little smile.​

​

Rory couldn’t imagine being with someone properly for so long, every relationship he’d been in or engaged with in school had some level of fakeness to it, unhelped by the fact that for him, no one he spent time with in that way would’ve been someone he could’ve ended up with, and breaking up with them had always been the kind choice. But perhaps he could’ve loved one of them. Certainly he didn’t think he’d ever get what Amber was describing, ”Like when ye get yer first wand,” The teen thought it might be an apt description. As for him and whom he’d almost seen a future with, he wasn’t so sure, ”Aye maybe, who knows,”. Telling Amber of all people what had happened had certainly not been his plan that morning, but he knew it was time to stop hiding it and certainly he would rather she heard it from him. Rory’s gaze lingered on the mostly empty cup until Amber rested a hand on his arm, he gave her a weak smile and glanced at her. ”Ah’ll be alright dinnae ye worry yerself, ah just need tae take it day by day,” The teen kept his gaze on hers, a faint hint of a better smile as he went back to what he’d said about her asking if he was okay tomorrow. ”Ah have tae just remember ah’ll see hame again one day just like the ald song goes. But fae now ah need just focus on still havin’ a place tae sleep at the end of every week,” He felt more positive about something so heavy when he simplified it, he knew he’d see home again, but the point for now was just to focus on the day to day. ”Ah bet our younger selves wouldnae be tae delighted wae us talkin,’ bein’ friendly and that. Ah mean ah ne’er woulda said it then but yer were right all those years ago tae yell at me fae what ah wis doin’,” He let a little smirk form on his face as he said. Admitting to the one person he had always said he wouldn’t that she was right, had been right all of those years before.​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

While the conversation had mostly been light, they were now broaching a more serious topic. Amber wanted to make sure there was room for Rory to back out of the conversation if he needed to, but also wanted to make sure he knew she was listening to him. The conversation about Ainsley made her smile, even if it was also a little bit embarrassing to talk about with a boy she had considered her enemy not that long before. His comparison gave her a moment's pause, but then she nodded. "It's not completely unlike that." She said with a small shrug. "Just... less easy. I didn't know at once, we were friends for ages before I even realized I liked girls. I tried dating a boy before her, but that didn't go very well." She was no longer shy about this, so it was pretty easy to talk to Rory about liking girls. It wasn't like it was at all a secret anymore. The subject of Rory's current situation was definitely more serious, and Amber was careful not to push him to say more than he was comfortable with. His words were so sad, and Amber wished she had any way to help him. "I'm really very sorry... if I can ever do anything, don't hesitate to ask. Count it as making up for that time I yelled at you." She was trying to make a light comment, but still indicate that she meant her words. She blushed a bit when he said she was right all that time ago, then shrugged and shook her head. "Maybe I was right to be mad about what you'd done, but I could've told you differently. I was just really mad, and that had never really happened before." She hesitated. "It's fine now, it's all water under the bridge. We were just kids, and Flavio never stopped being your friend. Maybe I should have trusted his judgement more." She said softly. Would they have had a conversation like this earlier if she had?

 

[Rory Fergusson]

Rory listened as she somewhat agreed with his wand comparison, he hadn’t known that coming out for her had been a long process, that she’d dated guys before she’d known. He hoped that it hadn’t been that bad, at her last comment, ”Aye boys are pretty sh1te right,” he made a little joke, with a small smile on his face. He couldn’t know what had happened between Amber and whatever boy she had dated, but he could still lightly joke about boys being pretty terrible. He only had to think of himself and his track record for how he treated girls. The teen nodded, ”Yer alright Amber, dinnae worry, ah’m happy wae just a bit of company,” the teen tended to get lost in his own mind and his worries over the future, like how was he supposed to find the time to make money to live and pursue his only real career path. He smiled softly when she said she shouldn’t have yelled at him, that Flavio was still his friend, he shook his head a little, ”Ah needed tae hear it,” he didn’t particularly want her feeling bad for the part she had played. In his mind, the whole domino effect in him leaving his family started with her telling him to not take advantage of Flavio. The words that helped him realise he was no better than any other one person, and that marrying only for the sake of blood was narrow-minded. Of course he couldn’t have known what saying no to them would result in, but he’d find his happiness again. He’d be able to try the patronus charm in a few years and it work.​

​

”We were just kids. We kinda are still kids,” Rory said finally in agreement, he could figure that most older adults would still class them as kids, but it wasn’t like Rory had the time to be a kid anymore. The teens stomach rumbled audibly and he laughed a little shyly in reaction to it, ”Ah should probably head tae work, get this rumbling stomach seen tae,” he began stretching out his limbs to begin moving the colder air having seeped in. The teen hadn’t brought any breakfast, since he was trying to save as much as possible he was trying to save a little money by rationing out the food he bought - who knew food was so expensive - but it wasn’t like he wanted Amber to know that. So it would be easier to just be early to work and make another coffee than sit around with her. ”This wis really nice Amber, we couldnae have been friends ‘fore but I’d like tae see aboot bein’ maybe friends now,”​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber giggled at Rory's comment about boys. She shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his notion. "Theyr're simply not for me." She said with a small smile. It had become clear to her that she really only liked girls. She was glad Rory had enjoyed her company, and nodded when he said her yelling had been something he had needed to hear. "Well... you really changed a lot." She said softly. "For the better." She gave him a small smile, wanting him to know she meant it. Amber nodded when Rory said they really were still kids. Nothing like graduating school to realize how young you really were. Amber was finally realizing she was just getting started, that Hogwarts had only been a preparation for the rest. "Alright." She said when Rory said he should get to work. "I should go soon too. Have a good day at work." She got to her feet, but turned to him when he spoke again. "It was nice." She agreed. "And... I would like that, to be your friend." She held up her hand in a wave. "I'll see you around, okay?"