Friendly Face

[Preston Paine]

Preston Paine had just closed the shop for the evening. It was a bit early, but there hadn't been any customers for a few hours so he'd sent his assistants home early and decided to take advantage of the evening himself. It was a little chilly, but Preston still leaned against the wall that held the harbour at bay, watching the scene. The water was calming in a way that nothing else seemed to be in his life. Nothing was going wrong; in fact, most things were going quite right. He'd moved into a new flat, the shop was doing better than he'd expected so soon after he'd gained ownership, and he hadn't acquired any new burns from the Skrewts this week. But he still had a sense of unease that just wouldn't quit. He let out a small sigh and then adjusted the backpack on his back so he could get ready to apparate home.

 

[Oswin Pond]

Oswin loved coming to the Obsidian Harbour, mainly so that she could admire everything that was for sale in the shops. She wasn't new to the magical world, she just wasn't very familiar with these parts. Oswin was adopted as an infant and was homeschooled so she wasn't very familiar with most parts of the magical world. The magical creatures were her favorite part — Oswin just was always amazed by how each and every one of them were beautiful in their own ways.

Another thing that Oswin loved about the Obsidian Harbour was in it's name — the actual harbor. She loved how calming just staring at the water could be. Honestly, it was one of her favorite things that she had discovered so far. Oswin started walking towards the water, then noticed a man with a troubled look on his face. There was no one else around, what did she have to lose by talking to him?

"Hi," Oswin said while walking up to the man. "I'm Oswin." A pause, then Oswin continued. "You look troubled, care to tell me what's on your mind?" She knew that he might just want to go back home and rest, but Oswin knew how nice it feels just to tell someone what's wrong or what's troubling you. Oswin leaned against the wall, waiting for a response.

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston had just turned to leave when he heard a feminine voice. He knew he'd been the only one this close to the harbour, it was pretty late after all, so he knew that the hello had to be directed at him. As he faced the woman, he also knew he didn't know her. She had a friendly face, but it wasn't one he recognized. She continued on as if they knew each other, and Preston's wall went up further. He had never been the type to freely share his troubles, not even with his friends. And joining the Scitorari had done little to help in this regard. He now had a huge secret to keep, one that was the difference between life and death.

"Do we know each other? " he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. It was possible that she was someone from his past. There had been those years just after he'd graduated when he'd gone a bit wild, quick and loose with drink and women. Those days were well out of his system, and he's never run into any of the string of women he'd spent time with then. This was going to be an interesting story to share with Sergei when they met up.

 

[Oswin Pond]

"No, I guess not." Oswin sighed. "Better start from the beginning then, right? She smiled at the man in front of her, getting an odd sense of annoyance from him. This only made Oswin more curious to see what was up, but she understood that not everyone would just share their worries with a stranger. Oswin held out her hand, hoping he would shake it. "I'm Oswin Pond, Professor of Care and Magical Creatures at Hogwarts." She held her breath, hoping that she wouldn't get a hostile response. She knew that yes, she was probably pushing too far but something about this man made her not want to leave.

She had met plenty of people in her life — a surprising amount of them not liking her. Oswin assumed that the same deal was up with her parents, why else would they leave her as an infant for another family to adopt her? Then again, Oswin questioned many things, often resulting in more questions than answers. But what did she have to lose by talking to this man? By the looks of it, he wasn't some type of creepy stalker or kidnapper, and the worst that could happen is that they would both leave, the man pissed off and Oswin humiliated. But she still had to give it a try.

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston stared at the woman's hand for a second and then reached out, bringing his hand to hers and giving a quick shake. It was her mentioning magical creatures that had done it, though her friendly nature certainly helped. Preston didn't always feel welcome in the wizarding world even after having lived in it exclusively since he'd become of age. "Preston Paine" he introduced himself, his voice deep, a heavy New Zealand accent framing his words. "Ah, did Professor Thornton retire then?" he asked, recalling one of his favorite professor's names easily. Preston had easily taken to the subject of magical creatures.

Preston had no intention of sharing his life concerns with a perfect stranger, but small talk he could do. He didn't particularly have interest in seeing most of his former classmates. They hadn't treated him the best. He was mildly curious about a few of them, but not so much that he planned on looking any of them up. Seeing Bituin earlier in the year had reminded him of that sentiment. But he was still curious about the castle and what professors had gone.

 

[Oswin Pond]

Oswin smiled again, relieved that she hadn't been left hanging. "I assume so, yes. Either that or he was fired, but judging by how much you liked him, I would guess that it wasn't the latter." She let out a laugh and continued. "You see, I was homeschooled as a child so I never got the chance to go to Hogwarts. I guess I'm getting my chance now, right? And the best part is I only have to teach about Magical Creatures, which are my favorite. (yes!)"

Oswin took a deep breath in and looked around the harbor. There were very few people still wandering around, but Oswin liked it better this way. She actually reminded herself of a few Magical Creatures — okay around a few people but panicky around a lot.

"What was your favorite subject while you went to Hogwarts?" Oswin asked, getting that Preston didn't want to get into the deep questions, but still wanting to keep a conversation going.

 

[Preston Paine]

Preston was disappointed to hear Professor Thornton had left though he expected the man had earned some peace and quiet after dealing with the amount if students he had. He knew his year had been particularly difficult and expected the load hadn't lightened. Children were difficult. The woman, Oswin, was quite open, easily sharing aspects of her life. She reminded him of one of his employees.

"Also Care of Magical Creatures. Creatures are easier to deal with than people, what can I say?" he explained with a shrug. Except veela, but he assumed that it was complex because he often encountered it mixed with a witch.