Hot Chocolates and Hot Topics

[Jon Phillips]

The barbecue Jon held over the summer served as a reminder he wasn't as acquainted with his colleagues as he should have been, as well as a source of motivation to resolve it and become more social upon returning for the new semester. After contemplating the idea for the remainder of the holidays, Jon returned to Hogwarts adamant he wanted to change the habits he had fallen into, and during a free moment left the comfort of his office to head to a different professor's office on the same floor. Matt Ward who taught the older years of History of Magic was the first professor Jon thought of to visit, both because the man seemed kind and welcoming to random visits from others, and also because his partner Kyle was the same Kyle who worked with Samuel at Scrivenshaft's. An unbeknownst fact to Jon at the time he met the man during the barbecue. It hadn't been a connection he made immediately, but it was something he eventually realized, and he was now well aware of the humor in how small the wizarding world could be. It was nice to have a common thread with Matt, and it made the ordeal of socializing with the man slightly less daunting. Approaching Matt's office, Jon shuffled around the two hot chocolates he brought, quickly knocking on the door when one of his hands were free. He shuffled the mugs around a second time as he waited for an answer, careful not to spill anything. There was no way for Jon to tell if Matt would also be free that time of day, but he sincerely hoped so as he would be unsure what to do with the hot chocolates otherwise.​

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

With him and Kyle planning their wedding, Matt's holidays hadn't been as calm as usual. But he couldn't be happier. The four of them were now really starting to feel like a family. Things were still a little complicated between October and Kyle, but the improvement between the relationship between their daughters was incredible. April and October were really acting like sisters now, and it warmed Matt's heart to see them together. But now he was back at school, and he knew he had to focus on his classes. This year, he would be teaching October in his fifth year class. It was a little strange, but also very nice to see her in classes. He knew she was very serious and interested, which helped a lot. Sometimes she reminded him of his younger self more than April did.

But one thing he did have in common with April was how untidy they were. He remembered how often he had to chastise her for her messy room, only to realize his own study was way worse. His office at Hogwarts was really no better, and once again Matt was trying to create some sort of order in the chaos at the start of a new semester. In the middle of cleaning up his desk, there was a knock on his door. With a small sigh, Matt made his way over to the door and opened it. He was somewhat surprised to see Jon there, even more surprised to see what he was bringing. "Hello Jon, to what do I owe this visit?" He asked, trying in vain to block the messy room behind him from view.