The Day We First Met

[Elizabeth Blackmoore]

Why on earth is fishing such a boredom buster? thought Bess, flicking her line a little so that it plopped satisfyingly in the water below. The brook had very high banks, but there was a fat log that had fallen across it years ago that she and her sisters liked to sit and fish from in the Summer. There wasn't much going on in life right now. Bess worked a small muggle cafe down the rode from their sweet cottage home. Connie, her twin, worked their also but people could tell them apart since Conn had dyed her hair blonde. Her twin had always liked to change hair colours, where as Bess had always stayed the same; golden brown hair, hazel-green eyes and a smile that put a tiny dimple on each cheek, just like Artemis. Somehow she had expected to become a bit more than she had after leaving Hogwarts. Connie was doing her studying and doing just as well as everyone expected. But Bess knew she'd probably stay in the little village of Langton not two miles down the road from Brightstone. She'd stay and work at the coffee shop, maybe meet someone eventually and have a lot of little kids. A simple life. She sighed.

Yet Bess was still a Blackmoore although she had more Yearling blood than anything, and adventure was still something she craved in the back of her mind. Perhaps this was why fishing wasn't so boring. You ended up sitting down and having a good think. But the sound of calm footsteps startled her out of her reverie. A man who look not a day older than herself was rounding the path towards Brightstone, just in Bess' eyeline. Not such an event, but she recognised him instantly. "Oh! Leo!" she called out without thinking, waving frantically from her perch above the water. At that moment, there was a firm tug on her line and the happily waving young woman was pulled into the water. Seconds later she surfaced, spluttering and her clothes dripping wet. "Oh flummox me." said Bess. What a way to meet a former peer.

 

[Leo Baxter]

Leo found that he was beginning to like New Zealand a lot more than good old England. Sure he still went home every so often. Being your typical teenage boy, fresh out of school with no job to speak off, he still enjoyed the home comforts of mums cooking and having pretty much everything done for him. Leo did help out a bit but he was usually just more focused on going out the nightclubs and the like. It was a few days after Kira's wedding and she was still away on her honeymoon so the shop had been left in the care of himself and his younger sister, Jasmin.

It was almost time for him to go and help Jasmin out for a few hours, with it being the holidays he couldn't really leave his 13 year old sister running a shop on her own, even though she didn't particularly mind; in fact she liked doing it. As he was walking into Brightstone Leo was trying to decide what he should do tonight. He didn't know if he should go to The Medley, one of the local pubs or a little further afield. He hadn't had a good time since Kira's wedding but even then he didn't have a lot of fun as his sister had warned him to be on his best behaviour.

Rolling the eyes at the thought of his sister and how she had wanted everything to perfection on her wedding day he was quickly brought out of his thoughts with the calling of his name. Frowning his eyebrows in slight confusion he looked in the direction of where the noise came from. When his landed on the source of the noise he didn't catch who it was as he only saw the person fall into the water. Now even more confused he ran over to where the person was. When he reached them he saw them resurface. A smile crossed his lips as he saw face of an old friend. "The water any good?" he asked in jest, a light laugh lacing his words as he looked at his soaked friend.

 

[Elizabeth Blackmoore]

Bess blew a wet strand of hair from her eyes so that it slapped against her cheek. She grinned up at Leo just the same and said "Oh, aye! Care to join me?". There was no good fussing over her ruined hair when what had been one of the cutest boys in school was standing on the bank above her. She'd just look vain. Bess was about to get up when there was a tug at the end of her line which she hadn't realised that she was still holding. A small trout flopped feebly on the muddy bank, and she sloshed over to it to set it free. Off swam the fish, leaving a wet and dejected young woman with wet socks for her troubles. Bess smiled up at Leo and shrugged. "Started my day off on the wrong foot, I think." she said, clambering her way up the grassy sides of the bank to stand before him. "I'd give 'ye a hug but a dinnae think 'ye want a wet shirt," laughed Bess. Instead, she put her hands behind her back, tilted her head and smiled fondly. Why, she hadn't talked to her old school friends in ages, especially one as cute as Leo. She remembered Connie and herself giggling in the common room at night as they peeked over to where the boys were. They were much older now, but the facts hadn't changed. He was still a slice.

"What are 'ye doing these days now that school's out?" asked Bess, wondering if he'd have time for a chat. No doubt she'd get the same question and have to explain that the answer was absolutely zilch, but it was polite to ask, after all. Not everyone managed to get their dream job as soon as they left. Although she assumed she'd just end up doing as she thought before; staying in the town and end up marrying some random wizard, there was some studying she'd always wanted to do. In what field, she had no idea.

 

[Leo Baxter]

Leo couldn't help but smile down at his friend, why he hadn't stayed in contact with her (or any of his old school mates for that matter) after he left Hogwarts was beyond him; he simply didn't realised how much he would miss them until he didn't have them any more. Oh how mistaken he was. The past number of months that he had left Hogwarts had been the loneliest few months of his life, the biggest excitement he had was Kira's wedding and the only big enjoyment he could out of that was watching his older sister, the control freak, practically freak out over the wedding; it was funny when it wasn't annoying. For the first time in a while Leo laughed at Bess' words, he had always liked her and he was beginning to remember why. "Well hopefully you can continue it on a good foot." he said as he watched her get out of the water. "Ah you know me well Bess." he said with a wink. "Maybe later." he added sincerely.

When Bess started off with a conversation with a question which made Leo realise why he had stayed out of contact with his old schoolmates. Leo was far from ashamed of what he had done after he left Hogwarts, he was sure all of his old classmates were now successful people out in the working world making something of themselves. Whereas he was just roaming around the world doing a bit of sight seeing here and there and helping Kira out in the shop. With a sigh he told Bess, "Nothing, to be perfectly honest. Been doing a bit of travelling and helping Kira out in her shop." Seeing no point in making up a lie to Bess, she wouldn't probably be able to tell right through him anyway. "What about you?" he said, as he sat down in the grass - patting a bit beside him for Bess to join him if she wanted too; if she had the time too. Knowing his luck she was probably one of the people who were out working and having important things to do.

 

[Elizabeth Blackmoore]

Contrary to what Leo believed she would do, Bess's face lit up visibly when he said he'd not been doing much. Of course she shouldn't be happy about such a thing if he wasn't, but it made her feel less alone in her occupations when someone else was engaged in the same thing; nothing exciting. Well, she helped out a bit with the family, just the same as he was doing, but generally that wasn't a student fresh out of Hogwart's career of choice. Bess beamed at him and took his offer for a seat beside him, falling onto her backside with a wet squelch of water. What had been a bouncy green skirt was now sopping. Bess proceeded to wring it out like a laundry maid on washing day as she replied "Oh, nothin' much," which was quite true. "There's, ah, a coffee shop just down the road from my street that leads ontae Brightstone. I've been working casual there while looking after the littlies at home." She did seem a little disappointed in herself then, but at the mention of her siblings the smile returned. "Technically my older brother and twin aren't 'little', but Artemis is as small as ever," said Bess happily, flapping her skirt out across her legs to dry.

It suddenly occurred to her that he might be busy with something else other than work. The thought made her feel slightly crestfallen although it really had nothing to do with her and she couldn't help but mention it in passing. "Ahh, so 'ye must have a lass tucked away somewhere," grinned Bess, wrinkling her nose cutely and waving her finger at him theatrically as if she new all about it. "Oh say it isnae true!" she gasped, flopping back onto the grass and giggling. "Ye must, surely! I remember perfectly well just how many girls were giving 'ye sticky eyes last year." she said as she attempted to wipe the amusement from her face.

 

[Leo Baxter]

Leo's face fell as he became slightly confused when Bess seemed to be happy about the life that Leo lead ever since he left Hogwarts. He wondered if she found it so funny that he had been doing practically nothing since he left Hogwarts but he hoped Bess wouldn't be one of those people, actually he knew she wasn't one of those people. Although, as Bess sat down beside him, he too beamed. So what if he had a very boring life style, it was his life and he liked it. Sure he wouldn't mind having a job or maybe even a girlfriend, some sort of continuity in his life was all her needed and helping his sister out in her shop just wasn't enough for him. Leo watched Bess as she talked about what she had been up to over the past few months. He nodded his head lightly as she talked to show he was actually listening to her. He laughed at her words when she mentioned her siblings. That was one thing they had in common, they both came from a relatively big family. Although it was the mention of Artemis being as small as ever that made him laugh, the contrast in words always was something to give him a chuckle. "How are the family?" he asked, out of genuine curiosity.

Leo lowered his head when Bess brought up him having a girlfriend at least. If anyone knew Leo, which Bess did, then they would know how he was always with a girl when at Hogwarts. The truth was Leo liked that, when he was at Hogwarts but ever since he left all the girls did too and even though it hadn't been too long he had grown up, if only a bit. Ever since Kira had gotten engaged and then married he saw how she and Andros were together, coompletely in love and perfect for each other. It was enough to make Leo realise that he wanted that with someone, but he just hadn't been able to find that someone just yet. As Bess started to over react Leo couldn't help but laugh along with her. "People change Bess." he said, sticking his tongue out playfully. "But no I don't have a girlfriend, not since what'sherface, at Graduation." he said, the girls name had left his mind. "Well what about you?" he asked, wondering if anyone had been lucky enough to get the attention of Bess yet.