Enjoying the Holiday..... Not

Nathan made his way through the Leaky Cauldron. This was his first chance during the winter break to actually get out of the house. Many places and names rattled in his mind of where he could go during his first day out of the house and away from his little sister. So where does the Gryffindor third year decide to go with his freedom?

The leaky cauldron. He was inwardly kicking himself for the not so bright idea now as he attempted to remover around the different tables. Either way, he wasn't going to go back home. He only managed to get out for merlin's sake.

Shaking his head, he sat at an empty table with a nice book that he had been reading for the last week.

Marietta walked into the Leaky, an irratible look on her face. Her violet eyes sharply scanned the pub to see anyone that would look interesting to make small talk. She began walking around.

Noting several sleazy men trying to catch her eye, Marietta rolled her eyes and groaned. She sat by a boy who looked to be at least a third year with his nose in a book. She smiled sweetly at him. "Hello." She chirped. She sounded more happy then she felt. She threw her bag onto the ground, and waved to the waiter walking around.

Nathan didn't know how much time had passed while he read. He had just about forgotten where he was but came back to his senses when he heard someone sit at the same table as him. He looked up and heard the girl say hello.

He smiled back at her while he set the book down. She looked like she was in sixth or seventh year but he wasn't too sure. "Hello" he greeted. "You go to Hogwarts, dont you?" he asked.

"I do." Marietta replied with a smile playing on her lips. "Im Marietta." She introduced herself. "And you are....?" She asked curiously.

Marietta looked at the book in his hands. "What are you reading?" Marietta then again asked another question. Thankful that the waiter came when he did, she turned to him. "A butterbeer for me." She ordered. "What do you want?" She once again turned to the younger boy.

Nathan smiled with amusement at Marietta's questions. "I'm Nathan" he replied.
He glanced down at his book before back at her.

"Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean" he said before rubbing the back of his neck and letting out a slight chuckle. "I'm too interested in plants" he shrugged.

"I will have the same" he said to the waiter after hearing what she ordered.

Marietta nodded. "Nathan it is then." She watched his curiously as he looked back at his book, slightly offended and more than just curious.

It was Mariettas turn to chuckle. "Dont fret. Me too." She said carelessly. "Im training to be a Healer you see, and I need to study plants." She rolled her eyes, pretending to care less. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, smiling apoligeticially in the young boys general direction.

"I don't feel like such a dork then" Nathan joked as he placed the book on the seat next to him.

"A Healer huh?" he questioned with a thoughtful expression. "Well, that is a lot less boring then most jobs" he said. "It does leave people very tired though" he added amusedly when he saw her rubbing his eyes.

"you shouldn't have to begin with." Marietta noted knowingly. She drummed her fingers lightlyon the tabletop.

"I learn a lot everyday, so youre right. It's never boring." She laughed slightly. "Yes, I suppose it does." She trailed off a bit, and snapped back into focus. "So, Nathan." Marietta addressed. "Do you have a love interest?" She raised an eyebrow suggestivley.

"I supose your right" Nathan nodded, chuckling a little at how dorky he left about being caught reading that book out of school.

He was more amused when it looked like she had zoned out. "Sure you don't want coffee instead of butterbeer?" he asked with an amused smile."Learning too much can be boring too unless you find that balance" he contined as he did a so-so motion with his hand.

"A love interest?" he repeated her words with a thoughtful expression. This was one of those terms that he always heard girls use. "I dont actually know any girls except for Wild Flower" he said.

"Butterbeer will do me well. I cant stand drinking just black coffee. Its god awful." Marietta wrinkled her nose, imagining the discusting, hot liquid going down her throat. She shivered at the thought of it.

"I try to balance my social life with my schooling." Marietta admitted lamely. "But, the schooling tends to get in the way of everything." She tinkled a high pitched laugh, then sighed aloud.

"You know me." Marietta reminded him with a wink. "Wild Flower?" She cocked her head curiously. "And who may that be?"

Nathan could tell from her expression that she wasn't exaggerating one bit when she talked about her hatred towards coffee. "No coffee then" he said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Let me guess, your getting O's?" he teased lightly as he listened to her none existing balance. "A balance is easy once you know how to relax" he said.

"Violet, the Hufflepuff Prefect" he explained sheepishly. He was use to calling her Wild Flower that it had slipped out without him thinking. "I usually call her Wild Flower since it seems to annoy her and her cheeks turn the cutest shade of red when she is annoyed" he grinned slightly. "She is funny but I don't have a love interest" he said after some thought.

"Correct." Marietta replied. She had a evil little glint in her eye, and it normally ended up that she felt in the mood of snooping.

"I hope so. Im not so sure." She fretfully admitted. Then, she reconized how riddiculus she probably sounded. "Relax? You are a funny one." She laughed at practially nothing. "I never relax." Marietta threw out. It was true on some level, most actually. She was always worrying about something.

"Oooh, blondie you mean?" Marietta laughed. Of course she had seen the Hufflepuff prefect. She was a Hufflepuff. She also teased the poor girl more times than not. Marietta leaned toward Nathan with her head in her hands. "Sounds to me like you have a crush." She reached a hand out and ruffled his hair.

"So." Marietta cleared her throat. "If you like her so much, whats stopping you?"

Nathan rose a brow but realized that a Healer would have to have a lot of O's in the school subjects. "It would be difficult to relax" he said, shrugging. "Are you actually saying that you spend all your time with school work?" he asked in mock fear. "Nope, that will never do unless you want your brain fried" he added.

"That's her" he said but rose his brow again when she mentioned him having a crush. "I don't, she is just fun to annoy" he defended while he sat back in the chair.

"She is just the first girl I met who isn't annoying, that doesn't mean I like her" he said. He could have sworn he felt his face heat up as he thought about it.

"There's a few pracitcal jokes between studying, but yes, I do study a lot." Mariettas butter beer finally came, and she took a healthy drink, wiping her hand on her lip.

"Little Nathan is getting defensive." Marietta sing songed playfully. "Tell the truth now. I won't tell." She crossed her heart with a serious expression on her blank face. She wanted to know anyways.

Marietta studied him carefully. She already felt like he was lying, and he started to go red. ""Why are you blushing then?" Marietta teased with a hearty chuckle. Then something clicked. "Wait a minute!" She exclaimed. "You and blondie have a thing, dont you?" Marietta sat back, howling with laughter.

Nathan nodded as he listened. "Good to know that your not a complete bookworm then" he joked before taking the other butterbeer.

"Alright, alright, girls are so mean" he said with a mocking glare. "I guess I do like her but she is in her Fifth year and wouldn't like someone who is only in their third" he shrugged before drinking.

"Guys dont blush" he scoffed but smiled. "We are friends now, maybe not later" he said with a small grin.

"I wouldnt even classify myself as that." Marietta admitted sheepishly. "I get by with my studying, I just hate reading." She shrugged, she couldnt help how she felt. She was only human.

Marietta sat back, a look of smugness on her face. She was rather pleased with herself that she had wrangled the truth out of Nathan. "And you know this how?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I knew it!" Marietta said rather loud, since she recieved a few dirty looks from the men on the other side. She rolled her eyes and drank more of her butterbeer.

Nathan nodded. "Understandable" he said. "Good to know you have some fun even if I hate practical jokes" he said but then shook his head. "Well, I dont hate them, I just havent had the taste for it since I talked a sixth year last year into making it rain in the Gryffindor common room" he admitted as he drank. "It seemed like a good prank until he actually did it."

"I dont know it but I'm sure it's true" he shrugged. It made sence since Violet was a Fifth year and a Prefect.

He looked up in shock at the loud outburst before snickering. Quite a few people were not happy about being interupted from what they had been doing.

Marietta raised both of her eyebrows this time. A child hating practical jokes? She will have to take him under her wing. "You know what we are going to do?" She asked, and then anwered herself. "We are going to indroduce you to Averie Treyton. Know her? She is Head Girl and my best friend." Marietta paused, smiling. "She will show you the joys of practical jokes." She tapped his nose. "Mark my words, you will love pranking after." Marietta sighed happily.

"Talk to her then!" Marietta urged. "Dont be so negative! If you like her, go for her!" She paused and looked at him curiously. "You do like her, dont you?" She wondered aloud.

Nathan listened to her question and then her answer that imedietly followed. "Something tells me I will also learn the joys of extra detentions when it is over" he said, chuckling. "Alright, if you really think that practical jokes are that fun" he agreed, going cross eyed a little as he looked at his nose.

"I think I do, she is pretty and everything about her is cute" he said but was unsure of how Violet would react to him asking her out.

Marietta waved a hand. "Please. Ive spent seven years with this girl and I havent gotten a single detention." She beamed. "We always manage to talk ourselves out of a detention. Its probably because we always get into trouble." Marietta added thoughtfully. She took another drink of her butterbeer as she pondered on her thoughts.

"They are the best! Thats what makes the world go round!" Marietta stood up and got on the table, throwing her hands over her head, just to exaggerate herself. She sat back down on her seat, straight faced, as if nothing had happened.

"Then whats stopping you?" Marietta raised her eyebrow, a calm look on her face.

"That doesnt help the case if you are always getting caught" Nathan pointed out. He had to admit though, that it was making him more interested.

He wondered how she had managed to do that and keep a straight face when she sat back down. "Oh yes, the world would fall apart without prankers and prank victems" he nodded.

"The fact that she could say no if I asked her out" he said, not bothering to even lie about it.

"The teachers cant take us seriously!" Marietta exclaimed, her violet eyes gleaming with amusement. She wondered what on earth Nathan thought about her. "Averies Hed Girl, and Im the darling of every teacher. What would you do if you were a teacher? Give us a detention?" She glared at him, spectating.

"Yes, yes it will. Im glad to see that you are catching on." Marietta chastised with a playful wink.

"If you dont try, the answer will always be no." Marietta said serenly. Because, it was true.

Nathan snorted when Marietta called herself the darling of every teacher. He couldnt help himself. "Probably not, I would be too scared of you" he snickered.

He was begining to understand why the teacher's couldn't take her seriously. It was too funny. "Alright, she-who-knows-all" he said.

Her words made sence and caused him to think about it. "I'll ask her out but if she says no, I'm coming after you" he threatened jokingly.

Marietta gasped angrily. She decided to thump the younger child softly. "Dont get too cocky." Marietta warned. "I could hex you and make it look like an accident!" She grabbed her wand, sparks flying off the end for emphasis.

"What do you mean by that?" Marietta asked with a laugh.

"And Ill be waiting for you when she says yes and you come to me to celebrate." She said all in one breath. Marietta took a big breath, then beamed at him.

"I take it back" Nathan said as he held his hands up in defence while he tried to stop his snickers. It was a hard thing to do when she threatened him after his joke about teachers being scared of her.

He shrugged. "Just that you are the one to go to when it comes to playing practical jokes" he said.

"You seem very sure that she will say yes" he said.