SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS {DAWN}

[Piper Kincaid]

The summer was now drawing to an end. The distant memories of vacation were now whirling into past worries. The sunshine would soon expire, the leaves would rust to the ground, and fall would take over with its selfish ways. It would destroy everything in its way like stripping trees of their colors. This was how Piper seemed to look at things, however, only she knew what was inside her head. She had never been one to speak her thoughts, and thus she had found herself lost within the realization that yet another year was soon coming to an end. It would soon be another new year, once again, and something about life had seemed dull and old now. It was like the sunlight was beginning to dim before the new Hogwarts Term had even begun.

Piper had found herself in Hogsmeade due to a certain meeting that was crucial to attend. It had felt like only a few days since she had been dragged some place because of work, when in reality it had been months. Her eyes narrowed on the streets as she watched her feet below her. Her head was swarming with ideas inquiring about the particular meeting she was summoned to. She assumed that it had to be of importance if the Headmistress asked to see her as soon as possible. She was not worried, no, but something was definitely a mystery. What couldn’t wait until the start of year? Most of all, however, why was it that they had to meet in the Three Broomsticks, of all places?

She entered into the small pub, relieved by the fact that it was no where near as crowded as she had normally seen it, and made her way to the bar. She took one quick look upon the faces but had not seen the face of the woman whom requested her appearance. She thought it best not to dwell on the worries and instead just think positively and calmly. She, however, was not one to endure patience. She hated surprises, spending every ounce of her time trying to figure one out, and always seemed to ruin them because of that reason. She hadn’t meant to ruin her chance to be blown away in surprise, but it always seemed to work that way. It had something to do with her childhood. She had always been left out of everything, absolutely everything, and it had come to the point where she became addicted to being part of something if it involved her. This had become a game, inserting her brains into something that should be her surprise, and making sure she figured it out so she would not be left out anymore.

“Firewhiskey, please.” She said softly, brushing her blonde locks over her shoulder so that she could rummage through her purse for galleons. She sighed softly, taken slightly aback by the comment made by the waitress. ‘A strong drink for someone who is responsible for students at Hogwarts...’ Piper’s eyes sparked as she flashed them at the waitress. The woman gave her the drink, she exchanged it for cash, and she did not see the woman’s face again. It must have been scary seeing that look, but Piper wouldn’t know. She couldn’t tell what it was or how it felt to be stared at in such a way. She knew one thing, however, and that was that it worked. Not just in real life, but she got respect because of it… along with other various horrible nicknames.

She made her way to a table in the back. Next to the normal table she chose there was a round table, higher than most usually were, and matching chairs that made one’s feet unable to touch the ground. Most people loved this type of table, but not Piper. She stayed far from it. She couldn’t even imagine trying to climb into one of those bistro chairs. The moment her feet left the ground she would be done for. She breathed softly, remaining the only one sitting at a normal table, and sat quietly within the pub booth. She bit her lip, begging herself to cope and be patient, but the curiosity of the meeting was viciously chewing away at her imagination. She always seemed to think the absolute worst, even though ninety-nine percent of the time it was absolutely nothing horrible at all.

&& Wordcount: 736
&& Status: finished !
&& Clothes: jeans, white shirt, black button-up cover shirt, black heels, and silver earrings
&& Song: neon trees - animal
&& Notes: whoooot

[Dawn Holbrook]

Dawn’s mind was cluttered with uneasy thoughts as she leaned up against the kitchen counter of her homey apartment while her eyes lingered on the half empty mug resting by the sink. James’ favorite mug had been sitting in the exact same spot untouched for nearly a week now … She couldn’t recall the disagreement they had ended up having that afternoon, though she did know it was over something trivial. The couple rarely argued over anything and when they did it usually never lasted long. Part of it was due to James’ uncanny ability to make her laugh right in the middle of a disagreement with something as simple as a blink of an eye. As soon as a smile would reach her face or a giggle would escape her lips he would declare that he had ‘won’ and in truth he always did. It was a known fact that he would always lure her back in with his charm and on most occasions she would be willingly defenseless against it.

When James had left that afternoon she had figured that he was just going out for a run and would be back within an hour or so... When he didn’t show back up that night she couldn’t help but think that he had somehow blown things out of portion. Would he really have been that upset with her? When he had gone two days without returning home she had sent him a letter apologizing for whatever she had done that had made him so upset before going to his parent’s house to see if he was staying there. After discovering that he hadn’t been there she had spent the next three days looking everywhere she could possible think of for her boyfriend and asked every single person in Hogsmeade if they had seen him. Dawn knew something was off… In her heart she knew that James wouldn’t act like this over a small disagreement… That’s why she hadn’t touched the mug. It gave her a sense of comfort as Harry Potter began to organize a search for his eldest son. The mug gave her the idea that perhaps James had been home only hours before safely standing in that exact same spot drinking from that mug…

Feeling her heart becoming weighted down with worry she pushed herself away from the counter before exiting the apartment feeling only half of a whole. Reaching the street of Hogsmeade she couldn’t help but think back to earlier events of the day.

Hogwarts… Who would have thought that Dawn would be returning to Hogwarts after three years? She certainly would’ve never had guessed it… It was no secret that Dawn was irritated that she had been assigned such a job, but she really had no say in the matter. If she had truly wanted to become a teacher at Hogwarts than she would have done that instead of become an auror. At least it was in a subject she enjoyed, but the thing she found awkward was the fact that she was only three years older than the seventh years… She wasn’t a real teacher. The only reason she was asked to do this was because of recent events occurring in other wizardry communities that caused the Ministry to be on heightened alert. They wanted someone who could keep a close eye on Hogwarts and its students to ensure safety, but all she really wanted to do at the moment was look for James even though Harry and her father had reassured her that they would keep her posted on their progress. If this all ended up being a joke James was pulling then she would surely punch him in the face... She knew that wasn't the case though.

Letting out a small sigh she continued to make her way down the street as she pulled a piece of long parchment out of the pocket of her jeans. The headmaster of the school had sent her a letter early that morning explaining that the potions professor by the name of Piper Kincaid would be meeting her at the Three Broomsticks that evening to give her the basic run down of what was to be expected of her and what her duties as a ‘professor’ would be. Thus she felt extremely relieved to actually know Piper from when she was an actual student at the ancient school. Despite their age differences and being in different houses they had became friends easily. Dawn's fourth year had been a bit odd because Piper had graduated and she no longer saw the blonde on a daily basis like she use too. They had bumped into each other and whatnot over the years, but it was truthfully going to be nice to be able to hang out like they use to so many years ago.

Upon entering the inn and pub she immediately went to the bar to ask the bar tender if they had seen the professor as she ordered a butterbeer in return. After being pointed in the right direction she couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised when she had spotted the familiar blonde who was sitting at a table near the back of the pub. Being careful not to spill the contents of her drink she made her way to the table before slowly announcing her presence with a friendly smile.“It feels like it's been forever since I've last seen you, Pie! I was relieved when my letter from the headmaster said I was going to meet up with you! "

tag;; Piper
status;; complete
word count;; 793
notes;; yay!
lyrics;; n/a
outfit;; dark blue skinny jeans, black t-shirt, and red ballet flats.

[Piper Kincaid]

It wasn't nerves that had put her in this position. She was a bit on edge as to who would be meeting up with her, but the fire-whiskey was smoothly calming those thoughts. She was ready for her new job and ready to carry herself on her own with no more training. Her temper, however, was something to keep tabs on. She had gotten better over the years, but many knew the stories of the damage she caused without being able to control herself. It wasn't the thoughts that went through her mind - it was the little irks that drove her completely mad. She wanted to throw things, scream and yell, and possibly extend her nails into someone's neck. She has never gotten that vicious, but she had come close. There was only one person who could ever keep her in line. She, however, hadn't been around in a while. It had been years since they had seen one another - but it was a small world. A very very small world.

It hadn't been Piper's dream to return to that hallowed halls that caused her so many detentions. It hadn't been her first choice - but she had a heavy talent and passion for mixing concoctions. She was on a rich path to owning something along the lines of an apothecary. Being an ex-Ravenclaw came with the pride of being incredible quick minded. She was a very bright young woman, but her lack of self control was quickly pushing that into the gutters. She may have gotten better, but the past was still the past and she could not change it. She, however, was not going to be anything close to a push over. She would quite possibly be the toughest teacher Hogwarts had ever seen. She took pride in trying to obtain that certain level of education.

She had found herself less stressed when she had looked up to the sound a familiar voice. A thousand thoughts had drifted off into a fine dust and left her alone to bask in the waves of her new found excitement. It had been so many years since this particular person had shared a conversation together. When Piper graduated she had become distant. She had traveled a lot and found herself eloped with her brewing abilities. Returning to England had happened just a year or so ago, but it felt like just yesterday. So many things had happened and we still happening. The world was spinning faster and faster every day it seemed and one bad thing after another seemed to unravel a ridiculous scheme.

Times like this, however, were the things that made Piper realize there would always be some sort of goodness to level out the terrible. Times likes there had lifted her spirits enough to know that things were going to change. Things were going to get better. Piper had found herself jumping to her feet, her face etched in complete and utter shock, as she walked towards her friend from Hogwarts past. “Merlin!” He exclaimed. “Dawn, is that really you!?” She hugged her, pulling away quickly after, and analyzing her hastily. “You look fantastic!” The last thing on her mind now, though, was the reason that really brought her here. Hogwarts had now become the absolute last thing on her mind.

The years seemed to be must more distant than they had been before. It had been almost eight years since they had seen each other and almost six since Piper had disappeared and the owls stopped being responded to. Truth was she never read any of the letters because she was traveling so quickly and in such a widespread area that it was hard to get owls to reach her. She hadn’t meant to forget her friend nor leave her behind in any way – but she just couldn’t ever remember things. It just slipped her mind and after a while she felt as if she didn’t have the bond with her anymore. It was almost as if she felt like her letters would be unread and pointless. It had been so many years, though, that Piper wasn’t even one hundred percent sure if this really was what happened.

Piper smiled sweetly to the woman as she sat back down. “I really can’t believe this,” she said honestly. She sipped her drink, showing no emotion towards the burning gulp, and continued analyzing her as if she were a ghost of some sort. She felt like she was in an alternate universe – almost as if this were all one crazy dream and not real at all. “How the heck have you been?” She asked, almost as if the shock would never wear off. “Are you still part of that little trio thing?” She asked suddenly. “Still good friends? Possibly more? That one was a cutie… Chris… I think his name was?” She asked, laughing softly.

&& Wordcount: 818
&& Status: finished !
&& Clothes: jeans, white shirt, black button-up cover shirt, black heels, and silver earrings
&& Song: barbra streisand!!
&& Notes: haha

[Dawn Holbrook]

Dawn found herself wrapping her arms around Piper as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do despite the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in eight years. One might have thought that such a reunion would be awkward in a sense because the girls had grew a part over the years, but for Dawn it felt like she was being reunited with a long lost family member… a older sister of sorts. It really hadn’t been much of a shock that Piper’s letters had became less frequent with how busy she was. Piper had become an adult while Dawn was still an adolescent. It was only fair that the blonde branched out and explored the opportunities the world had to offer her… Dawn wasn’t selfish enough to ever be mad at Piper for going out and doing that even if it meant that their friendship had been put on hold. There was no doubt that Piper was still the same intelligent, caring, and fun girl she had always been.

“The one and only,” she replied with a giggle as she stared at her friend to really take in the fact that she was standing right there in front of her. Piper’s beauty had always been something to admire and now she looked even prettier than ever. “You look fantastic as well, Pie! You look even more gorgeous than the last time I saw you!”

It almost felt as if they had never parted ways. It was as if they were simply picking up where they had left off. They would once again be able to confide in one another like they had done so many years ago and with the way things were going at the moment Dawn would undoubtedly be grateful for that. It was because of this that she wished that she could be completely honest with the blonde. Unfortunately she would have to keep certain things away from the one person she completely looked up to and admired when it came down to the true reasons why she would be teaching at Hogwarts.

Placing her butterbeer upon the table she sat down while pushing certain thoughts to the back of her mind. Letting out a small chuckle she reached across the table in order to lightly pinch Piper on the skin of her arm to prove a point.
“It’s not a dream, though it does sort of feel like one,” Dawn said with a tilt of her head before taking a sip of her butterbeer before answering Piper’s questions to the best of her abilities. “I’ve been good for the most part! I don’t know what to tell you or even where to begin…” she started as she leaned back in her chair to get comfortable before teasingly saying, “Just to reinsure you, in case you had any doubts, I actually did graduate from Hogwarts… I actually live in an apartment not far from here. I should take you there once we’re done with our drinks.” In truth the apartment hadn’t been much of anything when she and James had first moved in, so of course she had been extremely proud of what they had turned it into. It was home.

Dawn’s chest tightened uncomfortably when she heard the word trio. She tried to hide the discomfort the best she could while trying to think of a proper answer.

“We had a falling out in our seventh year,” she explained with a small frown. “James and I became more than just best friends that year and Chris didn’t take it well… I haven’t seen him in three years but I do know he plays quidditch for Germany.”

Would Dawn even dare bring up the fact that James was missing? With the hope that James would soon forgive her and return home she decided to keep that part of her life private at the moment, though more than anything she could use a friend.

“I miss the way things use to be with all of us… I’ve missed you so much, Pie…I can’t even describe to you how good it feels to be sitting here with you,” she told her with a smile before brushing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. “What about you though? You have to tell me about your travels! What about relationships? Are you with anyone? You’re still into younger men from the sound of it…”

Dawn wanted to know everything. She just didn’t feel like there would ever be enough time in the world to possible ever catch up with one another… It was at that moment that Dawn decided that being stuck at Hogwarts wouldn’t be so bad, especially when she would get to see Piper every day.

tag;; Piper
status;; complete
word count;; 795
notes;; yay!
lyrics;; n/a
outfit;; dark blue skinny jeans, black t-shirt, and red ballet flats.

[Piper Kincaid]

Piper laughed softly as she listened to the woman's words. Dawn had always been the biggest sweet heart to her, and almost like she was the little sister she never had. Growing up a single child had it's advantages, but the biggest disadvantage was always feeling alone. Sure, she never had to share anything, nor did she ever have to split anything at all. It was still lonesome, however, not having anyone around that you could trust completely. Dawn knew all of Piper's downfalls. She knew absolutely everything that anyone needed to know. It was only natural that Piper viewed her as a sister. She could trust her with absolutely anything.

She smiled to her. "Same ole Dawn," she said lightly. "Always trying to butter me up. I haven't changed a bit, are you kidding me?" She said, still laughing. She believed she looked exactly like she did a few years ago. Her hair had gotten a bit longer, yes, but that was all that she saw different. The only thing that made her morphing powers handy was that she could alter herself. Sometimes, however, she had gotten to the point where she would grow much too tired to bother with holding up the change. She just let herself be her own person.

She felt the pinch at her arm and laughed softly. "Thanks for clearing that up for me," she chuckled. "I was worried." She sipped her beverage. She felt a little out of place for a moment as she realized that her drink was so much stronger than her friend's. She wondered if this would create a bad image for her. She had never been one to go over board, but, then again, she had never been one to drink at all. Drinking had always brought out the worst memories in her. Mainly of her parents, but they were in the past. She had come to realize that, even if she did it, there was a very slim chance that she would end up serving the same problems. She was a light drinker, but sometimes it just hit the spot.

She placed her drink back on the table before cheerily stating: “that’s wonderful!” She smiled graciously. “That sounds like a great idea! I’d show you mine but I doubt you’d want to see it. It’s such a tiny little thing – but it’s all I could afford.” She sighed lightly. “I hate money. It’s gotten to the point where it seems like absolutely none of us can get by anymore.” It didn’t help, though, that Piper had such a spending problem.

She reached across the table and offered Dawn a sip of her fire whiskey. “I’m sorry to hear that, dear.” She frowned with her friend before she smiled again. The memories of those three were what made her so happy to know them. They always seemed to put a smile on her face – no matter what terrible things were happening. She smiled widely. “Awww!” She said happily. “That’s so great! It makes sense, too, I mean – you have been friends for practically forever.” She sighed. “I wonder why he took it so hard. Could it be that he was in love with you, too?” She wondered. She didn’t know the whole story. This is all that she could think of for a relative reasoning.

“I missed you, too.” She said. “I returned back a couple months ago, but I assumed you’d be off in the big world somewhere. I never would have guessed that you would have still been in London!” She said. “Sorry my letters fell short. It seemed that I was in a new place every second of every day. My travels were brilliant!” She said brightly. “You have to go backpacking through Asia with me next summer! You think the stars are pretty here!? You should see them out there in the big world!”

She laughed roughly. “You know me too well, D.” She said with a bright smile. “No – I didn’t meet anyone along the way. All of the good looking ones were taken – and those that weren’t taken… do you honestly think they could keep up with me?” She laughed. “I doubt there’s anyone here that could keep up with me, either.” She said brightly. “I think you’d agree that sometimes I’m just too vicious to handle.”

&& Wordcount: 726
&& Status: finished !
&& Clothes: jeans, white shirt, black button-up cover shirt, black heels, and silver earrings
&& Song: barbra streisand!!
&& Notes: =D

[Dawn Holbrook]

A fond smile graced Dawn’s lips as she traced a finger around the rim of the mug she had been drinking from in a comfortable rhythm as she listened intently to her friend. She couldn’t help but think back to a time when her and Piper would sneak into the library past curfew as students just so they could talk about anything and everything. Dawn always knew how important Piper’s friendship had been to her, but she never really understood the magnitude of it until now. Making friends had always been rather easy for her but when Piper had graduated she couldn’t help but feel a little lost. Of course she had James and Chris at the time, which was great, but she really did miss that female bond she had with Piper.

“Haven’t changed?” she questioned with a chuckle. “The last time I saw you we were still both teenagers,” she added as she leaned back in her seat to study the blonde. She did look the same, but there were definitely some mature subtle changes that accentuated the pretty features she had always had.

The thought of bringing Piper over to the apartment was inviting even though it was a downright mess at the moment. Dawn hadn’t tidied up a single thing since over a week ago… Clothes would be scattered about and dishes were still left in the sink even though she couldn’t quite remember the last time she had a decent meal.

Taking a sip of her butterbeer she shook her head in disbelief. Their apartment was small as well but it was what she considered home. James and Dawn had worked hard merging their two personalities to make the apartment their own. She really couldn’t imagine living anywhere else at the moment, nor did she want too. “Are you kidding me? I would love to see it eventually… I bet it looks great!” she said with a smile before she nodded her head. “I know how you feel. Money now and days just seems like such a trivial thing compared to other problems the world faces each day.”

Dawn glanced down at the fire whiskey being offered to her before pushing her butterbeer to the side slightly. She couldn’t quite remember the last time she had any strong alcohol… Lifting the glass to her lips she took a small sip only to feel the familiar burning sensation run down her chest before letting out a small cough… Her tolerance for alcohol had always been rather pathetic really. Letting out a giggle she slid the glass back over toward Piper with a shake of her head when it was suggested that perhaps Chris had been love with her.

“No way,” she had responded with a sigh as she stared down at her hands in thought before looking back up. “We had kept it a secret from everyone, including Chris for over a year… He had every right to be mad,” she explained with a shrug of her shoulders. The past couldn’t be changed no matter how much she wished things could be back to the way they were… They were adults now and it was only natural that they went their separate ways. She had learned to accept that after graduation.

Her slight frown was replaced with a smile as she heard Piper speak about her travels. “Don’t be sorry, Pie! I’m glad you were able to experience everything that you did! Just the near thought of it is mind boggling…” Dawn tilted her head to the side only being able to imagine what it would have been like. She and James had been putting money aside for quite some time so they could travel. “Asia? That sounds bloody brilliant! You know how I am with my stars…” she replied with a smile despite not knowing if she would be able to do that or not. Only time would tell…

“You,” Dawn pointed teasingly at Piper before continuing, “are indeed a firecracker, missy! I’m convinced, however, that there’s a bloke out there brave enough to one day be able to tame you…” Piper had always been known for he temper and while in school Dawn had been rather experienced in calming down her older friend. Letting out a giggle she ran a hand through her hair before shaking her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe we’re going to be back at Hogwarts, as teachers no less…” Especially since Dawn didn’t have much say in the matter… She knew Piper was going to be an excellent teacher; there was no doubt about that.

“It’s kind of daunting to think that I’m going to be teaching kids that I went to school with… They’re going to think Isley is crazy for hiring me and in some ways I can’t help but think that as well.” It really was crazy to think that the wee little first years that were at the school in her seventh year would now be in their fourth year… “Are you already settled into your classroom, Pie?”

tag;; Piper
status;; complete
word count;; 844
notes;; yay! sorry this took so long!
lyrics;; n/a
outfit;; dark blue skinny jeans, black t-shirt, and red ballet flats.[/size]

[Piper Kincaid]

The biggest thing that the blond had trouble with was staying in one place at a particular time. She had to be up and moving, rushing all about, but now it almost seemed like a small break was needed. She needed to learn to relax a little bit on behalf of the fact that she was getting older. She wasn’t a child anymore – she needed to settle down at some point, but it just seemed too terrible to handle. She had been traveling for years, but there were still places she had yet to see. There was still a long list of things she had to get done before she even wanted to think about having a family. Then again, she wasn’t sure if she would even want that. Her anger problem most likely meant that she was much too impatient to deal with kids. It was probably not the best that she agreed to teach, either.

She smiled lightly to the brunette and let out a small laugh. “Yeah, we were such little brats,” she said lightly. “Except me, of course,” she said, purely joking. “I was the little angel but you had to drag me to break the rules. Tisk tisk.” She missed the good ole days when they had nothing to worry about except being caught for breaking into places they weren’t supposed to be in. Piper was still the same in that aspect, however, for she had no tolerance for boundaries or the law. She was a horrible role model, but she didn’t really have any need to be a good one. She was a free spirit and nothing was going to hold her back.

She let out a small laugh. “It’s not exactly the easiest thing to find jobs when you keep moving around. That’s why I came back here – I heard Hogwarts was in need of a Potions Professor, so I applied. I always did love my concoctions – even if I did use them for the wrong reasons.” She smiled. “Remember putting a sleeping draught on that old bat who taught Divination?” She asked, laughing to herself. “That class was so pointless.” It was one of the many that Piper had been thrown out of repeatedly. She just couldn’t stand to sit though something so painfully and extraordinarily boring.

She listened to the words that had explained the little break up in their trio. She shrugged softly. “Yeah, I see why that would make a guy angry, but I don’t understand why he could hold it so long. I mean – you guys were best friends. It’s also understandable why you kept it, too. I probably would have done the same thing.” She laughed and shook her head. “What am I saying? I would have changed my hair to vibrant pink and told the world.” She joked.

“Yeah, I guess.” She said, softly. “It beats London, that’s for sure, but I had a lot of little horrible issues along the way, too. It seems that there’s a few countries who really don’t like us so I would have to report to their ministries to get permission to just sight see.” She huffed lightly. “Africa made someone follow me the entire time – you could only imagine how happy I was about that!” She said suddenly, rolling her eyes in complete sarcasm. She smiled again then. “Yes! There soooo many places I have in mind!”

She laughed hollowly. “Are you kidding!?” She said with a laugh. “That sounds so boring! I would rather actually take the time to climb to the highest peak in the world then to have to deal with a man. Sad part is – the climbing sounds easier.” She joked, but it was half true. She always viewed settling down as something that was going to end up in nothing but stressful fights and pain that she didn’t bother to deal with. She doubted she would even be able to live with a man long enough to even say he survived. “I know… who knew I would be allowed to be in charge of a bunch of kids?” She laughed.

She laughed softly. “That does sound strange! I was never good at math, but I’m pretty sure all of the ones I went to school with are long gone.” She shrugged. “I am, and I’m not. I mean – some stuff is there, but you know how I am – always saving things for last minute.” She laughed. It hadn’t dawned on her exactly how close the year was slowly creeping. She had no worries, however, because she was not one to do that. She planned on herself coming on the students a little strong, but that was to scare them into doing their best. Those were her plans.

She took another swig of her firewhiskey, letting the burning sensation leak down her throat, and regained a small smile as she stared at the brunette. “So when am I going to see James again?” She asked, out of pure curiosity. “Man – it’s been so long. I remember those boys used to be such punks.” She would always attempt to put them in their place, which always resulted in them throwing back childish comments at her. With her anger issues, however, they seemed to give her the least amount of trouble. “I wonder if they’re still fascinated by my dumb powers…” she said softly. They used to be so very intrigued with her ability to change her body in a second.

&& Wordcount: 914
&& Status: finished !
&& Clothes: jeans, white shirt, black button-up cover shirt, black heels, and silver earrings
&& Song: GLEE!!
&& Notes: About time, roight!?