Catch The Snitch

Adeline could swear her heart was racing a bit from the excitement, her face still very red, glancing up at him from under her lashes as he said he was learning fast. Oh, she was in trouble with him. Was there really anything about him that didn't make her feel like she had butterflies?

But thankfully, he showed her some mercy and changed the subject. She gave another little clear of her throat as she thought of what might be pertinent, "Well, I'm not exactly always in the know myself... this place is obviously new, there's a therapist's office now, cause heavens knows this whole community could use it... I heard one of Lysander Malfoy's set up a club around here, but I'm definitely not looking into that. He was never a bully, but he's a little scary," she scrunched her nose. "Hmm, oh, one of the professors, I don't know if it's hers or family owned, but they have a potion shop here too, I get stuff from them every once in a while. A place called Nightshade Curiosities went up too, but it's got a weird vibe, so I just stay away from that."

"People... well, I don't know if you remember all of them," she said before giving him a quick run-down of the former students from around their years that had become professors and the ones she knew to be Aurors from them being in town and at the school, "It's almost strange how many of us end up flocking back this way. Like we can't quite get away from it in the end," she said.

Though her wistful smile fell as she got this prickling sensation on the back of her neck, like someone was watching her. She turned, looking out the window, her brows furrowed a little. Unable to see anyone, she rubbed her hand across the back of her neck, quelling the different kind of sensation that was rising up before looking back towards V, shaking her head to shake off whatever it was.

"I don't know if any of them were ones that were jerks. I hope most of them can't get back. I was skeptical when they brought on Aubrey, but he seems to have matured a bit while being on a big team."

V listened with quiet interest, occasionally huffing soft amusement into his coffee at certain details. “A therapist’s office,” he repeated, brows lifting slightly. “Honestly, that might be the most revolutionary thing the wizarding world’s done in centuries.” The mention of Lysander Malfoy earned a faint snort. “Little scary” coming from Addie sounded almost affectionate somehow, which amused him more than it probably should have.

“Noted,” he said easily. “Avoid ominous clubs and weird curiosity shops. Got it.” He listened through the rundown of former students turned professors and Aurors, some names familiar enough to tug at old memories, others only vaguely recognizable now. But when she mentioned people flocking back here no matter how far they’d gone, his expression softened thoughtfully. “Yeah,” he murmured. “It’s strange, isn’t it?”

His gaze drifted briefly toward the window. “Hogwarts kinda gets under your skin whether you want it to or not.” Then he noticed the shift in her. The furrow in her brows. The hand against the back of her neck. The way her attention snagged sharply toward the window before she tried to brush it off. Immediately, something in him sharpened. Not dramatic. Just alert.

His eyes flicked casually toward the street outside, scanning without making it obvious before settling back on her again. “You alright?” he asked quietly. The concern in it was steady and immediate, but calm enough not to make a scene out of it. At the mention of Aubrey maturing, one of his brows arched slightly. “That bad, huh?” A small smirk tugged at his mouth. “Maybe I should be grateful I missed the era where people started becoming authority figures.”

He leaned back slightly again after a moment, deliberately easing the tension back down. “Though honestly,” he added with dry amusement, “you saying someone ‘seems to have matured’ feels about as harsh as you’re capable of being.” His eyes warmed again as they settled on her. “Pretty sure your version of holding a grudge is just being disappointed politely.”