Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

The days leading up to Wednesday had gone by so quickly that Jamie had all but forgotten about her planned rendezvous with Milo. The day had been long and work filled (some student, but mostly grading and paperwork) and Jamie's brain felt pretty fried by the time dinner had rolled around. It was while sitting in the Great Hall that evening that she had suddenly remembered that today was the day she needed to get herself dressed presentably so she could go out and make a drunken idiot of herself. The anticipation of such a happy event hit her and she had left dinner early to go upstairs and change. Not that she wanted to impress Milo (okay, she did.) but her everyday clothes were just simply not good enough for going into London. 

With Milo or not, Jamie was desperate to get out of this castle. She had missed her school dearly when she was away from it but now that she was here full time some of the magic had worn off. Even when she was broke and practically homeless at least she didn't have such a strict schedule. She had wanted to go out for a drink many times since arrival but there had never been a good reason to and she didn't want to be sad enough to go alone. So when her opportunity had arisen Jamie had taken great pleasure in dolling herself up. Just because she could. Light makeup rested around her eyes, making them pop and her purse had been emptied of all the random scraps of paper and useless items it normally contained. In order to wear the bright red shoes (that she had bought with no intention of wearing) she kept the rest of her clothes simpler. 

For the second time in one week Jamie felt sexy.  

By 8:50 Jamie was walking down the long path that led across the grounds to the Hogwarts gate. Her wand was out and in her hand. Its tip glowed and illuminated the dirt pathway before her to hopefully prevent her tripping. After a few minutes she glanced black at the castle to see the way it's windows glowed golden against the dark blue night sky. Before long the gate was in sight and Jamies eyes searched the darkness for another person waiting there. But she saw no one yet. Unconcerned, Jamie sat down on an old stump near the gate. She opened her purse and found pulled out a cigarette in habit before remembering that she really shouldn't. Jamie rolled it between her fingers a couple times before putting it back in the packet and zipping the purse firmly. The ghostly light from her want lit up the world close to her and Jamie contentedly stared up a the stars which shone by the billions against the dark sky. 

Milo would be the first to admit that night- he looked damn good. His hair playfully mused, a casual button up slung over his broad shoulders, jeans, and boots- so simply dressed and yet so damn attractive. It didn't take much for Milo to approve of his appearance, however, for he believed himself to be unfairly talented in that area.

He checked his watch and decided it was time to get going. He glanced over at his dresser, upon which a heart bottle of mead rested. He twitched towards it before he stopped himself. The man was slowly becoming a bit dependent on the stuff. When you were at sea... everyone was drunk most of the time. They learned to function drunk. On land, the alcohol settled within him. If he was going to go drinking with Jamie, he didn't need an edge.

He tucked the bottle into his sock drawer and left his living quarters, firmly locking the door behind him, before scampering off to meet Jamie.


He was whistling a sea shanty as he strolled onto the grounds in the crisp night air, his hair illuminated by the starlight. He spotted her and veered towards her. As soon as she was clear in his vision, the note he had been whistling spiraled downwards. "Missy! I told you about student teacher relationships!" He smirked and said, "I'd ravish you with more compliments, but, to be honest, I'm not eloquent enough. Just know that, even with my high expectations, you totally exceeded them."

He held out an arm, "Shall we?"

In what felt like no time at all, Milo himself appeared. At his next words Jamie rolled her eyes slightly but could help and grin. She felt strangely like she had known this man for much longer than a few minutes. Stranding from her position on the log she grabbed her small bag and took Milo's arm without hesitation. "We shall." she nodded. Compared to the pajamas of their last meeting, both members of this party looked especially good tonight. This fact did not escape Jamie's notice. Milo cleaned up nice. Which was only surprising because of how mighty fine he looked messy.

They started walking towards the gate, whereafter they would be able to apperate to the location that Milo had chosen for their night out. "I must say you're doing me quite the favor, Professor." she smiled at the title, remembering his refusal of the title the last time they had talked. "I think I would have gone insane if I hadn't been able to get out of that castle. I really forgot there were this many children at Hogwarts." She realized that she probably sounded less than intelligent but it was true to some extent. When she had attended the school as a child herself the whole expirance had been very different. Like the Hogwartians now, she had gossiped in huddles, snuck out to meet her boyfriends at night, and had blown off classes to do more productive things like mid-day drinking. While those actions hadn't seemed childish then, they certainly did now.

Jamie had aged a lot in the past three years. She had abruptly became an adult at seventeen with the birth of Prim. But a poor adult. A poor mother. At the time she had been working as hard as she could but she had still let herself go. She had wallowed in self pity and forgotten the important person in her life. And it wasn't her. But being relieved of the pressure to take care of her daughter had given Jamie a chance to let her maturity actually make a presence and for the first time she was feeling much older than a silly nineteen year old girl. Between her family, Prim, and Felix, Jamie had expiranced much more than the average person did in a much shorter time. She wondered if Milo realized what a youngin she really was. She wondered if it would change anything.

But really, she scoulded herself, what is there to be changed?

She took his arm and he smiled, enjoying the warmth and tenderness of her touch, no matter how small. For a moment, they strolled in silence, but Milo didn't mind. Soon enough, bad music, drunken yells, and the shouts of the two of them would be adding to a roaring headache he would have to fight in the morning. He knew this because challenge two was to sing like a sailor- he had picked a bar with a karaoke machine. Obviously. Why get drunk somewhere without karaoke? So, for now, the silence was golden.

When she spoke, she used the p-word, causing him to cringe. "You might be trying to prove you have a sailor mouth, but calling me the p-word is simply much too crude!" he said, pleading for mercy. How he hated a title that held any authority in it, for authority meant responsibility. And how he hated to be reminded that he was supposed to be responsible.

Key words: Supposed to be.

She continued on and he responded, "Brats, aren't they?! Hard to believe we were once like them. Alright, I lied, I'm pretty much at their mentality, but I now have the freedom to be that obnoxious. They have no right." He smirked, smiling a her.

They reached the gates and took a step outside of them. He looked to her. "I hope you don't mind a muggle bar. I find it's more fun when you're not looking around to see who's good opinion of you that you are sullying."

Jamie grinned. It wasn't as if she had much of a reputation to damage anyway but muggle bars often proved themselves to be more fun than wizarding ones.. And less dangerous. Having an extremely drunken wizard pointing his wand at your head was one of the more frightening things that Jamie had experienced in this life.

"Sounds good to me." She grinned lazily, paying attention to the ground in front of her. The tip of her wand lit up the little bubble of their world and there was a moment of silence that surrounded them. The sound of owls hooting for the owlry carried quietly over across the ground. The night was quiet and Jamie was able to let her mind wander for the first time in.. awhile. The pair passed through the main gate and once again Jamie glanced up to her companion. "Would you like to do the honors?" she asked. She had been licensed to apperate since sixth year but it didn't mean she was particularly amazing at it. Chances were Milo's nose would end up in Greece or something equally as terrible.

It was silent and Milo basked in it. The air was chilly and yet he was kept warm by the long sleeve and the closeness of his companion. The pleasant paradox sent a trickle of pleasure down Milo's spine, spurring a strange, random smile to settle onto his face, etching dimples into his cheeks and igniting a sparkle in his eyes. The man seemed incredibly pleased with the lot given to him.

She did not mind a muggle bar and he dipped his head, saying, "Jolly good!" in an affected manner. He grinned over her, a silent giggle racking his frame. He looked forward again and slowed a few feet outside of the Hogwarts gates. She asked if he would like to apparate them and he responded, "Of course!" Without varying or shortening his steps, he continued walking. After a few more strides, he turned, and the pair were sucked into a small vortex and appeared with a crack in an alley in a small London village outside London.

He continued the stroll out of the alley and led them across a street, angled towards a merry looking pub. The sign read The Wonky Donkey and displayed a neon donkey with cross eyes shifting back and forth. He smiled over at Jamie and said, "It's one of my favorite places. And... It's karaoke night."

Upon seeing their designated bar for the evening, Jamie's expression was momentarily surprised but almost immediately transformed into a giant, full faced smile. She looked up to Milo, her eyes glistening with anticipation. She had never heard of this place before but from what she could gather from its front window it was exactly the sort of place she needed to go. 

"You're in luck. My soprano makes angels jealous." she commented with a cheeky grin, hints of sarcasm in her tone. In actuality, Jamie had the particular talent of imitating a dying donkey when she sang. But after enough drinks it all sounded the same anyway. That was the beauty of alcohol - if Jamie wanted to be a Broadway star than for a night she could be a Broadway star.. Sorta.

Jamie couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good. From the gorgeous man on her arm to her sky high heels, she felt confident in herself and her life for the first time in a long time. Maybe this was the start of a new phase of life for her, where she would be charming and happy and successful. The summer months she had spent with Felix suddenly felt like centuries ago and she felt completely safe. Milo, a stranger, would keep her safe.