Adding to my card collection. [Pepper and Maura]

Holidays from Hogwarts meant only one thing for Pepper, and that was exploring the surrounding village of Hogsmeade. Due to her age she was not allowed to go with the third years on their trips during school time to the small village, and she understood, but it meant that when school broke up for the holidays homework was rushed in the first two days so that she could go and enjoy herself as the other years did.

She had been to Hogsmeade before with her parents, but, now it was a little bit different. They were off having some sort of 'date' in Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop and Pepper was free to wander around the shops without supervision. Honestly she felt like a grown up, and that feeling meant that she had to flash the cash like a grown up too. Buying treats for her parents from Honeydukes was the first thought that came to mind and so that is where she found herself.

Gaze roving around the brightly coloured displays, Pepper suddenly didn't much want to share her pocket money with her parents there were so many things that she could buy for herself! Her chocolate frog card collection could always do with more additions after all. Perhaps though, if she did buy her parents chocolate frogs she would be able to sneakily ask them for their cards afterwards. They wouldn't need them for themselves. That way she could both treat and reward herself.

But then again...those blood pops did look tempting.

Dithering, Pepper stood in between the two displays blocking the way slightly, completely torn in her decision.

The holidays were getting nearer and nearer, Maura knew that it wouldn't be long until Christmas was here. "Goodness where has this year gone?" Maura thought to herself. It just seems like yesterday that she had Ciara, and now she was seven months old, she just couldn't believe it. Crazy how time flies by fast when you're growing up, she thought it was funny how she wanted to be a kid again, but when she was a kid she couldn't wait to be a adult. Oh to be a kid again, no care in the world but homework and classes, seems like the life even if kids hated it.

Walking through the crowded street of Hogsmeade, Maura walked into Honeydukes before brushing some snow out of herhair with one hand. Looking down at the baby girl that was in her arms, she checked Ciara and seen that she was ok which made her sigh in relief. " Come on Angel, lets get some candy! "said Maura softly as she gotten out her wand and flicked it as Ciara's stroller appeared. As she quickly put her in it, Maura gotten blankets and her teddy bear before tucking Ciara into her stroller. After a few minutes of walking around the store, she looked down and seen that Ciara was asleep which made her chuckle to herself.

Moving through the crowd Maura gotten some licorice wands and chocolate frogs before putting them in her basket, looking around some more, Maura seen the blood pops and bit her lip in thought. Hm..should I or not?" Maura asked herself as she seen a girl looking at them. " You know, there not as bad as people say they are, they're quite good in my opinion. "said Maura softly but honestly. Well...of course they would taste good to her, she was a vampire, but she seen even people who weren't vampires like them but everyone was different. She remembered that her and Ryo tried these out of being funny, needless to say that they work and help them control the urge to bite someone. Although Maura didn't need them because of that, she got them because she liked them.

" Oh so sorry to intrude, I'm Maura, Maura Hiroku! "said Maura softly but honestly. Looking at the girl she seen that she was a bit young to be in Hogsmeade. " Aren't you a bit young to be in Hogsmeade? Not that I care, I snuck into Hogsmeade in my first year to! "said Maura smiling at the memory. But then again what first or second year didn't seek into Hogsmeade? Maura couldn't think of any that didn't in all honesty. Maura didn't know why they didn't let all years go, but she figured because they were still kids and weren't teenagers yet, but she honestly didn't know.

Pepper had decided that she was going to buy one blood pop for herself, as a treat, and buy each of her parents a box of Bertie Botts for their desks at work -  that way they could snack on them throughout the day. Sometimes, she liked to treat her family to little things and she was quite frustrated at herself for thinking of getting them gifts only for her benefit.

That's really not what gift giving is all about she thought, drawing her lips into a thin line of displeasure at her own thoughts I can't believe that I was about to be so selfish, a little something to say thanks to my parents isn't that much, and I know they'll enjoy it.

Quite startled that someone had actually stopped to talk to her, Pepper's eyes darted upwards from examining the confectionery in her gloved hands. Warily she took in the appearance of the person, and relaxed very slightly when she saw it was a pleasant looking lady with a baby. Her parents had always told her that women with children were people to turn to for help if she were ever in trouble without them - so she saw no harm in talking to her. It wasn't about to get her into trouble or anything like that.

"I quite like them too, although chocolate frogs are my favourite." Pepper admitted with a small shy smile before turning her gaze back to her hands, which had begun to fiddle with the ribbon decoration fastened to the boxes of Bertie Botts beans.

When the lady, Maura, introduced herself Pepper blushed slightly and shifted her weight from her right side, onto her left. Dealing with new people made her nervous, especially when those new people happened to be adults. She hoped that she was making a good impression to the lady, and seeing as she seemed very nice, Pepper would try and be as polite as she could while speaking with her.

"Nice to meet you Miss..." Momentarily Pepper's mouth hung open slightly, oh she didn't want to pronounce her surname wrong, but now that she'd said Miss she couldn't very well leave it out "Miss. Hiroku."

Smiling very gently Pepper looked up at Maura, as she was always taught to look at someone when you were speaking to them, in order to answer her question about her being in Hogsmeade alone even though she was only eleven.

"My parents are having tea in Madame Puddifoots, they let me look around the shops for a little bit on my own." she explained quietly "My name is Pepper Brooks, by the way."

Breath catching in her throat a little bit, as she halted midway through getting ready to ask a question, Pepper blushed slightly more in embarrassment. You must look like a right fool, Pepper. You can't not ask the question now you started to say it. I'm sure she won't mind if you do, she seems nice enough. she chided herself. Taking the plunge Pepper asked, hurriedly, and perhaps a little harsher in tone than she had intended;

"Are you shopping for your baby? Only I didn't know that babies could eat chocolate, doesn't it make them sick?"

Maura looked at the small girl and smiled. " Those are my favorite as well, besides the licorice wands. " said Maura softly but honestly. Maura seen that the girl was quite shy, but it was like that with any first year really, she was shy before Ryo and Hallie broke her shell. Swallowing hard at the thought of Ryo, she looked at the girl and gave her a small weak smile to cover the fact that she was missing him. Maura didn't want to appear weak in front of the small girl, who knows, the girl could look up at her one of these days. Maura looked up to tons of people, maybe it was time for people to look up to her, but then again she was no one special.


Maura looked at her and chuckled at her. " Please you don't have to call me that, Maura or Mars will be fine, everyone I know calls me that! "said Maura softly but honestly. " Wow..you said it right, must people slaughter it, so I understand that you were scared of saying it. "said Maura honestly. " My name was Maura Goldstein before I married my husband Ryo, I know I look to young to be married but I am " said Maura softly but honestly.

Maura nodded. " I see... very popular place for the couples, although the tea is very good there. "said Maura honestly. Maura hated that shop, it always disgust her watching couples snog each other faces off, her and Ryo used to kid about going in there just to make out at times. Although she wasn't going to tell Pepper that though, she was to young to understand that, but then again no one was to young to fall in love. Maura was fifteen years old when she fell in love with Ryo, hard to believe they been together three years. Although things were a bit rocky right now, she knew that Ryo still loved her, even if he didn't show it.

" Nice to meet you Pepper, and that's a pretty and unique name, way better than mine which is really Maurana but I don't like it so I go by Maura,"said Maura honestly.

Maura looked at her and chuckled. " Oh of course not, she'll choke on all this candy and chocolate will indeed make her sick!"said Maura softly but honestly. " I take Ciara everywhere I go, I don't go anywhere without by my side. "said Maura softly but honestly. Looking down she seen Ciara waking up. " Hey baby girl, would you like to meet someone? "Maura asked her as Ciara looked at Pepper. " I think she likes you Pepper! "said Maura smiling as she she smooth down her blond hair before kissing Ciara's forehead. " She looks like her daddy to me, but she has my eyes. "said Maura softly but honestly.

Pepper nodded her head slightly, and had to admit, lots of adults seemed to love licorice wands but she sure didn't. There was something about the taste of it which set her tongue on edge, and not in a nice way either like sherbet did. Despite being younger, Pepper did notice that Maura didn't seem to be smiling as much as she had before, but decided not to mention it. It is not her place to meddle in the affairs of strangers, or even to meddle in affairs of her friends and family.

"I uhm, don't much like licorice. I know lots of adults do though." she stated with a small smile "Do you still collect the cards from inside the chocolate frogs? I, I have quite a lot of them." Pepper shared, hoping to get to know Maura a little bit before they had to part ways.

The informality, with a stranger, and with an adult stranger at that was strange to Pepper. Even her parents friends she was always instructed to call them Auntie So and So, not simply their first names. Oh, she was not complaining, on top of being able to walk around the shops alone, buying presents for her family, Pepper was making her very first adult friend.

"Mars, like the planet?" Pepper asked with a small smile, remembering a book she had once read about the Roman age in history, and about the names they had for their planets - and also for their gods. "I like that name, although, I uhm...don't believe it suits you."

Finding out that Maura was in fact married, when she did not look that much older than her, made Pepper's brow crinkle slightly in confusion. She didn't comment though, it is not any of her business whether this lady really likes her husband or not, but, Pepper did assume that she must really love him to have married and had a baby already. Maybe she would find someone like that one day?

It was a little strange to her that Maura was so open, but it did make her feel special so she was not about to ask her to stop. Smiling nervously, Pepper offered forth her own nickname for her to use; "If you'd like, you may call me Pip. It's my parent's nickname for me, although I like my name just as much."

Unable to stop a small blush, Pepper nodded her head, feeling slightly silly for thinking that a baby could eat chocolate or candy. Hopefully Maura wouldn't think that she was silly for thinking it. Peering at her baby, who she assumed was called Ciara, made Pepper smile slightly. Being an only child meant she had never really spent much time around babies, in fact, she'd only really seen them from afar. She did find their really small shoes to be sweet though, whenever she saw them in shops.

"She's cute." Pepper smiled gently "I don't really know how you can tell right now who she looks like. Then again, I don't know much about babies at all."

Maura never liked black licorice, but fi she never minded the strawberry licorice wands they had, those as well as the chocolate were good. Although she liked normal real chocolate over chocolate licorice, it just tasted better to her obviously, because it was chocolate and she loved chocolate. Although she knew that some people didn't like chocolate, although she didn't understand why, she loved chocolate and couldn't get enough of it. But she did understand why people didn't like black licorice, it tasted weird and left a weird feeling on her tonguem to this day she hates black licorice. She hated it as a kid, and even now she hates the taste or even smell of black licorice.

" I don't do the black licorice, I hate the black licorice, but I do like the strawberry or chocolate licorice wands. " said Maura softly but honestly. " You're right about adults liking it, my parents love it, ugh..the taste and smell of it makes me sick! "said Maura honestly. Maura nodded. " Indeed I still do, I been collecting them since my first year at Hogwarts, I have quite a collection. " said Maura softly but honestly.

Although she was a stranger to Pepper, she knew that after a while she probably wouldn't, be then again who knows. Maura was shy in her first year, she didn't break out of her shell until she met Ryo, he showed her a whole new world even if he bit her. Swallowing hard at the thought of him, Maura tried to clear her head of him, but she couldn't no matter how hard she tried. She just wanted things to be back to normal for them, but she didn't know if they will, it hurts her to know things might be over for them. She didn't want to believe it, but she was starting to believe it, but then again nothing can last forever.


Maura chuckled and nodded. " Yes like the planet, my friends call me that seeing how I hate being called Maurs, it doesn't fit me so they call me Mars! "said Maura softly but honestly. " I like it, even my husband Ryo calls me that! " said Maura honestly before chuckling. " Thanks, I don't think it suits me either, thankfully not many people know of my real name! "said Maura.

Maura seen Pepper look at her confused as she told her that she was married. " We gotten married because of the marriage law that's now repealed, we had to sign a petition as well as who the ministry paired us with, we were ordered by the ministry to get married and have a kid or we go to Azkaban for life. "said Maura. " But we were already a couple and loved each other, so we got married but not because we had to, but because we loved each other. " said Maura softly but honestly. "Well... Pip it is then, I like Maura as well, it's just alot of people call me Mars unless it's serious stuff and then they call me Maura. " said Maura simply.

Maura smiled, but it wasn't her real smile, it was her fake smile that she been smiling lately, but she haven't smiled in ages so she forgot how to smile for real. " Thanks Pip. but she really does look like her father, here's a picture of me and him if you want to look at it. " said Maura softly before taking out the picture and handing it to her. Looking at the picture she smiled, it was when her and Ryo were happy, now it was a diaster for them.

Pepper smiled lightly when she heard that Maura agrees with her, about the licorice. She hadn't tried any of the other colours because she assumed that they would all taste the same - obviously that wasn't the case but she wasn't about to spend her last allowance money finding out. In case she didn't like the other flavour either.

"What is uhm, your favourite card?" Pepper asked quietly "I don't have as many cards as you I bet." she admitted with a small sigh "But maybe I will."

Honestly Pepper didn't want to say her opinion about the name Mars to Maura, she didn't want to upset her seeing as they were having a nice conversation. Inside however, she knew that it would be good to carry on the conversation if she did mention it - and after reviewing what she wanted to say several times in her head she came to the conclusion that she was not going to offend. Or rather, she hoped she wouldn't offend.

Flushing slightly, Pepper cleared her throat before stating; "No, I ah, I mean Mars doesn't suit you. When I hear Mars I think of uhm, the Roman god? And he was the god of war - so uhm, not very nice, but you're nice Maura so...it doesn't fit."

Marriage law? What was that? Tilting her head to one side, Pepper listened intently to Maura's explanation of the law and found her eyes widening of their own accord. So people were forced to get married to each other, and have babies, even if they didn't want to? Her parents had never told her such a thing even existed! Gulping softly, Pepper twisted the ribbon on her Bertie Botts beans sharply in her anxiousness.

"That law is...its gone now right? For real?" she asked, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

At least Maura got to marry for love though, she didn't have to marry someone she really didn't like. Pepper realised that, if this law was unavoidable then there would be many unhappy marriages right now because people had been forced into them - instead of wanting to be in them.

"I am happy that you love your husband, and you didn't have to marry someone else." Pepper stated, although normally she shied away from personal conversations, she thought she had to at least say something about what Maura had told her about her personal life "I'm sure it wasn't like that for everyone."

Interest piqued, Pepper gently took the picture and glanced over the two figures on the paper. Regarding Maura's husband for a few moments - Pepper was still no closer to seeing the resemblance in Ciara but she didn't want to admit that. Instead, perhaps she should say something about the man in the photo instead.

"Your husband is very handsome." she complimented, with a small smile, before handing the picture back "Is he at work today?" Pepper asked, looking around the shop in case she had missed him entering beforehand.

There was alot of things Maura didn't like, but she wasn't about to share it with this little girl, besides she doubts that she knew that she was a vampire. Despite her paleness, Maura was as just like everyone else, she acted very much like a human despite that she wasn't. Maura just wished people could see that she was that way, that one person she wished would see it, was her husband Ryo. Although it was getting to her very much, and she didn't want things to end between them, she didn't know why he was so distance and didn't believe her. Didn't he know how much it hurts? Maybe he'll realize that he needs Maura more than she needs him and stop all this, she could only hope.


Maura snapped back into reality at Pepper's question on who was her favorite card. Um...that's hard to decide, I really like Harry Potter's card, but I also like the classic ones as well. " said Maura softly but honestly. " The classic ones are a bit harder to find, they really don't make them anymore. "said Maura honestly. "Maybe you will, my mother gave me all her chocolate frogs cards from school, that's where I gotten all the classic from. "said Maura softly but honestly. " I'm sure you will, just keep getting every card possible m and don't stop collecting! "said Maura.

Maura was a bit offended that she didn't like her nickname, but she didn't let Pepper see it, her nickname meant alot to her and there was a reason why she loved it. " Well.. my grandfather gave it to me that nickname before he died, he gave me it because I was a miracle baby."said Maura softly but honestly. " Ever since I was little my grandfather called me that nickname, and since then everyone calls me that. " said Maura softly.


Maura nodded. " Yes it's repealed, wje when Robert Lupin took back over he repealed it. "said Maura softly but honestly. Maura seen that Pepper was shocked by it, no one probably told her about it, after all it was only for stud sixth year and above. So fifth years and below were safe from the marriage law due to them being to young, she was glad it was repealed, it was such a stupid law in Maura's opinion. It caused nothing but chaos in her opinion, and besides, people should be able to pick who they loved and married. She was glad that everything was back to normal now, well in the ministry, as for her life it wasn't back to normal.

Maura looked at her and gave her a fake smile. " Thankyou Pepper, I love him very much, probably more than he'll ever know! "said Maura softly but honestly. "But does Ryo still love me anymore? hard to tell! Maura thought to herself. Maura shook her head and sighed. " No it wasn't like that for everyone, we were one of the lucky ones. "said Maura.

Maura looked down at the picture Pepper was looking at and sighed. "We were so happy in this picture and so in love, what went wrong between us? " Maura thought to herself. Maura knew what it was, but she was a change girl, Ryo didn't see that she was even if she told him that she was. Maura was about to give up, if Ryo forgave her and still loved her great, if not she was going to be lost without him in her life. Ryo was everything to her, her whole life and soul, without him she was just incomplete.

Maura looked down at the picture and back at Pepper before giving her a fake smile. " Thankyou and yes he's very handsome indeed! said Maura softly but honestly. Maura nodded. " Yes he's at work right now, he usually don't get off until late. " said Maura. " He works as a Spirit Specialist, and he's very good at it. " said Maura softly but honestly.