Grapes: The Fruit Of Hope.

POTTER: CAREER TOO INJURED TO HEAL? ... FROM QUIDDITCH SENSATION TO CAREER ANNIHILATION ... IS NICK POTTERS CAREER OVER? ... Were only few of the headlines that had been allover the newsstands in the Ministry Atrium. Hallie never tended to read the sports section, her work kept her too busy, but when a friend of yours is making major headlines then it's hard not to see what the reporters are saying about them and what Hallie read wasn't good news. Nick Potter, someone she'd know at Hogwarts, shared a common room with, gotten to know and could call a friend, had suffered from a career ending injury two weeks ago. 

There were many excuses Hallie could invent to explain why she hadn't been to visit his friend whilst he'd been recovering from the worst part of his injury but the truth was Hallie didn't know what to say. Her career was going well, she'd had her ups and downs at the ministry but for the mast eight months Hallie's record had been impeccable. Although it wasn't just the fact she didn't want to rub this in the face of her friend, she knew how it felt when you thought your career was over. 

Hallie had lost a leg way over a year ago, been unable to walk, had to go through the excruciating pain of regrowing it months after her amputation had healed. She'd faced the possibilities of never been able to walk again, of not being able to run and physically function as she had done before. Hallie's dream job of being an auror had been taken away from her and, as far as the blonde could see, until the end of time. Thankfully she'd made a recovery but she didn't forget that, for the first few weeks of discovering she might never be an auror again, she'd been hostile, angry, bitter. She hadn't wanted to see anyone. Whether Nick had gone through, or was going through the same thing, Hallie didn't know. However, on the small chance that he was, Hallie had held off a visit until she felt it was safer to approach him.

The day before yesterday Amelia had told Hallie that Nick had found a job at Hogwarts for the upcoming year, a sign that told the auror that he had accepted his fate of being unable to fly at the pro level that he had since his time on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. It was this that told Hallie it was safe to visit Nick and so the blonde found herself on the doorstep of Nick Potters house, a box of grapes in her hands as she knocked hard on the door. That's what you do when people are ill or feeling down isn't it? You take them grapes?

What was the first thing Nick had seen on TV most days? Another reporter on a sports channel talking about how he probably wouldn't see a quidditch pitch again. After being released from the Falcons because they were worried about his injury situation, Nick didn't know what to do with his life. With an extensive list of severe concussions, doctors wouldn't clear Nick to play again. Once the denial and false hope he had of playing again, Nick found an open position at Hogwarts. He would teach Astronomy and run the Music Club, and most likely be questioned by students about his life playing pro Quidditch.

While sorting through things to take to Hogwarts, Nick heard someone at the door. Probably another reporter trying to pick his brain about the situation, but he would give the same statement he's given a million times now, that he was grateful for being able to live his dream for a few years, and that he was ready to begin the next chapter of his life. It was complete bullshit though, Nick was still angry at the fact that he wasn't able to play anymore.

Making his way downstairs, Nick took a peek through the peephole in the door. It sure wasn't a reporter, it had just so happened to be the beautiful Hallie Cooper. Really depending on the terms she was here upon, Hallie would be the first friend of Nick's to come visit him. They'd pretty much grown up together, spending all of their Hogwarts years in the Gryffindor house, and graduating the same year, Nick could definitely consider Hallie a friend. "Hi Hallie, come on in." Nick said after opening the door for her with a polite smile.

"Well that's new. I've never really heard of giving someone grapes when they're in a rough spot in life, but I appreciate the thought and company." Nick said with a soft smile. Hallie always was a great friend when you didn't know you really needed someone to pick you up. The small gesture of dropping by unexpectedly with grapes actually went a long way to raise Nick's mood.

"Well feel free to take a seat anywhere you'd like." Nick said as he motioned to the couch and chairs in the living room. "I'm sure you've seen the papers, so you know what's going on in my life. How's everything going with you? Last I heard you were an Auror, how's that going?" Nick asked, trying to draw some of the attention off of himself. He hadn't truly accepted the fact that he might not ever play again, so talking about it had the potential to be upsetting at this point.

'It's something people usually bring when someone's in hospital. I think it's some tradition passed on by the Romans.' Hallie added with a confused smile as she tried to remember what her Mother had said when she was little. Whether they helped you get better or not was one thing, they probably helped ones immune system but Nick was perfectly healthy now so Hallie was going with the fact that they were a healthy treat that also looked quite nice on the table.

Hallie took a seat in the living room after taking her coat off, one leg crossed over the other. Nick quickly washed over what had happened, rather non-chanlantly as if it wasn't the end of the world. 

'Yeah, I'm still an auror and it's going okay. A lot has sort of happened since I last saw you - although it's kind, umm,' Good stuff? Is what Hallie had wanted to say but the blonde couldn't help but feeling that she'd be rubbing her life in. 

'My Dad is alive.' Hallie decided to go with. As far as Nick was aware Hallie's Father had died fighting off death eaters, a story Hallie had been keen to tell upon arriving to Hogwarts as the daughter of a single mother. Upon discovering the truth, well, let's just say Hallie had been slightly thrown and it had taken time to come round to the idea of what the truth actually was. She didn't need to talk about it, she was absolutely fine and her family was, once again, whole but since Nick asked it only seemed polite to reply, besides if she could soften him up by divulging her own recent problems perhaps he would come around to talking about the fact he wouldn't ever fly as a professional again.

Nick took a seat next to Hallie and listened to what she was saying. Her father was alive and she should be overjoyed, but yet it seemed like she wasn't too keen on the idea. Nick sensed a bigger story behind the situation, but didn't want to pry it out of her, out of fear of being a nuisance. Nick was never one to try and dive into someone's personal life, some things were just not meant to be talked about.

It almost seemed like it was Nick's turn to share what was going on in his life, the reason Hallie had come to visit him this afternoon. Sure she already knew that he couldn't play pro quidditch anymore, and was becoming a teacher at Hogwarts, but she had wanted him to open up about the situation. She wanted to help him feel better, which was exactly what Nick didn't know he needed. "Well.." Nick trailed off, unsure of how to put into words the way he felt his whole situation could be described. "After a lengthy list of concussions, the Falcons thought it best I go see a neurosurgeon. It was seen I had slight brain damage, and if I continued to play I had a risk of becoming paralyzed, if not dead." He began. This was actually the first time Nick had actually opened up to anyone in depth about what happened. "Well after that medical report was leaked to the Daily Prophet, I couldn't even lie about the situation to find another team." Now on to how he had found an opening at Hogwarts.

"A few weeks had gone by, and I had heard from an old friend from the team that there were a few open positions at Hogwarts. I reached out and it was decided I would teach Astronomy, and I also requested to run Music Club, which was granted." Nick finished, after what had seemed like a long while of rambling, which it wasn't. Nick just had quite the story to tell.

After taking a moment in silence to breathe and catch his bearings, it actually took quite a bit to explain the whole situation to Hallie, he began again "while you're here, can I get you anything? Something to drink? Grapes maybe?" Nick asked with a slight laugh to ease the saddened aura that the room had seemed to contain.

Unsurprisingly Nick didn't display the jaw dropping reaction that Maura would have had Hallie said such a thing to her. The blonde was open about talking about her problems, if talking about her problems helped other people then so be it. However, Hallie had been foolish to think Nick would need to know the ins and outs of her life to reflect upon his own. 


Hallie had read such a tale in the Daily Prophet but hearing it from Nick's own mouth was pleasant confirmation. The Prophet usually twisted or over dramatised a topic so hearing the story from the original source simply solidified it for Hallie. Clearly the Prophet hadn't tip toed around the topic, they'd been brutal, harsh but given what Nick had actually been through the stories weren't half as painful.  They didn't help matters though. Hallie had had her fair share of Daily Prophet mentions during the period of the marriage law enforcement. Having a big extravagent wedding to the headmaster of Hogwarts in the Great Hall hardly goes unnoticed by the wizarding population. 

'yes, Mum said that you'd gotten a job at Hogwarts, she's returning this September too.' Hallie told Nick before continuing with her own pennies worth of thoughts. 

'It may not seem like much but I think being back at Hogwarts will help. No doubt you'll be asked a load of questions by the kids that are clued up on Quidditch but Hogwarts is a fresh start, it'll sort of be like going back home too.'

'I'm fine, I just ate before I came, although I wont say no to a couple of grapes.'

"Speaking of Hogwarts, how is your husband? That is if the two of you are still together." Nick asked, pretty sure the last big story the papers had before his own, was Hallie's big extravagant wedding. Now that Nick had thought about it though, Hallie still had the last name Cooper, which meant either she had gotten a divorce, or her husband had taken her last name; something that wasn't likely to have happened. Nick hadn't also thought to do what most people would have done and look to see if Hallie was wearing a ring, which most women didn't doo for whatever reason, but if Nick had thought to check it could have avoided an unnecessary question.

Nick slowly got up from the couch (he'd been having slight trouble with balance) and headed to the kitchen where he'd put the grapes on the table. He picked a few from the box and filled two bowls halfway, one for the both of them, before returning to the living room and handing Hallie her own bowl.

"Yeah I've already been mentally preparing myself for the field of questions about quidditch I'll receive. I won't mind answering a kid's question though. It's different from a reporter, yanno?" Nick said softly, before eating a few of the grapes. There was a certain sweetness in them that Nick hadn't tasted in a long time.

Hallie froze. How did Nick not know? The pair had been divorced for a year now, ever since they lost the child Hallie was carrying. The blonde had been through a lot since then. She'd ran away, refreshed herself, returned and had found closure with Theodore. Had Nick asked the question this time last year Hallie wouldn't have been mentally stable enough to answer but now, now she was finally in a place she could talk about her marriage without doubt, confusion and lingering heartache.

Evidently Nick must have remembered they were no longer married, or maybe Hallie's wide eyed, off guard expression had informed him of the matter for he conveniently slipped off to the kitchen before she could reply. Was this a distraction from the question? Whether it was or not Hallie felt the need to reply and when he returned she accepted the grapes and paid Nick with an answer:

'Theodore and I divorced a year ago.' Hallie told him more collectedly than she anticipated. 'Just before the marriage law was ruled out. I'm kind of glad that it's all over and I can finally move on.'

She smiled. 'I'm in a good place.'

That was certainly true. Students always were less critical than adults but maybe that was because, to Nick and Hallie, they weren't mature enough to mean everything they said. Hallie would have argued against this point when she was fifteen but, realistically, children weren't seen as an enemy in the way that a reporter was.

'I'm sure you'll enjoy being back at Hogwarts. I think about returning myself sometimes but I'm too addicted to the drama of an aurors life.' She said with a wink.