Meetings out of broken rules

Alright, this wasn't quite usual of a certain Gryffindor to break the rules like this. He used to follow them in one way or another... Maybe bend them a little. But this was way to far from his usual healthy disrespect of the law.

That morning Stephen came to know of a large group of students heading to Hogsmeade and considering he had never been there and knew nothing from it more than the train station because he was not really allowed to go there because once he had give his father the permission for him to sign Stephen never again saw the sheet. He really had no idea if his father had simply forgotten about it or if he didn't want him to go, maybe as punishment from something Stephen didn't even notice he had done... It was most likely that he didn't care about it and it was unfair for Stephen never to go there because of him!, was it not?

Therefore, Stephen had came up with a plan to pass among the large amount of people. He knew it was risky and he knew that he would probably end up on detention one way or another. If he did it, he could be caught and would spend his day doing some random thing the person who caught him remembered to put him through. If he didn't, he would stay in the castle by himself all day trying to find something better to do than to spend a whole day in the library or in the common room as he always did. Alone for a change... What did he had to lose?

And for his surprise, a couple of hours later he was wandering around the village. He only had to be careful not to let any professors or staff from Hogwarts that might know him see him because those were the only ones who knew he was not supposed to be there. When it came to the other students, they did not even know him or ever seen him while looking somewhere past him, the less did they know that he didn't had parental approval to be out there.

Being there for the first time was both exciting and frightening. First of, he was never told about this place, the little he knew he had read it somewhere, and didn't have any clue of where to go or to do first. Second of, who on Earth were this people? Could he trust the villagers? He surely hoped so, but he could never be sure. So he proceeded cautiously as he kept going, visiting some shops and... oh, hell... why did he had to forget the galleons back on his room?

Poppy loved Hogsmeade, and actually, she loved the chance to escape the castle. She had galleons jingling in her pockets, and she was going to take full advantage of the beautiful spring day, the warm sun, and the wonderful breezes.

And hanging on the breeze was the luscious smell of Honeydukes' fudge. She loved it, and although she rarely bought it, the smell was intoxicating the moment she reached the village. She tried to avoid it but it seemed to be drawing her in. When she reached the shop door, it opened, and Michael Tremaine stepped out with two paper bags in his hand. He looked up and saw her and smiled.

"Poppy--you do get a day out of that moldy old tower, don't you?" he asked, smiling.

"Hi, Michael," she said, always glad to see him, "no dogs today?"

"No," Michael said, "the last time I took one into the shop, he left lint balls on the floor." Poppy laughed, amused by the thought of one of Michael's enchanted footstool cocker spaniels bouncing around in the candy shop and shedding lint on the hard wood floors.

"I still want a puppy," she told him.

"Lovely, my dear," he said, " aside from the fact that your father will kill me, you'll not be able to smuggle a footstool into the castle. They bark incessantly when they're little, and they're deucedly hard to house break. At any rate, here. Have a treat on me. Get your father to go along with the puppy, and we'll talk." He kissed her affectionately on the forehead handed one of the paper bags to her, and headed down the alley alongside the shop towards his cottage.

She stepped off the shop doorstep back into the street and opened the bag. It made her smile. Fudge. Of course it was fudge, and it was still warm. Michael had a bit of an addiction to the fudge, and if she knew him, he'd pilfered it.

She started walking and became aware there was someone she was at risk of bumping into. She looked up and saw someone from her own house. Meyers. She didn't know him well, except to know he was a Gryffindor. That was pretty much it.

"Oh, Stephen," she said. "Hi. Sorry--I almost didn't see you. Had my mind...well, on the bag. I just got it." Close enough, wasn't it? "Want a piece? It's still warm." She opened the bag and offered him a piece.

Cursing his own stupidity and forgetfulness Stephen kept going. It wouldn't be surely wise of him to go back into the school to pick them up. What were the chances of, without even thinking about how would he simply go back into Hogwarts without giving away where he had came from, getting back to town one second time without being seen? He was already lucky enough to be in town instead of in some sort of the detention. It was certain however that he was not getting away with this so called infraction so easily so why rush it?

Too distracted with his own world and with the sightseeing, Stephen would have almost bumped into someone if she hadn't called him... by his name? Did he hear that right?

Stephen wasn't surely used to people other than the teacher to use his name to get his attention. Every time someone happened to pass by him and for some reason they were brought into a conversation (mostly about homework and school things, but still) they always looked at him with that what's your name again? sort of expression. It was a bit unpleasing, in all truth, almost heartbreaking, but Stephen had learned to live with it. Hidden in his own shadow, minding only his little life. Sometimes he wondered why it was like that but every time he did so he was drowned by his own emotions and had to force himself to stop before he was then noticed for something else. A bad reputation preceding him was simply something he didn't need that very moment, it was heard enough not to have one at all.

"Oh, hi," he had to search in his mind for where he had seen this girl from. In classes, yes, they were in the same year but she was a Hufflepuff if he wasn't mistaken, "Poppy. And mine was on the clouds, so sorry." He replied feeling already bad from almost having made her spill the bag content all around. He couldn't help to focus on the smell though. He knew it from... Right, the Honeydukes Express. "No, I'm fine but thank you anyway."

(my bad. i honestly forgot what freaking house poppy was in while i was writing this.)

She took a tiny piece for herself and let its gooey lusciousness melt in her mouth for only a split second before swallowing. Fudge was always best when it was still warm. She rolled the top down on the bag.

"No problem," she smiled. "Actually, its a good thing to be able to think about anything else besides readings and term papers for an afternoon." She saw the crowd of students heading, generally, either for Biggz or for The Three Broomsticks. She didn't particularly to be part of a mob. She wasn't that much of a social butterfly. Stephen didn't generally strike her as being a fan of big crowds either--unless she was just reading into it. She struggled for her thoughts for a bit of an awkward moment, and then she decided to ask him to come with. Maybe they could at least get acquainted?

"Have you met the gypsy woman, the one with the shop down the street? She has a clinic for animals in the back of her shop, and she almost always has some sort of magical creature there. It's kinda cool to see what she has and to get to see them close up. I think it helps me understand some of the things in Care of Magical Creatures a bit better. I have to go there anyway because she makes some odd little owl treats that my owl loves. Not gonna ask her what's in 'em, but Jal likes them. And at least they don't look gross. You're welcome to come with, if you like."

"Indeed, it is nice" Stephen had to admit. It was rather good to be out for one day, away from all the worries being a third year student at Hogwarts used to bring. And for a while to forget everything he was put though every single day when at school. Being not much of a topic started, Stephen stood quite occasionally looking around as Poppy ate her treat.

There was no need for him to think to much about the answer to her next question. Since that was his first time in the complete wizarding village, Stephen hadn't yet gotten acquainted with many of the places in town. It was easy to assume that he didn't know any at all, with the few exceptions that he had already visited that day purely out of his curiosity.

"No, I believe I haven't" he said. And considering that was a shop for magical creatures Stephen couldn't help but be interested. It was a fact that he was rather curious about them for what the year before he had chosen to take Care of Magical Creatures as well. It was cool even if it wasn't really what he was expecting at first. But well, he understood they had to start from some less dangerous creatures in the first year they were having on such subject. "That does really sound pretty nice, but there is no need for me to go along if you don't want me."

He wasn't used at all with one trying to make contact with him so he thought she was just being nice while inviting him to go as well.

((That's fine. I took it as year though. And I believe they would indeed share some classes together so it would be natural for them to have heard of each other then.))