Loverboy

"I want to make a difference in the world."

"You've got some foam on your lip," Pierre said, taking a sip of his butterbeer.

Ollie wiped it away with the back of her hand with a small smile. She then took another sip of her butterbeer, once again wiping away the foam from her upper lip before Pierre could point it out.

The pretty barista, Rosmerta, came over to the table the two teens shared. She tied her blonde curls into a high ponytail as she asked them, "Can I get you kids anything else?"

"More of the butterbeers, please," Pierre said, glancing at Ollie to make sure she was on board with that.

She nodded, looking at Pierre's ocean blue eyes for a moment longer before looking back to Madam Rosmerta.

"Alrighty," the young woman said, smacking her gum. "Be right back." She then moved along to the next occupied table and asked the same thing.

"You're sure you're willing to pay for all this?" Ollie asked Pierre, taking another swig of her drink. "I have money, it's fine really-"

"No, no, I insist," Pierre said. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't have to pay."

Ollie felt her face flush at that. "Well, in that case... After this, do you want to go to Honeydukes? I heard they got a new shipment of sugar quills."

"Sounds lovely," Pierre replied. There was a pause. "So how's school?" he asked, as if Ollie hadn't already gushed to him about her Transfiguration work.

"Could be worse," Ollie said. "Slughorn gave us a twenty inch essay. And that's just the minimum!"

"What's it on?" Pierre pushed.

That was one of the things Ollie liked about him; he always knew how to keep a conversation going. When they'd first met, she was somewhat attracted by his good looks and lovely voice, but as she got to know him better, she couldn't help but start to fall for his wit and kindness. He was socially apt, academically successful (not that Ollie particularly cared about that in a guy, but it certainly made him even more appealing), and just overall charming.

Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone that. She wouldn't even accept her growing feelings for him, even as she could tell they were there.

"Legal implications of Veritaserum," she explained. "It's due Tuesday at the start of class. What about you, though? How's school been treating you?"

"Oh, you know," Pierre said, waving his hand almost dismissively. "It's just class. I've been doing it for years."

"So have I, that doesn't mean it's a walk in the park," Ollie pointed out.

Rosmerta returned to the teens' table, plunking two more glasses of butterbeer on the table. "Here you kids go," she said. "Remember, when you're ready to pay, come and find me up at the counter."

"Actually," Pierre cut in, "could we pay now?"

"Okay, let me see..." She counted the empty cups on the table. "Five Sickles apiece, so..." She added up the price in her head. "Two Galleons and sixteen Sickles."

"Here's three Galleons and two Sickles," Pierre said, handing the money to the landlady. "Keep the change," he added, giving her one of his stunning smiles.

Of course, he wasn't trying to dazzle the woman. He was just so charming that it happened anyway.

"Thanks, kiddo," Rosmerta said, pocketing it in her waist apron. She took a hairtie off her wrist and pulled her dyed blonde curls into a ponytail before leaving the table.

"You're right," Pierre said to Ollie, taking a sip of his butterbeer. "It's not a walk in the park. But I don't mind. I like it."

"You like classes?" Ollie said incredulously. "School's awful!"

Pierre snorted into his drink. "Says the one who wants to be a teacher," he pointed out.

"I won't assign my students three-foot essays on illegal curses, at the very least," Ollie replied with faux haughtiness.

"Just you wait," Pierre said. "In a couple years, you'll spend your evenings, toiling away at a desk, grading those essays."

"I will not be grading those essays," Ollie said, grinning. "How would I? They won't even exist!"

"Why would you even want to be a teacher? That's a lot of work for not a lot of payout," Pierre asked.

"Because," Ollie explained, "I want to help people. Going out and catching Dark wizards is one way to do that. But I could teach the next generation of Aurors."

"There's never been a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that lasted more than a year in the position since the fifties," Pierre pointed out. "You really think it's worth the risk?"

"I want to make a difference in the world," Ollie said. "Even if I only have one year to do that."

"What about after?"

"After my one year? Well, if it doesn't end in a terrible disaster, maybe I'd work for the Ministry. Or at a diner. That would be fun."

"Fun, but a diner won't pay well. How are you going to survive, what with the economy?"

"My family's house is in Muggle London, so I grew up hearing stories about witches in the woods," Ollie joked. "I could do that. I'd be a household staple."

"Aren't the witches in those stories always hideous though?" Pierre said. "You couldn't possibly manage that."

Ollie couldn't help but giggle at that as she felt a blush rising to her cheeks. "Oh, stop that," she said, waving her hand in joking dismissal.

"All I'm doing is telling the truth," Pierre teased. Ollie felt her face flush a bit more at that, and she cursed herself for it.

---

I like this chapter. It's some good wholesome interaction between these two. and call me crazy but i think ollie might be catching feelings lol and i love how flirty pierre is now that he's spent a bit more time around Ollie

also i have two more days of school guys. two days. after that its summer!! I will be out of town the first full week of June so I don't think you'll see a lot of activity here but if you follow my tumblr i probably will be posting randomness. but after that I dont think i'm going to be super busy so... maybe we'll break 100 chapters before December! Because this is absolutely going to be that long lmao.

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