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Sharp had just wrapped up his first class for the day, students filing out of the room after tidying up their respective work stations. Which meant Sharp had about an hour of time to kill in preparation for his next class, fifth year students, they would be working on brewing a focus potion today. That class was easy to handle, bright kids, truly, lots of potential if they would simply just focus. No real problem students, maybe besides Garreth Weasley, with his love for straying from the instructions. But he was mostly harmless as long as he didn’t let any other students try his poor excuses of potions….
Randal Hanal’ghilan was a prime example of one of the students that shouldn’t try one of Garreth’s experimental potions. That pair of boys got into all sorts of trouble…. Especially in his class, it was like every other day the boys were up to something different. Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt seemed more interested in talking to one Vincent Demaris than paying attention to the actual lesson. Vincent had those two wrapped around his finger. Sharp wouldn’t lie, it was very entertaining to watch Sebastian and Ominis fumble around Vincent, Vincent seemed just as amused.
And the Ashwood twins…. don’t get him started on those boys… Julian Ashwood, if he wasn’t late or absent he was hardly paying attention. Julian didn’t put much effort into anything, unless it was music related or had something to do with Natsai Onai. He doted on her without hesitation, she had him at her back and call. Sharp swore Julian loved that girl more than his brother. Speaking of his brother, Jesper Ashwood, it was nearly impossible to drag that boys nose out of a book. He excelled at class yes, but he had no interest in it. That’s one thing he had in common with his brother Julian. They had nearly no interest in anything.
They could all be wonderful potioneers if they just focused. All of those kids seemed too occupied with anything but potions. If Randal was involved with that ancient magic, it was highly possible that all of his friends were involved as well. If so, that meant all four of those boys were in danger. Sharp could already feel the headache coming on, protecting one boy would be hard enough, trying to keep all four safe and out of harms way?…
Sharp flinched, quickly sitting back, the sound of purring and something rubbing against his arm pulled him from his thoughts. A cat? When had a cat gotten into his classroom?… It must’ve snuck in when the third years were leaving… He hadn’t noticed it, too lost in his thoughts, which could explain why it was now on his desk, making a mess of his papers and cuddling against him. Sharp let out a sigh, relaxing back into his chair after being startled. Sharp reached out to pet the cat, scratching it behind its ears while it butted against his hand.
The cat was a Scottish fold, surprisingly common around Hogwarts. The thing had a dark brown coat with reddish undertones, it was cute, very fluffy. The cat had a collar, a name tag just barely peaking out from under all that fur. Sharp grabbed the name tag, gently, not trying to hurt the little thing. He had to squint to read the small text, but the tag on the collar read ‘Please return to Counselor Valentine’.
Well, Sharp had some down time before his next class, so why not, he was going to return the cat. It’s not exactly like he wanted the cat hanging around anyways. His students had enough distractions among themselves without a cat adding to it. Sharp didn’t need another thing taking the attention of his students away from learning. Sharp went to pick the cat up, but it weaseled out of his hold with a disgruntled meow.
“Alright, I won’t pick you up.” Sharp raised his hands in defeat, standing up. The cat let out another meow, hopping down from his desk. “Lead the way.” He gestured towards the door, not like the cat could understand him.
The cat looked more than happy to lead him, tail swaying happily behind it as it walked. Guessed it knew the way back to Counselor Valentine well. Sharp followed close behind the cat, making note of the hallways they were walking through. Just where was this cat leading him? Counselor Valentine…. Sharp had heard of him, a new hire that just started this year. His full name was… What was it? It started with an A, he remembered that from when Headmistress Weasley spoke at a faculty meeting.
Alexander? It was something regal, very fancy sounding. Alfred? No, that sounded too old. Azrael? Maybe…. Valentine… Valentine…. What first name could go with a last name like Valentine?… Sharp had over heard some of his students talking about the new counselor, that he taught a class too. Anthropology if he recalled correctly. Anthropology….. Amadeus! That’s what it was! Sharp had thought it was funny, Amadeus taught Anthropology, they both started with the letter A.
Soon enough, Sharp was standing outside a door labeled Counselor’s office. Sharp recognized this room, it’s an old closet where he used to store excess potion ingredients, a few other professors used it as well. Until Headmaster Black ordered it to be cleared out for renovations at the end of last year. He had no clue it was going to be turned into an office, it hadn’t been a very big closet….
Sharp looked down, the cat was currently scratching at the door. The little fur-ball didn’t exactly look lost on the way there. Maybe that was the point of the wandering cat, catch people’s attention and bring them down to the counselors office so he can offer his services. It was smart, genius actually. It gave the more shy students an excuse for a visit and all the students seemed to love the cat, Sharp didn’t miss all the ooo’s and ahh’s as he traveled the halls with the little beast.
Sharp knocked on the door, once, twice. the cat eagerly circling his feet, winding through his legs. He was close enough that he was able to catch a bit of the conversation happening inside.
“Well, Mister Ashwood, I’ll see you same time next week.” Amadeus’ voice, warm and parental.
The door opened as Jesper Ashwood left the office, smiling. Sharp rarely saw that boy smile... “Goodbye, Professor Valentine.” He waved, walking away, his steps quick and steady as disappeared around a corner.
“Professor Sharp! Wonderful to see you.” Amadeus greeted him, motioning for him to come in. “Please, come in!”
The cat wound around his legs once more, happily pattering into the room before starting to circle Valentine. Valentine shut the door behind them, walking further into his office, the cat following him the whole way.
“I see you followed Tim here.” Amadeus pointed at the cat, Tim. That was… a strange name for a cat, more fitting of a grown man than a feline. “Thank you, for bringing him back, he tends to wander.”
Valentine bent at the waist to pet the cat, Tim, who was currently head butting his shins. Sharp adverted his eyes quickly, he could feel his face heating up. Valentine blinked at him owlishly, standing fully upright. Tim stretched slowly before climbing up the cat tree behind Valentine’s desk. Valentine took a seat at his desk, gesturing for him to do the same. Tim perching at the top of the tree, watching, waiting.
Amadeus Valentine was a very…. eccentric man. With blonde hair and pink bangs, styled like a heart right down to the pieces framing his face. He seemed to really like the heart motif, fitting if you considered his last name. Amadeus had a strange fashion sense, something distinctly gothic and surprisingly like a drover, but dulled down for a school setting. Lots of warm colors, pinks and reds. Again, very fitting.
Sharp sat down across from Amadeus, resting his cane against the arm of the chair. The chair was padded, surprisingly very comfortable. Looking around, Sharp took in the rest of his office. It was warm and very decorated, well loved so to say.
“As I am sure you’ve been made aware, I have just recently started my career at Hogwarts.” Amadeus had a strange way of speaking, he could talk in flowing circles with an airy cadence yet still be so blunt in his actual meaning. “So I’ve made it my mission to become a familiar face to all of my fellow colleagues.”
Sharp nodded, simply listening along as Amadeus spoke so animatedly. Sharp found himself watching Amadeus’ hands as he made various gestures while talking. It made sense that he was a counselor, he had such a way with words. it was actually very admirable, to be able to just ramble on without being even a bit boring.
“You, actually, are one of the last few that I still need to acquaint myself with.” Amadeus continued, smiling softly at him. “Well, besides professor Fig, that is, he is quite the elusive man.” Amadeus chuckled, keeping the mood light.
Sharp felt his lip twitch upward with amusement. “He is very slippery, always disappears whenever he’s truly needed.” Sharp agreed, he had many stories about Fig being nowhere to be seen when things got tricky. “Always has some excuse as well.”
“Hmm, well, that makes sense with what some students have been telling me.” Amadeus commented, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ll have to keep that in mind when I go introduce myself.”
“So, tell me about yourself.” Amadeus tilted his head to the side just slightly, Sharp could tell he had his full attention, “I am indeed very eager to get to know you better.” Sharp could’ve sworn Amadeus just winked at him, was he…. flirting?
“I have heard a lot about you, from my students.” Amadeus added, the smile on his face widening. “all good things, I assure you.”
“You’re quite to the point, no time for funny business hmm?” Sharp raised an eyebrow, he hadn’t been expecting an interview. “You aren’t trying to psychoanalyze me, are you?” Sharp asked, brow furrowed, he might’ve been a bit defensive but he was talking to a certified counselor.
“It sounds like you are the one trying to analyze me, Professor.” Amadeus laughed, lighthearted, ”And I promise I would never do that, well, unless you wanted me to.” Amadeus stated, making direct eye contact near the end of his sentence, it felt rather intimate.
Amadeus was odd, very intriguing. Sharp found himself interested in learning more about Amadeus as well. “That’s… comforting to know.” Sharp admitted, leaning forward in his chair.
“You can call me Aesop and as you probably know, I’m the potions professor.” Sharp started, resting his arms on Amadeus’ desk. What should he tell him? He didn’t exactly have facts about himself on hand. “I used to be an Auror.” Sharp shrugged, pausing to think.
“That’s quite the job switch, Aesop.” Amadeus tilted his head slightly to the side, “And please, call me Amadeus. I think I missed a few steps introduction wise.” Amadeus extended his left hand for a handshake.
Sharp shook Amadeus’ hand, making note of all the rings and bracelets, not a single ring on his ring finger. He wasn’t married. A small, unimportant detail, yet Sharp couldn’t help but notice.
“It’s nice to meet you, Amadeus.” Sharp nodded, letting go of his hand.
“Like wise.” Amadeus smiled at him, full of warmth. He smiled a lot, never with his teeth though, just a simple, warm smile. “Do you do anything else, in your free time?” Amadeus asked, jumping right back into his questions.
“I help oversee the quidditch games with the help of Nurse Blainey, in case there are any injuries.” Sharp had to pause to think on what else he did. “I like to read as well.” It was a bit of a reach, most reading he did recently had been about potions….
“That’s so sweet!” Amadeus nodded as he spoke, his tone sincere, he looked genuinely interested. “I love to read too! Have you read any thing interesting lately?” Amadeus lit up at the mention of reading, the bookshelf filled with books behind him should have been a dead giveaway.
Sharp was blanking, he couldn’t think of any non-potion related book he’s read as of late. “I’ve just started... The Outsiders recently.” Sharp made it up on the spot, pulling the title from one of the books behind Amadeus. “Have you read it?” He asked in return, hoping that Amadeus didn’t ask him about the book.
“Read it? I love that one!” Amadeus had gotten even more excited at the mention of that book. “I discuss it with my class for a lesson unit, it’s simply a perfect piece to analyze muggle literature with!” Amadeus gushed, his eyes filled with a joy that was infectious.
“Oh really? I’ll have to pick it up again, then.” Sharp could feel the hole he was digging himself into grow deeper by the second. “I have to rerenew it from the library, I haven’t checked it out again yet.”
Oh Merlin’s beard…. If he wanted to keep this lie up he was definitely going to have to go read that book. Hopefully it wasn’t too long, Sharp didn’t have the time for some thousand page novel right now. Although, taking a second look at the book he had picked off the shelf behind Amadeus, it didn’t look too thick compared to some of the other titles on those shelves. And Amadeus had said it was a piece of muggle literature…. Hmm, well, it had to be good if Amadeus was raving about it like this….
Amadeus turned around, pulling the book from the shelf. He was holding it with such care and consideration, the book was in pristine condition for one so loved. The spine wasn’t cracked, the corners weren’t frayed, it looked like it had just been printed. Amadeus set it on the desk, pushing it towards him.
“You’re more than welcome to borrow my copy, if you would like.” Amadeus offered, not hesitating at all to share what he described as such a prized possession. “It’ll save you the hassle of trying to find it in the library, I’m surprised they had one.”
“Thank you, Amadeus, I’ll take you up on that offer.” Sharp picked the book up, examining it briefly before placing it in his lap. Sharp wasn’t actually sure the library did have a copy…. “That’s very kind of you.”
Amadeus opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of a bell ringing cut him off. “Well, it looks like we’re out of time!” Amadeus looked a bit surprised, glancing up at a clock on the wall. “You’ll have to forgive me but I have a class.” Amadeus stood up, pushing his chair in.
“That’s alright, I have one as well.” Sharp got up from his own chair, grabbing his cane and the book Amadeus had gave him. “It was nice talking with you, Amadeus.”
Where had the time gone? Sharp could’ve sworn it had not been an hour. There’s no way they could have spoken for that long, really? Sharp made his way to the door, Amadeus following not far behind him.
As Sharp exited the office Amadeus called out to him. “If you would like, I’m going to dinner with Professor Garlick and Professor Ronen later this evening.” Amadeus took his hand in both of his own, his grip gentle and his skin warm, the metal of his rings a cold contrast. “It would be wonderful for you to join us, Aesop.” Amadeus smiled, patting his hand before letting go, leaning against the doorframe.
Sharp simply stared for a moment, trying to compose himself. “Alright, send me an owl and I’ll be there.” Sharp agreed, “Goodbye, Amadeus.” It wasn’t everyday he got invited to dinner, okay, he’s never been invited to dinner before. What was he getting himself into?
“See you later, Aesop!” Amadeus waved before leaving for his class, Sharp could hear the door shut behind them, his footsteps growing fainter as he walked away.
The rest of the day went off without a hitch, breezing by quickly. It wasn’t long before the school day was done. As he had asked, Amadeus had sent him an owl. The sound of feathers rustling had given it away, the large bird had to have come in through the window. Every classroom had a small window for the owls to fly through, usually in the back, near the roof. Similar to that of a doggy door, but for birds.
Amadeus’ owl was a long eared owl, medium sized, currently resting on the perch by the window. The bird had white feathers with an almost pink hue, unusual shades for the typically forest colored birds. Amadeus kept strange pets, the owl was quite cute though, and it had a letter clutched in its beak. Sharp walked over to the bird, taking hold of the letter when the owl let go of it, the paper falling into his palm. Sharp unrolled the letter, momentarily distracted as Amadeus’ owl climbed onto his shoulder.
This was a very affectionate bird, cooing softly as it preened at his hair. Amadeus and his pets had the same trait, they were all very affectionate, the owl, the cat, even the man himself. Sharp turned his attention back to the letter in his hands. It read, ‘Good afternoon, Aesop! I hope you will still be joining us for dinner tonight. Abraham, Mirabel, and myself will be meeting up outside the Three Broomsticks at Six pm. See you soon, Aesop.’ Amadeus had even signed his name at the bottom, a little heart after his last name.
Amadeus’ owl had already flown away, out the window it had came in from. Sharp glanced at the clock, rolling the letter back up and putting it into a drawer in his desk. It was ready five, Sharp would have to leave now if he was going to make it on time. Thankfully he kept a change of clothes in his office, it was a nicer outfit of his as well, more formal. A quick change and a few sprays of cologne and he was dinner ready now that he was all freshened up. Sharp grabbed his wand, placing it back in the holster on his belt before leaving his office.
Sharp was well off of Hogwarts property by now, he was on his way towards Hogsmeade when a familiar voice called out to him. It was Professor Garlick, Mirabel.
“Aesop! Wait a moment, will you?” Mirabel caught up to him quickly, fixing her hat. “Are you coming to dinner with us?” She asked, walking by his side.
“That is correct, Amadeus invited me.” Sharp rested his hands in the pocket of his coat, he felt a bit awkward, he wasn’t used to making small talk. “I’m looking forward to this, it’s been a while since i’ve been to the Three Broomsticks.”
“Amadeus is ecstatic, it’s all he could talk about for the rest of the day.” Mirabel laughed, shifting her purse from one hand to the other. “I’m excited as well, it’s been a long time since Ive seen my sunflower of a friend.” Mirabel was a big fan of her plant metaphors, guess that came with the territory of being a Herbology professors
“Have you two known each other long?” Sharp asked, raising an eyebrow. With the way she spoke of Amadeus it came off like they had been friends for a while.
“Why yes! Me and Amadeus go back to our Hogwarts days.” Mirabel began to dig through her purse, looking for something. “You wouldn’t have know him though, we were both Hufflepuffs and he was a bit… anti-social.” She sighed fondly, her face lighting up as she found what she had been looking for.
“Here, it’s an old picture of me and Amadeus,” Mirabel handed him the polaroid, smiling brightly. “This was at the start of our 7th year.” She explained.
Sharp looked at the picture, examining it closely. Amadeus still had a similar haircut as the one he does now, maybe a bit flatter and shorter back then. The pink in his hair was a lot more vibrant than it was now. The color was the same shade just faded with time, didn’t seem like normal dye, magical maybe? Amadeus was in a full gothic makeup look, dark red eyeshadow and black eyeliner. It clearly wasn’t a phase based on how he looked now. He was still sporting the drover look as well, more fancy though given the frill collar he had on over his shirt.
Mirabel still looked relatively the same today as she did back then. More mature now but that simply came with time and the same was true about Amadeus. She styled her hair the same, twin braids with a middle part, that same vibrant orangey red. Mirabel was wearing overalls with a shirt that had a lace collar and sleeves. The only difference between her now and the photo was the absence of her hat. Neither of them had their hats on actually.
From this angle it appeared that Mirabel had taken the photo. They both looked happy, smiling widely at the camera. Amadeus was making a face at the camera, he had his tongue stuck out and it was… pierced? A small silver heart sat smack dab in the middle of his tongue. Amadeus had a septum ring in this picture as well, Sharp didn’t recall him having any piercings when they had met earlier. Sharp pointed the piercing out, raising an eyebrow.
Mirabel simply laughed, apparently his curiosity was funny. “Amadeus had just turned 17, so we went out to celebrate and I was there when he got it done.” She explained, taking the polaroid back and returning it to its spot in her purse.
The two looked like complete opposites, surprising that they came from the same house, and that they even got along in the first place. If it wasn’t for the smile on his face and that Mirabel had told him, Sharp would’ve never guessed that Amadeus was a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw or Slytherin maybe, but a Hufflepuff? Never. It sort of made sense with Amadeus’ personality, warm and bubbly with that paternal care students needed, animals loved him too. all clear signs of a Hufflepuff, right down to the loyalty.
It didn’t take much effort to navigate through Hogsmeade to reach the Three Broomsticks. The town was still very lively, people out and about. Students running around, people running errands. It wasn’t very hard to pick Amadeus out of a crowd either. There he was, right outside of the Three Broomsticks where Amadeus and Abraham were waiting, the two engaged in what looked like a very lively conversation. Both men being such animated speakers and they both seemed to light up when they saw himself and Mirabel approaching.
Abraham was in a casual getup, accessorized with his usual flair. While Amadeus is more dressed up, fancy pants and a frilly shirt complete with a small heart shaped cutout on his chest, highlighting a part of some tattoo he had. Sharp would’ve felt a bit overdressed if it wasn’t for Amadeus, with his fashion sense it would be hard to out do him.
“Amadeus! So good to see you again!” Mirabel greeted excitedly, pulling Amadeus into a hug he gladly reciprocated. She pulled back, holding him by his shoulders as she gave him a once over. “That one’s new! Amadeus you simply mush share later.” She pointed at the tattoo on his chest, letting him go.
“It is, got it maybe a year or two ago.” Amadeus explained briefly, cheeks tinged a faint pink with bashfulness. “Enough about me though, how have you been?” He asked, smiling. The two of them walked into the Three Broomsticks, already caught up in easy conversation.
Abraham smiled at him knowingly, he always seemed to know more than he let on. Sharp walked alongside Abraham as they followed the two into the three broomsticks. Mirabel and Amadeus were already sitting at a table, both of them waving them over eagerly. Sharp sat down across from Amadeus, Abraham sitting next to him, across from Mirabel. Watching Mirabel and Amadeus talk was like watching two schoolgirls gossip, surprisingly entertaining. The topics they were discussing were intensely complex as well, as if they were having full blown debate yet still being friendly.
The evening seemed to fly by in a blur of laughter and easy conversation that just flowed effortlessly between the four of them. Not a single awkward pause or silence, surprising since Sharp wasn’t a very big fan of social events like this. Mainly because of how awkward they could get. Oh boy, could Amadeus talk, he always had just the the right thing to say. It was so easy to talk to him….
The food had been amazing, Sirona never disappoints. The time had come for everyone to leave, dinner was done and so were the drinks. It had been a wonderful little outing, but it was getting to that time where everyone seemed to want to leave rather than stay any longer. Now, they were all standing outside of the Three Broomsticks, having paid for their meals, caught in fleeting conversation while the town around them was even starting to settle in for the night.
“Do you think you could walk me home?” Amadeus asked, smiling softly. “A little too tipsy to fly right now.” He chuckled.
Abraham had left first, Mirabel following shortly after, leaving just himself and Amadeus. The four of them had had a few drinks, nothing too extreme considering they all had work the next day. Amadeus must be a lightweight if he was tipsy after only a few drinks.
“I don’t live far, only a short flight away.” Amadeus pointed towards a path out of Hogsmeade that led away from Hogwarts. “There’s a small village in the forest, just past the old tower. We should be able to see it once we get out of Hogsmeade.” Amadeus explained, his hands playing with one of the front pieces of his hair.
“Of course, I can give you a ride on my broom.” Sharp nodded, following him as Amadeus led the way.
Amadeus looked back at him over his shoulder, smiling. “I appreciate it, a lot, Aesop.” Amadeus paused, waiting for him to catch up, before continuing to walk.
Sharp walked side by side with Amadeus, listening as he spoke about every topic under the sun. It made the 5 minute walk to the outskirts of Hogsmeade feel like only a few seconds. Amadeus was very lively, pointing at things and using them as further talking points, conversation bouncing between the two of them very easily. The sun was setting quick, casting a lovely glow over the town and surrounding forest. Amadeus himself was bathed in that same glow, his hair seemed to sparkle in the sun, especially the pink.
Sharp summoned his broom, mounting it with practiced ease. Sharp held out his hand for Amadeus, who took it without hesitation. Amadeus got on the broom, just behind him, sitting side-saddle.
“Madam Kogawa would chastise you for improper riding technique right now.” Sharp raised an eyebrow, looking back at Amadeus over his shoulder; lifting off of the ground and into the air, Hogsmeade disappearing over the horizon as the flew away.
Amadeus laughed, holding onto the broom with one hand. “I promise I’ll be alright, I’ve been flying like this since I got my first broom.” Amadeus waved his other hand dismissively, “I appreciate the worry though.”
The wind wasn’t too strong this evening, which was good, it was always better to fly with the current rather than against it. It was warm out tonight as well, not too cold. Honestly, it was the perfect evening for a flight, over a nice field or through a moonlit forest. It was kind of…. romantic…. The feeling of a warm weight against his back snapped him from his…. wandering thoughts…
Sharp glanced behind him and he was met with the sight of Amadeus dozing off against him, chin resting on his shoulder. his eyes widened with surprise, they had only been flying for maybe fifteen, twenty minutes. Sharp let out a soft sigh, debating whether he should wake Amadeus up or to let him rest. Sharp paused, taking a longer look at Amadeus, a more thorough look. He seemed peaceful, Amadeus looked rather handsome under the starlight. Sharp hadn’t realized the sun had fully set either, the moon was just starting to show itself in a sky full of stars.
What was he thinking? Sharp just met this guy… More importantly, this man was his coworker, a fellow professor at Hogwarts. Sharp blinked a few times, shifting his focus back to where he was flying. Sharp reached back, tapping Amadeus lightly on the cheek, trying to wake him up. Amadeus let out a soft almost whine like sound, mumbling something quietly. Sharp felt a flutter in his stomach at the sound, followed by a rush of embarrassment. Sharp could tell when Amadeus sat upright without looking, the night air cold compared to Amadeus’ body warmth.
“It’s dangerous to sleep while flying, especially this high up.” Sharp chided, keeping his voice stern to hopefully hide how embarrassed he actually felt, getting all flustered over his coworker falling asleep against his shoulder. “Try not to doze off again, will you?” Sharp felt like a fumbling schoolboy all over again, he did not miss the feeling.
“Oh! Oh my…” Amadeus finally spoke up, sounding a bit embarrassed himself, his voice was a bit lower than usual with sleep. “I’m so sorry, I hadn’t realized.” Amadeus apologized, Sharp could hear him fidgeting.
Sharp steered the broom as they flew higher into the air. “Where did you say you lived again?” Sharp asked, not looking back this time. They had already passed the old tower Amadeus mentioned earlier.
“Fly into that forest,” Amadeus pointed at a forest on the left. “I live near the edge of the village in the forest, it’s a small one, but it’s there.”
Sharp did just that, taking a left into the forest, flying closer to the ground to avoid the tree branches. It didn’t take long for them to reach the village Amadeus had spoken about. It was a small village yet surprisingly still so active at this time of day. It was late but there were still people running about to and fro, adults and children both. It was like there was a celebration going on or something.
“Take a right, past that big well, the one with the bell.” Amadeus spoke up, placing his on his shoulder. “My house is the one with the rose bushes out front.”
There was a chill in the air now, but Amadeus’ hand was still so warm as it rested on his shoulder. That well was quite large, intricately decorated too. The bell had a complex design engraved on it. Hmm, must be important to the village. Maybe he could ask Amadeus about that another day, it might make a good talking point. As Amadeus had said, there was a decently sized house near the edge of the village with rose bushes in the front.
“That one is mine.” Amadeus pointed at the house, patting him on the shoulder, Amadeus had never pulled his hand back...
Sharp slowed to a stop, landing his broom a few steps away from the door. Sharp dismissed his broom once both of them had gotten off of it. Amadeus smoothed out his clothes, fixing his hat as well. Sharp walked him to the door, it was the polite thing to do. Amadeus placed his hand on the door, palm flat against the surface, muttering a spell under his breath. The wood of the door glowing a faint pink for only a moment. A protection charm? Well, the undoing of a protection charm.
Sharp must have been making a face because Amadeus looked at him with a small laugh. “Just a precaution, there’s been a rise in Ashwinders in the forest.” Amadeus explained, tone reassuring, “Well, tonight has been lovely, Aesop.” Amadeus opened the door, moving to stand in the doorframe.
“I’d invite you inside but it’s awfully late.” Amadeus mused, frowning, that was the first time today that Sharp has seen Amadeus frown, at all actually. “And i fear that would be incredibly unprofessional so, maybe next time, if you would like.” Amadeus added, sighing almost dreamily.
“Goodnight, Aesop, and thank you again.” Amadeus gave a small wave, closing the door slightly. It gave the impression that he didn’t want this to end, and frankly, Sharp didn’t want it to either. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Aesop.” Amadeus blew him a kiss, winking before shutting the door fully, Sharp could hear the lock clicking into place.
“Goodnight, Amadeus…” Sharp breathed, partly in awe and partly in disbelief.
Did he really just do that? Sharp wasn’t upset with it but he certainly hadn’t been expecting that. Amadeus was definitely flirting with him, that wink he thought he saw back in his office wasn’t just his wishful imagination, he was certain now. Sharp turned away, summoning his broom yet again. It’s been a while since he felt this eager for the next day to come…. Amadeus Valentine was a very interesting man and he had Sharp captivated.