Dorret Adeline Loving (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dorret) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} 20somethings,@ 2022-06-09 20:43:00 |
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Who: Dorret + Gareth
What: The Spring of their seventh year, Dorrett and Gareth sneak out of the castle to the Hog’s Head Inn to blow off steam. N.E.W.T.s looming, Gareth decides whether to take an incredible offer from the Falmouth Falcons to go pro or sit his exams.
When: April 2016 [flashback]
Where: The Hog's Head Inn; Hogsmeade
Warnings: Language
Completion Status: complete
“Keep ’em coming Aberforth.” Gareth slid him a few more galleons, his leg bouncing on the foot rail. Aberforth grunted and returned with another bottle of firewhiskey.
“I don’t know Dorrett, I mean I don’t exactly have the personality for ministry work. Dress robes every day and get stuck sitting in an office.” He shuddered. “It’s better that I don't waste anyone’s time and just start flying for a team.”
Dorrett Montbatten, seventh year Gryffindor and Head Girl of Hogwarts, had watched her best friend Gareth stress and fret for weeks. She had decided on a whim to sneak him out of school on a lovely Friday late night in April. Aberforth Dumbledore never seemed to mind them visiting and since their first visit playing hooky in their fifth year, he had seemingly kept their secret.
She listened to him whine and answered, “you do realize there’s a world of jobs between dropping out of school to play Quidditich and working for the Ministry.”
He looked at her unamused. They’d been attached at the hip since their fifth year and there wasn’t anyone in that god awful castle that knew him better in every sense of the word. Whether indecisive anxiety struck or the urge to blackout and not remember the previous evening, she was there. “Oh, I know there is. Nothing makes as much sense as Quidditch.” He took another shot, feeling the liquor burn as it made its way down his throat. “What do you expect to do after your N.E.W.T.s?” Dorrett was more of a free spirit unperturbed by the future and unfettered by her own past. How she managed to put up with his brooding ass he never knew.
Scoffing, she indicated with her eyes that he should pour her a shot as well.
“Very rude to not offer your hostess a drink while you're at it.” Dorrett took the proffered shot, took it back in one swig, and set the glass on the bar before leaning over to kiss his cheek.
“What do you mean what am I going to do? I could choose any job I want in the wizarding world, with my marks. But it’s also not like I have to do anything at all. After seven years of playing pretty pretty princess and busting my ass, I’m considering taking out my trust and doing absolutely nothing at all.”
“There you go again.” He poured her another shot, smirking. “I thought the days of sweet talking and kissing my cheek were over.” It came with the territory, nothing unresolved, but there had been nights after too many drinks when she was the warmest body next to him. However, somewhere by the end of their sixth year they’d realized that a relationship between the two of them would just be a recipe for disaster. Though it didn’t mean they weren’t still affectionate towards each other. “It must be nice. Not having to do anything. It’s not something I can bring myself to do. Not with him.”
Dorrett let out a low laugh, “First of all, until you have a wife who objects I am definitely still allowed to kiss you on the cheek, and anywhere else I’d like. Second of all, I believe that taking him for all he’s worth is the best thing you could do in the entire world. Why not at least use him for his money?”
She poured another round of shots for them and lifted hers in a mock toast. “To using the bastard down to the last drop. He deserves nothing less.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Years from this moment, he’d text her when he was drunk and he knew it. Somehow she was his perfect woman whether he admitted it to her or not. But she was always smarter than him. Reminding him of their arrangement and where they stood. He downed his shot giving a satisfying gasp.
“For someone as broody as I am you would think I’d be less prideful about that. He is a bastard, but he is just the right kind of bastard that would tell me I’m squandering my talents. And that’s something I cannot handle. But I’ll live it up out of my vault at Gringotts for as long as I can. Maybe get myself a place far away from him that’s just mine. Won’t even tell him where.”
“Okay, so you won’t use him and you want nothing to do with him. In that case, petty revenge doesn’t help you make a decision about NEWTs so I have a question for you." She gave him a hard look. "Without sitting your exams, what do you do if the Quidditch thing doesn’t work out?”
She reached for her once again empty shot glass and tapped it on the table indicating it was his turn to pour for them.
Gareth groaned. His father was complicated. A rockstar known the wizarding world over and never wanting a child. “It would probably be easy.” He mused. Myron had done everything in his power to not have to raise him on his own. “Give him a number and say I’d never bother him again.” Being the son of a celebrity that screwed anything that moved would mean he had no ammunition to be a rich playboy in the press. They’d say it was just par for the course. There was also the issue that not many outside of Dorrett knew. “I could always change my name.”
Dorrett knocked her glass on the bar waiting for another full shot. “Sorry.” He poured them both another round. He didn’t want to think of her next question. He was in good athletic shape, sports came naturally while spellwork didn’t. “Not Ministry, right?” The department he felt qualified for was Magical Sports and Games, but recent heads were ex-players. “Think I could pull off being a personal trainer? One of those ‘one more set’ types pushing people to their peak potential.” It sounded as silly as it did sarcastic. He could do it, but why would he? At that paint he’d just start siphoning off his father’s money and make his life an actual living hell.
Dorrett cocked her head and thought. Straightening on her stool, she took back the offered shot and then turned the glass over on the table indicating she was done. With a smack of her lips she made a decision.
“Babe, you know I love you. You’re my best friend in this world outside of Odette, so I say this out of love and concern.” She turned on her stool and took his face in her hands, directing his attention right at her.
“What if you get hurt? What if some other young upstart takes your spot? What if the recruiter that offered you the position gets fired and your offer goes 'poof'? I don’t mean to rain on your parade, and you know I’m unbelievably proud of you for getting this offer in the first place... But you have to think of every catastrophe that could possibly befall you before you decide not to sit exams.” She let go of his face and turned back towards the bar waving down Aberforth for a cup of coffee.
He didn’t have a good answer to any of it. He finished the last of his shots and asked for his own cup of coffee. “Is it really that bad to take a chance?” He knew she was right, but he also knew that he’d barely scrape by a handful of Acceptables even if he applied himself. He stirred some sugar into his coffee, taking a sip. “So let’s say I stay on for my N.E.W.T.s and I scrape by a handful of Acceptables in a couple of major subjects. That still doesn’t get me enough for a backup plan. What am I supposed to do then if any of those things you mentioned happens? Swallow my pride and siphon off all my father’s money?” The more he thought about that last ditch plan, the more he thought it was his pride that was the issue.
She shrugged, "At least then you'd have some NEWTs to fall back on, something that shows you did at least a little bit more than fly while you were here. Well, more than fly and snog me," she said with a little snort. Yup, there was the liquor alright.
She sighed, "I'm tired. So I might not be coherent. But no, it's not bad to take a chance, as long as you've thought through all the possibilities first. I know thinking isn't your strong suit," she laughed again, "but you really, really should. About this at least."
She leaned her head on his shoulder in her fatigue. Dorret yawned. "Besides, who am I gonna hang out with till school ends if you leave?" It was mostly bullshit - Dorret was popular, well-liked, social, and top of her class (not to mention the school's intensely rule-flouting Head Girl). But he was her favorite. Friend. Person. Make out partner when they were both bored.
Gareth caught a look from Aberforth who quickly turned away towards a patron at the end of the bar. He’d seen them come into the pub since their fifth year and every time the look said the same thing, stupid kids. They were never seen there separately and more than once they’d have to sneak back through the secret passage behind Ariana just to avoid getting caught.
She was right, of course. Always had been. She was his big picture when all he saw was his own desires and goals. She’d jab him with a couple of jests but at the end of the day there she was, tipsy and her head resting on his shoulder while the coffee they should have ordered three rounds ago turned cold. He slid Aberforth his tip. He’d pick it up when he came back around. Gareth turned, placing a soft kiss on the top of Dorrett’s head.
“So is it a room tonight and scurry back in the morning? Or should we actually follow the rules?” He’d sit his N.E.W.T.s as much as he wanted to board the train tomorrow to Falmouth and start training for the upcoming season. He’d do it for her, even though she’d say it’s all for his benefit. To keep him out of trouble and out of debt. He wondered if their arrangement would ever grow stale or if she would ever tire of him. There was no way he could see himself tiring of her.
“I don’t know Dorrett, I mean I don’t exactly have the personality for ministry work. Dress robes every day and get stuck sitting in an office.” He shuddered. “It’s better that I don't waste anyone’s time and just start flying for a team.”
Dorrett Montbatten, seventh year Gryffindor and Head Girl of Hogwarts, had watched her best friend Gareth stress and fret for weeks. She had decided on a whim to sneak him out of school on a lovely Friday late night in April. Aberforth Dumbledore never seemed to mind them visiting and since their first visit playing hooky in their fifth year, he had seemingly kept their secret.
She listened to him whine and answered, “you do realize there’s a world of jobs between dropping out of school to play Quidditich and working for the Ministry.”
He looked at her unamused. They’d been attached at the hip since their fifth year and there wasn’t anyone in that god awful castle that knew him better in every sense of the word. Whether indecisive anxiety struck or the urge to blackout and not remember the previous evening, she was there. “Oh, I know there is. Nothing makes as much sense as Quidditch.” He took another shot, feeling the liquor burn as it made its way down his throat. “What do you expect to do after your N.E.W.T.s?” Dorrett was more of a free spirit unperturbed by the future and unfettered by her own past. How she managed to put up with his brooding ass he never knew.
Scoffing, she indicated with her eyes that he should pour her a shot as well.
“Very rude to not offer your hostess a drink while you're at it.” Dorrett took the proffered shot, took it back in one swig, and set the glass on the bar before leaning over to kiss his cheek.
“What do you mean what am I going to do? I could choose any job I want in the wizarding world, with my marks. But it’s also not like I have to do anything at all. After seven years of playing pretty pretty princess and busting my ass, I’m considering taking out my trust and doing absolutely nothing at all.”
“There you go again.” He poured her another shot, smirking. “I thought the days of sweet talking and kissing my cheek were over.” It came with the territory, nothing unresolved, but there had been nights after too many drinks when she was the warmest body next to him. However, somewhere by the end of their sixth year they’d realized that a relationship between the two of them would just be a recipe for disaster. Though it didn’t mean they weren’t still affectionate towards each other. “It must be nice. Not having to do anything. It’s not something I can bring myself to do. Not with him.”
Dorrett let out a low laugh, “First of all, until you have a wife who objects I am definitely still allowed to kiss you on the cheek, and anywhere else I’d like. Second of all, I believe that taking him for all he’s worth is the best thing you could do in the entire world. Why not at least use him for his money?”
She poured another round of shots for them and lifted hers in a mock toast. “To using the bastard down to the last drop. He deserves nothing less.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Years from this moment, he’d text her when he was drunk and he knew it. Somehow she was his perfect woman whether he admitted it to her or not. But she was always smarter than him. Reminding him of their arrangement and where they stood. He downed his shot giving a satisfying gasp.
“For someone as broody as I am you would think I’d be less prideful about that. He is a bastard, but he is just the right kind of bastard that would tell me I’m squandering my talents. And that’s something I cannot handle. But I’ll live it up out of my vault at Gringotts for as long as I can. Maybe get myself a place far away from him that’s just mine. Won’t even tell him where.”
“Okay, so you won’t use him and you want nothing to do with him. In that case, petty revenge doesn’t help you make a decision about NEWTs so I have a question for you." She gave him a hard look. "Without sitting your exams, what do you do if the Quidditch thing doesn’t work out?”
She reached for her once again empty shot glass and tapped it on the table indicating it was his turn to pour for them.
Gareth groaned. His father was complicated. A rockstar known the wizarding world over and never wanting a child. “It would probably be easy.” He mused. Myron had done everything in his power to not have to raise him on his own. “Give him a number and say I’d never bother him again.” Being the son of a celebrity that screwed anything that moved would mean he had no ammunition to be a rich playboy in the press. They’d say it was just par for the course. There was also the issue that not many outside of Dorrett knew. “I could always change my name.”
Dorrett knocked her glass on the bar waiting for another full shot. “Sorry.” He poured them both another round. He didn’t want to think of her next question. He was in good athletic shape, sports came naturally while spellwork didn’t. “Not Ministry, right?” The department he felt qualified for was Magical Sports and Games, but recent heads were ex-players. “Think I could pull off being a personal trainer? One of those ‘one more set’ types pushing people to their peak potential.” It sounded as silly as it did sarcastic. He could do it, but why would he? At that paint he’d just start siphoning off his father’s money and make his life an actual living hell.
Dorrett cocked her head and thought. Straightening on her stool, she took back the offered shot and then turned the glass over on the table indicating she was done. With a smack of her lips she made a decision.
“Babe, you know I love you. You’re my best friend in this world outside of Odette, so I say this out of love and concern.” She turned on her stool and took his face in her hands, directing his attention right at her.
“What if you get hurt? What if some other young upstart takes your spot? What if the recruiter that offered you the position gets fired and your offer goes 'poof'? I don’t mean to rain on your parade, and you know I’m unbelievably proud of you for getting this offer in the first place... But you have to think of every catastrophe that could possibly befall you before you decide not to sit exams.” She let go of his face and turned back towards the bar waving down Aberforth for a cup of coffee.
He didn’t have a good answer to any of it. He finished the last of his shots and asked for his own cup of coffee. “Is it really that bad to take a chance?” He knew she was right, but he also knew that he’d barely scrape by a handful of Acceptables even if he applied himself. He stirred some sugar into his coffee, taking a sip. “So let’s say I stay on for my N.E.W.T.s and I scrape by a handful of Acceptables in a couple of major subjects. That still doesn’t get me enough for a backup plan. What am I supposed to do then if any of those things you mentioned happens? Swallow my pride and siphon off all my father’s money?” The more he thought about that last ditch plan, the more he thought it was his pride that was the issue.
She shrugged, "At least then you'd have some NEWTs to fall back on, something that shows you did at least a little bit more than fly while you were here. Well, more than fly and snog me," she said with a little snort. Yup, there was the liquor alright.
She sighed, "I'm tired. So I might not be coherent. But no, it's not bad to take a chance, as long as you've thought through all the possibilities first. I know thinking isn't your strong suit," she laughed again, "but you really, really should. About this at least."
She leaned her head on his shoulder in her fatigue. Dorret yawned. "Besides, who am I gonna hang out with till school ends if you leave?" It was mostly bullshit - Dorret was popular, well-liked, social, and top of her class (not to mention the school's intensely rule-flouting Head Girl). But he was her favorite. Friend. Person. Make out partner when they were both bored.
Gareth caught a look from Aberforth who quickly turned away towards a patron at the end of the bar. He’d seen them come into the pub since their fifth year and every time the look said the same thing, stupid kids. They were never seen there separately and more than once they’d have to sneak back through the secret passage behind Ariana just to avoid getting caught.
She was right, of course. Always had been. She was his big picture when all he saw was his own desires and goals. She’d jab him with a couple of jests but at the end of the day there she was, tipsy and her head resting on his shoulder while the coffee they should have ordered three rounds ago turned cold. He slid Aberforth his tip. He’d pick it up when he came back around. Gareth turned, placing a soft kiss on the top of Dorrett’s head.
“So is it a room tonight and scurry back in the morning? Or should we actually follow the rules?” He’d sit his N.E.W.T.s as much as he wanted to board the train tomorrow to Falmouth and start training for the upcoming season. He’d do it for her, even though she’d say it’s all for his benefit. To keep him out of trouble and out of debt. He wondered if their arrangement would ever grow stale or if she would ever tire of him. There was no way he could see himself tiring of her.