AJ, a recent graduate from Hogwarts and competitor of the Tetrawizard Tournament, had returned to Hogsmeade to have a drink with friends he had left behind. Since he had last stepped on Hogwarts grounds he had grown as a person quite a bit. He sent owls to old friends to see if anyone wanted to meet him at the Hog's Head for a drink. He wanted to tell them his plans to train as an Auror. He had qualified with NEWTs and being an animagus certainly would help.

The door remained silent for many minutes after he sat down with his firewhiskey. He didn't expect anybody to want to come and see him. He hadnt talked to them for months.

Ea was in her usual cheerful mood as she swung the door to the Hog's Head open, the small bell on the door sounding as she did so.

"It sure is windy out" she said, speaking to no one in particular.
It had become a habit of hers to talk to herself, and she often didn't realise it when she did so.

Her trip to Hogsmeade had been rather spontaneous. She had simply let her feet guide her, and this was where she ended up. Due to the cold weather, she had decided to come in there for a warm drink before returning to the school.

Shaking off the drops of rain that had fallen on her cloak on the walk to Hogsmeade, she took it off and hung it on a hook on the wall. She was wearing a particularly bright-colored blue dress and a big yellow scarf.

Ea walked to the bar.
"A butterbeer, please" she said with a smile. The counter seemed oddly high since Ea was rather small.

As she was about to pay, Ea realised she didn't have enough money.

"Oh, bother, I am 3 knuts short" she said, again to no one in particular.

AJ went into a trance like state, not paying attention to anything around him. When he snapped out of it, he noticed Ea, an old friend saying she was short knuts for a drink.

He stood up and walked over. "Here" he said, smiling at the barkeep. Walking back he thought Ea was join him, but wasnt sure if she even noticed him. His hair was no longer kept short, but was longer than it had been in the seven years he had been at Hogwarts.

"Care to join Ea?" he asked, kicking out the other chair. He wasnt sure if he sent a letter for her, there were very few, but he was certain she would have received one.

Ea was shaken out of her own thoughts when someone walked up to the bar and payed what she had been missing. She blinked her eyes, but whoever it had been was already on his way back to where he had come from.

As he spoke to her, she took a few steps closer, narrowing her eyes to try and figure out who it was. The room was rather dark and Ea's eyes surely weren't the sharpest.

"How do you know my.." she started, then realised who she was talking to.

"Andrej!" she shrieked, finding his real name the proper one to use after not having seen him for so long. She wasn't able to resist embracing him forcefully, nearly knocking over her drink as she did so.

"Oh my, it's been so long!" she said, her voice still with an almost childishly eager quality to it.
"And of course I'll join you" she said, taking a seat next to him as well as a sip of her butterbeer.

"How have you been?" she said, her face in her usual dimpled smile and her eyes big with interest.

His friend looked as cheerful as she used to. Her blonde hair shimmering in the little light the Hog’s Head gave.

“I’ve been good,” he said sipping his firewhiskey.

They exchanged quick stories of the summer, drinking and laughing. He enjoyed her company, but was also hoping others would have received his letter.

“Did you receive a letter from me telling you I’d be here? I don’t know if the owl I borrowed made it.”

He peered around, looking if any former friends had entered.

Ea was enjoying his company. She had missed him being around and it was nice to hear how he had been.

As he posed the question concerning the letter, Ea's cheeks blushed heavily.

"I.. might have.." she said, her voice small.
"I haven't exactly been opening my mail too much lately.. It's all piled up on my bed back at school.." she said, remembering how she was avoiding letters from home. The last time she had spoken to her parents, the conversation had ended in a heavy argument and Ea didn't feel like reading about how useless she was. To make sure she didn't have to, she merely left her mail unopened.

"My mom has been crazy.." she said, and added "But it was lucky that I chose to come down here now of all times, huh?"
Ea was always the optimist.

OOC: MY character wasnt granted an age change. Still in 7th year. Let's just say we were meeting in Hog's Head then?

"It is a good thing we bumped into each other" Smiling he drank again.

In the past few months he had been sneaking around London, where he now lived since he was of age, flying to other parts of the country as his eagle animagus, apparating all over, looking for Dark Wizards. But could he trust Ea enough to tell her.

He decided against it for the time being.

"Excited for the new year? I am, my last, and I can finally become an Auror."