A breath of Fresh air (Tag: Belle)

Dean shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked, the Hogwarts grounds really hadn't changed much since he was in school and so he allowed his mind to wander.

His classroom was set up, his notes were organized and he was fairly confident that his first class would run smoothly. Of course the only variables were the students, if they were anything like his classmates had been, well, he really didn't want to think about that possibility.

Today definitely seemed like it was dragging a bit. Belle felt like hardly any time had passed since she got up this morning. And she was running out of things to do. She didn't want to just sit there in the greenhouse until the students arrived. That was boring. So, she decided to bring out a book and enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. There were a few trees scattered around the place, and she chose one to sit under, a romance novel in her hands. She had bought it at the end of the last school year, during her last trip to Hogsmeade. She had managed to read it three times over the summer, and she figured revisiting it wasn't too bad of an idea. She smiled as she flipped open to the first page, a slight breeze ruffling the grass. She noticed somebody else walking around. A student? As she peered more closely though, she saw that it was a professor. She smiled and gave a friendly little wave. But as she looked at him, she got a very strange sense of deja vu, like she had met the guy before. Was it someone from her school days? Heck, she had run into Holli and they had spent some time together when they were students. But she couldn't get a really good look at the man, he was too far away. Belle would have dropped the matter, except the deja vu wouldn't leave her alone, so she ended up just staring at the guy, wondering who he was.

Dean pulled his dark sunglasses farther down his nose, when the woman perched in the grass a short distance away had given him a wave. He returned it but the woman kept staring at him, he glanced down at his clothes, perhaps there was something on them? But how would she tell from so far away?

Dean sighed and meandered towards her, intent on knowing why she had been staring at him.

It looked like he had caught her staring. At least, that's what Belle assumed. Why else would he be walking towards her? As he came closer though, she got a better look at him. Black hair, black sunglasses, a jaw that almost seemed kind of squarish...Belle's eyes widened. She finally recognized the guy. She stood up, her romance novel all forgotten. "Dean?" she asked, hardly believing it. "Dean, is that you?"

Dean recognized that voice, it had matured slightly but it was still the same and brown hair and a book. Stupid, he should have realized it earlier.

"Belle, been a while," he grinned pulling the glasses off his face.

Belle's face broke out into a ridiculously huge grin. "Dean! Oh my God, it's been ages! I haven't seen you since we graduated from here!" Totally forgetting about any professional composure, she ran up and gave Dean a big hug, laughing all the while. "Oh, I feel horrible for not staying in touch. I should have sent you a letter or something. You went to help your dad at the...what was it called...mechanic shop? Sounds like a funny sort of place, if you ask me. Those cars seem a lot harder to handle than broomsticks. Or Floo powder for that matter." She babbled on for a moment, her arms still around her old friend.

"Belle," Dean gasped, "Belle you're crushing my lungs."

The girl was ridiculously strong for someone so petite, he had almost forgotten about her bear hugs, at least until now.

"Oops. Sorry." Belle gave a little laugh as she pulled away, her cheeks red. "I just can't believe it. We're here, teaching at Hogwarts together, it's so exciting!" She giggled, almost jumping up and down like a little kid. "What are you teaching? I'm in charge of Herbology. Still the only one who teaches it. A lot of the other subjects have two teachers. My guess is that they're more popular, but I have no idea." She shrugged her shoulders, the whole thing not terribly important to her. She enjoyed working alone at times, so being the only Herbology teacher was sometimes a good thing.

"Muggle Studies," Dean replied, "You know I wouldn't be able to teach anything else."

He found her enthusiasm for her field amusing, teaching had always suited her in way that it would never suit him. Grease stains and calluses suited him better.

"Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking coming back here."

"Oh. Guess that should have been obvious." Dean would know all about being a muggle. And his grades hadn't been too stellar back in the day. Defense Against the Dark Arts had been the subject they both sucked at. "Oh, don't be such a worry-wart. You'll be fine. All the teachers here are successful one way or another. You'll probably find a student who's pretty interested in your topic. There's always one."

"I'm sure there is," he drapped an arm casually over her shoulders, "Now tell me, besides teaching what have you been up to?"

It had been nearly ten years since graduation and they had, regretfully, drifted apart in that time. Catching up was definitely in order.

"Hmm, so much to go through," Belle said, looking up at the sky as she thought. "Well, I wasn't sure what to do with myself for a little while. Kind of hung out at my parents' place while I tried to find a job. But I still loved plants and stuff. I always took care of the garden back at home and that's when my parents suggested that I turn that into a career. And, well, the rest is history. Became a teacher, got hired last year, and now I'm in my second year running." She smiled. "How about you?"

"I mostly just worked with my dad, he's getting old and can't handle it all by himself anymore," Dean shrugged, "I live a pretty boring life to be honest."

Dean enjoyed what most people called menial labour, he got more inspiration and had more access to scrap parts.

"The most exciting thing I've got is a moterbike that I'm restoring."

Belle shrugged. "Well, boring can be peaceful sometimes," she said. "I can't imagine living as, like, an Auror, fighting monsters and evil wizards right and left. Sounds kinda scary if you ask me." No, a life like that was not one Belle wanted. Simple and quiet was her ideal dream life, although some excitement from teaching and the students was all well and good. If everything was quiet all the time, life wouldn't be very fun. "A motorbike? Oh, right, I've seen those before." She'd seen a couple of them when she was around London and not making her way to Diagon Alley. They seemed a little dangerous though, going at such high speeds with only a helmet on your head. Heck, some of the drivers she'd seen weren't even wearing helmets. "Did you bring it Hogwarts with you? Or will it not run because of the whole enchantment around here?" She knew that muggle contraptions didn't work in Hogwarts, the exception being when somebody like the Muggle Studies teacher had to show how an object worked. Maybe an exception was also made for Dean's motorbike?

Dean shook his head, "I left it at the shop, it still needs some work before it will run. When it's done I'll probably sell it, collectors pay a lot for restored vehicles."

Dean loved motorbikes and had several of his own and really didn't need any more.

"I think I'm getting old Belle, I'm starting to sound like my father."

Belle nodded. "Sounds interesting, though. I think it takes a bit of talent to fix things like that. I mean, if you asked me to fix one, I probably wouldn't know what to do, even if I could use a spell or two to help me out." She gave a little laugh.

"Oh come on, you're only a little older than me," Belle said, giving Dean a little nudge with her elbow. "If you're getting old, then I'm gonna start sprouting gray hairs any day now."

Dean laughed, "Thats what cosmetic spells are for Belle, to hide those grey hairs."

Dean removed his arm from her shoulders and lowered himself to the ground, making himself comfortable on the grass, "How did your first year of teaching go?"

He was curious, he could never see the petite woman as a tough-as-nails teacher, so he wondered how she had managed.

"Good point. But I don't think spells can hide everything," Belle said, laughing a little as she pushed an annoying strand of hair out of her face. It seemed like no matter how she put her hair in a ponytail, there was always a stray hair or two that ended up in her face throughout the day.

"Well enough, I guess, for any first year," she replied as she sat beside Dean. "I was nervous about it, of course. What person wouldn't be? And some of those kids can be smart-alecky when they want to. You'd think that their parents would have raised them better or something." She sighed. "But, there are those kids that are eager to learn, who are actually interested in what you're saying. Once I found my Herbology lovers, I felt like things got a little brighter in the greenhouse. Everyone else may have been yawning or not paying attention, but those that like the subject kind of made up for it. It's kinda freaky at times, having them hang on your every word like it's law or something. Maybe it's just me. I don't know."

"So, I'll be looking forwards to lots of sleeping teenagers, perfect," Dean commented sarcastically placing his sunglasses back over his eyes to block the light that was threatening to blind him.

"At the very least I have things to keep the some students interested, like the ones who already know ninety percent of what I have to teach."

Belle laughed. "Well, if all else fails, you can always shoot a spell or two that will make a loud noise to wake them up," she said. "My mother would do that sometimes when we didn't want to get up in the morning. Kind of amusing now that I look back on it." Belle hadn't had to use that spell herself since she started teaching. Usually, the dangerous plants the students were dealing with were enough to keep them awake.

She knew what he meant by that. There were always those muggle-born wizards who took Muggle Studies for an easy grade. Their excuse was always "It's interesting to learn about muggles through a wizard's point of view." Whatever that was supposed to mean. "Who knows, maybe you'll be able to convert some people. I know I've had a couple of kids who didn't want anything to do with Herbology, but as time went on, they actually started to become very interested in it."

"I suppose only time will tell, I've never been very good at this sort of thing so you'll have to wish me luck,"

Dean stifled a yawn, the day finally catching up with him. He had spent so much time worrying about his classroom that he honestly never wanted to look at it again.

Did all teachers go through this, he didn't think so looking at Belle who just seemed so damn perky.

"What are you reading?" He asked, remembering the book she'd had, which was now laying forgotten in the grass. He also remembered that she powered through books like a mad man.

"You'll be fine," Belle assured him, patting his hand. "You know, after we're done with this first week teaching, we should take a trip into Hogsmeade and get lunch or something. One of the other new teachers, Jayden Andrada, has already promised to take me shopping." She giggled, the thought of meeting the new teacher making her smile.

"Oh, this?" She had forgotten about the book she had brought with her. She gripped it now in her hands, the title glinting slightly in the sunlight. "The usual romance novel, I suppose. You know that's my kind of thing." She smiled. "This woman is from a Pureblood family, but she falls in love with this Muggle-born man, and the whole forbidden romance thing starts. I don't know if stuff like that happens anymore, but it's interesting to think about sometimes."

"I thought you would have grown out of those by now," he teased lightly.

The invitation to join her for a meal made him smile it was nice to know that they hadn't grown as far apart as he had thought.

"Hogsmede sounds good, I haven't been there in years."

"You obviously don't know me very well then," Belle teased back, laughing. Although if Dean was comfortable enough to start teasing her again, then it looked like the two would become as close as they used to be. They had always done that to each other when they were students.

"Well, it hasn't changed a whole lot," she said, shrugging a little. "Except maybe the latest broomstick they show off in the window. But all the cafes are still around, and I've been dying to check out Honeydukes. You know I can't resist good candy."

Dean shook his head, "The last time I had candy I nearly chipped a tooth, I'll stick to the coffee thanks."

He was an addict and he knew it, but better coffee than something like alcohol that would rot his brain.

"Though I will need to stop at the post office soon and order more of said coffee, and gasoline," he added as an afterthought. The generator in his classroom was a gas guzzler so he would need a constant supply.