Nightmares {TAG: anyone! :)}

Miranda burst into laughter, startling the kittens around her. "My father could care less what I did with my life.---- No. Wait. He just didn't want me behind a desk all day." She grinned broadly. "He was determined I live my life."
In truth, she hadn't known what she was going to do when she left Hogwarts. It wasn't until almost two years after Tony's death she had found her true passion.
"It wasn't until...well, several years after I left Hogwarts that I found my passion. I loved animals but I didn't want to work for the ministry to 'regulate' them." Her face darkened in a sudden flash of anger, but was gone as quickly as it had come. "I was lucky Dumbledore sought me out I suppose." She said with a shrug.
Her and Tony's original plan was that only he would work, and she would stay at home while they raised a family. She had loved kids so much and desperately wanted a few of her own.

"Yes, lucky thing he did," Belle said, nodding again. "Otherwise, we never would have met." She gave a friendly smile in Miranda's direction. "Ugh, I can't imagine a desk job. I'd get bored of it within a day. I couldn't bear to be stuffed inside all the time." That was one of the reasons Belle loved her job. She got to be outdoors, among nature. Even if she wasn't in the greenhouse, she could spend time on the lawns or near the lake, get a dosage of nice scenery. It was a pretty big perk, in her mind.

Miranda smiled back at her new friend. "I'm glad of it too. I didn't have many friends around the grounds save for Sitka for the longest time. I'm glad I've found someone who loves being outdoors as much as I do. And while I love Sitka to death, there were days I longed for well....a female friend." She smiled mischievously, "there are just some things you can't talk with a man about, you know?"

"I didn't really know anyone here that much either," Belle said, shrugging a little. "Last year, I guess I was so busy trying to get the hang of the place that I forgot about my social life." She laughed, remembering how she had spent most of her days in the greenhouse or in the library. "I know what you mean by that," she agreed, grinning. "Men always seemed to be a little less...sensitive, sometimes, when it comes to difficult matters. Sure, that can be a good thing in some cases. Being tough about it can help you get through it better. But if you're trying to gain a little sympathy, well, it's like talking to a brick wall sometimes." She laughed again.

"That happens," Miranda said, nodding. "The first year is all about trying to figure out the Hogwarts rhythm as a teacher. We already knew how to work the school as a student. But this is something new entirely. I was lucky I suppose...Sitka was around to help me out." She smiled warmly remembering her first few months teaching. "I came to him crying after my first lesson, convinced I was doing everything wrong. The poor guy didn't know what to do. He blabbered like an idiot for a few minutes and then...he just sort of...held me. And told me everything was going to work out how it should..." her voice drifted off. No single person had ever given her as much support as that man. He had been there through the darkest time in her life, or tried to at least.
"No," she finally said, sighing. "Sitka's one man at least who's got the sensitive thing down, at least now. But maybe that's just because we've known each other for so long, we know how to react when the other has had a bad day. There are just things that you simply can't talk about with a guy. You know what I mean?" She cast around for an example, her eyes finally fell on the kittens around her. Smiling, she continued, "Like, just how cute a litter of baby kittens is." she ruffled the fur of the nearest one.

"Oh, that sucks," Belle said, knowing what it was like to be nervous when you were teaching for the first time. She had barely gotten any sleep the night before her first class. She had been a wreck the entire day. But that just made her more knowledgeable on what to do the next day, so there was some good in it. "Good thing you had somebody to help you out. It's amazing how good a friend's support can be." She remembered Jayden and how shook up he had been. But he had seemed alright after talking with Belle for a while. "Well, Sitka does have a lot of girls in his family, right?" she asked. "Doesn't he live with two sisters and his grandmother?" Belle was still surprised that Sitka had turned out as manly as he did, surrounded by girls all the time. "Agreed, it would be hard to talk to a guy about kittens," she said, reaching over to pet one.

Miranda shrugged. "We all get those nerves the first day, right? We just learn from it and move on."
She smiled. "Yes, Sitka's pretty amazing like that."
"Well, Sitka does have a lot of girls in his family, right?"
Miranda laughed out loud. "Ooohh yes. And those girls rule. his. life. Little Lilo has him wrapped around her finger. And if he steps out of line with his grandmother around....oh-ho-ho. Is he in trouble!!" She winced slightly. "I was on the other end of that a few times during the summers I spent with his family. We...um...played a prank or two." She smiled guiltily. "Aaanndd unfortunately got caught. She had us scouring the entire kitchen for days." She shuddered. "I still hate cleaning the kitchen at home!!"

Belle laughed at the funny story. It almost reminded her of her own family. They knew how to act silly from time to time, despite trying to act as presentable as possible in public. "Sounds like you're stuck in the middle of a comedy," she giggled. "I wouldn't mind seeing some of that. Families can be a pretty good source for funny stories. I'm sure every one has some." She nodded. "I am so helpless when it comes to the kitchen. I know how to make drinks, like tea and hot chocolate. Ask me to cook lasagna or grill a steak and I'm totally helpless."

Miranda smiled. "Looking back, it sure seems like it. But at the time..." she shuddered again. "I couldn't wait for it to be over! Sitka and I had the time of our lives though. So I suppose it was worth it." A silly grin danced on her face, as she grappled playfully with two of the tiny kittens. "One of these days, I'll have to give you a cooking lesson." she teased. "My father was helpless in the kitchen so I learned to cook at a young age. You'll need that skill for your family someday!" She smiled playfully.

"Well, as long as you had fun, I say it was worth it," Belle said, smiling. She admired the close friendship between Miranda and Sitka. Maybe it was the part of her that loved romance novels, but whether their relationship was romantic or not, it was still cute in Belle's eyes. "Cooking lesson, sure. You may want to fireproof your house first," she said with a grin. "Ovens and I don't always see eye to eye."

Miranda smiled. "Every painful moment." She stretched in the warm morning sunlight, her arms reaching for the clear sky.
You may want to fireproof your house first
Miranda laughed lightly. "I'm sure we'd be able to work something out. You know...both of us being witches and everything..." Her eyes danced with merriment. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, both of them lost in thought.
"Say," Miranda said suddenly, sitting up straight. "We don't have classes to teach today. Let's head down to the Three Broomsticks. I've been dying for a butterbeer."

"True. We are lucky in that retrospect," Belle said, smiling. Sometimes, she thought she was pretty lucky to have magic in her blood. She didn't know what she would do without magic. She glanced up at the sky again, noticing that it was fully blue this time and not the gray color that it usually was in the morning. She and Miranda had been out here for a while. But Belle didn't mind. She enjoyed the company. Being in a greenhouse by yourself all day could get lonely sometimes. She looked over at Miranda's suggestion and she smiled. "Sounds good to me. Let's do it." She stood up, brushing the grass off her robes and straightening her hair a bit.