Job Hazards Expected (Amelia)

[Abe Cohen]

For Abe Cohen, this was the perfect weather. It was a hot, balmy August day, and yet it had rained just two days previous, leaving the ground nice and damp once you got past the first ten centimeters or so. As such, he'd spent most of the day digging - his favourite job as gameskeeper.

Yes, a gameskeeper was responsible for minding the animals and keeping the forest in check, but he also had quite a few responsibilities when it came to the foliage out here on castle property! Abe loved that part of the job. Digging vegetation up, planting new, weeding out the gardens and court yards, installing bat boxes... working with his hands was his favourite thing to do. Having the peace and quiet offered by a student vacation even better. Top that off with a nice, hot day and it was like heaven for the scrappy, 20-something gameskeeper.

It was growing late in the afternoon now. Descending the lawns toward the Whomping Willow, Abe raised his face to the sun and wiped the sweat off his brow with the clean part of his forearm just above his dirty goat skin work gloves. His dark brown eyes seemed to smile at the clear blue sky and the sun that highlighted his smooth baby face, catching here and there a fleck of dirt from the long day that Abe had laboured over.

"Absolutely gorgeous." He murmured, looking back down to terra firm and squinting at the Whomping Willow... oh, that damn tree.

"Well, hello there, you wild thing..." Arriving a few safe meters away from its branches, Abe halted in his steps and dropped his equipment, shielding his eyes from the sun and giving the Willow a once-over.

"My, my, my, you do need some trimming, don't you?"

At his words, the tree suddenly flew into a rage, swinging out at him violently and sending dozens of tiny blue birds fleeing for safety. Instead of panicking, however, Abe only laughed a low, dark chuckle and took one step away.

"Ooooh, no, Darlin', you're mine. You can get as mad as you like but I'll get you..."

Abe grinned, and he looked distinctly maniacal. He was really going to enjoy this. Looking down at himself, Abe rolled up the sleeves of his white button-down shirt, only slightly dirty after such a long day, and brushed the mud off his worn blue jeans. He liked to go out to work like this -- a simple, cool shirt and jeans. Little to weigh him down. After tightening the laces on his work boots, Abe rummaged around in his tool box before removing a strangely large and violently sharp pair of hedge trimmers.

"Oooooh, yeah, come to papa..." Grinning, Abe held the trimmers to the light. The sun's rays glinted off of them like he imagined light would shimmer off a tiger's fangs... blades like this could take a human leg off in seconds. The tree stood no chance, and it seemed to realize that because it flew into a rage, swinging and creaking like Abe hadn't seen it in ages.

Strangely enough, he didn't look scared. He looked a little excited. Laughing darkly to himself, Abe smoothed his hair back and gripped the clippers, assuming a stance like a soldier ready to charge into battle.

"Ready or not, here I come... aaaaaaIIIIIIAH!!"

Suddenly, Abe jumped from his spot when a clearing in the branches appeared ducked, dodging the swinging branches until he'd gotten closer to the trunk where it was a little more difficult for the tree to get at him.

"Alright, you big hunk of driftwood... take that!"

Abe lunged, chopping off one of the tree's most weighty limbs in one quick swoop. If a tree could cry out then it suddenly did, groaning and creaking the loudest he'd ever heard it before, trying to swipe and the man under its branches. Quickly though, Abe ducked back toward the trunk, crouching and protecting his head with his arms.

"Yeeeeah, you like that?" He heckled the tree, grinning though a little sweat was shining on his brow. Preparing again, Abe ran out when the coast was clear, lunging at a branch.

"Uh! How do you like THAT?"

Abe cut the branch and laughed, having the time of his life torturing this poor tree. Unlike the last, however, the branch did not fall. Instead, the tree caught it on another branch and hurled it away from itself. At first, Abe thought this was pretty funny and laughed as he narrowly avoided being swiped himself on the way back to hiding at the trunk -- but that's when he noticed who was in the way. Someone was walking right in the path of that branch. Ooooh, shit, now it got bloody.

"Oh, bugger... wand, wand, wand..." Abe felt his pockets desperately, but his wand was sitting pretty over next to his tool kit. Shit shit shit.

"HEY, MAN, WATCH OUT!" Abe called, pressing his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice and try to warn the person walking toward him. His heart suddenly beating in a fury, Abe tried to run out and warn them only to be hit with a swinging branch.

"Oof... watch out, flying branch!" Abe called, flattening himself against the ground and watching to see what happened.

[Amelia Decessum]

Work.

Just the mere thought of the word was sickening all on its own! There was endless amounts of paperwork, lesson plans had to be made, last-minute changes had to be issued, and, among all things, a check-up had to be made on the dungeons constantly. Amelia Decessum was not a procrastinator, but she hated work and the idea of work. The whole concept was frustrating! Not to mention how the Headmaster threw papers her way when she decided to stay at Hogwarts and finish last-minute work -- who did he think he was, the person who ran the school? Of course, that was his title, but the four Heads of House that fell under him did all the real work; he was just some pathetic oaf that was there at mealtimes.

Among all things, Amelia stayed for Slytherin. Twelve years she'd worked at Hogwarts, and it took her several of them to earn her place as Slytherin Head of House -- but she was always qualified. She was a hard worker, she worked well with others (as long they did what she told them to), she understood magic in such a way that she excelled... and all that other jazz. What really mattered was the grasp she had on her students and her willingness to implant the information in their tiny little brains -- and she obviously had much willingness to do so, because alot of effort had to be placed into such a feat.

The thirty-one-year old tried her best to stay away from Hogwarts during the summer. It was a particularly warm August afternoon, and she was stuck at the castle doing paperwork and school-related "things". The whole thing was just aggravating! She couldn't work at home, she knew; she loved her sister to death, but the young artist tended to be nerve-racking. And everywhere else had too many people -- all anyone ever did was go on and on about their day and the latest Quidditch match and God who knew else. Honestly, couldn't they just sit down and have a quiet drink for once?

But Amelia didn't keep up with the other Heads of House, nor did she particularly like them; if she had to do paperwork to have some peace and quiet, then she would do it every now and then. Maybe someday the Headmaster would slip up and end up in his coffin (poison wasn't that hard to make), but one could only be hopeful. The young woman worked hard for what she had, and at one chance everything would lost, she would turn back. She was strict and sharp, and she understand the concepts of the world that several others did not. She had also traveled several parts of the world in her many summers, and being a cultural person had many perks.

The grounds of Hogwarts seemed like the last place one would go if they wanted to escape the heat (why couldn't the sun just disappear someday?), but sure enough, the figure of Amelia Decessum strode away from the castle, tall and elegant and swift. A gentle breeze had managed to nip the grounds, but not even that perturbed the figure stalking away from the stone and absentmindedly toward none other than the Whomping Willow. The woman wore a simple outfit of green: a pair of lime sneakers rested on her feet; a dark green miniskirt hung about her small hips; a simple green spaghetti strap was about her body; and several bracelets of green, jade, emerald, and several other shades of the colour bounced about her wrists as she moved her arms. Her long, silky, raven black hair fell loosely behind her head as it always tended to do; the dark green of her lips was the only makeup she wore; and her skin was a natural shade somewhere between pale and tan. In her hands were several parchments of names, years, Houses, places, events, and almost any other thing you could think of that a Slytherin Head of House would have access to.

"What a nerd!" she said, snickering and putting the parchment she was reading on the bottom of the stack. "This one's a little too eccentric for my tastes..." Amelia would have a lot of different people in her classrooms - she always had a diverse set of people - and it was hard enough keeping up paperwork on the little runts. Hogwarts took any old witch or wizard in these days, apparently. "Ah, there's someone I can look forward to..." She rolled up the parchment in question and, pulling her wand from out the side of her skirt, gave the paper a tap. It disappeared to who-knew-where (the woman, in fact, had a stash of them in her office), and she replaced her wand.

"HEY, MAN, WATCH OUT!"

Amelia's head darted upwards at the stranger's voice, and her jade eyes immediately caught sight of the large, ferocious tree before her -- and one of its largest branches headed her way. Her eyes widened and her muscles tensed, but she did the first thing that came to mind: she dropped the parchment and jumped as high as she could, which was rather high considering the large, black panther that had taken her place. The beast soared over the branch, landing behind where it was moments before, but another one was coming straight for her. With a loud growl, she jumped, but the branch managed to snap her in hear rear. Groaning - or as close to a groan as panthers could get - it shook itself off and jumped away from the spot, running until it was a few feet out of range of the branches.

The panter shifted back into the real Amelia, snapping her joints and facing the tree. Her back hurt like a hippogriff from the impact, but it felt nice to stretch her legs - her animal legs - every now and then; being an animagus had its perks. It was also a very decent demonstration for class, though almost anything impressed the little doormats she had for students. But the woman couldn't help thinking she was forgetting something...

And then, turning her head, Amelia caught site of the man laying flat on the ground. He was evidently the one who had brought her attention to the giant Whomping Willow that had tried its best to end her life, and if she were any other person, she would have thanked the man -- but she wasn't any other person. "Honestly, do they throw all of the newbies out here for survival training?" she shouted, snickering at the man.

[Abe Cohen]

Mistakenly, Abe had been calling the person 'man,' because... he always did... but just as he ducked his head to the ground he saw who it really was. Oh, dear lord. His jaw dropped right into the dirt below him. In the flash second he had to appraise the lady striding up there on the lawns, Abe nearly fell in love. Tall, sleek, dark-haired, and wearing next to nothing. True, it was a little more green than he usually went for, but damn... she was beautiful! Trust Abe to find the girl of his dreams... and then crush her to death with a flying branch only seconds later.

He groaned, pressing his chin into the ground and watching with bated breath. Thankfully, the woman had some smarts about her and jumped into the air. Abe didn't understand until she suddenly morphed into a large black cat, dodging the branch skillfully before returning to the ground without hardly a scratch. A second branch came at her then, however, and smacked her right in the backside. Abe couldn't laugh at that one, though he watched to see if she was alright... just a second later, however, rather than keeling over dead, the woman transformed back into the beauty she was before the branch came hurling at her.

Hummana-hummana-hummana.

Abe's red-meat-eating, butterbeer-drinking, manly heart pounded in his chest. Beautiful woman in a mini skirt changing into panthers and dodging branches. Hot damn.

While she walked forward, hopefully to give Abe a grateful kiss, he grinned and grabbed his trimmers, crawling out of the tree's reach like a soldier through barbed wire.

Once out of the tree's range, Abe straightened up and flashed the woman a pearly white smile. Sure, the rest of him was a little dirty from all of the rolling around in the dirt, but his teeth were niiiiice and shiny clean. His breath was fresh too. Perfect for a little kiss or two, right? But Abe played it cool, wiping his trimmers off and setting them nonchalantly on top of his took box.

"You don't have to thank me, ma'am..." Abe began, straightening up and tucking his hands cooly into his pockets, expecting a shower of thanks. Instead, however, he stopped because the beautiful woman, who was even more pretty up close, was now snickering at him.

"...Newbie?!" Abe stared at her and then suddenly laughed, throwing his thumb over his shoulder at the angry tree. "Woah, lady, you think I'm a newbie? That tree's something else, let me tell you... ya know, if you weren't out here walking around with your head in the clouds, you wouldn't have needed any warning and I'd be done with my job by now."

Grinning good-naturedly, Abe tried to keep his eyes level with her own and not with her... bosom. For lack of a better term.

"Actually, I'm pretty good at what I do, you know. Being the Gameskeeper isn't all about feeding the chickens and chasing kids out of the forest... you know, it kinda requires... brains. And brawn."

He was shameless, and he was still grinning.

"Yeeeeah... brawn... uh...."

Abe rubbed the back of his neck and laughed to himself, looking a little bashful. Maybe that part was over the top.

"What's your name, cat woman?"

[Amelia Decessum]

Amelia, of course, kept such thoughts out of her conscience. Disliking others had given her such a quality that she didn't care what others thought and, really, didn't linger on the possibilities. Was there really a reason to? She was happy the way she was, and if no one liked that, they could get swallowed by a Hungarian Horntail. Simple. There really was no need for romance, either -- some people said that children were the greatest joy in life, but she couldn't stand the students she taught, let alone one of her own. Of course, romance didn't always lead to that, but in general, cliché cases, it did. She was better than that.

As a matter fact, she had been quite the commodity during her school years. She was a popular Slytherin student, and although she had known that only few of the people whom she called her friends were truly her friends, she had let it get to her. Graduating Hogwarts and taking a trip, alone, to Western Europe had really opened up her mind, and reality had managed to leave a nasty red mark on her cheek. No, she didn't need people -- they just got in her way and managed to bring her down. It was easier just to work on her own without these distractions.

The jade eyes watched the stranger move away from tree. Who was he, honestly? A few adjectives flew through Amelia's mind like jet planes, but the words slipped out soon after. She disliked other people, but she didn't waste her breath on insulting them every moment. But the pearly white teeth of his, she had to admit, turned some things around. He knew what hygiene was, for instance; either that or he had visited some expert Wizarding orthodontists in the recent times. If he could keep his mouth clean, why couldn't he stay out of the sandbox and keep the rest of him clean?

"You don't have to thank me, ma'am..."

Good, she thought, an amusing smirk curling on lips. I didn't plan on it. And then he blabbed on and on about her newbie remark. She was tempted to close her eyes and take a wonderful little catnap, but there was no telling what this man would try and do while she was sleeping -- and sleeping this close to the Whomping Willow wasn't such a smart idea, either. But then -- then he managed to make such a comment that her innocent, beautiful little smirk turned into a raised eyebrow and a much less pleasant smile.

"Ah, you're the Gameskeeper?" Amelia said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was wondering who I should come to about the rotten tomatoes, but a bugger like you shouldn't be blamed, I suppose." She gave him a look-over, but her solid gaze moved back to his after only a moment. "Think you're some hot stuff, hm?" What's with that goofy smile of his? she mused, shaking her head and snickering, yet again, at the man before her. She couldn't help staring at him, though. He was an amusing little human being.

"What's your name, cat woman?"

Cat woman?! The woman nearly choked on the saliva in her throat, but she cleared her throat and stared at him. "Have you no respect at all? It's proper for you to give me your name first -- because I sure as Hell don't plan on volunteering such sensitive, vital information as that." Her innocent smile returned once again.

[Abe Cohen]

Rotten tomatoes? Abe furrowed his brow, her comment totally knocking him off his lady-train. What rotten tomatoes? The tomatoes should be fine, he'd been paying that sketchy Herbology professor some money on the side to take care of them... wait... didn't she go on vacation or something? ...Well, hell. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Abe almost forgot he was supposed to be speaking with this woman when she spoke again.

"Hmm, what?" Snapping out of his reverie, Abe's eyes brightened up and took in the lady, suddenly remembering why he was here. The sunlight reflected off of her clear, beautiful skin and lit his face up once again. "Why yes, I know I'm hot stuff. I mean... you might not think so, but the other ladies go wild for this sort of thing. You know, sensitive guy with a rough but handsome exterior out working in the sun, rescuing cuddly animals, fighting off a monster or two... you know how it is. I'm your knight in shining armour, sweetie. Well, if you want me to be. I did save your life, you know." Abe winked at her, still grinning like a fool. He knew he was ridiculous, but he amused himself to practically no end. And surprisingly enough, this angle actually worked on quite a number of women.

He had to laugh, though not cruelly, at her next statement. God, she just seemed to outraged! Sensitive information. What, were Death Eaters patrolling this campus, saving beautiful young women and asking for their names?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my lady." Abe sobered up quickly, putting a serious look on his face. "I completely forgot my manners, and the sensitive nature of this location..." He looked dubiously around as if a spy in a tall black hat were going to jump out at any second and steal his identity. After a moment he could no longer help it and a small smile broke free of his lips.

"Forgive me. My name's Abram Cohen. You can call me Abe." Abe started to offer her a hand and then quickly withdrew it, realizing how dirty he was.

"Oh, wait, one second. Stay right there!" Smiling, Abe turned and ran back to his tool kit, rummaging around before finding the WizGerm in his box. Squirting some onto his hands and rubbing it in like hand sanitizer, Abe waited for the dirt to magically disappear with the potions solution and grinned, running back and sticking out a now properly cleaned hand. Assuming that she offered her own to him, he made a fancy bow and kissed her knuckles delicately. Assuming she did not, Abe did what he usually did and grinned like a fool while imagining how good she would look naked.

"Enchante, mademoiselle... very pleased to meet you. And might I ask for your name now, cat woman?"

[Amelia Decessum]

"Hmm, what?"

Honestly, the nerve of some people. Here he was, trying to impress her (she got such an impression, anyway), and then he had to snap himself out of some daydream. His talking, everything he said repulsed her. Was Amelia buying this? She didn't have to check her metaphorical pockets to tell herself no, she wasn't buying this, and no, she never would. He was so egotistical, wasn't he? Rescuing cuddly animals? What animals would want him near them? The panther in her growled in her chest, but no such noise was actually made.

The nerve of this man!

Amelia rolled her eyes at his next comment, her head shaking ever-so-slightly. He was, indeed, an eccentric fellow. "Abram's fine, thank you," she said. Nicknames - at least, the ones that weren't cleverly picked out by herself - just didn't flow well with her creative river. She watched him run off to get some sort of formula to clean his hands, and her jade eyes rolled once again. At least he cleaned himself up, though -- it was bad enough having to look at it, and though she would have turned it down without a moment's guilt, she still couldn't help thinking about it. Sure, it was dirt, but the man had already dirtied himself up with it. Repulsive.

As Abram came back to her, Amelia held her hand out and, as he took it and brought his lips to her skin, the elegance of her mother's family came out in her: she did a simple, polite curtsy. "Always show your manners, Amelia," her mother had always told her. "It doesn't matter who you're with." Damn her mother (may she rest in peace) -- why did she have to pop into Amelia's head now, of all times, and take her mind over? Damn her!

Clearing her throat and straightening out again, Amelia wiped her hand on her miniskirt and replaced it with her other one across her chest. "It's Amelia," she said. "Amelia Decessum, Slytherin Head of House."

[Abe Cohen]

"Abram?" She gave Abe pause for a moment, in a good way this time. The way his proper name glided off her green-tinted lips made his eyes glaze over just a little... and then instantly brighten up. He liked it when she said his name like that. It was special. Beautiful. Sort of exotic. Like her. Abe smiled and tilted his head to the side a little bit, looking at her like she were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "Right. Abram."

Her skin was soft and smooth as milk. Abe didn't want to remove his lips from her knuckles. They were like small, pearly mountains and he just wanted to slip a ring on one of those fingers and cart her off to his place... but that was a little creepy, and a lot to lay on a girl at once, so Abe withdrew without lingering and admired her little curtsy. Aww, he thought to himself, smirking. How adorable. Someone is claaaassy.

"Amelia." Abe repeated it and his smiled widened. "Amelia Decessum. What a beautiful name... Amelia. I think I might be in love. How partial are you to the last name Cohen?" He winked at her, only half joking, and mulled over the second part of her introduction.

"Oh, Slytherin Head of House! Well, congratulations, Miss Decessum. I was always rather partial to Slytherin house in my day, but I'm a Ravenclaw through and through. Yes, yes, underneath this somewhat dirty exterior there lies a great and powerful brain, you know..." Abe tapped his forehead thoughtfully, giving her a boyish smile. "I bet you think I'm some sort of fool because I'm a Gameskeeper, Amelia. Any chimpanzee with a bag of bird seed could do this job, you might think, but actually I have some plans up my sleeve and this job requires a little more thought than you'd think, so don't go knocking it until you try it..."

Oh, what the hell, he gave her another wink. Abe could tell that he was putting the woman of his dreams off a bit so he toned it down quietly, clearing his throat and tucking his hands into his pockets. Best not to run his future wife off on their first encounter. Abe would have to ease her into the idea of spending their life together. After all, he didn't even have a ring on him. And what about all of those other girls in the other villages that he wanted to spring a ring on? That certainly wasn't fair. Well, if you couldn't marry them all then best not to marry any of them! As long as they never knew about the others... hey, no hard feelings!

"So, um, Amelia," Abe relaxed his smile, somehow pulling his eyes away from her beautiful face and glancing at the grounds around them. He'd have to get back to that tree at another time. "We've had such beautiful weather as of late... why haven't you been at home, soaking up the sunshine and getting a little rest and relaxation? Working in the summer, I've always believed, is bad for your health... well, my work excluded. For me, working in the winter is bad for my health." Turning his head to face her once again, Abe's grin grew slightly but he held it back. "I can't imagine why someone so beautiful as you should be frowning so much on a day like today."

[Amelia Decessum]

Amelia withdrew her hand just as Abram removed his lips. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable, of course; when her parents were still alive, the Decessums went to several social gatherings with all sorts of people, and many of the men kissed her hand; it was also proper, to her mother, that people be called by their full names -- nicknames, her mother had always told her, were disgusting. It had taken her awhile to get used to the strange gesture, but that was the way people were. After her parents passed away, much of her personality and social posterity had changed; she simply stayed away from parties and gatherings, and she decided there was no use for those actions. Sometimes, however, Amelia couldn't help herself.

"Keep it up," she said, her voice calm and amusing. "That is, if you want to see the inside of a panther's stomach. Although you probably taste terrible with all that dirt and grime; I suppose a simple concoction would suffice..." Amelia nearly spaced out, thinking of several potions she could make, though it was a funny little habit of hers; she had always loved potion-making when she was a child, and some habits never died.

But she managed to return to reality a moment later, and her eyes stayed on the man before her. It was rude to stare, she had been told several times before, but it was easiest to have attention when you stared. He was a Ravenclaw, huh? She didn't have anything against Ravenclaw personally, but a majority of non-Slytherin students stereotyped in such a way that she became disgusted with the students of other Houses. It was a shame, really -- she could make friends so well. "You speak as if you know me," she said mockingly. "When in reality, you don't. But I don't blame you; that's typical behaviour of..." She trailed off, giving him a look-over again. "Someone such as yourself."

She smirked gently, and her eyes managed to catch a glint of sunlight. Where were her sunglasses? She needed to keep those with her more often. "Where I am and why I'm there is none of your concern, now is it?" Amelia replied, clearing her throat in a "watch-what-you-say" kind of manner. But it could have just been her clearing her throat; she was Amelia, after all -- did she need a reason to clear her throat? "Hard work doesn't always involve physical labour. If you were a genuine Ravenclaw... well, common sense, too, would you tell that."

[Abe Cohen]

"Well, mrrrrow." Abe purred seductively, though entirely playfully, when Amelia threatened him with seeing the inside of a panther's stomach. With any luck he might see the inside of a few other parts of the panther anatomy. Wait... what? No, ew, he didn't want to see anything like that on a panther. The panther's human form, yeah. Wow, a panther like... Abe blinked away the mental image. He needed to stop doing that to himself. He'd always let his mind get carried away with strange thoughts like that. Usually it was to his benefit -- sometimes Abe would dream up something truly helpful and inventive in bursts of thought like that. It helped solve many problems, in his job and also in his more... recreational pursuits. The research he had ticking away was always benefited by these thought processes. But then there were other times, like now, where he just frightened himself.

"You know, lady... Amelia." Abe corrected himself, drawing a long sigh and slowly tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. The smile was fading off his face now and he was fixing her with a neutral stare, but within his chest her comments were beginning to take hold. Abe hated to be talked down to -- many, many people thought he was a brainless fool just because he was the Gameskeeper. And his attitude didn't help any. Abe never went out of his way to impress anyone, only the ladies. But he was a far brighter person than they realized and he intended to prove them all wrong very soon. In the mean time, the disrespect was starting to get to him.

"Just because you're a Head of House and I'm a Gameskeeper doesn't mean you know any better than I do, nor does it mean you're any smarter than I am... I can see you have an air of class around you. Raised in a rich family, weren't you? Just like most Slytherins... I bet your mommy taught you that pretty little curtsy..." Turning his head playfully to the side, Abe grinned. "I like it. I like your style. But don't assume, because you spend your day walking the grounds dressed like a hooker, that you're any better than I am."

Following the short speech, Abe remained silent for a moment and then suddenly winked, laughing to himself.

"No hard feelings meant at all, love. You're pretty cute, and you've got an attitude. I like it. I wish I could convince you to come around my place some night and share a few drinks... I promise I won't try to get into your pants. Until we've sunk a few shots of vodka, anyway."

Grinning, Abe bent his gaze back up to the sky, looking at the fluffy little clouds over head. Absolutely gorgeous.

"Actually... I'm free tonight. If you're not working too hard, I think I'd like to take you out for a night on the town."

[Amelia Decessum]

"Well, mrrrrow."

Amelia almost choked again, but she settled herself. Was that really necessary? Her fists tensed slightly as she resisted the urge to knock him upside the head, but such a thing would be over-reacting. She was always tempted to bring out the panther in her -- and she didn't need to be in animal form to do some damage, big or small. But everything this man did or said was crawling under her skin... She'd have to work at being a better people-person later when she had free time. Or not. Yeah, most likely not.

"You know, lady... Amelia."

Amelia raised an eyebrow, her innocent little smile only broadening. Had she pushed a button? I certainly didn't mean to, she mused, suppressing a hearty little giggle that wanted to escape. Honestly, she could be so easily amused sometimes! She should put some of that character into her lessons; it would make things more exciting, and maybe she wouldn't have to destroy little children who wanted to give her a migraine day after day. Speaking of migraines, she needed to make some medicine later... or she could just ask the potions professor to whip her up some batches...

Shaking her head and releasing herself from the trance, Amelia stared at the man before her, her own smile fading. Was he insulting her? Was he actually talking down to her? Amelia was starting to get along with this guy once and for all! She didn't like being insulted, but at least this man wasn't some spineless coward. Of course, the way he talked to her made her think he had only one thing in mind -- people like him usually did. He established some ground rules as a human being and actually stood up for himself, though; Amelia had to give him his props. She wouldn't admit that aloud, though.

And then he was at it again! What a monster! And she meant that in a bad way, of course. Wouldn't he ever just give up? He said his little "pick-ups" worked on other people; other people were obviously shallow and stupid. He was charming in an entirely obnoxious way. "Heheh, you're so funny!" she said uncharacteristically, adding a giggle. "And then afterwards, maybe I can stab you in the neck and be on my way!" Her smirk returned at this point, and she put out a finger, jabbing his shoulder. "Yeah, I grew up in a rich family, and my mother taught me to have class. You've got a problem with that? Shove it somewhere and move along."

Adding her own wink just to mock Abram, Amelia stepped backward and look skyward now. And now he was actually asking her out! What nerve! And something inside Amelia was actually telling her to accept his invitation. Consciences were such silly things, weren't they? With a quiet little sigh, her gaze returned to Abram. "That would depend completely on what you have in mind," she replied, putting a hand to her cheek and letting her head tilt.

[Abe Cohen]

Abe laughed outright when she threatened to stab him in the neck. He laughed so much that he had to wipe the little tears away from his eyes, grinning from ear to ear when he'd managed to stop chuckling. Damn, Abe liked this girl. She had some sass didn't she?

"Now you're starting to speak my lingo... oooooh, baby, I'm so wounded! Yeah, that hurt, do it again." He winked, rubbing his shoulder where Amelia had jabbed him and smiling. Oh, defensive, and sort of mean. Abe could have a great time with this girl. She fought back and didn't mind at all when he lashed right back out at her. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. "Did I say I had a problem with it? I sort of like it, you know... beautiful, smart, a little bitchy..." Stepping in, Abe held his shoulder and smiled, "I'm not complaining. I'm definitely attracted to you and your catty ways... no pun intended."

Laughing, they both looked at the sky, for no other reason really than it was there. Amelia was quiet while Abe asked her out. For a second it actually worried him... damn, she wasn't going to turn him down, was she? Of course, Abe never took no for an answer! He'd hound this woman until she folded and went on a date with him, that was for sure. She was the most beautiful example of the female form he'd ever seen on this campus, and she certainly had the most attitude too. Abe was going to take this woman out for a drink whether she liked it or not. Thankfully, however, she made a soft sigh, something that sounded like concession, and Abe followed her gaze down.

"Ahhh." His dark eyes lit up at once like a little boy on Christmas morning. Not that he'd really ever seen a little boy on Christmas morning, being that his name was Abram Cohen... but that was irrelevant. This woman was going to go on a date with him. Abe was going to have the night of his life. "Well, my lovely lady Amelia... I like to dance." Pressing a hand to his chest humbly, Abe smiled, "If you yourself like to dance, there's an excellent club in London that I really like to go to. If you're more into a nice, gourmet meal and a few drinks, however, I'll be more than happy to accommodate... So, how about I pick you up from your home tonight, say around 8? You put your best dancing dress on, I'll slip into something a little more handsome than this outfit, and we'll have a great time. Hmm?"

[Amelia Decessum]

Abram's amusement was only expected; for one, Amelia was a vicious person, but one probably wouldn't expect her to assault someone in such a way. But that was just it -- no one knew her the way they thought they did. First looks could be deceiving; when would people learn this? There was something seriously messed up with this man; besides his persistence and lack of character that Amelia found in a person (though such a character never existed in her eyes), something else about him irked her. Luckily, she was a qualified witch -- she knew her concoctions and drugs well enough to stay away from them, and she'd had enough drinks in the past to learn where to draw the line. He wasn't going to give up, she knew it. But maybe going out wouldn't be so bad after all? She did want a distraction away from home and Hogwarts, and though she despised this man from first judgement, she would be getting free entertainment...

As he moved toward her, she merely straightened up to her full height. She was a few inches taller than the average woman, but there was no major difference. Amelia didn't find character in her looks, anyway, so it didn't matter much. She met his gaze, a mixture of amusement and intimidation flocking into her eyes, and her smirk reappeared yet again. He really did have a lot of nerve, didn't he?

Her words obviously made him like an excited little puppy, and she suppressed a dark chuckle. Ah, what power she had without even trying! "Dance, you say?" she replied, contemplating it. She had been taught how to dance several styles -- ballroom, foxtrot, waltz, ballet, salsa... but she had abandoned that life style long ago, making up her own little routines and styles. She hadn't danced in awhile, either, and a meal that she didn't have to have at home was fabulous. As long as Abram was paying; she could conveniently forget her money at home. Conveniently.

"How about we stay away from my home and meet somewhere else?" she remarked, brushing her arm for no apparent reason.

[Abe Cohen]

"What... afraid I might run into your husband? Boyfriend? Small children?" Abe chuckled when Amelia asked him to stay away from her home, but he couldn't hide how excited he was. Yes, a proper date. He hadn't had one in weeks. This wasn't to say he hadn't been out dancing with ladies, nor that he hadn't brought one home, but it had been a while since he intentionally took one out with him. This was nice. Abe had a reason to get all dressed up, slap some cologne on, and have an excellent night out on the town. He didn't care if he had to meet her in America.

"Not a problem. How about I meet you..." Abe threw a glance down the lawns, trying to think of somewhere convenient to apparate from. "How about here in front of the castle gates? On the other side, naturally." Turning back to Amelia, Abe tucked his hands into his pockets and grinned. "So what do you say, I meet you here at 8? You put your dancing shoes on and something nice... we'll have a date?"

He held the grin, unable to keep himself from giving her a look over from top to bottom, imagining just how good she'd look in a red beaded something or other, shimmying to a fast song and spinning on the other end of his arm. They would have a fun night, provided she didn't turn out to be a crazy woman who couldn't handle her alcohol, got violent, or both. But then wouldn't that just make it even more interesting?

[Amelia Decessum]

Amelia ignored the comments and focused instead on the Whomping Willow behind Abram. It seemed to calm down a considerable bit since the recent encounter, but it was still flailing its limbs like crazy and threating every bird and creature that zoomed toward it. Poor little things -- she hoped they had enough sense to stay away; sadly, she had a real soft spot for animals of the non-human variety. She felt sorry for the little creatures -- they were always abused an neglected, and one couldn't help loving them.

"How about here in front of the castle gates?"

At that, Amelia whipped out her wand and gave it a flick, calling the parchment she had dropped earlier to her now-outstretched hand. She pocketed her wand and turned, quickly and swiftly, on the spot before moving onward. She had no idea where she was headed - she had no destination when she exited the castle, at least - but she had been moving before the man had so rudely shouted at her and made her drop all of her papers!

"Don't be late," she said, pausing for only a moment. "I don't forget things easily." At that, Amelia Decessum moved away from the Whomping Willow as if nothing had happened.