Old Moments, New Memories [Turner]

[Reagan Picciano]

Reagan was sitting nestled on the ground beneath a tall oak tree, she was reading an old book that she had signed out of the library earlier that day. It was actually a play script on Romeo and Juliet, yes she was a fan of Shakespeare. Anyway, she had been reading through the first act, awaiting for Professor Macabee. Well when they weren't in class, it was Turner to Reagan. He didn't like being called Professor because he said it made him feel old. So she tried her hardest not to call him that. Feeling the cool autumn breeze blow through the area of the black lake, Reagan looked up just in time to see the wind ripple the surface of the lake. It looked as if it was dancing, sparkling in the evening light.

Feeling another cool breeze pass by, she was getting a bit chilly and decided to conjure two blankets. One to sit upon and the other to curl up in to get warm. Pulling her wand from the pocket of her robes, she muttered the incantation and two blankets appeared beside her folded up. "Thank goodness for magic." she told herself as she got up. As Reagan got up from the spot she was sitting in, she wiped her jeans off and placed her book on the branch above her. Lifting the first blanket from the pile, she unfolded it and laid it down. Grabbing the second blanket and unfolded it, she reached for her book and placed it on the other blanket that she put down. Looking up at the lake again, she smiled thinking back to the first time she met Turner.

It happened to be at the very spot she was sitting, of course working on her transfiguration homework that she just didn't get at the time. His offer to tutor her was the nicest thing anyone at that time could have ever done, she wasn't very good at it then, but with his help she became better and better each time. It was weird how he was now her Professor, she just couldn't believe it. Of all the things he could have been, he chose to teach Transfiguration. Well she couldn't blame him, he loved the subject too much and to pass up the opportunity to share with students his knowledge of the subject. Reagan sat back down and curled up in the blanket, picking up the script book again, she sat there thinking about Turner. She had grown to like him a lot and not only as friends.

Sighing softly thinking that what she wanted would probably never happen, then again Turner had always taught her never to assume things either. Another sigh escaped her lips and she looked down at the book and began to read the scripts of Romeo and Juliet again.

[Turner Macabee]

It was late in the afternoon on a mid-October day, and Turner Macabee was coming out of his final lesson. A group of rowdy first years who seemed to think anything he showed them was the greatest thing they'd ever seen left a smile on his face. It was a wonderful way to end his hectic work day in his opinion. Children, like himself, were easily amused. Even if he messed up his carefully planned demonstration, they could be counted on to take it in stride. He'd recovered his momentum quickly enough with the younger students, it was just the older ones he had yet to win over. Part of problem was that he was only a few years older then the advanced students.

He glanced to his watch, Reagan would be waiting for him by the lake by now and he headed out. Since the snow liked to come early, he had agreed to meeting outside to enjoy the final days before winter weather set it. On a day very much like today some years ago was when he had first met the younger Gryffindor girl. She'd been struggling with her homework and he'd offered to tutor her, and from that a friendship was born. It was a glaring example of his on goring struggle with his new position with his previous schoolmates. Where did he draw the line of being their friend only a couple years ago, to now being their professor? He still hadn't figured that one out quite yet, so tried to walk the line as delicately as possible.

Reagan, was no longer the gangly fourth year he remembered from when he graduated, now very much an adult in her own right. She was doing decent enough in his class, but had expressed wanting to ace her N.E.W.T.s so he offered to once again help her. One on one tutoring sessions was more comfortable then trying to work with her in class with everyone watching. At least this was what he told himself to ease the issue of blurring boundaries, despite being her friend, he was a professor now. He shook this thought away and put a smile on his face as he approached the dark haired girl curled up on a blanket reading a book.

“Hey, I just got out of class. Hope you haven’t been here long,” he ruffled his hair as he smiled down at her.

[Reagan Picciano]

While Reagan sat there reading her book, she found herself checking her watch every so often. She understood that Turner had a late class, but after that he was free for the rest of the evening. Which was nice because it was her time to spend with him, as a friend and as a student of his. Gosh, she still couldn't believe it. Her Professor, oye ve, Reagan shook her head with an odd smile upon her face. Pulling the blanket up closer to her, feeling another nearly bone chilling breeze cross through. It was nearing that time of evening where it was starting to get colder, but still she had told him to meet her by the oak tree near the lake. So that was where she was going to stay.

The sound of footsteps approaching from the side of her, Reagan looked up just in time to see Turner making his way toward her. He was dressed all handsome in his Professor robes and hair all scattered in different directions. Smiling as he approached, she shook her head to him "No, not too long actually. I just got a bit cold because I forgot my jacket." she said giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. "So how were the rugrats?" Reagan inquired about his last class. "Hope they weren't too hard on you." Reagan moved over a little and patted the blanket beside her, "Alright dear Pr.. Turner." she said catching herself from saying Professor. Yikes, hopefully he didn't catch that.

Reagan placed her book aside and accio'd for her belongings to come to her. Within moments, she had her bookbag with her book inside sat leaned against the tree next to her. "So anyway, are you going to the Halloween Festival?" Reagan asked him. She was planning on going, but had no one to go with and she didn't want to go alone. She would ask him, but wasn't sure how comfortable he would feel going with her, being that she was his student. But Reagan didn't care about that, they could go as friends. She's seen a few of the advanced student's going with adult dates. So she thought why couldn't she. Maybe she would muster up the courage to ask him to go with her, perhaps after their session.

[Turner Macabee]

"No, not too long actually. I just got a bit cold because I forgot my jacket." Which explained why Reagan had another blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "It is a bit chilly out isn't it," he agreed. "So how were the rugrats? Hope they weren't too hard on you." She moved over making room for him and patted the space beside her and he dropped unceremoniously to the ground. His pulled the front of his robes open and tugged at his tie, trying to get comfortable.

"They were fantastic," he grinned excitedly. It was exactly why he'd wanted to take the teaching post to begin with. Young minds eager to learn and he was just as antsy to show them what he knew. Could it get any better then that?

"Alright dear Pr... Turner."

Turner winced slightly when Reagan almost slipped and called him Professor. This was of course the down side of being so young in such a field. He inevtiably ended up feeling very old after a couple hundred students addressed him in a title he was unused to having. Especially coming from those who were considered adults in this world, the seventh years, like Reagan. She accio'd the things she would need for their study session and he pushed the thoughts from his mind.

"So anyway, are you going to the Halloween Festival?"

Turner blinked, confused for a moment, he'd just gotten into the proper mindset for tutoring. Cocking his head to the side he looked at her again. "I hadn't actually thought about it," he said adjusting himself into a crossed leg position. "But, I'm sure I'll go just to make an appearance," he laughed. "What about you? I'm sure you have a date by now, right?" Reagan had always been an attractive girl in his opinion, and it wouldn't surprise him in the least if she'd gotten a boyfriend when he wasn't paying attention.

[Reagan Picciano]

"It is a bit chilly out isn't it."

Reagan nodded as she pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders. She had forgot that being around water caused the wind to be a little more colder. Never really taking the time to read about how the climate works, it was just one of those things that she was not really interested in. Still it was cold and the blanket was doing an okay job. As she made room for Turner to sit next to her, Reagan had inquired about his class.

"They were fantastic."

Reagan smiled seeing the excited grin upon Turner's face. It was nice to see that he liked his job, being able to teach something he really enjoyed. Though when he had winced when she almost slipped, Reagan mocked the same look he had given. "Sorry, it just slipped a little." she said apologetically. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel older, still it was out of habit and people do make mistakes.

Upon calling for her belongings, Reagan pulled her book bag around to her and pulled out her Transfiguration book. While she was getting ready for the session, she had inquired about the Halloween Festival. She wasn't sure if he was going, or going with someone. Reagan looked over at him, awaiting his answer. When he did tell her, she was sort of surprised to hear he hadn't thought of it. "I would have thought for sure that you would have, considering the whole school is talking about it."

"What about you? I'm sure you have a date by now, right?"

Reagan looked down then back towards her book bag, "No, I don't actually." she said to him as she pulled her quill out and a piece of parchment. Looking back to Turner, "I would like to go, but I don't like going alone to be honest." she told him. Maybe this would be a good time to ask him about going with her. Being that he didn't think about it, probably because he was so busy with his classes, it must have slipped his mind. Reagan looked back down at the paper and quill, then opened her book to the chapter they reviewed earlier that day.

"Would you want to go with me?" she asked him, looking back up at him. "If you don't have anyone in mind to go with." she said with a sweet smile. Reagan really hoped that he would agree, but again the question of how comfortable he would be about going with her was now up in the air.

[Turner Macabee]

"Sorry, it just slipped a little."

Turner waved off her apology, it wasn't her fault he had issues with the title, and it wasn't as if she'd said the full thing as was required in class. Maybe that was why he agreed to private tutoring sessions with her, she of all people would understand where not many others would. Some might think it was inappropriate to allow such familiarity with their students, but Turner didn't know how else to be with Reagan. They'd known each other for three years, they were long past the point of pretending to have a simple student/teacher relationship.

"I would have thought for sure that you would have, considering the whole school is talking about it."

This much was true, but he'd been preoccupied with keeping track of classes, devising lesson plans, and trying to win over his older students. He hadn't found the time to consider the festival, much less who he could take as a date. He was surprised by Reagan's answer to his question of her own date status.

"No, I don't actually. I would like to go, but I don't like going alone to be honest." Surely, Turner thought someone would have asked the pretty Gryffindor girl, but he hadn't been paying very much attention to the ongoing romances roaming the halls. She flipped open her book to the section in class they were working on, he thought ending the conversation. He was about to get into the right mindset when she spoke again. "Would you want to go with me? If you don't have anyone in mind to go with."

Surprised, Turner looked to her again and found her smiling sweetly. Had she really asked him to be her date, because that's what it had sounded like. Three years wasn't that large of an age gap, considering they were both considered adults in the wizarding world, but the problem didn't lie there. It came in the form of not only was he a teacher, he was also more importantly, her teacher. But, Reagan wasn't asking him as his student, she was asking as her friend. As her friend, he was thrilled by the concept, and if he was still working at the ministry it'd be no issue. Hell, he probably would have owled her about it to begin with. So, what did he do? The boundaries could only be blurred so far until one walked right across the line without knowing it. He cared about Reagan too much to just reject the offer.

"No, I didn't have anyone in mind," he smiled, "If we happen to run into each other while we're there, and stick together... I don't see how that could be a problem." That was the best compromise he could come up with.

[Reagan Picciano]

Reagan smiled when he waivered her apology, it wasn't like she did it purposely. It just happened. So while she flipped through the pages to get to the chapter they were working on, she was curious as to whether or not he would be going to the festival. She had hoped that he hadn't asked anyone yet because she wanted to go with him. If he would accept her invitation. Though her only concern was how comfortable he would be. When Turner asked her if she had a date, Reagan didn't want to tell him that she turned down a couple of guys.

She had turned them down because of him, she didn't want him to feel bad. He was a pretty sensitive guy and knowing him for as long as she has, he probably would have. Then again, that was only something she could assume. Once she built her courage up to ask him, she did and waited for an answer. He seemed to be in deep thought about it. All Reagan could think was he probably wouldn't, or he would make the excuse that he was too busy to go. Hopefully he would say yes. His first answer surprised her, yet made her happy that he wasn't going with anyone, yet.

Turner's second answer as to him going with her, it sort of threw her off a bit. She didn't understand why it was so difficult for him to forget about what others would say. His answer would suffice for now, "Alright, I guess that's fine." she told him. She wasn't too thrilled with what he said, but if she wanted to be with him, she would have to take what she could get. Reagan glanced back down at her book and prepared herself for tutoring, she didn't want him to get uncomfortable so she dropped the subject and bit her tongue. Yes, Reagan did have a problem with being a bit outspoken with friends. With him, she had to watch her p's and q's.

"Alright, I'm ready.." she told him looking up from her book and brought her wand out from her bag.

[Turner Macabee]

Reagan didn't seem very all right with his compromise, as if Turner had disappointed her in someway. However, he wasn’t exactly sure what she was disappointed about. He had not completely rejected the idea, in fact he was trying to work the situation to suite everybody. What else could he do though? He was barely beginning his career, he didn't need his relationship with her being scrutinized and called into question over one night. Did that make him seem like a coward to the outspoken girl? He'd never had a problem with letting what people said about him just roll off his back, perhaps even having a joke about it himself. So why was he being so guarded on this subject? Why shouldn’t they be able to enjoy each other’s company, they were friends after all. Right?

Turner opened his mouth to say as much when Reagan found the proper spot in the book. She looked up at him again, "Alright, I'm ready.." ending the previous conversation. “Alright,” he nodded pulling out his own wand. Later tonight he could hopefully make up for his weak compromise by them having a great time together. For now, it was time to get back to work.

“So, we’re working on conjuration, right?” He’d spent his afternoon with first years, he had to get back in the mode where they were in his advanced class. “Transfiguring an object from basically thin air,” he started to explain, but the theory was always dry and confusing to those that didn’t understand. “You remember when we worked on vanishing spells? This is the opposite kind of magic. There are simple ones that you learn over the years, like bluebell flames, but most of them are more complex.” Turner circled his wand as he said, “Lotuseous” A waterlily appeared out of nowhere and delicately fell into his open hands. He handed it to Reagan with a smile. “See, not that difficult.”