The Three Broomsticks
Poppy and Hans were nearing the entrance to Hogsmeade, their boots crunching down on the light snow that had frozen over the previous night. As they walked, the two talked and laughed, enjoying their Saturday together.
“I think you would be a rather good quidditch player,” Poppy chimed, looking up at Hans with encouragement in her eyes.
“Oh please,” Hans rolled his eyes, “I would be rubbish. I’m not that coordinated.”
Poppy gave him a very stern stare, “Don’t even. I’ve seen you duel and I’ve seen you fly. Besides, you beat Reyes by a long shot on all of her records.”
Hans rolled his eyes as they entered Hogsmeade, “Those things don’t really matter when it comes to quidditch-“
“How do you know? If you’ve never played,” Poppy interjected, a smirk on her face.
“I- well I-“ Hans stammered, running his fingers through his hair. Poppy watched him do this, a slight blush on her cheeks, wondering if he knew that when he did that it made her get all giddy on the inside. He turned the question on her, “Why do you want me to play so bad?”
The blush on Poppy’s cheeks grew to a fiery red, “Because-because, I think-I think it would do you good…” trailing off from her lame response, blushing furiously as he gave his twinkling silver eyes stared at her with amusement.
“You’re adorable,” Hans chuckled, looking away from her and scanning the entrance street of Hogsmeade as they passed Tomes and Scrolls.
Poppy gave him a defiant look, “Whatever.” She was still smiling though, which Hans noticed out of the corner of his eyes, pleased.
Hans chuckled as the two approached Ollivanders, and soon Hans smile faded. His eyes landed in the doorstep to the shop, and many images flashed through his head of the previous week.
How just on Monday Hans was stopped by Victor Rookwood and his goons outside of the shop, and Hans found himself taken to an unfamiliar place. How that very day, Ranrok made his way beneath the castle, chasing after the next repository in lust for the dangerous power of ancient magic. How Rookwood had whispered those words just outside of that cursed shop, “Children should be seen, not heard.”
Hans had fallen into this thought, his smile wiped from his face as his hollow stare returned, and he mindlessly stared at the spot that Rookwood had shone himself.
“-right, Hans?” Poppy asked, continuing their conversation, before looking up at Hans in confusion, “Hans?” Poppy turned, her brows furrowing in worry, tugging on his arm as she looked up at him with worry, he had fallen silent, not even responding to her question.
“Wha- oh. Sorry, I must have zoned out,” Hans eyes refocused, and he looked down at her, giving Poppy a small and nervous smile.
“It was more than you zoning out, it was like you saw a ghost,” Poppy stopped walking, right at the edge of the crossroad that led toward the Three Broomsticks as she took his hands in her own, staring at him with reproachful eyes and asking, “Hans, are you okay?”
“I…” Hans trailed off, thinking about her question. This was something he hadn’t even asked himself. He had been too concerned over the Battle for Hogwarts, with Rookwood, with the trials, with Fig’s death to even ask himself how he felt. If the way he felt was “okay.” Hans met her gaze, something almost fearful glinting in his eyes as he answered, “I-I think so.”
“Are you sure?”
Hans nodded, giving her hands a slight squeeze, his hesitant smile returning. Poppy stared at him for a moment longer, trying to will him to tell her what was going on, but eventually giving way to his cute mannerisms and eventually smiling back.
As their hands fell to their side, Poppy’s small hand becoming cupped by his larger palm as their fingers intertwined, Poppy swore to herself that she would find out how to help him. Though Poppy did not see it, she was doing the best thing she could for him: bringing him out of his emotionless shell.
The two entered the Three Broomsticks, pushing through its doors and directing themselves to a small table in the corner near the front. Hans grabbed her seat for her, pulling it out and gesturing to it for her. Poppy grinned at him, a slight blush on her cheeks as she sat down.
“I’ll go get us some butterbeer,” Hans offered, turning away from the table to speak to Sirona at the counter.
Poppy watched as her love walked up to the counter, beginning to exchange a conversation with Sirona. Hans was one thing that always brightened up Poppy’s life, but in more recent times he had grown solemn and weary. She was worried for him, and she didn’t know how to help him. The small girl sighed, scanning the bar for just a moment, before her eyes landed back on Sirona and Hans, meeting Sirona’s gaze. Poppy’s eyes widened in surprise, before she quickly dropped her gaze, looking away in embarrassment.
Eventually Hans returns, sitting down across from her and passing her a mug of foaming hot butterbeer. Hans smiled tentatively at her, waiting for her to take her own mug. She picked it up, returning the smile to Hans before taking a sip. Poppy set the mug down, looking intently at Hans while he drank a bit of his own beverage.
They watched each other for a moment, compassion in their eyes, before at long last Poppy broke the silence, “There’s a rumor going around… that… that you encountered Victor Rookwood outside of Ollivanders in Hogsmeade.” She didn’t know what made her say it, and she was quite nervous of his response, but she gave it a try anyway. If he did not want to talk about it then she wouldn’t make him.
Hans didn’t say anything for a moment, staring at her calmly as he gently set his mug in the table. “I… yeah, he did.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Poppy asked, moving her hand across the table to rest it on his own, looking at him with eyes trying to tell him she cared, she cared for him more than anyone else in the world at the moment, even her Gran.
Hans looked at her for only a moment longer, before his eyes dropped to his lap, staring vacantly at it. “I needed to do something. I needed a wand. A new wand made out of… out of special ingredients…” his voice trailed off, as he fell into silence, and Poppy wondered why he would need a new wand. That didn’t matter though, there were more important things to worry about.
Hans continued, “I left the shop, the wand in hand, right when he showed up. He-he wanted to work together. He wanted my help in opening the repository, he wanted that power for himself. He said it was his birthright.” Poppy was very confused. Repository? What power? She didn’t want to ask any more questions, she was already pressuring her beau enough.
“When I refused, one of his lot apparated right behind me, and they took me. We fought. There was nothing I could do,” Hans lifted his blank stare from his lap back to look Poppy in the eye, sorrow beaming through his own.
Poppy realized what Hans meant by this last sentence, leaning forward to grasp further up his arm to try and comfort him, “Oh, Hans, I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Hans let out a shuddering exhale, his lips quivering as he tried and failed to give her a smile, “It’s okay.”
“Nobody, especially you, should deserve to have to go through that,” Poppy continued, reaching her other arm to grab his other hand, giving it a soft and comforting squeeze.
“But I’m okay, so it’s okay.”
“But are you?” Poppy asked, looking deep into his eyes, searching for answers. Despite him opening up to her in the more recent days, and despite his sudden uplifted mood, his eyes still had a residing sad undertone that Poppy wished would be no more. She couldn’t stand him having to go through this.
“I have to be.”
This answered, though she managed to hide it, shocked Poppy. Though, common enough for in this time people to shrug off their struggles for they were socially unacceptable, Poppy wanted Hans to still be okay. She wanted him to know that he could open with her. “No, not with me you don’t,” she whispered softly, “I want to see your scars.”
Hans smiled, this time successfully, “Thank you. Maybe-maybe we can talk about this later, right now I’d rather enjoy the moment I have with you, right here, right now.”
Poppy nodded, letting go of his hand and forearm and moving them back to their mug. Despite their more sorrowful interaction, Poppy tried and succeeded in enjoying herself. Hans made her happy, he made her laugh, and he made her smile. The two enjoyed each other’s company as they finished their butterbeer, eventually standing up to leave the Three Broomsticks. Hans offered his hand to help Poppy up, which she took, thanking him as he pushed her chair in.
Hans checked his watch, shaking back his robe and looking at the time, it was close to two o’clock. As he began to drop his arm to his side, Poppy looped hers around his before he could do so, holding his up as they walked side by side out the doors of the bar.
“Do you want to walk around Hogsmeade or something like that?” Hans asked Poppy, looking down at her with his twinkling eyes, yet still, Poppy couldn’t notice they still held a shadow of sorrow.
“Hm… it’s a little chilly. What if we went to the Room of Requirement instead?”
“I could get used to that,” Hans chuckled, something that Poppy enjoyed listening to.
The two began moving back to the castle, laughing and enjoying one another’s company, and for once in what seemed to be an eternity, Hans was able to forget about the struggles of the world.