31 March 1894 - The Great Hall

Gus might be having a midlife crisis at the moment. If he was being honest with himself and looking back at his life, he might have realized that Hogwarts was not in fact, his dream job; he’d run away from curse breaking, the one thing he’d always imagined himself being, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to return it. It was difficult, of course, because the longer he spent at Hogwarts and in England as a whole, the more he settled into this new life as a professor… and the more he became a permanent fixture in others lives. Gus couldn’t just abandon people like he’d done years before; he wasn’t as selfish now as he was back then.

Instead of dwelling with his own thoughts – that never did him any good – Gus wandered down toward the Great Hall figuring that some sweets in his stomach would take his mind off the desire to disappear again. It was almost dinner time, so although only a few students were at their respective tables, the room would be filled with chatter soon enough; he smiled at each one he recognized as he passed by, which surprisingly was most of them. In another few years he would have taught every face as a first year. That made him feel old. Was thirty too young to have a midlife crisis?

Gus took his seat in his usual chair near the middle because he liked to be able to see everything dead on, just in case someone tried something funny; luckily for him, the table wasn’t entirely empty, and poor Mason was there to hear him whine. “I need a vacation.” Gus said in lieu of a greeting as he tipped his head back against the chair to stare up at the ceiling. “Where are we going for the Easter holidays?"

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Daffodil Grimstone / Mason Skeeter

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Mason was pretty sure he was ready for this year to be over. It wasn't often he was in desperate need of the summer holidays, but this year seemed to be filled with far too much extraneous nonsense that he could indeed use the break. Maybe it was the added responsibilities of being a Head of House, he wasn't sure, but he was relieved the Easter break was almost upon them as well.

He was sitting in his normal spot at the teachers' table of the Great Hall with a cup of tea, waiting still a little bit for dinner itself. Mason liked to eat before the masses came in and the hall filled with too much noise. A full Great Hall was not on Mason's list of favorite things. He could suffer through the beginning and end of year feasts, but other than that, he tried to be in and out when it was quieter.

Watching Gus stalk up the aisle with a bemused smile, Mason laughed at his greeting. "Not sure I'm allowed go," though he had covered the Christmas holidays, so maybe it was his turn for a break. "But if I get to pick, somewhere tropical."

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magic by MJ the magnificent

Gus would also be thankful he met Mason within his first few weeks of becoming a professor, because without him he might have gone insane by now. He chuckled quietly as he glanced at him, reaching forward to wrap his hands around a mug of tea that had just finished filling it; of course Gus dropped copious amounts of sugar into the tea, making it tooth-rotting sweet before taking a sip of it. To him, it was perfect.

“If anyone deserves a break, it’s you, mate.” Gus laughed, “And a tropical getaway sounds like just the ticket. I heard Seychelles has a rich biodiversity.” He always tried to sell the places he knew had plants that would fascinate Mason; it was only fair they went to a place that he would enjoy, too.

As Gus entertained the idea of a serene escape, a small hum sounding from him because he felt this break couldn’t come soon enough, he couldn’t help but contemplate drastic measures to ensure their much-needed vacation – “Well, if all else fails, I might have to resort to kidnapping. But hey, desperate times and all that, right?” He’d do it too, and Mason might be grumpy at first, but it might be worth it; they both needed a vacation from the craziness that’s been this school year.

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Mason could only shrug; he didn't necessarily feel like he was entitled to a getaway more than anyone else, but he was feeling the itch to travel getting worse. It was all Gus' fault too, setting up easy jaunts to places Mason had always thought of visiting to see the local flora, while Gus got to do whatever it was that interested him too. It was exactly how Mason envisioned his travel days, but it did work and it was fun.

"No idea where that is, but sign me up." Mason chuckled, taking a sip of his tea. "I can probably swing a few days, I was here for all of the last break." He'd stepped out to see his mother of course, for Christmas, but other than that he'd been around the school and available. It felt appropriate, given he didn't have a family or children at home who would like to spend the holiday with their entire family. The closer he got to forty, the less likely it became, so he might as well be the one to stay. Hogwarts as much home as anywhere else these days anyway.

"What's in it for you?" He quirked an eyebrow at Gus with a bit of a smirk.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

Mason, as it turned out, was easy to talk into doing things. Well maybe not everything, but it wasn’t like he was putting up too much of a fight when it came to going somewhere for their vacation; Gus was antsy to be away from the castle walls and away from Britain as a whole. Ireland. People he knew. The whole shebang. Dipping his toes in water while lounging on the beach was just what the doctor was ordering for him. Who was he to go against that?

Gus snatched a biscuit to munch on, although not before he smeared a glob of some kind of jelly on it; the sweeter, the better in his opinion. “I think you should. It’s by Africa. I heard a bit about it a few years back.” He hummed. Mason couldn’t spend every waking moment at Hogwarts – surely even he got tired of being here. (Although Gus chuckled because he knew that wasn’t true. His friend loved his greenhouse at Hogwarts, and would probably sleep there if allowed.)

He looked almost offended as Mason threw him a look, although he was quick to laugh and shake his head. “A break. Fresh air. You’ll be lucky if I come back at all.” Mason wasn’t a stranger to how much Gus struggled with this position, even if it’d gotten a bit easier since his first year. “Maybe I’ve heard of a couple cursed objects I’d like to get my hands on, too.” And maybe he knew his friend would bail out if things got hard… or at least not let him die.

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Mason nodded along, listening with half attention as he shot a pair of Gryffindors about to something against the expectations, piercing them with a star down his nose that he'd perfected after his many years at the school. How did they have the energy for this nonsense around the clock. The sulked off and Mason turned his attention back to his friend.

"Ah, there it is. Once a cursebreaker, always a cursebreaker." He laughed. The part about not coming back was slightly concerning. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but Gus always seemed to have one foot out the door these days. Just looking for an excuse to get out and do something else. Mason supposed he couldn't really blame the man; teaching was far more tame than his previous occupation and it certainly wasn't for everyone. Mason had the right temperament for it, had been doing it long enough now that he didn't have to work quite as hard as he had in the beginning. Of course adding the responsibilities for his new position helped to keep him busy, but it wasn't overwhelming. "Sounds like fun, then." He agreed. It would do them both some good to get out of the castle and relax for a couple days. Mason had never been all that good at relaxing, but when forced, he could enjoy it.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

Mason was always better at disciplining kids than Gus was, but then again his friend had a lot more years on him when it came to being a professor. Plus he hated to give detention because it meant he had to be the one to supervise it, and the students had quickly learned that side of him. This was why he couldn’t ever (and did not ever) want to be the Head of House for Hufflepuff – between watching Basil and Mason in their new positions, Gus would rather chew his own arm off than have that sort of responsibility.

Gus turned back toward his friend and grinned at him. Mason hit the nail on the head – cursed objects would always hold a special place in heart, and they definitely kept him entertained. Maybe if he brought some to Hogwarts, he could have the best of both worlds: being a professor and getting to see all his friends on a consistent basis, and getting to curse break. Of course Gus would have to keep the objects hidden and hope they didn’t kill him…

Blinking then at Mason, he nodded, pleased that Mason had agreed so quickly. He kept Gus in line while Gus ensured he had some fun and left the castle every now and then. They balanced each other out pretty well. “Perfect. I’ll get all the accommodations setup then.” Gus grinned. It was going to be fun. He reached forward to finish eating his meal, knowing he'd need all the brain power to put together something they'd both enjoy.

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