Nathan Lee
Hogwarts Staff
Groundskeeper
Posts: 105
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Post by Nathan Lee on May 17, 2008 20:27:55 GMT -5
It had been such a long time since Nathan had a chance to shoot some hoops. Since getting his new job at Hogwarts and having Cooper around, alone time had been scarce. But right now, Nathan was finished with what he had to do in the grounds that day and found himself actually bored. He changed into a basketball shirt and a pair of shorts, along with his ratty old Air Jordans that he was never going to throw out. He grabbed his old basketball that he took everywhere with him and held it under his arm. Nathan picked up a bottle of water and was about to head out into the nice, warm day when he felt something attach itself to his leg.
"Can I come too, Daddy?" Cooper asked, looking up at his father with a wide, sly little grin. Nathan looked down and chuckled softly at the boy. "Of course you can," Nathan told his son, "You wanna grab you cape, Super Cooper?" The little boy grinned and nodded his head feverishly, scrambling to his feet and grabbing the red silk cape that was like his safety blanket. He tied it up quickly before the two of them headed out to the castle.
Nathan and Cooper wandered around the ground floor of the castle for a while. The groundskeeper remembered that there was a basketball hoop in the courtyard; Cooper had been shooting and fooling around the day he'd met Allegra. A smile crossed his lips at the thought of the girl and he hadn't even realized he'd walked passed the courtyard until Cooper stopped him. "What are you doing, Daddy?" the boy asked with a strange look at his dad. "Nothing, Coop. You wanna play?" asked Nathan, going into the courtyard. He dribbled the ball a couple times before taking a shot, watching the ball sail through the air and sink nicely into the basket. "I'm gonna win, Daddy," Cooper informed him, running out to meet his dad, "You suck." Nathan chuckled softly, shaking his head at Cooper. "We'll see about that, buddy," Nathan answered.
[closed]
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 17, 2008 22:10:46 GMT -5
Drew had been worried about his sister for a while now. Usually outgoing and friendly, she had become reclusive and moody, prefering to stay in her small office surrounded by paperwork, using the excuse that she had way to much to do and couldn't leave. Drew didn't buy it. Allegra was well organized and always ahead when it came to schedules, so the younger Thornton took no excuses this day, dragging his sister out of her office, pushing into her small quarters to get ready, and demanding she meet him out on the yard in ten minutes. If she didn't show, he'd go after her and carry her down.
Leaving his sister to change in peace, Drew made his way to the Courtyard, lazily bouncing his basketball at his side. He was dressed in warm up pants, a hooded sweatshirt over his quidditch t-shirt, and a backwards baseball cap. He hadn't expected the courtyard to be empty at this time of day, but he was still surprised to see someone already at the court.
"Hey..." Drew greeted simply as he let his ball fall at his side while he pulled off his sweatshirt. The Ravenclaw wasn't sure if the guy would let him play or not, but he was hoping they could work something out.
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Nathan Lee
Hogwarts Staff
Groundskeeper
Posts: 105
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Post by Nathan Lee on May 18, 2008 9:20:32 GMT -5
Nathan grabbed the ball and dribbled away from Cooper, making the boy chase him. Cooper ran after his dad, latching onto his dad's shirt. "Ohh no, you caught me!" Nathan hollered, laughing slightly. He stopped running and held the ball up, just over Cooper's head so he couldn't reach it. He laughed at Cooper trying to reach it, pulling on his arm and trying to lower it. "Jump higher," the groundskeeper taunted his son playfully. Cooper laughed and kept jumping and finally knocked it out of Nathan's hand. He took the ball and dribbled to the net, jumping as high as he could and tossing the ball over his shoulder. Nathan was rather impressed when he watched the ball go right into the hoop and Cooper cheered.
"Good shot, buddy," Nathan congratulated his son, watching him take the ball and take off again. He laughed slightly but then turned when another voice had joined them. There was a student coming toward them with a ball as well, dressed in sweats and looking ready to play. "Oh, hey," Nathan greeted the boy. He seemed fairly old and Nathan assumed he was at least a sixth year. "Did you want to play?" he asked.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 18, 2008 11:15:23 GMT -5
Throwing his sweatshirt off to the side and replacing the cap that had come off, Drew bent down to tie his shoes tighter, picked up his ball again, and resumed dribbling it at his side as he watched the father and son. He recognized the man as the groundskeeper and had seen the kid around, usually trying to help, but the Head Boy hadn't actually met either of them.
"I don't know," Drew answered with a crooked smile. "Superman over there looks like some tough competition." Drew tucked his ball under his arm again and walked over towards them offering his hand. "Drew Thornton, Ravenclaw. Nice to meet you."
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Cooper Lee
Wizard
Son of Hogwarts Staff Member
Posts: 40
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Post by Cooper Lee on May 18, 2008 12:06:35 GMT -5
"I'm not Superman!" Cooper corrected the boy who had come over and joined them, "I'm Super Cooper!" The little boy put his arms around and made noises like he was an airplane, dropping the basketball and running around. He ran in a circle before running back to his dad's side, latching onto him again and holding on tight. Now that he was face-to-face with the other boy, he buried his head into his dad's side, getting shy once again.
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Nathan Lee
Hogwarts Staff
Groundskeeper
Posts: 105
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Post by Nathan Lee on May 18, 2008 12:13:49 GMT -5
Nathan watched his son running around like an airplane, smiling at him. He always watched his son with such pride, hoping he was doing a good job raising his son on his own. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but Nathan hoped he was managing. When Cooper came back over to them, the groundskeeper's hand automatically rested on his son's shoulder, holding him close. His other hand reached out to shake Drew's as he introduced himself. "Nathan Lee," he answered, shaking the boy's hand, "This is my son...Super Cooper." Nathan chuckled softly, looking down at his boy and patting him lightly on the back.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 18, 2008 13:29:44 GMT -5
"Forgive me, Super Cooper," Drew answered seriously, figuring the liltle kid was about the same age as his cousin Sarah. Her big thing was dressing up as a princess, but Drew thought he liked the cape look better.
"You're the groundskeeper. Nice to meet you," Drew said again, shaking the man's hand and then shifting his ball back to his right arm. "I see you found my basket," he said with a wide smile and a sense of pride. He had stuck the apple basket up in his first year and was pretty impressed that it had stayed up all these years. "Super Cooper's got a pretty mean jump shot there."
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Cooper Lee
Wizard
Son of Hogwarts Staff Member
Posts: 40
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Post by Cooper Lee on May 18, 2008 13:36:38 GMT -5
When Drew complimented his jump shot, Cooper's head buried deeper into hiding. However, he turned it slightly so he could talk without the sound being muffled. "That's because my Daddy taught me how to play," he told Drew in his little voice, "And my Daddy is the best basketball player in the whole world." Cooper turned his head and looked up at Nathan, grinning his sly little grin that he did when he was sucking up and wanted something.
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Nathan Lee
Hogwarts Staff
Groundskeeper
Posts: 105
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Post by Nathan Lee on May 18, 2008 13:42:02 GMT -5
"Nice to meet you too, Drew," Nathan told the student with a slight grin. He groaned and rolled his eyes, ruffling Cooper's hair when he started sucking up. "Yeah, yeah. Sure thing, kiddo," he laughed. Glancing up at the basket, Nathan looked at it, rather impressed. It didn't look like it would be all that sturdy, but it seemed to be holding up for now.
"This is your basket, huh?" Nathan asked rhetorically, "It looks like it's been there for quite a while. I actually have an old basketball net back in my quaters. I could hook it up for you, if you wanted."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 18, 2008 13:56:53 GMT -5
"Better than you?" Drew asked Cooper, his voice filled with surprise and awe but his eyes held a bit of humor. The kid was pretty cute. "Your dad must be really good then."
"It's just an old apple basket," Drew answered Nathan with a shrug and a crooked smile. The wooden bucket was pretty beat up, but the supporting hoop was strong enough to hold him when he dunked. "Not too long, I figure. Six... almost seven years I guess." Had he really been at Hogwarts that long? And once he graduated, where would he shoot hoops? "A net on her might be pretty cool."
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Allegra Thornton
Hogwarts Staff
Administrative Assistant Witch
^it's just me^
Posts: 2,420
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Post by Allegra Thornton on May 18, 2008 14:22:06 GMT -5
"Ten minutes. That's all I'm giving you!" Allegra's voice called out as she stormed into the courtyard, her pigtails flying behind her. Drew had literally pulled her out from behind her desk, pushed her to her small bedroom, and forced her to change out of her work clothes. She had grumbled to herself as she pulled on a pair of warm-up pants, slipped on a long-sleeved tee, and braided her shoulder length hair back. There was really no reason for her to leave the office. Her friends had all graduated and she still got the distinct impression that the staff thought she was a fluffy little girl. Besides, she had tons of work she could do and really didn't have time to play games. How would anyone take her seriously if she spent work time goofing off?
She huffed impatiently as she went down the steps, her braids bouncing above her shoulders. "I really don't see what the point of all th..." she started before noticing that her brother wasn't the only one in the courtyard. Standing there by the make-shift basketball hoop were two people that brought a smile to her face. "Hello!" she greeted them, surprised and pleased to see both Nathan and Cooper. She even forgot she was angry at her brother for forcing her outside.
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Nathan Lee
Hogwarts Staff
Groundskeeper
Posts: 105
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Post by Nathan Lee on May 18, 2008 14:42:36 GMT -5
"Yeah, for sure," Nathan agreed, taking another look at where the basket was fixed into the wall, "I'm sure I could get that all set up for you and anyone else who wants to play here." He flashed the boy a friendly smile, liking that he was actually comfortable with the students and didn't feel too much like just another authority figure. Of course Nathan knew there were rules he would need to enforce, but he wanted to be cool with the students and maybe even hang out with them.
Another voice drifted out from inside the castle as they stood there talking about the net. Nathan's head turned around when he recognized the voice and smiled when the face that matched it came into view. "Hey Allegra," Nathan greeted her with another warm smile, "Nice to see you. Say hi, Coop."
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Cooper Lee
Wizard
Son of Hogwarts Staff Member
Posts: 40
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Post by Cooper Lee on May 18, 2008 14:52:07 GMT -5
Jumping out in front of his dad, Cooper gazed up at Allegra with a silly grin, waving at her. "Hi, Allegra!" Cooper greeted her happily. He had taken a liking to her, which was a big deal for Cooper because he usually was really shy around people until he got to know them better. But her, he'd decided to like right away. Cooper knew his dad liked her too, so he figured it was safe.
Turning to look up at his dad, Cooper grinned that mischievous grin again, the one he had plastered on his face when an idea was bubbling in that little blond head of it. "Daddy, can we all play basketball together?" he asked hopefully with wide eyes.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on May 18, 2008 19:53:13 GMT -5
Drew raised an eyebrow at the exchange between Nathan, Cooper, and Allegra. Despite all of the complaining she had done about not having friends, maybe his sister got out more often than he had thought. While he watched the conversation, he started up with his dribbling again. Of course his sister would know the other staff members, but he was surprised they seemed so friendly.
"So, you guys already know each other?" he asked with a hint of humor in his voice.
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Allegra Thornton
Hogwarts Staff
Administrative Assistant Witch
^it's just me^
Posts: 2,420
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Post by Allegra Thornton on May 22, 2008 23:09:00 GMT -5
"Hey Cooper!" Allegra greeted the young boy, fighting the temptation to pick him up and give him a big squeeze. He was just way too cute.
Instead she slapped her brother on the shoulder and made a face at him. She loved him, but sometimes he could be such a butthead. Grabbing the ball from him, she drove it to the basket, doing a fairly decent lay-up.
"I don't think you guys can touch this," she teased, licking her finger and touching it to her hip.
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