Rise From Dust | Harry Potter

Nineteen

"I suppose you do have a point, Potter. Mind me joining you?"

Harry beckoned to another chair. The former captain took it, all the while requesting a Butterbeer from Tom and the old bartender to smirk slightly. 

"You kids ease yourselves up and don't ya worry, your order will be comin' right up. Me wife will bring it out for ya, Mr. Barkin." Shouts then ensued from behind the bar after the bartender withdrew himself to the back, prompting Harry to shake his head with a sincere smile on his face. He faithfully believed things would never change around here, which admittedly suited him just fine.

"So, I heard you've been very busy, Potter, joining Puddlemere United and all. Still in Hogwarts, and you've become a professional Quidditch player. That's a feat not many people could hope to top, or accomplish," affirmed Jeffery kindheartedly. "With your talents and outrageous flying skill on brooms, I can't say I'm astounded they recruited you while you were still in Hogwarts."

"Try to fool me all you want but you can't." Harry tossed him an amused look. "You were shocked and envious of my initial acceptance into Puddlemere, weren't you?" Face dramatically falling, Jeffery incoherently whispered something about 'arrogant lucky bastard'. "What about you, Barkin? What are you doing these days?"

"Working for Gringotts, just a lowly curse breaker with enough payment for necessities."

"Really?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed together. "My first thought is you auditioning for a spot in one of the professional Quidditch teams." Jeffery scratched the back of his head, embarrassment engraved in his features. 

"Yeah...well... it didn't go as planned."The pervious Ravenclaw captain let out an obvious huff of annoyance, doubt, and shame. 

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say, I didn't get a spot..." Harry was stumped. 

"How the hell did that happen? You're a talented seeker. Even my brother had a difficult time with you and people say he's the most talented as well as the best seeker anyone has ever seen. You beat him during your last year in Hogwarts."

"Talk something else, Potter." Jeffery smiled gratefully in Tom's direction for fetching the Butterbeer to him.

"Okay..." Harry discerned his former captain chugging his drink away. "How did you wind up in Gringotts then? And as a lowly curse-breaker? Your results in NEWTs weren't that bad, it's actually the other way around. There are jobs with higher salary out there." Jeffery shrugged his shoulders. 

"We all have to make a living, Potter. What choice do I have? Apply for a job in the ministry? We both know that's not going to happen. You know how corrupted our government is. I just can't stand to work under those bigoted people even if I am a Pureblood," he snorted derisively.

"Still, there are a lot of choices out there..."

"Allow me to ask you this then, what are you going to do after Hogwarts?"

"I-I don't know..." Harry scowled gallingly. "It's still too early for me to decide. I've got two more years ahead of me."

"See? It ain't that easy." Harry blew out a frustrated sigh. 

"Fine, fine, it's not."

"I just thought it'd be best for me to work for Gringotts, earning experience and all," Jeffery carried on as if nothing had interrupted him. "It's only temporary."

"Yeah, right, temporary..." Harry was not utterly convinced. "And, how long have you been with Gringotts? If I have to guess, it must have been a year... No, it's definitely a year you've been with them. Have you ever got promoted?" Jeffery tousled his hair exasperatingly.