Reverse Falls: Battle for the Journals

The Forbidden Forest

"Hello, my name is Madam Rosmerta. Is there anything I can help you with today?" She asked, smiling at the group.

Kathy smiled and nodded. "Can we start with four Butterbeers? We've never had the chance to try it yet."

Madam Rosmerta gasped. "You haven't! But your young witches and Wizards. There's hardly anyone around here who hasn't tried Butterbeer."

"Well, we're new in town," Kathy explained. "We heard such great things about this place that we just had to come. We've kind of been off the grid for a while."

The other three people sitting at the table threw her a withering glare. They couldn't believe she'd been so blatant. What was she trying to do?

But Rosmerta simply smiled kindly. "Haven't had the proper chance to be children have you?"

The three, who had been glaring at Kathy, turned to Rosmerta in surprise.

"How could you tell?" Gideon asked.

Rosmerta smiled a sad smile. "You all have the look in your eyes that you were children that had to grow up too fast. I don't see it all the time, but it's often enough that I can recognize it when I look at someone new."

They were all surprised by her words. Everyone but Kathy.

"Tell you what," Rosmerta said. "Why don't I give you the butterbeer, on the house? Consider it a newbie discount."

Kathy shook her head. "We couldn't let you do that."

Pacifica gave her a look. "Kathy, the woman is offering free drinks. Let's not be rude and reject her generous offer."

Rosmerta nodded. "Exactly. If you didn't take the free drinks it would be considered rude."

Kathy was still skeptical. "You mean that you want to give up something for free?"

"Yes."

"And we don't owe you anything for it?"

Rosmerta shook her head. "Of course not. That's what 'on the house' means."

Kathy was a little unsure, but in the end, she agreed. "Okay if you say so."

"Excellent!" Rosmerta grinned. "I'll get started on those drinks and feel free to look over the menu."

When Rosmerta was out of sight, Pacifica turned to Kathy and punched her in the arm.

"Ow!" Kathy exclaimed in pain. "What was that for?"

"Why didn't you say yes immediately?" Pacifica asked her. "You always take free stuff when it's given to you. Always."

Kathy glared at her while she rubbed her arm. "Really? Do you think it's a good idea to take stuff from a stranger just because it's free? Does that at all sound safe to you?"

"You know what I mean," Pacifica said. "Not a lot of good things have happened to us recently. So we have to accept any kindness given to us."

"I'm sorry, I just find it hard to believe anyone would give away free stuff without an ulterior motive."

Pacifica rolled her eyes. "Not everyone is bad, Kathy. Sometimes you get free stuff that's good and is free."

Kathy's expression turned serious. "There's always a catch. Nothing is ever truly free."

The group stared at her concerned. Where was this coming from? What happened that they didn't know about?

"So what are you guys going to eat?" Kathy asked as she grabbed her menu. "I could go for some Shepherds pie."