After a nice school trip earlier in the summer, followed by joining her boyfriend Cole on a trip with the Nott Family to Athens where she spent some quality time with her boyfriend, Katrina sort of wasn't all that happy to be back in London. She loved her mother dearly, Andromeda Bayne, and all, but the woman was miserable. The woman tried to react happily to all of Kat's vacation stories, but the pain of her losing her husband due to the jerk running out on her before Kat was born still lingered in her. Kat wished her mother could just move on, but maybe she had and was now worried about her daughter leaving home after graduation the next year. Maybe there was something else going on. If there was, then her mother wasn't telling her. She worried a great deal about the woman at times, and often wondered if one time, her mother's sorrows would cause her to completely drift away.

Kat made the most of being in London though and decided to do something she had planned on doing back at Hogwarts, and that was to paint a scene in Diagon Alley. It was a huge project, but Kat had an artistic soul and really had nothing better to do when her friends and boyfriend were out and about and seemingly unable to hang out. And besides, having a painting of the Alley when she returned to Hogwarts would remind her a bit of home whenever she missed it and her mum. Standing in a good spot where she could see a great deal of the alley, she already had around half the painting done by mid-day. Perched nearby was her loyal raven, Empusa. It seemed the dark bird was rarely ever out of her sight, as dedicated to her as a dog or cat was to others.

COLE THEODORE NOTT or ALIETTA MARIE KRUM or open

Cole Nott seemed to have nothing but time on his hands since he graduated and already had gone on two separate trips to various places in Europe. He had managed to use his trust fund and move out on his own into a very small flat in London, but in order to do so, he had to make a deal with his dad: He would take the summer off to relax and have fun, and if he didn't have a good idea of what he wanted to do with his life by the time that September rolled around, he would allow his father to set him up with a job at the Ministry. It would be something small, like an assistant or whatnot, but knowing his dad, he would find plenty of ways for his son to work his way up and make his own way into a position of power just like he was. Power had always been very important to the Nott family. Old habits die hard. Cole didn't want to work at the Ministry for Magic. He loathed the idea of having to go into work at 9 am every day and sitting at a desk doing paper work or following behind some other wizard fetching coffee and files until he checked out at 5 pm and then went back the next day to do it all over again. It just wasn't him. But, the only thing Cole really wanted to do was play Quidditch. And he knew that would be a long shot: not that he wasn't good. He was. He had been on the Slytherin team since his third year and had been captain of it for his last two years of school, he was an astounding beater. His parents would never agree to it, however. It wasn't a job that brought enough power and honor. Family honor was all anyone seemed to care about.

So, with nothing but time on his hands and a month left to kill before he was doomed to start work at the Ministry, Cole wandered around Diagon Alley, stopping first in the Quidditch shop to check out some of the new brooms. He pondered buying the newest model for a moment, but then realized that he probably wouldn't get enough use out of it to make it worth while. So he kept walking. His features lit up when he saw the familiar face painting in the Alley. Katrina. His wonderful girlfriend. "Hey pretty lady, can I buy you an ice cream?" He asked, approaching her from behind.

Katrina definitely didn't expect Cole to be in Diagon, given he had a lot of thinking to do about his future. But was she arguing when he appeared? Definitely now. A small smile formed on her face as he approached and offered to buy her an ice cream.

It was amazing how the two of them had not even been dating a year, yet Katrina knew he was the one for her? Why? Because prior to Cole, she never had an interest in dating. She had guy friends, but none of them had ever gotten to her heart in a romantic sense. She had been around Cole of course, given they were in the same House for six years, but it wasn't until they happened to meet at the Black Lake one day and got a chance to really chat that Kat began to fall for him. For the remainder of her sixth year and Cole's final one, they went on dates in Hogsmeade and got closer. On the school trip to Rome, Italy, they had their first kiss, and when Katrina was asked to come along on a family trip with Cole to Athens, Greece, they became even closer. Now it was well established that Katrina was in love with Cole and there would never be anyone but him.

Kat put down her brush and stepped over to Cole.

"Hey you," she said before giving him a brief kiss on the lips. "Well this is a nifty little surprise. And yeah, an ice cream sounds good. Just give me a second."

Katrina then uttered a spell over her painting to protected it from being ruined or stolen while she joined Cole. She then stepped back over and took Cole's right hand.

"So, how has everything been going since Greece?" she asked.

COLE THEODORE NOTT

Cole loved Katrina, and she was a major factor in his life. So he wanted to make her proud, he wanted to get a good job and make a good living so that by the time that she graduated, and if he was ready to take that next step, the two could move in together and maybe even get engaged. Cole had dated other girls, but only a handful. He only ever dated girls whom he knew that his parents and his family would approve of, and he knew that everyone in his family approved of Katrina. How could they not? She was prefect in every single way. She was a Slytherin, a pureblood, a beautiful, driven, powerful woman, and, most importantly, she loved him. And he loved her. It wasn't until Greece that he knew for sure that she was the One. The only One. The One that he wanted to marry and have his own family with one day. But until that day, he had to get a job and be able to support himself and his slowly evolving family. Though, his future looked a little bleak. His father had already secured him the Ministry job and was already pestering Cole to go out and get himself fitted for a few nice suits to wear when he came into the office. He couldn't live off of his trust fund forever.

"Take your time." He said once she agreed to let him buy her an ice cream. He never wanted her to rush her art, he loved her art and wanted her to be able to focus on it for the rest of her life. All the more reason to get a good job, he didn't want her to have to work if she wanted to spend her life making art. No wife of his would ever have to work unless she wanted too. When she took his hand, he began to walk with her towards the ice cream parlor. "Nothing's really been going. I've just been enjoying my last few weeks of freedom." He admitted. "How about you? Sorry I haven't gotten to see you as much as I would have liked too."

Cole was definitely not like any other guy Katrina had been around. He wasn't arrogant, impatient, cheesy. He was sweet and genuine. He thought of Katrina before himself. Katrina wasn't selfish either, but she did appreciate Cole doing that for her. Still, she decided her art could wait, as she still had a little while before returning to school and could finish the painting later. After all, she had already captured the people who were moving about at the time. All she needed was to paint the top of the buildings and they didn't move... well most of them anyway.

"No, it's fine," she said. "Besides, you're here and I want to spend time with you, as much as possible before I return to school."

As she walked with him, she listened to what had been going on with him. She knew Cole had been trying to find a good job, no doubt something he would be happy with. She knew Cole would find something he loved, but even if he didn't succeed, she would still be there, still love him with all her heart. Whether he was a janitor or a billionaire, she knew she was going to marry him some day. She then shook her head as he apologized about not seeing her.

"I doubt you haven't seen me because you suddenly detest me or something," she joked. "But I know you've been busy. Any luck finding a job? Decide to break down and appease your dad and mum?" Katrina didn't get the best vibe off Cole's mother and father when she met them. She did enjoy the company of his Uncle Draco though. The two had a nice chat in Greece. "As for me, haven't really done much outside of my art. Mum's still... well mum. Still distraught about my father... wherever he is."

COLE THEODORE NOTT

Cole was happy to hear that she wanted to spend time with him. He always wanted to spend time with her and he couldn't help but think about how hard it was going to be once she started school again and he started real life. Real life, that was an interesting concept. Who was to say that the life that he was about to enter into was going to be his real life. He was still so on the fence about taking a job at the Ministry for Magic. He had never wanted to be one of those men who worked at a desk and had to check in and out at the same time every day year after year. He wanted a career that was more individualized and more active. Cole was a very active individual.

When she asked about his job search, he sighed. "I don't really have any choice, do I? I mean, there's literally nothing else I can do that my parents would see as respectable as a position of power at the Ministry. My dad's already there. My uncle's Minister. I'm almost guaranteed an assistant to the Minister position or something." he said and bit his lip. "But maybe it's the best thing for me anyway, it'll pay really well." He shrugged.

Katrina loved Cole with all her heart. And because of that, she wasn't going to just stand there and agree with everything he said when she knew what he said, if turned into action, would hurt him in the long run. True, being in the Ministry would make Cole a lot of money, especially if he was an assistant of Draco's. But galleons did equal happiness in her opinion. This was the mindset of an artist after all. She knew Cole, and knew what he loved to do, what he wanted to do, and just as she wanted her own dream to come true some day, she wanted his to come true as well.

"Cole, listen to me," she said as she took his hands into his. Her voice was stern, but one filled with love. "I think it's pretty clear by now that some day down the road you and I will be man and wife. While part of me wants a husband that can do his part financially, another parts wants a husband who comes home everyday happy because he loves what he does. I know what makes you happy, and it's something you're very good at too. You really should see about trying out for some of the teams. I still remember how amazing you were at Hogwarts. Bloody hell, I didn't even care about Quidditch until I watched you play."

Katrina released one of her hands from one of his and stroked his hair.

"Cole, one reason I fell in love with you is because you're not one of these millions of blokes who's line of thinking is based off what their mum and dad thinks or what society thinks. You think for yourself and are your own man. Don't let anyone... not even me... pressure you into changing that."

COLE THEODORE NOTT