Padma felt a wave of fear as she and Barty arrived in Diagon Alley, and she kept looking around, just in case Mcnair appeared out of nowhere. He'd been quiet lately, very quiet. No owls or messages. Just silence. She half-hoped it meant he had faded back beyond the Veil, but couldn't keep from being afraid that it just meant he was biding his time.
When Barty spoke, she turned to him and tried to give him a cheerful smile. "I'm happy to come with you. And maybe ice cream for next time... when you're not going to an interview and I don't need to get back to the shop."