That Day

It was strange being back at the Ministry. Not that he hadn't been there dozens of times--probably more--since leaving the Auror squad two years ago, but it always felt like a foreign place, no matter how many visits he made. Once he'd practically lived there, had spent more hours holed up in his cubicle pouring over maps than he had in the partially-renovated Grimmauld Place, but now he was more familiar with open air, and he liked it that way. Still, when the Minister asked you to come by for lunch, you didn't say no.

( This visit with Kingsley had been surprisingly more business talk than usual. )

*NOTE: This is old Lisa. The personality/backstory is different, but the basics of this exchange remain. It wasn't worth rewriting it all....*

Lisa sat down at a table in the corner, her back to a wall and the whole cafeteria in front of her. It had been years since sitting relatively exposed at lunch had caused her any extreme anxiety, but her seating choice was a force of habit now. Often she ate at her desk with fresh parchment and a complex translation spread in front of her, but sometimes even she needed to see faces that weren't her brother, Mandy, Angelina or Cho. Even her boss tended to leave her alone for long stretches, since her work often took a lot of concentration..

( She cast a quick charm... )

Neville squinted just slightly in the late morning sunlight and leaned forward in his chair to pick a couple of dried-looking leaves from one of his tomato plants. He wasn't out here to work, or not really, but sometimes he just couldn't help himself. Most of the time. He opened his palm and watched as the breeze carried the leaves away, then relaxed in his chair again. There was a glass of pumpkin juice on the little table next to him, and he grabbed it, took a drink. The full heat of the day hadn't hit yet, but it would soon, and he was starting to feel it.

( I still can't believe we managed to both get the day off. )