'At last,' Hermione thought to herself, as she let out the sigh she had been holding in for the past thirty minutes, and finally slammed the manila folder shut.
She had been looking over the same case file all morning, it proving to be a particularly difficult one to get the hang of, and she'd managed to work up quite the headache for herself before the clock had even struck a quarter past 10. She'd been pouring over notes, old files, and even a few of the books lined on the wall behind her, just to see if she couldn't compare it to something she might have worked with in the past. About an hour later, she'd finally found what she had been searching for, and from then on, she'd been drawing up notes, schematics, coming up with an effective game plan she could use to approach the case as a whole.
Needless to say, she was feeling quite pleased with herself, unable to see this as anything but an extremely successful morning, and, as she lounged back comfortably in her chair, she gave her pen one final click, to close it, just for good measure.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the challenge that this case had presented her, it was just that she'd made arrangements earlier in the week, and designated this day in particular to meet up with Harry for lunch. The way it had been going, she had begun to worry that she might not be able to make it, or, even if she did, or if she put her work aside to make time to visit with him, she was afraid she'd be stressing out about the case in her head the entire time, and it would put such a damper on their afternoon together. She didn't want to disappoint him like that, and so, in addition to the usual stress that would accompany a task such as this one, not to mention all the people she'd be letting down if she couldn't figure it out, there was a whole level of added pressure every time her mind wandered to the clock, and she thought of the ever-approaching hour of noon, and Harry.
Thankfully, though, it seemed none of that would be an issue, and it only added to the pride the young witch placed in her achievement as she rose to her feet with a smile she just couldn't seem to help and began tidying up her desk. After everything was safely stowed in its proper place, she summoned her lunch box and her thermos, before pulling her door open and exiting her office. After making a quick mental note of the layout of the Ministry, just to remind herself where the break room even was, she then headed in its direction without any further hesitation. As she made her way through the halls, she exchanged cordial remarks and passing greetings with a few people here and there until she came to a stop in the large, open room where many officials would come and go whenever they managed to find a bit of down time. She supposed it was a testament to how often she found any down time, if she had trouble remembering where the place even was.
She wandered briefly down the center of the room, past the many tables scattered across the floor, and in her head, she couldn't help thinking how much it reminded her of one of the school cafeterias from her youth. Granted, it didn't seem nearly as cliquey as those had been, especially the older she'd gotten, but there was something distinctively similar about it. But, then again...no, as she thought better about it, perhaps it was a little more like the dining areas one would find in the lobbies at a Bed & Breakfast. Yes, that seemed more fitting for the place, it even had a quiet, relaxing feel to it, as those so often did.
It took her a split-second to realize that Harry had yet to arrive, and so, with a slight eye roll at this typical tardiness, the girl took it upon herself to take a seat at a small, circular table near the corner of the room. Even after all that time spent worrying that she wouldn't make it in time, that her friend would be stuck here waiting for her, she'd ended up being the first to arrive. Not that she really minded, of course. In fact, she found it strangely endearing, how this one, tiny quirk was such a testament to how little Harry had actually changed in all the years she had known him.
Harry Potter stared intently at the man across from him, his foreseeable victory well within his grasp. He could just feel it. His emerald gaze never wavered. There came a sudden snapping noise from behind his head and he watched as his opponent's gaze wavered. It was slight, but it was enough. He had won.
"Your eye moved! I saw it! I win!" he declared in triumph. He watched as the Auror dropped his head in defeat, but it was short-lived as he burst out into a fit of laughter that Harry soon joined. There were many cheers from the spectators in the room, even a few good natured pats on the back. There were many bets placed on him, the long reigning champion of the staring contest. Everyone on this floor of the Ministry of aware of his title and didn't dare challenge him, but every now and then there was a brave Auror who stepped into the ring with him for a shot at the glory. They had never succeeded, however, and Harry's reign carried on.
Harry rose to his feet then, stretching his sore muscles, before making the short walk back to his desk. It's not that they never did any work as Aurors. In fact, there were many gruesome cases they assigned the young Potter to that made him cringe, but that's exactly why he introduced these Muggle games to his fellow Aurors. The tension of the job could become too much and everyone needed a break in order to fully function during their assignments. It was during his introduction of the game that he appreciated being raised in the Muggle world. He understood so many things that many were just beginning to grasp. He could introduce common Muggle games such as a staring contest and it became a source of awe in many of his colleague's lives. He was happy to relieve some of the burdens from them. He was also happy he knew how to operate many of the newly introduced Muggle artifacts, such as the microwave. It boggled him how it gave so many of them so much trouble.
At the thought of microwaves, however, Harry's eyes widened as he lowered their emerald depths to the clock that rested on his desk. It read 12:02. Damn. He was late for lunch with Hermione. He raced from the office then, shouting a quick farewell over his shoulder, and made his way down the familiar path to the break room. It was one of his favorite places in the entire building. A place where he could be alone, even if just for a moment. Not today, though. Today he was going to spend lunch with one of his best friends. It was very difficult to make time for any of his old friends, even ones like Hermione who worked in the same building as him. Ron was an exception, however, as he became an Auror right alongside Harry. In fact, Ron was the first person to lose the staring contest.
As Harry's thoughts drifted to his upcoming meeting, he was reminded of the lunch that awaited him. His turkey sandwich which he had made with particular care earlier that day was hidden away in his designated corner of the refrigerator. He had also snagged a cola from the machine to go along with it. He was excited for his lunch today and the company of his best friend would make it that much better.
Harry arrived at his moments later and stopped in the entrance of the room. He smiled at his friend, but had an apologetic expression on his face. "Sorry, Hermione. I was held up."
After waiting only a few minutes longer, an amused smile wound its way to the corner of the young witch's mouth as she watched her friend come rushing into the room, nearly out of breath and his dark hair even untidier than usual. So many images of the bespectacled boy flashed through her mind as she watched him, so many afternoons at Hogwarts, when she had been sitting there, waiting for him, knowing exactly the reason for his dawdling each and every time, and completely unsurprised when, even after he had run to class, he still somehow managed to make himself late. How he managed it, she would never understand, as she herself always seemed to find herself arriving almost anywhere fashionably early, without even needing to try. Once again, she was reminded how little some things had actually changed.
As he made his way over to her, her smile widened, turning welcoming, and she rose to her feet in front of him. The nearer he got, the more she realized that she was actually towering over him a little, even in these short heels. 'Poor Harry,' she thought fondly to herself. But, that height of his had always been a distinctive part of the Harry Potter charm. At least in her mind, anyway.
As she listened to his apology, she only shook her head, before quickly assuring him, "That's alright, Harry. You don't need to apolgize." She proceeded to pull him into a warm embrace, and she closed her eyes briefly at the familiar, comforting sensation that had always accompanied it. When she pulled back a little to smile down at him, she added, "I'm just glad we were finally able to do this."
She didn't mention how afraid she had been, not an hour earlier, that meeting up with him today wouldn't even be possible. He didn't need to hear about that.
Harry's smile widened as Hermione approached him and pulled him into an embrace, which he returned with equal happiness. It was so nice to be around her again. Even though he had only just arrived to their meet up, her presence was always a comforting one.
When she pulled away, Harry could only nod in agreement to her statement. "I am glad as well. It's been a long time coming, Hermione. We need make time for these things more often."
Stepping away then, the young Auror made his way to the refrigerator in the corner of the room and proceeded to pull out his lunch for the day. He smiled proudly at his homemade meal before gesturing to the table she previously occupied and the lunch bag that rested on top. Now seemed like a good time for a little bit of joking. "Did you really start without me?
When Harry walked away, to retrieve his lunch from the refrigerator, Hermione could feel her smile turning even more amused. The way he eyed his lunch, with such pride, was pretty funny to witness. He always took pleasure in the most simplest of things, and the fact that he could feel such an overwhelming glee and sense of accomplishment from the homemade meal she knew rested securely in his lunch bag was a true testament to this.
As he gestured to her own food, and made his little joke, she crossed her arms in front of her, lifting her head just a fraction, as she replied matter-of-factly, "Of course not. I haven't even touched my food yet. I'll have you know, I was waiting for you."
Harry started to laugh at his friend's tone, but he tried to hold it in for the joke. Clearing his throat, he put on the best serious expression he could manage before approaching the table. When he was in arm's reach, he stooped to get a closer look at Hermione's lunch bag and pretended to examine it.
"Hm" the Auror began, tapping a finger slowly against his chin. "It would appear that you are telling the truth, Hermione, and since I have no way of knowing for certain without invading your privacy, I'll take your word for it."
"Well, no need to take my word for it," Hermione informed him, as she then proceeded to reach down for her lunchbox and, with a simple motion, flicked open the metal clasps. Flipping it open, she scooted the leather container a bit closer to him on the table, so he could get a nice, proper view of the inside, and its contents. With a proud smile, she instructed simply, "See for yourself, Harry. I have nothing to hide."
Harry held up his hands in mock surrender, "Well, if you insist,"
The wizard promptly lowered himself to the chair in front of him and pulled the metal lunchbox closer. After awarding his friend a brief look of exaggerated suspicion, he leaned forward and began to inspect the contents. A single heat-resistant container, with what appeared to be pasta inside, rested at the bottom along with a small travel bowl of salad and a loaf of bread carefully wrapped in aluminum. Glancing up from the lunch, he noticed a large thermos resting on the tabletop and, knowing Hermione, it was most likely filled with coffee. The former Gryffindor grinned at his housemate. She had prepared a rather elegant lunch, properly accounting for important food groups, but that coffee was included more out of necessity due to the stress of her job. He could certainly relate to that. Coffee wasn't really to his taste, however, but he had never gone wrong with a good ole' Coca-Cola.
He put on a show of perusing the contents a final time before nodding decisively and sliding the lunchbox back towards Hermione. He placed his elbows on the cold surface of the table, lacing his fingers together as he met her amused gaze. "After a thorough investigation, it would appear you, Miss Granger, were telling the truth. I have seen all I needed to see. You may proceed with your lunch."
Hermione Granger: Ironically, the same thing happened to me. I'm glad you brought it up
May 24, 2016 2:50:37 GMT -5
Hermione Granger: It looks wonderful, though, doesn't it?
May 24, 2016 2:50:49 GMT -5
Draco Malfoy: It does I've been so excited for it since I first heard about it. Always been my favorite, after all. Combine that with you and it's nothing short of perfect. We definitely need to see it together.
May 24, 2016 2:53:18 GMT -5
Hermione Granger: Oh, we absolutely do! It's always been my favorite, too, but I know how much it's always meant to you. You've always sort of reminded me of how the prince was before he became the Beast, haha!
May 24, 2016 3:10:37 GMT -5
*
Draco Malfoy: Ha! Yes, and then somewhere during that whole transition...I became my father
May 24, 2016 3:20:39 GMT -5