A little after 5pm.

The lift doors closed on Virgil and a group of stuffy paperpushers from level one. He had come up to personally drop off a few reports for Yavin, who rarely entrusted those documents to owls or paper planes. Under the eccentric department head, such information was given hand-to-hand.

It was his last errand before going home, and he repressed a sigh as the lift immediately stopped on level two. For once, couldn't he have it smooth sailing down to Mysteries?

A few nobodies got off and only a couple of nobodies got on. Correction. Virgil stood a touch straight. One nobody and one Andromeda Gamp.

Virgil mostly knew about Andromeda through stories told by Ari and Ceph - she seemed fearsome. He stopped himself from taking an involuntary step back when she entered the lift. What was the protocol? Before you'd been introduced? Something about the witch forbade a direct hello-how-do-you-do.

So different from Cepheus, who he'd last seen at the weekend[1].

Not wanting to appear rude, Virgil smiled a little at the auror as her eyes passed over him.

1.	3rd March - Like Roses and Clover

It was Andromeda's second day back in the office. It was just after five. She was going home. Fate was tempted. Of all the manifestations it chose Virgil Carstairs in a descending lift. They did not know each other well. Save for discovering him as a blood soaked student in Camden. After her parents had experimented on him. Small things. Now her brother Cepheus was dating him. She had asked. Of course she had asked. Sisters always asked. But fate wanted her to ask again. Virgil this time.

He tried a smile. She met it with obvious gaze. She had not missed him. Or it. Did not return the nicety. Was he going home? Was he scuttling off back down to Nine? The lift opened again. Suddenly she was beside him. The smell of leather jacket and electricity invading his space. Simultaneously not looking at him at all. Eyes fixed on the door.

"Department of Magical Transportation..." The lift announced in bright tones. In a smooth efficient manner of an auror Andromeda swept Virgil out of the lift by the elbow. At a speed you might miss it if you blinked. Nobody came here at ten past five. More private than Seven. She let go of him beneath a set of pointing arm signs. Floo Registration. Apparition Licenses. They stuck out of the wall at angles.

Hello. Andromeda. Andie. Ceph's sister. Nice to meet you.

"What is it about our family Carstairs?" Started Andromeda. Interrogation face. "Because I thought our parents would have put you off."

He didn't know what to make of Andromeda, whose mannerisms and approach to life radiated a kind of aggression that perplexed Virgil.

The auror had been one of the cavalry who'd rescued them at Camden Town; he didn't have a good memory of that day but he wasn't keen to delve back into it either. Those horrors already slept too close to the skin. He glanced at the lift doors as they closed, carriage descending and thereby abandoning him to his fate on level six.

             "What is it about our family Carstairs?"

Virgil resisted the urge to step back and retreat in the direction of Floo Registration.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied, responding to her assertiveness by falling back on his Slytherin drawl. "Perhaps I'm a masochist."

In all honesty, he hadn't considered himself drawn to the Gamps as such. Was it his fault that Ariadne was enchanting? Or that Cepheus affected him so? No, those things were entirely out of his hands.

Never one to take a passive role, he slipped his hands behind his back and gave Andromeda a frank look. "Do you have a problem with me? Nice to properly meet you, by the way."

"Only if you cause my brother or my niece a problem." Her gaze unbroken. Satisfied Virgil had not cowered. Begged. Spluttered. He had made a joke.

"Likewise." She smiled. Offered her hand. "Me and Ceph trade stereotype roles when he finally gets a boyfriend. I have to do the whole 'you do wrong of my sibling and I will break your legs' introduction." Andromeda shrugged. She could. With her wand and without.

"I am surprised though. Thought you would run a mile in the circumstances." Frowned at Virgil. "Has he not mentioned his murderous tendencies? That he has a giant army at his disposal? That us Gamp siblings are going to overthrow your boss and finish the job our parents started?" She was blunt about it all. "No?" She pretended to be surprised.

"Good! You do not read that rubbish either." She shook his shoulders tightly. Laughed. Let him go and walked away. Making space. "How long has it been? Hiding you away?"

He had taken Andromeda's proffered hand without thinking, still dazed in spite of his composure. Cause a problem? Break his legs?? Virgil never considered himself much of a threat, particularly to the Gamps, and was surprised to be at the receiving end of such a conversation. Wasn't he the one who should be worried?

His confusion turned quickly to amusement as Ceph's sister started listing the awful but creative speculations about her family.

She was quite funny, he decided. Virgil's crooked smile said as much and he relaxed a touch. It helped that she finally released his hand. On a scale of Fauna[1] to Omari[2], Andromeda appeared to occupy a comfortable space in the middle.

             "How long has it been? Hiding you away?"

"Oh not even a month ," he shrugged, trying not to sound like the lovesick boy he knew himself to be. "We had our first date on Valentine weekend."

Since then, they had become closer but Virgil didn't entirely know where he stood with Cepheus - even after baring parts of his past[3] to the other man. He just didn't have a lot of experience seriously dating someone, much less someone so much older.

"I... um." Virgil hesitated. "I really wouldn't do anything to hurt Cepheus. Or Ari. Just so you know," he added, wanting to reassure even though it felt a bit bizarre. "I really like them."

1.	23rd Dec 2011 - So Tender and Mild
2.	9th Sept 2011 - You Swore You'd Never Do
3.	3rd March - Like Roses and Clover

"Good." Said Andromeda. "Because I really like them too."

Cepheus had moved on quick. He told her about Arcturus Hollingbury. More friends than item. It took a lot for her brother to start a relationship. He thought nobody would want him. Crazy brother. But he had not had much luck with boyfriends. Would he have luck with Virgil Carstairs?

"He said. That Witch Weekly thing." She had got paired with Ambrose Pepper. Witch Weekly liked an age gap. Dodgy. "Ari said it was a long time coming." Their parents trying to kill him put him off probably. "I thought you are a bit young for him. Ari said you just graduated too." Andromeda looked Virgil up and down. Judging him. Muggle fashion. Cream sweater. Ceph liked clothes. Ceph liked Virgil.

Virgil quickly realised that, aside from his boyfriend, he didn't want any Gamps to be thoroughly scrutinising him. Andromeda quoted both Cepheus and Ari - were those the terms with which they spoke about him? Long time coming? A Witch Weekly date? The descriptions didn't quite agree with each other.

            "I thought you are a bit young for him. Ari said you just graduated too."

"That's really for Ceph to decide," he replied steadily, though his jaw drew taut. "He had his reservations I'm sure. It would be suspicious if he hadn't."

His palms were clammy. Andromeda had hit on an insecurity - the age gap, which reminded Virgil of how wary Cepheus had been to enter into their relationship. It was unusual for him.

Virgil never experienced trouble getting who he wanted. It seemed so easy in theory, playing himself up as Ari's flirtatious and forward friend - a pretty young thing any inclined wizard loved to take home after a night at The Closet. But that game had led Cepheus to think V only wanted a fling, and it had taken a lot of nerve for him to assert otherwise.

"Do you do this to all his boyfriends?" Virgil heard himself ask, resentful of having to run yet another gauntlet.

Suspicious if he hadn't? Andie raised a eyebrow.
"You think he has many?" Said Andie. Put her hands on her hips. "Plenty of witches got him on their list. Until late of course. And no. Not because of this little interrogation." She pointed back and forth between them. It was not going to smoothly. She was tired. Second day back on the job. Early start. Long day. Headache. Overwhelming need to be protective of her sibling...

"You pass the test Carstairs." Andie shrugged. "Cannot be too careful. You know. Lately. I care for my brother. If you are going to care for him too I want you to do a good job." Looked him up and down again. "Sorry for dragging you out the lift. No time like the present." A flock of paper airplanes fluttered low over their heads. The lift dinged. Company.

"Drinks or dinner on me. When you are done hiding." Andromeda pointed at Virgil.

He felt indignant on Ceph's behalf, to hear Andromeda ask if Virgil thought he had many boyfriends. In a way the answer didn't matter - Cepheus had more proper boyfriends than Virgil ever did anyway.

The auror's interrogative tone subsided and he tried not to look too relieved.

            "I care for my brother. If you are going to care for him too I want you to do a good job."

There was something about that phrasing. Care for him.

And then she apologised. Virgil's feelings towards her softened at this, because he knew what it was to act in the heat of the moment and to feel concern for siblings. The lift doors slid open. People.

"Um, yeah. Of course," he mumbled, thrown by Andromeda accusing him of 'hiding'. Whatever. Virgil smiled awkwardly at her and moved off, walking against the stream of people who'd gotten off on level seven.

He didn't know what to think of Ceph's sister just yet, or the things she said. But Virgil knew her words would do rounds in his head for a few days.