On a bench in Diagon.
Around 1 PM
Follows this thread


Mark had just found out he would be a godfather to his best friend's little bundle of joy, P.J. and he was giving the father a little bit of nap time, and so, he and his godson went for a little stroll in the daylight. When they made it to a good bench, Mark sat down, and took the child out of the carriage in order to hold him closer. "Hey there Paul John. It's me, Mark. Uncle Mark? Mark the man? What do you call me?" He brought the baby closer to his face, and P.J. reached out, snagging on to his nose, and tugging.

"Ow, okay, noses. Noses are cool I guess." He said, bringing the baby back down, and holding him in his arms. "You can't understand me yet. That's okay. But if I keep talking in a soothing voice, and if I give a substantial number of cuddles," he then cuddled the child. "Then you will learn to trust me, and grow up loving me." Mark said.  P. J. cooed happily.

Mark rocked him back and forth. "You're small, PJ. And fragile. I've got to be careful, not to break you. Because that would be sad. Right? Daddy would not be happy with Uncle Mark. Uncle? Just Mark?" Mark asked. "I don't know, little buddy. I don't know."

Making her way through the streets of Diagon Alley, a to go order of hot chocolate in her hand, Anna found herself wandering a bit.  Her business had been completed rather quickly, and her London financial obligations were taken care of for another month.  She didn't have to work until much later that evening, which meant she had time to kill before returning to Hogsmeade and the current chapter of her life.

Stopping for a moment to check her watch and determine if she had enough time to browse in the book store, her attention was drawn to a man on the bench near her talking to a baby.  She couldn't help the momentary wistful glance at them.  A year and a half ago she and her now estranged husband had been convinced they would be cooing over a baby by now.

"You're small, PJ. And fragile. I've got to be careful, not to break you. Because that would be sad. Right? Daddy would not be happy with Uncle Mark. Uncle? Just Mark?  I don't know, little buddy. I don't know."

"Babies are more resilient then one might think," she offered, giving the man a small smile.

Mark looked up from PJ to see a blonde lady walking closer, and smiled shyly. He had nothing to be shy about though. He was happily engaged, and he didn't have to get nervous around women anymore. Maybe he was just on edge from all of the poison threats, and sister-in-law hatred. Either way, he tried to be a man and smile at the woman like normal people do. He looked back down at PJ. "I just found out I'm going to be a Godfather. To this little guy. And I just met him." He looked up. "I have no idea what I'm doing. And my fiance is expecting soon. And I'm so nervous." Mark rattled off.

"Sorry, didn't mean to just dump everything on you, there. I'm trying to come to terms with a lot of stuff. And I'm starting with PJ here." Mark explained.

"No need to apologize," she said, offering a genuine smile.  "I don't mind listening."

For Anna, listening to the worries and troubles of others had been her job for so long.  Perhaps her profession had changed, but she was still good at it.  It seemed the younger man on the bench had a lot on his mind, and it was obvious why that might be.  Getting married was stressful enough, but to already be on the road to parenthood made things that much more difficult.  The very idea of trying to have a child couple put strain on a relationship.

"It sounds like spending some time with PJ could be good practice for when your own little one arrives," she offered.  "People tend to adapt very quickly too when it's their own child."

Mark listened intently to the lady's explanation. "That makes sense. I've done a ton of research into the whole baby situation. I guess I'll just have to learn. Slow and steady wins the race." He held PJ in his left arm and extended his right hand to Arianna. "I'm Mark. Mark Hunter. This is PJ." He introduced.

"Do you have kids?" He asked, wondering. She knew quite about children, and babies, so there was a possibility she did. But he also didn't want to be rude, and didn't want her to think that he would expect her to have a child. This was the eternal problem with Mark. He tended to speak without thinking then try to backpeddle and take back what he said in the first place.