Audrey's mother was going to spend much of her time today in meetings at the ministry, so she and Linus had stopped by to visit briefly to give her company and the pleasure of seeing her beloved favorite (and only) grandchild. Much to Linus' disappointment, Ruzena had not had enough time to stay for a whole meal, so Linus and Audrey were left at a small table with plates full of food.

"Muuuum, may I please have a pumpkin pasty?" Li pleaded, blinking his large eyes at Audrey.

He had behaved himself so far, and eaten all the soggy vegetables on his plate without complaint. Audrey was quite strict about her diet, and fed herself and her son healthy choices with sweets being quite rare. Linus had been good lately, and it had been awhile since she had let him eat pastries or sweets of any kind.

"Fine." She replied tersely. "You stay in your seat." She got up from her seat and walked away, leaving Linus alone.

Once again, he had been on his very best behavior. Perhaps it was the effect of being under his mother's thumb. Perhaps it was Madeline Whitman's influence. So, she trusted him alone for a mere minute.

But that one minute was enough for him to pester others.  His mom had told him to stay here. But she had not said anything about him moving his seat to another table.

It was then that the little lion scooted his chair rather noisily to a neighboring table.

"Good morning!" It wasn't morning. "You look grumpy. And important." He declared, wiggling his ears at the ministry worker. "And alone. So very alone."

The tea was uneventful for the most part, the sandwich well enjoyed as the summer of 2010 inside the Ministry of Magic was in full force. This was especially true as it was Wednesday and Wednesdays were typically the busiest, most frustrating days of the the week. Mondays you'd hear the endless drawling of laments about the reasons why people weren't happy about having to come back from a good weekend, Fridays found people in many departments lacking proper motivation to stay focused and actually work opposed to eying the clock for it to toil six. Wednesdays, however, combined both issues from Mondays and Fridays into a singular, ticking time bomb.

Rumors, as they often did, were circulating about a particularly nasty incident from the week prior[1] and to Maurice, he was listening to the fragments of truth and of deceit. This said, the man had little opinion on the matter but- - if it were true and common knowledge, he would be sympathizing for the family affected, particularly a colleague in a different department than his own. After all, that kind of damnation was particularly grieve-some for anyone involved, hm? His eyes continued looking about the atrium, then back to his sandwich to take a bite. . .

"Muuuum, may I please have a pumpkin pasty?"

Eugh.

That whining, deplorable sound of a child's beggar plea. Maurice hid behind his tea cup as he looked to the mother and child in front of him. The mother's face was obscured, but the child? Heavens no. His ears were rather . . . disproportionate to his head and for that, Maurice did well to avoid further eye contact lest his lips and nose make a derisive snerk, causing displeasure and a tempered mother. He heard the mother's words to behave by staying in their seat. Yes, for heavens' sakes, stay in the bloody seat, was Maurice's internal assessment, lowering the cup, refilling it slowly as to avoid spilling and ruining the suit as well as the three piece suit. He could not have possibly anticipated what would occur next.

CREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK~

Shuddering at the sound and gripping the tea pot handle tightly, Maurice's eyes shot up daggers to Linus, highly unamused by his antic. Clever little bugger though....stayed in his seat, ruined countless others' hearing instead.

"Good morning! You look grumpy. And important."

Quite right he was bloody important! He was the assistant to the Minister herself! That was just as equally important to the title of Minister of Magic. Maurice was fully prepared to come back with something witty when Linus wiggled those ears and the wittiness went right out the bloody window and onto the cobbled pavement with a sickening squelch. This child was definitely a kooky one and slightly rude to call someone grumpy without having proper parameters of judging. That sat none too well with Maurice; after all... Lawrence was entitled some leniency on those matters. Linus, however? Hardly none at all.

"...and alone. So very alone."

Rude. Kooky. Offensive.

Where was his mother for all of this!? Furrowing his brow, the teapot returned next to the cup and saucer as Maurice looked at him rather intently. "I'm sorry, are you related to the Trelawney lineage? If not, I daresay you need to watch how you speak to your elders, my boy. First of all: I am hardly alone (I've got a boyfriend, but you don't need to know a damn thing about him, Maurice grimaced on the inside), secondly, it is precisely twelve thirty in the afternoon. Thirdly, I'm not grumpy... it's a Wednesday and unless you've been dealt with them poorly as well, I don't believe you'd quite understand. Lastly, yes. I am in a position of importance, but I'll leave that for some other point of discussion. After all, you probably have a view about that too."

1.	The Attack on Wolfgang Storm, of course (of course!)

"I don't know if anybody has told you, but I think you're balding a bit. Is that what makes you one of my elders?" Linus replied as-a-matter-of-factly, resting his elbows on the table and placing his chin on top of his hands. His eyes darted to an empty seat between him and Maurice.

The man claimed he wasn't alone.

However, there was no evidence to suggest otherwise.

"Well, you are behaving grumpy. Is it because you're alone? Did your date forget to show up?" He pryed, "I once had a meeting scheduled with one of my amphibians. Half of them forgot to show up, and poor Francis, he was so--"

"LINUS BARNABY HUGHES!" Audrey screeched, face flushing with rage as she stormed to the table. "What do you think you're doing?" She had yet to even look at minister's assistant. Crumbs went flying as the pumpkin pastry was being waved at Linus.

"Mum, you're squeezing it!"

"I did not raise you to harass unwitting strangers during tea."

"I was making a friend. He was lonely and sad."

Audrey turned her head sharply, finally facing Maurice for the first time, though she didn't really see him. "Well, were you?! Were you angry and sad? No? I thought not." She placed the pumpkin pasty on the table and her gaze returned to her little devil spawn, the crotchfruit of shenanigans. "Since he's so sad and alone, Linus, I guess he'll get the pumpkin pasty instead of you. Hm?"

"But m--"

"Ah."  She crossed her arms over her chest. "Apologize to mister..." Audrey gave Maurice a questioning look, silently asking for his name. It was then that she actually paid attention to his visage. Any tint of red that had blossomed across her cheeks disappeared, and her lips formed into a firm line. Although she did not make any verbal acknowledgement towards him, her absolute stillness gave her away.

"I apologize for my behavior and your receding hairline." Linus; voice even carried a tint of remorse. Whether it was pity for the lack of hair or if he was actually sorry for bothering Mr. Holmes, it was difficult to tell.

"I don't know if anybody has told you, but I think you're balding a bit. Is that what makes you one of my elders?"

Maurice grit his teeth, doing his very best to not show that Linus was more than just beginning to get underneath his skin. The child meant well, or Maurice hoped was the case; however, the blatant disrespect to insult him about his lack of a partner, his mood, and his hair status was becoming more than just mere triflings. "No, my date did not forget to show up, my good boy. They're being productive members of society like I am. You really ought to watch your tongue though - - I don't much approve of you speaking so ill about me. Surely, hasn't your parents taught you better? Your mother clearly-"

"LINUS BARNABY HUGHES!"

The sharp screech caused Maurice to wince only briefly as the mother returned to her son, quite irate by his misdeeds. Good for that, Maurice felt. The child needed a good whack on the arse for the rudeness he was procuring with the elders. Their argument soon began, Maurice not intervening at any given point as personal recollection of what happened when a mother was irate with her son. He was able to pick up his cup, taking a strong gulp down, eyeing them only briefly as to stay out of their affairs, even if he was directly the cause for their feud. "Since he's so sad and alone, Linus, I guess he'll get the pumpkin pasty instead of you. Hm?" Godric, really. His eyes looked to the sweet and found it particularly unsavoury due to this engagement suddenly -- besides, why even take the sweet from the child? He had no intention in doing so.

The absurdity of all of this namby pamby foolishness. Ugh.

"Apologize to mister..."

Their eyes met and Maurice did well to match Audrey's expression of surprise with little expression -- with the exception that a singular eyebrow rose up. "I apologize for my behavior and your receding hairline." Maurice began to smirk faintly to this, nodding that he acknowledged Linus' guilt. "Apologies are quite accepted, young Master Linus. As for the 'mister' bit, it's Mr. Holmes, if you please," Maurice responded to Linus solely before looking then to Audrey as a follow up. "Fret not, ma'am. I assure you it's his age and the youth that comes with it. The pasty may stay with him; I dare not wish for a growing young man to be without a well deserved sweet, hm?"

Hm, indeed.

Audrey couldn't believe that Linus had gotten them in this situation.

Or rather, she did believe it. In fact, she had learned to expect this sort of behavior from him-- she should have been more specific. Linus was the sort of child who looked for loopholes wherever he could find them. She wasn't sure where he had gotten that from. Certainly not from her! Audrey suspected that some influences from her brother and her father were to blame.

"Maurice." She acknowledged tersely, straightening up and resting her hand on Linus' shoulder.  "It's been a long time."

"Is he your friend, mum? I didn't know you h--" It didn't even take a stern look for him to realize that the sentence shouldn't be completed. It seemed that he had some form of self-preservation. That was comforting.

"No. An old acquaintance."

"So he is old." Linus squinted his eyes at Maurice. "Mister Holmes, how old are you? I'm eleven. No." He paused, "I'm going to be twelve in sixteen days!" he reached for the crumbled up pumpkin pasty. Audrey didn't stop him, but she very visibly cringed. "AND I'm going to be a second year at Hogwarts. A Gryffindor of course" As if he could've been anything else. Most Hughes were in Gryffindor, except for his aunt (Hufflepuff), his uncle (Ravenclaw), and his mom (Slytherin)... But it was rumored that it was because of the veela blood.  "I am a lion. And I am friends with a lion. He wrote in my yearbook, you know."

"Linus, say goodbye. We mustn't bother him any longer." She sighed, "Sorry about the intrusion. Enjoy your tea."

"But he's fun."

Audrey looked at him incredulously. Fun?! In what world did her child live in?!

Clearly Linus lived in a magical realm where pestering your elders was the utmost fun one could have -- loopholes and all.

However, it was clear in this actual living, breathing, universe, Maurice Holmes and Audrey Hughes were not in the good graces of fate and her designs. It had indeed been a long time since they had bid each other adieu after an escapade or so. Thank the graces he wasn't blushing from those thoughts -- after all, there was no impropriety regarding what happened to them. They had enjoyed the company the way an adoring, married couple had, yes? That said, when the time came for them to depart, it had at least left on pleasant terms.

This all said, Maurice continued to listen to Linus, a headache slightly forming in listening to his perkiness. Clearly, the boy did not receive this… blessing from Audrey -- perhaps his father who seemed to be out of the picture or even a Hughes. Who knew and in Maurice's case, without trying to seem utterly heartless, who really cared? Rubbing his eyes again, Maurice fought to stay in the conversation but it was clear he was slipping.

"Ah, yes. A lion and a Gryffindor, t'boot? Mm, sounds like quite the winning combination, don't you think, Master Linus?"

Ouch, that sounded a bit harsh, didn't it? "Forgive me. I've just....never seen a lion be at Hogwarts instructing is all. As for myself, I was in Slytherin." Hurrah, rivalry.

This Mr. Holmes guy was kind of... How did his mom put it?A blast ended skrewt's blasted end. But he wasn't going to say that out loud. He was far too civilized for that.

"My mom was a Slytherin too!" Linus squinted at Audrey and back to Maurice. "But you're way too old to have classes with her.." He gave Maurice a slightly malevolent grin, revenge for the rivalry. "You're nearly in your grave." A croaking sound came from the pocket of his robes and Linus pulled out a beady-eyed frog with a knitted cap on it's head. "Francis agrees. He can tell that your death is imminent."

Audrey froze, staring at her son. What. Where had he gotten that from? Oh right. Probably her. She groaned and rubbed her temples, wanting to be out of this situation before Maurice started to put the pieces together. "Li, let's stop bothering him." But of course there was no encouragement for Linus to apologize either.

"He's a seer frog, you know." He said as-a-matter-of-factly, "And he likes lions WAY MORE than snakes!" Francis blinked at Maurice, uncaring, oblivious, and just a little slimy.