Andromeda smiled thankfully at Arcturus. He spoke kind words. Sometimes people did not say thank you. People saying that made her feel she was doing the right thing.
"Thank you." She said. She nodded. "I was shopping. Not anything special. Just shopping. Pretty boring really." She laughed and shrugged. "Running into you was good fate." Andromeda blew on the top of her hot chocolate. "Do you keep in touch with anyone from Hogwarts?"

"Not as much as I'd like to admit." Despite Arc feeling a little resentful (at himself) for that, he couldn't help but feel a little cheerier that someone had found this meeting 'good fate'. It was Andromeda, always direct and to the point.

He took another sip, watching her fan hers. "Maybe I should get out more if I want to meet some old friends from Hogwarts just by walking my kneazle in Diagon. But for now it's just Flynn, and only because we've got the same employer." Arcturus gave a quick half-smile, dropping his gaze to the mug. "I'm not very good at keeping in touch with people, not since after all...that. Kind of changed things, if you know what I mean."

That sounded depressing. "Well," he said with an awkward chuckle, "some good times make up for it. I guess ours was one of those times relative to everything else afterwards." Whether that made anything better or not he couldn't tell, but it was out there now. Live and let live.

"Flynn Hughes? He was in my year. He and Cassidy became healers too." Andromeda remembered. "Yeah. It did didn't it?" She looked down at the table. It was awkward. "It's always going to be part of the history we share." Andromeda said. "I work with Neville, and the obvious three." She shrugged. "I guess I don't see people from school. I see family, friends who are a much different age." Andromeda sighed. "My niece, Ariadne is in Gryffindor. I envy how easy she has it. You got any, ooh." Andromeda remembered. "Uh. Any family at Hogwarts?"

Merlin that was awkward as hell. Why did he have to bring it up? Wow he needed to do a better job at this. "Oh, that sounds fairly cool," he said lightly, welcoming the change of subject. "You working with Neville and them. I did want to become an auror, but..." His voice trailed off as he glanced at his kneazle happily  snarfing down food. "...change of plans, I guess."

With some effort he pulled himself back to earth. "Time flies too fast. No, I don't have family at Hogwarts. We're a small family, unless my parents have some relatives they haven't told me about." He shrugged. "I haven't been back there myself in ages. Wait, no...maybe once." He took a sip from his drink, trying to recall. "Oh yes, the career fair[1]. But otherwise I haven't stepped through those doors, familiarised myself with old passageways once again. I really have to stop and smell the roses some time." He set the mug down.

"But Neville and the terrible trio," he used this jokingly, "count as people from school, yes? Unless you meant seeing as in...seeing, like, this. What the two of us are doing now." He gestured lamely at himself, then her. "Surely you don't just hang out by yourself all the time? If you don't, you've definitely got one up over me."

1.	Even Stopper Death, April 23 2010

"You did?" Andromeda asked. She had forgotten that if Arcturus told her. He would probably have made a good auror. He probably made an even better healer.

"I have avoided the careers fair." Andromeda admitted. "There are people who want to go and show off to students at Hogwarts. I do not need to volunteer. I think it would be odd to go back. Nice but odd." She shook her head. She was not sure how she would feel about it. "I think it will have changed a lot. Things will feel smaller. You know?"

Andromeda scratched her head at Arcturus. "I am not dating anyone. No..." She looked at him strangely. Was he trying to tell her they should? He was good looking. She was not afraid if he was suggesting that. It did not seem likely though. "You mean hanging out? I do not get that much time to. I go out at night. I like to dance and forget everything. I go for a drink with the other aurors sometimes. But I see them all day I do not want to hang out with them all night too. Do you get up to much outside the hospital?"

That just made things more awkward.

"No! No, I didn't mean dating! Just - with friends!" he hastily clarified, waving his hands. Words. Maybe he should use them properly. "Yes, I meant hanging out!" At least she cleared that up for him. "No, I don't...really get up to much anywhere. Maybe once or twice in a year, but I'm usually too tired to hang out with colleagues. I don't know how people do it, but being around a crowd makes me nervous." He locked his fingers together, nervously hoping that he'd fixed that.

"I feel the same about colleagues, but when they're the people you're most used to and yet you don't want to see them twenty four hours a day, it's just easier to stay at home, or go take a walk by myself. It's not bad, but I really shouldn't keep to myself so much." Something he'd been telling himself repeatedly for a while now. At least this was an improvement.

"It is better to have friends outside of work." Andromeda nodded. "Once or twice a year is not enough though. Am I the once now?" Andromeda asked. It was January after all. "Sometimes I just go spend the night at my brother's and we talk shit and smoke. Or I go for a run." Andromeda shrugged. "Can not afford to go drinking all the time. Even on an auror's wage. You need some peace and quiet sometimes. Rest your head." She shrugged once more. "Do you play sport?"

"Ha, I'm terrible at sport. You never did see me on a broom, did you?" Arc finished his drink. Rustle was watching him from the bowls of food, clearly having had his fill. "I do swim, nothing much. But I, uh, agree with you on having some peace and quiet." I just do a lot of it...

"But, um, hey." He was suddenly struck by a feeling of uncertainty. "Am I keeping you occupied when you should be? Uhm,  I hope I'm not, anyway." He set his mug down on the table, having only become aware he'd been holding it up since he'd finished drinking, for no utter reason. It was empty. "It's getting late, I think...you alright with that?"

"You were not but it is ok." Andromeda said. She could tell he wanted to leave. "It was nice to see you again. Stay away from dementors. I will tell my brother I saw you. I am sure he would send his regards." Andromeda smiled.

-END-