"It's, it's fine, it still is a topic of relevance. Aha." How do you say it in a way that didn't sound like you weren't very happy about that? Thankfully Cepheus changed the subject, Arc was only too glad to latch on. "I was there last weekend too for the same reason. Yes, I do listen to the wireless - which band is it?" His favourite teetered on the tip of his tongue for a moment, but he ultimately did not elaborate on it.

"I guess I can go, I don't work on weekends unless I get called for an emergency." The healer's badge nestled in his pocket even right now. It was like a security blanket, he'd even entertained the idea of using it as a get-away card if anything got too awkward for him to handle.

"Who was your blind date last weekend? I didn't dare look at the options available, all I know is that my housemate was there as well." His tone was one of embarrassment. "How'd it go? I might have gone with slightly higher expectations than was needed, but live and let live."

He took another sip of tea, wondering at how far he'd managed to get being this painfully socially awkward. "Is there anyone else you've invited?" he asked abruptly, thought borne in the wake of his musings. "Just wondering. I've never been to a live band performance before, it would be interesting."

“Uhh - let's see if I can find the flyer.” Ceph set aside his mug of tea and hopped to his feet, approaching a desk set before one of the windows looking out over the street. It was generally tidy though had a stack of paperwork beside an inkwell. He rifled through his in-tray as Arcturus continued.

”Who was your blind date last weekend?” Arc asked as Ceph rifled through a few letters opened but still in envelopes. There it was! He trailed back to the sofa, flopping down, leaving the flyer on the cushions between them.

“My date had his finger broken…” Cepheus explained, “the infamous Rascal Rosier and I were paired.” He shook his head, lips curled in amusement at the memory. “It was never going to be straightforward, if you know his work. Certainly different.” Ceph replied, not looking to Arcturus but away to a point on the living room floor as he visualised the scene in his mind. ”Interesting.” He added and blinked.

He was about to return the question to Arc when he abruptly asked Cepheus another question about the following weekend. The cup of tea paused on the way to Ceph’s lips, a tabby cat chasing a ball of wool across the design.
“You’ll enjoy it. Live music is less polished, more raw than recordings. A new interpretation of a piece and different acoustics.” He assured Arcturus and nudged the flyer across. “Even if I only know a couple of their songs. Apparently they’re Irish, probably why they’re performing at Rover’s with with Delacroix’s theme.” He watched the other wizard retrieve the green paper. “Nobody else invited…” Ceph added, watching Arc’s reaction, yet poised on the tip of his tongue.

"I hope it wasn't you doing the breaking," Arcturus said, hoping his light tone wouldn't be taken seriously. He'd vaguely heard of Rosier, but was not at all familiar with his work. The healer's books were strictly academic in nature.

He picked up the flyer. Even before he'd looked at it properly, the knotted border had caught his eye and abruptly lodged his heart in his throat. The snaking border constantly moved in its eternal looping, and he knew exactly one band that made the moving knotted border its signature advert mark. Afraid that what he was guessing may not be right, he checked it properly.

No, he was right. The bold silver-edged bronze typeface of the Wild Aethonans shimmered in defiance of his second-guessing. He wasn't sure what to make of it, then that moment passed and he smiled.

It took him a few moments to find his words. "This is brilliant. I...how did Rover's manage to book them in? I thought they preferred to perform in Ireland only..." He looked up and realised Cepheus was still watching him in that quiet manner that was starting to get to him in a strange way.

"I know this band, their music is enough of a reason for me to leave the wireless on," he explained, trying to hide enthusiasm in front of Cepheus. "I know a bit about them, but it'd be great to see them live." His tone hardly matched the rest of his head, which was currently roused from its quiet reverie to now marvel and run about in excitement.

"I... yes, I'm definitely coming. Count me in." He looked up at Cepheus, catching the intent gaze from the pair of deep-set blue eyes. "Thank you. I wouldn't normally know about this, if not for you."

From modest mouse came something brighter in Arcturus at the other end of the sofa. Arcturus had a rather charming smile! His reacquainted classmate showed recognition at the flyer, far more than Cepheus had when he’d found it in his jacket pocket after a night out. Someone had pressed it upon him, and his inebriated self had decided to keep it with him. Fortunate - if not fate.

“You do?” Ceph asked, even though as much was obvious. “That’s handy - they are good then?” Truth be that if the music was bad it was just a reason to drink a bit and attempt conversation over the noise until decamping to somewhere else in Diagon Alley for a better atmosphere. Now that Arc suggested he knew about these ones, and the fact Delacroix didn’t book horrific bands, Saturday next seemed all the more promising. Even if the healer was just compelled to leave his wireless on when they played.

“Alright!” Gamp exclaimed when Arc agreed to come and reached his mug across in a toast of mugs in mild celebration. “No trouble, more the merrier.” He took a healthy sip of his tea, curiosity getting the better of him. “So who did you end up paired with last weekend, now I’ve admitted mine - ah, and no, not me breaking fingers.” He gave Arcturus a reassuringly warm smile.

"They are good then?" Arcturus hesitated. He would readily admit to having unconventional interests and a heavy bias in favour of the Wild Aethonans, and not everyone would share his.

"I think they're good," he said slowly. "Though I haven't met like-minded individuals, that could be because I've not gone out much, and they release music fairly slowly. But I've listened to them since they formed in mid-2000." And that, he firmly decided, was enough letting someone else know that he was actually an avid fan. Any sufficiently intelligent person would be able to deduce it by now, and he felt Cepheus was at least on that level.

Still hesitant but a little more conducive to this agreement, he let their mugs make contact with a little dink. "Frederick Dodger. That was an interesting time, but I'd rather not talk about it." There were many choice adjectives he would've used to replace 'interesting', but he'd chosen to put it behind him and move on. Best thing to do, really.

His tea was finishing. Arcturus took another sip, well aware of this and even more aware of another awkward pause. He had no idea what to continue with. Perhaps this was why he'd rather make excursions with friends where there was some other activity to fall back on. This was all so terribly awkward.

Cepheus gave a gentle shrug to Hollingbury’s suggestion that he didn’t want to elaborate on his random pairing with the eccentric Dodger. It suggested it hadn’t turned out well - modesty and overtly outgoing hadn’t matched. Maybe he even felt a little bit glad. The question killed the conversation dead. Modest and a little shy, Ceph thought to himself, his sister must have been rather intimidating.

“Well, was all just meant to be a bit of fun,” he suggested, smiling easily “I don’t think anyone actually comes away with anything but a sense of relief that they’re not the strangest in the room.” He finished his cup of tea and gestured with it. “Top up? There’s another in the pot…” His free hand extended to Arcturus to take his mug, moving to stand up from the sofa.

The kitchen and living room were one open room together, and over the bubble of tea from the spout of the navy teapot and the ring of the teaspoon in china he seized upon a safe topic that Ravenclaw alumni were sure to be able to answer.

“What are you reading at the moment?”

“I don’t think anyone actually comes away with anything but a sense of relief that they’re not the strangest in the room.” Arcturus stopped himself from opposing that view, but the head-shaking was automatic. Whether Gamp noticed or not - well, if he asked, Arcturus would offer up an explanation. If not, nothing would be said.

He accepted Cepheus' offer for more tea, and then sat back wondering why he'd done that. Usually by this time he was raring to escape from the grasp-- all right, it wasn't that bad, or deserving of such a description. Maybe it was the couch or something.

“What are you reading at the moment?” The train of thought regarding the couch smoothly changed tracks.

"Faulkner's Dissertation on Liquid Control in Charms," he said, listening for the sounds of tea gurgling into a container and the clink of a spoon. "Namely, better control over charms that involve the use of liquids. Remember those times in Charms class when learning the Water-Making Charm[1] meant a slippery floor and multiple people missing their candle flame by a mile?" Well, he did because he'd near slipped on the floor a few times. "Or maybe not, Flitwick may not have done that with you all, but I could be wrong."

There was a pause, and then he added, "...am I?"

1.	Water-Making Charm, Aguamenti

“Uhmm…” Cepheus tilted his head back, lifting his eyes to the ceiling of the living room while he thought back to those days in Charms. “Yes, I think I recall doing Augamenti with candles now you mention, but perhaps also with buckets?” His tone meandered as he wasn’t entirely sure. They were thinking back about 20 years or so! He added two sugars again to Arc’s tea and stirred.

“So, Faulkner has studied what, the rate, flow, quantity?” He asked, deciding to pursue the topic further, since it sounded interesting. Experimental charms was a popular aspiration for a Ravenclaw though Ceph’s interests had been rather more focused on creatures way back, even if he had taken a NEWT in charms and another in transfiguration. “I’d ask what he surmises only I imagine if you’re reading you perhaps have covered the literature review and hi- their hypotheses.” He corrected his assumption that Faulkner was a man.

He set aside the teaspoon beside the blue teapot and carried both mugs through to the living room again, appearing at Arc’s right elbow at the end of the sofa to pass him the mug back, nodding as he listened. He drifted across the living room to a bookcase, mug in his left hand, and raked his fingers through his dark hair as he examined the shelves, wondering if he had something he might lend Arcturus if he was reading dissertations on fluid dynamics.

“Anything I have on liquids is on aquatic lifeforms - preserving habitats and the likes, though merpeople do not come under my remit. There’s a fantastic map of the preserved territories of the British isles hanging in the bedroom.” He gestured with his cup of tea in the direction of the hallway again though made no move as if to encourage Arcturus to leap up and view it.

"Charms is your thing then, other than healing?” Ceph asked, looking away from the shelves to his visitor.

"Aguamenti is a basic ideal of how the water flows once it appears which then dictates the strength and quantity for a set duration with no flexibility," Arcturus said, his mind setting to automatic. "It stays on one flow rate until it ends. Faulkner however brings up the subject of people in other countries and cultures who can control water by combining hand gestures and variations in prefixes and suffixes of their language--" and here he caught and stopped himself. "Long story short, that's...more or less what I've been trying to do with Aguamenti, but the limitations of the spell appear to demand innovation rather than improvement at this point."

A high level of self-awareness, he felt, was either a blessing in disguise or a curse. Even to a fellow Ravenclaw alumnus it didn't feel...right to just rattle off about studies. Maybe back in Hogwarts, when a simple quest to answer the Ravenclaw common room's daily questions turned into an expedition into the wonders the library held between bound leather smelling faintly of glue and magic. Today? Not anymore.

In the silence he sipped the tea again, trying to keep down what he sensed was an incoming, gradual trickle of unease and discomfort towards himself. Why did he have to make it this hard? Why was he still here, anyway?

"It's not just charms," he admitted, looking up at his host but not actually focusing straight on him. "It's usually something that relates to what I need at the time being. I just happen to need a charm that allows me to manipulate liquids in my work, and slime from eels that might be beneficial to healing, and...you know. Out of necessity. Barring divination, I have yet to find any use of that in my work." He still regretted his choice of elective in his third year.

"Um...thank you for the offer, but I'm more into the fauna of the Aegean Sea at the moment. The cold water around the British Isles is home to many creatures beneficial to my work, but I'm not in any way the slightest inclined to take a dip in the freezing waters." He gave a lopsided smile at the empty air, eyes diverted from Cepheus and instead gazing unfocused in the direction of the kitchen. "The Aegean is a lot warmer."

Stopping himself from rambling was hard. He took a sip again, just in case. "What are you doing these days? Giants seem exciting - may have been too exciting for you - but surely you're still not out there working on them? Or have you moved on to a less risky project?"

Arcturus elaborated on Faulkner’s paper without hesitation, at least until he reached the end of his explanation and looked decidedly awkward as if he’d done something wrong. Ceph wondered if he was infringing on Arc’s downtime, if the second cup of tea had been less of a choice to his guest and more an insistence. Perhaps he was subconsciously replacing Claude’s company with an old acquaintance. At least this one held two-sided conversation and didn’t shit in the bath. Well, he better not.

Staring in Ceph’s vague direction, Arc deflected to discussing the temperature of seawater, which Ceph echoed with a polite confirmation that it probably was warmer in the Aegean. The North Sea wasn’t the warmest place one could take a dip.

“I oversee all the work with Beings, so that’s giants, yes, vampires, goblins, house elves, hags, veela... The Werewolf Wing manages itself.” Ceph’s fingers reached for the shelves, his tone meandering with the distraction. He pulled a slender dark red bound volume from one above his head height and carried it back with him across the room. He took a seat on the sofa again, ever so slightly closer to the middle, comfortable in his own home. “I only took over at the start of year, so early days, but I’m making my way round the different teams to really get to know my Division.” He explained to Arcturus, reaching over to set his tea down before opening the book.
“Lately I’ve focused on matters such as the lack of blood supplies for vampires.” He paused, thinking on recent news of a loss of those supplies, “But giants, well, it’s almost five years ago, but I was part of Operation Molehill.”

Cepheus extended the book towards Arcturus. It wasn’t particularly long - a collection of research papers written by the team involved. The initial page with contents was printed Mountains or Molehills? Strategies for Giant Population Reintroduction: The British Isles, followed by a list of papers, C.A.Gamp littered beside several of them from studies on population growth to socioeconomic impacts.

“Really, if you boiled it down, I was one of a team of a estate agents for giants displaced by the war to encourage them to move to Britain. Colonies were practically extinct here, and the Ministry were almost invested in driving it to full extinction. I was working in the Goblin Office, they called for volunteers to be put on operation for some months, curiosity got the better of me.” He shrugged, and reached across Arcturus, leafing forward through the pages. “There’s some charming photos towards the end of us running for our lives when two of the Gurgs went for each other, an illustration elaborating the required territorial space of a tribe.” Despite himself, he chuckled a little at the photograph - a fond memory now, ‘charming' somewhat sarcasm as a descriptor of the wizards sprinting from the falling rocks.

“You ever seen a giant?” he asked Arc, looking up with a gentle smile.

Arcturus listened to Gamp's explanation, occasionally skimming through the writings when Cepheus paused. So this was one of the many things going on while he was working late nights in the hospital. The illustrations provided fascinating windows, he'd have to admit that.

"Sorry? Oh, have I seen a giant?" He pondered back on his lessons on creatures at school. "No, I don't think-- oh wait, yes. I have. It must have been amazing at times for you, even if fraught with risk...I don't particularly like giants." He refrained from saying why.

"You've paved some path for people who might follow in your footsteps later, I feel," he said, flipping a page over, head bowed eyes skimming over the words. Phrases in particular jumped out at him. While his experiences with giants hadn't been stellar, he'd sometimes wondered if they'd been forced or bribed with empty promises. It didn't excuse the fighting, no, but it made things so much less... black and white, so to speak.

In thoughtful, absent-minded perusal, he mumbled, "It's admirable."

”I don’t particularly like giants.”
“Heh, few people do.” Ceph agreed, too wrapped up in just sharing information about that year to think laterally that Arc meant his experience with them was at the Battle.
”It’s admirable.”

Cepheus grinned, chuffed Arcturus thought that.
“Thanks, coming from you, that means a lot to me.” He told Hollingbury, letting the other wizard leaf through as he pleased while they sat there. “I’m named on a couple of pieces of Goblin research since with the office. Much as I enjoy and admire the quality of research in the Division, it’s important we deal with the real issues, and reflect with study. Much like I imagine your preoccupation is with dealing with the matter in hand of a patient. Though, I anticipate what with the charms reading, that you also have your own research you’d like to publish.”

Ceph reached for his tea and folded one leg over the other, leaning back on his sofa. His gaze ran evenly over his modest companion sat to his right. Arcturus smelled a little of the cigarette he’d been smoking earlier, and of the chill air outside. He hadn’t noticed it so much but now he was sat a bit closer it caught his attention. Strange to bump into each other now after living within a few hundred metres of each other - to have also been in the same event the week before and not noticed each other. Then again, Cepheus reflected, Rosier had led him out of Rover’s promptly after they’d begun. He’d barely had time to study the other attendees in detail.

Hollingbury had grown up into a respectable looking chap, with a long nose and a strong jawline. He had kind eyes, though did not appear to be the most expressive of people. Ceph remembered him as far more outgoing but then again, they’d met when they were kids, more or less. Arc seemed a pretty serious sort, which was expected - a lot of his old school housemates had grown up to take rather serious jobs in society. Healers, in his experience could have a very dark sense of humour as a coping mechanism.

"Though, I anticipate what with the charms reading, that you also have your own research you’d like to publish." At this Arc cracked a slight smile, if a little dry. "Hardly. While you have the evidence and research to back up your work and observations, I've not got much material on what I do. It'll be scattered here and there in various notebooks with no direction." He took a sip from the mug somewhat absently, preoccupied with illustrations done by a determined hand of the layout of a giant's cave. "Maybe eventually I'll start figuring out my own goals to aim for with my current research. It's somewhat unusual - well, I think it is even for the magical world, anyway."

He looked up at Cepheus and caught his companion's gaze, but he had other things on his mind that took priority. "As you said, more often we're caught up with patients and their issues. Experimental charms are the least of my problems." Arcturus gave a chuckle. "It's actually more fascinating to delve into matters of an anatomical nature and 'fixing' malfunctions of a living, working system that runs without magic. Of course, magic is just a tool with which we use to carry out those repairs, but the fact that we can affect it by non-magical means-- I'm sorry, I'm getting carried away." He shook his head and shut the book in his lap, careful to not crinkle the pages.

"Thank you, this was engaging," he told Cepheus, offering the book back to him. "I would read more, but it would require I hog your couch, so...best not. I have no intention of that tonight."

“Doesn’t mean it’s any less valid to investigate,” Ceph assured Arcturus, even if he had no idea what research Arcturus was suggesting. If it was anything to do with healing or improving healing, it was valid, though he imagined the ethical issues were even more complex than the ones he had to navigate with the Division. Beings had rights and humans were Beings too.
”It’s actually more fascinating to delve into matters of an anatomical nature and ‘fixing’ malfunctions of a living, working system…” Arcturus explained, and Ceph’s smile grew. He nodded, that was very reasonable indeed. Fascinating, extraordinary and incredibly validating as a life pursuit.

”I’m sorry, I’m getting carried away.”
“You’re not.” Cepheus assured, a fleeting press of fingers against Arc’s left upper arm as he replied. He took the red book back from Arcturus as he offered it back, and slid it onto the table before them.
”.. this was engaging.”
“It was,” He agreed, and then realised Hollingbury might have just meant the book, not the conversation! He blushed ever so slightly for the realisation, and his response about the couch came out without too much thought. “You’re welcome to come hog me - ah! My couch another night.” Mortified at the fumbled response he bit his bottom lip, eyebrows drawing together as he looked at Arcturus, indicating he hadn’t meant to say it quite like that. The signs of a departure were all there, and much as Ceph was a little sad not to chat for longer, he did appreciate it had all been spontaneous.

“I won’t keep you, mate. I’ve bent your ear about giants and got you shaking cat food in the alley when you should be putting your head down for the night so you’ve got the energy to heal people tomorrow.” Ceph dipped his head respectfully. “Thank you for the help, and the company. Here,” he reached for the flyer, and a pencil from beside a folded newspaper on the coffee table, and scrawled 312c Diagon Alley on the back, “if you’re passing, but I’ll see you at Rover’s on the 26th otherwise."

It felt odd to have someone actually listen to him ramble into near-academia levels and appreciate it. Pleasant feeling, though. Arc focused more on that than the oddness; it was a warm, content feeling. He didn't notice Cepheus' blush, being engaged in making sure he didn't leave anything on the couch for it to be engulfed by its darkness.

"I-- ha, I won't hog you. Glad you're all right with hogging the couch, though." Arc smiled a little at his statement on talking a donkey's leg off on giants. It was fine. Something different. It was nice to focus on something different for a while.

"Well, giants were an interesting topic, and maybe that was energy enough for a day dealing with people," he said. "Same with shaking cat food like the maracas. Good luck with your cat, I hope he comes back safe. If you need anymore help finding him I'll be glad to pitch in." He watched Gamp scribble away and took the proffered flyer. 312c, huh. They were almost neighbours.

"See you at Rover's," he agreed, slipping the flyer into his pocket.