Hello, Its Me
molly-theblacksheep:
Molly was going through butterbeer likeit was actually alcoholic. She didn’t want to be sloppy knowing thatMike was going to be here which is the only reason she’d ordered thecinnamon drink instead of the harder option. Working in theDepartment of Mysteries made it hard to spend time with her bestfriend and while she had her coworkers and friends, it was times likethese that she needed Mike. Especially since her family was houndingher about this stupid wedding. Knowing her sister was marryingScorpius and how quickly they were to just accept him, given howhorrible their family was to hers, didn’t make sense to her. Mollywas still considered the outcast, the black sheep, because she ismore focused on her job and career as opposed to settling down andmaking babies. The fact that she is putting her best friend in thiscondition when he didn’t ask for it wasn’t something she wanted tohappen.
Folding her arms against her chest, shegot up from the table she was sitting at and went over the fireplaceto warm herself up. It was abnormally chilly today and as she warmedher hands against the fire, she kept glancing back towards her booth,making sure that no one sat there. It was their special place, theirnames carved into the side of it, and it would belong to them longafter they were gone. Hearing the bell above the door tinkle, shelooked over and recognized the man immediately. She’d be lying toherself if she said the sight of him didn’t make her heart flutterbut she just told herself it was because she hadn’t seen him inmonths. How can you work in the same place and still miss each other?Coming back to sit down at the booth, she waited for him to join her,a smirk crossing her face at his words. “Same here. I’m still notconvinced you’re him. You look far too handsome to be my nerdy bestfriend.”
It took Mike a few minutes to warm up once he was inside the Leaky Cauldron, the chill from outside combining with the feeling of uncertainty to leave a lingering coldness. Not knowing what to expect from Molly was a weird feeling; for as long as he could remember - really almost from the moment they’d met - there had been a level of understanding between them and an ability to read each other. Something about adulthood and the responsibilities that came along with it had changed that, even though it hadn’t been that long since they’d left Hogwarts, and he hated it. Sliding into the side of the booth that had always been his felt a bit like coming home again, and Mike was relieved to feel a bit of the stiffness that always seemed to cling to him after work fade away.
“I don’t know if I should say ‘thank you’ or be insulted,” he replied, though the grin tugging at his lips took away any serious weight the words might have carried. “What would it take to convince you?” As the waiter passed by, carrying a tray of empty glasses back toward the bar, Mike snagged his attention to order a butterbeer for himself before turning back to Molly. “Besides, you’re one to talk. Is that the secret of the Department of Mysteries? That everyone who works there has to be gorgeous?” He was hesitant to turn the conversation to the real reason they were there, afraid that if he brought up the subject of Lucy’s wedding it would only serve to immediately bring down Molly’s mood.
