The days where Amelia caught herself looking at the clock more than her actual work were the worst. Sure, it obviously meant that she was bored, and being bored always got on her nerves. Being bored at work, though, was a special kind of bad for Amelia. It started with her wishing she was somewhere else, and usually quickly evolved into her spiralling about her career and ambitions. This had been one of those days since two hours into her shift, so as soon as her clock rang 5 o’clock, she was quick to gather her things and leave her office.
Amelia didn’t intend to end up at The Leaky Cauldron, but then again, when did she ever? She had quickly changed out of her work clothes before leaving the Ministry, and her wandering through London just so happened to lead her to the magical inn. She entered and looked around, it wasn’t quite busy yet but had a fair amount of witches and wizards, and that was typically the pub atmosphere Amelia prefered. She walked right up to the bar, setting her bag down next to her stool of choice, and glanced at the person sitting near. “I’ll have whatever they’re having.”
starry-amelia
Amelia looked at the man for a moment before saying anything. Had she expected for him to grasp onto her passive comment so tightly? Not quite. Maybe she should have, though. She hadn’t spent very long sitting next to the wizard, but he didn’t seem like the type for casual conversation. It seemed like she had chosen an interesting drinking partner tonight indeed, without realizing it.
As she thought about how to answer him, she realized that what Benjy said was true. “Nothing quite as good to drink to as an existential crisis,“ she repeated, laughing. She raised her glass up to him and downed the rest before saying anything else. “You say it like it is, don’t you, Mr. Fenwick?”
“Are you buying me drinks, now? Besides, who said I was unwilling to talk about anything?” Amelia teased lightly, even though she knew fully that talking about her insecurities and existential issues was the last thing she planned on doing when she sat to get a drink next to a handsome man at a bar. As she listened to his words, she wondered how it was possible for someone to sound so sure. Not being afraid? She hadn’t felt sure of anything or been without fear since she was a teenager patrolling the Hogwarts halls. She sighed.
“…Maybe one more drink before I tell you all my secrets, hm?”
His words out her mouth made the corner of his smirk quirk up a bit further. A low chuckle mingled with her laughter: the deep bass he offered an enriching undertone to the softer higher sounds from the woman. Laughter was a music all its own-- human, but beautiful against the dull roar of the bustle of life in the pub.
A small nod of his head came as affirmation of her next words. "I do my best to--but please, call me Benjy. Formality is much overrated." He had seen the stiff rubric and ceremony of purist society growing up. He had been born to it, but rejected that elitism. He preferred something simpler--something that felt more genuine. Everything he had seen from most of the Sacred 28 screamed fakeness and fraudulence.
Benjy let his shoulder lift and drop in a casual shrug in respect to Amelia's question. His brow came up in a challenge when she disputed his assertion that it would take a drink to get her talking. He could read people well--and this witch did not scream open book. The opposite truly. Her vague answers and hints at humor all served to be amicable without giving too much real insight. It made him curious to see what may lay underneath. "I could be persuaded to buy a couple, if the conversation flows as well as the liquor." He didn't want boring small talk, but if she wanted to dig into something deeper then he was happy to toss a couple galleons to the barkeep to keep them protected from thirst and sobriety.
"That is fair enough," he motioned to the bloke behind the bar to refill both their glasses. "Go ahead and double us up, mate," the hit wizard instructed, and the man across from them gave two heavy-handed pours into the pair of lowballs. Flames licked the top of the surface as the firewhiskey transferred from bottle to glass before fading away to nothing. Benjy took his in hand and lifted it towards Amelia. "Cheers," he offered, clinking glass against glass before taking a long drink.
