[Flour Power] a poor choice of table [Ben]

Friendship was something that Isobel had took for granted when she was at school. At Hogwarts, you had quick and easy access to all of your friends, you did all live together after all. Keeping in touch with friends became harder and harder as she grew up. It hadn't been helped by the young woman running away for a few months a few years ago but even without that keeping up with friendships was still a labour intensive task. It involved writing letters and catching up where you could. With everyone now working and on different timetables and in different places it was a nightmare trying to co-ordinate schedules and find a convenient time and place to meet.

Today, she had managed to have some time off at the same time as one of her old school friends. A rare chance for them to catch up. It seemed like far too long between their last meeting and this. It must have been before Christmas. Now it was a cold Wednesday in January and Christmas seemed like a lifetime ago. Isobel had finished work early, she had some time owing from working overtime a few weeks back. Isobel often complained about her hours but she knew it was a lot more sociable than the hours Ben worked during the week. She did not envy those who worked in medicine.

They had agreed to meet in a bakery in Diagon Alley, Flour Power, which served coffee, perfect for a cold day like today. Isobel had hoped to get a cosy table in the corner where she could sit with a steaming mug of hot chocolate but instead she had only managed to get a table by the door. Every time the door opened a draft blew in the direction of the table. Isobel sat with her coat wrapped tightly around her, her hands clasped around the mug containing her hot drink. She was surveying the rest of the seats, hoping that one further away from the door would become available. She was so engrossed in watching for free tables that she paid little attention to the door of the bakery opening again.

At last: his weekend had arrived! It was only Wednesday, but this afternoon marked the start of three days off for the Healer. Ben had picked up a few extra shifts this past week due to the usual wave of various stomach bugs and flus this time of year that felled his co-workers as well as his patients, so with the rearranged schedule he now had a break in the middle of the week. That meant he’d be back to work Saturday night, though, but the Gryffindor alumnus couldn’t say he particularly minded. It wasn’t like he spent much time out on the down on weekend nights anyways – though, from time to time, being so out-of-sync with the majority of his non-medical friends’ schedules was downright frustrating. And a bit lonely.

So when Isobel had owled him this past weekend about catching up, he had happily agreed. The timing worked out beautifully; both of them knew they weren’t likely to get this lucky again anytime soon with their schedules overlapping, so they had jumped at the opportunity. She was off early from work, so she would save a table for them while he took a quick shower in the Healer’s locker room and changed his clothes. From the time he had started his rotations while he was still in school, his preceptor had drilled into him the necessity of only wearing his Healer’s robes in the hospital environment. ‘Not only is it insufferably pretentious, but Merlin only knows what horrendous diseases are clinging to them,’ she would say. Her rule of thumb was to wear only clean robes to the hospital at the start of shift, and immediately after you were done to remove and clean them promptly (the House Elves would do it for you right there in the locker room): never leave the hospital wearing the robes you just worked in. It made sense, and it stuck.

Freshly washed and wearing clean street clothes, Ben made his way to the cozy bakery and stepped inside, the bell over the door tinkling merrily to mark his entrance. A small frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as a quick glance around didn’t yield Isobel’s presence; for the time being, he approached the counter and ordered a coffee as well as a slice of coffee cake for each of them. Food and drink in hand, he turned to do another sweep of the room and saw her, sitting with her back to the door. She had been right under his nose and he hadn’t even noticed!

Shaking his head slightly, he made his way back towards the door and slid into the seat opposite her, grinning brightly.
“Hey! Sorry, didn’t see you over here at first… Oh, here,” he added, sliding her piece of coffee cake across the table. “You look well, it’s great to see you! Happy to be off early, yeah?”