[st. george's gardens] the walls keep tumbling down. [ravi]

But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all?

It was strange to be outside of Hogwarts after spending so much time under the dome. Everything felt unreal, like Naz was stuck in a dream and she was holding her breath waiting to see if it was a good one or a nightmare. The afternoon sun shining through the trees in the gardens made everything shine in such a beautiful way that the spiritual witch couldn't help but smile. She had considered the dome a blessing in disguise, at least until the monsters started coming out from the black, because of the way it was there to protect them. If only it had come two years earlier maybe she wouldn't of been sent to Azkaban for being a muggleborn. Maybe so many would not of had to fight, to die, but it was too late for those maybes. Instead Nazreen was looking to turn the page and start the next chapter.

Free from persecution, free from the dome, and free to have lunch in a garden with an old friend. She had sent a letter to Ravi as soon as her lessons were finished for the week asking him to meet her at the St. George Gardens on Saturday afternoon. She wasn't sure what he was up to lately so she didn't know if he would be able to make it but she hoped. Nazreen had formed a unique bond with the wizard and she was always interested in nurturing friendships. Making her way through the green and stone garden to find a good seat near a beautifully dilapidated statue Nazreen placed her knapsack on the ledge next to her and brushed natural curls away from her face. She was dressed plainly, as always, with no make up and not a flashy piece of jewelry on her person. Tan shorts with a bit of dirt on them, a blue tunic, and brown sneakers completed her naturalist look.

From where she was sitting she could see a good portion of the park, it was old but not forgotten and she thought there was a certain sense of serenity in the idea. Even after centuries, even as the world built up around it, there had always been this small piece of paradise. It was peaceful here with the birds chirping and the wind rustling the leaves in the canopy of trees above her. The smell of the bright purple flowers wrapping around the base of the old statue warmed her senses and a soft smile fell on her tanned face. She could stay here all afternoon, even if Ravi wasn't able to make it, though she hoped he would. She'd brought him a special box of the new tea leaves she'd been growing this year and she hoped he would enjoy them.

@Ravi Reynolds

He was late, as usual. He'd started the morning in his lab down in the basement, thinking that he could get a little bit of work done on his latest project before heading out to meet Nazreen at the Gardens. Of course, he'd gotten too wrapped up in going through the notes and preparing to set up the experiment that he planned to do later in the day, after spending the afternoon with his friend, and before he knew it, the time for leaving had come and gone. It was only a ring from his mother - asking him why he hadn't picked up the lunch he'd asked her to prepare - that made him aware of just how late he was. Cursing, he hurried out, stopping only long enough to leave a note for Théo on the kitchen counter telling him where he'd gone, and then rushed to apparate to the alley behind Gwen's restaurant.

Waiting for him there at the back door, his mother stood with a covered basket in her hand and a disapproving look on her face. For whatever reason, their relationship had improved rather a lot since Ravi's release from Azkaban. Before that, while Gwen had been supportive enough of her son being a wizard, she had always put her own career ahead of everything else. It was only after the events of the second wizarding war, and the near loss of her son that she'd decided that she needed a closer relationship with Ravi. Not that he minded it all that much, but after a lifetime of Gwen having put herself and her career first, it had taken some adjustment on his part, especially when she insisted on wanting to know far too much about his personal life.

At least today, she let him get along without quizzing him about his meeting with Nazreen. And thankfully so, because even though he'd been seeing Naz on and off since their release from Azkaban, it wasn't something Ravi was sure that Gwen really understood and being late already, he really wasn't in the mood to try and explain it to her once more. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, took the basket she had packed for him and then hurried on down the alley, and onward down the street to the nearest Underground station. On such a sunny and warm day, risking an apparation to the Gardens - even in a quiet corner of it - was out of the question.

When he finally arrived at St. George's Gardens, he was almost an hour late. But even as he entered the Gardens, the peacefulness of the surroundings began to calm his frazzled nerves and he stopped for a moment, putting the basket down so he could shed his much too warm leather jacket to carry it over his arm. In dark grey shirt sleeves, well worn black jeans and his old and scuffed boots, he picked the basket up again and continued on, finding Naz sitting in the filtered sunlight beside a weathered statue. With a smile spreading across his lips, Ravi approached and sat down next to her, setting the basket down at his feet.

"Sorry I'm late," he said after a moment, smirking a bit because he knew that she knew why he'd been delayed, though it really was no good excuse. "I know it won't make up for it, but I brought lunch from Gwen." He tapped the basket lightly with the toe of his boot, not knowing what his mother had packed, only that it had to be good. It always was, after all. "So… how have you been?" It was, of course, an obvious question after everything that had happened at Hogwarts over the last school year, but even working at the Ministry, Ravi had only heard the rumours and none of that had been first hand. Of course, had he not been at the Ministry, he might never even have heard of the troubles at the school as he was rather prone to neglect keeping up with current news.

"Are you late?" She replied kindly, blinking at him slowly and moving to sit up from where she had been leaning against the cold stone of the fountain. If Naz had been the type of witch to bother with constricting things like time she might of looked at her watch right about now but instead she smiled at him. She didn't mind waiting, it gave her the chance to stretch out and enjoy the sunlight for a moment. Wispy strands of her hair flew into her face as he brought up the lunch Gwen had packed and Nazreen's gaze fell to the basket. He was so thoughtful. "I like your jacket, it suits you." She complimented easily and with her usual friendly demeanor. "I have been fairly well. Hogwarts is getting back to normal now that the dome has come down and the beasts are gone. The students seem to be falling back into their regular routines quite easily but that's how kids are I supposed, resilient." Spoken like a true Hufflepuff Nazreen took all of two seconds to answer the question about her own well being and shift the conversation toward the state of others. "The greenhouses are a mess though!" She chuckled and shook her heads.

She leaned down toward the basket he'd brought with him and picked up the cover to take a look inside, she could smell the yumminess from here. "How about you Ravi, are you well?" She knew about things in his past, just like he knew about things in hers, but they didn't need to talk about that now. She wanted to hear about his beautiful life which she was certain he'd crafted by now. "How is the ministry?" She asked slowly, trying to remember what it was he did there. She knew it was important and interesting but it had been so long since they last spoke, she didn't want to offend him by assuming the wrong position. "How are things with Theo?" The witch winked at him as her stomach began to rumble, she'd skipped breakfast in order to make the train to St. George's and it seemed that was not the best option. Especially with the mouth watering mystery sitting only feet away.

Turning to her knapsack she flipped open the top and unceremoniously began rummaging through its contents. It was the largest item Nazreen owned excluding one Dragon leather cloak for the winter and it housed all of her possessions. Even before she'd gone on the run from snatchers she'd learned to live small. It had come especially in handy during her time in India when her lifestyle was especially transient. Once she'd found what she was looking for inside the bag she pulled out a small wooden box she'd carved herself and held it out to him. "I've a gift for you." She was proud of her special tea leaves, they were all natural and she took great care in nurturing them. "These are unique tea leaves though Ravi, I wouldn't suggest drinking a cup before work." They weren't drugs, not in her opinion, but Naz was a firm believer in spiritual journeys. She brushed another out of control strand of long dark hair from her face before asking a final question.

"Oh how is your Mum?" 

Chuckling at Naz's almost innocent expression as she looked up at him to ask if he was really late, Ravi nodded and then gave a shrug of his shoulder. He should have known better than to worry that his friend would be upset over his lateness. "Almost an hour," he commented with another glance around. She'd picked a good spot here. Off by themselves, but still with a good view of the area, so that they could see people approaching before they came within earshot. He hadn't always been so careful about the possibility of his conversation with other witches or wizards being overheard, but ever since the war and having spent months looking over his shoulder he had gotten a lot more careful about it, especially when there was a good likelihood of a conversation turning to more serious subjects. For now, though, he took the compliment of his jacket with a smile and a nod. "Really too warm for it by now, but it's my favourite." And really, he wasn't above a certain kind of vanity. He liked to dress well, even if it was just a 'casual' look.

It didn't escape his notice that she'd barely answered his question of how she was doing before she had turned the subject away from herself and over onto the topic of Hogwarts. While Ravi certainly didn't miss school or pined for those years the way some people did, he had spent seven years of his life there and felt a certain connection to the place, no matter that he sometimes wondered what life would have been like if he'd never gotten that letter at age eleven. "A lot of those kids lived through the same war we did, Naz," he said, almost instantly regretting the words that came out of his mouth, though he still continued now that he'd already put his foot in his mouth. "They're tough. So are you, by the way. And I'm sure you'll get those greenhouses back in order in no time."

He just managed to not give her a glaring look when she did a full turn-about and turned the conversation back on him, asking how he was, how was work, and Théo. He couldn't hide the smile that slid across his face at the thought of his boyfriend. Almost six years since he'd met the man, but it didn't seem like that glow of being in love was going to wear off any time soon. He elegantly skipped the first question, taking a cue from Naz herself and gave a light shrug of the shoulders at the one about work. "The Ministry is busy as always. A lot of people involved with the whole business up at Hogwarts, including people from my own department, looking into the creature infestation you had." He'd been interested in that himself, but was still too low in the ranks to warrant a place on that particular research team. "Théo's well, thank you. Busy at the shop and concocting new potions, and annoyed at the cats as always."

"How about you? Are you seeing anyone?" he asked, reaching down to pick up the basket at the sound of her stomach rumbling, pursing his lips as he opened it up. "Let's see what Gwen packed us, shall we?" He grinned as he took out the first wrapped package, with his mother's neat handwriting scrawled across the paper, noting the content in a single word: Chicken. "Sandwiches, of course." The next was 'Ham' and there was one that was simply labelled 'Veg'. "So, what will it be? Chicken, ham or veg surprise?" Picking a chicken sandwich for himself, he dug deeper into the basket and came out with a bottle of cool cider and a couple of plastic glasses that he set on the ledge, pausing as he noticed that as he'd been unpacking, so had Naz.

Raising a brow as she held out the beautifully carved box, it took him another moment before he reached out to take it, letting his fingers caress the wood. "It's beautiful," he said, though he knew well enough that it wasn't the box that was important to Naz, but what was inside it. Which she soon explained and made him raise his brow even further, way up into his hairline. "Unique, huh?" he chuckled and opened the lid to take a peek and a little sniff, though he was unable to identify the mix. Probably Théo could have a guess at it, or he could use some of the equipment in the basement to accurately find out what it was, but it was safer to just ask. "Alright, I'll bite. What's in it and what will it do to me, since I shouldn't drink and work on it?"

He simply motioned to the basket and its offering at her question regarding his mum. "Gwen's doing well. All too happy to get a chance to cook for me," he said and carefully closed the lid of the box Naz had given him, putting it down on the ledge next to the plastic glasses. "Happy too, I think, to see me get out into the sun. She'd love you for that, by the way. And your family? How are they?"

His lateness not only hadn't registered with her but even now that she was aware of it it didn't matter. She didn't mind waiting on a good friend, she didn't mind waiting for much of anything really. Nazreen was a particularly and unusually patient witch. She wondered where he had gotten his jacket as she complimented it but decided to shelf that question for later when he commented about the war. It was true, terribly and tragically sad, but entirely true. "Those poor children..." She whispered, the horrors of what had happened to them still so fresh on the surface. Not even the Dome and the year she'd just lived through at Hogwarts could wash away those memories. She assumed they would be with them all for some time, if not for the rest of their lives, but she was still hopeful they would recover. She had faith that the wizarding community she had come to love would heal together.

"I'm sure I will, but help would always been appreciated." She winked at him before nudging into his shoulders. Maybe she could guilt her very good friend into whipping up some good magic to help her sort out the disaster that was her Greenhouses. It was a large amount of work and she was no stranger to hard work but projects were always better achieved in good company. She listened to every word he spoke about his own life, soaking in all the details and really caring that things were going well for him. She smiled at the mention of Theo, remembering how important the two were to one another, and their relationship made her smile. If only she could find love like they had. And not some arrangement like her parents were pressuring her into. "Have you any kittens yet?" She asked as she tucked unruly natural waves behind one of her hers.

"No love for me, not as of yet." She replied softly with her eyes on the basket. She wasn't ashamed to be alone but she was a romantic at heart. She loved the symbolism of finding that one special someone who completed your life. Your balance, your rock, your hope. It was something she was very much looking forward to one day. "Vegatable please." As if there was any other option for her. It was almost like Gwen had known who she was packing a lunch for because as Nazreen unwrapped the sandwhich she was pleasantly surprised with all of her favorite things. "She's outdone herself again.." Nazreen took a bite of the sandwhich, enjoying the moment with a smile. It didn't matter that she looked like a bloody fool with her eyes closed, a wide open smile, and food in her teeth, she found it extremely important to take pleasure in the little things. The best moments.

With food still mashing around in her mouth she answered his question. "Remember that time I had incense burning that made you feel a bit... spiritual?" She recalled another time and a faint smile and glow came to her eyes. Nazreen, like many, was plagued with terrible memories but she refused to let them cloud over the good ones. "It'll be a bit like that but perhaps more. It will help you sort things out, yeah." She drank tea like this often, it might of been why she was so peaceful, but maybe it wouldn't have the same effect on him. She wouldn't recommend it if there was any chance it might hurt him though. She wasn't willing to take that chance.

It was good to hear his mum was doing well and Nazreen swallowed this time before speaking again. "They are good. My mum's health was a bit dodgy for a bit." She confessed even though it pulled on her heartstrings before frowning slightly at him and continuing. "She's on the mend now though." Nazreen hadn't been able to be there in her mother's time of need and it was tearing her apart. She hadn't even known that she was in the hospital until she was back home and the dome was finally down. "I've been making her a special tea as well." She whispered and leaned in toward him before finishing her statement and taking a large bite to hopefully dissuade him from asking too many questions. "Appreciate it if you didn't mention that bit to anyone though." She wasn't sure about the rules but Nazreen's family were muggles, she was using magic to hopefully heal what was ailing her Mother, but they already knew about the wizarding world. It was a weird gray area but in her heart the law didn't matter - just the welfare of the wonderful woman who had brought her into this world. She hoped he would understand.

Swallowing and changing the subject Nazreen leaned back against the dilapidated stone and looked at him. "Do you still dream about that place?" She asked, assuming he'd know by the seriousness on her face that she meant Azkaban.

The whole deal with Hogwarts and the Dome that had come down around the school wasn't something that Ravi had been very involved in. If he were to be completely honest, if he hadn't worked at the Ministry, he would more than likely have done his best to avoid any and all news about the incident, but it was impossible not to overhear chatter and rumour during breaks, in the lift, or just walking from one place to another. If he thought he'd had it bad in his last year at Hogwarts with the basilisk scare, it was nothing compared to what had come later. He didn't know what else to say, though and just nodded assent to Naz' comment about the poor children.

Well enough then, that Nazreen seemed intent on changing the subject, suggesting without saying as much that he come help get the greenhouses back in order. "I'll see if I can talk Théo into coming along for a weekend visit," he grinned, lifting a brow in an amused and slightly suggestive way. "He's much better with the plants than I am." Not that Ravi had been terrible in herbology - he did, after all, have an Acceptable N.E.W.T. in the subject - but he was much more comfortable around animals. Which, of course, was why he'd taken in all the cats and would have taken in more if it wasn't for his lover. "No, no kittens. The cats are all fixed, I'm afraid." Deep down, Ravi wouldn't have minded litter upon litter of kittens, but ever since he was a child, playing with the stays in the alleys and the neighbour's cats, he'd known that the responsible thing to do when having multiple cats of both genders was to make sure they didn't breed. There were already far too many homeless cats in the world as it was and he wasn't going to add to the problem.

Handing the veggie sandwich over to Nazreen, he unwrapped one with chicken for himself, looking at her with a mix of sadness and sympathy. For a long time, he hadn't believed there was anyone out there for him, either. Not since the business with Harrison at school. But then he'd met Théo and the thought of him alone made Ravi smile for a moment. "Well, we'll have to do something about that, won't we?" he joked, then took a bite of the sandwich, grinning as he watched Naz enjoy her own bite of vegetables and bread, looking not too unlike she was close to having an orgasm. That was a big part of the reason he liked her so much; she wasn't afraid to show her emotions, no matter that they were out in public or that it might make her look foolish, though Ravi didn't think it did. "Maybe I should set you up with Gwen," he chuckled, giving her a wink. "I'm sure she could win your heart with her cooking alone."

His brow furrowed a bit as she explained about the tea, that it was similar to the incense she had once used, which had made him feel quite... odd. That was the best word Ravi had for it, though Naz called it 'spiritual'. Of course, he knew there was a scientific explanation for that sensation of being outside himself and not feeling panicked at that, but it wasn't something he'd thought of at the time. He'd be lying if he said he'd fully enjoyed it, but it hadn't been frightening or uncomfortable, either. It had, as she said, allowed him to face some very uncomfortable truths without fear or panic. And it was, perhaps, just the thing he needed. "Thank you," he said, hesitating for a moment as he looked down at the box with the tea, fingers of one hand running over the wood. "I think it might be just the thing I needed..."

Listening quietly as she talked about her mother, Ravi put his sandwich down to uncap the cider and pour the two plastic glasses. He could tell that it was difficult for her to talk about and could guess at the reason. He'd never been particularly close with his own mother, and it wasn't until he'd been released from Azkaban that he and Gwen had started to grow closer. Still, wouldn't he also do anything in his power to help his mother if she became ill? "From one muggleborn to another," he said, making a gesture across his chest to indicated the old saying of 'cross my heart', "I'll never tell anyone. But please, let me know if you need any advice. I'm sure Théo would only be too happy to help." Picking up one of the glasses, he handed it to Naz, then took the other for himself and raised it in a small toast. "To our health, and that of our families."

For the most part, Ravi preferred not to talk about the war at all and would normally not even mention it in conversation. He'd thrown himself into work since getting out of Azkaban and when he wasn't at the Ministry, he was doing research in the cellar. But with Naz, it was different. They shared a bond, an experience, that few other people had, and that few other people could even begin to understand, let alone imagine. Which meant that she was one of the only people he could really talk to about that time and really be open and honest about it. So when she once again changed to subject and brought it back to their time in Azkaban, he nodded and took a large swig of the cider. "All the time," he admitted, looking at the bubbles rising in the plastic glass. "Théo tries his best, with his potions and just being there, but..." He shrugged, looked up into her eyes. "They can never really understand, can they?"