July 2004
Initially, Reed had met Giovanna by mistake, but every subsequent occurrence had been delicately planned. He’d been in the states for ministry business when a beautiful, gothic witch had near accosted him at the newsstand in the MACUSA lobby. It was a random meet-cute by any standards, but the opportunist in Reed had not taken long to figure out who Giovanna was – or more specifically,
who her family was . Most of what Reed did for the ministry was tedious and legal, but here and there, the opportunity for something off the books presented itself. And Reed knew that having a connection to one of the most prominent wizarding mafia families in the United States was sure to come in handy.
He’d began to see Giovanna more often, eventually to the point of seeking her out any time he was on her side of the world. He took her to fancy hotels and tombs in Paris, and he spoiled her with expensive gifts, and it all seemed to be working. Except somewhere along the line, Reed realized Giovanna was way more interesting than anyone in her family, and his priorities began to shift. While he always angled toward his benefit, Reed began to care about her. He wasn’t trying to marry Giovanna or anything, but he enjoyed her company enough to want to bring her back to his apartment. Reed almost religiously refused to bring the witches he was sleeping with back to his flat.
It was July, though, and her birthday was coming up, and he had promised her something special.
“We’re here,†Reed said as they finished apparating into the foyer of his flat. He’d considered bringing her through the muggle lobby so that she could behold the painstakingly cut marble floors and the sky bar overlooking an indoor water feature, but decided against it. The sooner he could get her into his apartment, the better. Turning from her momentarily, Reed hung the jacket of his suit on the wooden hanger near the front door. It was a warm summer day, but Reed’s Marchesi suits were magically charmed to keep cool despite the climate, and Reed was never underdressed.
“Would you like a drink?†He asked, watching her as she stepped inside, into his space, and sought not to pick apart every expression she made.
