A Meeting of Minds [Mr Hubbles, though open]

[Newton Biggs]

One thing is for sure: when the Minister of Magic himself shows up at your door unannounced there is sure to be something afoot. However, upon the Minister's face was a serene smile that gathered the creases of his face at the corners of his mouth. His long legs made long strides as he moved through the corridors of the castle that he had once been his home when he attended school many many moons ago.

The memories that filled the corridors as he past through them made the smile that was upon his face spread wider. As he passed three Slytherin students talking conspiratorially in an alcove of one of the corridors he tipped his cap at them and gave them a knowing half smile. Students would be students after all.

As he knocked on the door of the Staff Room, Newton couldn't help but chuckle: he would never have been allowed in the staff room has he still been a student at Hogwarts. Knowing that, Newton opened the door and strode in. There was no one in the room so Newton decided to have a seat and wait. He eyed an armchair by the fire but changed his mind as first, tea was in order.

Helping himself to the tea and biscuits that were available. He stirred in the lump of sugar he added, clinked the teaspoon on the side of his teacup and laid it on his saucer. Picking up the delicate china cup, Newton took a sip and looked around the room, at all the comfortable chairs, the table by the window, the large fireplace, and all the little bits and bobs that teachers had left in the Staff Room. It felt like quite a cozzy little room to spend hours in, possibly marking papers or simply relaxing during what little precious free time a teacher had.

There was a creek behind the tall man and he turned. Newton saw the door opening as someone came in. "Good to see there are actually adults around here."

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

The early afternoon sun gleamed through the castle windows as Dan made his way towards the staff room. It was rare now that Dan graced the communal room since he had such a fine office, but today Dan had been a teacher once again, so it felt the appropriate place to be was the teacher lounge. His polished black shoes tapped lightly as he marched down the halls, his black robes billowed behind him and under his arm were a stack of rolled up parchment. He would have looked like the perfect traditional headmaster had it not been for his florescent pink shirt and ash stained yellow tie. He forgot how crazy teaching could be, while covering for Transfiguration a student had managed to turn a lamp into a fire breathing lizard…and that lizard set his tie on fire!

With a deep sigh Dan pushed open the staff room door and stepped into the quiet room, the headmaster half expected to be alone but there was someone else sitting in there, someone who Dan was not expecting to see. “Newton!” Throwing down the rolls of parchment onto the nearest chair Dan strode over towards the minster of magic and held out his hand.

“It’s brilliant to see you again. What are you doing here?”

After the firm hand shake Dan sat down on the chair opposite and smiled over at the minster of magic. These two went back years, mainly to a drunken night in Poland and they had both changed so much. The responsibilities of their jobs were wearing thin on both of them, their hair was now gray (Dan dyed his), their wrinkles were deeper and it felt like a good few years had been sucked from their lives. Well, at least that was how Dan felt anyway.

“How’s the family? Are you a granddad yet?” Dan gave a soft chuckle as he leaned back in his chair letting himself relax and unwind after a hard morning.

[Newton Biggs]

In all honesty, the Minister was quite lucky to be found by just the man he wanted to find and also for them to have their privacy. Though if asked by anyone, Newton would say it worked out just the way he had planned. The one thing that made the trip in person to Scotland worth his while was the look on Daniel's face when he saw who it was that was standing in the Staff Room.

Newt moved to the chair he had been eying and sat down, swinging one long leg across the other in a fluid, practiced movement. Holding his tea cup and saucer in his hand. He set it down on the table next to him and took the hand offered to him, squeezing it a little harder than was entirely necessary.

"Daniel," Newton responded flatly, despite the belying smile on his face. "I've popped in for a cup of tea." He picked up the tea cup again and took a delicate sip. Newton had always enjoyed Daniel's company, as the two men were alike in a number of ways and that was enough for them to have been friends for many more years than either of them to admit to. Sure they were all good times, except for that troop of giants that wanted to eat them in Austria, but they were different men now, with responsibilities and families.

"The family is good," Newt said fondly, giving an affirming nod. "Mya has retired now and keeps finding many little things to improve around the house: fountain in the foyer, adding a greenhouse to the livingroom to add more light, small things like that." The question of being a granddad made Newton laugh. "I am in fact," Newton chortled, sipping his tea again. It was going down smoothly. "Three times over: two from Liam and Aine got married last year, she's just had her first. You would have been invited, however my, as Aine's husband didn't want 'my drinking buddy' -" Newton indicated the quotation with two fingers and a disdainful role of his eyes "- at his wedding." Newt shrugged. "What could the Minister of Magic do, right?"

Newton shrugged. Another sip of tea, and Newton fixed Dan with a piercing look. "And what about you, Daniel? How is your family?"

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

For many people, when their boss turns up at their work place it meant something had gone wrong and Dan was sure that even this time there would be something that had gone amiss, after all the Minster of Magic was a very busy man. However it was nice just being able to sit down and relax and to have a chat with an old friend. “Well I am glad you have found the tea cups.” Dan chuckled as he watched Newton take a small sip of tea and almost immediately his mouth started to water. He needed a brew!

Getting up out of his chair Dan busied himself making a drink as Newton talked to him about his family. Dan had grown up at the same rate as Newton’s children and it was brilliant to hear how they were doing, especially the news about Anie getting married and both her and Liam having kids. “That’s fantastic news. Bet you make an awesome Granddad.”

Sitting back down in his chair Dan placed his tea down in front of him as Newton enquired about his family. “We are doing alright. Girty is a fluffy and temperamental as ever. Dad’s enjoying his retirement, Mum’s not happy to have to share the house during the day now and Me and Dia…” Dan paused for a moment as so many different thoughts rushed through his head in the space of a second and he knew he had to avoid many, especially with the Minster in front of him. “Well, we haven’t told anyone yet as it’s still early days but she’s got a little Hubbles in the oven.”

The smile on Dan’s face grew as wide as the Cheshire cat’s. A sense of pride and excitement surged through him every time he thought that in 6 months he would be a Dad! He knew however he could not get carried away, at least not just yet. She trying to suppress all the emotions and the urge to shout from the top of the Astronomy tower Dan tried to get back on track.

“Anyway Newton, why have you come to our lovely castle? I am sure the tea at the Ministry is just as good as the ones here.”

[Newton Biggs]

As Newton finished his tea, he realised how wonderful it was that tea was a national pass time. He took out his wand, gave it a flick, and the tea cup floated to the table and refilled itself. At Dan's comment about Newton being "an awesome Granddad", Newton smiled blissfully at his old friend. It was true that both Vera and Cloud nagged his son, Liam, to take them to see their grandfather and Newton took this as a good sign. Clearly he was, indeed, doing something right.

"It is a completely new adventure, Daniel," Newton informed the Headmaster, as his cup of tea floated back towards him. He casually took it in hand and gingerly shook his head, "completely new." It was true that Newton was a strict father but he had noticed that with his grandchildren he could be as giving and spoil them all he liked as it annoyed his oldest son and his daughter, which greatly amused him. This was a win win situation for him because it too gave him the love and affection of his grandchildren.

"Ah, yes, Girty." Newton had become good friends of the Hubbles family and Girty was one of those enigmas that Newton could never quite crack. Yes, he truly did enjoy her company, however she gave him sideways glances occasionally that made the Minister doubt how she felt about him. The tall man was usually good at reading people but Girty was one of those impervious people that remained, simply a mystery to him.

Listening closely to the rest of Daniel's story, Newton raised an eyebrow, tea cup in one hand and saucer in the other. Newton lifted the tea cup to his lips, watching the Professor over the edge of the cup. Newton's bushy eyebrow crept further up his forehead. "Haven't told anyone yet?" he repeated slowly, remaining very still and fixing Daniel with a piercing gaze. Newton could always read Daniel very easily.

After a moment of staring at Daniel, Newton quickly put the cup and saucer down, clapped both feet on the ground and both hands on the arms of his chair, pushing himself up. He closed the gap between the two men in two large strides and effortlessly heaved Daniel out of his chair. Newton embraced the other man in a tight, bear like hug, his long arms wrapping tightly around him. "That's wonderful news, Daniel," Newton chuckled, releasing Daniel and holding his shoulders at arms length. He studied the man's face again, seeing the happiness on his face, and a broad smile spread across the Minister's face. "Simply wonderful."

Returning to his arm chair, Newton picked up his tea again and crossed his legs. "Why in the name of Merlin's beard have you not told any one yet? Not even your parents or Girty?" Newton knew how close this man and his sister were.

Then, to business. "That is so like you, Daniel," Newton said with a small laugh playing in his throat. "Straight to the point." Newton knew better than most that this was hardly like Daniel; he was more likely to dance around the issue for hours than to address it head on. It did not serve his purpose to say such a thing as what he wanted from Daniel now was frankness and for him to be to the point. The Minister would accept no less.

"Ah," Newton brew the word out, looking at the tea cup in his hand, "I do not find tea like this anywhere in the how many dozens for floors of the Ministry. And I can assure you," Newton fixed his eyes on Daniel once again, "I have looked." A cheeky smile danced in the corner of the older man's mouth for a moment. He took a sip of the tea, then put the tea down.

"I have," Newton began slowly, locking his fingers together across his stomach, elbows on the arms of his chair, "received disturbing reports ... reports which seem to point to one simple and absolute conclusion: there is another Dark Lord on the rise, one such as we have not seen since Voldemort himself. You, being Headmaster at this fine establishment, must have heard similar things. I merely wanted to hear about this from your own mouth."

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

If you ever needed proof of these two men’s friendship was not just business then this was the moment, Newton had strode over and given Dan the biggest bear hug he had ever received! It would have been a rare moment in wizarding history when the Minster of Magic actually got on with the Headmaster of Hogwarts! However it was a good question asked by Newton, why hadn’t they told anyone yet? Dia had mentioned about telling their family but Dan had always used the excuse ‘It’s took soon’ he did not know why he said it, he just was so scared of getting so excited and then it not being true…but it was, so they should tell the world! “We just never found the right moment.” Dan said, not sure he believed that answer himself, what was with all this self doubt? Was it because of Ellie?

Clenching his jaw Dan tried not to show the tension he was feeling and tried to quickly move the topic on, however it seemed Newton was trying to avoid the topic (which did not fill Dan with a lot of hope) and a light joke about tea turned into a ramble in true Newton fashion. Their conversations about tea where well known, they had a habit of having deep discussions about tea; the latest a few years ago was the best way to brew and drink Earl Gray. (Yes they were that boring!)

Finally the true purpose of the Ministers visit came out and Dan could not help but lean forward in his seat and look intently at his old friend. In truth Dan had herd mutterings in the pub or over hearing snippets of conversations in the lift on the rare occasions he had recently been to the Ministry, but hearing it from Newton’s lips…well that made the matter more serious. He seemed to have the same opinion and wanted to hear verification on her rumours.

“I would be lying if I am to say I have not heard something.” Dan’s voice was in a low tone, this was not time to be laughing and jolly…he was going to have to be serious! “There is this guy I know…he…he is a bit of a crook but when I was last dealing er…” Dan could not believe how shifty he was sounding, heck he knew it was shifty thus why when they met he never took his hood down but it was for Girty…he did it out of love. “Well he mentioned to me about this meeting that was going to take place, a kind of recruitment for a new army or something.”

Dan felt his mouth go dry, he never really put two and two together before…why was he so stupid?

“Other then that it’s the normal rumours that circle the pubs about the latest number 1 desirable.” Dan pushed himself back in his seat in an attempt to get a little bit more comfortable. “Has the Ministry heard something else? Do you really think there is a new threat?”