Wolfstar || Everything but straight

CHAPTER •°• twenty nine

   "YOU LOOK LIKE you came here as a quality inspector." Commented Maggie awkwardly, when she and Kingsley were finally left alone and stayed in silence for a few seconds too long.

Shackelbolt laughed nervously, trying to look less official and failing miserably. He seemed like he was never made to be young, like he was a forty years old man in a body of a twenty years old.

Not that it stopped him from somehow looking shy and overwhelmed at the same time.

"Yeah... well, I am going to try and check the quality of my personal charm." He said and when Maggie frowned at him, surprised, he added immediately. "Sorry... uh. Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude." He shook his head, looking away from White. "I am way better at writing letters." He sighed and Maggie just laughed under her breath.

"You seem more uncomfortable by what you said than I do." Commented the Hufflepuff and Kingsley scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, I didn't think you'd be here like... now." She said and Shackelbolt only then glanced at her again.

"Oh, you see..." He swallowed. "I wasn't supposed to be, but tomorrow my parents want to take me to our family on the other end of the country and I could teleport here later, but the problem is it's probably going to be kind of draining." He looked at his feet. "You know all those relatives asking questions you don't have an answer for." He took a deep breath. "And I really wanted to meet you before you went away for a Christmas break." 

Maggie frowned, surprised at how much effort Kingsley seemed to be doing just to meet with her. Of course she also wanted to see him, spend some time together and she did write to him that she would even be willing to visit him in the US. But she just... she didn't really think that any of this would actually happen.

Like, when she read Kingsley's latest letter she thought that he maybe would come visit her in some time. Or suggest the specific time they could meet in his next letter or...

But he did write 'love' at the end of the letter.

He did put the comma after 'dearest'. If that wasn't just a game, and Kingsley being there now meant that it probably wasn't, then it only made sense for him to make a lot of effort to see her.

"So." Maggie smiled finally, nodding her head with understanding. "I promised you a party if you showed up." She declared and Kingsley's eyes shined up with excitement.

"Really?" He asked hopefully and Maggie nodded her head edgerly. "I... when did you get to organise a party?" He asked and White laughed on that.

"Oh, I didn't but we could go to Hogsmeade together." She proposed. "I mean, I'm pretty sure there's a party today at the Hog's Head." She said and when Kingsley frowned at that, she rolled her eyes and added, teasingly. "What, feeling too old to party, Mr quality inspector?" She asked him and Shackelbolt laughed nervously.

"Oh no... it's just that..." He glanced at Maggie to make sure that she wasn't too serious and once he did, he explained. "Well... the last time I was there-"

"Uuu, story time." Maggie interrupted him, quickly looking around. Only then she suddenly realised that she wasn't even sure whether Kingsley was supposed to be there.

First, he didn't look like a student. Second, even if Dumbledore wouldn't throw him out, he probably wouldn't be very supportive of people who are not students or teachers going around Hogwarts. And third, Maggie really didn't want to explain to anyone who was Kingsley and what was he doing there.

Especially that she wasn't exactly sure of that either.

"Yes." Kingsley nodded, answering what she said. "Well, when I went there, it was in seventh year and I-"