Sloane stopped walking the second she reached the Ministry foyer.
The anger still simmered hot beneath her skin.
Honestly, she was impressed she hadn't punched Rita Skeeter a second time.
The woman deserved it.
Possibly repeatedly.
But unfortunately Kingsley would probably object to her committing aggravated assault in the middle of the Ministry atrium.
Spoilsport.
Sloane exhaled slowly through her nose, forcing herself to calm down.
She couldn't leave yet anyway.
Kingsley had specifically told her to wait for him after the trial.
Though after today's events, there was at least a fifty percent chance he intended to lecture her for assaulting a journalist.
Worth it.
Entirely worth it.
Still muttering under her breath, Sloane headed toward the small café tucked into the corner of the Ministry lobby.
The rich scent of coffee immediately wrapped around her like a comforting blanket.
Better.
Much better.
"One coffee," she sighed dramatically to the exhausted-looking wizard behind the counter. "Strong enough to resurrect the dead if possible."
The wizard blinked.
"...Right."
"And a lemon tart."
Because if she was about to be yelled at by the Minister for Magic, she intended to face it caffeinated and well-fed.
Five minutes later, Sloane settled herself at a small table near the great fountain in the centre of the atrium.
The Ministry was quieter now than usual.
Most people were still upstairs discussing the trial.
She wrapped both hands around the warm coffee cup and stared quietly at the water cascading down the enormous golden fountain.
The sound soothed something inside her instantly.
Water always had.
It reminded her too much of home not to.
A sharp ache settled suddenly in her chest.
Tennessee.
Summer afternoons beside the pool.
Her brother attempting increasingly dangerous cannonballs while she screamed at him for splashing her revision notes.
Her mother laughing from a sun lounger.
Her father pretending not to watch them while secretly timing cannonball competitions with ridiculous seriousness.
Sloane smiled faintly despite herself.
She used to study floating in the middle of the pool for hours.
Her father claimed she inherited her mother's ability to focus anywhere.
Her brother claimed she was simply insane.
Honestly?
Bit of both probably.
The ache in her chest deepened painfully.
God.
She missed them.
YOU ARE READING
The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts
FantasyThe Hollow Beneath Hogwarts When the war ended, Hogwarts was supposed to be a place of healing. Instead, it became a place haunted by grief. Sloane Sage arrives at Hogwarts carrying scars no one can see. After losing her family in the war, she dedic...
