Only Just Escaped

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Annalee McKinnon had been having a very pleasant morning. On her way in to work, she'd stopped at her favorite coffee shop and gotten herself a latte - a splurge that she usually saved for only the most important occasions. But Annalee was feeling very much like she deserved something good to tie her over while she waited with shortened breath for The Moment.

She heard a rumor from Finley that he and Archie were to be accompanying their father on a very special luncheon the very next day, vetting a young man who they suspected was going to be asking for permission to propose to Annalee. 

"Do you like this Buckner bloke?" Finley asked, "Just curious because your feelings about him will sway my vote." He had grinned and Annalee had been on cloud nine ever since.

She'd been staring at her bare left hand fingers all the way on her walk from the coffee shop to the Ministry entrance on the Embankment across from Muggle Parliament, imagining what her hand would look like with a modest-sized diamond on it. She didn't even care if it was small, honestly, Sean was a diamond enough that she was willing to take any size stone. She just hoped it was set in silver and not gold.

Her purple high heels had click-click-clicked all the way through the atrium, into the lift, and then down the hallway at the very top floor of the Ministry for Magic, and she'd set herself down, smoothing her purple tweed skirt beneath her and crossing her legs at the knee, sipping her latte, and pulling the first of the large files toward herself from her inbox.

"Good morning, Mr. Minchum," she chimed merrily when the Minister came into the office door, shrugging off his trench coat and throwing it to be magically collected by the coat rack, which galloped to catch both his discarded coat and hat as he flung them across the room. "I got you a latte."

"Thank you, Miss. McKinnon," Minchum said, taking the proffered cup from her. He sniffed it. "Vanilla?"

"Yes Mr. Minchum," she replied in a perky little voice. She'd watched a film on telly with Marlene, who got her obsession with Muggle telly from that Sirius Black, where there'd been a very pretty secretary who spoke with a perky, chirpy little voice and it had been Annalee's dream to emulate that tone ever since.

"Have you looked over the speech notes yet?" he asked, plucking a folder from the corner of her desk.

"Yes sir, I made notes and was going to go down to copy it for you in just a moment. They've done an exceptional job on the editing, I think this may be one of your most memorable speeches." She smiled and tapped the cover of the folder before her with her long purple nails.

"You think so?" he asked, looking quite proud.

Annalee nodded. "I reckon it's because you feel so passionately on the subject." She smiled.

"I do at that... After all that happened with that poor girl in our own building..." He shook his head. "I absolutely feel that it is time to update the Restriction Act. It's been sixteen years since it was initially instated and if it had been properly upheld there would be far less tragic tales building up. Just look at what's going on in Blackburn --"

"I know Sir, you needn't convince me. I completely agree with you." Annalee smiled.

Minchum nodded and took a sip of the latte. "This is good," he said, looking at it, then smiling at Annalee.

Annalee smiled, "It's a grand treat."

"Run down and get those copies made. I'd like to have everything finalized this morning for the speech so we can focus on the dinner tonight with Rowling. I'm quite excited to hear more of her plans for the news program." He carried his cup and the folder he'd plucked from Annalee's desk toward his office, head down, "Also, have you heard anything from Mr. Scamander about where he sets on the idea of the Fantastic Beasts telly show?"

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