The Impatient Man and His Suit

Prologue for Illness

We stopped on the second floor and the doors of the lift opened up to a multitude of people. Feeling rather alert and on top of my game as an individual making their way through a strange and unfamiliar world, I glanced at Draco before slipping out of the lift, away from the stream of impatient workers. I made it around the crowd and stopped at a large concrete fountain and tried to look over several heads of people for those familiar white strands. He emerged from the crowd dodging people here and there and I watched those eyes again, darting from one approaching body to the next. There was something new going on within those eyes. Eyes are fascinating after all, aren't they!

Draco led the way through a door just on the other side of the floor with the giant concrete fountain and then another series of doors and halls until we made it into a cubicle office. After we passed through several cubicle isles, where workers paused, stunned at the sight of us, he realized that what he was looking for was nowhere to be found. So, he led us towards the office break room where we quietly disappeared.

The room was a straight and incredibly wide rectangle. Across from the doors we came in through, a long gallery window stretched across from one wall to the other and filled the entire space with a cold blue atmosphere. I approached the window and as I got closer, I realized that it overlooked central London. I could spot the River Thames just beyond the collection of old warehouses surrounding us. The room was hardly an office lounge and much closer to that of a literal café with black shining walls and floors decorated here and there with subtle accents of gold. Now I understood why we had come down to this floor and for what reason. First, I spotted Hilarius Clark, holding a mug in one hand and a biscuit in the other, suspended in an intense conversation she was having with a man I had never seen before. Then, just across the café I spotted Kingsley, sipping out of a disposable coffee cup and standing amongst a group of Wizards wearing earthly-colored cloaks.

"But the thing is, Brittlebeak Dragons weren't bred until the 13th century. Anyways, I'm going to get more hot chocolate now before it's—Malfoy!" Clark cried out, her light and womanly voice echoed throughout the relatively empty space.

The little purple glass beads in her ears twinkled and swung in her ears and her eyes sparkled brilliantly. Kingsley took note of our presence too and began walking towards us. The whole room actually, although it was not nearly as congested as the rest of the building, seemed to be taking note of our presence.

"Malfoy!" smiled Kingsley before noticing my clearly post-sob face.

Clark, immediately upon seeing my current disheveled state and Draco's swift movements, set her cup and biscuit down on a black buffet table beside her. The man she had been talking to shot his head around at the mentioning of "Malfoy", and an unexpected smile overtook his surprised expression. He approached us quickly behind Clark's eager movements.

"What's happened? What's going on?" Clark continued, "(Y/N) sit down here—"

"No, don't sit," interrupted Draco.

"Draco Malfoy!" whispered the man happily as if he were talking to a friend from college he hadn't seen for years.

"Finnary" nodded Draco politely, failing to match the excitement of the other man.

"Why not—why shouldn't she sit down, she's clearly in a state," argued Clark frantically before returning her attention to me and offering me something that was in her hand, "You lost your hat by the way, silly girl."

"Where did you find it?" I exclaimed softly after thanking her.

"The lost and found, of course. I lost my left earring just this morning and tried to look for it there—"