(no subject)
Title: Working lunch
Prompt: cold hands, cold feet
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Alice Smythe and Frank Longbottom
Word Count: 537
Rating: G
Summary: It's Alice's first day at auror training.
Author's Notes: Written for my first Alice/Frank prompt at the 7spells fanfiction challenge. My prompt table is here.
I've never written Alice or Frank before, so this will be a series of seven short pieces each between 500 and 750 words.
Working lunch
It was a crisp day and so practical and sensible Alice Smythe was dressed for the cold. The first day as an auror trainee at the Ministry of Magic, she’d heard, would be spent in the office rather than out in the field but if she’d heard wrong, then it really didn’t matter because she for one was prepared. From her cloak to her gloves and the charmed warm insoles of her very sensible shoes, Alice was certainly well equipped.
She could see why others felt quite self-important on their first day, breezing in and walking to the lifts as if they’d done it all their lives, and then the actuality of arriving at the door of the Auror’s office for the first time to be met by Frank Longbottom.
Alice had heard he was recently qualified, she’d noticed him at school. Three years older than her, he must be what her father would term the office junior, though Alice thought that was exactly what she was. He’d be on his own to work for the first time after qualifying and today was lucky enough to greet the newcomers on their first day.
He made good coffee, Alice acknowledged, and had a warm smile. He didn’t seem to chat very easily though while she sipped her coffee and waited for the boss to be free to talk to her. Small talk wasn’t his thing apparently. Conversation about the weather brought the liveliest response if it could be called that. If she’d come to work hoping to meet a man then Frank Longbottom certainly wasn’t the sort who would feature on her list.
Not that Alice had come to work to meet a man, of course. She’d come to work to train as an auror, with the intention of working her way right to the top. If along the way, at any point, she found herself wanting to settle down, then staying at home to keep house wasn’t on her agenda. A career woman first and foremost, everything else would fit around it or not happen.
From the other side of the room a small, elderly looking owl landed on the table beside Frank and he excused himself with the promise he’d look back later to see if he could answer any questions, and show her where in the building to go for lunch.
If it hadn’t have been that it was her first day and that she didn’t want to appear rude then Alice would probably have made it quite clear she was more than able to find her own way to lunch, but as it was she smiled sweetly and thanked him, saying how useful that would be.
The morning went past in almost a flash, and it was the appearance of Frank at the door to the small room where she was taking note of some important aspects of auror training, coupled with the timing of her stomach announcing its disgust at being empty, that alerted her to it being lunchtime.
As it happened Alice Smythe, new auror trainee, had lots of questions Frank Longbottom could answer for her before she returned to the office. This would, she decided, be her very first working lunch.
Prompt: cold hands, cold feet
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Alice Smythe and Frank Longbottom
Word Count: 537
Rating: G
Summary: It's Alice's first day at auror training.
Author's Notes: Written for my first Alice/Frank prompt at the 7spells fanfiction challenge. My prompt table is here.
I've never written Alice or Frank before, so this will be a series of seven short pieces each between 500 and 750 words.
Working lunch
It was a crisp day and so practical and sensible Alice Smythe was dressed for the cold. The first day as an auror trainee at the Ministry of Magic, she’d heard, would be spent in the office rather than out in the field but if she’d heard wrong, then it really didn’t matter because she for one was prepared. From her cloak to her gloves and the charmed warm insoles of her very sensible shoes, Alice was certainly well equipped.
She could see why others felt quite self-important on their first day, breezing in and walking to the lifts as if they’d done it all their lives, and then the actuality of arriving at the door of the Auror’s office for the first time to be met by Frank Longbottom.
Alice had heard he was recently qualified, she’d noticed him at school. Three years older than her, he must be what her father would term the office junior, though Alice thought that was exactly what she was. He’d be on his own to work for the first time after qualifying and today was lucky enough to greet the newcomers on their first day.
He made good coffee, Alice acknowledged, and had a warm smile. He didn’t seem to chat very easily though while she sipped her coffee and waited for the boss to be free to talk to her. Small talk wasn’t his thing apparently. Conversation about the weather brought the liveliest response if it could be called that. If she’d come to work hoping to meet a man then Frank Longbottom certainly wasn’t the sort who would feature on her list.
Not that Alice had come to work to meet a man, of course. She’d come to work to train as an auror, with the intention of working her way right to the top. If along the way, at any point, she found herself wanting to settle down, then staying at home to keep house wasn’t on her agenda. A career woman first and foremost, everything else would fit around it or not happen.
From the other side of the room a small, elderly looking owl landed on the table beside Frank and he excused himself with the promise he’d look back later to see if he could answer any questions, and show her where in the building to go for lunch.
If it hadn’t have been that it was her first day and that she didn’t want to appear rude then Alice would probably have made it quite clear she was more than able to find her own way to lunch, but as it was she smiled sweetly and thanked him, saying how useful that would be.
The morning went past in almost a flash, and it was the appearance of Frank at the door to the small room where she was taking note of some important aspects of auror training, coupled with the timing of her stomach announcing its disgust at being empty, that alerted her to it being lunchtime.
As it happened Alice Smythe, new auror trainee, had lots of questions Frank Longbottom could answer for her before she returned to the office. This would, she decided, be her very first working lunch.