Closed; Personal Delivery to the Leaky

[finnagoon]

It had been a particularly busy today in the shop today but then again, Tuesdays usually were. There was always an influx of women coming in, stocking up for something that they called Wine Wednesdays and completely buying him out of the cheaper bottles and boxes of reds, blushes, and whites. The same groups came in like clock work every week,

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[finnagoon]

After a couple of sharp knocks at the door Seamus pulled back, crossing his arms over his chest and he leaned gently against the tall stack of boxes and crates that he had brought with him. It was nice to take a quiet moment and breath in the crisp February air, a subtle breezing pushing past him.

While he found that most people complained about the frigid temperatures, though he actually found that people complained about the weather no matter what time of year, Seamus didn't mind it so much. In fact, being out here (especially in the unusual quiet of dusk) reminded him of late winter days out on the farm back home in Ireland, mostly doing busy work and sharing a brew with his dad until his mam called them both in for dinner-

A familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts and he stood back up, grinning over at Hannah.

"Special delivery for you, love," he told her, winking.

After all, when he saw that Hannah Abbott had made an order with him, how could he just send somebody when he was perfectly capable of visiting his former schoolmate a visit himself?

[scilicette]

When was the last time she had seen Seamus?

The last time had been at a party, her eyes catching his only briefly from across the room before a flash of the war clouded her vision. She had seen him here or there, their crowds always overlapping in one way or another but the last time she had been near him properly, their bodies inches from each other, was the battle at Hogwarts.

You-Know-Who had turned the corner, Seamus and Hannah not quite running with each other as much as away from shots of red sparks at the same time, their hands grazing as the tall, demented monster caught sight of them and raised his wand toward them. It had been a split second of a moment, Seamus's hand grabbed at her waist just as Harry created a diversion.

She blinked, reaching to smooth out her hair, her curls a bit wild from the heat of the kitchen, as she offered him her least startled of smiles.

"I didn't realize the owner made his own deliveries," she laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly as she squinted her eyes, the sun hitting them as she took in the sight of him, leaning there all long and lean like he always was.

[finnagoon]

The last time that Seamus had seen Hannah she had caught his attention immediately, though that wasn't exactly uncommon when it came to a pretty face, especially one that he recognized. She seemed so different to him then, almost falling away into the crowd, that spark he'd seen in her eyes in the heat of battle long faded away. It was a curious thing.

He hadn't thought about it too much at the time, his mind clouded by firewhiskey and the nameless girl hanging on his every word, but a few days ago when the order came in for The Leaky Cauldron, Hannah Abbott's signature there at the bottom, well, he knew that he'd have to come here himself to see her. It would be a shame if she had lost that fire inside of her, somehow settled into an easier life than she deserved.

"I thought I'd make an exception just for you," he mused, taking a step forward to block out the sun from her eyes, eyes narrowed playfully as he held her gaze. He couldn't help but grin at the way she shifted, not yet sure what to make of it.

[scilicette]

As the shadow fell over them both, the sun no longer a bother as it stayed tucked behind his broad shoulders, Hannah finally let her gaze reach his, her hands falling to her sides. Had he always been this tall? His face so angular and sharp? When did she become so bloody short? She let her hands rest behind her on her lower back as she tilted her head to the side, regarding him carefully as that grin tugged at his lips.

It made her chest feel a little tight, Hannah taking a step back, eyes wandering now to the boxes behind him, the relief that he was only here for one reason giving her a moment to let a breath pass through her lips.

But her face stayed impassive, at least, as much as she could muster.

"That's very nice of you," she said, lamely, pressing her lips together in a crooked line. "You must be awfully busy running the place yourself-"

Much like she was here, most of the time. Apparently today wasn't going to be one of those days now.

[finnagoon]

"Some days are busier than others, yeah," he said, running his fingers through his messy dirty blonde hair.

Seamus couldn't complain about running the store, not when he had built the business from the ground up, coming out here despite his mam begging him to move back to Ireland with the family. It had been a gamble, especially considering he had worked out his own brewery in the basement, which did not go as smoothly as he had hoped the first few months. It took a lot of trial and error before figuring out the best formula and, more importantly, keeping it consistent. Once it was, though, it had been a hit.

The busier days were the better days in his opinion, the time flew by rather than dragging on. He actually kept his staff at a minimum so that he'd never run out of things to do.

"I've got a few guys to help me out though-" Seamus half shrugged, still grinning down at her. "I can't be any more busy than you are."

[scilicette]

The grin was distracting, Hannah leaning her lower back against counter behind her, her hands gripping at the ledge as she shrugged her shoulders politely.

"The Leaky came with a very adept staff," she told him, fingers pressing into the steel.

He was making small talk, so casual and easy, everything about him seemingly comfortable. She didn't know how that was possible for a person, Hannah constantly wondering when moments like this were going to end.

If only because she was just so terrible at it.

"I manage to get by-" she added, finally, offering him a small little half-smile.

[finnagoon]

Seamus hadn't pulled his eyes off of her since she stepped out to greet him, still focused on catching that spark again. She really did have the most amazing eyes.

"You seem to be doing better than that," he told him, eyebrows rising. "Don't sell yourself short, Abbott."

[scilicette]

At that, she had to laugh.

Standing at only two inches taller than five feet, being short was Hannah's way of life. She was constantly charming up step stools out of the most random objects. It had become a running joke among the staff of the Leaky.

She smiled then, an actual genuine smile as she tilted her head.

"Alright, we're a ravishing success-" she admitted. "But I've had a lot of help."

She gestured to the boxes.

"Should we go through it all?"

[finnagoon]

There it is-

Even for just a moment Seamus caught that look in her eyes again as Hannah laughed, the space between them warming a little bit and his own smile pulled even wider.

He finally pulled his gaze away then, turned back to get a handle on his cart to pull the boxes into the backroom for her so that they could do some inventory on them. It was a larger order than he was used to doing, actually, which only further proved his point: The Leaky was a success under Hannah's management. Whatever she was doing, it was right.

"Right- where do you want the boxes to start?" he asked her, picking one up off the top.

[scilicette]

She'd always liked Seamus' smile, the way it stretched at his face, the lines of his cheekbones more prominent and his teeth so bloody white. It was sort of brilliant. And it absolutely made her nervous, especially when it was directed right at her.

So, she nodded, her eyes wandering toward the stock room behind them.

"This way-" she directed, moving away from the counter to the large sliding steel door. "I made some room on the shelves-"

She pulled the handled, sliding the door back, revealing the absolutely pristine and organized stock room, walls and shelves almost nearly filled, save for the middle two.

[finnagoon]

Seamus definitely appreciated the tidiness that was Hannah's stock room, a bit of a neat freak himself (at least when it came to his store and stock room). He had seen his fair share of horrifyingly messy and chaotic restaurants to make him overly paranoid about his own organization.

"Perfect. This is great," he told her, eyes sweeping the room before settling in on an empty spot over to the left.

"Is this okay, right over here?"

Seamus let his arms lock as he held the box, leaning back slightly to support the weight of his.

[scilicette]

Hannah didn't want to just stand there, the cart behind Seamus stacked with enough boxes to keep him rather busy, wand or not. She shifted in her spot, nodding her head as he brought the first box toward the shelf on the left.

"Perfect-" she said, already moving to grab one on her own. "Here, let me help-"

[finnagoon]

"You're going to topple over if you try to put these on the shelves," he told her, laughing lightly as he plucked the box from her hands.

Seamus realized that eventually she'd have to actually move the boxes around but he hoped that she'd have her wand on her when the time came. These boxes were filled large glass bottles, one box for every spirit that she had ordered - vodkas, whiskeys, rums. The list went on.

He settled the box down next to the first before pulling a few folded pages from his back pocked, more crumpled than he meant them to be.

"Here- it's the inventory list."

[scilicette]

She hovered there near the shelves, the brush of his hand against hers throwing her off a bit, Hannah just watching now as he moved back and forth with miraculous ease.

She had to admit, when they had gone to school together, she didn't expect him to own his own business. He had always been so goofy, so easy-going and while he was always terribly attractive, she didn't think being a business owner was in his future. But she knew now what kind of work it took to keep a business open.

It brought another smile to lips, thinking about the person he might have become since school.

"Oh, right-" she said, snapping out of her thoughts, reaching for the pages. "I'm sure you've got everything-"

She let her eyes scan, the list she'd submit right there before her.

"You did manage the golden whiskey right?" she asked then. "I know it's a bit difficult to acquire-"

[finnagoon]

If somebody had asked Seamus what he wanted to do when he was still in school he definitely would not have said business owner. Actually, he wouldn't have said anything at all.

There was a time there when he wasn't sure there would be a future beyond the war, knowing that not everyone would survive the final battle and he figured that the odds were stacked against him. The reality of it had sunk in when Dean went into hiding and he had spent countless nights wondering where he was, if he was okay, or if snatchers had caught up to him.

Honestly, sometimes he still wondered how they'd all made it out but he wasn't going to waste it.

"Oh no, I got the golden whiskey," he assured her, throwing her a grin over his shoulder as he picked up another box.

"Whiskey is my specialty, Hannah. What sort of Irishman do you take me for?"

[scilicette]

"Just being cautious-" she told him, peering up at him from behind the inventory list. "Otherwise, what kind of successful inn keeper would I be?"

Was she teasing? Flirting?

Seamus had all but saved her life during the War, his hand reaching for her the precise moment Harry came in their direction, the distraction enough to keep both Hannah and Seamus out of harm's way. And now, here, after all these years of barely skirting past each other, they were standing close, nearly holed up in the stock room of the Leaky.

She thought it might have been the closest they'd been since that day.

And while she wasn't sure why her skin felt so warm, she didn't do much to change it, her eyes catching his as she caught that all too familiar grin.