Day off!

[pb_justin]

Characters: Justin Finch-Fletchley, Melinda Bobbin
Date: September 12th 2000
Location: London
Status: Private
Summary: Justin has a day off and Melinda runs errands.
Completion: incomplete

Comments

[pb_melinda]

Melinda was organizing some of albums when someone stepped on her foot. Looking up to say something, her face broke out into a grin.

"Holy shite! Justin Finch-Fletchley?" she said. "Merlin, it's been like ages! How are you?"

[pb_justin]

"I'm doing fairly well, considering it's my day off today and I get to manipulate something else than food." he answered, almost as bouncy as it was expected from a Hufflepuff. Justin bit his lower lip and looked around briefly before bringing his attention back to her. "So what are you up to? It's been such a long time since I've seen you."

[pb_melinda]

She nodded and smiled. "That's good to hear. Actually, I'm just about to finish up my shift," she said. "Well, not much. I'm in a band, got disowned, been kicked out of my house, working here, you know nothing much."

Melinda shrugged. "What about you? What are you doing these days?"

[pb_justin]

"Oh Restricted Section, right?" he asked, remembering that Susan had told him about it already."Susan told me when we met for dinner last week. Personnaly, I think it's awesome." Justin was pretty excited about it, considering he was a huge music lover himself.

He frowned though when she mentioned being disowned. "Wait, what happened?" he asked, genuinely concerned about her. If she had been disowned and kicked out, she might need help which brought him back to the Samaritan complex.

"I work at the Blue Twilight, have been for a year now. I chop and prep the ingredients mostly. Eventually I'll have learned enough to be a real chef someday."

[pb_melinda]

"Yeah!" she said with a smile, grateful that people were talking about the band. "Did she tell you we have a gig on the 25th? It's going to be wicked!"

Melinda turned, stilling talking to Justin as she finished filing the CDs away. Shrugging at his questions, she gave a brief overview of what had happened. "Oh, Dad didn't approve of the band and we got into a fight about it and I got disowned. Besides, can you honestly imagine me brewing potions for the rest of my life?"

Nodding as he talked about work, she smiled. "Sounds great. How long do you think they'll keep you just prepping?"

[pb_justin]

"Oh she did, I think it's really fantastic that you guys are getting gigs so early." Justin was almost bouncing around, clearly happy to see Susan and Melinda so happy about the band.

He quirked his brow as she explained how she got disowned. "No, no I can't imagine you locked up in a room filled with cauldrons and to be honest he should accept the reality that not everyone have the same interests." he said, frowning. Once again he was reminded how lucky he was to have such an understanding family.

"I'm saving money for lessons because I don't plan on prepping for years. But in the end I suppose it'll take a few months still."

[pb_melinda]

She was very excited to know that Susan, and hopefully the rest of the band, was spreading the word. "I'm so pumped. You have to come! If you don't, I will hunt you down and drag you there," she said teasingly. Melinda held up a finger to tell Justin to give her a minute before half skipping down the aisle to Ian to let him know she was leaving.

Picking up her bag, she moved back down the aisle to where she left Justin standing. "Now I'm officially off duty," she said. "I agree with you, but tradition is kind of a big thing in my family. All the firstborns take over the apothecaries, so that was what was expected." She wasn't going to mention to beating or the returned flowers and owls when Horace's father died. If they don't want me to be a part of them, then I won't waste my time any more..

"Nice. Were would you go for schooling like that?"

[pb_justin]

"No need to drag me there, honestly." he said with a roll of his eyes, still smiling. "I would have come even uninvited."

Justin waited patiently for Melinda to come back and looked at the cd in his hand. Going to the register, he paid for it and went back to his same spot with the bag. Once Melinda was done explaining about her family, he shook his head. "I still don't understand, but maybe eventually I might."

"I'll go to private, you know, lessons I think. I don't even know if they have some where we live." he tried to keep it vague, never quite sure how much he could say or not in London.

[pb_melinda]

Melinda applauded when Justin said he would come. "Seriously, the more people we get there, the better. Got to start a following now."

Shrugging, she told him that she herself didn't get it. "I'm not going to worry about it anymore."

Once he had his purchase, Melinda walked with him outside the store. "So you mean, you'd go to like a private school or would it be more of a one on one thing."

[pb_justin]

"Yeah, worrying actually doesn't change anything. Doing something about it does though." Justin shrugged, it seemed like this topic wasn't going to go anywhere today so he started walking with Melinda towards the exit.

"Maybe not one on one. Maybe just small classes or something. I'll start looking around in the papers to see what I could get. I don't mind which nationality I'd learn. I just want to cook."

[pb_melinda]

"That's why I'm focusing on my music. I have to admit the whole situation has given me at two albums worth f music," she said with a slight chuckle. Sure, it was probably wrong to be happy that her life was so screwed up, but it was for the sake of her art and passion.

"I have to give you props," she said. "I can make soup out of can and that's about it. Although, I've found this great little greasy Chinese place nearby that I eat at at least twice a week."

[pb_justin]

"Two albums? Are you guys going to record them?" Justin asked curiously, grinning at Melinda. "Because I think it'd be rather cool to hear your music on the radio. I'd get to tell everyone that I went to school with you guys, of course people won't believe me but that's okay." he added teasingly.

"I'm interested in Asian cuisine, I really have no knowledge in their cuisine. But I do French, Italian, Mediterranean and home made stuff mum used to cook."

[pb_melinda]

She shook her head. "Not yet or at least we haven't talked about it yet," she said. "Although I'd love to hear myself on the radio; that would be completely wicked."

Melinda had to force the thoughts and dreams of recording and making it big away, so she could concentrate on talking to Justin. "You ever need a guinea pig, look me up," she said. "I'd even offer to help. THe few months at the apothecary did show me how to follow a recipe."

[pb_justin]

Justin chuckled and nodded. "I'll send you some of the stuff I make then, and maybe you can come over for dinner, I don't poison people." he assured her, smiling. "You can ask Susan or Neville about it." he laughed and looked around as they walked. "The great thing about cooking, is that you can cook without a recipe and as I was telling Neville, no matter how you chop your carrots, they'll always taste like carrots in your stew."

[pb_melinda]

"I'm not going to turn down free food," she said laughing.

"You've cooked for Longbottom and Bones and didn't invite me?" she asked with a mocking wail. "I thought we had something!"

Laughing, she said, "I've never done anything without a recipe. I suppose, I'd have to find something I like enough to try."

[pb_justin]

Justin laughed too and looked at Melinda. "You can come over some time soon, if you want. I'll fish up a new recipe in one of my books and try something for you to test. Anyway, Neville's dinner was merely a payback."

Of course it had turned out more enjoyable than a simple payback which made Justin think he'd like to invite Nev again. "And Susan, well, it had been a long time since I had owled. So I invited her over for catch up time."