"Ma'am, please remain calm." The STRESS. It was practically oozing from the woman's pores. "I'm a St. Mungo's Healer...and I am here to save you."

Save everyone and everything...He'd been accompanied by the best of the best, as well. Loranys, Ambry, and Ravaora...The British Ministry of Magic would be thanking them when it was all said and done.

.....AND WHY was this woman continuing to deny the help she so clearly needed. "Why don't you take a seat and let me have a look at you..." Wandastian inspected her pupils, noting that they weren't dilated. Good. Very good. The Healer quickly summoned a towel and poked and prodded a bit more.

"Save me?" Tasha echoed with some confusion as the man shared that he was a healer from St Mungos. What was he here to save her from? They were finally back in their old building. She had thought everything was fine. Aron would have told them otherwise.

"What do you need to save me from?" she asked in a quiet tone. Since it was fruitless to resist being poked and prodded she took a seat in one of the empty chairs to let the man assess her. "I'm not sick."

Outright ignoring her questions, Wandastian started dishing his own. Questions, that is. "Have you experience any similar incidents like the one that just occurred?" The lady had no need to be coy with him about matters. He was here for her protection...EVERYONE'S protection, more specifically. "May I ask your name?"

She seemed to be in good physical condition, from what his quick spells could tell, but that spoke little of her magic and mind. Those were what was most important during these times. "What department do you belong to?"

Wandastian kept the inquires casual.

Incidents? Shaking her head Tasha responded. "No, no incidents like this that I know of has happend prior to today. My husband can verify that." Having Dorian here would be really nice. Or even Izzy if she wasn't on the other side of the Atlantic.

"I'm Natasha Tamerlane. I work on level 3, Accidents and Catastrophe's department." Could he share his name too so she didn't have to think of him as Mr healer person from St Mungos? Or was that too much to ask?

For the betterment of the department..
Felix couldn't deny that the young woman had a point, it was sacrifice they would have to make in order garner interest in their work, otherwise they'd lose funding and no funding meant no research and without research Felix would be unhappily out of a job. It was a vicious cycle, one Felix could do without. "Point well made, Miss Malfoy... " Felix said, finishing off his first carton of chocolate milk and opening a second. It was rather odd to see such a serious looking young man sipping from such a childish drink, at the young woman's next words, Felix nodded in full agreement. "You should suggest that to him, you're helping him with the preparation, right?" He asked, brow raised inquisitively.

"Good thing she did, otherwise you'd have missed out on your calling," Felix joked. Love, it wasn't something he'd ever really thought of, Felix was too interested in science and his work to pay concepts like falling in love any mind and even she he did find someone attractive, he hardly ever did anything about it... Like that dark haired girl from the department meeting the one with the intelligent eyes... He never did get her name, perhaps he could ask Emma about her, later though. The Astronomer listened attentively as Emma explained to him the reason for her transfer, including that she had endured familial problems and a lack of interest. He nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that you had family trouble, but I'm glad that you transferred to the department when you did... Otherwise I'd have no one to speak with," Felix said, smiling softly.

"Are you certain miss? Once I get talking you might not be able to shut me up," Felix lightly joked, the smile on his face growing a teensy bit bigger. Honestly it had been sometime since he had enjoyed a good conversation like this and some time since he had been able to speak of his work in such a pleasant, relaxed manner. It had also been awhile since he'd felt this comfortable with another person. "This planet... It's this impossibly minuscule little dot in the vastness of our universe and right now, Wizards and Muggles alike are racing to try to understand it's furthest reaches with our rather limited abilities. There's no telling what's out there and that's why it is so exciting.. There are always new discoveries to make! Titan, one of Jupiter's moons has lakes of methane and icy mountain peaks, I mean, that's insane!" Felix said, running a hand through his wavy hair, his voice light with his excitement.

Emma avoided raising a curious eyebrow as Felix opened a second carton of chocolate milk. Hmm.. Grown man drinking chocolate milk? It reminded her of Braeden at home. That twenty six year old boy hadn't changed a day mentally. Perhaps he'd grown ever so slightly more mature over the years but he was still the same Lion boy to her. "That would be a good idea. I am helping him with it. It's rather tough knowing what room you can start a young graduate out in, " she said giving Felix a small grin as she finished up her caesar salad.

She chuckled in agreement with Felix. Yes, if she hadn't of listened she would have missed out on this gig all together and would never have ever gotten to meet Felix. How sad would that have been? The blonde nodded. "Agreed." She shrugged her shoulders as he was being rather polite to her about being sorry about the family troubles. Emma acted as if she was fine with what happened but she was still coming to terms with it privately. Her father was a difficult man to work with. The blonde gave her new friend a small smile. "Me too. Otherwise, work would be very, very lonely."

The Ex-Slytherin smirked wickedly at him. "Oh I have my ways," she teased with a rather flirtatious wink before she paid him the utmost attention as he described the cosmos. That's right! There was nothing telling them what was out there in the infinite realm or realms of space. It was all waiting for them to go explore it. Then she listened to him go on about Titan. Wasn't that one of Sat-? She kept quiet and continued to listen with a grin on her lips. "Wouldn't it be exciting to see all of these celestial bodies with your own eyes? Did you ever think of being an astronaut as a child?" she asked curiously.

Felix nodded, listening quietly as the young woman explained how tough it was to sort out the kids. He had to admit, it sounded like a very difficult job for just two people to handle and though it beguiled him to do it, he decided he should off his help. "Well, I'm no sorting hat, but I'd be happy to assist you... Just tell me what you need, and I'll take care of it." Felix said, cursing his own morality.

The Young man smiled softly as the blond giggled before charmingly agreeing with him. She was nice, really nice and the Hogwarts Alumnus was sure that she must have been a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor based on her friendly disposition, if she'd gone to Hogwarts at all. "Where did you attend school? If you don't mind my asking?" Felix said, seized with sudden curiosity. "I must agree... Plus, I'd be sitting here alone talking to myself and that would be awkward... And unhelpful," Felix joked, his dark eyes lighting up with mirth.

"Do you now?" Felix joked back, swallowing a little nervously as the beautiful blond flirted with him. Yeah, she was definitely flirting, he was certain of it now and he was a bit uncomfortable, but not unpleasantly so. He noticed the grin as he finished speaking, and though it seemed innocent, something about it irked him... It looked a little too mischievous to be totally innocent, though he had no idea why. "Yes, seeing them in the space room would be nothing compared to see them with my own eyes... I did actually, as a child.... But magic and NASA don't really get along," Felix lightly said.

"Um... Miss Malfoy, I have a... Well a strange question for you," Felix said, distractedly running his hand through his hair again.

Emma grinned at Felix's offer. It was rather sweet of him to do so. She appreciated it greatly. "That's sweet of you. We'll definitely need your help," she said with a nod. The more help, the better they'd be off. Plus they didn't have a Sorting Hat nor could they take the one from Hogwarts.

Where did she go to school? "'Course not. " She didn't mind his curiosity at all. Curiosity was refreshing. She endorsed it. "Hogwarts. And you?" she said with a nod. Emma missed the school desperately. Hogwarts had become her home. A place where she truly felt safe and where she could be herself without having to worry about her parents' opinions on her life choices. Be a respectful pureblood daughter and don't let the family name down. She looked down at her empty cappuccino cup and then met his eyes. "I was a Slytherin." She laughed a little when he mentioned without her sitting with him, he'd be awkwardly talking to himself. "Uh oh, don't let people hear you say that. They may think that you've gone mad," she said.

"Mhmmm..." She smirked a little as he became oh-so nervous. She grinned, enjoying his nervousness. It was fun to make people nervous. Oh so fun. But now she had to behave. Teasing Felix was done with today. So Emma nodded thoughtfully when Felix mentioned that NASA and magic didn't mix too well. "That's unfortunate. You think that perhaps they could work in tandem to build an impressive space shuttle with newer capabilities. I believe there's a Professor at Hogwarts who worked at NASA or perhaps he interned. I can't remember now," she said, trying to remember an article that she had read the other week. Oh what was his name? Flamos? Flamsteed? Flames?

"A strange question?" What type of question could he have? She raised her eyebrows at her quirky companion. "Ask away, my friend."

Felix nodded, a slight smile on his lightly tanned face. Perhaps the task wouldn't be as unpleasant a task as he feared? Who knows, it might even be a little fun, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to get on his new boss' good side. "I'll make sure to tell Mr. Summers of my decision... If I can ever get time away from the Space room," Felix wryly said.

Felix raised an eyebrow as the blond mentioned that she'd gone to Hogwarts, funny that he had never met her considering they'd both received their schooling from the same place. "I attended Hogwarts myself... Odd that we both went there and yet don't recall each other... " Felix said, his brow furrowed with thought as he tried to recall knowing of an Emma Malfoy during his school years. "A Slytherin? I would never have guessed... You don't strike me as a dark wizards," Felix joked, casually leaning in his little green chair, not in any rush to leave just yet, yes the space room could wait just a bit longer.

"I suppose they would.. And the mental health examinations wouldn't be much help in evading that rumor... " Felix joked, his smile broadening with amusement.

Ahh, there was the Slytherin behavior, he could see it in that smirking smile of Emma's as she flirtatiously teased him, completely unconcerned for his discomfort. Felix had a feeling he ought to watch himself around this one, she was more dangerous than she appeared. The Astronomer's light blush vanished as Emma began speaking again, this time mentioning what a shame it was that the mini try and NASA weren't working together and how a Professor at Hogwarts had interned there for a short while. "Flamsteed? Oh yes, I've heard of him. He's very accomplished, very brilliant... I've read a few of his essays on Astronomy.. Very impressive," Felix scientifically said, he rather admired the fellow, though he wasn't about to start nerdy gushing in front of Emma.

"Well, there was... A, uh... young woman... At the first meeting of the department? Dark hair, very lively eyes.. I was wondering who she is?" Felix asked, trying to sound as causal as he could, as if he wasn't awkwardly asking about a beautiful woman who had caught his eye.

Emma nodded. "Sounds good," she said giving him another grin as she was happy to have his help. The more help, the better. Plus, Felix was a very nice guy. Cute too. Cute in the awkward, smart way. Like Braeden. Hehe. Too cute.

He had attended Hogwarts as well? Huh, how weird. Well the school was a rather big school after all so it was difficult to get to meet everyone. "Yes, indeed," she paused biting her lip, trying to place if and where she had seen Felix. Blue robes? Maybe a Potions class or something? Perhaps. "Were you by chance a Ravenclaw? Because if so that would explain why you look sort of familiar..." Though then again, Emma could be mistaking him for someone else. There were a lot of Ravenclaws in the school and she had only made friends with four of them. She chuckled when he explained that she didn't strike him as a dark wizard. "Well you know what they say looks can be deceiving." Then she gave him a wicked grin and held it for a couple of minutes before grinning at him. "Kidding. No, I think I was sorted into that house purely based on ambition and family history."

"Indeed". Emma laughed before grimacing a bit at the mention of the health examinations. Those were very weird things. She hadn't gone for hers yet- in fact, she would refuse to go but wouldn't tell anyone. "They are a bit strange though.. Mental Health examinations at the Ministry? I don't recall this happening before..." she said lowering her voice so only Felix could hear.

Felix was just adorable. That little blush didn't go unnoticed. Emma felt inclined to tease him more but decided to hold back a bit for the two HAD just met and it seemed unfair to make him squirm more. But oh it was so much fun! Ahem. Right. Focusing on the Flamsteed conversation. Emma gave Felix a smile and nodded at the mention of him. The man was simply marvelous. "Yes, he is very brilliant. I'd like to read some of his essays one day. Perhaps during a holiday?" Those essays sounded much more fun than the gardening ones that Selena had purchased from the book shop the other day. Herbology and Emma didn't mix. Bleugh.

A younger woman? Dark hair? Lively eyes? Emma raised her eyebrows curiously. Did Felix have the hots for Emma's old housemate.. hmmm? Perhaps he did. Now this would be interesting. "Evelyn Carter. Ex-Head Girl and Slytherin. I believe she's married," she added rather thoughtfully in case Felix was going to get any ideas about that one.

Felix nodded, offering the young woman a small smile. Hopefully he’d be as pleasantly surprised with the junior members as he had been with Miss Malfoy and her shockingly enjoyable company. Not that he’d supposed her to be awful, it would just that Felix never seemed to et along with most people, yet here he was chatting comfortably with Emma. Curious.

“Yes, I was. I didn’t finish my education there, so perhaps that’s why we never crossed paths?” Felix thoughtfully offered, his brows furrowed over his brown eyes. Yes, that must have been it, surely he would have known her had he stayed at Hogwarts longer, made perfect sense now. Felix blinked with surprise as Emma went on, saying how looks could be deceiving and flashing the boy a wicked grin, only to admit a second later that she was kidding. Felix laughed with mock relief, his hand covering his chest as if he had been properly worried. “Thank Merlin, I was sincerely fearful for my life,” He joked, his smile lessening as she mentioned the real reason. “Family history? I’m sure you get this question a lot, Miss Malfoy. But, you wouldn’t happen to be related to those Malfoys, would you?” Of course, Felix had already guessed so, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

“People don’t seem all that pleased about it, and I can hardly blame them. Last thing I want is a bunch of idiots messing around in my head,” Felix muttered, his mouth set into an annoyed frown.

“You should. If you’re really interested in Astronomy than it’s one of he’s one of the best to learn from.” Felix said, still reigning in his excitement as he spoke, though his eyes were rather bright. “I could loan some to you, if you like,” Felix added, with a small smile.

Evelyn Carter. Felix couldn’t help the small smile as Emma revealed the lovely young woman’s name, only to have it falter in the next second as the blond mentioned that she was married. “Huh… I see, very interesting. Quite,” Felix said, clearing his throat.

Was it just her, or was it getting more and more difficult to get to the atrium from the department of mysteries?

Taking a deep breath, a very pregnant Evelyn sighed out of relief as she finally got to sit down for her break; with her tea and sandwich, of course, from the buffet area. Unfortunately. Having woken up too late to make a lunch for herself, she had to settle with...this. How she looonged for the day the unborn child would let her go back to her vegetarian diet and not crave meat, but the chicken salad sandwich sounded safe, didn't it?

Maybe.

Finally!

Yes, finally it was time for food. A man with his build and physical activity surely needed a lot of food and that was probably why hunger was one thing he found very annoying. Very. Josh had started to realize that long ago when he tended to gradually get aggressive and stressed with no tolerance the more he felt hungry. So, before he could do anything he would later regret, he preferred to use the very first chance of having a break to fill his stomach. Being an auror, a very auror kind of paranoid one, one couldn't always feel comfortable with having breaks. What if he overlooked the opportunity to snatch a bad guy while he got himself busy with a petty thing like a break.

He was not completely aware of it yet ever since he had his family and that family started to grow, the young man had started to get even much more protective so much more prone to fill his mind with plots of evil coming. Not that it made him paranoid in the common sense, it made him mentally prepare himself for any possible danger and he felt comfortable that way. Any, regardless that they seemed possible or completely ridiculous.

Not really in a rush yet not walking slowly either, Josh Carter walked in the Food Court area thinking of what he could have to fill his tummy today. Hmm. Actually anything available would be good for him yet it would be a pleasure if there was some decent meat. After a few steps in the place, his attentive dark brown eyes scanned the place and the gaze froze when they spotted the only thing that could distract him from the opportunity of having food when he was starving; his beloved wife.

With a happy smile on his face, the auror made his way towards her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from her back. "My love..." he said and placed a quick peck on his pregnant wife's cheek.

The upside of being in the ministry food court? The chance of running into her husband. 'Course, there were a few other people, but they were rather rare occasions. Mostly due to her not being up here often. She tensed momentarily however, until she realized whose arms had found their way around her. "Darling." she smiled in reply, glancing back over her shoulder to look up at him. "You on break?"

"Couldn't have decided a better time to have one." Josh replied his wife's question with his warmest smile. Yes, they were married and yes he could mostly see her everyday, mostly cause there was those times when either of them or both got too busy to see each other. Yet even during those times he could at least see her come home to sleep and he made sure he watched her sleep until he finally fell asleep himself. But still everytime he saw her, it brightened his day and made his heart beat faster just like those times he was a Gryffindor boy in love.

Releasing her from his embrace, he gently held her hand and stepped to face her. "You must be hungry." he said. Of course, there could be no other reason she would be up here in the Food Court, right? "Let's find you somewhere comfortable and i will get you the best food i can find."

She couldn't have agreed more. Even if it was only the food court. Their time together seemed to be as rare as the random meetings of her friends in other ministry departments. Although, there were also these moments that had her eyebrows raising somewhat. "Oh you can try." she said softly, glancing towards the buffet and before holding up the sandwich she'd already purchased. "It was the best there was from the looks of it."

Unfortunately.

"Probably not as hungry as you though." Which would be saying something, but, she knew her husband. Leaning up, she gave a quick proper kiss before tugging him to a seat with juuust a bit of mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Share this with me? Before your stomach devours the whole food court."

Try? The auror raised an eyebrow. To Josh, his wife telling him to try something meant he had to make it done. "You know, you're mostly...busy. " When Evelyn was too busy to see him, it kind of broke his heart yet he understood her hard, secret job and he respected her job and her decisions.

Once she mentioned it, he eyed the sandwich she had. That was the best she could find? Eh...the food court wasn't known to be offering food of great quality yet he thought there had to be something better than a small sandwich he could get for his beloved wife. Then he let out a hearty laughter at what she said about his hunger. Josh Carter, hungrier than a fully pregnant woman. He obeyed her verbal command for him to sit down and happily smiled at the kiss feeling all enamoured. "Well then...we can consider it a good thing for the food reserves of the country that i cannot get pregnant." He grinned at her like a mischievous kid before focusing his attention back on her meal...and her in condition in general.

"Share that small thing?" he asked with an expression of playful disbelief emphasizing the adjective in his sentence. "My love, you need it. And aren't you already sharing anyway?" he smiled and gently placed a hand on her very pregnant tummy. "That thing is too small for three people." and there was something else nagging in his mind. "Are you sure that seat is comfortable enough for you?"

She couldn't help but laugh herself at both her husband's laughter and the absurd idea he'd brought up. Granted, the general idea had been thought of many times but never due to the impact it'd make on the country's food reserves. That's for sure.

Looking at the sandwich, she raised an eyebrow...and tilted her head slightly after a moment. Oh yes, she was eating for two. Thank Merlin it was just two this time. For three people though? It was an appetizer. "Best hurry and get in line then. Or all the second best choices will be gone." Shifting in her seat while unwrapping the sandwich, she paused and glanced up. Goodness, he never did stop worrying did he?

"It's fine." For now. Sorta. "A few more days and it'll feel like a throne." Once she could cross her legs and sit properly again.

It had been a few days since Felix's impromptu, but surprisingly nice lunch with Emma Malfoy, and as he entered the setting area with his lunch tray (he'd decided on the cheeseburger combo, naturally his drink was chocolate milk) his eyes searched the area for a sign of the blond in the hopes that he might sit with her again.

No sign of the vivacious blond, looks like he'd be eating lunch alone, not that he really minded, but it had been nice to unwind a bit with a friendly conversation, even if at the end he had found out the awkward truth that his crush was on a happily married woman. That had been uncomfortable.

Wandering quietly through the busy seating area, Felix wasn't paying much attention to where he was walking, his mind was a bit busy contemplating his latest discovery in the space room and so he didn't notice when he took a seat next to a beautiful, but very pregnant young woman and her impossibly good looking gentleman friend until he had sat down his tray and rather awkwardly looked up from his food to see them sitting there.

"Oh." He simply said, his brow furrowed thoughtfully as if they had materialized out of nowhere. He turned to the young woman and his stomach did an unpleasant flip. It was Evelyn Carter, the dark haired woman with the pretty smile who had so caught his attention during his first meeting all those days ago... And she was pregnant which made his little crush seem pretty creepy now. Inwardly, Felix cringed. "Oh um, sorry. I didn't realize anyone was sitting here." Felix said, regathering his food which he had set on the table, fully intent of leaving as quickly as possible.

When hungry so much, Josh mostly disregarded the low quality of most of the food court meals yet he supposed Evelyn was right; if he acted now, maybe he could get some decent food before they were all gone and enjoy a bit taste instead of just filling his belly. "Yeah." he said and stood up eyeing the line. It was not so crowded in here, was it?

His dark brown gaze returned to his wife when she spoke again. In a few days? Merlin? Was it that close? So it could be any day from now on. Merlin. That made him nervous. "Throne?" he said nervously, the fact that it was going to happen so soon making him completely miss the actual meaning of her words. "If you want a throne, i can make one for you." Yes, he could. It would be a throne made from wood but he would make sure it was a queen's throne.

Then there was this guy...sitting at their table? Where did he come from? Sweet merlin...his auror senses didn't even acknowledge him. He was just there all in a sudden. With all the mixed feelings; nervousness, the surprise that he couldn't realise the dude approach with some other feelings he couldn't put a name to, Josh stared at the young man with unblinking eyes with an empty expression.

He didn't realise?

Josh just kept staring.

Sanitizing the plate she'd borrowed from the buffet with her wand before placing her sandwich upon it, she snorted quietly, only to see that her husband was quite serious with his words when she looked up to him. Oh. She, erm...didn't know how to respond?

Perhaps with a yes?

However, someone's sudden appearance at their table had her words cut short. None other than Felix Matei, of all people. "That's quite alright." she chuckled softly, eyeing the way he was readying himself to leave. "You are more than welcome to sit here. We do have an extra seat after all."

This might have been his first meal in the public Ministry space since the invasion of the Healers. He couldn't remember the last time he trusted the Atrium enough to be seated here like this and if he was to be honest...he preferred the spot under Emily's desk where they hid and shared lunch this past month. It was quiet there and certainly didn't have people. If it was possible, his aversion to humanity had worsened. Amidst all the poking, prodding and touching, he wasn't sure he'd ever want to be around the general population....ever...again. But here he sat.

At the back of his mind something told him he'd regret coming here but he'd been in too much of a rush to pack anything this morning and this population, he felt, was safer than the kind out in Muggle London. No telling what that lot could get up to and he wasn't interested.

Gavin would simply have his meal than hurry back to his office. It was safe there.

It was just a wonderful day, things were going smoothly in her division. The managers meeting was schedule, the regulations were being looked at, teams were getting their finalizing on players. She should be able to get all that paper work finished in no time.

Deciding just to stay at the ministry for lunch she made her way to the food court. She had gotten use to going out and meeting Cossy for lunch through the summer, but now he was at that horrid school along with her son. She was just glad he was there watching over Bart.

Getting closer to the food court she noticed a familiar face. Smiling as she made her way over to him. "Gavin, hello." She hadn't spoken to him in awhile, but figured he had been super busy dealing with those blasted healers and their ridiculous issues.

His name had him glancing up from the documents, he'd laid across the table. The last time he tried working through lunch, someone spilled coffee all over it. He didn't think it would have been something to bother himself about this time around given how far he'd chosen to sit away from everyone but there was his name and the sound of approaching footsteps. Before the person in question even registered in his mind, his eyes scanned for any signs of liquids that would threaten to ruin his papers. Not seeing any, he allowed himself something like a smile those were so hard to come by these days. "Victoria."

Was this a normal thing? Did people usually run into each other when they chanced a trip down to the Atrium? Merlin it'd been a while since he was here for any form of business or leisure. "Decided to pry yourself from your work I see." Emily could take a page from her book right about now...though eyeing the papers on his table, he was no better. Only difference was a change of scenery and a higher risk of running into others.

In the end, Emily might have gotten the better deal.

Once at his table she glanced at all the papers, "Am I interrupting?" Was he really working down here at the food court? Had Emily rubbed off on him? Though she didn't have room to talk, when she wasn't going out to have a lunch date she'd skip lunch to finish up her work. Taking a seat across from him her food that she wanted to get forgotten for now. "Gavin, how are you?" It had been some time since she last seen her friend.

A chuckle coming from her lips, "I guess I can't say the same for you." Glancing around at the papers again. "Busy in your department?" She thought about the day she was on that level a few months back. She was going to set up that meeting with the minister, but other things distracted her and it just never happened. "It's the off season and my team are very talented at keeping us up on things, so I had a little extra time to get some lunch. So tell me how are you?" He didn't mind chatting a bit, did he?