Cathy's in da hous, jou.

IT was a snowy day, when Catherine entered the Leaky Cauldron. Well, it's been a long tome since she last went there. Cathy greeted everyone happily and ordered herself one butterbeer. Yeah, well, she wasn't in a mood for something else. Payed for her order, she took the bottle and sat in a table next to window. The table was last one in row, so her back was towards the wall. When she had taken away her scarf, hat and glowes, she took a zip of her butterbeer and turned her gaze on other customers.

Khaat had decided to go out for lunch, even though it was a late lunch. She felt the need to get away from the office and leave her paperwork and the distractions behind. She put on her long black suede winter coat that just brushed the sidewalk, covering her long red wool skirt and black boots with the stiletto heels the white cashmere tunic sweater, and the big chunky black belt at her waist.

The winter air was brisk and she welcomed the heat that blew into her face as she walked into the Leaky. "Well, as I live and breathe! Hello, Khaat!" the bartender said to her. "What brings you here this tiem of day?"

"A well needed break, Tom," she said, noticing the pub was full to the brim. There wasn't an empty table to be had. "That and lunch. I'm starving. What's good today?"

"Ah, well, we've got a fresh kettle of cheddar cheese soup, if that sounds good," he offered. "How about soup and a sandwich?"

"Sounds perfect," she said. "Um ...a bacon sandwich, please?"

"Coming right up. And what can i get you to drink?"

"How about a cola?" She asked. He got out a bottle of soda, opened it, and poured it into a tall glass filled with ice.

"Here you go. We'll bring your lunch when its ready," he smiled. "On your account?"

"Yes, please. Thanks, Tom," she smiled.

"I'm sorry we're so crowded. You might have to find a tablemate, Dear. Is that alright?"

"Its fine," she said. She picked up her cola and scounted around. She wasn't in the mood to sit with the old men who had obviously been drinking firewhiskey all morning. Her eyes landed on a young brunette who was drinking a butterbeer. "Tom. I''m going to try over there. How about adding an appetizer sampler to my order, please. I'd like to share."

"Of course."

Khaat made her way over through the crowded pub to the young woman. "Excuse me. I'm sorry if I"m intruding, but there's not an empty table left. Would you mind if I joined you?" Khaat asked.

Catherine smiled gently, when some woman came and asked, if she could join. "Yes, of course you may join," she nodded. She didn't mind company. Well, then she did, when the company was some drunk old man, or a person, who was uninteresting or very silent. It was uncomfortable to sit in same table with a person, who was shy. Because Catherine wasn't shy and wanted to talk with who she sat in same table with.
"I'm Catherine," she introduced herself. Ofcourse you have to introduce yourself to a person, who will join you, even if you won't meet again. It was just polite.

"Thank you," Khaat said, sitting down and putting her cola on the table. "I'm Khaat. Nice to meet you, Catherine. I don't remember seeing you around here before. Are you new around here? Oh, by the way, I ordered one of their appetizer assortments. There's always more than enough. I hope you'll share it with me."

She looked around at all the people, and said to Catherine, "They're not usually this busy this time of day. I wonder what the heck Tom is giving away today. They're busy over lunch, but since I'm really late for lunch, I didn't expect them to be busy now."

Tom delivered a large platter of an assortment of different appetizers. "Here, Khaat. You and your friend can nosh on these for awhile. Your lunch will be coming shortly."

"Thanks, Tom," Khaat smiled. "They look wonderful." She looked at Catherine. "Try some, if you like."

"I'm... well yeah, you can call me new. I've been traveling lately, and it's first time over... maybe two years, when I came here again," Catherine answered, sipping her butterbeer. Traveling was cool, but she missed her old friends and places, she was used to go to.

"Many people in town, I guess. Isn't now winter break for Hogwarts people? I think, that I saw some students before, going to Diagon Alley, and I'm pretty sure that some of them were with parents. Even with muggles," she said, when Khaat sayd, that people are busy. Of course. This muggle thing, yes, Catherine was from Ravenclaw, but she had never liked them that much, to talk to them and to be friends with them. And she wasn't used wih muggles knowing about wizards places.

"Thanks, I guess. You work somewhere near here, that you are having lunches here?" Cathy asked then. It was quite obvious, but Cat was curious, and couldn't help asking.

"Well, I think Hogwarts just got done with winter break, but the students seem to be somehow finding more ways off of school grounds and into Diagon Alley than they used to when I was a student. Actually, I don't have a problem with that. And, yes, I do work around here. I am the director for St. Mungos hospital. And when I'm not doing that, I'm working in the ministry as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. I have a restaurant down at the other end of the street that really is just more of an investment property for me now. I don't have as much time to spend there as I'd like. This place is closer to my office than my restaurant is. And besides, when I take a lunch, I don't want to get pulled into simply working someplace else. And I know I can't just go to my own restaurant and not end up working there instead. That's just not in my blood for some reason.

"So you've been gone for a couple years? Tell me, do you think that Diagon Alley has changed much since you've been gone? It must be nice travelling like you have. I love to travel. I just don't get to do it very much anymore."

Dude, that's a lot talking. Catherine smiled gently, when Khaat told her about her work and stuff. In St Mungo and Wizengamot? That's pretty awesome. Catherine had never seen a Wizengamot member, well, she just didn't know, that she was talking with one. "St Mungo and Wizengamot? That's awesome. Are you happy with your work there?"

She has a restaurant? Pretty busy person. "I totally can understand, what you mean. It's pretty hard to just be an a costumer in a place, you own and when people are trying to talk to you and stuff." Catherine once had a cafe, but she sold it, when she went traveling. It's hard to have a business, when you are far away and want to rest of all this.

"Yes, it has changed. Not much, but still enough, that I have had to ask twice for way to some shop I want to visit. They have moved or just closed, and that's confusing. Also there is so much people, that it's impossible to see where you are going when you don't know where you want to go," she answered then. It's true. She was so confused, that it's pretty depressing.

"My work?" Khaat asked, sipping on her cola, "It keeps me busy. But what really makes me happy are people. My family and my friends. I have three daughters--more or less. Two of them are babies that are about 8 months old each. They're wonderful. My other daughter goes to Hogwarts. And I"m the guardian for a bunch more kids. I"m happiest when the kids all come home for a weekend or a vacation and are all hanging around the house having a good time.

"And I understand how you feel," she said. "Diagon Alley sometimes seems endless and its easy to get lost here. Its always so crowded...."

"Here's your order, Khaat," Tom said, delivering the soup and the bacon sandwich. It smelled wonderful.

"Thank you, Tom," she smiled.

"Any time, my dear. Say hello to your father for me," Tom smiled, leaving.

"So what brings you back here again?" Khaat asked Catherine.

Family. Another thing that Cathy didn't had. She had only uncle, but he is not her parent. Cat has never thought about having children, she was afraid, that she will be like her mother, always working and not there to see her children growing. That's kind of sad. Catherine knew that her mother was still alive and somewhere in London, but she never bothered to find her, because she had no good memories about her.

"It's too crowded. I have already forgotten, that here are so many wizards and witches. It's unbeleiveable, how many of them are on Diagon Alley." When she said these words, a group of witches came from Diagon Alley and went to muggle street.

"I... I just wanted to visit old places. Soon I will leave again, but before I'd like to visit Hogwarts. It's weird, but I miss this place." Yes, that was true. And after visiting Hogwarts she will go to Norway to visit her uncle again, and maybe go skiing.

"Aren't you bored of being in London and England all the time? Don't you want to travel?"

Snow, ah how brilliant, and how different it was. But also, cold, very cold, and today was no exception. As someone who spent his early years in the Australian Outback, Jess had never quite adjusted to the temperatures here in London, anything as much as 15 degrees above freezing was "Cold" to him, so on days like today, being outdoors just wasn't an option.

Unfortunately, when you're trying to get some shopping done, it can be unavoidable. Running from shop to shop in Diagon Alley, a slowly building contingent of shopping following him, Jess had finally had enough, and was ready to get some lunch. With a pop, he apparated away from the forecourt of Gringotts and landed home, dropping off his shopping, before realising two things.
1. He was tired, and didn't want to cook.
2. He didn't have much food at his house, so cooking was out of the question.

So, it was with a sigh, and a slightly resigned look that Jess apparated back to the chilly streets of Diagon Alley. Upon his arrival he quickly approached the empty brick wall which marked the entrance to the Cauldron, and entered it's warm sanctity.

Walking in, he noticed but one thing, it was packed here. Looking around he failed to spot even a single seat empty, not even at the bar itself. Sighing he decided that it would be lunch to go. Approaching the bar he placed an order, a bowl of nachos, and a pint of butterbeer and firewhiskey, a concoction he'd stumbled upon a few months ago.

After waiting a few minutes his food arrived, and he gave a nod to the bartender, before turning and making his way out of the pub, passing by Cathy and Khaat's table without noticing them as he was leaving.