A Meeting of Chance or Fate

Michael Lightle waited outside the building of the Daily Prophet offices. Although he subscribed to the paper to keep an eye out for the latest news hitting the mass media, he preferred not to enter the building. After all of the antics those of the media and mindset of blood supremacy played on his daughter and her fiance, the wizard could not bring himself to even consider stepping foot within. It didn't matter if one of the members of the Sangreal worked there.

The Sangreal member inside to visit Aileen Turner was none other than Pamela Avery, one of the organizations oldest members - and one of the co-founders to boot. In what seemed like a very short time the witch wearing pale blue robes and a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun out of her eyes stepped out of the building. She looked mildly discouraged.

"What happened?" asked Michael.

"She was not presently at her office, I'm afraid. I left her a brief note instead," Pamela replied, walking swiftly away from the Prophet offices. "I do appreciate you accompanying me. It's not safe for anyone, anymore."

Michael nodded with concern. It wasn't safe. As the Minister of Magic's father he saw firsthand just how unsafe it was with attempts made on Liara's life. "It's the least I could do."

"Adrastos has called another meeting for tomorrow. Will you be able to attend?"

"Of course," Michael replied automatically. He scanned Diagon Alley's storefronts in search of Daniel, and spotted him almost immediately oggling the latest broomstick to hit the market at Quality Quidditch Supplies. "One moment if you will, Pamela. I should collect my apprentice," the wizard chuckled, adjusting the hat on his head before heading briskly towards the shop before Daniel decided to duck in.

Pamela stood for a few moments, debating whether to continue her walk or sit down for a short rest. She was not fully recovered from her accident. Nearly there, but not fully. And with all of the magic abuzz in the air, her bandaged arm throbbed. In the end she decided to sit on the nearby bench and simply enjoy the day until Michael had successfully fetched his student.

It was her very last day in England, and as such, Calixta was very busy trying to get everything ready. She'd already run back and forth from her apartment and Gringotts twice, and she was just cutting across to grab a meal at the Leaky Cauldron when, nose buried in a document she was reading, she bumped into a teenager hanging in front of Quality Quidditch Supplied, apparently on his way in. Parchment and books went flying everywhere in a rather comical fashion, and Calixta's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm so sorry, that was all my fault!" she apologised immediately, bending to pick up as much as she could of those papers which were nearest her. "I wasn't paying attention at all, I should really watch where I'm going."

The truth was that she'd been fantasising about seeing Bastian later that night, and wondering what he'd be making for dinner, and what she was going to wear. Right now she was wearing a guilty expression on her face, as though the boy could read her mind and knew she'd been daydreaming about the going-away festivities that would likely carry on late into the night. The blush of mortification she wore extended even to her ears, whose bright red hue was mercifully masked by her long hair. She could feel the warmth radiating from her neck, though, and it only made her more self-conscious.

"Are you hurt at all?"

"It's alri-, I mean, it's alright. I'm okay," replied Daniel automatically, watching the comical yet awe-inspiring scatter of books and parchments. He immediately stooped to help pick things up. It escaped his notice that he'd inadvertently stacked the books in alphabetical order by their titles. "I, erm, do that all the time, actually, accidentally running into people. Sorry."

The young wizard gave a sheepish grin at his admission. Whomever this was, Daniel had to admit to himself she was pretty. A bit out of his age range though. He could've sworn he saw a blush flood the witch's face, but her hair covered her face so he couldn't see. The youth deduced they were both fairly distracted. Daniel found it amusing that this time it wasn't him with his nose in a book. Speaking of books, the boy just remembered the ones in his arms weren't his. "Erm... oops. Here," Daniel murmured, handing over the stack of things he'd collected: documents tucked with care in the topmost book.

By that time, Michael had caught up with them. "Can't resist books even outside a Quidditch shop, Daniel? Why am I not surprised?" teased the wizard as he clapped the youth on the shoulder. Daniel gave Michael a small chuckle as a reply. "Is everything alright here?" Michael glanced between the pair to make sure neither had been hurt in the collision.

Calixta smiled nervously, accepting the pile of books the boy handed over and straightening up before a third, much older party joined them. Fortunately, the blush had started to fade from her cheeks by the time she hoisted the books into one arm and steadied them against her hip, pushing her hair out of her face with her free hand.

"Well, thank you...Daniel," she told him, having caught both his little slip in French a moment ago as well as his name from the man who was apparently with him.

"You seem to be of Hogwarts age, and fond of books, hmm? I do wonder if you're in my former House...Ravenclaw, maybe? Or do you go to Beauxbatons? Oh -- I'm Calixta, by the way, Calixta Harper," she added, smacking herself comically on the forehead before extending her hand to Daniel first, since she did run right into him.

"Everything is perfectly alright, sir, thank you. Actually, I'm the one who ran into Daniel here, I was rather distracted, I'm afraid."

Daniel blinked in pleasant surprise at Calixta's reply. "You're welcome... You speak French, also?" The teen grinned. There were a few people around that spoke French, and he had only just nicely become fluent enough in it with help from French relatives and a special tutor at his school. And Michael, of course.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Daniel Tanner," Daniel said and shook her hand, chuckling a little at the self-smack to the forehead she'd given herself. "That was a matter of some debate in my family actually, ma'am... For now, it's Beauxbatons. But I imagine I would likely be in Ravenclaw, from what I have heard about Hogwarts." The open dark blue robes with a burnt orange shirt and brown trousers certainly hinted at the possibility of being a Ravenclaw, or that blue and brown were simply his favorite colors.

Michael nodded at the reassurances. "I'm glad you're both fine," the wizard offered. He lifted his hand from Daniel's shoulder and extended it to shake hands with Calixta, and out of old-fashioned courtesy removed his hat. Several years ago he would have cringed at the thought. But with time and some kind-hearted teasing Michael had gotten used to the fact he was more or less bald. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Harper. Michael Lightle, at your service."

Calixta nodded in reply to Daniel's question. "Yes, I'm fluent in English, Spanish, French, and more recently, German. Boyfriend's from Germany originally, and I'm a curse-breaker at Gringott's, so travel is part of the job description. And they pay you to learn as many languages as you want or need, therefore..." she shrugged at the stack of Malay-language books she was currently resting against her hip.

"I had some cousins who went to Beauxbatons, but you seem nicer, anyway." She turned to shake Michael's hand as well, and then froze for a moment, thinking.

"Wait a minute, Lightle, you said? You're not by any chance related to our fair Minister, are you? I met her once, she seemed very pleasant. There is a faint resemblance there..." she trailed off, squinting slightly as she looked at Michael more closely. "Well anyway, nice to meet you!"

Daniel's eyes widened as Calixta listed the languages she knew. "Wow! Only English and French for me at the moment. I'd like to learn more, though... Curse-breaking sounds interesting! Actually one of the options on my list..." It was then that the teen took in the titles of the books he'd handed over: language texts for Malaysian. His interest was piqued instantly. Daniel blushed at the compliment about being nicer than Calixta's cousins. "Thanks," he murmured meekly.

Michael nodded, then chuckled quietly at Calixta's questions. "Yes. Minister Liara is my daughter. Always been a delightful, fair-minded girl. Then again, I must say I am a bit biased." A smile lined the wizard's face.

Calixta smiled at Daniel's interest; her career was clearly a topic close to her heart. After all, she'd practically been married to it for nearly ten years.

"You should consider it! It's a lot of work, challenging to get into...you'll need Ancient Runes, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration....but if you make it, the rewards can be great. It can also be quite exciting...perhaps a little too much so," she admitted, remembering her own little mishap a few months back.

"And speaking of excitement, how is Liara doing? I heard about what happened, of course," Calixta said, turning towards Michael, "terribly shocking! She's doing well, I hope? Recovering quickly?" It was clear that the concern on her face was sincere; although Calixta tended to avoid newspapers these days, anyone who wasn't a total homebound hermit would have of course heard about the Minister's attack with a muggle weapon, of all things.

Daniel nodded as Calixta spoke about her career. It was all very interesting, he was good in the standard classes she mentioned, and was in fact taking Ancient Runes for the fun of it. The youth grinned, though half of the way through the expression turned sheepish. "Yeah... my mum's worried about the danger involved. An auror, a politician, and maybe a teacher are the other choices I'm exploring, too," he explained.

The pride on Michael's face upon mentioning his daughter turned to a paternal concern. "She is as well as can be expected to be, under the circumstances," the wizard nodded solemnly. "Healers say she may need to use a cane for a short while as the bullet caught her in the leg, but otherwise should make a full recovery indeed." To lighten things up Michael attempted a small smile and a reassuring nod.

"My companions and I intend to visit her this afternoon. I only hope and pray that her roommate - Mr. Zolnerowich - has either been moved or is otherwise incapable of harassing her and any visitors." Michael simply shook his head. Whoever came up with the idea to have the two share a room clearly had no idea what they would likely be up against in the later days of their shared recovery.

---

Seeing Michael and Daniel engaged in conversation with a witch outside Quality Quidditch Supplies, Pamela decided she had rested enough and that it was about time she made her way over. From this distance she could not tell if it was a fellow Sangreal member they spoke to or not. If not, and they've the correct disposition, perhaps they would be willing to join the cause for long-awaited equality.

"Well, those are all good options...although if it's danger your mum is worried about, it would seem that of those, teaching is probably the safest option. I'm sure you'll figure it all out though, you've still got time," Calixta replied to Daniel, nodding.

"Nowadays it seems like the job of a politician is not nearly as safe as it used to be, but fortunately, sometimes luck can run its course. Liara is young, and if the worst of it is that she'll need a cane for a little while, then she's very lucky indeed. I'm sure Gage will be able to show her where she can find the more stylish varieties," Calixta said with a laugh.

"She seems the type to get through this with relative ease. She's a very determined person, I'll give her that. Please send her my well-wishes when you see her today -- if she is indeed rooming with Zolnerowich, she'll need them." She could only shake her head at whatever Healer had come up with that terrible idea. Of course such high-profile politicians couldn't be roomed with everyone else, but surely they could spare a single room for the Minister of Magic herself? Perhaps this was a sign that St. Mungo's was rather more overtaxed with all of the attacks on Muggleborns than the Prophet had been letting on -- a troubling thought indeed, though Calixta did her best not to let it show on her face.

Daniel gave a chuckle that was half comical and half a rather indeterminable sound at Calixta's observation. That was indeed what his parents would like for him. However, the teen wasn't quite sure that teaching was quite the right thing for him. The other choices seemed much more exciting. He would have to get around the occasional clumsiness somehow.

Michael nodded in agreement that his daughter had gotten lucky. He thanked Merlin profusely for the circumstances that allowed Liara to survive the shooting with a relatively minor wound. The wizard had to laugh when his daughter's fiance was mentioned. "Quite. In fact I wouldn't doubt he's probably visiting her now, discussing that very thing with much enthusiasm."

The older wizard nodded, confirming Calixta's observations. Liara had always showed a great determination since she learned to walk, and was very much the resilient type that had the fortitude to get through even this latest incident. As her father it concerned him that she be put through such things. But as a wizard and voter at the polls, Liara's demonstrated determination and resilience showed much to the people that Michael hoped would count for something amongst his fellow country-wizards and -witches. "I shall indeed, Miss Harper," Michael smiled genuinely.

Pamela silently sidled up to Michael, overhearing the topic of Liara's recovery at Saint Mungo's. "Do forgive me for intruding, but if need be, Michael, she is welcome to transfer hospitals if her roommate proves wholly unbearable," the elderly witch murmured. She decided to take a chance, based on what had been overheard. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all. Right?

"Thank you," replied Michael. He next turned to Calixta, making gestures of introduction. "Miss Harper, might I present my second charge of the day: Miss Pamela Avery-Moreau? ... Pamela, this young lady is Miss Calixta Harper. She works as a curse-breaker for Gringotts." The wizard realized only belatedly that the pair may have met previously, considering that had also been Pamela's career of choice up until approximately a week ago. "Erm... perhaps you may have met?"