A Visit

A slightly slender body, a handsome face with sharply defined features, soft gray hair, and those remarkable pale-violet eyes gleaming with profound light. Louise blinked hard, staring at the young man before her, her bloodless lips hanging open comically.

"Mr. Breen—"

Without warning, another man emerged from the darkness behind the young man. He was a tall Black man, and from professional experience alone, Louise knew the instant she saw him that he was not one to smile easily. The sharpness between his brows was even more intimidating.

Louise shrank back in fright at the suddenly appearing, stern-faced Kingsley. Amosta released her arm as well and smiled gently at the Muggle girl as she retreated several steps away.

"This is Kingsley. Don't be afraid, Miss Ander. We're not bad people—"

A handsome face was always more likely to earn trust. Though Louise was not familiar with the gray-haired man before her, she immediately believed him.

"You know this Mugg—um, this lady, Mr. Breen?"

Amosta glanced again at the timid girl watching him, and an odd note slipped into his voice.

"I wouldn't say I know her. We only met once, on a street outside the alley by the Ministry entrance. Do you remember me, Miss Ander?"

Louise bit her lip and nodded lightly.

"Just call me Louise. You're Amosta Breen—"

Louise quickly spoke the gray-haired man's name, but for some reason, her cheeks flushed faintly after the words left her mouth, and she clamped her lips shut again.

How could she possibly forget?

Amosta Breen—this had been the first time she had ever approached a completely unfamiliar man on the street, only to be decisively rejected. For a "lady," that sort of humiliation would follow her for life.

"What a strange coincidence—"

Amosta shook his head slightly and sighed again,