Unlike the magically controlled sunny sky and white clouds seen outside the windows of the Ministry of Magic, rain was pouring down outside the windows of the Three Broomsticks Pub.
In such awful weather, Allen and Leonard Knox, who had come all the way from America, sat beside a long table covered with drinks and snacks, chatting comfortably.
At the moment, because of the weather and the summer holidays, aside from Allen's group there were only a few customers in the pub sheltering from the rain. The wizards from the construction site would only come in for a drink after they got off work.
"Jessica's obsessed with dressing herself up and studying recipes. She's teaching some witches how to do makeup with a wand now, but later she changed her mind and decided she wanted to become a fashion designer. I've no idea where she gets all those strange ideas from, though she's been wanting to compile a food magazine for ages, at least." Leonard raised his glass and drank. "It's just that I haven't really seen her get a boyfriend..."
"There's nothing wrong with focusing on work first..." Allen refilled Leonard's glass with redcurrant rum. "How's Ian doing? What do they call the ultimate wizarding exam in America?"
"Hm? He's about your age, but he entered school a year earlier than you and has already graduated. He's just become an Auror trainee, with three years of training ahead of him." Leonard said it with some pride. "Ever since Ian lost to you last time, he's been thinking about dueling you again, so he's been training magic hard... But after you defeated You-Know-Who the first time... although he didn't show much in front of others..." Leonard said, somewhat relieved, "after getting through that period, he pulled himself out of it