A game we play

[Evan Troy]

' Mr. Troy. '

Evan looked up briefly from his morning paper, a scowl in place as it normally was when he arrived at work. His brows raised in a questioning manner at the young intern who stepped hesitantly into the doorway of his office. The man's expression clearly said, ' Get out or be useful. ' As if on cue, the intern took a stack of papers off of the older mans desk, uttered an inaudible goodbye and hurried off. Evan's scowl was replaced by a smirk as he folded up the Prophet and tossed it in the rubbish bin. That was all it was these days anyhow, rubbish and nonsense.

The man stood, straightening out his tie and black dress robes. Today, like any other, the man was dressed properly, his outfit free of dirt or grime. He drained his coffee cup only to have it be refilled automatically without any effort. He turned away from the window in his office, a fake window, but a window none the less, and sat himself back down at his desk, sifting through the mail he had received just that morning. Mostly it was useless garbage, notes from other Ministry workers and such. Evan threw most of the papers away and got together a small pile of new assignments for the Trading Standards body. The man stood up once again and made his way out of the office, deciding it would be better to deliver the papers himself for reassurance.

He departed from the office and turned down the hallway, a headache soon following from the buzzing of people talking, the hum of the mail flying above his head, and the stomping of people as they walked down the hallway next to him.

[ Open to whomever ]

[Drew Thornton]

It wasn't like he was really late for anything, but he knew if he didn't get his letter off to Felicity before lunch, she wouldn't get it until the next morning. It probably wasn't a huge tragedy, but the sooner he got his letter off to her, the sooner he'd get one back.

He wasn't in a huge rush, but he was rushing, dodging people in the crowded hallway as he made his way to the mailroom. Most people helped out by moving out of his way, probably to avoid being run over by the tall and lanky young man barreling towards them. He ran around the corner, cutting it close and nearly tripping, but righting himself again within a few steps. He glanced over his shoulder at the offending corner and much like Lot's wife, it was his downfall. He ran head on into a distinguished man coming the other way. Great.

[Evan Troy]

The headache took over suddenly, governing the man's thoughts as he made his way through the hallway. Most did their best to avoid him, it was something he had grown accustomed to in the halls of the Ministry. It was much like back in the old school days at Durmstrang. As he walked he could distinguish the hum of voices, there was Adamson, who from the sounds of it was talking to Cowan about the new trade laws that had been instated about cauldron thicknesses. The bore of the conversation made his head hurt more if that was possible. It had to be one of the more dry things his offices saw.

" Good morning. " He uttered to a passerby who seemed to be taking too much interested in his daze. He flashed a smile and continued on his way without questions. Evan shook his head, feeling as though the trip down the hall was lasting a lifetime.

There was a physical barrier keeping Evan from moving forward, and the barrier was in the form of a person. The man did his best to stop himself, and had to side step the person in the process, almost causing him to trip over himself in the process. He caught the young man by the shoulder to balance himself, wondering exactly who he was. " No need to run, " he muttered curtly as he stepped away slightly, brushing off his cloak as he went along. " Thornton, is it? Could you please explain to me why you find the need to run along the hallways of a place such as the Ministry of Magic. This isn't some play ground nor a place for you to run amok. " Normally Evan would have at least feigned courtesy, but today wasn't a very good day for him. Nor would it be for the Thornton boy if he kept it up.

[Drew Thornton]

Drew looked at the man he had collided with and gulped hard. It was Mr. Troy, a man his father sometimes had to deal with as Head of International Transportation back home in the US. While they were in two different offices in two different countries, Mr. Troy probably was till not the best person to nearly run over.

He seriously doubted his real reason for running in the halls would fly with the man, and while he was offended by the insinuation that he was playing around like a kid, he still admitted that he shouldn't have been running. "Yes, sir. Thornton. Andrew Thornton. I'm terribly sorry. I hope I didn't cause any damage."

[Evan Troy]

Evan studied the young man before him as he confirmed that he was in fact Andrew Thornton. The name sounded familiar to him, though he didn't take much time to place exactly where he had known it from. The boy couldn't have been more than nineteen years old, fresh faced and bright eyed as he looked. He stood six inches taller than Evan, but he could see that height, in this case, wasn't much of an issue.

He cleared his throat then continued to adjust his collar as he spoke.

" Fortunately enough, not lasting, " It was then that he decided the Thornton boy might come in handy. If Evan recalled correctly he was an Auror in training, classified under the hero types as the Aurors generally were. Life, as the older man knew, was about making connections simply to make them. He straightened himself and continued to walk, calling over his shoulder, " Walk with me, will you? " The question itself was just that - a question that suggested the boy get moving.

[Drew Thornton]

It only took Drew a moment to contemplate the situation. He had his letter to send, but it wasn't like Felicity expected a response at a certain time. Besides, he still had time to get it off so that she would get it that evening. Even if she got it first thing in the morning, it would be okay.

"Yes sir," he answered, tucking the letter into his breast pocket and hopping to catch up with the man. Mr. Troy wasn't in the same department, but he was an important man. Drew wasn't sure what the man wanted with him, but he wasn't about to argue at this point.