Dearly Bewildered [Rowena]

[Rowena Jones]

“I – well – yeah, I guess. I mean, you’re not so different, really.”

She shrugged, a wide smile on her face as she basked in the new confidence of knowing Max liked her just as much as she liked him. “Yeah but before I didn’t know that. You always know how I feel. It’s nice to be in on the knowing,” she said happily.

“Alright, I want to try it again. One more time, so I can prove I’m not a terrible kisser. I know what I’m getting into this time, so I won’t be caught off guard.”

She continued to grin at him as he approached her again. If his not realizing that she had enjoyed the first kiss even with the crazy emotion dump her mind had received meant she got another one, she wasn’t going to tell him. She kept his gaze until it got fuzzy as it neared and then her eyes closed in preparation for the second, and hopefully not so overwhelming kiss.

Rowena was glad that even with Max keeping his powers under control, the connection between them was still there and when he pulled away, her lips still tingled with the excitement of kissing him.

“See? Not so bad. But, no. No organizing.”

She laughed at him, shaking her head in amusement.

“You’re not going to be able to kiss me into submission Max Kameren. You’re good but not that good!” she grinned and just to prove her point, she lifted her collection of ‘B’ authors into the cage with a satisfied smirk. To be honest, she understood his point of the mess being part of the charm of this bookstore, but she couldn’t let him get away with telling her no. Where would be the fun in that?!

She watched him for a second as he perused his own books, then picked up her small pile and moved along the walkway to another cage that had several tomes that had caught her eye. She hummed happily to herself as she looked through book after book. It was nice, being able to just enjoy her day off surrounded by some of her favourite things and with excellent eye candy to look at every now and then.

The light shifted in the room as the hours passed and the pile that Rowena was lugging around grew larger and larger. She kept telling herself that she could just come back here again and that she didn’t need to buy all of them in one go, but then she’d find another one and be unable to resist.

“Urm, Max, I think you need to get me out of here,” she said giggling, as she wandered back towards him, balancing a precarious tower of books in her arms. She peeked around the stack to try and see him, gasping as the books wobbled dangerously.

[Max Kameren]

“You’re not going to be able to kiss me into submission Max Kameren. You’re good but not that good!”

"I accept that challenge." Max replied without looking up, but the grin that grew across his face was impossible to stop. He continued his rifling through the newer stack. Over the years there wasn't a lot of turnaround in the books section of the store; instead newer books were just stacked up higher, making impenetrable towers only avid collectors like Max and Rowena could excavate.

As the time passed, Max began to run out of new stacks to look through. He didn't mind; he liked watching Rowena  go through the stacks. Was it strange, that something as simple as watching Rowena go through books attracted him? She was just so passionate about it that it made her aura light up. It made quietly sitting together and move through the stacks of books exciting. He sat back on a sturdy pile of books, skimming one of his new acquisitions and looking up every now and then to watch and comment if he caught Rowena organizing again. 

The shadows in the catwalks grew longer as the hours passed. Max had become engrossed in the Wallace biography, and only looked up when the shadow of his date fell over him. Rowena was a sight to behold; she'd found so many books that she could barely carry them. "Rowena, are you behind those or has the paper mildew become sentient?"

“Urm, Max, I think you need to get me out of here,” she said giggling, as she wandered back towards him, balancing a precarious tower of books in her arms.

He laughed, standing up and taking half her stack off her hands. "With your help Flatt & Sharpe's might turnover their inventory after all." He threw the three books he'd found on top of the stack he was holding and fit them under his arm, using his free hand to lead Rowena down the wrought-iron stairs. 

"Maxime!" The thick french accent of Madam Roxanne Sharpe exclaimed their arrival at the check-out counter. "Comment avez-vous caché ici? I missed you coming in!" The older woman came around the counter to help them with their books, smiling warmly at Rowena when the stack moved and she could see her face. "Who's your beautiful friend?"

"Ro, this is Roxanne Sharpe, she and her husband own the shop. Roxanne, this is Rowena." Max was quietly glad that Roxanne was working; the woman was a pure, French stereotype. Like the femme fatale from an old french new wave film grew up but never changed. Roxanne curtsied in an exaggerated style before twirling back around the counter.

"Quite an eclectic taste," Roxanne mused as she checked out their books. Every few seconds her large grey eyes would dart up between the two, and she would smile. "Maxime, honte à toi! You take this young woman out on a proper date, don't drag her through our catwalks all afternoon!" She leaned forward, winking at Rowena. "You deserve better."

"Thank you, Madam Sharpe. Always a pleasure." Max rolled his eyes, taking the overloaded bags of both their books from the counter and shaking his head as they left.

When they were out the door, Max cocked his head towards the alley. "There's a dead-end in that alley, we can apparate from there if you'd like to drop your new library off." He smiled, leading her down the dimming alley as the sun set behind them. When the got to the quiet end Max put his arm around Rowena's waist and spun, and with a quick pop! they were back in her apartment foyer. He set the books down and stalled, unsure what to do next. Max didn't often go on dates; he'd lucked out that Rowena liked the book store, but he hadn't planned further than that.

"So about that 'proper date'..." He shrugged, cocking his head towards the door. They may have finished at the book store, but Max didn't want their time to be over quite yet. Only Merlin knew when they would have a simultaneous day off again. "Do you want to get dinner?"

[Rowena Jones]

"With your help Flatt & Sharpe's might turnover their inventory after all."

“Such a worthy cause,” Rowena sighed dramatically. “I shall strive to do my best,” she beamed at him in thanks as he took half her books leaving her with a much more manageable stack and followed him back down the stairs. Their arrival on the ground floor was greeted by a walking, talking French stereotype who instantly won Rowena’s heart when she spoke to Max as if he was a long lost friend.

"Ro, this is Roxanne Sharpe, she and her husband own the shop. Roxanne, this is Rowena."

“Enchantée Madame,” Rowena said, dipping her head in greeting and smiling warmly.

"Quite an eclectic taste,"

“Well you have such a wonderful selection here. Max is having to save me from myself,” she replied, happily watching her purchases disappear into bags. She couldn’t wait to add them to her collection at home. She’d found a couple of medical books that looked to have some interesting sections on mental deterioration which she itched to study in more detail, but most of the books were pure fiction, one being a beautifully illustrated version of Wind in the Willows.

"Maxime, honte à toi! You take this young woman out on a proper date, don't drag her through our catwalks all afternoon!" She leaned forward, winking at Rowena who giggled, amused at Max being told off by this other woman. "You deserve better."

“Merci Madame, mais ça a été un vrai plaisir de passer ma journée ici et Max n’est pas si mal que ça. Souvent énervant peut-être, mais il me connait très bien. Vous avait un établissement vraiment superbe ici. ” she said, smirking at the man in question. “J’espère pouvoir revenir bientôt.” She smiled again in farewell as she followed Max out of the bookstore.

"There's a dead-end in that alley, we can apparate from there if you'd like to drop your new library off.”

Rowena nodded. She didn’t really fancy lugging around so many books. “Oh wait! I need to key you into my wards if we’re apparating in!” she said quickly. It would be a bit of a downer to the date if Max ended up splinching himself trying to get into her house. She glanced at the entrance to the alley to make sure they were alone, and quickly did the necessary spell work. She smiled at Max as she stepped into his embrace and he apparated them back to her home.

When they arrived back in her foyer, Rowena glanced up at Max as he dropped her bags, a tinge of sadness at the edges of her emotions. She didn’t want the day to be over. She hadn’t been so relaxed and happy in another’s company in so long. The thought of it ending, of their return to work the next day and the stress that brought… she’d give anything to spend just a few more hours with him.

"So about that 'proper date'..." He shrugged, cocking his head towards the door. "Do you want to get dinner?"

Rowena nodded her head vigorously. She’d given up even trying to mask her emotions after the events earlier. He liked her. She liked him. What was the point pretending? She was glad he’d asked though. She might know he liked her now, but she was back to guessing his emotions and thoughts on everything else.

“There’s this really nice Peruvian restaurant not far from here,” she said, “It’s usually pretty busy though. Let me give them a call to see if we can get a table?” she said, grabbing her phone and smiling at him hesitantly. “Make yourself comfortable,” she said nodding towards the living room as she moved to the kitchen to release the cats who were mewing pitifully and scratching at the kitchen door. As soon as the door opened, she was almost pushed over as Pumpkin and Spice rubbed against her, purring furiously and she laughed, giving them a quick cuddle as she waited for the restaurant to pick up her call.

She grabbed her recent purchases, sandwiching the phone between her shoulder and ear so that she could talk and add the books to the shelves lining the walls of the living room at the same time. The young healer smiled brightly at Max as she talked on the phone, watching him in her house and wanting it to be a regular sight.

“…Thank you. See you soon,” she said hanging up and moving towards Max. “I managed to beg us a table for in ten minutes. There’s an apparition point nearby. ” She told him, unable to resist leaning up to kiss him quickly before resting her head on his chest. “And I’m paying by the way. Don’t argue.”

Rowena closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the closeness before taking his hand, “Ready?” and apparating them to an abandoned room that served as an apparition point near the restaurant. She led Max by the hand out into the street, brushing her hair out of her face impatiently as the wind blew it around and stopped in front of a small restaurant on the corner. Andina was a quaint cozy place with floor to ceiling windows and a warm busy atmosphere that could be felt even from outside. Walking inside they were greeted by the host.

“Miss Covington, lovely to see you again. If you’ll follow me this way, I’ll show you both to your table,” he said, leading the couple to a slightly more secluded corner. As they sat, Rowena looked nervously towards Max. She hoped it would be ok. It was busy, it always was, but she’d asked for the corner table hoping it was be isolated enough for the Empath. She looked around, trying to conceal her nerves as she admired the artwork on the walls. She loved this place. Probably came here a little too often if she was being honest, but the food was so good and the colour and ambience of the place always lifted her after a stressful day.

She smiled in thanks as the waiter brought them their menus before glancing at Max. “This is ok right? We can go somewhere else if you want?”

---

OOC: ANDINA LONDON

[Max Kameren]

“There’s this really nice Peruvian restaurant not far from here,” she said, “It’s usually pretty busy though. Let me give them a call to see if we can get a table?”

“Sounds good to me.” Max was just simply happy they hadn’t gotten sick of each other yet, really. Possibly a side-effect of their newly-positive relationship, Max was worried it would fall through at any minute. He could tell she was still in shock at how well they were getting along, too. Max sat down as instructed and watched Rowena organize her new books with an amused smirk; he didn’t know why, but he liked when women were very specifically passionate about something, like organization. It was a weird quirk that he always found cute.

“…Thank you. See you soon,” He stood as she hung up, ready for marching orders. “I managed to beg us a table for in ten minutes. There’s an apparition point nearby. ” He nodded in agreement, unable to keep from smiling when she kissed him. His arms fell easily around her waist, fitting perfectly. He almost didn’t want to move, enjoying the moment until Rowena, on schedule, broke it. “And I’m paying by the way. Don’t argue.”

“Uh, no.” He shook his head as he pulled back, the bottom of his beard messing up the top of Rowena’s hair. “And I’ll never stop arguing, you know that.” He smiled wryly; she could try to pay if she wanted to, but he would see about that.

“Ready?” and apparating them to an abandoned room that served as an apparition point near the restaurant. Max followed her lead, inspecting their surroundings to try to orient himself on his mental map of London.

“Miss Covington, lovely to see you again. If you’ll follow me this way, I’ll show you both to your table,” he said, leading the couple to a slightly more secluded corner. The restaurant was warm and bright, both in physical character and its emotional aura. Max liked it; it was just enough white noise to him that it felt right.

“This is ok right? We can go somewhere else if you want?”

Max was distracted, inspecting some art on the wall. “Hmm? Oh, yeah. I’m usually fine in the muggle world, even in busy places I’m better off than the Wizarding equivalent.” A thought occurred to him and he smiled playfully, hovering his hand over hers. “Want to see? This is what it’s actually usually like.”

When his hand covered Rowena’s his mental world opened up to her again. This time it was more stable, less electric. Each person in the restaurant was represented; their emotional states muted compared to their strong auras. She could feel the tension of a couple bickering a few tables over; a burst of joy came from a bachelorette party at the bar. “Feel that woman in the corner? She’s a witch, that’s why she’s louder.” There was another aura in the corner as strong as theirs, shining like a flare compared to the rest of the room. He shrugged, taking his hand off hers and letting her connection fade. “You get used to it, eventually.”

The waiter came back with water and took their drink order. When he left, Max cocked his head at her with a wry smile. “I realized, we haven’t done the traditional Healers’ introductions: what’s your worst Mungo’s story?” It was terribly unprofessional, but every healer he’d ever spoken with besides Rowena had asked and traded stories with him. He didn’t know if anyone knew Rowena’s, but they’d definitely never exchanged friendly stories before now.

[Rowena Jones]

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I’m usually fine in the muggle world, even in busy places I’m better off than the Wizarding equivalent.”

Rowena relaxed, smiling happily. She’d been worried that crowds would be too much and realized she really had no clue how his empathy worked. Had always presumed it just let him feel and affect people’s emotions and been annoyed at the unfair advantage that gave him, but between Max’s attack during the fundraiser and the brief glimpse she’d unexpectedly received earlier, she was starting to believe it was a lot more complex than that.
She glanced at Max curiously as his hand moved to hover over her own.

“Want to see? This is what it’s actually usually like.”

The young witch nodded cautiously, trusting him but also wary of the storm she had felt earlier. This time it just felt like she’d opened up a whole new sense, like a curtain had been pulled aside and now she could see… or feel… she cocked her head, confused at how exactly she was sensing these auras. It was both amazing, intriguing and overwhelming all at the same time. A fighting couple felt like a wire tightening around her. A party celebrating felt like a wave of joy crashing over her, buoying her own happiness. She suddenly wondered about all the different emotions she had felt in Max’s presence, curious how he would describe her aura to others if he had to.

“Feel that woman in the corner? She’s a witch, that’s why she’s louder.”

Max’s comment pulled her from her own musings and she focused on the woman in question. She compared her to the Muggles around them, then looked at Max. Louder, brighter… again the confusion of the senses hit her and she wondered how on Earth Max went about life so normally when he was confronted by this constantly. It was both beautiful and confusing all at the same time and Ro instantly resolved to learn more about it.

“You get used to it, eventually.”

And then suddenly it was gone as Max removed his hand and Rowena mourned both the loss of his touch and the chance to study his Empathy more. She was interrupted from asking any questions as the waiter returned with water and took their drinks orders. She was about to try again when Max cocked his head, smiling at her and she was distracted by how cute he looked when he did that.

“I realized, we haven’t done the traditional Healers’ introductions: what’s your worst Mungo’s story?”

Rowena frowned. There was a traditional Healer’s introduction? How had she been a healer for ten years and not known about this? And wasn’t it a bit unprofessional to share patient stories? She supposed she could just leave out names, but some of her stories weren’t really appropriate for dinner… and she was over thinking this wasn’t she?

She smiled at the waiter as he brought their drinks as she mused over which story to share. Working in Spell Damage meant there were plenty of them. She wrinkled her nose in thought before settling on one.

“So I’d just been given full Healer status and I was the only one on the Ward that day with no active patients. It had been a bit of a slow day, a couple of splinches and someone with invisible legs that he couldn’t reverse.” She started slowly. She wasn’t the best story teller but she wanted to make it somewhat entertaining to hear.

“I was just filling out some basic paperwork when there was a shout. I looked over just as one of the nurses actually fainted.” She continued with a slight smirk. “So of course I ran over to see what was happening. Remember wishing I hadn’t… somehow, and I’m still not completely sure how they’d done it, the patient had actually turned their skin inside out. The muscles had come along for the ride too… it was ghastly. The face was definitely the worst, just a mess of tendons and the eyes still looked normal…” she trailed off. “Anyway! It took a long time to get things back to where they were supposed to be. How about you? You can't have anything worse than that one.” she said, trying to take the focus off the grim story.

The waiter returned, asking if they were ready to order. Rowena looked questioningly at Max before nodding and placing her order. As the waiter left, her gaze returned to Max.

"When did you first realise you were an Empath?" Max had peaked her interest in his powers now and Rowena wanted to know more. So what if she already had finding a cure to Alzheimers and fixing a prosthetic leg and improving Magical Muggle medical relations on her project list. She could find time for Max too.

[Max Kameren]

“So I’d just been given full Healer status and I was the only one on the Ward that day with no active patients. It had been a bit of a slow day, a couple of splinches and someone with invisible legs that he couldn’t reverse.”

Max grinned as she built up the story; he could tell she hadn't told hers before. It made him a little sad, really, that she wasn't friendly with their coworkers enough to bemoan gory stories. Who did she talk to about work, if not the other healers? He felt slightly honored to be her first 'unprofessional' coworker.

“I was just filling out some basic paperwork when there was a shout. I looked over just as one of the nurses actually fainted.” As she spoke Max took her hand again, this time keeping his empathy to himself. “So of course I ran over to see what was happening. Remember wishing I hadn’t… somehow, and I’m still not completely sure how they’d done it, the patient had actually turned their skin inside out. The muscles had come along for the ride too… it was ghastly. The face was definitely the worst, just a mess of tendons and the eyes still looked normal…”

"That sounds terrible!" He grimaced and suppressed a laugh, squeezing Rowena's hand. After years of working at Mungo's, Max was nearly entirely desensitized to anything the human body could serve up for him. As Potions Master he worked in every department, saw every type of unfortunate incident. There was nothing he hadn't seen.

“Anyway! It took a long time to get things back to where they were supposed to be. How about you? You can't have anything worse than that one.”

Emerald eyes rolled towards the ceiling as Max recalled his worst Mungo's emergency. "I'd only call mine worse based on procedure. There was a lot of cleanup. So," He took a sip of his scotch, trying to remember all the details correctly, "to be a PM for Mungo's you have to train both as a Healer and get your Potions Master's certification, but you can train in whatever department you want. I was in Emergencies, but my mentor specifically did house-calls. One day, we get called to Azkaban. They have an on-site healer, but there was an accident she needed help with. She'd described it as a splinch, but it was not a splinch."

"One of the inmates figured out how to get around the Anti-Disapparition Jinx, but just to get outside his cell. He'd miscalculated where he was going, and wound up apparating halfway inside a two-meter-wide solid stone wall: just his shoulders up were out, the rest of him was... dispersed throughout the concrete." Max shuddered at the memory, only to realize their waiter had joined them once again to take their order. Max ordered sheepishly, not sure how much he'd heard.

"We spent the rest of the week drilling into the wall to reassemble him. Luckily his vital organs had stayed attached inside the wall, so he didn't die. I think he's mostly still in Azkaban." He shrugged. "Great lesson in anatomy, though."

"When did you first realise you were an Empath?"

Max looked down his nose at her, playfully suspicious. He usually tended to ignore or rebuff questions about his empathy in social settings; it was something he considered too personal. The outside world's understanding of his sixth sense was very different than his living it was, and he simply didn't usually have the energy to explain it. Now that Rowena had seen both the bad and the day-to-day, though, she'd earned a few answers. "At Hogwarts, I started getting attacks during school events like the one you saw at Mungo's the other day. Dad and Ari took me in to see Milton, who'd met the last Empath that came through Mungo's when he was a Healer-In-Training." He sighed heavily, taking a sip of his drink. "Since we couldn't find any living specialists I made up my own way of controlling it, using Legilimency. As you can see it's going swimmingly."

He shook his head, chuckling bitterly. "It's helpful in its own way, though. Wandless magic is easier for me than casting with a wand, at this point. I can use it to help with patients, if they aren't belligerent crab-claw-waving drunks." There were other, more personal ways Empathy helped Max too, but he wouldn't share that on a first date. At least, not on a first date with Rowena. "Why do you ask, do you want to study me too? I warn you there's a waiting list." He smirked and his eyes lingered on Rowena as the waiter joined them again, bringing their food.

There was a lull in conversation when their meals came. A question came to Max that had been nagging him about Rowena since the fundraiser that he'd forgotten to ask. "I never really asked: why Mungo's for you? Why not muggle medicine?" He hoped that wasn't too heavy for dinner conversation; he'd told her about Curse's illness and his empathy, but Rowena hadn't opened up as much yet. He wanted to know more.

[Rowena Jones]

“…She'd described it as a splinch, but it was not a splinch."

Rowena flinched, half expecting what was going to follow that statement. She’d seen enough throughout her years at Mungos to know to expect anything and be prepared for everything but there were still cases she’d rather not have to ever deal with again, her earlier story being a case in point. She grimaced throughout the rest of his story.

"We spent the rest of the week drilling into the wall to reassemble him. Luckily his vital organs had stayed attached inside the wall, so he didn't die. I think he's mostly still in Azkaban." He shrugged. "Great lesson in anatomy, though." Rowena laughed. There was that infallible Healer humour. You just had to make the best of a shitty situation and see every case as a learning curve otherwise everything could get quite depressing very quickly. She wondered if he applied that philosophy to his empathy too and couldn't resist asking more about it.

"When did you first realise you were an Empath?"

Max paused, looking at her oddly and Rowena suddenly doubted herself. She wasn’t very good at this personal one on one kind of situation. She could be rather to the point and wasn’t altogether sure of what was considered an attempt to breach people’s privacy. Had she put her foot in it again like she had at the Fundraising day? She was about to apologise when Max answered her question.

"At Hogwarts, I started getting attacks during school events like the one you saw at Mungo's the other day […] As you can see it's going swimmingly."

Rowena bit her lip as she remembered her time at Hogwarts. Being in the same year, Max and her had often crossed paths though they’d moved in very different social circles. She dimly remembered a few rumours of Max fainting but that had been the year where her own life had been turned upside down, where she’d forsaken any attempts at socializing and thrown herself head first into studying. The last thing she would have been doing was paying attention to Max Kameren.

"It's helpful in its own way, though. Wandless magic is easier for me than casting with a wand, at this point. I can use it to help with patients, if they aren't belligerent crab-claw-waving drunks."

She laughed, grinning at him, thankful for the light injection of humour. “You did OK that day. Could have been better,” she said smirking at him. He knew she was a little envious, ok a lot envious, over his ability with wandless magic. It was only fair she gave him a bit of a hard time.

"Why do you ask, do you want to study me too? I warn you there's a waiting list."

The young witch shook her head. “I don’t want to study you,” she said even as her mind conjured up several ‘study session’ possibilities. Rowena blushed at the betrayal by her own imagination knowing that Max would have caught that. “Study is so impersonal You're a person, not a thing.” she continued trying to pretend nothing had happened. “But I’d like to try and help you… if you want?” She inwardly admitted that even if he declined the offer, it wouldn’t stop her doing some digging. There was already a spark of an idea blooming in her mind.

The waiter returned with their food and the subject was dropped for the moment.

"I never really asked: why Mungo's for you? Why not muggle medicine?"

Rowena paused, taking another bite of her food to delay her answer. Max had shared a lot with her but Rowena wasn’t used to people wanting to know the nitty gritty details of her life. She kept to herself and had grown used to her own company. It was a touchy subject, and one she would not have shared easily with just anyone.

“I tried doing both,” she admitted finally. Admitting her failure to do so was a sore point for Rowena. “When I first found out about my mum, it was obvious that Muggle medicine wasn’t going to be able to help. Alzheimers has been around for so long and though they’ve made progress it’s more of an easing treatment than a curative one. I went to Mungos as soon as I found out. Magic was, still is such an amazing thing to me. I was so so sure that they’d have a cure. Turned out that they didn’t and what’s worse they didn’t really care much at all. It’s not a Wizarding problem so…” she trailed off realizing how bitter she still was about it.

“I made up my mind there and then that I’d fix it. Once I graduated, I started in both Muggle and Mungos. Barely slept for months. I'd finish one shift and go straight to another. Invigoration Draughts were my best friend but they can only keep you going for so long. I really thought I could do both. I wanted to do everything I could to help mum. She was really bad then, hadn’t reacted positively to treatment and needed a lot of extra care. But I realized I wasn’t good enough to do both and that I had to choose one so that I could have a chance to do anything at all. Magic just seemed like the better choice. Pretty much anything is possible if you try hard enough right?” she smiled sadly up at him.

There was another reason that she’d never disclosed to anyone but for some reason she wanted to tell Max. “And anyway when I discover the cure, if I was a Muggle doctor, everyone would know wouldn’t they? I’d forever be the person who cured a disease that affects thousands. I don’t want that. This way, I’ll save mum and there’ll be no fanfare from Mungos. I’ll have to find a way to adapt it and then slip it into a few people’s notes or something. They can have the fame. I just want to help my mum. I never had any other reason to do this but for her but I wouldn’t feel right keeping the cure to myself.” She shrugged, finishing up her food to distract her from all she had just shared.

She finally found the courage to look up at Max and smiled softly. The day had gone better than she’d ever imagined. Max thrilled her and they had more in common than she’d ever thought. He could keep up with her, didn’t mind spending a whole afternoon in a bookstore and had made her cheeks hurt from all the smiling.

“What are you doing to me Max Kameren?” she asked studying him intensely. “You’ve got me spilling all my secrets. Though, speaking of secrets… what are we going to do at work? ” She instantly blushed as she realized what she was implying.

Oh Merlin. What if he didn’t want to do this again? She had all but said she wanted this to go further. What she wouldn’t give to be able to go back in time and stop herself from saying that. It was all Max’s fault - he was too charmingly disarming for her own good!

[Max Kameren]

“Study is so impersonal You're a person, not a thing.” she continued trying to pretend nothing had happened. “But I’d like to try and help you… if you want?”

“Depends on what you mean.” He smiled evilly, unable to resist calling attention to her suggestive musing a moment ago. His eyes lingered on her as their food came and silence fell between them for a moment as they ate.

"I never really asked: why Mungo's for you? Why not muggle medicine?"

“I tried doing both,” she admitted finally. Admitting her failure to do so was a sore point for Rowena. “When I first found out about my mum, it was obvious that Muggle medicine wasn’t going to be able to help[…]Turned out that they didn’t and what’s worse they didn’t really care much at all. It’s not a Wizarding problem so…”

Max nodded in understanding; he was more than familiar with the healing community’s apathy for projects that weren’t applicable to the broader wizarding community. He’d seen it in Curse’s research for a poison antidote, and again in his struggles with empathy. A lot of St. Mungo’s was ‘big picture’, not research. Hell, he’d had better luck talking to the Department of Mysteries to study empathy than he had with Mungo’s.

“I made up my mind there and then that I’d fix it[…]I just want to help my mum. I never had any other reason to do this but for her but I wouldn’t feel right keeping the cure to myself.” She shrugged, finishing up her food to distract her from all she had just shared. 

While Rowena was speaking Max had finished his dinner. He listened, transfixed by her story. It blew him away how much about Rowena he’d misinterpreted through his empathy or missed entirely; there was so much more to her ambition than he’d originally thought when he competed with her at work and at Hogwarts. There was more to her drive to succeed than blind ambition, like he’d thought. They had more in common, too. Max couldn’t believe he’d missed so much, and now regret not putting down his defenses and getting to know her sooner. It was only their first date, but it felt like they’d lost time.

She smiled up at him sweetly and he took the opportunity to kiss her. He leaned in, trying to make the moment last as long as she would let him. Under the table his hand found her thigh and rested there, squeezing affectionately. He couldn’t help but smile as he leaned back into his own chair, flushed from the contact. He let a little of his empathy escape through his fingers still resting on her knee under the table, to let her know what he'd thought of her story without having to find the words.

“What are you doing to me Max Kameren?” she asked studying him intensely. “You’ve got me spilling all my secrets. Though, speaking of secrets… what are we going to do at work? ”

“Whatever you want.” He smiled wolfishly, leaning on the table. “But as for our coworkers, I thought we’d keep seeing each other and if they have opinions we can tell them exactly where they’d be appreciated.” Max shrugged; it was much simpler for him, he knew. Part of what had attracted him to Potions Mastery in the first place was the fact that he was a free agent at the hospital. Besides Milton, there wasn’t a real department that he or Jackson answered to. Besides their apprentices they had no staff to deal with, and Harper wasn’t really the type to give him grief about his love life. There was very little politics for him, but Rowena’s position was more precarious. “We can keep it quieter a work, if you’d prefer. Personally I’m not above physical threats if Cutter continues to be an arse to you about us. Our mutual absence today won’t go unnoticed, either.”

Their conversation was momentarily broken up once again by the waiter’s presence. “Dessert, you two?” Max arched a brow in Rowena’s direction. He didn’t have a sweet tooth really, but hers was notorious.

[Rowena Jones]

“Whatever you want.” Max smiled wolfishly, leaning on the table. “But as for our coworkers, I thought we’d keep seeing each other and if they have opinions we can tell them exactly where they’d be appreciated.”

The pink faded slowly as she realized what he was saying. He wanted to do this again! She could have shouted for the joy of it but she remembered they were in public and settled for grinning happily. She wanted to kiss him again and again, but she’d noticed a few stares after he’d kissed her breathless moments ago and conceded that she should probably calm down a little. She was just so happy. Never in a million years had she thought this would happen. She’d sworn off relationships completely after James had left. Had always figured that it was something that could wait until after she’d completed her goals. Would never have thought that there would be someone on the same wavelength as her. Who would see her, ambition, drive, obsessive quirks and all and still want to be with her.

“We can keep it quieter at work, if you’d prefer. Personally I’m not above physical threats if Cutter continues to be an arse to you about us. Our mutual absence today won’t go unnoticed, either.”

And cherry on the cake, he also understood her position at work. She bit her lip as she considered the options.

“Well, the hospital already thinks we’re together so it’s not like we have to tell anyone,” she began, “maybe just no snogging me senseless in the corridors, as tempting as that sounds…” she trailed off as once again her imagination provided appealing imagery.

Their conversation was momentarily broken up once again by the waiter’s presence. “Dessert, you two?”

Rowena grinned guiltily at Max’s expectant look. “They do these amazing pumpkin doughnuts? Share with me?” she said, placing the order. Honestly, she just wanted any excuse to drag out the evening. The end was fast approaching and then it would be back to work. As much as she wanted to believe that it would still be like this at Mungos, she knew better. They both had jobs to do, fast paced and often high stress jobs. It wouldn’t be this relaxed and casual again until they managed to get time off together again and Merlin knew how hard it had been to do this time.

“You’re working tomorrow right?” Her shift started at 10am, but it was going to be a long one and she had several meetings to prepare for. But if Max was going to be around too, maybe she could squeeze in a short break and the thought made her smile. She loved her job and the long hours really didn’t bother her but the idea that she could sneak in a couple of kisses here and there made it even better.

Another thought occurred to her and she paused, anxiously playing with the edge of the table cloth. Max and her were getting on amazingly well, but it was only their first date. Then again, scheduling was a nightmare at Mungos and if she wanted him there, and she did after the success of the day, she’d have to bring it up sooner rather than later. If stuff happened and they fell apart then she’d lost nothing in asking him. Was she getting ahead of herself? Maybe... but they'd known each other for years. Disliked each other for most of that time sure... but after today, it felt like one huge misunderstanding. Max didn't feel like a stranger to her. This didn't even really feel like a first date. It was too comfortable. Too easy.

“Max…” she began slowly before diving in and saying the rest in a rush, “My parent’s 50th wedding anniversary is in 2 months and would you like to come?” She tried telling herself that it was because she didn’t really have any one else to ask but the truth was she wanted Max there. Her mum wasn't doing any better and in her moments of lucidity often commented to Rowena how sad she was that her daughter had no one. If she could bring her mother some degree of comfort in knowing that Rowena had maybe found something special, then she wanted to do it.

[Max Kameren]

“You’re working tomorrow right?”

Max nodded “Six to six. More realistically six to ten.” Soon they’d be leaving their private, happy social date-bubble and venturing out to the real world, where St. Mungo’s would most definitely pop it. After half a lifetime under a magnifying glass, Max was prepared. He worried about Rowena though, and how she would deal with the stress of their colleague’s hopes on their relationship. If they took it slow and tried to keep it casual for now, they’d make it through. Hopefully.

Their dessert came relatively quickly, with the check alongside. Max pulled out his wallet slowly, watching Rowena in the corner of his eye with a smirk. “Are you having trouble with your pocket?” His kiss earlier hadn’t been entirely without ulterior motives: when he put his hand on her leg, he’d temporarily blocked the extension charm on her trouser pocket. To fix it she would have to take out her wand, which they both knew was an impossibility in the Muggle restaurant. “Those expansion charms can be so fickle. It’s fine, I’ve got it this time.” He grinned triumphantly as he placed his muggle cash on the table. He pushed the dessert plate slightly closer to Rowena, trying to soothe her annoyance at him with sugar.

He let Rowena have most of the dessert, instead favoring finishing off his scotch. Scotch was a better dessert to him, in any case. Besides, he liked how overexcited Rowena got around sugar. It reminded him of her joyful squeal in the lift a few weeks ago when he’d presented her with toffees. It had been surprising then, but now he found it cute. The tables had turned quickly for them.

“Max…”

“Hmm?”

“My parent’s 50th wedding anniversary is in 2 months and would you like to come?”

That was… unexpected. Max paused for a bit too long, unsure what to say. For him meeting family was a big commitment, one he wasn’t yet ready to make. It was their first date after all. Sure, Max had moved more quickly with women less deserving in the past, but he wouldn’t have brought them to meet Ari and his sisters if his life depended on it. He knew now how much Rowena’s family meant to her too, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.

“I...” Max stalled, putting his hand over hers on the table in an effort to be comforting. “I dunno, Ro. I’ll mark the day off on the Mungo’s calendar, but for now I want to focus on us first.” He wasn’t ready, not yet. He bit his lip nervously, not sure of her reaction.

[Rowena Jones]

Their dessert came relatively quickly, with the check alongside. Max pulled out his wallet slowly, watching Rowena in the corner of his eye with a smirk. “Are you having trouble with your pocket?”

Rowena looked at Max in surprise as she finished a mouthful of dessert. Curious as to what he was talking about she tried to retrieve her phone from her pocket and found she couldn’t. She rolled her eyes at him. Anyone who said Max Kameren wasn’t as competitive as her was a damn liar. Nevertheless, she was amused as he continued to brag at his apparent success.

“Those expansion charms can be so fickle. It’s fine, I’ve got it this time.” He grinned triumphantly as he placed his muggle cash on the table.

Smirking now, Rowena took the proffered doughnuts. “You might want to look at that ‘cheque’ again Max,” she said as she bit into the sweet treat. It tasted all the sweeter for the victory she was currently enjoying. Being a regular at the restaurant had its perks. One being that they’d readily agreed to her request to pay upfront for the meal. She’d been rather generous with the sum to make up for the rather odd request which had certainly made it easier but it was well worth the cost to see Max looking at the receipt in that way. “They won’t take your money,” she said smugly. “Maybe don’t give me home advantage next time.”

There was a brief silence as they finished their respective desserts and Rowena became lost in thought gathering up the courage to ask something that had been on her mind throughout dinner.

“My parent’s 50th wedding anniversary is in 2 months and would you like to come?”

The pause that followed was too long and Max’s hand on hers didn’t feel comforting this time. It felt placating. Condescending.

“I dunno, Ro...”

It was like a slap in the face. 'I dunno'. She barely heard the rest of his sentence. If she'd been thinking clearly maybe she would have taken the olive branch he was offering but all she could hear was no. She'd offered to let him in and he'd said no. Dunno. Same thing.

It was her fault of course. She should have known that it was too much. Knowing that she'd done it, that she’d ruined everything, made it all the worse. She sat back, removing her hand from under Max’s, her smugness at beating Max for the ‘honour’ of paying for the meal gone in an instant. She wrapped her arms around herself, her amber gaze staring unseeingly at a painting on the wall behind Max.

“I didn’t mean as an us,” she said slowly, still keeping her gaze anywhere but on Max. “I’ve just never told anyone all the stuff about my mum. Not like I did tonight. I thought…” she trailed off. She’d thought he’d understood. Understood that work and family were everything to her. It was a package deal, interconnected. That regardless of the kissing and flirting, that she'd considered him her friend. It had felt good to finally share a little of herself with someone else again. But now she was reminded why she didn’t let people get close. That feeling of rejection, that she’d done something wrong… she hated it.

Suddenly that connection between them felt dangerous. She wasn’t sure anymore if she was willing to explore it, and risk getting hurt. She finally met Max’s gaze even as the shields she’d always had up to keep people out, the very shields Max had somehow begun to lift, snapped down.

“Nevermind,” she said finally, numbly. “This was a mistake. I’m just going to go home now.” She stood robotically and without a glance back, walked out. She’d been right the first time. Max Kameren and her would never be friends.