Sebastian was just putting the stack of files in the filing cabinet when he heard someone enter his division. HE looked up from his cubicle and saw that it was Liam.
What's he doing here?


He walked over to Liam.
"Hey. What are you doing here mate?"

"I've come to see my old boss" replied Liam as he waited for Alina to finish speaking to whoever she was speaking to, Liam was sure he recognised him from somewhere but couldn't remember where "I want to wish her a merry christmas and a happy new year."

Now I'm the popular one! Oh goody. she thought smiling slightly at her sarcasim in her thought. She smiled. "Hi. I'm Dree, of coarse you already knew that."she said, rolling her eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you Edward."she said, grinning.

"Oh! Okay. I'll meet you later then. I have to pack up then I'll come up to your division have something to talk to you about."He said to Liam and went towards his cubicle.

"Okay I'll look forward to speaking to you." Replied Liam, who was looking around the room as he spoke there were a lot of people in the room, he wondered how long Alina would be talking to this other man for, he hoped it wouldn't be long.

Alina smiled. "Ah, yes, that well may be, but you know what the Ministry is like." She raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "But thank you." A warm glow came to her cheeks, and she shook back her curls lightly. "I hope he thinks so, especially in a few weeks time. I'm buying him a present I wouldn't usually go for. Too flambouyant, but there we go."

She nodded softly. "Of course your Mum will. As long as you visit her regularly." She laughed, partly from knowledge, before her eyes twinkled. "So do I get to see some photos of you looking all handsome?"

Alina smiled as Dree and Edward introduced themselves. "Edward is from Level Eight. Comes and patrols in here when he feels like some good home cooking and a coffee," she said with a wink.

"And my apologies Dree, I didn't answer your question from when Edward entered the room. I guess I wasn't ready to announce it before this fellow appeared." She smiled with a look of excitement on her face. "You were quite right, I'm pregnant." She bit her lip out of nervousness, even though she wasn't sure why. "But no worries, I'm not going anywhere!"

Alina had noticed Liam talking to Sebastian, and quietly excused herself from Edward and Dree for a few moments.

"Is it weird coming back here?" She asked with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello Alina it does seem a bit weird I must admit" laughed Liam, he didn't realy want anything he just wanted to see how she was, for some reason ever since he had left Alina Division he had wanted to know how she was doing and how she was but he had never got round to it. He tried to think of some excuss for him to come and see her. "I just wanted to see my old place again."

"Not too weird I hope. I haven't made too many changes." She chuckled, before offering Liam the tin on her desk. "Cookie? Homebaked as usual."

She perched on the edge of her desk, and took a bite out of a oat cookie. "So you all settled into your new role? Or miss it in here?" She looked up at Liam, before eying the cookie hungrily. With a shrug, she gobbled it down and rubbed her now large stomach.

"No it isn't to weird, It looks more or less the same as when I was here" he laughed and then when she offered him an home-made cookie he felt like excepting the offer but then after a few moments said "No thank you I have eaten all ready."

He stood looking at her whist she sat on the edge of her desk, he wondered if she had ever fallen off it, Liam doubted it, she wouldn't be on there now, he had fallen off his once after sitting like that and ended up in the bin. When she asked him if he had settled into his new role he said "Yes, thank you I love being the head of the gobstone division." When she said about does he like his new job or does he miss it there he was wondering if she wanted him back for some reason "I do miss it here sometimes, I miss the excitement of working in this division, like the bitting tea-pots and so on we don't get them where I work now" He laughed as he remembered the bitting tea-pot incident.

Keylee walked in and sat down at her desk waiting for instuctuons on what to do now.

Alina gave a small shrug and nod, before taking another for herself. Good job she'd found a slightly healthier recipe that tasted just as good. "As long as you're sure...a small cookie won't hurt you know!"

She smiled as he spoke about his role. "It's good to hear you're enjoying it. I know how much of a change it can be taking on a Division Head placement." She gave small chuckle. She'd been thrown straight in to preparing for the Ministry convention and then had an added extra thing at home to cope with. "Ah, well, you'll be glad to know then we haven't had much excitment of that sort for a while. And definitely no more biting teapots." She gestured her head in Dree's direction. "I think Dree quite wants something like that, it's only been paperwork recently. Maybe I should put a notice in the Prophet - 'more crazy inventions wanted urgently!'." She laughed, a cheeky twnkle in her eyes.
Looking over Liam's shoulder, Alina noticed another of employees enter the room. "Hey Keylee!" she said with a wave. "How are you today? I put a folder with some bits to investigate on your desk. Would you mind having a flick through and reporting back to me?"

Liam smiled at Alina "No I don't think I will have a cookie, last time I said I'd just have one, by time the kids got home from school I had eaten them all up." He changed to his sad face. "It took me three weeks to get back in my wifes and their good books, So I don't think I'll risk it."

"It's quite a change, you have to do your own work, but also keep an eye on the others, making sure that they are doing their work as well." He laughed when she said about having no more bitting tea-pots. "Well I think Sebastian is hoping for something good to happen to." He remembered the conversation that had taken place in the Breakroom not that long ago. "I would love to see the look on anyone face if you did put that add in the paper." he couldn't help but laugh at what she had said.

Alina noticed his down look. "Ah, in that case I understand. But do remember I have an almost unlimited supply of good home cooking in office if you do ever fancy something." She grinned. It was probably the main reason she got visitors to the Division - her cooking. Though it might have to decrease slightly in the coming weeks.

"Yes indeed. I guess more of a change for you than me. I had to do partly do that with Theo as his secretary previously anway. Make sure he wasn't only testing new brooms and did actually do some planning and boring work." She chuckled. "Ah, yes, Sebastian. You two good mates?" She looked over at the employee she mentioned. Liam had spoken to him when he first entered the division, so it made sense that they might be mates.

"Hmm, me too. Though I'm not sure what Theo would make of it. Plus then we'd probably be overwhelmed with dangerous stuff." She looked thoughtful. "I think I'll just hope it picks up a bit. Bound to be some new type of something already invented coming here soon."

"Thanks for the offer." Replied Liam "But like I said I promised and I am hoping to stick to that promise." Though Liam already knew that he had broken the promise as he had got some cookies hidding in a draw at his desk, but there was no need for anyone to know that was there.

"I must admit the first few weeks were hard but then once I got used to it, I settled down in the role and now I wouldn't give it up for the world, I love it so much" He heard her talk about Sebastain "I think we are good mates, we got each other a christmas present" He smiled maybe they were great mates as he didn't think that was the normal thing for the collegues to do. He wondered if Sebastian had said anything to her "He doesn't looked to good does he at the minute."

Liam smiled at her "I am sure he wouldn't like it, but like you said I am sure that it will pick up in the end." He looked around the room it seems like a lot of people were in the room at the minute, well there was more activity in here than in his room.

Alina looked up from her work as a note caught her attention. Finishing her sentence, she layed down her quill and stretched out. She was trying to squeeze her work into a shorter day so she could get home earlier, and in doing so she'd worked non stop.

She reached out for the note. An impromptu meeting? About what? She gave a small frown, before heading to see her husband, intrigued.

Dree walked in, trying to straighten her very tangleda and wild long red hair. Her robes where slightly of center of their usually straightness, for she was running a tad late. Looking around she ran to her desk and slid in, smiling and clamping her hands together on her desk, trying to look like she was on time. Then she realized though that she was wearing slippers. With a wave of her wand, she transformed them into black high heels, matching her outfit well. Grinning, she pulled her hair back into a shiny black head band and waited to be told what to do.

Alice walked into the office and waited for someone to tell her what to do next. It was her first day at work, finally, for the Ministry! She couldn't believe it! She was getting butterflies in her stomach already, but she just ignored them.

Alina bustled into the division with a pile of paperwork in hand. She was about to head straight to her desk, when a new face caught her eye. Trust Alina to be running late when a new employee started. "One moment," she said with a warm smile, quickly going to put the files on her desk and sorting them into her tray so she wouldn't forget which ones were priority.

Returning to her new employee, Alina looked apologetic. "Sorry I'm a bit late," she said, gesturing to the files on her desk. "Had some stuff to go and pick up." She brushed her blonde hair back off her face and smiled. "Alina Newtington," she introduced, "your new division head. But please, call me Alina." Her eyes twinkled. "Welcome to Patents, where many wonders await. I'm guessing you must be Alice?"

a note falls gently on Alina's desk.

Alina looked away from her new employee, and over to her desk - noting how much work the division had to do. Something else was there too - a note of some kind. Maybe she was needed in a meeting or something. Curious, she picked it up to read. The words on it though made her face fall, and a lump caught in Alina's throat. The parchment didn't say much, but it certainly said enough for Alina to guess what had happened. Poor Edward. She bit her lip as she thought about what to do. It sounded like he needed her, as she had once needed him, and if the note had appeared on her desk recently, the chance were that Edward was still at work.

She nodded to herself, before shaking back her hair. "I've got to be somewhere," Alina said to Alice. "I'll be back soon. Maybe you can familiarise yourself with Level Seven whilst I'm gone?" With that, Alina was out of the department and heading to Level Eight.

Dree looked up from her work and smiled at the girl she didn't know. "Newbe."she muttered under her breath, still smiling at the girl. "I'm Madreena Droman. I've been here for awhile, so if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask."she said, grinning. "So, what's might your name be?"she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Okay....random. Her boss gets there...finally, then leaves. What was that all about? Dree shook her head and eyed the letter on the desk. What had it said? Should she read it? Or not. Couriosity burned through her as she contemplated it. Infact, she couldn't even focus on her work because of it. Sighing she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

"Oh, hello!" Said Alice, "My name is Alice.. Alice Pattinson. I'm new here and thank you! I will ask if I have any." Alice's eyes flickered to the note that had landed on her new boss's desk. Should she read it? Her hand yearned to grab the note and read it, but it was her boss's privacy. "Maybe if no one else was looking." She thought to herself. Finally, she looked around and when she saw that no one was looking, she snatched up the note and read it. It wasn't very long, about 2 lines to be exact. It said, "She's gone. I'm not sure what to do anymore. Signed, Edward." "What a strange note," Alice thought to herself yet again, "I wonder who put it on my boss's desk." Plus, who was gone? Why didn't he know what to do anymore? And who was Edward anyway? Alice was still running these questions through her head while she carefully placed the note back on the desk.

Dree smiled warmly at the girl named Alice. "It's nice to meet you Alice."she said, her eyes flickering to where Alice's eyes had as well flickered to. Ugh. Why was a stupid piece of parchment making her want to break rules just to read it. She turned her gaze down to the paper she was working on, and out of the corner of her eye she watched Alice pick it up, read it, then put it back. Not able to handle it any longer she looked at Alice and sighed. "I can't take it any longer! What did it say?"she asked, her eyes wide with excitment. "Not that I care. Just concerned you know."she added hastily, looking down as heat rose to her cheeks.

"Uhh I don't understand what it said really. But this is what it said, "She's gone. I'm not sure what to do anymore. Signed, Edward. Do you know who Edward is and what happened to him or who left? This note is very strange." She asked Dree.

Dree's eyes widdened slightly as Alice told her what the note said. "Hmm..She's gone? Well I knew he had someone in his life...and that he was very happy. I even think they where moving into a house or something like that."she bit her lip, deep in thought. She shook her head. "I don't really know who left, but I do know Edward. He works in a different department, and well, the boss is really good friends with him. Family friends, go way back you know. Well, I really don't have a clue to be honest."she ended, shrugging. "It's like you said, it's really strange. I can say, that he does seem quite upset."she added, frowning.