"Ah, yes Maia. I am a busy man, going to and fro. You would think that the Ministry would make sure they trained the interns before they set them loose, but alas desperate times call for desperate measures. They aren't screening these people like they used to, not like when we were an interns here."

Maia nodded, with an amused smile. "Yeah--things can change a lot in two years-- I suppose; for me, at least." She gave a shrug. "I had to go through two months of training and such, just to become an intern. But they really have to be careful with the Department of Mysteries--some of the information up there...you don't want it to fall into the wrong hands. You know."

She bit her lip and winced at the memory of thousands and thousands of smashed prophecy records, littering the floor of the Hall of Prophecy, imagining how much more terrible that could have been if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had known about the origin and singnificance of a prophecy...

"Oh, UWW is doing quite well in the DoM, Zack. Posters and spirit everywhere, we have a couple of the interns selling drinks and snacks for the profit of the UWW movement, and it keeps them out of the way, provides the Unspeakables with food, and helps UWW a little, too."

Maia smiled and Zack, realizing that he seemed quite nice, and concerned for his world, the wizarding world...nice for a Slytherin. Productive, too...nice, maybe for anybody. He was a cool guy, even if the Ravenclaws had never thought much of his house.

Hmm. Was Zack looking at her? Or was he noticing her looking at him? He always had looked... well. Regal, maybe? Something like that... yeah, he was a few years older, but it didn't quite matter. He was nice and..erm, regal. They might be good friends oneday. (Because, you know, a vice minister, "regal" as he was, probably wouldn't want to.... well, she was merely an Unspeakable.)

Maia nodded at his talk of interns, thinking. "Yeah--erm, I guess, if they have potential, they're just, er, hiding it. I swear, yesterday one of our new time turners was broken by Li Sbellnik, the newest intern? I hear his father works in the Floo Network, and I've got to say, not to insult, that probably was the way he got his internship. He's done nothing but break magical objects and eat snacks, so far."

Twirling a brown curl around her finger, Maia smiled as Zack said: "I am glad to hear that UWW is being supported in your department. I really love some of the candy they sell, really a delight to have. Some departments, however, haven't been to keen on helping out the UWW fund." he narrowed his blue eyes toward a wizard whom stood behind Maia. "It does also keep the interns away."

"Oh yeah?" Maia asked, the smile on her face turning to a slight frown, crinkling her eyebrows."Which departments?" She couldn't imagine anyone would want the wizarding world to stay, in chaos, as it was. But of course, there would still be angry Death Eaters, as there were last time, who would want their master back. Though it was an ugly thought to think about, she realized that in ZAck's job, he was probably thinking about that every day.

"You want an intern to bring you coffee, Zack? You can have mine, though I warn you--he ay drink it it before it gets back to you, but whatever you please, after all, you are the vice minister!" She shrugged, with a grin, and wondered, once more, if he was noticing her looking at him.

“Li Sbellnik. Ahh, yes, I sat in on his interview. He seemed quite good in a devious sort of way. I am sure that his father had a hand in getting his internship as well, as seeing he was part of the officials that hired him. You can imagine what he done to get his son in here though.”

Maia nodded, rolling her eyes. "Well, I suppose, people are rather desperate for jobs for now. They really need the money, lots of things to buy and restore, new wands new houses, school supplies, renovations... I don't know." She shrugged, looking Zack up and down once more, telling herself that it was Kay to thing he looked "regal," as long as she didn't say anything.

Zack was the youngest vice minister in at least a decade, he was brilliant, he was tied up with tons and tons of work, much more than an ordinary vice minister would have, what with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's death. He probably wouldn't have time for a girl as ordinary as nineteen year old Maia. She was the youngest Unspeakable in her department, and she wasn't one of the higher positions...whereas, he...

“Ah, I don’t think I want an intern like that. I believe I could do all that by myself.” Zack's voice jolted her out of her thought. “I wouldn’t mind someone of your caliber. Someone as.. Umm, smart as you are.”

She laughed, blushing. Had he, perhaps, wanted to say more than "smart" on that subject? She couldn't be sure, but from the red look of his face, and from the "um" that had punctured his sentence, maybe, just maybe, he had. "Well, erm, I work among many. If you ever need a break at Leaky (Cauldron) or something... I could take a break then, too. Maybe."

She blushed harder and wondered what she had just said. Had she just said she would take a firewhisky break with him, if he pleased? "You know, for business! Of course, just, if you're ever lacking....strictly for Ministry matters, would Leaky be.....right. If you wanted to...talk about bussiness..." She would gladly then have hit herself over the head with a sledgehammer, but instead, spoke abruptly about the topic of Quidditch that he had brought up.

"No...I haven't much had time to think about Quidditch lately, the Department of Mysteries has more than merely interns to worry about! Though, of course, I imagine you know all about that, Vice Minister that you are.

“I haven’t been to the Leaky Cauldron in months, maybe we could go get a fire whiskey or two after work. We could see how the Quidditch world cup is doing and uh, you know, talk more about work, or course.” Zack said, in that way of his.

"Yeah," Maia agreed, straightening up and shaking her head, getting a couple stray curls out of her face, letting them fall over her shoulders instead. "Definitely. I'm dying to know if Britain will do better this year than the last two or three--it's a shame they bombed even when the Cup was being hosted here, in England. Perhaps we'll finally beat Czechoslovakia this year, at least. They always seem to be the ones to take us out of the running.'

She fell silent, wondering if Zack had played Quidditch back when he was at Hogwarts. She had spent most of the quidditch matches talking with her friends, except for the Ravenclaw ones--and she had never noticed him in the matches Slytherin had played against her own house. But perhaps he had been there, and just went whizzing by too fast for her to catch his face.

Maia herself had never been much of a Quiddditch player. She would goof around on a broom with her friends on a Saturday, and she liked watching the World Cup, but she herself had never done any real broom sports. (A couple of her friends played Broom Polo, but she had never been quite into that, either.)

“Maybe helping you with whatever this intern did will take up most of my day.” Zack told her, maybe more of a question than a statement. There was a suggestive touch in his voice, and Maia grinned, pretty sure she knew what it meant.

"Maybe it will, Mr. Vice Minister," She replied with a shrug and an eyebrow raise.

“Oh, yes, I know they have had a bit of trouble here lately. I believe though, that maybe before too long, it will die down and you won’t have as much work as you have been, hopefully. Hopefully it will die down for all of us.” Zack said, and Maia certainly hoped so. Everything had been stressful and hectic lately, even the lifts were taking abnormal amounts of time, and there were constantly people running in and out of the Ministry. It was exhausting.

"So, since we are so packed full of work, when do you think we could have that firewhiskey?" Zack asked. Maia grinned, glad that he had even answered what she had said at all, let alone the positive manner in which he had.

"Maybe today, at lunch? Or in your break, Zack? I could take the same one as you, and yeah, fifteen minutes isn't too long, but, it'd probably be long enough to discuss, uh..." She cleared her throat, "Long enough to discuss business."

Those eyes were penetrating. And the stare emitted by them , if by given by anyone else, would have been long and awkward, but by Zack...it was right. Their eyes met for not too long, too short, or even the right amount of time...it didn't feel as though there was a legnth at all, no right time for there to be...the eyes, though. Lovely.

In fact, the face entirely, was lovely. Perfect. THe warm eyes, full cheeks, rich, invitig smile, made by those lips of his, curved upwards in a perfect arch...they created this gorgeous expression--handsome, but focused, determined. Once more, perfect.

"I like you too, Maia."

Maia then smiled deeper than she had before ever in his presence, and the thoughts that floated between them needed not to be spoken. They could be communicated perfectly in...it was a perfect time for....a kiss.

But for some reason, Zack pulled back before they had even begun. Hurt, Maia looked up just in time to see a woman beginning to scurry away. “Ah, yes, we will talk about this at our business lunch? “ He said, grinning.

God...what a grin... "Oh! Yes, yes, the lunch...I'll meet you at lunch Zack, and we'll...talk." The last word was half whisper, half murmur. "Yeah. Well then. Er, let's go check out the...erm...interns."