Closed Old Friends, New Stories

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty would sooner have shuffled his entire day around than decline an invitation for coffee with Matt - especially at their favourite bookshop café. An afternoon browsing paperbacks and catching up with his old friend sounded like the perfect end to an unexpectedly stressful week, and Monty had been meaning to suggest it himself anyway. Now more so than ever he appreciated the old friends who had kept in touch. Whether he saw them once a week, once a month, or once a year, he was grateful for the time and effort they made for him, and lately he had resolved to make more of an effort to reciprocate. Meaningful connections were too scarce to be allowed to slip away.

He had dressed casually, although casual meant different things to different people. To Monty, it meant a white shirt, nice trousers, and a grey waistcoat, but no tie. The two accessories he wore were gifts: a pair monogrammed cufflinks from Cyndi, and a handmade leather bracelet from his granddaughter, in Ravenclaw colours.

There was a good table in the corner, between a crammed bookshelf and the wide front window. Monty took it and ordered two coffees - one latte and one cappuccino. Since he had no preference, and he couldn't remember Matt's, he left both cups in the middle of the table untouched. They were still steaming when the door opened a few minutes later. Monty grinned automatically, getting up. He really had missed Matt.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt had been in his role as headmaster for a few years now, and while he liked the job a lot, it did leave him with less free time than his old job had. So taking this break to get some coffee with an old coworker was wonderful and Matt had honestly looked forward to it quite a bit. He left the school to head over to the shop they had agreed to meet at. Matt loved bookstores and knew he'd probably come back with quite a few books. Unfortunately, he was running out of space on his shelves.

Matt worried he was running late, a worry that seemed to be realized when he headed into the café and saw Monty sitting there with two cups in front of him already. Matt gave him a quick, apologetic smile before rushing over to him. "Apologies, I'm not late, am I?" He said, glancing around to see if he could see a clock anywhere.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty had never typically been a hugger, so he surprised himself by indicating he would accept one, if Matt offered. A handshake felt a little too formal, given their long and amiable history, but Monty was happy to entrust his friend with choosing the greeting. "Oh, not at all - I got here early," he said, sitting back down. "Latte, or cappuccino? I couldn't remember which you had last time. It's been - goodness - a year? Two years? How are you?" Monty had always been incredibly fond of Matt; he wanted to hear everything.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt gave Monty a quick hug, happy to see his old friend again. It was really a shame he was no longer a professor, and that Matt had no positions to offer him on the spot. It was nice to see him again, and Matt missed having him around at Hogwarts. He sat down, relieved to hear he wasn't late. "Oh, thank Merlin." He said. "Er, I can take the cappuccino? I don't mind either of them." He said with a small shrug. He smiled. "It's been a long time. I'm good, busy... but good. We have a lot to catch up on." He paused, taking the cup of coffee. Then spoke again. "Alright, I'm afraid I'm going first because I can't hold this in. I'm going to be a grandfather soon!" He said, beaming.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty often missed the castle, but he was careful not to say so around Matt. He didn't want the man thinking he was fishing for a job. The fact he probably wouldn't have turned one down only made it all the more suspicious. "Please," he said, pushing the cappuccino away and the latte closer. Indeed, they had a great deal to catch up on, and Monty was relieved to let Matt go first. The most recent noteworthy events in his own life had been losses. A new baby on the way was a far better topic. "Oh! Congratulations," Monty said, warmly recalling his own excitement when Ainmere had been born. "That's wonderful. April, or October?" He was, of course, referring to Matt's daughters' names, and not the months of the year. He grinned. "How do you feel? Old?"

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt smiled as he took the coffee, holding the cup in his hands for a moment and feeling the warmth before taking a sip. He beamed at Monty's excitement, glad he had mentioned it. He had a proud smile on his face as he spoke. "April." He said, a fondness to his voice. "She's been working as a teacher at the new daycare for a while, so she has plenty of practice with kids... and she's very excited. I can't wait to meet them." He said wistfully. He had some hope October would also have a child someday, as she was also married, but he wasn't going to push. "I already felt old, this is one of the first times I'm actually happy about it." He said with a chuckle.