The Screening Process

[Tiberius Lestrange]

Tiberius didn't tend to take his lunch in the usual time and place at the Ministry, at one of the few break rooms that served as a cafeteria during the lunch hour. He was the sort of intellectual who lost track of time when he was absorbed with his work, so if things were going well, he often didn't look up and notice the clock until it was time to go home at the end of the day. When things were not going well, it tended to put him in a foul mood, so he was more likely to take a break and stalk around Hogsmeade or Knockturn Alley in search of some small trifle he'd been looking for, either for work or for personal reasons. When he was already uneasy over his progress in the Department of Mysteries, the last thing he wanted to do was subject himself to eating lunch in the vicinity of other people, and being forced to talk to them.

This habit he had of either skipping lunch or taking it far away from the Ministry building, however, did leave quite a bit to be desired in the networking area. While Tiberius didn't mind this for his own sake--he had all of the acquaintances he needed already, and trusted that if there were any particuarly agreeable gentleman for his tastes, he'd meet them sooner or later through the Knights of Walpurgis--it did make trying to guage prospects for Tatiana's future husband somewhat more difficult. He was optimistic about the introduction to Mr. Crouch, but they could hardly put all their eggs in one basket.

He'd enchanted the clock to remind him about lunch, and begrudgingly pulled himself away from his research so that he could go talk to someone. At first he thought he would be disappointed--most of the people in the room when he arrived were either already engaged in rather large group discussions, which would tell him nothing about their individual characters or suitabilities, or were interns; too young, too poor, and too unimportant to ever be suitable for his sister.

Then he espied Mr. Flint. "May I join you, sir?" he asked, approaching. "Or were you holding this table for someone?"

@'Stephen Flint' @'Mathias Beaumont'

  

[Stephen Flint]

Stephen rarely worried about the prospects of him finding a wife within the next few years; he came from a wealthy, prestigious family and had a respectable, prestigious career. In the end, it all boiled down to when he was ready to take on a wife. At this point in his wife, he was focused on his career; perhaps that wasn't what a gentleman did, but he was responsible for a very large department in the ministry. Without him, things would go to hell.

Mr. Lestrange's sudden request brought a slight suspicion the the department head's mind. While he wasn't personally acquainted with the gentleman, he'd heard things about the boy's family. No Lestrange ever made acquaintances without wanting anything in return.

"By all means, take a seat," he said plainly, flipping through one of the latest editions of a gentleman's magazine. "How can I assist you today, Mr. Lestrange?"

  

[Tiberius Lestrange]

Tiberius was a bit surprised to be asked so unreservedly what he was after. This was, he thought, how he might have conducted a conversation, before he had been carefully schooled to specifically not be so blunt. It was not the done thing to go straight for the heart of a matter, at least not with relative strangers, and Tiberius was too startled by this sudden deviation from the norm to decide whether Mr. Flint's directness was commendable or whether it was uncouth.

He obviously couldn't just bring up his eligible younger sister. Throwing her out so casually as a conversation piece would have been unfair to her, and would have given Mr. Flint the upper hand in the situation. Tiberius wanted to sit back at his leisure and examine men as potential brothers-in-law, not have to defend Tatiana to them while they judged her strengths and weaknesses. That would come, of course, but certainly not in the first conversation.

Tiberius did not have the mental energy at the moment, however, to make up some relevant business (besides, any business he could imagine having with magical creatures would probably seem too alarming for a casual lunch conversation), so he merely blinked at the gentleman and said, "Oh, I was only looking for a place to eat, and your table seemed rather empty. I'm afraid I don't have anything particular to ask from you today, Mr. Flint."