I was always the first one in the office in the morning, and the last to leave at night. It was a running joke that I actually never left but set up a cot in my office in order to sleep. Sometimes I considered it, as I spent more time at work than home anyways. But next to work, coming home after a long day and sitting in front of my big, bay window with a cup of coffee and a book was what I loved most.
Now, the entire floor was silent. The only sounds were the scratching of my quill against parchment, and the quiet ticking of the clock in the corner. I snuck a glance. Already past eleven. Most people were probably out, pint in hand and ready to bring in the new year with a bang. I leaned back in my chair, letting out a yawn. Perhaps it was finally time to call it a night. I began organizing the papers on my desk, trying to arrange them into neat piles for when I came back after the holiday. I sighed a little. I’d almost forgotten there was no work tomorrow. To me, that spelled out a particularly long day of itching to be back in the office.
I pushed my chair away from my desk and stood, turning to grab my coat from the hook behind my desk.
“Why am I not surprised to see you still here?”
A smile automatically lifted the corners of my mouth. I turned back around to see Percival Graves, Director of Magical Security, standing in the door of my office. He slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers and leaned one shoulder against the doorjam. The silver tie around his neck had been loosened, the sleeves of his black dress shirt rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms.