AS SOON AS LEO MADE it out of the ministry, he felt like there was a weight lifted off of his shoulders. Like he could breathe again, knowing that he was more than likely uninvited to every family gathering they ever had from now on. Not that he would really be missing out on all that much that he enjoyed. But still, it was like there was a knot it his stomach when he thought about what was probably racing through his mothers head, or Atticus'...

So as soon as his feet were firmly on the pavement in the muggle city of London, he decided to go to the only place that usually made him feel a bit better. And after his testimony, he needed to get his mind off things. So he began walking down the street until he could duck into an ally and swiftly apperate without bringing any attention to himself, and found himself just down the block from the Leaky Cauldron. And as soon as he neared the windows, he saw just how dead it was inside. There was one witch who looked to be lost in a copy of the Daily Prophet, and nobody else sitting at any of the seats— with the exception of Mona. Who had herself seated at the end of the bar, keeping herself occupied with a book that she had opened in front of her.

Instantly, he already felt less sluggish from his time at the ministry.

       Leo pushed open the door, the bell made Mona jump in her seat, causing her to turn around to turn in her seat to get a good look at whoever she was going to have to help once they were seated. But as soon as her eyes landed on Leo she didn't seem as worried about jumping back behind the bar. Instead a smile spread across her face before she gave him a small wave as the door shut behind him.

"Hey," Leo spoke as he walked across the cauldron.

"I thought you'd be stuck at the ministry all day." Mona replied as Leo took a seat on the stool beside her.

Leo scoffed, "I wouldn't want to be stuck in the same place as my mother on a day like today." he replied, "Helping send your sister to Azkaban isn't really a good occasion for a family reunion."

"Well, you did the right thing." Mona told him, offering him her trademark reassuring smile, "Not everyone likes to admit someone in their family is mad." she added.

"Dora isn't just mad, insane is more like it." he stated, "So are you working or..." he questioned, motioning to the empty space behind the bar where she normally was.

"Barely," she replied, "This-" she said, motioning to the single witch sitting at a table. "-is as about as busy as it's been all day. I'm leaving early today for once actually." she replied, "Just waiting for the hour to end to get a full hour of pay."

"We should do something." Leo said simply, a bit shocked at his blunt statement, "Well, if you want to." he added, suddenly realizing that any sort of friendship that he had with Mona easily could have just been her doing her job well. For all he knew, she didn't pay him much thought at all outside of her job at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Like?" Mona questioned, turning on her stool and looking at Leo with an arched brow.

Leo felt his mouth go completely dry, "Well, all I normally do is work. So I'm not sure of what's all around here anyway."

Mona turned back to her book as she closed it, Leo could have sworn he saw a small smirk on her lips.

"Maybe take a look around the muggle city for once." he added, "Right now this is really the only pub I know of."

"Could be fun," Mona replied, "let me go check with the kitchen to make sure they're alright if I leave." she said, offering Leo a smile before she stood up from her seat to make her way to the kitchen.

       As soon as she had disappeared out of sight, Leo slumped against the bar and rubbed his eyes with his palms. This most definitely wasn't what he had intended to do to get his mind off of his family at the ministry. He had been hoping for a usual visit with Mona while he had a drink or some of their poorly made coffee. Leaving the cauldron wasn't on his mind, not in the slightest. It never had been...

"Well, it's about time..."

Leo put his arms down on the bar and looked over his shoulder at the witch sitting just a few feet away from him. "Sorry?"

"Nobody just comes in here just because." the witch replied, "I come in here every so often, and usually you stumble in eventually." she added.

Leo didn't say anything, but the confusion must have been obvious on his face.

"I'm just saying, I think it's about time you take the girl out of this place."

"Oh, no, no it's not like that." Leo replied sharply.

"Mhm," she hummed in reply as Mona emerged from the kitchens.

"They think they'll be able to manage on their own."

The old witches comments didn't make Leo feel any better about the impromptu trip with Mona outside of the Leaky Cauldron. But it soon felt just like their normal visits from across the bar. Mona didn't bother ask him about the trail, which he was thankful for. Instead she questioned him about what he thought the differences were at the Ministry compared to working in America with the Congress. The main difference being Leo had spent more time at his desk than he ever did with the aurors' office at the Congress, another being London as a whole. Leo had spent some time there growing up, but it had never felt right. New York had become a city that felt like it was home, no matter where he was in the city.

"Like this place, you could walk out of one and into another across the street." Leo said pausing in front of a muggle pub tucked away in a brick building.

"I think that says something about you, the fact that you know that." Mona replied, looking through the windows of the pub.

Leo scoffed, "Sounds like you've never experienced the simple pleasures that muggles have." he replied, "Sure they're a bit...slow..."

"A bit?" Mona replied, "extremely is more like it." she added, scoffing a bit as Leo turned to push the door open.

"Extremely simple ." Leo corrected as he pushed the door open and stepping aside to hold the door open for Mona.

The pub was small, close to empty, but still a bit more busy than the Leaky Cauldron had been. There were two men sitting along the bar, chatting amongst themselves while there was a small group of younger girls sitting around a small table talking amongst themselves too.

"See, this is what places like the Cauldron is missing." Leo announced as the two of them walked towards the back of the pub where they had a pool table set up and then two dart boards side by side. Leo made a b-line for one of them and grabbed the darts that were stabbed into the board in a bunch. "I'm telling you, these muggle games would make the cauldron ten times better."

Mona scoffed as she leaned against the pool table, "Well, you said yourself the cauldron is the only place you you've been going. So it must be doing alright without them."

Leo sighed heavily as he looked through the dark and separated three black ones and three red ones. "If I win, you need to try and get one for the cauldron. If you win, I have to get one." he told her, holding out the red tailed darts.

Mona laughed.

"I'm looking out for the business for you." Leo shrugged, leaning against the pool table next to her. "Because look around, this place is doing better than the Cauldron on its best day..." Leo said a bit dramatically.

Mona chuckled as she smiled— which had arguably become one of Leo's favorite things about London. He just hadn't really noticed until now.

AUTHORS NOTE;
I always forget how much I love writing Leo's story until I start writing it again. So not to be dramatic but I would DIE for my smol bean Leo.

Also I'm now accepting ideas for ship names because my ship is getting ready to set sail.

stay classy!

*edited 2/20/21*