"I've been told it isn't a great look to be a manipulative ass," he chuckled, following behind Sage to sit on the other side of the sofa, twisting to face her. A wand flick brought two freshly filled tea cups floating through the air. "Here. It's a cinnamon - I hope you like it but I can always find something else for you if you want. Twiggy can bring up a new pot. She's my house elf - I had the rest of the staff sent home. I didn't want them to make you feel uncomfortable." He shook his head and the grin crept back on his face as he turned back to the topic on hand, leaning forward, closer to her. "I'm not sure if I should be pleased or upset it wasn't my dislike of boring deskwork that attracted you to me then."

"I take it you have siblings then? Were you the eldest? Maybe it was something you were good at, but did you have a passion for it? I suppose you don't have a passion for your work. It is work after all." He stopped to sigh and roll his eyes. "I mean I told you my motivators. It clearly wasn't my dream." It was impressive that she had her O.W.L.s. It was more than a lot of working-class women ever got. He wondered if they scraped up the money for it or if she was on scholarship. Hogwarts wasn't cheap. "I have you pegged as a Hufflepuff. Am I right?"