The floo network was incredible. In no time they were situated in the Leaky Cauldron, enjoying the warmth the fires provided. He had secured a private table toward the back of the room, preferring the silence that came with it. He had learned over the years that the tables toward the back of the cauldron allowed for more conversation which was his objective for the night. Hannah Damaris Abbott intrigued him and he was hoping to get to know more about her.

"I hope this is okay," he said, pulling out her chair for her. Kurt remained standing until she had comfortably seated herself, making sure to help her adjust her chair. It was how he had been raised and while most men no longer seemed to abide by those traditions, but he was not one of them. He figured the traditions had stood this long there had to be a reason. Plus, he had never had a woman upset with him for his manners.

"What can I get you to drink?"

There was no doubt that Kurt Finnegan had been raised with manners. When he had offered her his arm in the Ministry Hannah hadn't really thought that much of it, she had simply taken it without question and allowed herself to be escorted out of the building and into The Leaky Cauldron. When he led her to a table in the back of the room she was pleased that the noise from the front of the bar didn't carry all that well, it would make talking that much simpler.

Hannah was surprised when he pulled out her chair and then helped her settle before he sat himself. The few times she had been out to dinner one on one with someone in the last few years had been severely lacking in gentlemanly manners. "This is perfect. Thank you." She ducked her head as she accepted his assistance.

She watched him with general intrigue as he made his way around the table and asked her what she wanted to drink. It was safe to say that she definitely would not be chiding herself for so hastily accepting his invitation. She smiled up at him as she replied with a simple, "A glass of which ever red they have would be great." As he moved to order the drinks Hannah found herself entertaining the idea of getting to know him all the better.

Kurt went to the bar to order their drinks, the glass of red wine for Hannah and a brandy for himself, returning with both drinks and a couple of menus. He already knew what he was planning on ordering, but he figured at least glancing over the menu would be appropriate. He was pleased that the woman seemed genuinely happy with her choice. Already he was glad he had made the offer, but the man still didn't want to rush into anything. He had just met her, after all.

"Tell me, what did you do before joining the ministry?" he asked. Kurt supposed this was the first step in getting to know the woman. He took a sip of his drink, enjoying the familiar burn trickle down the back of his throat. While he wouldn't get drunk tonight, the man couldn't help but enjoy the drink. Hopefully Hannah wouldn't mind.

Hannah accepted her glass of wine and her menu with a plot, "Thank you." She hadn't been here enough to know what to order without at least looking over her choices first. She opened the menu in front of her, and glanced up at the man sitting across from her when he asked her a question. She smiled a little embarrassed, but answered him anyway. "My answer is that I gained knowledge and insight into the muggle world on an extended research trip. If you ask anyone else that knew me before I left they would say that I ran away."

She shook her head slightly and glanced down at the menu, still talking, "I just couldn't handle being watched all of the time, nobody knew me out there, there were far less responsibilities," she looked back up, "more adventure. So the easy answer is I've travelled, mainly in the muggle world, for the last four years." Another glance down told her she still had no idea what she was going to order when the waiter arrived. "What are you getting?"

Kurt was studying the woman seated across from him. The man wasn't staring. That wouldn't be polite and he definitely didn't want to upset Hannah or make her uncomfortable. All he wanted was to try and figure the woman out. "I understand running," he said simply. While he had never done anything of the like himself, he knew plenty of people who had. Most of them had given a similar reason - getting away and having some anonymity. The war and the aftermath hadn't done anyone any favors.

"I plan on enjoying the shepherd's pie. Everything is good here, but I don't recommend the pea soup," Kurt said, offering a small smile. He knew he didn't smile enough, but he was a stern man. The wizard doubted anything would change that, even the beautiful witch supping with him. And beautiful she was. "Anything look appealing to you?" he asked lightly, deciding to make an active effort to not come across as so severe.

Hannah could feel Kurt's eyes on her as she looked down, but she didn't mind. He wasn't staring at her per se, it seemed like he was simply taking her in. Like she was a book he was trying desperately to read in the dark. He said he understood running, and as much as she wanted to tell herself that she hadn't been running, she was glad. After everything that had happened in her past she didn't think that she had made the entirely wrong decision, and for some reason, even after only just meeting him, she cared what he thought.

Shepherd's Pie was one of Hannah's favorites when she was little, but she wasn't the most graceful of eaters and she didn't want to embarrass herself by slopping it down the front of her shirt. She noticed when his face shifted into a small smile. It was an expression she was reaching the conclusion that he didn't wear very often, but it suited him. As he asked his question she nodded, she replaced her menu to the table top. "The bourbon glazed chicken sounds delicious." She took in her surroundings a little more before she continued. "I haven't been in this place in years, does it ever change?" She asked with a smile.

Kurt was grateful the witch didn't seem to mind his company. Around the office he wasn't known as being personable, mostly due to the fact that he constantly kept his occlumency shields in place, though they didn't know that. Tonight, even though they had just met, he was slowly letting his guard down. For the first time in a long while he felt safe, and though he wasn't sure why, the man was enjoying it. As Hannah seemed to be enjoying herself, he supposed it was a good thing.

The bourbon chicken was his second favorite meal on the menu and he gave Hannah a nod. "It is," Kurt said simply, still holding his smile. He watched as she looked around, a mix of wonder and judgment on her face. "Not much. New faces seem to join the regulars now and again, but perhaps the lack of change is why they have regulars. Is something wrong? I can pay and we can dine somewhere else if it would make you more comfortable." Normally, the wizard would never make an offer like that, but her smile was too beautiful to miss out on and he found himself willing to do anything to keep it on her face.

Hannah was more than a little surprised by Kurt's offer. She had never had anyone offer to take her somewhere else just to make sure that she was comfortable. She was sure that her eyes went wide for a moment before she collected herself. She waved one hand at him and shook her head, her smile reaching her eyes. "No, no, there's no need for us to leave. I was just curious."

She considered the rest of his comment, before his offer to pay and leave, "I guess that would make me one of the new faces then wouldn't it?" She had always been a little judgmental, but she was doing her best to keep it in check, and there was really no reason for her to judge this place, or these people, it may very well end up being exactly what she needed. Before she could go on the waiter arrived at the edge of their table to take their order.

The wizard watched as Hannah's eyes went wide for a brief second before regaining her composure. Kurt couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. It wasn't common to offer to change venues, but it surely gave him an advantage. Though, if he thought about it, he wasn't sure what the advantage was over. "If you are sure," he said.

"Being new isn't a bad thing. We all started out that way," he said offering her a smile. Kurt wasn't sure he could be considered a regular, but he had come often enough to be able to get the table in the back. He also had favorite dishes here, but it was one of the few places that was close enough to the ministry for quick pick up. He supposed he was more of a regular than he wanted to admit after careful consideration.

As the waiter arrived he smiled to the man. "My friend would like the bourbon glazed chicken and I would like the shepherd's pie. Thank you," Kurt ordered, handing the man the folded menus. Hopefully she wouldn't be upset with him ordering for her. After all, he was only trying to be a gentleman.

Hannah had nodded to him to confirm that she was sure of her decision to stay. She was having a rather good time, and that in itself was enough of a reason to stay in the bar. She had always enjoyed people watching, but tonight she was having more of a good time watching the man across from her. She had been doing her best to try and make sure that he didn't notice, but she was almost positive she wasn't sneaky enough to get it past him.

When he ordered for her Hannah had to smile. No one had done that in a very long time, and she had to admit that she liked it when a man did that, even though she reminded herself firmly that this was not a date in the least, it was merely a dinner among colleagues, or, well he had just used the word friend. When the waiter walked away from their table she picked up her wine glass and smiled at him over the rim. "I should thank you, no one has ordered for me in a long time." She tore her eyes away from his before her cheeks had a chance to flush and focused instead on taking and drink.