Chapter 14
I was being paranoid and I hated it. It was just no one was treating me any different. I went to the office each day with Ajax, and spent my time reading through old records while the trainees chit chatted and exchanged light jabs as was their way. Ajax never mentioned the room. Weasley never increased his scrutiny of my actions. They still didn’t leave me alone, but their monitoring had evolved into something benign. They were easing up. Softening to me.
At the graduation party this year Ajax went so far as to leave me on my own as I held a glass of ogden’s in actual glass. Everyone was tied up in the many happenings of the evening, it would have been easy to slip out and put the glass to use. I heaved a disappointed sigh. I just wasn’t feeling it. Perhaps because I always did love these parties.
There was extra cheer this year. Eighteen trainees graduated into auror ranks. The DMLE had been making a concentrated effort to increase retention and there was hope it was paying off. That was the genesis of the new project being launched with next year’s incoming class. The two top aurors would each be given half of the recruits, with the direction to find ways to reduce trainees failing classes and dropping out. Last year Weasley had reduced the dropout rate for first years. Specifically, while the trainees had been assigned randomly to him, only one of five of his trainees had left. The senior aurors wanted to know if there’d been something to it or if it had been a fluke. I watched Weasley and Potter take the stage to be formally assigned their roles for the new year.
It was abnormal of me to be paying attention to the stage, which is probably why I slipped and didn’t notice the man who’d stepped up beside me. Andrew Sprocket smiled genially when his gaze finally drew my attention. I startled to see anyone - to see him - next to me.
He was passing through town. He’d reached out to Harry to catch up. He was glad to see Harry doing well, to see me doing well. Was I still liking it at the DMLE? Had I given any thought to finally going for an auror position?
He said enough that I knew Potter must have talked about me to him, but I couldn’t read through the gaps to know how much. I couldn’t see past his smile. I couldn’t drudge up chitchat when my mind kept harkening back to Harry asking if he was unlovable.
Andrew’s eyes weren’t glinting at me in suspicion. I was being paranoid.
Ajax came back just in time, with a spare plate of the pastries I liked just for me. An introduction was all it took for Ajax to carry the conversation. I couldn’t tell if he was stupid and rude enough to speak for me to a stranger, or smarter than I gave him credit for and covering my ass.
I was surprised again this time when Potter walked up and wrapped an arm around Andrew’s waist. Andrew pecked him on the cheek and offered congratulations. I shoved too big a bite into my mouth when Ajax joined in so I wouldn’t have to do it, too.
There was no way Ajax wasn’t doing this on purpose. He carried the conversation like a pro, answering questions directed to me, adding in a soft nudge to my shoulder so it was clear I didn’t mind. Life at the DMLE is grand. Working for Weasley was the best, except Draco for sure thought well of Auror Potter. We didn’t know what we’d be doing next year, our cold case team was being folded up into another auror’s workgroup. Nah, we wouldn’t be out to celebrate tonight. We had plans, just the two of us.
It wasn’t just paranoia. I had for sure seen Potter look aghast at that last comment.
Sure enough, Potter pulled me into a side room later that evening. I didn’t give him a chance to lay into me before going on the record reminding him Ajax did not want to sleep with me.
Good, Potter had said, it would get him in trouble. In all likelihood, he’d get in trouble anyway when it got out I was throwing myself at various men asking them to shag. People wouldn’t believe he wasn’t sleeping with me, the way he acted.
There was a familiar stirring in me. Ire. It prickled and I was surprised to find I had missed feeling the stark sensation these last months. Apathy had held me back from snarking at the DMLE leadership’s asinine demands, but the snark came back like riding a broom. I told Potter off with zeal. It felt good to speak out. It felt good to be alive to do anything.
That night, still glowering from my verbal take down, Potter sent both Andrew and Ajax away. I was once again a problem he needed to solve and he was on it like a dog on a bone. Being a savior clearly outweighed being a booty call. And if he couldn’t keep me off of Ajax, he’d step up and put himself in the line of fire.
I didn’t hesitate to climb into bed this time when we got back to my room. It was late and I was tired. I did glance over to check on Potter as he camped out at Ajax’s desk. He was watching me, frowning. I smiled large enough to show teeth. On a lark, I shifted my blanket to make clear there was room for one more. He’d cancelled his plans, but I could keep him company instead. Outloud, the invitation didn’t sound as mocking as I had intended.
The light was dimmed, but I could still see the pretty blush on Potter’s cheeks. It didn’t fade when he told me to shut up and sleep.