Blowing shit up with homemade dynamite.
As soon as Harriet entered the building, she headed to the seventh floor. She was a renowned sorcerer, specialized in attack magic, who formed a whole new team of fighters, called Veneficus, and had been in charge of the defense and preservation of the magic community in London for years now.
But she, as the head of the team, made under the pretense of protecting the ministry, was not allowed to act under her own laws. Instead, she had to lower her head to the ministry of magic, and ask the higher ups every time she had a new mission.
This made her accustomed to the ways of the ministry, but also made her feel very enraged against everyone who worked there.
This, of course, included the particular boss at the ministry of justice, who was insufferable as always, nagging about the cost of repair of the buildings damaged when they fight the crime in the streets.
But it didn’t end there, the woman that was in charge of the ministry of Justice always had a thing out for her, always calling her to do her dirty work, like getting rid of papers, which could be done with a swift of her own wand, but she always said it was too much to look at, so she left them for her to dispose of.
And just like now, she was called to her office, on the seventh floor, when she was barely managing the paperwork for the office of Veneficus in the ministry, submitting loads of papers to the higher and more established offices of the ministry. She went up, cursing under her breath, but as soon as she reached the seventh floor, she took a deep breath, that sadly couldn’t hide the disgust on her face, as she was seeing the new renovated carpet on the floor, the chandler in the ceiling and the leisure in the faces of the team that worked in finances.
She scoffed one last time to herself, before knocking on the door on the last corner, the biggest room with the best view of St James Park.
The soft, but demanding voice said “Come in”, so she did.
«You requested me?»
«Oh, yeah…»
She said, but she didn’t lift her eyes from the papers at hand, she always had them, Harriet wouldn’t care less what they were for, but they were annoying, when she was right in there, in a hurry.
«How are you doing, Harriet?»
Harriet had her mouth shut in one fine line, but she answered.
«I’m doing fine. I was wondering why did you call for me this time?»
She finally looked at her, but only to smile to herself and scorn at her, it seemed.
«I’m guessing no one told you, darling.»
She wanted to scream, “don’t fucking go calling me darling, you fucking piece of walking shit” went through her head, she couldn’t hide the disgust,but recovered fast.
She held it in, she was at work, she didn’t need a sanction.
«No one has told me anything of note»
«I guess why… Well, sweet darling, you’ll be working right behind me this time»
«What?» Her face turned white.
«Just as you’ve heard, isn’t it wonderful?» The facade of her face fell, she hated Harriet just as much as Harriet hated her. «The ministry of defense is going to be working to defend me, because apparently I can’t defend myself properly and need backup. We’re going to France. Get ready.»
She didn’t want, expect or need any response. Aine was like that, a selfish, cruel, disdainful and stupid witch.
Harriet couldn’t stop herself this time.
«You’ve gotta be fucking with me!»
«Oh darling I wish.» She sprung up at the exclamation, leaving her damned paper on the table. «The higher ups have spoken, you’ve got no deal taking this out on me»
«But you are a higher up! Do you have no voice in this? I could send one of my men! They are as capable as I am!»
«They. Specifically. Said, “We are sending Harriet Potter to serve as your escort” They didn’t say “One of Harriet Potter’s men will serve you! They said you, specifically, would go.»
«Fucking hell.»
«Yeah. Anyways, as much as I enjoy your little visits, go prepare, we’re departing to Paris in like, two and a half hours.»
«WHAT!?»
«Yeah, stop that. And go off, I need to review this bef–» Before she could finish, Harriet slammed the door on her way out, scaring all the other coworkers of the blond woman on the chair that she left hanging.
Harriet had new convictions to kill the higher ups, instead of protecting them. She went to her department by flying. It was the fastest way to go there, she had already wasted so much time on going to the ministry of justice, and into the Economy floor to waste anymore on going through the stairs and the trolley.
She moved her wand around her head and her broom came flying at her. She took it by one hand and looked back once more, Locking eyes with the secretary of the department of economy in the ministry of justice.
If it weren’t for the higher ups at the same department, she would have made a disaster out of all the pretty things they had. If only it weren’t because they held their paychecks in one hand.
She went flying straight to her office, on the second floor of an abandoned place in the outskirts of the city. She didn’t care to enter by the door, she entered by the window, scaring her teammates.
«Oi, Har!» Screamed her second in charge, angry at her for missing the last mission for being on the tail of the head of the department of economy. «What’d you think yer doing?»
He was an old man, who had the most experience catching people, as he was an expert in self-defense. But he had no manners, so she never sent him anywhere near the ministry of any type. The other guys she had were some of the worst kinds, people with strong convictions, but almost no manners, even if they tried.
«The head of the economics department called for me, what else»
«You can’t leave all the hard work to us! You made me come so we could kill off those bastards in the streets causing havoc!»
«Yeah? Well, fuck that! I can’t do this without being in good graces with the ministry. They wouldn’t let us work alone, not in the light of the public eye.»
«… What happened now?»
«That damned bitch of a boss, Aine!»
«What?»
«Are we talking shit about our bosses?»
Other people came in to talk to her. She took her head into her hands, and shook.
«Fuck off you bunch!»
«Aw, c’mon boss, tell us too!»
«She–» Harriet let out a big yell of frustration and went into her own office, that was but a little cubby hole in comparison to her boss’ office.
She let out a cry, and started to move her wand around once more, making the office into one package. All her belongings were already there, she practically lived there, actually. Not wanting to ever go home, she started to live there with the bare minimum.
She didn’t even bother to go home, she expected the outing to last for a day, as she wasn’t even properly warned about it.
When she reached the office once more, to wait for her companion, she was fuming, her magic causing trouble for everyone who dared to get near.
She hadn’t had any chance to eat today, as she was called with great urgency to the office, then she went flying, to her own office, and then she was out again. Not a chance to get coffee to start the morning, but she was fuming for other reasons.
Her boss, Aine Malfoy, sent her a flying letter, to tell her where to wait for her, only to arrive there and be told she had to escort her from her office to the place in question.
She didn’t even know where she was supposed to go with her!
But she waited and waited until she came out of the room, with her beautiful locks of blonde hair flowing with the inexistent wind. She was a walking menace, a tall woman, with her stupidly striking gray eyes and pointy nose.
Harriet cursed once more and this time around, Aine catched it.
«Oh, stop winning, this isn’t more fun to me»
«Just keep walking»
Aine smiled at her angry face and said hi to every little person she found on the way, with her alluring aura and her smile of complacent proudness as she walked by making everyone feel at least a bit insecure of themselves.
Harriet hated her, and hated how good she looked, for someone with such a disgusting personality.
They arrived at the train station a little bit late on time, but they still made it to the special train that drove from London to Paris, fueled by magic and run by gnomes, so they went through beautiful places that Harriet had never seen before.
She had never been outside of England before. She was from the outskirts, a person with no name to rely on, nor fame or fortune. But Aine, was the exact contrary. She was born being successful. With a crown on her head, a golden spoon on her mouth and a flaming appearance. Harriet was nothing but a newcomer that made it to fame quickly and would soon be forgotten.
Harriet had beautiful black hair, and striking green eyes, but in her eyes, they were nothing but a muddy pool of curls and disgustingly bright eyes. She thought she was nothing in comparison to her, in terms of appearance, but she was so much more than her in terms of personality. At least she had friends. At least she had people who fought by her side. She knew for a fact, Aine had no friends, except for those stuck up people in the ministry.
But she was on a mission.
She HAD to protect Aine, even if the most she wanted was to abandon her to the people who were trying to kill her off, and look for ways not to look too conspicuous.
But alas, the world didn’t work in the ways we wanted it.
She boarded first, looking for suspicious people, but found no one except a grandma and her children.
She let out a sigh and let Aine enter the room, it was the buffet room, where they were permitted to eat. Aine scorned the food and went to sit by a table, waiting for something. Harriet followed her and sat beside her, in a point where she could look at everything, even if it was only the grandma feeding her grandchildren.
«What are you doing?»
She heard, and looked shortly at her, noticing the hat of the grandma was about to fall from the table.
«What do you mean…?»
She wasn’t looking at Aine, but noticed quickly her gaze of angryness on her neck.
«Go get my food!»
«What…?»
«You heard me.»
«Look, little princess» She was older than Harriet, only by months, but still. «I am not your maid, I am, however, your guard. If you wanted someone to serve you, you should have brought someone else. I. Will. Not. Do. It»
«Hah.» She said for all responses. She looked by the window and didn’t bother getting up. Harriet, however, looked back at the grandma, her hat fell and the baby started crying, she was trying hard to get him to eat, but the baby wouldn’t stop crying.
Harriet got closer, and retrieved her hat from the floor, dusting it a little before handing it to the grandma.
But as soon as she lifted her head, she felt something off. Something weird.
It took her only a second to realice and took out her wand, pointed it at the head of the grandma.
«Harriet!?»
Exclaimed Aine from the other side, standing up, even if she didn’t want to see her face, she always ended up looking at her. She excused herself into the fact that Harriet was indeed her guard this evening.
But they had more pressing matters at hand than her interest in Harriet.
«Sht!» said Harriet, angry and pressed, anxiety was overflowing her, like always on the crime scenes where there were criminals of all kinds. «Who are you?»
«Oh, i’m just a lonely maid, your ladyship»
«Harriet retrieve your wand, what are you even doing?»
«Shut it!» She didn’t obey. She found something fishy with them, there was an illusion spell on them «Hands where I can see them!»
«Owww » She tried lifting them, and made a noise like it hurted her, lowering her body over the table. «Ouuughhhh»
The sound changed, and Harriet took a step back, to where Aine was standing, with a disgusted face, she was looking at a poor woman in bad shape, but still asked «Oh my, grandma, are you okay?»
Then Harriet made her stand back, into what she deemed safety, behind her.
«Don’t get close to her!»
The old woman kept whining and then she turned to growling.
«Oh»
Aine wasn’t a hair of a fool, but she didn’t think too much ahead, she wasn’t always on high alert.
«Stand back!» She said to the grandma, who kept moving in strange ways, and the baby started crying louder. The baby wasn’t a trick, he was real. «Fuck»
«What is that?»
Big claws pierced the floor, and the grandma fell to the ground beside the baby. Harriet had the impulse to run to protect the baby, but didn’t want to leave Aine alone. But the baby…
And she took Aine’s hand and made her take out her wand, told her to cast “Prorsus petant” for as long as she could manage, which wasn’t much.
«Hey! Wait! No!» Harriet turned her back on her and sprung at top speed to the baby.
The baby was crying loudly, but the shrieks of the woman, who was turning into some freaky creature, were much worse.
«Come back! Come back Harriet!!» She pretended not to hear her, but her heart was racing faster.
She jumped the old lady on the floor and just as she was about to reach the baby, she felt a thug into her leg, making her stumble and fall. The old lady, half of her face turned fur, the other half into decaying skin, was growling at her. Harriet spun around and cursed her with a powerful spell of deflection, but it nearly didn’t work, it just made her stumble back.
She howled at the ceiling and ripped the rotten skin left on her face with her hand– more like a claw, she fell into a raging mess of hair and clothing left on her body. She was a werewolf.
She wasn’t looking at Harriet anymore, so Harriet got up fast, and tried to reach the baby one more time, only to realize the baby was nothing more than an illusion of a higher caliber. The baby was nowhere to be found, and she had left Aine alone.
She spun around once more and found Aine in the clutches of the beast. Casting a rapid spell of petrification, the beast stopped her fangs from getting closer, and stayed in place.
«ABSTINE PRORSUS» She yelled. And the beast was surrounded by chains, made of the curtains on the walls of the train, and she forced her hands to let go of Aine.
«AINE!!»
She ran to her and took her by the waist. Getting her rapidly away from her captor.
Aine was completely out of herself.
She was barely breathing, and something in Harriet felt off. She didn’t know what to do, but first, she had to restrain the beast, killing her wouldn’t suffice. They needed answers as to why they were targeting the economy manager of the justice department.
She felt Aine clutching to her shirt, and her heart felt bad for her. She shook her head to rid of those thoughts, and pointed her wand at the beast.
«Cohibere Omnino» She said, and the beast turned into a statue made of fur, with her teeth baring at her, and her eyes full with madness.
«Aine, calm down, it’s okay–»
«It’s not okay! I almost died! Only for you to prioritize a baby!?»
«Are you crying?»
«No!»
She was crying her eyes out, hitting her chest with her fists closed. She was upset.
«Aine…»
She tilted her head, and looked at her, up close she was even more strikingly beautiful, even if she was bawling her heart out.
«No! just shut up! I wanna go home!»
«…Aine»
«I never wanted any of this!! Fuck this bloody shit! It’s all that asshole’s fault!»
It was the first time she ever heard her said a curse.
«Aine! Calm down, what are you talking about?»
«My father! My damned father!!»
Harriet usually had no time to waste on press, or on anything that didn’t involve cases of criminalized organizations, or criminals running wild. She had a lot on her plate, but it just now hit her something she read a while ago, and completely ignored for a long time.
Her father, an ex criminal, was caught in dealing with the muggle mafia. He was in some sort of trouble, but she couldn’t have cared less.
«What is it?»
«He– He put the whole family at risk…»
She was only an office worker, of course she didn’t have any experience in field work at the crime scenes, she had been averse to seeing blood her whole life and dedicated her whole goals to being a perfect woman, so that her father’s reputation wouldn’t touch her. But Harriet had no way of knowing this.
Harriet had no family, she was born in the slums, with a bunch of her friends being from the same orphanage and school, when she reached the age of fourteen, she discovered great magic in her blood, and thus, the ministry of magic started supporting her.
But Aine was from an old family, a rich one at least. One that everyone involved in the high society, which Harriet wasn’t, knew was in deep dark work.
Aine kept crying for a while, telling her about all the awful things he would do to have more money than before. They were both alone, lying on the floor, hugging each other for a long while until the train came to a stop, because the guards made their way to them, and discovered the whole scene, after being notified by the other passengers on the other wagons.
Harriet took her hand as they walked off the train in France. They made it all the way to Paris, in only three hours, thanks to the magic powered trains. She had taken her hand to help her out of the train, but then Aine continued to hold her hand until they walked into the building they were staying in for the night. Harriet had to write a quick note to the ministry, notifying their findings and the new attacker on the train.
Then they stayed in the same room in silence, for another hour waiting for the messenger bird to come back with instructions.
When it came, Harriet was on the verge of crumbling down, the silence was something she could never handle. She loved talking to people, but Aine was still down, and processing all that had happened.
She read the note and cursed out loud.
«Fucking hell! This damned bastards!»
«What is it?»
Asked Aine, in a much too soft voice.
«Uuuh… they…»
«Harriet. What is it?»
«They told us to go ahead with the plan. To get to the venue and attend the event, whatever that means.»
Aine guided a hand to her lips, and Harriet followed that hand unknowingly, until AIne spoke back.
«It is an important event after all. I don’t blame them but… I can’t go alone.»
«What?» She genuinely wasn’t paying attention.
«Oh c’mon, you have to go with me! You have to protect me!»
«Oh, yeah… um… of course. Yeah.»
Harriet crossed her arms in front of her chest and nodded her head. Looking directly at those gray eyes that strike at her unabashedly.
She started to sweat out of nowhere”and she coughed a little to get rid of that tingly feeling on her stomach.
«So? Are we going shopping then?»
«What, sorry?»
«Distracted huh?»
Aine catched her looking this time, it was obvious, but Harriet never used to have that view of her, so it made her a little bit shy at first, it was new for both of them.
«Yeah…» She admitted, and Aine didn’t know where to look, aside from directly at her beautiful green valley of eyes she had. «What were you saying then?»
«We’re going shopping for you. I bet you didn’t bring clothes appropriate for the venue and what better than France to find a new style!»
«Oh, no. We’re not going.»
«What?? I thought we were finally on the same page here!»
«No. You’re in too much danger. I don’t want anything happening to you» Aine felt something weird in those words. «I mean, not while I'm here, what would that say about my abilities?»
There it was, the reason for the preoccupation on her face, it was her career. Aine sighed, a little bit disappointed.
«Well, I said we’re going. They wouldn’t even look at you, seeing the way you’re dressed, darling. They would not let you in! So if you wanna enter with me and protect your career, you HAVE to accompany me to search for outfits for yourself.»
Harriet fell silent, and looked at the floor, with her arms crossed on her chest, she looked way more muscular than before. And her angry face made her look amazingly strong. Aine was kinda attracted to that, she realized.
«Well! Are you coming or not? Because I'm about to go out without you.»
«Oh, fuck it. Let’s go» She said, but she was grumpy all the way. Aine was happy, at least.
Harriet spent the whole day looking over her shoulders, looking wrong at the cashier and looking sternly at the people in the shops.
«Would you change your expression for a bit? It’s getting annoying.»
«Oh, excuse me princess, I didn’t mean to annoy your ladyship.»
She said sarcastically, but Aine found it strangely charming or perhaps funny this time. It was weird, how a dangerous situation brought them a little bit closer. Harriet wasn’t as avert to talking to her at least, and she felt much shame in telling her about her father, but also felt she needed to say it to someone, so it was a weird feeling for her.
They were exiting one of the shops, with a new dress on a bag that Harriet started carrying without asking and a new pair of shoes on the other hand. Aine smiled brightly and the world seemed to stop for a second.
Harriet smiled softly back.
«So, now, we’re going to shop for accessories–»
«What? No! This is enough!»
«No, no, no. This is far from enough. What are you even complaining about? It’s not your money being spent!»
«But I–»
«”You” nothing, you are gonna accept it. Because I said so.»
Harriet saw her smiling so brightly, that she only silently complied.
It was true, the blonde was paying for everything, out of the greatness of her heart, on her own words.
Then they were getting ready for the party, each one in their rooms, that only met in the living room, Harriet was having trouble walking with the showy dress she was in. Not even the heels made her so nervous, as the dress with a cut in the leg, and the V cut on the bust.
It was a dark green dress, with encrustations of real pearls, and black thighs, with black high heels, and necklaces of real pearls and bracelets and hair “thingys” she didn’t know how to put on her messy hair.
«Harriet, what’s taking you so long–» She said with an annoyed voice. But stopped on her tracks as she walked without permission into her room. Harriet was trying to tie her necklace to her neck, but her hands were unsteady and she kept missing.
«Oh…»
«Aine!? Who told you you could just–!»
«Lemme help.»
She tied it perfectly without missing and took a deep breath that made Harriet flinch, as she could feel her breath on her bare back.
They got to the venue in time, and talked to some people while the event didn’t start yet.
Harriet went for drinks for her and Aine and found that she wasn’t the only one with her eyes glued to Aine, many eyes were on her, as she was alone, and talking to other officers.
Harriet made her way back and, a little bit used to her flashiness, she smiled at her and handed her the drink.
She was always on guard about Aine, always on the lookout for dangerous people, so much that she dared to let her own drink on a table, while she disposed of a drunkard to the guards on standby.
When she came back, Aine was still talking to other people and doing her job at making connections, so she took her glass and stood back a bit, to get a better look at the venue.
She took a sip.
And another, her drink was especially good.
Then she left her drink again, to take the hand of an officer that was going a little bit too low on her body. Aine made a clearly disgusted face, and Harriet came to the rescue.
Harriet always seemed to be there for her, and she appreciated it, even if it was her job, she had thought she wouldn’t even take it seriously. Then again, it was her career on the line.
She got a little depressed about it and drank a little bit too much, a little bit too fast.
She was intelligent, but wasn’t used to this kind of job, so she drank a little bit more than the usual, and relied on the hand on her waist, fully knowing it was Harriet’s.
Harriet, starting to feel the atmosphere a little bit odd, and feeling much too warm, was about to take her hand off, as she had made the guy walk off. She was about to go to the yard, to take a breath, but saw Aine’s face. She was wasted.
She took her by the waist with a firm hand, and got her hand too, to make it inconspicuous that she was drunk, and made her walk out of the venue. She wasn’t risking it.
They went back to the hotel and Harriet took out her wand to make her clean off all the makeup, and took off her heels, to lay her down on the mattress.
«Aine, please stop moving–»
Aine put her foot on her shoulder, and laughed off.
«No, you stop moving!»
Harriet obeyed a bit, and looked at her, trying not to look at her underwear, she was glad she got her out of the venue before she started behaving like that.
«What got you drinking like that?»
«Oh y’know… Just… My father and his shit… I wish I had been born into a different family sometimes, but… Oh and you and your career. I wish you wanted to protect me from the bottom of your heart, not just for duty.» She slurred most of the words, but the message got across perfectly, even if that wasn’t her intention at all, just her drunken state speaking for her.
Harriet paused, and looked at her eyes, she had them closed, smiling to the side while she moved her hand to the rhythm of the song that was playing in a bar close by.
«What?»
Aine fell asleep.
The way back from Paris was silent, there were no attacks, and nothing was solved, everything was a mess in both of their offices, they were both screamed at, for going to bed early when they were at the venue. But they were both kinda glad they went out together, they did end up getting to know each other better than before.
The only thing that Aine didn’t know was what she had said to make that chatty girl go quiet for the entirety of the ride home.
Harriet, however, treated her as normal, not like before, but normal, well, a little bit shyly, but not with hate, normal, like they were two people with no problems, getting to know each other.
Aine was the only one that felt there was some kind of barrier between them both.
And it wasn’t an exaggeration, but Harriet didn’t know exactly how to react yet.
So they carried on to that weird new relationship made in one day.
Like nothing had happened, like everything was in place.
But everyone beside them knew that they were acting weird. However, no one could ever say why, as they didn’t speak of the matter, hell, they didn’t even notice the matter at hand.