Almost

Chapter 65: Auror

Katherine had remained pretty calm all morning. Her and Ezra had gotten up early so they could enjoy the morning—they watched the sunrise from the nest, drank their coffee on the back porch, and went for a long walk down the riverbank.

But as she sat in President Quahog's office now, her simple black shift dress's long sleeves felt scratchy and too formal given the most dressed up she'd been in weeks was putting on jeans.

The office was too quiet, and as if she were in a bad movie, all she could hear was the ticking of a clock that sat on the mantle behind his desk. Probably just to make people squirm while they waited.

She gave up on sitting still and went to look out the large windows on either side of the floo. The streets below were still quieter than they normally would be, but there was always something to be distracted by in this city. And she let it wash over her while she fiddled with the straps of her purse.

"Ms. Waine."

President Quahog's voice dragged Katherine's eyes from the window, and she walked carefully towards him and his outstretched hand.

"President Quahog," she said, aiming only to sound calm. "Thank you for agreeing to see me."

"Sebastian made it seem like you were rather persistent," he told her as he sat down. He motioned to her to do the same. "There's no chance that you are here to turn over your tempering, is there?"

"Afraid not," she answered, smoothing her dress as she perched on the armchair she'd sat in before.

"Well, you still have this week to come around. As long as you aren't planning on turning it over to the Recollectors, that is."

"Definitely not."

"Are you here about the aurors, then? Because I'm afraid I can't spare—"

"That's not it either, sir."

"Okay." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and folding his hands in front of his chin. "What is it that I can do for you, then?"

Katherine took a deep breath and let a smile creep across her face as she looked around the office.

"I think I've always like you," she said. "I mean, the letters were hard to get a read on at first. And I didn't love when you sent all the owls that would have hurt Corliss. But I've always believed that you at least meant to do the right thing."

"What a ringing endorsement. I'll have to put you in my campaign ads next election cycle."

Katherine laughed. "I just mean that you've been very fair to me. Listened to me. At least most of the time, you tried to let me make my own choices for myself. And I understand that I . . . I made a bad one. A really bad one."

"A life threatening one," Quahog responded. When she narrowed her eyes with surprise, he merely shrugged. "No one could be around Crawley since that dinner and not see the worry etched on his face. Things must have been dire."

"They weren't great," Katherine admitted. "But they're much better now. I'm much better now."

"I'm glad to hear it. But if you still won't part with the tempering . . ."

"Just seems an awfully tempting target for you to take on."

"And so you'd rather keep it with you?" Quahog asked. "Set yourself up to fall into the same cycle again? Trust me, I'd love to not take on the liability of having it, but the liability of you having it doesn't do us much better."

"I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on that, Mr. President."

She didn't have an ounce of self-righteousness or any air of superiority. She simply knew in her gut that she couldn't give it to them.