Tales from the Auror Office

Reconnaissance

December 2023
**Author's Note: Consider this your only spoiler warning for SoG Book 7 :)

"No, absolutely not," I answered in the most emphatic whisper I could muster. Charles and I were holed up in the small kitchen that served as the auror breakroom. Though no one else was in the room, we couldn't risk being overheard.

"But it's not like anything's going on around here," Charles whispered back just as harshly. He sat across from me with his arms crossed. "Plus, I'm tired of Harry's replacement looking over our shoulders all the time."

I opened my mouth to reply but paused when we heard someone's footsteps in the hall. When they faded away, I sighed. "You don't think I'm tired too? But several people are already suspicious of us since after the manor raid. It was one thing that Harry favored us, since we were his former students, but a very different thing if we keep disappearing with MacMillan too." I set my hand on the table to reach out to him and smiled softly. "I'd rather play it safe than have either of us get hurt again."

Charles groaned but relaxed his arms, covering my hand with his. "Sometimes I hate it when you're right." We both chuckled a little bit just as the door swung open. We immediately separated before looking up, only to see it was just Cale and Willow. They both headed straight for the coffee maker. Cale waved at us and let out a yawn while Willow glanced suspiciously between me and Charles.

Charles put on his best innocent smile. "Hey mates, finally off your guard shift?"

Willow nodded, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Cale was already downing his. "Nothing makes time go by slower than guarding the Minister for eight hours straight."

"But at least this time, there was something—or should I say someone—interesting," Cale teased but Willow quickly whacked Cale's arm.

"We're not supposed to talk about what happens on our rotations, dummy," she corrected him.

"Oh relax a little, Willow," Cale crooned. "It's bound to get around eventually. And besides, Charles and Alexis have probably already heard about him."

Charles and I exchanged several looks throughout this back-and-forth, hoping that Cale's propensity to gossip would win out. It wasn't uncommon to see an old classmate around the Ministry, but it was rare for anyone other than the usual Parliament personnel to visit Russey, let alone someone we might know.

Willow rolled her eyes but didn't argue as she left the room. So Cale smiled then leaned in, as if telling us a secret, but his voice was just as loud as always. "You know Harry's boy who's been in all the tabloids recently?" Charles and I nodded. James. "Well at the very end of our shift, he and some teenage girl walked in demanding to see Russey. And the Minister actually let them in to talk with him!" His face lit up in amusement. I just shot Charles a shocked glance. "Wild, right?" Cale laughed.

Quickly, Charles faked a chuckled while I put on a curious expression. "That's so random," I commented, probably a little too tense to come off as believable.

But Charles came to my rescue and added, "Hey, I bet Ari would be super curious to hear that – she's been super bored all morning, just waiting for you to come back..."

Cale's face lit up at this suggestion and he rushed off to share the news with the junior auror. Not long now until the whole office would be buzzing.

As soon as he left, Charles and I hurried to find Elinor. Five minutes later, we were up in the Ministry lobby, whispering to each other.

"And he's sure it was James Potter who was here?" Elinor questioned, just as incredulous as we were at hearing this news.