Unbroken

Wednesday, Week 1 (1)

Lyla POV

The meeting started right after we all got into work. Currently, we are all sitting around the table waiting for the Boss to arrive. He's always been the last to show up but it's usually because he meets with the Minister before he does us. Whatever they talk about, I don't know. All I know is that if anyone had done what Harry did as many times as he did it, they would have long been fired or suspended. Their relationship is certainly enigmatic to say the least.

The doors swing open and we all peer our heads to see him arrive. Oddly, he doesn't look at all stressed or frustrated which means he must have found another way—or person—to vent his frustration out on. I get jealous despite knowing that neither of us are in it for the long run and he's using me just as much as I'm using him.

We settle back into our seats and he remains standing as he leans over the table.

"Neville, Lu," he turns to them and shoots Luna a soft smile, "what did the Headmistress say?"

"Other than her complaints about her second favorite student not visiting her nearly as much," Neville quips while Harry snorts in response. He looks so relaxed, so calm and it starts to grate on my nerves. He looks better when he's frustrated and he's a much better lover when he's like that. Looks like I'm going to have to find someone else to warm me up tonight.

"Well, ever since the castle was renovated and rebuilt after the war, Hogwarts has steadily been accepting more students and even more transfer students as well. Add to that the fact that there have been more muggleborn children with magic and," Neville pauses and looks to Luna who takes over, "Hogwarts is accepting close to three hundred students this year and over half of them are muggleborn."

The news doesn't surprise Harry, I notice. He looks somewhat...proud if I'm not mistaken. I know his best friend is muggleborn so I can see why he would be proud of the fact that the muggleborn population is steadily increasing. I hoped the news would piss him off but my hopes were dashed.

"What's the actual number?" The Boss asks.

"One hundred and sixty seven," Neville replies. I gasp unwittingly at the amount of muggleborn first years in Hogwarts. Things have certainly changed in the world. Boss has this serene smile on his face but it quickly changes back to laser focus.

"That's too many students to protect once they begin their shopping at Diagon in two weeks. And that's not even counting the few of them who would try to begin their shopping early to beat out the rest." By all accounts, this news should have pissed him off but he looks unperturbed. It's like he knows something we don't.

"Dolohov's smart," he begins pacing around the room, "he knows he won't be able to kill all those students by himself. He's not just targeting muggleborns, he's targeting the papers."

"How'd you figure that?" Draco speaks up from my right, voicing what I'm thinking.

"Because everyone he's worked with or were friends with are either dead or in Azkaban. It's just him." Harry walks over to the board and several pictures fly on to it with just a wave of his wand. "He's trying to send a message to the world, trying to tell them that muggleborns will never be safe. He's hoping that, by killing enough of these children, he'll prove that our world will NEVER be safe for them."

"Okay...but that doesn't rule out the possibility that he could be recruiting new people loyal to his cause. How do we know he's not starting an army to murder these children?" I hear myself speak up. I can't help but think this is all irrational and that my usually levelheaded boss is jumping to an erroneous conclusion.

"It's not his style. He likes to hurt and kill people by himself. I expect he's using a couple of men to find targets for him to prey on but that's as far as it goes. I know we can safely rule out the possibility that he's recruiting a new army of Death Eaters to slaughter a hundred and sixty-seven children."