Written for:
Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition: Catapults - Captain
Round 1: Write a character you've never written before (I chose John Dawlish)
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Women's History
Task 2 Write about someone unexpected having a great influence
Betaed by Jetainia and jennybenny2845.
The Right Thing
Muggle!AU
xXx
John stared in dismay as Peter rifled through one of the cash registers in the supermarket where they worked, pocketing what surely wasn't his. He shook his head. Why did people steal? Couldn't they just do the right thing?
He filed it away in his head and did his best to stay away from Peter. He did not like confrontation.
At the end of his shift, he went to his manager's office. He knocked on the door. "Come in," the burly voice ordered.
John hesitantly walked in.
"What is it, Mr. Dawlish?" Manager Moody asked. The manager was looking at his computer. His right pupil moved as he read the words on the screen before him, but his glass left eye stayed still.
John shuddered. The glass eye creeped him out just a bit. "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but I felt like I needed to tell you that I saw Peter Pettigrew take some money from the cash register."
Mr. Moody stilled. "That's a very serious accusation, Mr. Dawlish."
John nervously stared at the floor. "I know."
Moody grunted. "I'll look into it." When John didn't move, Moody continued, "You can go now."
John couldn't leave the office, and the store, fast enough.
X
John walked out of the bar after his one drink. He never let himself have more than that in one trip. He always liked to keep a clear head.
He walked to the left, and when he got to the crosswalk, he stopped at the curb.
The 'Don't Walk' sign flashed, and John patiently waited as cars rushed to their destinations.
Someone pushed him from behind, and John stumbled forward. He looked behind him and saw a woman in a police uniform.
John blinked at the auburn beauty.
"Sorry," the woman said.
"It's okay," John murmured awestruck.
Someone else pushed him, and he realized it was time for him to cross the street. Too bad. He wished he had the chance to get the officer's name.
X
John saw the mysterious office two days later at work. He smiled as he rang up her items. He didn't look up from his task until he had a total. "That will be $17.42."
He looked up from the cash register, breath catching as he stared into dark, mysterious eyes. "It's you," he breathed.
The officer looked perplexed, but her eyes lit up, showing she understood. "Oh. From the other night. I bumped into you."
John smiled shyly. "And here we are again. Maybe it's fate."
She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't believe in fate."
John tilted his head. She sounded like a world-weary soldier. Maybe she was. "That's sad."
The woman blinked. "What's sad?"
"You sound so cynical for someone so young."
The woman studied him as if she was trying to get a reading on him. Before she could reply, an irate customer slapped his hands onto the conveyor belt. "Will you hurry up?! Some people have places to go!"
The woman quickly paid, took her bags, and left.
As John helped the next customer, wilting slightly under his impatient glare, he couldn't help but wish he got the pretty woman's name.
X
John sat slumped with his head on the bartop.
"Someone isn't very happy today."
John straightened at the sound of the familiar voice. He couldn't stop his smile when he swirled around on the stool and saw her. "Before we go any farther, what's your name?"
"Amelia Bones."
"I'm John Dawlish."
Amelia sat down on the barstool next to his. "What's with the long face?"
Remembering his previous sour mood, John slumped back down, his eyes going to the floor. "I told my boss that I caught one of my co-workers stealing from the cash register, but I don't think he took me very seriously. It doesn't help that Pettigrew has the harmless act down to a science. No one ever believes he's guilty. It doesn't matter how many times he's accused."
"When you say 'he's accused,' you mean when you accuse him," Amelia knowingly said.
John shrugged. "It's wrong to steal."
"Even if it means you seem like the boy that cried wolf?"
"It's wrong to steal," John stubbornly said.
Amelia tilted her head. "You're going to continue to report him even if it doesn't seem to do any good? Why? What's the point?"
John's gaze went back to her. He saw the incredulity on her face and just knew his answer was of the utmost importance. "Because it's the right thing to do."
It was a simple reason, and he meant it with every fiber of his being.
X
John smiled at Hestia. "You here to take over?"
"Go on your break, Dawlish," she ordered.
He bowed slightly and left his post at the cash register. He walked outside and as soon as the gloomy sky was over his head, he pulled out a cigarette and his trusty lighter. He couldn't get his nicotine fix fast enough.
Just as he put the lit cigarette in his mouth and took a huff, a loud, wry voice interrupted his 'John time.' "Those things will kill you."
John's heart sped up as he spied Amelia crossing the street to stand next to him. "We'll see about that."
"I'm glad I caught you on your break." She paused. "I wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"I've been a police officer for five years. And I was ready to give up because I felt like I wasn't making a difference. You showed me there are still people in the world who believe in doing the right thing. Even if it didn't do any good, you kept reporting your co-worker. It made me see that I shouldn't give up because there are people like you in the world."
"I did that?"
Amelia nodded. "You're pretty amazing."
John looked down at the ground. "I'm ordinary. No one ever says I'm amazing."
"Sometimes, the least expected person can influence you."
John swallowed the lump in his throat. Still staring at the ground, he dared to ask, "Would the influencer have a chance at a date with the prettiest police officer he ever saw?"
She chuckled lightly. "Maybe. If he was brave enough to ask me."
He lifted his head. Their eyes locked in a searing gaze. "Will you go on a date with me?"
"It would be my pleasure."
xXx
(word count: 1,105)