"Ashlynn?"
I looked up from my desk, where I was currently filling out the proper forms from last nights attack. Silently I cursed whoever was at my door for disrupting my chain of thought. People had been killed people I knew from school, people that I never wanted to fight but at this moment it was them or me.
"Show yourself." I said to the voice
Percy Weasley stepped around the corner and into my office. Now what could he possibly want. He sat down in the chair in front of my desk. "I picked up your mail for you off the cart, the kid is really behind today."
I reached across the desk and winced at the pain in my shoulder. I had been nursing this injury for weeks, and last night's battle did nothing but upset it.
"So there was a battle last night, I've heard rumors about it."
I cut him off in mid sentence "Percy if your wondering how your family is doing, you're just going to have to find out yourself."
And with that I went back to my paperwork, figuring he was done pumping me for information, but alas he didn't leave my vicinity. He did however reach over for my Daily Profit, and sat across from my reading. I had know Percy in school, he was 3 years behind me, and he had always done this, if Charlie was anywhere around me, which he normally was considering I played Keeper and then Chaser with and for him for years, Percy was right that always up in your business.
"Something I can do for you Percy?" I asked as I leaned over and filed the form in its proper place, after last years attack when Fudge finally realized that there was something to be worried about, we have had strict rules about filing everything we see in the ministry.
As an Auror I was the one usually left with this task, which let me tell you I enjoyed oh so very much. It was slightly ridiculous if you asked me, I couldn't be quite sure who I was hitting they all wear hoods.
"Well I just hadn't seen you in awhile, so I thought I'd stop by." He said laying the paper down on my desk. "Did you know that Wood's engaged?"
Wood now there's a name I haven't heard in the last 20 minutes, Big Quidditch star he is, everyone knows him, and it could be because he's a magnificent player, or it could be because every girls whose breathing thinks he's gorgeous. Except for me it seems the boy spent nearly every summer at my house, hanging out with my loser brother.
"No I can't say that I did. To whom?"
"Cassidy Winters." He replied
"Jonathan's little sister?" I said reaching for the paper. "She was always such a little snot, whenever I went over there."
"Jealous?" Percy asked teasingly
"Keep it up Weasley," I said smiling, he wasn't always an annoying prat. "I haven't spoken to Oliver in years, why prêtell would I be jealous."
He laughed, "Because every girl in the known wizarding world is jealous. He's one of the most eligible bachelors," Pointing to the headline 'MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR ENGAGED'
"I'm just surprised that the first girls he's noticed existed is Cassidy Winters. He could have done better." I shrugged my shoulders "I shouldn't say that I haven't seen her in years maybe she's changed."
"Ya I thought so too," he stated before leaving my office
I watched him go "Percy" I yelled from my desk. He stuck his head back around the corner. "They are all fine"
"Thanks Ashlynn."
I gathered up my things and decided I was going to go out to lunch at the muggle café a few blocks down, brought a few case files with the keep myself occupied while I ate, reading up on death eaters was always so much fun, makes your stomach turn just thinking about it.
I walked the few short blocks and took up my normal position at the corner table outside,
"The usual madam." asked Alex my normal waiter I was here a lot
"That would be fabulous, my dear sir." He left and I opened up one of my files Lastrange family, wow these guys were a bunch of winners, every one of them went bad. I closed the file as I noticed my waiter making his way back towards the table. I winced at the pain in my shoulder.
"Shoulder still bothering you miss," he asked as he set down my food
"Yes hurt in the line of duty I'm afraid, not much they can do for it."
"Your with the police?"
"I'm a detective." I silently praised myself for all those muggle studies classes
He nodded, "Still amazes me that anyone would want to hurt someone as pretty as you."
"Well thank you." I shrugged and he moved on to his next table.
I opened my file and went back to work how I had managed to never spill anything on these documents is quite a miracle
I had finished my meal and was now just reading case files, it was such a nice day out, not raining, I hated to go back into the stuffy building.
Someone sat down across from me, I didn't look up from my file, and the other person didn't say anything. Ten minutes went by in this silence.
"So I hear your getting married." I asked without looking up
He laughed "Still very creepy Ash, remind me again how you do that."
"Part of the job, now tell me what's this I hear about marriage?" I flipped a page over in the file I was reading, "You're marrying Cassidy Winters?"
"Not yet I'm not, I don't know where these papers come up with these things." He shifted in his chair
"Oh the trails and tribulations of being you, how'd you find me?"
"Well I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd stop by and see you, I stopped at your office, and they said I could probably find you here."
"You just decided to stop by, and see one of your friends older sister, level with me what's going on?" I asked finally setting down my papers.
"I actually ran into Charlie Weasley this morning, and he told me you were hurt in a fight, your not made of steal Ashlynn." he said shooting me his killer smile
"This flirting crap won't work on me, and I should remind you, you're the one who falls from great heights for a living." I said throwing a breadstick across the table at him
He dodged and it hit the woman at the table behind us, "Sorry I was aiming for him." she turned back around in a huff
"I could say the same for you, It's because you took such a great fall that I have the position I do."
"Actually dear the reason I left was because I had finished my Auror training, but I still had 2 years on my contract so I decided that the fall was a good enough excuse to stop playing." I started to gather up my stuff "Walk me back?"
He bowed like a gentleman "It would be my pleasure."
"You do realize the papers are going to have a field day with this, don't you?" I asked motioning towards a cameraman.
He nodded at the man, and caught my step, so we were walking equally. "Could be worse people to be "hooked" up with." he made the quotes marks with his fingers.
We walked along in silence for a while before we reached my building. Walking into the old phone booth, making our way back to ministry.
We got on the lift along with a girl from the floor below me. Who gasped when she realized whom I was with. I was now going to be office gossip for the next few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if she told them all she caught us shagging right there in the lift. And he wasn't helping he stood across the lift from me making the must annoying faces, it was as if he'd decided he needed to make up for the last 3 years in the span of 15 minutes. He was now cross-eyed, with his tongue touching the tip of his nose.
"Wizarding worlds most eligible huh?" He didn't budge
"Didn't anyone ever tell you, if you make faces it's going to stick like that? Then wouldn't all those girls be disappointed, plus your game would be shot, there would be 2 or everything coming at you." I was trying to get him to laugh. That would end the game. We used to play this game when we practiced back at Hogwarts. Charlie used to say the only thing faster then me on a broom was my mouth. What can I say stuff came quickly to me? Charlie on the other hand could beat us both; boy would have me rolling over clutching my stomach by the end of practice. God how I miss those days, nowadays Charlie and I patrol a lot together, and spend a lot of time sleeping on the couches at each others houses when we are to tired to make it all the way back to the headquarters. But all the fun has been sucked out of our friendship.
"So tell me all about this mystery woman, I mean there has to be one in your life right, big bad Oliver Wood, come one tell me, tell me, I know oh wait I've got it, Professor Sprout." He made a face.
"You've lost your touch Wood. You used to be able to hold out for so much longer."
The lift stopped and my coworker got off.
"I have not lost my touch, I'm just astounded by your beauty so you caught me off guard." He tried to deadpan me, but failed, his smile showing through way to easily. "Sorry tried it with it straight face it didn't work."
"You had better be nice I'm not afraid to mess up that pretty face of yours, and then where would you be?" The doors opened on my floor with a ding, and we stepped out immediately every girl in the floor had there eyes on Oliver, I never got this attention and I had played pro longer then he has.
He followed me along the long corridor down to my office, with a flick of my wand the door was opened to a pile of papers on the floor, and a few boxes on the desk. They can send things into my room; it's actually pretty annoying. I walked past the papers on the floor, summoning them into a pile on my desk, and dropping my bag with the files on the floor next to the desk.
"So what's the real reason you're here?" I asked as I sat down in my big chair
He scanned the room; pictures were all over the walls, and the desk, friends, family, teammates. "This is pretty nice office, what is it you do again?"
I rolled my eyes and started leafing through the box on my desk, files and more files, this box was actually good information although I think it stupid that they are keeping tabs on members of the Order especially when it is supposed to be a secret order. But at least now I could read up on everyone know their strengths and what we have to have each of them work on. I thought scanning the names, until one caught my eye WOOD, OLIVER in bright orange at the top of the page.
"What have you been doing for the order?" I asked without thinking.
He looked up with a shocked look on his face "How do you know about that?"
I pulled his file out as proof, "I was told to read up on skills and weaknesses so we could begin to train the newer arrivals. So what is it you've been doing?"
"I knew you were a member, and I'm not supposed to be seen with members, because I'm under cover, but I figured as long as I could explain it away, as I stopped by to visit an old friend it wouldn't be a problem."
"Under Cover as what?"
"Well you see some of the guys I play with aren't the greatest human beings to ever have lived you see, Bloody good players, but not very good people. So when they found out that I was being promoted from reserve to actual team, they Order came forward and asked if I would be up for the challenge. And I agreed whole heartedly." He replied leaning back in his chair. "It's amazing what lads talk about in Locker rooms." he winked
"For instance?"
"For instance, did you know that Thomas Bromley, talks about you all the time, and every time there is an article written about you, he tapes it up in his locker. He has about 6 from last years Ball, where you so graciously accompanied your big brother Bryan?"
"Creepy." I leaned in with my elbows on my desk. "So what is it your interested in Oliver?"
"Nothing really I just don't feel like I'm part of the Order is all. Thought I'd pop in and say hello."
"Well how about if you meet somewhere for dinner and I'll fill you in."
"Ashlynn that would be fabulous. I'll meet you back here at 6." and with that he excited out the front door of my office and gave all the girls a good look before disappearing from sight.
No sooner had he left my office that I was standing in the middle of headquarters looking for someone to verify his story, Not that I didn't trust him its just that we have had a lot of spies for the other side, it wouldn't surprise me if they were trying to same thing better to be safe.
I found Molly Weasley in the kitchen. "Ok two things," I say jumping up to sit on the counter across from her. "First your son came to see me again today very worried about you all. And second who would I talk to about undercover work."
She smiled at me, "How is he dear, does he look like he's been eating enough."
"Yes, yes he's doing just fine." I winced as I jumped off the counter
"Let me take a look at that dear"
" Molly its fine" she looked at me and nodded but didn't really believe me "Really I swear, if it wasn't you'd be the first person I'd trust to have a look." she smiled at that "Now about undercover work?" I questioned
"Ashlynn dear, everyone knows whose side of this fight your on I highly doubt you will be allowed to do undercover work." She went back to stirring her dinner
"I know that, I'm wondering who would know about people already in an undercover situation?"
"Well, I may be able to help you with that, who is it your asking about?"
"Oliver Wood," I say pulling the file out of my bag and showing it to her "He stopped by my office today interested in what was going on, and I just wanted to know how much he's allowed to know if anything, because I will be having dinner with him tonight."
"Oh yes Oliver, dear, sweet, brave boy, He's not supposed to have contact with any of us, so I don't think it's a good idea."
My jaw dropped about 2 feet "But he and I are old friends, What if I brought Charlie, with me, Charlie and I are meant to patrol tonight anyway, it would just be old friends stopping off for a quick meal."
"I suppose that wouldn't hurt, the poor boy has been isolated from all of us for so long, but don't tell him to much Ashlynn, the more he knows the more danger he is in."
And with that knowledge I was standing back in my office, where about 8 of my female coworkers, and about 6 male stood waiting for me.
"I didn't know you knew Oliver Wood?"
"How come he was here?"
"Are you two an item?"
"I thought he was engaged, are you trying to split them up?"
"Can I have his autograph?"
"Is he an amazing kisser?"
"Is he really as nice as he seems?"
"He seems really arrogant to me, is he?"
I sat down at my desk, and waiting for the questions to end, when they finally had I looked up at all of them. "Are you done?" they nodded "Good now get out." I was notoriously private so this wasn't a new occurrence, they did this whenever my father was mentioned in the paper again, My father played professionally for many, many years, and was an amazing player at that, he's in the hall of fame, and continues to speak on behalf of organizations accompanied with the sport. This is how I learned to keep my private life private, the press will dig into your life enough, and you don't need to help them.
They all stared at me defeated, and one by one made there way towards the door. Except for one, Megan, "You got a page while you were out, you are to immediately go to Fudge's office."
"Thanks Megan, and I honestly wouldn't know about him being a good kisser it's never happened, he's my baby brothers friend, and an old teammate, that's it really." She smiled and walked back to her own desk.
I sat in my office organizing the last of my files and place a spell on them so that no one else could gain access to the drawers, and then walked to my office door and placed a similar spell on that before moving up to Fudge's office. All the while wondering what Fudge could possibly want with me, I was constantly being chastised for being so outspoken on my opinion of this battle, whose right, whose wrong, what should be done, and who should be the ones to do it. Within the last year there have been several attempts on my life, each of them as you can see unsuccessful. They've also gone after my brothers and my father. But like as with myself all of those attempts were also unsuccessful.
I walked to his door and knocked, waiting for his response, I surveyed the room, I was getting used to watching my own back, even if I knew there were people out there watching it for me that I never even saw
"Ahh, yes Ms. Davis, how have you been, Sorry I had to pull you away from your work." Fudge said escorting me into his office, "Have a seat."
"What can I do for you sir?" I asked as I sat down across from him
"Well Ms Davis, It seems that we have received an anonymous tip, that there could be another attempt on your life soon." All the color had drained from his face
I sat up straight in my chair, "Sir, when isn't there likely to be an attempt on my life. I'm an official and I'm very outspoken on which side of this war I'm fighting. I'm not going to let it affect the rest of my life. I knew what I was getting into when I took this job." I stood up and walked toward the door
"Ashlynn, we just want to make sure your safe, your one of the best, we can't afford to loose you." He called to me from his desk
I turned and leaned on the doorframe, "I appreciate that sir, and I promise to look over my shoulder more often."