You were late again. You made a beeline through the newsroom, hunching over slightly to divert attention away from your entrance. Arriving at your desk, you dropped your purse to the floor and slumped into your chair. You let out a sigh of relief.

"Littlewood!"

Shite. You grimaced, then plastered a smile on your face as you turned to meet your boss's glare.

"Mr. Black!" You said too brightly. "Good morning, sir!"

He frowned. "Littlewood, this is the third time you've been late this week."

Your smile didn't falter. "Oh well, sir, I was out investigating a new lead."

Mr. Black huffed. "You were out drinking shots of Firewhiskey with some bloke at the Leaky Cauldron… Jones spotted you there last night, himself."

Jones, that miserable tosser. You coughed. "Yes, he was my lead," you said rather unconvincingly.

He sighed, pinching the brim of his nose. "Merlin's beard, it's not decent. Remind me again why I keep you around?"

"I'm the best reporter you've got, sir," you said, flashing him a grin. Mr. Black frowned at you.

"I'm taking you off the Grindelwald story."

"What?!" You stood, heat rising to your cheeks. "Have you lost the plot!?"

"Littlewood," Mr. Black said, holding up his hand, "I'm not arguing with you on this. You are a bright woman, an ace reporter, but you've got absolutely no decorum."

You gaped at him. "How has that ever impacted my writing?"

He hesitated. "Well, we've had some complaints filed about your… after hours behavior."

You arched a brow. "So?"

Mt. Black stared at you helplessly. "Littlewood, they're our readers. Our bread and butter. Their word is my command."

"What I do on my own time is really none of the Daily Prophet's business."

"You're a reporter - you should know. Everything is our business."

You sat down, angrily. "So what, I have to stay in the office, filing papers like a bloody secretary?"

Mr. Black shrugged, removing a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. "Not at all." He took a long drag and blew the smoke out slowly. "I'm putting you on the Society pages."

You groaned. "Society? Really?"

"Really," he said. He searched your face for a moment, his eyes softening. "It's not permanent, Scarlet. You really are my best reporter."

You looked up at him, sighing. "So," you said with some finality, "what's my assignment then?"

"You heard of the Scamander family?" He took another draw from his cigarette and looked at you expectantly.

'Here and there." You leaned back in your chair, crossing your legs. "Well-to-do Pureblood family, right?"

Mr. Black nodded. "Their eldest son is being awarded a medal for bravery in the war. They're honoring him with a private party and a public ceremony two days later. I've secured you an invitation to both. I want an interview with him, as well - try to get some details about Grindelwald, if you can. He's the lead Auror on the case."

You hummed. "An Auror and a war hero? Might not be such a bad assignment after all…"

"No funny business," he warned. "This may be the 20's, but it's still England."

"It's almost the 30's, actually," you mumbled.

"What?" Mr. Black asked sharply.

You shot him your most dazzling smile, raising your hand to your forehead in a small salute. "Nothing, sir. Nothing at all."

You knocked back your drink, reading over Theseus Scamander's file again. It was a classic hero story, if you had ever seen one. How boring.

"Are you coming back to bed, love?"

You turned your head to the man standing in the doorway of your office. "I have to work," you said, shooting him an apologetic glance.

"Oh," he said, trying not to sound disappointed. "That's ok, actually I… I should be getting back to work, myself." He made a show of looking at his watch, as if to illustrate how busy he was. He turned, walking back into your bedroom and dressing. You stood, grabbing his jacket from your coat rack and walking him to the front door. "I had a good time last night," he said, leaning in to kiss you. You turned your head slightly, letting his lips land on your cheek.

"Me too," you said, forcing a smile you didn't feel. He stepped out into your hallway.

"Maybe I could take you out this weekend?"

"I'm going out of town for a few days for work, actually," you said, slowly.

"Ah," he said, realization dawning on his face. "There is no next time, is there?" You gave him a small smile as he nodded. "Hey, that's ok. That's ok. We had fun, right?"

"We did," you said, flashing him a grin. He smiled.

"Take care of yourself, then." You nodded, giving him a wave and shutting the door softly. This was easier, you reminded yourself. Easier than getting hurt.