Rolf Scamander was not having a good day. His boss was on his ass, that Lovegood chick wouldn't leave him alone, and now he had to go to some stupid mandatory meeting. And on top of that, his head was pounding. It had been two days since he'd last had a drink, and even though that was his personal record, it looked more and more like he'd need one soon.
As the office was taken over by his loud, idiotic co-workers, Rolf stashed himself away behind a pillar near the back. Settling into the shadows, he closed his eyes, hoping to just sleep through the whole stupid thing.
"Hello Mr. Scamander," a sweet, lilting voice sliced apart his daydreams of being literally anywhere else.
He growled, peering down at her. "Can't you ever leave me alone, Lovegood?"
"I suppose I could, but I don't really know anyone else here. I've only been here three months, after all." Her big grey eyes looked up at him without a hint of having taken offense. He thought to himself, certainly not for the first time, that he would most likely never understand this strange girl.
"Just…just don't say anything to me. I'm trying to sleep." He resettled back into the corner.
"I usually like to sleep in quiet places, but to each their own, I suppose." As he turned to berate her, the room quieted.
"Alright everyone, settle down," Barnabas Cuffe, Editor in Chief, coughed out from the front of the room. "Thank you all for coming in today. I wish it was for a happier occasion, but…" He seemed lost for a moment, and Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped in from the side and clasped his shoulder.
"I'm sorry to say this, but the Board of Governors of the Daily Prophet and I have come to the decision that this paper needs to undergo some major changes. We will be meeting with each and every one of you today to determine whether or not your employment will continue going forward."
The uproar was immediate. Rolf's heart started to race. Maybe…?, he thought to himself. But then the realization hit him: the lure of his name was likely enough to dash any dreams he had. 'Scamander' was both a blessing and a curse where his career was concerned.
As Kingsley tried in vain to regain the attention of the undulating masses, Rolf's thoughts turned to his new assistant. Surely the policy would be first in, first out? He flicked his gaze to her for just long enough to catch her eye. A glance was enough to take in the naked pain in her eyes. He almost reached out to comfort her, but reconsidered immediately. He barely knew the girl, and besides, she'd be gone soon enough. She was about to say something when Kingsley cut them all off.
"Silence!," he bellowed, voice magically amplified. "You will all have the chance to plead your case. We'll be going in alphabetical order. Mr…Adrian Abernathy, we'll begin with you," he finished wearily, consulting a long parchment. "I ask that the rest of you make yourselves comfortable in the interim." With a swift nod towards Adrian, Kingsley and a few other witches and wizards that he recognized as the rest of the paper's Board of Governors swept past them all into Cuffe's office.
Luna turned towards him. "What do you think -"
"I'm going out," he interrupted, and swung easily around the pillar, heading for the door. It wasn't until he was out in the fresh air of Diagon Alley that he realized the girl was following him.
"What are you doing?," he growled at her, moving swiftly.
"I'm coming with you. It'll be a while before they get to me, there are quite a lot of 'Carrows' and 'Goyles' to get through. I thought we could get to know each other." Was she…skipping?
"What's the point?," he scoffed at her as he made his way to the Leaky Cauldron. "We won't be working together much longer."
"You don't know that," she pointed out, following him deftly through the swiftly moving crowd.
He snorted loudly, turning to face her abruptly. He was almost speechless for a moment, blinded by the way the sun illuminated her light blonde hair as if from within. He shook it off and retorted, "The new kids always go first. Being the Chosen One's little friend isn't going to keep you employed much longer."
Her wide eyes somehow widened even further. "Is that what you think happened? I never considered that Harry might be the reason I got this job. That was kind of him."
He just stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head and heading into the pub. As Rolf chose a cozy corner booth, he almost told her off for taking the seat across from him, but thought better of it. The ditzy girl probably wouldn't even understand, no matter how clearly he told her to go away. Better to just let it happen. At least he could finally have his long-awaited drink.
Once the barman had gotten their order (herbal tea for her, firewhiskey neat for him), she turned back to face him with an excited smile on her face.
"How did you know Harry got me this job? I should send him a thank you card, he's such a thoughtful boy- "
"No, you silly twit, he didn't actually do anything. You got the job because you're his friend. They just want your name in their paper for appearances. It's got nothing to do with you. It's all about their egos." The drinks came floating over and he took a grateful sip. The familiar burn calmed the raging storm in this mind, and for the first time all day, he relaxed.
She sat silently for a moment, stirring her tea. Finally, Luna looked up at him, smiling. "I think I can live with that. After all, I never thought I'd have friends at all, let alone one who would help me get the job I've always dreamed of doing."
Once more, Rolf could only stare at her, dumbfounded.
"Besides, doesn't that make us alike? You got your job because of your family. Now that's two things we have in common."
Rolf's eye twitched. "Is that what our so-called friendship is to be based on? Being accessories to fame and…and what exactly?"
"Magical creatures," she replied softly. He considered her for a minute. She really was being serious, he decided. It annoyed him beyond words that he hadn't been able to get under her skin since that night a couple weeks ago. Rolf was used to being a master of words, using them to get exactly the reaction he hoped for. It was the one trait that was solely his, not inherited or forced upon him. And the only person it hadn't worked on so far was a silly little Irish girl, young enough that he barely even remembered her being at Hogwarts.
"Well, maybe you're not as smart as you think you are," he muttered, examining his nearly empty tumbler. "I hate magical creatures. Always have, always will." He finished the drink, throwing it back like a shot. "Now if you're excuse me, I've spotted a creature that does interest me."
He left a gaping Luna in the booth and smoothly strode to an attractive witch sitting alone at the bar. As he placed his hand on the small of her back, and gave her his signature smirk, he almost looked back to see her reaction, but just managed to resist.
"What a bloody wanker, Luna! Only someone as nice as you would put up with his shit for this long." Ginny looked ready to fight Rolf herself, if not for the fact that the man wasn't actually anywhere near them.
"It's not that bad really. I think he just needs someone to talk to." She was grateful, not for the first time that evening, to have friends who were this quick to defend her. She had, after all, turned up on the doorstep of Harry and Ginny's flat near midnight, with no notice, and they'd still been happy to see her, and invite her in for a drink. Speaking of which, Luna smiled as Harry returned to the living room, laden with wine glasses for the two of them.
"You're probably right, Luna, but that doesn't justify how horrible he's been to you. Ginny said it best: he's a bloody wanker." Harry settled back on the couch with an arm around Ginny, and finally started in on his own drink.
"You heard it from the Savior himself, stay away from that idiot." Ginny eyed her boyfriend fondly before dropping a kiss on his cheek. "So what about this meeting with Kingsley, then?"
"It went well, he asked me a bit about my job, about my role in the war. He said it was just a formality, since they definitely weren't letting me go. I've got the rest of the week off while the Board makes decisions, and I'll see who else is staying when we come in on Monday."
"That's great, Luna! I knew they couldn't be stupid enough to fire you." Ginny leaned over to pat her friend on the leg.
Harry blew out a sigh. "I just can't believe the Prophet is really going to change after all this time. I guess now that Riddle's dead, anything really is possible!" He laughed as Ginny rolled her eyes at him. Luna watched their flirty banter with a smile. She would never stop being grateful for her friends, but there was some small part of her that knew something was missing from this equation. Their easy smiles, lingering touches…it would be easier to watch with someone of her own on the couch next to her. Maybe someone tall, dark, handsome, with a sharp wit to match…
She pulled herself away from that dangerous thought to catch Ginny's yawn. "I should go. Thank you for listening, I knew Daddy wouldn't understand."
"Anytime, Luna, you know you're always welcome here," Harry said on his way to the kitchen with their glasses, stopping to pat her on the shoulder.
"What he said," Ginny said with a sleepy smile. "I'd love to stay up and chat, but Gwenog ran us especially hard today, and I know I've got another day of of it tomorrow. Remind me again whose idea it was to become a professional Quidditch player?"
"Oh, that's all on you, dear." Harry enveloped her in his embrace, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Couldn't have stopped you if I wanted to."
As Luna lay in bed that night, her thoughts kept returning to that moment with them, to the picture her mind had come up with of Rolf sitting on the couch next to her. Where had that even come from? And more importantly, why did it make her stomach flip like that?
"Mr. Scamander, good to see you again." A weary Kingsley waved Rolf into Cuffe's office. He and three other witches and wizards that Rolf vaguely recognized were seated behind Mr. Cuffe's desk. That they all fit was a miracle, and he'd put his money on a well-placed extension charm.
"Minister, you as well," he smiled tightly, taking his seat. "This isn't going to take long, I presume."
Kingsley quirked an eyebrow at him. "That depends. I see you have more than a few letters in your file from Mr. Cuffe."
Rolf shrugged. "You can't make an omelet without breaking a couple eggs, Mr. Shacklebolt." This comment brought forth more than a couple frowns from the Board.
"No, but you can publish a paper without an employee who has…" Kingsley consulted his file, "showed up to work intoxicated eleven times in the last month."
With a frown, Rolf nodded slowly. "Point taken."
"Look," Kingsley said, "I'm not saying you haven't added value to the paper. We on the Board recognize that sales have bumped significantly since you joined the team. But you have to agree that you haven't been giving it your all."
"That may be true, but may I offer this argument: at least I'm not a death eater." Kingsley just sighed in response.
"Rolf, do you remember why Miss Lovegood was hired?"
Kingsley took Rolf's groan as confirmation.
"It's true, you were on the right side of the war. And that can't be forgotten. But the fact remains, you have a problem. You simply aren't capable of doing this alone anymore. If you continue to refuse help, you may find yourself without employment sooner than you would hope."
Rolf sputtered. "But I'm…you wouldn't…?"
"No, we didn't. You still have your job. But I'm hoping that this might serve as a wake up call of sorts. You're an extremely smart and talented young man, and I hate to see you waste your life."
He couldn't meet Kingsley's eyes anymore. "I'm fine, Uncle Kingsley," he muttered.
"Rolf," Kingsley sighed. "No, you aren't. And we both know that. Just…just take this week and try to get yourself together. I'll see you again on Monday."
He stood and nodded silently, heading to the door.
"Say hello to your parents for me!" Kingsley called after him.
Rolf closed the door behind him with a noncommittal grunt, and slumped back against it. Merlin, he needed a drink.
[A/N: My canon here is that Kingsley's sister is Rolf's mother. I know, seems stupid to connect them just because they're both black, but in my defense, there's no info on his parents or Kingsley's family so…why not? Plus I like the idea that Rolf confides in Kingsley all the things he's afraid to tell his parents. He's more big brother than uncle. Oh and I know there's only really one piece of evidence that Rolf's even black at all, but the last thing this series needs is more white people, so I'm taking it and running with it.
As always, I'd love to hear what you're thinking, so please review if you feel like it!]