Author's Note: I'm excited to bring you this new project I've been working on! Because I've been plugging away at this for a bit, I have 7 chapters ready to go and will be able to upload once a week, likely on Wednesdays or Thursdays, depending on the week and what life is throwing at me. I will be posting on both AO3 and here!
This story takes some inspiration from the early seasons of the TV show "Scandal," but not in terms of plot; I channeled Olivia a lot for Lily's general vibes, and the concept of her team, but this NOT a "Scandal"/Jily crossover.
There will be some trigger warnings as we go each chapter, but Chapter 1 is pretty light; some language and mentions of sex, but nothing major.
I've really loved working on this and hope you'll enjoy reading it!
Chapter 1
"I don't do lost causes or tilt at windmills. I don't perform miracles or do the impossible. I make cold calculations about difficult situations and I do not take on anything I know I won't win. And I will win this," Olivia Pope, "Scandal"
Now: James
Mad Eye, or Just Mad?
Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet
In news that should surprise no one, Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody has once again found a way to embarrass himself and the Ministry.
Yesterday during a meeting between the disgraced war hero turned head of the Auror office, Moody turned his wand on the American Minister of Magic's young daughter after she made an throw away comment regarding the safety of Minister Cornelius Fudge.
"Those of us in the room didn't think anything of it," Lucius Malfoy, a deeply respected councilor to the Minister said. "And then Moody jumped up with his wand, causing accidental magic, because he is completely volatile and unpredictable, and nearly caused the entire room to catch on fire."
"Now, tell me, does that sound like someone who is keeping our minister safe, especially with an election year around the corner?" added Damien Mulciber, who currently serves as a deputy in the Magical Law wing of the DMLE, and has been described as a "rising star" during these times of peace.
The incident is the latest in a string of issues that paint Moody in an increasingly irrational light, with many now calling into question his capacity to serve…
James slammed the newspaper down, running a hand through his hair. There was no way around this: it is an unmitigated disaster. It did not matter that the incident was not being described accurately (honestly, describing that woman as his 'young' daughter made her sound innocent, not the twenty-something who had twirled her wand throughout the whole meeting menacingly while sipping bourbon, nor did it include her words, "I think we should test exactly how your security measures stack up to ours", nor did it explain that Moody merely stood up and raised his wand calling for her to quiet down, giving off a few measly sparks). It also did not matter that her own father had been horrified by her behavior, apologizing profusely.
All that mattered was how it was being packaged and delivered to the British public.
And James, while not exactly an authority on public relations, knew this was bad.
Sighing deeply, he weighed his options.
Option 1: They could ignore it, and trust that something bigger would come along to move this out of the public's awareness.
Which would work, except they had used this strategy often in the past.
Option 2: Ask the ministry's PR team to intervene.
Again, that presented a new problem, considering the ministry was swarming with snakes, many of whom were not-so-quietly waiting to strike Moody down.
That left Option 3.
James sighed and rubbed his eyes.
There was no way around it.
He needed a fixer.
The office of LE & Associates was bustling. As James took in the dark wood floors and white exposed brick, along with the floor to ceiling windows on the outside wall, he found himself biting back a proud smile. His eyes strayed to the communal office space with five desks, as well as a large conference room with glass doors that had large white board with various documents and pictures hung up, a familiar set of handwriting scattered throughout.
The décor was simple, clean, professional. A waiting room with dark brown leather couches and arm chairs, some white candles and floral arrangements tastefully scattered.
"Can I help you?" an attractive middle aged woman called to him from the reception desk. He turned, taking in her dark, sleek hair speckled with some grey. Her attire, like most of the rest of the employees he could see, was Muggle; a stylish light grey blazer with a silk shirt underneath. Her expression was hard and wary, surveying James as though she knew exactly who he was and who he used to be to her boss.
"I'm looking for Lily Evans," he said, pulling his hands out of his pockets and leaning forward to rest his elbows on her desk.
"That isn't possible today," the woman responded, and then immediately turned back to the documents open on her desk.
"I'm—"
"I'm aware of who you are, Mr. Potter," the woman replied curtly. "And the answer is no. She isn't available for you."
James paused, raising a brow. He ran a hand through his hair. "She talk about me often? I'm flattered," he drawled, smirking at the woman. "But this is official Auror office business."
"In that case, her schedule is definitely full. We aren't taking on new clients at this time."
"She'll want this one," James replied, sensing a challenge from a worthy opponent.
The woman snorted. "Cocky, aren't we?"
"Confident. Trust me, she'll want to meet with me. I'll find a quiet corner to sit down, and as soon as she's free, I'll take up no more than 10 minutes of her time. If I'm right, I'll send over your favorite bottle of wine as a thank you present," he tacked on, throwing her one more flirtatious smile.
"You realize that does nothing for me, correct?" the woman replied, looking at him with a bored expression.
"All I hear is denial, love," James said, throwing the woman a wink. "I'll be in her office."
"I'd really prefer you wait in the sitting room—"
"I'll be in her office!" He called again, already strutting in, closing the glass doors behind him.
As he looked around the office, he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. It was just so her. Much like the rest of LE & Associates, it was clean and professional, dark browns and whites, lots of natural lights with the floor to ceiling window behind her tidy desk. There were a few newspaper articles framed and hung, lauding the achievements of her firm; as he walked behind her desk, he saw a few photos of her with faces he recognized from a lifetime ago, friends they had shared but that he had lost touch with. In one photo, he couldn't help but smirk as he saw her wearing a very familiar Puddlemere United t-shirt, one he had bought for her once upon a time when they went to a match together.
He was almost allowing himself to get lost in the reverie of what happened after that game in the pub restroom, him on his knees, her leg thrown over his shoulder, her moans of "Jamie—yes!" when the door to the office flew open, jerking him back to reality to see a highly irritated Lily Evans in the flesh.
"Audra is too good at her job for you to charm her, so how the hell did you manage to end up in my office, Potter?" she drawled, leveling him with a firm gaze.
She took his breath away for a moment, but he only allowed himself that one moment to drink her in. She was still petite and slim with that perfect cleavage just peeking out of the v-neck of her white work dress, a thin white belt cinching her trim waist. His eyes scanned lower to see where the dress ended, just at the knee, showing off her toned legs in black pumps, giving her a few extra inches of height; she had always favored heels back then, too. Her face was the same, porcelain skin, big, assessing emerald orbs, but her lips were adorned with red lipstick, a shade she hadn't worn when she was with him. She kept her hair down and long, cascading down her back, straight and glossy.
He had been prepared for this moment, but seeing her again, in real life, still knocked him senseless.
"Evans," he began, drawing on his favorite armor when he was with her: his ego. "Pleasure to see you."
"What do you want, Potter?" she questioned, refusing to return his pleasantry. She moved around toward her side of the desk, giving him a pointed look at the chair across from her.
"I need a favor," he started, and he saw her open her cherry lips, ready to cut him off, so he barreled on and threw himself into the seat across from her, "and before you say no, it's not for me."
This caused her to pause for just a moment. She closed her mouth, arched a brow, and then gave him a nod as she too sat down at the desk. "Continue," she said, eyes never leaving his.
"It's Moody," he replied, pulling the newspaper article from this morning out of his jacket pocket and sliding it over to her. "Have you read it?"
"Yes, it's bad. Really paints him poorly. Fifth attack on him in a four week span. Is he going to resign?" she answered, her curiosity clearly piqued.
"That's what I'm trying to prevent," James continued. "He's the best of us, Lily, you know this. During the war and after, he was a mountain of a man. He deserves a statue outside of the ministry when he chooses to retire, not a forced resignation by the likes of Malfoy."
"I agree," Lily said. "But I'm failing to hear this favor you need."
"Take him on. Fix his image, put the rumors to rest for a while until he is ready and he can pick his replacement," James said hurriedly.
"Does he know you're here? Because surely you see how this is majorly overstepping your place as the Deputy of the Auror Office. He'd be mortified—"
"Let me worry about getting him on board. He'll agree to it if it's you. He loves you. Still tells me I'm an absolute prat for letting you go," he replied, giving her a little smirk.
"Oh, don't flatter me. I'm not one of the bimbos you go after these days," she said, but he saw the hint of a smile before taking a sip of the bottle of water on her desk and rolling her shoulders back. Her face became mask-like, and James couldn't help but sit up a bit straighter.
"Here's the thing, Potter. I love Moody. I do. But that's not enough for me. I don't like to get involved with the Auror office. You know why, after what happened four years ago. Rehab an image? Great. Fix a scandal? Absolutely. But my mode of operation when it comes to you all tearing each other apart is to sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the show. In four years, I have never taken on a client from the Auror office because there is no winning for me there. The public, for the most part, doesn't trust any of you, so no matter what I do, they will only shift their opinion marginally on the client, and when that person inevitably fucks up again because they've made too many enemies, the blowback comes to me because I enabled them. That's the reality."
James took a deep breath, poised with the ace up his sleeve. "If you won't do it just because it's Moody, who you owe your actual life to, by the way, consider this: if he goes now, the former Death Eater hold is strong enough on the Ministry that it will be Mulciber that takes over the Auror office. He's wanted it for a while and surely you know what a disaster that would be."
James sat back, assessing her reaction. Her composure was strong, but there was a tiny flinch, a slight stiffening in her posture. Good, he thought. He wanted to draw on that history to remind her exactly what was at stake.
Lily was quiet for a beat studying him closely. She gave him a long assessing look, and then finally spoke.
"One final question: if I say yes, I need full disclosure from you. You don't do anything for anyone unless there's something in it for you—don't argue with me," she tacked on as James opened his mouth to do just that. "So tell me this: what's in this for you, Potter? What do you get out of it if Moody sticks around?"
"Other than helping my friend and mentor? Easy. I get the Auror office. When Moody retires, reputation fully intact, I get to take over the office you so despise. Honest enough for you, Evans?"
There was another brief, tense pause, and then finally, "Okay. Bring Moody here at 8 AM sharp tomorrow morning. Now get out. And send Audra that bottle of wine."
Then: Lily
"Jamie, where did you put the colander?" Lily called, looking around the kitchen in their new home at Godric's Hollow. The house was an engagement present from James' parents, and they had only been in for two weeks, despite having taken ownership six months ago. The place had needed extensive remodeling, but the pair had tackled it with enthusiasm, resulting in the perfect home to start their new life.
With the exception of James unpacking the kitchen, which meant Lily still had not one clue where to find anything.
"I think it's to the right of the sink?" came James' voice from upstairs, followed by the thundering of his footsteps as he bounded down the steps. "Pasta done already?"
"Yep," replied Lily, shifting to her tip-toes to try to reach the colander from the top shelf of the cabinet.
"Here," James said, one arm wrapping around her waist to pull her close as he easily reached up to grab the elusive utensil. After setting it on the counter, he took advantage of their position to press into her, kissing her neck exposed by the high pony-tail she had thrown her hair into after work before her run. "Thank you for cooking, baby," he whispered into her ear. "I'll take care of dessert after."
Lily couldn't help the giggle that escaped, allowing her body to relax into him. "I'll take you up on that," she said, turning to give him a quick kiss on the lips before turning back to the pasta and simmering sauce.
As she continued to finish up dinner and James poured wine, Lily couldn't help but feel positively content. It wasn't a place she ever thought she'd get.
Her seven years at Hogwarts had been mired with war tensions as Lord Voldemort steadily rose to power and gained followers, with increasing prejudice leveled at Muggleborns like Lily, and those that fought for equality like James. It hadn't ruined her experience, by any means, but was forever present, like a specter in the shadows, bubbling up at the most inconvenient time. And when she and James had finally gotten together seventh year, the two of them had become an instant target of the blood purists, with Lily being viewed as a "Mudblood whore" and James a blood traitor.
Needless to say, both had been eager to fight back, and fight back they did, for three years after graduation as part of The Order of the Phoenix. When the war had finally ended with an epic battle between both sides, culminating in a duel Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort where Dumbledore pulled off a victory that was sure to be the stuff of legends, they found themselves war heroes at twenty one, the world teeming with opportunities for those that had fought and won.
That was just over a year ago; the past fourteen months had been full of celebration, from the wizarding world embracing more and more policies aimed at equity for all of its members, to their own engagement, to the quick rise both had seen in their careers and public profiles.
James, along with many of Lily's former colleagues at The Order had opted to go to the Auror office or Healing, both of which had held little appeal for Lily. She had taken a slightly different route, one that was the sole source of tension between the pair.
Taking a sip of wine as she and James worked on their pasta, Lily smiled at James and then took a breath. "So, I have news about work," she said, taking his hand. "And before you jump to conclusions, just listen, please."
James sighed and put his fork down. "I won't jump to conclusions. I just think you can do anything and being a mouthpiece for the ministry is a waste of your talents," he started, giving her hand a squeeze."
"And as I've explained many times, I like working in public relations for the ministry. I like crafting the message we send to the public. What good does it do for all of these great reforms and policies to go into place if people aren't actually receiving them in a way that they understand?" Lily responded automatically. So yes, they'd had this argument many times before. It usually went in circles, hence her nerves about sharing her new opportunity with him this evening.
James held his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm listening, I swear. Totally open minded. You have news. Go ahead," he said, turning so his body was turned to her, and pulling her chair so her knees were between his legs, giving her his undivided attention.
"So, Barty Crouch came to see me today. He's been really impressed with my work and what I've been doing with the pro-Muggleborn legislation, especially with how receptive the pureblood and half-blood crowds seem to be based on our polling numbers. He made me an offer," she said, smiling slyly.
"Go ahead," James said, but Lily couldn't help but notice a slight stiffening in his posture.
"As you know, as Head of the DMLE, he's in a prime position to challenge Minchum as the Minister of Magic this fall. He told me he wants to run, and, he wants me to head his PR team. I'd get to do everything—craft his message, handle polling numbers, work with his team on public outreach—it's a massive opportunity! And if he wins—"
"He won't win, Lil," James replied, looking at her a little sadly. "I think you should pass. Just trust me."
"But why?" Lily asked, feeling crestfallen. "The public loves his hard stance on crime and in the post-war era, they want someone who really fought back against the rise of Voldemort. He's the clear frontrunner—"
"Listen, he's not the guy. I need you to trust me. Don't take the job, please. I don't want to see you get hurt and lose the opportunities you already have," James said knowingly, instantly irritating Lily.
"I need a much better explanation than that—"
"And I'll get you one, in time. But right now, just wait on joining the team. Please," James said, giving her a look that was meant to soften her.
"But—"
"Still eating?" James asked, changing the subject. "Because if not, I'm positively ravished for dessert," he continued, hand creeping up her leg, smirk widening as his fingers made their way underneath her work-out shorts only to realize she had discarded her panties earlier.
"You're already wet for me," he said, leaning forward, lips meeting hers. "Let's get you upstairs. We'll pick up the work talk later on."
Firmly distracted, which she was pretty convinced was part of James' plan all along, she allowed him to let her lift her to her feet and guide her upstairs.
After all, Lily was very good at her job. She'd let James think he won for now and fuck her into oblivion.
And then she'd accept Crouch's job offer later.