Written for:

Shop for a Prompt - John/Amelia

Camp Potter - Campfire - I tell myself that you're no good for me./I wish you well, but desire never leaves. - Halestorm - Familiar taste of Poison

Every Character Weekly challenge - John Dawlish

Hogwarts - Lithomancy: Present Stone: Carnelian: Write about someone who is blindly courageous.

A Job To Do

John Dawlish and Amelia Bones

~.~

I tell myself that you're no good for me.

I wish you well, but desire never leaves.

Halestorm - Familiar taste of Poison

~.~

Amelia smoothed down her work robes as she walked through the Ministry. She didn't make eye-contact with anyone. In the past, she would have a smile for people as she walked through the halls and she would hold the lift and even stop for a quick chat—as long as she wasn't busy of course—but those days were over.

These days she didn't know who at the Ministry she could trust, apart from the obvious one or two she had seen at the Order meetings. There was no smiling and no stopping for a chat. Ministry workers were being forced out all of the time and replaced with what she considered to be undesirables.

These were the true undesirables, not Potter and his friends, though she forced herself not to think of them. She had her own work to do.

Her low heels clicked against the floor as she stepped into the lift. Her body tensed as she turned and noticed another witch follow her in. Amelia kept her gaze forward as she pressed a button.

"Amelia, how delightful to see you."

"You too, Dolores," Amelia said, forcing a smile onto her face and turning to the other woman. She internally winced at the baby-pink ensemble that Dolores Umbridge was wearing and her eyes lingered on the oversized bow. "Is that a new outfit?"

The woman giggled girlishly which was a horrible sound because there was nothing girlish about her. Amelia kept the smile on her face whilst on the inside she was cringing.

"It is. You're the only person that has commented on it. I—" The doors opened and Amelia began to step out. "We should sit down for tea one day?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Amelia agreed, despising the idea immediately. "I'm sure we'll find time in our schedules where we could manage to have that tea." Amelia was certain they wouldn't, but it was best not to make an enemy of Dolores at the current time.

Umbridge nodded her head and Amelia turned and began down the hallway. The lift closed behind her and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She walked into the Aurors office and through the wizards and witches that were working there, straight to John Dawlish's office. Her heart skipped a beat as she approached and her teeth pulled at her lip slightly before she stopped herself.

When she approached the office, the door was already ajar and she pushed it and stepped in, expecting the familiar sight of John sitting behind his desk, reading reports. She was already pushing the door closed when she realised that his chair was empty.

Amelia wasn't sure if she was relieved or not by his absence. Before everything had started to take a turn for the worst, Amelia and John had shared a few romantic dinners. John would stop by her office and it would just take one of his grins to cause her to sigh and drop what she was doing and go to lunch with him or for a walk. But when the Ministry was compromised, she was appalled to find out that John was sympathetic to Voldemort's cause. He may not have been a Death Eater, but he understood what Voldemort wanted.

And Amelia believed she knew John well enough to know that this was the truth. She had learnt, in their years long friendship, to be able to tell when John was lying… and in this case, he wasn't. She felt like the man she had known since school, the man who had taken her to dinner and who had finally started courting her—after years of dancing around their attraction and growing feelings—before the Ministry was corrupted, was not who she thought he was.

She still felt the same about him. She couldn't turn her feelings off for him, but it hurt all of the same. So when she found the office empty, she was glad not to see him, yet disappointed because work was the only way she could catch a glimpse of him. There had been no more dinners since he had shown his true colours.

She walked over to the desk, intending to leave the report she was supposed to deliver, but as she set it down, her eyes fell on an open report.

She knew that even with John's usual laid-back attitude, he would never leave a report out like this, or his door ajar, so something important must have come up mid-read. She leaned over to put her own report down and her eyes found the top sheet again.

A word stood out to her and it drew her attention. Amelia quickly realised who the report was about.

The Dursleys.

She moved around the desk, glancing at the closed door, before her eyes skimmed quickly. The report was dated that same day, showing that the location of the Dursleys had been found and that John needed to get a 'special' team together to take care of the situation.

A cold dread settled inside of her and before she realised what she was doing, Amelia had used a spell to duplicate the file and had hidden it within one of the ones she was holding. She quickly moved around the desk and headed towards the door.

She knew that there were Order members keeping the Dursleys safe. It was an important part of the mission, keeping Harry's family from coming to harm. If they were found… well, there would be five deaths. Three being the muggle family that raised Harry and the other two being Order members. Her actions, though risky, could save five lives, possibly more, and it was a risk she had to take.

Just as she reached for the handle, the door opened and Amelia almost reached for her wand, but stopped herself. Drawing her wand would make her look guilty or jumpy. She had to look natural. She pulled her hand back and waited.

"Amelia?" John's frown faded at the sight of her and a soft smile appeared on his lips. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a report to deliver," Amelia said, smiling brightly at him. "'M sorry, I waled in before even realising you weren't here."

John looked at Amelia for a second, the smile and soft look turning into something more curious. He glanced towards his desk and on the file that sat, open.

"Melly?"

She thrust the file at him. "John, I have more to deliver," she said.

He didn't take the file that was pressed against his chest, but straightened up. Amelia resisted biting her lip. He knew. She wasn't getting out of the Ministry. He was going to turn her in.

"Did you… how long have you been in here?"

"Only a minute," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "Why? Is something the matter? Did you need me for something?"

His eyes moved between hers for a moment. "You read my report." He took a step towards her, whilst blocking the door. "Why?"

"I…"

"I can read you too easily, I'm probably the only one who can. You can't read my reports. Did you take a copy?"

His eyes moved to the rest of the files in her left arm and the single one that was in her right hand, still being offered to him.

She lowered her hand. "I don't know what—"

"I should turn you in."

She paled. "John? Would you really do that?"

John stared at her for a long time before letting out a sigh. "They'll know," he replied. "But I can't do that to you. You'll have to make me forget I found you in here."

"You want me to…" Amelia was watching him in shock.

John nodded and stepped forward again. "Of course. You know how I feel about you, Melly." His fingers reached up to stroke her cheek and she frowned.

"And you know how I feel about that nickname," she replied.

The fingers traced her jaw and John watched her sadly. "You liked it, once."

"Once," Amelia whispered.

John took a deep breath and moved his hand away. "Do it now."

Amelia nodded as John walked around the desk and took his seat. His head fell into his hands and his fingers wound tightly in his own hair as he waited, unable to look at her.

She took out her wand and stared at him for a long moment.

This wasn't what she expected. She had truly thought he'd turn her in. She thought that Voldemort's ideals were more important to John than anything - even the relationship they had developed and the friendship before that. But his actions showed her that maybe she meant more to him than she realised.

"Obliviate."

She watched him work through his daze before his gaze fell on her. "Amelia, what are you doing here?"

She smiled. "I brought you a report. I did knock…"

He glanced down at his desk, at the open report. "Ah. I may have been distracted." He quickly closed it and stood up as she approached the desk. This time, he took the report.

"Thank you," he said, his voice slightly stiff. Amelia just nodded and turned to leave.

She didn't look back, feeling a faint hum of guilt for having to remove the first noble deed John had done since the Ministry was taken. She had a job to do.

1587 words

Thanks Lizzy for the help! :)