When Gideon left Hogwarts, he had meant for it to be the last time he had to follow rules. Technically, any job would have had rules, but he'd been determined to find just the right one that following the "rules" wouldn't feel like such because they'd just be what he wanted to do anyway. That was the only requirement of his dream job, and he'd been confident that he could make it work as long as he was committed to his search.

It hadn't worked out like he had hoped.

Joining the Order had been a no-brainer. With a war going on, he wasn't going to sit around when he could fight. He'd known right away that joining meant following rules. That's how things worked when you basically belonged to an army. He wasn't foolish enough to believe the Order would be different, but he had underestimated just how often he'd be given orders.

It was starting to feel like all he ever did was do what he was told. Despite his increasing experience, he never got to make decisions of his own, and it was wearing his patience down.

"Can you do that?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward and leveling him with a look that made his point clear.

They were alone in his office at Hogwarts, the door firmly shut and charmed to protect against unwanted intruders or eavesdropping. Gideon felt eerily like he was back at school, and it angered him in ways he'd never admit out loud.

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore watched him for a moment, not moving. He added, "Can you follow my instructions without any deviation? We cannot afford any recklessness in this scenario. The outcome is too important."

Gideon bit his tongue. He'd disobeyed orders once when not doing so had felt like a life or death matter. He didn't understand why the indiscretion was still being held over his head. They all knew he'd had good intentions that just hadn't worked out the way he had hoped for them to.

"Yes, sir," he repeated, not succeeding in keeping the bitterness out of his voice.

Dumbledore's lips quirked upward in the small hint of a smile, but he didn't otherwise comment.

"Very well," he said. "I trust you to keep your word."

As Gideon left the office, he couldn't help but sigh. He hoped he could keep his word too.

Prompts:

HPFC

Packet of Prompts: (character) Gideon Prewett

Word count: 395