She sat at her desk, working on a report for Rutherford. Instinctively, she reached for her mug of coffee, which was unfortunately empty. When she got to a good stopping point, she'd refill it, she decided.
"Got a minute?"
She looked up to see Harry at her door, his hands full of food from the cafeteria. She nodded, beckoning him in, and he closed the door behind him.
"Is that for me?" She asked, clearing enough space on her desk to fit what was in his hands.
"Of course," he said, taking a seat. "I saw you fly out of the house this morning, did you even have time to grab lunch?"
"No," she said, with a sigh. She opened her top draw to the left side of the desk, where she normally stashed food, to find only a lone granola bar. That wouldn't do.
She opened the crinkly paper bag to find it was exactly what she needed: ham, egg, and cheese on a croissant. And a latte, of course. She felt a surge of admiration for him. "You are truly wonderful."
He shrugged, pulling his own breakfast out of the bag. It looked like an egg white, vegetable, and turkey bacon wrap. Very typical of him: healthy, boring. "Thought I might take some time to catch you up to speed on some of my cases."
"Oh, of course," she said, biting into her sandwich.
"Though we also need to figure out how we're celebrating the weekend with Teddy," he said, absentmindedly. She could tell it was heavy on his mind.
"The hazards of our multi layered relationship," she said quietly, with a smile.
With a sigh, he came back down to earth and she could tell he was more present. "Though we may be better off discussing that over dinner."
"Sounds like a plan," she said, dragging her planner out from under a pile of folders on her desk. She wanted to take notes on what he was going to fill her in on. They had three pending cases right now, two of which he and his team was helping with. She hoped to get them tied up before the weekend, so she could fully immerse herself into their last few days with Ted.
There was a knock on the door. Liv sighed, and put her sandwich down. "Come in!"
The door opened slowly, and she was incredibly shocked to see Kensington standing on the other side. Her first impression was that he looked much older than when she'd last seen him. He leaned on a cane, but in all other regards looked significantly healthier than she expected.
"Kensington!" she exclaimed, shocked, yet elated to see him. "Come in, come in."
She ushered him in, where he tried to sit in the chair next to Harry. "Not a chance," Liv said. "Take your seat."
"I insist," he said.
"I insist." She blocked him from sitting down, and wouldn't sit herself until he took the seat behind the desk.
"This isn't my chair," he said, adjusting in the seat.
"Oh, yeah," she said, sitting down in one of the chairs, her right leg tucked under her body. "Your chair is waiting for you at my desk. I'll see it's returned for you in its proper home upon your return."
He looked pleased, as he looked between them. "It's nice to see oil and vinegar co-mingling."
"We've come to have a much better working relationship while you've been gone," Harry said, trepidatiously. She knew immediately that he had no clue whether Rutherford had filled Kensington in on their status outside of work.
"I hear you make a fine vinaigrette," Kensington said, a smug smile on his face, showing his hand. He chuckled at his own joke.
Liv couldn't help but laugh, a deep laugh until she had tears in her eyes. "How long have you wanted to say that?"
"Oh, I've had it on my mind for months," he said. "Rutherford's kept me in the loop since the beginning."
She nodded, feeling an air of relief come over her. He seemed fine with everything, and that relieved so much stress for her.
"I have to say, you look about five years younger and ten times happier than last time I sat in this seat and you sat in that one."
"Well," she began. "Yeah. I'd say that's about accurate."
He looked at them both, observing them. "So, how has it been?"
She took a moment to consider the last two months. To the various issues that had come up, to managing personalities as well as tight deadlines. It had been nothing like she had imagined it. "Well, no one's been injured, on my—sorry, our team, at least. No one's quit."
"You're not giving yourself enough credit," Harry said.
"I'm certain she isn't."
"You're biased," she said, pointing at Harry. "I'm ready to hand the reins back over to you, sir."
"From what I've heard," he said. "You've been doing an excellent job, just as I expected. I never doubted your skills, not for one second, Olivia."
It was a sincere compliment, which Kensington did not give freely, and it pleased her. She was glad that he was happy with how she had done, though she was also very ready for her life to return to normal. "Thank you, sir."
"Though I, too, am ready to come back to work," he said. "The doctors at Mungo's have agreed to let me return on a part time basis in two weeks' time."
"That's fantastic news," Liv said. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we are so ready for you to come back."
"Now, Harry, if you wouldn't mind, could I speak to Olivia alone for a few minutes?"
"Of course," he said. "I'll catch you later, Liv."
She handed him his coffee off her desk, and he left, quietly shutting the door behind him. For a moment, Liv was unsure about what exactly Kensington wanted from her.
"He seems to make you quite happy."
She nodded. "He does. But we do our very best to keep things as professional as possible."
"So I've heard," he said. "But I wanted to talk to you about something else. Marcia and I were talking, while I was ill…"
She knew he was speaking of his wife, the short, round woman with ginger-gray hair who came to eat lunch with him once a week. "Oh?"
"And I think it's getting close to time for me to step away from this role."
"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning forward. "There's no research department without you."
"Well," he said. "In the seven years you have known it, that is correct. And I have worked in this office for over thirty years, but I think it's time for me to spend more time with my family. Clara is expecting twins early next year, and Archie already has two boys, and I would like to be more active in their lives. Not immediately, but by next Spring, I would like to retire."
"Oh," she said, sadly, lacking anything else to say. "Well, whatever I can do to help with the transition process, of course, I'm sure you'll need to hold interviews-"
"Wellwood-" he said, putting his hand up to make her stop talking, but she didn't want to.
"I'm sure you've got to look at the internal candidates, Houston's been here the next longest, and I'm sure-"
"Olivia!" He said, loudly enough that it shocked her into quiet.
"Yes?"
"I would like you to take over my role," he said. "I met with the executives this morning and we're all quite pleased with the idea of working with you to have you take over for me, say, June 1."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I was fine to keep the department from sinking while you've been sick but-"
"If you're not going to accept the position, you're going to need a much better excuse than not finding yourself good enough."
She was quiet, for a moment, thinking about the position he had just handed her. It was nearly eight years that she'd worked in Research, working her way up form intern, but it seemed like hardly anytime at all.
"You're one of the brightest researchers I have been privileged to work with, capable of any task I gave you, and I'm sure that capability will extend to the last task I shall ask of you."
She had tears in her eyes, partly sad, but also a tinge of pride. Everything she had worked for... the late nights, the gray hairs, the stress- in that moment, it was all worth it.
"Well?" He asked, expectantly, after he'd given her a few moments of silence to contemplate everything.
"I would be delighted to accept it," she said. "But I'm going to need a lot of help."
"We will make certain you have every ounce of help you could possibly need. It will be a long and thoughtfully planned transition."
She nodded. "Wow."
He laughed at her speechlessness, a rare sight. "I think it's about time I get going, but I'll be in touch about when to expect me. I'm thinking I might stop by one morning next week, we can start to go over the cases I missed while I was gone?"
"Of course," she said, scrambling to get up and get the door for him.
"And Wellwood?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Clean off your damn desk, it's a wonder you get anything done with it like that."
She laughed, and saw him out. A glance towards Harry's office showed he was in a meeting, so she decided to get more work done and knew he would follow up with her when he had the time. She listened to Kensington, and started sorting the files on her desk so that only a third of it was taken up by paper and she actually had room to write.
She was engrossed in her reports, though every so often she found her mind wandering to her conversation with Kensington. In a year's time, this office would be hers, full time. She would be running the show, instead of doing what it took to keep the show limping along in a mostly functional manner. It blew her mind.
When her stomach growled, pulling her away from her work, she decided to check on Harry, though she found his office empty. "Where is he?"
His secretary, Taryn, looked up, surprised. "He took some Aurors in the field. I don't think he's planning on making it back into the office this afternoon."
"Huh," she said, confused. It didn't seem like him to leave without giving her a heads up. "Who does he have with him?"
"Evanson, Marquis, Selwyn," she said, reading off the paper in front of her. "Fairlyle and Caldwell too. I think that's it."
She nodded, mulling it over. "Okay. Thanks."
She grabbed lunch, though not getting to share her news with Harry did but a sour note on things. She wasn't mad at him, for leaving without telling her, not exactly. But she was very curious about the circumstances that led him to such a hasty departure. She picked at a salad, over the span of a few hours, wondering exactly what he was up to.
—
"Liv!" Holly cried, holding onto her doorway. She looked out of breath and extremely disheveled, all of which caused Liv great alarm.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"He got hurt," she said, her chest heaving up and down. "We had t-"
She grabbed her wallet, leaving everything else behind and nearly ran out of the department. Nothing else mattered. "Where is he?"
"They were taking him to Mungo's," she said. "I left to come get you, I've never seen anything like—"
"Can you take me to him?" she asked, speed walking nearly beyond Holly's ability to keep up. Her own chest was tight with anxiety, her blood pounding angrily in her forehead
"Yeah," she said, jogging to keep up with Liv as she headed to the stairs. "I'm sure he'll be fine, the Healers have so much new magic at their dispense-"
Liv drowned out whatever Holly was saying, as they took the Floo to Mungos. She hadn't been there in ages, not since her own Mum was admitted and never left. The sterile white walls hadn't changed much at all.
An old, tired looking witch sat at reception. "Hi, I'm here to see someone but I don't know what ward they're in."
"Last name?"
Liv hated this part, and was dreading it with all her might. "Potter."
The witch looked unamused, and glanced at Liv over her glasses. "Do you know how many times I've heard that one, dearie?"
Liv sighed, and grabbed her wallet, taking out her badge. "I'm Head of Research in the Auror Department and I need to see him."
The badge changed the old woman's tune, and she was pouring over her ledger. "Well, he's on the fourth floor, though I see here is next of kin is with him and will need to approve you as a visitor."
"You work on that while I head up there, then," Liv barked, unforgivingly. She headed towards the lift, dragging Holly with her.
"A small perk of covering Kensington," Holly said, in the otherwise silent elevator.
"Today, he asked me to take his position permanently when he retires next spring," Liv said, quietly. She couldn't bare to look at Holly, to see the pity on her face that she had received such great news while her boyfriend was in such shape.
"I look forward to celebrating with you," she murmured, putting her arm around Liv and squeezing her tight. "Later."
"What is the fourth level?" Liv asked, pivoting the conversation away from herself. "Spell damage?"
She nodded. "It was a curse of some kind, I'd not seen it before."
"Couldn't go and get poisoned or break a bone of course," she scoffed.
The waiting room was full of natural light and gorgeous, thriving plants that annoyed Liv. She didn't give a shit about ambience or aesthetics.
"I'm here to see Harry Potter," Liv said, to the nurse at the desk. She placed her badge on the table top.
"We've notified his next of kin that you are here," she said. "It's up to them to bring you in."
"And who exactly is his next of kin?" She asked, impatiently.
"I'm sorry, miss, I'm not at liberty to say."
Liv huffed and began to pace the waiting room. She hoped, begged, and pleaded with herself that he had updated his records sometime in the last five years and taken Ginny off of them. She did not want to see Ginny coming through the doors across the room. Technically, Teddy was probably the truest next of kin, but she was certain no one had contacted him and Andromeda.
Holly watched her with pity, as she walked the length of the waiting area. She didn't care, all she could think about was him. Was he going to be okay? What exactly happened? Spell work scared her the most out of anything.
"Holly, if you need to get back to work-"
"Nonsense," she said. "I'm not going to leave you here alone."
Liv nodded, finally sitting down for a moment. Her legs, her entire body, truly, were restless, though exhausted.
The doors opened, and Liv almost cried tears of relief to see a tall, lanky red headed man on the other side. "Ron!"
"I'm so sorry that took so long," he said, walking quickly towards them. Taking her by surprise, he embraced her in a very tight hug. She was on the verge of letting the tears win, but didn't.
"How is he?" She asked, mustering up as much strength as she could to keep her voice level.
"They've got him stable, finally," he said. "He's sedated... I'll take you to him."
He glanced over her shoulder at Holly. "Do you want to..."
"No," she said, quickly. "Liv, I'm going to grab your things for you, and I'll drop them off here, okay?"
"Thank you."
She followed Ron into the quiet, blindingly white ward. She slipped her badge back into her purse to keep her fingers busy.
"Did they give you a trouble?"
"A little," she said. "The badge goes a long ways."
"He's just in here," Ron said, opening a glass door for her.
She thought that seeing him would calm her nerves. It couldn't be that bad if his chest was rising and falling, she had thought to herself moments before. But he looked so still, so... lifeless.
"Oh, my," she said, sinking into one of the chairs at his bedside. Blood was still matted into his hair, and dried to his face. His skin was extra pale.
"The good news is that he is stable," he said, though the confidence in his voice was questionable. She didn't feel particularly soothed by the good news.
"Where's Hermione?" She asked.
"Stuck at work," he said. "I may have under represented his state to her so she wouldn't worry, but I know she will be here as soon as she can."
"That was a good idea," she murmured. His hands were tucked under him tightly, his entire body looking extra stiff. She longed to touch him but was afraid of how cool he might feel.
"I tried to reach you at the Ministry but by the time I got through you were-"
"It's fine. Holly came and go me."
They sat in silence for a few moments, and she reveled in a brief period of numbness. There was not a single thing she could do in that moment, as she watched him.
"When will the Healer be around?" She said, after a lengthy period of silence.
"They were going to give him some time sedated before they evaluate things."
"Makes sense."
Ron got up, stretching his legs. He left briefly to get a snack, which she did not partake in. Nothing was going to separate them, not until his eyes were open and he was talking.
Author's Note: Well, a lot happens in this chapter, that's for sure! Let me know what you think in the reviews Eternal gratitude to my beta, potter-reading-coastie for all his assistance.