Opportunities Abound

"Won't we be quite the pair?—you with your bad heart, me with my bad head. Together, though, we might have something worthwhile." ― Therese Anne Fowler

April 6, 1945

Rosemary waited in line at the seventh-year job fair registration table, growing only slightly uncomfortable as Loretta took the place behind her. Thankfully, Emily wasn't in sight.

She had hoped they could simply stand in silence, but it appeared that this was not in the cards. "Congratulations on your engagement, Rosemary," Loretta said suddenly; Rosemary turned to see the brunette glaring at her.

"Thank you," she said with an air of polite indifference, as though nothing untoward had happened between Emily and herself. But then the guilt she had felt chronically for months began to weigh on her. Even though she and Emily Springer had never been that close of friends, what Rosemary had done and said was fairly awful. It was with this rare, sudden burst of conscience that she found herself asking: "How's Emily been?"

Loretta regarded her coolly. "She's great, actually. Haven't you heard? She's been going steady with Fawcett for weeks now." She said this fact as though this was a personal insult to Rosemary, as though she would be hugely offended.

But she wasn't, of course. She really didn't even find the news particularly interesting, besides maybe the fact that Fawcett was one of Warren's best mates. "I heard. Good for her," Rose said pleasantly.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them and they moved up a few spots in line.

Loretta began again in hushed tones, "What in the hell happened, Rosemary? First you left Avery for Tom and then Tom for Warren. And then there were rumors that you had gotten back together with Tom under Warren's nose. And now you're engaged to Warren?!"

The existence of these rumors was news to her, not that the rumors were entirely surprising, however. She and Tom had undeniable chemistry and it didn't seem out of the question that others would take notice, just as their close friends had. It was rather embarrassing, though, and she found herself wondering briefly what else had been said behind her back.

But then she decided not to care. At this point, the only opinion that was of any real consequence to her was Tom's anyway. Nor was there any need to explain herself. "It's a long story," she said nonchalantly just as she reached the front of the line.

As much as Tom absolutely loved hearing over and over again that his marks were at the very top of his class and that his accomplishment outweighed those of many considerable wizards, the entire event was rather tiring. Few of the conversations had struck his interest and though he certainly had a picture in mind of how he wanted his life to end up, he was still relatively clueless as to how to achieve it.

He could see himself teaching at Hogwarts, but would only seriously consider the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. But now that Professor Merrythought had already retired, this was all dependent on whether or not Dumbledore would continue to maintain the post.

If there was one thing he did know, however, it was that he certainly didn't have the patience to deal with the inefficiency of the Ministry on a daily basis. As such, it was rather impossible for him seriously consider any offers he received from the multitude of officials attempting to court him into joining their departments that evening. But Tom, forced to sport his polite façade, would pretend to entertain them anyway.

And then, invariably, his mind would begin to wander and he would glance around the Great Hall for a glimpse of Rosemary. A feeling of satisfaction would hit him as his eyes landed on her, not only because of her profound beauty, but because he knew that she was his. Almost, at least.

He had replayed the scene of earlier that week again and again in his mind, addicted to the way her mouth looked as she admitted she loved him. Even so, Tom had been in a rotten mood in Potions two days prior upon noticing that the engagement ring was still on her finger. But he was cheered considerably when they bumped hands in a simultaneous reach for a vial of rat hairs, causing a shy blush had made an ephemeral appearance just below her cheekbones. This little show of how his mere presence could affect her was precisely the reminder of her sentiments that he needed.

Things between them felt fresh all over again. The only thing left for him to do now was to wait for his plan with the Knights to unfold and to wait for Rosemary to return to him once more. And this time, her return would be her last, as he would not be allowing her to get away ever again.

Of course, this line of thought always brought questions of logistics to mind. Increasingly, he found himself hoping that, when she finally told her parents about them, Basil would try to interfere and provide Tom the opportunity to put him in his place. Compared to his and Rosemary's first go-around, Tom had grown stronger in every sense of the word. And he was more than ready to prove it.

Maybe even that night, if given the chance (though given his existing plans he forbade himself from doing anything too rash): unsurprisingly, her father was at the event representing Comet. Tom watched in amusement as he and Barnaby Ollerton, one of the co-founding brothers of Cleansweep, occasionally shot venom-filled glares at one another from across the room.

It was then that he noticed a youngish bloke striding toward him and Tom recognized him immediately, as one of the seventh-years at last year's dueling competition at Durmstrang. Tom remembered his pale blue eyes and the way they were set just slightly too far apart, which made him look a bit eerie.

"Tom Riddle, yes? I'm not sure if you remember me, but my name is Davor Bukowsky. We met briefly last year at Durmstrang…" As he spoke, he exuded an air of prosperity and class that Tom would have envied, if he hadn't mastered the art of doing the same. Then again, it seemed like there was little overall to envy anyway. Davor must have been working for a fairly pathetic company if they couldn't even manage to send someone with more than a year's work experience.

"I don't recall," Tom lied to avoid making Bukowsky feel important, but extended his hand.

Davor shook it and then lit a cigarette. "Any interesting offers so far?"

"A few from the Ministry. So, no, not particularly."

The Durmstrang graduate scoffed. "Why anyone would choose to work there is beyond me. There's no upward movement! People enter, and get stuck in the bureaucratic mud, as it were. My company, on the other hand, pays at least twice as much and nearly everyone has the opportunity for promotion – except mudbloods, of course."

Tom's interest was predictably sparked. "And what company is that?"

"MagicAll Goods, Incorporated – MAGI, for short. I'm sure you've heard of it?"

"I have," Tom attempted to say as plainly as possible.

"We're looking to hire several new graduates. You might be pleased to know your name is at the top of the list, given your…accomplishments." Tom was pleased by the slight air of envy that Bukowsky had put into this last word.

Out of sheer curiosity, Tom asked him several questions about MAGI and the position. And he had to admit, the more he learned, the more he was tempted to sell his soul to MAGI right then and there.

Bukowsky explained that he was rarely at the MAGI headquarters themselves and spent most of his time traveling the world with a small team of coworkers, visiting country after country to find new products for MAGI to make or new techniques to make their existing ones. And the best part, which Davor told him in hushed tones, was that his particular group specialized in dark objects.

He found he rather liked Davor the more they spoke. He reminded Tom of many of the Knights members as he recounted his tales from abroad and the various mishaps he and his group had triumphed. His descriptions were rather brutal, though always with a touch of refinement.

Tom wondered briefly what Raoul or Rosemary would say if they knew he had hit it off with a MAGI employee. Rosemary would be horrified, he was sure. But even if the company was involved with Grindelwald and as evil as Raoul had made it out to be, surely there were parts of it that weren't all bad. However, it also occurred to him that it was fairly public knowledge that he and Beaumont knew each other from the Tournament – what if attempting to recruit Tom was just some piece of their larger plan?

Regardless, Tom was sure enough in his abilities to prevent himself from being used by anyone. Plus, if he took the position, it would provide him a real look at MAGI…from the inside, this time.

There was also his sheer interest in the job as well as the concept of money. He certainly needed that…especially if he was planning to give Rosemary everything he wanted to. This was truer than ever considering the prospect that the Tournament might be cancelled any day now, eradicating any prize money he might have won.

After weighing all of this in his mind, he brought his conversation with Davor to a close by requesting an owl with the application materials.

Rosemary was utterly bored with the evening. Not to mention the absolute torture of watching Tom saunter around, looking particularly sharp in his suit, when she knew all too well that there was nothing she could do about her hotness for him. But, if all went well, that would be changing fairly soon. She had been waiting all week for that night, after which she could officially give herself to him again.

So far, things were going according to the plan she and Faye had come up with over a bottle of wine the night prior. She was avoiding Warren intentionally, as she had decided to end things with him as soon as the job fair ended and her father left Hogwarts. Then all she would have to do was wait and see whatever Tom had up his sleeve.

Faye had been little help in this regard, merely hinting that the Knights had something planned for that evening (though Rosemary had already suspected their involvement in whatever Tom had been referring to anyway). Then Faye had told her that she didn't know the details and that Markus and Adam had refused to discuss it with her.

Rosemary wasn't surprised, but it did serve to unnerve her further; things must have been rather serious if even Markus could keep his mouth shut about it. But surely it couldn't be that bad…

Who was she kidding? It was Tom. It could be literally anything.

Even so, the question on her mind was far closer to 'how hard would it be to get over?' rather than 'would she still want to be with him?' The invigoration and hopefulness for the future that she had felt upon pouring out her heart was far too gorgeous a feeling to just throw away, especially after the last few months she had spent pining for him (both consciously and not).

"Excuse me?" She felt a tap at her shoulder.

Oh Merlin, please don't let this be another Ministry hack looking for a pretty, young secretary…

"I came to speak with someone specifically and I was hoping you could point me in the right direction."

The man who tapped her shoulder looked to be a soft-spoken and rather bookish type, with thick-rimmed glasses. He looked young; if she had to guess, she would say he was in his early 30s or so, and he stood a few inches shorter than Tom.

"Of course," Rosemary smiled easily at him, mostly in relief that he didn't disturb her just to deliver a line. "Who is it that you're looking for?"

"A girl by the name of Rosemary Horton…Would you know her, by chance?"

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why yes, she's…me."

"Ah, well what a happy coincidence! It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Horton." He stuck out his hand and she took it curiously. "My name is Blair McHughes."

Rosemary's eyes widened. BlairMcHughes had only been her career idol for as long as she could possibly remember. He was the Healer-in-Charge of the Phinney Woolsledge Potion Poisonings Ward at St. Mungo's and she had read every book and paper he had ever published. It was only then that she realized she had never actually seen a picture of him.

"I'm a Healer at St –"

"I know," she interrupted, and then kicked herself mentally. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. It's just…I've read all your work and I'm such a big fan –"

"I'm flattered." The way he bowed his head slightly when he said so made her believe he was being genuinely modest. "Though it has come to my attention that you have quite the impressive resume, yourself."

Rosemary blushed appropriately. "Oh, erm, thank you Sir," she managed, albeit a bit awkwardly.

"What are your plans after graduation, Miss Horton? Have you ever considered a career as a Healer?"

"Oh yes – in fact, it's my absolute dream to become a Healer," she told him eagerly.

"Well, I came here tonight to find you because, based on your stellar marks and your clear aptitude in Potions, I was hoping you'd consider interviewing for the Healer Trainee position in my Ward."

Rosemary could hardly breathe and was rather amazed at the entire proposition. She didn't know his blood status and had always assumed him a pureblood because of his impressive magical talents, but his invitation to her called that into question. Very few pureblood women had ever entered into the Healing field, after all.

"The interview will be a panel including myself and a few of my colleagues and we'll be interviewing one or two other students from Hogwarts as well as a young man from Beauxbatons," he continued. "But if your N.E.W.T. scores match your previous marks, I'd say you have a pretty good shot at the position…So, what do you say?"

Rosemary stared at him for a moment, still in a state of relative speechlessness, but finally said, "Yes – yes. I'd be honored to apply."

"Excellent." McHughes smiled and then checked his watch. "I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, but I must be getting back to St. Mungo's – I'm on nights all week and there are a few patients I still need to attend to this evening. I'll send you an owl in a couple of weeks to schedule the interview, if you're still interested. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Horton."

Right. Like she wouldn't still be interested in a couple of weeks...

"It was a pleasure to meet you too," she said in a daze as McHughes gave her one last smile with a slight nod, and headed for the door.

Rosemary felt electrified after the encounter and yearned to tell Tom about it – after all, who else would care? Certainly not her father. Maybe Warren? She felt a sting of disappointment when she realized she would have to wait. But this news was simply too good not to share. She was still flushed with excitement as she wound her way through the room to find her temporary fiancé.

The Knights' plan would be set into motion any minute now and Tom felt a jumble of nervous excitement. If they could pull this off, it would mean that they were truly ready to take on Grindelwald. If they didn't, well…it would be time to think of a new course of action. In his typical, unyielding arrogance, the thought that he might be expelled never crossed his mind.

But then, of course, was the wild card of Rosemary. Even she wasn't that troubling, though. There was something within him, some feeling of reassuring certainty, which made him confident she was his.

Tom was fetching a cup of water at the drinks table following his conversation with Davor when the inevitable encounter with Rosemary's father occurred.

"Evening, Riddle." Tom was sure that the genial quality of his voice surely had something to do with his daughter's recent engagement.

"Horton," he replied shortly.

He looked at Tom for a moment before his mouth split into a smile. "Things always have a way of falling into place the way they're supposed to. No hard feelings, I hope…" Rosemary's father clapped him on the shoulder and then turned to refill his glass.

Tom smirked to himself, so very tempted to reveal Rosemary's true intentions to her father. But he knew it wasn't the time or place to do so.

"How about we put the past behind us?" Basil continued. "I don't hold anything against you, of course; it was nothing personal anyway."

No, not at all.

"I've been doing a bit of thinking and perhaps we could even find a place for you at Comet."

Through all of this, Tom was silent and experienced an odd mixture of indignation and amusement. But when Rosemary's father finished, Tom turned and looked at him squarely in his gray-blue eyes. "Mr. Horton…Basil. May I call you Basil?

"Yes of course, my boy. So, what do you say?"

"Oh, I have much to say, Basil. But first and foremost, I'd like to say…" Tom leaned in an inch, as if to tell him a secret and Rosemary's father looked at him expectantly. "Fuck off."

Tom smirked to himself again as he strode away, leaving an utterly appalled Basil Horton alone at the drinks table.

"You'll never guess who I ran into," Rosemary gushed when she found Warren.

"Who?" Her fiancé seemed more preoccupied with his plate of appetizers than her excitement.

"Blair McHughes. The Blair McHughes."

Warren stared back at her blankly.

"He's the Healer-in-Charge of the Phinney Woolsledge Potion Poisonings Ward. He's absolutely brilliant. And he's looking for a Trainee Healer. And – oh Merlin, you'll never believe it…he came here looking specifically for me. He wants me to apply."

Warren did look somewhat impressed, but his excitement certainly didn't match what she would have anticipated from Tom. "Well that's quite the compliment…"

"It is, it really is. You have no idea…"

"It's too bad you'll have to disappoint him," he said while stuffing a coconut shrimp in his mouth.

"What do you mean?"

He looked at her in surprise. "You weren't actually thinking of taking the job, were you?"

"I was, actually." Rosemary could feel the heat rising to her face.

"But why? A Healer's schedule is very demanding. You wouldn't like it. There's no need for you to work anyway with my position at Comet."

Rosemary was appalled at how much he sounded like her father. But then she just smiled internally. If anything served as proof that she had made the right decision, it was this.

Tom would have understood what an honor it was.

She found herself sliding her glistening engagement ring off her finger. She would have to take her chances with her parents and trust Tom; she simply couldn't force herself to pretend any longer.

He stared at her blankly as she placed the ring in his palm. "I can't do this. I'm so sorry, Warren."

Rosemary had never seen a face fall so quickly. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "Warren…you and I…we're just not right for each other. Even if you don't want to admit it, you know it's true too."

"But I don't think that," he said incredulously. "I don't think that's true."

"I'm really sorry…I'll speak to my father to make sure this doesn't affect your position at Comet…alright?"

"Do you think that's all I care about? A job?" his voice raised slightly.

"Warren," Rosemary looked around nervously, realizing that he had already begun attracting stares.

It was the first time she had seen him genuinely angry. "And what is that even supposed to mean: 'we're just not right for each other'?"

"Let's go outside and talk," she said calmly and reached out to place a hand on his arm.

"No. We're through talking...After everything I did for you, Rosemary…But I get it. Fucking hell, I really do…" He grasped her hand suddenly and tore it off his sleeve, throwing it back at her.

"Warren," she hissed, glancing around the room to see nearly every pair of eyes on them, including her father, who appeared to be positively irate; she was sure to receive an earful later. Not far from him was Tom, in the process of reaching for his wand. Even in her embarrassment and panic, she felt her heart flutter at his protectiveness.

"Because this isn't about us is it? It's about you and –" Warren's voice rose even further and she braced herself for what was sure to come. She was glad that McHughes had left and wasn't there to witness the show.

But instead, he was interrupted by a chilling scream from somewhere distant in the castle.

She would have breathed a sigh of relief if she wasn't absolutely terrified at the prospect of what the source of the scream might have been.

Was this what Tom had been talking about? She searched his face for answers and it was unreadable as always, but it didn't matter. Her gut told her that it had to be something related to the plan he and the Knights had come up with.

Some of the staff immediately rushed out of the Great Hall to discover what had happened, including Tom. She knew it was her duty as Head Girl to follow them to investigate, just as Tom had, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to know whatever awful thing they had done.

Thanks so much to thereader, Mrs. WaylandOdinsonBlack, Oksanallex, TigerInTheMoonlight, x2leoj, Blerb, RosiePosie15, ecl123, marly4077, Lady Ravanna, gr8rockstarrox, MissVolturiKingsfan, and five guest users for your reviews! :D I've replied to most of you, but I'll try and respond to the rest later today.

Now let's all take a second and pop a virtual bottle of champagne to celebrate that Rosemary and Warren are over!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, predictions, etc. Any first impressions of the two new characters introduced this chapter? How about the prospect of Tom working at MAGI and Rosemary at St. Mungo's?!