"Pen! I have a new proposal for you!" Colin yelled as he walked into her office at the Department of Magical Creatures (DMC).
Penelope sighed. "What is it this time?"
"House elves," Colin said, smiling cheekily. "I got Anthony to help me draft the proposal."
"Oh goodness," she said, then she held her hand out over her desk. "Let me see it."
"Wait, before you read it, I want you to know that we looked into the existing laws on the books, researched historical precedent, and conducted a survey in the community." Colin put up a finger for each item he listed.
Penelope paused, then she raised an eyebrow.
Colin hesitated. "What did we forget?"
Slightly shaking her head, "Did you speak with any house elves to get their input on how to make things better for them?"
"Morgana!" Colin cursed. "I knew we were missing something. Okay, give me a couple of weeks and I'll be back."
Penelope softened her voice. "Colin, there's no deadline." She smiled at him. "You don't work for me, and contrary to what you and Eloise think, I do have other elements to my job. I'm not going anywhere."
"But you do such a good job of advising us," Colin said with a smile.
"Colin, I barely advise on your proposals. I just make sure they meet the required standards." Penelope could admit to herself that she spent more time on the Bridgertons' proposals than, say, the Cowpers. But she didn't need to admit that to anyone else.
"What are you up to tonight?" Colin asked once it was clear he wouldn't be handing off the existing proposal at the moment.
"Eloise and I were planning to try out the new pub that just opened in Mayfair. Do you want to join us?" Penelope asked.
"I'd like to, but my mother is stopping by this afternoon with a surprise. I have to run to grab flowers for her before meeting her at my place. If she doesn't stay for dinner I'll join you!"
"Oh! I hope it goes well!" Penelope said.
"Bye, Pen!" Colin called out as he left her office.
Shortly after Colin left, Penelope received a field summons. Now, approximately 70% of Penelope's job could be done with a general handful of OWLs and NEWTs and reading comprehension. But 30% … required an 'O' NEWT in Care of Magical Creatures and extensive one-year training for the fieldwork with the DMC.
Penelope's family couldn't understand her decision to pursue this career. (In their defense, it didn't exactly pay well and could be quite dangerous). Penelope loved it. She knew that muggles must have a similar service for when dangerous animals were out and about. But at the DMC, not only did they have to detain the creature, they had to make sure it was safe and healthy, before finding its rightful habitat and returning it to that space. And, Penelope was very good at her job.
Generally, someone of her skills would have been promoted out of fieldwork a couple of years ago. However, when it came time for the promotion, Penelope didn't want to give it up. She negotiated the ability to continue fieldwork. At the time, it was 100% the right decision. Helping to save witches, wizards, and various creatures was a hell of an adventure addiction. While it had worked well for Penelope, two years later, fieldwork had started to lose its spark. She was thinking about making a change.
She had several options, many who were in her position or less experienced would have already moved to a higher level at the DMC, shifted to freelance (taking care of the rich who didn't want there to be public records of what happened), or were hired by sanctuaries. All of these options came with a significant raise in pay. However, if Penelope took any of those paths, she would lose the ability to help people lobby the government for creature rights. (However, she was also obligated to help those who came in with proposals to restrict creature rights - looking at the Cowpers.)
Penelope had been toying with the idea of leaving for some time now. She usually received quite a few offers every couple of months - with an uptick every time she turned in another report chronicling her fieldwork (all of which was public record). (Plus, there was the slight consideration of her ongoing five-year plan to win over Colin Bridgerton).
All of this was in the back of her head as she left the office and went to the Department's assigned fieldwork apparition spot (only to be used for field work, on the threat of losing the Department's priority access to apparition license renewals - a process that can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year, as opposed to the Department's increased 1 month turnaround time). Glancing at the summons, Penelope apparated to Bloomsbury. Looking in front of her, Penelope was shocked to realize that she was at Colin's home. What were the chances? He had only left her office not too long ago.
Staying focused, Penelope assessed the immediate area for any dangerous creatures. Without spotting anything, she knocked on the front door. There's no telling what creature it was or where it could be located.
Mrs. Bridgerton opened the door. "Oh, Penelope. I'm glad they've sent you! It's nice to have a familiar face. Now, I'm not sure how big of a deal this will be, but I'm glad you're here to check." She started leading Penelope inside and up to the second floor.
"What seems to be the issue?" Penelope asked following her.
"So, I'm not sure, but it may be an Erumphant's horn." Mrs. Bridgerton said casually as if she hadn't just announced there may be the equivalent of a bomb on the second floor.
"Stop! An Erumphant's horn? We need to evacuate the home right now." Penelope grabbed Mrs. Bridgerton's arm and started leading her out.
"Oh, I couldn't remember what they did, but I knew to contact the DMC - is it that serious?" Mrs. Bridgerton seemed startled. "We haven't confirmed what it is."
"I'm sorry. This is protocol." Penelope had all but pulled Mrs. Bridgerton outside and started setting up proximity wards around the whole home.
"Mrs. Bridgerton, I need you to stay out here. Let me walk you through what's going to happen next. I'm going to confirm there's no one else in the home, hold the floo, and then investigate. Ideally, this will take no more than an hour. Worst case scenario, I'll need a full three hours. Now, you won't be able to cross the ward until I return to clear it. Please don't try as it'll react with increasing aggression."
Penelope waited.
Mrs. Bridgerton just stared at her with wide eyes. She knew Penelope as Eloise's shy friend. It was strange to see her be so commanding and serious.
"I need a verbal yes from you to ensure you won't try to cross the wards," Penelope said. Every magical patron had some form of magic built into their word. It was imperative that she receive a verbal yes, as that would infuse some magic into the promise. While not binding, it would cause Mrs. Bridgerton to pause before trying to break it.
"Oh, yes! Of course, dear. I won't try to cross the wards." Mrs. Bridgerton promised.
"Good, I'm going back in," Penelope said.
Shortly after she entered the house, Colin appeared. "Mother? What's going on? Why are you outside?"
"Well, you remember your great uncle James?"
"What does a distant relative have to do with my house being locked down?" Colin asked. He could see the wards from where they were standing.
"He asked me to deliver a gift to you - it was meant to be a surprise. But as I was moving it to your second floor, it fell out. And, I thought it vaguely looked like an Eruphant's horn. I couldn't quite remember what they did, but I knew that I had to owl the DMC and …" But before Mrs. Bridgerton could finish, an eyelash viper Patronus slithered toward them. Despite being the wisps of a Patronus, it almost gave off a yellow sheen. As it reached them, its jaw opened.
"Mrs. Bridgerton, I've held the floss and confirmed no one else is in the home. I'll be investigating the possible Erumphant's horn next. If you need to reach me, please owl the DMC again. They will be able to contact me while I'm inside the ward if there's an emergency. When Colin gets here, please let him know that I've got the situation well in hand." Penelope's voice rang out.
"Was that Penelope? She's in my house with a possible Erumphant's horn!" Colin gasped out.
"Yes, dear, but I'm not 100% that is what it was. I just owled the DMC as a precaution to be safe." Mrs. Bridgerton patted her son's shoulder consolingly. She was beginning to suspect that an Erumphant's horn was more serious than previously thought.
"Mother, that isn't helping. My wife is in there! She could be hurt, or stuck, or injured and we wouldn't know!" Colin started to breathe heavily.
"Okay, Colin. The first rule of life is not to panic. You know that Penelope is a trained professional. And, since when is she your wife? I didn't even know that you two were dating."
"She's not my wife, yet. But I'm building up to it... I have a three-year plan! She is very detail-oriented and organized. I couldn't just run in headfirst. But! None of this matters. She's in danger." Colin said.
Suddenly a giant tremor shook the ground.
"That's it." Colin started testing the wards with everything he had. When nothing showed up as malicious, he threw himself against the barrier. Literally.
"Colin, I wouldn't. Penelope said it would get increasingly aggressive." His mother cautioned.
Colin ignored her. He bounced lightly off the ward, receiving the equivalent of a light shove backward. Shaking his head, Colin backed up.
"Oh good, yes, let's just wait for Penelope." His mother said.
Colin started running full speed at the ward.
"Or you could try again…" His mother muttered.
This time Colin was pulled off his feet and flung backward.
A larger tremor shook the ground, lasting a few seconds longer.
"Colin, stop! This is madness." His mother declared.
"Mother! We have to get Daphne and Simon here. They can break down the ward." Colin said, referencing his sister and her husband, who were one of Gringotts' well-known curse-breaking teams.
"Even if you get in there, you won't be able to help." His mother stepped into his path when it looked like he planned to run at the barrier again. "I'm begging you to stop and think. Penelope is trained to handle this. If you got in, all you would be doing is distracting her. She'd be in more danger with her attention split."
Colin paused and realized his mother was right. "How did this happen? Why on Earth did great uncle James," Colin spat his name when previously he couldn't have picked the man out of a line-up, "give me an Erumphant's horn? Was he trying to kill me?
"I'm not sure, honey. That man might be losing it in his old age." His mother said.
Colin started to pace back and forth. Every few turns, Colin would stop and look up at his home as though it had answers.
"Come here, honey." His mother conjured a sofa for them and sat on it. "Sit down, and we'll wait together."
"I don't know if I can sit down right now," Colin said as he started pacing faster.
"Penelope did say it could take anywhere from one to three hours." His mother cast a spell to check the time. "It's probably only been 40 minutes or so since I saw her."
The two stayed in front of Colin's place. Every now and then a tremor would shake the ground. Colin would clench his fists every time it happened. He was barely able to contain himself.
After two extreme tremors, Colin tried to throw himself against the ward barrier again. Of course, it did nothing beyond throw Colin further back.
At the two-hour mark, Penelope's Patronus came slithering past the wards again.
"I have good news and bad news. Bad news, it is an Erumphant's horn. Good news! It is an extremely old and less volatile one. I'm working on diffusing its explosive energy into shorter spurts. I'll likely need another hour to finish it up, which will keep me within my estimate. I love it when that happens! See you soon." Penelope's chipper voice cut out.
"See, Colin. Penelope is fine and her tone is positive. We just need to wait another hour." His mother said.
Colin let out a breath and collapsed next to her on the conjured sofa. He rested his elbows on his thighs and put his head in his hands. "Once she is out of this, I'm throwing out the three-year plan," Colin said. "Penelope is never doing this alone again. Even if I have to retake my NEWTs and sit through a year of training. Honestly, I thought she was already done with fieldwork." Colin continued to mutter to himself about protecting Penelope.
His mother understood that Colin wasn't looking for a conversation partner at the moment. Instead, she placed her hand on the back of his shoulder and rubbed his back like he was still a child.
Despite occasionally looking up at his house for a hint of Penelope, Colin missed Penelope's arrival.
"Hi, Colin! Your home is all set." Penelope said cheerfully and flicked her wand to take down the wards.
Colin immediately rushed to her and pulled her in for a hug.
"Oh, whoa! I'm happy to see you too." Penelope wrapped her arms around him and sent a confused look at Mrs. Bridgerton.
Mrs. Bridgerton only smiled at Penelope and her son in response. "I can see you two need to talk. I'll see you both later." She said. Then she vanished the sofa and apparated away.
After another few seconds, Penelope dropped her arms and tried to step back from the hug. Colin refused to let her go, keeping her against him. "Colin, I'm alright. Are you okay?"
"Not yet, Pen," Colin mumbled into her shoulder where his head was resting.
Penelope raised her arms around him again. "Okay, we can stay here as long as you need." Given her fieldwork involved occasionally saving witches and wizards, Penelope had some experience with handling the traumatized victims in the aftermath.
"How about forever?" Colin whispered. Penelope couldn't quite hear him, despite their proximity.
"What was that? I didn't hear you."
Colin cleared his throat, and he gathered his Gryffindor courage. "I said, how about forever?"
"Colin, I need you to let me go. I need to see your face if we're going to have this conversation." This time when Penelope tried to disengage from Penelope, he let her go.
"Penelope, I'm in love with you," Colin said earnestly. He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm in love with the way you always lobby for creature's rights, the way you can talk politicians around to protect more land for creatures, and I absolutely cannot get enough of how smart your brain is."
"Colin, I …" Penelope started.
"Wait, Pen. Let me get this all out. I know you love plans and organization. We're only two months into my three-year plan to marry you. I'm going to woo you and treat you like the queen that you are. And, before you say anything," Colin added when she opened her mouth. She quickly closed it. "I want you to know that I'm all in. I'm committed to your happiness. And, after today, your safety. I'm going to join the DMC to help you."
"Colin, can I talk now?" Penelope raised her eyebrow. God, he loved it when she looked at him like that.
Colin gestured for her to go ahead.
"Two months into your three-year plan, huh?" She asked, her face giving nothing away.
Colin flushed and nodded his head.
"We're in year one of my five-year plan." Penelope let a grin take over her face.
"In that case, maybe we should compare notes and combine our plans," Colin said with a smirk. He held out his hand.
"I'd be amenable to … whoa!" Penelope took his hand, and he pulled her back into his arms.
"Can I kiss you?' Colin asked.
"Yes," Penelope breathed out.
Colin softly brushed his lips across hers. Once. Twice. On the third, Penelope grabbed his hair on the back of his head to hold him in place and bit his lower lip. Colin groaned, and Penelope soothed the bite with a swipe of her tongue.
"Stop teasing me," Penelope said.
Colin started actually kissing her. A second later, he pulled back. "You said my home was clear?"
"Yeah," Penelope said, slightly dazed from kissing him. He smirked and pulled her inside.
Later as they both lay satisfied on his sheets, Colin was tracing random runes on the bump of her belly with his finger.
"Were you serious about joining the DMC?" Penelope asked.
"I don't want you doing fieldwork alone. But, I'm not particularly inclined to sign up for a 9 to 5."
"You spoiled, rich kid." Penelope teased.
"Guilty." Colin couldn't stop himself from kissing her plump lips.
"I've actually been considering a career change. A local demiguise sanctuary actually has been hounding me to consult or join their staff full-time." Penelope admitted.
"Is that what you want to do?" Colin asked. While this career change would ease his worries, he knew it had to be fully Penelope's decision.
"I think so. While I enjoy working at the DMC and providing guidance to you and your family, I hate having to advise the other side too." Penelope shuddered.
"Well, you could continue to advise me. Plus, with you out of the DMC, you could draft your own proposals without any issues of conflict." Colin said.
Penelope couldn't stop herself from jumping him.
The End
A/N:
Yes, I know it's the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures, but I like DMC better. I merged the magical world and the Bridgerton world, so just suspend your disbelief and go with it. :)
[Some time later …
Colin: You should let Eloise know you're not meeting her later.
Penelope, coyly: Why?
Colin: You're not getting out of this bed for the next two days.
Penelope with her standard eyebrow raised: You sure about that?
Colin: Please, Pen! I'm not above begging.
Penelope, smiling: Oh, alright. ]