In the Shadows
Chapter Three
July 21st, 2006 – 12:35 P.M.
The Ministry of Magic Auror Department
“I couldn’t walk into your department, announce I was an Auror from the Ministry of Magic and that I was taking over the case, could I?” Harry asked as he leaned back in his chair.
Audrey leaned back in her chair and crossed her arm.
“Why’d you take over the case?”
“I recognized the victim. Knew she was a witch. Figured out the identities of the other victims. They’re all witches. But come on, I’m sure you haven’t had lunch. We’ll eat and then talk about the case, alright?”
Nodding, Audrey stood up as Harry did and began to follow him toward the lift.
“Hey, Potter!” A tall man approached the pair. “Jennings just told me the best joke. How many muggles does it take to—”
“Perhaps another time,” Harry interrupted slowly as he ushered Audrey along. “We’ve got to work on the case.”
Marks’ eyes floated across his coworker’s companion. “Right, right.” he muttered before throwing Harry an uncomfortable nod of his head.
“Who was that?” Audrey asked once they were out of earshot.
“Connor Marks.” Harry replied as they entered the elevator. “He works at the desk next to mine. He gets nervous around women—whenever Ginny’s stops by, he—” Harry stopped short as he bit his lip and looked at Audrey. But Audrey, for her part, refused to meet his gaze.
July 21st, 2006 – 1:00 P.M.
The Royal Crown Diner
The waitress set down their food before leaving them.
“You come here a lot?” Audrey asked for lack of anything to say. They had sat in silence since arriving at the diner.
“Most days for lunch.” Harry replied as he ate his food.
“We can’t ignore this for the entire case.” He began, masking his discomfort by taking a sip of his coffee.
Audrey sighed. She was hoping to ignore it. “Why not?” she shrugged, “Once we solve the case, we won’t see each other again.”
“Audrey,” he put down his fork and knife and stared at her imploringly, “you disappeared. I came back and you were gone. I thought you were dead—”
She refused to meet his eyes, “Harry, don’t—”
“Look at me!” Harry insisted. “Why would you leave?”
“They were rounding up muggle-borns.” she muttered, “I had to hide.”
“You never came back.” he accused.
She shrugged and looked away, “A year turned into two, then three. I built a life here and there wasn’t anything to come back to.”
“I was there.”
“With Ginny.”
His shoulders dropped and he looked, for once, defeated.
“What we did to her was— We betrayed her, Harry. I was—”
“Hiding.” Harry finished.
“I didn’t want to ruin what you had with her.”
“Audrey—”
“No, Harry please. Let’s just…solve this case so that you can get back to your life and I can get back to mine.”
Audrey stood from her seat and threw money for her meal onto the table. “I’ll meet you back at the Ministry.”
She left the dinner and Harry threw money onto the table and followed after her.
“Audrey!” He yelled as the door clanged shut. He grabbed her hand and made her turn to face him. “What if I don’t want to go back to my life without you?”
Her phone rang and she pulled it from her pocket.
“Audrey—”
“Harry, I’ll meet you at the Ministry.”
“Audrey, we have to talk.”
“Its my fiancée.” she said, holding out the phone. “I’ll meet you back at the Ministry.”
Harry could only watch with his jaw hanging open as she walked away with the phone pressed to her ear.
Harry’s gaze fell to his left hand where his ring finger lay occupied.
The Ministry of Magic Auror Department
“I couldn’t walk into your department, announce I was an Auror from the Ministry of Magic and that I was taking over the case, could I?” Harry asked as he leaned back in his chair.
Audrey leaned back in her chair and crossed her arm.
“Why’d you take over the case?”
“I recognized the victim. Knew she was a witch. Figured out the identities of the other victims. They’re all witches. But come on, I’m sure you haven’t had lunch. We’ll eat and then talk about the case, alright?”
Nodding, Audrey stood up as Harry did and began to follow him toward the lift.
“Hey, Potter!” A tall man approached the pair. “Jennings just told me the best joke. How many muggles does it take to—”
“Perhaps another time,” Harry interrupted slowly as he ushered Audrey along. “We’ve got to work on the case.”
Marks’ eyes floated across his coworker’s companion. “Right, right.” he muttered before throwing Harry an uncomfortable nod of his head.
“Who was that?” Audrey asked once they were out of earshot.
“Connor Marks.” Harry replied as they entered the elevator. “He works at the desk next to mine. He gets nervous around women—whenever Ginny’s stops by, he—” Harry stopped short as he bit his lip and looked at Audrey. But Audrey, for her part, refused to meet his gaze.
July 21st, 2006 – 1:00 P.M.
The Royal Crown Diner
The waitress set down their food before leaving them.
“You come here a lot?” Audrey asked for lack of anything to say. They had sat in silence since arriving at the diner.
“Most days for lunch.” Harry replied as he ate his food.
“We can’t ignore this for the entire case.” He began, masking his discomfort by taking a sip of his coffee.
Audrey sighed. She was hoping to ignore it. “Why not?” she shrugged, “Once we solve the case, we won’t see each other again.”
“Audrey,” he put down his fork and knife and stared at her imploringly, “you disappeared. I came back and you were gone. I thought you were dead—”
She refused to meet his eyes, “Harry, don’t—”
“Look at me!” Harry insisted. “Why would you leave?”
“They were rounding up muggle-borns.” she muttered, “I had to hide.”
“You never came back.” he accused.
She shrugged and looked away, “A year turned into two, then three. I built a life here and there wasn’t anything to come back to.”
“I was there.”
“With Ginny.”
His shoulders dropped and he looked, for once, defeated.
“What we did to her was— We betrayed her, Harry. I was—”
“Hiding.” Harry finished.
“I didn’t want to ruin what you had with her.”
“Audrey—”
“No, Harry please. Let’s just…solve this case so that you can get back to your life and I can get back to mine.”
Audrey stood from her seat and threw money for her meal onto the table. “I’ll meet you back at the Ministry.”
She left the dinner and Harry threw money onto the table and followed after her.
“Audrey!” He yelled as the door clanged shut. He grabbed her hand and made her turn to face him. “What if I don’t want to go back to my life without you?”
Her phone rang and she pulled it from her pocket.
“Audrey—”
“Harry, I’ll meet you at the Ministry.”
“Audrey, we have to talk.”
“Its my fiancée.” she said, holding out the phone. “I’ll meet you back at the Ministry.”
Harry could only watch with his jaw hanging open as she walked away with the phone pressed to her ear.
Harry’s gaze fell to his left hand where his ring finger lay occupied.