𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 08

CHAPTER EIGHT
✧
-: the department of aurors :-

── IN WHICH AN OLD
 MEMORY RESURFACES

. . .

HARRY POTTER, DESPITE the reality of his school years, tended to overwork as an adult. He had a lot of time to compensate for, and well, now that he wasn't forced into Quidditch practises by obsessive captains, or spending time in detention with crazed inquisitors, or working to defeat an evil wizard who had devoted his life to killing him, Harry found that he didn't really have that much to do.

Which was why he kept the job at the Ministry, why he had worked so hard as an entry-level auror until he became more than that, why he had agreed to take on the case of a prolific killer roaming the streets of the Muggle world, hidden in plain sight, why he took as many offers to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts as possible. Which was why he worked as much overtime as he dared, why he stayed in his office until the bullpen was empty and the atrium dim, only the last few stragglers and security guards passing below the floating lamps. 

He had been in there for a few hours now; the three of them had returned from the somewhat disastrous crime scene (made so by the presence of Marcus Flint rather than the bodies of his parents) mid-afternoon, Ron instantly disappearing for the joke shop to help the twins whilst Phoenix seemed to depart for a short time too, although he saw her returning to work accompanied by a pale, blond-haired man dressed in the new, much more muted green St. Mungo's uniform. 

It wasn't often that Draco Malfoy came to the Ministry, not even now during the more modern era whilst Kingsley Shacklebolt ruled. He supposed he had far too many bad memories there, from testifying against a number of Death Eaters after being formally pardoned at the wish of none other that Minerva McGonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts and Harry himself. 

Phoenix returned to the department alone, Malfoy disappearing from his view long before. The expression on her face was sullen, a new alternative from the confident, satsified look she so often held during work hours that warned most not to bother with her and just let her get on with her work.

Which Harry had now found to take some time. He had come to the true end of his day, burnt out of energy and absolutely unable to do anything else. He had collected his stuff, turned off the lights and left his office, locking the door behind him with magic, turning towards the row of desks in front of him, finding a single bulb lit, a solitary but familiar figure sat beneath itt. 

"What are you still doing here?"

Phoenix didn't quite look away from her desk as she acknowledged him, simply shrugging and returning her attention to what was in front of her. "'m working late." She replied, nonchalant. "I assume you're doing the same. You do it a lot, but I'm sure you're aware that you have nothing better to do in life than sit in a desk chair for hours on end."

"Yeah. Yeah, you got me." Harry rose his eyebrows. "I have no life because I'm working late... but doesn't that mean you're exactly the same."

"One night and I'm suddenly Harry Potter. Wow, I wish I knew this before." Phoenix drawled, head tilting back to look up at him momentarily, before going back to whatever really interested her. "But don't worry, babe, I have plenty of things to do during my time off."

He knew that it wasn't an actual pet name, just some sort of slang that came from the Muggle world that he didn't really understand. But all the same, it created a little flutter in his stomach. Harry thought of Ron and his words, and decided to ignore it. "So what was so important that you decided to stay behind." 

"Not much." Phoenix replied, although it solely contradicted what she had gone through before. "I'm just... earlier today we were at a crime scene where Marcus Flint's parents had been murdered. Flint." 

"Yeah... yeah I get that." Harry leant against the side of her desk. "He was a dick though. A massive dick - whilst we were in school and this morning. His parents were Death Eaters though - and I don't really like to say this - but if they're anything like their son, then they've done horrible things."

"Oh, Salazar - I know that." Phoenix sounded slightly annoyed at that, and finally she turned to look up at him. Properly, this time. "I couldn't care less about his parents dying, and seeing as you daren't be so crass - I'll say it clearly. They obviously deserved it after the shit they've done-"

"I did put it nicer." Harry mumbled, although he didn't dare interject properly. 

"Like I said, I don't care that they died, and you shouldn't either. You don't know better but luckily for you, you have the daughter of two prolific Death Eaters right in front of you, and I could give you information that makes your stomach turn over. They murdered, they did awful things, they deserved what they got." Phoenix's conviction was unwavering, despite the brutal crime scene they had witnessed that morning and sat documented in the file beside Harry's hand. "I don't care about them."

"Then what do you care about?" 

"Oh." Phoenix faltered, almost as though she didn't expect him to ask, despite their conversation leading up to that exact point. "It just... I don't know how to explain it. And this is one of the rare times that I don't know things, by the way, so don't take it for granted. I just feel weird. It's a little different when you actually know them. They were shitty people but I knew them and it's odd."

"Yeah. I get that - I do." He added, when she shot a look his way. "It's not the same, really... but you were tried as well, weren't you? And - and Draco and Blaise and Theo. It's not the same as murder, but I saw all of you on trial and I had gone to school with you, I sat next to you in Potions... you did all that stuff against Umbridge. I knew you, but you didn't and-"

"It's nothing like that, Harry. But I appreciate the attempt at sentiment." Phoenix cut him off, actually addressing him by his name and following it by a smile. "Thanks. It's still weird, but you're being... nice."

"You're welcome." Harry didn't quite know what else to say, unable to admit he was as enchanted by the smile that graced her face just as much as the day he saw it for the first time; during the meeting with the Hippogriffs during Hagrid's first lesson, when one the colour of peanut butter had nudged the palm of her hand with it's beak.

The silence that had fallen with that reply was interrupted by something so oddly similar to the sound of a noise effect belonging to a Muggle kids' show. "What was that?" He asked, reaching for his wand.

"Relax." Phoenix ordered, a hand over his wrist as she stopped him and instead reached into one of the draws of her desk, pulling out a small circular object that emitted a green light. She placed it on the desk on top of her page of notes and Harry's eyes widened.

An old 'Potter Sucks' badge from their fourth year sat there, permamently stuck on the more unfortunate side that didn't display support for the other Hogwarts student. "You still have that?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I like to stare at it at work and remind myself of what a tremendous ass Saint Potter was in his school days." Phoenix smiled up at him, and Harry was stuck between laughing and indignance, even as she let out a small giggle and hid it away.

And just like that, Harry had realised that all his times of noticing her smile had actually happened, and he had only pushed it away because of her other actions. 

Although he was glad they had grown up, because she shone in a different light now.

✧