Sometimes what's best for us...
It had been quite some time since he'd been in the depths of the MLE, among the Aurors who were actually doing Auror duties. He missed the sights and sounds of the floor. Harry knew most of the men and women were more than glad that things had settled down since the end of October, but there was yet that cloud of wait, a tension that hung in the air until the next call came in.
Making his way to one Auror's office in particular, Harry's lips twitched as people nodded in his direction. None of them actually approached him, all dodging away at the last second, when words would actually be required. He didn't mind it so much. He had a singular duty on his mind, anyway. Staying around those who were able to practice what they'd been taught was a bit much to take for too long.
"Romy," he said, knocking slightly on her opened door. "You have a minute?"
Raising her arms in the air, Romy tried to stretch some of the soreness from her back. She'd come in early to update her case files and the hours spent bent over her desk had taken a toll.
She gave Harry a smile and waved him in. "Sure thing, boss. What brings you to the pit?" she asked, lifting her glass of orange juice to her lips. It was all she'd wanted to drink for the last three weeks.
"Well... you, actually," he said, taking a step further into her office, pulling the door shut behind him. He didn't seal it completely, just in case. In case of 'what,' he wasn't entirely sure, but he'd seen her travel down the corridors crying. He didn't do well with crying women. Perhaps he just wanted a hasty exit stategy.
"Me?" Romy's mind ran through all the cases she had open, the interactions she'd had in the office and out. Granted, since she'd found out she was pregnant at the start of the year she hadn't been handling quite as many investigations as she might normally have, but her productivity wasn't terribly low, and offhand there was nothing she could think of that would've garnered the attention of the head of the MLE. "What's up? If I flashed my knickers at someone, I guarantee it was not intentional."
Harry frowned. He was fairly sure that if a complaint had come through of an attractive woman flashing her knickers about, he'd probably have had a good laugh about it. Or Mira would definitely have brought it to his attention. "No. Not that I know of."
He shifted a bit from one foot to the other before he realized what he was doing and stopped, making himself stand still. "I was actually coming to talk to you about your maternity leave."
The mild confusion she'd felt before compounded. It was months yet until the baby was due. The time she'd have to take off was scarcely a blip on her radar at this point. "My maternity leave," Romy repeated thoughtfully. "I suppose I'll most likely go out in the middle of July. Probably take the full three months."
"Oh," Harry said, waving his hand slightly in the air, "maybe I didn't mean the 'leave' part of your maternity leave. Maybe the part before hand. The desk part."
Romy eyed her boss suspiciously. She'd been doing her best to avoid any attention from management, to keep working as she always had. It was true that Tonks had already been tied to her desk by this point in her first pregnancy, but Romy remembered how frustrated her former mentor had been by the restriction.
"I've got the desk part covered," she assured him, deliberately being obtuse. "I've been here all morning catching up on paperwork."
"I know. You've put in a lot of hours since you told me you were pregnant. A lot of them have been field hours," he said, taking a step closer. "I just think that maybe it's time you spent... less time in the field."
"How much less time? Abercrombie still needs to get his field training in. I can't teach him surveillance and tracking from my desk." She could hear the edge in her voice and knew she needed to tone it down. Hormone surges made it much harder to retain neutrality. At least she just sounded annoyed, it would be so much worse if she started to whine.
Harry nodded. "I know. I was thinking about giving Abercrombie's training to another Auror until you're back on active duty." He hadn't found any as of yet, but he had given it thought.
She didn't so much 'pop' out of her chair as slowly rise with the aid of a hand on the desk, but Romy was sure the intent of the action had gotten across. "You're taking my trainee? What am I going to do, Harry? Fetch coffee and file? I'm an Auror."
"I know," Harry said, instantly on guard at the look in her eye and the tone in her voice. "But you're also pregnant, and showing. I don't like the idea of you going out and getting hurt, and neither should you. You're still an Auror, just like Tonks will always be an Auror, but maybe it's time you took a step back."
There was a part of her, way down deep inside, that knew he was right. She couldn't move effectively and she wasn't as level-headed as she needed to be. Every time she went out she had to rely on Abercrombie more, which was dangerous for the both of them. He was a good trainee, but a trainee nontheless. Still, it stung her pride. "It's not really a suggestion, is it? You're taking me out of the field until after the baby's born."
"It's something I'm thinking about making protocol, yes, but it's what's best, for you and for yours. It's not punishment, Romy. You're having a baby."
With a heavy sigh, Romy sank back into her chair. "Stupid baby," she muttered. A moment later she realized what she'd said and, eyes wide, she stared down at the round belly that was home to her daughter. "Mummy didn't mean that."
It was at that moment that acceptance set in. She was going to be someone's mummy. It was her job to keep her baby safe, and if that meant she had to languish in the office for the next few months, that's what she'd do. "Fine. I'll fetch and file. Should be a blast."
"No one is saying you have to fetch anything, or file anything for that matter. I just don't like the idea of you taking a stray hex to the stomach." Harry didn't like taking an Auror off duty. He knew what it was like to waste away behind a desk, knowing you'd be more useful in the thick of things, and he didn't wish that on anyone. However, he didn't know what else to do. It was dangerous being an Auror, definitely too dangerous for someone seven months pregnant.
Not that he really knew much about being seven months pregnant, but he'd seen more than one person flee from Tonks when she'd been close to popping. Out of fear of her anger, of the idea of her literally popping in front of them. He'd been there when she actually had. He didn't want it to happen again. If possible.
"I know. Joscelin will be relieved," Romy admitted, though the frown had not entirely left her face. "I know you're right. I know it's for the best. I know it's good policy." She met his gaze. "It still sucks."
"At least you can come back when you're ready," Harry said, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
It had never really occurred to her that Harry was essentially on permanent desk duty. He hadn't wanted the position he held, but it was given to him just the same. And he'd taken on the responsibility because it was the right thing to do. Much like with everything else in Harry's life.
"Okay, Harry. You win. I'll quit whining now."
Summary: Harry puts Romy on desk duty. After a little pouting, she accepts it.
Making his way to one Auror's office in particular, Harry's lips twitched as people nodded in his direction. None of them actually approached him, all dodging away at the last second, when words would actually be required. He didn't mind it so much. He had a singular duty on his mind, anyway. Staying around those who were able to practice what they'd been taught was a bit much to take for too long.
"Romy," he said, knocking slightly on her opened door. "You have a minute?"
Raising her arms in the air, Romy tried to stretch some of the soreness from her back. She'd come in early to update her case files and the hours spent bent over her desk had taken a toll.
She gave Harry a smile and waved him in. "Sure thing, boss. What brings you to the pit?" she asked, lifting her glass of orange juice to her lips. It was all she'd wanted to drink for the last three weeks.
"Well... you, actually," he said, taking a step further into her office, pulling the door shut behind him. He didn't seal it completely, just in case. In case of 'what,' he wasn't entirely sure, but he'd seen her travel down the corridors crying. He didn't do well with crying women. Perhaps he just wanted a hasty exit stategy.
"Me?" Romy's mind ran through all the cases she had open, the interactions she'd had in the office and out. Granted, since she'd found out she was pregnant at the start of the year she hadn't been handling quite as many investigations as she might normally have, but her productivity wasn't terribly low, and offhand there was nothing she could think of that would've garnered the attention of the head of the MLE. "What's up? If I flashed my knickers at someone, I guarantee it was not intentional."
Harry frowned. He was fairly sure that if a complaint had come through of an attractive woman flashing her knickers about, he'd probably have had a good laugh about it. Or Mira would definitely have brought it to his attention. "No. Not that I know of."
He shifted a bit from one foot to the other before he realized what he was doing and stopped, making himself stand still. "I was actually coming to talk to you about your maternity leave."
The mild confusion she'd felt before compounded. It was months yet until the baby was due. The time she'd have to take off was scarcely a blip on her radar at this point. "My maternity leave," Romy repeated thoughtfully. "I suppose I'll most likely go out in the middle of July. Probably take the full three months."
"Oh," Harry said, waving his hand slightly in the air, "maybe I didn't mean the 'leave' part of your maternity leave. Maybe the part before hand. The desk part."
Romy eyed her boss suspiciously. She'd been doing her best to avoid any attention from management, to keep working as she always had. It was true that Tonks had already been tied to her desk by this point in her first pregnancy, but Romy remembered how frustrated her former mentor had been by the restriction.
"I've got the desk part covered," she assured him, deliberately being obtuse. "I've been here all morning catching up on paperwork."
"I know. You've put in a lot of hours since you told me you were pregnant. A lot of them have been field hours," he said, taking a step closer. "I just think that maybe it's time you spent... less time in the field."
"How much less time? Abercrombie still needs to get his field training in. I can't teach him surveillance and tracking from my desk." She could hear the edge in her voice and knew she needed to tone it down. Hormone surges made it much harder to retain neutrality. At least she just sounded annoyed, it would be so much worse if she started to whine.
Harry nodded. "I know. I was thinking about giving Abercrombie's training to another Auror until you're back on active duty." He hadn't found any as of yet, but he had given it thought.
She didn't so much 'pop' out of her chair as slowly rise with the aid of a hand on the desk, but Romy was sure the intent of the action had gotten across. "You're taking my trainee? What am I going to do, Harry? Fetch coffee and file? I'm an Auror."
"I know," Harry said, instantly on guard at the look in her eye and the tone in her voice. "But you're also pregnant, and showing. I don't like the idea of you going out and getting hurt, and neither should you. You're still an Auror, just like Tonks will always be an Auror, but maybe it's time you took a step back."
There was a part of her, way down deep inside, that knew he was right. She couldn't move effectively and she wasn't as level-headed as she needed to be. Every time she went out she had to rely on Abercrombie more, which was dangerous for the both of them. He was a good trainee, but a trainee nontheless. Still, it stung her pride. "It's not really a suggestion, is it? You're taking me out of the field until after the baby's born."
"It's something I'm thinking about making protocol, yes, but it's what's best, for you and for yours. It's not punishment, Romy. You're having a baby."
With a heavy sigh, Romy sank back into her chair. "Stupid baby," she muttered. A moment later she realized what she'd said and, eyes wide, she stared down at the round belly that was home to her daughter. "Mummy didn't mean that."
It was at that moment that acceptance set in. She was going to be someone's mummy. It was her job to keep her baby safe, and if that meant she had to languish in the office for the next few months, that's what she'd do. "Fine. I'll fetch and file. Should be a blast."
"No one is saying you have to fetch anything, or file anything for that matter. I just don't like the idea of you taking a stray hex to the stomach." Harry didn't like taking an Auror off duty. He knew what it was like to waste away behind a desk, knowing you'd be more useful in the thick of things, and he didn't wish that on anyone. However, he didn't know what else to do. It was dangerous being an Auror, definitely too dangerous for someone seven months pregnant.
Not that he really knew much about being seven months pregnant, but he'd seen more than one person flee from Tonks when she'd been close to popping. Out of fear of her anger, of the idea of her literally popping in front of them. He'd been there when she actually had. He didn't want it to happen again. If possible.
"I know. Joscelin will be relieved," Romy admitted, though the frown had not entirely left her face. "I know you're right. I know it's for the best. I know it's good policy." She met his gaze. "It still sucks."
"At least you can come back when you're ready," Harry said, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
It had never really occurred to her that Harry was essentially on permanent desk duty. He hadn't wanted the position he held, but it was given to him just the same. And he'd taken on the responsibility because it was the right thing to do. Much like with everything else in Harry's life.
"Okay, Harry. You win. I'll quit whining now."
Summary: Harry puts Romy on desk duty. After a little pouting, she accepts it.