Cloak and Dagger (PG)
Title: Cloak and Dagger
Author: i-am-girlfriday
Prompt: 091. Auror Scorpius has to go to the Muggle world for some undercover work. Rose is assigned to be his handler.
Summary: Auror Scorpius helps Rose and MI-6 infiltrate an international crime syndicate.
Rating: PG
Warnings: UST abounds.
Word Count: ≈ 6,000
A/N: Inspiration borrowed heavily from Alias, Nikita, and just about every spy story I’ve ever read or watched. Thank you, D, for the speedy beta work.
Scorpius sits at a cold steel table writing furiously with a Muggle pen. The stupid thing is almost out of ink and he has to retrace his letters before he can move on to the next word. Right now it’s important that he gets the whole story out, written down while it’s fresh in his mind. Normally when he writes up his Auror reports he’s at the comfort of his own desk, has his trusty quill, and a cup of tea. This time, however, he’s not writing a report based on his latest case. Today he’s in a room without windows somewhere in London and he’s got to--for the life of him--recall the details of what he witnessed at a British Embassy cocktail party.
He went as a favor to a friend of a friend desperate for a date. He didn’t spend much time with Muggles, but he thought the event sounded like it had the right kind of cachet. The witch who’d invited him was dressed to the nines, but an hour into the date she had completely ignored him in order to network. Scorpius stood awkwardly in the tuxedo he had tailored especially for the event, and tried to nod along during the right places in the conversation. Out of the corner of his vision he saw an eerily familiar face, and his mind reeled. The man looked like an aged Yaxley, a high ranking Death Eater, who died at the Battle of Hogwarts. Scorpius felt a tremor of fear. He normally felt confident with his wand in his pocket, but suddenly it left him feeling powerless.
Yaxley appeared to be in deep conversation with another man, and guessing by the medals on his uniform, he was some sort of foreign military leader. Scorpius wasn’t sure what disconcerted him more, the fact that a sociopathic wizard was having a conversation with an international military figure or the fact that this old wizard had somehow cheated death more than forty years ago. He sipped his drink and checked his watch. He hoped no one had caught him staring.
After monitoring the exchange for a few minutes, the two men retreated down a hallway together. Scorpius followed cautiously behind the two figures. He witnessed Yaxley and the other man exchange envelopes. The two shook hands and then parted ways. Yaxley entered a nearby room. Scorpius came as close as he dared, but even from the hallway he could hear the familiar sound of Decker Rockwood’s voice. Decker had been one of his training Aurors, and had recently been promoted to running Scorpius’s squad. He trusted him with his life when they were out on missions. Scorpius couldn’t fathom the situation.
His hand begins to cramp as he struggles to finish writing his statement. The sound of electronic beeping just outside the door interrupts Scorpius’s train of thought. He looks up as it opens and notices a mousy woman entering behind Smith, the officer assigned to babysit Scorpius all night. The woman looks too young to be working for British Intelligence, but just as he notices her cool blue eyes behind her glasses he realizes that he knows her.
“This is Granger, she’s been assigned to your case.”
Scorpius nods.
Smith continues. “You must be hungry. Can I get you anything?”
“Tea will be fine.” Scorpius’s stomach growls. “And something to eat if you can manage it.”
“I’ll see what I can wrestle up.” Smith leaves them in the room alone.
“Hi, Rose.” He says as nonchalant as he can muster.
“Hello, Scorpius. I’m sorry they’ve kept you in here so long. The agency called my mobile, but I was in Devon visiting family, and unfortunately the reception is still pretty spotty out there.”
“I’d ask what you’re doing here, but I’m guessing you haven’t come by just to catch up on old times.” Scorpius feels a bit embarrassed. The last time he saw Rose Weasley was when she’d come into their Auror precinct to turn in her gear after she’d washed out of their rookie year on the force.
Rose’s smile is tight. He can see her fighting to maintain a neutral expression. “No. I work for the agency now.” She pulls out a chair across from him and sits.
Scorpius never liked how things had gone down--it was clear she hadn’t gotten a fair shake from their training Aurors. They seemed to have it out for her, hazing her and hoping she’d break and run to Mum or Dad or her uncle Harry. Rose was tough as nails, despite her meek appearance, and stuck it out to the bitter end. She failed the field test portion of her final exam, effectively ending her Auror career.
“Last I heard you were working a desk job at the Ministry.” It wasn’t like Scorpius had checked up on her or anything, but maybe he’d scanned the papers for her name once or twice, and maybe his ears had perked up when she was mentioned by mutual acquaintances.
“I am. I do. I work in a joint unit for the Ministry of Magic and MI-6.” It sounds impressive, but in typical Rose fashion, she doesn’t brag or embellish.
Scorpius taps his pen against the steel table, a sign of his rising anxiety. “Is there a whole team of witches and wizards in this unit, because if so, who do I need to ask about a suitable writing implement and a self-filling cup of tea?”
Rose senses that he’s fishing for more information. “Perhaps using the word unit is a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Exactly how many of us work here?”
She waves her hands with a flourish. “You’re looking at her.” Her sense of humor is as dry as ever.
Scorpius whistles dramatically. He always respected Rose, but that didn’t mean she was up to the task of overseeing a covert intelligence unit.
“I got hired a few years ago when MI-6 needed an analyst to consultant on a case. A consortium of wizards were dealing portkeys to Muggles on the black market. It was just supposed to be one case, but then it was one or two every few months. Finally they made a deal with the Ministry for me to be their full time analyst.”
“So what does this mean about the case I brought in?”
“Most likely it means you’re going undercover as a traitorous Auror. Do you think you can handle that?”
Scorpius shoots her a venomous look in response.
“We’re working on a plan right now to make you invaluable to Rockwood.”
“What! Why can’t they send you?”
Rose rolls her eyes like she’s bored of his questions already. “Well, for the obvious reasons.”
“Like what?”
“Yaxley isn’t going to deal with a Weasley. And there’s no way Rockwood will believe I want to help him, not with our history.”
“So you’re telling me that, for once, my sordid Malfoy family history is actually going to help me?”
Rose just nods.
“Do you think Yaxley would have a problem with a Granger?” He ponders aloud.
Rose gives him a pointed look. “Yes, I go by Granger now, but as much as I’d hoped, no one seems to forget that I’m a Weasley.”
Scorpius guffaws. “You could use an alias and disguise yourself. I mean, isn’t that kind of the point of going undercover?”
“As much as I’d enjoy going incognito...you are our best bet. Like it or not, you’re in this now. Do you want to help us prove that Rockwood is working with dangerous wizards or not?” Rose demands.
Scorpius isn’t one to back down. He accepts her challenge with his steely gaze.
“Can I read your statement now?” Rose tamps out the impatience in her voice. She’s back to the consummate professional.
Scorpius pushes the paper toward her and leans back in his chair. He watches her intently as she reads. She raises an eyebrow and her lips purse when she’s about half way through. She trains her intelligent eyes on him over the dark rims of her glasses.
“I’ve been monitoring the black market, and the most recent trend seems to be selling restricted potions to military regimes. The potions are being used as biochemical weapons. I figured out how the potions are transported overseas, but beyond a few low-level players, I haven’t been able to work out who’s pulling the strings.” Rose pulls out a thick file and lays out a photo of a shadowy figure. “I believe this wizard is running the operation, and I believe he’s Xavier Yaxley, the younger brother of Death Eater Yaxley.”
Scorpius looks at the flat, lifeless image. “Too bad the photo doesn’t have much detail.”
“I intercepted and decrypted a message the supplier sent to one of his transport men. This was taken with a military satellite I commandeered. It may not be magic, but you have no idea the amount of effort and resources it took to get.” Rose looks annoyed trying to explain.
“I didn’t mean to offend. Clearly I don’t have a grasp on Muggle Intelligence.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Rose lets the barest hint of smile show.
“I don’t understand how Decker Rockwood fits into this scheme. It just doesn’t make sense. He may be an arse, but I don’t make him for Dark Wizard material.”
Rose nods. “That’s the problem with Auror training. You’re so focused on looking for Dark Wizards that you forget that sometimes people are just regular criminals. He’s doing this for money, pure and simple.”
Agent Smith returns with lukewarm coffee and stale toast. It perks Scorpius up only slightly, so Rose walks him through as much of the plan as she can.
“I’m going to keep working on the operation, and I’ll be in touch. But for now I want you to go on as if everything is the same. You’re going to be selected for an inter-Ministry committee. You’ll be informed by memo, and a copy will be sent to your precinct. Your Auror commanders will think this is a great honor for them and you. Play along, but don’t look too eager. Report to the location on the memo for your committee meetings. At the committee meeting your copy of the agenda will have the information for our...shall we say, clandestine meetings. Wave your wand over the upper right hand of the parchment. I calibrated your wand so that only it can decrypt my messages to you.”
Scorpius is impressed by the level of detail in Rose’s plan, but wonders if it’s really necessary.
“Can’t you just find some reason for me to pop up to your office when you have something to tell me?”
Rose shakes her head. “Have you heard the phrase cloak and dagger?”
Scorpius nods. He’s familiar with the dramatic genre involving intrigue and espionage.
“CE-47 is an international crime syndicate. They take their name inspiration from capa y espada, Spanish for cloak and dagger. Some of its members are former Death Eaters, some are international figures in the Dark Arts circles. And people at the highest level of both the Muggle and Wizarding world are implicated in this organization. What we’re doing is very dangerous.”
Rose takes a scroll from her file and unravels it. It looks like some sort of family tree. He examines it for a moment longer and realizes that there are names upon names and branches upon branches. Some of them have red Xs, some have question marks or scribbled notations.
“When our parents were growing up there was a clear divide, but what we’re dealing with is insidious and covert. I know you didn’t sign up for it, but this isn’t a one-off mission to capture Yaxley and Rockwood. This isn’t about bringing one or two criminals to justice, this is about dismantling international organized crime. You can’t tell anyone what you’re doing, and you can’t trust anyone.”
Scorpius feels the gravity of the situation sinking in finally. He looks at Rose carefully as she leads him out of the small room and down a corridor. They enter a room, presumably her office, and she lets him use her floo to return home. He has no idea how the pair of them are going to bring down a couple of rogue wizards, let alone a whole syndicate of criminals.
***
Scorpius waits anxiously for over a week before the memo from the Ministry arrives as promised, requesting him to sit on the planning committee for the Quidditch World Cup. He acts put out by the invitation, but his superiors are all too happy to release him from his duties a couple of times a week to please the higher-ups at the Ministry. Decker Rockwood seems to be particularly pleased, and even calls Scorpius in to congratulate him personally.
When Scorpius arrives at his first meeting he’s surprised by the turnout. There are at least a hundred other witches and wizards convening. He picks up an agenda from the stack at the front of the room. He sits toward the back and looks over the parchment. Angelina Weasley appears to be conducting the meeting. She’s at the podium preparing her notes. Rose sits at the head table next to her. She has stacks of parchment and charts in front of her. Her hair is back in a messy chignon, held in place with a pencil. Her glasses appear even bigger without her frizzy hair obscuring her features.
Angelina introduces herself as the head of the Quidditch Union for the Administration and Betterment of the British League and its Endeavours (QUABBLE). She explains that the committee will divide into smaller working groups, and together they’ll help prepare Britain for hosting the Quidditch World Cup. Rose appears to be in charge of the minutes--her quill moving at warp speed--while she hands various notes and charts to her aunt. With everyone focused on the head of the room, Scorpius waves his wand over the top of his agenda quickly.
17:00--Joey’s Pizza
Scorpius checks his watch. It’s over an hour until he has to be at the pizzeria. He listens to Angelina and then moves to join his assigned group. He looks at the motley crew of witches and wizards all talking and brainstorming ideas for the Quidditch World Cup. Scorpius tries to figure out how this committee has anything to do with CE-47.
The meeting ends a little bit before five. There are just a few witches and wizards milling about the lobby. Rose exits the meeting quickly, without so much as a nod in Scorpius’s direction.
Scorpius walks to Joey’s and wonders if there is some back room in which Rose plans to lay out more details about their mission. When he arrives, the place was is empty. A young man at the counter stands ready to take his order.
“May I suggest the special, sir?” The young man calls out.
Scorpius looks around, unsure of what to do or say. It’s 17:00 on the dot, and Rose is nowhere to be seen.
“Um...” he stammers. “Sure, I’ll take one special.” Perhaps this is a code word.
The young man rings Scorpius up at the register and a few minutes later gives him an extra large pizza box. “Have a good evening at home then, sir.”
Scorpius nods politely and heads home, more confused than ever. He walks quickly, eager to find out if there is another message inside the pizza box. As soon as he steps in the door and sets the box on his coffee table he feels a dizzying, pulling sensation. The pizza box is a time delayed portkey. He’s transported safely inside the MI-6 building and Rose appears to be waiting for him at their table again.
Rose levitates the pizza box to the center of the table and opens it unceremoniously. “Would you like a slice?” She doesn’t wait for his answer before she starts eating.
Scorpius pulls out a chair and sighs deeply.
Rose looks at him quizzically. “What?”
“Now I’m just your pizza delivery boy?”
She laughs. “We have work to do.” Rose pulls a roster out of her file with all the names of the people on the Quidditch World Cup committee. The roster has her notes all over it. “I expect Rockwood will approach you soon. He’ll want to use you as a proxy--get you to do his bidding within your group. He’ll also want you to tell him what you’re privy to hearing within the committee. Before you tell him anything, you’ll meet with me. Together we’ll figure out exactly what you’re going to report back to him.”
“I don’t understand how using me as his pawn is really going to help? I’m just one vote.”
“You aren’t going to be the only one with a hidden agenda. There are other people on the committee that we suspect have connections to CE-47. Your vote along with theirs is going to help us establish a pattern. CE-47 is going use their influence to shape decisions made about the Quidditch World Cup--like which suppliers and vendors get licenses, which companies will be official sponsors, all the way to the security measures for the actual event. Their strategic decisions are going to give us further intelligence about how the group functions as a whole, and will ultimately help us figure out how best to attack them.” Rose talks animatedly, but with authority.
“With so much plotting going on, it’ll be amazing if we get anything done.”
“Actually, most of the committee are just loyal Ministry bureaucrats or QUABBLE members. I know it seems like an elaborate ruse, but it was the only way to sort of draw these dark, shadowy types out.”
The evening progresses with Scorpius finishing more pizza than is healthy and Rose drilling him with names and pictures of faces. In a lot of ways their first meeting is reminiscent of their Auror training days. Back then they had been naive about the demands of the job. They believed Aurors led glamorous and adventurous lives, but they had no idea how tough it was to make it up through the ranks. Promotions are hard to come by now, the job is increasingly difficult with scarcer resources, and the British wizarding economy is not what it once was. Scorpius hears talk of Aurors taking bribes just to get by, but he’s never believed the rumors. Now he has proof that bribes are child’s play in comparison to some of the more egregious things Rockwood is planning with CE-47.
***
After months of committee work on top of his grueling Auror caseload, Scorpius’s meetings with Rose become the highlight to his week. Her messages are both cryptic and quirky. The portkeys are often unexpected objects, and their location meet ups, while not exciting or luxurious, are usually in the Muggle world--an exotic enough place for Scorpius. Rose takes particular delight in dragging him to places like the zoo or miniature golf. Even though these meetings are for the sole purpose of talking about the mission, they offer him respite from the constant stress of being undercover.
Scorpius rarely interacts with any other officers assigned to Rose’s unit, but she assures him of the progress they’re making. Every meeting gives Scorpius another opportunity to get to know Rose--in a totally different context, in another world entirely. He loves to see her face light up when he delivers new intelligence. He can almost see her solving a puzzle in her mind. Sometimes she gives him directives, and often he questions her, but she never backs down. She always has a reason for pushing him in a certain direction, and in the end she is always right. It is both infuriating and reassuring.
The hardest part about being a covert operative is keeping quiet about Rose to his friends and family. Scorpius finds himself wanting to drop her name in regular conversation. Rose said the funniest thing the other day...Rose loves crushed red pepper on her pizza...Rose is afraid of spiders... It all comes to a head one night when he’s out with some friends. They take the piss out him about his perpetual single status. It’s been at least six months since his date that landed him at MI-6 headquarters, so he has no choice but to brush off the teasing.
“I’m swamped with work and this committee I got put on...”
No one feels sorry that he got assigned to such a plum committee. They’re already buttering him up, asking if he can get them tickets to the Quidditch World Cup.
“There have got to be some hot witches on the committee right?” Sean Finnegan asks, elbowing him hard in the ribs.
Scorpius tries to stifle and smile. He has an image of Rose with her glasses on (and not a whole lot else). He can’t seem to keep his mind from wandering when he thinks about Rose. He feels his ears turning bright red.
“You’ve been holding out on us!” Sean began to hoot and holler. “Tell us about the witch.”
“It’s nothing. No one, really...”
Sean obnoxiously starts pestering him for details until finally Scorpius relents. “I guess there is someone. She’s on the committee, but I don’t get to interact with her much during meetings.”
“Ask her out already!”
“I can’t just ask her out. It would be weird.”
“Why? Have you shagged her sister?” Timothy Jones called out.
“No!” Scorpius looks around discreetly at the crowded bar to make sure none of Rose’s cousins are within earshot. He spots Albus talking to another of their Auror colleagues.
“Well then, I don’t see how it could be awkward then.” Tim teases.
“We work together. And besides, she’s one of those swotty, Ministry types.” Surely it would be strange if Scorpius and Rose started dating. Aside from an occasional hello, they haven’t interacted much in public. And they really are opposites. Rose is methodical and reasoned, where Scorpius is headstrong and restless. If it had been up to him, he would have busted Rockwood and Yaxley months ago.
“Are there rules against dating fellow Ministry witches? Because if there are, the British wizarding community would probably cease to exist. We’d all be a bunch of inbred...” Sean stops talking a little too late, his foot is already in his mouth.
Though pureblood families have worked hard to fix their image over the last forty years, but there were still some holdouts who’d rather marry cousins than halfblood or Muggle-born wizards.
“I guess there are other reasons that might make dating kind of...complicated.” Scorpius and Rose had never broached the subject of their families’ tense relationship before.
“So uncomplicate things, mate. You’re not getting any younger.” Sean takes a final swig of his beer and then throws down some coins to cover the tab. “I better head home. Us married men don’t have quite as much freedom as you single blokes.” Sean ruffles Scorpius’s hair and exits the pub.
Scorpius sits at the bar nursing his firewhiskey wondering if it could really be that easy. He watches Tim and their other single mates working the room, chatting up cute witches. He’s never been the type to flirt or date. He isn’t a relationship kind of guy either. Scorpius is a workaholic who has a fling every once in awhile. He knows he fancies Rose, but he respects her enough to be professional and try to keep his feelings in check.
***
At the next committee meeting Scorpius approaches the head table. Rose is frantically trying to set up the slide projector and inadvertently knocks over a stack of charts and graphs. She bends down to reach for the mess.
“Here, let me help,” he offers as he kneels on the floor scooping up sheets of parchment.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ve got it.” Rose says with a hint of a blush across her cheeks. Scorpius hopes it’s because they’re sharing a moment, and not because she’s repulsed.
“It’s no problem.” They both reach for a chart at the same time, their fingers touch. He knows it’s cliche, but he really does feel the energy between them.
“You shouldn’t be up here talking to me.” She whispers.
“We are on the same committee. No one will think twice if we interact.” Scorpius says under his breath.
Rose makes eye contact with him and then let’s go of the chart they’d both been clutching. She stands up and focuses her attention back on fixing the projector. Scorpius collects everything from the floor and stacks the parchment back on the table.
“I think that’s everything.” Scorpius says sheepishly. He runs his hand through his hair, long overdue for a cut. Unconsciously he’s messing everything up between them.
“Thanks, Scorpius. You should take your seat. We’re about to start.” Rose says very officially.
It’s slow progress, but at least it’s something, he thinks. Later during the meeting he contrives to bump into her at the snack table.
“Whatever you think you’re doing, stop.” She mutters as she fills her cup with fruit punch.
“These chocolate biscuits,” he grabs a couple and shoves them in his mouth, “so good.” The last part more a muffle because he can’t actually talk while he chews. He smiles at her as he returns to his seat.
Later that night when Scorpius meets up with Rose inside a Muggle department store she’s furious with him.
She does not hold back. “You cannot be seen talking with me at those meetings. That was not according to the plan!” They’re in public, so her strangled whisper is not quite as effective as yelling.
Scorpius is prepared with his argument. “I don’t understand how this compromises anything. Is it really out of the realm of possibility that we would talk to each other? We know each other from school and your Auror days. None of these CE-47 members will give it a second thought.”
“Maybe it isn’t noteworthy to them if they see us talking, but you’re supposed to follow my lead. That’s the point!”
“Well that’s rubbish. I don’t know why you can’t follow my lead sometimes. And if you didn’t want anyone seeing us interact, you probably shouldn’t have joined the committee. I see more of you than I see of some of my actual friends.”
“I didn’t join it, you git! You just happened to walk into my agency a week before my mission! And I’m sorry my committee is cutting into your blooming social life!”
“I never said it was blooming, I just think it’s stupid that even though I see you so much I can’t actually, you know, talk to you like a normal person.” He says with more anger than he means. Scorpius thinks about it for a moment. “And I didn’t know the committee was all your idea.”
“Believe it or not, it’s not an elaborate ruse for me to spend time with you. You’re not my only asset, you know.” Rose rolls her eyes and squares her shoulders.
The thought that she’s someone else’s handler makes his stomach turn. Scorpius fixates on a display of scarves and fiddles with the knotted fringe and pom poms. It takes conviction for him to speak up. “Look, Rockwood wants me to nominate him for Head of Security for the Quidditch World Cup. What’s your brilliant plan now?”
***
After the following week’s meeting Scorpius meets up with Rose at MI-6 headquarters. This time she’s made him bring ice cream from Fortescue’s. When he rights himself from his rocky portkey landing he notices Rose sitting at their table. She appears collected, but it’s obvious she’s been crying.
“Rough day?”
Rose doesn’t answer, she just pulls the pint of ice cream from the bag and begins to work her way through the rich, chocolate ice cream.
Scorpius makes a show of looking around. “If I didn’t know any better I could swear you just saw a Dementor.”
“Well, I do feel as if my soul has been sucked out of me.” Rose says wryly.
“What happened?” Scorpius asks as he pulls the pint of vanilla out.
“I’m being taken off of my own case.” Rose looks resigned.
“I don’t understand.”
“They’re putting someone with more experience in charge.”
“Who has more experience dealing with Muggles and wizards and international crime?”
Rose laughs bitterly. “Hell if I know.” She takes a big spoonful of ice cream. She starts to talk with her mouth half-full. “It doesn’t really matter anyway. It’s not like I was ever going to get promoted to full agent status anyway. I’ll just be an analyst forever, locked up in some musty Ministry office.” Rose swallows and twirls her spoon around in her hand. “It was just nice to finally get to prove my full potential. I felt like I was making a real impact. People finally looked at me like I wasn’t just some screw up.”
Scorpius frowns. “Who thinks you’re a screw up?”
Rose looks at Scorpius resentfully. “Everyone!” Rose takes another bite. “There’s Rose, she couldn’t hack her field test. She’s a disgrace to Aurors and Weasleys.” Rose says in a mocking tone, her tears barely kept at bay.
Scorpius reaches a hand out. “I don’t see how that should matter to this agency. And I know you can handle your own--no matter the results of that stupid field test. You’re a brilliant witch.” Scorpius feels almost breathless at the admission. He has to lighten the mood;the truth about his feelings hang heavy in the room. “Are you as capable with a gun as I know you are with a wand?” His lips quirk into a grin, and finally Rose allows herself to smile slightly in return.
“Funny thing is, I’ve got a deft hand and I’m a good shot, but I’m equally bad when it comes to being tested.” Rose puts the lid back on her ice cream and stands.
“Maybe you just never had the right motivation to pass your tests before.” Scorpius hopes she understands the sentiment behind his words.
She nods solemnly. “Well, I thought I owed you the courtesy of an explanation. Your new handler will be in contact.” Rose regains all the composure and aplomb she possesses.
“Granger, it was an honor.” Scorpius stands too and holds his palm out.
Their hands touch tentatively--his firm and steady, hers pliant and weary-- it’s more than a good-bye, but not nearly enough to convey the multitude of emotions they’re both feeling.
***
The plan unfolds just the way Scorpius and MI-6 hoped it would. Rockwood wants to bring Scorpius into the fold after he lands his boss the coveted Head of Security position. Scorpius has proven himself a valuable ally to CE-47, so Rockwood feels confident enough to reveal much of his plan and offers to introduce Scorpius to some of his other associates at the upcoming Embassy gala. A week before the gala, Agent Brooks, Scorpius’s new handler, summons him to MI-6 headquarters.
It’s the third time Brooks has failed to provide him with a method of transport to Vauxhall Cross. Up until Rose was let go from the case, Scorpius had always traveled by portkey. Now it’s up to Scorpius to navigate Muggle London. It’s not safe for him to apparate, and the only floo that Scorpius knows about is in Rose’s office. He arrives at the appointed time, paranoid and exhausted. He’s only taken the tube with friends before, never on his own during rush hour. He keeps looking over his shoulder, afraid that CE-47 has someone tailing him.
Agent Brooks doesn’t even stand to greet Scorpius. He just opens a file and starts talking. “I want to review your next mission again. You’re meeting Rockwood at the British Embassy, and I’d like you to use this two-way earpiece. I’ll be there at the gala watching you from a safe distance, but now I’ll hear what you’re hearing too. If Rockwood meets up with Yaxley again, make sure you’re close enough to transmit the conversation.” He hands Scorpius a small earbud.
Scorpius feels shaken in a way he hasn’t felt since that first night he spent in MI-6. He’s angry that during this field op his partner will be Agent Brooks and not Rose. “You risked my life for a little chat? I already have my directives, and now you want me to use this Muggle technology?”
“I’m not used to someone questioning my authority.” Agent Brooks says defensively.
“Well, I’m not used to someone using their authority so recklessly. I’m risking my life to bring down my boss and his evil cohorts. I’d appreciate you extending me the courtesy of discretion. You don’t see me requesting your presence at Diagon Alley!”
“You’re mistaken if you think you can talk to me like that!”
“No, you’re mistaken and in over your head. You don’t know the first thing about magic or wizards or the Dark Arts. Me coming here was a mistake.” Scorpius paces back and forth across the small area of Brooks’s office. “If Rockwood suspects anything is amiss tomorrow, he’ll get a Legilimens to discover what I’m hiding.” Scorpius sounds almost hysterical now, the pressure of leading a double life is wearing him thin.
“We’ve gone over it already. You’ll just follow Rockwood’s lead and you’ll be fine. This is easy.”
“Going into the Muggle world is not easy, not for me. If you knew the first thing about me, you’d know that. I need to talk to Granger! Put Granger back on this case or I’m out!” He shouts and turns to look through the glass windows of Brooks’s office. Other officers and agents in the bullpen quickly avert their gaze from the scene Scorpius is creating.
“She’s just an analyst, not even a junior intelligence officer.” Brooks scoffs.
“I don’t give a rats arse about your bureaucratic process, but I don’t trust you. I’ll walk, I will walk away, so help me Merlin.”
“Granger is not senior enough to be running this operation!” Brooks looks disgusted when he says Rose’s name.
“So promote her!” Scorpius storms out of the office and doesn’t look back.
Blood pounds in his ears and he’s pretty sure he’s having an anxiety attack. He walks back to the tube, and once he’s sure no one is following him, he gets off and heads for a dark side-street so he can disapparate.
***
Scorpius fiddles with the bow tie of his tuxedo as he stands at the check-in table for the gala. He tucks the heavy cardstock invitation under his arm and waits his turn. He goes through security and once he’s inside the party he hears a slight crackle of the live comm in his ear.
“Are you picking this up?” He says under his breath.
“Loud and clear.” The voice on the other end is distinctly feminine.
Scorpius smiles.
“Hey, thanks for the promotion.” She says with sincerity.
“You owe me one now.” Scorpius nabs a flute of champagne from a passing tray and raises it in mock salute.
“I’ll drink to that.” Rose says.
Scorpius scans the room for her familiar face, but he can’t spot her among the crowd.
“Red dress, ten o’clock.” She teases him.
He turns and sees her leaning against the bar like some femme fatale, her cocktail raised. She’s striking and this catches him off guard for a moment. Scorpius once thought Rose looked plain and mousy, but that was only on first impression. He’s long considered her the most interesting witch of his acquaintance--intelligent, intuitive, and tonight, incredibly seductive. There isn’t a single person he trusts more with his life, to be his handler, or to back him up in a dangerous situation--Muggle or magical.
“Red, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”
She snorts. It’s unladylike and not at all sexy, but it makes his pulse quicken anyway.
“How long have you been waiting to say that?” He can practically hear Rose rolling her eyes.
His reply, equally dreamy as it is smug, “A while...”
“Don’t get too cocky, I’ve got a license to kill, you know.”
Scorpius walks to the opposite side of the room and waits for Rockwood to show. It’s going to be a long night, and even longer until they bring down CE-47, but at least he’ll have Rose by his side.
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Author: i-am-girlfriday
Prompt: 091. Auror Scorpius has to go to the Muggle world for some undercover work. Rose is assigned to be his handler.
Summary: Auror Scorpius helps Rose and MI-6 infiltrate an international crime syndicate.
Rating: PG
Warnings: UST abounds.
Word Count: ≈ 6,000
A/N: Inspiration borrowed heavily from Alias, Nikita, and just about every spy story I’ve ever read or watched. Thank you, D, for the speedy beta work.
Scorpius sits at a cold steel table writing furiously with a Muggle pen. The stupid thing is almost out of ink and he has to retrace his letters before he can move on to the next word. Right now it’s important that he gets the whole story out, written down while it’s fresh in his mind. Normally when he writes up his Auror reports he’s at the comfort of his own desk, has his trusty quill, and a cup of tea. This time, however, he’s not writing a report based on his latest case. Today he’s in a room without windows somewhere in London and he’s got to--for the life of him--recall the details of what he witnessed at a British Embassy cocktail party.
He went as a favor to a friend of a friend desperate for a date. He didn’t spend much time with Muggles, but he thought the event sounded like it had the right kind of cachet. The witch who’d invited him was dressed to the nines, but an hour into the date she had completely ignored him in order to network. Scorpius stood awkwardly in the tuxedo he had tailored especially for the event, and tried to nod along during the right places in the conversation. Out of the corner of his vision he saw an eerily familiar face, and his mind reeled. The man looked like an aged Yaxley, a high ranking Death Eater, who died at the Battle of Hogwarts. Scorpius felt a tremor of fear. He normally felt confident with his wand in his pocket, but suddenly it left him feeling powerless.
Yaxley appeared to be in deep conversation with another man, and guessing by the medals on his uniform, he was some sort of foreign military leader. Scorpius wasn’t sure what disconcerted him more, the fact that a sociopathic wizard was having a conversation with an international military figure or the fact that this old wizard had somehow cheated death more than forty years ago. He sipped his drink and checked his watch. He hoped no one had caught him staring.
After monitoring the exchange for a few minutes, the two men retreated down a hallway together. Scorpius followed cautiously behind the two figures. He witnessed Yaxley and the other man exchange envelopes. The two shook hands and then parted ways. Yaxley entered a nearby room. Scorpius came as close as he dared, but even from the hallway he could hear the familiar sound of Decker Rockwood’s voice. Decker had been one of his training Aurors, and had recently been promoted to running Scorpius’s squad. He trusted him with his life when they were out on missions. Scorpius couldn’t fathom the situation.
His hand begins to cramp as he struggles to finish writing his statement. The sound of electronic beeping just outside the door interrupts Scorpius’s train of thought. He looks up as it opens and notices a mousy woman entering behind Smith, the officer assigned to babysit Scorpius all night. The woman looks too young to be working for British Intelligence, but just as he notices her cool blue eyes behind her glasses he realizes that he knows her.
“This is Granger, she’s been assigned to your case.”
Scorpius nods.
Smith continues. “You must be hungry. Can I get you anything?”
“Tea will be fine.” Scorpius’s stomach growls. “And something to eat if you can manage it.”
“I’ll see what I can wrestle up.” Smith leaves them in the room alone.
“Hi, Rose.” He says as nonchalant as he can muster.
“Hello, Scorpius. I’m sorry they’ve kept you in here so long. The agency called my mobile, but I was in Devon visiting family, and unfortunately the reception is still pretty spotty out there.”
“I’d ask what you’re doing here, but I’m guessing you haven’t come by just to catch up on old times.” Scorpius feels a bit embarrassed. The last time he saw Rose Weasley was when she’d come into their Auror precinct to turn in her gear after she’d washed out of their rookie year on the force.
Rose’s smile is tight. He can see her fighting to maintain a neutral expression. “No. I work for the agency now.” She pulls out a chair across from him and sits.
Scorpius never liked how things had gone down--it was clear she hadn’t gotten a fair shake from their training Aurors. They seemed to have it out for her, hazing her and hoping she’d break and run to Mum or Dad or her uncle Harry. Rose was tough as nails, despite her meek appearance, and stuck it out to the bitter end. She failed the field test portion of her final exam, effectively ending her Auror career.
“Last I heard you were working a desk job at the Ministry.” It wasn’t like Scorpius had checked up on her or anything, but maybe he’d scanned the papers for her name once or twice, and maybe his ears had perked up when she was mentioned by mutual acquaintances.
“I am. I do. I work in a joint unit for the Ministry of Magic and MI-6.” It sounds impressive, but in typical Rose fashion, she doesn’t brag or embellish.
Scorpius taps his pen against the steel table, a sign of his rising anxiety. “Is there a whole team of witches and wizards in this unit, because if so, who do I need to ask about a suitable writing implement and a self-filling cup of tea?”
Rose senses that he’s fishing for more information. “Perhaps using the word unit is a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Exactly how many of us work here?”
She waves her hands with a flourish. “You’re looking at her.” Her sense of humor is as dry as ever.
Scorpius whistles dramatically. He always respected Rose, but that didn’t mean she was up to the task of overseeing a covert intelligence unit.
“I got hired a few years ago when MI-6 needed an analyst to consultant on a case. A consortium of wizards were dealing portkeys to Muggles on the black market. It was just supposed to be one case, but then it was one or two every few months. Finally they made a deal with the Ministry for me to be their full time analyst.”
“So what does this mean about the case I brought in?”
“Most likely it means you’re going undercover as a traitorous Auror. Do you think you can handle that?”
Scorpius shoots her a venomous look in response.
“We’re working on a plan right now to make you invaluable to Rockwood.”
“What! Why can’t they send you?”
Rose rolls her eyes like she’s bored of his questions already. “Well, for the obvious reasons.”
“Like what?”
“Yaxley isn’t going to deal with a Weasley. And there’s no way Rockwood will believe I want to help him, not with our history.”
“So you’re telling me that, for once, my sordid Malfoy family history is actually going to help me?”
Rose just nods.
“Do you think Yaxley would have a problem with a Granger?” He ponders aloud.
Rose gives him a pointed look. “Yes, I go by Granger now, but as much as I’d hoped, no one seems to forget that I’m a Weasley.”
Scorpius guffaws. “You could use an alias and disguise yourself. I mean, isn’t that kind of the point of going undercover?”
“As much as I’d enjoy going incognito...you are our best bet. Like it or not, you’re in this now. Do you want to help us prove that Rockwood is working with dangerous wizards or not?” Rose demands.
Scorpius isn’t one to back down. He accepts her challenge with his steely gaze.
“Can I read your statement now?” Rose tamps out the impatience in her voice. She’s back to the consummate professional.
Scorpius pushes the paper toward her and leans back in his chair. He watches her intently as she reads. She raises an eyebrow and her lips purse when she’s about half way through. She trains her intelligent eyes on him over the dark rims of her glasses.
“I’ve been monitoring the black market, and the most recent trend seems to be selling restricted potions to military regimes. The potions are being used as biochemical weapons. I figured out how the potions are transported overseas, but beyond a few low-level players, I haven’t been able to work out who’s pulling the strings.” Rose pulls out a thick file and lays out a photo of a shadowy figure. “I believe this wizard is running the operation, and I believe he’s Xavier Yaxley, the younger brother of Death Eater Yaxley.”
Scorpius looks at the flat, lifeless image. “Too bad the photo doesn’t have much detail.”
“I intercepted and decrypted a message the supplier sent to one of his transport men. This was taken with a military satellite I commandeered. It may not be magic, but you have no idea the amount of effort and resources it took to get.” Rose looks annoyed trying to explain.
“I didn’t mean to offend. Clearly I don’t have a grasp on Muggle Intelligence.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Rose lets the barest hint of smile show.
“I don’t understand how Decker Rockwood fits into this scheme. It just doesn’t make sense. He may be an arse, but I don’t make him for Dark Wizard material.”
Rose nods. “That’s the problem with Auror training. You’re so focused on looking for Dark Wizards that you forget that sometimes people are just regular criminals. He’s doing this for money, pure and simple.”
Agent Smith returns with lukewarm coffee and stale toast. It perks Scorpius up only slightly, so Rose walks him through as much of the plan as she can.
“I’m going to keep working on the operation, and I’ll be in touch. But for now I want you to go on as if everything is the same. You’re going to be selected for an inter-Ministry committee. You’ll be informed by memo, and a copy will be sent to your precinct. Your Auror commanders will think this is a great honor for them and you. Play along, but don’t look too eager. Report to the location on the memo for your committee meetings. At the committee meeting your copy of the agenda will have the information for our...shall we say, clandestine meetings. Wave your wand over the upper right hand of the parchment. I calibrated your wand so that only it can decrypt my messages to you.”
Scorpius is impressed by the level of detail in Rose’s plan, but wonders if it’s really necessary.
“Can’t you just find some reason for me to pop up to your office when you have something to tell me?”
Rose shakes her head. “Have you heard the phrase cloak and dagger?”
Scorpius nods. He’s familiar with the dramatic genre involving intrigue and espionage.
“CE-47 is an international crime syndicate. They take their name inspiration from capa y espada, Spanish for cloak and dagger. Some of its members are former Death Eaters, some are international figures in the Dark Arts circles. And people at the highest level of both the Muggle and Wizarding world are implicated in this organization. What we’re doing is very dangerous.”
Rose takes a scroll from her file and unravels it. It looks like some sort of family tree. He examines it for a moment longer and realizes that there are names upon names and branches upon branches. Some of them have red Xs, some have question marks or scribbled notations.
“When our parents were growing up there was a clear divide, but what we’re dealing with is insidious and covert. I know you didn’t sign up for it, but this isn’t a one-off mission to capture Yaxley and Rockwood. This isn’t about bringing one or two criminals to justice, this is about dismantling international organized crime. You can’t tell anyone what you’re doing, and you can’t trust anyone.”
Scorpius feels the gravity of the situation sinking in finally. He looks at Rose carefully as she leads him out of the small room and down a corridor. They enter a room, presumably her office, and she lets him use her floo to return home. He has no idea how the pair of them are going to bring down a couple of rogue wizards, let alone a whole syndicate of criminals.
***
Scorpius waits anxiously for over a week before the memo from the Ministry arrives as promised, requesting him to sit on the planning committee for the Quidditch World Cup. He acts put out by the invitation, but his superiors are all too happy to release him from his duties a couple of times a week to please the higher-ups at the Ministry. Decker Rockwood seems to be particularly pleased, and even calls Scorpius in to congratulate him personally.
When Scorpius arrives at his first meeting he’s surprised by the turnout. There are at least a hundred other witches and wizards convening. He picks up an agenda from the stack at the front of the room. He sits toward the back and looks over the parchment. Angelina Weasley appears to be conducting the meeting. She’s at the podium preparing her notes. Rose sits at the head table next to her. She has stacks of parchment and charts in front of her. Her hair is back in a messy chignon, held in place with a pencil. Her glasses appear even bigger without her frizzy hair obscuring her features.
Angelina introduces herself as the head of the Quidditch Union for the Administration and Betterment of the British League and its Endeavours (QUABBLE). She explains that the committee will divide into smaller working groups, and together they’ll help prepare Britain for hosting the Quidditch World Cup. Rose appears to be in charge of the minutes--her quill moving at warp speed--while she hands various notes and charts to her aunt. With everyone focused on the head of the room, Scorpius waves his wand over the top of his agenda quickly.
17:00--Joey’s Pizza
Scorpius checks his watch. It’s over an hour until he has to be at the pizzeria. He listens to Angelina and then moves to join his assigned group. He looks at the motley crew of witches and wizards all talking and brainstorming ideas for the Quidditch World Cup. Scorpius tries to figure out how this committee has anything to do with CE-47.
The meeting ends a little bit before five. There are just a few witches and wizards milling about the lobby. Rose exits the meeting quickly, without so much as a nod in Scorpius’s direction.
Scorpius walks to Joey’s and wonders if there is some back room in which Rose plans to lay out more details about their mission. When he arrives, the place was is empty. A young man at the counter stands ready to take his order.
“May I suggest the special, sir?” The young man calls out.
Scorpius looks around, unsure of what to do or say. It’s 17:00 on the dot, and Rose is nowhere to be seen.
“Um...” he stammers. “Sure, I’ll take one special.” Perhaps this is a code word.
The young man rings Scorpius up at the register and a few minutes later gives him an extra large pizza box. “Have a good evening at home then, sir.”
Scorpius nods politely and heads home, more confused than ever. He walks quickly, eager to find out if there is another message inside the pizza box. As soon as he steps in the door and sets the box on his coffee table he feels a dizzying, pulling sensation. The pizza box is a time delayed portkey. He’s transported safely inside the MI-6 building and Rose appears to be waiting for him at their table again.
Rose levitates the pizza box to the center of the table and opens it unceremoniously. “Would you like a slice?” She doesn’t wait for his answer before she starts eating.
Scorpius pulls out a chair and sighs deeply.
Rose looks at him quizzically. “What?”
“Now I’m just your pizza delivery boy?”
She laughs. “We have work to do.” Rose pulls a roster out of her file with all the names of the people on the Quidditch World Cup committee. The roster has her notes all over it. “I expect Rockwood will approach you soon. He’ll want to use you as a proxy--get you to do his bidding within your group. He’ll also want you to tell him what you’re privy to hearing within the committee. Before you tell him anything, you’ll meet with me. Together we’ll figure out exactly what you’re going to report back to him.”
“I don’t understand how using me as his pawn is really going to help? I’m just one vote.”
“You aren’t going to be the only one with a hidden agenda. There are other people on the committee that we suspect have connections to CE-47. Your vote along with theirs is going to help us establish a pattern. CE-47 is going use their influence to shape decisions made about the Quidditch World Cup--like which suppliers and vendors get licenses, which companies will be official sponsors, all the way to the security measures for the actual event. Their strategic decisions are going to give us further intelligence about how the group functions as a whole, and will ultimately help us figure out how best to attack them.” Rose talks animatedly, but with authority.
“With so much plotting going on, it’ll be amazing if we get anything done.”
“Actually, most of the committee are just loyal Ministry bureaucrats or QUABBLE members. I know it seems like an elaborate ruse, but it was the only way to sort of draw these dark, shadowy types out.”
The evening progresses with Scorpius finishing more pizza than is healthy and Rose drilling him with names and pictures of faces. In a lot of ways their first meeting is reminiscent of their Auror training days. Back then they had been naive about the demands of the job. They believed Aurors led glamorous and adventurous lives, but they had no idea how tough it was to make it up through the ranks. Promotions are hard to come by now, the job is increasingly difficult with scarcer resources, and the British wizarding economy is not what it once was. Scorpius hears talk of Aurors taking bribes just to get by, but he’s never believed the rumors. Now he has proof that bribes are child’s play in comparison to some of the more egregious things Rockwood is planning with CE-47.
***
After months of committee work on top of his grueling Auror caseload, Scorpius’s meetings with Rose become the highlight to his week. Her messages are both cryptic and quirky. The portkeys are often unexpected objects, and their location meet ups, while not exciting or luxurious, are usually in the Muggle world--an exotic enough place for Scorpius. Rose takes particular delight in dragging him to places like the zoo or miniature golf. Even though these meetings are for the sole purpose of talking about the mission, they offer him respite from the constant stress of being undercover.
Scorpius rarely interacts with any other officers assigned to Rose’s unit, but she assures him of the progress they’re making. Every meeting gives Scorpius another opportunity to get to know Rose--in a totally different context, in another world entirely. He loves to see her face light up when he delivers new intelligence. He can almost see her solving a puzzle in her mind. Sometimes she gives him directives, and often he questions her, but she never backs down. She always has a reason for pushing him in a certain direction, and in the end she is always right. It is both infuriating and reassuring.
The hardest part about being a covert operative is keeping quiet about Rose to his friends and family. Scorpius finds himself wanting to drop her name in regular conversation. Rose said the funniest thing the other day...Rose loves crushed red pepper on her pizza...Rose is afraid of spiders... It all comes to a head one night when he’s out with some friends. They take the piss out him about his perpetual single status. It’s been at least six months since his date that landed him at MI-6 headquarters, so he has no choice but to brush off the teasing.
“I’m swamped with work and this committee I got put on...”
No one feels sorry that he got assigned to such a plum committee. They’re already buttering him up, asking if he can get them tickets to the Quidditch World Cup.
“There have got to be some hot witches on the committee right?” Sean Finnegan asks, elbowing him hard in the ribs.
Scorpius tries to stifle and smile. He has an image of Rose with her glasses on (and not a whole lot else). He can’t seem to keep his mind from wandering when he thinks about Rose. He feels his ears turning bright red.
“You’ve been holding out on us!” Sean began to hoot and holler. “Tell us about the witch.”
“It’s nothing. No one, really...”
Sean obnoxiously starts pestering him for details until finally Scorpius relents. “I guess there is someone. She’s on the committee, but I don’t get to interact with her much during meetings.”
“Ask her out already!”
“I can’t just ask her out. It would be weird.”
“Why? Have you shagged her sister?” Timothy Jones called out.
“No!” Scorpius looks around discreetly at the crowded bar to make sure none of Rose’s cousins are within earshot. He spots Albus talking to another of their Auror colleagues.
“Well then, I don’t see how it could be awkward then.” Tim teases.
“We work together. And besides, she’s one of those swotty, Ministry types.” Surely it would be strange if Scorpius and Rose started dating. Aside from an occasional hello, they haven’t interacted much in public. And they really are opposites. Rose is methodical and reasoned, where Scorpius is headstrong and restless. If it had been up to him, he would have busted Rockwood and Yaxley months ago.
“Are there rules against dating fellow Ministry witches? Because if there are, the British wizarding community would probably cease to exist. We’d all be a bunch of inbred...” Sean stops talking a little too late, his foot is already in his mouth.
Though pureblood families have worked hard to fix their image over the last forty years, but there were still some holdouts who’d rather marry cousins than halfblood or Muggle-born wizards.
“I guess there are other reasons that might make dating kind of...complicated.” Scorpius and Rose had never broached the subject of their families’ tense relationship before.
“So uncomplicate things, mate. You’re not getting any younger.” Sean takes a final swig of his beer and then throws down some coins to cover the tab. “I better head home. Us married men don’t have quite as much freedom as you single blokes.” Sean ruffles Scorpius’s hair and exits the pub.
Scorpius sits at the bar nursing his firewhiskey wondering if it could really be that easy. He watches Tim and their other single mates working the room, chatting up cute witches. He’s never been the type to flirt or date. He isn’t a relationship kind of guy either. Scorpius is a workaholic who has a fling every once in awhile. He knows he fancies Rose, but he respects her enough to be professional and try to keep his feelings in check.
***
At the next committee meeting Scorpius approaches the head table. Rose is frantically trying to set up the slide projector and inadvertently knocks over a stack of charts and graphs. She bends down to reach for the mess.
“Here, let me help,” he offers as he kneels on the floor scooping up sheets of parchment.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ve got it.” Rose says with a hint of a blush across her cheeks. Scorpius hopes it’s because they’re sharing a moment, and not because she’s repulsed.
“It’s no problem.” They both reach for a chart at the same time, their fingers touch. He knows it’s cliche, but he really does feel the energy between them.
“You shouldn’t be up here talking to me.” She whispers.
“We are on the same committee. No one will think twice if we interact.” Scorpius says under his breath.
Rose makes eye contact with him and then let’s go of the chart they’d both been clutching. She stands up and focuses her attention back on fixing the projector. Scorpius collects everything from the floor and stacks the parchment back on the table.
“I think that’s everything.” Scorpius says sheepishly. He runs his hand through his hair, long overdue for a cut. Unconsciously he’s messing everything up between them.
“Thanks, Scorpius. You should take your seat. We’re about to start.” Rose says very officially.
It’s slow progress, but at least it’s something, he thinks. Later during the meeting he contrives to bump into her at the snack table.
“Whatever you think you’re doing, stop.” She mutters as she fills her cup with fruit punch.
“These chocolate biscuits,” he grabs a couple and shoves them in his mouth, “so good.” The last part more a muffle because he can’t actually talk while he chews. He smiles at her as he returns to his seat.
Later that night when Scorpius meets up with Rose inside a Muggle department store she’s furious with him.
She does not hold back. “You cannot be seen talking with me at those meetings. That was not according to the plan!” They’re in public, so her strangled whisper is not quite as effective as yelling.
Scorpius is prepared with his argument. “I don’t understand how this compromises anything. Is it really out of the realm of possibility that we would talk to each other? We know each other from school and your Auror days. None of these CE-47 members will give it a second thought.”
“Maybe it isn’t noteworthy to them if they see us talking, but you’re supposed to follow my lead. That’s the point!”
“Well that’s rubbish. I don’t know why you can’t follow my lead sometimes. And if you didn’t want anyone seeing us interact, you probably shouldn’t have joined the committee. I see more of you than I see of some of my actual friends.”
“I didn’t join it, you git! You just happened to walk into my agency a week before my mission! And I’m sorry my committee is cutting into your blooming social life!”
“I never said it was blooming, I just think it’s stupid that even though I see you so much I can’t actually, you know, talk to you like a normal person.” He says with more anger than he means. Scorpius thinks about it for a moment. “And I didn’t know the committee was all your idea.”
“Believe it or not, it’s not an elaborate ruse for me to spend time with you. You’re not my only asset, you know.” Rose rolls her eyes and squares her shoulders.
The thought that she’s someone else’s handler makes his stomach turn. Scorpius fixates on a display of scarves and fiddles with the knotted fringe and pom poms. It takes conviction for him to speak up. “Look, Rockwood wants me to nominate him for Head of Security for the Quidditch World Cup. What’s your brilliant plan now?”
***
After the following week’s meeting Scorpius meets up with Rose at MI-6 headquarters. This time she’s made him bring ice cream from Fortescue’s. When he rights himself from his rocky portkey landing he notices Rose sitting at their table. She appears collected, but it’s obvious she’s been crying.
“Rough day?”
Rose doesn’t answer, she just pulls the pint of ice cream from the bag and begins to work her way through the rich, chocolate ice cream.
Scorpius makes a show of looking around. “If I didn’t know any better I could swear you just saw a Dementor.”
“Well, I do feel as if my soul has been sucked out of me.” Rose says wryly.
“What happened?” Scorpius asks as he pulls the pint of vanilla out.
“I’m being taken off of my own case.” Rose looks resigned.
“I don’t understand.”
“They’re putting someone with more experience in charge.”
“Who has more experience dealing with Muggles and wizards and international crime?”
Rose laughs bitterly. “Hell if I know.” She takes a big spoonful of ice cream. She starts to talk with her mouth half-full. “It doesn’t really matter anyway. It’s not like I was ever going to get promoted to full agent status anyway. I’ll just be an analyst forever, locked up in some musty Ministry office.” Rose swallows and twirls her spoon around in her hand. “It was just nice to finally get to prove my full potential. I felt like I was making a real impact. People finally looked at me like I wasn’t just some screw up.”
Scorpius frowns. “Who thinks you’re a screw up?”
Rose looks at Scorpius resentfully. “Everyone!” Rose takes another bite. “There’s Rose, she couldn’t hack her field test. She’s a disgrace to Aurors and Weasleys.” Rose says in a mocking tone, her tears barely kept at bay.
Scorpius reaches a hand out. “I don’t see how that should matter to this agency. And I know you can handle your own--no matter the results of that stupid field test. You’re a brilliant witch.” Scorpius feels almost breathless at the admission. He has to lighten the mood;the truth about his feelings hang heavy in the room. “Are you as capable with a gun as I know you are with a wand?” His lips quirk into a grin, and finally Rose allows herself to smile slightly in return.
“Funny thing is, I’ve got a deft hand and I’m a good shot, but I’m equally bad when it comes to being tested.” Rose puts the lid back on her ice cream and stands.
“Maybe you just never had the right motivation to pass your tests before.” Scorpius hopes she understands the sentiment behind his words.
She nods solemnly. “Well, I thought I owed you the courtesy of an explanation. Your new handler will be in contact.” Rose regains all the composure and aplomb she possesses.
“Granger, it was an honor.” Scorpius stands too and holds his palm out.
Their hands touch tentatively--his firm and steady, hers pliant and weary-- it’s more than a good-bye, but not nearly enough to convey the multitude of emotions they’re both feeling.
***
The plan unfolds just the way Scorpius and MI-6 hoped it would. Rockwood wants to bring Scorpius into the fold after he lands his boss the coveted Head of Security position. Scorpius has proven himself a valuable ally to CE-47, so Rockwood feels confident enough to reveal much of his plan and offers to introduce Scorpius to some of his other associates at the upcoming Embassy gala. A week before the gala, Agent Brooks, Scorpius’s new handler, summons him to MI-6 headquarters.
It’s the third time Brooks has failed to provide him with a method of transport to Vauxhall Cross. Up until Rose was let go from the case, Scorpius had always traveled by portkey. Now it’s up to Scorpius to navigate Muggle London. It’s not safe for him to apparate, and the only floo that Scorpius knows about is in Rose’s office. He arrives at the appointed time, paranoid and exhausted. He’s only taken the tube with friends before, never on his own during rush hour. He keeps looking over his shoulder, afraid that CE-47 has someone tailing him.
Agent Brooks doesn’t even stand to greet Scorpius. He just opens a file and starts talking. “I want to review your next mission again. You’re meeting Rockwood at the British Embassy, and I’d like you to use this two-way earpiece. I’ll be there at the gala watching you from a safe distance, but now I’ll hear what you’re hearing too. If Rockwood meets up with Yaxley again, make sure you’re close enough to transmit the conversation.” He hands Scorpius a small earbud.
Scorpius feels shaken in a way he hasn’t felt since that first night he spent in MI-6. He’s angry that during this field op his partner will be Agent Brooks and not Rose. “You risked my life for a little chat? I already have my directives, and now you want me to use this Muggle technology?”
“I’m not used to someone questioning my authority.” Agent Brooks says defensively.
“Well, I’m not used to someone using their authority so recklessly. I’m risking my life to bring down my boss and his evil cohorts. I’d appreciate you extending me the courtesy of discretion. You don’t see me requesting your presence at Diagon Alley!”
“You’re mistaken if you think you can talk to me like that!”
“No, you’re mistaken and in over your head. You don’t know the first thing about magic or wizards or the Dark Arts. Me coming here was a mistake.” Scorpius paces back and forth across the small area of Brooks’s office. “If Rockwood suspects anything is amiss tomorrow, he’ll get a Legilimens to discover what I’m hiding.” Scorpius sounds almost hysterical now, the pressure of leading a double life is wearing him thin.
“We’ve gone over it already. You’ll just follow Rockwood’s lead and you’ll be fine. This is easy.”
“Going into the Muggle world is not easy, not for me. If you knew the first thing about me, you’d know that. I need to talk to Granger! Put Granger back on this case or I’m out!” He shouts and turns to look through the glass windows of Brooks’s office. Other officers and agents in the bullpen quickly avert their gaze from the scene Scorpius is creating.
“She’s just an analyst, not even a junior intelligence officer.” Brooks scoffs.
“I don’t give a rats arse about your bureaucratic process, but I don’t trust you. I’ll walk, I will walk away, so help me Merlin.”
“Granger is not senior enough to be running this operation!” Brooks looks disgusted when he says Rose’s name.
“So promote her!” Scorpius storms out of the office and doesn’t look back.
Blood pounds in his ears and he’s pretty sure he’s having an anxiety attack. He walks back to the tube, and once he’s sure no one is following him, he gets off and heads for a dark side-street so he can disapparate.
***
Scorpius fiddles with the bow tie of his tuxedo as he stands at the check-in table for the gala. He tucks the heavy cardstock invitation under his arm and waits his turn. He goes through security and once he’s inside the party he hears a slight crackle of the live comm in his ear.
“Are you picking this up?” He says under his breath.
“Loud and clear.” The voice on the other end is distinctly feminine.
Scorpius smiles.
“Hey, thanks for the promotion.” She says with sincerity.
“You owe me one now.” Scorpius nabs a flute of champagne from a passing tray and raises it in mock salute.
“I’ll drink to that.” Rose says.
Scorpius scans the room for her familiar face, but he can’t spot her among the crowd.
“Red dress, ten o’clock.” She teases him.
He turns and sees her leaning against the bar like some femme fatale, her cocktail raised. She’s striking and this catches him off guard for a moment. Scorpius once thought Rose looked plain and mousy, but that was only on first impression. He’s long considered her the most interesting witch of his acquaintance--intelligent, intuitive, and tonight, incredibly seductive. There isn’t a single person he trusts more with his life, to be his handler, or to back him up in a dangerous situation--Muggle or magical.
“Red, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”
She snorts. It’s unladylike and not at all sexy, but it makes his pulse quicken anyway.
“How long have you been waiting to say that?” He can practically hear Rose rolling her eyes.
His reply, equally dreamy as it is smug, “A while...”
“Don’t get too cocky, I’ve got a license to kill, you know.”
Scorpius walks to the opposite side of the room and waits for Rockwood to show. It’s going to be a long night, and even longer until they bring down CE-47, but at least he’ll have Rose by his side.
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