Chapter Twenty
Confronting the Faceless 💀 CompleteJanuary 2, 1998
"The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."
Audrey doesn't have to go to work on New Year's Day, so she doesn't. And luckily she's allowed to take the next morning off as well, leaving her time to sleep in, relax, and generally mentally prepare herself for going back into work. More importantly, she gets to mentally prepare for Umbridge, who's gotten more manic as time pasess.
The Muggleborn trials have all but stopped at this point - people are getting smart now, not responding to the summons and instead vanishing into the night. Audrey knows her horrid boss has her eyes on taking over the Fugitive Recovery Unit but she doubts that will go anywhere. The current leader of that group is Yurina Nakayashi, and she is both terrifying and efficient - no way will Yaxley pass her Unit over to Umbridge. The toad just misses making people feel small at the trials.
Audrey does still have lunch with Lucas planned for the day - their first one in the new year - so she's up and dressed by nine in the morning before realizing she nows has several hours to kill with nothing planned.
She'd gone home for the holidays, which had admittedly been nice. Her parents were the same as ever - overbearing of course, but manageable since she knew she'd be leaving again in a few days - and her little brother Dorian was only too excited to tell her about school and the resistance there. She's admittedly a little worried about that, though she knows Dorian is smart and will steer clear of anything that could get him hurt.
Her aunts had been down for the holiday as well, and her Aunt Alma had made a point to pull Audrey aside and ask after Thicknesse and the Ministry in general. Her aunt had been a political editor for the Daily Prophet up until a month ago, when she'd quit rather dramatically when told to write an article about how Muggleborns supposedly ruined the Ministry and the new regime is simply fixing their mistakes. Audrey personally thinks it was a rather risky move, but Alma has never let anything get in the way of her wants or her morals, and since no Deatheaters have come knocking Audrey supposes her aunt is likely in the clear at this point.
Seeing Alma had dug up some of her usual guilt though - Audrey knows logically that she could quit as well. She knows logically that her Aunt is almost definitely working with the Order of the Phoenix (the "secret" resistance organization that everyone and their owl knows about) in her new spare time. Meanwhile Audrey keeps getting coffee every morning for the cute guy whose testimony got one of Audrey's old roommates killed.
She still questions herself on that one - logically she should hate Percy Weasley, but there's an earnestness and a genuineness to him that she still senses, even after the nightmare that was October twenty ninth.
She sighs and checks the time - still an hour to go before she has to meet Lucas for lunch. She's come to quite enjoy their meals together after all this time, and has started getting to know Lucas for himself rather than in hopes he'll drop information about Percy that will help her get him talking about her former boss. It's weird, she muses as she automatically grabs a pack of Muggle cigarettes and lights one up as she steps onto her balcony, how she's unintentionally started liking both Percy and Lucas despite initially just wanting to use them for information.
She takes a deep inhale and stares out over her street thoughtfully. It's been a while since she's smoked - Thicknesse never liked it when he caught her grabbing the occasional light so she doesn't bring any to work anymore. And since she's always at work these days... well. She's overdue in her opinion.
She isn't a serial smoker, but occasionally she'll light one up to relax, and Merlin knows she's needed that these past few months. So she sits on the balcony and lets the cigarette burn out between her fingers and lips as she waits for an appropriate time to head over to the pub.
At a quarter to noon she tosses the stub out onto the street and pulls out her wand to vanish the scent before stepping back into her apartment to gather her coat and her bag. She apparates straight to the Ministry safe point and walks from there. She's still chilled from standing on her balcony without a coat so the weather doesn't bother her much as she makes her way to the pub.
Lucas actually isn't there for once, so she takes their usual booth and settles in awkwardly to wait, unsure of what to do with herself without a conversation partner. It's not like she'd left herself any work to do over the holidays so she can't even go over paperwork in her head like she normally would.
She drums her fingers on the table and waves off the far too cheery waitress who tries to take her order. How does Lucas stand always getting here early? She keeps her eyes on the door, running her tongue over the back of her teeth in hopes the lingering nicotine taste will ease her nerves.
Finally Lucas steps in, and Audrey notices immediately that he looks exhausted. Sure he's looked frazzled or nervous in the past, but this is a bone-deep tiredness that shows in bags under his eyes and a weight to his step.
"Everything alright?" She asks casually as he takes the seat across from her.
"Fine." He says, tightly, almost harshly, and that's a different tone than she's used to from him. Lucas is soft edges and gentle waves, not tight lines ready to snap. She frowns.
"Yeah, that was rhetorical. You look like your cat died, you're not fine." As she says it she wonders if that's actually what happened and has a moment of regret. But Lucas doesn't flinch so she figures she's probably safe on that front.
"No, no, Holly is fine." He says stumblingly. "I just lost a patient last night. First time, it's sort of rough."
Audrey frowns. Something about that statement feels wrong but she can't quite put her finger on it, so she lets it go for the moment. "Sorry to hear that. Want to hear about my Christmas then? The twins got drunk and set the living room on fire, it was quite eventful."
Lucas finally manages a smile. "I'd like that." He agrees quietly.
So Audrey talks about her cousins and the chaos they always bring with them, about her aunts and specifically her Aunt Alma and the Dramatic Quitting which she has a feeling is going to become one of the legendary family stories. It isn't until their food arrives that she finally realizes exactly why Lucas's excuse is sitting wrong with her.
"So, not to say you're lying." She says casually, "But you don't finish your trauma certification until next month, right? You can't have lost a patient since you aren't certified to treat emergencies yet."
Lucas freezes with his fork halfway to his mouth. "Um, I, well-" He's stumbling over his own tongue, clearly frantic. "I mean, I don't, it's, uh, it's part of the certification. I just saw someone not make it during an observation." The excuse is shaky and obviously cobbled together on the spot, and Audrey frowns. Lucas has never lied to her, at least not that she's noticed, and this show of messiness tells her she probably would have. She has half a mind to push it, but hesitates. She doesn't want to drive off the one non-stressful bit of her life.
So she bites her tongue and shrugs an acceptance that lasts right up until the check comes out.
"I'm sorry, I can't. Even if what you said was true you're acting way too weird about this for me to believe you." She says sharply. "If you're in trouble I'd like to know."
Lucas stares at her, his whirling mind written obviously across his face, though Audrey for once can't read what exactly her friend is thinking. She does know when he's come to a decision though - his eyes harden and he stands abruptly, tossing some money on the table to cover the bill. "You have time for a walk?"
She agrees, suddenly wondering if she shouldn't have pushed it. If Lucas is in trouble she actually would probably rather stay away from it.
Too late now.
She follows her friend out of the pub and to a quiet alley where he holds out his hand in a clear offer. Audrey can still back out of this if she chooses, can ignore the hand, make up an excuse, and walk away.
She gets the feeling she'll never see Lucas again if she does that, though. So she takes the hand.
He apparates them into a dingy room with a single worn-down bed that stinks of alcohol and regrets. Audrey wrinkles her nose.
"I should warn you I'm quite adept with charms." She says casually. She doubts Lucas would hurt her, but if he's in trouble with someone else she doesn't know what they might be capable of.
Lucas huffs out a tight laugh. "I don't have long, so I'll make sure to set you up with Python later, but I was telling the truth that I lost someone last night. A Muggleborn." He pauses as Audrey frowns. "I'm not with the Order. I'm... I work for a different group. One that's focused on staying hidden and protecting Muggleborns."
Audrey keeps her expression neutral but her mind is racing. A secret group protecting Muggleborns? Like what Saundra had been accused of doing?
Something on her face must have given her away, because Lucas' next words are, "It's the same group Saundra created. They survived, thrived really. Her death gave them the chance to expand without scrutiny. One of the things we need are more eyes in the Ministry - Rat can only do so much and the other three still in there are limited by their positions."
Half of that sentence makes no sense, but Audrey understands enough. "And you're asking if I'd do that? If I'd risk everything for people I don't know?"
"You know me." Lucas says quietly, and damnit but he's right.
Still, she hesitates. Does she really want to get mixed up with this? This is bigger than just quitting the Ministry in a show of distaste, this is straight-up espionage. This is a group that has already gotten someone killed.
This is a group that's trying to help while clearly staying concerned with not being caught.
Audrey sighs. "I'm going to regret this, but I suppose I'm in. Not like I could leave otherwise, right?"
Lucas shrugs. "Actually you can. Still can. I haven't given you enough details to relocate this place. I have to get back to work, but if you want more time to think about it I could give you a few of our easier code phrases and then Python can come find you later and ask again?"
Audrey is nodding before he's finished speaking. "That would be best, yes." She says, relieved that she'll get more time to process all this before making a stupid decision.
So Lucas teaches her a few phrases - some of which sound familiar. When she says as much he tells her they're from a Muggle book. Audrey doubts she's read it, but she might have overheard it at some point so she writes it off and Lucas apparates them back to the alley so they can both head to work.
As usual Audrey picks up two cups of coffee - it may be noon but she certainly still needs it after the shock Lucas had just given her - and heads up to the Minster's office.
Percy looks up with a smile as she strides over, already moving papers out of the way on his desk so she can set his coffee down.
"Have a good holiday?" He asks as she sets his cup down and then leans against his desk, ignoring the tittering it gets from some of the other secretaries.
"Well enough. My cousins were an absolute joy, but what can you expect from teenagers?" She replies lightly. "Did you actually take time off or did you move into your desk while everyone else was off getting drunk?" She asks in turn with a knowing smile.
Percy has the decency to look embarrassed. "I get more done when it's quiet." He protests weakly, but he's smiling as well. "I did miss our morning chats though." He adds with a blush.
Audrey's smile widens slightly at that, even as she mentally tries to remind herself that Percy is one of them, that he'd nearly destroyed the group she's now considering joining, but her stupid cheeks stay warm.
"Well I miss not having to go out into the snow every morning." She says in response, keeping her tone light and flippant.
Percy shrugs. "You know, many human being say that they enjoy the winter." He replies idly as he flicks through a few of the files on his desk.
It's an innocuous phrase, a bit odd but Percy sometimes says things oddly, but Audrey freezes, her fingers curling around the edge of the desk to keep herself grounded.
It's an innocuous phrase, just a simple reply to her comment about the snow, but it's one she's heard very recently.
Taking a shaky breath, she opens to reply. "What they really enjoy is feeling proof against it."
Percy pauses and glances up, something sharp and hopeful in his eyes. Audrey swallows.
Well, now she knows why some of the code phrases Lucas just taught her sounded familiar. Percy has been dropping them into their conversations for the past two months. Which means Percy is part of the Underground. Which means...
Which means she has a lot more questions about October twenty ninth now.
Percy is the first to speak - the two of them have been staring at each other intently for who knows how long now, and Audrey feels herself coloring as she realizes it.
"Forgive me if this is too forward, but I've been trying to work up the nerve for some time now and I worry I'll lose it if I don't speak up." He declares formally. "Would you be interested in getting dinner with me this evening?"
Audrey swallows. If she's honest with herself something inside sings at the offer - Percy Weasley, smart, driven, adorable Percy Weasely is asking plain old stand-offish her to dinner - but something much louder is almost dissapointed. He's asking because he thinks she's part of the Underground. But she's not, she hasn't decided yet.
Though that isn't strictly true, is it? She had decided. She'd decided she was going to say no.
But those earnest, hopeful eyes are very quickly making her reconsider that decision.
She can feel eyes from the other people in the room focused in on her back, and knows that they're about to become major office gossip. She's going to absolutely hate it.
"I'd love to. Pick me up at seven?"
He beams. "Just be sure to leave your address with me at some point." He adds after a moment, looking a bit flustered and Audrey feels much the same.
She hears the whispers coming from the other secretaries - judging, no doubt, or pitying Percy for having such poor taste - but she ignores it and heads over to Umbridge's desk, where the toad thankfully is not sitting. There's a stack of papers with her name scrawled across them and she quickly collects them and flips through them as she leaves the office to determine where they need to go.
The day passes in a blur, and soon enough the files are distributed, others are collected and returned to Umbridge's desk for her to peruse whenever she decides to come back to work. Audrey is about ready to escape out the door as five o'clock passes, but one of the younger secretaries scurries up to her at the last possible second.
Audrey manages to bite back an irritated sigh, though only just. She recognizes this one - Justine Hammond, a fellow Hufflepuff from her cousin Livia's year at Hogwarts - and knows she probably means well. Justine is a bit scatterbrained, so it wouldn't be the first time she's begged Audrey to deliver something for her last minute.
But the other secretary isn't holding any files. "I just wanted to say I'm so excited you and Percy are finally going on a date! You two have been driving us all crazy the past few months." She winks playfully. "We're rooting for you! Have fun tonight!"
And that... Audrey had not been expecting that. She doesn't think she's ever had a conversation with Justine that wasn't directly work related, so she has absolutely no idea how to respond to the sudden show of friendliness (and had she implied all the secretaries wish her luck? Audrey had thought her coworkers didn't like her, or at least only tolerated her).
"Oh, well, thank you?" She responds after a moment of stunned silence.
Justine beams. "Alright I'll quit holding you up. See you at work tomorrow!"
Audrey spins the interaction around her head as she returns to her flat, eventually concluding that her going on a date must make her seem more approachable. She isn't quite sure of the logic there, but nothing else makes sense.
Once that's settled (enough that her mind is content to let it rest, at least) she realizes she has to figure out what to wear - she's never been on a date before, but she's rather certain that her work robes are inappropriate attire.
She thinks this is the sort of thing you'd normally ask your mother about, but as much as she loves her mother, Leila Blishwick would probably make far too big a deal out of the situation, as she's wont to do.
Eventually, when she realizes she only has thirty minutes left and still hasn't done anything about her hair, she just grabs one of the "nice" robes her mother had bought her years ago for a hypothetical Hogsmeade date that had never happened and throws it on.
She's halfway through fighting her curls into a braid - the only non-ponytail hairstyle she can do on her own - when it hits her that she's putting in a lot of effort for something that's not actually about Percy liking her at all.
This is going to be business - Percy thinks she's with the Underground, she's going to have to tell him she's not, and the date (not date) will end after fifteen minutes with extremely awkwardness that will still be around at work tomorrow and the entire Ministry will know the whole of whatever made-up story the other secretaries come up with to explain things within hours of Audrey not giving Percy his morning coffee.
She blinks away the thoughts and realizes she'd finished the braid on autopilot, so she supposes it will be staying. And maybe it's under false pretenses but this is still a date - it's only natural to put in the base level of effort to look presentable, or as presentable as Audrey can ever be considering her tiny stature and awkwardly-arranged facial features.
She jumps at the knock on her door and grabs her wand to check the time. Seven o'clock exactly.
She smiles slightly at that - of course Percy was precise on this, he's never anything but.
"Coming!" She calls, quickly double-checking herself in the mirror, deciding she hates it, and then hurrying out of her bathroom to the front door because there's no time to fix things now.
Percy is standing nervously in the hallway when she opens the door, a wrapped box clutched in his hands. He's wearing a mix of Muggle and wizard clothes, to Audrey's surprise - black slacks and a collared shirt underneath open semi-formal robes. He looks fantastic, and she has to work to ignore her blush.
He awkwardly holds out the box. "Um, this is for you." He declares, and she smiles a bit when she realizes he's exactly as nervous about all this as she is.
"Thanks." She says as she accepts it and places it on her shoe rack to open up later. "Um, so shall we go?"
Percy nods jerkily and offers his arm, which she takes. They walk silently out of her building and down the block to a small café she's walked past several times but never actually gone into.
She should probably say something.
"So, um, everything go well at work today?" She blurts, and wow Audrey, this is why you don't get dates.
Luckily for her she picked probably the one person alive who actually likes talking about his job, as Percy perks up. "Actually yes, it was quite a productive one." He blushes and adds, "I mean, I was in an excellent mood all afternoon, which certainly helped."
Audrey blushes as well and offers a smile. If he's telling the truth, then maybe Percy actually is interested in her?
Things seem to be pointing in that direction all throughout dinner - the Underground doesn't come up once in their conversation, which flows as easily as it ever has much to Audrey's relief.
Once the food is gone and Percy has paid (he'd insisted and honestly Audrey was a little flattered by the gesture) they take a walk through the city, continuing the conversation, and Audrey doesn't think she's ever talked about herself this much in her life. Maybe spending so much time with heart-on-his-sleeve Lucas is affecting her.
They're in a quiet part of Muggle London that Audrey recognizes only because it's close by the Leaky when Percy finally brings up the topic she'd been dreading. "So earlier, you knew the code phrase."
And for a moment Audrey thinks of lying. It's not something she really does - she's never much felt the need to before - but for a brief few seconds she wonders if maybe it will give her an easy out.
But she knows it's not really an option, not when it's obvious she knows something about the Underground. "I haven't decided if I'm joining." She replies eventually.
Percy nods. "I know, Python filled me in. Saundra's sister, one of the other founders." He adds at her confused look.
"'Other' founders?" She asks, and he bites his lip.
"Okay, so I'm not supposed to tell you anything in detail unless you agree to join, but I'm pretty sure you won't tell anyone regardless of what you choose. And you knew Saundra. I owe you an explanation regardless of anything else, if I want this relationship to go anywhere." He smiles nervously. "And I assure you I really, really do want it to go somewhere."
Considering he'd just reminded her that he'd gotten Saundra killed that sentiment shouldn't warm her the way it does. "Alright then. Explain."
He lets out a slow breath, then glances around and mutters a silencing charm. "Just in case." He says sheepishly. "I'm about to tell you something that only one other person knows."
Audrey just waits for him to continue.
"Well, Audrey - Python, I mean, you two have the same name - reached out to me back in September, pretty shortly after the Ministry fell. Well, she broke into my flat actually, which was not particularly pleasant. Anyway, she explained that her sister Saundra wanted to make a group to help Muggleborns, and that I was perfectly positioned to effectively sabotage things without coming under much suspicion."
"And you what, reported them and then felt bad about it?" Audrey can't help butting in.
Percy winces. "Actually I joined up right away. I'd been..." He pauses, frowning and crossing his arms, "Well, it doesn't matter why. But around the beginning of October I found some things in Saundra's finances that could point back to what we were doing. I warned her and even offered to erase the evidence but she saw an opportunity." He smiles bitterly. "If I was the one who found her, then there would be no way the Ministry would ever suspect me of being a part of the organization." He pauses for another moment, and Audrey uses the time to process.
It makes sense, in a twisted way. She certainly had no idea Percy was working with Saundra - and she's a lot smarter than most of their current superiors.
"It wasn't... we thought she'd just go to Azkaban." His voice is quiet, almost pleading, and Audrey realizes he might've never forgiven himself for the results. Which suddenly makes it a lot easier for her to forgive him for them.
"She must have known it was a risk." She says after a moment. "Saundra was a lot of things, but she wasn't stupid." She sighs, looks up towards the cloud-covered night sky, and then looks back to Percy. "Alright, I'm in. What exactly would I be doing?"
Percy looks surprised. "You don't- I mean I don't want to force you-"
"You aren't. You guys clearly do your best to keep under the radar while still helping and I've been feeling guilty for months. I'm doing this for me, okay?"
Percy blinks slowly, and then nods. "Alright. Alright then you need to meet somebody, and I'll tell you everything else." He says, a small smile creeping across his face as he offers her his arm.
Some logical part of her brain is shouting that she's rushing this decision, but she doesn't hesitate to take the offering and let Percy lead her towards the Leaky and into Diagon Alley. They wind through the Alley until they reach one of the back roads, and Percy stops in front of a small shop.
Audrey glances up and frowns. "The Kiddell Wand Shop?" She asks, a bit confused. She has a wand. And besides its' late - the shop is obviously closed.
"One of our partners." Percy says simply as the door unlocks and swings open, revealing a pregnant young woman with a wry smile on her face.
"You know, I'm supposed to be on maternity leave Rat." The woman says with a slightly teasing lilt.
Percy winces apologetically. "Sorry Sparrow, you know we need to limit who knows my identity."
Holly waves them in idly. "Yeah yeah. So you're the new girl then?" She addresses Audrey finally as the three move into the shop and she locks up again.
Audrey nods uncertainly. "I suppose so."
"Well then you'll need a wand. Saundra doing everything with one is what got her done in ultimately." Sparrow says briskly, and that... that makes a lot of sense.
"You really have thought everything out, haven't you?" She doesn't hide the fact that she's impressed.
Percy grins. "It's mostly Python honestly, she's the brains. I'm just the information guy."
"One of, Lion does some of that too, doesn't she?" Sparrow asks idly just as she vanishes into the back room.
Audrey has no idea what to make of that comment and she looks over at Percy in confusion.
"Another member. Don't worry, you don't need to remember most of them, just myself and Python."
"And you're Rat and she's Sparrow. I'm noticing an animal theme." She comments as she follows Percy into the back room, where hundreds upon hundreds of wand boxes are stacked in orderly rows on the massive shelving units.
"Our method of communication is linked to that, I'll show you how it works once you have your new wand. Speaking of, do you have an animal preference?"
The entire thing feels weirdly casual, her and Percy carrying on a conversation about spirit animals in the back of a dark, closed wand shop whose owner is watching them like a hawk from the shadows of one of the shelves.
She suddenly speaks up maybe fifteen minutes later, and Audrey startles - she'd nearly forgotten the other woman was there.
"I've got some ideas, but they're going to be tough to reach. Sit tight."
Audrey glances over at Percy. "Ideas?"
"Of what wand will work with you best." He explains. "She's got a real talent for it." He grins. "Wolf."
She laughs. "I'm still not sold on that." She says, then clears . "So you still haven't told me what my job would be, exactly."
Percy hums, a bit of the levity slipping out of his expression. "Well, I'm the primary Ministry insider, as it were, but there are still places I can't get to without raising suspicion. All I'd need is for you to occasionally go into certain departments and copy specific files. I'd tell you ahead of time what they were, and I'll teach you how to silently cast our copy spell."
Audrey tilts her head. It sounds simple enough, and she figures she'll come to understand it better once she has her new wand and is able to actually practice all the spells Percy has been talking about. The messenger spell sounds a lot like a Patronus, which is worrying her slightly as she's never successfully cast one.
Sparrow returns then, grinning proudly and clutching three boxes. "Okay, I should have asked what your other wand is, but I've got a Beech, a Hazel, and a Pine, all Phoenix Feather cores."
Audrey frowns. "My current wand is a Pine with Unicorn hair." She says uncertainly. "Why Phoenix feather?"
"Trust me, you're a phoenix." Sparrow says dismissively. "People change from eleven to however-old-you are, plus motivations when procuring a wand matter. So give them a wave."
Audrey hesitantly takes the Pine first, but when that feels wrong she goes for the Beech.
This time a wisp of blue happily floats up the wand's length and Sparrow beams.
"Told you. Alright, if that's all I'm heading back to bed. Feel free to use the space to teach her the basics."
They stay in the store for over an hour after that, and Percy teaches her how to summon a messenger (and she does end up using Wolf as her code name) as well as showing her the other spells she'll need to use. She heads home that night feeling rather nervous - but there's also something stirring deep in the back of her mind that almost feels like pride.
Maybe she's looking forward to helping - or maybe the date just went really well.
Author's Note: LOOKIT THESE TWO BEING CUTE <3 So yeah! Who else was fooled by Badger and Rat's little plan? ;P Also, I realize that both Caldwell girls engaged in some form of law breaking in their recruiting Underground members (kidnapping and B&E), why are they like this xD
AND ALSO I do believe I promised you guys a surprise to celebrate the changing of the years~ I considered waiting until we're officially halfway through the story, but that's a month and a half away and I'm impatient xD And so here it is! Hope you all like it~
And happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it!
Next Week: Sometimes people just want some peace and quiet
So I'm thinking I might do a final 'afterwords' chapter to share my thoughts and feelings on writing this story, if that's something people would be interested in? I'm also open to answering any lingering questions people might have there as well!
Comments