Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 26 - Don't spill the beans

In the press department of the Ministry of Magic, there was a lot of hustle and bustle, even though it was still relatively early in the morning. Several reports of new attacks had come in from the Auror headquarters, all of which had occurred in the past few days. Once again, Muggle-born families had been the victims. This time, even a Ministry employee and his family were affected, as he served as a minister on the committee responsible for educational matters. The deceased minister, who had lived in Brocburrow, had been quite popular among his colleagues, which was why several candles and wreaths had already been placed outside his office door as a tribute. 

Laura had never had much to do with him, but she participated in this gesture of mourning, placing a small bouquet of flowers among the numerous others on the floor. While doing so, she overheard a conversation between two other Ministry employees who were in the same hallway.
"Supposedly, they've seen Marvolo Gaunt near Brocburrow," said one of the men, who was trying to organize a stack of file folders on his arm while chatting with his colleague. The other raised his eyebrows and helped him as one of the folders threatened to slip from his hand.
"So you think the Gaunt family is behind this?" he asked, and Laura immediately became attentive. 

She liked the way this man emphasized the name of her husband's family, as there was a reverent fear in his voice. However, she tried not to show this and continued to walk slowly down the hallway in the direction of the two men to eavesdrop on their conversation. She pretended to be engrossed in a report as she walked, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings.
"They may act civilized, but everyone knows they're absolutely obsessed with their blood status and have no tolerance for Muggle-borns," one of the two employees whispered now, but Laura could hear every word because she had arrived so close to them. She noticed that the men gave her a skeptical look, but then apparently decided they could let her pass without interrupting their conversation.
"I'm curious to see if this suspicion is really pursued further or whether it simply fizzles out because the Ministry doesn't want to mess with them."

Laura immediately picked up her pace as she turned a corner. She wanted to get back to her desk in the open-plan office of the press department quickly. Several employees were already busy typing, and one of the senior officials from the Auror headquarters, whom Laura recognized by sight, was standing with a serious expression in the department's entrance area, talking to her supervisor. Laura didn't hesitate for long and went straight towards the two men who were engaged in a lively discussion.

"Good morning, gentlemen," she greeted the two with a forced smile, immediately capturing their attention. She had her red hair elegantly tied up in a bun and was wearing a simple blouse tucked into the waistband of her long pleated skirt to accentuate her waist. Laura Drewitt was an attractive woman, and she knew how to leverage her charm not only to win over Alvertos Gaunt many years ago but also to navigate her professional life. 

Her supervisor beamed as he placed a hand on her shoulder and then turned to his colleague from the Auror headquarters.
"Clemens, may I introduce you to Laura Drewitt? She is by far the most talented and insightful editor we have here," he almost gushed, and Laura exchanged a collegial handshake with the man named Clemens.
"Pleasure to meet you, Laura. If I may. Clemens Anderson," the broad-shouldered yet very elegantly dressed man introduced himself, and Laura recognized the typical, subtly flirtatious sparkle in his gaze that she had already encountered from countless male acquaintances who seemed to think they could easily impress her because of her appearance. 

Nevertheless, she responded to the man's gaze with a friendly smile.
"The pleasure is all mine, Clemens. Are you here because of the reports on the recent attacks?" she asked with genuine interest and, shortly thereafter, put on an absolutely believable look of concern and worry. She excelled in this kind of acting, and her supervisor replied with an equally serious expression, nodding slightly.
"It seems there are finally more concrete leads on who might be behind it," he said, and Laura had to make an effort not to show her nervousness. She looked back at Clemens Anderson, who had twisted his mouth as if deep in thought about something.
"Leads that we should urgently pursue. Unfortunately, discussions are already happening in the Ministry, which means even classified information is at risk of leaking to the public," he almost growled, making it abundantly clear that he despised when the work of his Auror colleagues and himself was hindered or even obstructed by things like a heated rumor mill.