The snake and the lion (Severus x OC)

13- Two years later

Rosalind Benson got out of the elevator, making great efforts not to let the scrolls she was carrying fall from the jostling of the crowd.

She walked towards her desk and left the mountain of manuscripts on it before sitting in her chair, which she had put small wheels on to make it slide more easily, and began to organize everything, satisfied with herself. She had only recently enjoyed that desk, in that office, inside the Auror headquarters, and she was very proud of herself.

After months of study and preparation, she had finally managed to become an Auror, as she had always dreamed of, and the best of all was that she had achieved it in record time, like everyone in her class. This was because the Ministry, frightened by the number of casualties caused by Lord Voldemort and his followers, had decided to advance the graduation of Auror candidates, with the condition that they had to finish their training while working.

None of the new Aurors cared that the current circumstances were so dangerous, nor that the maximum average age reached in the force did not reach thirty years. In fact, all of them were so eager to go save the world that they wouldn't have stopped even if they were told that seventy percent of them would be dead within two years.

Rose raised her head when she heard the laughter, and she smiled too, when she saw her two best friends, from whom she had not been separated after all, leave the elevator.

Between laughs, she watched as young Mr. Potter picked up his brand-new wife in his arms and walked with her through the hallway, until they reached a desk near Rose's.

"James, let go of me!" Lily protested between laughs.

"As you wish," he replied, carefully placing her on the chair.

Rose approached them, pushing off with her feet and making her chair skid until she almost collided with Lily.

"Hey, couple, how was the honeymoon?" she asked mischievously.

"Well... you know what France is like," James replied elusively, putting his arms around Lily's shoulders. "Beautiful houses, huge avenues, French people–"

"Let me guess, you haven't left the hotel," Rose deduced.

"Exactly," he said, kissing Lily on the head. She was still laughing, her eyes shining, and it seemed to Rose that she was happiness personified.

"Just know that I'm not envious of you," Rose teased, and Lily stuck out her tongue at her.

They were interrupted by a tall, broad-shouldered man with abundant gray hair, that had approached them. It was Hugo Battleman, the Head of the Auror office, and therefore, the one in charge there.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I'm glad to see you back," he greeted seriously "But I would appreciate it if you would get to work once and for all and stop distracting the staff." he added, looking at Rose.

The three of them made guilty faces, but as soon as Battleman turned around, they laughed again, although this time surreptitiously. However, Lily quickly regained her responsible streak and freed herself from James's arms.

"He is right. We should catch up."

"Whatever you say, my love." he agreed before kissing her and heading to his desk, which was located in front of Rose's "Tell me, Rosy, did anything important happen while we were away?" James asked as soon as he sat down, and Rose returned to her position.

"More of the same." she replied "Deaths, disappearances, innocents under the Imperius curse, guilty people who pretend to have been under the Imperius curse..."

At her desk, Lily was shuffling through her papers, as if she were looking for something, but the other two pretended to ignore her, even though they were very attentive to what she was doing.