DEVIL'S SNARE ━ james sirius potter ✓

▬▬ 29. CHANCES

⠀⠀"Callen!" Laurel exclaimed, hugging her best friend. Laurel rarely ever saw Callen at work, since she was always bustling around helping with Muggle-wizard affairs, so this was a special occasion. "You look good, Madam Li-Evans."
⠀⠀Callen laughed as she squeezed her friend back. "You're sweet. What floor are you heading to?"
⠀⠀"Second. You?"
⠀⠀"Actually, same. I have to drop something off with your boss." Callen chuckled, waving a big brown envelope in the air with the Ministry's logo stamped on it. There was a big red stamp over the front of it that said CONFIDENTIAL. Under it was Laurel's boss' name: Deputy Katie Bell.
⠀⠀"Like a case?"
⠀⠀"Yeah. I don't know about what though. Granger told me it was top secret."
⠀⠀"I can see that," Laurel laughed, pointing at the red letters. "Isn't your job not to be delivering these things?"
⠀⠀"Eh well, our Minister doesn't trust the ones who usually deliver these things, so she had me do it. Besides, it doesn't take very long anyway."
⠀⠀Laurel shrugged. "I mean, I could take it to my boss, if you want."
⠀⠀"No, it's alright, Laury. I want to see what your office looks like anyway," Callen laughed.
⠀⠀Laurel laughed too. "Oh, I'm reminded. I have something kind of important to tell you but I couldn't send you an owl since I got it last night." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "And obviously, there are too many people here that I know would eavesdrop."
⠀⠀Callen giggled, lifting her hand up to her mouth to cover her smile. The lift finally reached the second floor at that moment, the two friends walking out, heading towards the Investigative Healer Department.

⠀⠀"I'll give this to Deputy Bell first," Callen said as they stopped at Laurel's desk. Laurel nodded and watched her friend knock on the department head's door, walking inside. Laurel sat down at her desk, organizing the papers and files that were scattered around from the last time she was here.

⠀⠀The Investigative Healer Department was relatively small, a branch of the Aurors that weren't trained as Aurors. They were coroners, usually testing bodies for causes of death and the like, but on occasion they were called out of office to help Aurors at the crime scene. Sometimes they would come to help take injured persons to St. Mungo's. Laurel was one of five of the team, working together on some cases while most of them were assigned by Deputy Bell to work on individually. Laurel liked her coworkers, but truly disliked most of the Aurors that walked in, expecting answers quickly. But for the most part, she enjoyed her job.

⠀⠀Laurel readjusted the framed photos that sat at her desk, one of the entire Scamander family, from before Lorcan died, one with Phillip, and another of her and her friends from their Hogwarts years at Hogsmeade. She paused to look at the last one, focusing on one laughing face — James. Laurel picked up the frame, her fingers lingering over his laughing face. She was immediately reminded of the blue envelope that sat in her bag.

⠀⠀Just then, Callen came out of the office, the clacking of her heels breaking Laurel from her mild daze. "Your boss is pretty cool."
⠀⠀Laurel's face lit up. "I know. She's amazing."
⠀⠀Callen smiled. Then she paused and pointed at her friend's neck. "Is that a—?"
⠀⠀"A hickey? Yes. I tried covering it."
⠀⠀"I keep telling you that spell doesn't work, Laury." Callen chuckled a little.
⠀⠀"Is it that obvious?"
⠀⠀Callen stared at Laurel for a minute. "No, you're fine." She reaches over to strategically place Laurel's hair around her neck to hide it. "There you go."
⠀⠀Laurel chuckled. "Thanks."
⠀⠀"Didn't you have something to tell me?"
⠀⠀"Oh yeah! James wrote to me."
⠀⠀Callen's face contorted into confusion. "James? You mean James Sirius Potter?"
⠀⠀"That's the one."
⠀⠀"Nobody has heard from him in—"
⠀⠀"Two years. I know."
⠀⠀"What did he write?"

⠀⠀So Laurel pulled out the envelope and handed it to Callen. She read it over almost three times before handing it back to Laurel, the confusion in her face still ever present.