“Level One: Office of the Minister of Magic.”

The serene flow of the mysterious woman’s voice drifted into the marble corridor as the lift to reveal the white walls and glossy floors of the Ministry of Magic’s highest level.  The first Monday of the month was never a pleasant experience. There was a general anxiety to the building that quickened the steps in the hallways, memos fly through the air slightly more frequently, and lunch breaks seem like a gift from the Great Merlin himself. For those of them blessed with the luxury of such a free period. Everything from the last month needed to be squared away and the concerns of the new month were flooding in. Such were the woes of a bureaucratic headquarters.

And the Office of the Minister of Magic seemed to take the brunt of it.

Harried interns flew around corners, faceless behind a pile of parchment as they drifted between rooms. One particular one skidded into the lift right before it closed, bundles of levitating parchment just making it in with her, no doubt delivering to one of the Departments below.  A relieved sigh escaped just as the doors closed shut.

Sidestepping the girl as she passed, Tamis Raynor shook her head, seemingly unaffected by the general hustle and bustle. She could remember when the changing of the month had been a significant occurrence for her. Now it just seemed mediocre and tedious in the plague of much larger, and immediate, concerns plaguing her department. After a decade of relative peace, there was nothing quite like a crash course into chaos. And most of her Office had not been prepared for it. Yet, mediocre or not, duty still called.

It was not common practice for Raynor to have to venture up to Level One. But considering the death of her boss, the concerns of the Department Head fell on her shoulders until the powers-that-be finally elected the replacement. It was not that she disliked the floor or crossing paths with the Minister. It was more reluctance to come in contact with the Minister’s secretary. The very one that was seated at her desk outside the Minister’s door that she had to walk past in order to get to the Minister.

Tamis was rather indifferent in her personal feelings for Claudia Vespucciano. She did not know the woman well, only that she began dating Archer not too long after he and Tamis had been assigned as partners. That had been painful to watch, even at a distance, as that love boat sank. And, then of course, there was the small matter of Tamis being wrongly accused of assisting Archer in infidelity. Vespucciano had never confronted Tamis directly but the petite woman was not a fool. Current circumstances made associations with the other woman much more awkward.

Usually, the Head Auror barely spared the woman a glance before crossing the Minister’s usually open threshold. The dark slit beneath the closed door was an ill-boding omen. For a moment, Raynor considered turning around, and in the next moment chided the immaturity. The documents she had needed attention as soon as possible.

“Minister Annwyl?” She asked, simply. Hoping for as brief of an exchange as possible.

It had taken every ounce of strength for Claudia to drag herself into work that morning and face the awkwardness of seeing Marcus after the horrid mess of the evening before.  Yet, the thought of staying home in her silent flat to replay the events of last night’s dinner didn’t seem a feasible option.  And so, dressing an a rather subdued black dress by her standards, hair pulled back into a neat ponytail for once, she had gone to work to burry herself in the mounds of paperwork that would surely be awaiting.

Whether it was be coincidence or not, Marcus had thankfully left the office shortly after her arrival that morning.  His door was closed, no light coming through the crack underneath, and she had most willingly gone to work with the usual Monday morning pileup in her inbox.  For a moment she had thought that perhaps the day might not be so bad after all.  She had gotten good at getting lost in her work, and it could carry her through the next several hours until she had to go home and face the mess of her personal life once again.

Just when she had managed to calm herself in knowing that she could fall into her old habit and hide out at work, the elevator door opened and her eyes fell upon one of the few people who had the power to make her day that much worse.  She tried to keep her face neutral as the other woman crossed towards Marcus’ door, willing herself not to say something completely stupid and unprofessional.

She couldn’t say she truly knew much about Tamis Raynor, aside from the fact that the petite woman had captured Archer’s attention long before anyone else actually realized it.  As his partner she had been an easy target for attacks made out of jealousy, but, given what she had heard through the Ministry’s rumor mill, she was now completely convinced that jealousy wasn’t unfounded.  Right now it was simply a reminder that building a relationship with another person and putting trust in that person was a very bad idea in Claudia mind…her revelation over the previous month, it seemed, had been a foolish notion and nothing more.

“Minister Annwyl?”

“Is not in at the moment,” she said, her tone a bit cooler then her expression.

For a brief moment her mind wandered back to the encounter with Archer in September at The Leaky Cauldron and the way he had kissed her before leaving abruptly.  His final words played in her mind for a moment, I’ll give Ray your regards.  She looked away from Tamis, trying to shake that from her mind.  There would always be, it seemed, some other woman between her and a man she truly wanted.

With Archer it was always Tamis.  He may not have actually committed any sort of physical infidelity while they were together, but she had very clearly read the signs.  No matter how much she might have loved her former lover, she was not the one he was meant to truly give his heart to.  Now, given what she knew in regards to Alex, she felt a bit like she had been slapped in the face and having to come face to face with a walking reminder of the fact that she was a failure at relationships was not helping her mood.

Professionally obligated to be observant, the changes in the Aide to the Minister of Magic’s appearance was noted yet not otherwise given much thought. As a woman that had struggled for the acceptance of her male counterparts, she disapproved of Vespucciano’s favored fashion. She knew how her comrades responded to it and, while not negative, it was not respectful.  But, it was very obvious that, beyond dominant personalities, there was much in common between the two Ministry Officials.

Claudia was tall, well proportioned, and blessed with curves. Tamis was immensely petite and slender enough that she was often mistakenly written off as delicate. She was thankfully blessed with some curvature but not nearly as pronounced. Exotic would have been an accurate term for Claudia Vespucciano with her warm olive skin tone, complimentary dark eyes, and near black hair. As assuredly as the taller and younger woman had Italy written across her face, Tamis Raynor was an appropriate representation of England; fair, sensitive complexion that benefited from London’s dreary skies, common brunette hair, and gray eyes that, while trademark, were far from exotic.  No one would guess the one factor these two women had in common was a Man. It defied all logical behind “types”.

In the face of accusations those few years ago, Tamis Raynor had always though Vespucciano absurd. Archer and she had not had the strength of friendship they did now and as Vespucciano had been a factor of his personal life, they had not discussed her. It was a protective mechanism often employed by Aurors; clearly sanctioning career from the off-duty. And seeing as they had spent more time in those preliminary years bickering and mangling cases that entertaining peaceful conversation had not really encouraged such discussion. If he were to have sought release from his foreign, slightly clingy, and (from all appearances) eager girlfriend, he would not have looked for it in his distant, sarcastic, and irritable partner.

Time was a culprit for change.

The pair of Aurors was attempting to keep their romance as discrete as possible. In an office full of top notch criminal investigators, that was as about as easy as trying to fix a pixie infestation without getting bit; the opposition was both numerous and viciously persistent.  How far – and how high – rumors had spread was vastly unknown.  It was none of the other woman’s business, she mentally decided. No more than her previous relationship was Archer was Tamis’ business.

The location of the Minister, however, was very much her business.

The ice in the other woman’s tone had not been expected in response to such a simple inquiry.

“Do you know when he will return?” She questioned with an undertone of impatience as the Minister’s assistance diverted her gaze, a sign the Auror interpreted as an attempted dismissal. 

If it had truly been up to Claudia, Tamis would have already been well on her way back to the Auror’s office and leaving her once again in peace.  She had looked back to her work, hoping the other woman would take the hint.  Marcus wasn’t in, he wasn’t going to be in for a while, and there was no point in hanging around waiting.  Apparently it wasn’t going to be that easy.

“He didn’t say,” she told the other woman.  “As he didn’t have anything specific on his schedule, Minister Annywl has taken the morning to look into something in regards to the werewolf legislation.  He will likely be back some time this afternoon.”

The whole statement was made in a tone that said Claudia would rather be anywhere else and talking to anyone else.  It seemed the universe was laughing at her in that moment.  She wanted to simply forget the last few weeks had even happened.  In the wake of being attacked in Diagon Alley she had been convinced that her life was hurtling down the wrong path.  Then to have her big attempt at settling down a bit and taking the time to make some connections blow up…she was back to feeling the same sense of confusion she had at the beginning of October.

It always seemed to be that way.  Just when she thought she had things figured out, just when it seemed life was heading in the direction it was supposed to, something happened to leave her feeling completely shaken.  The fact that Marcus was out had been a relief, now part of her would have given anything for him to be in his office so she could usher Tamis inside and be done with this whole thing.

“If you’d like, I can make sure he gets any paperwork you might have for him as soon as he returns,” she continued allowing a smirk to form on her lips.  “It would save you from having to leave the comfort of your office again as I don’t have any clue as to when he might be back.  ”

Ninety-nine percent of the time Claudia conducted herself in a completely professional manner.  However, there were certain situations and certain moods that made it impossible for the other one percent of the time.  It seemed the combination of being infuriated with Alex and having to see Tamis at her desk were the perfect combination to make professionalism impossible and caused her internal filter to fail horribly.

“I’m sure Archer is missing you already.”

The words slipped out before she had much time to process it completely, but there really was no going back once they left her mouth.  It was sort of an after thought really, one that she had meant to only be in her mind.  Yet, it was out there, in the open, the statement lingering between the two women.  Sitting back slightly, she held Tamis gaze, knowing that now that it was out there she might as well prepare herself for the game that was to be played.

A single eyebrow lifted inquisitively as the secretary resumed the mundane task of shuffling parchment. There had been very little hint in the other woman’s response. The patronizing remark had been one of the most evident dismissals Raynor had heard in quite some time.  Except they usually were not directed at her.  Neither agitation nor annoyance flickered across the shorter woman’s visage; it took much more carefully directed ammunition to rile a response from the stoic witch. Vespucciano was never pleasant but she usually avoided confrontation with Raynor, an arrangement they had coexisted with for more than seven years. The sudden snarky attitude was… curious.

The Auror continued to appraise the Minister’s aide for another moment before responding, “I am afraid you do not have the security clearance.”

The statement lacked any apologetic courtesy another might have offered. 

She could have taken offense to the words. The hackles of her younger self would have rose at even the slightest hint that she did not conduct herself professionally and at the proposition that Level Two lacked significance. The current rendition of Tamis Raynor realized that time was far too valuable, and, frankly, she cared about the woman sitting across from her far too little.

 She had a fairly decent weekend, her mood could have been worse. She did not have the patience to deal with a desk jockey short on cheering charms. Clearly this conversation was not going to expedite this folder making its way into the Minister’s hands. There were other means. If it became imperative, the Auror on the Minister’s protective detail was a short contact away.

“Your assistance is not necessary,” she said, turning away – just as Claudia opened her mouth again to get a final word in.

Back somehow managing to seem straighter, gray eyes cooled to the shade of steel as they stared back into the woman’s prepared dark ones. Once more her expression did not change, there was not any indication that the snub had affected her, but the tension concentrated between them and civility faded.

 She knew next to nothing about the woman as an individual but she understood the type. It was perhaps the only respect that they shared a similarity. To love another meant to become vulnerable to them; they became a weakness. Losing that person traumatically brought a pain one became keen not to experience again. One might believe that seven years mourning a failed, and frankly doomed, relationship was excessive. It would make her a hypocrite to agree. She had licked her wounds from the tragedy of her previous commitment for fourteen miserable years and there was still baggage to contend with.  The aloofness and lack of emotional connection they shared. The difference was that Tamis did not use one night stands as a coping mechanism.

The Auror was astute enough to realize that something was quite obviously provoking this change in behavior from Vespucciano. But understanding and caring were two very different concepts. And Raynor did not appreciate the intrusive comment into her personal life – nor the insinuations.  Claudia was rather infamous for her games, usually played with men. She had seen enough of them used on her Aurors to recognize them. But she did not play games, not when it came to this.

Approaching the desk, she placed the folder down and put her hands on top of it, ignoring the fact that, while sitting, the other woman was practically at eye level.

“What Archer is doing is not your concern. Has not been for quite some time.”

Claudia watched the tiny woman approach her desk, keeping her eyes focused solely on Raynor’s the entire time.  It would have been amusing to watch someone nearly a foot shorter then herself when she was barefoot try to appear so intimidating if it wasn’t for the fact that Claudia was in a dreadful mood to begin with.  In her peripheral vision she noted an intern approaching and then turning quickly to go back to the neighboring suite of cubical after noting the obvious tension between the women.

This was no longer work related, but personal and her expression remained neutral as the other woman countered her remark.  It was uncharted territory in many ways.  Part of her had always considered the spectacular failure with Archer to be the nail in her romantic coffin and simply tried to ignore the person she had always placed blame on as she jumped from one man to the next.  However lately things had been different…maybe it was a bit like the supposed seven year itch except she had been attempting to settle down instead of seeking out more easy one night stands.

The sudden appearance of Alex’s mystery wife had triggered all of her old trust issues.  Men in long term relationships cheated.  At least that had been her experience, and she felt like a complete idiot for thinking Alex would have been any different.  She still wasn’t convinced nothing had happened between Tamis and Archer before this recent development in their relationship.

“You’re right, but it was always yours,” she responded in an even tone.  “You two are really quite perfect for each other really since you’re both married to the Auror’s office.”

She didn’t have to know Raynor on a personal level to know her work ethic.  The habit of throwing oneself into work was one they shared, although Claudia had found other means of distraction that usually found her willing to leave her desk at the end of a normal work day most of the time.  Of course those means had taken a dangerous turn the beginning of October and everything had changed that night of her attack in Diagon Alley.

“Some might call it commitment,” she continued on finding it felt somewhat good to possibly get a thing or two off her chest even if she was only saying it out of misplaced frustration, “but I think it’s just an excuse.  You’re all the same, hiding in your work, using it as an excuse not to deal with life outside of the Ministry.”

If she took a moment to be completely honest with herself she would have realized she was talking about Alex, not the woman in front of her.  How many times had he breezed by her on the way to Marcus’ office with barely a glance?  He had said himself that he had chosen to hide out for years in his work after his wife was murdered.  Sure something had started to change in him while he was away, but there were still so many secrets.

“Archer did it…all that running out in the middle of the important moments.  I doubt anyone from your office is capable of loving anyone more then the job.”

“I am his partner, Vespucciano,” Tamis said, “Not his keeper.” 

Nor would she ever become one. While in the field his safety was her responsibility and vice versa. Partners often developed a very particular bond. It became crucial to know and understand your counterpart to the point of not only nonverbal communication but also to predict how the other was going to respond in certain situations. Tamis would not have been the first Auror partner accused of aiding a spouse in infidelity and certainly would not be the last.

But back then, even until recently, the partnership between Archer and she had been strictly professional. When they went home, they went home, and the partnership was left at the office. With the history between them… she had been afraid to spend more time with him than was necessary. In fact, she had avoided it at all cost. Which was why, when she became aware of Claudia’s allegations, she had found them exceptionally ironic. Not that she was about to admit this to the woman in front of her.

There was no such thing as perfect, but she did not contest the comment.  The ground was so rocky before them, that Tamis was taking the relational developments between Archer and her day-by-day. She did not hold him to any commitments or obligations. It was his choice. Married to the office? Every Auror was that. The career had to come first. If it came down to Archer or her career… Tamis hesitated. She was overcome with such an intense uncertainty that she swiftly shoved the thought aside.

“You are right,” she replied to the other woman’s assessment of Aurors.

Raynor did not have an issue with giving someone credit where it was due on a stance, she only had problems with owning up to be wrong. And since there had not been a trade-off of sentiments -- the words slid from her tongue easily enough. “We all have problems, Vespucciano. I would worry about the integrity of a person who does this job that did not.” The average person does not wake up and one day says ‘I am going to work with criminals everyday’. There was a driving force; a reason to feel compelled to save the lives of others, usually a self-aware insufficiency. There was a reason that law enforcement and shrinks had a negative long-standing relationship.  “If you do not want to deal with it, then I suggest preying somewhere else than Level Two for love interests.”

She was not sure where the Minister’s aide was going with all of this, but she was tolerating it. Now that she had been roped into the situation, she was too stubborn to back out of it.

“And that is where you are wrong.” Her jaw tightened and she straightened up from the test, shaking her head. The way Claudia said it. The way she seemed to truly believe such a… morbid misunderstanding. It was not possible to love the job. She could not even contemplate the level of sadism that would be required to make that possible. “An obsession? Yes. Love? No.”

At the mention of running out on important moments, well, Tamis shrugged.  “This is not a nine-to-five job. Decide not to respond to cuddle on the couch? Could mean a life.” She fell silent for a moment in a reflective pause. She arching an eyebrow in consideration and tilted her head in resignation. “It is also possible he was being an arse. He was good at that.” A small twitch of her lips that might have been a rethought smile, given the ‘conversation. “Still is to a degree.”

To hear the words ‘you are right’ from the lips of Tamis Raynor was a bit of a surprise to say the least.  So when the other woman began to speak, to explain where Claudia had gone wrong in her assessment she managed to actually shut up and listen for once.  It didn’t happen often, especially when her emotions were already in a tailspin.  However, Raynor had humored her and listened and she could do the same.

She hadn’t exactly been successful in seeking love too far from Level Two.  Alex had barely been out of the Ministry official when they went on their first date and she was convinced he would never be completely free of it.  His connection to Marcus, their old partnership would probably always keep him involved in some way.  Although as far as she was concerned he was officially the problem of his irate French wife.  She could figure out what to do with him, and hopefully whatever torture she came up with would be appropriate for what he had been trying to pull with her.

It is also possible he was being an arse. He was good at that.  Still is to a degree.

She watched the other woman carefully for a moment.  In the back of her mind she was aware of a few things she usually ignored for her own purposes.  One was that she was well aware of the fact that there likely was truly nothing going on between Archer and Tamis all those years ago.  Perhaps she had picked up on something neither of them had been aware of, but it was clear they were partners in a job back then and nothing more.  The other blaring fact was that she didn’t actually hate the woman standing in front of her desk.  Feel completely annoyed by her presence given her current mood perhaps, but hate was much too strong a term.

“Yes,” she said, a slight smirk forming on her own lips, “he’s had that down to a science for quite some time.”

With a slight sigh she added, “I get it, you know.  The reason all of you in Level Two have to be so committed to the job.  But when you’re on the outside, and you’re the one left sitting on the couch night after night…it makes you wonder.”

Of course seven years ago she was completely insecure.  She still was in many ways, although it was extremely difficult to pick up on now buried under the makeup and flashy clothing.  Everything about her hid those old insecurities.  The previous night had of course, brought them all back to the surface and left her feeling completely shaken.  Sitting back in the chair slightly she felt a little drained but was far from truly backing down from the conversation.

“And wondering makes you start to come to your own conclusions, especially when the person you’re involved with at the time is a stunning example of how to be an arse...as you put it,” she added.

The small, barely visible but quite obviously there smirk took the Auror by surprise.  She had not thought it would ever be a response that she would illicit from the other woman.

Tamis Raynor knew within full capacity how snide, petty, and stubborn was within Archer Radley’s potential. She had over twenty years worth of encounters, most of them on the unpleasant end of his personality, to figure it out. Tamis could have told Claudia about how she had senselessly tortured the man when he was a boy. The teasing and mischief he had tolerated at the hands of a runt third year. It was tempting yet felt so traitorous that she could not supply the woman with that sort of ammunition.

And he had claimed revenge. Years later when she had joined the Aurors Office karma had taken living form in Archer Radley and the vengeance had been spiteful. She knew he could be a spiteful son of a hippogriff when he chose to be. He had given her a crash course. But it was only one facet of him. There was an immense compassion there and a constant urge to please. A man that, while bull headed, listened and (when forced) would compromise. Who before he had any emotional obligation to her had dealt with her in an incredibly vulnerable state without taking advantage – despite how either of them may have wanted him to.

Then, there it was – the inference to the allegations against Tamis with having helped Archer commit an infidelity while he was with Claudia. To deny that there had been an attraction would have been a lie. If Tamis Raynor bothered evaluating her previous interactions with the man, it might enlighten her to the notion that there had always been an attraction carefully ignored and discarded on account of circumstance. It had to be the longest history of denial on record. But then, those seven years ago, regardless of underlying feelings, they had only been partners. For various reasons.

“While Archer may be an arse, he is also a good man,” Tamis started. “A loyal man – a former Hufflepuff, after all – with far too many morals to be unfaithful.” Hesitance. “And even if he had been a different man, I was not searching for romantic endeavors at that stage of my life. Rather the opposite.”

Mourning Tait Aldridge had put a damper on such notions. In many ways, she owed the lethal example of femininity sitting before her. She had, in essence, given Archer and Tamis the time they had needed in order to grow closer. It was not something she was ever going to thank her for.

“The job will always take precedence. Many women cannot see past that. But the men who serve in law enforcement are honorable men, if flawed. The nature of their work requires it. They will always have excuses but, if you listen to them, they are usually good ones.” It was easy to say, when one was working alongside those men, faced with the same commitment issues, than having to experience being the one left on the couch. She was sure that changed the prospective considerably.

But, women were not perfect. They could not expect men to be either.