章 104: Chapter 104. Drugs and Candy 3
(A/N: Note that first person point of view is very unreliable and everyone has their own views on how things happened.)
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"I understand your conditions and I'm willing to comply to the best of my ability, I also grant the permission for you to conduct your research wherever you feel the need to." Rowan agreed without hesitation.
Harry felt blindsided, the business mogul was being a little too cooperative. It could mean that he was either really desperate for help or he had ulterior motives, he couldn't say which he suspected more.
He got to his feet, they had spent enough time here already, and he was more interested in knowing if the investigation his team members had gone on yielded useful results. "This brings an end to our meeting." He concluded. "There will be subsequent meetings of course and I expect that you inform us the moment you get any useful information."
Rowan got to his feet as well, his expression was wary. "Yes, of course." He accepted, leading the way out of the visitor's room.
"Hamilton, wait here, this won't take long."
Hazel froze midway out of her seat, she had been readying to follow after them but she had to obey her team leader and superior. "Sure thing." She grumbled, resuming her sitting position.
The door clicked shut but she ignored it, at least she hadn't been asked to accompany them. Hazel had been testy for the past couple weeks and she could trace the cause of her unstable mood.
She was well aware that she fully deserved to be ignored by Audric, as a matter of fact, it was polite of him to just ignore her but it also stung. Did he know how much she suffered when she heard that he was dead? And the years after that when he disappeared again?
There was a shuffle on the other side of the door, the sound alerting her to a new presence. Hazel stiffened at this, did Mr. Potter return so soon?
"Roxana." Hazel bit out, her tone full of venom.
"I'll not pretend to be cordial." Roxana said bluntly, stepping into the room. "Tell me, have you met Audric?"
Hazel's hackles went up, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. The only person who knew of it was Weston, the rest of her team didn't count because they didn't exactly know the relationship between them.
"That's an oddly specific question, Rox." Hazel used the short form of her name specifically to rile her up.
Roxana's lips tightened in irritation. "A simple yes or no would have sufficed."
"And I choose to tell you nothing." Hazel replied coldly.
Roxana took a seat uninvited, an amused smile on her face. "Well now, that doesn't matter. I'll give you a piece of advice though, let go of any delusions you might still harbor, for your own good."
Hazel shot to her feet in indignation, her face bright red to rival her hair. "And what do you know about anything? What gives you the right to tell me what to do?"
"Fine, do what you want." Roxana stood up as well. "I have more on my plate than babysitting a grown-up woman who acts as if the world revolves around her."
Her words stunned Hazel who deflated but stubbornly held on to her indignation, she was the only one who really loved Audric. Roxana had no right to judge her actions so she told her.
"Says the girl that treats everyone around her like tools." She bit back.
Roxana flinched at this then straightened her shoulders, her black silk dress hugging her curvy form. "At least I don't deny it, I did what I had to do to ensure my and my father's survival in a strange land, I don't regret it." She said coldly, her gray eyes flashing. "At least I do my best for the people important to me, I don't think you can say the same."
Hazel's breath caught, unwittingly remembering her conversation with Weston after Audric left. His attitude had puzzled her but he went right to normal after that and she buried that memory deeply. He was friends with Audric as well, it was normal that he would feel out of sorts after having a conversation with him after so many years.
"What did you come here for?" Hazel asked, done with the conversation.
Roxana shrugged. "I told you immediately after I stepped in, did you meet Audric?"
"I don't have to answer to you." Hazel turned up her nose.
"And I can't force you to, have a nice day, Hazel." She accepted calmly, walking away.
Hazel practically folded into her seat, eyeing up the cooling tea and scones that had been provided for them.
Like she had done so many times before, she thought back to the night before tragedy struck. She had been looking for a quiet moment to apologize to Audric for her behavior on the trip back home for their Christmas holidays.
She should have stood up for him but she had been too cowardly to… Too cowardly to explain to her mother that what happened to his family was not his fault, nor did it define him but she had listened to Weston's grip on her wrist, and then her mother had gone on her embarrassing rant.
Hazel wanted the ground to open up and swallow her but her mother had always been authoritarian, trying to talk to her there would have just caused a scene.
She had been wary about being seen with him, the scene from their Hogsmeade weekend still fresh in her mind. The embarrassment of that moment continuously lived with her. She and Roxana were also friends of sorts then, she wasn't the type to let her emotions get the best of her.
Or so she thought, Audric had been different that night, colder, indifferent. It was a side of him that she had never seen before, it made all her plans to simply apologize for everything and try to be a better friend fall apart and she found herself wanting to kiss him again.
Then he had pried through her thoughts, her thoughts that were filled with secretive things that she never wanted out in the open, especially not about the person that featured in her fantasies.
Audric not only invaded her head but also handed her fantasies back to her, she should have burnt with shame but instead, she felt giddy. He made her head swim with a few light touches and wicked words. She was drawn irrevocably to him, so lost in the moment that she had shot to her feet when she heard a rustle. Audric was technically with Roxana, she didn't want rumors spreading about them.
Only to find out that it was just Weston but Audric was long gone. Weston had said nothing to her and she said nothing in response, heading straight to her dorms. The next day brought the sickening news of Audric escaping from Hogwarts.
She couldn't believe it, she didn't as a matter of fact. Audric would never kill anyone. The rest of their patchwork friend group felt the same but there was no use of their faith in an absent friend when he turned up dead in a few days.
Their faith in Audric quickly soured to suffocating guilt, it hung around their necks and over their shoulders, weighing them down with 'could have beens'.
The door to the receiving room swung open again, this time to reveal Mr. Potter. Hazel shot to her feet at his appearance.
"We're done here for today, I'll explain everything I found when we meet up with the rest, they should have some information to offer as well."
Hazel nodded, much calmer now. There was no use being upset, Roxana had clearly stated both in the past and just a few moments ago that she wasn't a rival. All Hazel had to do was explain herself to Audric, if she did surely he would understand and take her back
She followed Mr. Potter's lead out of the room, the butler showed up as if he had been watching and waiting the entire time. He led the way out of the mansion, both Aurors keeping close behind him.
He bowed them out of the magnificent front doors, they just had to make their way down the walkway before they could leave. The mansion had no outer gates but with the presence of magic, it wasn't exactly a necessity.
They apparated back to the Headquarters, only Daylen Swiller had returned. He had gotten tangled with a Wizard who had used magic in the presence of Muggles and he was caught up dealing with it.
The Wizard was long gone after he finished up and he was forced to round up his investigation a little early. He had written up a report of the incident and he had taken steps to find the renegade Wizard. He expressed his concern that the Wizard had done that on purpose, as a diversion.
"That doesn't seem unlikely." Harry mused. "Still no word from Finn?"
Like the sound of his name had summoned him, Finn came walking into the Auror Headquarters, dragging someone behind him. "Here! You wouldn't believe what I found…"
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