The Subtleties of Lionesses

Crystal had spent the last five minutes reading the same letter over and over. Which might seem a bit excessive considering it only consisted of three sentences. But those three sentences had set a fire in her mind. Someone had been cleaning through all of Julius Stark’s paperwork and had found a letter to the DMLE among the parchments. It probably would’ve been thrown out, but said paper pusher had been on their way to the DMLE office anyway and had decided to drop it off. They had then crossed paths with Crystal, on her way back from delivering long overdue paperwork up to Hermione’s department. (How could they honestly be expected to write reports after everything that had happened?) All thoughts of utterly ridiculous protocols had vanished from Crystal’s mind as she skimmed the short letter. It is of the utmost importance that I speak to your department as quickly as possible. What in the world had Stark been going on about? And then there was the rest of it - Please keep this quiet. Time and silence are of the essence. Whatever it was, Stark hadn’t wanted anyone to know. He must have written the letter right before he was killed since it was finished but had never been mailed. And that timing was far too coincidental for Crystal to ignore. So she had kept the letter to herself, taking it back to her desk while she tried to puzzle it out.

She was still puzzling when she caught sight of none other than Addy Stark herself entering the office. Crystal would’ve liked Addy as it was, but Julius Stark’s death had given the auror a fiercely protective streak for his daughter. Call it empathy. If there was anything she could do to help, Crystal was determined to do it. But Addy didn’t appear to be here for another interview. Not if the tray in her hands was any indication. Crystal folded up the letter and slid it into her pocket as it became clear Addy was headed her way. No sense in worrying her. Not when it might just be nothing.

She was fingering a perfectly innocuous looking report when Addy reached her. The younger woman seemed to be holding herself together pretty well considering the circumstances. And Crystal knew better than to ask how she was doing or offer platitudes. If Addy broke, that would be the time for hugs and sympathy. Until then, she would probably far prefer it if everyone didn’t treat her like she was made of glass. That had been Crystal’s feeling when her own father died. So she smiled warmly up at Addy. “Hey. What’s up?” Then she saw the coffee and pastries. Fantastic. She could do with a break. Still, her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked back up at Addy. She was quickly coming to see that Addy was like her in a lot of ways, so it was a safe bet she shared Crystal’s knack for being about as subtle as a sledgehammer. “Is that supposed to be a bribe? Because if it is, it’s working.”

Turned out Addy did want something. Probably information about the investigation into her father’s death, if the food was any indication. It was what Crystal would have wanted. She wasn’t really supposed to be discussing that, but she wasn’t about to send Addy away. At the very least they could have a simple chat. And maybe Crystal would casually slip in a few harmless bits of information along the way. Birds of a feather and all that. “Yeah, sure.” She stood to her feet and looked around the office, her eyes lighting on a nearby room used for meetings. “Let’s go over here. We can talk in private.” She led Addy through the maze of desks to the door, holding it open for the younger girl to enter first. Crystal closed the door behind her and shut the blinds to keep out the prying eyes. There was a large table in the middle of the room surrounded by chairs. Crystal went over to the table and pushed herself up to sit on the edge of it, using her toe to push out the chair beside her in a silent signal for Addy to have a seat if she wanted. “So what’s going on?” Even if she was wrong and this was somehow a purely social call, Crystal was still willing to be a listening ear. Addy could probably do with a friend who understood her situation.

Addy was quite adamant that it was not a bribe, it was a gift. Crystal shrugged and grinned knowingly up at the younger woman. “Whatever word you want to use.” She turned a critical eye to her report before looking back at Addy. Crystal was most definitely not Hermione Granger. Getting her to file reports was like pulling teeth. Any excuse was a worthy one, regardless of how boring said excuse might be. It couldn’t possibly be worse than paperwork. “Yeah, no. No incentive needed.”

Crystal took a mug from the tray Addy set down, cradling the warmth between both her hands. A small sip drew an appreciative nod from an auror. If the quickest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, the quickest way to an auror’s was coffee. She nudged another chair over with her foot and set both her feet on the seat of it. There was most definitely something going on as Addy started to talk. And judging from her face, Crystal had a fair idea what it might be about. “Yeah, I get that,” she said sympathetically. She’d done far too much thinking after her own father died. The corner of her mouth twitched as she added, “Thinking’s rubbish. I try not to do it too much.” Crystal just wouldn’t be Crystal if she didn’t try to throw in a joke. Maybe it would help Addy’s mood a bit.

So this was about Julius Stark. Crystal turned her body toward Addy ever so slightly in a silent signal she was listening. She could only imagine what it must have been like losing a dad who was famous. Losing Crystal’s own father had been hard enough. But it also hadn’t made the papers or been fodder for every gossip on the street. That had to make things even more complicated. There was certainly a lot flying around about Stark right now. Most of it was rubbish. But between Addy’s frown and the letter suddenly burning a hole through Crystal’s pocket, bits and pieces of partially overheard conversations were starting to come back to her. Phrases she had shrugged off at the time now were snagging her interest. Besides, Addy seemed like a smart girl. She wouldn’t jump at every conspiracy theory that crossed her path. If she had decided it was worth bringing to the auror department, of all places, she must think it was important. Crystal’s own brow furrowed a little as she lowered the coffee cup to balance it on her knee. She leaned forward a bit unconsciously. Addy had her complete and undivided attention. “Okay. What’d you hear?”