Error of Judgement

[Rowena Jones]

Rowena was on a mission. She couldn’t believe she’d almost missed this window, but she supposed that was the downside to living so remotely, information was hard to come by. Max had been suspended following the disastrous ambush a few weeks ago… the disastrous ambush that had been followed by the most emotional evening, the most blissful night… and the worst morning.

She had known that letting those defenses down for one night would only hurt more once dawn came, but those moments of comfort had been worth it. Even now, with her bruised heart still desperately trying to put the pieces together, she couldn’t regret the choice she’d made, nor could she forget the whisper of the kisses he’d pressed against her skin.

When she’d woken the next morning and found the room empty, she’d felt her whole body go numb, caught in the bittersweet memory of what they’d shared and the reality of the path she’d chosen. When she’d found his goodbye ‘note’, Rowena had laughed out loud and that laugh had turned into a sob, and that sob had turned into tears that hadn’t stopped for hours. She’d left the book where he’d put it, as a reminder of the goodbye they’d shared and as motivation for what was to come.

And today was a day to further her plans. The stone was finished, had been finished for ten days already and Max had been banned from the area for two weeks. She had so few days left to do this. Max had always been the biggest obstacle; his pesky ability to sense her presence so specifically would have thwarted any attempt to retrieve the stone.

Even without him, she had to be careful. She was going to ‘steal’ a precious object from the Auror department after all. It wasn’t going to be as easy as just strolling in and taking it… and yet, that was her exact plan. She’d reasoned that they just wouldn’t expect it, who would steal from the Aurors?… her sister excluded of course, but she doubted the Dark Lady would be quite as inconspicuous as Ro was planning on being. No, the evil bitch would probably just wipe out any unfortunate soul in the area and seize it, but apparently she had other priorities at the moment.

And so, here she was, walking into the Auror Department during the afternoon lunch break as if there was no reason she shouldn’t be. She’d gotten to Max’s desk before she was stopped.

“OI! What are you doing here? You aren’t allowed here! Aurors only!” a young auror barked at her as he stood up behind his desk.

Rowena cursed internally. She’d deliberately chosen this time of day because of how few people remained in the office. She supposed it would have been too good to be true for it to be actually empty. The witch turned to face the young man who had stopped her with an embarrassed look gracing her features. He frowned at her, dim recognition creasing his brow.

“Wait… Aren’t you that girl that’s involved in all this Shadowloved business… the one Kameren keeps getting into trouble over?”

“Yeah…” she admitted, biting her lip. “Look, I know I shouldn’t be here, but Max needed something from the office and he’s not allowed here for a few more days. He’s going crazy sitting at home, knowing all this stuff is going on still. You understand right? He just wants to help…”

A confused looked passed over the man’s face as though what she’d said conflicted with some other information she didn’t know about, but before he could do anything else, Rowena flicked her wand. “Stupefy,” she whispered, sighing in relief as he fell into his chair. Hopefully anyone who came by would just assume he’d dozed off at his desk but still, there was no time to waste.

She hurried to the room Max had led her to all those months ago when they’d first fought about the stone. The door was locked. Of course it was. And a simple ‘Alohomora’ wasn’t going to cut it either she realised as she examined the magic keeping intruders out. She cursed under her breath and then set to work. It took a while, too long for Rowena’s comfort and she was hyper aware of the unconscious auror she’d left in her trail, but finally she heard the satisfying click as she opened the door and quickly stepped inside.

Her breath left her in a whoosh as she took in the glowing white orb. Rowena had been so worried that it wouldn’t be here, that she’d have to look for it, but there it was, floating, waiting for her. She could admire its perfection for hours, but too much time had already gone by and she hurried to get it into the bag she’d prepared specifically for such an object. She couldn't exactly just walk away with a suspicious white glow coming from her pocket...

And then it was time to go. Rowena prayed the auror was still asleep and it was to his desk that she looked to first as she retraced her steps. She relaxed somewhat as she saw him, unmoved, his head lolled onto his shoulder. She'd done it. Only a little further. But before she could take those final few steps out of the Department, her gaze was drawn to a figure that decidedly was moving about. Her heart stopped as she noted its position. Max’s desk. For a second she thought it was him and her heart stopped. She was screwed. But then she realised it was a woman and she frowned.

Indignation had her throwing all wisdom to the wind and she coughed pointedly and crossed her arms. “That’s not your desk.”

[Max Kameren]

A frantic, excited knock echoed through the creaky halls of the old apartment building, continuing unimpeded until Simone heard the rattle of a hand on the lock. She grinned wolfishly, looking both ways down the hall before the door opened and she lifted her chin to meet the eyes of the man in front of her.

“Simone?” Max Kameren leaned against the doorframe and brought the door close to hide the apartment from his ex’s view. “What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?”

“Eden leaves her paystubs in her desk. Let me in!” Simone swatted at Max until he retreated, leaving the door open for her to follow. His eyes were darting back and forth defensively, she assumed to keep an eye out for the previously-mentioned blonde harpy who would rain hell down upon both of them if she caught even a glimpse of Max’s former fiancée. Eden’s suspension coincided with Max’s, but Simone had bet on Fletcher’s fury being quelled by the gifts she brought with her.

Max appeared to be uneasy about that idea. “This way,” the tall wizard took Simone by the wrist and led her into a room off the living space that she soon recognized by the haphazard bookshelves to be his bedroom. “What are you doing here Simmie? Eden will kill you.”

“Not when you both see this.” Simone grinned, pulling a stack of parchment out of her satchel and pressing it into Max’s hands. Her smile grew as his fingers rifled through it. She watched the subtle changes in his face as he read, the furrow of his brow and slight from of his lips. She reveled in it.

“Si… what am I looking at here?” His green eyes darted back and forth as he skimmed, parchment loose in his fingers.

“Their plans for you.” She watched the revelation filter through him, unable to help a slight twist to her lips at the feeling of affecting him even if the news was less-than-positive. “You may be out of the way Maxime, but you’re never far from your uncle’s mind.”

She’d come across it the day before in passing accidentally, left behind on a shared workspace for the office’s assistants. Max had put himself in a precarious position. He’d made grave mistakes under the Ministry’s supervision, committed discretions that would have him fired if he was anyone else. For his own safety Max couldn’t be fired however, and his skills were too much of an asset to the Ministry for his presence to be removed. He was uncontrollable but also irreplaceable.

The combination made people over Alex Kameren’s head nervous the Head Auror would forget the Ministry in concern for his struggling family member. In the Ministry’s opinion the Shield needed to be protected from himself as much as the Shadowloved. Steps were being taken to make that idea a reality.

“Where’d you get this?”

“Crabbe’s assistant.” She tilted her head as she watched his fingers tense the more he read. “Thought you’d want to know.”

“I do, thank you.”

Max folded the paper and shoved it in the crook of his arm. Simone’s eyes followed the tension from his arms to his shoulders to his neck to his eyes, darting back and forth in silent thought as he calculated the trouble he’d gotten himself into. “I can keep an eye out for you, bring more by if I find it.”

“Yes, please.” Max took a half-step back from Simone to put space between them. His brow furrowed as a thought occurred to him and he reached out, catching Simone by the shoulder as she turned to go. “Actually, could you help me with something else?”

“Of course. What?”

“If this is what’s happening I need more information. Could you get it from my desk? Here,” Max turned to venture further into his room and Simone followed him up onto the raised area that served as his study. His long fingers found his keys and he twisted a small brass one off the ring to hand it over to her. “This is the key to my desk. Glad I locked it before I left, now.”

Simone tilted her head sympathetically, her hand lingering on his as she took the key from his hand. What a mess Max Kameren had gotten himself into. “Sure, Maxime. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” Max smiled despite the worry Simone could see in his eyes and his fingers closed around her small hand, squeezing lightly in quiet thanks. Simone couldn’t help but smile back.

.. .. .. ..

The week since had been an exercise in espionage. Whenever Simone wasn’t busy with her own work as a Psychologist in the office over from the Aurors she was lingering amongst the desks, playing eyes and ears for the presence that was missing from the Ministry.

She hadn’t found much new information on the Ministry’s plans for Max - she assumed they would be waiting for his return before they moved forward - so Simone occupied herself instead by collecting information for Max to use in his exile. Every other night she would drop papers at his apartment for him, staying to help him analyze and organize them before her presence upset Eden and she would leave. She found the more information she brought that helped Max, the longer Eden’s temper permitted her to stay.

Lunch hour was her harvest time. The Aurors had a fairly regular schedule if you spent enough time with them and Simone took advantage of their rhythms, choosing carefully the time she would venture over to the adjacent office. The only employee who consistently stayed through lunch was Auror Potter, who was easily confused and therefore manipulated into keeping quiet. He didn’t even move his head from his desk now as Simone sat in Max’s place, rifling through her keys to find the one he’d given her.

“That’s not your desk.”

The cough that sounded over Simone’s shoulder made her jump and rattle her keys. She glanced over her shoulder in suspicion at the stranger looming over her, a dark-haired woman with amber eyes and apparently a self-righteous sense of nosiness. She tilted her head patronizingly, her soft brown eyes darting back down to the keys in her fingers as she found the small brass one he’d entrusted to her.

“Then why do I have the key?” She smiled as her delicate fingers closed around it and bent down to the lock on the bottom drawer, gently placing it in the lock and turning. With a metallic thump the drawer opened and Simone retrieved her prize: One of Max’s notebooks, small and brown leather-bound like he’d carried for years, even back when they dated.

Simone closed and re-locked the door, the notebook tightening in her slim fingers as she stood taller over her unwelcome audience. She may be skirting the rules, but this woman was entirely foreign to their workplace. At least she had never seen her before, and Simone didn’t miss much. She arched a thin brow down at the woman, echoing the woman’s statement with an acerbic one of her own: “This isn’t your Department.”

[Rowena Jones]

“Then why do I have the key?”

Rowena’s eyes narrowed. That was a very good question. Why did this unknown woman have the key to Max’s desk?

The stone weighed heavy in her mind, she should be gone and far away already, but damnit, who was this woman who was so casually pawing through Max’s desk? She could already hear him in her head telling her it was none of her business. She’d left, they weren’t together anymore… but Rowena couldn’t bear not having the answers. Especially when it came to Max.

He’d been in her bed just a couple of weeks ago, and she’d not imagined the feelings between them. While she could see why men might fall over themselves for the woman in front of her, she couldn’t believe that Max would… not this quickly. He could at least wait for her body to be cold for Merlin’s sake. And he wouldn’t be going around giving his key to strangers, and Rowena had never seen or heard of this woman before… which left only one conclusion. A thief. A stinking, lying, entirely too smug looking thief.

The irony of the situation was lost on Rowena as she felt her magic answer her anger. There was a thrum of power in answer to her own and Rowena’s eyes darted to the bag slung over her shoulder. Right. She was also in the midst of a heist. She would leave. Just as soon as that notebook was back securely in Max’s desk and she had the key. She’d get it back to Max with a stern message about his utter carelessness. Who knew what this woman wanted with Max’s personal belongings?!

“This isn’t your Department.”

“And that’s not your notebook,” Rowena retorted. “So unless Max Kameren has decided to radically change his look in the two weeks since I last saw him…” Her golden gaze scanned the other woman with disdain. “… I’d suggest you put that which does not belong to you back where it does belong.”

[Max Kameren]

Simone’s thin brow tweaked upward in skepticism of her new acquaintance. It was obvious she had some kind of relation to Max. Usually when met with an outpouring of unwarranted hostility Simone found it had something to do with him, as everyone in her ex’s orbit but him seemed to regard her as the devil incarnate. She was pretty, or would be if she slept more and took better care of herself. Raven-hair, tall and olive-skinned. Striking eyes, amber with that glint of intellect and the tense shoulders of someone unused to patience. It didn’t take much to know exactly who the woman in front of Simone was. You just had to know Max.

Simone smiled knowingly, fingers tightening around Max’s notebook as she felt the other woman’s eyes on it. And by the impression her heartbroken ex gave her, Rowena Covington wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the Ministry. The way he looked when he was left with his own thoughts told Simone their separation was more than physical.

“This isn’t your department.” She meant it in more ways than one.

“And that’s not your notebook,” Rowena retorted. “So unless Max Kameren has decided to radically change his look in the two weeks since I last saw him…” Simone’s knowing smirk grew into a poisonous grin, her chocolate-brown eyes sparking with humor as she sensed Rowena’s contempt. “… I’d suggest you put that which does not belong to you back where it does belong.”

Simone tilted her head at the woman in patronizing amusement, but her fingers didn’t loosen on Max’s notebook. It was funny, Rowena declaring herself conservator of the property of a man she claimed to have no relationship with. And such ferocity! Looking Rowena in the eye told her quite a lot of the story behind the sorrow she saw in Max. She bit her lip, hugging the notebook close to her chest as she pushed herself up from the desk and dreamily stepped around her.

“It’s uncanny. You’re just his type.” Now it was Simone’s turn to do the judging, sizing Rowena up with a glance up and down her form. “Dark hair, bright eyes, sharp, a little mean - I’ve never understood his need to follow any woman who’d snap at him. I should’ve known when he’d bitch about you to me after work every night that you two were inevitable.” She shrugged with a dreamy smile, hugging the notebook closer as if the book of Max’s thoughts were the man himself. “C’est la vie.”

“But since you asked so nicely,” Simone rolled her eyes, “Maxime asked me to fetch this book for him. He’s suspended - as I’m sure you know by your presence here - he’s worried, and he’s bored. And you know what they say about idle hands…” Her smile grew with the surge of the other woman’s magic and the look on her face. That was why Max’s loved ones were so bothered by her, Simone remembered. She loved pushing buttons.

“But let’s not worry about me…” Simone leaned against the desk next to Max’s, hands in her pockets and the notebook under the crook of her arm. Her fingers loosely found her wand in her pocket. “Let’s worry about Auror Potter over there, who looks like he might be sick. Or what’s in that satchel of yours you keep eyeing, hmm? I’m sure Auror Kameren would be very curious…”

[Rowena Jones]

“It’s uncanny. You’re just his type.”

Why was this annoying woman still not doing as she asked?! She did not have time for this. And now she was being inspected…Just fucking great. Apparently this woman had all the time in the bloody world. Rowena straightened under the other witch’s gaze, golden eyes flashing at the impertinence of the situation. Just who did this woman think she was?!

“Dark hair, bright eyes, sharp, a little mean - I’ve never understood his need to follow any woman who’d snap at him. I should’ve known when he’d bitch about you to me after work every night that you two were inevitable.”

It couldn’t be... Rowena scanned the other woman more closely. They’d never really discussed Max’s exes in detail. Knowing that he’d been engaged twice had been plenty enough information for Rowena… but this woman did not look even a little bit Hufflepuffish… Simone Rosier then. Fucking perfect.

So while there was a tiny little part of Rowena that thrilled at the idea of Max complaining about her to his then partner – it was nice to think that she’d affected him so much even back then – the majority of her was seething at the idea of him reestablishing contact with the ex who had tried to control him so awfully. And that anger only increased as that said ex hugged Max’s notebook tightly to her chest as if it were the man himself. The imagery of Max hugging her in any similar way had Rowena almost hissing in anger.

“C’est la vie.”

It was most certainly not ‘Life’! Life could go fuck itself if it thought that this was in anyway the way forward. And Max was obviously not in his right mind. Maybe she’d missed something after the failed ambush. Had he hit his head? She should have done more observations, shouldn’t have let him sneak away in the morning.

“But since you asked so nicely,” Simone rolled her eyes, “Maxime asked me to fetch this book for him. He’s suspended - as I’m sure you know by your presence here - he’s worried, and he’s bored. And you know what they say about idle hands…”

Idle hands… The feeling that ran down Rowena’s spine at that particular comment had her magic sparking out and burning a few papers on a nearby desk. Jealousy. That’s what she was feeling. He wouldn’t… Not with this… this harpy! She truly wanted him to move on -one day, when she wouldn’t be around to witness it anymore- but not like this, not with this woman.

“But let’s not worry about me…”

On the contrary, Rowena was very worried about this woman leaning so confidently against Max’s desk. She flicked her wand in the direction of the small fires on the desk to extinguish the flames, her gaze never leaving the other woman. There was a dangerous tension hanging in the air, one that had alarm bells ringing loudly in her mind.

“Let’s worry about Auror Potter over there, who looks like he might be sick. Or what’s in that satchel of yours you keep eyeing, hmm? I’m sure Auror Kameren would be very curious…”

Rowena glanced at the Auror she’d stupiefied earlier and winced involuntarily. She really needed to leave. “Yeah, he really doesn’t look good does he?” she agreed. “Perhaps you should give Max’s notebook to me and go get someone about that…”

But of course Fate hated her. As if having to hear about Max’s idle hands and meet his apparent solution to that problem wasn’t enough, Auror Potter started to stir. Time was up. Rowena gave one last desperate look at the notebook before taking several steps towards the exit.

And then all hell broke loose.

[Cain the Scorched]

It had that faint tug at him, even now. That faint hum, the indescribable music that set his ears on edge... not that he had ears any more, of course. And this one was different. The song more seductive, enticing. Pure. He wasn't sure what the Stone could want with him now, but nothing good, he was sure. Cain was pure energy now. Touch the Stone again, and would he even be able to pull away, to escape in time before it drained his lifeforce entirely? Gone entirely from the world, finally consumed by the Stone that had cursed him for the last several decades.

He was in a far part of the Ministry, trying to escape the humming he felt in non-existent bones and the bad memories brought along with it. Darkness and light and blood-soaked stone. a seething female voice in his ear, a humming that was words but no words at all. come back, we can be together finally... give me your blood... power! The ghost came to a sudden stop in the middle of the corridor over at Magical Games and Sports, causing several witches to run through him, making faces and complaining about the cold. hhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmhhmm Something was different. There was a shift. Suddenly the ghost was flying through walls and floors, heedless of his flesh and blood colleagues as he raced to the cursebreaker offices. It only took a few  seconds to confirm the truth.

And only a few more to sound the alarm, emerging straight from the door, seeking that inner hum, the just-there touch of Max. It didn't take long at all.

"Rowena!" After all, Cain never forgot a name.

[Max Kameren]

The boy has to be handled, Alecsander.

That’s what Crabbe had told his Head Auror the week before, when all hell had broken loose in the Auror Department and brought his other jurisdictions crashing with it. Minds had had to be reset, resources expended. Because a young Kameren had been left on too loose a leash and hanged himself. It wasn’t the first time Argus had seen it, but he would be damned if it wasn’t the last.

In truth, the Department Head didn’t trust Alex Kameren to properly discipline his nephew. He knew mourning still lingered in him for his brother. He’d seen the Kameren family get too personal in their work in the past. Though Alex had built years of goodwill in his decades at the Ministry, Argus was still hesitant. In this instance, he would push his Head Auror. If he resisted, he would force his hand.

Their discussions had seemed to have an influence on the Head Auror, and Argus was pleasantly surprised by the punishment handed down. Two weeks, though not enough to account for the civilian life lost and thousands of galleons of work hours spent, was a suitable punishment. In the perpetrators’ time away they would make plans for preventative measures.

The measures of protective custody were thoroughly debated and measured between Argus and Alex until both parties were suitably satisfied. Plans had been drawn up, and agreements made. Argus had signed, but now the paperwork needed to be perused and approved by the Head Auror before Max Kameren’s care could be transferred to the Ministry on a temporary basis. This was what brought Argus to the Auror offices parchment in hand, searching for a signature but instead finding what appeared to be a robbery in progress.

"Rowena!"

The Cursebreaker Ghost’s shout woke a shifting Auror Potter with a start and he jumped up, whipping out his wand and ringing the alarm with a wave. Suddenly the lights in the bullpen began to flash red and white. The doors surrounding them slammed and locked.

Without a second thought Crabbe dropped the parchment and his wand was in his hands, pointed in the same direction as Potter’s at the only stranger in their midst. “Briefing, Potter!”

“She stunned me just a moment ago!”

“FREEZE!” Argus bellowed as a binding spell closed in around her.

[Max Kameren]

The twist of her face at Simone’s words was practically delicious. It was like Eden’s reaction but somehow better: quieter, more seething. Instead of a sister’s concern it was a lover’s mistrust and rejection. When the small fire broke out on the desk behind her Simone had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. Simone didn’t like sharing her toys; spitting venom at the one who occupied Max’s mind so completely felt so, so sweet.

But Rowena wasn’t here to reunite with her lover, they both knew. Some ulterior motive brought her to the Ministry during his suspension, something she couldn’t do with his detection. Something to do with the satchel she clutched over her shoulder.

“Let’s worry about Auror Potter over there, who looks like he might be sick. Or what’s in that satchel of yours you keep eyeing, hmm? I’m sure Auror Kameren would be very curious…”

Her wince told Simone all she needed. Her brow tweaked upward questioningly. “Yeah, he really doesn’t look good does he? Perhaps you should give Max’s notebook to me and go get someone about that…”

Instinctively Simone’s fingers tightened around the handle of her wand and her arm tightened the book closer to her body. She wasn’t sure what the next step was – she was an analyst, she wasn’t an auror – but she knew that satchel couldn’t leave the Ministry carrying whatever she’d put in it. Simone was about to open her mouth to reply when the Haunt of Cubicle Four burst into the bullpen with all the calamity a spirit could muster.

"Rowena!"

Suddenly things were moving very quickly. Potter was up and on his feet, wand in hand and alarms set off. The lift doors had opened to reveal their Department Head, who immediately dropped what he was holding with a flurry of parchment and flicked his wand out as well. In a rush of adrenaline Simone followed suit, whipping out her thin willowy wand and tracking the scurrying shoulders of their intruder as she tried to make her escape.

“FREEZE!”

The sudden exclamation from Commissioner Crabbe – whom Simone had never heard speak above a low gravel – startled the pshychologist and on instinct she sent out a binding spell, hitting Rowena squarely between the shoulders and locking circles of light tight around her. The other woman dropped like a load of bricks and the satchel thmped onto the ground, belching forth the perfect white surface of the Stone.

Simone glanced between her colleagues with wide brown eyes, clasping her hands together in front of her around her wand. “Crisis averted?”