Let The Chaos Begin || Alecto & Lily
Alecto turned away from the chaos in the office, returning to her desk where she poured herself a large scotch, taking a couple of sips as she relaxed in her leather chair. Her blue eyes drifted over the constant flow of papers soaring into the office, landing upon the desk. She considered reaching for one to find out what it was about, when Lily Potter entered. Of all the people Alecto expected to see during the course of the day, Lily Potter was not one of them – she wondered if the rest of her Order patrol would be emerging. She had yet to speak to the Potters at the same time.
“Miss. Potter, don’t you look lovely this morning.” She drained the remaining scotch in her glass while listening to the red-head attempt to hide the fact she would rather be anywhere else in the world but talking to a Carrow.
“For once Mr. Rosier is earning his pay.” Alecto commented with a hint of amusement, having never expected her dear friend to work as hard as he was being forced to this day. She set her empty glass down and waved towards the empty chair in front of her desk. “No appointment is necessary; it certainly hasn’t stopped anyone else from barging into the office since the news broke. Please sit, there’s enough fluttering about outside this room, no sense for the two of us to be losing our heads as well.”
Alecto generally would’ve poured herself another drink, however considering the company she decided against it, turning her chair straight on so she was facing Lily. “Miss. Vance is taking the lead on the proceedings, but I can tell you we are suggesting all of the Returned that voluntarily come in, need to go through a series medical exams and then you will be spoken to by your case worker. Our top priory of course, is to ensure the safety of the Returned and their families.”
Lily raised an eyebrow, totally nonplussed. "Thanks," she said drily, making a mental inventory: ill-fitting second-hand clothes, half-combed hair, wan features, bags under her eyes, no make-up...yes, she was sure she was the very picture of feminine beauty today. "Great to see you too," Lily added in the same tone.
The smile she'd mustered thinned at the mention of Evan Rosier "earning his pay." Lily knew exactly what sort of things he had once considered a "good day's work," and the idea of the Ministry now paying for his time -- well, if anything confirmed that Lily was right in her assumptions about Alecto Carrow's allegiance, the fact that she had Rosier working as her assistant did, quite unarguably.
She wavered at the invitation to sit; wavered, but forced herself to sit down -- to cooperate. That's what you came here for after all, she reminded herself, her mental voice brisk and chiding. So Lily sat, and folded her hands in her lap, and then unfolded them and placed them on the arms of her chair, and then tucked them under her arms, and then folded them in her lap again. She couldn't get comfortable, but it wasn't the hard office chair, or the chaotic bustle around them, or even her worries about what was going on in the Wizarding World at large. It was the person she was sitting across from. Lily could have been seated in a plush nest of cushions inside an exclusive spa and she would have felt uncomfortable if it was Alecto Carrow she was sitting with.
So she smiled, politely, and nodded as Alecto explained -- but her face fell when she learned what the Ministry had planned. "More medical tests?" she exclaimed, unable to stop herself speaking her mind in her distress. "Why? What on earth for? We're not the ones causing problems! Not from what I've heard, anyway! What good will giving us medical examinations do? That's like -- like finding someone under attack by a dragon, and offering to style their hair for them! What's the point?"












