#// one day ur luck is gonna run out katie-kins & i cannot wait to write it

[katiethxrne]

act i : god’s favor or katie avoids arrest by an incompetent co-worker

The muggy night made the cigarette less helpful than she would have liked, the smoke twirling around her tongue over-heavy and static on her lips. The nervous air of the other bar patrons barely so much as niggled an eyebrow from the brunette at the window seat, a mug of strong ale before her, condensation staining the already tarnished tabletop. Even with the windows open and a cooling charm the bar remained musty.

Why Hawkins had picked this place was beyond her, the younger woman was a bartender and there were better places to pick, let alone a bar in the Wizarding World when the Muggle one was only a few steps away. Katie took another drag, letting the smoke curl into the night sky from her own brazenly wide window.

Hawkins was late.

Unusual, but not outright worrisome. 

Katie sipped at her ale, motioning to the barkeep to get her another, he sent a serving girl over, pretty with bright eyes. Too young.

“When did you get so old Thorne?” her mind whispered a little deviously, somewhere around the third eviscerated body she supposed but she flashed a crooked grin all the same as the serving girl topped her up. 

Sipping on her second round Katie hazarded a look to her watch, a beat up scuffed thing that once belonged to her Dad-- yup, Hawkins was an hour late and Katie wasn’t going to be sitting around any longer. Wolfsbane was a lucrative potion to sell and there wasn’t a short shelf life nor was it particularly hard to find customers for. Standing up from her seat she tossed a few sickles and knuts on the table and exited the bar. As she stepped around the corner she noted something odd, a little shadow stuck to her shadow. Blink and you would miss it, but Katie hardly missed a trick when in fact she was a queen of tricks. The Gryffindor took a sharp right down an alley, watching from the corner of her eye as the shadow peeled off as the potioneer shrouded herself in darkness, it took a quick charm and Katie was seemingly sucked into the shadows. The patter of feet at the mouth of the alley revealed a shockingly tall blonde, Katie almost snickered at the annoyed frown on the man’s face. Auror Lebond, though very good with stealth was not good at tracking, and it was showing as he peered down the alley, muttering to himself. Katie shifted closer, feet muffled by the weave of charms around her. 

“Where did he go...” Katie grinned, as he paced, hardly a foot away, “I knew this tip was ridiculous, that damn seller never shows with the same face.” Polyjuice was easy, having been brewing it since her fourth year, and in large supply in her closet. Her current face was a bullish man, broken nose and close-cropped solider’s hair and frankly was dressed as the chavs from her hometown. Katie quietly slipped further down the alley and without much preamble took the remedy for Polyjuice. Her clothes were now massive on her, and her dark curls were a side-swept mess, it took a few transfiguration fixes and some charms and back around the corner went Katie-- nose in her phone, cigarette in hand and looking up at the figure still pacing the entry to the alley fiddling with his wand.

“Damien?” Katie tilted her head up, grinning at the tall man who froze as he turned around.

“Thorne,” he ground out with a false grin, “what are you doing here?”

“I’ve a friend who lives nearby, just headed to the local apparition point,” this wizarding neighborhood was nestled in the heart of Derbyshire, and a apparition point was needed as the muggle’s surrounded them, “my friend’s place has anti-apparition charms, their family fought in the War and it turns out paranoia is generational.” 

“Didn’t know you had friends out here Thorne,” he looked down at her, eyes narrowed, obviously annoyed to find her out here. 

“Oh call me Katie, we’ve met.” the flick of her brow was simply to remind him that she solved that alchemy ring before he did, and the stealing of glory had rubbed him wrong ever since. “What are you doing out here? Not working are you?”

“Yes,” he ground out, “it’s a secret mission, and you’re interrupting.”

The woman raised her hands in apology, “Sorry Leland--”

“Lebond.”

“Right.” Katie rolled her eyes, “Well if you’re looking for someone, maybe trying to track them in Auror robes, badges, and your overly shiny boots isn’t as discrete as you may like.”

“If you knew the rules about Aurors you would know that wearing our badges and robes are part of procedure!” the blonde snapped, bearing down on her, as if his intimidation attempt would work. “But as usual, you pretend like you’re a real field agent who got in on their actual skill and not a lucky vouch.” That was the usual bard Aurors had been throwing at her, hopping it would stick like shit to a wall, and Katie had to admit it hurt. Like the prick of a needle, but just as inconsequential. “So why you don’t you get away from my crimes and go back to the labs.”

“Alright, I’ll skedaddle then, have fun hunting your potioneer.”

His hand was heavy, sweaty and tight on her shoulder-- it reminded her far too much of her Uncle so Katie was quick to roll out from underneath it. “How to fuck do you know I’m looking for a potioneer?”

“You’re looking for a potions dealer, and I deal in potions, it’s quite literally my job title -- Master Potioneer for the Department of Law Enforcement, Forensics & Crime division of the Auror Department. Of course I know what you’re looking for. Armstrong is in charge of the case, and you’re in her squadron, it’s a very simple deduction. Besides, I do deal in potion making outside of the Aurors, I’ve heard from the supply grapevine about someone buying large stock without Ministry permits,” Katie sniffed, “and often in disguise, whoever you’re hunting has probably already shed their disguise.”

“Whose to say you’re not the potioneer.”

“You can literally track my purchases Lesalle--”

“Lebond.”

“-- with the apothecaries, I’m a pretty well known among them. I do some potion making, licensed, for the apothecary in Hogsmeade. Besides I literally am an Auror why in the world would I be doing anything illegal like selling Felix Felicis on the black market?”

“It’s Wolfsbane.”

“Even worse, that’s just as controlled. Can I brew it? Of course, I wouldn’t be worth my salt as a Master Potioneer if I couldn’t. Don’t be daft.”

The man stared her down, the veins on his neck popping as he mouth twitched, “Fine. But I’m watching you.”

“Keep your eyes neck level and up then Letoya--”

“Lebond.”

“Whatever. Are you done interrogating me, cause you have more that definitely lost your guy sitting around acting as if I’m a suspect in your little case. Better be careful, maybe I’ll solve it before you,” she patted him consoling on the shoulder, “don’t worry, I’ll mention this in my report.”

“You can’t do a report you’re not a field agent and you most certaintly cannot do any field agent work. You’re a Master Potioneer and didn’t do the training I did.”

“Astute. Anyway I must be getting home, I have to be at the labs early tomorrow. Johnson busted up a chimera alchemy ring yesterday and I have some bodies to help dissect, they were messing with some blood potioneering.” the man looked faintly queasy before stepping out of her pathway. The both exchanged a tiresome look, they both knew the horrors of this field of work, and they’d both seen the scourge of the Earth. 

“I don’t begrudge you that job at all.”

“Believe me, you shouldn’t.” with a spin on her heel she sauntered down the street as Lebond once again attempted several tracking spells, but without any real DNA to track she knew it would be hopeless. Armstrong no doubt wanted him out of whatever mission she was fielding tonight, he wasn’t the brightest snitch in the game and had all the finesse of a Chinese fireball at a kids party. Katie spun on her heels again, popping into her living room, feet landing dangerously close to an open wine bottle. Putting away the Wolfsbane that was meant to be sold to Hawkins tonight Katie quickly burned the hair she had left of the solider chav, Chickadee enjoying setting the short black stands on fire, no use for that disguise anymore. 

Tomorrow she’ll see if she can contact a few other buyers, the Full Moon was close and Katie as always needed a little extra cash on the side. 

#the acts #act i : god's favor #// katie is a demon why r u a cop u idiot #// i love the drama of katie fucking with her co-workers #// one day ur luck is gonna run out katie-kins & i cannot wait to write it