LOG. WHO: Maddie Savage & Gilbert Ollivander WHAT: Maddie recruits Gilbert to help with the case database. WHEN: Monday 11 December, evening. WHERE: The DMLE file room WARNINGS: None!
Snooping through reports filed by your co-workers wasn't really something Maddie Savage ever thought she'd be doing, but here she was, long after her shift was over. Not all of the reports were what they were looking for (no matter how much Mrs McGinley insisted Death Eaters were trying to ruin her prize Fanged Geraniums by sneaking gnomes into her garden), but she was flicking through them all anyway.
A noise made her glance up and she paused, quickly slipping the burner phone she'd been taking pictures with into a pocket before she closed the file she'd been rifling through.
"Hello?"
“Oh, I didn’t realize anyone was back here,” Gilbert said, startled when he heard Maddie’s voice. A quick glance at the folder in her hand and Gilbert recognized that particular case as one that hadn’t been assigned to her. “Everything okay?”
“Hi Gilbert,” she replied with an easy smile, letting her shoulders relax. “Just looking for a misfiled report. Jasper thought he was being funny.” She rolled her eyes, as if fed up with his antics.
“Sounds about right,” Gilbert agreed, sharing a good-natured roll of his eyes as well. “Can I help at all? I’ve been trying to do some reorganizing now that the department has… shifted focus, so I could help you find something if you need it?”
"Actually…" Maddie studied him for a few moments, his offer setting some gears turning in her head. "Maybe you can help me with a side project I've been working on," she continued carefully. "I've been trying to keep track of the Death Eater crime scenes we're being sent to. Even if we can't chase them down at that moment… maybe one day."
“Oh,” he said, pausing momentarily as his conversation with Imogen from the other day came to mind. He knew that it made sense to be careful, but if Maddie wasn't safe, no one was. “Sure,” he said. “Yeah, I can help. What do you need?”
"You see a lot more of the files than I do — any reports from the Hits about possible or probable Death Eater crime scenes.” Despite her weeks in the Hitwizard Office, Maddie still didn’t really consider herself - or her former Auror colleagues - as a hit witch.
“Okay…” he said slowly, thoughtfully. “I’m usually the one filing them so that shouldn’t be a problem. Do you want me to make copies of them, or just let you know about them so you can go through them?”
“Just a copy. Even a photo would fine — I can get you a burner phone, so nothing gets traced back to you.” Maddie glanced at the boxes of files with a slight scowl. There should be more to them than just a report, more investigation done into everything the Death Eaters are getting up to.
“Sounds good,” he said, though the mention of a burner phone made him nervous again, as it gave a glimpse into just how much trouble getting caught could mean. But… he thought of the picture Rabastan sent him of his grandfather and knew it was the right thing. “Get me the phone when you can and if there's anything else I can do, just let me know.”
“Will do,” Maddie confirmed with a nod. “And thank you. I know this is a big ask, but I'm hoping it'll be worth it one day."