No Comment

Susan Jameson walked quickly with a cup of steaming coffee held between her hands. After doing this simple task day in and day out, Susan seriously thought that she should qualify for some kind of sport. When you worked in Witch Weekly’s building, carrying a cup of steaming coffee was a mean feat… there were zooming people to watch for, paper airplanes flying from office to office that didn’t care who got in their way, not to mention performing the task in heels.

Plus, Andy Simms didn’t like it when her coffee was late.

“Miss – Simms!” Susan gasped out breathlessly as she leaned up against the door that led to Andy’s office. If only the break room where the damn coffee machine was found was a little closer… that, or if only Andy allowed her to conjure up some coffee with her wand! Andy was Muggleborn and demanded that her coffee be prepared from scratch. Magical coffee was not the same, she claims. “I have your coffee.” Susan crept up to Andy’s desk, carefully placing the coffee on the only spot on her desk that wasn’t covered by a multitude of stacked up papers.

“You’re late,” Andy said simply, not peeling her eyes away from the paper in her hand.

“I—I’m sorry, Miss Simms! There was a moment where the coffee machine got sort of jammed up and I had to fix it. I won’t be late next time,” she added feebly. Andy whipped her head up to stare hard at Susan. Susan nearly took a step back from fright. The sharp edges on Andy’s glasses glinted dangerously in the light, as did the golden name plaque sitting upon her desk, reading Andrea Simms, Editor.

Susan gulped. She remembered her first day working here and calling Andy Andrea. The look that Andy was currently giving her was similar to the one she gave back then.

“No one ever calls me Andrea,” she said. “It’s Andy. But to you, it’s Miss Simms.”

She only needed to be told once.

“No matter then,” Andy said, gazing back at the papers she clutched. She sighed as she flipped a few pages back and checked off a couple of things. Susan stood awkwardly by the door wondering if she should go make more copies of something. Before she could take off, Andy handed her a stack of papers, not looking at her once, and said, “Hand these over to Bruce, will you? He’s been expecting them.”

Susan nodded quickly and took a hold of the papers immediately. She proceeded towards the lifts, cursing the fact that Apparating was no use within Witch Weekly. If Apparating had been allowed, floods of angry readers, or even angry subjects of some of the articles would be rampaging in here. Either way, Susan did not enjoy riding up and down the lifts all day long.

Finally reaching Bruce Mooningham’s office, she rapped on the door. It swung open revealing Bruce looking disheveled, but upon seeing the papers held by Susan, his appearance brightened immediately.

“Oh, thank you!” he exclaimed, almost looking like he wanted to hug her. “I’ve been waiting for these forever!”

“Yeah, well Miss Simms just sent me over just now to give them to you, so here you go,” Susan said, handing the bundle over.

Bruce shook his head. “Damn it, Andy. I told her I wanted them first thing!” And that was the last she heard before the door was slam shut in her face.

It was the same with everyone. Every single person in Witch Weekly seemed to hold some unspoken respect for Andy Simms. Perhaps it was the fact that she was one of the chief editors… but she wasn’t the only one. Susan had long come to the conclusion that the very sight of Andy Simms was enough. Though she wasn’t a bulked up butch or anything like that, the sharpness in her eyes alone could send a dog whimpering in fear. She was just so matter-of-fact and straightforward that it was established throughout the building that she was not someone you should mess with.

Maybe Susan was lucky to be the assistant to one of the most high up figures in Witch Weekly, but that wasn’t what she wanted.

Susan studied to be a journalist, having dreams of being an intrepid reporter, delivering news to the public with vigor. When she was able to get a job to work for Witch Weekly magazine, she couldn’t believe her luck! But that was before she knew that she was going to be assigned to, not covering breaking news stories, but to making copies, filing, and fetching coffees and croissants for one of the head honchos.

Yeah, Susan thought bitterly as she went back to finish copying some of Andy’s papers. Intrepid reporter my arse.

*

“Take a look at this, Sue!” Brittany exclaimed, flopping something onto Susan’s desk.

Susan peered up at Brittany, a witch who wore eclectic clothing to work with ridiculous baubles in her hair, and who was insufferably bubbly at times. “What is it now, Brittany?” Susan asked, remembering the last time Brittany was this excited. It had taken forever to rid the whole office wing of those damn doxies.

“Just look at it!” Brittany bounced on the balls of her feet, the swirly ribbons in her hair joining her in the dance.

Susan sighed. Brittany had given her a copy of a lesser-known magazine called Spellbinding. The magazine was somewhat of a joke between employees at Witch Weekly, for it was known to concoct ludicrous stories in order to sell itself. While The Quibbler was not that different, Spellbinding was just a shame to all magazines everywhere.

However, Susan still found that the cover story was still interesting, even if it was most likely fake.

“Harry Potter and Hermione Granger: Truth in Love?” Susan read out loud. This was unbelievable. She took a glance at Brittany who was still bouncing up and down excitedly. Everyone knew who Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were, not to mention the other part to their group, Ron Weasley. Susan, herself, remembered them vaguely, seeing as she was a first year when they were in their seventh.

“Isn’t it completely scandalous? Even after all those rumours about Harry Potter and the Quidditch chick from the Spanish team? I wonder if he’s cheating on them!” she said.

“You can’t be serious, Brittany!” Susan said, raising her eyebrows. “I mean… this is from Spellbinding! You can hardly call that a reliable source for information! This is all fake!”

“Andrea sure doesn’t seem to think so!” Brittany said, her eyes widening in even more excitement.

Susan did not understand many things about her colleague, Brittany. Like how she got a job here in the first place, or even how she managed the courage to step out of her flat with the outfits she wore. But most of all, she just did not understand how Brittany got away with calling Andy Simms Andrea.

“Oh, hi, Andrea!” she called, waving to someone just behind Susan. Susan immediately straightened up, attempting to look like she was working the whole time instead of arguing the validity of Spellbinding’s latest scoop.

“Hello, Brittany, doing well, I suppose?” Andy asked curtly, stopping beside Susan’s desk. Susan found it immensely disconcerting with her standing so close.

“Positively smashing,” Brittany replied. “I say you got your hands on the latest issue of Spellbinding?”

Andy’s lip tightened into a straight line… the closest she ever got to a smile. “Indeed I have. Now Brittany, don’t you have a fashion article to proofread?”

“Right, silly me. But those robes you chose to include in this issue are frightfully boring, Andrea, to tell you honestly.”

“Be that as it may. It still doesn’t mean you can dally about, slowing up production time. We have a deadline to meet, after all!”

Brittany rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. See you later, then!” She flounced off, her ruffly, orange skirt rippling with every stride she took.

“Good. Now that she is gone, I mean to have a word with you, Susan.” Susan was startled at the request, not being accustomed to Andy wanting to speak to her privately.

“Er… of course, Miss Simms. What is it that you want?” she asked.

Andy looked around, as if checking that nobody was watching. Finally, fixing her eyes onto Susan, she said, “Come into my office,” and proceeded to drag her in herself by the elbow.

When they had entered the vast office with the door shut behind them, Susan found herself uneasily standing in front of Andy’s desk. She watched Andy walk around to sit in her high-backed swivel chair and waited for her to begin speaking.

“About that Spellbinding issue—“ Andy began saying.

Thinking that she was being chastised for reading a rival’s magazine, not to mention one of poor quality, Susan butt in. “That belonged to Brittany, Miss Simms! I had no interest in reading it at all and she just dropped it onto my desk, and—“ She stopped speaking when Andy firmly held up a hand for her to stop.

“I know. I wasn’t going to give you a lecture. I’m just going to give you an assignment.”

Susan’s ears perked up. Even though the few assignments that Andy had sent her on hadn’t been worth talking about, only one can change everything.

“Really? What?” she asked eagerly, but not too eagerly so that she won’t lose face in front of Andy.

“Just what that Spellbinding issue was going on about! Harry Potter and Hermione Granger!”

Susan looked at her dumbly. “Y-you’re going to copy something from… from Spellbinding?” she asked incredulously.

“Oh, Susan, it’s not copying! Besides, I’m pretty sure that about every reporter for every newspaper or magazine in Europe is on the same doorstep right now! It’s not just Spellbinding that’s reporting on the romance between these two very famous witch and wizard. Their relationship has been bubbling in the media cauldron for as long as I can remember!” Andy said with a faraway look in her eyes. “It must have been good ol’ Rita Skeeter that started it all…” Susan bit her tongue. She never really liked Rita Skeeter much. “…Then it went quiet between them for the longest time, the report of them dating scarce… and now… Spellbinding is the number one seller on wizarding newsstands today! I admire a small magazine taking a big leap like that… what I’d like to know is how they got their scoop!”

Susan couldn’t believe her ears. She hearing big-time Andy Simms admire Spellbinding magazine. Andy’s eyes regained their steel soon, though.

“Well, that’s your assignment, Jameson. I want you to be Witch Weekly’s representative on the Harry Potter and Hermione Granger story. Report back here when you gain something useful… and only if you gain something useful. The last thing I want is you returning empty-handed. And you know me, Jameson. I am not one to disappoint. Now run along and appear at this address.” Andy handed a piece of parchment to Susan with an address hastily scrawled upon it. Susan assumed that it was the doorstep that reportedly, every reporter was gathered upon, ready to kill for information on the couple.

Old dreams of being the intrepid reporter filled Susan’s entire being. Grabbing a camera and a grey Quick Quotes Quill (they had discontinued the acid green coloured ones about the same time Rita Skeeter disappeared from the public eye), Susan set out to cover probably the biggest story in her entire career.

* * *

Much as Andy had predicted, when Susan arrived at the specified address, there was already a swarm of eager reporters waiting. Susan joined the group, thankful for her small frame so she was able to squeeze in and locate herself to the front of the crowd. Everyone held cameras, quills; Susan even caught a few Muggle tape recorders, and tons of other devices. Someone was already hammering on the door.

The babble of talk was so loud and indecipherable. Susan figured that she should say something as well, but there seemed to be no one answering in the first place, so she just clammed up, but continuing to push and shove to maintain her relatively close distance to the door. She didn’t want to miss a thing.

Finally, the door opened slightly, a chain lock in place so that it was only opened a smudge more than a crack. Susan distinctly saw a peek of bushy brown hair.

The slight opening of the door was like the opening of a water dam. The reporters all pushed forward, Susan being carried along with them, their voices rising as questions from all sides rang back and forth.

“Miss Granger! Miss Granger! How long have you and Mr. Potter been romantically involved with each other?” someone yelled out, Susan only just being able to hear it among the other voices.

“Does this deny the rumours of Mr. Potter’s relationship with Miss Rodriguez from the Spanish Quidditch team?” another bellowed.

“How long did you and Mr. Potter plan on hiding this?” two voices at once asked.

The questions were coming so rapid that Susan barely had time to think, nonetheless ask a question of her own. She felt horribly new and uneducated being surrounded by these obviously experienced people. How did Andy trust her with such a huge task?

Hermione Granger fully stepped onto the doorstep, closing the door firmly behind her. This caused another heavy surge towards the door’s direction, and Susan had to clutch her camera lest it be swept away from the sheer eagerness of the crowd. Hermione Granger blinked from the flashes of the camera lights, but took it in stride. She held up her hand and that simple gesture shushed the crowd instantaneously.

“No comment!” she said loudly and clearly.

With that, she swept around, completely ignoring the new and much louder scramble of voices shouting after her. She slipped inside and the door shut.

“Well that’s just great! I drag myself all the way here to be rewarded with a ‘no comment’,” Susan heard a reporter say to another.

“’No comment’ my arse!” a disgruntled, female reporter said shrilly. “Don’t think that The Daily Prophet is going to give up!”

All around her, reporters were cursing at their lack of luck. Susan even thought she heard some French being spoken as two wizards argued between one another, obviously disappointed as well.

Susan damned her luck too. She was assigned on one of the biggest stories ever to hit the media, and there was nothing to show for it. Andy was not going to be happy.

I am not one to disappoint.

Susan sighed, stuffing the Quick Quotes Quill and parchment into her bag. The camera hung around her neck and she looked at it despairingly, knowing that no pictures were going to be taken that day.

“No comment” my arse!

“Amen to that,” Susan whispered to herself, kicking a few pebbles as she walked over to her Apparating point that was going to take her back to the alley way made especially for Apparating to Witch Weekly’s building. Any person that ever said ‘no comment’ usually had many comments. There was probably romance between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, but being their celebrity selves, they weren’t willing to divulge that information to the public right away. Susan understood the necessity of privacy, but this was her story!

Don’t think that The Daily Prophet is going to give up!

Susan stopped in her tracks.

Andy did not handle dissatisfaction well, she knew that first hand, and she was in no way willing to undergo another one of Andy’s “moods”. And if she wanted to be the intrepid reporter that she always wanted to be, then this was the opportunity for her! She had to take chances, and now that all the other reporters left in despair, then by Jove, this was the very chance that she should take!

Making entirely sure that everyone else was gone, Susan turned around and began marching back towards the house. She climbed the steps and knocked on the door. It took a minute for someone to answer, but when they did, Susan saw that it was Hermione Granger once again.

“Hello, Miss Granger,” Susan said, marveled by the fact that her nerves weren’t making her voice quiver. “I’m from Witch Weekly and I was hoping I can have a minute of your time.”

“You know, I’m really not interested. I already said ‘no comment’.” The door slammed in her face.

Not being fazed by this at all (she was used to doors slamming in her face), Susan knocked again. Hermione opened again.

“I said, ‘no comment’!” she said, her voice already impatient. “What does it take you people to get out of my face?” She slammed it shut.

Susan hovered on the idea of knocking again, but figured that Hermione might pull out her wand at that point. So instead, she decided to play dirty.

Stepping off the doorstep, Susan made it look like she was about to walk away, but once the coast was clear, she changed direction quickly and crept around the house, hoping to find an open window of some kind.

It turns out that luck was on her side that day. There was an open window to what appeared to be a kitchen, and if she stood just so, no one would be able to see her and she’d hopefully be able to overhear some conversations that could bring this story to life.

For a minute, it seemed that there was nobody even inside the kitchen, but soon enough, Susan heard voices creeping through the open window. Hermione’s voice was there, and much to her delight, a male’s…

Susan ripped out her parchment and Quick Quotes Quill and activated it. It immediately began skating upon the parchment, writing down words quicker than the eye can see.

“Are they gone?” the man asked.

“Yes. I just sent the last one away.” Susan kept her ears open and her eyes fixed upon the rapid scratching quill. She was hitting the jackpot.

“Thank God. I did not want to deal with them today… or any other day for that matter. I just want you all to myself.” The noises of kissing were distinct, even through the screen of the window. Susan nearly started jumping in glee.

“Sooner or later, we are going to have to fess up,” Hermione said after a minute or so of kissing.

“I know,” the man replied in a breathy voice. “But for now, I just want this under wraps. You’re my little secret.”

“And you’re mine.” Susan could just envision the smile on Hermione’s face (though it was quite difficult when her real life take of Hermione’s facial expression was one that could kill).

There were more kissing noises. Susan was pleased to see that the Quick Quotes Quill even took note of the kissing, saying that “the two shared passionate kisses that only lovers do”.

“I love you, Harry,” Hermione whispered. Susan couldn’t even hear it, but only knew that’s what she said for the Quick Quotes Quill doesn’t miss a thing.

“And I love you, Hermione. So, so much.”

At that, all victorious thoughts escaped Susan’s mind.

She was sent there to report on the romance between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and from all the evidence she had gathered, that was just what she was about to do. It was going to send her career soaring and she would no longer have to wait on Andy and worry about being late with her coffee. This story was opening all sorts of doors to her, and she’d be crazy not to take it!

But… the way she had heard Harry and Hermione talk to each other… it just set something off. The very tone of their voices and sincerity of their words conveyed that this romance was not just romance… but something a lot more meaningful. They loved each other, and celebrity or not, there’s just something so precious about love.

Susan felt like she was tearing herself in half. Her mind was telling her to snag the story and fulfill her dreams… but another, albeit much smaller, part was telling her to just leave it. Some things should be just left alone.

You’re my little secret.

He loved her, and she loved him. Deeply. And if keeping it to themselves was what they wanted at the moment, then so be it. Who was she to mess with things and possibly impose lots of stress upon their relationship, which seemed to be nothing short of loving and amazing.

Coming to a decision, Susan burned the piece of parchment containing writing and even ditched the Quick Quotes Quill that recorded everything.

When she arrived at the office, she pulled out a scrap piece of parchment that she left on Andy’s desk before heading out. The parchment read:

“No comment.”