The rhythm of my heart was set to an irregular beat inside my chest as I rose in the lifts, heading towards the Auror department. This was a little risky. I hadn't been within a hundred yards of Moody's lair since the Prewett's murder; all part of my policy of keeping-my-head-the-fuck-down. But, I reasoned, with Shacklebolt safely engaged in mourning for his dearly departed Dorcas, I would surely slip through unnoticed. I wanted to celebrate another victory for The Dark Lord and it definitely pleased my sense of irony to do so with a young impressionable Auror. She seemed... innocent. And that was something I hadn't come across for quite a while now. She was exactly naive - she'd certainly caught me on my little train of suggestive flattery - but all she'd said bespoke goodness. Today, with my glorious good mood, I really wanted something to enhance that
( ... )
The words were forming squiggly patterns on the parchment...
I snapped back into full conciousness at the sound of my name, half expecting to turn around a see Moody for some reason. Moody with a less aggressive voice, two proper eyes, more hair, more height and a more... swarve body language.
I dropped the incomprehensible parchment onto my desk and stood up. Not really sure what to do, I went to shake his hand. "Hi, you must be Augustus." Crikey, that name tripped off the tongue. "Still in a good mood?" I never had been very good at maintaining a smooth conversation.
I just managed to inject a little refinement into my grin before it spread easily across my face. "The very same." I stepped around the cubical wall with a boyant little skip in my step - it was a while since I'd done something un-Dark-Lord related. "Absolutely," I replied with another lazy grin, offering her my arm, "and it's improving every second, especially since I managed to find you amongst all this chaos." I motioned towards the innumberable scrolls of parchment which were being thrown around the Auror department.
He really was very happy, which seemed slightly out of place in these depressing time. But I wasn't about to dampen anyone's mood. Cheeriness made a difference.
He offered me his arm, which startled me slightly. What era was this guy from? I suppose I just stared at it blankly for a moment or two, my hand hanging in mid-air. Well, there really wasn't anyway to back out of it now. I gingerly put my arm through his.
I smiled at his comment. "I generally forget the clouds of parchment and yelled orders in my little cubby hole." I checked my desk one last time to make sure that I had finished everything I needed to do for now, and then we started walking towards the door. "So, what is this place like then?"
Oh dear, had something changed in the world whilst I wasn't looking? She seemed utterly perplexed by the proffered arm. But there, she'd taken it - maybe she just wasn't used to chivalry. Or, I certainly hoped so or my whole mode of address was likely to cause her discomfort. I decided, that I'd refrain from rushing ahead of her to open doors. She probably wouldn't like it.
"The Ministry?" I stared thoughtfully into the distance. "It depends where you are. The auror department is always like that, hectic - even when there isn't a crisis." I remembered, briefly, the massive pile of parchment I'd spotted there years ago, which had turned out to be merely application forms from new aurors. The way the Aurors had been bustling about back then, you would have thought they were all murder cases or something. "The rest of this place is a lot calmer most of the time. In fact, I think time actually stands still in the Arithmancer's office."
"Oh..." I laughed a little at his last comment. "I actually meant this cafe, but I suppose knowing about the Ministry is useful too." He was describing it all in great detail, maybe he had been here longer than I had assumed. We wondered out of the bustling auror's office into the much quieter, but I still felt a little awkward whenever someone walked past. This whole body-contact thing was a little too... forward? Or perhaps too self-confident. I couldn't decide.
Then I realised "Which department do you work in?"
"Oh." I made a face. "Sorry. My bad." That was embarrassing. Yet more proof that I needed to get out of this place more often - it was starting to invade my subconscious. Thankfully, Holly seemed to be in an indulgent mood and my own buoyant spirits wouldn't allow my to dwell on the mistake for too long. I noticed, as we strode towards the lifts, that she tensed beside me whenever someone passed us. As we approached the lift doors, I gently slide my arm out from hers and pressed the button. Hopefully that would make her more comfortable. It occurred to me then, as for some reason it hadn't before, that she was far younger than me - perhaps not particularly in years, but enough so to make her feel uncomfortable. Clearly time to reign in my enthusiasm.
"Ah," I said mysteriously, "if I told you that, I'm afraid I'd have to kill you." I raised an eyebrow at her, then winked to show I was joking. "I'm an Unspeakable." I continued, by way of an explanation.
Unspeakable... he was a disgrace? Why was my brain so slow today. I could feel the cogs going round in my head. I could almost see the blank look on my own face.
'Oh... you work in the Department of Mysteries. Sorry. I'm a bit slow today.' Well, that was different. I didn't think those people actually existed, that's probably why the name hadn't registered straight away. 'If you don't mind me asking, what do you actually do?' I'd heard various things about that department, but had dismissed most of it as rubbish made up by people who wanted to seem knowledgable.
I grinned, as the lift slid into place before us and the doors pinged open. "Don't worry, it takes a while to get used to the slang people use around here. I thought Aurors were people who walked around surrounded by a cloud of colourful emotions," Strangely, the lift was almost empty. Just a tall wizard sporting a large trombone - which was coughing out sweet-smelling green smoke every now and then. "like those things." I said pointing to them with a further smile.
"Ah, well that is the question." I pressed the button for the Atrium and we sped upwards. "I certainly don't mind you asking, but, I'm afraid, I can't actually tell you."
"I think you may have been closer than you think.' Smooth sentence there. 'Most people in the office do spend most of their day wrapped up in their own thoughts and dramas.'
Well, at least this lift smells nice, the trombone appeared to be good for one thing.
That was a strange question, I thought for a minute. The lift stopped momentarily to let the wizard off on some floor and a small witch bustled on with a small pile of papers. She smiled briefly before uniformly turning to face to door. 'Really? Why is that? Some rule or something? Is it really that mysterious?' I groaned internally at my own awful pun.
I snorted. "A bit more than a rule." I said airily and with a certain note of bitterness. That little contractual small print had caused me innumerable trouble in carrying out my duties for the Dark Lord over the years. The lift arrived, with a cheerful little trill, at the atrium and we stepped out. The witch marched off to one of the security benches and we followed, a little slower. I could sense Holly still burning with curiosity beside me and I ran my tongue around the inside of my teeth, thoughtfully, trying to think of a way to explain my situation. The easiest way was just to show her. "Alright, it's difficult to explain this, so I'm just going to show you - but not here," I glanced at the Aurors at the security desk, "outside."
OK. Now I was confused. A minute ago he had been all chatty and happy, I mention this rule... and he goes frosty and edgy, like somebody was watching. My eyebrows scrunched up and my head titled to one side, like my rabbit used to do when I only fed it dry food. Apart from rabbits don't have eyebrows.
Anwyay, I sped up my pace so I could stay by his side, but he was going at some pace. I decided not to ask anymore questions. They had a habit of landing me in these sort of awkward and wierd situations.
I decided, as Holly flashed her security pass at the other Aurors, and we were waved straight through, that I quite enjoyed being on the Aurors' side of things. This side of the fence was quite pleasant. For all that following the path of righteousness was rewarding and largely satisfying, it was something of an uphill struggle. But, I consoled myself, hopefully, it wouldn't be long now, until the law was on our side.
Outside, it was suitably sunny. I smiled at the cotton-like clouds that drifted across the horizon, then beckoned to my companion and led her around the corner. I glanced behind us to make sure no Ministry personnel were following, then turned to face her. "Sorry. The Ministry prefers it if you never even try to mention what it is we do, so I've got to show you this out here. One of those Aurors might have ratted on me otherwise." I flashed her a reassuring smile. I could well imagine how strange and mysterious this sounded.
What on earth was going on? What was he going to show me in a quiet little gangway that had anything to do with the Department of Mysteries? It was only now that I my senses started tingling and I became slightly nervous. So, this was a little reckless. I was standing in some quiet little unknown place with someone I had known for five minutes. Who had just started to behave like half of the ministry was after him. But they couldn't be, we'd just walked through the main atrium, for goodness sake, and no one had stopped him.
I calmed down a little at this thought, and I returned a small smile. But still, what was the need for all this secrecy?
"Okay, um," I fixed my thoughts on the artifact I was currently examining; a mysterious journal with gilded leather bindings which spoke in a crisp scottish accent, claiming to possess secrets of the darkest deeds, but also refusing to open. "at this moment, I'm engaged in the Department of Mysteries in trying to decipher the means to -"
Immediately, my throat constricted to the point of suffocation and there was a sharp, stabbing pain in my stomach. I choked on my words, coughed and doubled over feeling sick. Quickly, I turned my thoughts from the Department of Mysteries and concentrated on the mental image of Dorcas Meadows throwing an ornament at the Dark Lord; I laughed and the pain instantly passed so that I was able to straighten again.
Oh my God! He was going to be sick... and all over those nice shoes as well. Holly! Get a grip of yourself! "Good Lord. Are you OK?" I tried to steady him with a firm hold on his arm, not that would really help a lot, but the thought was there.
The strangest thing was that he straightened up nearly straight away with a small laugh. None of the previous pain apparent on his face. I really was more than a little scared now. This must be a joke or something, it was all too odd, even for the wizarding world. Something wasn't right. He literally semmed to be choking on his own failed words. "What was that? Or should I just stop asking questions?" I tried to search his face for any sign he'd been suffocating moments before.
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I snapped back into full conciousness at the sound of my name, half expecting to turn around a see Moody for some reason. Moody with a less aggressive voice, two proper eyes, more hair, more height and a more... swarve body language.
I dropped the incomprehensible parchment onto my desk and stood up. Not really sure what to do, I went to shake his hand. "Hi, you must be Augustus." Crikey, that name tripped off the tongue. "Still in a good mood?" I never had been very good at maintaining a smooth conversation.
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"The very same." I stepped around the cubical wall with a boyant little skip in my step - it was a while since I'd done something un-Dark-Lord related.
"Absolutely," I replied with another lazy grin, offering her my arm, "and it's improving every second, especially since I managed to find you amongst all this chaos." I motioned towards the innumberable scrolls of parchment which were being thrown around the Auror department.
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He offered me his arm, which startled me slightly. What era was this guy from? I suppose I just stared at it blankly for a moment or two, my hand hanging in mid-air. Well, there really wasn't anyway to back out of it now. I gingerly put my arm through his.
I smiled at his comment. "I generally forget the clouds of parchment and yelled orders in my little cubby hole." I checked my desk one last time to make sure that I had finished everything I needed to do for now, and then we started walking towards the door. "So, what is this place like then?"
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"The Ministry?" I stared thoughtfully into the distance. "It depends where you are. The auror department is always like that, hectic - even when there isn't a crisis." I remembered, briefly, the massive pile of parchment I'd spotted there years ago, which had turned out to be merely application forms from new aurors. The way the Aurors had been bustling about back then, you would have thought they were all murder cases or something. "The rest of this place is a lot calmer most of the time. In fact, I think time actually stands still in the Arithmancer's office."
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Then I realised "Which department do you work in?"
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I noticed, as we strode towards the lifts, that she tensed beside me whenever someone passed us. As we approached the lift doors, I gently slide my arm out from hers and pressed the button. Hopefully that would make her more comfortable. It occurred to me then, as for some reason it hadn't before, that she was far younger than me - perhaps not particularly in years, but enough so to make her feel uncomfortable. Clearly time to reign in my enthusiasm.
"Ah," I said mysteriously, "if I told you that, I'm afraid I'd have to kill you." I raised an eyebrow at her, then winked to show I was joking. "I'm an Unspeakable." I continued, by way of an explanation.
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'Oh... you work in the Department of Mysteries. Sorry. I'm a bit slow today.' Well, that was different. I didn't think those people actually existed, that's probably why the name hadn't registered straight away. 'If you don't mind me asking, what do you actually do?' I'd heard various things about that department, but had dismissed most of it as rubbish made up by people who wanted to seem knowledgable.
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"Don't worry, it takes a while to get used to the slang people use around here. I thought Aurors were people who walked around surrounded by a cloud of colourful emotions," Strangely, the lift was almost empty. Just a tall wizard sporting a large trombone - which was coughing out sweet-smelling green smoke every now and then. "like those things." I said pointing to them with a further smile.
"Ah, well that is the question." I pressed the button for the Atrium and we sped upwards. "I certainly don't mind you asking, but, I'm afraid, I can't actually tell you."
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Well, at least this lift smells nice, the trombone appeared to be good for one thing.
That was a strange question, I thought for a minute. The lift stopped momentarily to let the wizard off on some floor and a small witch bustled on with a small pile of papers. She smiled briefly before uniformly turning to face to door. 'Really? Why is that? Some rule or something? Is it really that mysterious?' I groaned internally at my own awful pun.
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I could sense Holly still burning with curiosity beside me and I ran my tongue around the inside of my teeth, thoughtfully, trying to think of a way to explain my situation. The easiest way was just to show her.
"Alright, it's difficult to explain this, so I'm just going to show you - but not here," I glanced at the Aurors at the security desk, "outside."
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Anwyay, I sped up my pace so I could stay by his side, but he was going at some pace. I decided not to ask anymore questions. They had a habit of landing me in these sort of awkward and wierd situations.
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Outside, it was suitably sunny. I smiled at the cotton-like clouds that drifted across the horizon, then beckoned to my companion and led her around the corner. I glanced behind us to make sure no Ministry personnel were following, then turned to face her.
"Sorry. The Ministry prefers it if you never even try to mention what it is we do, so I've got to show you this out here. One of those Aurors might have ratted on me otherwise." I flashed her a reassuring smile. I could well imagine how strange and mysterious this sounded.
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I calmed down a little at this thought, and I returned a small smile. But still, what was the need for all this secrecy?
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Immediately, my throat constricted to the point of suffocation and there was a sharp, stabbing pain in my stomach. I choked on my words, coughed and doubled over feeling sick. Quickly, I turned my thoughts from the Department of Mysteries and concentrated on the mental image of Dorcas Meadows throwing an ornament at the Dark Lord; I laughed and the pain instantly passed so that I was able to straighten again.
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The strangest thing was that he straightened up nearly straight away with a small laugh. None of the previous pain apparent on his face. I really was more than a little scared now. This must be a joke or something, it was all too odd, even for the wizarding world. Something wasn't right. He literally semmed to be choking on his own failed words. "What was that? Or should I just stop asking questions?" I tried to search his face for any sign he'd been suffocating moments before.
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