I can't believe I'm actually doing this
..............................................
When Jack Howard first considered marrying Rose Weasley even he was struck speechless by such an idea. The Miss Weasley in question (for there were five others in fact) was one of the most prominent children of the generation to fight in the Second War the others didn’t count as they were only influential for their last name). She had made a name for herself four years ago when she entered the ministry, joining the Department of International Magical Cooperation. It was a prestigious appointment for one of only 22 but for having such an astonishing academic reputation and strength of her connections at the Ministry, it was somewhat bewildering to many that she did not subscribe immediately upon graduation.
At the time Howard was in the Division of International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats, already bowing heads with the elites of the Confedration and working his way upwards the mid echelon. He was a bright lad yet that seemed to be overlooked in a world in which passed recognition from blood to war hero. Harry Potter and his cronies was said to have changed the wizarding world for the better - pulled down the barrier, equality for all. Such an American sentiment for one from the Old Country and Howard never failed to marvel at their failure to see the change of regime as it passed right in front of their noses. It seemed as if he’d been there forever for all good it did his career. Being a Muggleborn and an orphan there were no connections to speak of on either side of the fence and as all his life he’d had to struggle to get by on the hope that some kind soul from high above would take notice on his humble work and with the right word here and there pull him up from the dregs of anonymity. He had been recognized in the end but it had taken too much from him for Howard to ever fully be satisfied with the rewards.
An interoffice memo jetted on to his desk and he quickly pulled the ink stand away before it fell onto the parchment he was reading concerning the restructuring of Ireland’s western border. The situation had been getting tetchier of late with neither side happy with the negotiations. What made it worse was that the tension was carrying over to the muggles and relations between the two countries were the lowest in the past 30 years. Snapping the cap back on the bottle, took up memo bird which upon his touch immediately fell lifeless.
To: Gabriel John Howard
Subject: Department meeting
Mr. Howard,
Sorry to inform you so late but the Department meeting scheduled for five this evening has been moved up to three. I understand this is on short notice but please be there on time. Please insure that all your subordinates are present as all materials must be presented by today for review.
Sincerely,
Violet Cappola
Undersecretary, Department of International Cooperation
Howard read the letter with deepening lines around his mouth. It was all well and good for old Oswald to change to arrange meetings for the convenience of spending leisurely time with his mistress but the possible repercussions of moving the deadline, even if by a mere three hours, could be detrimental to the meeting. Holberger, for one, was heading the committee yet he wasn’t scheduled to return to England until the 5 o’clock portkey.
The door of the office banged open, disturbing his angry musings and causing his personnel to jump in their seats. He looked up from the memo to see Rose Weasley walking toward his desk which was at the opposite end of the office from which she entered. Despite the startling entrance Howard noted that not a few heads turned admiringly to her form. Either that or they were awed in fear he though wryly doubting any of his men could ever handle her.
“Howard,” she stated. Howard also doubted whether she ever did not state anything. “Have you finished going through the Weiner report yet?” Even her questioning carried a certain tilt of the voice that failed to encourage answer. “I’d like to look at it before the meeting this evening and I have an appointment at 2:20.”
Howard stepped from behind the desk to its front, casually sitting on the edge. Standing, he was level with her, but even a slight recline made her head and shoulders above all the women and even some of the men in the Ministry. “Then I suppose you haven’t gotten the notice yet? Here,” he held out the creased parchment and observed her face for a reaction. As expected none came, but he noticed the slight hooded expression that tended to enshroud her face in the even of unpleasant circumstances. After reading it twice she looked up at him.
“I suppose I’d be wasting my time if I asked if this was a joke.”
“If it was it’d be a bloody shit one on part of Oswald,” he replied crossing his arms.
“And you just got it now?”
“I was reading it as you came in.”
“Hm. Antiope must be in town then.” It was one thing to think to oneself about dalliances committed by the head of department but another entirely to blatantly suggest that he operated in decorum less than refined. That she could get away with such insinuations was maddening to those of higher levels and they attributed this leniency to clout of the Weasley and Potter clan. Coming from two of the most powerful and influential families of postwar Wizarding England, she and the rest of the related progeny were practically untouchable. That in addition to a personality matching her six-foot frame made Rose Weasley a force to be reckoned with.
“Don’t look at me like that Howard, you know it’s true.”
“Of course, but you’re the only one that says it out loud.”
“I wasn’t that loud…” she dropped off as her eyes fell off his face an on the magiked window behind the desk and her face frowned in concentration.
“So the manuscript?” she continued abruptly. Howard turned from the window through which she had been gazing, attempting to see what was so interesting in the gray skies of London.
“I haven’t finished yet. Do you even have time to go through it?”
“I’ll have to see. Now that the bloody meeting’s been changed I’m not sure what I’ll have to do.”
“If I finish on time I’ll drop it by your office.”
“Yes, that would be good,” she turned to go. “If I’m not there leave it on my desk,” she called back. As she left Howard couldn’t help but confirm his suspicions that something was…how to say, off, about Rose Weasley. She was largely the same, one, he assumed rarely to subject herself to loss of control. The veneer never cracked yet he could only assume that something indeed had gone wrong somewhere, to leave her in a state edgier than her normal decorum. Yes, he had watched enough these past few weeks to come to this conclusion and was surprised that no one had caught it earlier. He sat back down in his chair, pulled it closer to his desk and gazed at the sheets splayed over his desk. The desk was larger than the others in the office, a symbol of his rank, and quite clean. He preferred, unlike his fellow officials to using muggle filing cabinets instead of mounds of parchment stored in large trunks or piled haphazardly into bookshelves. He was by nature industrious but it never hurt to look even more so at the right time and Howard had become rather adept at feigning perusal through the numerous folders placed strategically around the office. One never knew when the opportune moment might come after all and to his knowledge, it had gotten him at least one promotion. His gaze fell on the desk clock. Ten AM. It was going to be a long morning.
......................................
So. I know it must be all over the place but what do you guys think? I haven't edited anything so your poor eyes must have been bombarded with mistakes and inconsistencies. But spare me. I'm nervous as I write this. No one has ever read any of my non-school writings before. This is going to be a one-shot - most likely a lenghty one - but there's not enough in this era of Rose Weasley's life to take up more than a chapter. As for posting on HPFF, I have other stories waiting to be put in the kiln. Let's hope the ideas aren't to brittle to last.
*That would be stretching it since this particular installment doesn't have much else written
** Yes, it's a series!
When Jack Howard first considered marrying Rose Weasley even he was struck speechless by such an idea. The Miss Weasley in question (for there were five others in fact) was one of the most prominent children of the generation to fight in the Second War the others didn’t count as they were only influential for their last name). She had made a name for herself four years ago when she entered the ministry, joining the Department of International Magical Cooperation. It was a prestigious appointment for one of only 22 but for having such an astonishing academic reputation and strength of her connections at the Ministry, it was somewhat bewildering to many that she did not subscribe immediately upon graduation.
At the time Howard was in the Division of International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats, already bowing heads with the elites of the Confedration and working his way upwards the mid echelon. He was a bright lad yet that seemed to be overlooked in a world in which passed recognition from blood to war hero. Harry Potter and his cronies was said to have changed the wizarding world for the better - pulled down the barrier, equality for all. Such an American sentiment for one from the Old Country and Howard never failed to marvel at their failure to see the change of regime as it passed right in front of their noses. It seemed as if he’d been there forever for all good it did his career. Being a Muggleborn and an orphan there were no connections to speak of on either side of the fence and as all his life he’d had to struggle to get by on the hope that some kind soul from high above would take notice on his humble work and with the right word here and there pull him up from the dregs of anonymity. He had been recognized in the end but it had taken too much from him for Howard to ever fully be satisfied with the rewards.
An interoffice memo jetted on to his desk and he quickly pulled the ink stand away before it fell onto the parchment he was reading concerning the restructuring of Ireland’s western border. The situation had been getting tetchier of late with neither side happy with the negotiations. What made it worse was that the tension was carrying over to the muggles and relations between the two countries were the lowest in the past 30 years. Snapping the cap back on the bottle, took up memo bird which upon his touch immediately fell lifeless.
To: Gabriel John Howard
Subject: Department meeting
Mr. Howard,
Sorry to inform you so late but the Department meeting scheduled for five this evening has been moved up to three. I understand this is on short notice but please be there on time. Please insure that all your subordinates are present as all materials must be presented by today for review.
Sincerely,
Violet Cappola
Undersecretary, Department of International Cooperation
Howard read the letter with deepening lines around his mouth. It was all well and good for old Oswald to change to arrange meetings for the convenience of spending leisurely time with his mistress but the possible repercussions of moving the deadline, even if by a mere three hours, could be detrimental to the meeting. Holberger, for one, was heading the committee yet he wasn’t scheduled to return to England until the 5 o’clock portkey.
The door of the office banged open, disturbing his angry musings and causing his personnel to jump in their seats. He looked up from the memo to see Rose Weasley walking toward his desk which was at the opposite end of the office from which she entered. Despite the startling entrance Howard noted that not a few heads turned admiringly to her form. Either that or they were awed in fear he though wryly doubting any of his men could ever handle her.
“Howard,” she stated. Howard also doubted whether she ever did not state anything. “Have you finished going through the Weiner report yet?” Even her questioning carried a certain tilt of the voice that failed to encourage answer. “I’d like to look at it before the meeting this evening and I have an appointment at 2:20.”
Howard stepped from behind the desk to its front, casually sitting on the edge. Standing, he was level with her, but even a slight recline made her head and shoulders above all the women and even some of the men in the Ministry. “Then I suppose you haven’t gotten the notice yet? Here,” he held out the creased parchment and observed her face for a reaction. As expected none came, but he noticed the slight hooded expression that tended to enshroud her face in the even of unpleasant circumstances. After reading it twice she looked up at him.
“I suppose I’d be wasting my time if I asked if this was a joke.”
“If it was it’d be a bloody shit one on part of Oswald,” he replied crossing his arms.
“And you just got it now?”
“I was reading it as you came in.”
“Hm. Antiope must be in town then.” It was one thing to think to oneself about dalliances committed by the head of department but another entirely to blatantly suggest that he operated in decorum less than refined. That she could get away with such insinuations was maddening to those of higher levels and they attributed this leniency to clout of the Weasley and Potter clan. Coming from two of the most powerful and influential families of postwar Wizarding England, she and the rest of the related progeny were practically untouchable. That in addition to a personality matching her six-foot frame made Rose Weasley a force to be reckoned with.
“Don’t look at me like that Howard, you know it’s true.”
“Of course, but you’re the only one that says it out loud.”
“I wasn’t that loud…” she dropped off as her eyes fell off his face an on the magiked window behind the desk and her face frowned in concentration.
“So the manuscript?” she continued abruptly. Howard turned from the window through which she had been gazing, attempting to see what was so interesting in the gray skies of London.
“I haven’t finished yet. Do you even have time to go through it?”
“I’ll have to see. Now that the bloody meeting’s been changed I’m not sure what I’ll have to do.”
“If I finish on time I’ll drop it by your office.”
“Yes, that would be good,” she turned to go. “If I’m not there leave it on my desk,” she called back. As she left Howard couldn’t help but confirm his suspicions that something was…how to say, off, about Rose Weasley. She was largely the same, one, he assumed rarely to subject herself to loss of control. The veneer never cracked yet he could only assume that something indeed had gone wrong somewhere, to leave her in a state edgier than her normal decorum. Yes, he had watched enough these past few weeks to come to this conclusion and was surprised that no one had caught it earlier. He sat back down in his chair, pulled it closer to his desk and gazed at the sheets splayed over his desk. The desk was larger than the others in the office, a symbol of his rank, and quite clean. He preferred, unlike his fellow officials to using muggle filing cabinets instead of mounds of parchment stored in large trunks or piled haphazardly into bookshelves. He was by nature industrious but it never hurt to look even more so at the right time and Howard had become rather adept at feigning perusal through the numerous folders placed strategically around the office. One never knew when the opportune moment might come after all and to his knowledge, it had gotten him at least one promotion. His gaze fell on the desk clock. Ten AM. It was going to be a long morning.
......................................
So. I know it must be all over the place but what do you guys think? I haven't edited anything so your poor eyes must have been bombarded with mistakes and inconsistencies. But spare me. I'm nervous as I write this. No one has ever read any of my non-school writings before. This is going to be a one-shot - most likely a lenghty one - but there's not enough in this era of Rose Weasley's life to take up more than a chapter. As for posting on HPFF, I have other stories waiting to be put in the kiln. Let's hope the ideas aren't to brittle to last.
*That would be stretching it since this particular installment doesn't have much else written
** Yes, it's a series!