BACKDATED

[flowerpatil]

Date: 6 October 2000, Backdated
Time: 11am
Location: Alecto's
Characters Involved: Aurin Helm and Parvati Patil only
Rating: PG?

Parvati had been really excited about her job interview to work with the Helm brothers. The one she had met, Aurin, was really nice and sociable, and he seemed to really care for animals. It was odd how nervous she had been

Comments

[golden_armor]

((Sorry sorry! I was going to post this before leaving Saturday, but there was a snafu with the bus tickets! Thanks for taking the initiative!))There were a few customers at Alecto's, fewer than usual, but that was to be expected since Diagon seemed such a dangerous place lately, a fact that saddened Aurin. Toviel was minding the front counter as usual, and gave Parvati a friendly smile and nod as she entered the store. "You'll be the interviewee, right? Aurin's in back, near the reptiles." He indicated the general direction, where a large heat lamp was just visible above the rows of shelves

[flowerpatil]

((No worries! S'all good.))

Parvati returned Toviel's friendly greeting with a smile and wave of her own. "Oh, thank you!" she said, heading toward the back of the store. Reptiles, great. Snakes were her least favourite thing in the world, and her Boggart always took the form of a huge black snake. Don't act afraid, she thought, taking a deep breath. You'll have to work with these things.

It was a relief when Aurin noticed her and smiled, leading her to the office. She followed his direction and went up the stairs, finally entering into an office on the second floor.

"I want to thank you for giving me this interview," Parvati said as Aurin came in behind her. "I enjoy watching Oliver's daughter but I don't want to be a minder all my life." She gave a little laugh, still feeling the effects of the sight of the giant snake. Oh, please let this go well.

[golden_armor]

Aurin noticed Parvati giving the snake a rather sideways look, and made a mental note about it as they ascended the stairs. The office at the top of the staircase was spacious, the walls lined with bookshelves filled to overflowing with literature on all sorts of animals, both magical and non. The only space not occupied by shelves was across from the door, where a large bay window looked out over Diagon Alley. In front of the window was a large desk, made of dark reddish wood, which was also covered in books and papers. A pair of unoccupied perches sat to one side, one large, one small, both scored with talon marks. To the other side was a coffee table, the only cleared surface in the room, flanked by two comfortable blue armchairs

[flowerpatil]

Parvati took a seat and let her eyes flicker over the office - it seemed really comfortable and worn-in. It was a nice atmosphere; the Ministry was so formal and uppity that it was hard to relax. A babysitting setting was another quite different thing, and then again was Alecto's. There were a few books whose titles caught Parvati's eye, and if she were hired she'd definitely ask Aurin to check those out.

"Ah, tea, thanks," Parvati said. She neatly crossed her ankles. Alecto's seemed like a very relaxed, informal place, but she wanted to make the best of impressions at the interview. If she started working, she would become more comfortable. But for now, formal was best.

"Well you actually came along at the right time as well," she continued as Aurin prepared tea. "I really enjoy my minder job, but it's not something I want to do forever. I was trained in Magical Creature care and so on, and really want to get back into that field without returning to the Ministry."