Dolores Anders had been in the Minister of Magic's office for six months as his executive secretary. Her immediate predecessor had held the position for close to twenty-five years, almost since the end of the last war. When the Minister stubbornly refused to retire, she eventually hired Dolores as an assistant - then retired herself.
Shacklebolt was the sort of minister who remained cool under pressure, never showing his true emotions unnecessarily. So when Dolores saw him enter the outer office, muttering to himself, it gave her pause. As he walked past her desk, she saw that he held a letter.
"Why couldn't it have been a normal Monday…" she heard him mutter. Rising, she followed him into his inner office.
"Minister…?" she began.
Kingsley looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time. "Good morning, Dolores." He now stood at his desk, letter still in hand. She saw that he was tentative, almost, as if he did not know how to proceed.
"Is something the matter, Minister?" She asked, gently.
He frowned slightly, his eyes moving from her to the letter and back. "I'm not sure." Then he grinned, handing her the letter. "Why don't you tell me what you think, Miss Anders."
Dolores took the letter, hesitantly. It seemed to be a standard letter, the text printed in the precisely spaced script of a magically created document. The first sheet she saw was a list. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry -- Uniform… It was, by all appearances, a standard list of supplies for a first year at Hogwarts. Dolores scanned the list briefly, and smiled when she saw how little had changed from her years in school.
So this was a Hogwarts letter. But the Minister had no children, to her knowledge. Dolores looked at the letter itself. For the most part, the text was the same as her letter, all those years before. It was the differences that caught her eye.
She first glanced at the signature. Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress. Seems simple enough. Professor McGonagall had been headmistress for as long as Minister Shacklebolt had been Minister of Magic.
It was the sign off at the end of the letter itself that first hinted at the problem. I have the honour to remain, sir, your Royal Highness' most humble servant, it read. Professor McGonagall was nothing if not a proper witch, always - always - maintaining the appropriate decorum. But even for her, this seemed overly polite. Then the title caught up with her, and Dolores' eyes grew wide. Wait a second…
Dolores shuffled the papers in her hand, finding the envelope. She looked at its face, knowing what she would find but shocked to have her guess confirmed. Her eyes met the Minister's. He nodded slowly.
"The Headmistress sent that over this morning. She suggested that I make the introductions on her behalf."
Dolores nodded slowly. That would make sense, of course. A professor would usually visit with the family of a muggle-born witch or wizard, to reveal the existence of magic and discuss their child's place in the wizarding world. Here, the parents probably already knew about magic - they would have to, just as the grandparents would have. But they were still muggles, after all.
Kingsley Shacklebolt sat down at his desk, and Dolores could tell that he was preparing himself for the day's events. She was already starting to wonder if anything on the schedule would survive the morning.
"Please make arrangements for a visit to the Muggle Minister, Dolores. I imagine she will want to be there when I meet the parents." He sighed, shaking his head. "I wonder where they'll sort him…" he mused.
Dolores nodded, looking back down at the envelope. Despite the implications, she could not help but smile. Professor McGonagall will have an interesting year, to say the least, She thought. Dolores read the address once more.
His Royal Highness, Prince George of Cambridge
Clarence House
London