WWN Listens
II: "Microphone"
820 words

WWN turned out to be a flatiron building in central London. It had no signage - not even lettering on the windows - so Harry dug into his rucksack for Chun-ja's instructions and read them again. Then, he opened the nondescript front door and shyly stepped inside.

"Hullo?" he called out, feeling like a prat.

There was an information desk, but it was unmanned. Behind it was an antique lift, which looked more like a door into a furnace than a lift. The lobby held nothing else. Harry sighed and pulled back the scissor gate.

The light inside the narrow lift flickered, illuminating only one button: WWN. He closed the gate and pushed it.

"Thank you for visiting WWN, where Wizards Listen. If you notice any suspicious persons then please report them to a member of staff. This lift will arrive at WWN in approximately," the voice warbled, "one nanocentury."

Harry stared at the speaker, disbelieving. "You're joking," he informed it, but the announcement did not waver.

"Do not leave any of your belongings in this lift. We are now arriving at WWN."

Harry hastily got out.

Rows and rows of abandoned desks, cluttered with newspapers and quills, were the remains of WWN. If a bomb had gone off, it would not look any different. Frowning, Harry picked up a newspaper from the ground. Its headline read:

HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED RETURNS

A scuffle from the other side of the room caught his attention.

"Oi, Harry! Over here!"

A familiar man appeared from behind a towering stack of newspapers.

"Lee Jordan," Harry realised, "what the hell are you doing here?"

"Working, mate!" Lee grabbed Harry's hand and enthusiastically shook it. "Haven't seen you since Bill's wedding - Christ, has it been that long? Feels like last week, doesn't it."

The newspaper in Harry's hand was suddenly pulled away. "A real gem, aren't they. Places like this were abandoned after You Know Who took over the Ministry. Practically untouched. Did you find us alright? Sorry about the lift," Lee added. "Haven't figured out what's wrong with it yet."

"Wait -" Harry interrupted. "You work here?"

"Can you believe it? Malfoy wrangled me in here after Potterwatch - did you ever listen in? Wasn't my best work but not my shabbiest either."

"Yea," Harry smiled. "Ron had us listening every time it was on. Really good programme."

Lee smiled. "Forget Potterwatch. We've got something better here. You go on, Harry - Jang's office is through there."

"Alright, see you." Harry followed the pointed finger, past the strange line-up of desks and to a door in the back. On frosted glass it read, "WWN Director," so Harry pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Potter, there you are," a familiar voice greeted.

Chun-ja sat behind a large desk and Malfoy stood next to her, holding a notebook and scratching something down. "Harry. Did you find us alright?" she asked.

"I'm here, aren't I," he replied, shrugging out of his raincoat. "Listen, is it just us four in the building?"

Malfoy frowned while Chun-ja nodded. "After You-Know-Who took it over, news outlets lost a lot of credibility. Nearly all the staff quit. So it presents a unique opportunity," she rushed on, seeing Harry's frown. "We are here to rebuild it."

"Not accepting Ministry patronage has been seen as a mistake," murmured Malfoy in a dry tone.

"Businesses like the Daily Prophet and DPWN - that is, the Daily Prophet Wireless - who have accepted funding from the Ministry, are rebuilding more quickly than WWN," Chun-ja admitted. "The accuracy of their news will pay the cost."

"There is no such thing as unbiased news these days." Harry couldn't hide his displeasure. "You don't want to disclose your agenda to the Ministry, is all. So is it that you need my money, or my name?"

"Neither," replied Chun-ja with vehemence.

"For now," Malfoy squeezed in.

Chun-ja gave Draco a look and gestured at a chair next to Harry, which the git grudgingly took. "I need you both here," she said firmly, "and not for your money or names. Draco knows how to throw off the Ministry, and we've got Lee Jordan running general announcements. It's a good start, but what we lack is content. WWN needs your programme, Harry. It's crude and tactless and people listen to it.

"Unbiased news may not exist, you're right. But people need to hear a different voice than the Ministry's."

Chun-ja leaned back and for the first time, Harry realised why she was the director. "Alright, I'll do a programme with you," he decided aloud. "But I won't disclose my name."

"If you sign the contract, you forfeit that right." There was an edge to her voice that he hadn't expected.

"I'm literally doing this to keep anonymity," snapped Harry. "If I don't have that, what do I have?"

Draco turned to him as if he were stupid. "A recording room with the Minister and a microphone."