Warnings: Language.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.
Amy frowned at the headline, taking a bite of toast. It read, "Elder Wand that Saved the Wizarding World Stolen!"
"Liz," she called. "Come have a look at this." Liz carried her cereal bowl from where she was eating on the counter to the table. Her eyes moved quickly down the page, as both women scanned the article. "The legendary Elder wand that Harry Potter used to defeat Voldemort, the most powerful Dark wizard in the twentieth century, has been stolen directly from the Potter residence, authorities say…Potter was quoted to say, 'Whoever stole this wand is after power, and they are not afraid to break the law to do it. I don't know how they bypassed my security…"
"That's terrible!" Liz exclaimed. "This person could be really dangerous."
"Don't say that," Amy snapped. "It could be anyone, someone just playing a prank."
"I don't think it's a prank, Amy," Liz said, finishing the last of her cereal. "Who would go through all the work of bypassing Mr. Potter's security just to play a prank?"
"Alex?" Amy suggested, folding the paper and putting it in her bag.
Liz laughed. "Right. Well, I'm sure everyone will be talking about this at work anyway. I'll see you at lunch, all right?" She picked up her bag, checked herself in the mirror, and left.
"See you." Amy hurriedly drank the rest of her tea, and did a general cleaning spell. She left as the detergent began to spray itself over the dirty dishes.
As Liz predicted, everyone was talking about the headline. It was even projected onto a giant screen in the Atrium. As she walked, she heard snatches of conversation.
"Who could summon so much power?"
"I heard both Mr. and Mrs. Potter's Patronuses were fooled –"
"Nonsense, how could anyone fool a Patronus?"
Putting her things in her locker, she put a headband in her thick brown hair and shrugged on her white research robes. She still enjoyed the weight of it, and the large embroidered crest on the chest. Even though it had been a year since she had earned the rank of Individual Researcher, the work she had done to get there was something she would never forget.
The sharp tang of the Potions room hit her nose as she walked to her lab, as it did every morning. Her room was at the end of the hall, a small, magic-proofed unit that provided a safe environment for her experiments.
"Morning, Amy." Orestes Trentwood, Head of Department, greeted her. Eighteen years older than her, he had been but a first year Hufflepuff when Harry Potter defeated Voldemort. "Did you read the paper this morning?"
"Yes," she replied. "Most unusual."
"Unusual?" he laughed. "Amy, this is more than unusual! The thief bypassed Harry Potter's wards, and he stole the Elder wand! Unusual…" Still chuckling to himself, he strode to his office. "I'll see you later."
Amy tapped her wand on the door three times. "Coeptus." She muttered her password. Her main focus of work was on Transfigurations of marsupial crossbreeds. There was a memo on her desk, the hot pink color of it indicating urgency. "Assembly in the Severus Snape auditorium, 10: 00." She had two and a half hours until she had to go, and the Snape auditorium was only two corridors down anyway. She could get roughly a third of her weekly report done, if the animals were co-operative.
She carefully set out her materials: a long sheet of parchment she would cut and scan later, her treasured eagle-feather quill, and a bottle of the standard Azul Marino ink used for Ministry documents. Jotting down a note to scan and email it to Orestes later, she set to work.
At exactly nine fifty-six, Amy left her lab, still thinking about the strange reactions the koala was having with basic Transfiguration. She entered quietly, thinking that it would be an only be assembly for the Transfiguration Research department and Experimental Charms again, like that time the turtles turned pink and started spouting lavender-scented bubbles…there was too much noise in there for it to be only them and Experimental Charms, but then again, there was a reason people sometimes accidentally forgot the 'experi' bit to 'experimental'…she looked up.
It was everyone. Literally the entire Ministry was there, from the Minister standing patiently at the podium to Tia sitting next to Hermione Weasley. Amy passed Alex on her way to where Orestes was sitting. He was tapping his wand on his knee, looking generally bored. "Morning, git," Amy said, leaning over to adjust his lopsided collar. "Honestly, have you never heard of a comb?" she asked in exasperated despair.
"Morning, lovely," he answered, in kind. "I have heard tell of these strange things called 'combs', actually. Supposed to be revolutionary, but I was never an innovator."
Amy rolled her eyes at this. "Your robes look so pristine. Did the koala shit on you?"
"No."
"Oh, it was the kangaroo this time, then?"
"Shut up." Shaking her head but smiling slightly, she made her way next to Orestes. "Hello," she said.
"I heard what Delacroix said to you," he said, crossing his arms. "I don't see why you put up with him."
"Oh," Amy said, laughing at Orestes' disapproving tone. "He has a very individual brand of humor. He's an acquired taste."
"You make him sound like wine," he muttered.
"He's a bit like that," she responded musingly, turning her attention to the stage.
"Good morning." The Minister's deep voice resounded throughout the auditorium, and all the chatter instantly ceased. "As many of you may have noticed, this morning's paper contained an article pertaining to Mr. Harry Potter, and the Elder wand. "
"This is serious news, not to be taken lightly," he continued. "The stolen object is of immense power. As Mr. Potter stated earlier, the person who stole it is most certainly after power, and perhaps a domination of the kind of Lord Voldemort." At this, the majority of the hall gasped or shifted uneasily. "Although it has been twenty-seven years since the defeat of the Dark Lord, his name obviously still makes many people uneasy. The terror he brought upon the Wizarding world cannot be forgotten in merely three decades; his damage will take a long time to heal. We do not want a repetition of that terror." He slapped his hand on the podium to emphasize his point, and his voice grew louder. "The goals of Lord Voldemort – " fewer people shivered this time " – and this man or woman may be different, nonetheless, it is obvious what this person is prepared to do in order to gain power: break the law in reckless abandon."
"Therefore, it is imperative that the Ministry should now dedicate its full attention to catching this thief and putting him or her in Azkaban before it's too late." Thunderous applause and cheering flooded the auditorium, but he held up a hand for silence. "Nobody is going to be doing their old job, and I expect all to work twice as hard. Every department will create briefings for each of their personnel on their new jobs." Amy saw Trinity Maximus, Head of the Defense Department, banging his head on the seat in front of him, and sympathized. The man would have to create new training programs for all of his Aurors. "Especially the Defense Department," the Minister added with a wry smile, and Maximus sent him a death glare. "Thank you all, and have a good day." He walked offstage to applause. The Heads of Department were already rushing out of the auditorium, no doubt the amount of work ahead of them occupying their minds.
Amy scanned the crowd for Liz and Tia as she exited. Catching Alex's eye, he pointed down to where Liz and Tia were already walking together. "I have to go," he, called, smiled, and darted into the throng.
She quickly made her way to Liz and Tia. "Hi," Tia said. "This is crazy!"
"I feel so sorry for the Heads," Liz said. "Did you see Trinity Maximus?"
"Banging his head? Yes," Amy said. "I wonder what we'll all be assigned to do. Well, Liz, yours is obvious – you're going to be keeping the public informed."
"Aglaia will give us hell about that," Liz remarked.
"You're the only one who calls her that, you know?" Tia said. "The rest of her only calls your boss Aglaia Aerope…"
"Why not?"
"She's scary!" Tia contended.
"Alex will have to go into military training," Liz continued. "And reconnaissance, and things…"
"Isn't that a scary thought? Alex, a soldier?" Tia said. "Michael will probably have to reinforce the wards on the Ministry itself. Christian will be doing the same thing as Lizzy, no doubt."
"I wonder what Mia will do," Liz observed. "She's the only one not working at MOM. James will be doing the same thing as Alex, I suppose, counter-curses and things."
"You're still coming round for dinner, right?" Amy asked Tia.
"Yes," Tia said, looking bemused at the abrupt change of subject.
"Good. I'm making pasta," Amy said firmly.
XVX
Later, everyone perched themselves about the sitting room, the mood rather subdued, as they were all reading their briefings.
Tia glanced up. Amy's legs were tucked under her as she sat in the padded recliner, a frown on her face. Liz was next to her, on the floor, and Mia and James shared the chaise lounge, Mia reading over her boyfriend's shoulder. Alex was stretched out on his stomach on the cream-colored couch, head tilted to one side as he read his document. The clock read seven twenty-three, and Michael still hadn't arrived. Tia didn't want to eat without him, but she didn't want to make the others wait either.
Her briefing had been very simple: find and organize the files on the Deathly Hallows, the Elder wand, and the defeat of Voldemort. She was also to keep tabs on any information that might be "useful" and pertain to "the case." She would also get off work half an hour later, so that meant she would have only an hour to get ready on Wednesdays…
"I thought so," Amy muttered.
"What?" Tia asked, desperate for a reprieve from her boredom.
"My assignment is to do research on Inferi. This means that the search is just a routine procedure…they don't really expect to find the thief. They're already preparing for war."
Silence. No one quite wanted to digest the thought that a Voldemort Two might be coming along. No one knew first hand what war was like, but there was a vague feeling of pain and general terror. No one wanted to know, really.
The doorbell rang, and Tia jumped to get it. "Hi Michael!" she said, flinging her arms around him and kissing his cheek.
"Michael's behind me," said Christian, sounding a little shocked.
"Oh," Tia said, and let him pass.
Amy, Liz and Mia giggled. "Now imagine if that had been me, Tia," Alex said, smirking. "Thank goodness Christian is not possessed of as vicious a nature as some people."
"Hi Michael!" Tia flung her arms around him and kissed him, but only after certifying it really was Michael.
"Hey, baby. Got anything to eat?" Michael looked absolutely exhausted.
"Finally," Alex groaned from the couch. "We can eat now."
"Shut up, Alex," Mia said waspishly, eyeing Lizzy and Christian's much less theatric greeting.
"Bad day, honey?" Tia murmured, stroking Michael's hair and completely ignoring Alex's expression and the dramatic way he rolled his eyes.
"Terrible, I'm starving," Michael replied, smiling and kissing her forehead.
"As touching as this romantic scene is, I would like to eat in the near future," Alex said irritably, getting up. Leaving his briefing on the floor, he took out his wand as he stalked to the kitchen.
Michael and Tia walked back to the rest, his arm around her waist. "As much as I hate to admit it, for once I agree with the git," Michael said ruefully, and everyone laughed. "Hey, James." James raised his hand in greeting.
"Amy, where do you keep your basil?" Alex's irate voice came from the kitchen.
"It's fine as it is," Amy snapped back.
"Where do you keep your basil, damn it?" Alex repeated.
Amy sighed and went to the kitchen.
"When's the wedding?" James asked, inducing another laugh from the rest.
"Speaking of which, when is Vanessa and Orestes' wedding?" Liz asked.
"The eighteenth," Alex called from the kitchen.
"Four days?" Mia gasped. "I don't even have new dress robes for it yet!"
"Neither do I," chorused the rest.
"But," Alex said, coming out of the kitchen bearing a bowl of pasta and Amy at his heels, "I don't quite need them."
"Alex, you know it's impolite to attend a wedding without dress robes," Mia chided, sitting next to James.
"I know, but I don't think I'll be going to the wedding," he said to general astonishment.
"But Alex!" Tia spluttered.
"I find the twenty-year gap between the groom and bride slightly sickening. Besides, I have to wear red." he added whimsically. "I don't look good in red."
"Why does he have to wear red?" Liz asked, helping herself to salad.
"In very traditional wizarding weddings, the bride and the groom each pick a color, and all the guests have to wear the color that their side picks," Amy explained. "It's usually a color on their family crest."
"Vanessa had to pick red, didn't she? Hang on, it's not red, it's crimson…" Alex complained sarcastically, flicking his wand at the French bread, which began to divide into even slices.
"She could've picked pink," Tia pointed out. "Orestes picked dark blue, I hate dark blue."
Alex sniffed. "Yes, he picked a decent color."
"Alex, I'm sure you look fine in red," Amy said, spooning Bolognese sauce on her pasta. "And I still think you didn't need any more basil in the sauce, and all that extra salt."
"Married," James mouthed to the rest of the table, who grinned into their napkins.
"What?" Alex addressed the table. They were all smiling in more than a slightly suspicious way, all of their eyes fixed on the pasta in front of them
"Nothing, Alex, dear." James said smugly.
"And I'm going to believe you because you don't look guilty at all, you poor, innocent thing," Alex retorted, smiling. A wave of his wand caused the olive oil to pour smoothly into a dipping dish, and the salt to sprinkle over it.
"I'm sure you look dashing in red, Alex," James mock-purred.
"Shut up, bitch," Alex laughed, while Amy raised an eyebrow.
"Make – argh!" James choked incoherently, as Alex had stuffed a piece of bread into James' mouth. Alex snickered evilly, sitting down.
"Having trouble talking?"
The usual levity that accompanied their meals was restored, and the possibility of a war was almost forgotten.
Almost; but those pieces of paper that littered the sitting room reminded Liz constantly, even as she ate and watched Alex and James' antics. Out of the corner of her eye, she could always see that white paper, with "War Prep" written across the top in Aglaia Aerope's slim handwriting…