Chapter Nine

The Reassignment Department were absolutely no bloody help at all.

Set up after the war from the Muggle Born Registration Commission to first assist in the reintroduction of Muggleborns and their parents of half-bloods back into wizarding society. They also assisted in the discovery of the "disappeared", where individual wizards or whole families of wizards had disappeared.

Its main function now was to aid in the reintroduction of wizards into modern Muggle world. Need a national insurance number to work over the summer? Taking a test for a driving license? Require a birth certificates if you were born in a wizarding village or at St Mungos? Any of the official documentation required if you are marrying a Muggle? This was the department that sorted all that. Hardly anything was actually forged but getting it took time, dedication and a devotion to paper work. Arthur was not surprised that Percy had organised this administrative nightmare.

Fudge had worked there as the head of department before re-election. The ex-minister could not have hoped for better situation to rehabilitate his image. Fudge, after all, was a well known face and once his picture appeared in the Daily Prophet in association with the department people started writing in to be "discovered". Once any wizards had been discovered they were compensated for their treatment during the war.

The department looked rather like a picture of an airport lounge he had once seen in magazine. The number of the next in line appeared on a little screen above the desks – a Muggle invention apparently. When Arthur had arrived he had picked up his number and a pamphlet on how to the department worked. Each request required a form to be filled in. Over two dozen pastel coloured forms hung around the walls. Arthur selected the three he needed and began to fill them out as he waited on the plastic chairs.

Once his number was called he was immediately sent back to fill out form 'AB' rather than 'Ab' for identification. He had also apparently picked up the wrong request for information form; he needed the pale green rather than the blue as he was requesting information on an employee of the ministry rather than a member of the public that he was looking for.

Arthur took a second ticket and waited. The teller tried to turn him away a second time after finding out it was one of the Minster's staff rather than regular employee but Arthur put his foot down.

"I can't get you that sort of information now without a signature from either Percy Weasley himself or the wizard in this department who sealed it. "

"Do you know who sealed it?"

"Let me have a look here." She flipped open a stuffed notepad. "The name I've got here is one 'Percy Weasley'"

"So unless Percy is here I can't see the information you have on him. Can you at least tell me if you disappeared him into the Muggle world? You have to tell me. I'm his father!"

"That doesn't make any difference. Unless of course you go down to the Law court and file a missing persons report."

"Great, I'll do that."

The administrator had not finished though. "Once that has been authenticated bring it back up here and give it to June. She'll take it to the Information Department. Once it's been filed there if the officer dealing with your missing person report deems it necessary for us to open the file they'll request a special over ride of the structure. That is provided that the family member requesting this information has filled in the rose coloured form 'DU' and had it counter signed by the investigating officer. The case will be presented to the Committee of the Disappeared and if there has been no special instructions attached to the file when it was sealed we will let the investigating officer see the file."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"The file will not be removed from this office. Should the Investigating Officer wish to make a copy or to include you in any information that has been attained through this means he will need to make his case to the Minister for the Disappereard. That's Derek over there." She pointed to a fat, bored looking middle aged man with a large moustache at the end of the row of desks. "After that..."

Arthur had heard enough though and slammed his fist against the desk. None of the staff even looked up, they must get this reaction a lot thought Arthur.

The teller did not look amused though. "Mr Weasley, you have to understand, we did collect a lot of information during the war by illegal means. We're just trying to protect the identity of the ordinary wizard on the street."

"Percy's not ordinary."

"Oh, all fathers say that of their sons in the ministry." She sighed, "You know it's a shame Percy's not with you. He'd probably be able to cut through all of this in about five minutes with a single signature on a single form regardless of who you wanted to look for." The woman dropped the record book back into her desk drawer and smiled, wide and fake. "Is there anything else I can help you with today sir?"

There wasn't a single thing that this woman had helped him with. Arthur looked straight at her. "No."

When Arthur got back to his office it was late afternoon and there was a cardboard box waiting for him wrapped in an orange ribbon. Arthur checked the label – "Arthur, here are Percy's things, please return them when you are done, Dx". Arthur hoped that as Percy had left property here he meant to return.

Arthur opened the box. Inside was a framed picture of the family in Egypt from the Daily Prophet. There were no more pictures of the family. Arthur wondered how many pictures of the whole family Percy had kept. There was Percy's Prefect and Head Boy badge. That was it for personal effects. The rest looked like stationary; pens, post-its and empty envelopes.

At the bottom of the box there was an envelope that was not empty though. The letter it contained looked old and worn, the creases felt soft and fragile, like it had been taken out and read many times.

It was from Colin Creevy. It thanked Percy for helping him pass his O.W.L.s.

That name rang a bell. Oh yes, Colin had been in Ginny's year at Hogwarts. He had been frozen for most of his first year. Arthur seemed to remember Ginny telling him the boy took a lot of pictures. Percy had left Hogwarts before Ginny had even started to study for her OWL's though.

Arthur slipped the letter into his breast pockets, sealed up the rest of the box and sent it back to Demelza.