Hermione was sitting with her legs crossed across from the Minister of
Magic, Amblebird Liff. Fudge had retired quite a few years ago with the
request of the Wizengamot after having foolishly disregarded Dumbledore's
warnings of Voldemort's return.
"Thank you very much Liff for allowing me this interview. It is much appreciated."
"It's my pleasure," he said smiling. He had a plump face with wrinkles of fat curling over one another. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he spoke, and Hermione found herself entranced by it. He cleared his throat, and she continued.
Hermione looked down at her notes, and on impulse asked, "Who's Gregory Wallace?"
"W-what?" Liff stammered, not prepared for such an unprofessional question.
"Who's Gregory Wallace," Hermione repeated unfalteringly.
Liff quickly composed himself.
"He was hired as a member of our Spell Creation committee."
"Spell Creation committee? I haven't heard of that before."
"Yes," Liff smiled, creating even more wrinkles in his face. "Well, it's a fairly new department. It's actually my brainchild."
Hermione listened raptly as he talked about how he thought all the spells being used today were terribly old-fashioned, and how he thought 'why not make new spells.'
"So, of course we immediately had to start. We even added an extra level to this building, you know, just for the Spell Creation committee. We also had to get more employees, so I'm afraid the ones we hired weren't fully learned in that area, but as the committee grows, so will its skill."
"Have you thus far made any new spells?" Hermione asked, pursuing this line of thought and completely ignoring the list of questions in front of her.
"Well, er," Liff coughed nervously. "No, not yet. But we are extremely close to making a spell to take a picture with your wand and have it transmitted to a mirror like thing that can be miles away."
Hermione nodded, still confused. "Mirror like thing?"
"Well, it's a mirror to any muggle. To us wizards though, we just say a description of the picture we want and it pops up. I'm guessing it will be quite handy one day."
"Yes, one day," Hermione muttered as she scribbled this onto her clipboard with her brand-new quill which she had used as a reward for herself for getting the job at the Daily Prophet.
"Why did you want to know about Gregory Wallace?" Liff asked, returning to the original question.
"Oh, um, I met him in the lift on the way down and wondered who he was. I hadn't seen him around before."
Liff nodded.
"Nice boy, nice boy."
******
The air around Hogwarts had become less excited since it was the third day after school began. Dumbledore had decided to begin wandering the halls aimlessly to watch the students scurry about; he had the feeling that his reign over Hogwarts would end soon, so he wanted to savor every minute.
"Hello Professor," he said as McGonagall walked by.
She gave him a curt nod and continued on her way.
Dumbledore stopped walking and stared at a girl that was walking alone at rather a quick pace. Her white hair glimmered as she passed a window.
"Excuse me," Dumbledore said as he stopped in front of the girl. She looked up at him, unsurprised. "What's your name?"
"Drexeline Malfoy," she said without missing a beat.
"Malfoy?" Dumbledore replied, taking this all in.
"Yes."
"Any relation to a Draco Malfoy?"
"He's my cousin."
"I didn't know Draco had cousin."
"They don't look fondly on me because I cast a hex on Draco once for being a prat."
"What year are you?"
"5th"
"What house?"
"Ravenclaw."
"A Malfoy in Ravenclaw and not in Slytherin?"
"With all do respect sir, I dislike being called a Malfoy. Could you please repeat that and instead say, a Drexelina in Raveclaw and not in Slytherin?"
Dumbledore complied.
"Thank you. I must be going now, goodbye."
Dumbledore nodded at her. Drexelina Malfoy, that was something new and quite a pleasant surprise. Maybe the Malfoy family wasn't all bad after all.
***
Harry was still smiling as he stepped into a St. Mungo's fireplace and was sent whirling towards the Ministry of Magic, towards his real job. He was smiling because he remembered the lingering, loving kiss Ginny had planted on his mouth right before he left.
The whirling stopped and he shot out of a fireplace into The Ministry of Magic, where he spent many nights. Alivander's was for enjoyment.this fulfilled his 'hero' complex in a subtle way. Even Harry couldn't really understand his innermost workings, he just kind of went along with what came his way.
"Hello there Harry," said a bulky man sitting in a plump chair by the fire. "Do come in."
"I wasn't under the impression I couldn't," Harry muttered as he wiped himself clean of the invisible soot spots he could feel all over him.
"Ho, ho!" the man laughed heartily, punching Harry in the arm.
Harry stumbled and quickly caught himself before he fell into the fire.
"Ready to get workin'?" the man, whose name was Mr. Whoozie, said.
"Yes sir!" Harry said in a voice that was a mix between sarcasm and actual enthusiasm. This job wasn't the best, but it did have its perks. The newly created Spell Creation committee was so devoid of talent that they had called in Harry Potter to perform the spells the came up with. Harry didn't fully understand his job, it was all just a tad bit confusing, but he did enjoy performing the spells and occasionally causing somebody's toupee to burst into fire.
"What have you guys come up with now?" Harry asked as they walked down a long, dark hallway on their way to the Experimentation of Spells room at the end of the hall.
The man grunted. "Nothing major, a way to make colorful fire, and we want you to try out the photo wand thingee one more time."
Harry nodded. He wasn't as of yet completely convinced that there was any need for this level, but Liff had become known for his extravagances
"You first," Mr. Whoozie said, holding a heavy door widely open to allow Harry to enter.
Harry nodded his thanks.
"Harry!" a man called, and Harry was suddenly pulled into a bear hug.
"So good to see you again!" he said, patting Harry's back a couple of times before pulling away.
"Hello Jim," Harry said warily, still trying to get his breath back after that attack.
Harry looked around the room and saw a man slumped against the wall, glaring at Harry.
"Good day Gregory," Harry said, more out of necessity than anything else.
Gregory Wallace grunted back.
"Now that all our greetings are in order, let's begin," Mr. Whoozie said, waddling into the middle of the room. "Do you have your wand, Harry?"
Harry reached into his pocket; he was wearing muggle jeans beneath his robes, and drew out his wand. "Yes," he said unnecessarily.
"Good, good," Mr. Whoozie muttered airily as he drew out his own wand.
Gregory tapped Mr. Whoozie on the shoulder, and he turned around with a start.
"Maybe I should be showing this new spell to Potter?" Gregory said. Mr. Whoozie's face looked blank for a second before he nodded and stepped aside.
Harry recognized that voice, that way that 'Potter' was spat out. It nagged at the back of his mind, but he completely pushed it away to clear his mind for this next spell.
"Hold your hand out like this, Potter," Gregory said.
Harry complied.
"Swish like this," Gregory stabbed forward with his wand and did two quick counterclockwise circles with the end. "Then say Chrompyre."
A shot of red fire shot out of the end of Gregory's wand.
"Why do you need me to test it if you can already perform it?"
Gregory smiled stiffy, "I wish to make sure it performs the same for everyone."
"What about Mr. Whoozie and Jim?"
"They can barely levitate a feather; they don't have the experience to perform this."
"They did other experimental spells before."
"They never worked for them did they?"
Harry finally relented, he had the feeling inside of him that Gregory was bad and he didn't want to give in without a fight- even if it was the most petty thing which he knew he would almost automatically lose.
"Chrompyre," Harry said, swishing his wand correctly. A shot of red fire identical to that of Gregory's shot out of his wand.
"I thought it was supposed to change colors," Harry said, lowering his wand.
"What color do you want your fire?" Gregory said. Harry saw Gregory's fist clench over his wand.
"A pretty indigo, please," Harry said in a civil voice, almost too civil.
"Then you'll say Indigus Chrompryer, and you'll have a pretty indigo flame."
Harry tried it, and indeed Gregory was correct.
"Well, this is quite an interesting spell," Harry said while repeating it with another color.
"One of our rare successes, yes?" Gregory said in a voice that sounded oddly sincere.
Harry looked around the room and noticed that Mr. Whoozie and Jim had left.
"Where'd they go?" he asked.
"Probably off to prepare the 'photo wand' room for you."
"We have a special room for that spell now?"
"Yes, we think it a very important spell to develop and succeed at, so we have an unlimited account in Gringotts for anything we may need."
Harry nodded. On an impulse he asked, "Why did you take this job?"
*Where did that question come from?* he asked himself.
Gregory looked rather taken aback by the question.
"Excuse me?" he asked with confusion in his voice.
Harry was tempted to repeat the question slowly, as if speaking to a foreigner, but resisted the temptation and simply repeated the question.
Gregory thought for a couple seconds about what the best answer could be.
*I can't tell him the truth, most obviously* Draco (Gregory) thought to himself. *But what should I say?*
Gregory coughed.
"Today, Gregory," Harry said, beginning to grow impatient.
"I needed the money."
"But, this doesn't pay that well." Harry said.
"It's enough to keep a roof over my head, okay? Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must be going."
Harry stepped aside and watched Gregory leave. *That was odd.*
***
Hermione was quite content with the outcome of her interview. She hadn't stuck to the original topic she had had in mind, but she did have some information for a rather important new section of the Ministry of Magic. She could see the headlines now "THE MINISTRY ADDS A NEW LEVEL, THE SPELL CREATION LEVEL." *No, that's a little drab.*
Hermione was walking with her head down and didn't see a man walking straight towards her, also with his head down. Before she knew what happened she was on the ground, knocked out cold.
A/N: I HAVE FOUR REVIEWS!!! THANK YOU GUYS!!! Actually, it's from the same two people. Heehee. Read and review please please please pleaes pfadlktyadsckmdsa;ltysdaf,cmdsl;tkyest;cmasdl;ty heehee, sorry.
"Thank you very much Liff for allowing me this interview. It is much appreciated."
"It's my pleasure," he said smiling. He had a plump face with wrinkles of fat curling over one another. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he spoke, and Hermione found herself entranced by it. He cleared his throat, and she continued.
Hermione looked down at her notes, and on impulse asked, "Who's Gregory Wallace?"
"W-what?" Liff stammered, not prepared for such an unprofessional question.
"Who's Gregory Wallace," Hermione repeated unfalteringly.
Liff quickly composed himself.
"He was hired as a member of our Spell Creation committee."
"Spell Creation committee? I haven't heard of that before."
"Yes," Liff smiled, creating even more wrinkles in his face. "Well, it's a fairly new department. It's actually my brainchild."
Hermione listened raptly as he talked about how he thought all the spells being used today were terribly old-fashioned, and how he thought 'why not make new spells.'
"So, of course we immediately had to start. We even added an extra level to this building, you know, just for the Spell Creation committee. We also had to get more employees, so I'm afraid the ones we hired weren't fully learned in that area, but as the committee grows, so will its skill."
"Have you thus far made any new spells?" Hermione asked, pursuing this line of thought and completely ignoring the list of questions in front of her.
"Well, er," Liff coughed nervously. "No, not yet. But we are extremely close to making a spell to take a picture with your wand and have it transmitted to a mirror like thing that can be miles away."
Hermione nodded, still confused. "Mirror like thing?"
"Well, it's a mirror to any muggle. To us wizards though, we just say a description of the picture we want and it pops up. I'm guessing it will be quite handy one day."
"Yes, one day," Hermione muttered as she scribbled this onto her clipboard with her brand-new quill which she had used as a reward for herself for getting the job at the Daily Prophet.
"Why did you want to know about Gregory Wallace?" Liff asked, returning to the original question.
"Oh, um, I met him in the lift on the way down and wondered who he was. I hadn't seen him around before."
Liff nodded.
"Nice boy, nice boy."
******
The air around Hogwarts had become less excited since it was the third day after school began. Dumbledore had decided to begin wandering the halls aimlessly to watch the students scurry about; he had the feeling that his reign over Hogwarts would end soon, so he wanted to savor every minute.
"Hello Professor," he said as McGonagall walked by.
She gave him a curt nod and continued on her way.
Dumbledore stopped walking and stared at a girl that was walking alone at rather a quick pace. Her white hair glimmered as she passed a window.
"Excuse me," Dumbledore said as he stopped in front of the girl. She looked up at him, unsurprised. "What's your name?"
"Drexeline Malfoy," she said without missing a beat.
"Malfoy?" Dumbledore replied, taking this all in.
"Yes."
"Any relation to a Draco Malfoy?"
"He's my cousin."
"I didn't know Draco had cousin."
"They don't look fondly on me because I cast a hex on Draco once for being a prat."
"What year are you?"
"5th"
"What house?"
"Ravenclaw."
"A Malfoy in Ravenclaw and not in Slytherin?"
"With all do respect sir, I dislike being called a Malfoy. Could you please repeat that and instead say, a Drexelina in Raveclaw and not in Slytherin?"
Dumbledore complied.
"Thank you. I must be going now, goodbye."
Dumbledore nodded at her. Drexelina Malfoy, that was something new and quite a pleasant surprise. Maybe the Malfoy family wasn't all bad after all.
***
Harry was still smiling as he stepped into a St. Mungo's fireplace and was sent whirling towards the Ministry of Magic, towards his real job. He was smiling because he remembered the lingering, loving kiss Ginny had planted on his mouth right before he left.
The whirling stopped and he shot out of a fireplace into The Ministry of Magic, where he spent many nights. Alivander's was for enjoyment.this fulfilled his 'hero' complex in a subtle way. Even Harry couldn't really understand his innermost workings, he just kind of went along with what came his way.
"Hello there Harry," said a bulky man sitting in a plump chair by the fire. "Do come in."
"I wasn't under the impression I couldn't," Harry muttered as he wiped himself clean of the invisible soot spots he could feel all over him.
"Ho, ho!" the man laughed heartily, punching Harry in the arm.
Harry stumbled and quickly caught himself before he fell into the fire.
"Ready to get workin'?" the man, whose name was Mr. Whoozie, said.
"Yes sir!" Harry said in a voice that was a mix between sarcasm and actual enthusiasm. This job wasn't the best, but it did have its perks. The newly created Spell Creation committee was so devoid of talent that they had called in Harry Potter to perform the spells the came up with. Harry didn't fully understand his job, it was all just a tad bit confusing, but he did enjoy performing the spells and occasionally causing somebody's toupee to burst into fire.
"What have you guys come up with now?" Harry asked as they walked down a long, dark hallway on their way to the Experimentation of Spells room at the end of the hall.
The man grunted. "Nothing major, a way to make colorful fire, and we want you to try out the photo wand thingee one more time."
Harry nodded. He wasn't as of yet completely convinced that there was any need for this level, but Liff had become known for his extravagances
"You first," Mr. Whoozie said, holding a heavy door widely open to allow Harry to enter.
Harry nodded his thanks.
"Harry!" a man called, and Harry was suddenly pulled into a bear hug.
"So good to see you again!" he said, patting Harry's back a couple of times before pulling away.
"Hello Jim," Harry said warily, still trying to get his breath back after that attack.
Harry looked around the room and saw a man slumped against the wall, glaring at Harry.
"Good day Gregory," Harry said, more out of necessity than anything else.
Gregory Wallace grunted back.
"Now that all our greetings are in order, let's begin," Mr. Whoozie said, waddling into the middle of the room. "Do you have your wand, Harry?"
Harry reached into his pocket; he was wearing muggle jeans beneath his robes, and drew out his wand. "Yes," he said unnecessarily.
"Good, good," Mr. Whoozie muttered airily as he drew out his own wand.
Gregory tapped Mr. Whoozie on the shoulder, and he turned around with a start.
"Maybe I should be showing this new spell to Potter?" Gregory said. Mr. Whoozie's face looked blank for a second before he nodded and stepped aside.
Harry recognized that voice, that way that 'Potter' was spat out. It nagged at the back of his mind, but he completely pushed it away to clear his mind for this next spell.
"Hold your hand out like this, Potter," Gregory said.
Harry complied.
"Swish like this," Gregory stabbed forward with his wand and did two quick counterclockwise circles with the end. "Then say Chrompyre."
A shot of red fire shot out of the end of Gregory's wand.
"Why do you need me to test it if you can already perform it?"
Gregory smiled stiffy, "I wish to make sure it performs the same for everyone."
"What about Mr. Whoozie and Jim?"
"They can barely levitate a feather; they don't have the experience to perform this."
"They did other experimental spells before."
"They never worked for them did they?"
Harry finally relented, he had the feeling inside of him that Gregory was bad and he didn't want to give in without a fight- even if it was the most petty thing which he knew he would almost automatically lose.
"Chrompyre," Harry said, swishing his wand correctly. A shot of red fire identical to that of Gregory's shot out of his wand.
"I thought it was supposed to change colors," Harry said, lowering his wand.
"What color do you want your fire?" Gregory said. Harry saw Gregory's fist clench over his wand.
"A pretty indigo, please," Harry said in a civil voice, almost too civil.
"Then you'll say Indigus Chrompryer, and you'll have a pretty indigo flame."
Harry tried it, and indeed Gregory was correct.
"Well, this is quite an interesting spell," Harry said while repeating it with another color.
"One of our rare successes, yes?" Gregory said in a voice that sounded oddly sincere.
Harry looked around the room and noticed that Mr. Whoozie and Jim had left.
"Where'd they go?" he asked.
"Probably off to prepare the 'photo wand' room for you."
"We have a special room for that spell now?"
"Yes, we think it a very important spell to develop and succeed at, so we have an unlimited account in Gringotts for anything we may need."
Harry nodded. On an impulse he asked, "Why did you take this job?"
*Where did that question come from?* he asked himself.
Gregory looked rather taken aback by the question.
"Excuse me?" he asked with confusion in his voice.
Harry was tempted to repeat the question slowly, as if speaking to a foreigner, but resisted the temptation and simply repeated the question.
Gregory thought for a couple seconds about what the best answer could be.
*I can't tell him the truth, most obviously* Draco (Gregory) thought to himself. *But what should I say?*
Gregory coughed.
"Today, Gregory," Harry said, beginning to grow impatient.
"I needed the money."
"But, this doesn't pay that well." Harry said.
"It's enough to keep a roof over my head, okay? Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must be going."
Harry stepped aside and watched Gregory leave. *That was odd.*
***
Hermione was quite content with the outcome of her interview. She hadn't stuck to the original topic she had had in mind, but she did have some information for a rather important new section of the Ministry of Magic. She could see the headlines now "THE MINISTRY ADDS A NEW LEVEL, THE SPELL CREATION LEVEL." *No, that's a little drab.*
Hermione was walking with her head down and didn't see a man walking straight towards her, also with his head down. Before she knew what happened she was on the ground, knocked out cold.
A/N: I HAVE FOUR REVIEWS!!! THANK YOU GUYS!!! Actually, it's from the same two people. Heehee. Read and review please please please pleaes pfadlktyadsckmdsa;ltysdaf,cmdsl;tkyest;cmasdl;ty heehee, sorry.