Irving Cavendish worked at the ministry as a reconciliation specialist. His job title was part of the one Lydia would someday hold but he worked in a different department and not with parchment but with people. His job was to assess the likelihood that a department would have to expand or contract and by how many people. Who could move to a department for which reasons and then provide the justification for that move. Irving's daughters and son were both at Hogwarts as the same time as Dorcas. The youngest daughter, in Dorcas' year was sent back home temporarily, when their mother and uncle had been killed at the start of what would be the war. It had been Dorcas who heard about Iris comforting her brother after he had been mocked by a group of Slytherins. Taunted about his family members doing the right thing and "paying for it". That same hall Dorcas passed a slip of parchment to Iris with the instructions to burn it when she was done which she did. Iris and her brother and several other Hufflepuffs tore the Slytherin common room apart. They overturned the furniture and threw ink at the walls. They destroyed the prefects and head girl and head boys' portraits, many of which didn't bother to run because this was all so pathetic and ridiculous. Some were mid laugh as their painting were destroyed. Lydia's portrait was missing as it preferred to wander in landscapes that did not sit in rooms of people she still attended school with. A prefect portrait of a T. Riddle yawned as the canvas was kicked in.

That is how Irving Cavendish allowed a girl with the name Dorcas Meadowes the approval to sit for the exam to begin auror training though her actual school exam scores were not the highest. She was was able to explain to a group of people how and why a bit of magic worked and come up with an inventive solution to a field test all because of Lydia and her tutoring. Those scores were very high. Mental acuity, clarity of intention and purpose and likelihood to use training against the auror force were all approved but technically, she did not have enough OWLs. Irving approved her anyway. It wasn't like there wasn't a precedence for this. This could happen if someone tested well enough in the auror initiate test and they'd all find out if a witch or wizard was qualified when they recommended for apprenticeship anyway. But beyond that he only knew that when his eldest two children came home from school they seemed calmer and that some bad thing had been displaced with a better thing and that he was pleased to know that several of their classmates and the house had supported and held them up. Both of them having gained a little weight due to the snacks and treats their classmates had shipped from home to share with the Cavendishes. Heidi, meanwhile, was restless and sad at home with her father who always looked like he had been crying or was on the verge of tears and without her funny, smart, rude older siblings.

Henry, at the end of breakfast during the holidays, mentioned that it might be a good time that Heidi return back to school. Her father motioned to speak but she agreed immediately. Heidi would comment during another holiday breakfast that her father (the poor thing) had nothing to worry about. Classes kept her busy. Everyone was as warm as Henry and Iris had said, her housemates were kind and that she had even made friends in other houses. One of them was a Ravenclaw prefect, Dorcas. Henry and Iris looked at each other over the table.

"That Dorcas, she's alright." Said Iris exchanging glances with Henry and snickering from across the table.

"You know her?", Heidi asked indignant. Her siblings could be like this.

"Oh, we know her very well." Iris intoned to her meal. Henry, smiling, also became strangely distracted by his meal. They stared down at their food not daring to look at each other.

Their father couldn't tell if they thought she was really all right or not. Henry the more diplomatic of the two oldest children by a slim margin added,

"She is the single, greatest Ravenclaw who ever lived."

Iris slurped her tea loudly, accidently, trying not to laugh. Henry continued.

"Without her, we all might have had a more difficult time at school after…", his voice trailed off. Iris froze, then set her cup down. The table got silent.

"What did she do?" The siblings started at their fathers voice having forgotten he was there.

"She helped us memorialize mum and uncle Clarke." she said. This time she was not smiling, nor was Henry.

"She did? How?" Asked Heidi.

"Through an art project." Said Henry trying to regain some levity. Iris started to smile slowly but the conversation had exhausted them both.

Irving nodded. He hadn't been sure if what they were talking about was a joke until Henry had chimed in, he was also less likely to use a euphemism. When Dorcas name came up, he wasn't sure if it was the same Dorcas, or if that had even been her name, it had been several years now but she was a Ravenclaw and the dates matched. He checked rather plainly with his eldest child. It wouldn't do to ask Heidi, she had seemed just as confused as he was and if they were friends still, it wouldn't do to have her or her friends so close to sensitive ministry information as selecting future members of the auror force.

"So this Dorcas was actually a good person or not? She was your brother's girlfriend?"

By this time Iris was much older and her speech much plainer.

"Da, she helped us get back at some Slytherins that said disgusting things to Henry about- nevermind." She clipped.

Good enough for Irving. He wrote a justification, leaning heavily on her initiate exam scores but sprinkling wording about her 'strong sense of justice', sighting her vast group of friends in other houses which 'showed an ability to develop and maintain relationships, potentially relevant for gathering information' and that 'a safe wizarding England relied on the relationships built throughout the country' and included she has 'a deep and abiding love for the arts, which 'showed a sense of balance and healthy coping skills.' He hoped the last bit was a little true and signed the parchment not in memory of his wife or her brother, not for Heidi, not for himself but for the conspiratorial look his eldest children had given one another over the breakfast table that bygone morning. Whatever it was they were smiling about he didn't understand, but it was the first time he had seen them smile for months, what felt like years, since they had spent so much time away at school. He found out even later how literal this 'art project' was but on his recommendation, Dorcas did another member of the Cavendish well when she was recommended to apprenticeship ahead of schedule and Alastor Moody himself would deliver the news. He came from a long line of Hufflepuff family members, his children had been in the same house but he thought, the day he received the news of his own promotion for his good judgement in approving the cohort that would include a D. Meadowes, auror apprentice and potential/future protogee of A. Moody, that if he had had another choice, he would not have minded being a Ravenclaw himself.