For QLFC Prophet Competition: Celebrate Good Times (Beater 1 — getting a new job [optional prompts: (character) Rose Weasley, (weather) rain])
Warnings/Notes: Non Cursed Child Compliant (eg. Hermione is NOT Minister)
WC. 2894
Auror-Healer
Rose dashed under the roof of the nearest shop, her hair and body dripping from the sudden storm that had come upon her. She cursed the fact that she'd just happened to be in Muggle London at the time and couldn't even put a charm on herself to stop from getting wet.
But alas it was so and now she had to navigate her way through to the Ministry's visitors' entrance soaking wet and in a bad mood.
This was going to be a great interview, she thought sourly as she dashed through the small gap to the safety of the next cover.
She was still a good ten minutes from the phone booth her father had showed her a few weeks back, and she just wished she could have Apparated directly into the Ministry, or Floo'd. Maybe she should have taken her dad's advice and used the advantage of being the daughter of a high-up Ministry employee. She could have gotten special treatment, maybe even gotten the job, without even trying.
As proud as she was of her mother, though, Rose had to do this on her own. She had to get the job because she'd earned it, not because her parents and uncle-slash-godfather were war heroes.
The rain was coming down heavy when she turned the corner and saw the small phone box waiting for her. She was pleased to see that it was unoccupied, and hoped that it was because no one else had applied.
She doubted it, though. Most likely, the rain had made her late, which would be just what she needed.
She opened the box and stepped inside. Immediately, a pleasant woman's voice sounded, asking for her name and purpose.
"Um… Rose Weasley. Interview for the Auror-Healer position."
A badge appeared a moment later in the returned coin slot.
Rose Weasley. Interview.
Rose placed the badge on herself and immediately, the phone box began to descend into the underground.
Upon reaching the atrium, Rose was immediately awed by the number of people and the sheer size of the place. A knot formed in her stomach as the box lurched to a stop and opened.
She'd been here many times before, visiting her mother as a child, but the vastness and importance of this place had never hit her until now. Back then, she'd been a child visiting one parent with the other. She had been safe and secure, her dad holding onto hers and Hugo's hands so as not to get lost.
Now, at nineteen, she was on her own.
She swallowed, stepping out and looking around.
Once you reach the atrium, her mother had said, you need to walk forward and get on the lift to level two. Then go right down the corridor. Then left. Then you'll find the room.
That was all good, except there were no lifts in a forward direction.
She spun in a circle, many workers bustling past her, their heads down or talking to someone beside them.
The lifts were to her right.
Thanks, Mum, she thought as she made her way towards them.
For the middle of the day, there were a lot of people not in their offices doing work. She had to wait a few moments for a lift to become available and even then it was packed to the brim with witches and wizards, all desperate to get somewhere.
Were any of these people also coming to the interview? Were they her competition? Was that little, old balding man someone gunning for the job she'd so desperately wanted for so long? Or was that witch in the corner muttering to herself because she was practicing what she was going to say?
No one else was her age, and Rose noticed with relief, the balding man and witch got off before her.
She sighed, resting slightly against the wall as the lift lurched again and she was going further down.
When it reached her level, it was just Rose and one other person — a man about her age, looking just as frightened.
Rose offered him a small smile, which he returned, but once out of the lift they walked in silence, a few paces apart from one another.
"You can do this," Rose said to herself. "You've got this."
This had been her dream since she was eleven years old and had learnt of such a position. Her dad had been an Auror once, and according to Uncle Harry, he had been a good Auror. She'd admired that, loving all the cool spells and things he could still do now. But helping people was also her thing — Healing had been the first job she'd ever wanted. Tending to the sick, Healing the wounded. That greatly appealed to her.
And then, in her first year at Hogwarts she'd learnt of a brand new position. Auror-Healer. Someone who was trained in both Healing and Auror work; someone who could go on missions, but also treat any casualties — innocent bystanders and Aurors alike. Too many Aurors were being wounded, too many Muggles were being put in Muggle hospitals, their injuries unidentifiable by doctors.
Auror-Healers could do both. They could perform magical procedures, but also learnt the basics to treat Muggles without magic too.
And Rose desperately wanted to do it.
She reached the room almost absently. Her feet had taken her while she mentally prepped herself for the questions. Her parents had helped — asking her mock questions that would likely come up — but she knew talking to her parents was completely different than to a total stranger who would make the decision of her career.
Auror-Healers were more elite and rarer than Aurors — this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. If she bombed it then there were no second chances.
There were three other people in the waiting room. Two she recognised from school — a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw in her year. Neither of them had made NEWT level Potions like she had, but the Ravenclaw was exceptional at most Charms work.
Rose swallowed. The man in the lift was the other one and she couldn't place him at all. Perhaps he'd gone to Beauxbatons or something.
Almost as an afterthought, Rose remembered that she was dripping with water and quickly dried herself with her wand. Then she sat down.
They all waited in silence, all nervous. Four.
Only four of them had even made it to the interview stage for this highly appealing job. At least was something, Rose thought. At least she'd been considered.
But maybe that had been because of her name. Her own mother, plus two of her uncles, led departments in the Ministry. They probably wouldn't dare turn her away for at least an interview.
She shook her head. That didn't matter. She was here anyway, regardless of how she'd done it.
Five more minutes of waiting in silence and the door swung open. Out stepped a short woman with glasses. Her eyes were gentle, her smile reassuring as she addressed them.
"Welcome," she said kindly. "Thank you all for coming."
No one spoke.
"I will be asking you each to come in individually, and we will talk about your ambition and this position. Please be aware that this is not a competition for one spot. If you are all successful, then you will all be granted a spot in the training program. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded, still not speaking.
The woman smiled again. "Excellent. Michelle Grant, if I can see you first?"
The Hufflepuff stood up, looking as if she might be sick, and followed the interviewer into the room.
The waiting area fell silent again, Rose mentally going over her responses as she waited.
The clock above the door ticked by slowly, as if it had been spelled to go slower if the interview was going well.
Rose fidgeted, as did the Ravenclaw and the man.
They were waiting for what felt like forever when the door finally opened and out stepped Michelle Grant, looking rather pleased with herself.
"Thank you, Ms Grant," the interviewer said. "You'll be notified via owl by the end of the day."
"Thank you," Michelle said in a calm voice. "I look forward to it."
The interviewer smiled and Rose had a feeling that the Auror-Healers would be accepting her into the training.
The interviewer's eyes flicked around the room before settling on Rose. "Ms Weasley?"
Rose stood up, partly terrified that her knees might buckle beneath her. The woman's smile was still kind and Rose made it safely to the chair without embarrassing herself.
"Welcome, Ms Weasley," the interviewer said, taking her place behind the spotless desk. She clasped her hands in front of her. "My name is Mathilda Dussault and I'll be conducting the interview today."
Rose nodded and Mathilda smiled. "Now, I must say that upon receiving an abundance of applications, your one certainly stood out to me."
Rose wanted to say, "Really?" but refrained from bursting out with something so childish.
Mathilda seemed to know what she was thinking and said, "Absolutely. An Outstanding result in Potions, Herbology and Transfiguration, and Exceeds Expectations in all the others. Those results alone would have interested me. However, I daresay your family history has taught you a thing or two about Auror work and Healing as well."
"Well," Rose began, her voice catching. She cleared her throat. "I mean, I suppose that's helped a little, but there's really no one in my family in Healing…" She paused, looking at Mathilda. "You really liked my application?"
"I did. Please, Ms Weasley, tell me a bit about yourself and what you wish to gain from taking on this training."
Rose sat a little straighter. This was exactly how her mother had started all the mock interviews — having conducted many herself, she must have known. She knew how to answer this.
"I have always had an interest in Healing. Ever since I was really young, it has been something that's appealed to me. Helping others. I was always practicing on my little brother."
They both smiled at that. Perhaps Mathilda had some younger siblings and could relate.
"Growing up in a part Muggle world, because my grandparents are Muggles, I got to watch a lot of medical shows on television and they were fascinating to me. It was always nice when the doctors saved the person in the end."
"So why not simply a Healer?" Mathilda asked.
Rose was prepared for this question too and she would thank her mother for that afterwards. "As much as I love helping others, I'm also restless. I've got to be out doing something all the time. I had no interest in playing Quidditch and still don't, but I was always involved with it in some way. I was helping my brother or my cousins prepare — kind of their coach, because despite having know interest in playing, you can't grow up in my family knowing nothing about Quidditch." She flushed at the next part because she thought that this would be the biggest deterrent for anyone offering a position in a law abiding job, but her mother had encouraged her to say it.
It gives them an insight into your personality, Rosie, her dad had added.
"I was also pretty… forceful. I can stand up for myself. I knew what spells to use to defend myself against others and I never hesitated to use them if I felt threatened."
"You speak in past tense," Mathilda said. "Would you not do that now?"
Rose cursed the red that flowed to her ears and hated being so Weasley in that moment. "Yes," she said honestly. "If I felt threatened."
Mathilda nodded and scribbled some notes down onto a parchment that she'd just Summoned onto her desk.
"So," she said, head still down, "if you were to come across a situation where Dark magic was being used and Muggles were caught in the middle, at risk of being hurt, and your and your fellow Aurors' lives were in danger, would you risk yourself to capture the Dark wizard?"
Rose stared at Mathilda for a moment, contemplating the question. This was a test, she knew that. This was probably the most important answer Rose could give in these ten minutes with the woman.
Mathilda finally looked up, setting her quill aside, and waited patiently.
Rose sucked in a breath. "Aurors are trained specifically to use magic that is not designed to kill, and are supposed to do their best to keep innocent people out of harm's way. Those who use Dark magic have no such restraints and are more likely to pose a risk to any innocent bystanders caught in the middle." Rose paused and Mathilda smiled. "So, my answer is yes. I would take the risk if it was a difference between a Muggle being Stunned by my wand or killed by an Unforgivable Curse by the other."
"And your role as the Healer?" Mathilda pressed.
"Healers are trained to tend and treat those affected by magic. Auror-Healers are trained specifically to treat those affected by 'battle injuries'. Whilst I don't know that Healing yet, if I were to be accepted into the training, I know that my abilities to perform such a task and treat a Muggle hit by a Stunning spell would be sound."
There was silence for a moment, and then, "Thank you, Ms Weasley. Are there any other questions you have? I think I have all the information needed currently."
Rose didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she did know that she'd answered that question to the best of her ability.
She shook her head. "No, but I want to say thank you for the opportunity to come here. And thank you… thank you for actually looking at my application rather than just my name. It means a lot."
"There are many families who work within the Ministry, Ms Weasley. In my experience, just because you have well-respected family members in high positions, it does not necessarily mean you are immediately qualified for any job. If you are accepted, it will be due to your own merits and nothing more."
Rose smiled, nodded, and stood up. "Thank you," she said.
"My pleasure. You will be notified of your results by this evening via owl. Have a good day, Ms Weasley."
Mathilda followed Rose out to where the other two still sat and waited, the man pale and looking sick.
Rose offered them both a warm smile and set off down the corridor, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She'd done it. Whether she'd been successful, she didn't know, but she knew she had done the best that she could. Now the only thing was to wait for that owl.
…
It arrived during dinner time. Rose was sat at the table with her parents, Hugo visiting Lucian and his family for dinner, when it tapped against the window.
It was her mother who got up to let the owl in.
"It's for you, Rose," she said, passing the official Ministry-sealed envelope to Rose. She smiled and sat back down at the table.
"Open it, Rosie," her dad encouraged. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
Rose thought there was a lot to be afraid of, but appreciated his confidence in her. He'd always told her she'd make a fine Auror-Healer and had always seemed to mean it — not just because he was her dad.
Rose looked at them, her chest constricting. Her parents waited patiently for her to gather enough confidence to break the seal and pull out the single piece of parchment inside.
Dear Ms Rose Weasley,
I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the training program for the position of Auror-Healer. This is a three year program in which you will be put through many tasks and situations which will qualify you for this esteemed role.
Not only did your Hogwarts NEWT results show your wonderful dedication and aptitude in learning, but the way you carry and conduct yourself in interviews was very pleasing to see.
Training commences in two week's time and I look forward to seeing you there. Please reply via owl your acceptance of this position.
Sincerely,
Mathilda Dussault
Head of Recruitment for the Department of Magical Law
Rose looked up at her parents' expectant faces. "I got in!"
"I knew you'd do it, Rosie!" her dad said, beaming. "You're as brilliant as your mother when it comes to things like that. Let me see the letter."
Rose passed it to him as her mother said, "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. I also knew you could do it. And I can tell you now that after your interview, Mathilda told me that you had done very well."
"I get to do what I want to do," Rose said, beaming. "I really get to do it!"
"And you'll be great," her dad assured her, still smiling proudly. "I know you will."
Rose sat back in her chair, her half-eaten meal all but forgotten.
She was going to be an Auror-Healer, like she had always wanted. She was getting the chance to do her dream job and she couldn't have been happier.
Thank you to Dina (DinoDina) for betaing this for me. It was very much appreciated and very helpful :D
I hope you all enjoyed it!
