PS - Chapter 3
Saturday, October 24th 2009
"How long is it going to take?" Lucy asked Tonks as they walked out of their flat. She locked the door behind them as Tonks pulled out her wand.
"Three days. It's a two day long exam and then the third day is the interview. I'm a little nervous. The interviews are with Alastor Moody, Amelia Bones, and Rufus Scrimgeour. Three people! That's three on one. It hardly seems fair."
Lucy laughed. She took Tonks's hand and she apparated them to the parkade under Collins Enterprises. It was very empty, it being a Saturday and all. Lucy was hoping that she would be able to get a lot of work done before Anne picked her up to run some errands and get lunch.
"I'm sure you'll do great, love," Lucy said with a smile. "Will you be staying in the Auror's dorms then or will you come home?"
"No, I have to stay overnight," Tonks said with a sigh. "I wish I could come home and see you. It would make me feel better about it being three days long."
Lucy gave her a reassuring smile and put a hand on her cheek. "You're going to knock them dead, darling," she said, giving her a kiss. "Both Moody and Aunt Amelia have said that you have a lot of promise so I think you're going to get into the training."
Tonks smiled. "Thanks, babe." She leaned down and kissed Lucy's cheek again. "Have a good day of work. I'll see you in three days, hopefully in a good mood."
"I'll cook a nice dinner for when you come back."
"No, no. I'm taking you out for dinner, remember. Just get all dolled up and we'll go somewhere fancy."
Lucy smiled. "Are you sure you'll be up for that right after your exams and interviews?"
"I will, don't worry," Tonks said. She backed away a little and held up her wand again. "I'll see you soon, love."
"Bye, Tonks! Good luck!"
Tonks smiled and apparated away to go down the Auror Training Centre for her exam. Lucy turned, walked over to the elevator and took it up to her office so she could get to work.
...
"Hello, prospective Auror Training Program Candidates," said a woman with a sharp, boney face, thin brown eyebrows, and long brown hair tied up in a high ponytail as she walked in front of a line of fifteen Auror hopefuls. "My name is Morgana Lovelace. I am your exam coordinator and proctor." She motioned towards a bald young man with dark skin who was standing off to the side with his arms crossed and a blank expression on his face. "This is Kingsley Shacklebolt, your steward and physical exam grader. He will escort you to and from your dorm rooms to your exam rooms.
"I am sure if you are standing here now you are already aware, but I will still warn you anyway. This is a very intense and difficult process. This is a controlled environment so you can be sure that we take every precaution to ensure your safety but be prepared for anything. Some come out of this exam as different people than they were when they came in. If you are having doubts, please leave now."
Tonks looked to her left and right at the other applicants in line beside her. They were all so much older than she was. She was probably at least five years younger than the youngest one. They were all standing stoically, staring straight ahead and holding their wands at their sides.
Lovelace flicked her wand and small tables appeared in front of each applicant. "In front of you, you will find a set of robes. In a few minutes you will be escorted to your dorm room where you will leave your bags and change into these robes. You are also given a water bottle, a watch and a folder. In your folder you will find a lot of useful information. If you do not think you'll remember everything I say to you now, don't be too concerned. All the information can also be found in your folder."
Tonks looked down at the small wooden table. Folded neatly on the left side of the table were a pair of grey robes with a gold Ministry of Magic insignia on the right breast. Beside the robes on the right corner of the table was a matching grey water bottle with the same gold insignia and the words Ministry of Magic - Auror Office - written on it. In front of the water bottle was a manila folder with the Ministry insignia on it and beside that was a completely black watch. It had a circular face with no hands or numbers on it. Tonks hadn't seen a watch like this before. How did you tell the time?
"The process will be two and a half days long. The exam shall be done in four parts in the first two days and the interview will take place on the third day," Lovelace continued. "Part One of the exam is the two and a half hour written portion. This part is further split into three, forty five minute long, sections with a five minute break between each. The first will be poisons, antidotes and injury healing, then criminal law and investigation, and finally Dark Arts detection and containment. After your written exam, you will be given an hour for lunch in which we will mark your exam. Lowest five marks will be cut immediately."
Tonks's eyes widened. She hadn't been warned that they would cut people before the end of the three days. She had thought they would go through all of it and then find out at the end if they had gotten the job or not. She couldn't imagine having to go home early and having to tell Lucy she failed before the exam had even ended.
"At one o'clock, Part Two will begin," Lovelace said in her strict, no nonsense voice. "Part Two is combat dueling. You will be assigned a partner who you will duel. Each duo will enter the observation room where Madam Amelia Bones, Director Alastor Moody, and Deputy Director Rufus Scrimgeour will watch you duel. You are being graded on your duel so keep this in mind, it's not all about winning, though that will definitely help your chances of continuing on. You will be graded on precision, defense, and speed. From these duels, the judges will narrow you down to the top six applicants. Do not leave the room immediately after the duel. Wait until you are dismissed. The judges may wish to ask you a question or two.
"The top six will be escorted back up to your dorm where dinner will be be provided. We suggest getting a good night's rest as tomorrow will be the third and fourth part of your exam. Do not attempt to leave or contact anyone outside the dorm building. Doing so will result in immediate termination of application.
"Part Three is the physical exam which will take place tomorrow. You will be awoken at five thirty a.m. sharp and will be given half an hour to get dressed and ready to go. Athletic gear will be provided. You will follow Mr. Shacklebolt, who will take you through the physical exam. This will include a two point five kilometre run, a seventy metre pursuit run, and then two minutes of push ups, two minutes of sit ups, and one minute of chin ups. You will be awarded points depending on your run times and how many push ups, sit ups, and chin ups you complete in the allotted time. Only proper form push ups, sit ups, and chin ups will count. You can receive up to seven points for each category. For an outline of this grading system, please look in your folder. Anyone who scores less than twenty five points in this portion of the exam will be eliminated immediately.
"After your physical exam, you will be given some time to relax and then will be served lunch before Part Four will begin. Part Four is the character and aptitude test. This is probably the most rigorous part of the whole exam. They will be held in a room in the Department of Mysteries. You will be escorted there by Mr. Shacklebolt. The test is done one at a time. You will enter through one door and exit through another on the opposite wall. As soon as you exit the room, you will be escorted back to your dorm. Again, rest, relax, eat dinner and prepare for your interview on the next day.
"You will not be given robes for your interview. You are allowed to dress however you like. A document telling you the time and location of your interview is inside your folder. Do not be late. One by one you will enter the office to speak with Madam Bones, Director Moody, and Deputy Director Scrimgeour. After your interview, go back to your dorm, collect your things and head home. You will be contacted on November fourteenth with your scores and, if you are successful, an offer to enter the Auror Training Program.
"Please pick up your things now and follow Mr. Shacklebolt to your dorms. You have thirty minutes to change into your robes and do any last minute preparations for your written exam. Exams start at nine thirty."
With that Lovelace walked back through the door that she had come in from. Everyone began to move so Tonks did too. She picked up the bag she had set by her feet and the things on the table.
"Follow me," Shacklebolt said, speaking for the first time. His voice was deep and demanded respect despite not being too loud. He began walking and everyone shuffled behind him. Shacklebolt lead them through the hallways of the Auror Office and up to the dorms. They all crowded into the elevator and went up to the top floor. "The dorms are usually used by Aurors who are working nights and need a place to rest during their break. You will each be given a room. Your room number and key can be found in the folder you were provided. Each room has a bed, a desk, a chair, a wardrobe, and a washroom. When you leave, we expect the room to be just as you found it."
The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Everyone stumbled out into a narrow hallway that reminded Tonks of a not so nice motel. She opened her folder and found the dorm information. She was room six. Tonks walked down the hall until she reached the door with a large bronze six on the front of it, pulled out her key and unlocked it. She walked into the small light brown room and closed the door behind her. The bed looked lumpy and uncomfortable, the wardrobe was small, and the desk looked about a hundred years old. With a flick of her wand her things flew to their rightful places around the room. She put the robes she was given down on the bed and got changed into them. She put on the watch and looked at the interface, still nothing. It was still completely black.
She had about twenty minutes before the written exam where she not only had to worry about doing well but also better than at least five people or she'd be cut immediately.
Tonks took a deep breath. She'd been studying for months and had done amazing on every practice test she did. She just needed to relax and believe in herself... right? Tonks wished she could talk to Lucy. She wanted to tell her about how crazy intense this process was, get her advice, and listen to her words of encouragement.
After she got changed and there was about ten minutes before the exam would start, Tonks went outside again and saw everyone was standing stiffly in front of their door waiting to be escorted down to the exam room. She did the same.
Eventually Shacklebolt returned and instructed them to follow. They went back down through the hallways they had come up until they reached a set of large wooden doors. As they approached the doors opened and Shacklebolt lead them inside. The room was filled with lines of desks with papers face down on fifteen of them. Lovelace was standing on a small stage at the front of the desks looking down at them.
"Please find your name and sit down. The exam will begin in five minutes."
Everyone did as they were told and Shacklebolt joined Lovelace on the stage. On the desk in front of her, Tonks found a facedown booklet, an Anti-Cheat Quill, two inkpots and a granola bar. She set down her water bottle and noticed that the face of the watch had changed. She looked at it and saw that hands and numbers had appeared on its face so she could actually tell the time now.
Exam will commence in three minutes, a female voice rang through her head. She looked around quickly and saw that others were doing the same. No one had spoken, however. It must have been the watch. Tonks sighed, took a drink of water and tried to relax a bit.
Three minutes didn't last very long. At the end of it, the female voice in her head returned and said you may begin. The sound of papers being turned over filled the room. Tonks took a deep breath and looked down at the exam.
You stumble upon a scene where a witch is lying on the floor. You feel a faint pulse and the witch is still breathing. There is no signs of trauma but the witch is not waking up. Which of the following potion was this woman most likely given?
Tonks smiled. Draught of Living Death, easy.
What is the antidote?
Wiggenweld Potion! Again so easy. Maybe this exam wouldn't be as bad as she thought. She read the next questions and her relief dissipated. Okay, maybe this exam is going to be a lot harder than she thought.
...
Lucy smiled as Anne walked out of the changing room wearing a long empire waist white dress with a white lace bodice. The dress straps were also lace and it fit around her waist a lot better now than it had when she had first picked it out.
"You look beautiful," Lucy said with a smile, standing up from the couch and walking over to take a closer look. "The tailor did a really good job."
"Thank you," Anne said with a smile. "She did, didn't she? Now it doesn't look like I've just draped a curtain over myself."
Lucy laughed. "No, it looks good."
"Go try on your dress too. She made the waist of yours tighter too."
"All right," Lucy said as Anne moved over to sit down on the couch and she went into the change room to change. "So, are you ready? A little less than two weeks now."
"I'm so ready. I'm sick and tired of not being married to that man."
Lucy laughed. "Then you'll be gone for a whole week. Leaving me all alone while you go have fun in Italy."
"Oh, you'll be fine without me for just one week Tonks will be back in three days and you'll forget all about me."
"I won't forget you. How could I ever forget you? So, I have a question. Was the colour of this dress at all influenced by the fact that you just wanted to see me in a lighter colour?"
Anne smiled. "No, of course not. I think you'll look nice in light pink and it matches the roses so..."
"You're lying," Lucy mumbled. She opened the changing room door and smiled. "How do I look?"
Lucy's bridesmaid's dress had an A-line skirt made of chiffon material. It had a folded, overlapping fabric design on the bodice and two straps on each arm. One on the top of the shoulder and one right below the shoulder. Anne smiled and nodded.
"You look beautiful too! Light colours suit you, you know."
"I think I look better in dark ones," Lucy said with a smile. "So, we have our dresses. We've ordered the cake, finalized the menu, and double checked the venue and the flowers. I think that's everything. Now it's just a count down to the actual day."
"Oh god," Anne said as she walked around Lucy into the changing room so that she could get changed out of her dress. "I hope that it goes well."
"It will. I will make sure of it."
Anne smiled. "Thank you, Lucy. So, how is work going?"
"It's going. I still have to go home and get some more work done. Hopefully I can get through at least five more files tonight."
"Wow," she said, coming back out of the change room. "Well, get changed quickly and let's go out to lunch. Then I'll drive you home."
Lucy smiled and got changed too. They paid for their dresses and left the bridal store. Anne drove them to a nice restaurant for lunch and then drove Lucy back home afterwards. She gave Lucy a quick hug before Lucy got out and Anne drove away.
...
The exam was difficult but it was over now. Tonks sat alone at at a table in the cafeteria, eating her lunch, as others sat in groups around her. Friends laughed and chatted as they eat, happily occupying their time until Lovelace and Shacklebolt came back to tell them to who was being sent home. Some of the larger men bragged about how easy they found the exam and how they were not worried themselves.
Tonks sighed as she looked around and watched the people around her. She was the only one sitting alone. No one wanted to talk to her, no one wanted anything to do with her. She was a child to the rest of them. At only eighteen they did not see Tonks as a threat or a possible Auror partner, they didn't see her at all. She felt invisible to the lot of them. Tonks wished that someone would talk to her but at the same time she didn't want to start a conversation with anyone. She still felt a little intimidated by everyone else. They were just so much older and more experienced than she was. They knew what they were doing. She was fresh out of Hogwarts.
Finally the door to the cafeteria opened and in walked Lovelace and Shacklebolt. Lovelace was holding a clipboard in hand. This was it. They were going to find out who would be moving on. The two Aurors walked to the other side of the cafeteria where a bulletin board hung. Lovelace pinned two pieces of parchments to the board and then walked with Shacklebolt back to the table where all the prospective Aurors sat.
"Written exams have been scored and partners for the duel have been assigned. Those who will not be continuing, please accompany me back to the dorms where you will turn in your robes and watch, collect your things, and go home. Don't feel too disheartened. The exam average this period were very high so you should be proud in that regard. If you would like to try again, the next exam period is in April 2010. Good luck."
She walked off to the side a little as everyone stood up immediately and all but ran towards the bulletin board. Tonks pushed her way to the front of the pack and looked at the sheet of paper in front of her.
Part One Rankings:
Tonks, Nymphadora
Washington, Lacey
Dawlish, John
Mann, Hailey
Lee, Jules
Trey, Devon
Peters, Evan
Ken, Jennifer
Bateman, Nathaniel
Lamar, Oden
Watford, Derron
Renson, Cas
Long, Jon
Sal, Nicolas
Trent, Suzan
Tonks's eyes widened. She ranked number one! She had gotten the top score on the exam! She couldn't believe it, she was so happy. A huge smile spread across her face but disappeared immediately when she say the solemn faces of those who were cut as they walked with their heads down towards Lovelace. They disappeared after her out of the cafeteria doors and the group in front of the bulletin board started to disperse as well. Tonks looked over at the other document to see that she had been paired with Lacey Washington. Lacey had ranked second, that means she was probably good at dueling too. Tonks will need to be prepared.
"You did well."
Tonks turned to see Shacklebolt standing beside her. She smiled. "Thank you."
"Highest score that we've seen in a long time. Very impressive."
Tonks blushed a bit. "How long have you been doing this for, Mr. Shacklebolt?"
"I've been helping out with exams for three years now." He looked at the others around the cafeteria. "Well, I'll let you get back to it then."
"Wait. Just one more question, sorry. This watch," she held up her wrist to show the watch that had gone completely black again. No more numbers and no more hands. She had noticed that both Shacklebolt and Lovelace had matching ones on their own wrist. "It's not just a watch, is it? What else can it do?"
He smiled. "That's something you will find out in due time."
With that he walked away, leaving Tonks standing alone. Tonks looked down at her watch and frowned. Why couldn't she know now? She sighed and walked to go sit back down where she had been sitting before. She sat alone, picking at her food, for a little before someone actually approached her.
"Lacey Washington," a girl with dark brown skin and bushy hair said, sticking her hand out for Tonks to shake. "You're Nymphadora, right?"
Tonks smiled and nodded. Lacey seemed very nice and Tonks was glad to have someone else to talk to. "Yes, please call me Tonks," she said as she shook Lacey's hand. "I don't really like the name Nymphadora."
"Okay, Tonks." Lacey sat down at the table opposite her. "So we're partners for the duel then."
Tonks nodded again. "Good job on the exam."
"Thanks, you did amazing too. Better than me. How old are you? If I didn't know any better I would have said you were only sixteen."
"I'm eighteen. Just graduated from Hogwarts in June."
"Wow. So young. I'm twenty three so it's been awhile since I graduated. If you make it, you'll be the youngest person taken on in like ten years."
"Yeah."
"I'm glad I'm dueling you. You look like you'd be good at dueling. It'll be fun," Lacey said, surprising Tonks. Wouldn't she rather duel someone who wasn't great so that she could win without any problems? "I think it'll be an interesting duel, good for showing off what we're both capable of."
"Yeah, it'll be interesting," Tonks said with a smile.
Lacey and Tonks talked for a while. Tonks learned that Lacey was a half-blood. Her father was a muggle who worked in IT and her mother was a witch who worked in the International Law Department at the Ministry. She learned that Lacey had been in Ravenclaw and had mostly kept to herself during school which was why they had never seen each other before.
Finally it was time for the second part of the exam. They all got up and followed Shacklebolt out of the cafeteria and into what looked like a waiting room. Lovelace was standing in front of a set of large wooden door waiting for them. She motioned for them to sit down in the seats around the room. Tonks sat down beside Lacey near the front and looked up at the woman.
"Congratulations for making it through Part One of your exam. Now onto Part Two; Combat Dueling. Behind these doors is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, Director of the Auror Office, Alastor Moody, and Deputy Director of the Auror Office, Rufus Scrimgeour. Each pair will be called one by one into the room to duel in front of these three judges. Madam Bones, Director Moody, and Deputy Director Scrimgeour will judge you, taking into account your duel and your written exam scores, and decide which six of you will move on to the next portion of the exam. Be respectful of your opponent and your judges. Each duel will end when one of the duelers is disarmed. We are not dueling to maim or kill so please keep that in mind. Your name will be called when it is your turn. Good luck."
She moved to sit down next to Shacklebolt and talked quietly with him. No one else spoke. Everyone was waiting anxiously for their turn. A little time passed and the door opened. A small, scrawny young man with short brown hair and green eyes walked out with a clipboard in hand. He must be an intern at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Nathaniel Bateman and Oden Lamar?" he said and two men stood up. "Please follow me."
More time passed, mostly in silence, until the door opened again and the intern came out again. "Evan Peters and Jennifer Ken." Then, "Jules Lee and Decon Trey," and, "John Dawlish and Hailey Mann."
It was only Lacey and Tonks left in the waiting room now. They had been doing it in the opposite order of the rankings so Lacey and Tonks were going last. As more time passed, Tonks was getting more and more anxious. She had met Amelia Bones a few times and only because she was Lucy's Aunty Amelia. Amelia had always been very kind and warm but Tonks knew she was also just as hard and strict as Minerva was. She hoped that she could make Amelia proud during her duel.
Finally the door opened again and the inter came back. "Nymphadora Tonks and Lacey Washington. Please follow me."
The two girls got up and followed the man into the room. The room was dark, illuminated by a few torches sparsely placed along the stone walls. It was circular and dipped into about a twenty five foot deep pit. At the edge of the pit was an ornate wooden desk with three people sitting at it. Amelia Bones wore her hair up in an intricate braided updo and wore long, flowy brown robes. Alastor Moody looked bored, his glass eye whizzed around crazily, and his leg jiggled impatiently. Rufus Scrimgeour had a hard stoney face and a lionlike mane of thick black hair. His eyes looked quite cold and judgemental as they entered.
Tonks and Lacey followed the man down the stairs into the pit. They stood in the center and looked up at the three judges. The intern quickly scurried off back towards the judge's desk. Amelia flipped through some papers before looking down at the two girls.
"Nymphadora Tonks and Lacey Washington. You two have achieved the highest two scores on the written exam. We look forward to watching you duel. In your own time, please."
Tonks and Lacey turned to face each other. They brought their wands up in front of their faces before whipping them back to their sides and giving each other a low bow. They turned on their heels and each took ten steps away. When they turned around and faced each other again, their wands were raised and they were ready to duel.
Lacey sent the first spell. A flash of purple light came towards Tonks and she blocked it quickly. She sent a flash of red towards Lacey. Lacey blocked it too and sent a jet of water Tonks's way. Tonks stepped to the side to avoid the jet of water and with a flick of her wand redirected it around her and back towards Lacey. A move that Lucy had taught her. Lacey didn't see that coming and quickly jumped out of the way. She wasn't fast enough though and the water hit her in the arm.
...
Lucy shut the folder she had been looking at and sighed. She piled all her papers neatly and got up, walking towards the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of tea. She leaned back on the counter and looked back at the ever growing pile of files she still had to get through. Why was the work not slowing down? When would she finally get just one night to relax?
Ring! Ring!
Lucy walked back over to the table and picked up her cellphone. She smiled a little and answered the call. "Hello."
"Hey, kid," Daniel's voice came through the phone.
"Hey, Daniel. How are you doing?" Lucy asked sitting back down at the table.
"I'm doing good. It seems that you've been quite busy recently. No one thought to tell me that you were now calling yourself Enchantress?"
"I - oh. I completely forgot! I thought Nina would have told you. Also, I'm not calling myself Enchantress. I didn't get a choice on the name."
"No kidding. I would have thought you of all people would have picked a better superhero name than that."
"Hey, it's not that bad."
"Whatever you say. So, you stop muggings, ATM robberies, and assaults, huh?"
"What can I say? I've dedicated my life to fighting crime and the forces of evil."
"Is that from... Powerpuff Girls?"
"Yes."
Daniel shook his head despite Lucy not being able to see him. "Well, I guess I always knew this was coming. You always wanted to be a superhero when you were younger. Like Wonder Woman or Peggy Carter."
"You think she's heard about Enchantress? Peggy Carter, I mean."
"I'm sure she has. I mean all the guys here talk about Enchantress. Everyone has their own theory of who it could be."
"Anyone gotten close?"
"Nope. Unless you count Gandalf the Grey as close."
Lucy laughed. "I would say no."
"So, who all knows?"
"You, Nina, Mum, and Uncle Raj."
"That's almost everyone important."
She didn't respond.
"Are you going to tell Tonks?"
"I will. Eventually."
"Uh huh."
"I will. Just... not yet. She has a lot on her mind right now."
"Yes, she has her exams this weekend right?"
"Yes, they started this morning and it's three days long. It's all shrouded in secrecy so other than a few parts that they've told us, I have no idea everything it entails."
"Wow. It's all because of the war, you know. That's why it's so hard to become one. They have too many."
"Yeah, I know. I really hope Tonks makes it. She's going to be so heartbroken if she doesn't."
"I'm sure she'll do great. She's been working really hard. She would make a great Auror."
"She'll be very happy when I tell her that you said that. I wish I could talk to her now but she isn't allowed to talk to anyone outside of the exam building at all until it's all over."
"Wow, that's intense."
"Yeah, I know. I miss her already."
Daniel laughed. "I'm sure you'll make it three days."
"I don't know, Daniel. It's hard."
"I know, kid."
"Speaking of which, I miss you too. When are you coming home next? It's getting scary out here in London. So many muggers. I don't like it."
Daniel laughed. "I'm sorry, kid, but I don't think I'll be able to get back anytime soon. I'm going to be deployed down to another city soon for about another year."
"Another year!"
"I was just back in August, Lucy."
"I know but I hate it when you're gone. I like it better when you're here."
"I know, kid. It'll go by fast, I'm sure. Then when I get back you can tell me all about your first year as CEO and Tonks can tell me about how awesome it is to be an Auror and Anne can tell me about all the great work she's doing with JCC."
"And I'll take some time off so we can spend a lot of time together before you go again. I'll show you my office. It looks different now. I got to decorate it however I wanted to."
"How different does it look?"
"Well... I guess not really that different. I've gotten new furniture. All the couches were like fifteen years old, you know. I also put up new paintings and decorations. More me, you know. I had everything shipped back to Rochester for Mum to look through and decide what she wants to keep."
"That's nice."
"I kept some of Dad's photographs. He kept a lot in his office. Me, you, Mum. Pictures of all of us together. They're cute."
"I can't wait to see them."
"So, what are you doing exactly in this new city?"
"You know I can't tell you that stuff, kid. I don't know why you keep trying. I'm never going to tell you anything like that. You don't need to know."
"I've been through war before, Daniel," Lucy said. "I can handle your war stories. You don't have to try to protect me anymore."
"Still not going to tell you. Enjoy peacetimes, Lucy. You don't have to worry about this kind of stuff right now. I just want you to always feel safe and I don't think my stories will help you feel that."
Lucy sighed. She knew that Daniel was just being a good older brother but she didn't like it when he treated her like she was still seven.
"Anyways," Daniel said, deciding to change the subject. "You said Uncle Raj knew about you being Enchantress but you didn't say anything about Amelia. She knows, doesn't she?"
"She does not. I haven't told her and I've asked Uncle Raj not to tell her."
"Why would you do that? You've always told Amelia everything before anyone else. I mean you told her you liked Tonks first and then when you two started dating you told her before you told anyone else."
Lucy sighed. "This is different. I mean, I know Aunty Amelia wouldn't tell the Ministry and throw me in Azkaban but... I don't know. She's very into law and following the rules, you know. I don't know."
"I think you should tell her. I think it would be better than her finding out on her own and then realizing that you were hiding it from her. I think she may also be able to help you get on the Ministry's good side."
"Their good side? Really?"
"Well, how sustainable do you think this is, Lucy? You can't hide your identity forever. Eventually someone is going to figure out who Enchantress is and when that happens you are going to have a lot of explaining to do. If you turn yourself in and explain -"
"The Ministry doesn't work like that. Fudge is furious. He's not happy about someone running around doing magic in front of Muggles. Turning myself in won't get me anything but a oneway ticket to Azkaban. I have to keep my identity hidden, Daniel. There's no other option for me right now. I'm just hoping that eventually the Ministry will calm down, stop sending Aurors to find her and just let her do her thing."
"They're sending Aurors after you?"
"Aunt Amelia said that if any new Aurors are taken on this year, their first assignment will be to find Enchantress."
"You realize that if that's true and Tonks gets on the Aurors, it'll be her going after you?" Daniel asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Lucy was talking so nonchalantly about her possibly being thrown in prison.
"Yes, I do realize that."
"And what the hell are you going to do if that happened?"
"I was hoping I'd figure it out by then."
"Oh god, Lucy."
"It'll be okay, Daniel. Don't worry."
"How can I not worry?"
"Now you sound like Mum."
"Oh god, I do, don't I? Goddamnit, Lucy! Look at what you're doing to me!" he exclaimed.
Lucy laughed and shook her head. She and Daniel talked for a long time before he had to go so he could call Nina and Minerva as well. She said goodbye, 'I love you', and 'be safe', before hanging up the phone with a sigh. Her phone calls with Daniel always ended the same way. With him assuring her that he would be fine and her worrying about him going off into combat. She gave him an hour to talk to both Nina and Minerva before picking up her phone again and calling Minerva as well.
...
Tonks and Lacey had been dueling for a long time now. They were very evenly matched. As soon as one of them would get the upperhand the other would get them back on even footing. Finally though, Tonks saw her opening and made her move. She took a step forward, ducked below Lacey's attack and sent a flash of red light her way. It hit her in the chest and caused her wand to fly out of her hand towards Tonks. Tonks grabbed it out of the air and held her wand up at Lacey. Lacey sighed and straightened up a little bit.
"Excellent," Amelia's voice boomed from above them. "Please exit the area and stand in front of the judge's desk."
Lacey and Tonks bowed to each other again and shook hands. Tonks gave her back her wand and they walked up out of the area to face the judges.
"You both did well," Amelia said. "It was quite the duel. I do not have any questions for you. Alastor, Rufus, do you?"
"Nah," Moody said with a shrug.
"Yes," Scrimgeour said. "Miss Tonks, how old are you?"
"I'm eighteen, sir."
"Eighteen," he said with a little nod. Tonks couldn't tell if Scrimgeour thought that was a good or bad thing. "And you are a Metamorphmagus, correct?"
"Yes," Tonks said, changing the colour of her hair from pink to blue to demonstrate her abilities. Scrimgeour nodded again and then looked back at Amelia.
"I am done."
Amelia nodded. "You are dismissed. Please follow Aldo out."
The intern that had walked them in stepped forward again and motions for them to follow. Lacey and Tonks followed him to the opposite side of the room they had come from. Aldo opened the door and motioned them out, closing it behind them. Lacey and Tonks walked into the second waiting room where everyone else was waiting now. Some partners were still talking to each other, others sat as far away from each other as possible. Lacey seemed to be in an okay mood for someone who just lost a very important duel. To Tonks's surprise, she still sat down beside her in the waiting room. She didn't say anything though and Tonks wasn't sure if she was as okay as she seemed to be.
"Ah, I'm sorry for..." Tonks wasn't exactly sure what she was sorry for. She wasn't sorry for winning the duel. She was very happy about that, actually.
"It's okay," Lacey said with a smile, saving Tonks from coming up with something. "You don't have to be sorry. You won fair and square. You did good."
"Thanks," Tonks said with a smile. "You did really good too. I'm pretty sure you would have had me in a couple more moves."
"Yeah, maybe we can have a rematch sometime. I would like to redeem myself. I think that our duel was good, though. I think, even though I didn't win, I was able to show off some of my dueling skills."
"Yeah. Lovelace did say that winning wasn't as important as precision, defence and speed."
Lacey nodded.
They waited for a while until the doors opened again and Aldo came out again. "You will be called back into the room in your pairs to talk to the judges. Nathaniel Bateman, Oden Lamar, please follow me."
The two men stood up and followed him into the room. This time they didn't need to wait very long for him to come out again. He called Evan Peters and Jennifer Ken in next. Then Jules Lee and Devon Trey. John Dawlish and Hailey Mann went in after them and then finally it was Tonks and Lacey's turn.
They stood up and followed Aldo back inside the room. He led them to the front of the judge's desk and they turned to face the judges yet again.
"Miss Tonks, Miss Washington," Amelia said, looking down at a piece of parchment in front of her. "You both did very well during your duel. We are very pleased to invite both of you to continue on in this process."
"Both of us?" Lacey said with wide eyes and a smile.
"Yes," Amelia said with a nod and a small smile. "Please make your way back to the first waiting room. We will hopefully be seeing you both on Monday for your interview."
Tonks smiled. She and Lacey thanked all the judges and then walked back to the first waiting room where the other four Auror hopefuls were sitting, waiting for them. Dawlish and Mann also both made it through Part Two. As did Trey and Ken. They all looked very happy and very pleased with themselves. Lacey and Tonks came out and Shacklebolt got up to lead them all back to their dorms.
When Tonks entered her room, she sighed, changed her clothes and took a nice warm shower. That was a very stressful first day. She was sure that tomorrow would be even more stressful. When she got out of her shower and dried her hair, she found a dinner tray sitting on her desk. She walked over and sat down, pulling the tray towards her and took the silver lid off the plate. She picked at her food and looked down at the watch on her wrist. So it was more than a watch, Tonks knew that, but what else did it do? Tonks thought about the AI systems that Lucy had told her about. Muggle technology that could be used like assistants by talking to it. The watch had talked to her during her exam, telling her when to start and when there was only five minutes left. Maybe it worked along the same lines as those Muggle systems.
"Hello, watch," Tonks said with a little uncertainly.
Hello.
It worked! Tonks smiled. "Are you called 'watch' or do you have your own name?"
You can call me whatever you like.
"Well, I guess I could give you a name. It might be better than just calling you watch. You sounded like a girl in my head so I guess I can name you... Holly. Do you like that name or would you prefer something else?"
Holly is a nice name.
"Great! So, what exactly do you do, Holly?"
I am the magical network system for the whole of the British Ministry of Magic, Auror Office. I serve many functions including; quick communications between Auror members, scanning and assessing dangerous situations, logging evidence, navigation, and quick research or archive search. Every Auror member gets access and learns to use these features slowly during their training period.
"I see. So, what features can I use now?"
Date and time, preloaded schedule, and navigation through the Auror building.
"That's not very much."
If you are successful in attaining a position in the Auror Training Program, you will gain access to the rest of my features. For now you are restricted to the essentials that will help you in your application process.
"Do very many people figure out about you during this process?"
Very few try to talk to me. Most assume that I am just a strange watch. Those who do use me are not as caught off guard during Part Four of the application process.
"Oh, so I will have to use you during my character and aptitude test?" Tonks asked, eager to find out more about this part of the exam. This was the only part of the exam that was shrouded in secrecy. No one told them much about what it would entail.
Yes, you will have momentary access to all my features during the fourth part of your exam.
"What will I have to do?"
I cannot say.
Tonks sighed and shook her head. "Of course you can't. Can you tell me if it involves more dueling?"
I cannot.
"Can you tell me -"
Just then there was a knock on her door. Tonks frowned, got up, and walked over to open it. In her doorway stood Lacey. She was wearing a short nightgown and carrying her dinner tray with a smile on her face.
"Hey! I thought we could eat dinner together. I was bored just sitting alone in my room," she said, holding up her tray a little.
Tonks smiled and nodded. "Sure," she said, stepping aside so she could come in. She was glad to have a friend to eat dinner with. "I'll draw up a chair for you."
Lacey smiled and came inside. Tonks closed the door behind her, pulled out her wand, and conjured up a chair so that Lacey could sit at the desk with her. Lacey sat down, putting her tray on the desk, and Tonks sat down beside her, pulling her tray closer to her.
"Hey, good job today," Lacey said. "You were a worthy opponent. Dueling you was fun."
"Thanks. You did really good too. Put up a good fight, had me on the ropes a couple times."
"Well, I'm glad they kept me even though I lost." She looked over at the things on the desk and around the room. "So all the rooms are the same. Same books on the desk, same newspapers." She picked up the day's Daily Prophet, looked over at the front page, and then turned it for Tonks to see. "Have you heard about this Enchantress person? I've heard the Ministry is furious."
Tonks took the paper from her and nodded. "Yeah. I heard that they've stationed Aurors undercover everywhere to try and catch her."
"They're not very happy with her exposing magic. I think what she's doing is pretty cool, though. I mean, I wouldn't do it because I don't want to get tossed in Azkaban and I'd rather just save people the legal way, but still cool."
Tonks smiled. "Yeah, it is pretty cool."
"Don't know what they're going to do with her when they find her."
"Do you think they will?"
"Find her? Yes, I think so. Eventually. She can't hide from a huge group of wizards and witches forever."
Tonks nodded. "I'm surprised she's hidden herself for this long. I mean, how come the detection enchantment didn't catch her?"
"I don't know. Maybe she has help inside the Ministry. Inside information so she can avoid the Aurors."
"You think she might be an Auror?"
"Maybe it's Morgana," Lacey said with a laugh. She shook her head. "No, probably not. I think she's too..."
"Strict?"
"Yeah. She's too strict. I think she would have a heart attack if anyone even thought about wearing dark grey robes instead of light ones."
"Or brown shoes instead of black ones."
Lacey smiled and nodded. She put down the paper and looked at the other ones on the desk. "They have muggle papers too. I think, other than the Muggle Affairs Department obviously, the Auror Office is probably the most involved in the Muggle World."
"Well, a lot of the stuff the Aurors deal with would affect the Muggle World too," Tonks said as she watched Lacey pick up a newspaper The Guardian and flicked through it.
"Are you very involved in the Muggle World?"
"Eh," Tonks replied with a shrug. "My dad was a Muggleborn so my grandparents are muggles and I live with my girlfriend who works in the Muggle World but she's a witch."
"Oh, you have a girlfriend?" Lacey asked, looking up from the newspaper.
Tonks nodded.
"What's she like?"
"Oh, she's great," Tonks said with a smile. "She helped me study and train for this actually. She's been really supportive about all of this."
"What does she do?"
"She runs her own company."
"Oh, like her," Lacey said, turning the newspaper over and showing a large photo of Lucy smiling at the camera. Lucy Collins works to create more jobs for anyone laid off in last year's financial crisis.
Tonks smiled and nodded. "Yes, a lot like her."
Lacey shook her head. "I hope not too much like her. Lucy Collins presents herself as this intelligent, caring person but she doesn't care about people as much as she pretends too. It said she's trying to create jobs but it leaves out the fact that her company laid off so many people last year too. My dad used to work for Collins Enterprises and she didn't bat an eye when he was laid off."
"Ah, I think it's hard," Tonks said, a little uneasily. "Last year hit a lot of companies in London really hard. A lot of people lost their jobs and besides, she wasn't even the CEO last year."
Lacey shrugged. "I'm just saying. She makes so much money, probably like billions of dollars a year, and now she's patting herself on the back for creating a few measly paying jobs. Lucy Collins is just trying to make people like her by doing a little bit of charity. She made a Charity foundation but then put her best friend as the head of it. It wasn't to help people, it was to make a position where her friend could make a lot of money too. She wants people to think she's this great and loving person who uses her money for good so that you won't look too closely at what she and her company is actually doing."
Tonks didn't say anything. She remembered Lucy telling her that she would have to be prepared to hear people say bad, and possibly untrue, things about her. It still made her sad to hear someone talk about her like this, painting her in this cold, vindictive light. Lucy was so much more than Lacey made her out to be. Lucy cared about people a lot. Tonks knew that Lucy had been very sad about all the people that had been laid off from her company last year. It had hurt her to let that many people go. She cared about people so much and wanted to help them all, it was just hard. Like Minerva said, you can't fix all the pain in the world all on your own. Lucy had a hard time with that, and Tonks knew that she did, so it made her sad when people tried to push the narrative that Lucy just didn't care. She cared so much.
Lacey sighed and put the newspaper down again. "So, anyways, are you ready for tomorrow? How have you been training for the physical exam?"
"I've been training with my girlfriend. She's a dancer so she's really fit. She helped me get more in shape and ready for this test."
"That's nice. I've been training alone mostly. Boyfriend's been too busy to train with me. It must have been nice to have someone to push you."
"Yeah, definitely. I think most of my training just consisted of trying to keep up with her."
Lacey smiled and nodded. "Them dancers, man."
"Yeah. Hey, do you know much about Part Four?"
"No, not at all! No one is allowed to talk about it. It's supposed to be a secret. You don't get to know what happens until you get in. That's why you go in through one door and come out the other side so you can't warn the incoming person."
"And then immediately sent back to your dorm."
"Yeah. Hopefully it's not too bad."
"Yeah."
Tonks and Lacey talked for a little while longer before she decided that it was time to get going. "Early morning tomorrow. Get some sleep. I'll see you later, Tonks."
"Bye, Lacey."
After Lacey left, Tonks got into her bed and sighed. It was nice having someone to talk to but Tonks missed Lucy. She wished that she could talk to her. Lucy would know what to say to make her feel a little more confident. She wished that she had stuck up for her more when Lacey was saying those things about her. Lucy would not have just sat back while someone insulted Tonks like that. She would have stuck up for Tonks. Tonks wished that she had done more for her. She didn't know why she didn't just tell Lacey that Lucy was her girlfriend. She just didn't want Lacey to think differently of her or treat her strangely because she was a billionaire's girlfriend. She had never thought about these things before. She never thought about how the amount of money Lucy made actually made her kind of uncomfortable. Lucy made so much more than Tonks would ever make, even if she got this job.
Why did it matter? It shouldn't. Tonks pushed her uncomfortable feelings to the side and shook her head. She had bigger things to worry about right now. She shouldn't be wasting mindpower thinking about stupid things that didn't matter.
Author's Note:
Ooh, I'm excited. Writing the Auror Exams is really fun. Things are really getting exciting now. I hope you're all enjoying it so far. Thank you for reading and please leave me a review letting me know what you think! I love reading your reviews :)