Hey guys, another chapter! This one takes place before the first one, almost a year after Deathly Hallows!
Enjoy
May/June 1998:
Pansy Parkinson was hated by her mother.
During the Second Wizarding War Pansy did collaborate willingly with Amycus and Alecta Carrow during Snape's/Voldemort's reign of the school, which included torturing other students with the Cruciatus Curse, meaning she was ready to take any deal the re-established Ministry of Magic offered.
This included testifying against her father, the Death Eater Cuthbert Parkinson, as well as several other Death Eaters and supporters of the Dark Lord, which led to a lighter sentence: 1200 hours of community service for the Ministry.
The Parkinson family was also stripped of half their (massive) fortune, which would serve as war-reparations. Cuthbert would go to life in Azkaban.
All this was a result of her testimony in front of the Wizengamot. While most saw this as quite a good (almost ridiculous) deal, Monica Parkinson did not. Losing half of her wealth, her husband and status was ridicule for the pureblood witch. Pansy would have no longer any business in Parkinson manor.
This meant for Pansy to find a home of her own, which meant small flat. She had a trust-fund account at Gringotts, which had a sum of "only" 20 000 Galleons, though she knew from her first day out of home that she had to be careful with the money.
The community service came and went, and the Ministry even allowed Pansy to make her N.E.W.T.'s on the side. She worked hard for both, and her N.E.W.T.'s scored almost perfectly.
Her relationship with Draco Malfoy ended in the last school year, and her life in luxury was over.
Being on her own changed Pansy's work ethics and worldview. She knew, that in order to make it in the new world now, she had to change her attitude to people, especially muggle's and muggle-borns. Showing pureblood-supremacy would not no longer be a good idea.
March 1999, a Thursday:
Another rejection.
Despite her good grades and hard work to prove herself to the Magical community that she could change, Pansy didn't manage to land a job. She had applied for several posts such as healer, apothecary and different departments in the Ministry, but all said they weren't currently needing anyone.
Anyone with Death Eater-ties, they meant, but of course, didn't say.
Pansy knew that she could manage on for years with her trust fund with a simple lifestyle, though as a Slytherin she wanted to secure her future stability, especially since old Pureblood-families were currently looked down at.
Entering her flat, she was shocked to see two people already inside, sitting at her small dining table, with a tea can and mugs: a woman in robes and a man in a jacket coat, both seemingly in their late 30's.
Pansy's first instinct was to draw her want at the intruders.
"Who are you? How did you get in?!" she shouted at the two strangers.
"Wand down, miss Parkinson, please!" the woman replied. "We are not here to hurt you!"
Panys looked at them. She did not obey request.
"Who are you?" she asked again, pointing at the woman.
Instead of answering, the woman quickly pulled her own wand and shouted Expelliarmus and Pansy was disarmed.
"Please, miss Parkinson, sit down" said the man. "Tea?"
Pansy looked at both and decided to comply.
She sat down at her small dining table and was offered a mug.
"No poison or Veritaserum" the woman stated.
"Who are you?" asked Pansy again, this time in a more peaceful manner.
"I'm Felicia Rivers, and this is my associate, Frederick Sheldon" the woman explained. The man nodded, but remained silent.
"And why are you here?" asked Pansy.
"We represent an organization that would greatly benefit from someone like you" the man named Sheldon explained.
"Someone like me?" asked Pansy. Was this a job offer?
"A young practitioner of magic… a witch" replied Sheldon.
Pansy looked at the stranger. The clothes he wore were quite unusual for a man his age.
"You're… a muggle?" asked Pansy.
"Yes, miss Parkinson, though we prefer non-magical" stated Sheldon.
"And you're a witch?" Pansy turned to Felicia Rivers.
"Yes" replied the woman. "I know, this is breaching Statue of Secrecy, but this is necessary"
"What organization?" asked Pansy.
"Divison M" replied Felicia.
"Never heard of it" Pansy stated. Muggles know about us? Will the witch-hunts return? That would be quite something after Voldermort's defeat.
"That's the point. We are a global, clandestine and private organization that is tasked by all national, non-magical governments of the world to deal with magical affairs" Felicia told.
"And why do you approach me?" asked Pansy.
"We need magical contractors" explained Sheldon. "For almost half a century we were a joke, since we couldn't deal with our mission statement"
"Division M is currently recruiting our kind, since two powerful dark wizards have terrorized the non-magical world in the last century, and they weren't able to stop it" Felicia continued. "Division M does not seek to bring back the witch-hunts of old, but does want to be prepared against threats to the muggle world"
"And you want me to be a… consultant of magic?" Pansy asked the two.
"Yes, but more than that, you could find forge a career path in our organization, Miss Parkinson. A skilled witch like you could teach us a lot, as well as potentially guide us in the future" explained Sheldon. "We already have some, like Miss Rivers here, but our superiors want more. You had top grades in both potions and charms, right?"
"Yes" replied Pansy.
"And you have some knowledge of the higher society and the Ministry. Your family was quite prominent in the British circles, until recently, right?" Sheldon asked.
"Yes" Pansy replied. "But does the Ministry know about this Division?"
Sheldon and Felicia looked at each other and turned back to her.
"No, they do not" stated Felicia.
"And your job would be illegal in their eyes, sadly" continued Sheldon. "But we have the means to protect you if they did. A new identity and all"
"Miss Parkinson, you seem like a woman who wants to create a career, but let me tell you, the Ministry won't allow that. The wounds of the war will be fresh for many years" Felicia explained. "The publicity of a major Death Eater's daughter's success could cause major uproar in the public, something a federal bureaucracy like the Ministry seeks to avoid"
"Proof me" Pansy demanded.
Felicia looked at Sheldon.
"Let's show her" she propsed.
"Higher ups wouldn't like it" he replied.
"They need the wands" Felicia argued.
Sheldon looked at Pansy, then back at Felicia.
"Fine, but you get the blame?" he said.
"Fine" she replied. "Come, Miss Parkinson"
Pansy looked at both and rose up.
She followed to a van (to her just a "car") with no windows and they drove. Sheldon and Rivers were quiet the whole way. A few hours later the vehicle stopped. Pansy saw nothing but heard something moving outside. A gate maybe? She thought.
After that the van continued to drive a little further until it stopped.
"We've arrvied" stated Rivers. "But first we gotta conceal you, since you shouldn't be here"
Felicia flicked her wand and muttered a Concealment Charm. The three then stepped outside the van.
"Okay…" asked Pansy, looking around. The place was a massive area with many cars and other vehicles she couldn't recognize. The area lacked a ceiling, meaning they were likely underground, like Ministry.
"Our HQ" explained Sheldon. "Headquarters. Also, don't try to that apparition-thing. Doesn't work here"
"Why not?" asked Pansy.
"Classified" replied Felicia.
"Let's show her around a little" Sheldon said and showed the way.
Pansy followed the two to a black door that was marked. She noticed a small panel with numbers on it.
"Please look away" asked Sheldon.
Pansy looked away and heard the man type seven times. She heard the door opened and Felicia gave her the permission.
The three entered and were in stairwell.
"The Concealment Charm I put on you is meant for surveillance camerass only, not eyes, so please keep your head down and follow our lead" Felicia explained.
"Okay…" Pansy replied, and the three went on. Sheldon led the three and they went three floors down and arrived in what looked like an office.
A muggle office, she presumed. The walls were all rather simple and bland, coloured white, and everything was light with strange lights that weren't candles or torches. The young witch looked around and saw men and women walk around with papers and clipboards, while other sat at desks, operating strange machines. Some were sitting in front of big boxes with a flickering display, while others spoke into devices she knew were called "telephones".
She followed Sheldon and Felicia into another room, another office, which had a much more hectic atmosphere: people ran around, shouted into telephones and typed quickly at their flickering desk-boxes. One wall of the office was marked with the words "Investigation Room 1". There also was a big white board with several photographs and the following text:
Corban Yaxley(DE), Status: Uncaptured
Lucius Malfoy(DE), Status: Pardoned (MoM)
Rabastan Lestrange(DE), (pitcture marked with a red cross), Status: Terminated while resisting arrest (DM)
Konrad Selwyn(DE), Status: Uncaptured
Thorfinn Rowle(DE), (pitcture marked with a red cross), Status: Terminated while resisting arrest (DM)
Augustus Rockwood(DE), (pitcture marked with a blue circle), Status: Arrested (MoM)
Willard Jugson(DE), Status: Uncaptured
Alberto White(WW), (pitcture marked with a red cross), Status: Terminated while resisting arrest (DM)
Tibarn Garr(WW), (pitcture marked with a red cross), Status: Terminated while resisting arrest (DM)
Randulfr Merric(WW), (pitcture marked with a red cross), Status: Terminated while resisting arrest (DM)
Ulrick Garske(WW), (pitcture marked with a red cross), Status: Terminated while resisting arrest (DM)
Pansy noticed some familiar names, such as Yaxley and Rockwood. She has also heard of Greyback, the leader of Voldemort's werewolf-forces.
She quickly deduced DE meant "Death Eater", while WW meant "Werewolf". MoM meant "Ministry of Magic" and DM meant "Division M". Red cross meant dead, blue circle meant arrested and no markings meant unknown/uncaptured or pardoned.
She looked a bit worried at the board, which gave the statement that Division M, which she now truly believed did exist, wasn't looking to lock up or pardon dark wizards and creatures, but rather to kill (or as they stated "terminate") them.
"I know it looks dark" whispered Felicia. "But this are dangerous people we're talking about. The Ministry has not nearly enough Aurors to go after all of them, so someone has to step"
Pansy nodded quietly. Her father might could be on the board, but it seemed that only people still on the run as well as recently captured were on Division M's watch list, as well as ones they themselves killed.
She wondered if they planned to assassinate Lucius Malfoy or not, since he was on the board.
Sheldon and Felicia continued to show Pansy around some offices, though they did avoid taking her to more (presumably) secretive areas. Pansy could guess that these people had areas dedicated to research and archiving, though those areas most likely existed.
Soon they were in van again.
"Miss Parkinson, I guess that those pictures on the board must've been unsettling to you, but may I remind you, we are not conducting witch-hunts, only defending ourselves against hostiles" Sheldon, who drove the van, said.
"Yes" muttered Pansy, who then turned to Felicia. "How did you end up with these people?"
"You really want to know?" asked the witch aligned with Division M.
"It's a long way with this muggle-thing" replied Pansy.
The witch looked at Pansy and then started her story: She was a child of a witch and a muggle, who graduated Hogwarts in the height of Voldemort's first reign of terror in 1981. Death Eaters attacked her family's home one night in the summer following her last school year. Her father was murdered while her mother was tortured and raped for "betraying her race by fucking and getting pregnant by a muggle" and then murdered. Felicia managed to escape and went into hiding for many months, staying away from any settlements, magical or muggle, often resorting to stealing her food from muggle farms in order to survive. As the climate got colder by fall, she sneaked into Cardiff, trying to avoid the wizarding community there and staying in muggle areas. To her luck, Cardiff had an outpost for Division M, and she was quickly discovered, based on her dirty and ripped robes and hat.
Division M took her in, and she became the first member of the British Wizardkind to join the organization. Felicia Rivers served as consultant on Magical Society, and the Division send her regularly back into the magical world to acquire resources such as books, newspapers and materials with magical abilities that would benefit the muggles understanding of the Wizarding-world. The witch also managed to recruit also a few other witches and wizards over the next two decades, usually Muggle-borns who found no employment or other outsiders. She also managed to get occasional intel about the Ministry from Knockturn Alley, though it wasn't always reliable. Until 1995, Division M was mainly gathering knowledge.
In Fall 1995 though Felicia managed to snatch a great asset for the Division: The experienced Auror Aldrich Northfrost. Northfrost was quietly let go by the Ministry, as he wanted to investigate the rumoured return of Lord Voldermort. It was a minor article in the Daily Prophet, but Division M jumped at the chance to get an experienced wizard like him to its ranks.
Northfrost had investigated more in private, and while he never found any evidence of Voldemort's return, he was certain that at least the former Death Eaters were up to something that couldn't be any good.
He gladly joined Division M, as he saw an opportunity in training a muggle tactical force that he could lead against in the likely war against the Death Eaters. And it was good to have the Auror, as 1996 brought two big chances: first the mass-breakout from Azkaban in January, and then the confirmed return of Lord Voldemort.
Nortforst started training the troops and managed to get recruit more wizards for the Division, such as a few more Aurors, as well as people like potioneers and healers. The Division started to advance some it's technology with magic in order to observe the Wizarding world in a better way, as well as use some magical methods, such as Veritaserum or Legilimency.
A few days after the Battle of Hogwarts, the muggle tactical force had finished it's training and Northfrost (Know appointed as the Head of Investigations & Security) led them after the Death Eaters who were on the run now.
"You're telling me way too much" Pansy stated.
"We'll make an unbreakable vow" Felicia said.
Pansy looked at her.
"Calm down, just for three days, which you will use to think over joining us" the witch continued.
They arrived at her flat.
Pansy made the unbreakable vow with Felicia and stated that for the next three days, she wouldn't mention the existence of Division M to anyone.
"We'll come this Sunday night for you answer" said Sheldon.
"If you choose not to join us, we'll obliviate you. You'd remember nothing about us or Division M" stated Felicia.
"If you say yes, a wizard will pick you up next Wednesday and you'll start your orientation" Sheldon continued.
"We'll hope you join us, someone young, intelligent and cunning like you would be a great addition to us. And you can build a career like Northfrost" Felicia said. "But it's gonna be your choice in the end"
The two said their goodbyes and left.
Pansy spend the following Friday and weekend thinking about it.
As a cunning Slytherin, she counted the pros and cons:
Pros:
-A job that payed the bills
-A potential career
-Respect
-A fresh start
Cons:
-Living outside Wizarding society (which she pretty much already did)
-Treason for breaking the Statue of Secrecy
In the end she decided to accept the offer, especially after some half-blood witch had thrown eggs from outside at the windows of her flat and shouted "Death Eater whore". She did not have much to leave behind: her mother had denounced her, and most of her friends all struggled with their own lives like she did, hadn't had time to meet or even write her in months.
"Glad you did choose to join us, Miss Parkinson" Sheldon stated, as he and Rivers arrived at her flat on Sunday night.
"One of our wizards, Jesper Numbers, will pick you up, Wednesday at eleven am" said Felicia. "Start of you orientation. You're contract and salary will obviously also be negotiated"
Pansy nodded as the two left again.
While Pansy still did not think much of muggles (despite the proof that this Division seemed ten times more effective than the Ministry of Magic), she was grateful for the opportunity and second chances this choice could bring…
I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Originally I wanted to use Daphne Greengrass, but then I thought that a Pansy Parkinson-redemption would be more interesting, since it seemed that both Daphne and Astoria Greengrass seemed to become naturally better people after the war (based on Scorpius Malfoy).
Comment your thoughts in either reviews or PM's and I'm open for ideas and suggestions to what to write in the future!