Written for THC, round 3, Slytherin, Standard, Prompts: List 1, [Location] Ministry of Magic. List 2. Dyslexia. (Dyslexia - No formal diagnosis/not officially mentioned but present throughout - standard definition).

Betas: AJ, Aya, 2D

Word count: 1333

Notes: Canon compliant ish.

Susan Bones had always been quiet. As a child, she would often play by herself in her room, where her dolls would have conversations. Her Legos would be built as a place for her dolls to live. Her book corner usually remained untouched.

That wasn't because Susan didn't like stories; she loved them. Her mother would read to her every night before she went to sleep. She used to fall asleep during storytime, but lately, she stayed up as long as her mother would allow her, usually until the end of the book or when they finished a chapter. Susan would read them herself; however, she found it took her so long to read that she didn't have much time for anything else.

That didn't change when she turned eleven. She was still just as slow, and it hadn't improved with age. That didn't affect her, though. She was thrilled to be sorted in Hufflepuff. Everyone was so friendly, and she really felt like she fit in. She enjoyed talking about lessons, watching Quidditch, and learning all of the fascinating facts about the subjects.

Homework, however, drove her mad. It took so long! She was sometimes envious of fellow students who could research and write so quickly, and she was even more jealous when they spelt every word correctly! But, with time, she was sure she would get better; after all, why wouldn't she?

Susan persevered; her dislike of homework and reluctance to read for pleasure weren't all that important. After all, there was a war brewing. Her focus had been on the practical side of things, including joining Dumbledore's Army.

After her eighth year at Hogwarts, Susan applied for and began to work at the Ministry of Magic in the International Magical Cooperation department. She had been working there for a month and felt like she fit in perfectly. Everyone there worked like clockwork, arranging meetings abroad, meeting visitors from around the world, and maintaining good relationships across other ministries.

However, correspondence by Owl and reports were causing her a few problems.

At the beginning of each workday, Susan habitually checked in the main foyer for her boss, Lonie, before heading up to her office. Typically, Lonie needed somebody to attend a last-minute meeting, and Susan was always happy to help. Susan found that easier than reports.

On Tuesday morning, Susan arrived at the Ministry of Magic in the normal fashion—floo travel. She landed on the marble floor and gently dusted herself off before walking down the long corridor. She paused at the statue in the middle of the water fountain, thinking about those who were lost—like she did every day—before heading to find Lonie.

After ten minutes, Susan had given up on finding her boss. This didn't happen often, meaning Lonie was in a meeting or reviewing reports early in the day. Susan hoped it was the former, so she headed to the elevators.

"Good morning, Susan," Harry greeted with a smile as they entered the same small elevator. "How's, uhh…"

"The International Magical Cooperation Department," she supplied.

"Yes. How's that going?"

Susan smiled; she had only bumped into Harry a few times since working here, having not really seen him since that fateful day on the 2nd of May. It was nice seeing his familiar face. "I'm really enjoying it. How's being an Auror? Anything interesting happen this week?"

Harry chuckled. "So far, it has been pretty standard. I even got out a bit early yesterday."

Susan gasped dramatically as the elevator stopped.

"Here's my stop. See you later," she said, giving him a small wave as she stepped out and then turned left down a wide and colourful corridor. She slipped into the office and sat at her desk. Her desk was the first on the left as she walked in. It was pretty bare as she had yet to decorate it—but then again, the office was pretty bare, too. There were six decent-sized desks, with only five of them filled. The last one was sometimes used by other departments or as a spare if an employee from a different Ministry was visiting.

Susan greeted those in the office as she pulled out a report she had taken home and hadn't got around to. She had hoped to avoid it a little longer.

She paused in anticipation as she heard loud, high-heeled footsteps heading towards them—that must have been Lonie. Hopefully, it was good news, and she could procrastinate doing paperwork for a little longer.

"Miss Bones," her boss said casually, holding a stack of papers. "Can you rewrite these three reports? There are too many spelling errors and…" She dropped them on the desk with a flop.

That wasn't what Susan wanted to hear at all.

"This last one is unfinished," Lonie added, plopping down a fourth. "I want it by the end of the day."

Susan looked at the four reports that had been added to the three she was still finishing. She had checked her reports at least three times.

"Of course…" she muttered.

Within an instant, one of her coworkers, Rachel, slid next to her. "Want some help?"

Susan nodded with a grateful smile. "Spelling is my nemesis."

Rachel bobbed her head up and down a few times. "Talking to new people is mine; I always fumble over my words. It's why I'm in the office more than others. Lonie takes pity on me."

Rachel chuckled, and Susan joined in. With Rachel's help, Susan was only half an hour late leaving the office.

"I can see why you're in the office more, and it's not because you fumble your words; it's because you are absolutely awesome with reports! How did you get so good?"

Rachel grinned at the flattery. "It's a talent of mine!"

"If you ever wanted to share some tips, my ears are all open!"

Later that week, Susan had just returned to the office after meeting with a representative from Indonesia and saw a box on her desk. She looked around, only to see Rachel grinning from her seat.

"What's this?"

"A little birdie told me that it was nearly your birthday," Rachel admitted.

"It's not for another month," Susan replied, examining the silver box with gold ribbon. It was long and skinny.

Rachel shrugged and stood up. "I'll let you have it early."

Susan didn't need much convincing to take the ribbon off and open the box. Inside was a relatively plain brown quill with elegant white feathers at the top.

"That's nice."

Rachel laughed. "It doesn't look the nicest, I will admit. However, it's a special quill! You cast a linking spell on it, and it'll write what you say! No need to worry about spelling anymore. The quill will do it for you!"

Susan's mouth dropped open as she stared at the unassuming quill. She remembered the reporter from her fourth year had one. It looked so cool, but Susan couldn't find one in her price range, and besides, you weren't allowed them at Hogwarts. She hadn't thought about getting one for work.

"That's… that's incredible. Thank you, Rachel!"

"You're welcome!"

Susan picked up the quill and grinned. "I think I'm actually excited to write my next report now!"

Rachel laughed gently, shaking her head in amusement.

"Well, maybe I'm just excited to use the pen," she admitted with a chuckle.

LINE

The quill significantly helped Susan with her workload, and while she still struggled, it was much more manageable. Additionally, as the weeks went on, Rachel and then Lonie began helping her to be more effective at the job. She also discovered she was in more and more in-person meetings as the months went on.

Susan walked into the Ministry of Magic each weekday morning, knowing that she couldn't have asked for a better job. Her whole family had worked in the Ministry before her, and it's where she belonged.

She only wished her Aunt could have seen her. She knows she would have been proud.