Chapter 4 : Get the job

Halloween being over, the students had now their eyes fixed on the Christmas holidays which weren't arriving fast enough to their liking. Having to face a gloomy month of November whose temperatures had dropped drastically to the point of bringing them snow now and then, they endured their classes which seemed longer and more boring than ever. Not to mention the homework which was piling up and which they had to tackle every evening, which wasn't really annoying in itself since they had nothing better to do.

Only Akira seemed to be busy elsewhere. Indeed, Rookwood had instructed her during their last meeting in Hogsmeade to get closer to Dumbledore without telling her how to proceed. It was therefore up to her to come up with a plan and nothing very conclusive ever came to her mind since their discussion. Because she got to deal with Dumbledore. The greatest wizard of all time. The one Voldemort feared. It only made her task more complicated and postpone it seemed the best thing to do.

Except that Akira was well aware that at her next meeting with Rookwood, the latter would ask her how her undercover mission went and admitting that she had done nothing for it wasn't an option.

This threat hanging over her head was what made Akira decide to show up one Tuesday evening in front of the gargoyle statue hiding the staircase leading to Dumbledore's office, even if she didn't have a clear plan in mind. She had mainly chosen this moment because she had managed to sneak away from Arcturus who had gone to remove from the fire the Pepperup Potion that he was brewing in anticipation of winter and all the colds that would soon set in.

"Time to go." Akira said to herself while taking a deep breath.

She said the password - which was "Pumpkin Pasty", an other sweet as Dumbledore seemed fond of using candies names - and stepped on the circular moving staircase that was spinning on itself. Once she reached the floor of Dumbledore's office, she went to his door and knocked after a few seconds of hesitation.

"Come in." The familiar voice of the Headmaster told her.

Akira obeyed, unable to turn back now, and she went to stand in front of the latter's desk as he was fixing her while displaying a kind smile.

"Ah, Akira. It has been a long time since I had the chance to speak to you. I even thought for a moment that you were avoiding me. How is your position as Prefect going ?"

"Great, I suppose." The latter replied sheepishly while passing a hand at the back of her head. "Our Head Boy doesn't seem to agree but I think that I'm starting to get used to the job."

"Wonderful. In that case, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit ?" He asked her with interest while putting aside the parchments that he was reading.

"Oh, not much." Akira replied rather sharply as she was focused on closing her mind so that her interlocutor wouldn't guess her true intentions while avoiding as much as possible his gaze without looking suspicious. "It's just that since the start of this school year, I think that I can do more for the wizarding world than just supervising the hallways and give detentions to some students. I want to contribute to the society, like the Aurors for whom I did an internship last winter. Because I wasn't able to save Tatsuno and Matsuo with my ninja abilities but these may still be useful somehow in the wizarding world to slow down the progression of Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Bringing up the tragic death of the twins caused by her incompetence was a superhuman effort for Akira who preferred to forget that it was her fault if they were no longer on this Earth. But pulling the heartstrings would perhaps help her get what she wanted because Dumbledore had been deeply sorry for her when Matsuo and Tatsuno both died.

Despite this, Akira expected to receive a clear and unequivocal "no" from the Headmaster. Nevertheless, Dumbledore took his time before answering which was perfect for her to prepare her defense.

"You have potential, that's undeniable. But..."

"But you think that I'm not up to it ?" Akira cut him off.

"No, not at all. What I was going to say is that I have no idea what position I could give you. After all, you're still a student and you have your OWLs to pass. It's a busy year for you and it would be a shame if you don't have time to devote to it. Especially if it's to worry on Voldemort's rise. But if you tell me that you're capable of doing both..."

"I am. Anything you want, but let me try my luck."

"Then, we can check together what would suit you best." Dumbledore suggested without hesitating to devote time to her even though he must have more important work to do.

However, the task was hard. He and Akira were reviewing all the possibilities that were at her level but nothing really suited her. Indeed, they were mainly positions that Dumbledore was inventing on the spot and which involved making herself useful without really facing danger, such as keeping the list of incarcerated Death Eaters up to date based on what appeared in the Daily Prophet or using her Prefect status to patrol intensively and discreetly collect sensitive information among students coming from families close to Voldemort. Nothing that Dumbledore shouldn't be already aware of.

"Just put someone near the Slytherin Common Room and you'll have all the information that you want." Akira replied as she wasn't thrilled by this last task that was taking her away from Dumbledore and the plans that he was putting in place against Voldemort.

"You should never generalize. Many Slytherins have led admirable lives and students from other houses have been tempted by Dark Magic and its powers." Dumbledore pointed out as he had no grudge against anyone.

"I'll try to remember in the future. But right now, the positions you're offering to me are a bit - how can I say - boring. Of course, my ninja skills would allow me to hear everything without being seen, but it can't help if the students from Death Eaters families don't discuss about it in the hallways. No, what I want is a field mission. One where I can help you to fight Voldemort actively with your team."

Oups, she might have gone too far by mentioning the work of Dumbledore and his followers forming the Order of the Phoenix. Especially after obtaining this information dishonestly by spying on them without their knowledge. She had to catch up her silly words before Dumbledore started to get suspicious.

"Because with everything that we see in the newspapers about Voldemort and the fact that he fears you, you must have planned to fight back with some help to prevent him from taking power, right ?" She said while trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Indeed, I make sure that Voldemort stays in the shadows and I have put in place an organization to do so." Dumbledore revealed to her great astonishment as she hadn't expected him to dare to mention the Order of the Phoenix openly. "It already has a few members, including some Aurors that you know like Alastor Moody. And precisely, the latter having two time consuming jobs that make him overwhelmed with work, he is looking for an assistant who will help him in his daily tasks including some on the field. However until now, he wasn't able to find anyone up to his high expectations. It will be very different from the internship that you did last winter in his department but this position might suit you. If you agree to take risks, I will inform Alastor on your desire to join him."

"He'll refuse." Akira pointed out since she knew Moody well enough to be sure about this fact. "He'll think that I'm too young for the job and that I'll get in his way."

"I'll convince him to give you a chance. If I can boast about something, it's my negotiating skills." Dumbledore replied happily while winking at her.

"I hope it will work. Because after my eventful last year, I want to devote my time and energy to something productive and useful. Especially since I'm stuck at Hogwarts until my next summer holidays."

""Stuck" is not the word that I would use. Because the students are mainly here to receive an education that will open the doors to their future. But I understand your frustration at not being able to use your skills to do some good in this world. Especially with the amazing ninja abilities of yours. That will be remedied once I have spoken to Alastor."

Her request having been successfully delivered to the Headmaster, Akira left the office as she had nothing more to do than waiting for an answer from the bad-tempered Auror.

"I'll probably never get one." She thought bitterly while letting behind her the gargoyle statue that was garding Dumbledore's office.

Because her faith in getting this position as Moody's assistant was really low. However, she spoke too soon as two days later, she received a response that was... half-positive. Better than a "no".

Akira learned this during a visit to Dumbledore's office after the latter told her to come during the lunch break. Thinking that Dumbledore just wanted to advise her that she didn't get the position and then move on with his day, she was surprised to find Moody awaiting for her. Apparently, he wanted to talk to her in person as he seemed upset with Dumbledore's decision. Unless it was just his normal face. It was hard to say with all his scars.

"Akira. Please come in." Dumbledore told her cheerfully when the latter opened the door after knocking on it.

She did as she was told but not without a certain unease as Moody was glaring at her with his normal eye but also with his magical one.

"I was telling Alastor about your desire to join our side to fight Voldemort, but he still has reservations about it."

"That's understandable. Only the elite of Aurors deals with the case of the most dangerous dark wizard of all time, and I'm advised that I'll have to supervise on the field a student who hasn't obtained any valid certifications yet. That's not serious." Moody grumbled.

"It's very serious on the contrary." Akira intervened before the latter's words would convince Dumbledore that he did a mistake only to send her back to her school life without considering anymore her request for a field mission. "I have the ability to help. I don't know what Dumbledore has already told you about me, but my life outside of Hogwarts isn't easy. On the contrary, I've faced many dangers that even a seventh-year student from this school wouldn't be able to deal with without dying."

"I actually explained to Alastor that you were coming from a region where taking part in wars doesn't wait for the number of years." Dumbledore commented gravely. "And that your abilities in fighting are beyond understanding. Nothing more, because it's up to you to know how far you want to reveal your abilities to help us fight Voldemort."

"I admit that these mysterious abilities intrigue me. Especially since you always seem inclined to be in trouble only to get out of it without getting killed. It's a faculty that the students of this school haven't acquired yet thanks to the lack of life-threatening events." Moody added as he wanted to see with his own eyes, the normal one and the magical one.

"And besides Alastor, don't forget that you already tested what Miss Chitsute is capable of last year. Of course, it was only office work but you never complained about her, unlike for the previous candidates at this post." Dumbledore pointed out maliciously.

"Rigor, seriousness and boundless courage in the face of danger. That's all that I'm asking for, but no recruit got this. So I'm willing to give you a try and see what you're worth against death." Moody advised Akira while fixing at her with a look so severe that anyone missing one of these three traits would have given up right away.

"You can put me to the test. I know I can do it." Akira replied while clenching her fist in front of her.

"I am delighted to see that we have reached common ground." Dumbledore said while ignoring the electric tension that was still filling the room.

He even took the box of sweets that was lying on his desk and held it out to his two interlocutors.

"A Sherbet Lemon ?"

Hello dear readers,

We're at a breaking point in the story now. I made Akira spy on Dumbledore since soooo long that it's time to get down to serious business.

But only after proving to Moody that she's not a weak student who doesn't know in what she's putting her feet. Indeed, it's not like him to form some dead weight, he has better to do. And Akira should give her best in the next chapter coming in the middle of this month if she wants to get the job.