Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 20, 2009 22:09:26 GMT -5
It was a fine Saturday morning, a bit chilly out, but a great day wander through Diagon. Drew walked this street nearly every day, but taking advantage of his day off it held a different kind of specialness. Same old stores, but somehow fresh and new, it was almost as if he was 11 again and looking into the windows with the eager eyes of youth.
He paused in front of an old friend, smiling up at the obnoxious signs in the window and knew he had to go in. As soon as he opened the door and the tinkling bell signaled his entrance, he knew he was home. The acrid smell of explosives, the popping and hissing of the displays, the dizzying colors of the signs and walls all reminded him of what he had missed.
He was an Auror. Well, almost, but still... did he have a right to be there?
Hell, yeah. Call it surveillance.
A wide grin on his face, he wandered through the displays, giving a pleasant good morning to the sales girl who smiled at him, but focusing mostly on a bucket of wet start fireworks. How long had it been since he had bought some of those? Too long. He grabbed up a basket and placed a good stock of sparklers and spinners inside before making his way towards the next display. Exactly what new and exciting creation had Mr. Weasley come up with this time?
{open, obviously}
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Daethem Zendoryn
Ministry of Magic
Head of Department Magical Education
"There is a cloud in every silver lining."
Posts: 24
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Post by Daethem Zendoryn on Feb 20, 2009 23:37:51 GMT -5
Professor Zendoryn stepped out into the cool air of Diagon Alley, and took in a deep breath of fresh air, a welcome change to the depths of Gringotts Bank, whose front steps he now stood upon, looking out over the alley. There was very little purpose for his being in Diagon Alley, however, he was there nonetheless, and found it refreshing to return to a place which he so rarely visited since his time in the junior ranks of the ministry.
He walked down the alley at his leisure, stopping occasionally to examine some interesting window display or consider whether to purchase any replacements for his apothecary stores. To spite such considerations, he did not enter any of the stores he had stopped in front of, at least, not until he passed before a building whose windows were plastered with the most vibrantly colored posters imaginable. A smile split across his face as a memory over a decade old surfaced and played across his mind.
He hasn't changed one bit... Professor Zendoryn thought, looking over the posters jabbing unpopular political or otherwise public figures in order to sell some product.
He looked around once to make sure none of his department members were present on the alley and looking his way, and then entered, his staff tapping against the cobbled stones and then thumping the hard wooden floor beyond the door, and his billowing cloak catching one more gust before entering the still air of the store.
He looked around for a moment, simply taking in the rather interesting aromas, sights, and sounds of the joke shop. Several seconds' investigation secured in his mind the thought that there was no other place on earth where you could encounter such an unbelievable array of qualities. He was torn from these musings by a voice nearby.
"Can I help you, sir?"
He looked around and quickly spotted the speaker; one of the store girls wearing an absolutely dizzying assortment of laughable clothes in an even more dizzying array of colors.
"Ah, yes," he said, stepping toward the girl while sweeping the store with his eyes for any sign of flaming red hair. "I was wondering if Mr. Weasley might be hiding somewhere here today?"
"Um, no, I'm sorry sir," said the store girl apologetically. "Mr. Weasley is spending the weekend with his family."
"Ah, right, well," he said with a sigh. "perhaps I'll have better luck next time, eh?" he turned, then turned back, saying: "Thank you for your help." quickly.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 21, 2009 0:06:50 GMT -5
With an assortment of plans forming in his head, wondering how much it would take before Aunt Abigail got pissed at him, Drew put item after item into his basket, swinging it carelessly at his side as he moved to the next set of shelves. There were the standard supply of prank items, but he was also stocking up on a few things he thought would help at work: Extendable Ears, Decoy Detonators, and a couple of Portable Swamps. It was the sound of the sales girl's voice that made him look up and notice the older man speaking to her. Drew recognized him from the Ministry, in fact thought he might have been involved in his OWL retakes, and thought it was unusual for a man of his age and stature to be in a joke shop.
"Professor Zendoryn? Have a good morning!" Drew called over to the man, just wanting to say hello and be polite to the man. He was also kind of curious as to what had brought him into Weasley's but probably didn't think it was right to ask.
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Daethem Zendoryn
Ministry of Magic
Head of Department Magical Education
"There is a cloud in every silver lining."
Posts: 24
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Post by Daethem Zendoryn on Feb 21, 2009 0:34:34 GMT -5
His hand was upon the doorknob when he heard a voice from behind him which made him turn with a raised eyebrow and a good deal of curiosity. He hadn't expected to run into anyone who would recognize him. Almost anyone from the ministry would recognize any of the department heads at a glance, but not many people from the ministry took time out of their days to peruse joke shops. It would be just perfect if one of his direct subordinates had spotted him in a joke shop, he'd never hear the end of it.
"Thank you," he returned, straitening his spectacles so that he could better see the speaker. He turned where he stood and walked a few feet back into the store, his gaze now fixed upon the speaker most intently. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage Mr....?"
This was no member of his department; rarely did anyone under the age of 25 request a job in Magical Education anymore. It was odd, but an unfortunate truth. He knew, however, that he had seen the young man's face somewhere at the ministry, however.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 21, 2009 0:56:17 GMT -5
"Thornton. Andrew Thornton," Drew answered with a wide and easy smile as he offered his hand to the man. While he knew his height made him a hard to miss figure on the second level of the Ministry, he didn't really expect Professor Zendoryn to recognize him, much less know his name.
But now he was feeling a little awkward, wondering if he should have not said anything and just let the man leave in peace. Great Merlin's beard, he didn't want to look like a kiss-ass. All he wanted to do was say hi and not appear rude just in case the man had recognized him. "I... I'm at the Ministry. I've seen you around..." Great. Now he sounded like an idiot. "I... I just thought I'd say hello."
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Daethem Zendoryn
Ministry of Magic
Head of Department Magical Education
"There is a cloud in every silver lining."
Posts: 24
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Post by Daethem Zendoryn on Feb 21, 2009 1:21:16 GMT -5
"Of course," said Professor Zendoryn, shaking the young man's hand. "you're last year's head boy; I remember your testing scores coming across my desk once or twice. I trust your enjoying your Auror training? If I remember correctly, one of your testing reports came through attached to a request to be considered by the head of the Auror department..."
Names and test scores were, for a person in Professor Zendoryn's position, required memorizations. More often then he liked, department heads would come strait to him for score information to spite the fact that he had never and probably would never keep the records in his personal office. Nevertheless, he was good with facts and figures, and rarely forgot a name once he read it. He could still remember the scores achieved by the Headmistress of Hogwarts herself, though that had been when he was the Examinations Authority chief and had much more to do with the grading cycles than he did now.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 21, 2009 1:41:05 GMT -5
"Yes, sir," Drew answered, confirming the title andanswering the question at the same time. He was a bit surprised that the man actually knew so much about him. What surprised the young man even more was the fact that his records had been requested to be sent to the head of his Department. He couldn't help but wonder who had sent that particular notice... and why they had done so, but again, didn't ask. It wasn't his place.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't his place, but he couldn't help himself...
"My Head of Department, sir?" he asked, thinking at first that it would have to be a good thing. Then he remembered a few of his most recent screw-ups: the mayhem his owl, Bogey, had caused in the Atrium, the pixies that had been trapped in his locker. Okay, so neither had been his fault, but he still had taken responsibility for them. While his owl was a hyper nuisance, Bogey was still his responsibility. And while the pixies had been a prank on him, it had still been his locker. He could just see the man in charge {Harry Potter?} getting wind of the craziness and calling up Drew's records just to make sure there hadn't been a mistake.
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Daethem Zendoryn
Ministry of Magic
Head of Department Magical Education
"There is a cloud in every silver lining."
Posts: 24
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Post by Daethem Zendoryn on Feb 21, 2009 2:01:17 GMT -5
"Yes, your Head of Department," said the Professor, nodding slightly. "N.E.W.T. scores are all double checked by me personally. There are several things that get passed up to me along with every N.E.W.T. file. Our copy of your scores to ensure the ones sent us by Hogwarts are correct, a summarized overview of your O.W.L. year career advice session along with your O.W.L. scores, and a form indicating whether the student in question is seeking a position at the ministry. I sign off on these and, if the student is seeking a position at the ministry, my office sends it to the corresponding Department Head's office, which hands it down to the head of the division into which that particular student is seeking entry. Those files are then filed with the personnel office within each department, given the student's acceptance, of course. The remaining file, that is those concerning non-ministry employees are added to that student's existing Civilian Information File at the records office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
It was, to most people, a confused system, however, it worked, and ensured that everyone got where they needed, or wanted to be, even if they didn't stay there. The Auror office got more than a few files from the Department of Magical Education every year; few, if any, are accepted annually.
"I believe in your case, your file was passed down to Mr. Bach's office which passed it down to...Mr. Potter, I believe. I can never keep the other department structures in line. They change so often, you see. Especially in the Auror office." he said "I believe your scores came through with a few Hogwarts staff recommendations, though I couldn't say for certain; I don't read those. Most of the head boys and girls get those kinds of things, though; it comes with the territory of being a head boy or girl. If you didn't have staff recommendations, you probably wouldn't have achieved the position."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 21, 2009 2:42:12 GMT -5
It sounded pretty complicated and Drew got a bit dizzy trying to follow the chain of events, but in the end, he came to the conclusion that Mr. Potter had recieved his file as part of the standard procedure. Neither a good thing... and more importantly... nor a bad thing.
He had, of course, heard about the civilian files that were kept in his department, and still wasn't sure how he felt about them. He knew it was important to know where people were and what they were doing, but at the same time, it all felt very "Big Brother" to him. He couldn't help but wonder what those files said about certain family members. His grandmother, great-aunt, and sister had all passed through Hogwarts after all.
"Easy.. yes sir," Drew answered with just a hint of a smile. It was only easy if you were employed in the Ministry, something he had discovered when trying to explain it all to his aunt and sister. Then again, when Allegra tried to explain the workings of Hogwarts red tape, or when Aunt Abigail went on and on about her charity committees, he was totally confused.
"Yes sir," he answered again when Professor Zendoryn mentioned his recomendations. He was pretty sure it was true what he said, but had been quite proud of getting those recommendations. He didn't know anyone else who had gotten, not only their Head of House (which he was sure was pretty standard), but the Headmistress and two of the other three Heads. They usually supported their own after all.
Then again, it was a pretty good point. He had been made Head Boy for a reason. He still wasn't sure what that reason had been, but Raynor must have had one. No matter what it had been, he kind of hoped it hadn't just been the badge that had gotten him acceptance into the Academy.
"So, Professor Zendoryn, I'm sorry but I have to ask. What brings you to Weasley's?" he asked, unable to contain himself and ready to move on past his file.
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Daethem Zendoryn
Ministry of Magic
Head of Department Magical Education
"There is a cloud in every silver lining."
Posts: 24
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Post by Daethem Zendoryn on Feb 21, 2009 3:34:18 GMT -5
"Well now, aren't you the curious one?" Professor Zendoryn said, raising an eyebrow once more. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to share with the class, as it were. I was rather hoping to run into George..." he stopped and appraised the young man before him, deciding he might not know who he was referring to. "Mr. Weasley to you, I think. He's an old acquaintance; Hogwarts makes purchases of some of the less disruptive Weasley products for use during some of the normal holiday parties. My office sometimes handles the exchange of money and supplies."
The smile, so rare an expression for the Professor to display, played across his face once more.
"I knew of him a bit before that, however," he continued. "you're a bit too young to remember this, but, Fred and George Weasley were the Hogwarts trouble making champions in their day. Every few weeks or so during the school year the Head of the Department would get letters requesting they force Professor Dumbledore to put the twins on a leash, as it were. Dumbledore would have none of it, and the old Department Head in those days gave up and started immediately tossing any letter marked 'From Argus Filch' into the fireplace in his office. Anyways, a few years back, when Cornelius Fudge was still the Minister for Magic, a woman named Delores Umbridge was assigned as a professor, by the Minister, at Hogwarts. She was one of the most unpopular professors to ever serve at the school. The minister was trying to oust Dumbledore in those days, but that's another story. Suffice it to say, Umbridge became the acting headmistress at a point. The Weasley Twins' resistance to her was the stuff of legend in the school and, though the Minister despised it, in the Ministry as well; They set off five hundred pounds worth of their, now legendary, fireworks in one of the school corridors. The ministry had a time tracking down muggles who saw the things flying over the mountains days later. They turned one of the corridors into a swamp, and they convinced Peeves to be even more of a holy terror than usual. She tried to punish them, but they gave her the slip and, as far as I know, she never got revenge. I remember laughing myself silly when my friend in the Minister's office slipped me the report about it."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 21, 2009 3:50:09 GMT -5
Drew smiled, knowing exactly who George Weasley was, what had happened to his brother Fred, and what position the youngest of the brothers, Ron, held in the Ministry. In fact, if Drew recalled correctly, Mrs. Potter, the wife of his Department Head, was a Weasley.
Okay. He read way too much.
"Professor Raynor still keeps the swamp the Weasley brothers made while they were at school, " Drew told the man, remembering that particular lesson quite well. Asied from that, the Weasley brothers were legendary, not only in Gryffindor, but school wide. Rumor had it that they had set a dragon loose in the school. Drew wasn't sure he believed that one, but was dying to actually meet Mr. Weasley and ask him for certain.
He had also heard of Dolores Umbridge, finding a touch of irony in the first name. His mom was nowhere near, and in fact close to being the complete opposite, of what he had heard of Professor Umbridge. It must have been quite a spectacular show, from what he had heard, to witness the Weasley brothers' final farewell to Hogwarts. The stuff of legend, quite literally.
"Those must have been the days, sir," he commented quite wistfully, a wide grin on his face. He considered the possibility that the Ministry may not hold the same sort of nostalgia about the event, but Drew sure thought it was the most grand prank ever to be pulled at Hogwarts. Heck, it beat the crap out of his shoes on the ceiling event and even Hiro's schoolwide stinkbombing.
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Daethem Zendoryn
Ministry of Magic
Head of Department Magical Education
"There is a cloud in every silver lining."
Posts: 24
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Post by Daethem Zendoryn on Feb 21, 2009 3:58:56 GMT -5
"They were indeed the masters of mayhem," said the Professor. "I have to admit that they were the first two who ever made me question the usefulness of the O.W.L.s and the N.E.W.T.s. The pair of them had less than spectacular scores on all of the tests, however, they were possibly two of the most intelligent students to ever pass through Hogwarts."
He looked around the store, taking in the many joke products and thinking how the term 'joke' was an insult to the craftsmanship of the lot of it.
"It takes a very clever mind and a steady hand to make the majority of the things in this store." he said "Few, if any, students currently at Hogwarts could pull it off...between you and me, I don't know if many of the teachers could..."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 21, 2009 4:08:21 GMT -5
Drew had to smile, knowing darn well that Professor Raynor and her best mates had made their share of mischief while serving their time at Hogwarts. Of course, he'd never rat out the woman to, who was essentially, her boss.
"Yes, sir," Drew had to agree, looking around the shop with a sense of awe. He felt that he and Hiro had been fairly clever and imaginative, but knew they had been nowhere near the masters of invention that the Weasley brothers had been.
"But I notice you're leaving without making a purchase," Drew continued with a hint of a tease in his expression. Surely a man who held such respect for the Weasley craft wouldn't want to leave without so much as a Canary Cream.
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Daethem Zendoryn
Ministry of Magic
Head of Department Magical Education
"There is a cloud in every silver lining."
Posts: 24
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Post by Daethem Zendoryn on Feb 21, 2009 4:44:57 GMT -5
"Surely you jest!" the Professor said with half a chuckle in his voice. The thought of a Ministry Department head being caught with a Weasley product was nothing short of laughable. What possible use he could have for anything in WWW's front room was beyond him.
He was suddenly mentally accosted by an image of his being in the Minister's office, listening to the Minister's ranting, and then his suddenly vomiting across the room. His eyes shot to the Puking Pastilles in a nearby basket for the briefest moment. While he would have been glad of the excuse to leave a ministerial briefing, he didn't think it would be befitting a person in his station; god forbid someone discovered he made himself do it...
"No, no no..." he said shaking his head. "I'm afraid I'm a little too old to be dabbling in joke shop merchandise use."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 21, 2009 14:59:19 GMT -5
Drew responded with a small and easy laugh. Yes, it had been mostly a tease, but at the same time, he thought there was no reason for anyone at any age to enjoy a good Headless Hat. In fact, he thought he might grab one to send home to his Grandad. The old man loved a good joke.
"I don't know about that, sir. I may have to disagree," Drew told Professor Zendoryn, his boyish grin splayed across his face. He, too, was imagining what might happen if one of the Department Heads chose to use a Nosebleed Nougat to skive off a meeting. That would be something pretty cool to witness. "Perhaps the way to approach it is to realize you're never too old?"
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