Fame Finds Everyone [Daily Prophet Building]

[Shay M. Loire]

15 January 2008 5:32PM

The pandemonium was near and far in the halls of the Daily Prophet, claiming parchments of paper to fly around the rooms, the quills zipping in an unknown speed to the excited yappings. More and more owls came in, causing unpredictable winds and unpredictable excrements left to the maintenance crew. This was just another day at the Prophet, proclaiming its news until it could breath and write no more. That was looking unlikely, as the lot of reporters and photographers had the ability to be long winded, all for the sake of journalism.

This day had been different from the day that the "Heiress Blows Galleons on Faulty Crup Investment" came into their offices. Yes, it was an occaison like no other, and to the more veteran of the reporters, this was practically another annual holiday to them. Yet again there was trouble up on the castle, although this was not an unseen or random force. No, instead this came from the famed Deva group of malice, imposing themselves onto the castle like unwanted guests and holding up the students and staff of the school. This was a catastrophic tragedy to the outside world, but this was a field day to the Daily Prophet world. And no doubt as the Prophet went into Evening Prophet mode, it was counting on its reporters for a reason.

"RAYNOR'S BEEN RELEASED!"

No sooner did Raynor find herself into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the words of sensation flew like wildfire, capturing everything in its path, including the Daily Prophet.

"You say Raynor's got favor in the Law Enforcement Deparment?"
"She's gone to the Castle!"
"DID ANYONE FOLLOW HER?!?"

To Shay, this was a chorus to welcome her eyes once she was out of the elevator, fresh from the dark room with a yellow packet in her hand. This packet didn't have scandal and scheme; it was her contribution to the piece on the St. Mungo's renovations. She had purposely stayed from the chaos meant to surround itself around the takeover.

With her knowledge that her roomate was in there, it was sure to bring in a big shock to her. Her appearance had eroded within the last two days. Her hair turned stringy with the lack of washing and her eyes began to sink in and turn bloodshot. Of course she was worried to death! People she loved were in there and she had no power but one measly wand, and that wasn't going to equate to victory when there was hundreds of Deva members there (or so one anonymous tip had suggested last night).

Yet although she had been avoiding the process of documenting the history in making itself, she had gone out of her way to keep herself with the Prophet building at all times, waiting for some news and trying to find some sort of communication. No dice. Everything was relatively shut down.

She had made her way through the cluttered traffic of desks and stumbled around the place, finally getting to the receptionist to hand in her material for editing. Like a drone she went to her tiny desk, plopping herself like the mess that she was. It was just the ultimate breakdown happening to her. She couldn't dare to go back home to not Allegra there. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to eat. To see this happening to her school was devastating. But she was still a hardworker, and she kept herself busy.

As she looked on at the cluster of photos, including one of her 18th birthday party, she was started by the ringing of voice finally.

"RAYNOR'S GOING TO TAKE DOWN THE DEVA LEADER!"

She took it into her ears and perked up in alert.

"This owl says Corrion has to be in on her release!"

Shay looked all around and finally listened to them all. There was no way to drown this out. The situation in Hogwarts was going to get tight.

(open mostly to the two DP employees. Although if you have a legitimate reason to be there, then it's stil open )

[Juliet Hughes]

Delicious, delicious, delicious. Juliet could see it now; money, men, and an Order of Merlin for being the first reporter to obtain an on-the-scene interview with the big bad Deva overtaking the precious Hogwarts School. It was so dreadfully boring just sitting here, at Headquarters, listening to all the unfortunates ranting and raving about pitiful messages brought to them on the wings of birds. Hughes wanted more. She wanted to be in the action. She wanted her name to appear at the very bottom of the inside scope story. And what Juliet Hughes wants, Juliet Hughes gets. It’s the way of the business world, darlings. Only the obnoxious and the greedy got anywhere.

"You say Raynor's got favor in the Law Enforcement Deparment?"
"She's gone to the Castle!"
"DID ANYONE FOLLOW HER?!?"

A viciously red high heel shoe bobbed with the commotion. Two sapphire eyes actually bothered to look up through mascara caked eyelashes and through the open door to peer into the hall beyond filled with cubicles and bustling bodies. Then, with a clear intentioned eye-roll, Juliet snatched the roll of parchment off her desk, sending the Quick-Notes Quill that had been working on it flying somewhere to the left. Those blue eyes scanned it quickly before crumpling it and tossing it into a quickly filling waste bin. It wasn’t good enough.

Leaning back in her chair, Hughes took in her office. Yes, hers. A nice little corner affair complete with desk, chair, filing cabinets, a little plaque on the door that had her name and "Top Reporter" written below it; the whole enchilada. It had taken her years of foul play and self perseverance to get this far and she could lose all of it now if one of the whelps that made up the rest of the Department got smart and tried to get into Hogwarts. Her long, painted nails wrapped on the desktop. She needed to get there first. This was the story of a lifetime.

But how? She couldn't go alone and she didn't trust any of the backstabbing competition floating around the Daily Prophet any farther than she could throw them. And she doubted she could lift them. She needed someone gullible, someone without a hidden agenda, someone low enough on the pecking order to wallow in a chance to work with the infamous Juliet Hughes. But who?

Shay Loire walked past her door, shoulders slump, handing over a package to the receptionist. A broad smirk took bright red lips. Bingo. The reporter got up so fast that it sent her chair spinning.

"RAYNOR'S GOING TO TAKE DOWN THE DEVA LEADER!"

"This owl says Corrion has to be in on her release!"

"Great little riot, isn't it, darling?" Juliet offered with a flash of her teeth, bending forward to lean against the meager excuse of a desk Shay sat down at.

[Shay M. Loire]

"Great is hardly the word I would look for," Shay said, looking up to meet those piercing eyes of Juliet Hughes. She almost had to keep from looking too long, though. Somehow this woman intimidated her, awed her, and just gave her a nervous feeling. Since the first day Shay had set her box of belongings in the small miniscule desk, she had witnessed the reputation of Hughes come into action.

The woman was devoted and devilish. Far from altruistic, but Merlin could she paint a picture with pen. And for the longest time she paid no mind to the entry level photographer until then. Shay would have normally given a bit of a chuckle and a shrug if this trouble hadn't related to her in some fashion. Everything was flipped on its head, though, and she couldn't help but jab at the usage of the woman's words.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN POYFLICK'S STILL OUT IN THE SAHARA?!?"
"Muriel took a nasty spill through the floo-- she's got to go to Mungo's now!"
"DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND STOP GETTING BUSY AND HURT!"

Shay squirmed in her hard seat, wondering why the woman was lingering there longer than she would have. "Do you need some coffee, Miss Hughes?" She figured that was it-- she was being called in as the butler again. At this rate, she noticed, she wasn't going to get anywhere.