WHO: Astoria Greengrass WHAT: Astoria gets a present. She's not impressed. WHEN: April 16, 2005 WHERE: Falcon's Offices
Astoria slumped into her chair as soon as she got to the office. She felt tired, exhausted really. For the first time in her life she felt like sleeping for days. She didn't want to be around anyone. Her eyes felt as if they were going to fall out of her eyes if he didn't close them soon. She couldn't rest however, she had too much to get done. When she wasn't at the Ministry she was visiting Daphne and Terence. If she wasn't with them she was at work trying desperately to keep up. Most thought her job was just a technicality, given to her by her father to keep her busy. In some ways it was but that didn't mean she didn't have actual responsibilities. She took the team very seriously.
She looked over her proposal to have the ST's curfews waived for games and practices. She knew she couldn't ask for too much but it was worth a shot. They weren't getting out of it to cause trouble, and really if they were keeping busy it meant they couldn't get into trouble. She also needed to revise her complain against the Cannons. They said an investigation was underway but with more games looming they needed the problem resolved. She had no doubt in her mind that the Falcons were a target. They had the most STs of any team and they were owned by Purebloods. She wasn't going to let politics get in the way of talent and hard work. Then there was the complaint against St. Mungo's for their failure to help STs, namely her sister. Appealing to their sense of family was the best way to solve that problem. The baby might not be a product of marriage but it was also not a Pureblood. That's what they encouraged, wasn't it?
Keeping on top of these issues ate away at her day. The red tape behind each was ridiculous but she knew that if she took a break from one she would never regain her footing. She'd go to department to department, go to every fake meeting that was mysteriously cancelled until her face was blue. She'd be patient because she couldn't sabotage her other missions. Healers were one thing to order about, figureheads were another and she knew she was skating on thin ice. She couldn't imagine a time she would be branded but she wasn't giving them an excuse to do so. She might be a Pureblood but she had a baby face and a sweet voice. It got her farther than if she was a Millicent Bulstrode and she wasn't above manipulating that fact.
Astoria couldn't remember the last time she had more than four or five hours of sleep, let alone when she had her last proper meal. If it wasn't for Rose she'd probably have fallen over by now. Her roommate was good at reminding her to eat something, even if she didn't have the time for it. It was easy to get lost in the maze of the Ministry's red tape but she had to get back to her responsibilities at work. Dread was the only word that could describe her reaction as she looked at the pile of paperwork before her. If she worked hard she could be out of here in three or four hours, now if only her brain would continue to work for that long.
She plowed through the paperwork, signing pay stub, ordering merchandise and figuring out what needed to be done bythe next game. She managed to get half way through her work when she was finally forced to take a break by a mail delivery. She looked at the box in confusion, wondering if fanmail had been sent to the wrong place by mistake. A smile broke across her face she read the card. It was a present for her! For a moment she thought Isaac had sent her a gift but the writing didn't look like his. Maybe he had someone else make out the card. Trust him to know that she was going through a rough couple of weeks and needed a pick me up. She made a mental note to send him a thank you card as she opened the box. Her face scrunched in confusion as she saw a doll face down in the box. She pulled it out, frowning as she looked at it. It looked like her. Why would he send her a doll that looked like her?
She nearly dropped the doll as the eyes opened on their own. "S-s-s-s-stupid Pureblood. S-s-s-s-hut your mouth before you get in t-t-t-t-trouble." The doll crashed to the floor as she gasped in shock, scrambling away from it. It's horrible mantra repeated over and over as she could only looked at in shock. It had been cursed to stutter. Who could be so horrible? Astoria whipped her head around as she heard footsteps approaching. She couldn't let them see the doll. She couldn't let them hear that horrible stutter. She grabbed her wand, sending out a Silencio as quickly as she could. The spell only made it speak louder, angrier. She tried it again before she could think, the dolls horrible little voice blaring in her head. Whoever was in the hall would hear it and she couldn't let that happen. It was to loud to simply throw in the trash and she couldn't risk anyone finding it. In a desperate move she grabbed the doll, ripping off the head and nearly screaming as red liquid poured over her hands.
"Everything okay in here," a familiar voice asked as Astoria rushed to drop the horrid thing in the rubbish. "Yes, everything is fine. I spilled---ink. See? I've been so clumsy lately, nothing a quick cleaning charm can't fix." The accountant left and Astoria slumped down in her chair, reaching for something to wipe her hands off with. Scrubbing her hands on a nearby towel she stole a glance at someone's idea of a suck prank. It wasn't until then that she realized the doll was wearing exact the same outfit as her. Whoever had sent it had seen her today.