InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Have fun storming the castle!"

Isaac Randolph Farnsworth (advisedbywolves) wrote in beyondthepages,
@ 2010-03-21 09:41:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2023 08, dominique weasley, isaac farnsworth

RP: Unbelievable
Characters: Isaac, Dominique
Time/Date: Late morning, August 21, 2023
Location: His office, Ministry building
Warnings/Rating: None
Summary: Isaac wonders if there's something in the water making everyone crazy
Status: Complete

No one knew what to do about this. No one could figure out how it had happened, but a couple of the ... the what? Returning formerly deceased? ... had been willing enough to answer questions under the influence of veritaserum. It was impossible, but either they were skilled at overcoming the potion, or they really had ... returned from the beyond.

Neither one seemed possible, but Isaac knew at least one of the returning deceased, and he knew she wasn't skilled at deception. At all. Which meant that Lily Evans Potter had, in fact, returned from the dead.

Bracing his elbows on his desk, he ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at the other letters he'd gotten. He wondered how many more would be reported. Was this a one-day only fluke? Was it going to keep happening all over England and Scotland? All over the world? How far did it stretch? They had questions, questions and no answers.

He'd wanted to believe it was a joke, but the people behind the owls weren't pranksters. Harry was the Head of Aurors, for pity's sake, and it was his mother. If they'd been in a war, or under pressure, he might have thought the man had finally cracked (and who would have blamed him?) but ... no. He'd seen Lily this morning with his own eyes. She was a beautiful as he recalled her being, even torn by grief as she was. He hoped for her sake that James was among the returning as well.

That thought flung Isaac straight back into the questions, and he sighed before he started to compose a list of them.

The fact that it was a Sunday and he was at work didn't really occur to him. This was something amazingly unprecedented and it needed to be dealt with now. Someone had to formulate something to send to the Prophet and Isaac hated a lot of "I don't know" answers in the paper. He wanted to have at least something figured out before they submitted anything to their public relations department.

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dominique_
2010-03-21 08:03 pm UTC (link)

Dominique had been sleeping in when she received the call to come to the office. When she arrived, it was apparent that she wasn't the only one pulling overtime that day. The Ministry was buzzing with owls and wizards alike, as they attempted to sort out the confusion of the returning dead. Dominique still wasn't sure she fully believed the stories - part of her still thought it might be an elaborate hoax - but the lists were growing.

Her department was in a flurry. The Aurors were pulling long hours, being sent out to try and keep tabs on the returned dead, but the task was proving more difficult than manageable. Dominique figured that not all of the dead were being reported, and wondered if anyone knew what to do with the ones who had been reported. When she got to her desk, there was a pile of paper work waiting for her attention. Of course.

She sat and began the menial task of sorting through what needed to be done immediately and what could wait, when she decided to seek out someone who might have more information. A brief walk led her to Isaac Farnsworth, Wizengamot judge. He was her superior, but that didn't mean she couldn't approach him about an event that was facing the entire Ministry.

"This is crazy, isn't it?" she asked him, keeping her tone polite. "It's so hard to believe that the dead are actually coming back."

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advisedbywolves
2010-03-21 08:11 pm UTC (link)

Isaac glanced up, pulled out of his thoughts by the voice. He smiled faintly as he took a moment to place a name with the face; he was still hard pressed to recall that not all Weasleys had red hair these days.

"Completely unprecedented," he agreed. "And no telling how many are slipping through the cracks." That was a troublesome thought and it made him want to groan. How many Death Eaters had fallen in obscure locations? It wasn't as though they were likely to turn themselves in, Merlin forbid. They'd seek out others of their sort, and Isaac had to wonder if they'd have another war on their hands in a few years - or a few months, depending on how fast they worked. On how firmly their network had been kept in place by the ones who'd escaped and were still among the living.

"How are you holding up?" he inquired quietly as he studied her. He knew a lot of the Ministry workers were still suspending belief despite the presented evidence, and he didn't blame them one bit. This was an impossible situation, and all of a sudden. There'd been no warning at all, just a cadre of dead people back among the living.

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dominique_
2010-03-22 12:56 am UTC (link)

Dominique nodded. She understood the weight of the situation - Death Eaters, murders, and who knew what else could be running around free. But from her own limited point of view, she didn't think that they could be that much of a threat. The world was a lot different than it was back during the war. Surely they were well-prepared enough to chase after a couple of stray wizards, especially now. No matter the outcome, however, Dominique knew she'd have tons of paper work awaiting her attention in the end. Just like she did in that moment.

To Farnsworth's question, she gave a slight shrug. "I have to admit, I had a very hard time believing it at first. I thought it might be a hoax. But after hearing about the growing numbers, I doubt that anyone would have been able to stage such a widespread hoax without someone from the Ministry catching on pretty quickly."

Dominique tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "But I'm lucky. The dead haven't been knocking on my door. Yet, at least." She couldn't think of any of the dead who would potentially seek her out; all of her immediate family members were alive.

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advisedbywolves
2010-03-22 01:23 am UTC (link)

"It is ... unbelievable," he agreed with a slight smirk that softened briefly into a smile before he shook his head. There were a lot of people he'd like to see back, but it was ... wrong. Fundamentally, it went against the laws of nature. Dead people were dead, end of story.

He shook his head slightly when she mentioned the fact it might be a hoax. "It was assumed to be a joke when we received the first owl, but we conducted interviews under veritaserum. The results were fairly solid. These people are who they said they were. Unbelievably, impossibly, they are returned from the afterlife."

A soft chuckle parted his lips. "That is fortunate. A bit less paperwork for all of us if none of your relatives return." He was aware that at least one Weasley had fallen in the last battle, and he did wonder if he would find his way back to the land of the living.

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dominique_
2010-03-22 03:37 am UTC (link)

As expected, the Ministry was on top of things, and thorough as well. As surreal as the situation seemed, Dominique supposed she would have to accept it as reality. And return to her paperwork before it grew to be taller than she was. As long as they stayed away from her - which she couldn't imagine that they wouldn't; any extended, long-dead family members that returned surely would go to her father, her aunt, or one of her uncles.

"Speaking of paperwork, I suppose I should return to mine." Standing around talking certainly wouldn't get it done. "Good luck with yours. Try not to work too late today." She gave him a smile.

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advisedbywolves
2010-03-22 03:45 am UTC (link)

He grinned. "I'm sure there's some law in place that says they can't chain me here for more than fifteen hours at a time," he joked lightly. He nearly offered her help if she needed it, but there were others in her department who probably wouldn't need a crash course on the specifics of her job who could help her better.

"Try your best not to get buried under it," he offered, the corners of his eyes crinkling briefly as he smiled. That had been a pleasant distraction though, and he exhaled faintly as he looked toward his own list of questions.

Well, they had to start somewhere, didn't they?

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	dominique_ 2010-03-22 03:51 am UTC (link)
	Dominique laughed. "I'll do my best!" she called as she walked away. She was glad she decided to stop and chat. Farnsworth wasn't so bad, and it was always good to meet and greet one's superiors. Anything could happen, after all. (Reply to this) (Parent)