nev longbottom (nevll) wrote in derp_, @ 2009-04-12 14:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, neville longbottom, ornus langtry |
Who: Neville & Ornus.
What: Surprise raid!
When: February 15, 2000; mid-afternoon.
Where: Borgin & Burkes, Knockturn Alley.
Rating: PG-13 at most.
Status: Complete
Visiting Borgin & Burkes' was never exactly a fun thing for him. Knockturn Alley, for one thing, was not his favourite place to go ever, and it was even less fun to go to when he was going there as an auror.
The people who worked and shopped there were, in general, not fond of aurors.
Aurors tended to have the same feelings about the people of Knockturn, so it was quite probably understandable. And then there was that bit where most of the dealings on Knockturn were not in the least legal, which aurors were not generally inclined to turn a blind eye to.
It was the least favourite assignment of every sane auror, although those who enjoyed getting into it every other minute would probably have a field day. Neville didn't dislike his job, exactly, but he did not know if the time spent at Knockturn was well spent at all. If the Ministry wanted to see any sort of improvement in the area they'd have to do something more...well, effective than have their law-enforcement officers sent out at random to confiscate things and fine people and occasionally escort one or two of the said people to a MLE holding cell, when all it ever seemed to do currently was cause a small hiccup in the daily life of Knockturn before things went back to how they had been.
Ornus Langtry was a prime example of that, even if he wasn't currently flagged by the Ministry for anything other than 'random raids' - it was not the worst that some of the shops here put up with. They weren't, for example, checking every single thing he bought or sold (although Neville had the feeling that they probably should. The Ministry was just not, he had learned, the most effective machine).
There was the occasional confiscation; that was it. It was just that with every one of these (Neville himself had only been party to a few) there was sure to be another somewhere down the line, even if it was a rather long way.
He wasn't the worst assignment on Knockturn, at least. Neville was reasonably certain, based on previous raids, that Ornus would not be liable to hex him on sight or something else that would require a great deal of paperwork and chasing and spells. He'd have done it, of course, but it was occasionally nice to not have to do so.
Neville arrived this particular afternoon by floo, stumbling out with a bit of a cough (he always seemed to inhale a bit, no matter how often he did this) and straightening as he looked around, gripping his wand just a bit tighter, as Knockturn tended to cause him to do. There was only one customer, which made him irrationally relieved - he always felt guilty to break up business, even though he knew it was stupid. A hag, and she didn't seem to be buying anything he had to break up. Seeds from a plant that did little more than cause warts that could not be magically removed.
Not something that was frowned upon, but not something most people sold, for obvious reasons.
He waited patiently for the sale to be finished, fishing his identification from his pocket as he did so, though Ornus knew by this point in time who Neville was. When the Hag left (glaring at him) he stepped forward, card out. "Mr. Langtry. It is my duty to inform you that you're subject to a routine Ministry inspection at this time," he recited this from memory, knowing Ornus probably knew it as well. "Your cooporation in this would be appreciated. If you choose not to cooporate, I am authorized and required to escort you back to the MLE, where you will be held until further notice. It is your right to accompany me in my inspection, if you so choose, although you are required to allow me access to all of your inventory. If you would like to close up for the remainder?"