WHO: Becca Dunstan WHAT: Things are awkward in the MRC WHEN: Today! WHERE: The MRC
The public response might have been quiet, but there was no mistaking the loss of the ID system at the MRC. Umbridge had taken to her office far too often, undeniable seething that permeated uncomfortably under her closed door and throughout the rest of the space. One wrong step — even breathing too loudly — seemed to set her off.
Honestly, everything was so uncomfortable that Becca wanted to claw her face off. The internal knowledge that she’d helped bring the system down wasn’t the least bit comforting when Umbridge seemed to be on a warpath. If anything, she was starting to wonder if being involved had been a terrible, terrible idea.
It hadn’t felt that risky at the time — plenty of people had access to the records room! But not everyone had as much to lose as she did.
Everything was terrible.
“Man, she’s soooo mad,” Lucas Vaisey, Becca’s favourite least-favourite coworker said, leaning back in his chair with a conspiratorial grimace.
“Umm, well she’s definitely not in a good mood,” Becca agreed in a complete understatement of the situation. She wanted to believe that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Maybe if she believed it hard enough, it would end up being true.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
“Did you know that she’s been pulling all these files? She basically lives in her office now. I’m not sure she sleeps! She’s probably trying to single-handedly catch a few mudbloods to make up for the whole ID fiasco.”
Becca stopped listening as she stared off towards Umbridge’s office, eying it warily and wondering what the woman was really doing. At the same time though, she was glad that she wasn’t close enough to know.
“—AND I heard she was working on some cool new torture for the mudbloods that they’ve caught—”
Becca’s head snapped back, attention on Lucas again. “What??”
“You hadn’t heard that? I heard that was part of the whole hiding in her office warpath revenge thing. Man, I would not want to be one of those poor suckers. Definitely not.” Lucas paused, flashing a genial grin. “Anyway, I better go file these reports in case she does decide to come out. Now is not the time to get caught slacking if you know what I mean. You should get yours done too, Becs.”
“Yeah,” Becca replied with a weak laugh, thinking that Lucas really didn’t get to be her favourite least favourite coworker anymore. They were all terrible. Every single one of them.
With one more wary glance towards Umbridge’s office, Becca looked back down at her paperwork with a sigh and a sinking nervous feeling that she didn’t think would ever go away.