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algreengrass ([info]algreengrass) wrote in [info]pandorarpg,
@ 2012-01-22 23:48:00

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Entry tags:!status: complete, ^date: november 13 2003, character: astoria greengrass, character: percy weasley

Who: Astoria and Percy
What: Delivering Penny's Cat
Where: Obliviator's office to start, then Percy's office
When: 10 am, Thursday, Nov. 13
Rating: Work Safe



Astoria had arrived at work at 8am and quickly found out she was going into the field. At first, she was excited, but then she was informed that they were just joining some hit-wizards at Penelope Clearwater's residence for when her family came to collect her things. Since they were muggles, there may be things there that they weren't supposed to know about, and in that case and Obliviator would have to take care of that situation. It wasn't nearly as interesting as she hoped it would be, but any field work was better than being stuck doing paper work in the office all day, and basically being an overpaid secretary.

When they got to the place, it was still a bit of a mess, and Astoria was really glad she hadn't been there when it was made a mess, like Ron Weasley had apparently been. She didn't know if she completely believed what the Prophet had said about him, she didn't know him. But she had a feeling that if he was a full Auror, then he probably wasn't incompitent, after all, he'd survived the encounter, hadn't he?

The family arrived at the flat shortly after they did, and Astoria's morning went from bad to worse. They were completely distraught, and she felt awful. She wished there was something she could say to make them feel better, but she knew there wasn't. Plus she hadn't even known Penelope, so she just felt completely awkward being there, intruding on their sorrow and loss. They collected the things of hers that they could take, and allowed the hit-wizards to go through her things to determine what they couldn't take, which meant that her presence wasn't even really necessary. She just stood in the middle of the room silently, trying to avert her eyes so she didn't feel like she was right in the middle of everything.

Close to the end of the encounter, something rubbed against Astoria's leg, making her jump a little. She looked down and found a black cat twining itself between her legs and purring loudly. Astoria leaned down and picked the cat up. It continued to pur, and even bumped its head against her chin, which made her laugh a little. She immediately felt bad though, as everyone turned to see what she was so happy about. Her face burned under the blush, but the cat didn't seem to notice everyone's attention and used its paws to demand further petting. One of the hit-wizards told the family that the cat had some magical tendencies and aspects to it, so they unfortunately wouldn't be able to take it with them. The family suggested that it could go to Percy Weasley, who had been close with their daughter according to them. Of course Astoria knew that name, though she had never met the man herself. Soon enough they were all leaving the apartment, and Astoria was heading back to the Ministry, cat in tow. Back at their office, her boss and her handler debated what to do with the cat, and decided that perhaps sending it to the Undersecretary was the best course of action, since it complied with the family's wishes. Astoria was then nominated to carry out the task, since the cat had taken to her. She didn't get a say in the matter, but agreed, because she wasn't allowed to say no, or risk extending her "training" even longer.

Astoria craddled the cat, who the family had told her was named Obsidian, as she headed to the elevators. A few people glanced at her as she passed, but much stranger things had been carried around the Ministry, so it didn't draw much attention. She got off at the Undersecretary's floor and headed to the door to his office. She was nervous, what would he think? Some Obliviator bringing him a cat, that couldn't happen ever day. Plus she knew next to nothing about him. He was pretty quiet from what she'd heard, kept to himself, did his work far better than he should be allowed to, and basically was a bit of a mystery. She just hoped he wouldn't be angry or the kind of person to yell. Or the kind of person who hated cats, because Astoria couldn't take Obsidian home. Her mother would flip.

After taking a deep breath she knocked on the door confidently and waited. She wondered quickly before the door opened if her clothes were completely disheveled and covered in cat fur, and she guessed they were at least covered. What a perfect first impression to make on one of the most important people in the Ministry. When the door was opened, Astoria put on a confident smile as if she knew exactly what she was doing, and this wasn't strange at all. "Hello, Mr. Undersecretary. I'm Astoria Greengrass, from the Obliviator office. I've brought you a cat."


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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 05:16 am UTC (link)
It had taken much of Percy's inner strength not to come in to work yesterday when the worst of the crisis had taken place, and thus he could not find it within himself to not come in today. There was so much to be done, not just as a result of the recent chaos, but also because of his having taken two days off from work this week. Such things had been unheard of before this week.

At the knock on his door, he was at once annoyed yet glad for the distraction. He had been working non-stop since 8 am and had yet to take a break. He stood from his desk, took a moment to stretch out his back, before finally going to open the door.

He blinked in surprise at the words and looked down at the cat in the woman's arms. "I see that. Is there any particular reason you have brought a cat to my office, Miss Greengrass?"

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 05:22 am UTC (link)
Astoria kept the smile firmly in place, determined not to be intimidated. "This is Obsidian, he belonged to Ms. Clearwater. Her family collected her things this morning but couldn't take him because he's a bit magical, and they suggested bringing him to you." She hoped that didn't sound completely rude or presumptuous, since she had just appeared at his door, but her boss hadn't seemed interested in sending word ahead that she would be doing this, he'd just wanted the cat out of the office, because he was very allergic.

Astoria was still standing in the middle of the hallway, and now the few people who passed were giving her strange looks. She wondered if she would be invited in, or if the cat would be pulled out of her arms and the door slammed in her face. As if to push the matter further, Obsidian wiggled in her arms a little and looked up at Percy, letting out a rather loud meow.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 05:34 am UTC (link)
This was Penny's cat? He looked at the animal as if seeking out some sign of its former owner, all the while his hand began to tremble on the doorknob. The slamming of a door down the hall tore him out of his stare, and he realized he was being quite rude.

"Please, come in Miss Greengrass," he said, holding a hand out to usher her into his office. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Has this girl been to Penny's flat? Had the Clearwaters really said that the cat should go to him? He reached out, allowing the cat to gain his scent. If they wanted him to care for it, he would. It was the least he could do for her.

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 05:40 am UTC (link)
Astoria noticed his sudden change in demenor, and frowned a little. She wasn't sure what she had said to upset him, but she felt bad for it immediately. The last thing she wanted was to further upset anyone, since she'd made the embarrassing mistake of laughing at Penelope's flat earlier that morning. Really, this was not her day.

She entered his office and glanced around. It was a nice office, way better than her desk out in the open back in the Obliviator office. "Tea would be lovely," she said with a smile. Obsidian eagerly sniffed the offered hand and made no other movement to escape from Astoria. He seemed an overly affectionate cat, at least as far as cats went. But she was fine with that, she'd already made the mistake of becoming a bit attached. Astoria sat down in a chair by his desk and set Obsidian down in her lap. After a few moments he hopped down to start sniffing the place out. Astoria took the opportunity to pull her wand out and clear the hair off of herself.

"I'm sorry if I've intruded or upset you any, Mr. Weasley," she said. He did look a bit shaken. Perhaps he'd been closer to Penelope than she'd originally thought.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 05:48 am UTC (link)
Percy went to his ever-hot pot of tea and poured some into a spare cup he kept for visitors. "I hope you don't mind Earl Grey. It keeps me alert during the day."

He placed the cup before her and moved to sit in his own chair. He watched as the cat jumped off and began investigating the new surroundings. He sighed. He would need to buy and transfigure a number of items for the poor animal. He hoped Ginny wouldn't mind.

"No need to apologize, you are simply doing your job," he acknowledged with a nod. "Penny- Miss Clearwater and I had been close, once, and I believe I am still somewhat affected by her fate. Please, pay me no mind." He picked up his own cup of tea and took a sip. As always, it helped calm him.

"Were you present at her home? How was the family managing? Was it necessary to do any obliviations?"

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 05:58 am UTC (link)
She accepted the tea. "Earl Grey is one of my favorites, that's perfect. Thank you," she took a sip and closed her eyes in contentment. She hadn't had a chance to get her usual morning cup when she'd gotten to work since they'd rushed right back out again. It warmed her right up and made her feel better.

She realized there must indeed be much more between them than she'd expected, which only added to her feeling lousy about how happily she'd come to his door. What was her problem today? She was usually so much better at this kind of thing. "It's understandable," she offered, giving him a soft look. "Considering the times we find ourselves in, even the death of perfect strangers has affected me. I'm sorry for your loss." She wanted to say more, but felt it wasn't her place to do so.

"Yes, I was there with my handler. Her family was doing as well as could be expected. They were upset, but they handled the situation well, and even allowed the hit-wizards to go through her things rather then doing it themselves and stumbling on things they shouldn't know about. We didn't have to perform any obliviations, and they were very understanding about the things they couldn't take." She hoped her words would offer him some comfort. It was an ever so slight white lie, as they had been very distraught, but it had only just happened a few days ago, so she couldn't blame them at all.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 06:03 am UTC (link)
He nodded, acknowledging her expression of sympathy.

"I am glad it went well. It could not have been difficult for them, as Penelope's brother was killed only days ago."

He suddenly felt something against his lower calf, and looked down to see the cat rubbing against him. He reached down to pick it up, placing it on his lap and softly, gently, petting its fur. He could feel a rumbling purr at his attention, and almost despite himself, it brought a small smile to his face.

"Pardon me, Miss Greengrass, but had you said handler? Are you still in training, then?"

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 06:12 am UTC (link)
The nod was as much as she'd expected. He didn't know her, he wasn't going to just open up to a stranger, but still, after her morning, she wanted to help someone. Oh well, it would just have to be someone else. She remembered then having read about Penelope's brother dying as well in the Prophet. She felt infinitely worse for the family and was honestly amazed they'd been as put together as they had. She was pretty sure if she'd just lost two children, she'd be curled in a ball and never want to get up again. "I had forgotten," she admitted. "Well, considering that, I think they were much better off than I'd expect them to have been. They are very strong to have made it to her apartment so soon." she said more to herself than to him. She really did admire their strength.

She smiled as he placed the cat in his lap and started stroking the fur. Seemed Obsidian would be fine with him, he didn't appear to be a cat hater. But his question caught her off guard, and she blushed furiously and looked down at her hands in her lap, embarrassed. "Oh, yes, I am. Circumstances have led to me being required to remain in training for an extended period of time." If that didn't sound like the most mysterious thing ever.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 06:21 am UTC (link)
He could hear the respect in her voice when speaking of the Clearwaters and made a mental note to keep an eye on reports from the Obliviators' office for mentions of her name. Sympathy and compassion, when in a professional context, were assets to be nurtured, rather than allowed to become jaded.

He thought on the wording of her reply. Her name was Greengrass, and he had a vague recollection of a Greengrass being sent to Azkaban after the Battle. "Pardon me for being presumptuous, but would those circumstances have to do with your family name?" The question was asked simply and non-judgementally.

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 06:28 am UTC (link)
She had been expecting him to know who her family was, but was grateful his tone wasn't as mean and accusing as it had been from so many others. None of them understood what it was like to live under the cloud of her father's mistakes, they just assumed she was just like him. She hated that. He had to be one of the first people to not seem judgemental right off the bat, at least for someone who wasn't in her situation.

"Yes," she said, the embarrassment clear on her face. "My father was- was a death eater. He was captured after the war and sent to Azkaban, and my family has suffered ever since. My superiors seem to think that I am a risk, and that they need to keep an eye on me until they're sure I won't channel my father and attack everyone. I'm in training until they decide I don't need to be anymore, there's not determined end to it." She was pretty sure at this point that there never would be an end to it. She would just slip into the secretary role and they'd leave her there.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 06:36 am UTC (link)
Though Percy's facial expression changed only slightly, it would be noticeable by those that truly knew him and would see the sympathy for what it was.

"You may find it hard to believe, but the Weasley name hasn't always been held in high regard." He knew it wasn't the same as being related to a Death Eater, but in some circles, it was considered worse to be a blood-traitor. "Furthermore, I don't know if it would be of any consolation, but during the initial days of the Ministry's rebuilding, the original suggestion had been that nobody with any connection to a Death Eater be allowed to work for the Ministry. Minister Shacklebolt and myself disagreed, quite frankly, and the extra period of training slash probation was a compromise to give opportunities to those to whom they may have been denied."

He tried to meet her eyes, hoping to decrease her embarassment. "It is not meant to be a permanent situation."

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 06:43 am UTC (link)
She might not be able to identify the sympathy in his facial expression so well, but she recognized it in his voice, and it made her relax. At least he wasn't going to yell at her about being a traitor and that she shouldn't even have the job, and throw her out of his office.

And she of course did know that the Weasley name had not been so well recieved for a while. Her father had made more than one comment on that topic, but she'd always just tuned him out when he started on one of his rants about blood purity. And the news of his actual involvement in her getting her job surprised her. "I knew that there had been talk of not allowing family of Death Eaters into the Ministry, but I wasn't in a position at the time to get a job, so I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it." Mostly because she'd been under the impression at that point that there was no way her mother would allow her to work. "That is very trusting of you, considering how much trouble people like my father gave your family. That means a great deal more than you could know," she smiled a bit more brightly, truly appreciating what he'd said.

She let a little laugh escape her and she glanced down at her tea cup. "I know, it just feels like no matter what I do, I can't gain anyone's trust. Not that it should matter in the long run, but I wasn't even in Slytherin, I was in Ravenclaw. I really thought that would make a difference, at least a little, but it doesn't. All they see is 'Death Eater', nothing else." She wished she could be more positive about it, as she was generally an optimistic person, but recent events had put a strong damper on her overall mood.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 06:53 am UTC (link)
He shook his head. "It has nothing to do with trust. We simply believe that people should be judged by what they do, not by who they are related to, nor what house they belonged to in school. You are no more your father than I am mine. I am, however, glad it has helped you." Her smile prompted him to smile in return, however small it was.

He shook his head. Perhaps it was past time to do a little follow-up with some of the departments regarding these 'training' extensions. "As I mentioned, house affiliation means nothing. Dolores Umbridge had been a Hufflepuff, you know. What I have found is that the best thing you could do would be to work to the best of your abilities and prove yourself with your actions."

There was one thing in her words, however, that had the potential of concerning him. "Have there been any... incidents?"

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 06:40 pm UTC (link)
She was glad she'd gotten him to smile, even if it was just a small one, he seemed more approachable with just that slight smile. She also hadn't realized the Umbridge had been a Hufflepuff, but it didn't surprise her as she knew bad people could come from the other houses, and good people could come from Slytherin. After all, her sister had been in Slytherin, as well as some of Astoria's friends, and they were all wonderful people. "I've never been one to judge based on house, but there are so many people who do, and I never understood it."

"Incidents, not really, it's just a feeling I guess," she said. She hadn't been treated badly, but she also hadn't been treated wonderfully either. It was more a general disinterest in her presence. "I just feel like I'm being trained to be the office secretary more than an Obliviator, the other trainees spend a great deal of time in the field, I spend a great deal of time doing paper work and running errands." Like this, she thought to herself. A job you don't want to do? Give it to Astoria, she'll happily do it. "Im sure I'm simply over thinking it, I've just been so stressed recently, I'm probably not seeing things as clearly as I otherwise would." the last thing she needed to be doing was complaining to the undersecretary about her frustrations at work. She didn't even know him, he probably thought she over shared.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-23 08:07 pm UTC (link)
He nodded. Nothing outwardly prejudicial, yet still not quite what was intended by the program. It was supposed to be an opportunity for the individuals to prove themselves and earn trust, not for the departments to acquire slaves.

"It is true that everyone is learning to adjust together. That being said, if there should be any sort of incident, please do not be afraid to report it. If need be, mention my name, as most department heads know I have not been silent on this matter." He lifted his cup to drink, but paused. "And if that is equally unhelpful, then please, do come see me directly."

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-23 11:08 pm UTC (link)
Astoria, while appreciating his words, didn't want to get out of her predicament by dropping names, it was exactly what they expected her to do. though most of the names she could drop wouldn't help her much if at all. Still, she was working to prove she could take care of herself, and that meant taking care of herself. Without someone else. Which she was perfectly good at, and even liked the independence, it was just difficult when she was handicapped by her father's crimes.

She realized that it had been quite some time since she had been seen in the office, and they'd be expecting her back soon, if they weren't already. She finished her tea and offered him another warm smile. "That is most kind of you, Mr. Weasley, I really do appreciate your offer of help, but if I seek to gain the respect of my superiors, I'm afraid I will have to do things on my own. And I am also afraid I have taken up far too much of your time, but it has been quite nice having the opportunity to meet and speak to you." She fell back on her serious manners during the last, knowing her mother would expect her to make an excellent first impression on someone as important as the Undersecretary.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-24 02:00 am UTC (link)
Her words sounded eerily familiar, as if they had once come out of his own mouth. He nodded in understanding.

"It has been my pleasure," he replied with a tilt of his head. He lifted the cat into his arms so that he could stand for the lady's departure, as his gentlemanly manners indicated. "Thank you for bringing Obsidian to my office. I am certain Penelope would have been pleased that he has been well cared for."

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[info]algreengrass
2012-01-25 12:40 am UTC (link)
Astoria stood as well and smiled at the him and the cat. She was already attached to the fur ball, would have gladly kept him herself, but until she escaped her mother's house, no furred creatures were coming inside. Alive that is, her mother had a number of fur coats. She didn't understand that.

"Thank you," she said again as she stepped away from the chair. "And do take care of him, he is a very sweet cat." The look in her eyes said volumes about what kind of an animal lover she was as she turned away and headed for the door.

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[info]youngestmformev
2012-01-25 12:52 am UTC (link)
"I promise, he will have nothing but the best in my care." He only hoped the cat didn't mind owls, otherwise he might have to keep him and Hermes separated. The girl, however, was evidently kind to simple animals, and he was glad she had been the one to find and temporarily care for Obsidian.

"Please, do have a pleasant day, Miss Greengrass."

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