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Gawain Robards ([info]sir_gawain) wrote in [info]strugglewithin,
@ 2008-11-02 12:32:00

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Entry tags:*complete, august 1997, gawain robards, npc, percy weasley

RP: A Meeting with the New Minister
Date: 2 August 1997
Characters: Gawain Robards, Percy Weasley, Pius Thicknesse (NPC)
Location: Ministry of Magic
Status: Private
Summary: Gawain gets a summons.
Completion: Complete


Gawain held his hands in front of him, at a parade rest, they called it during training, as the lift took him up from Level Two to the first Level, where the Minister's offices were. He'd received a summons early that morning - seven o'clock, in fact - to present himself post haste to Minister Thicknesse. He'd been tempted to ball up the parchment and toss it into the fire, but he hadn't. Instead, he'd showered and dressed, trying to look more awake than he felt.

He hadn't slept much the night before. After leaving the Leaky Cauldron, he'd Apparated to Rufus' block. He'd approached the house cautiously, seeing that the lights in every room were on. He'd watched, using everything he'd picked up in Concealment and Disguise decades ago, as well as the tricks of the trade every Auror mastered within a year or two of joining up officially. So he'd seen the cadre of men - wizards, presumably - taking apart the Minister's well-ordered home; he'd seen them laughing and joking through the windows. Rufus would never allow that, especially as he saw them tossing books aside like they were nothing.

It had been all he could do to turn around and go home, retreating long enough to gives things a good, long think. Four pots of tea later hadn't enlightened him to anything in particular, except the fact that he needed to pop round the market to get more tea.

Logically, it wasn't looking good for Rufus, but a small part of him - the part that was ignoring everything his Auror senses were telling him - was hopeful that Rufus had decided to take an abrupt holiday to Majorca. He clung to that hope childishly, even as the majority of him was already beginning to grieve his lost mentor.

As he stepped off the lift, the oppressive silence settled around him, and he shook his head. It was almost palpable, and he wondered if anyone but him could sense it. Not that many were here, though he saw a few people pop their heads over the partitions to see who was getting off the lift. For a weekend, for a Sunday especially, there were many in the administrative offices.

He paused outside the outer door to the Minister's office, steeling himself. Pushing the door open, he saw the same man who'd been there the morning before. So much had changed in twenty-four hours, and yet ...

"I'm here to see Minister Thicknesse," Gawain told the boy - Weasley, he thought. Son of Arthur, if he remembered correctly.




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[info]pompous_percy
2008-11-02 12:49 pm UTC (link)
Percy didn't intentionally make a habit of working weekends, though it happened more often than not, and while he found most weekends ticking on in the same way his weekdays did, yesterday had been an exception. It wasn't only that it was Bill's wedding, or that Percy had spent much of the morning springing out of his chair to Apparate to the Burrow, only to decide against it by the time he got to the lift. Yesterday, the inner mechanics of the Ministry had been blatantly odd. It'd started the moment Pius Thicknesse had appeared in the office, in fact. He'd needed to speak to the Minister about a private matter, one Percy could only assume had to do with Auror business, and five minutes into their meeting Minister Scrimgeour had poked his head out the door and told Percy to take the afternoon off. He had no patience for Percy's protests, barked at him to leave, and then shut the door again. Percy did what he was told, but when he'd doubled back to retrieve some important papers he'd forgotten, he'd heard raised voices through the door.

Because Minister Scrimgeour was prone to fits of temper on occasion, and because Mr Thicknesse was, well, strange, he hadn't interrupted.

When he'd received the evening Prophet, he wished he had.

It was all very unsettling. One of the reasons he'd shown up to the Ministry today was to find out if the rumors were true. They were of course, and now he wasn't Junior Assistant to Minister Scrimgeour; he was Junior Assistant to Minister Thicknesse. The haste of Minister Scrimgeour's resignation, coupled with how easily Thicknesse had settled into his newly acquired position, was disconcerting; however, Percy could no sooner voice that than apologize to his family.

The door to his office opened and another Auror was standing there. Robards, he presumed, and checked the timetable on his desk to make sure. Yes, it would be Robards.

"Yes," he said. "Auror Robards, good morning." He smiled thinly and gestured to one of the chairs. "Please have a seat. I'll let, ah, Minister Thicknesse know you're in."

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 12:58 pm UTC (link)
It was jarring hearing 'Minister Thicknesse', and all Gawain could manage was a sharp nod as he sat. The chair wasn't any more comfortable than it had been yesterday, but he was more restless this morning.

Taking a breath, he forced himself to relax, to appear calm, collected. He was the bloody well Chief Auror, he shouldn't let his nerves get to him, even if every second that ticked by added to his certainty that he wasn't likely to see Rufus Scrimgeour alive again.

The Weasley boy seemed to have adjusted well enough to the change, though. Perhaps he'd known it was coming. It might do to question the boy subtly after the interview with Thicknesse. Gawain knew for a fact that there hadn't been any rumors about Rufus resigning prior to the announcement in the Prophet, but if others had known ... well, it hinted at something quite bit more sinister than the simple resignation the Prophet reported.

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[info]pompous_percy
2008-11-02 01:06 pm UTC (link)
Percy went to the Minister's door and rapped three times.

"Yes?" a sharp voice called out.

He swallowed and opened the door, giving the Minister something that might pass for a smile.

"Minister Thicknesse, Auror Robards is here to see you. Would you like me to send him in?"

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 01:11 pm UTC (link)
Gawain heard the lad's question and apparently the answer was an affirmative as he was ushered inside a moment later.

"Hello, Minister Thicknesse," he said, the words almost sticking in his throat. Thicknesse had been a decent enough head of the MLE, but whatever his role in the ousting of Scrimgeour was had made Gawain more than a little suspicious of him.

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[info]sw_npc_1
2008-11-02 01:16 pm UTC (link)
Pius stood up, brushing off his robes as Robards came in. He looked at the other man, wondering what he was thinking about all this. In his place, Pius had a fair idea of what he'd think.

He held out his hand, shaking his subordinate's hand. Whatever he wanted to say, the Curse powered past him and out came the words he was programmed for. "Sit, Gawain. And Weasley, stay and take minutes. There are a few things we need to discuss."

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[info]pompous_percy
2008-11-02 01:21 pm UTC (link)
"Of course, Minister." Percy went to his desk, retrieved his quill and a scroll of parchment, and then returned to the Minister's office, taking a seat in the corner, where he'd be out of the way.

Admittedly, he was curious as to what this meeting was about, and wondered if Auror Robards had any idea about what had happened to Minister Scrimgeour.

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 01:25 pm UTC (link)
Gawain studied Thicknesse, searching for tell-tale signs of ... something. He seemed as normal as he ever did, but that didn't tell him anything. Corruption didn't always come through in one's words, after all.

"Yes, sir," he said, taking the seat indicated and trying not to show his tension. "I have to admit, sir, that Minister Scrimgeour's resignation came as a bit of a shock."

No sense in ignoring the erumpet in the room, after all, and Thicknesse's reply would hopefully tell him a good deal about what had really gone on.

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[info]sw_npc_1
2008-11-02 01:38 pm UTC (link)
"I'm sure it did," Pius replied, and noticed that Weasley's quill had stopped scratching against the parchment for a moment.

"The Minister's resignation was a shock to many of us, but you'll find, I think, that the new administration changes were necessary. Scrimgeour wasn't entirely popular when he became Minister, and many people have questioned his policies. I think the increasing call for action is what did him in, in the end; he knew he'd have to resign."

He cleared his throat, willing to give no more on the matter. "There will, of course, be changes in the MLE, Robards, now that I'm gone."

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 01:44 pm UTC (link)
Wasn't entirely popular? Questioned his policies?

Gawain managed just to nod, not saying anything because he had a feeling if he opened his mouth, he'd call Thicknesse on the shite he was spewing.

The mention of changes to the MLE, though, had him frowning a little. Did that mean that Thicknesse intended to give him a promotion? So soon after his last? Bloody hell, that wouldn't be entirely popular either with some.

"Yes, sir," he said, nodding, watching the other man intently.

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[info]sw_npc_1
2008-11-02 01:56 pm UTC (link)
Robards was keeping tight rein over his expression, but the flash of interest in his eyes was clear at day.

"Indeed. Obviously, the position of head of the MLE is now open, and I thought you should be among the first to know that I've chosen Yaxley for the position. He's been a valued member of the Ministry for years and I think you'll find that he's got a level head, which is just what the MLE will need in the comings weeks."

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[info]pompous_percy
2008-11-02 02:43 pm UTC (link)
Percy's eyes snapped up from his parchment. Yaxley? He had nothing to do with the Aurors, besides holding a rather auspicious position within the Wizengamot, and was relatively uninvolved in the MLE. That was an interesting choice, not to mention suspicious.

His eyes flicked over to Robards, awaiting his response. Surely he'd think it was odd, too. The Auror hadn't said much, though, and Percy was having difficulty discerning the expression on his face. Would he find 'the coming weeks' as ominous as Percy did?

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 03:04 pm UTC (link)
Yaxley? He didn't even have any experience from the MLE side of things. And he really didn't appreciate the 'in the coming weeks' bit, either. What the hell did that mean?

"Yaxley, sir? You're not concerned with his relative lack of experience with the Aurors and hit wizards?" He kept his expression as neutral as he could manage, though, just looking at Thicknesse politely. He really hoped the older wizard hadn't ever mastered Legimency, though Gawain was fairly sure such things were beyond Thicknesse's mental abilities, as evidenced by his choice of head of the MLE.

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[info]sw_npc_1
2008-11-02 03:23 pm UTC (link)
"Yes, Yaxley." He'd expected that the announcement might cause an upset, but if they managed to smooth things over with Robards and Shacklebolt, he thought that would help things in the department. Both Aurors had quite a bit of sway with the other employees.

"I've known him for a long time and he's shown initiative. I have faith that he'll adjust quickly to his new role as Department Head. His political views fall in line with some of our plans, and that's important, as you well know."

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 03:51 pm UTC (link)
Gawain felt his jaw tightened. His political views fell in line, did they? That really didn't bode well, though he knew next to nothing about Yaxley's political views.

Buggering hell, where the hell was Rufus? And what the hell had happened to Thicknesse? He hadn't been this much of a pillock before. Hell, he hadn't been all that bad to work on. Power, he supposed, did corrupt.

"Yes, of course it is," he said, swallowing. He'd have to have a talk with Gumboil, see what he thought. Discretely, of course, considering he wasn't sure if his political views fit in well with the new Minister's plans. He needed to say something else. If anything, he needed time to figure this out, and he wouldn't get that without a little arse-kissing. Fuck. This was going to be painful. "I'm sure he will, sir. I will aid him in any way I can."

Aid him right out the door, if Gawain had his way, unless Yaxley proved to be better than he anticipated.

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[info]sw_npc_1
2008-11-02 04:04 pm UTC (link)
Pius smiled, though he didn't quite believe Robards' agreement, not that it mattered. Lip service would do for now.

"Good, good. I'll be sure to let him know," Pius said, nodding in apparent approval.

His eyes dropped to his desk, and he reached for a particular file that had been delivered to him that morning. Opening it, he checked to see that all the particulars were there and then nodded.

"This, Chief Auror Robards, will now be your department's top priority. Yaxley agrees, of course, and I think once you've looked it over, you will as well. There have been some irregularities - inconsistencies, if you may - in how a certain case was handled last year. I want you to fix that."

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 04:17 pm UTC (link)
A case had been mishandled? In his department? He frowned, reaching for the file. A glance at the date in the upper right hand corner told him it was from Amelia Bones' era. No surprise, then, that this administration didn't think it was handled properly. At least it wasn't on his head.

With a sinking feeling, though, he realized what case it might be - what case it must be, to have this attention on it.

Opening the file, he glanced over the synopsis Thicknesse had apparently written up. "Potter?" Gawain said, looking up, shocked. "We're investigating Harry Potter in the death of Albus Dumbledore?"

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[info]sw_npc_1
2008-11-02 04:44 pm UTC (link)
Pius had been expecting Robards to question it, but surely he couldn't find it such a huge surprise, especially since he'd made it an imprisonable offense to connect Potter's Little Whinging home to the Floo Network, or to use any other type of magical transportation, not so long ago. Potter had been a big name in the Ministry for years.

"Yes," he answered crisply. "He needs to be questioned. Minister Scrimgeour attempted to do it himself, as you may recall, and came up with very little. We suspect foul play, of course, and as the Ministry has been rather lenient on situations that involve Potter in the past, I think it's about time he's given the same treatment as everyone else involved. He's had his fair share of run-ins with the law."

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[info]pompous_percy
2008-11-02 04:58 pm UTC (link)
Percy's lips pulled taut. He'd said some very nasty things about Harry in the past, and most of them had stemmed from what he'd heard about Harry at the Ministry, but he knew Harry had not been an accomplice in Dumbledore's death. The very idea was absurd, particularly after what had happened at Hogwarts -- what had happened to Bill.

He cleared his throat delicately and adjusted his glasses. His dad would have something to say about that, no doubt. Percy wouldn't bring it up to him, but he'd find out. He wasn't even sure what his family knew about Harry, but he could only hope that they'd be all right during all of this.

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[info]sir_gawain
2008-11-02 05:20 pm UTC (link)
Gawain knew for a fact that Rufus hadn't seriously considered the boy as a suspect in Dumbledore's murder. And he'd had plenty of time to talk with him in the past year, as well - and had, as far as Gawain knew.

Frowning, he glanced at the front of the file again. That was strange. It did say that it was from Bones' tenure, but of course, Dumbledore hadn't died but this past June. Odd, that. Of course, perhaps they were reusing old file folders, but ...

"Yes, of course we suspect foul play," Gawain echoed. What a bloody ninny! Dumbledore had been murdered - that much was clear - but as of yet, no one had managed to find out who else was on top of that tower with Dumbledore and Potter. He frowned. Bugger, it certainly did seem like Potter had done it, from the circumstantial evidence, at least.

He looked up and met the Minister's eyes. "I'll put my best men on it, sir," he promised, wondering how he was going to explain this one to his blokes.

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[info]sw_npc_1
2008-11-02 05:33 pm UTC (link)
Ah, good. They'd be pleased, Pius knew, if Robards actually managed the task set him.

"I expected nothing less. You're dismissed, Auror Robards. Keep me updated twice weekly on your progress. Weasley will see you out," he said, turning back to a pile of files and picking one off the top.

"Oh, and Weasley, I need a fresh cuppa."

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