A follow up from the incident in City of Delusion and briefly discussed further in Hoodoo

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Colin would probably consider this whole action overkill, Johann thought as he made his way across the busy, open plan office on level two. It was Friday morning, and that evening there was to be a large gathering in Diagon Alley. Somewhere holed up on this floor were the likes of Cameron Rosier, but it seemed like many of the aurors, he was not to be spotted along Johann's journey. Either they were all busy or the weekend's impending festivities had turned them to dodge work, lying low in their cubicles and offices.

Johann was dressed in a grey suit, with cream shirt, open at the neck, his hair combed but windswept from the walk to work from their home. His pale face had a bright pink tinge on the cheeks, and he didn't draw too much attention to himself as he sloped across to the Improper Use of Magic Office.

He could have so easily written a memo, or sourced a report form, but he had figured the follow-up visit or paperwork would be more trouble than going to clear things up in person. Besides, it showed that he and Colin were definitely not responsible for the sudden spike in magic at their abode, a place that they did not use magic within to protect not only Colin's Muggle technology choices but the Statute of Secrecy too.

Knocking on the door, Johann opened the door and stepped inside, eyes keenly examining the room within, which he had not often, if ever, had to visit before now.
"Good morning. I want to log an instance of magic cast before Muggles." He addressed the nearest body to the door with an even, polite tone, being careful to use his clearest English accent than his usual speaking voice which still hinted at his non-British origin.

The rebuilding of the Improper Use of Magic Office hadn't left the place with many staff thanks to laying off so many people who had shared the same ideas Travers had. Still, it did not stop Mordecai from employing a part-time secretary-cum-receptionist for his office hours. It was no longer the old "knock on the door and hope someone is inside" system; he was adjusted to it by now. He could not say the same for his colleagues in the department.

So the temporary secretary, who was waiting to get home because it had been a fairly uneventful day, was more than happy to get up from her seat and knock on the door before opening it. "Someone is here to report a possible Secrecy breach, sir. Use of magic in front of Muggles."

Despite the lack of staff in the Office, Mordecai still had aplenty to do. Reports came to him from all over the department; while it was not up to him to sort crime from regulation, sometimes it slipped through the filter and got to him anyway. He had to check carefully before he signed off someone's criminal sentence by accident.

He looked up from his work, his eyebrows raised in query. It was not often someone came to directly report to him. "See him in," he replied calmly. "I'll deal with everything else from there."

The door closed with a click. Mordecai reached over his desk and hovered, momentarily, over the official report forms he was usually sent. After a minute's thinking, he instead moved his hand over to his notepad and proceeded to replace his current work with it.

How long had he been bent over his work? Mordecai shifted a little as he straightened his back, his muscles stiff from his posture. Something that didn't involve intense writing and reading was welcome to him, not just for his posture but for his usual mental challenges. He steepled his fingers in front of his face, leaving his thoughts of his current work aside just like the paperwork on his desk.

"Good morning." Johann greeted the wizard he was ushered in to see. The office door clicked closed behind him, and he studied the man behind the desk. The door had bore a nameplate of M.Hollingbury and title Head of Office presumably this small subsection of MLE didn't require too many staff.

Dark haired like Johann, M.Hollingbury was beginning to go white, and bore a beard and moustache, which was also speckled. He had a dignified expression, and was smartly dressed, not in auror robes or anything like that, but more akin to the administration dress code in the Ministry, in a waistcoat.

"I would like to report an instance where the statute was broken, last night, near to my residence. Not by me, but by an unwelcome visitor. It wasn't serious enough to warrant a call to Accidents and Catastrophes, but I just wanted to clear up the matter officially, should it have come to the office's attention."

Realising he hadn't yet introduced himself, he hastily extended a pale, long fingered, hand.
"Johann Storm, I work for the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

Mordecai got to his feet and walked out from behind his desk when the man walked in, out of manners. "Good morning," he replied to the fellow as he silently analysed his appearance. Tall, thin, shrewd face, bright...and an air of intelligence. He would tread a little carefully with this man, although he probably wouldn't have had any trouble with him since he was just here to report.

He grasped the man's hand and shook it, taking note of the lack of heat in said hand in a rather absentminded manner. "Mordecai Hollingbury, you're free to address me however you want. Would you like to take a seat? I gather that this may be so important that you were keen to tell me before introducing yourself, but surely there is time to just sit down and relax enough to tell me the details." He smiled at Johann out of partial amusement and partial hospitality.

Johann took the seat referred to, but perched on the edge of it, inclined a little towards Hollingbury's desk.

"The wizard I'm reporting is my father, Wolfgang Medgar Uwe Storm. He's not a British resident, he's a visitor due to the Tetrawizard, and he is travelling back and forth. I live in a dense Muggle area, with an unspeakable, Colin Downer, he owns the place. Last night, at about six o'clock, my father accompanied me home." A voice in Johann's head was laughing at him for doing this, telling him he was pathetic. It sounded suspiciously like his father, aptly.

"Within the property we don't use magic, its too risky, and besides, Colin possesses a television, well he did, and several other 'electrical' items which react badly to magic being cast in close proximity. Neither of us draw our wands past the threshold for sure, and I'm always careful to walk there from the Ministry. However, my father, didn't share that respect, and not only destroyed a television, but threw a stun within the property." Johann rubbed at his bruised ribs beneath his shirt without realising.

"Whereas that was irritating, and magic in close proximity to Muggles, his disapparation in the communal hallway outside our front door is probably in contravention to the statute, especially as it was witnessed by two Muggles. We didn't obliviate them. I figured not acknowledging it might make them discount it as a mistake." The linguist exhaled and half-closed his eyes. "I'll fill out the correct paperwork, I just figured coming here in person would simplify matters for us all."

Mordecai leaned against his desk and listened to Johann without interrupting him, cradling his chin in one hand thoughtfully. He did not look at the man, only gazing at the carpeted floor. When Johann was done, he rubbed his chin a little.

"Your father, hm? Usually Ministry employees like to cover up their families' wrongdoings...but I could be wrong, it's the 21st century and the wizarding world may be more progressive than I often think it is." Seeing the world through jade-coloured glasses for so long had left that effect on him. "Would you know as to the reason for his actions? Or is it just out sheer disregard for the rules?"

He glanced at the notepad, where a quill had been busy at work recording whatever Johann was saying. It was rare to have someone personally come in and report. "Do you know the identities of the Muggles who witnessed the event? We may have to send Obliviators in, although it will be up to me to assess the damage.

"As for your father, I may have to request that he drop by for a chat. Unless he is vehemently opposed to the idea of talking to a Ministry employee for whatever reason."

"Your father, hm? Usually Ministry employees like to cover up their families' wrongdoings...but I could be wrong, it's the 21st century and the wizarding world may be more progressive than I often think it is."

"Hmm." Johann replied with a dismissive frown. "He's responsible for himself, and Colin and I have enough trouble in our own lives without adding a breach of the statute. Perhaps I'm particularly feeling uncharitable given the stun was aimed at me."

"Would you know as to the reason for his actions? Or is it just out sheer disregard for the rules?"

"Anger, but mostly because he's an arrogant old man." Johann replied, and shrugged, "We'll call it sheer disregard."

"Do you know the identities of the Muggles who witnessed the event? We may have to send Obliviators in, although it will be up to me to assess the damage."

Johann puffed out his cheeks and raised his eyes, thinking back. He'd only glimpsed them, but he was pretty sure he knew which flat they belonged to. These things were documented by his brain as he went along, he was simply that nosey.

"I could tell you where they lived. They're the upstairs neighbours, I've not really made efforts to talk to them, I'd have to ask Colin if he knew a name, sorry." Johann rubbed his chin thoughtfully, mentally ticking himself off for not considering that earlier.

"As for your father, I may have to request that he drop by for a chat. Unless he is vehemently opposed to the idea of talking to a Ministry employee for whatever reason."

Johann looked amused at this response,
"Tread carefully. He's not against making a scene." His eyes glinted, and he shifted in the chair, leaning an elbow on the right arm and tapping the fingertips of his long fingers on his chin as he gazed at Mordecai.

"He'll be back in Britain next week. He'll be in the building 4th November in the morning, meeting with Department of Magical Games and Sports over the Tetrawizard accounts. He's a Durmstrang Governor and also manages the school's accounts."

His dark blue eyes raised to the ceiling as he recalled the time and made an estimate on the meeting length. His father had mentioned it during the walk from the Ministry to Colin and Johann's home.
"Meeting starts at half nine, I'd give it at least an hour before it finished. Finances are tedious to sportmen, especially when my Father's in the room sickle-saving."

Mordecai considered this. While he was averse to people disregarding the Statute, he also wasn't partial to making a mountain out of a molehill. Sometimes some situations didn't really need to get investigated in-depth. In this case, it did sound like a moment of arrogance. 

"Durmstrang governor, huh." Mordecai said no more, but it was somewhat obvious that he wasn't very pleased about that tidbit of info. Nonetheless, he leaned over his desk and got the necessary paperwork.

"I'll see if I have the time." Probably not, considering how my office is still understaffed. "As for now, there's the form. I may not pursue the case, but I might be inclined to keep an eye on him." The older wizard shrugged. "We're lacking in the staff to actually do most of the analysis and reporting, so I'm usually the one having to see to everything - and I would prefer to not take on more than I can chew for now."

Beneath his wish to ensure he and Colin were not painted wrongly with the magic before the muggles, Johann could admit to a certain amount of desire to drop his father in things firmly with the Ministry. It was easy to achieve revenge for recent actions. Despite making out that he was happy for his father to join him in Diagon Alley for the Halloween gathering the very next day, he'd been seething inside.

"Durmstrang governor, huh. I'll see if I have the time. As for now, there's the form. I may not pursue the case, but I might be inclined to keep an eye on him. We're lacking in the staff to actually do most of the analysis and reporting, so I'm usually the one having to see to everything - and I would prefer to not take on more than I can chew for now."

Johann's keen eyes darted round the room as he spoke, confirming the words of the other man in terms of how quiet the office was.
"Yes, not above the law." He muttered, perhaps as a sidenote to himself given Hollingbury's brush off. "I'll do the paperwork, if you need it." He took the form and skimmed it quickly, before his curiosity got the better of him.

"So, you, er... don't actually monitor that sort of breach from here then?"

"Us? Oh, we do." Mordecai gestured around the office. "But it's not exactly like we have the people do it right now. We rely on the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol for the news, and the Trace to monitor underage use of magic. Maybe we might have plans for a better monitoring system, but for now the Patrol and witnesses seem to be doing sufficiently while we try to get more staff and organise this place properly."

He gestured to the form, now slightly annoyed that he had been reminded of the staffing problem in the Office. Some things were hard to get done. "We'll keep the form as a record; it makes searching for repeated offences much easier and we'll have plenty of evidence otherwise. For now, though, this is about all you're going to get in terms of...I don't know, retribution."

Mordecai sat down and massaged the back of his neck. "That's all about what I can say with the current situation of the Office, but I swear from one end of Merlin's beard to the other I will get this done. Apologies for any inconveniences in the meantime, though." He gave Johann an apologetic look.

"We'll keep the form as a record; it makes searching for repeated offences much easier and we'll have plenty of evidence otherwise. For now, though, this is about all you're going to get in terms of...I don't know, retribution. That's all about what I can say with the current situation of the Office, but I swear from one end of Merlin's beard to the other I will get this done. Apologies for any inconveniences in the meantime, though."

"No, not at all, I apologise for being the burden." Johann replied smoothly, inking the form quickly and carefully. "You have proper cases to take care of, not my irritating father." He continued to write, pausing a moment to review his last few written words, "besides, if the Muggles do mention something I'll convince them the place is haunted or something instead. Be a good cover story for the future. I don't trust any attempt to obliviate Muggles, especially not with authorisation."

The younger man spoke without looking up from his work at all, and the tip of his tongue then protruded ever so slightly from his mouth as he speedily scrawled the description on the form before signing and dating it.

"There, that just about summarises it. I'll keep you no longer. Thank you, Mister Hollingbury." Johann extended his long fingers, the parchment between them, and went to get up.

Mordecai remained silent as Johann spoke. Once the man was done, he took the parchment from between his fingers and slipped it into a folder. With his current load, minor cases were not a priority.

"Good, then for now it can be considered sorted." Mordecai moved the folder to one side of his desk and got to his feet in tandem with Johann's movements. "I'll see you out."

He did not wait for an answer. Mordecai made it a point to always see coworkers out, he just felt that it was a well-mannered thing to do and he was probably a bit too old to change his habits. He headed for the door and opened it, letting in a draught of fresh air. For a moment he was lost in the sudden surge of refreshing air, but it simply lasted a moment. He stepped aside to let Johann pass.

"Thank you for your report, and I hope you have a good day, Mr Storm," he said pleasantly to the man.