Dante Ward detested Monday mornings.  It was simply anyone's guess as to how many of his employees would actually show up for work.  It was proven that people tended to be more likely to fake an illness on a Monday or Friday.  His workers also seemed to be a bit more...slow to wake up on a Monday.  It was almost as if their brains were left behind during their weekend.

Making his way into the meeting room he dropped his parchment and quill on the table before going to get a cup of coffee from the coffee pot.  The last several months had been relatively productive and today he expected a full report from his entire department...or at least the ones who deemed it appropriate to grace him with their presence.  He was a tough boss to deal with, and he knew it.  He expected professionalism from his workers and for their work to be completely in a timely manner and with the highest level of professionalism.  He was capable of recognizing a job well done, but one had to earn praise.  Praise wasn't something one got for simply completely a required piece of paperwork.

Sipping his coffee, he settled in his chair at the head of the table.  According to the clock everyone still had five minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start.  In his opinion to be on time was to be late, however.  Sighing, he picked up a parchment from the stack he had brought with him, a report from a junior member of the department, and began to read while he waited to see if anyone joined him for the required department meeting.

Colin stumbled in - early. Early! Downer was never early to anything, nor was he fashionably late. He tended to just be, well, late. But walking into the empty room was a surprise, and the messily-dressed unspeakable paused in the doorway, automatically checking he had the right room.

For the briefest of moments, he pondered slinking off for tea or coffee or something. His mood, with the full moon so close, was not the most stable of ones - and the Monday morning staff meetings never put anyone in a good mood. Ever. He hoped he didn't growl or something. The day right before his three-day time off was always the worst - today he'd be looking at the cadavers and getting hungry.

He gave in and walked into the room, closing the door behind him and clearing his throat awkwardly. "Good morning," he said, finding a chair on the far end of the table and sitting in it a little harder than was really necessary. Ward seemed occupied, and he had no inclination to disturb him - Ward was not the best man to disturb.

It was Monday morning, and Chris was already greeted to a staff meeting right at the beginning of the day. He would be lying if he said that he didn't drag himself out of bed that morning with a sigh. It was always the most difficult to get out of bed on a Monday after a weekend. It was even worse when a staff meeting was called for that morning. While there were aspects of his job that he liked, the staff meetings were certainly not one of them. He had never been a fan of big group gatherings, and now was certainly not an exception.

Despite his usual actions around the office and in staff meetings, no one could deny that Chris was probably notably more happier recently. After a lunch date earlier in the month with Theta ended with them dating and kissing, he couldn't help but to feel happier.[1] But, he had to be careful around work. While he would love to flirt with Theta around the office, he didn't want to do anything that could potentially get both of them fired. After all, he always felt awkward around the head of the department, and Ward was certainly not the type of person you wanted to piss off.

At any rate, Chris was certainly not the type of employee to walk late into a meeting ever, even after officially dating a girl that he liked since Hogwarts. So, he walked swiftly to the designated meeting room with a couple of pieces of parchment and a quill with him. Entering the room, he gave a quick nod to its two occupants.

"Good Morning," he greeted both Ward and Downer.

Not particularly wanting an awkward conversation, Chris immediately headed for a seat at the table quietly. Taking a seat that was about the middle of the table, he glanced down at the parchment that he brought with himself. Perhaps by looking busy, he wouldn't have to engage in an awkward conversation.

1.	A Different Setting

Cillian wandered into the meeting room looking as tired and disheveled as usual. His beard was getting scruffy again and his long hair stuck out at odd angles around his ears. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent enough to look as though he were wearing make up. He held a steaming goblet of pepper-up potion, his preferred alternative to coffee and sat down at the table. He didn't normally associate with the rest of the department and it had nothing to do with whether or not he liked the other unspeakables. His job wasn't exactly a social one and he did his job well enough on his own. He only really associated with everyone else when meetings like these were called.

"Mornin'." He said simply to the others stifling a yawn and taking a sip of the steaming potion. He had been in his office all night. He had made a breakthrough in the werewolf visions the day before. A simple routine check on some of the others Seers in the UK had come up with another having very similar dreams to his own regarding the safety of the local weres[1]. He was hoping that collaborating with another Seer he'd be able to pin point when things were supposed to happen and what kind of danger they were all in[2]. He had a few rolls of parchment with him, regarding the current visions coming through his office including a sketch another Seer had made of the wolf he had been seeing himself.

---

1. Sport Of the Least Noble Kind
2. When Humans Attack

Clack, clack, clack...

The sound of the French woman's trademark heels filled the room long before the snarky witch could be seen. Mondays, a day of dread for many, were one of Jacqueline's favorite days of the week. It was a symbolism of 'new'. It was the beginning of the workweek and something interesting always seemed to happen on Mondays. The elation of her mood, however, couldn't be pinpointed by the set of her features. Her face was set in a scowl, a scowl for meetings with imbeciles and indigents. Few were actually competent within the department, Ward being top on the list of unbelievably incompetent. She wondered on a daily basis how the man had been promoted to head, though she did suppose he had a bit more experience than most.

She entered the room at a swift walk, nodding slightly to the men already present. She didn't deign the guys with words, and if she had, they probably wouldn't have enjoyed it very much, so she just stayed silent. With a warm mug of tea in hand, she took a seat near the far end of the table, pressing down her skirts as she sat. She didn't take out quill or parchment, she didn't look over any documents, she simply sat and watched the interaction between her coworkers.

Over the next few minutes many of the missing employees began to trickle in.  Dante sipped at his coffee as various members of the department  seated themselves at the table, nodding if they offered any sort of greeting before returning to his report.  It was nearing time to start as he heard the clacking of heels enter the room and had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes at the French woman. 

If one asked him to list those he actually trusted in his department, Jacqueline Lumpkin would likely be at the bottom of his list.  There was something about her he simply didn't trust.  After all, she had blatantly ignored the chain of command and gone directly to the Minister of Magic.  He wouldn't dare trust her to have his back in any situation....she'd likely be the one to give him a swift boot in the arse over the edge of a cliff.  After spending his entire professional career in the DoM, he was well aware of how office politics worked.

"Let's get started," he said once Lumpkin had settled herself and the headache inducing noise from her heels had stopped.  "I'd rather not waste a lot of time this morning as I'm sure we all have important projects to get back to.  The year is drawing to a close so I would like a brief summary from each of you as to what you've been working on.  I will be submitting out final budget for the new year this week, so I may be coming to some of you individually with questions."

He hated the paperwork, but it had to be done.  How long had he tried to climb the ladder to department head and now that he was there sometimes he missed the days where budget concerns weren't his problem.  However it was his problem now and he wasn't about to waste time whining about it, even in his own mind.

"Would anyone care to start?" he asked, sipping his coffee, hoping he wouldn't end of feeling like the teacher that had to call on a random student when no one knew the answer to a question.

"Perhaps I could impose upon you for a short moment?" 

The voice of Persepolis Zephyr came in response to Mr. Ward's request.  She'd appeared in the open doorway in deep indigo robes with silver brocade.  Despite her kind request, she stepped into the chamber with purpose and made her way around the scores of staff present for Mr. Ward's meeting.  She smiled and made eye contact as she went, eventually settling at Dante Ward's right hand.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Ward.  Good morning, all." 

This was the first time since her elevation to Minister of Magic that she'd been before the entire Department of Mysteries, one of the Ministry's oldest and most ... productive Department, although a great deal of what they did couldn't be heralded to the public at large.  They all had to be content to toil in relative anonymity as they explored the most delicate and controversial secrets of their world.

"I've been briefed on some of your  major projects and I wanted to commend you all for your hard work.  You have the full support of my office, and I plan to prioritize your work.  To move forward into this new decade of peace, it's research and innovation that will lead the way.  Pushing the boundaries of magic and striving to better understand the magic of prophecy, time, life and death - we can't neglect any longer."

The implication was clear.  Zephyr did not approve of how Annwyl had treated this department, and she intended to rectify that.

Would anyone care to start? That was just laughable; Colin tried to shrink into his chair without appearing he was doing so. When no one else lept forward, he considered for a brief (and possibly insane) moment that he should just give in and get it over with. And then the door opened again in and in strode...the Minister?

Ye gods - would someone shoot and bury him? He couldn't wait to get back to his cold and silent laboratory and get back to seeing if he could get his zombie's  damaged arm working properly. He had a lot to do today! Muscles were very difficult to properly graft back together, didn't people understand that?

Still, the Minister's words were admittedly interesting, and the idea their Department would get attention was...promising and alarming. Taking a note from the book of the non-meeting conscious, he half raised his hand and then spoke.

"I suppose that by attention, you mean funding?" He asked, eyebrow raised. "Or do you have projects you actually have in mind for us?"

Not that that sort of thing ever effected him! No one seemed as into zombies and ghosts as he was. Such a pity.

Theta folded one hand over the other and sat up ramrod straight on the Minister being present. It wasn't often she arrived in one of their Departmental meetings, and Theta hardly dared breathe in her presence. Beside her, Theta's uncle Francis seemed at ease in the presence of the Minister. If Theta remembered correctly the two of them had been at Hogwarts together and were still friendly.

Across the room from her was Chris, and the sight of him still made her heart skip a beat. Now officially a couple, Theta was desperate to try and keep herself contained so it wouldn't be considered a distraction from their work by others. The last thing she wanted was to cause trouble for either of them or for them to get sacked. She knew it was hard to ask Chris to keep things cool, as he was ever the romantic, but Theta was desperate not to cause a stir at work. She was not the sort to stand in the middle of the department and proclaim their love, but only because of the location, not because of the love.

"I've been briefed on some of your  major projects and I wanted to commend you all for your hard work.  You have the full support of my office, and I plan to prioritize your work.  To move forward into this new decade of peace, it's research and innovation that will lead the way.  Pushing the boundaries of magic and striving to better understand the magic of prophecy, time, life and death - we can't neglect any longer."

Theta's ears had pricked up at time. Time was a serious preoccupation for the department, not only in their little workshop where they repaired these artefacts, but in the study of it, and how it folded and slid by. Colin Downer was the first to chip in after the Minister.

"I suppose that by attention, you mean funding? Or do you have projects you actually have in mind for us?"

Theta glanced to Mr Ward's expression to see if he would let a hint of what the Minister meant cross his features. Then again, he was the top unspeakable, there was little chance... She glanced to Francis instead and shuffled worriedly.

"Is this normal?" Theta asked Francis in a whisper. Although she'd been at plenty of meetings, the new Minister proclaiming the Department was a priority seemed a bit generous, and Theta couldn't help but wonder if it had been said to all the other departments - what with the tournament on at Hogwarts.

The stolen glances between Chris and Theta were not going unnoticed by Francis, but he let them be. Young love was to be cherished, and Chris was a nice young man. When Theta's parents got back from their lengthy trip in America, which they had planned for when the younger family members had gone back to school and Theta was around to water the plants and mind the family home, Francis would put in a good word for Chris when Octavian measured him up.

Funding was always well received in the Department, and it was no wonder that everyone's ears pricked up at the suggestion and then Colin's query.

"Is this normal?" Theta whispered beside him and he gave an unsure glance. Each Minister had their own agenda, but equally the state of the nation's magical community dictated where their taxes went to and for what end.
"Its not too unusual." Francis uttered quietly in reply, and instead calmly raised his voice.

"You plan to, Minister?" He queried, "Is this after the Tetra-wizard tournament completes? One would anticipate Games and Sports, and International Magical Co-Operation have rather the monopoly on any funds." He asked politely, more curiosity than any nitpicking. There were too many in the room who preferred to be left alone to do their research and keep their heads down below the parapet when it came to politics.

After the last few unspeakables in the department arrived, Ward started on with his meeting. Typically, Chris tended to stay quiet during these full department meetings. He was still a trainee after all. He would usually leave the explaining of the sector's work to the other unspeakables in the sector. So, when Ward began asking for volunteers , he lower his head and glanced around the room to avoid eye contact with the head.

Chris stopped his glance around the room for a very brief few seconds as his eyes landed on Theta from across the room. Since becoming a couple, he had to tread very lightly when it came to public announcements of their affections for each other. He would hate to be the cause of Theta losing her job, the one that she was excited for from her time in Hogwarts. He rarely paid attention to the strange politics in the department, that he figured that it was best not to announce anything with regards to his relationship with Theta to the others in the department.

Chris was immediately brought back to reality from his reprieve when the Minister walked into the room to include a few comments during the meeting. He immediately brought himself back to attention as she spoke to their whole department. Considering how secretive their work was, it was always important to not list much of what they did in the department out in detail to anyone not in the actual department. He nodded to her commitment to prioritize their work, but the question remained which work was going to be prioritized?

Despite being just a department in the Ministry, the Department of Mysteries was a rather broad department housing many different divisions. If he were to fathom a guess as to what Minister Zephyr's priorities would involve, it would have to be the very last sentence that she spoke. Prophecy, time, and life and death. They were certainly crucial to understand, but they weren't the only sectors in that very department. He stole a very quick glance at Theta. By that very sentence, it sounded as if her sector would get additional funding. As would a couple of other sectors, but it didn't sound as if the spell experimentation and research sector would get any.

Downer then proceeded to ask a question of the Minister. It was certainly important. If the Minister had projects in mind for the department, then they should certainly include all of the department. Francis questioned the Minister's choice of words, which was certainly peculiar in and of itself. However, Chris was never one that wanted to be caught up in the department politics. Based on the questions so far asked, the Minister should delve into more detail about her plans. If that actually happened, he would then truly see what was actually in store for the department. So, keeping silent, he paid attention to the comments and discussions around the room.

Cillian had kept his eyes on his pepper-up potion at intently as if he were seeing a vision within the goblet's depths. He wasn't fond of meetings and didn't like discussing his work. Not so much because he didn't like sharing but mostly because it was mind numbingly boring most of the time. Cillian himself, aside from being a bonafide Seer, was simply a Keeper. He kept things safe and in order, he had no real purpose outside of the hall. There were no experiments to speak of or great discoveries, mostly just documentation and the occasional opportunity to find a new Seer.

When the Minister entered he didn't bother looking up either. Even though he had been invited to the last meeting regarding a political scuffle with the Goblins, Cillian still felt awkward around the woman after having refused giving her advice on her future when she was running for office. He supposed he was always going to feel that way. However he couldn't help the compulsive flicker to look at the woman as she mentioned his department in particular. He stared after her even as the others made their concerns or rather silences known.

It was true that in the past prophecies had made a large impact on the wizarding world, the most notably of course being the one involving Harry and the Dark Lord but the department had been quiet since then, rebuilding, recovering. Any important prophecy that had been made in the past had been destroyed and there had been no major breakthroughs since then. He moved his eyes over the others in the room, surely Experimental Spell Research and whatever it was Downer was up to these days deserved more attention than a cold hall filled with dusty orbs that contained nothing more exciting than a burglary or a potion accident. 

Zephyr felt embolded and encouraged at the questions that came not from the stoic Mr. Ward, but from the Unspeakables, whose titles were obviously symbolic.  For speak they did.  She didn't know the name of the younger man who spoke first, nor the older, while-haired wizard who followed up. 

The Minister of Magic clasped her hands warmly at her chest and she gave a thoughtful frown.

"Yes and no," she said in a tone that mirrored their practical questions.  "Moving gold around isn't simple nor is it easy so I couldn't guarantee you an immediate deluge.  Sadly no.  The funding for the Tournament shouldn't affect the Department of Mysteries at all.  Those sums come from the schools' own coffers, private donors - and yes, support from Games and Sports.  But you leave that to me."

Her eyes wrinkled in a comforting, tolerant grin.  Her office was buried in committees and ledgers as they made heads from tails on this hydra of a budget. 

"What I need from you is just what this gentleman has suggested: a special project.  Support for you is much more easily granted when you have the support of the community.  A highly visible, successful project that we can move out of the shadows and into the public eye.  Something for us all to rally around."

Easy to ask, another thing entirely to deliver.

"I have complete faith in you.  Portents are good, or so I've heard." 

Zephyr knew that her mandate would not necessarily be well received, but she wanted the whole Department to know she would be holding them accountable.  That she'd take an interest.  Dark things had gone on here under Snark, so the rumors had been confirmed since she took office. 

She smiled again and turned back again to Ward.  "You've been so kind.  Carry on."

To say Dante was a bit surprised to see the Minister of Magic waltzing into the staff meeting was a bit of an understatement.  Under Annwyl he'd been lucky to get even the briefest moment of time to discuss department matters.  This was certainly a switch, but he kept his face neutral as she spoke allowing the others to ask their questions.  He was, as a department head, a little more aware of how Ministry funding worked, but the Minister's answer certainly grabbed his attention a bit.

It was a challenge.  They weren't making the progress she wanted, that much was certain, and she wanted a project that would merit the funding that was being asked for.  Of course it also meant if they failed to produce such a project it would likely be his head on the platter.  He was quite certain that a particular French woman would simply love to see that.

"You've been so kind.  Carry on."

"Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come by, Minister," he said.  "I will make an appointment to speak with you soon regarding future projects for the department."

He kept his tone respectful, but he hoped the message would be received by his employees.  The Minister's time was not to be wasted by those wishing to not go through the proper chain of command.  Any possible projects had to be approved by him first, and then he would be the one presenting them to the Minister on behalf of the department.  He had a feeling this was not always the case.

Colin sat back, the answer satisfactory enough but not quite what he'd hoped for. Grand projects - oh, goody! Something for someone else to do, then. No one ever get excited by big projects coming from the Death Rooms, or saw fit to throw funds their way too often. Big projects from them tended to be on subjects the narrow minded found oddly objectionable.

He slumped back in his chair with a sigh as the Minister left. If he'd known she was coming, he'd had made something of an effort to dress nicely. But...well, it was probably okay, anyway. It wasn't like she'd see him again, right? Right.

He looked around the room, eyes eventually landing on Ward. "Grand projects, she says," he said. He sniffed, once again looking to his fellows - who weren't really his fellows, come at that. He didn't really know what most of them did beyond the most basic job descriptions, and frankly he liked it that way. He wasn't even that fond of Ward knowing much about what he got up to.

"Do we even have anything that'd qualify? Last I heard most of our projects were not ones the public would find particularly...embraceable." A better time-turner, a zombie that didn't smell. There wasn't anything he knew of that was headlineable.