There wasn't an average day in the Department of Mysteries, Theta thought to herself, but overall there was a certain routine that provided some reassurance in their day. Whether she was fine tuning metalwork beneath an enormous magnifying glass, or keeping records and advising on use, she tended to see the same faces.

So when the door along the wall in the corridor opened and a figure stepped out, she had to do a double take.

"Jai!" Theta exclaimed, surprised at the sight of her old classmate. Since the end of term there had been a smattering of familiar faces in some of the corridors as they came for interviews for potential Ministry positions and internships, much as Theta and her boyfriend Chris had.

"How are you? You look… well?" Theta remarked, taking in Jai's appearance. He'd appeared from a door to a side room off the corridor right before her as she made her way through from delivering a timeturner to another Department.

She smiled gently, peering up at him.
"You busy? Fancy a cuppa?"

The last couple of days had been a whirlwind. This day included.

Jai had just left his interview at the Ministry in the Department of Mysteries, and it shocked him to think that it went fairly well. He didn't want to jinx himself, but this job was an incredible opportunity. It was hard to believe that he was already thinking about 'good opportunities' and other such career moves, but in this whirlwind of days, he'd also wrapped up his time as a student. The job search was officially on. This job sounded legitimately cool, too. Working in the astrolab would be right up Jai's alley.

Sighing as he exited the area he'd been in, he jumped as he heard someone say his name. He looked up to see Theta Pepper. She had been a year above him, a Ravenclaw. He didn't know she worked at the Ministry.

"How are you? You look... well?"

"I've just had an interview," Jai semi-blurted, still feeling residual anxiety from the wait before the interview as well as mounting anxiety about how it had gone. "Do you work in this department?" he asked curiously. Maybe Theta could give him some hints about the Unspeakables. He knew everything they did was elusive.... but if he could just get some clues about how he'd done in his interview...

"You busy? Fancy a cuppa?"

And perhaps this was his chance to find out! Maybe she could even tell him more about what his job might be. When given the opportunity to interview in the Department of Mysteries, all Jai had to hear was the word 'astrolab' to agree to it. The boy sure loved his stars. "I could go for a cuppa," Jai answered in a friendly tone. "How've you been?"

Theta gave Jai the biggest smile her little face could manage when he agreed to tea and mentioned he'd had an interview. How exciting! It would be another of Professor Trishna's students to the Department.

"I've been good, I can't believe it's been over a year since I left Hogwarts - feels like six some days, and yesterday the next. Of course, it's likely to be a little longer than a year not only through perception, depends how you calculate it of course." She waved a hand in the air and shook her head,

"Sorry, look, come on, let's get some tea, and you'll know what I mean when you see."

She led Jai through a maze of highly polished corridors and then seized a brass door handle at a doorway with a small plaque set into it with copperplate writing on Time Turner Workshop.

What looked to be perhaps a small workshop, of course turned out to be a room far bigger than the door size suggested.

The room was dominated by a central workbench which had little pots and lines of tools hanging in batches from the wall, and a long timeline on the back wall, a map and different charts about calendars and star alignment. Nothing too unfamiliar, given Jai's interest.

The room itself was not too brightly lit, but sat right in the middle at the workbench was a curly haired wizard who was completely concentrated on something beneath an enormous magnifying glass.

"I'm putting the kettle on, want one?"
"Please." Theta motioned for Jai to follow her in, and let him look about himself.  Eventually two eyes looked up and the magnifying glass lowered.
"Uncle Francis, this is Jai. He's just graduated Hogwarts - from Hufflepuff. I bumped into him on my way. Jai, this is my uncle, Francis Pepper."

Theta's work was coming on in leaps and bounds. Francis was impressed, as he checked her work meticulously beneath a magnifying glass. She had been working on creating her own time turner from scratch as part of her apprenticeship for the past few months, and Francis would dedicate some time each day to guiding her in the creation, checking her work at every step. It wasn't easy, and the slightest of mistakes could cause a serious miscalculation.

When the door opened, he knew just from the sound, but he didn't look up, as the glass obscured his view. But the sound of more footsteps and the fact the door hadn't shut did make him look up eventually to see a tall young man looking up around around himself at the workshop.

Theta was quick to introduce as she went to pop the kettle on beside the sink, and made her way round to collect their mugs.

"Jai, good to meet you. Are you here to start a role in the Department?" Francis asked politely, showing genuine interest. He hopped down from the stool and made his way round the bench to shake Jai's hand properly, and gesture to a couple of stools near the unlit fireplace.

"Milk, sugar?" Theta interrupted to quiz Jai from one side of the room as Francis sat down with Jai.

"Not long since the end of term, days even, you didn't fancy a summer travelling?" He asked Jai as Theta headed back with a mug for each of them, Jai's showed the moon phases, and the one Francis sipped gingerly from bore a strange blue wardrobe-like box and looked distinctly of Muggle creation (a present from Colin on a previous birthday, apparently Francis had some resemblance to a popular television character who indulged in time travel).

Jai forgot what a whirlwind it was to be around people. He was used to the crowd at Hogwarts, but at the Ministry there were bunches of people hustling about, aiming for one place or another. For someone as neurotic as Jai, it was pretty overwhelming, but he had managed to stay calm enough for his interview.

Then Theta was leading him into a room and he became a whole different sort of overwhelmed. He was wholly impressed by the Time Turner Workshop, as it said on the door. Based on the size of the door, Jai hadn't expected much, but... this was quite magnificent. So many tools and trinkets... it made him hope even more that the job interview had been successful. He looked around, not even realizing there was another wizard in the room until Theta said "Jai, this is my uncle, Francis Pepper."

Snapping back into the present, Jai walked over to the curly-headed wizard and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir," Jai said with as much confidence as he could muster. "No thank you, Theta," he answered in regards to the milk/sugar inquiry. He preferred his drinks plain.

"Not long since the end of the term, days even, you didn't fancy a summer travelling?"

If everything went well, Jai would be working at the Ministry and spending lots of time with Jordyn. That sounded better than any vacation to Jai. "Not for me, no," Jai answered. "I'm really interested in Astronomy and I just, um," he didn't want to get too over-passionate, that would be weird. "I just like learning more about it. This sounded like a really good opportunity, and since I'm done at Hogwarts...  Thank you," Jai looked at Theta gratefully and took the warm mug of tea. He took a sip before he babbled on any longer.

"Astronomy eh? Did you just meet Marcus Prewett?" Francis asked Jai who had enthusiastically explained that he was rather into astronomy so the study was far more interesting than taking time away to travel. Younger people had a lot of energy, Francis appreciated, and he was glad to have them.

"Can't turn round without bumping into a Prewett here." Francis explained, and blew on the top of his cup of tea to cool it slightly before he continued. "What with Owen, Marcus, David, Gareth and Gawain."

Theta cleared her throat beside him, her mug (a timeline of Muggle history) between both of her little hands.

"Well, not Gareth and Gawain these days, no."[1] "Merlin help their souls."

Theta looked to Jai kindly, and elaborated in case he didn't recall,
"They're in St Mungo's after meeting the dementors a few months ago. Poor chaps."

"But, you won't find dementors in the astrolabe office, unless Gamp's experiments get loose." Francis smiled brightly, "So you should be fine. Did you say you just had an interview? How did you think it went?" 

1.	9 Mar - Dementor Encounter in Northumberland!

Having something to do with his hands -- the tea -- was immensely helpful to Jai in this situation. This morning in the mirror he'd given himself a decent pep talk in preparation for the interview this morning, but had not expected a run-in with a former classmate, nor did he think he'd be having such a casual chat with an Unspeakable.

Jai smiled politely as Mr. Pepper listed the number of Prewetts. The name sounded vaguely familiar to him, maybe from his years in History of Magic? Last names tended to recirculate quite a bit in the Wizarding world. The Peppers chatted a bit about them, and Mr. Pepper informed him that some of the aforementioned Prewetts had an unfortunate encounter with dementors. "Oh," Jai commented, his face falling sympathetically.

This instantly made a very panicky Jai instantly start worrying -- he wouldn't have to deal with any dementors, would he? He hadn't taken Defense Against the Dark Arts in years. Luckily his anxieties were quickly relieved as Francis directed the conversation back to the astrolab.

He didn't know who Gamp was and was starting to feel a little bit like the people in the Ministry knew some sort of secret code that he didn't. Maybe once he started working here he'd be rattling off names just as they were.

"I think the interview went pretty well..." Jai reflected on the meeting. He answered all of the questions, but he wasn't the best at reading people. "It's my first one, so I... don't really know, to be honest." Jai looked down bashfully, but added, "I really hope I've got it, though. I think I could be... a real help."

"I'm sure it went better than you feel." Theta assured Jai warmly, her rosy cheeks rising slightly as she smiled. She reached one tiny hand up to tuck her hair behind one ear. "They have ways here of seeing potential we're not even aware of yet. Mysteries is good at getting the best out of anyone."

Francis smiled less fervently, thinking at the way Mysteries could be quite like a machine in some ways - emotions were both studied, and also considered to get in the way and to muddy fact. They were on the periphery of things in the workshop, but he had heard much over the years, and especially in the darkest of times.

"Have you a backup plan?" Francis asked, enquiring gently, more as an invested father and uncle of a large family. Jai appeared on first impressions to be quite a bright young lad, but even if he was of age, he was still so young. Twenties were a decade of growing up and finding out you knew nothing really of the world, and appreciated what you did know.

"Heh, Jai doesn't need a backup plan, I'm shocked he wasn't handpicked from Professor Trishna's classroom." Theta chuckled and passed her tea from one hand to the other, running her thumb over a nick in her forefinger which she'd not noticed until she'd wrapped her hands round a warm mug.

"Ah, Trishna." Francis spoke softly, "Of course, you have been in good hands for the past year and a half. I have his works, wrote to him on many things in the past." He stretched his back a moment on the stool, and tugged at the back of his waistcoat.

"A friend of Tapendra's is a friend of the Peppers." Theta explained, her smile unrelenting. It felt a bit strange to call Professor Trishna by his forename, even after a year.

Theta was really nice to try and ease Jai's worries, but of course it was a fruitless task. Jai would always be worried, even if he had done a perfect job. Realistically, he'd done just fine, especially considering it was his first post-Hogwarts interview. In the eyes of ultra-perfectionist Jai Patil, though, he always found room for improvement and reason for failure. He smiled encouragingly at Theta, thankful for her efforts.

Mr. Pepper inquired as to whether he had a backup plan, and Jai's lips twitched to the side. To be honest, Jai hadn't really had a starting plan. This interview had just fallen into his lap and it sounded like something that would be right up his alley. The school counselor had encouraged him and so had Professor Trishna, so Jai took advantage of the opportunity. If it hadn't been for them, he might have overthought his way out of it.

Before Jai could come up with a response, Theta was explaining to Francis his relationship with Hogwarts' Astronomy professor. Jai blushed a little, feeling bashful at the compliment. "Thanks, Theta," he answered modestly. Francis Pepper appeared impressed by his connection to Tapendra as well. "Professor Trishna has been a great resource for me. He's very knowledgable." Jai agreed. "I learned a lot from him."

"Really? How did you know Professor Trishna? Did he work here at the Astrolab?" Jai asked, a bit hopefully. Maybe if he had the same beginnings as the professor he idolized, he would become even half as wise.

"I am a long term fan of his writing," Francis explained, wondering if that would be an anticlimax for Jai. "We have corresponded in years past, particularly as we share similar interests in the blend of the wizarding and muggle worlds."[1]

He brushed a stray curl away from his face and put his tea aside a moment.
"Which reminds me, I am hoping he'll come to our annual summer gathering at my brother - Theta's father's - house, this Saturday." He reached for a nearby stack of parchment and a quill and brought it over into his lap.

"We have a gathering each summer in his back garden, all the family, many friends. Food, drink, fun, we're not fussy, just happy to celebrate the warmer days ahead and the end of the school year for the younger ones." He scribbled down the address and the time and some other quick details on where to apparate to.

"You have your apparition license, yes? If not, let Theta know and she has a few people using portkeys, or you can use the floo - there's a fireplace in the house." He handed over the parchment to Jai with a smile.

"You're free aren't you? You can bring  a friend if you like," Theta asked brightly, "The Hughes, Gamps, Norlings…" she reeled off a whole list of familiar surnames from Jai's classmates.

"We'll introduce you to some of the chaps from the Department who are coming, few more familiar faces for when you start." Francis tapped the end of his nose and set away the parchment and quill.

"He hasn't got the job yet!" Theta squeaked.

Francis chuckled and picked up his tea again,
"My dearest niece, they don't interview unless you've got the job." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Merlin!" Theta exclaimed and sought eye contact with her old schoolmate, "Jai, ignore him, but I'm sure you'll have done fine."

She socked her uncle on the arm gently with one of her hands.
"Nobody really knows how the recruitment process works here. I heard someone had turned up in the Department to work with no memory of ever having applied."
"They did," Francis countered, eyes twinkling with humour, but speaking the truth, "the Department didn't want them to remember how they got the job so they could keep it a secret."

Theta put a small hand to her face and shook her head.
"And you want to come and work with us." She moaned gently before dropping her hand and smiling sweetly at Jai again.
"He doesn't remember." Francis smiled, finishing his tea, toying with them now.

1.	March 2009, Magic and Muggles

Listening politely as Mr. Pepper went on about the party his something-or-other was throwing, Jai sipped at his tea and thought about why Francis might be going on about the event. The Peppers were an affluent Wizarding family in that there were many of them, making them very well-connected. Having an "in" with the Peppers was definitely beneficial, and Jai didn't want to pass up the opportunity to further his career. That was what life was about now, wasn't it? Now that he was done with Hogwarts. Receiving an invitation to the Peppers' summer party was a great honor but Jai wondered if he was ready for that type of schmoozing.

Before he really knew what was happening Jai seemed to be agreeing to attend this party. Luckily Theta informed him that he could bring a friend, so maybe Jordyn would accompany him. It would be a really good opportunity for her too, which he knew she would appreciate. "I do have my apparition license," Jai nodded. He was already 18, always having been on the older spectrum of students. "I'd like to meet some of the other workers-" Jai was going to explain that he wanted to ask more about the Astrolab just as he realized that Mr. Pepper had used the word 'when,' not 'if.' Did that mean...? Did Francis Pepper have that kind of authority?

Theta seemed to be having a similar thought process and Jai watched them go back and forth about the probability Jai was already hired. He couldn't figure out whether Pepper was serious or not... the Department of Mysteries was an odd sector of the Ministry, he knew that, very secretive... so secretive that Francis Pepper's story about a worker not remembering getting his job sounded plausible. Jai didn't really know what to say about this so he just smiled, scanning his brain for something like 'thank you' or whatever it was that you said when you received a job.

"Of course I don't remember," Jai joked, finding himself in a more optimistic mood than he had been in a few minutes ago. "Where am I again?" He smiled at the Peppers and drank some more tea. If this was the future, Jai felt pretty good about it.

Despite all the confusion and jokes, Jai seemed to take it well, and it was good to hope that his nerves from the interview might be ebbing away since they'd bumped into each other outside. Theta really hoped he had been recruited, as Jai had a brilliant mind and deserved a good job that made him happy.

"Merlin, you see this is what you have to put up with when you work here." Theta laughed, her eyes bright, throwing her hands up. "It'll be wonderful to have another friend amongst the unspeakables."

Francis was consulting his pocketwatch, and had finished off his tea.
"Sorry, must get on, time doesn't wait for me either." He uttered quietly and reached to shake Jai's hand again. "Hope to see you at the weekend, but either way, good to meet you." He hopped down from the stool and left them be.

Theta watched him go with a look of momentary worry. They were working on a schedule, but normally there was time for talk or to see old friends. Still, he had just invited Jai to her father's party at the weekend, and Jai was Theta's friend after all, rather than his. She drew her stool a little closer - there was just time to catch up before anyone wondered if he was yet another intern to go missing...

End