How he would react to this, Maya wasn’t sure. As she gripped the parchment in her hand, she considered if he would laugh and throw it in the bin or if he would actually take her seriously. She considered if he would criticise her, telling her there was no chance, she wasn’t good enough. Would he have some biting comments or say that he was glad to finally be rid of her as an assistant?

Her mind flashed back to their discussion back in February when he’d outlined expectations and basically threatened her job. Since then, she’d stayed late and upped her game while still debating which direction she’d wanted to go in for her career. Being a personal assistant wasn’t enough. It was a stepping stone until she could make some real decisions.

Throughout her schooling, Maya had been so focused on becoming an auror. Her NEWTs had all been directed to that but at the end of sevenths year her priorities had switched. now, her priority had to be her little girl.

It was 5 o’clock in the evening when Maya finally stood from behind her desk outside Carstairs’ office with the parchment in her hand. She’d waited for half an hour after his last meeting before disturbing him. From her desk, she picked up a pile of parchment that they’d received over the past week. Applications to auror training or legal training were near their deadline date and Maya had finally plucked up the courage to add hers to the list. A quiet knock on the door signalled her intent and she waited before pushing the large wooden door open and stepping inside to push it shut behind her.

She had the pile of applications in her hand, the second one in the pile covered in her neat and cursive handwriting.

“The applications, Sir.” She walked towards his desk. “Head Auror Pratt’s checked the auror applications for your approval. He says he’s already culled a few.” She handed them over, trying to hide the nerves she suddenly resented. “Can I get you a drink, Sir?”

Solomon didn't look up as his personal assistant entered the room, his attention raptly focused on an investigation report for the end of the work week. It would be gratifying not to have a backlog of paperwork. He wanted to spend the weekend at home, as the children were visiting and Irene was still recovering from the last full moon. With the weather as good as it was they could even walk down the river Cam.

            "Can I get you a drink, Sir?"

"Tea," Sol finally looked up - turning thoughts away from softly running waters - and indicated she drop the stack of applications on his desk, "Darjeeling, if you'd please."

He put aside the report and drew his wand to deal with the applications; if Pratt had gone over them, then Solomon knew it wouldn't take long to quickly evaluate. He flicked his wrist lightly. The parchment forms drift into the air and began to slowly sort themselves out.

Legal training to his right and Aurors on his left, each form facing him with a little ID photograph staring back. Sol's gaze lingered a bit longer than usual on one particular form - Raine Almasy's application had made the cut. He'd need to have a word with her at some point, or perhaps Pratt might.

A glance at the other applications caused the wizard to laugh. A laugh of surprise. "Elliot!" he called out to Maya, who had left to fetch his tea. "This is a funny way of giving me your notice!"

Tea. Darjeeling tea with its floral aroma seemed like something Maya was set to spend her life making. It certainly felt like it when her boss rarely bothered to even look up and address her. A good assistant was expected to be basically invisible and to anticipate needs before they even arose. Maya was not content with being invisible and neither was she convinced in being a professional tea maid in a smart office.

"Elliot!" The hot water was boiling in the small pot with her wand pointed at it. Tealeaves had been arranged in a small strainer. Carstairs had found her application and she wasn’t certain if he meant her approach was funny, or if it was her ambition that amused him so.

She didn’t rush, anticipating a distaste for such. But when the hot water had been carefully poured into the pot, Maya returned through the door with the tea tray floating in front of her. It landed on his desk and she gave a shrug.

“It’s not my notice,” she pointed out. “That will come if I am actually accepted.”

By the time Elliot returned with his tea, Solomon had spread out some of the more interesting applications on his desk - with his assistant's in one corner as well. They were in for an interesting intake this summer; he was generally less concerned with applicants for legal training because they never came to much prominence until after their training. Like many former heads of this department, he had a soft spot for the Aurors.

But it did seem like a good place for Maya to begin her career. She was an average PA at best.

"I don't see why you wouldn't be," he smiled up at the young witch and gestured with his wand to pour himself a cup of tea, "Although that will be at the discretion of our department's attorneys."

The tea was good, Solomon sipping as he cast his attention back to the applications. "I suppose I'll have to start looking for a new assistant."

"I don't see why you wouldn't be," The grumpy emotionless Darjeeling tea drinker said something that one might possibly take as a compliment. It even came accompanied with a smile that didn’t have its habitual strained patronising hint to it. Having worked for Carstairs for several months now, Maya knew better than to presume a compliment. In reality, the smile was probably relief at being able to get rid of her from his immediate vicinity without having to resort to the measures of dismissal.

“My body’s still warm!” Maya quickly responded with a smirk. But, upon realisation that dead body jokes on Level 2 were probably quite inappropriate, she schooled her expression and folded her arms.

“You’ll need an advert. I can do that.” Without invite, Maya found herself sitting down in the chair opposite his desk and pulling a tiny notepad and quill from her skirt pocket. “It will need to be really good. Not exactly an enticing job offer, is it?” Without waiting for her boss’ response, Maya started to put quill to parchment.

            "It will need to be really good. Not exactly an enticing job offer, is it?"

"And yet here you are," Solomon drawled as he shook his head at his personal assistant and pinched one of the Auror applications to have a read. "I can make do with a temp until someone more permanent applies. Perhaps do that-" he glanced at her to indicate the notepad, "- at your own desk?"

He couldn't imagine anyone causing him as much grief as Maya, who seemed to believe that her personal problems were of Solomon's fault and interest. Surely there were witches or wizards who could do this job without whining about it every day? Whoever ended up training Maya, Merlin bless their poor souls. One hoped she would flourish with the attorneys. PA duties only seemed to have embittered the proud witch.

"Good luck with you application, by the way." Sol glanced up from an application, "I'll put in a good word for you."

If that's what it would take, he supposed, to get rid of Miranda's troublesome daughter.