"Yeah, I know, gave me the shivers too," Jonas assured the bespectacled sixth year boy cheerfully, attempting to surreptitiously add another fold to his paper airplane under the table.  "A bit of a blow even when we talk about it, innit?  Don't try and think on it when you go to bed tonight, you'll just regret it in the morning."

For all the talk of punishment-fitting-the-crime and ominous comments about the inanity of the Hogwarts Career Fair, the day really hadn't been all that bad so far.  The two masterminds of Operation Over-The-Hill-And-Into-The-Stone-Age had already been at it in the Great Hall for several hours, and Jonas had yet to run out of crime drama episode plots to refer to in conversation.  As far as the red-headed Auror was concerned,  he could keep at this for hours and launch right into planning a fiftieth birthday party for Archer Radley as soon as he was back in the office on Monday.

"But it all worked out for the best -- turned out that Auror Eleor was throwing out all his novel drafts in his trash bin, and the bloke was just fishing 'em all out," he concluded brightly, flashing the kid a crooked grin.  "All felt like gits once we finally figured that one out.  Seemed so obvious in retrospect.  But who knew, eh?  At least it all worked in the end!"

He'd been happily chatting to the same student for at least the past fifteen minutes.  It was, at least in Jonas's mind, character building -- if the kid couldn't get up the guts to walk away from the conversation instead of quietly and uncomfortably suffering as he tried to figure out a polite way to excuse himself, he was never going to cut it as an Auror. 

"But yeah, like I was saying, I wouldn't worry so much about your exam scores," he told the boy reassuringly, returning his attention back to the paper airplane he'd been industriously folding under the table as he had been recounting the entire fourth season of NCIS.  "I mean, take Auror Pratt," he added, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at his fellow sufferer-in-crime.  The blond Auror was deep in conversation with a group of giggling fourth-year girls, as he had been for nearly all of the morning.  "Nearly flubbed out of his OWLs, he did, and we've got this big brute working with us -- Auror Radley, big old bloke, just turned fifty, you might've seen it in the papers -- who didn't collect a single NEWT."

Jonas folded the final crease into the wing, and then stole a glance at the Level Five table across the room.  Dreogan was deeply and earnestly talking to a pair of students who looked even nerdier than his own victim, but some of the other IMC representations were possibly facing in his direction.  Sighing, he set the paper airplane down on his lap.  He'd have to wait for a more discreet moment. 

The sixth year, apparently sensing his distraction, had started to edge away again with a desperate-looking expression.  Jonas flashed him a friendly smile, freezing the kid in place. 

"Of course, we all know exams are important, but Head Auror Raynor values personal qualities even more than book smarts.  You know," he confided conspiratorially, giving the kid a crooked grin, "you really want to get into the Corps, the best thing you can do is show her that you never quit.  Start by sending her a letter a day, and don't let up until you graduate!  Hell, if you really want it, you should get your parents to send her letters, too!" he concluded cheerfully.  "Values family involvement, she does!  Only they have to send a lot of them, or they might get lost in her inbox."

Erik had been been going from booth to booth, doing his usual routine, asking absurd and nearly irrelevant questions while simultaneously trying to figure out which booth he liked the best. But when he arrived at the MLE booth, there wasn't a moment's notice of a break from this red-headed auror, going on and on and on and on.

The 1st year Gryffindor had to lay his chin on the table with a dazed and bored expression, his eyes darting back and forth between the auror, the sixth year, and that blonde guy.

Sighing, he wasn't sure if his attention span could hold out any longer, but then the mention of Archer Radley came up, and that article. Erik's eyes grew inside as his eyebrows raised and his chin lifted from the table until he was sitting upright again.

"Does she like pink?" he voiced hitched suspiciously as he looked at the auror, "Why not send her colored letters? Talking--Loud ones-- no singing ones," the 1st year held his poker face as best he could, before his lips curled up into a deviously satisfied smile and he quickly turned to face the sixth year, "yeah?"

The red-headed Auror had gotten so used to the sound of his own voice that hearing someone else cut in threw him out of his monologue.  He blinked, frowning for a moment before squinting down at the boy who had interrupted him.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed cheerfully.  He couldn't quite place the kid -- he looked to be about Gwenna's age, if a year or two older -- but he seemed vaguely familiar.  Maybe the son of someone he'd gone to school with?  Jonas wasn't quite sure, but he plowed on undaunted, regardless. 

"Reckon a singing card'd be a grand idea," he assured the boy enthusiastically, the paper airplane forgotten in his lap with the opportunity for a new distraction.  "Or even a Howler.  The trick is to stand out, really.  Constant vigilance -- that's really old news when it comes to the Auror Corps.  Head Auror Raynor cares a lot more about dogged persistence, so the best you can do is send 'em over and over again."

The sixth year had mumbled something about 'doing what he could,' and then seized the opportunity and taken off for the apparently much safer RCMC booth like a shot.  Jonas didn't bother to watch him go; he'd already turned his attention on the younger boy, who at least was offering ideas with the potential to vastly irritate his new boss.

"And don't worry if she threatens you or orders you to stop -- that's just her way of testing you," he added cheerfully, jerking a thumb towards Pratt again.  The northern Auror had become the example of the morning whenever Jonas had an anecdote to convey; so far, he had been the victim of at least seven kidnappings and had been targeted by two different serial killers, as well as completely failing out of Hogwarts while also overcoming the unfortunate circumstances of his birth into both a well-to-do pureblooded and a penniless Muggleborn family.  (Luckily, the interested female students were mobbing the blond Auror so incessantly that Jonas doubted he had even noticed.)

"Auror Pratt over there had to camp outside her office for a week after graduation before Raynor'd take him in."  He cracked a grin, giving Erik a measuring look from head to toe.  "You start sending her letters now, you can get a jump on all that, mate.  Keep your options open, yeah?"

Josh was in fact present, but had not spoken up on account of the fact that he was currently laughing his head off. "Auror Trevalyn" Josh gasped out while still trying to get his laughter under control, "Are you aware that you have already claimed Auror Pratt was boith from a Muggle-born fmaily as well as a well-heeled pureblood one?" he said, finally getting his laughter under control. "And I very much doubt the Head Auror would appreciate harrassment from an applicant." Josh added.

Winifred had only wanted to visited the auror booth to see if her Uncle Archer was there. She didn't really want to be an auror. Winnie had a strong inclination that magical failures weren't really accepted into the auror corps- and as she lurked near the booth she couldn't help but crack a smile whenever this Travelingman fellow said exams didn't matter. And then he claimed that her uncle hadn't gotten a single NEWT! Her Uncle Archer had never told her all of that! He'd always painted himself to be so studious and intelligent. Perhaps he'd learned all of his skill with the aurors and not at Hogwarts?

Winnie bounced a little, grinning at Auror Travelingman. "MY UNCLE ARCHER DOESN'T HAVE HIS NEWTS?" she questioned loudly. Because naturally if an adult said it- then it was true. Aurors didn't lie. They weren't Allowed To Lie. Were they?

"Well that's very exciting! He always told me that he worked hard in school and fusses at me for getting distracted and not always getting very good marks," she said to Jonas- completely ignoring the other students in her excitement. "I shall have to send him an owl and let him know that his secret is out! So if exam scores don't matter, does that mean that anyone can become an auror then?" Winnie asked.

"I should very much like to be an auror." It did sound exciting, but she had always thought her magic wasn't good enough. But it also sounded dangerous- and Winnie wouldn't want to put her life in danger for others. She was a little selfish that way. "But I am very bad at magic," she continued. "So I thought that I could never be one! Do you think I should write to Auror Raynor, too?" she asked. "Do you think since she's going to marry my Uncle Archer I could call her Auntie Tamis? Aunt Leola says that they must get married because all any of her children and relations want to do is send her to an early grave and make her miserable. She says that my Uncle Archer is especially keen on this idea because he wants to marry a barren old witch who can't even give her grandchildren!" Because naturally Winifred did not have a filter, and had no idea what was or was not proper conversation. If Aunt Leola had said it, then naturally it was quite alright to talk about.

“Well he were right enormous ye see. Bigger than a troll on growth potion. Came towards me, wand in his hand pointed right at me head, like.” Eddie quietly retold a tale, sat on the edge of his display table as several eager and extremely interested girls came in closer to hear the handsome auror speak. “Weren’t really sure what to do were I? Me wand were in the bottom of the lake and I’ve been tied to this tree with a bindin’ spell. Situation seems as impossible as a ginger beater hittin’ summit. But I don’t wanna give up, right...”

The young girls were hanging on Ed’s every word. He wasn’t sure if it was because they wanted to know what happened next or they were trying to understand the thick accent. He decided to go with the latter and carried on with his tale until a girl from Jonas’ fan club shouted something about an ‘uncle Archer’ and Ed twisted his head around, a grin playing on his lips. This whole career day punishment, despite him now having wanted to come in the first place, was providing a welcome distraction for reality and he was damn well going to make the most of that.

“Yer uncle Archer didn’t know what a NEWT was until his fortieth birthday, love.” The auror grinned at the girl before twisting his head back to the young lasses still watching him intently.

“Where was I, girls? Ah yeah, ginger. So I were starin around tryin’ to find something to help me. Auror Trevelyan there,” The blond auror gestured to his ginger colleague with his thumb before continuing. “He was bound as well but lyin’ on the floor weren’t he. In nothing more than a pair of Slither girl y-fronts and blubbing like a baby. Some people really aren’t cut out for the aurors. But while he were crying, I were thinkin’.”

Ed paused and leaned back comfortably, eyes scanning between each young girl. “Well I’ll tell the rest of the story later. I’m here to recruit ladies.” He’d tell the rest of the story once he’d thought of it. “If you are really interested in becoming an auror, yer best to start the application process early. Ye need to get Head Auror Raynor’s attention good and proper. And what better way than to send her a howler a day insisting just how devoted ye are to the corps. She loves devotion. Thrives off it, ladies.”

Josh rolled his eyes at Winnie. "Winnie, these two are knonw as the pranksters of the Auror office according to Dad Take anyhting they say with a grain of salt. There are two Aurors I know of who didn't have NEWTs when they joined the Corps. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley[1], your uncle got the job based on his NEWTS like anyone else. Also, Auror Pratt, when my father told me that story, he said that you were both found tied up crying, and unless I'm very much mistaken, he said you were not only crying your eyes out, but had lost control of your bladder as well. Not to mention, it was my parents that found you and Auror Trevalyn[2]." Josh said with a wicked smile. He did hope that Winnie had the common sense not to follow Auror pratt's suggestion though. However, it was Winnie, so he might need to let his father know so a little damage control could be done.

1.	IIRC, JKR said somewhere that the whole DA was offered the chance, so this could be wrong, obviously
2.	Obviously, at this point, Josh is talking a load of bull. Just getting int the spirit.

The auror quickly encouraged Erik more, the short first year couldn't imagine just why someone would ever do that, but his brain was too busy at work with what to write to Auror Raynor, and who all could help him, songs he could make up--he was getting excited now.

"Camping?!" he pushed himself up on the table into bouncing excitement new and better ideas flooded his head,  "I want to camp out on Level 2!"

Then the ever-vigilant prefect, Harcroft interrupted, and Erik turned his head to face him, "Do you know her, Joshua?" he slid back into his seat, palms folded, and lowered his voice into a more calmy and slyly know-it-all manner. He was very much enjoying the ability to have plausible deniability to the Tamis Raynor if he actually got in trouble for anything he intended to send her, "And maybe Auror Pratt was..." Erik paused as he made a contemplative face as to what could explain someone having two families, "adopted." Then Erik jumped on in his seat at the loud noise: Was it Dahlia? Storm? Snark? or even worse, Levartian?

• "MY UNCLE ARCHER DOESN'T HAVE HIS NEWTS?"

Eyes wide and suspicious Erik looked at the loud Hufflepuff, but then relief washed over his face as a smiled crawled back on it. Erik happily looked from Acher Radley's niece, to Auror Pratt, and then calmly back to Harcroft again.

"Sounds like you're the prankster here Mr. Harcroft," he gave a small preening smile with a cocky raise of his eyebrows, "Don't story to Auror Radley's niece, it isn't nice," He was glad Dahlia wasn't there right then, or he'd lost this game of BS a while ago, "They are here to recruit us to be aurors, why would they lie?"

"Yeah, Harcroft, but Potter and Weasley also melted Voldemort's face off," Dax piped up, from his lounging pose near the middle. "You don't need NEWTs if you've done that, you just write 'I killed Volemort' on your application and they let you in." Dion wasn't here yet; he was going to milk this chance as much as he could.

He smirked at Erik. "They'd lie, all job offers do - why do you think even dead end jobs offer 'opportunity for advancement'?" he said. "Betcha the recruits sped half their time doing these guys's paperwork and...wait a tic," He looked to the Aurors with deadly seriousness. "You keep talkin' about Raynor; I've seen her - short, angry, no tits? You'd better have some beauties in your ranks, guys, I'm not puttin' on a dress and faking it to make up for it."

The crowd around the booth was quickly growing, even with his prior victim's departure, and Jonas was completely in his element.  There was no way on the planet that this was the punishment that Tamis had intended it to be.  As far as he was concerned, aside from the fact that being at Hogwarts meant his cellular phone wouldn't work (the paper airplane on his lap was a poor substitute as a boredom-killing distraction), he'd work career fairs any day.

"Your dad really said that?" he asked Joshua, sounding delighted.  Jonas was vaguely aware that several of his new colleagues had children at Hogwarts, but he had no idea who the Gryffindor boy was or who his father might be.  Even so, the fact that he was already being identified as a 'prankster of the Auror Office' was a sign of inclusion and acceptance that he hadn't expected. 

He beamed back at the Gryffindor prefect, leaning back easily in the chair as he stretched his legs out under the table. 

"Yeah, like he said," he agreed cheerfully, jerking a thumb at Erik.  The youngest of the present students was clearly a sharp one; give him a few years, and Jonas would be more than happy to seriously recruit him.  "And I probably shouldn't be telling you lot this, but most of the talk about NEWTs is just to cow you into staying in school.  Don't matter that much in the long run; we make exceptions all the time."

The young Hufflepuff girl's energy was contagious.  Jonas flashed her a bright smile, his expression growing more and more delighted as he listened to her words.  "Yeah, of course you should write her!" he replied brightly.  "If you're Radley's niece, then that makes you family, doesn't it?  Bet she'd take you up in a second!  You should ask her about the summer training program she's starting up," he added encouragingly.  "She was telling us about it herself just this morning.  Meets every Saturday, gives all interested students a taste of life in the Auror Corps, and she's so excited about it, she said she's running it herself!"

In the back of his mind, Jonas was vaguely aware that even though all of this seemed like a good idea at the moment, it was likely to bite him in the arse somewhere down the line.  Even so, he relaxed back in his chair, watching the exchange between the various students as they debated the veracity of the Auror Corps' NEWT requirements.  (And some Ron Weasley had joined the Auror Corps?  Wasn't that the bumbling kid who'd once been one of Potter's friends?  He didn't believe it.)

"Yeah don't worry, mate," he assured the big blond student cheerfully.  "Got plenty of lookers, just ask Auror Pratt.  He's gone out with most of 'em.  In fact," he added with an enormous grin, "you lot should meet Auror Eleor.  Brings the house down just by walking into a room, he does.  Dark brown soulful eyes and a gifted novelist to boot!"

"What, 'teeming with masculine energy and the charm of a mysterious foreigner', Adon?" Dax asked, with a smirk wide enough to take the top of his head off. "I just figured that was woman-speak for 'nice bum, pity about the personality - some nice kindness and mothering will transform him into the man you actually wanted'."

His legs, which he'd draped over the empty chair in front of him, kicked idly. "Forgiving my opinion, sir, but I haven't exactly seen any Auror lookers that aren't cold fish or old enough to be my mother or both, except that one with the afro, forget her name. So either Auror Pratt is lying to make 'imself feel better about rejection - no worries, mate, we all do that - or he's a genius with alcohol 'n sweet nothings. In which case, may I offer myself for apprenticeship?"

"Erik, Head Auror Raynor has to run the Auror Office, and I believe that is on top of the normal duties of an Auror as well. Logic would ditate that she would not appreciate things like Howlers from wannabe applicants.Fayette, that was my exact point. The only people who were let into the Auror corps with no NEWTS arguably could have aced the NEWTS if they actually took them.[1] Also, Auror Trevelayn? My father wasn't complimenting you. As you'd probably realise if I told you he is Senior Auror Samuel Harcroft. Auror Laura Harcroft's my mum[2], you might know her too. She's one of the female Aurors I know for a fact that Auror Pratt hasn't managed to get into bed." Josh said, smirking slightly. He knew his father wasn't one of the more popular Aurors, though he was generally tolerated. He was getting fairly irritated about how much crap advice was being given out, and was getting worried that Winnie would take some of it literally.

1.	yes, I know that in reality I doubt either Harry or Ron would ace their NEWTS, but Josh doesnlt nessecarily know that
2.	NPC,mainly as I have no interest in playing a female character. I'd be willing to let someone else play her, but have some fairly strict conditions.

How exactly did she end up at the Auror Corps Booth she didn't quite know. Perhaps casual interest? Or even pure chance? Reggie had been walking around the Career Fair with no real goal in mind other than to maybe find a familiar face amongst the crowd. Where was Beatrix? Or Fig for that matter? Those two served as the closest thing that could be called friends. Either way they were seemingly nowhere to be found, leaving her feeling a bit frustrated -- and really bloody bored. Finally she figured that being at a Career Fair meant she was obligated to at least visit some of the kind folks who had come all this way for this event, even if she wasn't one hundred percent sure anything they had to offer would appeal to her.

To make a long story short, she sort of stopped walking out of the blue, turned on a whim, and found herself facing where the Auror Corps' set up shop for the day. The group of students present were a mixed bag for sure, the only one she even remotely recognized being Dax Fayette. Ugh. If he was going to become an Auror then something was very, very wrong. She recalled the conversation she shared with his twin brother Dion in the library -- a conversation that had at first started out a bit hostile over an Astronomy text he wanted that she didn't want to readily give up. Though somehow that tense situation defused itself and gave way to more docile words being exchanged.

Moving closer she folded her arms and turned her eyes to the adults running the booth itself. Aurors. They were the ones who battled dark wizards on a daily basis. Or so they'd have you believe. Reggie theorized that there had to be slow periods where they just sat around throwing darts at wanted posters of the criminals they had yet to catch. Action, action, and more action twenty-four-seven just seemed too unrealistic to her. And she dared them to prove her wrong.

Staying quiet, she chose to only listen for the moment, having no intention to start tossing out questions right away.

Ignan Storm was moving from one booth to the next quietly, listening in, watching and lurking. He had to tolerate a week of 'careers advice' to students assigned to him following this. Considering most of the fifth years thought being an auror was a superb career, he figured he'd have to update his knowledge. It had been several decades since he'd been the type defending the population.

There was a considerable crowd around the MLE tent, which wasn't too surprising, the stories those men could tell. Harcroft in the middle of it, why didn't that surprise him, Oliver too, that did, but somewhere in the back of his head he recalled her mentioning family employed in the MLE. Pepper wasn't skulking round with her.

Stood in front of him however was Grayson, who was silent.

"As much as I advise keeping one's ears open - aurors have a tendency to exaggerate and go off topic." He told the student quietly, stood just behind her, and smirked, glancing from Regina to red headed auror Trevelyan, who he'd been finding out a little about lately since he'd been at Hogwarts to visit Tapendra.

Hmm? Regina turned around to see Professor Storm right behind her. His words hadn't gone unheard, causing a small grin to work its way onto her face. Finally, someone who spoke the obvious truth. She really couldn't believe how much everyone seemed to be eating this stuff up. How could they be so blind? She half-turned to face the Professor, nodding in agreement. She'd always found his classes to be the most interesting -- next to Charms of course. The amount of practical application they got to partake in was extremely invigorating.

"I'm glad you think so too, sir." She said back quietly, jutting her thumb over her shoulder to the tall-tale telling Aurors. "I mean, I know there's likely some truth in there... Somewhere." She didn't doubt they'd seen their fair share of wild and crazy things. Regular muggle criminals were already something. But wizarding criminals with wands and a multitude of curses and hexes at their disposal? Nasty. Very nasty.

"I have to say I think spending a day in their shoes would be a good learning experience, though..."