June 26, 2009

The meeting had been originally intended to be between Hogwarts Headmistress Analiza Snark and the Department Head, but with Analiza abroad and difficult to contact, Chair of the Hogwarts School Governors Perspolis Zephyr would be sitting down with Madam Gabrielle Murray-Harker to discuss the pile of red tape concerning the TetraWizard Tournament.

Gabrielle, a blond witch who was aging beautifully, was there to greet Persepolis as she came sweeping up the corridor, her voluninous blue robes flowing around her. Persepolis was smiling broadly, her eyes warm and her palms open in greeting.  The two witches had always been warm, and usually greeted each other as friends.

"Gabrielle!" Persepolis chirruped as she came close, to embrace and kiss her long-time friend on both cheeks.  "Too long! Too long!"

Surely, another school governor, or the young Deputy Head O Morain could have come to the office in Snark's stead, but Persepolis wasn't entirely motivated by the errand, or seeing an old friend.  Now that she was running for Minister of Magic, every moment to walk through the halls of the Ministry, and to rub shoulders with Department Heads was an important moment not to be wasted.  The waters of acclimation were difficult to raise, and the first step was exposure.  Just being seen, smiling and conducting business was the first step to a very heavy crown.

"You look fit! What potions are you taking?"

Gabrielle was reviewing the latest candidates for the department - after all, the mixer had given a few insights to who would have potential. Her eyes hadn't seen Adelia Delacroix's name come across but an Amherst instead. Wasn't that her boyfriend, she wondered, the one that Johann had been told by the girl and Gabrielle had overheard? Shaking her head before going cross eyed, Gabie put the applications down and stood up, heading to her office door. Her name being immediately stated caught her off guard for a moment as the blue blur that was Persepolis embraced and kissed her. Gabrielle blinked twice before grinning as she soon remembered that the woman was coming in today.

"Me? Fit? You're flattering an aging woman, but I'll admit that going from Austria to Australia, Romania to Rome, Jordan to Jamaica and back here to home may have played a factor in that," she responded pleasantly while surveying Persepolis. "Besides, Murray women always aged well. My mother undoubtedly would have looked remarkable at ninety, had she lived, poor thing. Naturally, you say I look fit today, but after tomorrow's birthday may change that opinion as well."

Gabrielle laughed at that last bit. "Come on in, Perse. Just let me clean up these applications first."

Persepolis let Gabrielle bat away her compliments and followed her into her stately office.  The Head of such an important Department required just as much.  Persepolis's own ambitions came with a very posh office as well, but then, she'd only set foot in there less than a dozen times.  Perhaps soon enough, she'd be able to see Gabrielle daily...!

Not really in the mood to sit, she had far too much vigor.  Even as she stood apparently still, some draft or energy seemed to move her robes around her.   She clasped her hands together over her breast and kept on with her bright smile.  Persepolis frequently wore this smile, this true genuine one.  Confident in herself, hopeful, ambitious.  In a way it instilled a confidence in her subjects too, such that they might not be able to deny her favors, that her bursting charisma might influence them to be her ally.  A silver tongue she had, and a golden smile.

"Take your time, Gabrielle, take your time! Even as we speak, fellow Governors are assisting Madam Snark in vetting this years' new Hogwarts staff.  To do it right, you've got to be diligent.  Only the best, I'm sure, for your Department."

Making no move to push the meeting's agenda until Madam Murray-Harker was ready, Persepolis was quite happy to make herself comfortable in congenial small talk. 

Gabrielle laughed at the concept of taking one's time. "Time? I have no grasp of controlling time - it evades me like the Brasov plague of '66. It will bow to masters like Francis Pepper, not me," she remarked with an air of amused & general smartassery.

Something she had picked up from her father & those moments around Ignan.

The clutter was now packed neatly around the room and the tea kettle was whistling quietly; Gabrielle approached the kettle, pulling it away from the small fireplace and placing it on the table next to it. "Do you still take it with one sugar and lemon? Or have your preferences changed since then?" she quipped, her eyes looking back over to Persepolis with a grin.

"You've got me a to a T," Persepolis joked in kind, quiet happy to take her tea both sweet and sour.  She liked the things people's tea said about them - she felt well represented by her tea, in fact.  Sweet, but sharp.

With the kettle ready, Persepolis decided the time for sitting and getting down to business was growing near, and she settled herself and her many robes into a chair across the desk and made ready to receive cup and saucer.

"Thank you, thank you," she chirruped, taking the warm vessels into her waiting hands.  Didn't matter if it was summer - the subterranean Ministry of Magic always welcomed a steam of tea to whisk away that little chill.

"I should further thank you and your people for so deftly, swiftly, paving the way for our visitors this summer," she said, and she could only be referring to the nearly fifty students coming from abroad for the tournament.  "I can't imagine the paperwork is simple.  All those wands to register, the language barriers, the parental consent forms, the back-and-forth with Hogwarts, the Governors, and what with Analiza Snark being so difficult to get a hold of...! I just must thank you from the bottom of my heart."

She placed her hand over her heart and made a sympathetic furrow of her brow.  Paperwork could be dreadful with so much distance between all parties involved, and all the different organizational structures going on in countries abroad.

"But I'm afraid I'm coming to you with a good news bad news situation.  Things aren't as simple as we'd previously planned!"

"I'll be sure to pass along the kind words of gratitude amongst the office but we are very proud of what this department does. Even when the pandemonium begins again here soon," Gabrielle responded with a warm smile and nod before taking her own seat.

Then, as always, the good news versus bad news occurrence arose, causing Gabrielle's smile to falter slightly and in its place were pressed lips pushed against one another. "I suppose that is a challenge well wortth rising to, Persephone. What is it that the IMC can do to remedy such issues to avoid scandal as well as potential gossip that could ruin our good nation's image?" Gabie inquired as the teacup rose to her lips for a drink.

Let the problem be exposed - challenges were something the woman was well accustomed to.

"Oh nothing like that!" Persepolis waved off Gabrielle's stalwart offer to smooth over wrinkles and ridges, to avoid a scandal in the best way she knew how - and Persepolis knew Gabrielle had more clout behind her than what some might expect from such a kind-faced old witch. 

"It really is all good news.   We've decided to do something rather mad - we're turning the Tetra Wizard Tournament into something more than just an contest of sport and wandwork.  In the space of a week the entire ordeal has been transformed into a multi-cultural scholastic symposium!" 

Persepolis still hadn't settled on good language of just what to call this new take on the old tradition.  She'd have to settle on something soon though.  Her next stop was the Daily Prophet...

"Instead of just a handful of champions hopeful and the Headmasters, we've invited all of their senior-most students and whatever cadre of professors they can spare.  We're putting the students into classes together, expanding the years course offerings, and well -" she cut herself off, as she'd been surging forward with this devlish ambitious twinkle in her eye.

"Well, we're doubling the visitor's numbers,  Gabrielle.  And we have less than a month to do it.  They're due to arrive the first of August.  I've yet to get confirmation from the schools - Madam Snark's been a hard witch to track down of late, as you can expect, globe-trotting as she is - but whatever you can do to make the process as smooth as melted butter...?"

She made that same hand-over-heart gesture, and inclined her head.  "I'll be in your debt."

Deep down below somewhere, Gabrielle was sobbing. One bloody month to bring four schools together under one roof and with that, a challenge of internationally binding them together. That would mean a great deal of letter writing and visitation before the first of August. All these thoughts ran through her mind while drinking her tea, eventually causing the teacup to return to the saucer.

"You realise if we achieve this, we'll make the Fudge era look like they were incompent and foolish. This is no easy task, Perse, what you are asking of my department. Then again, it is a challenge fitting of them and we do like a good challenge. As for debts, I imagine you would be, love, but it'll no doubt boost an approval towards the job you are looking for."

Gabrielle grinned in an almost cheshire smile as she let out a laugh that was amused with a small layer of sheer terror. "Consider your proposal met, Persepolis. Our department with yours should be able to remedy the situation. I'll get Storm on Durmstrang definitely; as for the others, they'll be aptly tested in their respective areas. Now. What else seems to be on your mind?"

"You harpy!" Persepolis gasped with feigned, animated indignation, at the hint any of this Tournament business was in any way a part of her efforts to take Minister of Magic away from Annwyl.  But Gabrielle could always read her, no matter how coy or silver-tongued she could be.  Thank Merlin they were like sisters...!  Naturally, Gabrielle would forgive her every sin committed in pursuit of the political - Gabrielle was head of a very political department and was no cupcake herself.  If there was anyone in the world who knew exactly what Persepolis (and well, Annwyl) was going through, it was Gabrielle Murray. 

"I'll have to keep you close, no matter what you'll eventually ask me in return," she went on, happy to take her time now that she was here, now that Gabrielle had made her assurances that this all would happen. 

"We might need all the help we can get," she said, "just between you and me, I'm rather annoyed that Snark's been so light on the owls.  I'm sure she's handling it, even from Egypt, but I think that sending Ignan Storm would be a great idea.  Did you know his father was Headmaster of Durmstrang?  Grim fellow, but I've seen the Defense scores from this years N.E.W.T.s - they are outstanding! Any momentum Theobald Mainwaring began, Storm just pushed it even further.  There are complaints, yes - but there are always complaints, aren't there -"

She was rambling, happy to unload, delighted just to be sitting here with an old friend discussing the most fascinating business in the world - running the whole Wizarding World, or that's what it seemed like.  You couldn't be closer to the action than this, and Persepolis loved it. 

Persepolis waggled her index finger in the air as she shook her head, "I'll tell you what, Gabrielle, I feel very good about this.  In my tea this morning was a very clear shamrock.  Clear as day as if I painted it on myself.  It's a good sign.  Who knows if we'll be champions, but after all this is over we'll all be winners I'm sure of it."

Suddenly she interrupted herself with a burst of laughter.  "I mean about the Tournament! Who the bloody hell knows about me and the Minister!  I'll be staring at my tea for ages just for a hint!"

"A harpy? ME? Surely you mistake me..." Gabrielle remarked, grinning ear to ear as she looked at her co-worker. "I have never once in my life been a harpy." A hand rose, showing crossed fingers with a wink.

"As for keeping me close, understandable, but my repayment is that you remember me. Lord knows I don't need a job advancement - even if the paycheck is a bit better. Truly, I'm quite okay, Perse." Then came the discusson of who to distribute work with. Ignan. Hm. She had meant Johann, buuuut... "Ich bin ein Sturm....er, Storm."

A sharklike grin. "The Storms are cousins and uncle. Therefore, yes, Ignan and Johann would work very well on the case." This truly would be an interesting tournament indeed. "Now, now, don't look too heavy into it, you. We need you, not in the clouds~"

Persepolis ignored Gabrielle's urge to pay no heed to the signs witches and wizards had been reading for centuries.  There were some people who were just to grounded in what they could see and paid no mind to Divination.  Why, it was as real as Charms or Herbology! She might have looked a bit ruffled about it, but she pressed on with the other topic at hand.

"You never told me you were related to Storm!" she said, clearly caught by surprise.  "Well, you'll talk to him then! Marvelous.  And when you do make sure you give him my regards.  I had my doubts about him, but the test scores speak for themselves.  Both his O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s were excellent.  Gives me very high hopes for our students in the Tournament."

"I can't imagine what your family reunions must be like.  I remember some owls about a gruesome slide show for the fifth years including organ deforming curses...!"

"His mother and mine were sisters. Naturally one would assume he's more of a grandfather or uncle elder compared to cousin, but yes. Ignan is blood, no matter how one looks at it," Gabrielle explained simply before chuckling. Durmstrang stock, as her grandfather Alan had always warned, had the knack for the macabre and gruesome.

Sometimes, she felt, a bit more gruesome than truly necessary.

"Full on family reunions for Storms and Murrays, Dragulias too, ceased the week after I graduated. I know if Merik were to gaze at me..." Gabrielle shook her head, not wishing to divulge that bit of information, so she immediately went to clear her throat.

"I'll speak with Ignan and put Johann to work. Don't think much of what I said about those leaves, love. Maybe that shamrock will guarantee a secured future for us both." Gabrielle grinned soon enough.

"Look at us....we're like schoolgirls all over again. You and me, Zora too, along with the boys in the likes of Francis Pepper..." Ooh, perhaps a name she should not have said. Grabbing the teapot, Gabrielle began to pour new cups for them both, a rose tinted blush rising to her cheeks.

Persepolis didn't hide her slightly wary feelings about Gabrielle's family habits.  For all of her public face, Durmstrang Institute was a very strange hold-over of a culture that should have died out long ago - it was so stoic in the face of so many delightful things in the world.  Yes, there was a place for people like the Storms and Dragulia.  But it wasn't so alluring a thought to Persepolis.  Gabrielle seemed more than tolerant however, which was good.  She would ulimately be responsible for dealing with them, through her named proxies.

"Hush about Francis Pepper!" she scolded, still having business on the mind and not feeling ready to relive old school days.

"You'll forgive me, but I do want to be sure," she said to Gabrielle's back.  She referenced a file in her hands.  "But wands will be pre-registered, correct?  And all students under 17 are under the Trace?  And we're still gathering the home contact information and parental consent forms?  That's all been set in stone?"