If We Ever Leave a Legacy

If anyone had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my younger-self would answer with out pause that I wanted to work with magical creatures. Maybe I would work with dragons at the colony in Romania. Or, maybe I would work as part of the werewolf capture unit. No matter where I ended up, I of course, saw myself doing something full of excitement, I mean how could any job in magizoology be boring? I now cringe at my past ignorance.

I do, in fact, now work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic. Imagine my excitement when, after my graduation from Hogwarts, I received an owl informing me of my acceptance into the Department. Now, imagine my extreme disappointment upon realizing that I had been assigned to the Pest Sub-Division. Want a sure-fire way to crush even the most hopeful person's dreams? Make him clean out bundimun infestation. Which, unfortunately is where you find me now, crammed under the floorboards of a house, surrounded by bundimun.

"Kid. Hey Kid! There's a whole group of 'em over here!" I craned my neck over my shoulder at the sound of my partner's voice.

"There are more over here," I replied, aiming a Scouring charm at the eyes of the moving green fungus that clung to the bottom of the floorboards.

"I got 'em but good," he snickered, crawling over to where I was sitting back on my haunches.

Barbatus Fefello has worked in the Pest Sub-Division since he left school that was 57 years ago. He was wiry, but walked with a sense of strength, like he had been taller and more muscular in his youth. He had a frizzled gray beard that hung down just long enough to touch his chest, and the remaining hair on his head was grayed as well, and stuck out in messy patches. His eyes were surrounded by a mass of wrinkles that were a direct result from the constant smile that always laid upon his face.

"Huh, good job kid," he grinned, the large spaces in-between his teeth seeming to be more numerous in the dim light. "Couldn't 'a done better meself," he laughed, the raspy sound reminding me of sandpaper being rubbed together.

"They're just bundimun," I replied, shrugging my shoulders slightly, scrunching up my nose as a rather powerful whiff of their decaying stench wafted past.

"Now don't go sellin' yourself short Kid," he insisted, making his way towards the edge of the house, and the outdoors. "Not too many people could do what we do."

I frowned, following close behind him, tucking my wand carefully into my belt. "Not too many people would want to do what we do Barbatus," I called after him.

He replied with another burst of his raspy laughter. "It may not be glamorous Kid, but somebody has to do it," he crawled out from under the house, rolling his shoulders back and stretching his arms towards the sky; old joints cracking and popping as he did so.

I stood beside him, attempting to brush some of the dirt off the front of my shirt. We wore muggle-type clothes most of the time when on assignment. It's a lot easier to go crawling around after pests with out getting your robes caught on everything.

"Did you get them? Is they all gone?" A rather scruffy little witch asked shrilly, wringing her hands in the folds of her apron.

"Yes ma'am we sure did," Barbatus said proudly, puffing out his thin chest slightly and absently smoothing his long gray beard. "You don't have to worry about those creatures no more, we took care of it," he grinned his nearly toothless grin, pale blue eyes sparkling.

"Oh thank you!" the witch exclaimed happily, her shrill voice reaching an even higher octave. "I thought them creatures were gonna make me house come crashin' on down on me and my family," she shook our hands graciously. "You boys hungry? I'se got dinner ready soon, you could join us."

Barbatus shook his head slightly, grinning down at her. "That's very nice of ya ma'am, but we really must be going, other houses to save and all."

She blushed, running a hand over her frizzy hair. "Oh yes, 'o course, how silly 'a me," she smiled, shaking our hands again. "Well thank ya again boys, don't know what I woulda done with out ya," she waved after us, before scurrying quickly up the stone steps into her house.

"Now wasn't she just the nicest thing," Barbatus said happily as he climbed into the drivers seat of our van; which he proudly calls the Pest-Mobile.

"I guess," I muttered, climbing into the passenger seat, and closing the heavy metal door behind me.

He sighed, starting up the engine. "Why you in such a foul mood Naupilus?" He asked sternly, pulling the van off the ground and into the air. "You've been makin' a sour face all morning," he concentrated on the sky before us, but I knew he was staring at me out of the corner of his eye.

I shrugged slightly, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. "Dunno," I muttered, glancing out the window at the clouds below.

He sighed again. "I know this ain't your dream job Naupilus, but just give it a chance huh? You may start to like it, it'll kinda grow on ya; trust me, I've been there," he insisted, steering precisely down onto the driveway that led into our office.

He roughly pushed open his door and slid out onto the ground, closing it behind him. I sighed quietly, watching him walk into the building. He was right of course, I should at least give this place a chance, and besides, just because I'm here now doesn't mean I have to stay here. Who knows, if I do well here, maybe I'll get promoted to a higher-level department; this is just a starting off point. I have my whole life ahead of me.

Our office is fairly large for being a sub-division, but it has to be, considering the amount of work that falls under our jurisdiction. The large room that makes up the first floor is a sprawling maze of small offices and chair framed waiting rooms. Frazzled looking ministry workers sat behind large wooden desks, piled high with letters, and a continuous stream of owls dropping more into their IN boxes.

I walked quickly past the secretaries and through a crowded waiting room, where the gathered witches and wizards sat quietly until it was their turn to see who ever they had come to see. Most of them looked particularly annoyed for one reason or another, so I avoided eye contact and headed straight for the small office that I shared with Barbatus.

"...Oh honestly Peg, a couple of bundimun are no cause for concern," I walked into the office, quietly closing the door behind me when I realized Barbatus was talking to his wife; whose head bobbed amongst the flames in the small fireplace.

"You know how I worry Batus," she pouted, her chubby cheeks puffing out slightly. "You're not as young as you used to be...you could hurt yourself crawling around under things like that."

Barbatus flushed slightly, embarrassed to be called old by his own wife. "I'm still young enough to do my work," he replied gruffly; I smirked, sitting down behind my desk.

Mrs. Fefello's eyes widen, a smile cracking her worried expression. "Is that Naupilus I hear?" She asked, trying to peer around Barbatus' slight frame.

"Hello Mrs. Fefello!" I called over to her.

"Oh don't give me that 'Mrs.' Rubbish," she laughed. "Peg'll do just fine young man, now get over here and chat with me."

I chuckled quietly, standing up and taking a seat on the floor in front of the fireplace, Barbatus clapping me on the shoulder quickly and whispering. "Thanks Lad, she'd have talked my ear off if you hadn't showed up."

"I heard that Batus," she scolded, not able to hold an angry expression for long. "So, Naupilus how are you dear?" She asked happily.

"I'm all right," I replied, smiling pleasantly. "How are you?"

"Oh I'd be better if certain husbands wouldn't spend their day crawling around under crumbling houses," she said, raising her voice slightly so that Barbatus would be certain to hear her.

"What's that dear? I didn't quite catch that last part," Barbatus called back, smirking from behind his desk.

Mrs. Fefello didn't have time to reply as the door to our office burst open suddenly. I stared up at the looming form of Zelos Torpeo, who stood menacingly in the doorway. He was head of the sub-division, newly appointed last year; rumor has it that he was demoted from a higher position. His hair was a dirty shade of blond, cut neatly and slicked to the side. His eyes were a pale shade of gray, and his robes, though always a simple shade of black, were immaculately kept, and hung sharply off his powerful frame. At a quick glance one would assume he was a Quidditch player, but beyond the tanned face was a never ending scowl and an entirely too icy demeanor.

"Is that a personal call Stelliger?" He asked calmly, raising a thin eyebrow at me.

"Umm, no sir," I replied quickly, scrambling to my feet, quite relieved that Peg had disappeared from the flames the second the door opened.

"I see," Torpeo muttered, surveying the office with a look of disgust on his face. "Did you two take care of that bundimun problem?" He asked coolly, still lingering in the doorway, as if entering the room fully would contaminate him somehow.

"Oh yes, of course sir," Barbatus replied, his normally strong voice wavering slightly.

Torpeo nodded slightly. "Good," he glanced around the office briefly, his gaze falling on me. "You're back at the office now Mr. Stelliger, do put on your robes," a sickening form of a smirk sliding across his face. "You look like a common muggle in that get up."

I flushed slightly, lowering my gaze to the floor, muttering a quick 'yes sir.'

"Well then gentlemen," he straightened his back. "I'll leave you to your work," he said, stepping back out into the hallway, pulling the door shut as he did so.

Barbatus let out a low whistle, his eyes locked on the doorway, making sure Torpeo wasn't going to barge in again. "That was a close one," he frowned, looking back down at his desk. "He woulda rung me out for sure," he insisted.

"Probably," I muttered, opening the small wardrobe in the corner for a clean robe.

"I don't trust that fellah, anymore than I can throw him," Barbatus muttered, the added with a smirk. "And I probably couldn't even lift 'im with my back."

I rolled my eyes, pulling out a robe and slipping it on. "He's still our boss...doesn't matter if we trust him or not."

Barbatus shrugged his shoulders in a huff. "Boss or not, there's something not right about that fellah. S'like he ain't never smiled before in his life."

I plopped down at my desk, pulling the large stack of scrolls closer to me. It usually ended up that I got stuck with most of the paperwork. I guess I don't mind it that much, I'm good at that kind of work; guess that's why I was a Ravenclaw; I like researching.

"Ya know he got demoted don't ya," Barbatus continued, taking out his wand and tapping it absently on the top of his desk. "Bet he did something horrible," he sat up suddenly, knocking several things off his cluttered desk in the process. "You don't think he's in with You-Know-Who do ya?"

I shuddered involuntarily, setting my quill down on top of the scroll. "Just because he's creepy as hell doesn't mean he's in league with You-Know-Who," I insisted, looking over at Barbatus.

He shook his head slightly, tugging on the end of his frizzled beard. "No, no, I bet that's it! He's a goddamn Death Eater!" He pounded one fist on his desk in an attempt to emphasize his point.

I glanced warily over my shoulder towards the door. "Not so loud huh?" I murmured, picking my quill back up. "You shouldn't go around accusing people of something like that Barbatus," I insisted, starting back on the paperwork. "Especially our boss."

But he seemed to have convinced himself, pounding his fist once more on his desk. "I knew there was something wrong with that man, and now I've figured it out," he chuckled slightly, shaking his head in disbelief. "A goddamn Death Eater."

"Who's a Death Eater?" Both of our heads snapped up, staring at the doorway where Lethe Elysian stood, her arms piled high with scrolls.

"Torpeo," Barbatus said matter-of-factly.

I shot him a look as I went to take the scrolls from Lethe before she dropped them all over the floor.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"No," I said quickly, before Barbatus had a chance to reply. "He just likes to cause trouble," I insisted, motioning towards him.

"This boy just don't like ta hear the truth," Barbatus replied, pointing a finger at me. "But I'd bet my life that, that man is a Death Eater."

Lethe closed the door quickly, incase Torpeo was lurking in the corridor. "You don't really think so do you Barbatus?" She asked quietly, her eyes brimming with worry.

"I sure do think so girl," he huffed, crossing his wiry arms across his chest. "You mark my words, watch your back around that one."

I rolled my eyes, setting the scrolls down on my desk and sliding back into my chair. Lethe shuddered, rubbing her arms as though she was cold.

"I don't like thinking about that stuff, makes me feel all sick inside," she frowned, leaning on the edge of my desk.

Lethe had graduated from Hogwarts a few years before I did; she was a Hufflepuff I believe. She was short, barely making it past five feet, and petite. She had long brown hair, the color of a field mouse, which she always wore in a tight bun at the back of her head in an attempt to look older. Oval wire-framed glasses tittered on the tip of her slightly pointed nose, and magnified her blue eyes.

"Well you're gonna have to think about it a lot soon enough," Barbatus muttered.

She turned to look at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

He leaned forward. "Didn't you hear?" He asked in disbelief. "You-Know-Who is back."

Lethe let out a small yelp, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes as large as dinner plates.

I sighed, setting my quill down roughly. "Oh come off it Barbatus, you know that's just a rumor."

"Ain't no rumor boy," he replied quietly, his mouth set in a firm line. "Me own grand-daughter heard it straight from Dumbledore."

I rolled my eyes yet again. "When did your grand-daughter talk to Dumbledore?"

"Well he told the whole school ya twit," he replied angrily. "I ain't makin' this up Naupilus," he added, his voice softening slightly. "I wouldn't joke about something like that."

Lethe lowered her hand slowly, wringing it nervously in the fold of her gray-colored robes. "But...but how could he...I mean, I thought he was dead," she said quietly, chewing on her lip nervously.

"Oh he ain't dead...never was," Barbatus insisted, nodding slowly. "He was just waitin' until the right moment, waitin' until he could come back and finish what he started.

I frowned down at the scroll in front of me, not able to concentrate on the report while Barbatus continued to ramble on about You-Know-Who.

"What are we gonna do?" Lethe asked quietly. "I mean, the ministry must be doing something, I mean, why haven't we heard about this?"

"Yeah?" I set down my quill and looked up at Barbatus. "Why haven't we heard about it?"

Barbatus frowned, running a hand through his messy hair. "Well...maybe...maybe they ain't sayin' nothing about it yet. Maybe it's just the Auras who know...Fudge probably is keeping it on a need to know basis, probably doesn't want to cause a mass panic,' he frowned. "Can't say I blame him."

"We work in the Ministry, why wouldn't they tell us?" I said, shaking my head, and once again trying to focus on my work.

"You think they tell us anything boy?" He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "We're one of the bottom rungs on the ladder. We don't get told nothing."

Lethe nodded, a little smile breaking through her worried eyes. "Isn't that the truth, why just this morning it took me two hours just to get the Transportation Department to tell me where the closest port-key to Brussels was. I had to get one of our guys there by noon, and with a Mooncalf nonetheless, the poor thing wandered out of it's dwelling and ran across a group of farmers whose crops he had ruined...anyway, you'd think I was asking them for Veritaserum with how much trouble they were giving me," she pouted, pushing her glasses back up onto her nose. "People think the stuff we do is nothing, but they just don't realize how much work it actually is."

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. There was no way I was going to get any work done with the two of them chatting away.

"I think I'm going to finish this stuff at home Barbatus," I exclaimed, starting to roll up the various scrolls.

Lethe snickered into her hand. "I think we're disturbing him Batus," she smirked, hurrying behind my desk and draping her arms around my shoulders before I stood up. "Are we being to noisy for you Naupy-pie?"

I craned my neck around so that I was face-to-face with her. "Don't ever call me that again," I insisted.

She laughed, swatting me on the back and pushing herself away. "Aw you're no fun," she smirked over at Barbatus. "Too smart for his own good this one," she said laughing.

Barbatus nodded, his smirk mirroring hers. "Yes ma'am, too smart for his own good...not smart enough for anything else," he rasped, laughing heartily at his own joke.

"You're a riot Barbatus," I muttered, pushing away from my desk and climbing to my feet. "Just don't collapse a lung laughing old man," I added with a smirk, ducking a well-aimed scroll that was headed right for me.

"Still young enough to put you in your place," he snapped back, waving another scroll in a mock threat.

I laughed, leaning down to pick up my briefcase. "That's right, ya might paper cut me to death."

"All right boys, that's enough," Lethe snickered, holding her hands up. "Truce."

Barbatus smirked from behind his desk but nodded in agreement. "You want me to take some of those off your hands Kid?" He asked; eyeing all the scrolls I was packing into my briefcase.

"No, that's all right, I've got it," I replied with a small smile, closing the lid.

Lethe rolled her eyes. "Once a Ravenclaw, always a Ravenclaw," she muttered jokingly, smirking up at me. "You're going to over work yourself Naupilus."

"I'll be fine," I replied, straightening my robes. "I'll see you two tomorrow," I said, waving quickly before I Apparated back to my flat.