Ways and Means

"So, what are the odds?"

"The odds?"

Julie Fawcett, lying sprawled across her bed, blinked in confusion. Even though she and her other friends from Muggle families had decided years ago that modern technology was far more convenient than Floo powder and owls, it was still somewhat of a shock to hear the voice of a Hogwarts friend over the telephone. It didn't help that what it was saying was completely incomprehensible.

There was an expectant pause on the other end of the line. She yawned, and propped her head up against one arm. Her cheek smarted from the Charms textbook she had been lying on, desperately trying to avoid studying. She had the vague feeling that she might have fallen asleep. "Mandy, what the hell are you talking about?"

Mandy Brocklehurst sighed. "The new Minister of Magic?"

"Oh. Of course."

"Julie! I can't believe you're not following this!"

Julie winced slightly, moving the phone a few inches further from her ear. "I am, I am... it's just, it's early, and... why are you asking me, anyhow?"

"It's almost three p.m.! And because you're interning at the Ministry. I thought you might know something."

"Yeah, I figured...I mean, why are you asking me?"

"Do I need a reason?" Mandy asked with badly feigned indignation. "It's nothing but my duty as a well-informed citizen..."

"Of course, Mandy."

"And also, not that it would at all be relevant, but Anthony, Terry, and I may have entered into a small wager regarding the outcome..."

Julie laughed. "Who'd you bet on?"

"I haven't yet; that's why I'm calling," Mandy replied somewhat tersely. "I heard something about Dirk Cresswell..."

"Probably not," Julie said automatically, very much hating herself for getting drawn into the conversation. "The Wizengamot's going to want someone with better defense credentials and more of a...personality, if you know what I mean. No offense meant to Mr. Cresswell, of course, but... Goblin Liaisons? And plus, he stutters. And he's almost as short as you are." She barreled forward quickly before Mandy could start to take offense. "Amelia Bones would have had it in a moment, you know. It's a real shame."

There was an awkward silence.

"I didn't really care much for her politics, but she seemed like a good person," Mandy said quietly. "Plus, I just feel so sorry for Susan - Padma owled her a few days ago, and she told me she's really not doing well..." She paused and took a breath. "Well, I guess that's that. Anyone else?"

Julie bit her lip, trying to focus her mind back on the topic. "Maybe someone from Magical Law Enforcement? The experience looks good for a war minister, I think...I don't know." She took a breath, trying to restore her peaceful summer ennui. There was a week left before term started, a sunny week of mornings sleeping in, of afternoons kicking a football around the yard with Katie Bell, who lived a few blocks away, of very late nights trying to finish the piles of assigned reading. And then, she was going into her last year - her very last year of Hogwarts. Her last year of Dumbledore, of Flitwick, of Peeves, of secret late-night Firewhisky parties, long dinnertime debates, and completely fabricated Potions essays. There was no way she was spending it in a constant state of depression. "You do realize that in some Houses, they bet on Quidditch instead?" she asked. "We're such geeks, Mandy."

Mandy laughed, sounding a little forced. "I have to go," she said. "Mum's taking me over to Diagon to get books. Call me, okay?" She hung up without waiting for a response.

Julie listened to the buzz on the other end of the line for a few seconds, before slamming down the phone and making a game attempt to continue her Charms reading. Her face fell back against the page before she'd gotten through the next two paragraphs.