After Hogwarts

Chapter Five:

Conference Room B:

When Ginny, Miranda and Colin arrived at The Ministry of Magic, they easily found their way to Conference room B. The first thing that Ginny noticed when they entered the room, were stairs going up. Conference Room B was a round auditorium in which the seats wrapped around the room. At ground level in the middle of the room was an elevated platform with a podium and a few chairs. Miranda felt that they should sit towards the top of the auditorium because they'd get a better overview of everything that was to transpire. Many wizards were already seated and were chatting amongst themselves while they anxiously waited for Dumbledore. When Ginny, Miranda and Colin began to climb the stairs, Ginny thought she heard a familiar voice.

"Ginny love!" Ginny turned around and saw her father squeezing through his row below to get out.

"Hi dad," she walked down a few steps and hugged him.

"What did you do to your hair?" he asked looking at her oddly.

"Oh, ah, I cut it," she started. "Do you like it?" Mr. Weasley stepped back and tilted his head as he looked at his youngest for a moment. He then smiled.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he finally answered. "I'm surprised to see you here dear," he then glanced at Miranda and Colin.

"Actually I am here on my first assignment for the paper," she proudly shared. She then gestured to Miranda and Colin. "I'd like to introduce you to my boss Miranda Mason and our photographer Colin Creevey. Colin was in my class at Hogwarts,"

"Nice to meet a Hogwarts graduate," said Mr. Weasley, shaking Colin's hand. "What house were you in son?"

"Gryffindor sir," Colin replied.

"Ah, then you probably know most of my other children. All of my children were sorted Gryffindor," Mr. Weasley beamed with pride.

"As a matter of fact, Percy was Head Boy when I started. I knew Ron fairly well and I liked him a lot. And of course it's hard to forget Fred and George," Colin said politely, resisting the temptation to blurt out how much Fred and George always teased him.

"Very good, very good," Mr. Weasley replied, but felt a lump in his throat when Colin mentioned Ron, so he turned his attention to Miranda. "And you must be Ms. Mason," his tone was slightly cooler.

"Please, call me Miranda," she told him as she shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you Miranda," he flatly said.

"Likewise," she replied remaining friendly.

"Ms. Mason, I've read several of your articles," Mr. Weasley told her. "You have a real talent in reporting and seem to have a decent sense of integrity..." Mr. Weasley wanted to be polite to Ginny's new boss, but was very leery of reporters due a few unpleasant incidents with a reporter, Rita Skeeter, quite a few years ago. Rita had written several untrue stories about Mr. Weasley, regularly exaggerating what few true facts she actually had when she hadn't been flat out lying.

"I do as a matter of fact," she emphasized. "Do you not like reporters?" Miranda bluntly asked.

"No, it's just I had a bad experience with one years ago. Rita..." Mr. Weasley started, but Miranda cut him off.

"Rita Skeeter," she shriveled her nose as she said the name. "That woman hasn't been heard from in nine years and she still gives the rest of us a bad name."

"Really??? You really believe that?" He didn't mean to sound so surprised, but he was.

"I do. And I hope you won't hold one bad apple against the rest of us," she sincerely said.

"No I suppose I shouldn't," Mr. Weasley smiled. The room suddenly got very quiet because rumor had it Dumbledore was on his way. "I need to get back to my seat, " Mr. Weasley said.

"Ginny, we'll save you a seat," Miranda said before she continued up the stairs with Colin.

"I'll talk you later dad," Ginny said before she kissed her father on the check. As she turned to head up the stairs, he father put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"I think I like you boss Miranda," he paused. "And no matter what I think of most reporters, I am very proud of you," he winked at her before she turned and hurried up the stairs to sit with her coworkers.

Dumbledore arrived a few minutes after Ginny sat. He looked very regal as his long silver hair flowed behind him upon his entrance. The room quickly hushed as Dumbledore made his way to the podium.

Miranda leaned over and whispered to Ginny, "Did you bring a self writing quill?" Ginny shook her head; she didn't own one.

"I don't have one," she confessed; she didn't know she'd need one.

"Borrow mine and we'll get you one later," Miranda handed her pieces of parchment and her quill. "Just lay the parchment on your lap and the quill will take care of your notes. If there is something you want the quill to emphasis on, tell it. It will follow commands." Ginny did as she was told.

"Take good notes," she quietly told the quill. The quill stood straight and began to write as soon as Dumbledore began speaking.

"Brisset, Tallywalk, Weedlebum, Pullybrie!" Dumbledore began. The room filled with soft laughter. The words Dumbledore used made no sense, but it was very well known that the very old wizard was as crazy as he was brilliant.

"Well Ladies and Gentleman, I want to welcome you," Dumbledore started again once the laughter had subsided. "It's been a long road getting here, but rest assured things have been getting back to better than normal. With Voldemort..." almost every wizard in the room winced at the mention of You-Know Who by his real name as if they were branded by red hot pokers, "with Voldemort gone, we now have the opportunity to be even better and stronger than before. The first item I would like to address is the matter of what offices you all will be in. After careful evaluation, I really believe that each and everyone of you has been perfectly placed."

Ginny's quill wrote frantically, matching every name to it's matching position. Ginny tried to keep up with Dumbledore's speech, keeping mental notes of all the names and positions.

"Ethel Stooley, Associate for Ancient Artifact Studies; Henry Smythe, Associate for Charm Studies; Liam McDougal, Associate for Magical Book Acquisitions; Moira Wellington, Deputy for The Ministry Security..."

Ginny realized that he seemed to be starting with the less important ones and working his way up. It would be near to impossible to remember every name let alone match each face to each position. She was grateful that the quill would be taking notes for her.

Ginny then twirled a piece of her much shorter hair as she glanced around the room to pass the time when she spotted her brother Percy sitting up front almost directly in front of Dumbledore's podium. His chest was puffed out, in his favorite rooster pose and he was sitting so far on the edge of his seat, she wondered how he didn't fall off. She shut her eyes and shuddered, knowing that he was eagerly anticipating what important position he would be listed for, when she knew the truth. She felt embarrassed for him, knowing the disappointment that he soon would be facing.

Click. Click. Click, Click, Click! All Ginny heard as she looked around was the incessant clicking of Colin's camera. It seemed to her that he was taking more pictures than necessary. Miranda must have also noticed because she finally turned to Colin.

"Colin," she whispered. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, however, save your film. Photos of regular ministry members are not the story. You need to have film for the announcement of the Minister of Magic. That is our story!" Colin's clicks became much less frequent as Dumbledore continued.

It felt like a fortnight as Dumbledore listed names. Ginny was positive that she would doze off when she finally heard a name that caught her attention.

"Percy Weasley," Dumbledore cleared his throat. Ginny looked over to her brother. It was pathetic, he sat there so tall and proud, she had to turn away, and she just couldn't look as Dumbledore announced, "Associate for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts."

Ginny peaked a glance just as Percy sank into his seat with his shoulders slumped forward. She couldn't see her brother's face, only the back of his bright red head as it fell forward, but she didn't need to see his face to know that it hit him hard.

Percy put his hands over his face. He was shocked. It was not possible. I am an associate for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts? His brain screamed out. This can't be possible! But as Dumbledore continued listing other names and positions, Percy was sadly resigned that this was indeed his new position. He eventually sat back up straight, but not quite as puffed as before.

Two hours and thirty-three minutes passed from when Dumbledore had begun. The quill had gone through twenty-two pieces of parchment. Ginny and Miranda looked at each other and both smiled, thinking the same thing...When was Dumbledore going to get to the good stuff?

As if he could read their thoughts, he finally moved on.

"There has been much speculation as to what will happen with Azkaban," Dumbledore began. Murmurs filled the whole room.

Miranda was so excited to finally get to something interesting, she poked Colin's arm and nodded her head several times very quickly gesturing to Dumbledore, "Get your camera ready Colin! Here comes the good stuff."

Dumbledore paused for a few moments for the crowd to settle down. "You are all aware," Dumbledore finally continued, "that the Dementors were one of the first groups to turn to the dark side. Needless to say, they are not to be trusted, especially to oversee Azkaban. This could potentially leave us in a very precarious position."

The room fell very silent.

"However," Dumbledore further explained, "Thanks to the quick thinking of a personal friend of mine, Ruebus Hagrid and his lovely wife, Madam Maxine, a solution has been found."

Two extraordinarily large people, Hagrid and Madame Maxine entered the conference room and sat in two of the five chairs on the platform. "I now will give the floor to Hagrid Ruebus, who has newly appointed Ambassador of International Species Relations. The first position of it's kind."

Whispers filled the room. Hagrid was a half giant and a wizard who had been expelled from Hogwarts when he was a student. He was rumored to keep dangerous animals and he had even spent time locked up in Azkaban. Yet over the years, he and Dumbledore had remained close and Dumbledore knew that Hagrid could be trusted. The facts were that Hagrid had been accused of many incorrect crimes over past years; the truth was that he never actually committed any.

Hagrid nervously walked to the podium looking not confident at all. He fidgeted in his brown hairy suit and kept pulling down the sleeves which were obviously too short. His hair looked as if he had spent time on it slicking it over to one side, yet one piece on the back of his head stood straight up. His large hands were shaking as he lifted reached inside his jacket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of parchment.

" 'Ello everbody," Hargid said in very timid voice that just didn't match the body of such a large man. "Me an my wife and I jus' got back from visitin' wif the Giants." Several people in the room gasped out loud. It wasn't until the return of You-Know-Who that the Giants and wizards became on good terms. The Giants had a reputation for being cruel and some wizards were still afraid. "It's no secret that the Giants were good friends to us durin' the battle with You-Know-Who." The wizards hesitantly began nodding in agreement.

"Well, me an my wife, spent a lot of time wif the Giants durin' all the trouble," Hagrid'd voice became stronger, he was becoming more confident. "And I can tell ya' that they aren't 'orrible people like a lot say."

Hargrid went on to explain that the Giants were willing to over see the day-to-day running of Azkaban with the help another group of allies Hagrid enlisted in the battle against You-Know-Who.

This group was a family of spiders led by a spider named Aragog, whom Hagrid had saved many years ago. Aragog and his family lived in the Forbidden Forrest that was outside of Hogwarts.

The plan Dumbledore had come up with was to have Hagrid and his wife, Madame Maxine, serve as liaisons between the new two allies and the wizarding society.

"Wif their help, we can be sure that the Death Eaters will be properly punished and watched. Ye can't trust those folks. And that's 'bout it." The room filled with quiet chatter as Hagrid sat back down next to his wife.

Dumbledore walked back to the podium and raised his slim hand gesturing for everyone to be quiet. He had such a presence that all he needed was a small gesture and people responded.

"And I'm sure you've noticed that there is one position that we haven't announced," Dumbledore teased, he knew that they were dying to know who was going to be named the new Minister of Magic. "I did forget one position, didn't I?"

The room became perfectly still as everyone leaned just a little bit forward in their seats.

"Oh yes, I am proud to announce that from now on there won't be a Minster of Magic," Dumbledore said with a crooked smile. He chuckled to himself as he watched as people chatting to each other with confused expressions on their faces.

"That is correct, there is no Minister of Magic, rather..." Dumbledore paused for just a moment, letting the anticipation rise even higher, "...There will be two Ministers of Magic." He then pointed toward the entrance, "Let me introduce to you Severus Snape and Sirus Black."

In walked two men who couldn't have looked more different. Snape was thin, lanky and had the expression that he had just smelled rotten eggs, whereas, Black was tall, handsome and had a brilliant smile from ear to ear. Each of the walked to the stage and took a seat next to Hadrid and Madame Maxine.

The crowd was overwrought with excitement. After a few minutes, Dumbledore started giving background information on each man.

Snape had been a professor at Hogwarts for many years. More importantly, he also served as a double agent during the darker years, more than once risking his life by double-crossing You-Know-Who. Dumbledore stressed that much of the information Snape brought to Dumbledore, helped them defeat You-Know-Who.

Black had been a prisoner at Azkaban for many years, for a crime that he didn't commit. He finally escaped and was forced to become an outlaw before he could clear his name. During his time as an outlaw, often he had to hide underground, which allowed him to gather much needed information. He had every reason to turn from Dumbledore and to switch allegiances, but still valiantly fought against You-Know-Who bringing Dumbledore important information, even when he was in risk of being discovered and being thrown back in jail.

What Dumbledore didn't say, but knew without a shadow of a doubt, was that like Hagrid, both Snape and Black were to be trusted.

Dumbledore felt that their opposing personalities and diverse way of thinking would give the balance to the Ministry that it so desperately needed. Snape was a man of calculation and detail, whereas Black was a more passionate person and relied more heavily on his instincts. It was the best of both worlds.

Ginny and Miranda just looked at each other in disbelief. Colin was taking pictures, fast as his fingers would let him. The quill was currently up to fifty-seven pages!

"Ginny, I knew it was going to be good, I just knew it!" Miranda beamed.

"Two ministers, Snape and Black..." Ginny said in awe. I wonder if Harry knows about Black, Ginny wondered to herself. Black was Harry's Godfather.

Dumbledore was concluding the meeting when the door to Conference Room B opened. Everyone turned to look; even Dumbledore looked. In flew a snowy white owl that circled the room several times. It seemed to be looking for someone and it seemed to be holding a golden letter. Ginny could have sworn it was circling closer to Percy, but then dismissed the idea as ridiculous.

Percy had also noticed the owl circling closer to him. At first he was sure that the owl must be for someone else, but then he reconsidered. Maybe it was from Dumbledore telling him that his named position was a mistake or maybe it was a cover for a secret operative mission or maybe...PLOP! The owl landed then on Percy's lap.

All eyes turned to Percy. Percy felt his face flush and quickly wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Maybe this will be the recognition I deserve, he told himself as he slowly went for the golden envelope.

Gingerly he took the envelope off the owl's leg and quickly gave the owl several Knuts. The owl flew back up, but did not fly away. He seemed to be watching. Everyone was watching, even Dumbledore was watching.

Percy held his breath as he started to open the envelope.

KA BOOM! The envelope exploded in Percy's hands. His face was covered in green and gold as streamers went flying everywhere. Bubbles and marching band music filled the air. Finally, two very strong voices bellowed loudly...

"WELCOME ALL TO ATTEND THE GRAND OPENING OF WEASLEY WIZARD'S WHIRLWIND! IT'S A JOKE STORE LIKE NEVER BEFORE! WE OFFER TREATS FULL OF TRICKS AND TRICKS THAT ARE SWEET! VISIT US TODAY AT THE COMMONS!"

The conference room filled with laughter as Percy sank so low in his seat his head could barely be seen. Colin began to furiously photograph the whole thing, not wanting to miss one second of this action.

"This is brilliant!" Miranda laughed so hard her face was bright red. "Now this is a story! We've got to check this place out!"

Ginny was laughing too hard to respond. Fred and George sure knew how to make an announcement. She then looked over again at Percy as he slinked even lower in his seat. She began to howl even louder.

"These We..We..Weasley brothers," Miranda finally got out trying to catch her breath. "Are they your brothers?"

"Don't hold it against me!" Ginny hooted. Both women fell into hysterics.

The laughter eventually subsided and the wizards began leaving the conference room. Once the other wizards made a move to leave, Percy covered his face with his hands, trying to cover the new green and gold tone of his skin as he pushed and shoved to get out of the room as quickly as he could.

Once the room was empty except for Dumbledore, Snape and Black. Dumbledore raised his brows and shrugged trying not to laugh, "Those two Weasleys will certainly keep us on our toes."

"Those boys were always a handful," Snape sneered; he had never particularly liked the Weasley twins when he taught at Hogwarts. He always found them to be typical Gryffindors, always seeking out trouble and incorrectly calling it adventure.

"Well these men," Black piped in, "are quite creative and I look forward to checking out their goods. Gryffindor men have always been so more creative than Slytherin." Snape was Slytherin and Black knew that comment would bother him, he couldn't help himself, and he enjoyed irritating Snape.

"Well not all of us can be Gryffindor like you, Black, but let me assure you, if we were back at Hogwarts I'd have them doing detention for weeks and..."

"Gentleman, please. You two are now on the same side and need to get along...at least in public and as far as the Weasley twins are concerned, thank heavens they are not at Hogwarts anymore! Besides, their store is harmless even if their advertising is unique," Dumbledore mediated.

"But Albus..." Snape began.

"Oh please Snape..." Black cut him off.

"Enough!" Dumbledore raised his voice causing both men to back down. "What is important and what I need the both of you to do is to remind me to add an addendum to all first years school list. Not only are first years not bring their own broomsticks, but they are not allowed to bring anything from the Weasley Wizard's Whirlwind."