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Dec. 4th, 2003 10:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
essayelI've had a very productive week. Writing Malfoys was much more fun that I thought it would be and I've finished that one. Also I have started writing a Moody story called "Prodigal Son", a snippet of which is appended. I'm interested in the structure of the Aurors but don't much like what JKR has done with them so please just accept that mine are and will be - I'll be writing about them a lot - very AU.
I've had some sad news tonight, can't say what about who but it's one of those times when I really wish I could pray with some kind of conviction. I'll just have to do my best by thinking hard of them and wishing.
Oh well - here's the fic snippet
His breath regained, he opened the office door and clumped across to the duty officer’s desk. She looked up with a grin, the crow’s feet deepening at the corners of her eyes.
“Alastor,” she said. “What a sight for sore eyes. How’ve you been?”
“All the better for seeing you, Su Lin,” he replied, and meant it too. She’d been one of the best in her day, a vicious young witch in the fight against Grindelwald for all that she looked so fragile. Now, greying and growing matronly, she still wore her years well and there were so few left who remembered the old days. Alastor grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside her desk and plumped down with a sigh.
“Those stairs get steeper every year,” Su commented, eyeing him sidelong over the sheaves of parchment she was sorting.
Alastor had already glanced around the room so knew it was safe enough to nod. “What’ve we got then? Anything happening anywhere?”
“Nothing desperate yet,” Su replied. “You know we always get a rash of silliness at Halloween. Kids messing about with curses and hexes they shouldn’t even know – I blame the parents. Teenagers larking around and scaring people. There’ll be something…somewhere but there’s nothing we can do until the owl comes in.”
“No,” Alastor sighed in agreement. That was always the frustrating part of the job – waiting to react. It was different when acting upon information received, then you could lie in wait and let the bastards come to you but just sitting, waiting, knowing that by the time you heard about trouble it was likely long over – that was the pits. “Have we got anyone out yet?”
“Considine is out. We had a borderline ‘Unforgivable’ alarm. He and Barclay tossed a knut for it and Barclay lost. He’s catching up on some sleep. It was a possible Imperius up in Norfolk but it barely registered on the monitor.”
Alastor nodded. That was also routine. Some quite benign spells would cause a reaction – a lot depended upon the will behind them. This was probably some wizard trying to persuade some witch to put out, or vice versa – a simple Impetuo spell perhaps – but it still needed following up and by an experienced man: it was no job for a trainee. Of course, there was always the possibility that it was a genuine Imperius but used in heavily warded premises or with such a careful application of power that even the subject of it was scarcely aware of it. “If anyone can deal with it, Considine can,” Alastor said approvingly. “Anything else?”
Su Lin laughed. “I’m just waiting for the kids to come back. A farmer up near Godric’s Hollow has just flooed in, in a hell of a state, claiming he’d just seen a Grim. Funny thing is, we had a similar report last year from another farmer just across the valley. That was November the first mind.”
“A Grim?” Alastor laughed. “Is the first witness still alive?”
“Alive and kicking and claiming it must have been a black calf.”
“Hmm, I’ve heard that one before,” Alastor said then frowned, thoughtfully. “Actually, I have, you know. Tell you what, I’ll go.” He got up and made his way across to the heavily warded Apparation point, loosening his wand in its pocket as he did so. “Tell Harris he’s to save my pie and coffee for me and that I’ll hex his ears off if they get cold,” he said, raising his voice a little towards the end, for Harris and the other trainee - Waring, wasn’t it? - had just entered. The dark young trainee grinned, lifting the tray then dropped it as the alarm blared. Coffee and tea splattered across the floor but nobody paid any attention. Su had lunged for the trace spilling from the monitor, her face set and furious.
“AK,” she snapped. “God…Godric’s Hollow!” She was already stripping out the trace and separating the leaves to thrust one copy into Alastor’s hand. “It is with regret that I must inform you that an ‘Avada Kedavra’ was performed tonight at seven twenty-three…” she gabbled, beginning the ritual granting the investigating Aurors the right to respond with extreme prejudice.
“Harris, with me,” Alastor snapped. “Wand out, boy.”
“…tonight at Godric’s Hollow in the County of Monmouthshire,” Su Lin continued, raising her voice over the harsh raps of their Disapparation. “That being the case, you have the right to respond in kind, neither staying your hand nor showing mercy to any who has used or is suspected of having used an Unforgivable Curse and may Almighty God forgive you for what you may have to do. Go and do your duty with God’s and our blessing.”
She stared at Waring, who stared back, mouth open. He had heard the formula before but never for real, never in action and he was, if Su Lin was any judge, just realising that Harris, with whom he bunked, with whom he had gone through training so far, might not be coming back.
I've had some sad news tonight, can't say what about who but it's one of those times when I really wish I could pray with some kind of conviction. I'll just have to do my best by thinking hard of them and wishing.
Oh well - here's the fic snippet
His breath regained, he opened the office door and clumped across to the duty officer’s desk. She looked up with a grin, the crow’s feet deepening at the corners of her eyes.
“Alastor,” she said. “What a sight for sore eyes. How’ve you been?”
“All the better for seeing you, Su Lin,” he replied, and meant it too. She’d been one of the best in her day, a vicious young witch in the fight against Grindelwald for all that she looked so fragile. Now, greying and growing matronly, she still wore her years well and there were so few left who remembered the old days. Alastor grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside her desk and plumped down with a sigh.
“Those stairs get steeper every year,” Su commented, eyeing him sidelong over the sheaves of parchment she was sorting.
Alastor had already glanced around the room so knew it was safe enough to nod. “What’ve we got then? Anything happening anywhere?”
“Nothing desperate yet,” Su replied. “You know we always get a rash of silliness at Halloween. Kids messing about with curses and hexes they shouldn’t even know – I blame the parents. Teenagers larking around and scaring people. There’ll be something…somewhere but there’s nothing we can do until the owl comes in.”
“No,” Alastor sighed in agreement. That was always the frustrating part of the job – waiting to react. It was different when acting upon information received, then you could lie in wait and let the bastards come to you but just sitting, waiting, knowing that by the time you heard about trouble it was likely long over – that was the pits. “Have we got anyone out yet?”
“Considine is out. We had a borderline ‘Unforgivable’ alarm. He and Barclay tossed a knut for it and Barclay lost. He’s catching up on some sleep. It was a possible Imperius up in Norfolk but it barely registered on the monitor.”
Alastor nodded. That was also routine. Some quite benign spells would cause a reaction – a lot depended upon the will behind them. This was probably some wizard trying to persuade some witch to put out, or vice versa – a simple Impetuo spell perhaps – but it still needed following up and by an experienced man: it was no job for a trainee. Of course, there was always the possibility that it was a genuine Imperius but used in heavily warded premises or with such a careful application of power that even the subject of it was scarcely aware of it. “If anyone can deal with it, Considine can,” Alastor said approvingly. “Anything else?”
Su Lin laughed. “I’m just waiting for the kids to come back. A farmer up near Godric’s Hollow has just flooed in, in a hell of a state, claiming he’d just seen a Grim. Funny thing is, we had a similar report last year from another farmer just across the valley. That was November the first mind.”
“A Grim?” Alastor laughed. “Is the first witness still alive?”
“Alive and kicking and claiming it must have been a black calf.”
“Hmm, I’ve heard that one before,” Alastor said then frowned, thoughtfully. “Actually, I have, you know. Tell you what, I’ll go.” He got up and made his way across to the heavily warded Apparation point, loosening his wand in its pocket as he did so. “Tell Harris he’s to save my pie and coffee for me and that I’ll hex his ears off if they get cold,” he said, raising his voice a little towards the end, for Harris and the other trainee - Waring, wasn’t it? - had just entered. The dark young trainee grinned, lifting the tray then dropped it as the alarm blared. Coffee and tea splattered across the floor but nobody paid any attention. Su had lunged for the trace spilling from the monitor, her face set and furious.
“AK,” she snapped. “God…Godric’s Hollow!” She was already stripping out the trace and separating the leaves to thrust one copy into Alastor’s hand. “It is with regret that I must inform you that an ‘Avada Kedavra’ was performed tonight at seven twenty-three…” she gabbled, beginning the ritual granting the investigating Aurors the right to respond with extreme prejudice.
“Harris, with me,” Alastor snapped. “Wand out, boy.”
“…tonight at Godric’s Hollow in the County of Monmouthshire,” Su Lin continued, raising her voice over the harsh raps of their Disapparation. “That being the case, you have the right to respond in kind, neither staying your hand nor showing mercy to any who has used or is suspected of having used an Unforgivable Curse and may Almighty God forgive you for what you may have to do. Go and do your duty with God’s and our blessing.”
She stared at Waring, who stared back, mouth open. He had heard the formula before but never for real, never in action and he was, if Su Lin was any judge, just realising that Harris, with whom he bunked, with whom he had gone through training so far, might not be coming back.
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-04 11:29 pm (UTC)Tell you what. I'll say my prayers with extra conviction for you. And even if I don't know what the news was, God will. ^_^ *hugs*
Yay!
Date: 2003-12-05 01:56 pm (UTC)And kind thoughts to you, whatever your trouble may be. Thinking of you, today....
Re: Yay!
Date: 2003-12-05 08:48 pm (UTC)