At least wizards have lifts [Finn]

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Mercifully, Jess’s days at the Ministry of late had been fairly tame. Some underage magic by muggleborns that needed witnesses to stop being witnesses, but it was easy stuff, and it had gone smoothly. There would probably be a bit more as the littlest muggleborns went home from Hogwarts in the next couple of days, but even then, it would take something drastic for the Christmas season to be anything other than moderate. So with her paperwork up to date, she was done for the day. Her desk was clear, except for the jar with her pens - because quills were stupid - and her bag was packed quickly. She pulled on her jacket as she stood waiting for the lift until it arrived.

The doors opened, and she smiled at the only person in it so far as she got in. ”Finn, hi. How are you?”

@finn

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Finn was not at the Ministry nearly as much as he had been over the summer; being stationed at Hogwarts meant that his training, his reports, and most of his life was all about the castle and Hogsmeade village.  Today though, he had to report to the Head of all Aurors, Harry Potter to vouch for Railynn to come with him to the Yule Ball.  As her best friend and the person who ended up finding her after her vampire attack, Harry and Hermione Granger had both wanted to make sure that he would keep a watchful eye on the fledgling vampire that was his best friend.  Finn was lying if he said he wasn't nervous for the meeting; these two were two thirds of the force being the rebellion against Voldemort after all!  It had gone well though, and now Rai was cleared to come to the Ball with him and resume her castle duties as an Auror in training.

Whistling, Finn got onto the lift and pressed the button for the Atrium; it shuddered and took off, making one more stop on a different floor.  When the door open, a familiar face greeted him and he grinned widely.  "Jess!  Good to see you, I've been doing well thanks!  How have you been?  How is making Muggles forget everything they saw?" he asked, happy to see her as it had been far too long.


@jessica

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She snorted inelegantly at Finn’s description of her job. It wasn’t wrong; it was just the kind of thing that no one in DMAC would say outright. Cheerfully she answered, “I’ve been good! I’m working on Project Convert Everyone In The Office Onto Ballpoint Pens, which is ongoing” - no one tried to make her do her paperwork with a quill anymore, which was her first goal at least - “and fortunately people have been doing a reasonable job of following the Statute of Secrecy, so the actual work’s been pretty good too!”

“I thought you were at Hogwarts?” she asked. She knew a number of the Auror trainees were because she hadn’t seen them since school started back up, and Finn was one of the ones she’d hadn’t seen. That was a shame - she rather liked him.

@finn

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Finn laughed as Jess told him of her current project for the office.  "That sounds like an excellent cause; quills are always a right pain in the arse, and if the inkwell spills you have to get your report cleaned up and sometimes start all over again.  Will you give me one?  I can try and infiltrate your cause to the Auror department," he asked, chuckling.  Really Jess had a great point - why would wizards still use quills and ink in the year 2024?  Sure, he'd never known any different, but he'd known Jess for the few months before he was shipped off to Hogwarts duty and she had shown him what the pen looked like.  The ink was built into the writing utensil, which seemed far more modern than quills did.

"I am still on Hogwarts duty yes, but...one of the Aurors had a mishap and since I know the Auror personally, Harry Potter asked me to vet for their return to school as something that was safe," he explained.  He didn't want to be vague; as an Obliviatior he was sure Jess knew how to keep a secret.  However, he was uncertain how far news of Rai's transformation had spread in the Ministry, so he would only tell her if Jess let him know she knew first.   "So will you be coming to join us Aurors at Hogwarts for the Ministry Yule Ball?" he asked her suddenly, interested to know if she was going.


@jessica

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”Exactly! It’s such a pain!” She reached into her bag, rummaging around and pulling out a pen with a triumphant grin. “It’s all I’ve got now, but come steal some from my desk when you run out,” she said as she held it out to him.

She nodded at Finn’s explanation of why he was back at the Ministry. “Makes sense. Kind of sucks though. Mishaps are generally something to avoid. Plus, I mean, Harry Potter. That’s pretty intimidating.” Jess had never heard anything bad about Harry Potter, but he was a legend, and she was really, really glad she wasn’t an Auror and have to actually talk to him.

“I am very definitely going to the Yule Ball,” she answered. It wasn’t exactly her favourite kind of party - high heels were a pain - but it was always fun to talk to all the people, and it would definitely be nice to see Hogwarts again. ”It’ll be fun, plus you never know what will happen at a Ministry Christmas party.”

@finn

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"Cheers," Finn said happily, tucking away the pen in his jacket pocket. The jacket that had once been Poe's was now his, and Finn wore it quite a lot.  He thought he looked rather devil-may-care in it, more debonair.  It fit well at the very least, or at least Rai had told hm it did.  

Finn's expression turned serious when Jess talked about avoiding mishaps.  "I agree, though unfortunately with this particular mishap there was no avoiding anything.  The Auror had been with someone who they trusted, and they betrayed her," he said simply.  He would never forgive Uriah for allowing Rai to be taken by the vampire, not even if she herself forgave him.  Somethings you could forget, and this was one thing Finn never would.  "It's funny, because in person he's actually a lot less intimidating than his name lets on, though I suppose when you're known as The Chosen One or The Boy Who Lived it's a lot to live up to," Finn added with a chuckle.  Harry had been understanding and patient as Finn gave his report, so he'd felt less and less intimated as the minutes went by.  Hermione Granger though, she'd always intimidate him.

Finn grinned widely when Jess confirmed she'd be heading to the Yule Ball for the Ministry party.  He was glad to hear of it; Jess was a lot of fun to be around.  "You're right anything can happen at a Ministry party," he agreed with a laugh.  "But you should be sure to save a dance for me; I have incredible dance skills," he said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.  Incredible was not exactly the right word for it, but Finn never stepped on anyones feet.  He was a little overenthusiastic at times though, but that wasn't a bad thing!


@jessica

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Some mishaps are unavoidable. She was pretty sure this had something to do with why Rai had been around the Ministry all of a sudden, because she knew they were friends, but she wasn’t going to pry. Harry Potter was a much less invasive topic. “That makes an awful lot of sense. With titles like that, you’d spend more time trying not to be, well, normal, so people would talk to you in something other than fear or adoration.” She wasn’t even sure which she’d tend towards, but she wasn’t exactly in a hurry to find out.

The Yule Ball was an even more entertaining topic, though. “Well, now I have to, because I have to witness these dancing skills,” she joked. ”Are you sure I don’t need to ask you to save a dance for me?” She wasn’t much of a dancer really, but she could handle herself in a waltz if she needed to, and the more boisterous dancing was great fun. Knowing she'd have a dance at some point made her look forward to it just a little more.

@finn

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Finn smiled and gave a mock bow when Jess asked if she needed to save a dance for him. “I will personally make sure that there is a dance with your name on it at the Ball,” he told her with a chuckle. Finn loved to dance; whether or not he was actually good at it was up to debate, but he could go awhile without stepping on toes at the very least. Rai would be making her return to Hogwarts that night; they were technically going together, but Finn was fully aware that Grey was the real reason for Rais’ desire to attend the Ball. He’d have to find other people to have fun with, and Jess was definitely near the top of his list.

The elevator dinged and they both got out, Finn holding the elevator door so it didn’t close on the other girl. “I was about to step out for some food, care to join?” Finn asked her. His stomach rumbled after his words as if to prove the point. Finn was always hungry; his mother always said his stomach was similar to a trash compactor. He’d been trying to eat healthier since Auror training began of course, but sometimes he just wanted some comfort food, like right now.

@jessica

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She grinned. "Excellent. I'll look forward to it." She would too - the Yule Ball would be great fun.

Finn held the lift door open for her once they got to the lobby, because he was awesome like that. And then asked about going to grab food, punctuated by his stomach rumbling. She laughed, but she was pretty sure it was only luck that it wasn't hers doing it. "God yes. Anything specific in mind?" She knew a few places, but she wasn't picky and she knew her favourites were not everyone's cup of tea, and not everyone was as comfortable in a Muggle restaraunt as she was.

@finn

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Finn grinned as Jess agreed to accompany him to food. When she asked if he had anywhere in particular in mind, Finns’ grin simply widened. “Oh yes,” he said, then offered his arm out to her. They stepped out into the bright sunlight and Finn led the way down the series of streets and over a bridge to their final destination. “Welcome to Borough Market,” he declared happily. The dozens of shops and stalls may be overwhelming for some, but to Finn it was a foodies’ paradise. The Market quite literally had everything to satisfy any sort of craving one might have in the hunger department; he pointed out the various stalls that he preferred as they walked, which was pretty much everything. “Any preferences?” he asked her, shoving his hands into his pockets; it was a rather brisk December day so he figured he’d get something hot to warm his hands, but he’d go with Jess first to where she wanted to eat.

@jessica

Borough Market Stalls!

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Jess took Finn's arm, wandering down the streets to their destination. And it was a good destination - Borough Market was awesome. She took in the high glass ceilings and green columns, and the hustle and bustle of shopping. There were so many stalls offering all sorts of foodie treats - fancy cheeses, local meats, truffle oils, wine and beer - which was fine, but wasn't lunch.

But there were a dozen food stalls at least, and Finn pointed out his favourites. And they all smelled amazing. But decisions, decisions. "Hmmm, I'm feeling like Indian today. You?"

@finn

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Finn was glad Jess seemed to approve of his choice of Borough Market for food. He would come here often with friends; his parents had taken him there when he was younger and he had been enchanted by all of the different food there.  "Indian sounds good, as long as we get extra naan," he agreed, grinning widely.  They made their way over to the food stall and Finn ordered some Tandoori chicken & shrimp with extra naan.  He waited patiently as Jess made her order and led her over to a free park bench that a couple had just cleared off of.  "Cheers," he said before digging into his food.  He was silent as he ate with gusto, finally pausing for a few moments so he didn't get heartburn from the food.  "So anything exciting going on in the world of Obliviatiors?" he asked her curiously.

@jessica

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"You can have extra naan, then, I'm not going to stop you!" shae answered with a grin, before Jess ordered chana masala with a perfectly normal amount of naan and a samosa. It was a small miracle that they found a bench to sit at to eat, but it worked perfectly. "Bon appetit," she returned and then dug in. It was seriously good, and just the right amount of spicy.

"It's half underage Muggleborns who don't realise they're doing it, which is pretty easy. There was an incident with a dragon in Wales the other week, that was exciting. Nothing on Ilfracombe, but a pair of us hopped across the countryside clearing up behind it while the dragonkeepers tried to wrangle it back to the reserve. That was fun." Actually, that had been the most complicated thing to cross their desk in months, and the paperwork was a nightmare, and it had been a really long day. But it was also the kind of thing that had got her interested in Obliviation in the first place.

@finn

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Finn smiled and felt not in the least bit bad that he had ordered extra na’an. They tucked into their food and Finn was totally fine with the lack of speaking while their mouths were full. It meant they were enjoying their food while not being rude at the same time. When they had finished up most of their meal, Jess began talking about her job and the different places it was taking her to wipe the memories of certain people. “Dragon? Now that sounds like quite an adventure,” he said, grinning widely as she mentioned the Ilfracombe excursion. He had yet to see a real dragon up close and personal, which surprised him a little. In his line of work, he expected that a dragon may cross his path at some point or another. “Was it just a Common Welsh Green or was it something out of the ordinary?” he asked curiously. The dragon he had named was, as the name suggested, native to Wales so that would make sense. If it had been a Norwegian Ridgeback or even a Chinese Fireball though that would have been quite the exciting thing to see. “Did you have to call on the dragon trainers - I know one of the Weasleys fathers works with dragons, Charlie Weasley.” He didn’t know the second eldest Weasley brother all that well but he’d met him a handful of times through Fred. He wondered if any of his own children wanted to be dragon trainers like him, but he was pretty sure the middle girl had some sort of breathing issues. Not exactly the best idea for a dragon trainer career path in his opinion.

@jessica

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The dragon expedition had been a pretty cool one, in Jess's opinion, and clearly in Finn's too. How could it not be? There was a dragon! "Definitely an adventure! I only saw it from a distance, but they said it was a Welsh Green. It definitely looked green to me." Jess hadn't taken Care of Magical Creatures, and couldn't have identified any of the types of dragon, but green was a pretty good indicator.

"The dragon trainers called us, actually, once they realised they had an escapee." She thought about it for a second, trying to remember all of the names. She couldn't quite, but still - "I don't remember a Weasley, but they were pretty cool. I'd prefer working with Muggles over dragons though, no matter how cool they are."

@finn