Off To Work (Open To Ministry Workers)

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Another evening at work. Zeph had been working a lot of nights as of late. She asked for them though. Night was the time for the wicked to enter the world. It was the best time to catch them off guard too. Darkness could be a friend and a foe, and Zeph had learned how to use it as an ally. She worked best at night, especially since she was a tad nocturnal sleep-wise. Well, going home to her waiting beloved, Mera, changed that just a bit.

Working at night did mean not seeing her children, Benny and Betty, at dinner or being able to tuck them in. Fortunately, Mera had a shift where she could be home in time. Before then, Zeph's mother happily watched her twins. Still, it was tough to say good-bye to them, which she was doing now near the Ministry entrance.

"Be good for Grand-mum until Mommy gets home, alright?" she said after kneeling down to talk to her son and daughter. "And no playing with Grand-mum and Grand-dad's wands. Promise?" The twins giggled, but then nodded. Zeph hugged them and kissed them both on their cheeks.

"Mum loves you both," she said. "Very, very much."

"Love you too, Mum," said the twins in unison. "Very, very much." More giggles, with Zeph joining in. Zeph then rose and hugged her mother.

"Remember, vitamin potions at six and make sure they drink all their milk with dinner," she said.

"Of course, Zeph," chuckled Melina Anders. "You know I will, love."

"Thank you, Mum. Love you," said Zeph. And with that, and final waves to all three, she got into the phone booth and made her way down to the Ministry of Magic.

"Evening," she said to some passersby on the way to the Department Of Magical Law Enforcement.

@eleanor

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Eleanor was just finishing up her day at the Ministry. Now that the Triwizard Tournament was over, she was finally back at her home office in the Magical Games & Sports department. The Summer league was beginning to practice, and scrimmages would start up next week, which meant Cyrus would be back out on the pitch doing what he loved. Even though it meant they had less time to spend together outside the world of Quidditch, Ella had already snagged the Arrows as one of the teams she got to cover this season, so at least she’d be around him more. It sounded a little lovesick in Ella’s opinion; probably to everyone but the two of them. However, Ella and Cyrus were soulmates, together since their third year at Hogwarts with a minor blip just after graduation. She didn’t care how strangers viewed their relationship; she was only concerned with how happy they were together.

Eleanor looked at the clock in her cubicle and gathered up her files on the Triwizard Tournament. She was going to file them away downstairs before heading out for the night, so that when she got in the next morning her desk would be nice and clean. She had to admit, she wasn’t going to miss all that paperwork. A woman passed by her as she was making her way slowly down a hallway. “Evening,” she replied. Suddenly, she heard a snap and stumbled forward as the heel of her shoe caught on something and snapped. She gasped loudly as she fell forward, flinging her hands out to stop her from slamming to the ground. Of course, that meant her papers flew everywhere, and she swore loudly as she hit the floor. “Sorry,” she apologized, taking a moment to sit back and look sadly at her broken heel. “Reparo,” she muttered, waving her wand and repairing the heel before moving to scoop up all her paperwork.

@zephyra

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Zeph was about to greet several others she passed by as she usually did at the Ministry. She really didn't know a lot of Ministry workers outside of those in her own department, but she had always been a friendly one. The greetings might have been a bit meaningless, but she felt rude if she didn't. Anyway, her other greetings were a bit cut off when the one she just greeted lost her papers and said a rather inappropriate word. Zeph turned as she apologized and was in the process of repairing a broken show heel.

"No need to apologize," she said. "Well to me anyway. Those broken heels can e a nasty business, can't they? Here, let me help you with these papers." She bent down and started picking them up. As she did so, she smiled at the other witch. "Zephyra Anders, Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Zeph tried to avoid reading the other witch's papers. They were none of her business anyway. "Through for the day? Just coming in myself." Zeph felt that was a safe assumption, given the woman was coming in from the other way.

@eleanor

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Eleanor laughed a little at the womans’ comment. “They’re my favorite pair of shoes. I’ve repaired them like this twice already this year, so I feel like it’s going to be time to let them go soon. They’re just so cute,” she admitted, a little pout forming at her lips. “Thank you for your help,” she added gratefully, accepting the neatly scooped up papers into her arms. Shifting slightly, she reached out and shook Zeph’s hand. “Eleanor Percival, Magical Games and Sports,” she introduced, then glanced down at her stack and chuckled. “Though over the past months I was on the Triwizard Tournament Task Force, so I was helping organize the tasks, making sure all the i’s were dotted, t’s crossed. You know, all fun things,” she added.

“I am, thankfully I’m starting to get back to a somewhat normal schedule. I swear I know I’m not the first to say this, but thank Merlin this tournament is basically over. With a Hogwarts victory no less,” Eleanor confirmed with a smile. She knew a Weasley or two, the most notable being her friend Victoire, and it had been her cousin who won it all for their alma mater. “Did you go to Hogwarts as well?” Ella asked curiously; she couldn’t quite place Zephyra’s accent, though she wasn’t all too good at it to begin with!

@zephyra

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Zeph frowned about the shoes. She wasn't all that much into fancy shoes, but she understood how annoying it could be to repair clothes. It wasn't fun having to buy new ones either... well unless it was buying them for her children. She enjoyed that a good bit.

"I know how you feel," she said. "I had this old sweater I loved until everyone basically begged me to be rid of it. I almost shed a tear when I put it in the rubbish can. I'm sure you'll find some nice shoes though. You seem to have good taste in clothes. Me, not so much." She chuckled at that.

Zeph beamed a bit at what Eleanor's job was. She loved being an Auror, but she imagined getting to involve oneself in wizarding sports had to be a fun day at work.

"That sounds like an enjoyable job," she said. "I'm a big Quidditch fan, and so are my children. My daughter and I are all about the Holyhead Harpies. We try not to miss a game." Eleanor spoke of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Zeph had of course heard all about it as the tournament was always big news. "I wish I could have seen the students compete, but I'm stuck here in London. You must have enjoyed being right there."

Zeph nodded about the Hogwarts victory. She was glad to hear about that as well. It was her school after all.

"I was cheering a bit when I read the news of the victory," she said. She was then asked if she attended the school. "I did indeed. Hufflepuff Alumna. Most of my family were Gryffindors, so the original sorting was a bit of a surprise for me. Still, I grew to love my House. What about you?"

@eleanor

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Eleanor laughed. “Well thank you, I’m glad someone understands,” she added with a smile. She noticed the womans’ eyes light up as Eleanor rattled off her department title, and recognized a fellow Quidditch fan. She loved the idea of one day taking her own children, whenever she had them, to professional Quidditch games. Hopefully, if things continued the way they were currently going, it’d be to Cyrus’ games. “That must be so much fun to share in that experience with your daughter,” she said giddly. “Myself, I am an Arrows fan, but I am a little biased. My boyfriend is Cyrus Ellsworth, Keeper for the Arrows,” she told her, not bothering to hide the notes of pride in her voice. Why should she; her boyfriend was twenty-two and a successful Quidditch Keeper for a phenomenal team. Though with Dakota Oliveira leaving, they would be down a Chaser. Hopefully the tryouts would go well, and they’d recruit some new blood.

“When we realized Molly Weasley had won after tallying up the scores, we were so excited,” Eleanor admitted with a smile. “It was definitely weird knowing before she did, but luckily everyone found out soon after.” Eleanor hadn’t attended the feast, as she wasn’t needed for it, so she had come back to the office to finish up some last bits of paperwork before turning in for the night. “I figured the news had spread by the time I got back here this afternoon, my colleague Olivia is quite the gossip,” she added with a small giggle. Ella nodded as Zeph mentioned she was in Hufflepuff when she had attended Hogwarts. “I’m a Ravenclaw alumni myself; I’m a Muggleborn though so nobody in my family had been Sorted before. I loved my house, and the views from our Common Room.” Ella sighed in a happy remembrance of the Ravenclaw tower. “It was interesting; my brother is older than me but didn’t have magical blood. I’m not sure where mine ended up coming from,” she told her.

@zephyra

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Zeph beamed a bit when Eleanor said that she was a fan of the Arrows and that her brother was Keeper for the team. There was a very special reason for her beaming. She wasn't a big fan of them, but some people very close to her were.

"My dad is a big fan of them," she said. "He's been going to their games since he was a kid. My son loves them as well. In fact, he and his grandfather really bond over the Arrows. My son loves the Seeker just like Betty does for the Harpies. They love watching the Snitch getting chased." She then chuckled. "Sorry, being a rambling Mum here." She couldn't help it. She adored her children and loved going on about them. It was a blessing for her and Mera to have been able to adopt them so young.

Zeph chuckled about the gossip and how it spread. The same happened in her Department.

"Gossip can really travel," she said. "We're always hearing all sorts of interesting things in my Department, and half the time the news has nothing to do with the dark wizards we're chasing." She chuckled a bit again.

Zeph nodded about Eleanor being a Muggleborn. She wondered what that was like, having so much exposure to the Muggle World. She had a lot of respect for Muggleborns as they no doubt had to adjust more to being a wizard or witch than she did.

"I come from a family of Half-Bloods," she said. "Dating all the way back to who knows when. I imagine it's quite interesting, getting to experience both worlds as you have." Zeph then laughed about the view. "Well, we didn't have the view in my Common Room, but we did have quick access to the kitchen. I admit I kept those House Elves busy with pre-curfew snacks."

Zeph was intrigued about Ella's brother and how he didn't have magical blood.

"Wish I could help you there," she said. "I have a brother myself. One guess as to which House he ended up in." Zeph hardly seemed bitter that her brother got to carry on the family tradition of being in Gryffindor. She got over that fairly quickly after his sorting.

@eleanor

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Eleanor laughed along with Zeph. “Oh please! Don’t be sorry at all, I am sure when I have children I’ll be the exact same way,” Ella said with a smile. She leaned in a little closer, as if conspiring. “Don’t tell your son, but the Seeker for the Arrows is possibly leaving the team to ‘pursue other options’. Or at least that what Cy told me,” she whispered. She didn’t know if this information was true or not, but the Arrows had already lost one chaser after Dakota had left for ‘personal reasons’. She hoped it didn’t ruin their season, but hopefully they’d have a good draft from the graduating seventh years at the different wizarding schools. “My dad is a radio broadcaster for Arsenal, the Muggle football team. Has been for over thirty years now. Growing up we’d go to the games all the time, and he’d let me sit in the press box with him. I got my fathers’ love of sports, and my brother….well he’s a dermatologist, so he helps people with skin problems,” she told her, then giggled. “Listen to me, blabbering away here, so at least you’re not alone,” she said, shaking her head slightly.

“Gryffindor?” Eleanor guessed, giving the other woman a sympathetic look. Her brother was a Muggle and therefore had not been Sorted into any house, so there had not been any competition. “My brother and I were a bit like polar opposites; he was really good at sports when he went to Prep School and I...well, I almost fell off my broom three times the first Flying lesson we had, so I was just the fanatic spectator,” she told Zeph. “It must have been nice though to leave your own mark on the school. Perhaps your children will be in Hufflepuff,” she suggested, trying to make the situation lighter.

@zephyra

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Zeph frowned at the news about the Arrows' Seeker. Yes, that would devastate Benny a good bit, but she'd try to explain why to him when the time came. It was best to just let the time come.

"I imagine this happens a lot in the Quidditch world," she said. "I'm sure Benny will understand in time, and who knows, he might end up liking another team when he gets older. You know how children are." She sort of dreaded Benny and Betty becoming teens some day, and deciding that their mums were no longer cool. That was a good few years off though.

Zeph laughed about Elanor blabbing on. It was always nice to have someone to blab with, and what Eleanor said peaked her interest. She had never knew someone connected to the Muggle sports world.

"I'd love to see a Muggle game," she said. "They play football on the ground, don't they?" She chuckled. "Well, I suppose they do, given they can't fly on brooms. I know, I'm terrible at remembering all these things about Muggles. I wasn't the best in Muggle Studies in school, which is bad since I'm a Half-Blood and I have Muggle ancestors." Her face grew red as she was rambling again.

Zeph nodded about Gryffindor.

"Yep," I said. "One year after I was Sorted. It took a little while to get over it, but again... I turned out to be a proud Puff."

Zeph then smiled about Eleanor and her brother, and how different they were. She totally related there in a lot of ways.

"Well, look at you now, though," she said. "Magical Games and Sports. Seems like you did well for yourself. The funny thing is that my brother was in the House where everyone was supposed to be courageous, and I ended up being the one to fight dark wizards." She then shrugged about her children being Puffs as well. "Perhaps, but my partner was in Gryffindor as well and I think she hopes they'll be there too. I just hope they get the House they want."

@eleanor

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Eleanor nodded a bit sadly. “It does unfortunately. Sometimes its’ due to injury, wanting a change of pace, or you know, a slower pace,” she told Zephyra, shrugging slightly. She knew the Falcons’ Captain Yadiel was older than most of the Quidditch players out there, but he was so enthusiastic about the game, it was contagious. He was a great example to the young players out there who were just seeking some sort of glory from it. Cyrus loved the game as much as she did as well. With Dakota gone, Eleanor hoped the owner of the Arrows could see what an asset he was to the team and name him Captain. Or at least consider it! “Well I can always wrangle up some Arrows tickets if he ever wants to check out the new blood they’ll get after recruitment this summer,” she told her happily. Cyrus always had tickets on reserve for her, and he would be happy to meet any fans of Quidditch or the Arrows. He was a good man, and sometimes she still couldn’t believe they had found their way back to each other.

The conversation turned back to magical blood, and Ella nodded sympathetically as Zeph admitted Muggle Studies hadn’t been her best subject. “Most half bloods don’t know or understand anything about football, so the fact that you know it’s on the ground is promising,” she told her with a laugh. “They usually stay within the realms of the wizarding world with the whole Statute of Secrecy bit. I’ll be different though, my children will certainly know the ins and outs of Quidditch and football, you can be sure of that,” she said, adding the last bit on with some confidence. At the mention of her partner being in Gryffindor, Eleanor couldn’t help but smile. “You’re just surrounded by lions,” she commented with a chuckle. Her expression then grew more serious. “Your children can have a choice though, if they really really believe strongly they belong in a house, I’ve heard the hat does take that into consideration,” she told her, shrugging. She had NO idea what she was getting into back when she got to Hogwarts, so she had been fine with being placed in Ravenclaw, even if the good looking Ellsworth boy had already been placed in Slytherin at that time.

@zephyra

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Zeph nodded about why Quidditch Players left teams, and then chuckled a little.

"I don't think I could be a Quidditch Player," she said. "Once I've reached a goal, it's hard to pull me away. I'll probably be an Auror until I'm too old to move about." She then smiled about Eleanor wrangling some tickets. "Benny would love that! Thank you. I'll pay of course." She wasn't one to sneeze at gifts, but Quidditch tickets were often hot and hard to come by.

Zeph laughed too about knowing what little she knew about football. It was strange how close their world was to that of Muggles, yet so far away. She liked how Eleanor's children would get the best of both worlds. Maybe some day, somehow her twins would as well.

"I imagine they'll love getting to enjoy both," she said. "And really they'll get to enjoy both worlds in general. Not a lot of wizard and witches get to do that." She envied Eleanor just a bit, but not to any level of bitterness.

Zeph rolled her eyes a bit about the hat taking things into consideration, but then smiled.

"Yeah, my mistake was that I was so confident that I was going to be in Gryffindor that I didn't bother to put up a fight," she said. "I barely had it on my head when it sent me to Hufflepuff. But really, the hat knows what it's doing, and it turned out that Hufflepuff was where I meant to go. I'm sure Benny and Betty will be treated fairly as well."

@eleanor

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Eleanor waved her thanks aside with a happy smile. “Cy is always happy to get the younger fans involved in the game. And I enjoy giving away five tickets per game as my job allots,” she told her gleefully. Of course, it was really four tickets for Arrows games since Eleanor was devoted to attending every game of her boyfriends team, but still, being able to make someone’s day was a good feeling. “You’ll see me there too, decked in Arrows gear of course,” she said with a light laugh. “Cy and I were together from third to seventh year at Hogwarts, then got back together last year. We split up after graduation since our careers were taking us on different tracks but…” she shrugged, the glowing smile on her face evident of her happiness. “I guess when you’re meant to be, you’re meant to be,” she declared.

She cocked her head to one side. “Now how about you and your partner? How long have you been together?” she asked with a smile. She could tell just how much Zephyra loved her family from the way she talked about them, and the Ravenclaw in her was always a bit curious about other peoples love stories, since hers she felt came out of a fairy tale. “Perhaps Benny and Betty will be in Ravenclaw or Slytherin,” she added; stranger things had happened after all. “I love their names by the way, similar but still so different,” she complimented, shifting her papers from one hip to another.

@zephyra

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Zeph smiled at Eleanor's generosity. Being an Auror, she ran into so many dark souls, people who were cruel and selfish and would do anything to fulfill their own desires. It was good to see people like Eleanor, who did nice things just for the sake of doing them.

"That's very generous of you," she said. "But I do feel bad not doing something in return. Perhaps you can come by for dinner one night. Mera and I make some pretty fantastic meals when we put our heads together. The twins think so anyway. Well they at least let us know by cleaning their plates." That was how Zeph was. She wasn't going to take and not give back.

Zeph beamed about Mera as she always did when she thought of the love of her life.

"Oh, going back to Hogwarts," she said. "It's been well over ten years now since we began dating. We were married not long after graduation. Couldn't ask for a better partner in life." She then chuckled. "How about you? I imagine someone's quite lucky to be with such a beautiful and classy woman like yourself."

Zeph shrugged about their twins being Eagles or Snakes. She certainly did not brush off the possibility.

"Perhaps," she said. "I know we'll be proud of them no matter what." She then smiled about their names. "Well while we did give them the nicknames, their birth parents named them Benjamin and Elizabeth. Mera and I weren't told what became of their parents, but we feel we don't need to know. Benny and Betty are loved and well taken care of."

@eleanor

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Eleanor smiled at Zephyra’s offer for dinner. “That is the perfect repayment, seeing as my cooking skills are….nonexistent,” she said with a chuckle. Baking Ella could handle easily, but for some reason everything she tended to try to cook turned out far too dry, or burnt. With the exception of pasta, though she still sometimes managed to muck that up too. Cyrus would make fun of her cooking, but thankfully he still loved her despite her abhorrent skills in the kitchen. “Would you mind if Cyrus came along? I think perhaps your son might get a little starstruck, but I’d like him to at least have the opportunity for a good home cooked meal every so often,” she asked with a chortle. She hoped she wasn’t being too presumptuous by asking to invite her significant other, but she got the impression the Auror wouldn’t mind.

Speaking of significant others, Ella saw the way Zeph’s face lit up as she talked about her wife Mera. It was clear there was a passionate love between the two of them, and was standing the test of time. In Ella’s opinion, the world needed more stories like that. “Well technically we met briefly during our Sorting, but since he went into Slytherin and I Ravenclaw we didn’t communicate too much. I had always found him cute, and it turned out so did he. So by the end of our third year we were dating. First it was one of those adorable, barely teenage romance that developed over the years into real love.” She paused, smiling a little to herself. “We thought we were doing the right thing when we broke up after graduation, but in the end it became clear it was the worst decision either of us made. It just...took us a few years to truly realize that.” Eleanor finished speaking, and laughed softly. “When two people are meant to be, they always find their way back to each other,” she added as the smile on her face grew as she thought of Cyrus.

@zephyra

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Zeph beamed a bit at the mention of Cyrus joining her. She could only imagine Benny's reaction, and Betty's too even though Betty preferred the Harpies. She doubted Betty would be opposed to an autograph.

"That would be wonderful," she said. "I doubt Mera would mind, and the kids would be overjoyed to have a real Quidditch player in our home. I'll talk to her and see what night is good. We can meet here tomorrow and I'll let you know. Oh, and let me know what you and Cyrus fancy to eat. We can whip up just about anything."

Zeph smiled when Eleanor told her story about her and Cyrus, and how despite a few bumps in the road, they got back together. Now that was a great love story. However, she was glad that she and Mera never drifted apart. They had some wonderfully heated debates, but nothing that ever really caused a rift.

"I'm glad things turned around for you," she said. "And I agree- when you're meant to be with someone, I think nothing can tear you apart." Zeph sighed a bit. "Mera and I had obstacles of course. Our families had no qualms about us being together, but there were those who were appalled at the idea of two women dating. There were also those who felt I should have found myself a nice Hufflepuff and she a nice Gryffindor. Rather silly now looking back on it, as Mera and I overcame that. We've never doubted how powerful love can be."

@eleanor