Arrested Development [Temperance]

[Vivian River Jordan]

11 January 2027

It was always a good idea to watch where you were going in the studio. It was impossible to count how many people could work on just one production – anything from sound technicians to wardrobe and makeup artists to their assistants frantically running after them with coffee. And the talent, of course. There weren’t so many of those but they made enough drama to somehow always be noticed wherever they went. So bottom line – it was important to stay alert and be savvy about dodging people that were bustling in the other direction. Viv’s eyes were glued to the newspaper, but her gaze shot up at the sound of a large crash directly ahead. Like everyone in the nearby vicinity, her mouth dropped open at the sight of two interns drenched in paint, the guilty cans empty on the floor and a set designer fuming about his lost colors.

Delicately side-stepping the scene, Viv tucked the newspaper under her arm and fished around for another bean from her nearly empty jar of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. At the disgruntled mew from the puffskein on her shoulder, Vivian rolled her eyes and squinted at the bean in question. It was a bright yellow, but that could mean anything from lemon to rotten egg. Giving a one-shouldered shrug (so that Drizzle wouldn’t go flying) she offered up the yellow bean and watched skeptically as Drizzle nibbled on it. Must be something good, she decided at the lack of gagging as Drizzle happily finished the rest of the bean and settled back down.

For once, Vivian didn’t quite have anywhere to be. They’d finished wrapping up the latest episode of Potterwatch only twenty minutes ago, and Viv’s celebrity guest of the week had already rushed off to a photoshoot as the latest stop on the publicity tour for their new movie. Vivian herself had walked away with some neat swag and the rest of the afternoon off. She’d picked up the latest edition of the Daily Prophet from a stand inside the studio on her way to hunt down some more snacks…yup, reading print media – that’s how bored she was. And ever since, she’d been unable to tear her eyes away from the front page and the dirt the Prophet had managed to dig up. Finally, across a small crowd of confused extras, Viv spotted someone who might be able to do something about it. “Oi, Tempe!” she called out, pushing through a pair of pirates to reach the young producer. Unlike most of the producers on Potterwatch, Temperance wasn’t a middle-aged man with no imagination – which meant she might be more interested in Vivian’s pitch, and turning it into reality. Viv dramatically whipped out the newspaper again to show off the headline. “Get an eyeful of this,” she said insistently, stealing a quick glance at the front page before turning it around for the young producer to see.

ONE MORE EMPTY CELL: ASHER BURKE’S MIND-BOGGLING RELEASE FROM AZKABAN
Months after the fall of Hogwarts and promises to prosecute – what is the Ministry thinking?

temperance elizabeth fleming

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

They serve a faceless queen

they never question why

January 11, 2027
Vivian River Jordan

The sounds at the station were so normal to Temperance that it all became background noise. The sounds of people running, their shoes skidding on the cheap floors as they raced to bring a script before someone went live on the air. It always baffled her that some magical-born interns had wholly forgotten how to use magic to help them be more efficient. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the British magical education was far less stressful than the American one. But Temp was used to a life of stress, and you could see it in her typical tense posture.

But, despite the increasing number of times she rolled her eyes in a day, whether it was because of a stupid question from an intern or a stupid comment by management—she enjoyed it all. But the crash was loud enough to catch her attention, and she stopped midsentence while directing a new employee to turn around and look. The amount of paint on the floor made her cringe, if only because it was such a mess. Without missing a beat, she returned, resumed her instruction, and sent them on their way. She had about a billion things to finish before the end of the day. The New Year was a busy time as they shifted out of Holiday mode.

As a crowd walked past her, she took several steps back to let them pass. Pirates. That meant either one of the children’s programs or a new show the station was piloting that essentially mocked what was happening in the real world. Temperance shook her head. The idea of pirates was a little preposterous, even for witches and wizards. But she heard her name called and recognized Jordan’s face across the crowd. Half of her wanted to find a way out of this interaction as Temp could only take so much energy from one person in one day, but she was still far easier to get along with than some of the other showrunners she worked with.

Vivian came her way and pushed through the crowd of Pirates, and as they moved, she thought she spotted one of the shorter ones dressed as a dragon. She frowned slightly. ”Has Tom been writing again while on those Druid shrooms?” There had been an incident the previous year where one of their screenwriters had written a rather ridiculous script while under the influence, and they’d had to scramble to fill that timeslot. But Temp’s eyes shifted from the tiny dragon and tall pirate to the moving photographs on the front page of the Prophet. Temp froze. This was a joke, right? ”Are you serious?” Temp stuck her notebook between her arm and her side and grabbed the paper with both hands.

The smug face of Burke barely moved in his photograph, while the other photo showed the Head of Magical Law Enforcement: Bianca Rivera, trying to calm a crowd of journalists. ”Is this a joke?” Temperance had never stepped foot in Hogwarts, but it was where her younger brothers had attended school, and they’d both been endangered that day.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

Temperance looked as stiff as usual, and Viv was happily surprised at the lack of commentary about her casual use of an unauthorized nickname. The producer was one of those by-the-book gals, always checking the handbook before making a decision and raising an eyebrow at anybody that got too casual with her. That wasn’t Viv’s style at all, and she’d somewhat clashed with the other Ravenclaws who were like that during her time in Hogwarts. At the thought of a late-night prank gone wrong one night with Nova, Viv cringed a little internally but cleared her throat slightly as she handed off the paper to Tempe. Even if their styles didn’t quite match, she was still the best producer for this job. She would actually consider the merits of Viv’s proposal instead of just writing off the girl as too young for the job, like some other to-be-left-unnamed people would. Merlin, that was the downside of TV – everybody always judged by looks, and it was hard to be taken seriously when you looked like you could still be in school.

She craned her head to peer curiously at the pirate extras milling around on the floor, on their phone or checking scripts. Viv shrugged at the sight and at Temperance’s question. She wasn’t wrong, but… “Yeah well, fantasy is trendy now thanks to Clash of Wands. Everybody wants to imagine they’ll be kidnapped by a handsome pirate and swept away on the high seas.” It wasn’t hard to imagine who the target audience for that kind of show was, but Viv didn’t really care either way. Not her cup of tea, but also not her problem. And the extras’ costumes looked too nice to be for a kids show. But anyway, it wasn’t what she wanted to talk to the young producer about so Vivian rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet as she waited impatiently for Temperance to scan the article. It wasn’t quite the usual material for Potterwatch, but they did handle serious topics occasionally. Memorials for the Second Wizarding War, for example, and even a few segments on the fire at Hogwarts when the news had first broken.

“It must be,” Vivian said moodily as Temperance froze and flashed the article back at her as if it was a joke. Her eyes briefly landed on the picture of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, who looked way too calm and serious given the news she’d just announced. But everybody knew that Bianca Rivera always looked steely focused (and a little angry) at all times. “How in the name of Merlin’s knotted staff did the Prophet crack this first?” she continued with a little whine in her voice, getting back to what was important. Viv snatched back the paper so she could glance it over and roll her eyes in disgust. Everybody knew newspapers were almost a complete relic of the past, and struggling to compete with new and more modern platforms catering to the magical community’s need for breaking news. But not this time. “Those old codgers always report on yesterday’s news, ‘cept they got the jump on us with this.” Viv crossed her arms. “We gotta react now, or we’ll be the ones choking on their dust.”

temperance elizabeth fleming

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

They serve a faceless queen

they never question why

January 11, 2027
Vivian River Jordan

On a typical day, this type of commotion was not uncommon. Things happening at the same time, and people going in every which direction. Lights, paint, and all kinds of equipment flew across the station as yet another production assistant yelled ’Accio Flood Light!” Most of the interns learned quickly to watch where they were going or at least learn what a camera whizzing through the air sounded like. In Temp’s experience, many learned the hard way. Not even pirates were strange to see anymore—which only worried Temperance because it meant that her brain was beginning to accept the absolute and most bizarre.

Temperance rolled her eyes. These unrealistic stories only made daydreamers of the next generation. She could imagine her younger brothers perhaps getting caught up in some whirlwind of an idea, but the world simply did not work that way. Thinking of her own parents, she knew that for a fact. ”Nothing like a hopeless romantic with too much time on their hands…” She mused. It wasn’t even a matter of employment. There was much that the media could cover that wasn’t some fantasy story. But this article, in her hands, was far more interesting in so many ways. Temp had many questions. But, in a rare moment, it was hard to organize her thoughts through her anger.

The pictures showed the smug face of Asher Burke, the man didn’t smile, but his eyes said it all. He seemed pleased, the arrogant satisfaction so clear while Bianca Rivera delivered a press conference. ”What the—“ She shook her head. ”Dude…” It was not a secret that Temperance was an American, but every so often, she went back to her true Southern Californian roots when she spoke. And Vivian had a good question—The Prophet was an institution of written journalism, but now that the Wizarding World had cracked the code of technology, television and the internet also had the news and the latest scoop. ”They’re basically living at the Ministry.” She forced her eyes away from the paper. She paused, mentally going through the list of her already hectic workload.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted one of her interns, an American and the only one who knew how to get her coffee right. ”Weekly!” The girl turned sharply and immediately made her way over, almost dropping the clipboard in her hand. ”Get these notes to Finnigan, tell him he can’t use exploding cauldrons for his segment.” The girl nodded and ran off, this left Temp mostly free of a few tasks she had to deal with that day. ”What do you have in mind Jordan?” Crossing her arms, she waited for the Host to spin an idea, and Temperance would do what she did best—help form it into something cohesive. She usually didn’t react to such impulsive ideas, but that man and his friends had put her family in danger.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

Viv watched with interest as a junior producer tried and failed to get the attention of the pirate extras, eventually pulling out their wand and making a loud bang – which caused several unsuspecting assistants to jump or cover their ears. She’d been here long enough that these kinds of interruptions didn’t startle her anymore, although Drizzle sometimes used the distraction to sneak off and jump into a pie. The healer had been quiet clear that Drizzle had been eating too many sweets and needed a diet, although Viv’s heart ached at the thought of putting her beloved puffskein on a collar and leash so she couldn’t make a mad dash for food anymore. It was a puzzling dilemma, although not one that she found an answer for as the pirates made their way to the set of a flying ship. She could easily identify the two leads on deck by the low-cut clothing a real pirate wouldn’t dare to wear at ten thousand feet – although she supposed the producers knew what the audience wanted.

She raised an eyebrow at Tempe’s little American outburst, although her lips curled into a smile. Merlin, the American accent sounded so casual and breezy – she loved it. “Totally, bro,” she agreed in a drawl, overemphasizing her r’s and imitating the accent she heard weekly from the American host of a magical cooking segment right before Potterwatch. Tempe would hate that though, might even feel like Vivian was just making fun of her, so she rushed to add, “Someone must have a stellar source at the Ministry. No way they heard the news for the first time at this press conference.” Viv didn’t know who had managed to get their hands on a high-ranking source, but that seemed to be the most obvious answer here. Someone’s old drinking buddy, or an in-law. It was the kind of inside information journalists would kill to have. Or maybe that was just her.

Clearing her throat, Viv turned the newspaper over so she didn’t have to look at Asher Burke’s stupid face anymore. His family must have bribed someone to get the man quietly released, because there was no way the Ministry didn’t have enough evidence to convict. The man had been caught at the scene of the crime, dueling a professor and surrounded by fire. For Morgana’s sake, he’d been arrested by the Head of the Department herself. “There’s something fishy here, and if it looks like corruption and smells like corruption, well…” Viv trailed off for a moment before continuing. “Special segment on pureblood families and their role in this whole Purifier business. They seem to think they’re above the law, and at some point it might have even started to endanger public safety.” That started to sound too skewed to one side, so Viv amended that with, “A panel might be the way to go. Ministry rep, an old-timer from the last wizarding war, guests like that with different backgrounds. Don't tell me that wouldn't give us off-the-chart views."

temperance elizabeth fleming

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

They serve a faceless queen

they never question why

January 11, 2027
Vivian River Jordan

Temp’s eyes looked up and narrowed at the Host. People never hesitated to comment on her accent as an American or even the things she said that were distinctly ‘Californian’. But Temp took it all in stride. Well, she didn’t have much of a choice. If the station manager or owner saw a conflict between a popular host and a producer, a producer wasn’t as important to the ratings. Then again, all her experience dealing with her angry, drunken father was good for at least this, she supposed. ”A journalist getting close to an Auror isn’t anything new.” Temp commented. They were ruthless in their own way, buying the Hit Wizards and Aurors drinks until they started spilling their secrets. But, this still felt different.

”Who has connections that high?” Temp wondered aloud, but then her eyes darted back to the girl in front of her. Speaking of connections—Temp wondered what it was like to be in the Potter inner circle. Her phone buzzed, and Temp glanced at the notification on the screen, a slight frown on her face. It was a hectic day already, and she had about a hundred things to do, but this was now in the forefront of her mind. ”Walk with me.” She instructed as she stuffed her notebook under her arm and quickly typed away a few messages on her phone while listening to Vivian. ”Mmhmm.” Focusing on two things at once was a bit of a gift. ”Mmhmm.” They walked down and turned a corner, Temp moving out of the way of obstacles as if it was muscle memory.

”Wait—“ A thought popped into her mind. Some purebloods never had connections to the Dark Arts or the wrong side of the last war. Contemplating a moment, she paused, though quickly she finished a message and put her phone back in her pocket. ”You can’t make it about Purebloods.” Temp simply responded. ”You’ll need to—“ Turning another corner, her office was just ahead, but a pirate was right in front of them—an extra clearly late for his shoot, but he stumbled around them. With a frustrated sigh, she continued before turning into her small office. ”Like I was saying, you need to keep the angle on corruption, not who might be involved.” The owner would never let them focus on blood status, nor did Temp want to. And in the back of her mind, she was grateful for the years she worked as a writer, but this still needed planning.

Temp leaned on the edge of her desk, arms crossed, but the door was still open since it was a moot point to close it during the day. ”Doesn’t Goldstein usually write on stuff like this? Is he free?” Temp knew that the writer was bogged down with a few assignments at the moment, but who else would work? ”And you know who they’ll want on the panel.” She gave the Host a knowing look. Her show was called ‘Potterwatch’, after all. Though Temp wanted to know who else Vivian Jordan could bring into this.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

Merlin, Tempe really was in a good mood today. She’d stopped for Viv while the girl made a mad dash to push through the crowd of extras, listened to her elevator pitch, and hadn’t said a word about Viv’s try at an American accent. Vivian studied the producer with a skeptical look on her face – maybe she’d accidentally been hit by a Cheering Charm? Or maybe she’d finally taken some time off to get that surgery done and remove the wand that had clearly been shoved up where the sun didn’t shine. But no, Temperance would never take time off for anything. Back to the drawing board on that.

In the meantime, she simply shrugged at Temperance’s observation about journalists and Aurors. Viv herself didn’t have much to do with the Ministry. She certainly didn’t go chasing down Ministry officials to get a statement, nor did she casually hang around bars popular with Aurors to see if she could catch one with his guard down. No, Potterwatch had been born as an anti-establishment show and Viv had inherited a slight distrust for anything the Ministry might say to her. So she had her team reach out for statements whenever it was truly necessary, and she herself didn’t have much to do with them. Temperance wondered out-loud who could have connections that good, and Viv allowed herself a cheeky grin as she said, “I dunno, some of those reporters are fit. I s’pose it’s a bloody good thing none of them have ever asked me to chat. Can't blame an Auror for noticing it too.”

But naturally, it was all about the work with Tempe. Viv shot her a questioning look but knew better than to interrupt as she could see the other girl visibly thinking. Yes yes, sometimes Vivian lacked the self-control to stay silent. But come on, she also worked in entertainment and media, and she knew that sometimes the best tactic was to remain silent and let the other side talk themselves towards a certain conclusion. She gave a little dissatisfied grunt as Temperance finally got there and decided the episode had to be about corruption and not pureblood families. “Goldstein?” Viv thought out-loud, trying to remember where she’d last seen the elusive writer. “If he isn’t, I’ll just ask nicely. Who can say no to this face?”

Her whole demeanor turned more somber as Temperance hinted who had to be on the panel. “The show’s called Potterwatch, not Harrywatch,” she said irritably – an unusual tone from her. But Viv was a little protective of the Potters and the abusive attention they received sometimes from the press. It was the ultimate delicate balance that she had to strike – a show that at its core was about the Boy Who Lived, but respecting his wishes for a quiet life. “There are loads of other old-timers to ask first, from Dumbledore’s Army and the like. Not to mention I will need a pureblood willing to speak publicly. And, hm…someone from the Ministry. What d’you think the chances are of Bianca Rivera coming on the show?” Viv asked with a little snort. Hey, she was ambitious and wanted the best of the best on her show. Although it occurred to her suddenly that James was also in law enforcement. And a Potter. Hm…

temperance elizabeth fleming

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

They serve a faceless queen

they never question why

January 11, 2027
Vivian River Jordan

Had it been any other topic. Literally anything else, Temperance would have told Jordan to come to find her later and tell her whatever idea she had. And if Temp was lucky, she would either be caught up in some meeting or simply not at her desk. But this…this was personal, and Temp remembered how scared she was when she heard about the attack and wondered where her brothers were. The split-second anxious moment always shifted to anger. These things in the world that had probably gotten a hold of her mother had probably tried to take her brothers as well. So not even Vivian’s incessant chatter about Merlin knew what could annoy her, well at least not for the next ten minutes.

It took a moment for Vivian’s words to register. Her brain, per usual, went to the dictionary definition of ‘fit’, but then she caught on. The realization was clear in her eyes, but she merely cleared her throat and nodded. A few Daily Prophet staff had visited the station not long ago, and Temp had lost count of how many young female interns had walked right into carts, floating equipment, other people, and walls when the Editor walked by. Temp would also be lying if she said she hadn’t let her gaze linger for an extra second. While she was busy and focused, she certainly wasn’t blind.

On that note, perhaps some journalistic plot to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic wasn’t impossible.
”Does that actually work?” Temperance asked, a lack of amusement in her voice. Some people got their way by steamrolling through or through a glare that lingered a bit too long, and some by talking so much that the other person folded before their ears began bleeding. But then Jordan’s tone shifted to one equally unamused. Temp kept her expression even, naturally she had thought of those connections. It would have been stupid not to. But Temp was eager for this story, so alienating the host was not in her best interest.

”Right.” She merely acknowledged, but in her mind, she filed it away for a later discussion. ”Are any of those old-timers Purebloods?” Admittedly, as an American, she wasn’t as familiar with these details as those born and raised in Britain. Though one didn’t need to be strictly British to know of Harry Potter. ”Are you kidding?” It was Temp’s turn to scoff lightly as she grabbed a copy of the paper on her desk. An intern always brought them around. ”Do you think she looks happy about this? There’s no way this was her idea.” The young head of Law Enforcement had not been shy about her goals for her department or the Ministry and her unabashed statements on her own background. It meant there was a tiny chance.

Still, something was off about the whole thing. While Bianca Rivera wielded quite a bit of power, she was not in charge of everything. Temperance moved behind her desk, where she picked up her wand and waved it, so a small plastic thing at the corner of her desk spun, and some of the cards shot out and in front of her so she could scan them easily. Visibly it resembled what the No-Maj called a Rolodex, but charms made it far easier to use. ”Lets see…we’ve had Ministry appear in some segments…” Nobody particularly memorable, or at least nothing Temperance had worked on. Temp crossed her arms, her eyes not leaving the cards, but she shook her head. ”This isn’t going to work without somebody important on the show. You’ll just end up looking like some conspiracy nut.”

Temp had shut down projects before they got off the ground for that reason. While half the building dedicated their time to projects like the one she passed in the hall before, others focused on more serious topics or factually based stories. But there was a fine line between speculation and conspiracy.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

The Ministry was such an unknown topic for Viv that she could only lightly shrug at some of Tempe’s questions. Like sure, they were the institution in charge of literally everything in Britain’s magical community – so it was impossible to completely ignore them. But Viv had the family history to prove that the Ministry wasn’t everything, and that carried over into her show too. She didn’t want her Potterwatch to be just an echo of the past, a less brilliant version of what her dad and the Weasleys had done with it in Britain’s truly dark days. At the same time, hosting Ministry officials to spread the official propaganda felt like a betrayal. So the solution was an uneasy compromise – the occasional Ministry lackey came to speak on the show from time to time, but Viv didn’t deal with them personally. And she certainly didn’t take their word for gospel.

Viv nodded her head like a bobblehead because she knew very well that a few of the ‘old-timers’ were indeed pureblood, even if it wasn’t the exact same kind of pureblood that always seemed to get caught up with the dark side. But Tempe’s incredulous question about the head of law enforcement was enough to distract Viv, to spark that mischievous grin that had always been quite good at getting her in trouble at Hogwarts (along with the pranks that actually got her in trouble). “No, she looks positively stormy,” Viv agreed happily as she examined the picture of Bianca Rivera sternly giving a press conference about Asher Burke’s release. Tempe was probably right – this couldn’t possibly have been her idea, because she was quite known for being a hard-liner on the Purifiers. That was probably a lingering habit from her time on the squad rounding up the Azkaban escapees.

But that meant opportunities! “Come on Tempe, she’s a realist. She didn’t write that op-ed back in the summer because of the warm and gooey feelings in her heart. Nope, it was strategy ‘cause, let’s be real, the Prophet was eating her alive.” Now, Viv wasn’t a complete idiot. She knew there was no way Rivera would appear on a silly show, if only because Potterwatch would offend her sensibilities as a Serious and Tough Auror (TM). But sending a representative – maybe. If she thought the tide would turn against her like it had in the immediate aftermath of Hogwarts’ destruction, then she might be pushed into action again to publicly defend herself. It was an unusually ruthless thought for Viv to have, but tackling pureblood families and corruption wasn’t like hosting a cooking segment or interviewing actors. No, it required a little more finesse than that.

She couldn’t help the snort as Temperance took out her Rolodex because it aged her at least twenty years. “Nice computer,” Viv said cheekily as she watched the producer shuffle through her Ministry contacts efficiently with her wand. Merlin, she knew Tempe was good at what she did – but it was these sorts of old-fashioned habits that made her an easy target for station gossip. Not that Viv participated much in that, because she herself was the target of a few nasty (and vaguely true) rumors about her werewolf tendencies (and how exactly she liked to take her lunch). Tempe made a good point about finding someone reputable, but Viv just waved her hand vaguely and shrugged. “Why should we worry about that? Law Enforcement isn’t chock full of idiots. Lay out the facts and they’ll send someone good to defend their image. Meanwhile, I’ll bring someone good to make it a right good challenge for ‘em.” Yes, Viv definitely had some thoughts on that.

temperance elizabeth fleming

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

They serve a faceless queen

they never question why

January 11, 2027
Vivian River Jordan

Vivian seemed to almost blankly stare at her questions. Temp kept asking them anyway. It was part of her process at times. Thinking out loud until an intern actually tried to answer one of the rhetorical questions, and Temp glared at them until they learned their lesson. Not that her glare worked on Jordan, apparently. But Temp had hoped that perhaps Jordan’s connections could help them. But she wasn’t stupid enough to ask so bluntly, as much as she wanted to. Other producers had tried as much and been met with quite the brick wall plus self-replicating glitter in their offices.

Temp thought through Jordan’s words. There were so many missing pieces. She was good at organizing such things in her mind, but she hardly had the training or experience as a journalist or an Auror to see what she was missing. But in the meantime, she shot Vivian a pointed glare at her comment. If they were truly to work on this together, she honestly didn’t know how she would get through this without the serious temptation of launching all these cards at her face. ”Its easier this way.” The American spoke through gritted teeth. She didn’t appreciate her methods being called into question when they’d been nothing but successful so far.

But, unfortunately, Jordan had a good point. Temp paused, the cards lingering in place. ”We don’t need law enforcement, not yet anyway.” Temp crossed her arms, one hand sitting on her chin as she thought through this. With a wave of that hand, most of the cards flew back into the plastic bin. The rest were other contacts, but not Ministry. Temp was torn between perhaps someone from the Prophet or perhaps one of the former Hogwarts’ staff members. But unable to choose, she relented and turned to Jordan. ”Who’d you have in mind?” Her tone was almost flat and she wondered if she would regret this.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

Viv could only barely hold in the raucous laughter that desperately wanted to escape her because Merlin, Tempe looked like she was trying to pass a kidney stone. It was a familiar expression, at least on the American producer, because she clearly had a thing or two to say about Viv’s ‘process’ but had decided against it for now. She was known to be something of a straight-shooter, more interested in getting the job done rather than protecting people’s feelings, but clearly she could manage some tact when she wanted to. So Vivian could only marvel at the producer’s self-control as Tempe managed a tightly-wound sentence or two from tightly gritted teeth to respond to Viv’s observation about her incredibly advanced tech. But hey, she was a little used to getting away with it. Call it charm, call it luck, call it old family connections, but Viv didn’t find too many red lines at the station.

But she knew that was conditional on her own success, because the minute she failed – nobody would be playing nice, anymore. And she also knew that Tempe put up with Viv’s dazzling wit because it produced results. If she didn’t think it was worth her time, then Viv might as well turn and talk to the pirate extras because she’d have a more responsive audience there. Not anyone that could actually do something to turn her ideas into action, but still. Viv’s eyes followed the movement of the cards as they swirled through the air and neatly lined themselves up in Tempe’s Rolodex. She could feel a thread of an idea tugging at her brain for a different project, but now wasn’t the right time to think about puppets.

So she shooed away the plot bunnies in her head and focused on the task at hand. Tempe finally asked the million dollar question, and Viv responded with her usual bright smile. “Took you long enough to ask, eh?” she said cheerily, tucking the newspaper under her arm and easily sidestepping a pair of writers hustling past with a dozen coffees floating around them like a galaxy. After a moment, Viv slid back into Temperance’s field of vision and launched into her idea like no time had passed. “I’ve got two ideas!” she continued, waggling two fingers in the air like she was on one of the station’s shows for kids teaching them about numbers. Viv’s expression turned thoughtful as she considered the challenge it would be to recruit one or both, but she shook it off a moment later. “For starters, why not a prominent pureblood at Hogwarts? As in, the great and irate Professor Zabini, dueler extraordinaire and single-handedly responsible for bringing down a big-time Purifier and half the Entrance Hall?”

temperance elizabeth fleming