Spell reversal. Althea nodded thoughtfully, not really needing the explanation, but appreciating that it meant Imogine knew what her job actually entailed.

Oh, new position was it? That made Althea smile, she could be presumptuous herself after all, and she did appreciate confidence. She'd see if it was well placed though.

"Well I suppose I'll have to assess you and where your talents lie. Are you free after lunch? Say.... 2pm?" If she didn't want to wait, Althea wouldn't make her. She'd look over Imogine's files this morning, and then see about more suitable work for her that very day.

Or you know, if she sucked, Althea wouldn't blink at firing her or demoting her. She wanted A&C to be the best possible department under her watch.

Oh another arrival. From inside. That was a good sign, meant she was already working, despite how early it was. Althea did her own once over of the woman. She had that same skirt. Not that she mentioned it. The once over ended in a small smile at the greeting, and she nodded.

"Oh Gabriela Schultz. I know your name. You were taking care of things around here in the interim weren't you?"

Hopefully she hadn't allowed things to go completely to the dogs, but then again, from what Althea had heard, things had been disorganised for some time, so as long as the place hadn't blown up, Gabi had done well enough.

"I used to work in Experimental Charms myself." She added with a small smile. Her second favourite field. Favourite when paired specifically with magical metallurgy, which was admittedly specialised.

Imogine got anxious and excited at the same time, assess where her talents lay.
This reminded her of the sorting hat all over again, when she was a young Slytherin the hat assessed her talents and she was placed in an awesome house.
But; Rrrrrrrrrg; interviews; these were not Imogine's forte. She would be comming unprepaired. Being a risk taker, Imogine took the oppertunity."I am free after lunch, if that won't be too much trouble" Imogine replied politley.


"Hey Gabi" Imogine waved to her co worker, whom she barely knew walked in. Wanting to look professional, Imogine tried to hide a laugh which came out as a silly sounding snort as Gabi said Anxiously waiting.

Gabi smiled. She was debating on whether or not to bring up the fact that she'd been in charge here for a few weeks, but if the new Department Head seemed dissatisfied with the level, that could spell disaster for Gabi. Well, no hiding it now. She nodded, "Yes, I assigned a few tasks to keep people occupied while we were waiting for word on our new Department Head," she explained. She didn't add in the fact that those tasks were pretty much the only work they'd seen in months...she didn't want the new Head to think they were incompetent in their positions due to lack of work!

"Oh, really? It's a new experience for me but I'm looking forward to it," Gabi said with a grin. YES they hailed from the same department, that was sure to give her a leg up on the competition! "I worked for years in Berlin simply practicing and perfecting and studying up on charms, but never working to create new ones."

Althea glanced between the two women and then smiled at Imogine when she agreed to after lunch. Good. That meant that she wasn't just blowing smoke. "Alright, 2pm in the training room - eat something hearty for lunch, you'll need the energy." Mmmhmmm, she would. It wouldn't do for her to skip lunch and then faint in the middle of things.

"I'll see you then." It was a dismissal. She turned her attention to Gabi.

ooc: feel free to post in the training room when you're ready and I'll join ya there XD

"Mmmm. Sounds like everyone is in need of a shake up then." Althea mused. Well she would certainly be doing that. No lazing around on her watch. "It can't have been easy to keep things going without support and direction. If you haven't, you should speak with Ale... the Minister about a bonus. Or I could look into that for you." The unspoken part was 'provided you didn't screw things up'.

Thea smiled in response to Gabi's grin, though it was a little more standoffish than friendly. "Oh that's good. I think too many get into experimental charms without a thorough foundation and understanding in magical theory and mechanical constructs of magic." That was her thoughts anyway. "As they say, you have to break it to make it."

As in, you had to be able to break something down to figure out how to make something up. It made sense.

"Is there a particular sub-field of charms development that interests you?"

"Ya see you at two" Imogine replied, leaving the new department head to gab it up with Gabi.
Imogine slipped her desired magazine off the table, if anyone wanted her, she'd be in the break room. She never enjoyed sitting in the Waiting Area chairs, they were the overly fluffy kind that people just sunk right into. Plus it would be extreamly anti social of her to sit down reading on her break, she'd save this mag for later.

Charmayne exited the work area, suddenly remembering that the new department head was due to arrive that day. Running a hand through her curls one last time, she made sure she looked presentable before emerging.

Almost instantly, she noticed the small crowd around a woman. Stepping closer, Maine smiled at the woman before dipping her head in respect. "Good morning, ma'am," she said. "You must be our new department head." That we've been needing for so long.

Something was missing. Oh, right. Her introduction. "I'm Charmayne LeBlanc," she smiled. "Task Force Division." She was sure that was all she needed to say yet.

Gabi could feel the new Department Head getting a bit more critical with her analysis of her, but Gabi simply put on another smile and pushed a piece of blonde hair out of her eyes. Gabi THRIVED under pressure like this. She was a good worker and she knew it, she'd just have to prove it to this woman.

"Oh, a bonus? Thank you, I hadn't even thought of asking for one...I was just trying to lull people out of a coma of boredom," she explained with a chuckle. And hey, an excuse to talk to Minister Greingoth was always welcome in Gabi's book.

Hmmm, Gabi's favorite sub-field of charms...there were so many, it was hard to choose, it was like asking a historian to pick only ONE decade they thought was interesting..."Household charms. Essentially anything that makes cooking, cleaning, overall daily life just a bit easier...I'm a single mother myself, so anything that can shave just a few seconds off a chore is a winner for me," she explained.

Two O'Clock it would be. Althea would be there right on time and she already had a few thoughts regarding what to surprise Imogine with as far as assessing her abilities went. Well and she'd need to think on her toes, that was part of the job after all. She nodded and watched for a second as Imogine went back to her break and then turned her attention to another arrival.

Oh and good, come from the direction of the main office. That was a good sign, meant that this one -Charmayne as she introduced herself- was already hard at work.

Or one would hope. Oh Charms Task Force. Thea nodded. She'd be familiar with her employees and their roles soon enough. And expected there to be a few changes in the works.

"That's right, Althea Schirmer. Please, just call me Althea."

"If you don't ask, you don't get. That is the way the world works after all." Althea commented with a small smile. And truthfully it was something she happened to live by. She was always the kind of woman who would put herself out there, and she was always striving not just to be the best, but to be recognised for it.

Oh a single mother. Thea's expression didn't change, but she was a little jealous. "Fair enough, and if it makes such chores more fun, then that would be a bonus too. I'm a metal charmer myself."

She smiled between the two women, Gabi and Charmayne too. "Now I don't suppose you two would mind showing me around the main work area?" She did want to see where they did most of their desk work.... and assess whether or not it was up to her standards. The rest would follow soon enough.

Idly she wondered if they realised yet that there would be more than just a few changes in the works.

Maine smiled, nodding and committing the name and face to memory. She could sense the critical eyes studying her but somhow mantained her composure. She'd been taught this since she could understand what her gran mere was saying. Smile and nod. Remember names. They were all almost second nature to her, but now they meant something.

"Of course, M-," she began before correcting herself. "Althea." This was just strange, but she was fine with it. It was nice to have a Department Head who seemed friendly.

When Miss Schirmer Althea mentioned that she wanted to see the work area, her face lit up slightly. "I wouldn't," she said meeting Althea's eyes with her own briefly before turning to Gabi.

Gabi nodded. "Very true," she replied. She'd never thought to ask for a bonus, she'd really just wanted to get things moving up here, but yes, she DID deserve one! Who DIDN'T feel they deserved a raise once in a while? She made a mental note to go visit Greingoth sometime and ask him what he could do.

"Oh, of course, I'd love to show you around!" she said with a smile. She smiled at her co-worker Maine before turning back to Althea. "Shall we head off now?"

"Good. Lets go then." Althea glanced between the two women, and then she led the way.

Of course.

She headed into the main work areas and stopped just inside the doors, looking around and taking it all in.

Edvard Roslund entered level 3 of the Ministry with his visitors badge promptly pinned to his coat. In his arms the brown haired ex-astronomy teacher was carrying a large bouquet of roses for Althea. Heading for the reception area from the lift he could hear muggle music playing, coming from the walls.

Taking a seat on one of the round-ish couches Edvard delicately placed the flowers beside him on the couch before fetching himself a gossip magazine. It could take a while before Althea passed by. Opening the magazine he leaned back and waited for the object of his visit.

Would she be happy to see him or hex him before he could say anything?

Time would tell.

Derek came into the waiting area frowning. He had never been to the Ministry of Magic before and had managed to get lost on his first day. He made a mental note to never let that happen again.

He did hear the soft music playing, but didn't pay attention to it. Without looking at anyone around, he made his way to one of the chairs. He had NO idea of where to start or what to do now. He stared at the floor, tapping his fingers on his knees and glanced around once in a while without lifting his head up.

Looking suspicious, maybe. Not that he had done anything wrong, but he was NOT feeling comfortable at all.

Ashley came out of the offices with her empty mug, eager for a refill. The morning had been busy and she was a little on edge what with the new department head keeping a watchful eye on everything and everyone. She needed something to keep her calm and resorted to coffee...or rather taking small trips to get the coffee. It gave her a chance to clear her mind for the few minutes it took to refill her cup.

She noted that there was someone sitting in the waiting area and looked behind her, wondering if anyone was around to help the guy. Sigh. No one around. That meant Ashley had to step up, yeah? Putting on her best smile the blonde approached the man and held out her hand. "Hi! Welcome to Accidents and-" O_O It was him! "You." Wow. Nice way to make him feel welcome. "I mean, you're here. You work here?"

As the minutes went by, Derek got more nervous and uncomfortable. He wanted to find out what to do and actually hide in some sort of office or wherever he would be working. Safe and away from people he didn't know. That is, pretty much everybody.

Shaking his leg and still tapping his fingers on his knees, he kept staring at the floor when suddenly he heard a voice. A familiar one, actually. The person was welcoming him. He saw a hand being held out towards him and looked at it before looking up at-

'You'. Why, that was a nice way to be greeted. Smooth. He raised his eyebrows and leaned back on his seat, looking confused and surprised. The Quidditch lady! He quickly gazed from Ashley's face to her hand about three times. She looked surprised to see him. That made him wonder whether she was still expecting him to shake her hand or not...

Then she asked if he worked there. He frowned. Why would he be there if he didn't? The Ministry was no playground or central park. "I am here and yes, I work here too." That felt weird. He worked in the Ministry now. In the Ministry! That was... quite cool. Since she had come out of the offices, he concluded she also worked there. "What do you do here, exactly?" Nothing Quidditch related, he was sure.

Ashley was actually happy to see the surprise on her own face reflected on Derek's. It meant that he hadn't expected to see her again either. And now she was standing awkwardly with her hand extended towards him and he very clearly wasn't going to take it. And the way his eyes kept traveling from her hand to her face was actually starting to make her feel a bit uncomfortable. Rather than let the awkwardness continue, the blonde let her arm drop to her side limply before meeting his gaze again.

Ashley nodded, slowly registering the information. He worked here. Like not just here in the ministry, here in this department. What were the odds? At his question, a small smile crept on to her face, having really started to enjoy her job. "I'm a Potion Identification Analyst. Just been here a little over a year now. And you, what will you be doing here?" Surely something non related to what Ashley was doing, yes?

Good, minus one thing to ponder. She didn't really expect him to shake her hand. Good, good. He rubbed the palm of his hand on his knees and looked around awkwardly. He blinked a couple of times too.

She was a- O________O she worked with POTIONS TOO?? What were the odds of THAT! He raised both of his eyebrows and looked even more surprised. "I'm a Potion Identification and Recovery Specialist." He said as if he was reading it from a piece of parchment. Did that mean... they would be working like, pretty much in the same area and office or whatever! Bloody small world...

And she was there for over a year?? She probably new everything around then. From what Derek knew about this Ashley person, she wouldn't let him wander the Department on his own and get lost. Or... would she? She had handed The Practical Potioneer to him after all. But maybe she was just having a momentary lapse of niceness. "Do you know where I can... um... go now?" And what he was supposed to do?

He seemed nervous, that was fairly obvious to Ashley as she watched the man rub his palms on his knees. Though could she blame him really? He was starting a new job and all that. Nerve-racking stuff. She did her best to give him a small reassuring smile. People were friendly in this department so he needn't worry.

His surprise kind of caught her off guard. Had he expected her to do something different? Not that he knew her really so why would he have an ideas about what her profession might be. She raised her own eyebrows in return and- O_O Potion Identification What Now? Really? Like reallyyyy? What were the chances of this man working with her in her division? "You're serious? Wow. That's just-wow." Because yes, they would be working together.

At his next question, the blonde smiled and nodded. "Well I could take you back to the Division Two desk area. I'm assuming that's where your desk will be located. Or I could take you to Althea Schirmer's office though I've heard our new department head likes people to make appointments ahead of time." So the choice was his but Ashley would happily take him where he wanted to go.

The woman was staring at him again. Not good. Not good at all. She could be trying to read his mind again. Derek wasn't looking at her, but he could see that she was smiling. People probably didn't read other people's minds while smiling... he was fine for now then. Phew. He did get a bit more nervous though and scratched one of his hands. It wasn't itchy, but he did it anyway.

Yeah... wow! He would be working with a mind reader! After all of his hard work to keep everything for himself, his ideas and researches, someone could just get into his mindnow and steal it all! Maybe he'd better start practicing Occlumency. It did sound so very useful! He gave a quick nod and stared at the floor.

But... she haaad handed him the magazine. She might just be a good person still. Even if she read minds. He would be nice to her, too, but not too much. It was only the second time they met anyway. He finally looked up at her as she spoke about where to take him. "But what if I'm not to work there?" What if she accidentally took him to the wrong place? That wouldn't be good. He had no idea if their Head of Deparment was a freak that liked to shout at everyone. She did sound like a normal person during his interview, but still... you never know. And she asks to make appointments ahead of time? "I thought she was the one who was supposed to show where I should be working." That meant he didn't need an appointment. Maybe if they just went where Ashley was indicating - that desks area - he could look for a desk with his nameplate on it? Assuming the desks did have nameplates, that is.

Merlin, why was all of this so complicated??? He just wanted to start working! ALONE!

Ashley stood shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other as Derek seemed to think...well over think the interaction that was currently happening between them. Merlin's beard, was she that scary? And his nervous twitching was making her feel nervous all of the sudden. WHY. What was this twitching? She had worked here for a while now and had NO reason to be nervous. Seriously, this man was an odd ball and he was slowly rubbing off on Ashley and he'd only just arrived. Not good. When he finally decided to speak, Ashley looked at him, puzzled. "When you got the job, did they tell you what squad you would be working with? For example, my job requires that I work with the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad...which is how I know where I belong in the work area." And surely he had gotten some sort of information with who he'd be working with, yeah? As for the department head. "I'm sure she would be happy to show you around. I'm just telling you what I've heard. If you'd like to go knock on her door I'd be happy to go with you. I was headed to grab a coffee in the break room anyway. If not, I can show you around the work area and we can figure it out from there." She wasn't about to leave him sitting here awkwardly by himself. He'd probably get all nervous and faint or something..."And don't look so nervous. From what I saw in the bookstore, you seem to really be into potions. I'm sure you're going to do great here."

WHYY, oh why did she do those things?? Derek's life would be much easier if he didn't notice those little things, like the fact that she was shifting from one foot to the other. She was probably getting impatient... great, now he would be all stranded there again, pointlessly waiting for whoever was to show him around.

That Schirmer lady should help him out, no? Well, at least he had another option if this Ashley person decided to walk away. She could choose between helping him or not, his boss couldn't.

Or could she?

Oh man. That was bad.

Squad? Oh! "That's... the Squad I'll be working in! The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. In the Potion Accident Response team." Ohhh, that was simpler! So she knew where he should go then! Good. That actually made him forget all about the mind reading thing. He was even feeling a bit more relieved now.

Should he talk with their Deparment Head first? Or it would be alright if he just got to work? "Do you think she would mind if I just went straight to work?" That meant one less person to talk to. And since he already kind of knew this Ashley, it would be a bit easier less difficult.

"Oh, I'm not nervous." Uhh... okay, he was, but he knew that as soon as he went to do what he was supposed to do, he would be just fine.

She'd just finished an impromptu guided tour of level four with Rafael, and now Althea was returning to level three since she had work to do, and employees to check up on, and a little something up her sleeve for some interdepartmental skill development.

She smiled pleasantly overhearing two of her employees talking.

"I wouldn't mind at all. Straight to work is just fine by me." She commented, hearing that last part. Thea would have continued talking but... well.

She noticed a certain former colleague sitting right there. For some reason. Of course her demeanour changed immediately. Icy. Frosty. Whatever you wanted to call it, she directed it at Edvard.

"Can I help you?" She asked coolly, narrowing her eyes.

Ashley had had a feeling Derek would be working on the same squad so when he finally seemed to realize as much, it didn't come as a surprise. She gave him a small smile before speaking. "Good, then I'm happy to tell you that you're no longer lost." He was in the right place and Ashley could help him find his desk now, too. "Looks like we'll be working together then, yeah? Happy to have you. What with your love of potions magazines and all..." She added, smirking slightly. Heh. She wouldn't let him forget that bookstore episode. The image of him scurrying away from her still made her smile when she thought about it.

And then he was asking to get right to work. Impressed, Ashley shook her head. Why in the name of Merlin would the Department Head not want a new employee to get straight to work? And then-

O_O

How long had she been standing there, anyway?


Ashley was kind of caught off guard, this being her first experience with the new Department Head and all. She hadn't heard her behind them and she wondered if this woman was some kind of ninja or something. Would she be doing that in the offices too? Ashley would have to make sure she was always on her A game just in case. She gave the woman a smile and then glanced from Derek back to her, wondering what he was going to say. But then-

O_o

Ashley had noticed the change in tone and the eye narrowing. Merlin's pants. Whatever that guy had done to her, Ashley was just glad she wasn't in his shoes at this moment.

She turned to Derek and motioned for him to come with her. "I think it's best we go check out the office, don't you?" Quick man, lets get out of the line of fire.

Edvard was sitting in one of the roundish couches reading a gossip magazine whilst some level 3 workers chatted somewhere to the left of him. When Althea entered the reception area the air shifted and the workers chatter quieted down. Ms Schrimer had always been able to fill up a room with her divine presence.

Feeling something icy directed at him with full force Edvard took his time and closed and folded the magazine before looking up at her. "Good day Althea." Standing up he scooped up the bouquet of red roses and held them out towards her. "These are for you. Congratulations on your new department head appointment!" Edvard said warmly and genuinely.

Um, stop looking like a frosty mage now, please?

He'd have to get used to it then, working with that Ashley-mind-reader. And Occlumency was a must-learn-it-now thing, yep. Derek would get the hang of it soon enough.

At least she would show him where to go and it was probably going to be the right place. Good, good! Derek even sighed, relieved.

Oh! Their Department Head! Derek was pleased to finally see her. He hadn't freaked out or anything during their interview. She seemed normal. Which was always good. And she wanted him to go straight to wrok! THANK MERLIN!

Derek finally smiled, glad he would be away from the awkwardness and would dive head first on his new job.

He did notice the change in her look/mood when she faced the other guy that was sitting there. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Ashley. "Sure, yeah. Let's go." Derek said quickly and turned to follow his colleague.