#2
The Auror.

Even by wizarding standards it was weird for the goblin from the Ministry’s Atrium statue covered in gold waiting for you in your living room’s foyer. And little did Rufus know that, that night, the presence of that golden goblin in his house would mark the beginning of a new time for the Auror Head, Rufus Scrimgeour.


A month later, Scrimgeour’s old office below was bustling with people, as he sat at his new desk on Level One of the Ministry, a small promotion from Level Two though, but a huge upgrade responsibility wise. Rufus Scrimgeour, was elected as the next Minister of Magic as Cornelius Fudge stepped down, in the event of resurfacing of the Dark Lord. His increasing influence even though known to couple of people, of which were Dumbledore and Harry, was completely ignored and trashed by the now ex Minister.

Scrimgeour was busy going through the various files on the captured death eaters from the previous month’s battle at the Ministry, juggling with other files that become part of a Minister’s life. His long time colleague and newly promoted Head of the Auror Division, Norman Young walked in.
“He is on his way, here” Norman Yonung said, as he stood on the other side of the Minister’s large mahogany desk.
“Take a seat, Norman. You don’t need to salute me”
“Protocols change, Mr. Minister” and Rufus, glanced up for a second but continued, “You talked to him then” he asked as Norman took his seat opposite the Minister.
“Yes” Norman replied.
“You think he will be able to perform the task?” confirmed the Minister.
“Yes”

“Is there anything about him that I should know?”
“Apart from the fact that he successfully got us off Black’s scent this past year, while Black was in London and apart from the fact that he has been recruited into the Order, though he gave a very ambiguous answer to that when I asked him. I think his record has no glitches whatsoever.”

“He was the one who sent you the message regarding the captured death eaters in Mysteries Department before you received my message from Pyke that night, right?”
“Yes”
“Hmm...” the Minister sat back in his chair, his fingers drumming on the armrest of his rich wooden chair.
“I do not think those particularly are glitches to us” he began, “Its however, fortunate thing for us that Black, seemed to have turned out on the right side rather than the wrong, so it actually saves Shacklebolt’s skin”

“I guess that is the only reason why he could have wanted to save Black, because he knew of Black's innocence. Or rather believed in Dumbledore” Norman Young replied, “or else, he isn’t the kind of man; a man with twisted sense of right and wrong to go off path and deceive his people”
“His people as in, the aurors?”
“Yes”
“I think you should rethink about that one” the Minister said getting up from his chair. “There is going to be a war, all the lines will blur, there will be time when every one of us will no longer know when we left our grounds of right and entered the wrong, remember that, even the genuinely good people like our man in question.”

Young was silent but he knew the Minister was right. They both had seen examples of it in the previous war. However, Young was someone even with all his experience saw people in black and white. It was his first instinct to slot people into those categories and view people with scepticism who tread the grey. That is the major reason why although he acknowledges and approves of his mentor, his colleague, the Minister and his capabilities on handling the current situation of war, he will always have a cautious eye on him.

“But that is not our concern now,” the Minister continued as he took to pacing. “Even if he does go off the plans of the aurors and does certain things for the Order, I think it is alright” the Minister said, “We will need people from the Order, not exactly everyone, but if we have couple of them, Ministry officials working as Order members, I don’t think it is a bad idea...”
“As long as, we keep up good relationship with Dumbledore” the Minister said, pausing and facing Young, “something which Cornelius Fudge, clearly did not”

Norman shook his head “He not only strained the relation, he went out of the way to discredit and destroy him” Norman added running his hand through his thinning hairline.
“True”

“You know well, how crucial Order of the Phoenix was the last time” he continued.
Young shifted in his seat, “Crucial, yes; but our senior officers had quite some thorns in their plans during the last war”

“You don’t particularly seem to approve of the group, do you?” asked Scrimegeour smirking.
“I do not particularly approve of any vigilante group for that matter...taking law in their hands...” Young replied,
“Neither do I” Scrimegeour replied.
“But yet, I don’t know why you are so interested in them” Norman looked at his colleague of thirty years.

Scrimegeour shook his head, a smirk stretching across his scarred wrinkled face, “I know they were irritants in the plans of the Ministry, going off the tangent with their own plans, leading to obstacles and confusions. I hated it. But I understand that they were crucial because they were equally versed with Dark Lord and his capabilities; because they had Albus Dumbledore, whereas our Minister then had very little idea as to how to deal with this newly found secret society.”

“But-”

“Order will do what Dumbledore will ask them to do. And he will not ask them to go against the Ministry,” the Minister said, “not just along”
“Then what is the point of having his support?”

“It’s all about partnership Norman. We need Dumbledore, because I do not believe in alienating one of the strongest wizards in our world, that makes no sense and he will need us, our aurors, our hit wizards, our men, to help him fight back Dark Lord”
“You think he knows better about the Dark Lord, than us?” Young asked.
“You think, he doesn’t? It is time we take off the curtain of ignorance which we were forced to don on our minds. Both of us, us and Dumbledore, had our own respective intelligence saying that Dark Lord is gaining grounds. Both our sources and their level of authenticity may be different, but we weren't on two different pages, just on different lines on the same one and he seems to be a couple of lines ahead. It is another thing that we” indicating the two of them in the office, “couldn't convince Fudge to take it seriously and neither could Dumbledore” he continued.

“It is crucial we have Dumbledore on our side, and it is crucial that we do not single out Order people and go against them. Let them do their jobs as aurors or wherever they work within the Ministry. Let us not get into the bad books of one another, because this is going to be a war”
“Dark Lord, will want nothing less” added Norman, his back as straight as a rod all through the conversation.
“And I want these very people, to be the bridge between the two units fighting against one” the Minister said.

There was a knock and Percy Weasley peeped in, “Deputy Auror, Kingsely Shacklebolt is here”
“Give us a minute and then send him in Weasley” the Minister replied and conjured another chair as the door closed.

“Also it’s not just the Order we need to think about” the Minister said taking his seat.
Norman replied with a nod “It’s also the safety of the Prime Minister and we have to give him one of our best”
~~~~~~~~~
Have A Nice Day...:-)