Briony knew from the moment she stepped foot back in her office that something was wrong. The Minister stood there ready to speak. She looked around at the other Liason's that stood listening too. What would this announcement bring to her?

Reagan had hoped that all the liaisons would be present so that she could answer any questions at one time, but that didn't seem to be likely. Not wishing to wait any longer, Reagan began, "After a review of the budget, it has been decided that the Ministry needs to reign in its spending and cutbacks are inevitable. After the Quidditch World Cup concludes, the Ministry's spending must be minimal beyond what it absolutely needs to function. And that means there will be some lay-offs and transfers.

"All those in this department who are currently 'on leave' will be laid off. All of you who are active employees, we are going to transfer you to a different department. The Minister's Office staff will be no more. This department, while helpful to the running of this office, is not essentially to the running of the nation, and so it must be the first cutbacks we make. I am terribly sorry and am truly saddened to see you go. But I am happy that we can at least transfer you within the building. You will have your first preference of department to transfer to, so at least you have some control over that much."

Briony's eyes widened and she suddenly didn't feel so good anymore. How could this happen? Well she knew the answer. Briony realized then that she knew where she wanted to be transferred. The Department of Magical Education. The place she had already got to know so many people. Get mixed up in their personal affairs. The ones she got interested in so much.

She looked over at Sarah, seeing if she would speak. Briony didn't feel as if she could say another word.

Eep. What was happening? From the look on the Minister's face, the situation didn't look good and she seemed hesitant to say it, but she needed to. This just made Sarah even more anxious about what was happening. Did someone die or something? Were they all going to get fired? Or. Or. What? She wanted to go up to the Minister and shake her and tell her to just say it already and stop making them feel so tense. It was probably nothing. Yeah. Probably just nothing.

And then the Minister spoke. Good. Sarah didn't think she could wait to hear it any longer. But once she heard what came out of the woman's mouth, she began to think that she would've been better off not knowing after all. Cutbacks? Transfers? That.... that meant eliminating the Liaisons completely. They were all going to be transferred off to different departments. Sarah didn't know what to say, nor what to think. She just simply glanced over at both Briony and Claudian with a grim expression on her face.

Well. At least they had a choice in where they were going to be transferring right? It was a difficult decision to make though. Would she simply transfer to Level Four where she visited almost every day, or would she go to some other department on some other floor? Sarah was sure that she didn't want to transfer to Magical Maintenance. As much as she loved her brother, she knew that he would go easy on her even if he wasn't supposed to. The guy was a softie. Plus, if Sarah worked for him, they probably wouldn't be as close as they used to be after learning each other's faults at work.

Level Nine? That's where Becca worked. Meh. Maybe.

Sarah glanced around at the people she had worked with for months now, some for just a few weeks. Would anyone say anything? Merlin, what was there to say?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daffy.Potter

Oh? Department of Magical Education? How snazzy. Sarah rather enjoyed what went on over there, especially because it involved what went on at Hogwarts. "How lovely! And how convenient. It's on the same level," she said, winking at the young woman. Mhmmm... Sarah just nodded her head as she thought about what Briony said. She had felt exactly like that, though Brian had been able to make up for the actual home not being a home sort of thing. If that at all, made any sense.

"I understand. Well that's great how they put you in Magical Education! Have you gone over there yet?" she asked, smiling.

Oh Claudian! "Hello Claudian!" Sarah greeted her friend cheerfully. She watched him as he studied the flier that had flew in moments ago. It was indeed an interesting thing, but nothing could be changed. Which was just a plain pity. Though... were goblins even interested in Quidditch? Did they even play Quidditch. An image of little goblins on broomsticks throwing around a Quaffle appeared in Sarah's mind and she couldn't help but giggle to herself.

OHEEP. He smelled the popcorn. And Sarah hadn't given him any yet. He would probably turn towards her when he found out that it was her and give her one of those horrible faces that made her stomach flip.

Oh! OH! What do you know.... Claudian had looked over to her and gave her one of those hurt glances. How much Sarah HATED those glances. It made her feel horrible... selfish.. and... and... all those horrible adjectives. "Heh heh... Want some?" Sarah asked, smiling sheepishly as she held up the bag that was three quarters empty.

Claudian was about to respond, when Minister Taylor entered the office.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemondrop13

Reagan entered the liaison desk area, cleared her throat and began, "Can I have your attention please? I'd like for everyone to take a seat. I have a very important announcement to make." Reagan hated this part. She felt terrible but knew there was no way around this very large change to the Ministry.

Claudian watched as the Minister entered the office. He took a seat and waited for the announcement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemondrop13

Reagan had hoped that all the liaisons would be present so that she could answer any questions at one time, but that didn't seem to be likely. Not wishing to wait any longer, Reagan began, "After a review of the budget, it has been decided that the Ministry needs to reign in its spending and cutbacks are inevitable. After the Quidditch World Cup concludes, the Ministry's spending must be minimal beyond what it absolutely needs to function. And that means there will be some lay-offs and transfers.

"All those in this department who are currently 'on leave' will be laid off. All of you who are active employees, we are going to transfer you to a different department. The Minister's Office staff will be no more. This department, while helpful to the running of this office, is not essentially to the running of the nation, and so it must be the first cutbacks we make. I am terribly sorry and am truly saddened to see you go. But I am happy that we can at least transfer you within the building. You will have your first preference of department to transfer to, so at least you have some control over that much."

He could hardly believe his ears. Sobering was the overall effect of the Ministers words. He definitely had a lot to discuss with his family when he got home that evening. Transferring? That wasn't the same as being let-go, so for that he was at least grateful. He hoped his performance was enough to keep him there at th Ministry as he'd come to truly be attached to the job and the people he'd gotten to work with.

Katy froze in shock. It took her a few moments to recover her composure. Transfering? Well, that may not be too awful. She would go to level three, where all her friends were, where her husband worked, and where she already knew so much about the happenings of that floor. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she was excited to transfer. It would be a new adventure!

With the thick silence in the room, everyone seemed to be in much too much of a shock upon hearing Minister Taylor's news. And while it was hard news to take in for them, perhaps, though, this was just as hard on the Minister as well.

"That is understandable, hard as the decision must have been to make, Minister. At the end of the day, after-all, we were all here with the common purpose of doing what is best for Wizarding Britain. I think I can speak for the lot of my fellow non-leave liaisons when I say that we can appreciate the generousity you show by allowing us not only stay on at the Ministry, but have a say in where we'd like to do our work in spite of the re-budgeting." And, truly he meant that last part. In a rough patch like this, it was a gift to not have to go home to ones family and tell them work had been lost. "How soon should we be expected to notify you regarding our transfer preferences?".

He felt like clinging to his old desk. Just digging his mits into the woodgrain and never letting go.

The looks on all their faces were difficult to handle. She felt horribly guilty that such difficulties had come to the Ministry on her watch, but these things happen in cycles. Maybe the revenue from the Quidditch World Cup would allow for the financial gap to be narrowed.

"Thank you for saying that, Claudian. It means a great deal to me to know that you understand that I do this not by my own choice. I will miss you all terribly, but I am sure you will all do great work in your new departments. You all have two weeks to decide, though the sooner the better, obviously."

Reagan remembered just then something she had forgotten to announce, "Though the liaison position will no longer exist, I have budgeted to allow this office to retain one or two junior assistants to help myself and the new Senior Undersecretary as the need arises. Anyone interested in these positions should contact me immediately."

The thought of transferring didn't really sound so bad anymore, but it was the thought that there would be no Liaisons anymore. Sarah could deal with the change, she'd just miss the job. It was a change for the good and she could tell that it had been difficult to make. She didn't blame the Minister at all, but she couldn't help but feel a tad bit upset at the idea. She'd miss all the friends she had befriended out of her fellow colleagues, but she could always stay in touch. Just because they worked on separate levels now, didn't mean they couldn't go out and have lunch, right?

Sarah was secretly grateful that Claudian had spoke up. The silence had been deafening and she didn't like it one bit. She knew that what Claudian said was right. There was only so much that could be done and the Minister had done it all. It was just a transfer right? It wouldn't be too bad.

Junior Assistants? Mhm. Who really knows? It was all to tough to make out. Sarah just nodded her head and offered a small smile. "Thanks for informing us, Minister. We all understand the decision made and I'm definitely confident that we will all do well in our new departments. Don't you worry about us," she said, rather humorously. They'd get over it.