This is an English translation of my small sketch originally written in Russianā¦ I sincerely apologize for any mistakes and for the style š„ŗ
AU: The Head of the Auror Office, who is stuck dealing with the behavior of the Minister for Magic
Harry couldnāt stand that decrepit, shriveled viper who had already outlived all the Ministers of Magic combined, yet still looked remarkably lively for his age and didnāt seem to have retirement anywhere in his plans. That eternal slippery smirk on his wrinkled faceā¦ Even a banshee would be nicer than this fossil! And how old was he? Seventy, if not more! And Harry couldnāt care less that for a wizard it was considered a young age, nor about the entire female half of the staff who sighed languidly whenever the Minister strode briskly to his office, handing out fake-sweet good morning wishes along the way. Potter would rather spend the whole day at a tea party with dementors in Azkaban than a single minute in the company of that lying, shriveled raisin. Fresh out of the academy, he had enthusiastically gone to the job he had dreamed of since his school yearsāand it was there that Harry first met the Minister of Magic in personā¦ To the surprise of the entire department, it was Harryāstill very young and completely inexperienced in real raidsāwho, within just a week of work, suddenly found himself assigned to the personal unit accompanying the Minister at all his public appearances.
For some reason, this old manāconstantly forgetting that he wasnāt all that much younger than Dumbledore, despite what he believedāhad set his sights specifically on him, and since then there hadnāt been a single peaceful day in Harryās life. At times Potter felt as though the Minister had forgotten he even had a secretary (a creature crawled straight out of Hell and utterly unhingedāBellatrix Lestrange) and was sending him off almost to fetch a cup of coffee. And all of this was still going on, even though Harry was, by the way, already Head of the Auror Office, with more than enough of his own responsibilities! On top of that, things had recently grown even more complicated due to the loss of his last source of moral supportā¦ Hermione, the one he used to pour his heart out to, had fallen under the spell of that cursed Tom Riddle! And where had he even learned that the top student and best pupil Hogwarts had seen in years was absolutely obsessed with rare editions of magical booksāand discussions about them! One meeting between two bookworms in the atrium on their way to the lifts, and that was it. Harry no longer had an ally.
āMr. Potter? Harry! Are you listening to me?ā the Ministerās pretentiously friendly, velvety voice slowly acquired displeased, prickly notes. That slippery type didnāt like being ignored, but tried to maintain his mask of benevolence for as long as possible.
āNo, sir, Iām all attention,ā Harry forcibly tears himself away from a daydream in which the dried-up fruit sitting before him announces his resignation, and quickly takes the papers being handed to him.
The Minister shakes his head and wearily closes his eyes. Maybe it only seems that way to Harryāor is that snake looking more tired than usual today? Could dreams really be coming true?
As if reading anotherās thoughts, Riddle furrows his impeccable brows even more and presses his lips together.
āYou may go, Harry. Bring me the report at the end of the day.ā
Harry nods quickly and hastens out of the office, closing the door behind him.
Tom sits in silence for several long minutes, staring at the dark, glossy surface of the desk. Then, rising abruptly, he leaves the office and stops in front of the reception desk.
āDo I lookā¦ bad today? Perhaps something is wrong with my clothes? An outdated cut?ā Riddle tugs at the edge of his black robe, examining the dark suit.
Bellatrix stares at the man in surpriseāthe man who, as always, looks impeccable.
āMy lord, everything is as alwaysāperfect. Today you look especially good.ā
The Minister snorts and, muttering his thanks, turns to leave, but suddenly stops, never quite reaching for the handle of the door leading back into his office.
āBella, do you remember those recent letters complaining about thefts in Diagon Alley? Oh, and Malfoy mentioned suspicious activity among dealers of dark artifacts? Send all the papers and information to the Head of the Auror Officeātell him to personally check every little detail! Oh, and actually, it would be even better if he paid an inspection visit to Azkaban. And tell him not to forget to bring biscuits for his favorite dementors!ā
