The Department of Magical Retrieval

Episode 6: New World

"Get her out!"

"I said get her out of here!"

Fern jolted upright in her bed, a thin sheen of sweat covering her body, giving a small shout as she did. She sighed deeply, the words from her nightmare reverbarting inside of her head, causing her eyes to scrunch shut in frustration. It had been exactly four days since Fern had last seen Malfoy being held down at St. Mungos, writhing in pain. It had been exactly four days in a row that Fern had owled Malfoy, Harry, and Ron asking for details on what was happening with their case. And it had been exactly four days that nothing, nothing at all , had been said to her, from anyone involved. She gripped her bed sheets in anger at the thought as she glanced over to her clock, which read 6:45am.

Great, welcome back another day of mundane work, Fern. She thought, flinging her legs out of the side of her bed, feeling Pixie's distinctive fur rubbing against them. She reached down and petted behind his ear, earning a soft purring sound, and then frowned. She'd been debating on whether to ask around for the past few days, but was conflicted. Malfoy certainly wasn't any of her business, but she had made a promise to Parkinson. Even though she despised her, Fern was fiercely loyal to her word and promises, a trait about herself that she sometimes abhorred. Fern closed her eyes and could still see the state he was in, his arm massively scarred, and seemingly charred, too. She opened them feeling her heart constrict a bit, but frowned deeper, and abruptly stood. Pixie mewed in irritation in response.

" Oh hush , I'm just getting up to feed you, you sorry looking fleabag . Then, it's off to work with me, I suppose."

Pixie just blinked in response.

"And here I am again talking to my cat and worrying about ex-Death Eaters. What's become of me, Pixie?"

Pixie only blinked in response, tilting his black furry head to one side, looking at her as if she were mental.

Maybe she was.

Nobody had been straight with Fern thus far, not Harry, not Ron, and certainly not Malfoy. So, instead of letting her anger and questions fester anymore, she decided to corner Hermione Granger.

She wasn't a hard person to find, especially for Fern. During their last year at Hogwarts, Ron and Harry hadn't attended, which left Hermione by herself. Fern and Zoe had found themselves to be quite friendly with Hermione, and in turn, she was also quite friendly to them as well. It turned out that with Malfoy and his goons no longer in Slytherin, opinion of them became a bit better, well, to some . The other half were afraid of them. They believed that everyone in Slytherin must've been a Death Eater, or at the very least, connected to one. Fern had to face this reality quite harshly when she was often ignored when paired up with someone from a different house in class. Or, when she went to sit with Hermione at the Gryffindor table. It wasn't uncommon for some to get up and move, as if she had the plague.

Despite this, Zoe, Fern, and Hermione began a great friendship. They were all like-minded, strong-willed, and exceptionally studious individuals. It was a natural fit. So much so, in fact, that Hermione requested them to work under her directly. And thus, Zoe and Fern began working within the Department of Mysteries shortly after Hogwarts, headed by Hermione Granger herself. Fern found Hermione in her office, her bushy hair a bit bushier than normal, her eyes a little red-rimmed. Fern rasped her knuckles against the open door, causing Hermione to startle a bit, before smiling up at her from her desk.

"Oh, Fern, Thank Merlin it's you. If it were another person coming in with paperwork I think I would've hexed them where they stood."

Fern then turned her attention to the massive amount of parchment sitting on top of, next to, and behind her desk, in outrageously tall piles. Fern gave her a sympathetic smile, and then closed the door behind her, taking a seat in front of Hermione.