Paper Trails

24th February 2001

 Pansy was not the only source of gossip Theo had access to within the ministry. Tracey Davis had recently joined the DMLE as a law wizard and had quickly become a main cog in the ministry gossip machine. The meeting today was supposedly just to catch up, but Theo knew she was angling for some gossip from the archives. Most employees from the DOM were unspeakables, so any gossip that managed to make its way out of the lower floors was highly prized.

Pouring himself a cup of tea from the pot that sat between them, Theo leaned back casually before asking if Tracy had any news on the newest batch of auror recruits.

"The latest training group?" she cocked her head thoughtfully before smirking. "That's the group Potter is in. Don't tell me, the mighty Theodore Nott is stooping for gossip on Potter?"

"I have been working with him so I was merely curious." Theo said offhandedly, sighing in relief when the glint went out of Davis' eye.

"Well from what I have heard he is simultaneously loved and hated there" Tracy said casually, "He misses half the training sessions and has never been seen on desk duty, but somehow he is still top of the group when it comes to the evaluations. There is whispers of him being given secret missions with the senior Aurors, so the others trainees are quite rightly jealous."

Theo snorted, it seemed that Potter hadn't told anyone he had been pulling double duty with the archives. Once again it was evident that the archive job that Potter supposedly loved, was just a dirty secret hidden from the rest of the world.

"So, what has Potter been doing in archives?" Tracy asked, "Is it some secret mission with the senior Aurors?"

"I can't really say." Theo said honestly. To be honest he still wasn't sure what Potter was doing outside of the basic day to day paperwork. He had yet to talk about any of his projects, if he was even given one. "I know that he is down there on Robard's orders though."

There, that was honest enough and would feed the rumour mill nicely. Potter owed him. He could have easily spilled the news of Potters real job. But he would keep the secret for now. It was far too valuable information to just give to Tracy, who would likely spill it at the first convenience.

Davis seemed satisfied enough with that draining her cup of tea and standing up. So much for them catching up, she had barely been sat there ten minutes. Not even a veneer of pretending she wanted to know about his life. Theo didn't overly mind, Davis had always been more of an acquaintance during their time at Hogwarts, he was far too cautious of her loose tongue to ever fully form a friendship with the woman.

"It was nice catching up with you Theo" She said with a smile. "Let me know when Pansy is around and we can meet for lunch." A quick wave and she tottered off, her robes swishing as she walked. Theo grinned, remembering the countless hours she and Pansy had practised that particular spell in the common room before gathering his things and making his own way to the lifts.

It was only later when Theo had returned to the quiet office after lunch that he thought more on the conversation from that morning. Tracy had been genuinely in the dark over Potter's work in the archives, which was odd seeing as Weasley and Granger definitely knew what he was up to, so Potter wasn't under any secrecy vows. Perhaps Robard's didn't want the news that his top Auror wasn't really an Auror. That seemed reasonable. Potter was the poster boy for all the new ministry reforms that had been pushed through in the last few years. It was only right that their poster boy was an Auror not wasting away in the archives. From what he had found, Potter was relatively honest, it would make sense that his silence came from the orders of a superior.

Theo was under no illusions that his job was seen as a dead end career for most people. It tended to attract those who were on their way out of the ministry, no longer needing to work but not quite ready to retire. For Theo it was the closest he could currently get to freedom.

The war had been difficult on him, his father and mother killed months before the Dark Lord went after Potter as a baby, leaving him in the care of his grandfather. The man had been a fanatical supporter of the Dark Lord, encouraging Theo in any way he saw fit to follow in his footsteps. Theo had resisted for as long as he could, citing a desire to finish his education before getting involved with the war (unlike Draco, the pompous idiot) and then hiding in the Slytherin common room during the final battle to avoid being forced to make the choice between two sides, neither of whom he agreed with.

When he had inevitably been arrested, namely for being the grandson and ward of a prominent death eater, but mostly because he was an of age Slytherin, Theo had been resigned to his fate in Azkaban. When Potter came riding in on his white horse, speaking out for anyone of Hogwarts age, and bizarrely Snape and Mrs Malfoy, Theo found himself released with nothing more than probation.

Restricted to British soil for five years, both physically and financially. Theo did the only thing he could think of.

Applied for a job in the ministry.

In three years when his probation was up, he would once again receive access to his full fortune and be able to move away from this pitiful country. Until then he was happy to stay in a job that let him pursue his two main hobbies of translation and researching obscure knowledge.

A loud clatter from within the stacks brought Theo out of his musing. Sighing to himself he forced his thoughts back to the report on weather charms he was writing for the maintenance department. He had found several counter charms that seemed to work on his rain cube. Hopefully at least one of them would work on the disaster that was still flooding the seventh floor and stop the now daily memos from both the maintenance department and the DMT harassing him for a solution.