Whispers

Twelve

Fred felt a strange sense of peace after the wedding that he hadn't felt in a long time. With this commitment to each other, Fred felt as though he could trust that Calliope wasn't planning on leaving him again. 

Similarly, Calliope settled into a rhythm of normal life again. She worked in the joke shop, helping customers out and stacking shelves. It was quite strange for Calliope to hear the various shop assistants refer to her as Mrs Weasley, but she quickly got used to it and began to love what she was doing. 

One morning in mid-February Natalie had promised to make George, Fred and Calliope breakfast. The smell of burning toast was filling the flat as the bell rang, signalling that someone had run the doorbell on the shop floor.

"I'll go," said Calliope, who was the only one not in pyjamas. She pulled herself up off of the sofa and padded down the steps into the empty shop. She walked over to the door and opened the blind to see Rufus Scrimgeour , the minister for magic stood waiting on the pavement. Calliope frowned as she opened the door to speak to him, wondering what he could possibly want with any of them.

"Mrs Weasley." He walked into the shop without waiting for permission and placed his briefcase down on the counter, "I was hoping that I would find you here."

"Well I do live here," said Calliope, "I don't mean to be rude minister, but what do you want?"

"In that case, suppose we should skip the pleasantries and get straight ton the point," he said, "I would like to offer you a position at the ministry."

"What makes you think that I would want to work at the ministry?" Calliope raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well-" he started, but he was cut off by the opening of the door to the flat and the entry of Fred.

"Everything okay down here Callie?" Fred asked, eyeing the minster warily as he moved to stand beside Calliope. 

"I was just telling your wife about a job opportunity that the ministry has," said  Scrimgeour. 

"He was just about to tell me what makes him think I would want to work at the ministry," Calliope said.

"Well go ahead then," Fred encouraged Scrimgeour somewhat mockingly.

"Because the position is in the Department of Mysteries," Scrimgeour told them. Calliope felt Fred stiffen beside her at the mention of the place where his father had died, Calliope reached for his hand a squeezed it lightly.

"You want me in the death room," said Calliope accusingly, "you want me to tell you what that veil is."

"Mrs Weasley, don't think that we are not aware of your break-in at the beginning of December, we know that you went into that veil and that you walked out alive. I am not foolish enough to believe that you do not want to know more about that veil too."

"Even if I did, it doesn't mean that I would want to work at the ministry."

"I have seen your test scores from Hogwarts, I know what you are capable of. The ministry can offer you may more opportunities than you will receive working in a joke shop," said Scrimgeour. 

"She'll do it," Fred said very quickly.

"I will?" Calliope asked him.

"Yes, you will," Fred told her, "you're meant for much more than working in a joke shop Callie." He shot Scimgeour a withering look and whispered the rest so that just Calliope could hear, "this could help you understand it all a bit more. It could even help you save people."

"Okay," Calliope sighed, unable to argue with Fred's logic. He knew her better than she knew herself, and the minster was right; she did want to know more about that veil. "Okay, I'll do it." She turned to look back at Scrimgeour.

Scrimgeour said nothing. He opened his briefcase and pulled out some folded robes. He handed them to Calliope. 

"Welcome to the ministry of magic Mrs Weasley, you are now an Unspeakable. Documentation describing your job will follow, but I must inform you of the first rule. You are forbidden to disclose any information pertaining to your research. To anyone." He eyed Fred on these last words. 

He snapped the clasp of his briefcase shut and picked it up, "I wish you a very pleasant weekend, and I will see you at work on Monday." 

With this, he was gone; leaving Calliope and Fred alone in the shop as the door snapped closed behind him.

"You do really want to do this Callie? I don't want to force you into it, but I think it will be good for you," said Fred.

"No I agree," said Calliope, "I just don't agree with the ministry itself."

"Well, the Department of Mysteries is basically its own organisation, so you won't have much to do with the ministry itself."

"I just don't want to turn into the ministry's halfbreed poster child."

"We won't let that happen."

********

"What was all that about?" Natalie asked as Fred and Calliope re-entered the flat.

"Callie has a new job," said Fred, "she's an Unspeakable now."

I changed the cover for screams a bit and I'm in love with Callie again... oops. 
So what do we think of Callie working at the ministry?

Remember to vote, comment and be amazing!

~Em xx