The Emerald Manor

Chapter 2

Monday April 1st came, and Cora found herself standing inside the British Ministry of Magic. She found it curious that her first day would be April Fool's Day. She wondered if people in London celebrated, an uncomfortable twinge in her gut.

If they did, she had a feeling Gawain Robard would be the first to engage in some bothersome jokes.

To her relief April Fool's Day was a No-Maj holiday and the wizards in London didn't partake.

She still found the word 'muggle' to be an odd one but found herself forcing the word out in place of No Maj whenever she could. She was tired of the curious looks she got whenever she said No Maj instead of Muggle.

The same thing would happen. They'd stare for a minute. Cock their head to side. Chuckle. Then say, 'Oh you mean Muggle.' Cora decided to skip reliving the same story over again. So, she tried her best to just use Muggle more.

The day was a pleasant one, Gawain Robard met Cora at the entrance to the Ministry. He wore all black robes. His cheery disposition was in stark contrast to his robes. He greeted Cora with a smile that showed all his teeth.

"Glad to see I didn't scare you off Miss DuPont." His voice boomed. "I'm rather busy today but I wanted to welcome you and show you to your office. I'll have another Auror show you around, so you don't get lost, big place you know."

She followed beside Mr. Robard taking in the impressive sight throughout the building. The path opened to an expansive atrium with offices and rooms rising higher than the eye could see. An ornate fountain, it was a spectacular center piece greeting anyone walking in this room. Moving through the atrium led to a room lined with sparkling golden elevators.

"After you. Ladies first." Robard gestured towards the nearest elevator. Cora decided to ignore his partially sexist comment and accept it in the manner it was given.

She walked into the elevator, spotting the enchanted memo's darting in and out of offices. The elevator came to a halt, opening to a narrow hallway lined with offices. Robard drove a path forward for them, coming to a stop in front of one of the rooms.

"Here we are. This will be your office. All the Aurors are on this floor; decorate your office how you want." He talked hurriedly to avoid being late for his next meeting. "Let me go grab Potter. He can give you the lay of the land while I meet with the Minister." Robard drifted away, ducking in and out of the other offices.

Cora soon realized that he had gone to get Harry Potter. She knew he was an Auror as well but thought he was more of a myth than a real person. The legend from the fairy tales she had heard at school; the person from the stories made flesh.

"No matter, as long as he's not a blowhard it will be fine. I don't feel like feeding his ego." Cora mumbled to herself. Her mind was crafting an image in her head of what to expect from a man like Harry Potter. Self-important, pompous, smug, and pretentious we the top four contenders for his most likely traits.

She observed Robard walking back towards her with another young wizard that looked about her age. He had unkempt jet-black hair with soft green eyes. She tilted her head up to see a dull scar on his forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt. Round glasses were at the forefront of his face, another small scar by the corner of his eye.

"Ah! Now that I have you both together. Harry this is Miss Cora DuPont, joining us from America." Robard gestured at Cora. Harry nodded in her direction. "Harry will show you around and get you settled."

Robard faced Harry, speaking to him. "Kingsley is going to keep me up there all day, I can feel it. He is dead set on getting the dementors removed from Azkaban. What's the threat of going to Azkaban if there are no dementors? His mind seems made up though. Anyways, I'll leave you and Miss Cora to it. Perhaps she can tell you all about Pukwudgie or whatever they were called."