Obliviate | JSE

Six- What's a Muggle?

Seán's POV
I arrived at work at eight thirty like always except I felt a little on edge. On my way I had an uneasy feeling that someone was following me. I shook the situation off, believing my mind was playing tricks on me. I needed more sleep.

The lift came to a harsh stop on Level Four where I got out along with a few other people and I headed to my office in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Inside, my colleague, Newt, was already here, hunched over his desk as he was reading something in a book laid out in front of him. Newt and I went to Hogwarts together and has been my best friend ever since. We weren't even in the same house together but he was the only one there for me when no one else was during a tough education. And here we are, nine years later working together at the Ministry.

"Morning, Newt." I greeted him.

"Oh, hello, Seán." The man looked up from his book.

"That Niffler been causing you grief lately?" I asked as I hung my coat and hat up.

"No... not at all." He lied.

"Newt, I need to talk to you. It's something rather serious." My relaxed tone suddenly changed to a stern one as I leaned against my desk on the opposite side of the room, facing Newt's.

Newt bookmarked his page and closed the book, looking up at me with a worried expression. "Okay, what is it?"

"It's about the Niffler. You need to keep it inside that case. We can't afford for it to go wondering out into the Muggle world in hunt for our coins and jewellery again. All it takes is one phone call from a distressed Muggle and the Niffler is put away, if not put down. We don't want that."

"No we don't." Newt rubbed the back of his neck. "How did you know he escaped?"

"The woman you bumped into?"

"Er, yes?"

"She's my wife."

"Oh..."

"Exactly. It's a good job she didn't catch what you were looking for." I clasped my hands together in my lap and my tone relaxed again. "Newt, I'm not asking as your colleague but as your friend. Please keep him under control."

"I will. Sorry." Newt looked slightly deflated and for a moment I felt slightly guilty for chastising him this way.

"Please do. The last thing we want is for the Minister to find out about this."

"Speaking of which, I need to pay him a visit." Newt's eyes lit up as he remembered and he grabbed his briefcase from off the side.

"What ever for?"

"Nothing important. I'll be back in a minute."
———
Your POV
There were so many people walking in all opposite directions, wearing strange looking clothes like pointy hats and long cloaks. This isn't how everyone dresses back in Brighton. But is this still Brighton? I had lost all my bearings since stepping foot inside this place. Suddenly, I saw a London telephone box float down from the ceiling, land gracefully on the solid ground and a few people walked out. The door closed and it took off once again, heading up to where it had come from. Had I travelled to London somehow? What kind of telephone boxes fly?

I examined the place around me. Everywhere was huge. It made me feel like a tiny ant in comparison. There are black, shiny tiles on the walls and were they paper aeroplanes? Flying by themselves? And pamphlets being organised into piles? By themselves? What is this place? Many fireplaces lined up along the walls which made me wonder why a place like this, needed so many. Suddenly, I saw a bright, green flame ignite in the fireplace for only a second, and there stood a man carrying a briefcase and walking out of the fireplace like nothing has happened. Where on Earth did he appear from? How did he not burn? Why were the flames green? Where the hell am I? Is this all a dream? I pinched myself several times but still, there I stood, in this unknown place of wonders.

I decided to explore a little and so I followed the crowd and there, in the centre, was a fountain of great stature with some sort of carvings in the stone, resembling people. This looked like the heart of the place. Underneath the carvings, was a plaque which read:

"Muggles Beware"

What's a muggle?