Ravenclaw's Shadow

Chapter 12

“Yep.”

“Good.”

I stare at the mirror. My hair is brushed neatly into a ponytail and I'm wearing what my Mum calls “business robes”. I look older. I sigh and turn away, walking across the bathroom and out into my bedroom. I walk downstairs to the dining room where Mum and Dad are finishing big glasses of blood.

“Morning,” I greet them.

“Good morning,” Mum says, “your breakfast is getting cold.”

I look at the glass of blood and wrinkle my nose.

“I'm good,” I tell her, “I'll eat something at the office.”

Dad scowls. He doesn't like that I eat human food.

“Well, you'd better go,” Mum says, looking at her watch, “don't want to be late for your first day.”

“Have you brushed your fangs?” Dad demands, climbing to his feet. I roll my eyes.

“Yes,” I drone.

“Show me. Show me.”

Grumbling, I push my fangs out. Dad grabs my chin and inspects them.

“Fine,” he mutters, “let's go.”

“Have a good day,” Mum says, kissing me on the cheek, “have you got everything?”

“In my bag,” I say, shouldering the new satchel they gave me, “bye.”

Dad takes my arm and disapparates. We appear in the lobby of the Ministry.

“You have to sign in,” Dad says, “this way.”

I follow him across the lobby. There are wizards and witches rushing around. I feel very small.

Dad leads me up to an administration desk.

“I can do it,” I say as he steps forward, “I'll see you this afternoon.”

He nods and walks away. I take a deep breath and walk up to the wizard behind the desk.

“My name is Aurelia Dunmore, I'm doing work experience with Arthur Weasley in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office,” I say. He ferrets through a stack of papers.

“Ah, yes, Miss Dunmore,” he says, reading over the top of his glasses, “do you have your paperwork?”

I hand him a stack of paper and watch as he goes through it, stamping and dating each page.

“May I see your wand?” he asks. I hand it over and he weighs it.

“The make?” he demands.

“Rosewood with kneazle whisker core, eleven and a half inches, springy,” I recite. He prints a ticket and sticks it on a pile, then picks up a blank badge and jabs it with his wand and hands that and my wand over to me. The badge has “Aurelia Dunmore, Office of The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts” printed on it.

“Wear that at all times,” the wizard says, “next please!”

I move out of the way of a tall witch and pin the badge onto my chest. I have no idea where to go.

“Hey!”

I turn back to the receptionist.

“Second floor, at the back,” he says.

“Thanks,” I call. I walk over to the elevators and get into line. A few minutes later I'm shunted into the elevator, right to the back. We go up one floor and two witches get out.