Sorry for all the cover changes btw :)
"I trust your time in the Netherlands was pleasant?" the orange-robed TransFloo worker asked in Dutch as she checked Auriga's passport and wand. They had an instrument like the one at every Ministry of Magic that produced the core, wood, flexibility, length and holder's name. Every country had at least one of these TransFloo stations, similar to a muggle airport, and the bigger countries like China, Russia and America had two or three dotted about. Inter-country Apparation just wasn't possible for the average witch or wizard - or even the most advanced. The risk of splinching or miscalculating where you'd end up was far too high, and something like this was far easier.
"Yes, fine," Auriga replied with a tired but polite smile. All she wanted to do was get home, have her dinner, and go to bed. And she was going to sleep as long as she wanted.
"I'm pleased," the worker said, flashing a smile that Auriga had practised so many times before in the mirror. "Cherry wood, dragon heartstring core, eleven and a half inches, unyielding flexibility," she read from the paper. "This is correct?" she asked, glancing down at the passport.
"Yes," said Auriga. "All fine."
"Good," the worker said with a smile. "The charge is thirty galleons."
"I have a diplomatic travel licence," Auriga said, already bored of the conversation as she pointed to the document tucked into her passport. "I'm here on Ministry business."
"Oh, yes, I see," the worker said, still upholding her smile. "Very well, here's your ticket, if you just want to go through. Third grate on your left." Auriga nodded and took back her documents, following the worker's instructions and entering into a large hall, lined with grates, similar to how it was at the Ministry of Magic atrium. Except each of the grates had a brass plate above them with the destination and there was a witch or wizard in orange robes checking the tickets.
Auriga joined the queue of three under the plaque that read, Manchester, England, and watched as two witches came out the fireplace, giggling together before heading from the hall. "Ticket please?" asked the wizard in a thick Dutch accent. Auriga handed him the bit of paper and he nodded handing it back. "If you'd step inside, miss?" Auriga obliged, stifling a yawn and he tapped his wand on the wall of the grate. She felt herself spinning, and stepped out at just the right moment into an almost identical hall, except the TransFloo workers were in robes of red.
She smiled at the wizard next to her before heading out the hall with the steady stream of people and joined the long, winding queue to have her passport checked again. There were more people than usual when she'd travelled before. Family holidays in the summer had always been enjoyable, mainly to European countries though. But she'd done that tour of the wizarding communities of Asia by herself the summer before seventh year. That had been fantastic: China, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines... And the Easter holidays before that she'd taken her first solo trip, and gone off to Mexico for a few weeks. Interacting with the wizarding communities there had been fascinating. That was when she'd first realised she wanted to work in International Magical Co-operation.
But today the queues seemed longer than normal. It was summer, she supposed, but still. Oh yes, the borders had been closed for a few days, so there were still all the delayed holiday makers. Shacklebolt hadn't thought about that, had he?
Auriga finally reached the front desk and presented her passport and wand to the dumpy middle-aged witch sat at the desk. She looked like how Auriga felt - like she'd rather be anywhere except here. "Where are you travelling from?" she asked impatiently.
"Um, the Netherlands," Auriga half-croaked.
The witch nodded. "Anything to declare?"
"No."
"Cherry wood, dragon heartstring core, eleven and a half inches, unyielding flexibility. All correct?" the witch said, reading off a bit of paper.
"Yes," said Auriga.
The witch nodded again, uncaring. "On your way, then," the witch said, handing Auriga her passport and wand back.
"Have a good evening," said Auriga reluctantly, before heading past her and out the set of doors behind her desk. They led into a dingy alleyway where there were a few other witches and wizards milling around, most of them with luggage and shivering. It was still only about six o'clock here, and the sky was still light. Without another second's thought, Auriga turned on the spot and apparated to just outside her Cornwall cottage, gratefully breathing in the salty sea air.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside, banishing her cloak to the cupboard under the stairs, waving her wand to start re-heating a lasagne she'd made, and summoning the post. There was a letter from Draco about the trip to Italy he'd taken with their mother and father. He'd even put a picture in of him in their pool of the villa they had there. And the second was a bank statement from Gringotts that she read through and then threw into the fire. She'd left too early to check her post first thing - half six she'd had to leave for Manchester! - but thankfully the Belgian Ministry of Magic had been accommodating. They'd even given her waffles and coffee before she headed off for an afternoon in the Netherlands.
Auriga yawned as she tramped upstairs after dinner. She brushed her teeth (albeit, halfheartedly) and was fast asleep as soon as she'd closed her eyes.
*****
Auriga sipped her morning tea as she flicked through the Saturday morning Prophet. The first seven pages were still littered with everything to do with Black, including her being sighted in Belgium yesterday. She knew she shouldn't have stayed for that waffle. But on the eighth page there was some new news, something that looked wildly more interesting than the search and investigation she was already sick of.
WEREWOLF LEGISLATION ACT FINALLY PASSED THROUGH WIZENGAMOT
Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic himself, has finally passed the legislation we've all been waiting for. The new Werewolf Legislation Act, passed through yesterday afternoon, requires all werewolves to register on the previously untouched Werewolf Registry before they can take up permanent residence in a job post of certain companies and businesses, the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts bank included.
This will allow businesses to assess whether a Werewolf candidate is suitable for the post, and allow them to input safety measures to protect employees and clients alike. Although none have come forward to comment, the act will likely benefit Werewolves, as it will allow employers to make special adjustments to suit the infectious condition.
Interestingly, although unsurprisingly, headmaster of Hogwarts School, Albus Dumbledore protested the movement, saying it was a, "Foul and callous way to treat our fellow wizards and witches, who already suffer enough at our hands." He did not write down the name of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the companies that require registration. Could this be yet another example of Dumbledore's famous trusting spirit?
Many parents were unhappy about this foolish move. "Dumbledore, while having brought a lot to this prestigious school, has often had problems in his staffing, particularly the post for Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Lucius Malfoy, father to Hogwarts students and alumni, and one of the governors of the school. "The time for change has finally come, and it is in the interest of the school to take advantage of such a magnificent Legislation Act that the Ministry has put their utmost efforts into."
However, despite Dumbledore's opposition, the Wizengamot voted against their Chief Warlock, favouring the safety and security of out nation above all else. We are all pleased to be sleeping a little more soundly in our beds.
Auriga smiled faintly as she folded up the paper and finished her tea. Binns would be pleased he'd archived her paper after all - it was exactly what she'd said would happen. And she couldn't help but be pleased about it too.
There was the problem of Dumbledore though. Her father had put it well, although he could've been a little blunter. Dumbledore was as much of a problem to Hogwarts as he was a solution. In Auriga's opinion, he could be quite a bit of an idiot.