22nd December, 1888 — Head of Department's Office
Clinton Podmore

The run-up to Christmas was certainly not the time to be contemplating a departmental re-jig, especially not so soon after her own promotion and when the rest of the Ministry still hadn't quite settled from the events of the summer, but Morwenna would be a liar if she claimed not to have considered it in the slightest. On the one hand Nora was a valued and trusted employee and was perfectly capable of taking on any job in the department in Morwenna's opinion, but she was also too young and too, well, female to be promoted to anything without it raising some eyebrows. Mr Podmore on the other hand...

She had never trusted handsome men. Wealthy, handsome men even less so and each and every time he gave her one of his ever-so-charming smiles she had the sensation that he was up to something. The feeling was only intensified when he whistled his way merrily into her office and placed a bound parcel on her desk.

Eyebrow raised she glanced up from the documents she had been looking over.

"And what do we have here?" She drawled.

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Clinton was perhaps buttering up his boss. He was well aware Mrs. Skeeter was perhaps not his biggest fan simply because he was a notorious flirt and quite enjoyed flirting with the secretary of the department every chance he got. He did, however, still do his job and he made a point of doubt it well. He was an ambitious man who kept his department running smoothly at all costs. If someone wasn't up to par, they either got that way or got dismissed. Simple as that.

And with that in mind, he'd made his way to the newly promoted woman's office with a little something to help sway her into his corner. He wanted her recently vacated position, something most knew he was out for as he'd never kept his ambitions quiet. He had seen an old text on werewolves, though, and thought of her. Or at least, thought it would be of interest to her. It was certainly a collector's piece, in the very least, so he'd purchased it for her as a Christmas gift.

"Just a little something I thought you'd enjoy," he said while flashing her that dimpled smile of his he was so well known for, "I couldn't very well go without giving you a Christmas gift and when I saw it in the shop I couldn't resist."

  

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Nolan Set #Infinity

The gesture – one that had not been imitated by a single other member of her staff apart from Louisa, in whose intentions she had nothing but the greatest trust – immediately put her on edge. If Mr Podmore was giving her gifts then he was probably angling for a promotion and whilst she was technically in a position to give him one now it was the only thing she regretted about her recent elevation. Now she couldn’t fob him off with insistences that she was not the person to speak to. She very emphatically was.

“I probably shouldn’t accept gifts you realise?” She said archly, still reaching to pull the package a little closer. She was intrigued to say the least as to what he could possibly have found that made him think of her – quite how one put a sharp word and irritating about someone’s flirting into the form of a present she wasn’t sure but it was the season for goodwill, perhaps she could simply accept it and indulge him?

“But I’ll bear the shame of being the most loved head of department somehow,” she quipped with a twitch of her lips, running a finger underneath the packaging to pull away the paper. It was a book, which was something of a disappointment really, until she saw the title and her face set to rigidity.

“What is this?”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Clint couldn't help but to smirk as she accepted the gift. "Certainly most loved," he said, echoing her sentiment. He watched eagerly then, almost like a child waiting for sweets, as she opened the gift. The small hint of a smile she'd had on her face quickly vanished, however, once she had opened the present.

A brow was raised at her question and demeanor. "A very old text on lycanthropy," he said almost matter of factly with a small shrug, "I thought it rather suiting all things considered." They worked in a department dealing with all manners of creatures after all.

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   Morwenna Skeeter

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Nolan Set #Infinity

It occurred to Morwenna through a haze of silent panic that she might well be able to describe precisely how it felt to have the earth shift under one’s feet even when sat down but this small revelation was cold comfort in the face of the fact that her most bothersome underling seemed to have somehow guessed her secret. But it was impossible! Far more intelligent people worked at the Ministry, many of them in this Department and some of them even deigned to pay her attention some of the time despite being over twenty years old and not having tumbleweeds passing through her mind.

And yet somehow Mr Podmore had guessed something...but surely he could only have guessed? He couldn’t possibly know anything, could he?

“Is this supposed to be funny, Mr Podmore?”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Clint was really quite unsure why Mrs. Skeeter was acting in such a manner, almost as though she were angry with him for giving her such a present. Surely, a woman who had spent as much time in their line of work could appreciate a classic and vintage text on one of the main beasts they dealt with in their line of work. Instead, she seemed as though she'd seen a ghost or like he'd suddenly sported fangs himself!

"I don't really know why you'd think this was funny," he answered a bit tentatively, eyeing her with obvious confusion and maybe even a hint of concern, "I just thought you'd appreciate such a classic of a book considering all the years you've put into making this department what it was." Because when all else fails, flattery is the course to go. If that didn't work, he'd simply high tail it out of there because clearly he'd done something wrong and he didn't have a clue what it was.

  

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Nolan Set #Infinity

The thunder of blood in her ears quietened for just long enough for her own common sense to tell her that Mr Podmore had absolutely no way of really knowing what she was and if this was him attempting to blackmail her for something then he was showing no signs of it at all. His excuse for buying her a gift sounded reasonable enough…could it be a ploy? She wouldn’t put it past him but even with her heart beating heavily enough she was sure her whole body was pulsing with it Morwenna didn’t think she could hear anything underlying in his words.

Apart from that last part of course. The department being what it was…well, what it was, though it was hardly in the leaflets they handed out to Hogwarts students, was run by a werewolf. Was that his meaning? He had never struck her as the subtle sort before but, understandably, paranoia had become her close companion this last year.

“I’m not overly fond of taking my work home with me,” she said, glancing at the cover again and trying not to flinch at the words that stared back at her. “Especially not after the year we’ve had with werewolves. But, I do thank you for the gesture,” her eyes flicked up. “I’m sure it was kindly meant.”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Clint looked at her in a bit of shock, surprised she'd even think his gift was meant as anything but kind. Of course, he was simply doing a bit of schmoozing but he was being kind in the process. He was almost offended that she'd felt the need to even say such a thing. He'd never been anything but kind to her or anyone else in the department. Well perhaps except for some of those directly under him that didn't get their reports in on time. That was frustrating and always needed to be dealt with with a firm hand so it didn't become a habit. That was all an entirely different story though.

"I just thought they'd be a good addition to your office or perhaps your own home. You wouldn't have to actually read it," he said with a shrug, though he was seriously starting to rethink his decision to visit her with a gift, "I'm sure a lot of it is outdated and you surely know more about werewolves than what's even in the text."

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   Morwenna Skeeter

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Nolan Set #Infinity

Her eyes narrowed anew. She knew more about werewolves than she had ever wanted to but how could he possibly know that? Perhaps it was just as it appeared on the surface – a genuine gift, well genuine in so much that he was crawling after her old job, that happened to have an unfortunate secondary layer of meaning that he was not aware of.

But why werewolves? Of all the creatures in the world he could have chosen he happened to pick up this book?

“I expect I do,” she tilted her head, opening it to take a look at the pages and feeling marginally reassured by the elegant but achingly old-fashioned text. It actually was rather ornate, with beautiful drawings which did suggest it actually was a present. One particular image jumped out at her, curiousity getting the better of her underlying worry. “Where did you get this? This picture looks like part of a story I was told as a child.”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Clint was finally able to grin somewhat when she seemed to start getting back to herself. Or, at the very least, what he knew her to be like. She was finally accepting the slight compliments he was bestowing on her.

"An antique shop I found," he answered simply, "Seems like most of what they have is a bit outdated but still quite interesting." And a lot of it was rather fancy. Definitely not cheap. He hadn't spent a great deal on that very volume but it had still be worth it. At least, he hoped so.

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Nolan Set #Infinity

His words were...if not reassuring then at least not especially indicative of him having more insidious intent. Mr Podmore, for all that he occasionally got on her nerves, had never struck her as the cruel, calculating sort and even if he was turning over a new leaf he would not get far. If he had real proof then he would have handed it over by now she would take meticulous pains to ensure he never got any – if this was a threat then she was more than willing to give him one in return.

“Sometimes the older things in the world are much more suited to a task,” she said, closing the book and placing it carefully on her desk. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for you.”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Clint offered a shrug in response. He knew how to read between the lines but just because he was still considered on the young side didn't mean he wasn't suited to a job. He was well aware of what he could do. His portion of the department was run smoothly and without issue and he hoped that would speak for itself. He'd eventually end up with his promotion, he was almost certain of it but he knew he could push Mrs. Skeeter only so far.

"I didn't expect anything," he said with a grin as he moved to stand up from his chair, "Like I said, I saw it and though you might enjoy it." He moved away from his chair then, clearly with the intention of being on his way. "I won't take up any more of your time though," he said with a slight nod to her, "I hope you enjoy your holidays." And with that, he took his leave.

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Nolan Set #Infinity

Was the book a message? Or was it just a present? It was entirely possible that her new secrets were making her paranoid and she was being terribly unfair to Mr Podmore, but she could not let go of her anxiety quite that easily. He could ruin her and if he knew about her condition then he knew it too.

On the other hand within a year or two he would likely have the job whether she liked it or not, so why would he bother if he didn’t have something on her? God, she was tired. She needed to go home and not think about the Department before the whole place sent her mad.

Christmas could not come soon enough. And, she thought as she opened the book and saw the familiar images of her childhood again, at least she would have something to keep her entertained

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat