Game over -Dolores-

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"Not so tough now, aren’t you, Avery?" The man left of him sneered and the right one chuckled and spat "traitor". Graham kept quiet as two smug aurors brought him closer and closer the the Minister’s office. Without a doubt these were the worst aurors he’d ever met. It was very early in the morning, the moon had only been under for a few hours. Graham had just managed to get somewhat dressed when two aurors had bursted into his home. They rudely pushed Mimi aside when she tried to stop them and called her a disobedient elf. They had no respect for elders at all. Then they’s rudely bashed into Graham’s transformation room where he was just getting dressed and some painkillers. They were hostile and provoked a fight. Graham could only defend himself against worse. He still got beaten up badly as his mind wasn’t capable of thinking and providing solid spells. They hadn’t even bothered to clean up the blood that he was covered in now thanks to them. He did look like a werewolf gone bad now. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the next morning the paper would say he started the fight. Or even that these so called heroes saved innocent people from being slaughtered by him. The world was based on lies and fear these days.

The door opened and he saw Minister Umbridge sitting there with her usual fake smile. Graham knew his days at the Ministry were numbered even if he’d served well since the day he started and climbed from the bottom to one of the highest paid people in this building. None of that mattered now. They knew what he was despite that he still fought against werewolves as one. He’d always remained loyal to the Ministry even if he hated Umbridge and considered her ways inhumane. His job was gone for sure he didn’t even doubt about that. But would this be the end of his life as well? Who was going to take care of Kallisto?

"Here he is, ma’m," the auror on the left spoke to Umbridge. Graham bravely looked up to face her eye to eye as the two men held him. "Good morning, Minister. I don't suppose you called me in for tea," he greeted her.

tag: @dolores

 

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Dolores was not a happy woman. In fact, it might be rather more accurate to say that she was hopping mad, but since she did not as a rule use such colloquialisms, the expression 'extremely annoyed' would have to suffice, at least for the moment, although how things might progress later on, she really could not begin to guess. Honestly, she was confused as to how this had been allowed to happen in the first place, and when she found out, someone or other was going to suffer. Terribly. The woman's manufactured smile became a trifle more genuine at the thought. She did love it when a wrongdoer was found out. After all, justice had to be done, did it not? And it had to be done publicly, so as to provide a warning in no uncertain terms to others. Do your work well, otherwise you will be found out and you WILL be punished. Dolores did not intend to allow anyone to become slack. It could not be allowed, in the current state of emergency.

And yet somehow, a member of an enemy camp had been allowed to sneak into the top levels of government; into her own office. How? Dolores did not know, but she was sure of one thing. His intentions could not have been good. No werewolf had good intentions, and certainly not towards a person such as herself; someone who had the courage and the fortitude to stand up against them. This was intolerable slackness which could well have led to a leaking of vital state and military secrets. It could have led to her own death! That was a serious matter! And several people were going to find out just how serious, very shortly indeed.
Her door opened, and the Minister glanced up to find the very man who had been in her thoughts being dragged into the room. "Thank you, gentlemen." she responded coolly. "That will be all." And she gestured for the two to leave. The pair hesitated for a moment before obeying, something which she noted and remembered. She would not have her orders questioned.

Once the door had closed behind them, Dolores steepled her fingers and examined her visitor over the top of them, something which she felt gave her an air of authority. She allowed the silence to hang for a moment, and then began sweetly "I think you know why you're here, don't you dear?"

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The aurors gave him a little shove before they left. Graham was still weak from the transformation and almost fell through his knees. He quickly restored himself and stood up right as the door was closed behind him. The man straightened his clothes and ran a hand through his hair to make him look as proper as could considering the situation. The blood was still on his face and clothes. Nothing he could do about that, they'd taken his wand. He posed like he usually would've when Minister Umbridge summoned him. He'd always served her an Shacklebolt before her. He'd been on the top of the Ministry for at least the past thirteen years. And before that he had respectable jobs as well. But that hard word was worth nothing anymore now.

Graham stood his ground and tried to ignore the woman as she examined him. "With the way I was brought here, rudely pulled out of my own house, I can only assume I'm not getting the raise that we discussed earlier," he said with a half smile. It probably wasn't the wisest thing to play this way. But for this moment, he just didn't care anymore.

@dolores

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A sweet smile remained on the Minister's lips, as it always did, but it was as plastic and insincere as a waxwork model, and there was a cold, hard anger in her eyes as she scrutinised the face of the man in front of her. Why did they do it, she wondered. Why, knowing that they were inferior, knowing that they were beasts, a danger to society, a danger to the Statute, a danger to themselves, why did they continue to fight against the sensible, purehearted people who did their best to keep them under control? Well, that was a question which only a werewolf could answer, and she highly doubted that they would want to talk to her. Not with her plans for a cull in the pipeline. Oh, the Wizengamot were fighting it, and they would likely continue to do so, but that was because they were cowards, afraid of the backlash. Well, Dolores was not afraid. There was no need to fear such mindless beasts.

"Oh, I do apologise." she murmured with a deadly sarcasm. "I assure you, the Aurors were instructed to exercise the utmost caution and respect when bringing you before me." The complete opposite had been true, of course. Well, who on earth would consider a werewolf to be worthy of respect except for a werewolf? "I think that would be a wise assumption to make, Mr. Avery. In fact, I think that in the current state of affairs, you really must expect a cut. A one hundred per cent cut, Mr. Avery, you understand me?"

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Graham was being judged not for all his political achievements and great deeds over the year but for what he was. It was as if none that mattered now. All those years of hard work and this was his thanks. It wasn't even that he did something work related wrong. Dolores Umbridge had always been a scary woman but she never terrified him like this. He'd survived torture from the dark lord himself and was mauled by werewolves. But this was something entirely different.

"I wouldn't suspect else of you, Minister," he returned the fake kind tone she put up. His lips turned to a small line when Umbridge announced what he had expected. But hearing it for real hit harder than he had imagined. "A shame. I'll have you reminded I've served the Ministry and the people of this great country ever since I could do an internship. During the war, I saved the muggleborns you gladly send to Azkaban or a dementor's kiss. I gave my left arm to save their lives. When the war was over, I never cared what the people called me. I kept serving them as the best I could. I gave you a chance as Minister of Magic and followed your every command. But I see this is how faith and loyalty is rewarded," he said bitterly. Graham could no longer keep this to himself. It was what he'd been thinking every day. "I'll accept the cut but please allow me to keep serving the people. I can over bridge the years with you as Minister. It won't be long before a better one is elected." He was well aware there were no negotiations were possible but he could try if just for subtlety saying she was a bad Minister of Magic.

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Dolores was well aware that the majority of her staff cordially disliked her. It did not particularly bother her. After all, where one was successful and rose to their rightful place at last after years of hard graft, there would always be some who had been disappointed, and that was a shame. But it was just how life worked. There would always be jealousy, there would always be bitterness, and she was quite prepared to tolerate that in moderation, so long as it posed no threat to her greater scheme. People spoke about her behind her back- she was aware of this, also. The human race could be so petty sometimes. Dolores was not overly concerned so long as they respected her to her face and didn't betray her. Their opinions were, after all, of no consequence.

"I'm so glad to hear it." she returned, maintaining her sweet smile. The man was mocking her, she was aware, and it made her coldly furious, but she bided her time. The authority here was all hers; Dolores knew with an infallible certainty that she was in the right, and so she had nothing to prove. "And I will remind you, Mr. Avery, that I am the Minister for Magic, and you are not currently serving my interests. You are, in point of fact, a member of a group of individuals who have made their intentions of tearing this Ministry, and, indeed, this country, to shreds, perfectly clear, and since you have not revealed your... condition... to me prior to this point, I can only assume that you are here as a spy in my office, a traitor to my administration and a downright liar. No one likes a liar, Mr. Avery." The woman's tone was level; soft and deadly. Her lips were smiling, but she glared with her eyes.

The Minister giggled softly at her former colleague's suggestion. "Now really, that won't do, Mr. Avery, it won't do at all. I have no intentions of harbouring an enemy agent in my camp, so to speak, and besides, this Ministry does not employ slave labour. You will be very lucky to leave this room with your life, Mr. Avery, so attempting to bargain for your job should perhaps not be your first consideration, hmm? Treason carries a sentence of death, you know."

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Graham knew he should control himself, accept the loss of his job and walk away without flinching. That way he'd still appear strong. If only he was strong. Because aside from his daughter, his work was his biggest achievement in life. It had always been a great distraction and he was good at his work. To be send away for such a stupid reason just shot him right through the chest. Of course he wouldn't had told her, she wouldn't even have given him the chance to claim his job. He'd be without it anyways. "Minister, I can assure you I'm not like those monsters. They killed my parents, my wife and would have killed my precious daughter hadn't I stepped in between. Do you think I happily accepted this curse? Even you should know better than that. I have a much reason to hate those beings as you do, perhaps even more. Of course I didn't tell you, you can't possibly understand the shame I felt. I can't even look into the mirror and face my scars. To tell another..." He shook his head, why was he even telling his newest enemy this? The full moon always made him emotional. And his emotions now got the better hand of him. Graham regretted this moment but he couldn't' control himself anymore. He'd always been calm and professional. He drank his pain and sorrow away all his feelings and true colours. But he had been without his beloved liquor for quite a while now. And everything was spilling out.

Being called a traitor did it for him. Through his life he'd heard that word too many times for different reasons. Graham just snapped for a moment. "I'm not a bloody liar nor a traitor!" At this point he was glad his wand was taken or he'd have done something he'd regret. The greying blonde man breathed in and out to calm himself and stood up right again. "Fine... I'll leave. But please hand me back my wand."

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Dolores did so hate to be made to look a fool, and she could not stand the idea that that was just what her Senior Undersecretary had been doing for so long. She had stood up in front of the wizarding world and told them all that she was waging war against the monsters under the bed, against werewolves and vampires and Veela and all the other animals which pretended, when it suited them, to be human. But Dolores would not stand for deceit and she could not stand a liar. That point had been made abundantly clear to the students of Hogwarts quite some years ago, and now it had been made just as clear for the staff of the Ministry. Anyone who the Minister caught deceiving her would be in for, metaphorically, a long walk off a short pier.
However he might protest to the contrary, Graham Avery was a liar, a cheat and, above all, a werewolf. And, as such, his word was worth less than the scrap parchment in her wastepaper bin. So Dolores shook her head slowly, a gentle smile adorning her pink-painted lips. She refused to listen to his ranting. None of it was worth her very valuable time.
"You will indeed leave, Mr. Avery." the woman agreed with another smile. "And I really do not think that you have done anything since entering this room that might entitle you to have your wand back, do you? You have mocked me, you have mocked my administration, you have sworn at me... Really, I think you ought to leave your wand with us. You are getting off rather lightly, Mr. Avery, and I do think that your lack of a wand may serve as a little reminder as to your misdemeanours, don't you? We shall have it posted. Perhaps."

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Graham knew that if he gave into the wolf right now, he would've attacked her. Even with wolfsbane still in his body and the moon under, the anger he felt provoked the beast within. He had to remain calm. What was he without his wand? Sure he could preform wandless and non verbal magic but no matter how great you were the magic was always less powerful. A glare of pure disgust radiated from his aging face as he looked at the woman he served for the past year. "I don't think I could've done anything regardless. You seem to have made up your mind before summoning me," he said and turned to leave the room. He would get his wand back, one way or another. There were still some people in the Ministry loyal to him. Just for how long would they keep their jobs. "Good luck finding a new undersecretary and Chief Warlock. Have a nice day, Minister."

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Dolores could see the struggle within him and she had no sympathy whatsoever. This was exactly what she was talking about. Werewolves were animalistic beasts, and while she had to grudgingly award her former senior undersecretary points for trying, not everyone had such self control, and even he would eventually snap. It was a statistical certainty. She would not have such a thing in her Ministry. She would far rather not have such a thing in her country. He might have done a good job but that was of no consequence; he was a monster and an inhuman beast. She would not tolerate his presence for a second longer than she had to. "Good morning, Mr. Avery." she responded to his farewell, her anger at his tone showing only in her eyes. Her blue irises were cold and hard. Cold as ice.