abxnes

[abxnes]

“Oh, I thought the Ministry itself was a circus? Yes, complete with clowns. Perhaps no one could tell the difference, which is why they’ve all ended up here instead.” Amelia joked. They weren’t wrong though. There were times in which Amelia thought jumping through a hoop while doing a triple backflip would be easier then getting something done in her Department. Not that it stopped her from trying her hardest. 

She shrugged in response to Alastor. “Thought I’d just have a look around, see what all the fuss was about. And you’d never believe it, but one or two people have been saying that I need a break of all things. Can you believe that?” 

“It’s common knowledge enough, innit? Finding out that isn’t goin’ to be some earth shatterin’ revelation to me,” he replied, huffing out a small laugh. Seers were notoriously unreliable, especially in recent times: war was the perfect feeding ground for them, really. “I’m almost certain I’m goin’ to end up laughin’ - inappropriate as that might be.” Alastor followed Amelia’s line of sight, pushing a hand through his unruly curls. “I’m probably the last person you’d find here,” he answered, “and catching a couple o’ bastards on a day out’s goin’ to be sheer luck.” He really hadn’t thought his plan through, not when he’d stormed out of his office and ended up here of all places. “Didn’t really have anything to do - surprisin’ how slow the Ministry gets when everyone’s at a circus. What ‘bout you? Can’t be the clowns that attracted you; there’s enough o’ those at work.”

[abxnes]

In any other situation Amelia would have been a thousand times more cautious. But there was something in the air at the circus, like everything which was happening outside of it didn’t matter nearly as much as it should. This impulsivity was rare for her. She chuckled. “And what would you say? That you heard a fortune teller say something about me, something which hasn’t even happened yet? Besides, if you’re coming in with me you may as well have your fortune told too. Then we’ll be even, won’t we?”

“Of course, my bad.” He shook her hand. “Antonin Dolohov, so no one can say I didn’t give you full closure.” Of course he was teasing her with his words, a bit… “You’re quite trusting then, if you’re going to go in with me, a stranger none the less, despite knowing my name. Won’t you fear I have a nag for gossiping?” Curious eyes turned to her.

[abxnes]

“Oh!” gasped Amelia, her body making contact with the ground. Looking over to the figure beside her who had sent her feet flying in front of her, she saw that it was none other than Millicent Bagnold. The hurried Ministry workers who made up the morning rush ducked around them, only a few bothering to glance down at the pair on the floor. Amelia sat for a moment, catching her breath. Then she pulled herself to her feet, grabbing those papers which had been strewn closest to her as she did so. 

“Merlin, no harm done...I think.” She chucked, examining her arms for bruises while she neatened up her tussled clothes. “We’ll blame the puddle. I’m sure I can have it charged for assault if you’d like, Millie.”

It was not uncommon to get bowled over by Millicent Bagnold in the Atrium of the Ministry. Most could hear the telltale clicks og her shoes as she ran through, arms loaded with filed and papers and god knows what. Instead of a collision it usually ends in Millicent elbowing someone out of her way and tossing a “Sorry!” behind her shoulder. Today seemed to be one of those days, Millicent charging through the ministry until a ppuddle brought her down with a sudden crash, and all she could feel was the fact that she had taken someone down with her. 

“Are you okay? There was a puddle- I slipped- I, er, sorry about that.”

[abxnes]

Amelia + Places:  An Apartment in London

Of course she didn’t have to move to London. Plenty of wizards and witches live hundreds of miles from their workplaces and simply apparate or Floo. But the bustle of the big city called to her, Barely a week after landing a job at the Ministry, Amelia signed the lease for a small but airy forth floor apartment in the west of central Muggle London. It was at the very top end of her budget (but what did she expect for a place in the country’s capital?) and in a building completely filled with Muggles. That was deliberate. At the time she found it she was already an Order member. Now that she belongs to both the Order and Janus, she appreciates a place away from the magical world more than ever. 

When you have secrets, you need somewhere which feels like hiding.

[abxnes]

“I don’t know. It just feels like there’s something in this. Call it a gut feeling, or a nagging hunch.” Amelia said with sincerity, closing the file and stowing it back in her bag after Dorcas had seen all the details, not wanting to leave official information lying about in cafe tables. She fully intended on returning it to its proper place in the Ministry archives the very minute she returned to work. “If it’s true, I’m thinking he had help, or was put up to it by someone else...It’s definitely difficult to imagine someone as young as him deciding to do this on a whim.”

The silence which following made Amelia shift in her seat, observing Dorcas carefully. She was only just realising that this information brought up more questions that it actually answered. Missing persons cases were all too often a labyrinth of obscure leads that went nowhere, masking the truth for years on end. She took a deep breath, 

“Look, if you think I’m crazy or you don’t want to bring all of this up again, I understand. Give me the word and I’ll put all of it away and never bring it up again. I just hate to see something like this be swept aside because everyone else is supposedly busy with other things. I don’t think it’s right.”

Dorcas nodded slowly as she listened to Amelia speak. Seventeen years old…he was a child. He was only sixteen when he was charged. Her stomach churned and she almost felt sorry for him. He had an entire life ahead of him and he was already spending time in Azkaban because of what this war.

She bit her lower lip and looked down at her tea, not making any move to take a sip. “You think a sixteen year old was able to take down a two full grown adults, even if only one of them was a wizard. I just…” Her voice faded off as she ran her hand through her hair. This was the first time in almost two years that she finally had any idea of what happened to her parents, yet, she wasn’t as relieved as she thought she would have been. 

She glanced down at the handwriting on the files, sighing softly. She was silent for a while, staring down at the papers on the table. She finally took a sip of her tea, releasing the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. 

“Wow.” Was all she could manage to say. 

[abxnes]

Amelia blinked at Andromeda’s terse initial response, unsure if it was directed towards her or the fortune teller inside the tent. “Circuses not your cup of tea?” She asked with a cheerful tone, attempting to ignore the likelihood that it was personal. Of course Amelia had noticed that she and Andromeda didn’t exactly mesh well despite having seen quite a bit of each other in the last few months, but she hadn’t any idea why. “Or are you just as tired as I am?”

“I highly doubt it,” Andromeda replied bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest as if protecting herself. Andromeda, calm, she scolded herself, softening only slightly at her own command. “But I mean, that’s just me,” she added awkwardly. “I’ve never quite been a believer in such things, but I mean, give it a shot, if you want.”

[abxnes]

“Hmm, well not to be too morbid Alastor, but there’s certainly nothing surprising about the prospect of death in your line of work. So you’re right, she’d be a very poor Seer if that was all she could come up with.” Amelia stared at Madame Dajh’s sign again, still deliberating whether she’d go in, and then glanced around the rest of the circus grounds. “Are you here for pleasure, or trying to determine whether any of our eccentric visitors are up to something unsavoury?” 

Alastor frowned, glancing at Amelia. Personally, he’d never come across a Seer who’d been able to see anything other than the shiny exterior of a Galleon or the lump of a wallet, but he suspected there was always a first time for everything. “That’s what the Prophet says,” he answered with a shrug, examining the sign with an unimpressed expression. “Though, if she tries telling me I’m going to die, I think I might laugh in her face.”

[abxnes]

Her neatly manicured hand fit into his but she didn’t walk towards the tent yet - instead, she shook it politely. “Speaking of knowing the unknown, I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Amelia. If you’re going to lead my in to discover the dark details of my future I think we ought to know each other’s names. It’s only proper.” She explained with a growing smile.

He shrugged his shoulders. “That’s the most intriguing part, isn’t it? The mystery of the unknown and to eventually know the unknown.” He looked at the tent. “You’ll never know if you don’t try.” Expectantly he turned to her, holding out his hand to either, pull her closer to said tent or help her in, if she took to wanting to risk an unwanted prophecy.

[abxnes]

“I was considering it...” Amelia replied with a hint of defensiveness. In truth she had a lot more faith in Madame Dajh’s abilities than she would let anyone know, for some reason which she couldn’t articulate. “Have you tried any of the other attractions, or are you just here for the atmosphere?”

Her smile turned wry. “I guess you might say I’m lacking in the faith department. Circus people don’t have the best track records with honesty.” The mirrors had turned out to be a total bust and there was little room for second chances with Bellatrix. “Are you thinking of going in then?”

[abxnes]

All hesitation lost now that Dorcas plainly wanted to know, Amelia glanced around discretely to ensure that no one was paying attention to what she was saying. Although the noise of conversation and teacups and orders being called out was loud enough to mask their voices.

“The case is a year old. The perpetrator’s young. Seventeen now, sixteen when he committed the crime. His name’s William Gladwyn. From what I can see they could only pin a burglary charge on him even though there were suspicions he might have been linked to something more sinister - like Vo...You-Know-Who.” It was still better to use the euphemistic name in public. People were still jumpy. “In the end, all of that meant that he only got a year in one of the least horrible Azkaban cells. He was let out just before the New Year.” Amelia paused, then leaned over the hot teacup she was cradling in her hands, trying to get to the point.

“But the thing is - a lot of the details match up. Some of the spells used to break in and cause damage were the same as the ones used at your parents’ place, and a few weren’t even taught until his year in Hogwarts when some of the parents wanted students to learn more defensive stuff. They even managed to trace them to the same wand wood and core in both cases, which match his. And Gladwyn lived with his parents within forty miles of both scenes. Young offenders tend to work in smaller areas - they can’t apparate yet. It was this note someone wrote on the file that made me realise.”

Amelia trailed off as she pointed to the handwriting in the margins of the file, wanting to see how Dorcas was processing all of this. Merlin, she didn’t even know herself how it all fit together, even though a lot of it was suspiciously similar.

Dorcas laughed softly and reached over for the sugar, putting some in her tea and began to stir it around. “That’s very shocking actually. I don’t remember the last time the Ministry’s been fine.” She teased and took a sip of her tea. 

She frowned a little and tilted her head to the side curiously. “What’s this about?” She asked and then glanced down at the file Amelia placed down on the table. “Oh.” She mumbled and ran a hand through her hair. About her parents…merlin, it’d been two years since the Ministry wanted anything to do with her parents. They’d disappeared, officials told her, they’d been missing for far too long and that chances of finding them alive were slim…chances of finding them at all were even less.

Dorcas stared down at the case, a part of her curious as to what was written inside, the other part wanting nothing to do with it. She had begun to move on with her life, What use was it to drag up old memories and feelings. But she knew the answer to that. She wanted answers. She needed answers.

“What’d you find?”

[abxnes]

Dear Sirius,

What a wonderful idea! I’d love to attend. I hope Lily likes Shiraz.

Sincerely,

Amelia S. Bones.

[abxnes]

Send me a △ and ask a really invasive question aimed at my character

They’ll have to:

Rate on a scale of 1-10 how much they don’t want to answer that question.

Answer that question.

[abxnes]

“I was considering it. Waiting for your future to reveal itself at its own pace does become tiresome.” Amelia said with a wry smile, only half joking. She’d been to fortune tellers before, although it wasn’t something she told everyone. Some were more legitimate than others, but even the complete shams could give you a few clues as to how you appeared to outside observers through their attempts to give you a believable story. “I’ll be concerned if she is a real seer though - it might mean that other attractions here are real too. And some of them seem like they could be dangerous, don’t you think?” 

She didn’t need to clarify that she meant dangerous to Janus. 

Hestia quickened her pace, trying to catch up to Amelia through the droves of people, her eyes settling on the sign before flickering to the strangers who were passing in and out of the tent. Divination of any sort always seemed to thrill her, but the setting of this place in it’s own left her on edge. “Everyone with a cup of tea leaves or access to a crystal ball claims they’re a true seer. If she was, why would she be spending it in a circus?” she muttered, cautiously keeping her voice low. “Were you planning on going in?”

[abxnes]

Oddly miffed at this outright dismissal (she wasn’t a complete fool, but she liked to leave room for a bit of mystery now and then), Amelia raised an eyebrow at the woman who’d appeared by her side. “Why not both? A fancy show doesn’t necessarily mean she’s a liar.”

Lips pursed, Bellatrix shook her head in open dismissal. “Doubtful,” she replied, glancing sideways at her new found company. “Though I suppose she must put on one hell of a show regardless.”

[abxnes]

“I suppose you’re right. I haven’t heard anything about this circus’s reputation though. Have you? They didn’t even advertise they were coming. They just...appeared.” replied Amelia, glancing around at the other tents and growing crowds of patrons with a puzzled look.

Narcissa cocked her head sideways, reading the sign softly. “Honestly? I have no idea. But wouldn’t you think somebody travelling with a group would be the real thing? They have a reputation to uphold after all.”

[abxnes]

“Something ‘nice’? Like that I’ll find a basket of puppies on my doorstep tonight?” Amelia chuckled, although the tent in front of them still made her uneasy with it’s entrancing pull. She was more and more convinced that the Madame was not your everyday sham clairvoyant. “Or that I’ll meet a gruesome and prolonged death tomorrow morning?”

Antonin shrugged his shoulders. “At least the people who’ve gone in and come out the past minutes have looked quite convinced of her skills. They seemed… awed.” He glanced at her, a slow smile growing on his face. “You should try it. Maybe she’ll tell you something nice.”

[abxnes]

Tea was most definitely needed; Amelia ordered a couple of cups of ‘Rosa’s Easing Elixir - lovely and calming!’ which she saw advertised on a chalkboard. The risk of upsetting Doe with what she’d found put Amelia on edge. But it had to be done, for both of their sakes. Perhaps this could atone somewhat for the consequences of her actions with Janus. Balance. For every time she had to play dirty, Amelia could do something which didn’t require breaking any - or at least, no majorly damning - rules. Surely helping those you loved was good for your sanity.

“Oh, the Ministry’s fine today - shocking, I know!” Amelia swirled her spoon in her tea when it magically appeared in front of them, before taking a sip of it. She quickly went on to what she had to say. “Actually, I have to tell you something. Something not about the Ministry. Or, not completely about it.”

This would be easier to explain with the thing itself on the table. Slipping the file out of her bag, she placed it down on the table between them, one hand on the cover. Naturally, like most conversations recently, she had to lie to begin with before she could get to some truth. “I tried to take this to the Aurors but, well, you know how it is at the moment. They won’t bother with anything that isn’t an open and shut case or directly related to the war. So I...I wanted to show you. Because it’s about your parents.”

The past few days had been unbelievably crazy. Her shifts at Saint Mungos seemed to never end, spending very little time in her flat and what little time she did spend was spent sleeping. So, she was happy to finally have a day off and have an excuse not to stay home the entire day and sleep. 

“Amelia!” Dorcas smiled widely as she saw her friend and moved her bag from the seat she had been saving for Amelia. “I agree, it’s much too cold out. I can’t wait until all this snow melts and it starts to warm up.” She said and shook her head. “No, no, you haven’t. I just arrived a few minutes ago, figured I’d get us a table before the shop got too crowded.” She explained and gestured towards the rest of the shop where practically all the rest of the tables had been taken up. 

“How’s the Ministry? You look stressed. We should order tea.” Doe commented having noticed how protective Amelia was over her bag. She pulled her eyes away from Amelia and looked around to call over one of the waitresses to order two mugs of tea.