Just Another Job
Disclaimer: Dude, do you really think I'm JK Rowling?
Chapter One: Just Another Interview
`Hopefully you'll get that job…' his mother said, seemingly on the brink of tears. He just looked down at the cereal in front of him, pretending that he was checking to see if it was still there. He glanced up quickly to see water forming in his mothers eyes.
`Bout bloody time, if you ask me!' his father said gruffly over the newspaper he was reading, he was sure he heard his father mumble `layabout' under his breathe but chose to pretend he hadn't. For the last couple months he had heard nothing but these kinds of comments, and constantly wondered when his parents would realize that taking a bit of time to get a job wasn't the end of the world.
`It'd be the end of the world if you actually managed to get one, though' his father said while getting up and putting on his robe for his day at work. He could feel his blood pressure rising as he fought the urge to scream and argue, not that it would get him anywhere `I'm always telling you, you gotta smarten up boy, be a bit more humbly!'
`I hardly go in there pretending to be a prince' he snapped back moodily, his father always had the ability to push his buttons, and watching his father straighten his hat like his life depended on it both depressed and angered him, even though he wasn't entirely sure why.
`It's all this graduating nonsense that you always bring up…' his dad said knowingly, like graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a sin people usually tried to keep hidden `Down at the Nimbus factory I don't know a single person with NEWTS' he sneered, like the word was an insult.
`And look at them all now!' he said standing up, a little more aggressively than he had meant to `working in a factory, they'll be able to brag about that for years to come!'
`At least they can afford to look after themselves, not sit there scrounging of their parents!' his dad spat back, not exactly nastily, but like it was a fact that he wanted his son to grasp.
`So I should go to work in a dead end factory job for the rest of my life instead of taking a few months to look for something I'll enjoy?' he almost shouted back at his father, but he knew his father, a job was a job in his opinion and he wouldn't be more proud if he became a healer than a factory worker, as long as he was supporting himself.
`Please don't!' his mother sobbed out, making him catch the words forming on his tongue. His father looked in mild disgust at his wife before buttoning up his jacket and walking towards the door.
`I don't have time to do this, some people have a job and can't sit on their arse all day' he said and with a slam of the door he left him and his mother alone, not a situation he enjoyed.
`You will try to get this one, wont you?' she asked softly, almost like a whisper, with a manic look that suggested she kept her voice low because she believed if someone over heard then it might be gone.
`I do try!' he sighed exasperated, but looking at the fear and hope in his mothers eyes he calmed himself `I promise I'll give it my all, and by the time I come home I will have a job' and with a kiss on his mothers cheek he stood up and bounded towards the door, the intention of keeping that promise coursing through his mind.
*
He was sat on a chair, blood pumping through his body in a way that only interviews and Quidditch had ever been able to bring out in him. Beyond that door, where he would be sitting in less than five minutes, were three people who would decide whether he would hear taunts from his father all weekend and tears from his mother, or would allow him to escape them and maybe live a normal, happy, life.
Running over advice from Professor McGonagall while he was doing interview practice at school he started to think of the difficult times they were all in. A new war had started with many casualties on either side, and he had nowhere to stand between the conflict. He was never very popular and usually just blended in with the scenery. All he did was study, have a few friends, and play as a chaser for Hufflepuff where he usually lost and was hardly noticed. His major moments at school had often evolved around others achievements, and to be honest he really meant Cedric Diggorys', that poor boy who died back in his fifth year. Cedric was a good man and even sometimes said hi to him. He felt weird because he missed him, even though no stretch of the imagination could make him think they were in anyway close. If he was honest with himself, which was one thing he was good at, he often looked up to Cedric, how he kept himself to himself but somehow ended up popular. Actually he ended up dead, he reminded himself, and that was a bit of a turn off.
`Mr. Fielding, they are ready for you now' the secretary from behind the desk said, as he flashed her an appreciating smile he stood up and made his way through the door to the interview room. The first thing that struck him was how pristine the room was, almost like a healer's surgery with the clean white walls and furniture. He mentally shook his head, he knew he had a problem where he often didn't notice people, or what was happening around him, McGonagall had yelled at him once for `sleepwalking through class'. He often thought how right she had been, but not just through class, he practically sleep walked through life.
He noticed the three people stood in front of him and smiled at each, Their was a short plump man, with somewhat rat like features, a woman who somehow looked both beautiful and bedraggled, like she hadn't slept for well for a decade, and the third was-
`Professor?' He said shaking the mans hand.
`That's ok, Mr. Fielding, Mr. Snape will do for now' Mr. Snape said nicely to him. Mr. Snape had been his potions teacher, a lesson he was rather good at due to the fact that the slower pace suited him perfectly. He had heard many bad things about Mr. Snape but had never seen him act anything other than the perfect gentlemen, although he had to admit he rarely took too much notice of how the teachers acted. He shook the other twos hands and took a seat.
`Pro…I mean Mr. Snape, how come you left Hogwarts?' he asked curiously, slamming himself for such an unusual change in his personality, now was not the time to be outspoken. He heard his Father say `Humble' in his head.
`You two know each other?' the woman said excitedly, a slight manic gleam in her eyes. He knew she wasn't exactly a full picnic when he looked at her. Although for his whole life people had thought that he was a little distant, he knew he could read people very well, and was rarely ever wrong from his first impressions. He often thought about this and believed that, perhaps, he was so distant and aloof because he could so easily see through people, that listening to their tired lies bored him so much that he preferred not to listen or pay attention in the first place.
`Yes, Mrs. Lestrange, I was his Professor at Hogwarts' Mr. Snape said smoothly `Mr. Fielding, what did you achieve for your finals in potions? I expected you to get an outstanding'
`Oh, I did sir' he said proudly, he knew enough to know that outstanding was very good. He watched as Snape nodded, the other man looked wide eyed and impressed while the woman looked slightly bored `and I received an exceeds expectations in defence…' he started before Snape cut him off.
`I know your marks, I just wanted to hear your potion from you…' he said softly `Many people…do not tell the truth…on their applications' as soon as he finished he realized that Snape must have been using Legillemens while asking.
`Snape is a stickler for qualifications!' Mrs' Lestrange laughed out.
`Yeah, like it matters!' the other man said before a look Snape gave made him be silent.
`Pettigrew, you finally spoke…' Snape said with mock surprise `Only took you to the sixth interview…but well done!' Mr. Pettigrew had now turned bright red, and he felt sorry for the balding wizard. Bellatrix laughed out loud instantly and Snape tried to hide a grin.
`Pettigrew, you know he refers to you as the balding one?' Mrs. Lestrange said laughing, obviously she was a great Ligellimens as well as Snape and was using it for the interview. He felt himself get depressed, knowing that Mr. Pettigrew wouldn't want to hire him now `Although you're not to worry, Pettigrew here doesn't have a choice on who's hired!' he felt sorry for the baldi… for Mr. Pettigrew again, he knew how it was to have no real importance in his world, and where he found anonymity Pettigrew had obviously found taunting.
`How about we start the interview now? Mrs. Lestrange?' Snape said softly, she nodded her acceptance before shifting to get comfortable, neither one of them bothered to ask Mr. Pettigrew `So, firstly, are there any questions you wish to ask about the job description?' he thought for a moment before deciding he might as well ask the question that had been bothering him as they would probably be able to find out anyway, he had always been very weak at Occlumency.
`Well…the job said it was for a business concerned with security? What exactly is the business?' he asked, which Snape nodded at, obviously asking this question had been a good choice.
`Well, we're a division of a larger company, but that doesn't matter too much to this branch' he started, Mrs. Lestrange was eyeing him curiously `here we deal with law breakers, people who need to be rounded up to protect normal civilians from their influences. This can take many forms, information retrieval and interpretation, preparing of certain potions, veritaserum for instance is very important to us, as well as the actual apprehension and consequent holding of suspects'
`Right…' he said while thinking to himself, this sounded very much like the FBI storied his muggle born girlfriend in 6th year had made him read, storied he had become addicted to with their quick plot twists and secret service spies.
`Precisely' Mrs. Lestrange said with a smile `We're similar to a secret service. What word do you believe to be the key to that title? Secret service' he thought for a moment as Mrs. Lestrage and Mr. Snape both scribbled something down onto their notepad, recalling the escapades of a certain spy who often defeated the Russians.
`I'd have to say the secret part' he said semi confidently, watching for a glimmer of acceptance from any of the interviewees `Because although we're a service which does help society and all, we wouldn't be able to do…it…if we weren't…um… secret' he felt his leg starting to shake slightly as the nerves started to get to him, but it soon stopped as Mr. Snape and Mrs. Lestrange both smiled.
`We already know about your qualifications, and they are good, but what extra qualities do you think you posses that would be of a benefit to us?' Snape asked looking up from his notepad. He knew he wouldn't be able to lie on this one, saying the usual answer of `good team player and great motivation' that had become his standard answer as Snape already knew him, and they were very impressive Legillemens.
`Well… I think that I would bring a certain patience to the job… a lot of people, I think, are too quick and…um…they always try to get the job done as quickly as possible, to try and get credit for taking less time…' he said his leg shaking slightly again as they looked upon him curiously `…they make mistakes from being rash, while I prefer to get it right the first time, even if I'm not necessarily the quickest. Quality over quantity…' he wasn't sure how this was going, but there was no point in lying, they would know too quickly if he did `and I never give anything less than 100%, because…er… I don't believe in doing a half job, there's no satisfaction in doing something badly, whatever the job may be.
He crossed his feet in order to stop him from nervously shaking his right leg, a nervous tick he had always had and which sometimes meant he looked less than perfect on a broom. They were scribbling something down quickly onto a piece their notepads.
`If we were to ask your references for 3 words to describe you, what do you think they'd say?' Mrs. Lestrange asked enquiringly.
`You could ask him yourself…' he said indicating Mr. Snape in an attempt at being slightly humorous, all three of them chuckled slightly at this.
`Only good things, I assure you…' Mr. Snape said laughing slightly `Let me give you a choice, a role-play… What would you do if your information helped to convict a person for, say, murder. But, as you well know with people, the man claimed to be innocent, and that we were the ones in the wrong, and he was very abusive and violent with you'.
`Well…' the question was a difficult one, thinking of his spy novels, and the way the bad guys always acted, like they were somehow the saviours, and the violence could be so horrendous at times that he would often have to skip whole pages `…Well… I would listen to them at first, I find a lot of people will calm down if you patiently let them vent at you, but I guess if they carried on I'd have to stun them…nothing too serious or strong, I don't believe my job would have any more power than a simple stunning spell. And while they were out I'd call security, they'd be trained to deal with that kind of situation better than I could'. He could tell by the smile on their faces that something he had just said had pressed the right buttons, he felt he stood a good chance at actually getting this job.
`I have a question' Mrs. Lestrange spoke up pointedly `we are a completely separate organisation to many, such as most branches at the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, and because of this we have no jurisdiction over them and they have none over us. Unfortunately this, clash, of legitimacy produces…problems…for us and we try and distance ourselves from both, and they do from us. The point is we work very hard to separate us, and this job is not only a career but also a life. Thus we need to know what ties you have with either organisation' he sat listening to her words, thinking them over. They made sense to him, there was never any contact between the spies he read about and the ordinary police, it would have been a conflict of interest, very sensible of them he decided.
`Well, as you know, I went to Hogwarts, first in my family to graduate. I don't keep in contact with anyone from there really, sometimes I bump into some friends, but really I just keep myself to myself' he explained, maybe over exaggerating a little by saying he sometimes saw his old friends when in fact he hadn't since the Hogwarts Express `And my father works in the Nimbus Factory, like his father before him and his father before him. My mothers' family is much the same. The last time my family had any contact with either must have been centuries ago… so, no, there isn't any contact, and definitely no conflict of interests' he finished, pleased with himself for using the term conflict of interests. They were all smiling at him now, and he thought he might have done enough to get the job.
`You're definitely close to it!' Mrs. Lestrange said obviously reading his thoughts `but we still have someone else to interview…' and with that she stood up followed by Mr. Snape. Mr. Pettigrew stayed seated and a little depressed at the news they still had to do more of this.
`It's good to see you, Mr. Fielding' Mr Snape said taking his hand `Expect to hear from us in the next couple hours'
`It's been a pleasure' Mrs. Lestrange said giving him a farewell kiss on the cheek, before moving him softly towards the door with her arm on his back.
`Thank you all for your time' he said before exiting, a feeling of elation in his heart as he believed that he could of got this job. He almost skipped out into the sun as he left the building.
*
`Hey mum' he said swooping down upon his mother with a kiss on the cheek.
`So? Did you get it?' she said fearfully, her eyes trembling as she surveyed him, like he would look different if he had a job.
`I think so…' he said brightly, taking a bite out of the apple he had just picked up, the fresh taste in his mouth making him smile `Their gonna send an owl soon'
`Did I hear right?' his father said entering the room `You think you got it?'
`Yep. Interview went well enough' he said, looking at his dad who seemed overjoyed.
`Dam right son!' he said proudly `knew you could do it!' he felt his heart wane as he considered the fact that he hadn't yet got it. How would his father take it if he didn't actually get it?
`Well…it went well… but…' he stumbled, his father looking sharply at him in suspicion `I mean, it went well, but I am only 17, maybe they'll want someone a bit older?'
`Nah!' his dad rolled his eyes `These big businesses want the youth, the next Crouches and Dumbledores! They'll have you pegged for doing great things, trust me! I aint been wrong yet!'
He sat down nervously, helping himself to a cup of coffee, had the interview really gone as well as he had thought, or had he just judged it wrong, took their nods as agreeing instead of them just being pleasant? The coffee was feeling foul in his mouth, bitter, as he tried to stop the thoughts from happening. Suddenly he felt something being brushed in his face, and looking up he realized an entirely black owl was standing in front of him, annoyed at having been made to wait. He noticed the letter and withdrew it from the bird, which pecked at his hand aggressively before flying of. He held the letter in his hand, too nervous to realize that he should open it.
`Go on, my son' his father said encouragingly, a look of triumph already across his face.
He opened the envelope and uncurled the letter, taking a deep breathe before reading the contents.
Dear Mr. Fielding,
Thank you for your application and for your interview today and we are pleased to offer you the post of Administration Assistant. Please come along to 36 Enigma Drive, London on Monday morning to start work. Your contract and living arrangements will be organized for when you arrive. Hope you enjoy yourself till then.
Yours Sincerely
L . V
He stood still for a moment in shock, his heart threatening to come out of this chest. The whole room was silent, his parents holding their breathes waiting for his answer.
`I GOT IT!' he screamed in joy, and immediately felt his mother throw herself into a hug, his father patting him roughly on the back in happiness.
`Well done, my baby boy!' his mother said between tears of joy, kissing him all over his face in excitement. His chest was now at breaking point, he had never seen his parents proud before, and the feeling was elating.
`Now you're a man, Joel' his father said to him, and Joel sure as hell felt like one! Now he knew he must achieve with this job, the job that has become a connection with his parents, the job that has turned his life into something good…
*
So that's chapter one, let me know what you think. And before you ask, Harry and Hermione, as well as all the cast, will be in this story…you'll just have to wait for it…
Please review…
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