MINISTRY MEETING (open to all ministry employees)

[Greta Weiss]

Greta could of laughed in glee, yes the speculation was indeed sending worms of doubt into the hearts and minds of the population. Her Lord hadn't stepped forward because it hadn't suited him to and this reporter just made it easier for the rest of the wizarding world to bicker among itself for a while longer while Her Lord made ready to capture them all in his snare. She was to be a good girl though, and kept her face quite serene, arching a brow in further askance.

[Vincent Corrigan]

Vincent gave a patient sigh. "Ms. Campbell, with all due respect, Bambi Ackart is an idiot. I myself can attest to the fact of Lord Voldemort's existence. Two of my closest friends have been targeted by him for changing their allegiances. A dear friend of mine was recently attacked, his house ransacked and he is now missing and presumed dead. Another friend of mine had his wife and daughter murdered by his servants. I'm sorry, but to deny or doubt the existence of Lord Voldemort is a very dangerous and troubling attitude to have. And I for one, do not want to see any more proof of his existence, because it could mean that more people, good people will die. And I don't want any more innocent people to die as a result of Lord Voldemort's actions."

[Greta Weiss]

"But who is he? A name is all we have and a name that has no connections to any families new or old." she interjected, unable to keep her mouth shut. Maybe it would make things into a bigger mess for her, but she always found her way out, and would always find her way back. she was resistant that way.

[Ted Tonks]

Ted couldn't keep his mouth shut either. He knew he should be quiet and let Vincent handle this, and that addng to the conversation might just turn the room to chaos, but this was ridiculous.

"Voldemort is a smart man, if I may say so," he said to Greta, his voice tight. "Yes, all we have is a name... and that makes everyone just a little more terrified. It's easier to deal with fear when it has a face. But when it's a mystery, when it could be the man living next door, or behind you in line at a shoppe, it's a different story, isn't it? It makes it harder to unite against the fear, against one enemy. It puts the public at odds with each other. It weakens resolve, and makes people a lot easier to control, and Voldemort knows this. Frankly, I'd be a lot less worried if we had more than a name."

[Vincent Corrigan]

Vincent nodded. "Yes, Ted is correct. Lord Voldemort--whomever he is--is using his name to create a fear in people's hearts and minds, but cleverly keeping his face hidden. I know of some people who have seen him, but they each describe him diferently. He wants to keep wondering who he really is, and what he really looks like. For all we know, he could be in this very room. And that's the kind of fear and doubt he's trying to create in us. I assure you, it would not be wise to doubt his existence, because sooner or later, he will feel the need to prove his power, and it won't be pretty. We need to be ready for him when that happens, so that we can stop it."

Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "Now... any other questions?"

[Bridget Harvey]

Bridget sat quietly during the meeting, watching as Amelia's boss basically called the new Minister out. Bridget too had read the article in the Daily Prophet and thought, while it was clearly not a well researched article, they may be a slight bit of truth in it. Really, no one had seen Lord Voldemort. It could be a variety of evil doers all using one name to keep their own clean. But whomever was leading the terrorizing, it certainly wasn't the Ministry or the Minister. That part was absurd. And the others who spoke all had good points as well, even the pompous looking woman whom everyone seemed to be shooting evil looks at made some sense. But as the attacks had not yet affected her, she hadn't thought to give it all that much attention. She would have to do some research of her own before having an opinion.

[Arthur Weasley]

Arthur, who had been sitting silently in the back of the room, virtually unnoticed by anyone, raised his hand tentatively.

"Minister Corrigan," he said, clearing his throat. "While I agree with the principles of teamwork and preparedness, I'm wondering how those of us not working for the auror department can really be of help. We don't quite understand what we're looking for, what we're dealing with... we're not connected to these issues the way the aurors are. We're just doing our jobs the best that we can."

[Vincent Corrigan]

Vincent nodded. "Thank you, Arthur, that's a very good question," he said. "And I certainly don't want anyone in the Ministry to be unsure or ignorant of the dangers that we are currently facing. With Ms. St. Clare's help, we'll be arranging some seminars and discussions with each department, to help familiarize everyone with potential patterns to be on the look out for. We won't be able to tell you everything, but we can at least make sure you're equipped with the information you'll need to help in this fight."

"Now, then, are there any other questions?" he asked.

[Ted Tonks]

Ted sighed, realizing something deadly with Arthur's question, and he raised his own hand a touch before asking a question of his own.

"If there is this much debate within the Ministry itself over Lord Voldemort, and what or who he is... how do you propose we unite in the fight? And even more importantly, how do we make the public understand that this is a real threat?" If the Ministry as a whole couldn't unite in an effort against Voldemort, how could they ever expect the public to? They would have to fight the man, his followers, and the people they were trying to protect.

[Vincent Corrigan]

Vincent looked over at Ted with a grim expression on his face. "Well, that's the ultimate question, isn't it, Ted? Presenting a united front against a thread we still don't entirely understand isn't going to be easy. We'll certainly start within the Ministry itself, with additional training and discussion. But how do you convince the public to join in the fight, when there are idiots out there like Bambi Ackart questioning our every move? That's the problem, and I'll be honest with you, I'm not sure what we can do about it. In some ways, that battle is almost as bad as the one we're fighting against Voldemort himself. And I wouldn't be surprised if he knows that and is planning to exploit it. I wish I had a better answer for you, but right now... it's a problem that is going to take some work and effort to fix."

[Augustus Rookwood]

It made Augustus inordinately pleased that even the Minister of Magic, an Auror himself, wasn't sure what to do. These fools were doing most of the Dark Lord's dirty work for him. They were spreading rumors, they were causing confusion... it was perfect. It was all perfectly contrived on Voldemort's part as well.

He leaned forward in his seat frowning, pretending like this worried him, but on the inside, he was thrilled. How were they ever supposed to defeat the Dark Lord when they had his followers inside the Ministry helping spread the seed of fear and doubt? All they needed now was a spy to break into the Auror department.

He kept his silence, just watching and waiting to see if anyone else would speak up.

[alastor]

Alastor slowly strolled down the halls of the Ministry. He had been on assignment for quite some time now, hunting down rumors of death eater activity in remote corners of the United Kingdom. Finding nothing more than ambitious young dark wizards spreading rumors to fuel their own fame, he has finally returned to the Ministry of magic, upon his arrival he was informed of a ceremony where the minister would be naming the new head of the department.

Alastor never cared much for leadership himself, his true love was the hunt and top it off with a capture for dessert. Yet he was quite eager to meet the upcoming auror who would be issuing his orders from now on. As he finally came upon the door entering the room where the meeting was being held he stopped for a moment. Attempting to straighten his hair and clothing a bit before he entered the meeting, he finally decided that it was futile to try and do a complete job, he approached the door and walked inside the room.

His eyes seemed to scan each and every individual in there, some he knew, some he did not and others he did not trust. As he stood towards the back entrance of the room he smiled to himself. "A welcome back party for me? Your too kind Minister." With a soft chuckle he approached the podium at the front of the room and to the room at large said. "So, who wants the pleasure of filling me in on the details?"

[Vincent Corrigan]

Vincent had been about to dismiss the meeting when the doors swung open. The figure entered the room, and the gasps were audible throughout the room. Alastor Moody, returned at last from assignment, strolled into the room with all the pomp and circumstance he was known for. Despite having been his boss, Vincent didn't know the man well--he doubted that anyone really did. He was unconventional, to say the least. Always on guard. Untrusting of almost everyone. But he was devoted to his job, possibly more than anyone else who'd ever held the position.

In truth, he hadn't expected to see Moody today. Last Vincent had heard, Moody had been on the trail of some Death Eaters who were attempting to spread word of Lord Voldemort and recruit new members to his cause. Knowing how thorough Moody could be, Vincent had expected it to be weeks before he returned. Nevertheless, he was glad to see him. He only hoped that the man, who had the most auror experience of anyone in the department other than himself, would not be bitter about the choice of Angelique for the position of head auror.

"Ah, Alastor!" Vincent said brightly. "I'm so glad you were able to make it in time. We were just discussing some of the changes we'll be making around the ministry. Miss St. Clare will be the new head of the auror department."

[alastor]

As Vincent spoke, Alastor felt a jolt of pain in his side, masking the pain with a smile he turned to the lady auror that Vincent was referring to. "Well Miss St. Clare, congratulations on your promotion." As the words left his mouth another jolt of pain hit his side. The minor spells he had masking his wounds were beginning to wear and he really needed to hurry this reunion up. Turning to face both Vincent and Angelique, he pulled a golden locket out of a hidden pocket inside his robes.

"I assume you will be wanting to sit and down and have a debrief on my assignment Miss St. Clare. Feel free to come find me over at St. Mungo's." Dropping the locket on the podium in front of Vincent he looked into his old leader's eyes. "I can safely say, you will want to be in attendance as well Vincent. Grave news." With that said, he quickly turned towards the room. "Please excuse my intrusion, I shall let you all enjoy your party now." With a smile Alastor quickly walked out of the room, and down the hall to the Ministry exit and on his way to St. Mungo's for another checkup.

[Vincent Corrigan]

As with every other conversation he'd ever had with Alastor Moody, Vincent was left with the impression that he'd been caught in the path of a swiftly moving freight train. Always on the move, constantly on guard, and stopping for nothing and no one... that was Moody.

"Well, glad you could join us, Alastor," Vincent said as Alastor headed for the door. After he was gone, Vincent paused for a moment, trying to regain his train of thought. It was often difficult to do after talking with Moody.

"Er... well, yes... as I was saying, everyone at the Ministry, even those unconnected with the auror department need to be aware of the threat we all face from the mysterious Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. We'll be keeping you informed with meetings, lectures, memos, and whatever other means necessary, so that you'll be able to protect yourselves and we'll all be able to stand together as one in this fight. Thank you again, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you all."

He stepped down from the little podium where he was standing. "Feel free to help yourselves to coffee and donuts on your way out!" he added.