Chapter 2
There are too many doors in the Ministry of Magic, Harry thinks as he exits the waiting room of the DoME.
His dad stands from a bench further down the hall and grins at him. “Harry! How’d it go, mate?” James holds an arm out for a hug but stops awkwardly when he sees his face. “Er…what happened?”
“Um…I have another interview.” Harry holds out the letter Dr. Edgecombe gave him and his father begins to read over it. He wants to ask what the Department is, what they do, but something stops him from speaking as he watches James’ eyes move over the paper.
His dad looks up. He looks as confused as Harry feels. “I guess we’ll go to the courtrooms. Come on, kid.” They walk back to the lift together and it’s mercifully empty. When the gates open to the bottom-most floor of the Ministry, the hallway stretching out in front of them is long and desolate.
Harry steps out of the lift but James stays. “Send me a message when you finish, all right? I’ll check in at the lab and see how everything is progressing. Meet you in the atrium.” His father has always been awkward around him, preferring to spend more time experimenting with potions than accompanying his adult son to interviews. It’s all right; Harry knows James will be there for him at the end.
They part ways and Harry begins trekking down the hall. He passes Courtroom 20, 19, 18, and so on until finally he finds the one he’s looking for. There is no door on the wall, just a placard stating the room’s title above three chairs, presumably to wait in. He sits in the one on the left and begins to fiddle with his wand.
He’s still confused about his test results. Nobody has really commented on his abilities or told him that he is exceptionally brilliant before today. At most, a word or two about his skill at creating patronuses, but he’d practiced for many hours to achieve his level of mastery. He isn’t a natural by any means.
A wizard steps out from the wall in front of him. “Mr. Potter! Welcome!” The hem of her golden dress seems to float ethereally around her knees, and it’s paired with a set of matching heels. “I’m Aurelia. It’s so nice to finally meet you. We’ve had our eye on you for quite some time now. Follow me.” She turns and walks back through the wall, like at Platform 9 ¾.
He follows (eyes flinching closed as he crosses) and opens his eyes to view the courtroom from above.
It’s rather small, with two levels of low benches facing a circular depression in the floor. Two emerald-robed people sit on the lower level with thick folders in hand but the room is empty otherwise. At maximum, it seems to sit around twelve.
Harry is led to the depression, past the wizards in emerald robes. Aurelia instructs him to stand and wait, then waves her wand to conjure a pair of matching robes to the others. She leaves him there and sits next to the wizards on the bench, and one hands her a folder.
The middle member stands. “Harry James Potter, welcome. We are the interviewing committee, here to test whether you have the merit to join the Department. We are a subsect of the Department of Mysteries, but much more exclusive. Are you ready and willing to participate in an interview?” They ask in an androgynous voice. Their robes are cut in a fashion similar to those who prefer non-masculine or feminine styles.
“Um…Yes.” He says hesitantly. What an odd situation. He still doesn’t know the Department’s full title, if they even have one, let alone if he actually wants to join.
Aurelia stands up to match her…coworker. Her excitable demeanor has calmed into a more stern façade. “What are your beliefs about soulmates?” There’s no hint of a joke in her tone.
Harry frowns at the question. It’s considered very intrusive to ask about soulmates, even more so about one’s beliefs regarding them, in their society. He’s never even spoken to his parents about his thoughts before. “I think…they are important since our soulmates often balance us out and allow us to see both sides of a story or decision, but at the same time, a soulmate can be a negative influence if we let them. It’s up to someone to decide what they want from their soulmate and how their relationship will turn out. Um, I also think it’s an interesting concept to learn about; things like why we are paired with a certain person, how soul marks came to be, and stuff like that.” He tries to keep his tone diplomatic but excitement leaks into his tone towards the end of his answer. His parents’ relationship as soulmates has always interested him, and at some points in his life, he considered the possibility of going into research about the theory behind soulmates.
The three interviewers look at one another, then down at the folders and begin to scratch out some notes. He stands in silence for a few moments as they write. Finally, the third group member stands as well.
“A diplomatic answer. Mr. Potter, are you good at keeping secrets?” He asks.
Another odd question. What kind of interview is this? He doesn’t voice his concerns, and instead answers, “I suppose so. I’ve never been one to gossip or talk about others’ secrets, and I don’t like to tell others about my own.”
The interviewers do the same as before, writing out his answers, then file out from the bench to join him on the floor after speaking amongst themselves for a few minutes. Aurelia steps forward to shake his hand. “Congratulations, you’ve passed with exceptional scores. We’d like to invite you to join our ranks, and to meet the program’s head. Would you like a moment to decide?” She says, stern face gone. The others match her enthusiasm and shake his hand as well.
Harry looks between them with a gaping mouth. “Er, wait, what? The interview was only two questions. You don’t need anything else?”
The wizards all laugh in unison. It’s a little creepy.
“No, no. It’s less of an interview and more of a…test, to see if you align with our interests,” says the androgynous wizard. They hold a hand out. “I’m Morgen. With an E. I’m the Deputy Director of Research in the Department.”
Aurelia speaks next. They’re very efficient at passing communications between themselves. “I’m the Deputy Director of Administration. So stuff like recruitment, paperwork, grant applications, all of that goes through me. I’m the one who works with the Employment office to find new members, like you!” She points to the third wizard, who has an astounding goatee that Harry was too nervous to notice before. “This is Ilus. He deals with public relations and external communications. He’s also our direct contact with the overarching Department of Mysteries.”
Ilus nods but doesn’t say anything.
“Nice to meet you all. But, I’m just a little confused still. What exactly is the Department?” Harry asks, unable to go any longer without an answer. He looks expectantly at the trio.
They laugh again, and Morgen says, “Oh! Sorry, we are quite secretive. You see, only a few people know we exist in the first place. Only heads of departments, the Department of Mysteries, and the Minister himself are privy to our existence.”
Harry raises a brow. That’s odd, but if they deal with extremely difficult or mysterious subjects, it isn’t too crazy.
Ilus’ gravelly voice cuts through his thoughts to answer his original, burning question. “Our full title is the Department of Souls. We deal with anything to do with soulmates. Our director has been looking for a new member for quite some time to aid us in maintaining the Soul Mark Registry, and he believes you are the perfect choice.”