Finding a job (Ye know who you are)

[Rister Graas S6]

„MISTER GRAAS!“ Only years of self-control practice kept Rister from flinching and consequently upending his mug of steaming coffee in his lap. “That is getting really old,” Rister muttered glumly as Lita snickered next to him, before taking a tentative sip of the dark black coffee and raising his eyes to see professor McGonagall purposefully striding towards him down the pathway between the house-tables. “Not a social visit I presume?” Rister questioned wryly, even as he put his mug on the table and stood with one last glance towards his plate that he hadn’t even had time to fill yet. “To the Headmistress office, mister Graas,” came the brisk command and Rister glanced curiously at McGonagall. “What have you done?” Lita muttered quietly and Rister just shrugged a shoulder as he stepped over the bench to follow McGonagall. He was in trouble often, but McGonagall or Snape tended to deal with that. McGonagall even more often than Snape really, as Snape a) didn’t care much and b) Rister was pretty much McGonagall’s favourite. But he hadn’t been in any trouble for at least a week. He hadn’t even had detentions. But he kept an impassive mask firmly on his face as he ran forward a few steps to pull the Great Hall door opened before McGonagall before he fell into step next to her on the way to the Headmistress Office.

They travelled down the hallways in silence that broke only once McGonagall gave the password to the statue guarding the entrance. They stepped on the staircase and travelled up to the heavy oak door of the Headmistress office. McGonagall knocked once, but that seemed to be a gesture more for show than real need as she pushed the door open without waiting for a response. She ushered Rister in before him as he mentally steeled himself to deal with anything that might be tossed at him. Even so having a young girl hurtle herself at him at full speed came so unexpected that it forced Rister to take a half-step backwards. He had barely enough time to steady both himself and Rosalind when another female member of the Garwin family practically assaulted him. The older sister, Rister recalled faintly, Mali, Nali, Sari, Kali? Something like that. “What exactly have you done to my little sister and brother!” she demanded furiously, her hair in a wild disarray around her head and her clothes somewhat unkempt as if she had been through a difficult physical exertion as she nearly jabbed Rister in the middle of his chest with a pointed finger. Ignoring her for a moment, Rister’s eyes quickly swept over the rest of the room. The Headmistress seated behind her table, Meredith sitting next to her sister and to the left of a man who nodded a polite greeting as his eyes met Rister’s for a moment, Pip who had an oddly neutral, if not a bit resigned, expression on his face, Rosalind clutching at Rister himself and McGonagall who was currently telling the somewhat panicked Garwin sister to calm down in not so many words.

The man stood and taking the woman by her shoulders whispered something in her ear that seemed to calm her, before he led her to sit in an empty chair on his right. “Mister Graas,” the headmistress began with a faint smile on her face, only to be interrupted with Rosalind piping up with a happy but clearly protesting “Mordred!”. Rister absently stroked the length of her pony-tail, much like he would have done to reassure his own sisters, as he took in McGonagalls lips pressed into a tight line before returning his attention to the Headmistress, who was clearly smiling now. “Mordred,” she repeated musingly, her eyes on Rister. Obviously she knew how tetchy Slytherins and purebloods in general could be about their names. Last names signified far more power and importance in their society than a first name. Rister tilted his head soundlessly to the side withholding his opinion of this use of his middle name and after a brief moment of silence the Headmistress carried on: “I believe you can deduce the reason why you were summoned here?” It was with purposeful slowness that Rister let his eyes wander around the room again. His thorough intake made the oldest sister bristle, but she remained quiet - if one didn’t consider her playing with the ring hanging on her necklace - and in her seat, the man seemed faintly amused and faintly worried, Meredith blushed crimson under his gaze, Rosalind beamed up at her, Pip alternated between glowering at his younger sister, staring mournfully at Rister and sneaking around curious peeks and McGonagall’s temple that throbbed somewhat as she swallowed her laughter. “No, Headmistress, I can’t say I see why my presence was absolutely necessary in this little… gathering,” Rister drawled out, purposefully drawing out the words so long that they would irk most people and putting a hint of accent that was usually never there into his voice.

If possible, Meredith blushed even further as the Headmistress merely smiled: “That may be so. Children younger than students are generally not allowed in Hogwarts as you well know. Yet it seems that young mister Garwin and Rosa managed to get away from their sister and her fiancé in Hogsmeade and found their way to the school. And now they are extremely adamant about not leaving until they have spoken to you.” Now that was a surprise. But being his father’s son, Rister merely blinked and turned to squarely meet Pip’s eyes. The younger boy seemed to gulp down some air, but he met his eyes defiantly with his back ramrod straight: “I need to talk to you in private.” “Absolutely not!” came the outburst form the oldest sister that Rister ignored in favour of keeping eye-contact with Pip. “Perhaps you would retreat to the far corner. It’s far enough to be private yet miss Garwin will feel safe at having her siblings in sight,” the Headmistress suggested and Rister turned wordlessly to head to the aforementioned corner, his mind whirling with curious questions. The corner offered a mere pretence of privacy, but if they kept their voices low they wouldn’t be overheard. Rister lowered himself to sit in a stuffed armchair and immediately Rosalind pounced on the armrest, deftly tucking herself under his arm. A seating arrangement that earned her an amused glance from Rister and an annoyed glare from her brother.

Pip remained standing before him and Rister observed curiously as he seemed to be having a mental battle with himself. But he finally seemed to reach his decision, square his shoulder and start his explanation. Or to be more precise, he blurted out: “You need to hire me.” Not exactly what Rister had been expecting. “Why?” was all he managed to, sparing a glance at Rosalind, as she tugged on his sleeve only to inform Rister that she was coming too. “Because my brothers and sisters think I’m too young to work! But I want to! I’m old enough! I’m strong!” Pip burst out furiously. Rister made a mental note to thank Minnie later for keeping Meredith and her sister – what was her name? – quiet, even as he eyed Pip thoughtfully. “Leaving out everything else, you think your parents would agree to you working abroad while however old you are?” he mused thoughtfully, only to receive yet another shock of the day. “Mom said to give you this if you ask,” Pip murmured gloomily fishing out a somewhat crumpled envelope from his pocket. But well, what else do you expect to happen in the pocket of a child. Rister eyed the calligraphic writing on the envelope, addressing it to him by his full name and title. “Bring me the paper-knife, would you?” he asked Rosalind, smirking a light thanks as the girl pounced up to hurry to the Headmistresses table, where the Headmistress handed her the requested utensil that Rosalind carefully brought back. “You could have just opened it. What do you need a paper knife for?” Pip asked with a somewhat dubious expression. “Now that just shows the difference between our upbringing,” Rister offered pleasantly, slipping the tip of the paper-knife under the flap of the envelope and tearing the paper with one practiced flick of his wrist before pointing the tip of the paper-knife towards Pip, “I don’t have paper-cuts.”

Pulling out the note and unfolding it, Rister skimmed it quickly, even as the contents made both of his eye-brows fly up into his hair-line. “Sure your mother isn’t crazy?” he asked, only to be replied by a glower. “Depressed? Heavily medicated? Imperio’d? With chronic brain-damage?” The glower only deepened so Rister shrugged and returned his attention to the letter, rereading it slower this time. “What did it say?” Rosalind questioned curiously, only to have Rister shake his head, murmuring ‘private correspondence’, even as he folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope. Tapping the corner of the envelope thoughtfully against his lips, Rister observed Pip for a few long minutes, running different possible scenarios through his head. “I suppose I could use a stable hand in the summer,” Rister finally stated slowly, “I’ll come by to talk to your parents and work out some details. Saturday as your mother suggested. Most likely around midday. You could possible work from the beginning third week of June to the beginning third week of August. Board and food included, I am going to demand a megical confidentiality oath, pay I have no idea about really. Some 40 galleons per week perhaps? I’ll need to think about that. Not you, Rosalind, as I’m not sure you can toss a hay ball quite yet, but you can come and visit. You can think that over and if you have any qualms say so on Saturday or forever hold your peace. Sounds good enough?”

[Adrian Hollows]

“Pip! Pip, Pip, Pip, Pip, Pip!” Rosa tugged at his sleeve until Pip actually felt some of the threads snap under the insistent pressure, making him sigh and turn his head to frown down at his sister. There wasn’t even a full twelve months difference between their ages but Rosa could be more annoying now than he ever had been, Pip was sure of it. Personally, he blamed Merry. It was a hard decision to make, because Pip fairly idolised his older sister, but this was entirely her fault and he would be telling her so in a very long, annoyed letter that would nevertheless end with whatever message Rosa wanted to add onto his letter. The message would probably be for Rister Graas anyway, pip grumbled silently. Rosa adored Rister lately. It didn’t even seem to bother her that he had lied to her, to her and to Merry and to Pip. At least Rister didn’t seem to be harbouring any nefarious plots to steal Merry away from her family anymore. Pip had had his suspicions at one point but there had been no more worrying reports in the Rumour Has It column that Rosa was always scanning in desperate hopes of seeing Merry and Rister linked in some way once more. No, Rister had evidently lost interest in Merry and rightfully so. His older sister could do so much better than someone who lied even about his own name. Merry had always told them that gentlemen didn’t lie, and his sister deserved the best. Pip was, perhaps, a little unclear on the definition of a gentleman but they were always referred to as if they were the best of men so that was what his sisters must have. So if gentlemen didn’t lie and Rister had then Rister wasn’t a gentleman and he didn’t deserve to like Merry. It was all quite logical. “What is it, Rosa?” Grinning brightly, Rosa lifted herself the few inches separating their heights, murmuring softly into her older brother’s ear until he glanced at her with faint admiration. Slowly, patiently, both children fell back from Kali and Jake, linking hands so that Pip could both keep track of his sister and tug her into a crowded shop and away from the two adults at the first possible opportunity.

“So. This is Hogwarts,” Pip commented, feeling somewhat disappointed by the castle in front of him. His older siblings had always described the castle as if it were some glittering, incredible hallucination from one of Rosa’s fairytales. In comparison, the reality was something of a letdown, to be truthful. The students cluttered the grassy courtyards and lounged by the lake, screaming and laughing and just generally being too noisy for any real work to be done. This was a school? This was not a school. This was a hazard to his sanity and the safety of his hearing, judging by the shrill scream of laughter from the group of people that Rosa was glancing at curiously. “It’s just like being at home when Kali’s there,” Pip mumbled to himself absent-mindedly, knowing that Rosa was still skipping and jumping along behind him without even needing to check. The soft thumps from her boots hitting the floor at regular intervals were enough reassurance, even if she had let go of his hand and that was making him slightly worried about losing her. The last thing he needed when he got home was a lecture about letting ghosts kidnap his sister as well as the lecture about sneaking away from Kali and Jake. There was only so much anger and disappointment that a boy could handle. Besides, he was technically in the same place as Merry and there were plenty of older people around so they weren’t exactly unsupervised. Technicalities, Pip mused wryly, were only going to take him so far when he was trying to wriggle his way out of trouble but, well, technically, Mum already knew that he was going to see Rister. She had given him the letter after all. He just hadn’t quite enlightened her to the reality that he was not going to have such a humiliating conversation with his eldest sister and her fiancé watching over him. He had his pride! What would be left of it after asking Rister Graas for a job anyway.

“Hey! Do you have permission to be here, kids?” Pip turned his head slowly, eyeing the boy who had stopped them appraisingly even as he held out a hand and gestured for Rosa to skip over to his side. Rosa obligingly remained by his side and clutched his hand, head tilted to the side as she stared unblinkingly at the older boy. Yellow. Yellow was Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff would work fine. “We’re here to see Rister Graas,” Pip informed the boy, rolling his eyes as Rosa nodded enthusiastically but, thankfully, remained silent for the moment. “You can take us to the Headmistress’ office so that we can meet him.” The walk to the Headmistress’ office wasn’t long but the ensuing confusion and uproar took an eternity to settle. “I’ve already told you,” Pip explained calmly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes exasperatedly because these people would be his professors when he entered Hogwarts and he didn’t need to annoy them before he had even been sorted into a House. “We’re here to see Rister Graas. You don’t need to find Merry and bring her here. She’s not the one I need to talk to. I can see my sister whenever I wish. I have three of them. Seeing a sister isn’t exactly a priority right now. I would, however, like to talk to Rister Graas.” This was becoming a very repetitive conversation. Maybe it would be a wise decision to talk to Mum about being sent to a different school? These professors didn’t seem to be very quick to grasp even the easiest of matters when faced with something even slightly out of the ordinary. Oh and look! There was Merry, entering the office with a bemused expression that promised a long, long lecture from her in a few moments once she finally reconciled to the truth that, yes, her younger siblings really were standing a few feet away from her. Hadn’t he just told them that there was no need to disturb Merry? She was busy enough without being bothered by these people! Pip glowered darkly, the expression lightening a little bit as Rosa patted his arm sympathetically after waving at Merry gleefully. Kali and Jake joined them shortly after Merry, with Kali shifting straight into anger without even checking to see if he and Rosa were alright. That wasn’t very responsible, Pip noted idly, declining to tell his sister that in the hopes of not digging himself deeper into trouble. Rosa looked just about ready to snap at Kali in his defence so Pip calmly placed a hand over her mouth, nodding for Kali to continue if she felt like it. There was little point to Rosa getting into trouble alongside him. It must be nice to be the youngest child though, Pip reflected somewhat dismally. Rosa never seemed to get into trouble, not to the extent that he did, yet it was always her idea. His little sister did come up with some ingenious schemes though. Even his parents would have to admit that if Pip compiled a list of everything that Rosa had ever suggested.

“There’s no need to be so excited,” Pip reprimanded Rosa grouchily, disgruntled by her extreme happiness at Rister’s presence. He was a liar! A scoundrel! A cad! Pip didn’t often listen to his eldest sister when she was complaining about her ex-boyfriends but when he did, he learned some interesting ideas for insults. Only mentally uttered insults, obviously. Pip wasn’t entirely convinced that an opponent wouldn’t just snicker at him if he ever yelled ‘cad’ or ‘scoundrel’ as an insult. Actually, come to think of it, Pip wasn’t entirely impressed by that part of his vocabulary either but there were only so many insulting phrases that he could use without being scolded by his parents or his older siblings. Anyway, returning to the point, Rister was no one to be excited about seeing. “His name is not Mordred! Stop calling him that.” Pip snapped irritably, sighing when Rosa glared stubbornly, muttering a childish: “Is too.” Oh. That was not good, not good at all! Pip narrowed his eyes at Merry severely, silently urging her to stop flushing under Rister’s gaze. There was to be absolutely no encouraging of that boy! Kali thought so too and, for once, Pip was in complete agreement with his sister. Rister was not a good idea. Not for Merry, nor for anyone. For the first time, Pip viewed Kali as the only sister of his with any common sense at all. Merry and Rosa were evidently too deeply adoring of something about Rister that Pip was blind to. Maybe it was a girl thing. Calculating eyes turned to Kali for a second before dismissing her. Kali had Jake. That exempted her from falling for Rister’s charms. So that was it. Rister was some kind of demon who interested all girls without any romantic attachment. That would just have to stop right now. Though, Pip had to admit, if he had to work for anyone over the summer, at least his potential employer was interesting.

“I don’t know what you’ve done to my sisters,” Pip grumbled moodily as Rister read over the letter that Mum had written, eyeing Rosa as she smirked at him and snuggled closer to Rister comfortably, “but I know that I don’t like it. Except for Kali. I don’t mind seeing her so frazzled. It’s rather entertaining.” That was one more strike against Rister though, Pip noted cheerfully. How could Merry ever fall in love with someone who needed a special blade to open letters? It was just another unnecessary aspect of Rister’s life but it brought great hope to Pip’s mind. His sister and Rister weren’t compatible in the slightest. Anyone who said otherwise was evidently lacking in common sense. Merry was an enthusiastic warrior, with her archery and her martial arts and her juggling of so many jobs during the summer. Rister, on the other hand, was so afraid of a paper-cut that he had to use a knife to attack envelopes with. The lives of rich people, Pip concluded, were so far beyond his comprehension that he doubted he would ever gain even a fraction of understanding. He knew that Mum had once been of a similar social standing to Rister now, though she had made it very clear and seemed very satisfied by the idea that the Cartier family were both less wealthy and less influential, but he couldn’t imagine Mum ever acting like Rister did. True, she wasn’t as practical as Dad always was but neither was she so outrageous in her behaviour. Perhaps she had been during Kali’s childhood and she had simply grown out of it, Pip contemplated thoughtfully as he waited for an answer from Rister.

“Thank you.” Pip met Rister’s eyes squarely, the sentiment behind his words sincere enough to overcome his natural antagonism towards Rister. He hated being told that he was too young to work. He despised knowing that Merry worked too many hours and didn’t sleep enough and had no social life because he wasn’t allowed to help his family by getting a job with a decent wage. It wasn’t charity if he worked hard for whatever money Rister’s family gave him, Pip told himself heatedly. So he would put all of his effort and strength into whatever tasks he was given. Rosa frowned pitifully, twisting to stare up at Rister with the same wide, almost tearful eyes that had coaxed Pip into giving in to his little sister’s wishes so many times before. “But I want to go. I can help him! I’m only a little bit younger and I’m nearly taller than Pip anyway!” His sister had evidently forgotten about the dance training that their parents had already paid for for her during the summer, Pip deduced with a shake of his head. “You’ve got dance lessons,” Pip reminded her coolly. “Besides, Mum hasn’t agreed to let you work yet. Wait a while and maybe she will.” He didn’t want Rosa to have to work, none of them did, but Pip, better than any of his brothers or sisters, understood how Rosa would feel if she was the only one to not work and help support their family. It was a lonely feeling, like a subtle comment on how useless and incapable you were, like being a burden. Nothing else would have convinced Pip to approach Rister for summer employment. Except, perhaps, the fact that he had been the only person he and Mum had been able to agree upon after Rosa cheerfully suggested him as an option.