Removing the Gorgon's Head

Disclaimer: The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling and her assigns.

Perseus, favoured by Minerva and Mercury, the former of whom lent him her shield and the latter his winged shoes, approached Medusa while she slept and taking care not to look directly at her, but guided by her image reflected in the bright shield which he bore, he cut off her head and gave it to Minerva, who fixed it in the middle of her Ægis. Bullfinch's Mythology, Book XV.

Ted didn't expect working for the Ministry to be a world of excitement. He was not expecting an adventure every day. He was therefore not disappointed when the job turned out to be mostly drudgery. After a month of training, the wizard he replaced retired and Ted was adrift in an ocean of passing reports and memos along to other offices, Wizard and Muggle. There were lists of late trains, weekly summaries of misplaced luggage, and a register of every train journey. Then there were memos on proposed additions or deletions from the schedule and recommendations of new rail lines to be built.

Occasionally, there was a missed switch or a flaw in a rail. Ted then went into the field where he would find the defective spot in the line and repair it with specific spells. It was rarely difficult, and he could usually extend his time out of the office with lunch or at least coffee. He made the most of such moments because, once he returned to the Ministry, there would be an inevitable report to write about the repair work and it would need to be included in several of the weekly and monthly reports.

There were days when his job was mind-numbing and the thought of doing the same thing, day after day, for perhaps seventy or eighty years, was physically painful. Ted couldn't stand the thought of that. When he took a minute and thought of such a career as the means to start a family of his own, with his own home, a nice witch to share his life with, and perhaps some children, the job seemed like a dream come true. The struggle at hand was to find the witch.

He knew several nice witches. Some of them were attractive and others were capable. A few were both. He knew that there were witches who were interested and that at any time he wished he could start dating. Some mornings, he even decided that there was one or another from the secretarial pool that he would ask out that day. Then he would take a certain handkerchief out of the Ollivanders box that had once held his wand.

He would hold it to his face and smell it. Of course it smelled of the Hogwarts laundry. It had been put into the laundry by the person who borrowed it. The house-elves had taken it and washed it as they did all the student clothes. Since it was his it came back to him. Still, it once had been in her possession and had once soaked up her tears. It was a sacred item to him, and when he took it out, he couldn't think of the girls at work. None of them could be to him what the unattainable witch had become.

Within a month of starting to work for the Ministry, Theodore Tonks was asked to become part of a special team of Ministry employees. When he arrived for the first meeting, he discovered that the group was expected to be a committee to foster better relations between Muggles and wizards from a grass-roots standpoint. He almost wasn't surprised to see that Dolores Umbridge was sitting across the table from him. He thought, not for the first time, that she looked a bit like a toad watching a fly whenever she looked at him. It was not a particularly comfortable sensation.

The wizard at the head of the table was the Minister himself, Cornelius Fudge. He called the meeting to order and explained what the committee would be doing. "I'm sure you all want to know why we've formed this committee when there's a whole department assigned to this, but it was the idea of Dolores, here." The Minister nodded in her direction. "She thought it might be good to have members of various departments give some input to the Department of Magical and Non-magical Cooperation."

Here Dolores cleared her throat. The Minister gave her the floor. She smiled brightly around the table and especially at Ted. "My idea was to start by interviewing members of the Magical community who are either mu...that is Muggle-born, or the product of one Muggle and one wizard or witch. I think we should find out how magic comes into their lives and how they cope with it. Then we should be able to assess how to best assist such families in the future."

Ted looked at her warily. There was always a hidden meaning in Dolores's words, and he didn't doubt that there was today, too, but he let it go for the time being. She was handing out assignments. There was a questionnaire for each of the people in the committee to fill out; then there was a list of wizards and witches to interview. Everyone groaned at the size of the booklet before they all headed either back to work or to the Atrium because they were done for the day.

Ted took the booklet back to his flat and started filling it out while eating his take-out dinner. He filled in his name, address, and place of employment and then started to read the next few questions. There was quite a bit concerning how many relatives a magical person had. There were spaces for parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, with directions to attach additional parchment at the back if necessary. Ted didn't see that it was the Ministry's business, but he filled it out in the interest of improving Magical-Muggle relations.

The next set of questions roused his concern. They asked how the families were informed of magical ability. Fair enough. Then they asked as a sub-question whether Muggle-born children had exhibited any magical ability before being notified. Again, this question wasn't so bad. The next question asked how the magical wand was obtained and whether it was stolen from a pure blood wizard or witch. Ted found this question insulting and put the questionnaire away, intending to ask Dolores about it the next morning.

There was a serious situation requiring several Transportation employees just outside London the next day. Nearly Ted's entire office was sent to sort out the mess in which a magical train had somehow attached itself to a Muggle one. "Splinch" was the only word Ted could use to properly describe it. It took all morning, but eventually the trains were separated, the rail lines fixed, and about a hundred Muggles were Obliviated. The reports filed on the situation took all afternoon, and before Ted knew it, he was on his way to the Atrium without having looked at Dolores's questionnaire.

One day a week, Ted Tonks usually ate at a fish and chips place on a corner of Diagon Alley. It was quick and gave him the feeling that he was still connected with the world at large. Since it was summer, he sat at a patio seat and occasionally exchanged a smile or wave with people he knew as they passed him by. After the day he had, it seemed like this would be a good evening for his weekly treat.

After getting settled, Ted opened up the questionnaire again. He decided to skip over the wand question. Perhaps there was a rash of wand larceny he didn't know about. "Who really performs the magic you claim to do?" was the next question. Ted stood up and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the table as he glared at the questionnaire. Really, this was insulting. The hidden meaning behind the comments at the meeting started to come into focus. He would tell Dolores that he couldn't be part of this committee. Not only could he not answer these questions, but he was sure that he couldn't ask them of other witches and wizards.

"Problem, Tonks?"

Ted turned around and saw his old prefect, Kingsley Shacklebolt standing near him. He had seen Kingsley around the Ministry a few times. As he recalled, Shacklebolt had become an Auror when he finished at Hogwarts.

"It's this survey that Dolores Umbridge wants some of us to do. It's insulting to those of us with less-pure blood." He handed over the offensive booklet and sat back down. Kingsley joined him at the table and read the first several pages of questions.

"Who knows about this survey?" asked the Auror.

"I guess those of us on the committee, plus the Minister."

"The Minister knows about this?"

"He was there when we were given our assignments."

The older wizard thought for a minute. "Do you mind if I take this to show someone? It's offensive in and of itself, but when taken in the light of certain things, it's pretty bad."

Ted shrugged. "I will probably need to give it back at some point, but please, if you think it will help, show it to the other person.

"Albus Dumbledore, you interfering old dog!" screamed the Minister of Magic.

"Cornelius, you should know better," answered the taller wizard affably. "I warned you about Miss Umbridge, and this is what comes of it."

"The questions are valid," Fudge maintained.

"As asked?" rejoined Dumbledore.

The response was a sigh. "No, I suppose not."

"Don't you see, Cornelius, that this questionnaire will be used to create a second and third class amongst the Wizarding citizenry? I know it exists to some extent already, but this will codify it, and if the danger we suspect is coming does actually come..." he allowed the rest of the sentence to say itself.

The Minister of Magic understood fully what wasn't said. "Why did you ever have to tell that boy about Hogwarts in the first place, Albus?"

"It was his birthright, Cornelius, just as it is of every magical child, regardless of his or her heritage."

"I'm not sure I agree. Had there been a line drawn such that Half-blood wizards were not allowed, then none of this might have happened."

"Perhaps it would have been worse, if he had developed his magic on his own."

Cornelius sat back in his leather chair and thought about it. "Very well, we'll scrap the committee."

"Now you're making sense, Cornelius. If you want my advice, you'll remove Dolores Umbridge from the Ministry, too. Her type tends to find ways to cause trouble. She nearly got another student expelled this past spring through her machinations."

"Was the student expelled?"

"No, Minerva and William saw through what she was doing."

"I trust that I'll be able to see whatever she can do around here, too."

"I'll leave it up to you, then, Cornelius." The Headmaster stood and made his way to the door.

"Thank you, Albus. As always, this has been an enjoyable chat."

Cornelius Fudge waited until the steps down the hallway faded and then went over to peak out his door. When he saw that the other wizard was indeed gone, he shut his door and cast a Stunning Spell at the potted plant in the corner. The pot broke in several large pieces, and the Minister then had to cast a Repairing Spell. He told himself, as he did almost every day, that Albus Dumbledore might run things at Hogwarts, but he could keep his elegant fingers off the Ministry.

Ted didn't hear about the questionnaire again, nor the committee, and truthfully he didn't miss it. He did hear that Dolores Umbridge had been reassigned to the secretarial pool and sighed a breath of relief that he wouldn't see quite so much of her. He did see Kingsley Shacklebolt quite a bit, and one week when eating his fish and chips, he found that the Prewitt brothers were there ahead of him.

During the first week of August, he was met by Kingsley, Fabian, and Gideon. This seemed a bit suspicious to him. He wondered if they had been watching him. Thinking back, maybe they had been sizing him up.

"Is there something I can do for you?" he asked. "I'm starting to feel as though you've been following me around."

Fabian laughed. "It's no wonder, since we've been following you around."

"Well, there's been a bit of looking after, too, but that has mostly been Kingsley, here," added Gideon.

"It was no big deal," answered that wizard. "Just the foolish attempt of a jealous witch. Anyone would have caught it."

"Anyone would have caught what?" asked Ted.

"Dolores Umbridge tried to get you fired by telling Anderson that you cheated on your Transfiguration N.E.W.T. He asked me about it and I suggested he contact the school. McGonagall put him straight.

Ted let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "That was the worst two days of my life. What is it with that witch, or witches in general?"

Gideon slapped him on the shoulder. "If we knew the answer to that, we'd be happily married men, ourselves."

Fabian tapped his watch. "Not to rush or anything, but we need to rush."

"Right, indeed."

"What's going on?"

"Tonks, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes, I suppose I can."

"Brilliant! You're coming with us."

Seconds later, Tonks found himself in a dingy basement sort of room. The four that had been sitting at a patio restaurant were now joined by the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and a rather frightening-looking man. Dumbledore looked the way he always did, but the other man looked as though he had come off badly in a wrestling match with a Hippogriff.

Kingsley made the introduction. "Alastor Moody, this is Theodore Tonks. Ted is the one who discovered that survey and showed it to me. Ted, Auror Moody is the head of my section and a Master Auror."

"I'm always glad to meet a youngster who knows how to keep 'is eyes open."

Ted objected. "I just didn't like it, and showed it to Kingsley when he asked."

"Ye showed good judgment in doin' so," answered Moody. "Can't have too much vigilance."

After they were all seated, Dumbledore looked through his glasses and began. "Ted, I won't sugar coat this, nor will I make it worse than I think it is..." He proceeded to describe a wizard of great power who was starting to prey upon the Wizarding world. He had started with the pure blood wizards and witches, telling them that anyone having Muggle blood was considered a problem.

Dumbledore wasn't sure, yet, what this other wizard's plans were, but he thought that there was a plan to overthrow the Ministry and perhaps to overthrow Muggle forms of governance as well. He held up the survey Ted had nearly Blasted at the restaurant and explained that it might have been used to find out the blood status of all the wizards and witches in England. Using that information, the group that was starting to be called Death Eaters would know whom to target.

"We cannot allow that to happen, Ted, and so I have put together a small band of people who keep their eyes open for possible problems caused by that wizard and his followers. You kept your eyes open for a possible problem and now it has been made to go away. Do you think you could continue to do just what you did in that case and report to me from time to time?"

"Who is this wizard?"

"Long ago he had a real name, but now he prefers to use the term Lord Voldemort."

Ted tried to think about what it all meant. It was a frightening tale. All of the pleasant dreams he had for his future seemed to hang in the balance. It seemed horrible to think that the Wizarding population, which he had found to be generally kind and good natured, could divide into two groups that could fight each other. He looked up and noticed that the other wizard was still studying him intently.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ted looked worriedly at the Headmaster, who looked at the other older wizard.

"Alastor, is something the matter?"

"Do ye see the way his eyes shift color from time to time, and sometimes his nose seems a bit longer? I think he has certain skills, Albus. He should be trained."

The Headmaster looked at Ted intently. "Yes, I see what you mean. I don't think the ability is strong, but it could be useful."

"I can have Tanner train 'im."

"That might be a good idea, but perhaps we're putting the carriage before the Thestral."

"So, boy, will ye be joinin' us? There's plenty of work to go around."

Ted looked up and said, "I'm no one special. I didn't know what I was looking at when that questionnaire was handed to me. However, if you think I can truly be helpful, I will do it."

A/N: Thank you to Trickie Woo for beta reading, to Writermerrin for her help and kind support, and to Apisa_b who I hear is promoting this story. You ladies are wonderful!