OOC: this event is set on January 11, 2104 - the SAME day as the Dragon Reservation field trip.
All Creatures employees would have been ordered to fall back and return to the Ministry
for this mandatory event

With the start of the new year comes the annual Ministry orientation event, arranged by the Department Heads; an opportunity for you to mix with your colleagues, the Ministry's brand new or returning employees. Though this year's event comes a bit later than usual after an extended break while an elite skeleton crew tied off a few loose ends and finished some much needed refurbishments. The atmosphere of this year's event, a suave and sophisticated gala, is not unlike that of a grand opening. Your invitation required that you adhere to the formal and elegant dress code.

Upon entering the Atrium, you will find that a table has been set up with party favours: small bags and boxes of varying quality. All bags at least contain lapel pins and name tags with each employee's job title, name, and blood status in fancy silver font. After passing through security and into the party proper, each Ministry employee will be able to find their own personal party favour thanks to the accompanying name tags, which also display blood status. The observant among you may note that the party favours are of the most supreme quality when destined for a pureblood, and diminish in this regard as they become intended for half-bloods, those who consort with muggle-borns and muggles, and muggle-borns themselves. Be sure to put those name tags on.

Chairs and tables are spaced throughout the Atrium, itself bedecked with white, silver, and black décor, leaving spaces all around for mixing and mingling. In one corner of the room, an orchestra of unmanned and enchanted musical instruments provide constant but subtle chamber music. If you pay attention, you may notice that only works by magical composers will be heard all evening. Along one side of the room, buffet tables hold a vast array of canapés and other hors d'oeuvres, and a range of beverages.

In spite of the opulence of the event, one significant change is likely to command your attention more than the rest. In the centre of the Atrium, where the Fountain of Magic Brethren once stood, a new towering marble structure now dominates the space. The Fountain for the Greater Good consists of a colossal levitating hand above a rippling pool of water, wielding a wand, and topped with Gubraithian Fire that nearly licks the ceiling. At its base, the Sign of the Deathly Hallows is engraved above the immortal words of Gellert Grindelwald: For the Greater Good.

Perhaps now it's starting to seem all too clear that the Ministry of Magic is not only ushering in a new year, but a new dawn.