Jasper had been looking forward to a tranquil day at the Ministry. After a busy week of investigations and fieldwork, he was hoping for a day to decompress and catch up on operative paperwork that had been piling up on his desk. Chai latte in hand, he had just entered the Level 4 corridor when he instinctively flinched at the sound of a loud CRASH.
So much for serene. He jogged toward the creature holding room—because where else would such a commotion have originated—temporarily stowing his beverage on a table in the work area before shoving open the door.
The dogs. Merlin, he always thought that the hounds shouldn't be kept in those bloody kennels. Not sturdy or roomy enough for the creatures, in his opinion. "Morning, fellas. Nice way to start the day," Jasper said to his colleagues with a chuckle as he started to clear a path from the broken equipment littering the ground. "Albert, great to see you back." He gave his supervisor an earnest nod, genuinely pleased to see the man back on his feet.
Japser reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a handful of dog treats—leftovers from his walk with his own pups this morning. "It's not much, but it's something." He tossed the treats down here and there as he pushed his way through the group of dogs, toward the kennels. Once he made it to the wall, he leaned in close, eyes squinting in curiosity. "The locks. They're all broken," he stated incredulously. "How did that happen?" The question was directed to no in particular. But it was curious indeed. |