Louisa bustled through the atrium, her arms full of papers. She weaved her way through the employees scattered here and there praying that she was going to make it to the cafeteria before she dropped her belongings.

With a flick of her hair, Louisa turned the corner and could see the door she needed. Finally, she thought.

Sensing someone come up behind him, Edward turned and smiling said hello to Siobhan.

"I'm so glad to see you. Did you have a good remainder of the day?"

ooc: it's ok...happens to us all

"It was pretty uneventful actually." she replied with a smile. The two stood there awkwardly. Siobhan wondered where they were to go next to continue there chat.

ooc: yeah i know...

He looked at her and asked, "Ready to go to the pub, then?" After he had asked, he thought perhaps it mught be nice to allow her the chance to choose. "Or, perhaps you've another place in mind."

ooc:

"Yes I'm quite ready to get away from work at the moment. All the stress." she explained again smiling. She began to walk with Edward towards the exit.

ooc:

Edward walked alongside the lovely Si toward the visitor's entrance so that they could enjoy a bit of time in the pub, getting to know one another.

ooc: next post will be in the pub

Siobhan was the happiest she had been in awhile since getting to meet Edward. She smiled at him as the two went in the direction of the pub.

ooc: allright see u there!

Having just used the Floo to get to The Ministry, Elizabeth made her way through the Atrium to reach the lifts. She gazed around, amazed at the size of the hall and how many people there were. But what caught her eye most was the large fountain in the centre of the Atrium.

Edward was walking aroung the Atrium. He sighed as he saw graffiti. Who would do this here? he wondered to himself. He headed back to the magical maintenance and security office to get someone to clean it up and write his report.

Cassandra apparated with Branxton in the Atrium. She breathed out... boy this sidealong thing was very hard. It took her breath away. She was not use to it. But this was good, even thought her little wrist was a little red from his grip.

"Thank you professor..." she said, "For allowing me to sidealong," she added to clarify. "Sooo is there a shop nearby? A jeweler?" she asked as she straightened up and dusted off. She wasn't dirty, it was merely a force of habit.

"There is a gift shop, just down this way," he said after stepping away from her and straightening his robes. He cleaned his glasses again and headed in the direction of said shop.

Cassandra quickly followed, scurrying behind him, trying to catch up to his stride. "Have you thought of what to get? I have a few ideas..." she said trying not to sound pushy... "Oh and professor... I need to speak to you about something... once we are done... if... that's alright."

What could she possibly have to speak to him about? "I do not have any ideas," he answered as he kept up his brisk pace. "You may speak to me whenever you wish."

She was practically running behind him. He was fast, and tall and she was... well... not. "Someone... left me a gift... in the dungeon corridor." She was panting as she tried to keep up with him. "It had... a note for me... but not... who it was... from."

"Throw it away," he replied, not really in the mood for this student nonsense. "With everything that has gone on with the school I'd expect you students to be more cautious."

ooc: moving this to the new "Gift Shop" thread.

Cassandra followed the professor to the atrium. "Uhmmm no. I just wanted..."
Think before you speak... "to say Thank You... for teaching me." Even though it went sour...

"Your welcome, though it is in my job description as a professor," he said and even managed a small smile. Professor Branxton held his hand out to Miss Trelawney.

Oh Good... this was much better and he grabbing her wrist. She smiled back at him as she held his hand and closed her eyes. She'd be back at the ministry this summer, on her 17th birthday to take the apparition test.

He held her hand firmly but, not too tight and brought them back to the gates of Hogwarts. He would be incredibly grateful to never apparate with her again.


ooc: And we're headed back to Hogwarts

A resounding pop! pop! echoed loudly as two house elves suddenly apparated into the atrium.

"Is you certain he is here?" Tubby, a squat, short female house elf said to her companion. Her already enormous brown eyes bulged, wide and scared, as she surveyed the atrium. "Ooooh, we is getting in so much trouble if we is caught outside the ministry kitchens!" She squeaked, wringing her hands nervously. She looked over her shoulder, praying to Merlin they would not see anything and could leave.

"You is needs to be relaxing!" her slightly taller, gruff looking companion, hissed. He surveyed the scene. "We is going to help Sparky and all house elves. Is you wanting freedoms or not?"

"Nooooo..." Tubby wailed, sobbing into the neatly pressed Ministry tea towel that served her as apparel. "This is bad doings, Bailey! We is going back to kitchens now! We is ought to be beating our heads all day for thinking against our masters!"

"They is not our true masters. We is. And Sparky is doing the things he is saying he will... look!" Bailey pointed to the defaced Ministry statue. The head had been cut off of a wizard and there was graffiti on the side:

Tubby's impossibly big eyes grew even larger. "Nooooo...." she wailed again.

"You is coming with me! You is helping! We is getting elf rights!" Bailey said sternly. He strode over to the fountain, pulling the sobbing Tubby by the hand with determination. We is to be making changes, we is. He thought. For all house elves, we is making big changes.

ooc: continues at the magic is might fountain.

The three Muggles watched the little creatures appear and scamper about, wide-eyed. They, of course, had never seen anything even resembling the sort; not even the lepurachaun on the Lucky Charms cereal box. No, this was was their strangest encounter so far.

As soon as he saw them, Emmett gasped loudly. "Gollum!" he said triumphantly, referencing the famed Lord of the Rings character he had read about. "Josefine, if you never believed me all those years that certain characters really do exist, here is your proof. You saw them. Now tell me they're not real and not make a fool of yourself. Go on. I dare you." He was beaming, half slightly confused and half proud, pointing in the direction the two creatures had scampered off.

Josefine was staring. No. It couldn't be... they were just in a nerd convention. They were just...just some little toddlers that their nerdy relatives had dressed up as elves or something. Yeah. That was it. "Don't be stupid. Those are just costumes. If things like the characters in your little fandom were real, why ever didn't they just use one in the films? Why was it all done by computers?" she smirked, turning her back to Emmett and looking around for Annabelle, her little sister. A horrified look crossed her face -- the toddler was starting to run towards the costumed freaks!

The child's bright blue eyes widened quickly as she spotted the creatures. "Leprechauns!" she squealed and began running towards the two short beings, arms fully outstretched. I'm going to keep them, and name them, and feed them, and... Thoughts of her future with these creatures began to run through Annabelle's mind, causing her to grin widely. "C'mere, leprechauns!! Don' ride away on your rainbows!!" she called to them, quickening her pace. Oh, if they flew away on their rainbows... how tragic.

Ignoring Josefine's comment on the computer-animation of said creatures, Emmett spotted Josefine's expression and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on then! Don't wait for the grass to grow!" he snapped, his general interest of the short creatures and desperateness to capture his little sister again combining. Father would kill him if they lost her... especially as they weren't intending to get caught in a storm and into this...this...convention-type thing. He grabbed his sister's arm and yanked it forward, following his little sister towards the fountain.

Three house elves apparated into the atrium. Was it true, what the other elves were saying? Had there really been a rebellion started?

They looked around the atrium... The floors were covered with mud and in the distance, by the Magic is Might fountain, a few mud-coated wizards seemed to be conversing. The fountain itself had been damaged -- a head of a wizard had been cut off, and graffiti indicated that, indeed, there was a rebellion.

That was good enough for the elves, who stood hidden in a corner. Wordlessly, they glanced at each other, looks of shock, fear, and perhaps excitement on their faces. One of the elves decided to add to the mischief.

She stepped forward and clapped his hands. In an instant, she cast a spell to start filling the atrium up with soap foam. It bubbled up from the Magic is Might fountain, four feet deep, covering the marble floors and the mud. "House elves is expected to be keeping our masters tidy. Moily is making them sooooooo clean." She giggled, nodding. The house elves looked at each other and laughed before disapparating to tell other elves of the rebellion.

Delilah bustled into the Atrium, planning on quickly charming the ceiling to look like the night sky, as she was instructed to for the upcoming wedding. But what the woman saw made her stop dead in her tracks. Graffiti on the fountain, a vandalized statue, and mud was everywhere.

In a quick, fluid movement, the Department Head slipped her wand out of her pocket. Pointing it toward the fountain and muttering a few words, she got rid of the graffiti; that wasn't difficult. Next, the woman did a scouring charm on the floor. It cleaned up the mud, but it did nothing for the wizards who's robes were covered in dirt and mud. "Eh," Delilah muttered, shrugging.

Next, the woman looked towards the fountain, which now hosted a headless wizard. Scanning the Atrium, Delilah didn't see the missing part, so she made a mental note to look later. Now, all she had time to do was charm the ceiling; the wedding was just a day away.

Wand still in hand, Delilah Carter aimed it overhead. First, she coloured the "sky" a very deep purple-blue. It almost looked black, but that's just what Delilah wanted. For the stars to shimmer as she wanted them to, the ceiling had to be very dark. Next, the woman put up the stars; this took a while because she had to arrange them all across the sky.

Finally, the Department Head covered all the stars with a quick, easy Shimmering Charm. Once that was finished, the woman stepped back to admire her work. Delilah was pleased. She turned, ready to return to her office. The woman would have to find some other time to fix up the rest of the Atrium.

Miley walked into the Atrium with her hands full of books.She found a small bench and sat down.Those books were heavy.She ran her fingers through her hair and relaxed.This was going to be a rough day for her.

Cassandra walked into the atrium, she was planning on going home after the day of work she had and wanted to rest up before her mission. She saw her sister sitting on a bench and decided it wouldn't hurt to talk to her, besides, she had to say something to Miley so she wouldn't worry while she was gone. "Hey Miles, rough day?" She asked as she sat nxt to her twin and noticed the books she had.