Just doing work

It was slow, demanding work, but someone had to do it right? The people who filled out their paperwork had way to much on their hands to even begin to think about getting up from their desks and sort it into their own places, send it off to the right area, and get the paper where it needed to go. That was Selene's job, she hurried from cubicle to cubicle, in her heels that were not made for such a taxing quest, and picked up papers and folders with a flick of her wand. The papers would land in her arms, and she would hurry off to the next one to get those as well. After she had gathered everyone's folders and papers together, she would sit at a desk in the corner, and sort it, reading the first few lines, and then sending the paper off on it's journey through the Ministry to where it needed to go.

Selene wasn't an average secretary, she did the work no one else wanted to do, she didn't just stay at a door and schedule appointments, she made sure the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures ran smoothly, starting with paper work, and working wherever anyone needed her. Sometimes she was sent into the room with all of the creatures, and these were the best times. She loved walking into the dank room, with all of it's smells and sounds, and wonderful healers and researchers crowding around this cage or that.. she loved it in that room, but she could only stay short amounts of time, before her workload demanded her back at her desk, so she would hurry off and sit at her desk, and flick her wand, to send the papers on their way.

Jack had been going through the secretaries now- she had started evaluating the interns and had now moved on to the secretaries. Honestly, she needed a Head Secretary and that was her main objective for the secretary evaluations. She had done it subtley, though. She wanted to promote someone based on their character, ethic, and how she worked with them. She did not want brown nosers or stiffs or lazy slobs. So, yes, so far the search had been futile.

She was on to the last one, Selene Brun. Hey, hadn't that been... yes. That had been one of the Triwizard champions she had competed against. Well, the girl had been a little girly for Jack's taste, but Jack was not against giving it a try. Besides, she had to be smart. And she looked swamped with work. Best time to test a person's character. She approached and said, "Selene. Hey, remember me? You have a minute or two or ten?"

Selene was in the middle of a huge stack of folders and papers that needed sent away, when suddenly someone walked up to her. Selene had never really been approached before during work, and for a moment she looked flustered, her wand hovering over the papers on her desk, before she smiled at Jack. "Oh.. 'ello.." She said nervously, her wand continuing to move in it's normal manner, her eyes cast down as she scanned the name on the folder and sent the folder flying off to where it needed to go.

When Jack asked her if she had some time, she glanced at the clock and then smiled slightly. "I start my lunch break in about 'alf an 'our.. eef you 'ave time, I would talk to you zen.. I 'ave a lot of work to get done before zat, and I do not want to seem like I am not paying attention to you." She said looking up at Jack for a moment, before her eyes fell back down to the folders. "My lunch eez 'alf an 'our long... it would be lovely eef you came back zen.." she said, straightening the folders on her desk, and looking back up at Jack, her eyes wide, as though she did not quite know how to handle having to tell someone she couldn't talk right then.

Ah, she was obviously so, so busy. Jack could not have picked a better time to harass the girl. Jack hoped she responded correctly, because Jack had a feeling Selene was a cut above the rest (it might be Jack's own narcissim surrounding being chosen as a Triwizard Champion) and she was, honestly, getting really tired of searching for a Head Secretary.

Selene proposed they meet a different time and Jack sat on the edge of her desk. "Oh, well, the issue is that this is my lunch break and I am skipping it to check up on you. Besides, part of your job is perfromance evaluations so I need you clocked in to be able to do just that." Jack looked at Selene, waiting for the French girl to respond to her.


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Selene felt like something cold went through her veins. Performance evaluations? So that's what this was? She wanted to see how well Selene could talk and work at the same time? And if she messed up while doing so? Well Selene would prove to her that she could talk, and do her work at the same time, like anyone else could. Jack sat down right on the edge of her desk, and Selene found herself carefully moving her folders where they would be safe, she was silent for a moment before she nodded. "Well alright zen.. I can talk and work at ze same time... of course.." She smiled and slid her wand across the folders after quickly scanning the name written on the outside.

"Why would you skip your lunch break for me? I am sure you 'ave better zings to do zen talk to a secretary." She said softly, her eyes moving from her folders to Jack, praying that she wouldn't mess up in the middle of this.. conversation. She made sure to send out a stab of attention to the names on the folders in turn, her wand not missing a beat and sending the folders to fly off and go to their rightful owners. "'ow did you get such a 'igh job anyway Jack Dyllan?" Selene asked, her gaze roaming up to Jack, before falling back to the folders, not evening missing a beat for when her wand flicked it off, sending it to the correct place.

Jack noted that Selene sort of bit her tongue and bended to the realization that Jack would make her life more difficult if she did not humor her. Good. That was just as Teddy had done, and Teddy had become more of a pal than an intern. Not that either would ever, ever admit it. At Selene's question, Jack said, "Because, part of my job is to not eat. And you're not just a secretary. You all are the backbone of the office. And I have my own paperwork. I know how tough a job that is." She asked Jack how she had gotten the job and Jack responded, "Mostly due to that whole starvation issue I just mentioned. But what about you. How have you felt about your job?"

Selene smiled slightly at Jack's comment on being the backbone. She had to admit, no one of a higher position than her had ever commented on stuff like that. She was just a secretary who blended into her corner, and picked up their papers from their desks. She had to fill out the occasional paperwork on progress, or figure out who the person meant to send it too, or pick up a specific piece for someone in the cubicles, but that was about it. She was on her feet most of the day, and any time she wasn't, she was sat down in the corner, sending the paperwork where it needed to go.

"I like my job.." She said carefully, sending some folders on their way. "Long 'ours.. and I am up on my feet for most of ze day.. eef I am not running around, I am doing zis.." she said concentrating for a moment on the folders before looking up at Jack. "Eet eez a good job, I do a lot of work for ze people who work out 'ere in ze cubicles.. zey need someone like zis, ozerwise I do not zink zey would get zeir paperwork anywhere." She said with a laugh. "Sometimes I do wish I 'ad a job like zeirs you know.. research.. but zis eez a good job, and I do like being a secretary.. everyone 'as to start from somewhere." She said smiling, sending off a paper, before moving a folder to one side of her desk, every now and then she'd send a folder back to a cubicle, or it would fly into the lift to be taken off to some other section of the Ministry.

Jack listened carefully to Selene. Jack really got the sense that Selene wanted to work in a different part of the department, but Jack had also been hoping to promote her within her section. However, Jack was up for allowing some movement. "You know, we don't hire often, but we take interns. And the better you do as an intern, the more likely you are to be promoted to an actual specialist. Interns get benefits but get sort of the grunt work. You could get a half and half job as a specialist intern and secretary. It'd be a minor pay decrease, but potential for more, easier work, and more benefits."

Selene was working on sending some folders off when Jack started to speak about an internship. Her wand froze, the folder she had just been about to send off, hovering mid air above the rest of the folders. "Wait... a what?" She asked, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging slightly open as she let her hand fall down, pushing the folder back onto the table, her eyes glued to Jack, looking absolutely startled.

"Zat would be.. zat would be wonderful!" She said her eyes wide, looking to be in total disbelief. "I mean.. eef zat's.. I mean.." Her voice faltered, and her eyes went down to stare at the folder she was holding down on her desk, she flicked her wand and sent it off, her mind completely confused. "What.. exactly would I do?" She asked carefully, her eyes moving to look back up at Jack, a bit hesitant, but extremely excited.

Selene seemed absolutely overjoyed by the idea. In fact, Jack was fairly sure the idea had stunned Selene speechless. Jack had approached hoping to find the ambition for someone to take on a Head Secretary place in the future. She had instead found potential specialist talent right in her very own department. She had been under Jack's nose the whole time.

Jack conjured up the intern application and explained, "It's just getting paired up with a real specialist who orders you around. I can make sure you get an intelligent one, one who will give you real opportunties and not force you to go get coffee and make copies. Do you have any specific specialization you'd like, or just in general?" Jack slid the application over to her.