Ministry Wide Fundraiser

Jack was not a decorator, so she had made all of her interns do it. The fundraiser was in the lavish atrium of the Ministry and people had already begun to show up. It was a strictly Ministry affair- only plus ones were allowed. It was free to gain entrance but there would be a raffle going on auctioning off donated items and services, and to get any drinks, one had to put down a few galleons to get full bar access. Anything that was thrown into the fountain would go to the cause.

The cause was rather obscure. Jack’s team had mostly been behind the idea, thinking that if the press reported the event, then the public would assume that the whole Ministry was pro-werewolf rights and perhaps become a little more accepting. Jack knew the idea was a tad far-fetched but she was up for it and the Minister had rallied behind her. So here they were.

It was a formal event so, of course, Jack had underdressed. She was checking with her team and some other planners to make sure all was in place as the others entered. Jack had a glass of champagne in her hand, a bit fancy for her taste, but Teddy had pushed it in her hand and congratulated her as the doors had opened. The crowd was getting thick now so she delved into it, glad to be apart of it for now.

As the hall began to fill, Monroe looked over peoples' heads in an attempt to glimpse the girl from the courtyard. He had owled asking her to come, but he didn't know if she would actually turn up. Hopefully the name of the fundraiser would pique her interest.

Meanwhile, Monroe followed Jack's lead, winding his own way through the throng in the direction of the bar. He could easily have persuaded Teddy to give him some champagne, but this was a charity evening, was it not?

White wine in hand, he returned to the fountain. He had been in charge of ensuring it had enough sickles and knuts scattered on the bottom of the pool to tempt people to throw some more in, but as yet they went unnoticed. Monroe reached into his own pocket and pulled out a few sickles which shone in the air as they described their own arc toward the water.

Then, he went back to observing their guests.

"Yes," Nemo inhaled an unsteady breath and brought his fist to sit atop his lips as he partially averted his gaze, "I was turned last week." A dry sob wracked his diaphragm and he faced his audience of three once more, "When Jack found out... she just - I'm sorry. This is all still very hard for me."

"No! Not at all, I am so sorry, Mo!"

"No, no; it's OK. I can do this. Jack says I need to get back to normal life."

"Oh, of course. It'll take time." Nemo gave a sorrowful nod of his head in agreement with the woman's words. "So much time..." His voice cracked and a tear leapt from his eye.

"Oh Mo! I am so sorry! I can't believe this happened to you!" Each receptionist enveloped Nemo in a hug, and through their comforting embrace he spoke, "I'm sorry. I'm usually so much better at it than this I just... I need a drink. Could any of you girls please lend me five galleons? I just, I need to -"

"Mo!" They gasped simultaneously, and one proceeded to say: "You don't even have to ask."

"Thank you ladies so much," Nemo feigned gratitude as he slumped towards the bar with his winnings.

"Serve 'em up, James!" He called, simultaneously sliding free from his leather jacket.

Jack had spotted a few Aurors she knew- Martin and Nikolai. The two were partners so, unfortunately, when Jack was forced to see one of them, she saw both of them. She could feel Martin trying to catch her eye so she suddenly stopped amid the crowd, forcing people to move around her, and she turned her head slowly, like in a horror movie, and glared at Martin. He smirked and wiggled an eyebrow but Jack stayed frozen, unblinking, unmoving. Shaken, he finally stumbled back, glancing around to see if anyone else was witnessing this phenomenon, and then hurried off.

Her eyes traveled with him for a second and then she returned to normal. She drained the champagne and decided she could not continue with this sort of drink. A Firewhiskey always sounded good, something simple but effective. She angled herself towards the bar and that was when she saw her friend. He was pretending to cry- Jack knew the difference- and she saw an exchange of money. She smirked when she figured it out.

She walked over to the bar and put in a few coins. She muttered to her friend, wary that the bartender was a known gossiper, "I won't complain so long as you get them to put donations in the fountain as well."

Nemo laughed quietly against the rim of his newly-acquired beverage, not at all derailed by Jack's presence. "Rumors spread like spilt vodka around here, McDonald, so I must warn you: I am a werewolf now. Have been for a week, and you just so happen to have held this fundraiser in my name," Nemo elaborated in an equally hushed tone before taking a steady drink from his glass and turning to rest his back against the bar.

Jack listened to her friend's story and her eyes closed, a grin coming onto her face. She opened her eyes and shook her head, reaching for her drink and taking a deep drink from it. "Like I said, Poe, I'll have no reason to complain if you scrounge up some donations." She smirked, remembering Monroe's idea. Poe was not exactly a celebrity, but he was notorious in the Ministry. She spotted a very rich Unspeakable approaching. She glanced at Poe and then turned to greet the man.

"Hey, Reagan! Hi! Have you been having a good time?" He glowered at her before responding, "I don't get what this thing is for." Jack grabbed Poe's elbow and pulled him around, saying, "It's for him, actually. Well, people like him. Why don't you, erm, tell him, Mortimer." Jack thought back to when she used to address him as Mortimer and inwardly laughed. She looked up at him, informing him to play up the part. If they could Reagan to donate, it would be quite a sum, Jack knew.

Nemo was not the murdering type, but he promised himself he would skin Jack alive as he was thrown in the direction of one of the Ministry's particularly droll officials. Nemo cast Jack a brief look of panic, before he faced the man whom Jack had identified as 'Reagan' and immediately, he slipped into his intended facade.

"It's horrible!" Nemo wailed as he abruptly threw his arms around the man, pinning his shoulders to his sides. Nemo tightened his hold around the man until he had twisted himself enough to reach the drink that remained in his hand, and he stole a gulp from it before shaking himself with dishonest shivers. "I don't know how to live anymore. Everyone is just so - so - so quick to judge," Nemo cried as he fell further into his act, "you know?"

Jack looked at Poe and gave him a stabilizing look. Reagan was not one to get really involved, he just threw some money towards the Ministry every now and then and considered that to be a resolved duty to the public. He probably did not do anything in his department but show up, cast some spells, and leave. Jack doubted he had too much power, and she knew he had little to no interest.

Regardless of Poe's qualms, he burst into the act and Jack stepped forward, placing a hand on Poe's shoulder. "There, there, Morty. It's okay." She looked back at Reagan, who had this obvious look of 'how much must I pay to get this man off of me?' Jack sighed. "All of the money dumped into the fountain will go to people like Morty here, helping them get back on their feet while they deal with the emotional stuggles. Luckily, he has a job. There's a few here who don't." She pointed at Martin, who was walking by. "That fellow there was turned- also kicked in the head by a hippogriff. We refuse to use the word's 'lost cause' here but..." She sighed.

Regan squirmed and reached into his pocket. "Would you take a check?" he asked. Jack soberly nodded.

The jab that Jack had so blatantly thrown at Martin was all too much for Nemo to endure. Thus with the mention of a check being written he released Reagan from his death grip and turned his back towards the other man, simultaneously exposing his suddenly humorous facial expression to Jack. His shoulders shook with silent laughter as it tickled his struggling lungs, but the muscle twitches were easily disguised as sobs as Nemo drew his cupped palm over his mouth in a gesture that would undoubtedly be mistaken as an attempt to suppress his sniveling by Reagan.

"I need a moment," Nemo whispered, and without further ado he returned to his stool before the bar and emptied his glass. From his cheeks he mopped the crocodile tears that had pooled there and slid his spent drink towards the bartender, who stared at Nemo with bewildered eyes.

"Another vodka, my main man."

Poe suddenly, ducked away, leaving Jack with Reagan. She politely awaited the signing and Jack took the check from the man. He glanced over at Poe and fished a few galleons out of his pocket. "Get him a drink so he can pull himself together," Reagan said, looking at Poe as though he was trying to determine which planet he had beamed in from. Jack nodded and said, "Thank you, sir. Your donation is much appreciated. Enjoy the night."

She turned and looked at the check. She felt her heart briefly stop. That was a lot of zeroes. She blinked a few times and then pushed it into her pocket, making a note to deposit it to the budget. She approached Poe and clapped a hand on his back, pushing the coins to him. "That was brilliant. His donation alone makes the night worth it. Thank you so much."