(Staff Room) Alone with her thoughts...

[Illyana Deitrich]

Illyana Deitrich was never one for company. She'd much rather spend time alone with no-one to distract her from her thoughts. This preference was not weakened at all by her new found power.

The snivelling junior ministers that came to pester her in her other office would not bother her here. It was too much hassle to get to Hogwarts and when they arrived they would have to explain themselves to the Headmaster. Anyone wanted to gain favour from Illyana was unlikely to want to talk to the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Illyana still did not understand why every Headteacher of Hogwarts she could think of had been an oponent of the Ministry. Not all were outspoken, quite a few were like the present holder of the title; inquisitive and weary.

Her search was not going well and she was beyond tired. She was using spells everyday that had a huge strain on her. She understood now why Dr Bunchington had used a potion of unicorn's blood to sustain him. Illyana was substantially younger than Munchy but the strain of doing such powerful spells had aged her.

For too long Illyana had been doing all her own dirty work. Now that she was the mistress at the strings of the puppet government she thought she could delegate some of the more tiring tasks to loyal junior ministers. He only problem was she didn't know who the loyal ministers were.


Slowly Illyana unbuckled the clasps keeping the strange battle armor on her torso. The armor was bewitched to reflect minor cures and hexes and proved useful when Illyana knew she would come under fire.

She had just returned from a minor fracas at the newly created Ministry of Social Correction office. Some of the inmates - oponents of the new reforms - had tried to rebel against the gaurds. Illyana had imediatly been informed and had flown to the site by broomstick. a few heavy curses later (a number of which were Illyana's own creation) order was restored.

Once the restrictive armor had been removed Illyana once again set herself to the task of searching through documents and maps for any information about the object that was now so close to her heart.

Mere moments after starting her work Illyana stood up from her desk. She was sure she had heard a sound outside her room.
"Come out." She ordered feably. "Show yourself... By order of the Ministry of Magic!"

[Jerred Boneman]

Jerred slowly opened the door and stuck his head in, smiling wearily at the Minister. He stepped into the room fully and stood with his hands behind his backs, trying to act punctual in front of the most powerful witch in the world.

'I was going to knock, you know?' Jerred said, his demeanour changing but not the way he spoke to anyone. 'It's rude that you order me to do something because I don't want to snoop around here... not when you're here... Your underlings are quite fun to even when they are working...' Jerred shook his head and coughed, raising his hand in a polite gesture.

'I have come here to report to you about a person whom you thought was dead, but is alive. I have seen this man with my own eyes, though you may not believe me. I am also willing to go through any amount of torture you have planned to get the absolue truth from me... That is if you do torture people to get stuff you want... Do you do that by the way?' Jerred said, continuing on after he went on about nothing.

((Hopefully this doesn't really matter to you but it may in some of the schemes...))

[Illyana Deitrich]

Illyana was oddly pleased with the boy standing in front of her. He had enough gall to stand in front of her and speak in such a... self believing way.

"Sit down." Illyana barked at the boy as she cunjured a chair from nothingness. "Don't worry... I haven't tortured anyone for quite a while. However if needed, I can and will." Illyana was smiling an odd smile.

Illyana touched her wand to the desk in front of her and drew a bottle and some glasses from nothingness.

"Butterbeer?" Illyana asked as she poured Jerred a glass and handed it to him.

"Who is it then, boy? I do not much care for being held in the dark. If I don't believe you... well then... its not quite something to thinkabout."

[Jerred Boneman]

'Thank you.' Jerred said, taking the butterbeer in a kindly manner. He took a sip and sighed after taking it, feeling slightly refreshed.

'Oh, it's just a rumour I've heard from a few Gryffindors but I fear that they may actually be truth behind it, some of the Hufflepuffs believe it as well. He is our former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor... Professor... Professor... Professor Addis!!' Jerred said, actually forgetting the name of the man who had died only the year before. 'Yeah! Professor Addis. It's strange, he's dead but walking around Hogsmeade with nothing better to do then spy on your Ministers. I wonder if he wants to kill them...'

Jerred took another sip of the butterbeer and smiled behind the glass, knowing he had totally contradicted himself but he wondered if the old bat would fall for it, the man was surely dead, wasn't he?

[Illyana Deitrich]

Illyana opened her mouth to speak and then stopped, in the end all that came out was an odd breathy groan.

She had almost made the mistake of saying that it was impossible for Professor Addis to be walking around if he was dead. The only trouble is Illyana knew all too well that death was not as final as people believed, or in her case, hoped.

A number of times now Illyana had faced inferi and once she had the pleasure of arriving to late to a resurection using unicorn's blood and a lot of dark magic. Needless to say Illyana had swiftly dispatched any inferi that came her way and the resurected woman and her dark magic companions.

What was another person risen from the dead? Illyana thought. There is little now I cannot face.

"I am, odd as it is to say to a teenager, inclined to believe you." Illyana began, smiling at the boy. "It is not too odd to think of the dead rising again, nor is it odd to believe that the man was never dead in the first place."

"I will of course need evidence, and, seeing as I am far too busy to find it myself I trust you will find it for me." Illyana smiled again. "However, evidence of such a thing is often hard to find... you will have you use a certain aspect of genius to find any."

Illyana's smiled was softy moulding into an odd leer. "I am always happy to... provide for those who help me in such a way, perhaps when you return with evidence we can discuss a reward."

As an idea dawned in her head Illyana drew a piece of parchment from the air and began to write on it. Illyana always found writing more difficult than speaking; it was harder to translate from her Russian thoughts to English words on paper than outloud.

"You may come across a few problems during the course of your investigation. If anyone queeries your right to ask questions show them this."

The paper read:

By order of Illyana A Deitrich the holder of this parchment, Jerred Boneman, has the authority to question any individual and investigate any part of Hogwarts property.

[Jerred Boneman]

Jerred was shocked to hear her words about how she believed him. He looked at her, wide eyed and mouth hanging open. No one ever believed a farfetched story about a man, who was meant to be dead, alive. He sat there and nodded his head for no other reason other than he just could.

'THank you for believing me.' He said quietly. He then watched her draw a piece of paper out of the air and saw her write on it, his eyes following her hand, moving swiftly across the paper as his smile widened. He sat there looking at the paper and froze. He was to search for Prof Addis!? How could he do it? Question the Hufflepuffs? Question any person who once had contact with the man?

'I accept the responsibility, Minister.' Jerred said, hands shaking as he sat there and said he would do it, though one part of his mind told him he was doing the wrong thing.