When the new Department was first announced, Noah had asked Petra over dinner if she planned to stay on, or if she was going to train someone new and get away from Social Media as fast as she could.

Looking back on it, Petra understands why he would ask the question. In the moment however, she'd been a bit taken aback by it. After all, she not only intends to stay on - she'd actually been the first person to formally sign as the permanent Head of the Social Media Division of the new PR Offices. Leaving the Department of Muggle Relations was really never even an option in her mind.

But Petra does get it now, after some thought. Back when all this had started, she remembers thinking about quitting. She remembers the stress, and misery, and emotional exhaustion that came with (and still comes with) her particular role within the group. So really, it makes perfect sense that Noah would wonder if she was actually planning to stay on.

Once she has the realization, she starts thinking about why the option, obvious as it seems in retrospect, never actually crossed her mind until Noah had brought it up some days after the start of the month. She eventually gives up on trying to specifically define it - things have simply changed, and so has she, and she honestly can't even imagine working anywhere else after the bonds she's built up this year with the other Initiative members.

She's one of the first people to fill up her Division with a crew of about ten people. In addition to social media presence, Petra's team is also in charge of the marketing side of PR, on her request, of course, so she's split her employees down the middle. Five are focused fully on the new Department's online presence, while the other five are focused on marketing campaigns to continue improving relations between the two worlds. Petra currently does a lot more work with the latter group, who also are already planning extensive cooperation with Alex's Outreach Division.

It feels... natural, mostly. There are still stressful moments, and Petra isn't going to kid herself that the job is going to be happy-times smooth sailing from here on out, but she also thinks that whatever struggles she comes up against in the future, the Department and it's goals are going to be well worth pushing through them.

She voices this to Noah one evening after dinner at his flat, while they're still browsing Netflix in search of a decent-looking movie, and he grins over at her.

"That's really awesome to hear." He replies honestly. "And considering I switched jobs to join up I definitely agree. How is your team, by the way? Rosemary was whispering with Collin today but when I went over to see if she needed help she scampered back off to your section of the floor. Is there any overlap I should be aware of?"

Petra can't help the snort that escapes. "I think," She says with a grin and a bit of a blush, "That Rosemary and Collin may be a little like you and I were back at the start of the Initiative. If it gets to a point where their flirting interrupts their work we'll talk to them, but for now I think it's fine to leave it be."

Noah is blushing a bit now as well, though he's smiling nostalgically as he does. "Man, I remember being so nervous every time I saw you." He reminisces fondly. "And of course being even worse when actually asking you out."

Petra snorts. "I don't think I helped much, considering that's around when I got in trouble for spending more time with you than the comment sections." She says, fondly despite how wretched she'd felt in the actual moment of the memory. Looking back now, as the head of her own Office, she completely understands where the leaders' frustration had come from and is honestly a bit embarrassed by her own conduct at the time (even if it did lead to her current status of 'dating' which she definitely doesn't regret).

"Is that what happened? You never gave me the full story there. Was it the Undersecretary? I'd get being terrified of one of her lectures." Noah asks curiously, and Petra shakes her head.

"Department Head Morgan actually, if you can believe it." She grins. "I'd never see her that irritated before, but I get it now. I'd be annoyed at me too, especially now that I've gone through the same process that she did last year at this time."

Noah hums. "I'm honestly so glad that we're pretty much full-up now - I was getting really tired of interviews and reading applications."

Petra hums. "Tell me about it. Were we that naive a year ago? The number of people I talked to who claimed they were completely comfortable with reading all sorts of comments was honestly shocking. I'm sure some of them really are fine with the comment section, but no way it's that many people. Half the reason I hired Rosemary is she was honest about them upsetting her. She laid out how she manages reading them anyway."

Noah looks impressed. "Good on her having a system. She was your first hire, right?"

Petra nods confirmation, and they talk a bit longer about their new employees - their strengths, weaknesses, and why they'd hired each one. Petra is honestly a bit surprised by how much fun - despite the stress - the entire hiring process had been. It does certainly help that she got such a solid team out of it, of course - she knows it's been a bit of a nightmare for some people to get exactly who they need (poor Desmond had been a mess right up until the end of last week when Dean Thomas finally signed on, and she thinks Kylee still hasn't found everyone considering her continued interviews even this week).

Eventually conversation peters out into a comfortable quiet, and Petra finds her mind wandering back once again to the question of why staying on was such an obvious choice for her. She knows there is a reason her mind has shifted so completely on that question, but she's quickly realized that it was definitely a slow process. She still wants to be able to answer the question, though, since she doubts Noah is the only one wondering. 

She thinks it really started with the Archives - her time down there was always a welcome escape from the higher stresses of the job. But if that was it then she could have just applied for a position with them once everything was over. She's made some amazing friends too, of course, but Veena is leaving and it's not like she knew Noah was joining the new Department when she signed on permanently. There's Rose, of course, and Petra hums absentmindedly as she thinks of her old school friend. Rose has definitely changed a lot this year, though she's stayed the same in a lot of key ways as well. Petra is definitely not disappointed about spending more time with her old schoolmate as colleagues now.

Her mind instinctively turns towards Estelle at that - thinking on it, it was the other woman's quest to find the mole that had really marked the point where Petra didn't just survive her role, but actually started enjoying it. After all, she had been the one who found the connection between Nina and Yurina - she'd been the one to ultimately provide a lot of the material that got the woman arrested and essentially save the world (without Yurina at large, the integration process is proving a whole lot smoother than it had been).

Petranella Clark had saved the world at twenty-three years old (barely twenty-three, but it still landed a few weeks before her twenty-fourth birthday, which had just passed two weeks ago so she's counting it). How many people can claim something like that? And after accomplishing that, Heading the Social Media Office feels almost like a vacation, especially considering she actually isn't doing a lot of the worst parts of the job any more - as her own boss, she gets to choose what she actually wants to do, and what to instead relegate to her team members.

And maybe that's another big reason she's so comfortable with this new, permanent job - the flexibility. She's the one in charge, which of course comes with it's own mess of complicated rules and responsibilities she can already tell are going to cause her some grief down the line, but they're challenges she's happy to take on considering in the past her headaches came from ty bosses. She'd rather the stress come from something she actually has some control over.

She mumbles these observations to Noah, who hums thoughtfully.

"I hadn't thought of that, honestly, but it's a good point." He agrees. "I remember what you told me about your last job - it does make sense the elements of control in this one are appealing to you."

"Okay, that way of phrasing it makes me sound like a control freak, but yeah, basically." She laughs, and he nudges her playfully.

"Hey, control freak isn't a bad thing necessarily." He points out. "I think you're going to be a great boss."

Petra beams and gives him a kiss for the compliment. The rest of the evening is spent decidedly not focused on work anymore.

The next morning they head into work together, and Petra takes a little more time to appreciate how her team always checks in with her, how she gets to give them their assignments for the day, the warm pride she feels whenever they return a completed form - she picked her group well. She'll have to be careful not to let this go to her head though - she's had power-hungry superiors in the past and she'd hate to end up becoming one herself despite knowing the grief they put people through.

At lunchtime she gathers with a few of the other Initiative members to eat in the main meeting room and discuss what this last week is going to look like. It's weird to think they only have six days left before the Initiative is officially over and the new Department begins working in earnest. It's even stranger to realize that that means there are only six days left before some of the people sitting at the table around her will no longer be coming to the eighth floor for work.

Despite the fact they're supposed to be discussing the formal transfer of power to the new Office and Division Heads at the end of the week, the group ends up reminiscing instead for a majority of the lunch hour. Petra mostly talks with Veena and Miles, which of course mostly means Miles excitedly alternating between rambling about his plans for the future and trying not to cry over the fact Veena is leaving them. Petra wouldn't say it, but she honestly feels the same - now that the end is so close, she's starting to really feel the effects of Veena's increasing absence from their work.

"I can't believe it's nearly the end, though." She does admit as lunch is wrapping up. "This year has gone by really fast, but also really slowly. I'm not sure I remember what life was even like without all of you."

"Aww, Petra!" Rose coos, launching herself awkwardly across the table to try and get a hug. Petra laughs and helps pull her the rest of the way over and Rose ends up sprawled across her, Noah, and Miles' laps, grinning up at them. "That's sweet."

"She isn't incorrect about how this year has felt, though." Fergus observes idly. "Likely because of the highs and lows in terms of business - some points flew past and other dragged on forever."

They end up going over time on the lunch break, but Petra really doesn't mind, even if it is unprofessional, especially as a Division Head. And yet she's almost certain they'll do the same thing again tomorrow.

It's their last week as the Initiative, and excited as Petra is for the future, she's happy to hold onto their strange little family just a little bit longer.

Kylee recognizes how everyone else is settling in, enjoying the final week before the end of the Initiative, and she wishes that she could enjoy it along with them.

Unfortuately for her, Kylee is still unsure if she'll be staying or not come September first, so she's been in a state of perpetual stress all month that's only getting worse as August ticks by. The obvious choice, of course, is to stay on with the new Department as the Head of the Social Support Offices. She's the only person who has her level of experience, and as the one who picked out the Heads of each Division within the SSO (other than Education, obviously) it really only makes sense that she should take on the difficult position. And she honestly thinks she would have a lot of fun with the role - the problem is the other opportunity that was presented to her just before Department Head Morgan and Undersecretary Weasley had announced the new Department.

Healer Caldwell had asked Kylee to be a part of a brand new St. Mungo's team - specifically one researching magical/Muggle genetics. And Kylee knows that as much as she'd be fine working with the Department, she'd regret not taking Caldwell's offer for the rest of her natural life. And so she's spent the past four weeks hunting down people to cover her old roles in the Initiative, and overall has been successful.

Medical Integration was the easiest to cover - she'd just asked Caldwell for suggestions and found an application from a recently retired St. Mungo's trauma expert on her desk the next day. Jun Hanamori is a short man in his fourties with a wrinkle-lined face that speaks of both great sorrow and great joy, and he proved very adept at taking up his new mantle so Kylee has mostly been leaving him to handle it, especially as her other two replacements need a little more hand holding, albeit for different reasons.

Baylee has, of course, volunteered to head the Beasts and Beings Safety Division, but with an increased amout of interacting with actual people she's needed some personal training on leadership and communication. It's not that Baylee is necessarily bad at those things, of course, it's more that she's not used to those things being a good nintey percent of her job, and Kylee really doesn't want her sister calling Instagram Influencers "raging, brain dead, death seekers" in front of said influencers and their fans. It just wouldn't be a good look, no matter how accurate she privately thinks the definition is in a lot of cases.

The new head of Banking Interests is a Muggle man who's an incredibly polite thirty-something quite open to learning, but has zero experience with magic outside of watching the news in the past year, so he requires even more personal attention than Baylee does. Kylee has done her best to introduce him to contacts at Gringotts (thank goodness he's gay so Fleur was able to help out on that front) and generally introduce him to wizarding culture in the two weeks he's been on the team, but he's definitely not ready to be sent off on his own yet and Kylee is becoming increasingly aware that, regret or not, she may not really have a choice at the end of the day. If no one but her can be Head of Social Support, then she has to take the job - she'd be letting down the literal world otherwise, and after how hard they'd all fought to keep humanity intact it would be rather poor form to quit now.

Still... she's still hunting for a replacement, even with mere days left before the end of it all and increasing pressure from Department Head Morgan to sign on with the Department properly. This entire year has been jam packed with lucky breaks and last-minute turns in their favor, and maybe Kylee is hoping the universe will give her one more miracle that will let her pursue her dream job without letting down her team.

But with only three days left, she thinks she may just have to accept her fate. In one last-ditch effort she decides to come clean to Department Head Morgan - maybe, worst case, they could work something out that would allow Kylee to at least consult with Healer Caldwell's new team?

She knows it's likely a vain hope - Head duties, even when it's only for an Office, are intense. She almost definitely won't have the free time for another job on top of that one, but she's trying to cling to whatever silver linings she can come up with until reality inevitably yanks them all away. Sighing she stands up and walks over to the Head's office - may as well get this over with first thing this morning, that way she can spend the afternoon reshuffling and properly preparing to take on her new position.

Department Head Morgan looks surprised when Kylee lets herself into the older woman's office, and Kylee does have a moment of realization that she really, probably should have set up a proper meeting instead of just barging in, but it's too late now and the Department Head is waving her over with a frown.

"Is everything alright Kylee?" She asks, and Kylee takes an uncertain breath in to stall for just a bit more time.

"Well..." She says, unsure of how to even begin - she's realizing that her request is rather selfish, now that she's actually here, and maybe this was a terrible idea but she's here now and she may as well take a chance. She takes a deep breath. "Well I actually wanted to talk to you about the Head position I've been offered here."

She stumbles a bit in her explanation, taking only nervous glaces up every so often to try and gague how dissapointed Department Head Morgan is but finding only a neutral mask. When Kylee finishes speaking, they end up sitting in silence for nearly a minute as Morgan, presumably, processes the situation.

"I do wish you had told me all this sooner." She finally say, and Kylee ducks in shame because, yeah, that's fair. Kylee had just hoped she'd be able to sort things out herself, which in retrospect had obviously turned out horribly. She tries to apologize, but Mrs. Morgan keep speaking. "However, I may be able to help you nonetheless. Give me the rest of the morning, and then return here after lunch. In the meantime, I do need you to act as though you'll be staying on past the end of the week, in case my hunch doesn't pay off."

Kylee nods mutely, a little bit shocked. The Department Head hadn't said much, but it sounds like Kylee might be able to take Caldwell's offer full-stop, no strings attached. Which is... way better than she'd expected walking in just under an hour ago.

She wanders back to her desk, determined to get plenty of work done before lunch - even if things don't work out the fact Morgan is trying at all makes Kylee want to do as much as she possibly can in thanks. The morning ends up being one of her most productive all month, and her team definitely notices (though only Baylee comments on it because of course she does).

She takes lunch with her sister regardless, and confesses everything going on once they're settled in the Ministry cafeteria.

Baylee looks sympathetic, but she also smacks Kylee over the head as best she can from across the table. "You really shouldn't have sat on this for so long." She scolds. "But I'm sorry you're in this position anyway - I never even realized you hadn't officially signed on yet!" She takes a moment to consume a bite of food before continuing. "The offer with Mungo's is amazing though, I can see you having a ton of fun with that."

"It's only exactly the thing I've been most curious about my entire life, yeah." Kylee agrees, and then chuckles. "Okay, that was a wreck of a sentence, Des would be horrified."

Baylee laughs. "Oh, speaking of Desmond, did you hear he's engaged now?"

It's a very abrupt change of topic, and Kylee already suspects where this is going, but she decides it's only fair to humor her twin. After all, she had said they could talk about this once the whole end-of-the-world problem was resolved, which it tentatively has been for nearly a month now. "I have heard, and I'm glad for it too - he and Estelle had some issues back at the start of the Initiative, so I'm glad it all worked out for them."

"So how's your love life then?" Baylee inquires with a far too innocent grin, and Kylee has to admit she's a bit startled by the question - she'd thought Baylee would at least pretend this wasn't the whole point of the conversation.

Still, she can only laugh. "Same as ever Bay - have you seen how busy we've been this month? And before you tell me that's not an excuse, I have literally not seen Tristan in months, so even if I wanted to ask him out I wouldn't have had the opportunity."

"Well here's one now!" Her twin says brightly, and then begins waving at someone over Kylee's shoulder. "Tristan! Hey loser, come sit with us!" She shouts, and Kylee has to work hard to resist burying her face in her arms at the childish display. She will not sink to her sister's level.

She does turn to look at where her sister is flailing, and finds that Tristan Morgan is, sure enough walking away from the buffet line and towards their table. He catches her eye and offers a small smile, that she returns warmly. Just because her twin is being embarrassing doesn't mean Kylee won't be polite.

Tristan takes the open seat next to her, and Baylee's grin is wicked. "So how are things going with the Aurors?" She asks innocently, and Tristan shrugs as he begins eating.

"Back to normal, I suppose." He offers. "Which is a bit strange after how messy this whole year was."

Kylee hums agreement. "I can only imagine - we're still as hectic as ever on the eighth floor." She offers, if only because she can see Baylee barely restraining a less appropriate comment. "Though a different kind of hectic than before." She adds with a smile.

Tristan laughs. "I bet that's a relief! Are you staying on with the new Department?" He asks, and Kylee debates whether or not to explain the whole complicated situation. When she realizes her options are that or letting her sister start making obvious dating innuendos, she launches into yet another explanation of her dilemma.

"Luckly, Mrs. Morgan might have a solution for me after lunch." She concludes with a sigh. "I just feel increasingly terrible about not bringing this up with anyone sooner."

"You were trying to handle things yourself - that's the mark of an Office Head." Tristan offers. "Plus, it sounds like doing things yourselves is sort of the default attitude among the former Initiative members, at least based on what I've heard from Estelle about her fiancé. You guys are used to being the sole person in charge of your areas, so it's natural to try and sort things out alone before going to the Department Head." 

Kylee blinks. "I... hadn't thought of it like that, but you may be right." She acknowledges after a moment of thought. "It still doesn't excuse how long this took - Office Head behavior is also recognizing when you need to rely on your team to accomplish something. I've always worked best as a team member rather than a leader."

Tristan shrugs. "I don't know, I think you'd make an amazing leader." He offers, and then turns a bit red. Kylee shoots Baylee a look and finds her sister's eyes are practically sparkling from excitement.

She sighs. "Alright, before Baylee explodes, I guess I should ask if you want to grab a coffee sometime soon?"

Tristan blinks at her, then at Baylee, and then at her again, apparently lost for words. After a moment he clears his throat. "I mean... I'd love to, if that's actually what you want, but if you're only asking because of the brat then I don't want you to be pressured."

It's Kylee's turn to blink, and then laugh slightly. "Oh, um, no, I really am interested. I like talking to you, and wouldn't mind doing it when certain people aren't staring intesely Baylee." She says to her sister pointedly. Baylee has the nerve to merely laugh.

"Told you you'd get on. But I apologize for pushing, for what it's worth. I just figured you'd prefer this over me attempting to manipulate meet-cutes." Baylee offers, obviously entirely unrepentant despite her words.

Tristan rolls his eyes. "Good to know you haven't changed at all since school." He snarks, and just like that the two of them are off, leaving Kylee to just listen in amusement and allow herself the momentary distraction from her incredibly stressful situation.

She and Tristan stay a bit longer in the cafeteria than Baylee does to actually set up their date (Sunday at eleven in the morning - Kylee promises to tell Tristan how things pan out with the two job opportunities), after which Kylee nervously returns to the eighth floor and heads straight over to Mrs. Morgan's office.

She knocks twice and actually waits to be called in. When she steps through the door she's surprised to find that Mrs. Morgan isn't alone, and she can't help a swelling of hope in her chest - did Mrs. Morgan manage it?

The Department Head in question smiles. "Kylee, good. This is my sister-in-law Wyniteg. I've explained the entire situation to her and she says she'll be happy to take on your Office, provided you take an additional month part-time to help her get settled in. I'm not sure what that would look like with Caldwell, but that's up to you and her to discuss."

Kylee can only beam. "Of course! I'll owl her right now - Wyniteg, would you like to come meet the team?"

Mrs. Morgan's sister-in-law turns out to be a perfect fit from day one - she's personable, clever, and clearly has prior leadership experience, though when asked about her employment she just shrugs and says it would take too long to list everything she's ever done.

"I was abroad for a few years too, right around the last war luckily enough, so I can speak a few different languages to boot."

The four Division Heads (including Dean Thomas from Education) are all sitting around the Social Support meeting table swapping stories with their new head, while Desmond and Kylee keep to the side, simply observing.

"I think we're leaving things in good hands." Kylee observes to him quietly, and Desmond smiles over at her.

"I think we are." He agrees warmly, and Kylee beams back at him.

All in all, she thinks things have worked out perfectly - it can only go up from here.

Alex doesn't technically have to come in on the thirty-first, as he's already fully moved into his new office and they aren't doing any actual work that day. Rather, Saturday is going to be a sort of low-key goodbye party for the half of the Initiative that isn't staying on permanently with the new Department.

A year ago Alex knows he would have had no problem being one of the people walking away - had, in fact, fully intended to be done with all this as soon as he was allowed to be - but now he's found himself put in charge of the PR Outreach Division and he honestly only took a day to really think it over before signing Mrs. Morgan's contract. And just like that he has a nine-to-five job with the Ministry of Magic despite being a Squib and a high school drop out. A year ago he'd have probably been disgusted if someone told him this is where he would end up due to his involvement with the Initiative.

Now? Now he's willingly going to work on a day he doesn't have to because he's honestly going to miss some of the idiots he's gotten to know in the past year, and he also wants to make sure he introduces himself to the new kids (ignoring he's still the youngest Department member) who are all officially coming in today to prepare for the Department's first real day of operation tomorrow.

He nods to the new greeter as he passes her, and she grins and waves at him in return. He's a bit late, but he's not too worried about that - honestly he wonders how many people don't actually expect him to show up.

The eighth floor is already bustling when he steps off the lift, and he finds himself suddenly tackled into a hug mere moments after he steps onto the floor.

"Alex! You're here!" Miles says brightly as Alex manages to extract himself from the unexpected embrace.

"Um, yeah, and I'll be back tomorrow and so will you, so what the dude? A little personal space wouldn't kill you." Alex points out.

Miles pouts. "I guess. We didn't think you'd come though, so that's worth celebrating!"

Alex rolls his eyes. "Don't make me regret that decision." He warns, though honestly he's not too annoyed - it is Miles, after all, so the behavior isn't exactly unexpected.

"Miles, breathing room. Hi Alex." Veena appears shortly after, looking vaugely amused by her partner - former partner, Alex corrects himself mentally. "Good to see you out today."

"Yes, well, after the year we've had I figure a proper goodbye is warranted." He offers. "I presume you're going to be back to your writing tomorrow?"

Veena hums. "And working at the Potions Shop." She confirms. "I'll obviously miss you guys, but I can't say I have any regrets about leaving - all this has been a lot."

Alex snorts. "Understatement of the year, I think." He says wryly, and Veena laughs as well.

"Fair enough. I won't hold you up, I'm just wrangling this kid. Go say hi to everyone else - there are plenty of new people settling in today, and it might be your only chance to meet the ones from outside your Office."

Alex acknowledges the comment and watches Veena hurry after Miles as he latches himself onto yet another person, though he doesn't actually have any intention of talking to the new people. He's here to bid farewell to the old team - he honestly couldn't care less about the new people coming in, as he'll only need to actually work with the people he's already met in the past month.

But Veena isn't the only one leaving, and with how Miles is bouncing around the floor he's sure he'll run into the former Face again before the end of the morning. So he looks around for any other familiar faces, eventually making his way over to where Fergus is sat with Terrence Boot rifling through several files.

"Working right up until the end? Isn't today supposed to be paperwork free?" He asks once he's in earshot of the two men, and Fergus offers a small smile as he glances up.

"Just ensuring everything is in order." Fergus says. "Terry, you've met Alex, correct? He's heading the Outreach Division of PR - you two may have cause to work together in the future."

Boot - Terry? - grins and rises, offering Alex a handshake. "We've spoken briefly before, but never one-on-one. Good to meet you Alex. We've got a few programs in the works that we definitely wouldn't mind coordinating with your team on when they're closer to their completion stages."

Alex raises an eyebrow as he accepts the handshake. "Is that so? I admit, I'd be curious to know what exactly those projects are." He honestly hadn't thought his team would have to work with anyone else outside of the other PR Divisions. After all, he's exclusively focused on external interactions with non-Ministry entities, so he'd been assuming the rest of the Ministry Offices wouldn't be particularly relevant to his team's work. Apparently he was incorrect on that front.

Terry grins. "Well you'll definitely get a full run-down in the next few weeks as we get our smaller groups set up and they get their game plans solidified. A few of the team leaders have already been assigned, and they should be around here..." He trails off, frowning slightly as he scans the room.

Alex quickly shakes his head before Terry can start calling people over - he really doesn't plan on staying past lunch. He just wants to bie farewell to the half of the Initiative that's leaving today.

"It's fine, we can discuss details this week." He says. "I just wanted to say a quick goodbye to Fergus - it was good meeting you this year."

Fergus's smile is a bit tired, but Alex can't really blame him for that considering, well, everything that's gone on. Fergus especially has had a lot to do in the past month, and he's certain the older man is probably relieved to finally be passing things along to Terry so he can get back to his real job. "It was good meeting you too Alex - I'm sure we'll still see each other around, considering I do still work in the Ministry."

Alex hums, and ends up pulled into a short conversation with the two about the shifting power balance within the Ministry in light of both integration and Finn's betrayal. It's interesting, but not enough to hold his attention for too long, and as soon as he spots another person he needs to bid farewell to he excuses himself from the chat.

"Hey Kylee." He greets, and she spins around in surprise before smiling at him.

"Hey Alex, I didn't think you'd come today. It's good to see you though, though I'm sure we'll still cross paths sometimes in the next month."

Alex hums. "Maybe, but I'd still rather say goodbye now in case that doesn't happen. Your group and mine probably won't be interacting all that much, at least at the outset." He points out, and Kylee hums slightly in agreement.

"Fair enough I suppose - at the very least I will mostly be working with Wyniteg, so chances are pretty slim I'll see much of you guys." She looks a bit disappointed at the realization. "Well, goodbye then, I guess? It's actually been good getting to know you this year."

He snorts when she realizes what she'd said, and waves off her immediate attempt to apologize. "It's fine, I'm surprised myself at how... not awful this year has been. In terms of you guys, not everything else."

She offers a smile. "Fair enough. Still, you'll be hanging out with Baylee, right? So we can see each other outside of work sometimes."

Alex agrees uncertainly - sure he likes his coworkers now, but seeing them outside work feels... weird. Well, he'll cross that bridge if he comes to it. For now he bids Kylee farewell and begins looking around to see if he's missed anybody.

Desmond catches his eye and waves him over to where he and Dean Thomas are seated with who Alex assumes are the rest of the Education Division. He wanders over, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he goes. It's only now that he's realizing he's the only person from the original Specialization team who's actually staying on - the other three are all returning to their own jobs after this.

"Hey Alex, you've not met the team yet, have you? Guys, this is Alex Zhang, he's head of Outreach over in PR." Desmond says brightly. Alex only half listens as he's given the names of the other people at the table - he really doubts he'll need to know anyone other than Thomas from this Division, and he's only over here to say goodbye to Desmond anyway, not to make new friends.

He shares a few pleasantries - Desmond actually has the next week off before school starts the following Monday - before excusing himself, spotting Landon and Rose chatting with another familiar face he hadn't expected to see.

"Aren't you the reporter?" He asks, and Celine Yang spins around in surprise before grinning.

"I was, but I actually work here now with Petra." She says. "Just finished my last report for the Telegraph yesterday! I'm looking forward to working with you in the future."

Alex mumbles something that could be a 'you too' before redirecting his focus to Landon. Despite them having not really interacted much, Alex figures he may as well say goodbye to everyone leaving - and Landon had been a pretty big part of keeping things afloat, so it's probably warranted anyway.

"So is today your last day too then?" He asks, but is surprised when Landon shakes his head.

"One more month for me, actually. I have to finish the transfer paperwork and get everything formally approved, though it is all just a formality at this point." He explains. "So I'll be back tomorrow in a smaller role, just helping out where I'm needed until my official transfer."

"So basically still helping Rose?" Alex guesses and said Political Head smacks him playfully.

"Hush you. Have you met our new team yet? We'll probably be working together - don't give me that face politics is involved in everything." Rose grins at him. "Come meet everyone, and try to not look to angry, some of the younger kids are skittish."

Alex won't admit it, but it's actually kind of fun following Rose around to be introduced to the Political team, who are, for some reason, scattered throughout the Department instead of clustered in their own offices like everyone else is. He supposes enjoying himself is better than the alternative, considering if Rose is correct he'll have to deal with these people as well as the PR teams in the future. By the time she's done dragging him around it's nearly lunchtime, and he's about ready to split and take the rest of his day off.

He does wave to Veena and give her a proper goodbye, but just as he turns to head out he spots one more familiar face.

Allison Myers from Games and Sports is talking animatedly to Fergus, and without thinking Alex finds his feet turned towards her and walking him over. She doesn't notice him at first, but Fergus does and raises an eyebrow, pausing the conversation.

"Is everything alright Alex? You didn't forget something?" He checks, and Alex shakes his head as Allison finally turns around and sees him. Her smile is shy.

"Oh, hi Alex! I guess we'll be coworkers from now on." She says, giving an awkward half-bow and immediately turning a bit red and starting to fidget with the hem of her blouse. "I'm working with Mr. Boot here in Transportation now!"

He clears his throat as an annoyingly amused Fergus wanders away from them. "Um, yeah, that's cool." He says after a moment. "You, um, working on that broom stuff?"

She nods, some of her nerves fading in favor of excitedly talking about her pet project (though he supposes now it's part of her primary occupation). She's gotten a bit further than where she'd been the last time they'd spoken, and he comments on it which causes her to blush again.

"Oh, wow, um, yeah, I have." She confirms. "I didn't think you'd remember, honestly. I tend to ramble about this stuff."

"Well it's really interesting, so. Yeah." He offers. Good lord, why is he being so damn awkward? He may not know Allison super well, but they'd gotten along well in the past - he's being pathetic. Mentally berating himself, he changes direction. "Actually, I'd love to hear more about it, if you like? I know you probably still need to finish moving into your office, but it is lunch, and I know a pretty nice little café not too far from the Ministry entrance, if you're interested?"

Her blush deepens, but her smile widens. "Um, yeah! Yeah, I think that sounds nice." She agrees quickly, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face.

As they head for the lifts (and yes Alex subtly flips Rose off when she makes kissy faces at them), Alex can't deny the warm contentment that's seeping through him.

It's been a long year - but he thinks that the future is looking bright.

Author's Note: And that's the end! It's been a bumpy ride, but things are looking up towards the future :) We'll just ignore that COVID is about to hit these folks in a few months and let them have their happy ending xD I want to thank everyone who's stuck through this story, including all the silent readers! I hope you guys have enjoyed this little ride~

But this is also more than just an end to UFF. On August 27, 2017 I officially opened my first long-form story in the Harry Potter universe - Hogwarts: a History. The story itself was something of an impulsive creation, though the concept itself was one I'd toyed with plenty in the past, and on the rainy day that I opened it I never could have imagined what it would become. At first I planned to stick to the 10-ish chapter story length I'd held for my past stories and only focus on the kids' first year at Hogwarts. Of course, that ended up spiralling into a 50 chapter story covering all seven years and two sequels, each over 50 chapters. Four years and a day ago the History of Magic trilogy started, and I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. A lot has happened in that time, and I'm not the same girl who sat down at her kitchen table on a stormy day that August, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I've grown as a writer, of course, but it would be a lie to say I haven't also grown a lot as a person through these stories. Growing up with these characters - some from all the way back at the start and some who only joined us in the final year - has been such a massive part of my life, during some of the toughest parts of it, and saying goodbye now is a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, I'm so, so proud to have completed this trilogy, the biggest project I've ever completed in my life, and I know these characters have a bright future in front of them. On the other... well, it's hard to put into words. I think the best way to sum it up is to simply say that I've been feeling numb all week, and now as I'm writing this I can't seem to stop crying. This story, and all of you, have been such massive supports in my life, and while I know it's time to move on to the next project, and the next phase of my life, it's hard to let go. Four years is a long time, and this world, these kids, they've become so, so important to me. I'm going to miss them. I don't think I can say more than that.

Here's to the next adventure, may it be as magical as what's come before.