Letting the Cat Out of the Bag ((Pyro))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

"Your wand, Ms. Blackfire," the ministry guard stood in front of Cassandra patiently with his hand held out. "I'm sorry. Just a moment," Cass searched through her over large red bag. She kept murmuring apologies until she finally extracted her wand from the very bottom. She smiled uncomfortably as the guard weighed the small piece of wood in front of her. After the guard took all the necessary information from it, he handed the wand back to Cass and sent her on her way. The ministry foyer seemed almost empty in the middle of the day. Her black heels clicked loudly against the marble floor as she headed towards the elevator. Cassandra couldn't help but look around in wonder. This was the first time she had actually been inside the ministry as a visitor on business. It was different coming in like a full fledged adult trying to handle important business.

Technically, Cass had been considered an adult in the wizarding world for several months, and she really should of come and done this sooner. As an animagus, she was required to register with the ministry, and since she did most of her training with McGonogall at Hogwarts, there was no way she was going to get out of it. The professor had told Cassandra the day she left Hogwarts that she would need to complete this task before she returned to school. It was her duty as a witch to abide by the law of the wizarding world, and this was one of the most important. Harking back on those words, Cass couldn't help but feel intimidated. She wished her mother or father were here to hold her hand as she took this important step. Unfortunately, they were not, and Cass would have to do this on her own.

She stood in front of the elevator waiting for the car to come. It seemed to be taking forever. One of the toes of her black heels began to tap impatiently on the floor as the girl looked at her watch. It was nearly one, and her appointment was at one thirty. Most people would think that was plenty of time to get to there appointment, but not Cassandra. She was a time freak,and hated showing up late to anything. This was a very important day, and there was no way she would mess it up by being late. People were beginning to gather around Cassandra in her black pant suit. With all the ministry witches and wizards around her, she seemed to blend in with the crowd. Cass looked like she belonged among the throng of people.

The elevator soon arrived and she stepped in. Looking at the map she had retrieved from a clear bin that had appeared outside of the telephone booth she had taken into the ministry, she devised that she needed to be on the third floor. At about the same moment, the elevator door opened to the second floor. Several witches in purple and black robes stepped off into the corridor laughing loudly. The elevator seemed to get quieter almost instantaneously. The doors closed again and the elevator began to move. She bit her lip nervously as the door slid open to reveal the third floor. Exhaling loudly, she stepped out into the empty hallway with as much confidence she could muster.

Cassandra pulled out her map once again. "Okay, according to this, the registration office should be right here in front of me....Oh!" Cass looked up to see the office right in front of her. She shoved the map into her bag, took the large golden handle in her hand, and opened the door. The room was filled with golden light as sunlight crept through the windows. The girl had expected a very bustling office with tons of witches running around on important business, but there was only an old, solitary man sitting behind an oak desk. The man smiled and looked up at Cass. "Registering? Good. Good. We haven't had a true animagus come into the office in a long time." Cass was taken aback. "Don't be shy, child. Come and sign in." She did as she was told and sat down on a bench against the wall. How did he know what she was here for? She had thought that all classification that required registration had to come to this office. How did he know she was an animagus. She decided it didn't matter and didn't ask any questions. Sitting back, she waited for her name to be called.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

“Mr. Blackfire, I just wanted to thank you again for your generous donation.” Spoke the portly head of the Auror department. Pyro was forced to endure another five minute long hand shake filled with countless back slaps that Pyro truly believed would leave a permanent impression on his back. Pyro had to fight back a groan as he noticed the goon from the Daily Prophet with his camera heading over again. “It seems that the camera loves us tonight Mr. Blackfire.” Said the man again as he sucked Pyro into his side and turned them to face the camera. Pyro was forced to put on his smile once again as he was blinded by the giant flash of the camera.

This entire thing was starting to make him nauseas. The entire Auror office had been set up for the party. Most of the big wigs of the Ministry were here to celebrate the occasion. Most of them just wanted to be included in the pictures to help themselves feel more important. Pyro hated these kinds of parties. Stuck in this stuffy room all day, eating crappy food, and pretending to care about these people. As if he actually donated money to this awful department cause he cared. Pyro had to suppress his grin as he stared at the current head of the department. Aside from Pyro, he was the only other occupant in the room who knew the truth behind the donation.

The department would be free to spend the money however it wanted, new Aurors, or a better office, but now Pyro held the power. If an Auror ever began to sniff to closely on one of Pyro’s operations all Pyro had to do was send a single owl to this man reminding him of this donation and the problem would be quickly taken care off.

Pyro quickly extricated his hand from the man’s grasp and put some space between them. “Well, I’m sure that my services are no longer required today. Enjoy the donation, I’m sure your department will put it to good use in putting away dark Wizards.” Pyro eyed the man quickly, reminding just exactly what the donation was for and then quickly spun away and exited the room. Pyro moved quickly down the hall, he didn’t want anyone else to side track him. He just wanted to get out of this damn building.

He was almost to the lifts when he happened to glance into a side door and noticed a familiar face. Pyro stopped and looked into the waiting room at Cassandra sitting in one of the chairs. Pyro looked up at the sign near the door, Animagus Registration office. Pyro arched an eyebrow and entered the office and moved near Cass and sat down in the chair next to her. “So, big day?” He asked simpy.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Big day? That was the understatement of the decade. "I guess you could say that." She exhaled loudly and let her head sag against the wall behind her. "I'm just playing the waiting game now. It's been a stressful couple of weeks. McGonogall and the new transfiguration teacher spent the last two weeks of school trying to get me to finalize my transformation. It was rough, but I finally got it done on the last day. It's not perfected, but they are making me get registered before I return to school." She turned her head and looked at her cousin. "They think my lessons are pretty much over. I will have to learn to manipulate it myself." She smiled at him. It seemed weird having a normal conversation with him. No one would of known just by looking at them that they had just mended fences after a two year long batter. Without thinking about it, she took her left hand and pushed the hair out of her face. She was still wearing Julian's ring.

"What are you doing here today? I'm assuming it involves some sort of palm greasing, right? It seems like you are stepping into Charles shoes well. Who are you having to keep quiet this time about my recent escapades?" Cass smiled warmly at her jest. She had been relatively good as of late. For once, Pyro probably wasn't trying to hide her existence from the rest of the pureblood families. "I saw you in the Prophet yesterday. Who's idea was it to give that much money to St. Mungos? I'm assuming your mothers." Cass was incredibly uncomfortable in suit, and it was starting to show. She was trying to look professional, but she was feeling like failure at it. "Next time you do that, let me know. We can right a joint check together. I think I'm growing out of the whole sticking it to the family name thing. Maybe it is time for me to grow up and be a good pureblood. What do you think? Can't you see me married off to a good pureblood family with a couple of kids?"

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro leaned back his head as he listened to Cassie speak. He had known about her Animagus classes ever since she had started them those many years ago, but he hadn’t stayed up on her schedule so he didn’t know how far along she was. This was a nice refresher course, it sure beat having to sit and watch her progress these past few years. Not that he would have really cared back then. Pyro couldn’t help but chuckle a little as he thought back to those days. “You know, when you started taking lessons we still didn’t know that we were related. Wow, a lot has happened since then.”

Pyro couldn’t help but chuckle a little again as he thought about what life would be like with Cass as a fully registered and operating Animagus. “Well, than I believe some congratulations are in order. So what exactly is my sweet cousin going to turn into? A monkey? A goat? Oh wait! I know, it’s a Lion isn’t it? Gotta have some of that Gryffindor pride.” Pyro turned to look at Cass and noticed her pushing her hair away from her face. A small glint drew his eyes towards a ring on her finger. Usually Pyro wouldn’t give it a second glance but this time he was forced to do a double take.

Was that the Fallon family insignia that he had just seen on the ring? It couldn’t be, Pyro wanted to look again but Cass had already lowered her hand and the ring was beyond site. Pyro shook the incident from his mind, there was no way that Cassandra, the resident Gryffindor would be wearing the ring of a rich pureblood Slytherin family.

Pyro couldn’t dwell on it that much anyway since Cass quickly spun the topic to him. Pyro took the jabs in stride and merely grinned at Cass. Though when she compared him with Charles that smile was quickly removed from his face. “I’m nothing like my father. My father was a weak man and he did nothing but shut himself in his study and send out owls to do his business. I, on the other hand actually get out and do stuff, not to mention that I’ve managed to triple the Blackfire family’s wealth and power since my father passed away.”

Pyro couldn’t help but grin a little again as he thought back to the days when he had to pay a lot of people to keep Cass’s escapades a secret. “Actually, today’s events didn’t involve your or anything that you’re doing at the moment. I have to say that the days of me trying to cover up anything you do are over. Actually, the idea was all mine, I figure it was time for the Blackfire family to start branching out and networking in the world.” Pyro arched an eyebrow. “Joint check? And exactly how much of this check will fall on me to cover with my own expenses?”

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

"Lion?" Cass wrinkled her nose. "Hardly. That would be a little too predictible, wouldn't it? No, no, I've got a cooler form than that. Unfortunately, it doesn't really blend in with a crowd. Just so you know, if you see a very large black cat heading towards you in Diagon Alley one afternoon, don't call animal control. I don't think I could deal with being fixed, if you know what I mean," Cass chuckled at her little joke, but the laugh faded quick enough when Pyro decided to stroke his own ego about the family fortune. He didn't need to gloat in front of her. "That's good, I guess, but money isn't everything. It hasn't bought me any happiness, but it while buy you some influence." Cass only sighed when Pyro jabbed at her about the St. Mungos check. "None really. I have plenty of money actually. I have made a lot of money off my clothing line." She didn't want Pyro to know how much she got after her mother died. In fact, she knew that Pyro thought he had gotten it all after her mother's death.

"So, I have I really been that boring as of late? I haven't made your life a teensy bit difficult it seems. Oh well, I guess it's back to the drawing board." She rubbed her chin acting like she was deep in though. "How in the world am I going to shock you this time? I guess I could hook up with a house elf. That would surely send shivers down your spine." She looked at how coyly. "Damnit, I'm running out of ideas. Maybe I'm growing up. What are you going to do if I'm not making your life a living hell? It will be so boring."