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0810 The Immigration Office
🕑 Added 2025-08-17 12:22:11 +0000 UTCAfter delivering a polite series of knocks on the door and receiving a prompt summons delivered in the clear, professional tones of a middle-aged woman's voice calling "Enter, please,"
Bryan and Remus stepped across the threshold and entered the room one after the other, with Bryan taking the lead.
The office they found themselves in was roughly half the size of a typical Hogwarts classroom. The space was well-organized and professionally maintained, with clean lines and practical furnishings.
The room contained two women behind separate desks. The woman facing the door directly, who was presumably the one who had just called them in with professional courtesy, was a middle-aged lady with shoulder-length burgundy hair.
At the moment of their entry, she sat at her wooden desk, listlessly flipping through what appeared to be a colorful Muggle magazine filled with intricate knitting patterns, detailed instructions for various stitches, and photographs of completed projects in bright yarns.
Behind the other desk, which was considerably smaller in size but appeared much more actively used, being piled high with thick stacks of official materials, documents, and reference books, sat a much younger woman who looked to be fresh out of school, possibly in her first professional position after graduation.
This young woman was quite beautiful in a way that immediately caught the eye and held it. Her lustrous chestnut hair gleamed with light that seemed to capture and reflect the magical illumination of the office, creating subtle highlights that shifted and danced as she moved.
At that particular moment, she was gently pressing lips together in concentration, her brow slightly furrowed as she focused intently on organizing and reviewing the day's accumulated wizard immigration documents.
The only thing that diminished her beauty was her hair pulled back into an efficient ponytail and her solemn, focused expression, which slightly diluted her natural charm.
Bryan's footsteps, which had been moving forward with their normal rhythm, suddenly came to an abnormally abrupt halt just inside the doorway, creating a moment of awkward stillness that immediately puzzled Remus, who was following closely beside him and had expected them to go directly to the desk for their business.
Confused by this unexpected pause, Remus quickly glanced sideways at his companion, and what he saw there caused him to feel a sudden surge of surprise that was quite amusing.
Bryan was staring at the young woman who appeared to be working as an assistant, his lips were slightly parted, as if he had been about to speak but had forgotten what he intended to say, and his eyes showed a hint of something that could only be described as bewildered emotion.
Following Bryan's transfixed gaze with growing understanding and amusement, Remus also took notice of the exceptional beauty of this female assistant, and suddenly everything became clear to him.
For a brief moment, Remus found himself fighting back a sudden, almost overwhelming urge to burst into delighted laughter at the situation unfolding in front of him.
Remus had known Bryan for quite some time now. Whether it was Bryan's magical accomplishments that had earned him recognition throughout the wizarding world, or his remarkable wisdom in understanding human nature,
Bryan's shrewdness and competence consistently inspired awe and respect in many who dealt with him for the first time.
Of course, once you got to know Bryan well enough to see past the public persona, you would discover that he was actually a very approachable wizard beneath all the acclaim, always thoughtful and considerate of others' feelings, willing to listen to different perspectives.
Such an exceptional wizard, with his impressive achievements and mature demeanor, naturally made people unconsciously overlook his actual age.
Like Remus himself, most people who interacted with Bryan subconsciously treated him as if he were an older, more experienced wizard than he actually was, someone comparable to Dumbledore in wisdom, a figure who had seen decades of life and accumulated the kind of deep understanding that only came with age and experience.
But the reality that Remus sometimes forgot, and that was now being reminded to him, was that beneath all the accomplishments and reputation, Bryan was just a young man in his early twenties!
He was still at an age where natural attractions and romantic feelings would be perfectly normal and expected, still young enough to be struck speechless by an exceptionally beautiful woman.
So, viewed from this perspective, Bryan's current expression as he studied that beautiful young assistant wasn't so absurd or jarring after all. In fact, it was probably the most natural and age-appropriate reaction he could have had under the circumstances.
The windows in this deep underground office were obviously the product of sophisticated magical engineering, designed to overcome the psychological challenges of working in a space that would otherwise feel like a basement or bunker.
Instead of showing the blank concrete walls that would naturally surround an underground facility, these enchanted windows projected incredibly realistic images of starry skies stretched above forests that seemed to stretch like ocean waves toward distant horizons.
The magical illusion was so convincing that it was easy to forget they were actually far beneath the surface of the earth.
The projected night sky showed countless stars twinkling with realistic patterns of brightness and color, while meteor showers occasionally streaked across the artificial heavens.
The forest scenes below showed trees swaying in simulated breezes, with leaves rustling and branches moving in patterns that perfectly mimicked natural forest environments.
In the auditory component of the illusion, the refreshing sound of wind could be heard moving through the projected trees, creating a subtle background ambiance that was both soothing and realistic.
From time to time, ethereal and distant bird songs would drift through this artificial atmosphere, all combining to create an environment that felt like a peaceful forest clearing rather than a government office.
But apart from these magical illusions that provided such a pleasant working environment, the only actual sound in the room was the soft, rhythmic whisper of paper against paper as the young assistant continued turning through her stack of immigration documents, occasionally pausing to make notations or sort papers into different categories.
At some point during this long moment of silence, the unusual quiet that had settled over the room began to pierce the consciousness of both the middle-aged witch who had been absorbed in her knitting magazine and the young assistant who had been concentrating so intently on organizing her materials.
They simultaneously put down what they were doing and looked toward the two men by the door.
"Ahem—" Remus cleared his throat.
Recognizing that Bryan appeared to be temporarily incapacitated by whatever had struck him speechless, Remus stepped forward from beside his friend, feeling that he needed to take charge of the situation and get their official business back on track before the silence became truly awkward for everyone involved.
"Good day, ladies," Remus said with politeness and a warm smile. "We've come from London and need to process our—"
Remus's carefully polite words were cut short with dramatic suddenness by a high-pitched, excitement-filled shriek that seemed to explode from the middle-aged witch like a magical firecracker going off in the quiet office.
"Good God!" she exclaimed, her voice reaching a volume and pitch that showed she had just witnessed something absolutely extraordinary and unbelievable.
The middle-aged witch, who only moments before had been peacefully reading her knitting magazine in the relaxed atmosphere of a routine workday, suddenly shot up from her chair.
She moved with a whoosh of motion and rushed around her wooden desk. Without any hesitation or concern, she ran quickly across the office floor to stand directly before the two men.
She completely ignored the somewhat embarrassed Remus, who had been in the middle of his polite introduction and now consciously stepped aside to give her room, clearly recognizing that he was no longer the focus of attention in this suddenly transformed scene.
Instead of acknowledging Remus at all, the witch focused her entire attention on staring wide-eyed at Bryan's face, her hands flying up to cover her mouth as her excited voice began to tremble with emotion.
"I couldn't be mistaken, absolutely not! Dear me, I couldn't possibly be wrong about something like this. You're..."
The middle-aged witch's eyes blazed with light as she stared fixedly at Bryan, as she found herself rendered completely speechless by the magnitude of the moment.
Bryan, whose expression had been dazed until now, finally came back to his senses. He pressed his lips together, his demeanor returning to normal, and smiled warmly at the middle-aged witch.
"Good day, madam," He said with courtesy and warmth. "I am Bryan Watson, and this,"
He gestured toward Remus, "is Remus Lupin. We're here today to process our official entry permits so that we can legally conduct business within the United States."
"I'm Mandy Hill!" the middle-aged witch responded immediately, her voice still carrying that shrill tone of excitement. "Oh, of course, everyone who comes to this office is here for processing permits!"
Mrs. Hill's laugh was high and slightly hysterical. She seemed to realize that her response hadn't been particularly helpful or professional, and she attempted to clarify her meaning while still struggling with her obvious emotional state.
"What I mean is," She continued, her voice still shaking with excitement, "oh, what an incredible honor this is, Mr. Watson! I never thought... oh, that I could actually—!"
The overwhelming nature of her excitement left Mrs. Hill speaking incoherently, her words tumbling over each other in a rush of emotion that made it difficult to follow her train of thought.
In her enthusiasm, she reached out and grabbed Bryan's hand with both of hers, shaking it vigorously several times with the kind of energetic enthusiasm for congratulating lottery winners or celebrating major life events.
After this enthusiastic handshaking, she suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing and pulled back slightly, using one hand to wipe away tears of excitement and emotion that had begun to gather in her eyes.
"Do you remember, Mr. Watson? You saved my family's lives!"
This was completely unexpected. Remus looked at Bryan in surprise, only to find that Bryan's face also showed confusion.
"Last year's Quidditch World Cup final!" Mrs. Hill sniffled slightly as emotion continued to overwhelm her composure and knowing Mr. Watson must be completely bewildered, she took the initiative to explain.
"That spectacular duel!!" she continued. "Harmon, Deacon, and I—oh, they're my son and husband, were all there in the stands that day, enjoying what we thought was going to be nothing more than an exciting Quidditch Final.
But then everything went wrong, and that dangerous situation developed with the dark witch who was trying to cause chaos and harm innocent spectators. You blocked her attack and protected all of us! We all consider you to be the most outstanding wizard of our time.
Oh, Harmon's bedroom is absolutely covered with your posters. He has accumulated a whole stack of your Chocolate Frog cards, and he's constantly trading with other collectors to get different variations and editions.
Oh, I dare say if he knew that I had actually met you in person and had the chance to speak with you face to face, he would probably faint from pure excitement!"
Mrs. Hill's eyes suddenly lit up with a new idea, and she clasped her hands together in a gesture of hopeful pleading. "Could I possibly impose upon you to provide an autograph for him?!"
"Heh heh—" Bryan chuckled softly. "If you're willing to process my entry procedures, Mrs. Hill, I'll leave your son an autograph. How's that?"
Mrs. Hill was overjoyed. She grabbed Bryan's sleeve and pulled him toward her desk. Turning around, she finally noticed that her assistant was also staring intently at Bryan Watson.
"Oh, damn, I completely forgot to introduce her!" Mrs. Hill exclaimed, slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand.
Her expression immediately brightened again as she turned to remedy this oversight. "This young woman is Amelia Depp. She just graduated from Ilvermorny last year with outstanding academic credentials and was directly recruited.
She's currently interning with me, though I bet she won't stay with me long before being transferred to a more critical department. She dreams of becoming an Auror. Oh, by the way, she also greatly admires you!"
Being introduced in this manner, with such praise and personal details shared in front of a stranger, caused Amelia to experience a wave of embarrassment that manifested as a blush spreading across her cheeks.
A flash of shyness appeared briefly in her brown eyes. However, beyond this momentary display of vulnerability, she showed no other improprieties or unprofessional behavior.
Unlike Mrs. Hill's overwhelming excitement and emotional outpouring, which had transformed the office atmosphere into something resembling a fan convention, Amelia approached the situation with self-control.
She walked toward Bryan, extended her hand, and spoke in a controlled, steady voice.
"It's a great honor to meet you, Mr. Watson."
Bryan seemed somewhat constrained. He hesitated for several seconds before extending his hand, lightly grasping Amelia's and shaking it briefly before immediately releasing it.
"Hello," Bryan pressed his lips together as he spoke, a strange light flashing momentarily in his purple eyes.
"So then—" Mrs. Hill continued, still practically panting with excitement as she forced herself to contain her emotions and attempt to return to some semblance of professional behavior.
"Mr. Watson, what brings you to New York? What is the official purpose of your visit to the United States?"
"The purpose of my visit is to advance a business collaboration. I submitted an application through the Cooperation Department for permission to sell a wonderful alchemical item within the United States, but unfortunately, it wasn't approved. So, I've come here hoping to meet with the relevant officials."
"Ah, of course, of course—" Mrs. Hill smiled and nodded repeatedly, only staring at Bryan without paying attention to what he was saying. Amelia, though also staring at Bryan, actually listened to his words.
"Mr. Watson, and Mr. Lupin—" Amelia quickly glanced at Mandy, her eyes showing a trace of helplessness, knowing her superior was completely out of control and unable to handle her essential duties. Amelia had no choice but to press her lips together, muster her courage, and say:
"According to regulations, you need to present entry permit receipts jointly approved by the Wizard Immigration Management Office and the Security Department—"
"Oh, certainly no problem at all," Remus replied with a warm smile, relieved to finally be dealing with someone who was focused on the actual business at hand.
He pulled two parchments covered with stamps from his briefcase. After a moment's hesitation, he handed them to Mrs. Hill as the senior official, but she was too busy talking to Bryan and casually passed them to Amelia.
Taking the two application receipts, Amelia quickly returned to her desk. She took a scanning device that resembled a Muggle magnifying glass from her drawer and checked each of the constantly writhing blue stamps to verify they weren't forgeries.
Remus's entry permit was fine. Amelia used special cutting tools to trim Remus's photo and key sections, pasted them into a small hardcover booklet similar to a Muggle passport, and applied the official stamp.
Then she processed Bryan's entry permit in the same manner. The stamps and signatures were equally legitimate—naturally so, since the distinguished Bryan Watson would hardly engage in such sordid forgery. But when she saw the line of small silver text printed with special magic at the bottom of the receipt, Amelia froze.
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Comments
Martin Malmgren
Im gonna guess shes his cousin, and bryan was momentarily stunned by her almost looking identical to his mother in appearance?
FicFrenzy
We did not and we kind of did as if i explain even a bit it will be a SPOILER. You may be able to guess in few chapters.
Thariaus
I Forgot did we know Amelia?
