neutral_omens | (no subject)

Date: October 3rd 1999, 9:00am
Status: Public
Setting: The lobby
Summary: Harry arrives for work

Harry, looking happy, tanned and humming a cheerful and grossly out of key tune, entered the lobby. Dr. Darryl Birkett's Las Vegas seminar and workshop on opening one's self up to new experiences had been a real eye opener. Harry had immediately taken the good doctors advice to heart by accompanying his new friends Lola B, Lola M and Lola T on a night out and his rear was still rather sore from the gryffin tattoo he seemed to have acquired on his right buttock during this hazily recollected period. Still, he was glad to be returning, especially given that his new friend Draco had offered to allow him to remain in his room until the threat from these 'Ron' and 'Ginny' people he'd been receiving disturbing letters about had passed.

There was however one problem. Due to the largely unspecified nature of his work at Tadfield Manor, he really didn't have a clue where he was supposed to be or what he was supposed to be doing or even if he'd arrived for work at the right time. Prior to his little excusion across the pond he'd been muddling along as best as he could by being directed to various tasks by Sister Mary and other people who seemed to have a better idea of how things were supposed to work around The Manor (well, apart from the times when he'd fallen asleep in public or been assailed by prolonged flashbacks involving red heads), but right now he wasn't exactly sure what to do. There was nobody he recognised present and no helpful indicators - such as big signs saying Hugo vacuum the carpet on the third floor - in sight.

After standing around in an aimiably for a few minutes he decided that he really ought to show some initiative.

"Er hello," he called out to nobody in particular. "Does anybody around here know what I'm supposed to be doing."

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Harry gaped. He didn't think that he'd ever seen that amount of gold on one person before. Sister Mary, he decided, was clearly very brave indeed.

"Thank you," he said, taking the stage make-up. "I'm sure that nobody will mistake me for this Harry person with the tattoo covered up by this stuff." 'This stuff', at first glance, did not appear to feature any colours that wouldn't clash horribly with his natural skin tone, but he reasoned that everything would be alright just as long as the thing was hidden. However he still found himself inexplicably wondering if his new roommate Draco would think any the less of him for walking around with his forehead smeared with gold paint.

"I hadn't really planned anything for Halloween," he continued, quite unable to mentally disengage from the image of Sister Mary in metallic spandex, "the people at my support group were going to have a party; but Cherryl's scared of the dark, Mark gets paranoid when he sees people in masks and Jane's recovering from years of abusing hallucingenic sustances and goes a bit funny if she's see anyone dressed up as something supernatural, so we all thought that it would probably be best if we left it for this year."

He tentatively removed a pot of yellow face paint for the case and, glancing in one of the mirrors on the wall, dabbed a finger full over the offending mark. Well, he thought, looking critically his now jaundiced looking forehead, at least you can't tell that there's tattoo there.

"Did you want me to work on halloween night?"

"Oh, yes, Hugo, I do like the way all that gold looks. Really sets off those pretty green eyes of yours... you must wear color contacts... don't you?"

Sister Mary gave Hugo a big toothy grin. The more she thought about it, the more she decided that, generally, men should wear make-up. The overall effects were really quite delightful.

"Now about Hallo'ween. Well, I don't know if anything in particular is going on. Perhaps Ruby, the Entertainment Director, might schedule something. Last year's costume party was so much fun -- but, you see, we had a house-full of American Management Trainees. I don't know if such an event would go over well here. What do you think, Hugo?"

Sister Mary closed the pink bag and replaced it underneath the desk.

"You can just hold onto that face paint, dear. I think it suits you more than it does me!"

She opened another drawer, rummaged for a moment, and then drew out a flashlight.

"As for working on Halloween...Hmmm... well, perhaps it would be prudent to keep that night free, Hugo, just in case we do need you here at the Manor. Is that all right with you?"

"Er thank you," said Harry, still feeling a little doubtful as to the overall attractiveness of the gold paint. "I think that there must be lots of people here who'd like to go to a Halloween party. I once overheard Duke Ligur talking about how he likes to dress up every now and then and I'm sure that Draco would love to come."

He looked at the flashlight Sister Mary was brandishing with some concern. No he told himself sternly, you have to face your fears. "Er, is it going to be very dark down there?" he asked nervously.

"Hmmm.... will it be dark? I don't think so, Hugo. That wonderful Mr. Newt was working on the electricity down in the basement just last week, I think. I imagine that the lights will be just fine," she said with a smile.

"Oh, this," she said, gesturing to the heavy old flashlight. "I told the gardener that I'd return his flashlight to him. I've got plenty of others up at the Front Desk -- this one is his."

"Now, are you sure you're not supposed to be doing something else? I'd love to have your company -- especially since you know so much about pools! But if you're already on the job, I can manage..."

Sister Mary looked at him hopefully, pausing once again to note how nice the gold face paint accentuated his bright green eyes.

"Oh no," Harry said hastily, hoping that Sister Mary wouldn't think he was the sort of employee to back out of a job because of any potential darkness. "I wasn't doing anything." Realising that this statement could perhaps be construed as an admission of work-avoidant behaviour, unbefitting of an employee, he quickly added, "I'd just got back and wasn't quite sure what I was meant to be doing."

Feeling somewhat disconcerted by Sister Mary's gaze he glanced around the lobby for any direction as to the direction of the basement. "Er... how exactly do we get to the pool?" he asked, when none was forthcoming.

Well, you know, I haven't been down there in ages. But I believe we can just take this back staircase. If memory serves, I'll need to go back behind the ladies' locker room to take a look at the wiring. However, the pool should be in plain site. If you could just have a look at it and then give me an analysis of what you think it needs, I would be most appreciative."

Sister Mary waited for Hugo to answer. When he didn't, she assumed that everything was fine. She walked back behind the Front Desk, gesturing for Hugo to follow her. Then she opened a door, flipped a light switch, smiled when the light actually came on, and then waddled down the stairs.

The back stairs weren't for the public for a number of reasons. Sister Mary hoped that poor Hugo wasn't claustrophobic because the stairwell was extremely narrow. Towards the bottom, it curved and one couldn't tell when it would end.

Finally, after Sister Mary was beginning to breathe rather heavily from exertion, they reached the bottom of the stairs. The light from the stairs was still bright enough so that Sister Mary could make out the light switch in the pool hall. She switch it on, once again grateful that it actually came on.

Once Hugo was safely down the stairs and standing beside her, Sister Mary said, "Now, Hugo, please investigate the current situation of the pool. Oh, and I think there's a hot tub that needs a looking at, as well."

Then she brandished the Gardener's heavy old flashlight. "I am going to look at the main wiring panels."

"I'll be back shortly -- or if you need me, I'll be down that hall and somewhere to the right or maybe to the left. Hmmmm.... I wish we had brought some of those Walkie-Talkies."

Harry, who'd felt rather more nervous and claustrophobic than he'd admit to as he came down the stairs, was extremely relieved when the lights in the pool hall came on. Still, it was with slight trepidation that he said a quick 'see you in a minute' to Sister Mary and walked into the rather cavernous room in which the pool was located. At first glance the place looked a tad dusty and unkempt, but the underground architecture did appear to be rather good. The pool as far, as he could make out, was filled with water, but the smell emanating from it suggested that any bathing at present would be liable to lead to a whole range of water born diseases. In the absence of a notebook and pen he realised that he'd just have to make a mental note of the state of things here.

Right, he thought. Number 1: water in pool needs changing and chlorinating. Number 2: Something dark and tentacled appears to be swimming at bottom of pool - possible investation required.

Trying not to dwell to much on what the tentacled thing at the bottom of the pool might be he walked to the far side of the hall where an ultra-modern looking hot tub stood Number 3: Hot tub present and correct, also could do with water change.

He flicked what he hoped was the tubs on-switch. Number 4: Hot tub appears to be working. As he looked at the water bubbling away in the tub an image of Draco lounging within sprang unbidden into his mind.

Well," he told himself as he dilligently tried to ignore the sudden jolt of...something that hit him in the groin, I suppose that there's not much more I can do here. Better just wait for Sister Mary get back.

So he waited.

And waited.

And, wondering if he really ought to show some intiative, waited for a little longer.

When, after an hour, Sister Mary didn't return he set off uncertainly back towards the stairs.