November 9, 2009
9:00am

"Holmes! Hooooooolmes!"

Persepolis was shouting even as she shuffled in her voluminous robes across her office towards the big heavy wooden doors.  She was waving that morning's Daily Prophet, and demanding that her clerk appear.

"Maurice, what is this? Did you know about this? Is this true? I need to see Gabrielle Harker, now! How did we not know about this!?" 

Officially, the Ministery's role in the TetraWizard Tournament was facilitator, but it had been Persepolis's pet project since its inception.  And now it was threatened.  The morning's paper was slathered with an article from some foreign correspondent which claimed[1] that the students from Salem Witches Institute had not been properly protected against Dragon Pox.  Dragon Pox!  The disease was deadly and disfiguring and such an article would only incite panic.

Well, at least it did with the Minister of Magic.

She was already striding down the hallway to make her way to International Cooperation.  "HOLMES!"

1.	International Tournament Scandal link

Maurice had spat out his cup of coffee, wishing the tea had been chosen instead this morning, when his own eyes found the DP article. Bloody hell, this could not be happening, not right now, now when Persepolis and the Ministry needed a good image.

"COMING, MA'AM!" he hollered, grabbing paperwork left and right before rushing out of his office, trying to catch up with Zephyr before she made it to the lift. He made it only just, his figure standing right next to her.

"I'm here, I'm here... Good morning, ma'am, considering all. I've read it and well, let's not put you and Gabrielle on a large silver tray just yet. We need you calm and collected, first of all - you melt down, it will make it worse and you know this, love."

He eyed his boss closely. "The two of you can do this. I know it."

On the lift with Holmes, Persepolis frowned deeply at him.  She'd inherited Holmes from Minister Annwyl's staff.  (She'd had no reason to replace the whole lot of them, although they did all likely understand that it was her prerogative.)  He was strangely familiar when addressing her and each time he did it, it struck her very strange, but not all together unwelcome.  It was just strange, is all.

Although she didn't much like being told to calm down.  Of course she'd be calm.  She was a master at the Public Facade, always had been.  She'd been called silver-tongued and two-faced by her detractors and that did not particularly bother her.  She knew what needed to be done to convince and cajole others and she used it for the betterment of her society.  She would most certainly be calm, but at the moment she needed to rage.

In a much calmer voice, she began ticking off what she needed done.  Holmes was well up to the task of beginning to arrange things.

"I need to know who's behind that article.  Do we have any friends at the Daily Prophet? And I need to know, of course, if this is true, and if it is how it's going to affect their eligibility.  Get me someone from Mungo's as well.  Have to find out if the students are in any danger.  And,"

Bing!  The door opened on the proper floor. 

"And, if anyone asks why the Minister of Magic has taken interest in what is largely a Hogwarts matter, tell them that the Office of the Minister of Magic seeks to assist the delegation from Salem and cooperate fully with the magical government of the United States in any way possible.  But of course we have no plans to interfere with the sacred autonomy of Hogwarts School - only to assist in maintaining safety for all.  Got it?" 

If anyone was a master at making official statements on the fly it was Minister Zephyr.

"I'll check and see who we have left, Ma'am. Surely we have a few hands to work in our favour, especially in telling us who the culprit is, aye?" he responded only briefly as they exited the lift, Maurice stuck to Zephyr's side like glue, keeping his eyes focused on those around him. Call him suspicious, call him paranoid, but the last thing he wished for was this article to taint Persepolis this early on. She was proving to be such a good Minister already and truly, he didn't wish to go through changing hands so very soon.

"Understood, madame. Do you need me with your meeting with Gabrielle or would you prefer it if I went ahead on to the Prophet and get some ground work laid out?" Maurice inquired carefully, hoping that she wouldn't send him off so quickly. Then again, if Persepolis wanted him out on the work scene to clean up this messy situation, Maurice would head off that way.

"Go.  With all haste, my dear Holmes," Persepolis eagerly took Maurice's advice that he get on with it whilst she had words with Harker.  But wait!

"But wait!"  She extended her hand to stay his leaving just yet. 

"See if you can get an owl from Reid and LeBeau on this."  She was referring of course to Hogwarts Headmaster Herschel Reid, her old colleague, and the by-all-reports batty old cajun Salem Institute's Ferreole LeBeau.   It seemed like a futile effort; Herschel would undoubtedly claim that he had it under control, and she suspected all they'd ever get in return from LeBeau would be a tin of biscuits wrapped in a shoelace. 

"Alright, now go!"  And with that, she finally allowed Maurice Holmes to go off and do his job. 

"Harker! Harker! A word, Harker!"  In her hurry, she crowed her arrival to the Head of the Department as she strode down the hall towards her office.

"No, no, no, NO, Hamilton."

Gabrielle's face met one of her palmed hands as she listened to the weasel patronus sitting before her. "Find out what you need to, Hamilton, but you are /not/ coming back to me empty handed. Do so and I fear for your job security." Yes, mam. The weasel disappeared right as Gabrielle heard Perse and her aide speaking, followed by her name being shouted.

Opposed to the idea of having the shouts continue, Gabrielle moved out from her offic and to where Persepolis was. "Come, come. I /know/ that look on your face as well as the glint in your eyes. I've read the article and I've sent Hamilton to the States to find what he is able. Into my office, aye?" Gabrielle aptly responded, motioning for the Minister to follow her into a much more private discussion.

A few heads peered out to see what was going on but ushered back to their various positions with one unamused glance from Gabrielle's eyes. Upon entering the office, she began the kettle for tea - always tea. "Before we speak, do we have a flavour preference or shall I choose?"

---

_{apologies for my delay, love :S}

"Green!"

Persepolis allowed herself to be ushered by her oldest ally, Gabrielle Murray-Harker.  And perhaps among the few witches in the world who understood just how important the Tournament was.  (The third was missing, tragically missing, that Madam Analiza Snark.) 

"Green tea and all its curative properties.  We shall need it.  Gird ourselves against this nonsense."

The Minister followed Harker into her office, and took it upon herself to shut the door for them both, and then take a seat. 

"So you've read it then?" she accused.  "Tell me we saw this coming? Tell me it's all nonsense?  Is there any way this could be true, that Salem's paperwork isn't out of order?  Where did this come from, Harker, and what are you going to do about it? They will take any excuse it seems to sabotage something that's clearly harmless, clearly could only be a benefit to all involved."

At this moment, Persepolis couldn't conjecture who 'they' might be.  It could be Purists against Salem's liberal, American, muggle-loving agenda, it could be lingering Annwyl supporters who had nothing else to do, it could be anyone, really.  Maybe those damned goblins? 

"Honestly, Harker, this needed to go smoothly."

The jasmine flavoured tea was floating in mid air as Gabrielle shut and locked the door before sitting down across from where Persepolis would be. Curative properties would be very beneficial during this discussion indeed. Next, as if on cue and she fully was aware, came the impending questions.

The possibility of purists as former Annwyl supporters were entirely possible - after all, Gabie had approved of some of Marcus' stances but denounced others as well. It was politics and with politics, they had their good moments in addition to the down right damned ugly ones.

"....I didn't expect this in all honesty, Perse. You don't when coming back from a sabbatical, but more importantly, from not knowing anything about your workplace for a few months. As for what has occurred, I-"

The kettle began whistling and upon snapping her fingers, the tea ball plopped into the device for to steep. "As I was getting to, no. No, I didn't anticipate this at all. I've sent Kadyn Hamilton to Massachusetts to get all the students medical records who came here." Standing, Gabrielle grabbed the kettle off its heat source, soon pouring two mugs and placing one for Persepolis before sitting down with her own. "...If I may bold to say this? It may be a combination of things, but we might not wish to exclude old foes and ties. Hurt feelings tend to show in the most opportune of times."

Gabrielle sighed as she blew on the tea mug, looking at the Minister. "Grandfather always told me of such times. He warned that when everything seemingly is well, it is the time when unseen thestral manure is seen by one who can. We /will/ get to the very bottom of this. I know we can." Sipping the tea, she awaited the reaction.

Ugh, she'd forgotten!  Gabrielle was just now getting back from her time away.  Persepolis waved a hand in both forgiveness and apology; forgiveness for Gabrielle's justified absence, and apology at blustering in like a cyclone.

She gratefully took ahold of the mug of freshly brewed green tea with both hands and held it close.  She shut her eyes and listened carefully as the Department Head began describing measures already taken this very morning.

"Good, good..." she said with firm approval at their man already in the United States gathering crucial information.  They'd need it.  International relations between wizarding governments was often desperately complicated.  And sorting through this could be slogging.

"Ha!" Persepolis allowed herself a welcome chirrup of laughter at Gabrielle's grandfather's addage.  She shook her head.  "Of course we weill.  We'll not so easily be cowed, certainly not.  The facts will surely fall in their favor."

She hoped.  As much as she trusted Gabrielle Murray-Harker to perform at her post gainfully, there were things you just couldn't predict.  Like the arcane nuance and slippery standards across the magical medical world. 

She took another sip of her hot tea and put on a steely firm expression. 

"We need to find out if there's any truth to the claim, and no doubt we'll need to prove it all three times over.  We'll need to speak with St. Mungo's as soon as possible and get them mobilized.  I can't imagine a scenario where they won't be deployed to doubly confirm the safety of the students."

She paused.  "Is there any truth to this, do you think? Any at all?  We'll need to release a statement soon and I'd hate for us to be caught in a lie."

"Say there are a few children that may potentially be ill; we should work hand in hand with Mungo's and Hogwarts to isolate the sickness before it spreads. That would ease all minds, I believe. As for the announcement, we ensure that the Ministry is taking this matter with a level of most seriousness and that we don't intend to back down."

Gabrielle was planning on continuing when two patronuses illuminated the room brighter than before. She recognised the weasel as Kadyn's but the badger not so well. "Ma'am, a report," the badger began, filling the room with Maurice Holmes' voice while the weasel waited, "I have obtained some information - we may have a snitch on our hands? Next course of action?"

The weasel spoke up to Gabrielle as Maurice continued speaking with. "Ma'm? Records are secured under lock and key. I've stated who I am and given the fair warning I /do/ have clearance; I may need you, the Minister's or both of yours signatures to move on."

Damn.

Gabrielle's people were moving swiftly and it was both stunning and comforting to see the Ministry working so efficiently even in a crisis, even on the back end of Gabrielle's time away from the office.  Persepolis waited and listened as the Patronus messengers came in like Bearers of Good News/Bad News.

A snitch?  Persepolis cocked a dangerous eyebrow.  It was her worst fear - someone was deliberately trying to cause trouble.  But of course.  No good deed ever went unpunished.  As clear as the message out of Hogwarts (and her office was) - that the Tournament was a shining beacon of fellowship and enlightenment - it was a threat to certain long-held beliefs that magic should be exclusive and that tradition stood as a bastion against progress.  She and Snark had had great momentum in the beginning, enough to stay off too much protest or interference.  But now, perhaps, their detractors had gotten organized and found a chink in the armor.

"A snitch?" Persepolis echoed with grim annoyance.  "I'll need to see that information."

But now she stood and set her half-drunk cup of tea down on the desk.  "But not now, I'm afraid.  I need to speak with Delilah Foley at St. Mungo's.  Find out how swiftly they can move if we need them.  Get them apprised, find out what they have.  You, my friend, can deal with Massachusetts."

Persepolis had briefly considered that she herself should to the United States.  But a long journey would only waste the time she needed here in country.  And what else were Heads of Departments of Magical Cooperation for?