30 October 2009
Friday
7:00 am

Memos and owls had gone out of Level One last night to all corners of the Ministry and even points abroad.  They said things like Top Secret!  Come at Once! M.U.M.M![1] Matter of Urgent Importance!  They were also all personally signed by the Minister of Magic herself.  They would have had the night to get their affairs in order and to arrive at the Ministry of Magic bang-spanking early.

The council room had been made ready for the dozen or so high-ranking Ministry officials, experts of one kind or another, and various other stockholders in this odious conundrum.  They were people that Persepolis Zephyr had called upon personally, witches and wizards she know would take this threat seriously, and who had some resource, connection or bend of mind to craft a solution.  The new silver-tongued Minister of Magic was not beyond asking for help, in fact, she included it among the most important of ways to a long and happy term as Minister - draw upon the wealth of knowledge and leverage of those around her to lead.

The council room was dominated by high ceilings and a giant rectangular table made of a golden wood with ornate marbling.  Each of the dozen chars were deep purple with very high backs.  The room was lit primarily by a small window very high on the wall which let down a steep shaft of cool blue morning light.


Minister Zephyr stood at the head of the table, swallowed in voluminous black robes which glinted with strands of silver enbroidery.  Her normally open face was dark and grim.  Most of those she'd summoned had arrived and pots of tea and samovars of coffee were pouring themselves. 

"Thank you all for coming," she said in her deep alto, a Scottish accent that now sounded far more posh than when she was a girl.  "I think it's best that we get down to it.  We don't have much time.  That matter is this:

"Yesterday I met with a delegation from Gringotts at their request.  At first it appeared to be typical goblin nonsense complete with a reading from the Affronts[2]. 

"However, in short time they made their true purpose known.  Gringotts demands the return of the Goblet of Fire, claiming it iis goblin-wrought and therefore belongs to them.  At the very least, they demand that we surrender the Goblet to allow their Cursebreakers to examine it to confirm it goblin-made.  If we do not, they have threatened to freeze all Ministry of Magic funds, both in the vaults and moving in and out of Gringotts."

She paused for a moment, allowing it to sink in.  She'd been up nearly all night, directing her hard-worked staff to dig up all that they could about every detail of the discussion.  All documents about the Goblet, about the Ministry's gold finances, about jurisdiction, even about who these there people had been.  The night was short and Persepolis knew they'd only scratched the surface.

She turned a page in front of her and added, "The goblins have since been identified as Borduk and Argul.  They were accompanied by a witch called Raziel Cohen, a Cursebreaker."

The new Minister looked from witch to wizard to witch to wizard, those were were gathered with her early this morning. 

"We have until Monday before I believe they will begin to follow through on our threat.  As it stands, I am not interested in allowing either thing to happen - neither handing over the Goblet of Fire, not while we're in the middle of the Tournament; nor allowing the goblins to paralyze the entire Ministry of Magic over it."

"So." 

1.	Mandatory Unspoken Ministry Memorandum wiki
2.	An old list of goblin complaints against the Ministry of Magic.  wiki

Edwin always took a certain delight in receiving a MUMM at his desk on the third floor. A MUMM from the Minister herself no less, a most unusual delight. Marcus Annwyl had sent the occasional one of course, but Persepolis was not long in her role, and the request for Edwin's presence at a meeting of utmost importance appealed greatly. Peacetime was altogether too quiet, and he none of the Tetra-wizard tournament beasts had run riot in urban, Muggle Britain at all. How incredibly dull. This meeting best be interesting.

"Yesterday I met with a delegation from Gringotts at their request.  At first it appeared to be typical goblin nonsense complete with a reading from the Affronts. However, in short time they made their true purpose known.  Gringotts demands the return of the Goblet of Fire, claiming it iis goblin-wrought and therefore belongs to them."

There was audible intake of air from Edwin's counterparts in the room, of dismay, disbelief and scoffing of such brazen attempts to undermine wizarding kind by goblins.

"...  At the very least, they demand that we surrender the Goblet to allow their Cursebreakers to examine it to confirm it goblin-made.  If we do not, they have threatened to freeze all Ministry of Magic funds, both in the vaults and moving in and out of Gringotts."

Interesting, very interesting. Edwin made a mental note to talk to that Wolfgang fellow who was a Durmstrang Governor, about moving some of his money abroad and away from goblins.

"The goblins have since been identified as Borduk and Argul.  They were accompanied by a witch called Raziel Cohen, a Cursebreaker. We have until Monday before I believe they will begin to follow through on our threat.  As it stands, I am not interested in allowing either thing to happen - neither handing over the Goblet of Fire, not while we're in the middle of the Tournament; nor allowing the goblins to paralyze the entire Ministry of Magic over it. So."

"What grounds do they claim the Goblet to be goblin-made, Minister?" Edwin enquired, his voice steady, and his gestures slow. There was no need to panic on all this, holes were bound to be uncovered in the claims. Besides, how were Goblins going to protect Ministry money against the whole Ministry decending upon the vaults? Silly, wandless beasts.

"Can we not have our own cursebreaker examine it?" 

Some strong words being rather carelessly thrown out here--even for 7 in the morning.  A politician's sense of tact and cautiousness should never lie dormant.  "Nonsense."  "Our threat."   Well, this would be a difficult meeting.  Even apart from the obvious fact that the grotesque bias against the concerns of an entire people were suddenly so pedestrian that "nonsense" was a politically correct term in official parlance... or the fact that goblins needed to be identified after the fact, in what seemed to be some sort of investigative matter, rather than simply being given the opportunity to introduce themselves civilly like any human was.  But there was now, quite suddenly the prominent matter of Raizel Cohen and the ongoing investigation of his father's murder to deal with.  Dreogan did not even venture a glance at Jonas, who he had seen sitting beside Rosier, looking a little grey.  Instead, frowning deeply, Dreogan merely exhaled quietly through his nose, taking a bland sip of unsweetened coffee.  He set it down upon the meeting table calmly, fingers tapping the ceramic quietly as he considered.  In a break in the conversation, Dreogan said, eyes nowhere in particular:

"Clearly we do not want to relinquish the artifact during the Tournament," Dreogan spoke in an even, controlled tone. "And it's equally as clear that we cannot face financial collapse over this, when all the eyes of the Magical world are upon us."  He now regarded the congregation of faces--not truly bothering to read facial expressions.  Bias was irrelevant at this point.  What he was about to say was going to be presented as plainly and factually as possible and, anticipatedly, would steer the conversation down the most constructive path.  It was not a route to please people, not even the Minister. It was a path to get them talking.

"The goblins have put thought into their position--and we can't get sidetracked as to their intentions, here.  One can squabble about definitions and ownership, but this isn't really about one artifact.  If anything, their use of the Affronts steers us towards this conclusion. They are using this artifact, and our reliance upon it--and Gringotts--in order to accomplish a bigger purpose.  It is more prudent to address the core issue at hand.  The simple fact of the matter is this: they have found a tactic that puts us in a longstanding bind.  If they do not manage to  use their control of our monies and currency to regain this object, they will doubtless attempt it on another. And if they have success in obtaining the Goblet from this approach, you can rest assured they will continue to utilize it regularly. 

"That being said, what would serve us, in this discussion, would be how to change their positioning--so that their higher ground, chiefly our reliance upon the Goblet and upon Gringotts, is no longer power over us.  One cannot withdraw, wholesale, our money from Gringotts, without facing a financial collapse; I am sure they are aware of this.  But it is perhaps something to consider moving towards and preparing for in the future.  Too much reliance upon any one entity is likely to create a vulnerability." Another wave of his hand.   "As for employing our own Cursebreaker," Dreogan gave a frown and a shrug, shaking his head.  "Who is to say if that would work in our favor.  I think what is much more likely to work to our benefit would be to alter the terms of negotiation altogether to what they are truly interested in, upon the condition of deferring a decision upon the Goblet. This has a greater chance of appeasing them, of changing the game, and restarting it upon our terms--not theirs."

Cillian remained silent as the Minister voiced the issue at hand and others began to weigh in. He had been up the entire night before, wanting his mind clear for the meeting and not bothered by the haunting visions that were now becoming a nightly occurrence. He had trimmed his hair and beard and was even wearing a pressed suit - something that he had never worn before. His last encounter with Persepolis, before she had been appointed Minister, had not been a pleasant one and he was surprised that he had been called upon for such a meeting. He didn't want to disappoint nor did he want his colleagues to see what kind of condition he was in as of late.

He sat across from Mr. Eleor, whom he hadn't seen since their private discussion in Cillian's office regarding his own visions. Cillian took a sip from a steaming goblet, unlike those around him he wasn't drinking tea or coffee but a Pepper Up potion to keep him awake and alert.

He watched intently as the man across from him spoke and found that he rightly agreed with him. Approaching this issue as nonsense, or unimportant was not the way he would have done it. While he didn't have any suggestions to throw out himself he didn't think taking this issue lightly was going to benefit either side. Not to say that the Minister was being nonchalant about it all but she didn't seem to have much respect for the Goblins, automatically assuming they were in the wrong. He didn't think the Goblins were doing things the right way either but they were definitely getting the attention they were looking for.

For a moment he wondered if Dreogan was still having dreams about his brother's death, at that, he wondered if he had seen anything about the outcome of this current problem. Cillian himself hadn't had any visions regarding goblins but then he usually saw dark and violent things, this mess with the impending Magical Epidemic and the threat to the Werewolves and Muggles. He was so focused on those he hadn't had time to think of anything else. He supposed he could look over the recent prophecies, see if there was anything in there but that didn't help him with the meeting at hand.

As good as Persepolis was at speaking, she had long learned the value of listening and allowing for pauses.  She did not jump to respond to Glass, nor did she speak quickly behind the very young Dreogan Eleor.    She looked out at the speakers over her small reading glasses slid far down on her nose.

She moved another bit of paper. 

"Perhaps a bit of context," she said calmly, but in do direct response to anyone, not yet.  She referenced a document gathered by her clerks from the annals of the Ministry's archives and libraries.

"The archival documentation about the Goblet, which is officially in the custody of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, indicates that there is 'no evidence that the goblet is goblin-wrought'.  It is made of wood," she added a little flatly.[1]

Wood of all things.  It was no great secret that the secret skills of the goblins' specialty was in finely crafted metals and gemstones.  To Zephyr much of what Eleor surmised aligned with her own suspicions - this wasn't about the Goblet as it was the continuation of the age-old tension between goblins and the Ministry. 

"I am not Minister Annwyl - that has been noted frequently in the last few months - so I would hate to seem predictable by stating that I am not entirely rosey on the subject of any kind of forceful breach into the bank. So if we could aim aslant that direction, I'd be more confident that our civilization will endure.  However, I don't put a great deal of stake in a diplomatic solution either.  Does anyone else catch the whiff that moving forward will feel more like a business transaction than machinations of state?"

The Minister seemed tired - and she was.  A great many arrays of expectations sat around the table, but she had to put that aside and think first and foremost of tackling this tangle.  Get whatever useful bits she could from this council.

1.

link

With a grim expression on his face, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement listened patiently to the Minister and his colleagues. Rosier was not a fan of mornings in general, so when a day started like this he already considered it ruined. But he didn't entirely blame the Minister and this early-morning meeting for his foul mood. He mainly blamed himself and Trevelyan - who was sitting next to him, looking just as tired - for their recklessness yesterday[1]. Their little adventure in Knockturn Alley left him with a nasty-looking cut on the right side of his face which he tried to unsuccessfully conceal with a bandage. 

And now this. As if there wasn't enough trouble with murders, smuggling, abductions...no, they really needed a Goblin rebellion as well. With his arms crossed, Rosier eyed his colleagues through those reading glasses which made him look about fifteen years older. The Minister was right for calling this emergency meeting - this was a serious issue, however it seemed she was currently not focusing on the real issue here. It hardly mattered if the Goblet of Fire was goblin-made or not. This is where he agreed with Eleor completely - this wasn't about the Goblet, it was just a smart strategic move. Asking for the Goblet of Fire during the Tournament was something the goblins did to get the Ministry's attention. And they succeeded.

He waited for the Minister to finish, agreeing with her statement that she wasn't Marcus Annwyl. Rosier's jaw clenched tightly - of course she wasn't Annwyl, but he was willing to give her approach a chance.

"I'm with Eleor on this," Rosier finally spoke. His voice was so hoarse one would think he smoked a pack of cigarettes before breakfast. "It's not about the Goblet and it hardly matters if it's goblin-made or not. They want us to respond to their threats while we have all of our foreign friends watching us." An international scandal would be just the thing the goblins wanted. Maybe to show to the world how 'oppressed' they are and how poorly the wizards treat them. Rosier frowned merely thinking about this; it was always the same with the goblins, throughout history they started countless rebellions accomplishing virtually nothing for themselves.

"If it really came to the point where we need to fear an economic collapse, maybe it is time we consider putting Gringotts in the hands of the Ministry of Magic again." It was a controversial topic, mainly because the last person to accomplish that was the Dark Lord, but Rosier was used to being the one man in the room to tell the ugly truth. That would surely cause strikes and unrest among the goblins, but to Rosier that seemed like a better option than a complete financial crisis during an esteemed international event.

"I agree we won't find any diplomatic solutions, Minister," he continued, clearing his throat.  "And I've always thought diplomacy doesn't quite work when dealing with the goblins...Maybe we could show them we don't respond to their threats by placing Ministry personnel in high positions within Gringotts and slowly work on eradicating the goblin reign within the bank." This idea was very old-fashioned and traditionalist, it completely opposed these new values the Ministry recently promoted. The equality within the Wizarding world...it was all nonsense, as if the goblins ever thought of themselves as equal to wizards.

1.	Two men in a dress shop...again

I hope you'll join me in not worrying about posting order too much.

Rosier.

His reputation was controversial, and his appointment to his post had been pocked with rumors of a Purist conspiracy.  It was not altogether wise for a politician like Persepolis to openly oppose the Purists; they had so much influence and gold that their participation was requisite for Ministry and order as we know it.  But it didn't mean she had to like it.  And so she was going to wait and see about Rosier.  And listen very closely.

She glanced to his left - there was an Auror with him.  Persepolis hadn't summoned any Aurors, but apparently Rosier had seen fit to bring one.  For what reason? Not entirely clear...

But Rosier's proposed endgame was clear enough: If the goblins won't play, remove them from the game.  It was a radical suggestion, but not a new one. 

"A Ministry re-acquisition of Gringotts would no doubt leave us in a state of affairs no less complicated or potentially ruinous," she said as she finally sat down.  "The vaults alone would take years for our people to map and secure.   The goblins have had a century to make themselves indispensable."

She took off her reading glasses and folded her hands together. 

"Tell me then: if Mr Eleor is correct and the Goblet is just the first piece to move on the board, could we not remove their complaint entirely? A trade ban on all goblin-made artifacts.  End this bickering over law of ownership and fair trade once and for all.  The goblin goods market would move underground and the Ministry would be removed from the conversation entirely."

She held up a hand when she sensed that someone would immediately protest.

"They would never agree to it.  As much as they despise our interference, surely they rely on our regulation just as much.  Present it as the solution.  Not only will return the goblet to you, but in addition the trade, sale and possession of goblin artifacts by non-goblins will henceforth be criminal as to avoid any further trespass.  The answer they seek won't be one they'll accept and it will be on them to come again to us."

It was an odd sensation, feeling as if he were slightly out of his league.  If it hadn't been for his pounding headache and the fact that he was still sore from the prior day's adventure, Jonas would have been quietly bemused at the unfamiliar sense of uncertainty, as if he might suddenly cause an inter-Ministry incident by speaking out of sorts.

For now, he was content to stay quiet next to Rosier and to follow his boss's lead.  It wasn't that he was intimidated, exactly, but he didn't particularly want to catch the unfriendly eye of someone like the new Minister.  The bloke who ran Catastrophes was not worth irking, either -- Jonas harbored a suspicion that neither he nor his partner had many admirers on Level Three.

As worn as he felt, the topic of conversation was infinitely worth paying attention to.  He did not glance at Dreogan as a particular Cursebreaker's name was mentioned, but he let his gaze shift to the mage when the younger man spoke up.  This was obviously Dreogan in his element -- the smooth-talking, easy-mannered politician that Adon would never be.

The tone seemed to be getting drastically more dire.  Jonas frowned as he listened, eyebrows raised, his attention moving from speaker to speaker.  Giving an ultimatum to the Gringotts goblins -- this wasn't some mere game of cards where they could call someone's bluff.  Forcing all of the cards on the table like that was playing with fire.

But there was something to this mention of goblin-made artifacts.  The Corpus Inversus murders -- he and Archer were suspicious that there had been an artifact involved in that, too.  Frowning, Jonas scribbled a note down in his notebook -- still obviously Muggle-made, with a spiral binding -- and then glanced meaningfully at Rosier, tilting the pad in the older man's direction so that it could be easily read.

The goblet was wood? Well. Dreogan had not known that.  He hadn't heard much about the goblet, never having attended Hogwarts himself. Upon his return to the UK, Dreogan had found there were many more significant British peculiarities to familiarize himself with.  But perhaps he ought not to have spoken so quickly.  He listened intently to Zephyr's explanations., surprised, a little, at the show of support form Rosier and where, rather quickly, that support seemed to steer things.

It was conversations like this that made Dreogan's nerves fire and tingle.  He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.  Yes, clearly diplomacy was not an option.  It was only government's first and primary response and preferred method of dealing with intercommunal conflict. 

Apparently strong-arm negotiations were to be preferred.

"Minister Zephyr, I think you're quite right that we provide a counter-offer that they must consider.  But I caution that we only offer what we would be comfortable accepting wholly," Dreogan put in.  There was an advantage to playing at politics as one played at chess--several steps ahead--but things could change quickly when an opponent diverged from an anticipated course, and you were leagues ahead, caught scrambling to recalibrate.  That was the advantage of diplomacy.  "There are few things more unpleasant in negotiations than being held to your word and getting your way," he said with a sly smile, "if that is not what you'd wanted. This offer you've proposed is based upon an expected reaction, which may very well arrive at the end we need.  However, until  we talk to them about this topic, there is no way for us to be certain how they would resopnd; we'd have to be comfortable with the possibility, however faint, that they might accept.  And I suspect, though I am not fully familiar," he said, looking around at the key figures gathered about the table, "with Goblin artifacts, that our society may rely in rather significant ways upon more goblin products than Gringotts gold."

If Zephyr was at all concerned with keeping her supporters loyal--many of whom had to be monied individuals of considerable property (including Goblin property), then surely she would realize its affect on them?  Surely he would not need to inform the Minister of this uncomfortable truth. 

"I'm aware of that. It would take years, if not decades," he said when the Minister stated that his plan of action would take time and effort. He didn't want or intend to argue with her about this though, his input was merely a suggestion, an offer of a different opinion. And now it was on the table. But then Zephyr went even further with the suggestion of a trade ban. Rosier wasn't sure about this one, but decided to say nothing for now. He didn't see the trade ban as a permanent solution, only a very temporary one (if that). A ban was a ban - a law written on a piece of parchment. And in times like these laws were so easily broken, changed or disregarded.

Eleor was smart, but his policies and opinions often differed from Rosier's. However, once again, he had a point. This time however, Rosier said nothing to support him as he was sure Eleor disagreed with his views on making changes in Gringotts. Rosier was too exhausted for this. He sighed as Eleor brought up even more issues about the idea the Minister presented, knowing it will take at least a dozen more of these meetings before even a hint of a solution is suggested.

But then Trevelyan stopped his train of thought, waving with a silly-looking notebook in front of him. It took Rosier a couple of seconds of squinting through his reading glasses to decipher the ginger Auror's horror, nausea-inducing handwriting. He gave his colleague a brief, concerned look and then decided it was time to speak up again.

"Speaking of Goblin artifacts, this might be the right time to bring up the Corpus Inversus case. I'm sure you're all familiar with it - at least with the parts that were so insightfully covered by our friends at the Prophet." The more they investigated into this case, the more the goblin involvement was evident. He agreed with Trevelyan - there was undoubtedly a connection here. "The deaths of Lazarus Rippringham-Gomfrey and Terrence Dawlish are both linked to goblin-made artifacts. Whatever is going on - this hardly looks like diplomacy to me."

Diplomacy had certainly been pronounced dead several times in this conversation, and its effects were palpable.  It was unnerving that Dreogan would need to point out that goblin-made artifacts did not incriminate every single Goblin--or goblins at all, necessarily, that such a logical jump was based upon a racial presumption, and that when such a racial presumption did not feel presumptuous, it was culturally or at the very least, ideologically engrained.  And so, quite sensibly, Dreogan did not point these things out.  They should have gone without saying, but in this conversation, it seemed they would not go anywhere at all. 
 
As far as the corpus inversus case was concerned--as far as the now-open case of the murder of Dreogan Eleor, Sr. was concerned, Rosier clearly knew more than himself, as was right for a mann in his position, but even Dreogan would not allow leading comments to derail the conversation to a sort of preemptive retaliation, however embittered he himself might have felt.
 
"Whatever is going on here," Dreogan began in a tone of forced evenness, "is quite clearly still ongoing, investigatively.  And, because you have not concluded that the goblins are found guilty of these murders--else the case would be closed and up for trial--I'd advise we not discuss it in that light."  He laid his palms flat on the table, considering them a mooring point.  Finally, decisively, he added with a shake of his head, "That being said, if you have an ongoing investigation that is likely to be impacted by the proceedings from this meeting, it is best to keep that in mind."  Dreogan bit his lip, his own mind whirling with new thoughts. 
 
"We're talking about--though clearly not decided upon--Ministerial involvement in Gringotts, including its records, as well as the circulation of goblin-made artifacts..."  He wet his lips, preparing the words.  "Now, I may be overstepping my access-to-information, here," he pressed on, eyes locked in directly on Jonas, "in which case, please let me know.  But are any of your upcoming investigative methods," he paused, before smoothly inserting, "for any of your Goblin-related investigations, likely to rely heavily upon either one of these processes?"
 
Ministerial interference would, within seconds, destroy the natural underpinnings that were likely already being surveilled.  Make it impossible to trace the acquisition-habits of any monitored objects, and would likely spook the goblins into acting differently than they alredy were.  Any undercover work, any pending warrants--Dreogan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.  In fact, nearly any action they took towards the goblins might jeopardize the investigation...either of them...
 
Dreogan frowned visibly at the unsettling feeling and shifted in his seat.  They would simply need to find a way. 

Rosier gave a nod as he read over the note, and then waited for a break in the conversation to speak up.  Jonas leaned back, listening silently.  It wasn't his place to speak up or offer opinions, and to be fair, political dealings had never really been his forte.  It was hard to break out of the mental mindset of treating everything like an investigation that needed to be looked into, and even with these goblin dealings, he couldn't help but approach it with automatic suspicion, as if a crime had already been committed.

But Dreogan, clearly, was not happy with that.  Jonas blinked, his gaze shifting to his friend.  Investigative methods -- his expression immediately became impassive.  Investigative methods involving Gringotts Bank was not something he wanted to discuss in front of this group.

"Well, the goblins don't exactly cooperate with most investigations anyhow," he began with a frown, meeting Dreogan's gaze with a wary, cautioning look.  "And you don't have to be guilty of murder to be involved in something that you want to cover up, Mr Eleor.  Department Head Rosier is just saying that if we want to understand why they're making demands now, then we --"

This was the moment when all his support for Dreogan Eleor went down the drain. Inside his head, Rosier was pulling his hair out, demonstratively leaving this meeting and locking himself up in his office with a bottle of gin. In reality, he had this sort of crazy-calm look about him - a typical Rosier-esque poker face. But not for long. Those few seconds were spent on utter disbelief - at Eleor's opinions and at himself for thinking that Eleor was actually a rational man.

Barely even registering that Trevelyan joined in the discussion, Rosier dramatically interrupted the poor man, failing to notice he was actually giving him support. "Oh sure, Eleor - let us all sit here and try to think of more ways to make matters easier for the goblins. But why don't you instead tell this tale to the corpse of Rippringham-Gomfrey which incidentally was found turned inside-out. Or maybe tell it to his family who had to be called to identify the rotting pile of bones, guts and flesh." He took off his reading glasses and flung them onto the desk on top of his files and folders.

"Or while you're here, sitting on your high horse, promoting diplomacy so well, maybe you should promote it to Dawlish as well. Just to warn you - you will need to do it twice as one part of Dawlish decorates the floors of Westminster Abbey, while the other sits on top of the sculpture of William Gladstone some twenty meters away. Or maybe to the Aurors," there he waved his hand at Trevelyan and gave the man a slight nod before continuing. "who risk their lives daily so you could sit here and decide things for them. Or maybe, just maybe you should tell it to the third corpse related to this case - a young woman who died alone in a gritty shop in Knockturn Alley."

He wasn't sorry for saying all this in front of everyone, even the Minister. They needed to hear, it was time someone woke them up. It was all even more serious-sounding because Rosier spoke with a cool and collected tone of voice, explaining the gritty details rather matter-of-factly.

"So yes," he finally said, looking squarely at Eleor now. "The investigations would rely heavily upon these processes." Crossing his arms, Rosier was finally done. Tempted to leave on the spot (because, let's be realistic - the Head of DoMLE had better things to do with his time), but deciding against it for now. Zephyr didn't need that on top of everything else.

No, Dreogan could not imagine goblins to be particularly cooperative.  Dreogan gave an apologetic glance and smile to Trevelyan, which wavered visibly as soon as Rosier started with that tone.

The smile became less warm, more poised, and Dreogan interlocked his fingers, resting them on the table patiently.  In the past month, Dreogan had been quite busy preaching diplomacy and rage-management to not the Rippringham-Gormfreys, nor the Dawlishes, but to one particular Auror--in one particular family: his own.  Adon had not taken the discovery of his father's body in the Gringott's vault well--Dreogan would have been disturbed if he had; he had not, himself, and had warred with the feelings of resentment, betrayal, and deceit at the hands of the goblins just as his brother had.  But they could not feel emotions that would hinder their ability to deal with this logically. It had taken all he could to prevent Adon from going on a pointed, emotion-fuelled, and perhaps violent rampage of Gringotts.  They had at the least, come to an understanding now: Adon would rant openly about goblins, grow increasingly sullen or bitter at the sight of coins, and Dreogan would frown his disapproval, and they would resume business as usual.

"Then to return to my point, if--" Dreogan responded levelly, once he was certain Rosier had finished his diatribe, "the investigation hinges upon these processes," he looked at Rosier, then Jonas, then back to Rosier, "we ought to be careful how we become involved with them when trying to deal with the present Goblet situation.  Doing so may interfere with the investigations themselves." His voice grew harder and he folded his arms. "And let me be absolutely clear, here: ensuring the progress of these investigations and the safety of the Aurors involved is my absolute priority." Rosier was acting rather like he did not know that Adon was his brother, or that their father was a murder victim... Perhaps he didn't.

"But forgive me: I don't see how either of those can be accomplished by fueling emotions--we lose sight of the objective.  There is no need to insult, and there is certainly no need to act as though we are at odds." He set his jaw stubbornly. "We want the same things, here, I should hope.  A resolution to the situation, with minimal impact to the Tournament, no impact to the economy, and a clear and fruitful progression of the goblin-related investigations."  He shook his head in frustration before looking to the Minister for a confirmation.  That had been the purpose of this gathering, had it not?

Rosier exploded and she could see why (although she'd never take that tone); Dreogan Eleor said some very uncomfortable things.  And he looked and appeared very young somehow.  Or perhaps it was all the idealism.  Persepolis had always encouraged that sort of thing in the students of Hogwarts, hoping they'd hang onto it as long as possible.  With threats of economic collapse, with corpses piling up, idealism began to feel juvenile.  And Rosier was the avatar of all things practical, cynical, and fear.

As soon as Rosier began to bear down on the Muggle Affairs Head, Zephyr rose slowly to her feet again.  Kudos for Eleor not responding in kind.  Kudos for Rosier for not storming out then and there.  Not that either of them would have survived long either way.  But a witch like Zephyr couldn't lead by force - she'd never have enough.  She'd have to control by charisma, by influence.  Hopefully these many years had helped her harness the ability.

"That's enough."

But she didn't speak right away.  Instead she held onto the silence for a full minute as she took time to make some notes on the parchment in front of her.  Then, when she'd finished, she lay down her quill and looked up again.

"I had not yet been made aware of any goblin connection in the Corpus Inversus case - " were they really calling it that? It was incredibly grim... "but I shall consider myself briefed.  It would be wise not to ignore a possible connection, even if perhaps it isn't fair.  With what's at stake, we should consider all possibilities."

Who knew if the goblins allegedly connected to the murders were in any way in cohort with the goblin machinations of Gringotts, but to obtusely ignore a possible connection to be charitable? They could walk merrily into the bottom of a well.

"Mr Rosier, I will request regular updates on that case from now on."

"We are still, though, burdened with the immediacy of Monday.  Gringotts' deadline for their demands.  If I hadn't made it clear, that is what they are."  She made a glance at Dreogan Eleor, and the others around the table who seemed to be in support of him.

"They say there is not a word for compromise in Gobbledegook, but fourteen for negotiation and nine for revenge.  We can always afford the high road with the goblins but history has proven it doesn't matter.  They're  goblins and at the very root of our relations, they resent completely our authority over the magical world.  And the delegation from Gringotts was no different, as evidenced by their reading of the Attestations."

"As reluctant as this Ministry might be to follow through on a threat of black-listing goblin wares, do we have any reason to believe Gringotts is bluffing about locking the Ministry out?  Is there any way we can get this... Raziel Cohen here?  Today?  Now? The witch Cursebreaker who accompanied the goblins here."

"We need more insight."