"Mortimer! Pleasant surprise!" Edwin greeted and automatically got his feet behind the desk.

"Mm, Edwin, good morning." The tall, gaunt figure of the older wizard loomed in the doorway of Edwin's office. Mortimer's eyes quickly took in the line of filing cabinets, the desk and the clutter, and the altogether brighter and airier feeling of level three in comparison to nine.

"Forgive my unannounced intrusion on your Department, Glass, but I took the liberty of checking your diary."

"You did?" Edwin put a hand to his inside jacket pocket, where his only diary was kept, feeling slightly apprehensive about what the Department of Mysteries knew about the comings and goings of the Ministry.

Gamp stepped inside, swung the office door shut on the open office beyond and straightened his tie and cuffs, appearing quite immaculately presented. Edwin set aside the Muggle newspaper cuttings he was reading and gave his fellow Department Head his attention, about to gesture for Mortimer to take a seat, only the wizard was already sat down.

"How can I help?" Edwin asked, making eye contact with the older wizard, whose eyes appeared sunken in and dark.

"Dementors, Edwin, dementors," Gamp spoke, without blinking. This and the topic made Edwin's heart skip a beat in his broad chest. He had scant memories, suspicions that Gamp had been involved with dementors back in the day.

"It's clear we cannot let them run amuck up and down the country."
"Are you saying I am?"

For a moment the two Department Heads stared at each other over Edwin's desk, as if Edwin's comment had been quite out of line.

"No, Catastrophes does a fine job as ever to contain things." Edwin narrowed his eyes ever so slightly and leant his weight forward onto his elbows on the desk, studying the other wizard. There was an undertone in that statement.

"I'd like us to do more than contain things, Mortimer, I'd prefer to have them controlled like they were once, and to hell with Shacklebolt's decree." The moment the confession slid from his lips, Gamp's face brightened with delight.

"Which is why I am here to speak to you, Edwin. We can control them, but it makes most sense for your Department to do this, as the front line."

Glass was delighted, and in the process overlooked the matter that Gamp was suggesting this to avoid his own department being implicated if things went horribly wrong. What with the Minister suggesting they found someone of suitable temperament to bargain with the dementors on their behalf, he was rather excited at the thought they might be able to do it without.

Gamp in return, was pleased to know that Glass was willing to potentially sacrifice one of his own to the attempt. He could see the front page headlines with grim puns about kissing or embracing dementors. Would Glass pass it off as an independent act without sanction if so? And if Glass succeeded, then no matter, Gamp would not be able to claim the glory due to the confidential nature of the work as it was, but he would be able to much more easily resume the study of prolonged dementor encounters and the ebbing away of magical potential, and whether he could strip it from some 'volunteer' criminals.

"So glad to have you on board, Edwin. Lyra and I shall have you over for dinner very soon."

And with a handshake the deal was made.