He was clearing his desk for the new day, ready to start once the clutter on his desk was organised tidily in his way, when she walked into his office without so much as a knock. Now, not knocking on the door he was used to - Aurors had their own attitudes, and he was very much resigned to how they seemed to use his office as a drop-off point for their reports - but this woman boldly walking in was an entirely different matter.

Mord stared at her as she looked around the office. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she strode over to his desk to stand before him. "Mordecai Hollingbury, I take it? I'm Sameera Taylor. May I have a word with you, please?"

"About?" In honesty he was still shocked, but it said a lot about the general atmosphere of Level Two that he could keep his face the same.

"Oh, the general structure of the Improper Use of Magic Office," she answered, smiling. "I'm curious to know as to the standards and quality this office seeks to serve, or already serves, within the Ministry."

Mordecai straightened. "Who are you with? I apologise, I don't get random visitors to this office a fair amount."

Sameera smiled. "There's always a first for everything. I suppose we can have a proper talk with your permission? You are the Head and this is your turf, after all. I'm with the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Hm." He didn't remember anyone by her name in there, but he didn't go down there much either due to his serving the more domestic areas. "You have my attention, Miss - I assume? - Taylor."

She didn't bother to correct him, so he assumed she was fine with it. Out of the briefcase she had been carrying, she pulled a folder from it and laid it on the desk in front of her reverentially. Mordecai glanced at it, wondering if she was going to pull something out, but she didn't. "The Improper Use of Magic Office hasn't had a very good past, hasn't it? It's been home to individuals such as Orabella Nuttley, yes, but then we have Dolores Umbridge, Travers--"

Mordecai couldn't help but make a disgruntled sound.

"-- and Rufus Fudge, I always wondered how you people cleared that up. Either way, it seems that the Office has had its fair share of morally ambiguous people." She interlocked her fingers and looked up at him. "Would you think that's the reason why not many people come to work here?"

Mordecai had to take a minute to gather his knowledge, mostly because he was still trying to read between what she was saying in order to get her intentions for even being here. "Quite frankly, the Improper Use of Magic Office was far more viable as a position within the Ministry in the 90s because of the issues with pureblood supremacy and demonstrations of such within heavily Muggle-populated areas," he said. "These days, it's not died down, but certainly people have been less forward about it. We get the occasional prank, maliciously done or just a kind of 'lesson', but either way it's everything to do with the Statute. Always have, always been."

"So basically less crime? Isn't that a good thing for you?"

The Head smiled, but there wasn't much mirth in it. "Let's put it this way - the Office hasn't had the power to do more than it's usually supposed to do since the Second Wizarding War, but that would be because the individuals involved don't insert additional duties. Every single time the Office has gotten involved, it's usually in a way that negatively impacts the wizarding society. In a way it's good that the Office's involvement is back to--"

"Domestic matters circling around the illegal exposure of magic in the presence of Muggles?" Sameera cut in. "Are you personally happy with that arrangement?"

He had to stop to think. Was he? So far he'd been...certainly comfortable.

"Yes," he said. "But it would be nice to have people come and go like the last time it was busy. Things to do. Just not the things that I would want the Office going back to like it was in the past."

"No, certainly not," Sameera agreed. "But in the past it was because specific people within this Office wielded power that, regrettably, served a twisted version of the Office's original founding aim. I am correct in saying that you have full power in this Office, yes? Are you not under any sort of control or orders to maintain the Office as according to what the Ministry desires?"

The way she said it made him bristle a little before he realised what he was doing. He looked up at her and saw that she'd noticed. He could not show any more to her. "I am subject to the Head of the MLE, who has to carry out orders of the Minister of Magic herself. Does that count under your definition of 'control'?"

She shrugged. "Depends on what you think is control in this place. After the Second Wizarding War, maybe that doesn't count for so much now. But the Office was definitely being controlled before and during the War, so I was wondering if you're the one in charge or if someone else is."

"Miss Taylor, I have to ask if you're implying that I allow the Office be a puppet of whichever higher-up wants to inflict the power of an office that backs the Statute," said Mordecai. An edge had reached his voice.

"Do you?"

For a moment there was silence. Then Mordecai said, "What is your real intention here, Miss Taylor? Please answer me before I have you removed by force from my office."

"Alright, alright." She put her hands up. "I know when to retreat when I see I'm losing a battle here. You win, Mr Hollingbury."

"There was no fight in the first place." Mordecai's tone had become steely. "I entertained your presence because you brought up good points. But if you're going to imply activities that I myself don't partake in and not just for moral reasons, then I'm afraid that your presence in my office is only going to be tolerated enough for me to have you escorted back to your floor."

Sameera gazed at him for a long moment. Mordecai held her gaze. He felt no opposition to the steel wall in his mind, nor was there a warning atmosphere or sensation that she could be a Legilimens. No. She definitely wasn't, but he wasn't going to lower the wall or his guard.

"Fine, let me explain, but I can leave this office on my own, thanks." She placed her hands in her lap. "I partially told you the truth. I was an employee of the Ministry. I did work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, but I resigned in January to take care of personal matters. When I returned, I sought for another job within the Ministry and came upon the ever-prevalent ads for vacancies within the Improper Use of Magic Office. Further research shed light on the Wizarding Wars, and I thought...well, if I'd been around during the Second, perhaps I could have helped? Either way, your office intrigues me, because it has the potential to do so much more than what it does now."

"People have thought that in the past," Mordecai said. "They decided to see what potential the IUM has. As it is, the only results the IUM has gained is either a single note in the background of river of song, or black spots that mar the tapestry. As such, I don't plan to take it further than what people believe it to be capable of doing."

"Fair enough, true, true--"

"And for the record, if you had been around during the war, no, you wouldn't have helped." Mordecai stopped there. There was territory that he didn't usually step into ahead otherwise.

"Yes, I know, I heard about the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, I was lucky to not be here. But prior to that? Would it have been possible to protect the Office from--"

"No."

There was silence. Sameera angled her head a little to one side, glancing away. "And you can speak that with certainty?"

"I am a survivor of the First and Second Wizarding Wars." Mordecai's tone was flat. "I'm more than certain because I know how it feels like to have no power whatsoever because it's been taken from you. I'm not letting it happen again."

"I'm not suggesting that you allow people to control the Office, Mr Hollingbury." Sameera's tone was earnest, but did little to move the bearded wizard. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Let's put this into perspective here. I just walked into Level Two on account of being a former employee and entered your office without any resistance whatsoever - well, up until you. Who's to stop someone within the Ministry from coming in here and giving you the wand one-two? I think the IUM has that power."

Mord's reply was sharp. "Why do you think so?"

"The name of this office. Improper Use of Magic." Sameera raised her eyebrows. "People in the past have declared what they think is improper use of magic. Umbridge...I don't suppose you want to talk about her, but I do. I read about what she did that came to light after the War, the way she rose to her position as Head in this office compared to you. Travers, his perspective of improper use of magic, too. But since you came into power - sorry, no, that's the wrong phrase. Since you were promoted, you have done exactly what the Office's vision follows, and I think that's what you want. But if you don't take the Office to what it could be, then it will forever be pulled around by whatever happens in the Ministry."

"Are you a seer?" Mordecai asked. When she shook her head, he placed his palms on the edge of the desk and made to get to his feet. "Well, then I'm not sure why you seem so certain that I can do something about the Office that makes it apparently more significant than it is now, which seems to be what you're implying. Men and women have tried to make this Office greater than it is, and have led it and its occupants down the wrong path. I'm not interested in the slightest in having history repeat itself."

"And that's why I think you'd be able to do exactly what I think the Office can do," Sameera said quietly.

There was silence again. Mordecai gazed, his hands still on his desk, at Sameera, and she held that gaze back. At length, he took his hands off the desk and settled back down into his seat. "Tell me what you think the Office can do," he said.

"Here's the thing." Sameera leaned forward. "In many places in the Muggle world, there's at least one small group of people who are paid to keep an eye on others for any sort of...misbehaviour achieved by companies, organisations, big bodies of people who might not be legally required to be scrutinised by a law enforcement agency, like police-- well, to you that would be the Law Enforcement Squad by default, or the Aurors. It's the legal stuff, see. Not everyone knows all of that. Some places even have their own internal department for that sort of thing, because when you're in a place where someone could abuse their legal rights to do whatever they want in the name of their organisation, someone needs to be there to make sure that there will be consequences. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

"Who watches the watchmen?" Mordecai replied immediately. "I see what you mean."

"It falls under Improper Use, doesn't it? This time it has nothing to do with blasted blood purity. But abuse of magic, even in the sense of power itself, perhaps that might work."

"You do realise that this is going to be entirely dangerous, even from a legal standpoint?" Mordecai raised an eyebrow. "'The pen is mightier than the sword' doesn't apply in all situations."

Sameera smiled, and there was warmth in that smile. "I doubt a survivor of the wars would come away from the experience without learning a thing or two in the event of such atrocities occurring again."

"No, you're right." Mordecai looked away. "But there are a lot of things to sort out, you understand. And by doing this, the Office will get very political."

"I understand. And, to be fair, the Ministry's like that isn't it?" Sameera waved a hand vaguely. "It's always political, even when it isn't. I don't expect this office to be transformed overnight, and certainly not when you're alone. You need people."

"And that's why I think I should be hiring you."

For a moment Sameera stared at him, and then she asked, "Really?"

"You walked into Level Two assuming that no one would stop you, and no one did. You walked into my office with the assumption that I wouldn't throw you out at once, and I didn't. You sat down here and had this talk with me despite me threatening to have you escorted out of here." Mordecai gave her a shrewd look. "You made your move with me just to suggest a direction for the Office. I don't meet a lot of people who brazenly come in here and tell me what they think this place could be. And as much as I have every right not to trust you, something's telling me your intentions are exactly as you laid them out on the table."

"Well, I can't convince you to trust me, and even if I could put out my defence on why you should trust me, you still have every right not to. You're not a Legilimens, right? Good, because if you were I'd be out of here in no time at all, no threat of escort needed. Why are you smiling like that?"

"It's nothing, a thought just occurred to me," said Mordecai, covering his mouth with one hand.

"Either way, I guess, if you want to hire me...well, who am I to question that?" She slid the folder on the desk towards him. "Here's my credentials. I've got references within the IMC, so don't be afraid to pop down there and get a few." She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Don't you 'yes' me. You put that folder there right at the beginning of this conversation. Exactly what were you expecting?" Mordecai stared at her pointedly.

She held his gaze. "If you'd wanted to check my background or doubted me at any time, I had to streamline the process for you, right?"

After a moment, he said, "You know, you'd make a bloody good criminal with that tongue of yours."

Sameera shrugged. "To catch a criminal, think like one. I think that should work, yes? The law needs a few people like that once in a while. Ever thought of reformed criminals as your employees?"

"One change at a time," said Mordecai, picking up her file and giving her a look. "Just one."