8:15pm

"Explosions in Diagon Alley!"

Quill Som had rushed past all the gatekeeps which normally represented the various stages of courtesy and security protecting the time and tidy of the Minister of Magic.  She was the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and was well-regarded by her colleagues and seemed to be forgiven the trespass.  Her shouted declaration heralded her barging through the doors of Persepolis Zephyr's office.

"Ten minutes ago. Level Two received some kind of threat, Levels Two and Three mobilized to respond but," Quill Som's face fell, "but it was too late.  The Leaky Cauldron's in flames, Charring Cross is exposed - we think - it's still early, Minister, but there are casualties."

She finished her rapid report and winced and nodded in a kind of half apology.  She wasn't sorry for breaching protocol but felt like she might acknowledge it.  Edwin Glass was already gone, and Levels Two and Three were empty.  Quill had stayed behind to brief the Minister.

Zephyr always worked late.  On this the fifth of November she'd had supper brought in and the finished dishes were on a sideboard.  The doors burst open and the space was suddenly filled with the intense presence of Quill Som, Edwin Glass's second.  Zephyr stood to hear the urgent report as it was rattled off.

"Coven protect us," she swore in a whisper.  She took a deep breath, giving herself two seconds to prepare. Persepolis then came hurrying round the desk gathering herself.  Wand, over-robe, shoes, a clasp for her heavy head of hair.  She had to be ready, like a warrior for battle. All the trappings.

"Press?"

Quill replied shaking her head, "None yet. They'll be at Diagon if anywhere."

"Find Speakeswell."  Gladys Speakeswell was significantly named chief spokeswitch for their office.  "We need to release a statement as soon as possible."

"Yes, ma'am. What else do you need?"

Persepolis looked up from bundling her locs.  "I need Mihai Zamperia."

Quill Som furrowed her brow.

"The...Obliviator? Ma'am, he'll likely be at the scene. He -," she stopped her own protestations remembering that, a. the Minister could summon whoever she wished, and that b. she often summoned Mihai Zamperia.

"I'll find him, ma'am. Send him here?"

"Immediately," replied the Minister.  "Thank you, Som."

Dismissed.  Quill nodded her head and out of the room.  A Level One staffer intercepted her on her way out.  "What's going on! What happened?"

"Call everyone in," Quill Som suggested.  "Everyone. Someone's attacked Diagon Alley."

Mihai  had been in the middle of helping round up muggle witnesses to the Leaky Cauldron explosions, worrying and wondering if any of his friends had been involved. After all, Dietrich and Balfour did enjoy a good drink now and then... He had every reason to be worried. This mess needed to be cleaned up as quickly as possible, to reduce casualties... But then Quill Som appeared and interuppted.

"Zamperia. The Minister's summoned you. Immediately." Mihai motioned towards the muggles, clearly stating that he wasbusy. Everyone should have been busy. She should have known better.

"Just go. I'll handle Glass."

He wondered how often he could meet with Persepolis before rumors began to spread. Not that he cared much about rumors, but he did care about how they would affect her political standing. Especially now that she was summoning him in the middle of an emergency.

 Mihai kept himself composed, nodded at Quill and apparated to the nearest floo. From there he made his way to the Minister's office, people running and bustling around him, likely to deal with the catastrophe. An act of terrorism. He wondered what was next. He wondered if Ira was connected somehow.

The obliviator entered Persepolis' office without knocking, closing the door behind him a bit louder than usual. He crossed his arms over his chest and set his jaw, staring at Minister Zephyr, waiting impatiently for her to speak.

"Give us the room."

When Mihai arrived, Zephyr was in urgent conference with a half-dozen witches and wizards. One from Muggle Affairs, another from the Diagon Alley community leadership, and two from Mysteries. They stared at the Obliviator for a moment - who was important enough to monopolize the Minister of Magic's time in a crisis like this.  But they obeyed promptly enough, leaving Persepolis alone with Mihai.

"You think you've got problems?" she snarked at his obviously perturbed posture.  "I'm waiting on casualty reports from St. Mungo's, and I'm going to have to speak with the Other Minister for the second time in two months. So spare me." 

She sighed and softened.  "I need to know what's going on down there."  She gestured around her to the lamp windowless office and the bright lamplight.  "I have to be here and reports are coming in sporadically and they're beginning to conflict. Please?"

The Minister of Magic pleading with an Obliviator for a basic briefing? What an odd day.

"They're not my problems." Mihai clarified irritably, "It's bigger than my problems." It wasn't that he didn't like being in Persepolis'company. In fact, he enjoyed her companionship, her friendship. He was comfortable enough around her not to be perfectly composed. He did not always have to be strictly professional, though at work he did his best to be.

It must have been frustrating to sit and wait,  not knowing what was going on. And now she was actively keeping him from making a difference. No matter. This mess would take days to clean up as far as altering the memories of muggles alone.

"I do not know much." He started, "There were two explosions before aurors and healers arrived on the scene. Then there was a third explosion that claimed more victims." Mihai took a seat, "We do not know who caused it, or why. Now muggles can see The Leaky Cauldron; it is a serious breach of the statute of secrecy." He ran his fingers through the hair on the back of his head, "Healers and aurors are hurt. Daily prophet writers and photographers are a nuisance."

"The building has collapsed, it is on fire. Recovery efforts are being made by aurors, mediwitches and wizards, and healers. As well as some stubborn civilians."

Persepolis gave him a dead eye look that just said don't, and promptly he acquiesced to her request for a first-hand account.

As she spoke, she had the need to begin writing memos straight away.  It was worse than she thought.   She looked up sharply at his last word - the stubborn citizens.

"Use them," she urged emphatically.  It was a common wisdom to keep civilians out of Ministry business, but her mind had been changed when civilians had been the turners of the tide in a Dementor attack last spring.[1]. 

"Unofficially, but don't turn them away."  She scribbled on new parchment.

"Get this to Quill Som.  She'll work with Muggle Affairs to sort out any civilians dressed for Charing Cross, and divert any other helpfuls onto the Diagon side."  She sighed. If there was any sliver of order to be found, Som would find it and exploit it.  She'd been a force supporting her interdepartmental mandate.

"MINISTER!" the door swung open and Gladys Speakeswell appeared.  "I'm here but Prophet's on the scene and I-"

"Go!"

Speakeswell got the answer she needed and was gone in a flash, still fastening her buttons.  The door shut behind her.

"Mihai - I - that's all, I suppose. Just find me later. When you can. I need to find Madam Harker."  Even if Persepolis needed more time with Mihai Zamperia she probably wouldn't have been able to stop the next interruption.  St. Mungo's was here.  She held them off for another moment with the raise of a hand.

"Thank you, Mihai."

1.	Devon Locals Turn Back Dementors - April 23, 2010

“I don’t care if she’s dining with the muggle Queen, I certainly won’t wait.”
A flurry of emerald and golden robes swept into the Minister for Magic’s office as Miranda Elliot ignored the instruction to wait any longer and pushed her way past the assistant and through the door.

Elliot was dressed in her usual Head Healer robes open above sensible smart clothing. Her stilettoes had been replaced with a pair of black trainers from the last hour working on the floor taking in patients from the explosion. Dark hair, normally in a perfect bun or ponytail, had strands escaping and falling down by her face. She wasn’t currently the prim and perfect Head Healer discussing dementors over tea. This time she’d barged in not prepared to do the dance the pair usually did around formalities and respect.

“Zephyr.” Elliot’s dark eyes swept over the familiar witch and landed on the wizard in the room. A regular donator to the hospital and at this moment she was unable to recall his name. Not that it mattered right now. “Your head auror is currently under the rubble of the Leaky Cauldron along with some of his aurors and every injured party is being transported to St Mungo’s. I need some security in case whoever they wanted dead is about to be under my roof.”

Elliot.  She momentarily felt for Holmes who must have worked hard to keep the Head of St. Mungo's at bay but wouldn't blame him for faltering. She'd have Reducto'd down the door if she wanted to, Zephyr was sure, and it wasn't fair to ask Holmes to stand in that line of fire.  Besides, Mihai was on his way out, back to the field. 

Courtesy was the least of the causalities of tragedy.  Zephyr didn't blink.

"Pratt." The Head Auror was Edward Pratt. She remembered.  "Damn." 

Elliot was describing a threat to the downed Aurors safety.  Zephyr quieted a moment to connect the dots. Som had said that a threat had gone directly to Level Two which drew them immediately to Diagon. It could have been a trap more than a terrorizing taunt. But drawing trained wands away from Diagon to protect Aurors - no, to protect St. Mungo's - would leave Diagon all the more exposed. 

She shook her head.  "I need to get a report from Level Two and find out how they've allocated personnel. How many do you need? How bad are they?"

Zephyr was more welcoming than Elliot had imagined she would be considering the Head Healer had barged past the assistant into the Minister’s office without a care for decorum. Decorum wasn’t a priority when her hospital and staff were at risk because of a threat to the ministry. It would seem that Zephyr acknowledged that. Or rather, if she’d have jumped up and obeyed, it would have shown her acknowledgement. As it were, she remained seated and simply asked questions.

“I need as many as it takes to keep my staff and patients safe.” Elliot stated as she pushed the door shut in the face of Zephyr’s assistant. “I don’t know what sort of rescue mission your aurors have been playing but it’s a disaster. There’s no order and they’re certainly not trying to find the culprits which are no doubt long gone and on their way to my hospital. You’ve got at least 5 of level 2 about to take up beds in the emergency ward and I don’t want St Mungo’s to be the next on the explosion list.”

Dark eyes cast over the witch in brightly coloured clothing before they fell on the wizard in the room as she briefly wondered what he was doing here. Were the two socialising as London fell to pieces?
“I can’t grow old waiting on this decision, Zephyr. I don’t give a hippogriff’s arse about your politics and how you look to the population. There are lives at stake.”

"I'm not a Seer!" Zephyr snapped.  "You've asked me for security and you need to tell me how many."

Some might have expected Zephyr to take time to defend against Elliot's allegations that the scene was a bungle by her people, but she wouldn't be doing that.  Firstly, she highly doubted that it was; her people were excellent. Secondly, it very well could be a disaster because of course it was a disaster! Reports were coming in minute by minute and things were changing rapidly.  She didn't need to get into an argument with a Healer administrator about Auror tactics for handling an active mass casualty situation.

"St. Mungo's is yours. You know your vulnerabilities, your capabilities.  I can't get you what you need unless you tell me what you need. Honestly, Elliot, I'm on your bloody side."

Zephyr tossed her hands in the air indignantly, a rare show of exasperation from the usually unflappable she.  She'd only just asked 'how high?' and Elliot thought that was a measured political move? She couldn't win!

Was she feeling exhausted and a little delusional or had she completely misunderstood the Minister for Magic and made the witch somewhat frustrated? Since their first meeting things had gone more smoothly between the two witches. Mira had realised the importance of an alliance and had been on her best behaviour. Until now when stress was perhaps getting the better of her.

“I'm on your bloody side.” The minister had said, leaving Elliot staring at her, lips parted and resembling a mildly dumbfounded Hogwarts first year.
“Ah.” This expression only managed to hold her features for a second before she nodded. Within moments she had her arms cross and a stern expression had returned. “Well good.”

Dark eyes danced over the marginally younger witch before started to consider what she really needed. In all honestly Miranda didn’t know the security of her hospital well. Her focuses when taking up her role hadn’t been on this. They were in a time of peace and such things had seemed unnecessary to research. Ignan would have no doubt had some choice words to share on that negligence.

“At least two per floor? One for the entrance?” she shrugged and offered an uncomfortable smile. “Healers aren’t renowned for their crime fighting technique.”

Quick head maths. Four floors at two wands each plus..., "make it two for the door."  She went round her desk and snatched a quill.  Her usually measured hand was flourished and she didn't take time for any jots or tittles as she penned an order for Raynor. 

R.

Send 10 security to St. Mungo's ASAP. Possible threat to injured Aurors.

Z.

As she wrote it, she realized she had no idea who Raynor would send. She was still waiting on a report from Level Two and she suspected it'd be late arriving. If there were Aurors under the rubble, who would there be to take a head count? She resolved to send someone after it.  Catastrophes knew how to count robes, heads, and other parts - she'd conscript one of them to the task.

"Holmes, dear!" Zephyr barked to her right hand.  "Get this to Raynor straight away. Personally. St. Mungo's requires immediate aid."  She said the last part with an eye on Elliot, doing her best to show that this was no hardship - a duty the Minister and Ministry was not resentful of. 

The letter and courier were gone in a second.  There was a clamour in the corridor, but no one came rushing in, and for a moment it was silent.

"I wish I could do more. Please take care of them," she said to Elliot.