“Amazing, I’d never have believed there was a griffin up here yesterday unless Bal- I mean, you’d told me.”

Johann Storm peered up and around the post room on Level One with his keen blue gaze. He prided himself on excellent observation skills combined with an impressive memory, but he couldn’t see anything was truly amiss.

“Gouged out the wall, and everything?” He continued, inspecting the clean, thick wood door frames which were a feature along the corridor on this floor. Five was pretty fine, but One was the smartest and most well presented of all the floors by far. It had to be, what with hosting guests and diplomats. It wouldn’t match the thick carpet otherwise.

“Magical maintenance excel themselves, but only to be expected up here, hm?” Five had meeting room doors which stuck every second Wednesday because they were bored, three desks nearby to Johann’s where the legs shrank at full moon, and a case of vomiting in-trays only the week before. Amélie Kelly had nearly drowned in duplicating parchment and the paper cuts had been particularly hellish.

“I almost wish we’d agreed to meet yesterday so I could see it.” Johann gripped a pile of parchment and files under his arm, ready to meet with one of the Minister’s undersecretaries, Brin Abbott. “…Though we might not have got much done.” He added as they walked away from the post room door, his gaze still scrutinising the door frame.

The weather was still winter cold and the day had started with fog in London which only made it more gloomy. The fact it was Friday was the only thing going for the day so far. Johann had counted two mentions of TGIF already and knew a third had to be coming.

“Griffins aside, has it been business as normal up here? Had any interesting visitors?” He quizzed Brinley, trudging through the thick carpet to their destination.

If Brinley had not seen it with his own eyes. He would not have believed it easily. Level one looked untouched. He did not normally gossip. But showing a friend was different. Johann was always interested. He always told Brin interesting things. Stories about colleagues he did not know. Brin thought Johann should work on Level one. He would be good at advising the Minister like Brin did. But not steal Brin's job. Brin had worked hard to get where he was!

"No. We would not have got much done." Agreed Brin. He made sure to stand to Johann's left so he could hear him properly. Brin was partially deaf on his right side. It was from a battle as a hitwizard. "We did not get much done all morning." Brin shook his head. He disliked that. Work was very important. Griffins should not stop government. They were better than that.

"Of the ones I can tell you about." Answered Brin. "Some American visitors. With a few bodies from Transport." Johann could put the pieces together. "Let us go in here." Brin pushed open a heavy door. Meeting room. "Get comfortable. I will get Pickler to bring us coffee." The assistant was across the hallway. "Be ready to brief me."

Peter Pickler was happy to oblige with Brin's request for coffee, nodding as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. The young wizard paused as the doors opened to the minister's office.

Edwin did not see all his visitors out the doors personally, but not all of his visitors were Hester Iravani. They might not have reason to tête-à-tête as readily since Gabrielle Pepper had returned from maternity leave, but he managed to fit her in. She made herself readily available and was becoming rather excellent counsel. If she did not have eyes on a Department Head post somewhere, he would have found a job in his office. Kuester's suitable replacement. With Holmes, Abbott and Pickler there were more than a few male voices.

Speaking of.
"Mr Abbott are you busy?"

"Sir." Brin stood up tall. "Update with International Cooperation Sir. About to begin. Do you wish me to postpone?" Abbott looked from the Minister to Hester Iravani. More Level Five. She was regularly here.
"Who with?" Iravani asked him. Like it was a trap.
"Storm."
"You will not need him." Hester Iravani said. "I have already told the Minister everything he needs to know."
"It is routine." Brinley said. Irritated. But not showing it. "Do you need me Sir?"

Edwin glanced from one to the other. As much as he appreciated a tenacious woman on his side, he also appreciated Brinley Abbott. Especially the thorough job he did.

“No, no go ahead,” the Minister approved. “Much as you have apprised me,” he looked to Hester, with a softer, but assured tone, “Mr Abbott’s duty is to keep abreast of a great range of matters which might be worth my attention at the drop of a hat, to save me doing so.” His investment of time in Hester was for a different purpose, and she would be good to remember such.

“If I am not with someone when you return, call on me.” He spoke directly to Brinley again, before turning back into his office, the double doors clicking closed in his wake.

Hester swallowed. Edwin had told her off. That was a sour end to a nice meeting.
"How long have you had updates from him?"
"Murray. Sorry. Pepper set it up when she went on leave."

This was news to Hester. All the time she had been in charge. She hid her surprise. People had meetings all the time. Abbott was just a secretary. She found it hard to adjust to being second again. Hester liked Gabrielle. But Hester wanted Gabrielle's job.

"Yes. I recall." She lied. "Good day Mr Abbott."

"Good day." Smiled Brim. He exchanged looks with Pickler. Who went to get coffee.

Brin went back to the meeting room. He had been gone a while.
"Ran into Hester Iravani." Brin said. "She said she told the Minister everything he needs to know." Brin sat down. "But we know she likes to whisper in his ear." He smiled. "Coffee is on the way."

Brin was gone longer than expected, Johann considered. He was sat alone in one of the Level One meeting rooms, sifting through papers in his hand, a self-inking quill caught between middle and ring finger, taking care not to blot the nib.

He glanced at the time above the smart, well maintained fireplace at he end of the table. Momentarily considered sticking his head out into the hallway to discover if another griffin had been let loose. These rooms were laced with silencing charms to keep eavesdroppers from either side of the door. They and the thick carpet swallowed all noise up here, in contrast to the floors below.

Then, suddenly the door opened and in slipped Abbott once more, apologising for the delay.

“Ran into Hester Iravani.”

“How unfortunate for you.” Johann retorted, not hiding his dislike of his superior around a trusted colleague. “How was that?”

“She said she told the Minister everything he needs to know.” Johann raised a dark eyebrow, a smirk forming on his lips. “But we know she likes to whisper in his ear.”

“Don’t we…” Johann’s smirk reached full potential. The G8 3/4 trip a fortnight ago had left rather telltale signs that Iravani was now enjoying a rather closer relationship with the Minister. She’d not slummed it on the train with Johann[1] and the rest of the diplomatic staff who got the important stuff done through the journey. She’d been on the Minister’s portkey list, normally only afforded to Department Heads and people like Abbott. It was Abbott who had let that slip when they were in Helsinki.

“Maybe he can give her a flattering reference, get her a post somewhere else.” He suggested hopefully, wrinkling his nose. It was business as semi-normal now since Murray Pepper’s return. Plenty of jokes about her new husband having made her a timeturner on the quiet to enable her to juggle a nearly one-year old and a Ministerial department.

1.	19th February, 2012, In the Field of Human Affection

"I do think that is her hope." Brin said. "He entertains her frequently. It has been noticed." Abbott, Holmes and their underlings noticed everything. It was their business to. They looked after every minister excellently. Brin had seen promotion when Edwin came to power. He took his job very seriously. This was the nearest he got to gossip. It was not very him.

A polite knock at the door. "Ah. Come! Coffee is here. Thank you Pickler."

Brin waited until the door closed again and they were alone. "Tell me everything the Minister really needs to know."

Johann allowed himself to entertain the thought of Hester Iravani swanning off to a post at another Ministry. No longer in his curls, or getting up his nose, her post open for the taking… Oh it was good to dream. He would have hated that sort of thing when he arrived. Putting down proper roots.

Pickler closed the door behind him and Brin turned back, eager to get on again.

“Tell me everything the Ministry really needs to know.”
“Certainly.” Johann smiled, and began to outline recent events, occasionally glancing at his notes, passing papers to his Level One friend to examine.

“One thing that should come to the Minister’s attention, is that Praecantatio Deliquus cases have been recorded in Europe.” He slid a map across the polished table top to Brin, illustrating locations of cases and dates. “Related to the cases reported by Six, where the international floo malfunctioned. We’ve extended our advice to friendly Ministries of course, but fingers are firmly pointed in our direction, of course.” He watched Abbott’s reaction with curiosity, wondering if anything had been said further on the source. Johann was no epidemiologist nor healer, but he had eyes, ears and a particularly nosey personality.

“Which means there’s still a risk someone will bring it back in, but at least we know that an apparition accident or floo malfunction is a telltale indication they are afflicted or in the early stages, so they can be asked to quarantine.” There were hardly any cases mentioned in the newspaper lately, but complacency was no benefit to anyone.

“Not like we’ve not just gathered a lot of magical governments in a capital city recently or anything, though.” Johann pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh dear." Brinley agreed. He looked carefully at the map. "If Madam Iravani mentioned this to the Minister he did not mention it to us. I on the other hand did hear a suggestion in Helsinki. If the floo malfunctions and apparition quickly becomes impossible. We thought it would not travel out of our borders." That was silly of them. Optimistic and silly. "Have you shown this to St Mungo's? I wonder if they know." Once one had it. Could one get it again? It did not seem likely. He had not heard of anyone getting it again.

“I thought it prudent to mention,” Johann confirmed. He had felt it important enough to pass by Miranda in an owl. She would have had his balls for baubles if he had sat on it otherwise, if she had not heard through other channels. The pair got on better than one might predict, even if she continually insisted on mispronouncing Balfour’s name when they were all first introduced. Reviving Hannah from certain death, breaking Ira’s curse had prepaid a debt of forgiveness.

“Hospitals do talk to each other, even if governments might not,” he added to Brinley, even if he was stating the obvious. “I heard that there’s evidence one can’t get it twice, so there’s hope for what Muggles call a ‘vaccine’. Safe exposure.” He’d avoided it, but the recent summit and this news gave him pause for thought. The last thing anyone wanted was another outbreak ahead of the best of wizarding society ascending to Edinburgh for the wedding.

“Doubt Iravani wanted to trouble Glass with it,” Johann added slyly. “Wouldn’t further her career.” He smirked. “You will mention this came from me, won’t you?” He added with a smug expression. Not that he wanted to ‘cozy up’ with the Minister, just prove he was worth two of Hester, especially when she packed her bags.

"Of course." Said Brinley. "I know all too well how One can take the credit." He had worked on Five after the war. When we was getting better. He had always worked hard. Got the job done. Taken pride in doing the best he could. It was another reason he liked Johann Storm.

"Tell me about this." Said Brinley. He moved them on. Time was important. It was very easy to talk to the other wizard. As well as professional things he needed to work out a good wedding gift. Once they had finished talking about trade tariffs he asked some questions.

"Not long now. Does everyone say that?" Brinley smoothed the parchment neatly. "What have you left to do?"

The coffee Pickler made was near empty, not the sort to top itself up from a source elsewhere. Their meetings rarely ran longer than one pot, both wizards efficient in their delivery.

“Does everyone say that?”

Johann’s lips curled into a smile at the self-awareness.

“Only four… five times a day,” he assured Brinley, “rising to seven or eight of late…” He puckishly enjoyed Abbott’s reaction and then laughed, reaching out to slap the man heartily on the shoulder. “I jest, it’s only three at most, and you’re the first today.”

He sat back, crossed his ankles beneath the table. “We’re nearly there, only a few things that have to be done just before, you know. Final fittings, seating plans, vows…” he ticked off his fingers, “but truth be told we get rather distracted once we’ve done a few things on an evening.” He flexed his fingers outwards rolling his eyes.

“You best be getting the day off, or I will confund Glass. Blow if there won’t be some national emergency of magical kind on the day and lose half our guests.” He leaned forward suddenly, “Don’t let him make any serious decisions that week, will you? Permitting Pepper’s flying machines, promoting Iravani - no, actually if he can get her out the country, that’d be the best wedding gift…” His words were quick, and he’d closed the distance between them.

“I’m getting ahead of myself,” he announced quite suddenly and sat back, scooping the paperwork back into a neat pile with his long arms.

"I will try not." Laughed Brinley. "She has not got an invite?" He was joking. What was the opposite of an invite? A ban. She was banned.

They were gathering their papers. "You are going to America after yes?" Asked Brin. "More the worry Balfour's team will cope." Brin had helped the Minister closely the day Alec Carter was found dead. They did not feel like a team yet. They disliked each other. Just like Johann's floor! Just like every floor Brin thought. It was no wonder things did not get done quickly. Apparently not even Penny Pickler could make them like each other. Minister Glass might fire and hire. He did not mention this to Johann. "Pepper is loaning you a car right?" said Brin. "In America not here."