The Best Offense

Claire Bishop was standing outside Robert’s office with two of her best Aurors. Something about Flint worried her ever so slightly, but she was almost certain it was because he didn’t have a personality she would exactly prefer. But his record was squeaky clean, he had surprisingly high test results, and when she ‘show up’, he was instantaneous in his support. And Hallie, of course. Hallie was a veteran, tried-and-true, and word was Robert liked her.

What Robert was not going to like was being given a guard. She had not had as much face-time with the Minister as she has expected, especially considered her vital role in national security, but she knew how independent Robert was in the first place. But she had a plan. Strategy was her strongest suit, and she had a feeling she would be able to convince him to let Caleb and Hallie stay on.

She looked between the two Aurors, both the picture of a good agent. She squinted, and took a breath. “Okay. Stay here. We’ll come get you.” She tilted her head, wanting to hear them say they agreed to this plan, that they understood what was expected. With another curt nod, she turned and walked towards Robert’s office, being let in by his secretary.

“Mr Lupin,” she said, her voice professional but pleasant. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

@Robert Lupin @Hallie Cooper

Robert had slid into his office hours off his usual time. Liz was, so far, the only other one who was the wiser, so far as he could tell. He had pulled out a file drawer to put into service as a footstool for his foot. He rested his cane against the credenza. Liz had brought him coffee. Good girl. Just what the healer ordered. Well, not quite. In fact, not even remotely.

He was sleep deprived. He had gotten a little while he'd been out of the office, but he wasn't ready to give into it. He knew the steep penalty one had to pay for substituting energy potions for sleep. It couldn't go on forever. Right now, though, there were lives at stake, He couldn't risk the time it was going to take to turn his own health around in the way that he knew that it was going to take.

And so, he poured a stiff dose of energy potion into the coffee and drank a big gulp to get some into his system.

"Minister," Liz slipped into his office, interrupting him, barely minutes after he got in. "Claire Bishop is requesting to see you, Sir."

"Bishop?" he frowned.

"Yes, Sir. Shall I let her in?"

"Yes, fine." He closed the file drawer and stood up to greet her. He knew the pretense he was going to have to mount for her.

When she came in and greeted him, he smiled. "Hello, Ms. Bishop. Come sit down. " He knew that Bishop had been working on the business with the Hogwarts' Express, but could she actually have found a lead already? "What can I do for you today?" he asked, curious.

Claire smiled and took his offer to sit. Because of the misogynistic tone of the British government - male Minister, male deputy, male head of the wizengamot, male everything save for her and maybe three other women - she typically remained on her feet, remained in a position of power. However, she knew Robert was not that sort, and she knew the upward battle she had ahead of her. So she sat with a polite nod, brushing her slacks.

"Actually, I'm here because of what I can do for you," she said with a smile. "With the recent events regarding the Hogwarts Express, it is in my best belief that we should station a guard on you. Now, I don't mean anything obtrusive, as I want you to be able to work and I don't want to paint an even larger target on your back. But if someone can kidnap all of Hogwarts and the heavily-warded train they were on, I think it's only safe to assume we need to double down. And I've always been a fan of the good old fashioned Secret Service."

Caleb, outside the door, had looked about him after Claire was gone. All there was left to do was wait. So he walked over and flopped into a chair, running a hand through his hair, before giving the secretary a cheeky smile.

((RJ, feel free to interact with Caleb while Claire and Robert do business. Get their dynamic established.))

He had to stop a moment and think about what she'd just said. Of all the things he expected, he hadn't expected that. It took him by surprise.

"Me?" he frowned. "I appreciate you being proactive, but i don't know that I see any connection between Hogwart's problems and mine." As soon as the words left his lips, he realized he hadn't meant to even intimate that he had issues of his own.

He knew that Kate was concerned that, while he was working without any sleep, he was even more at risk for errors of his own. It wasn't like that hadn't ever happened before because it had.

And then there was Gwen Fawcett. The fact that she was at Ilvermorny was a puzzle he hadn't quite figured out. There seemed to be nothing in it for her. It made no sense.

That was just the top of the list. There was an enormous 'however' in it for him. He'd never had a bodyguard. He'd never believed he needed it. He usually could take care of himself. Kate and Michael were strongly opposed to him trying to do that right now, though.

"Alright, Bishop," he said, deciding to end diplomacy and allow them to just talk freely. "How about laying your cards on the table and telling me what exactly caused this new idea of yours? You and I both know that I haven't ever used a guard. You wouldn't be asking just on general principle though. I do know that much about you."

She tilted her head at his words, the disagreement within her subtle but there. She wanted him to see that, she wanted him to know without her having to voice it. Because to her, and probably to his enemies, it was obvious. "It's within your jurisdiction. It implies some sort of lapse, and that's typically when everything begins to snowball. What better time to attack then when the country is under crisis?"

She knew it was vague. She knew that in itself would not suffice, that he would press her. But what she had to say was not something she wanted to lead off with. She wanted him to give her no other option. Claire could be delicate in that way.

And that was exactly what he did.

She let out a little breath. "The idea was there, sir, always. But two points of matter, and I want to reiterate that I believe I am not overstepping my bounds. I checked into my job description and everything. I like to be thorough." A small smile touched on her lips. "I have a friend. Who... mentioned that one potential theory about the train may relate back to you and some sort of feud. This friend is subtle, and they did not release any more information. I was considering the guard, and this, they said, might help inform me further on which direction to take."

She paused. "And, do forgive me, but I've also heard a small fraction of a rumor about some sort of visit to Mungo's. Obviously, I would not push boundaries and find the direct cause, but I was able to confirm that there was a visit."

She paused. "Once again, I would ask forgiveness, but I believe it is within my job description to equip myself with the knowledge to keep our country safe. And that means keeping you safe, Minister."

She was feeling him out. And because she suspected he was a man who liked a little spunk, she offered, "And I wasn't asking." She smiled, a small genuine smile. "Minister."

He sat and listened to her, straight faced. He wasn't going to deny that she was correct in that the screw up and a whole school of missing kids looked bad not just for Hogwarts but for American and all of England as well. He knew that. It was part of the reason he was doing not just double duty but triple duty.

He listened to the rest of her rationale. When she finished, he sat for just a moment. He was honestly trying to be diplomatic about it, but what came out was pure amusement--laughter. It had been a long time since he'd found much to laugh about, and laugh genuinely.

"Someone's been doing their homework," he said. "Well done." He took a sip of his coffee before adding. "And, someone has also been talking to Michael Tremaine, I do believe."

"Your theory is sound enough, even if it does have a fair amount of blank spaces in it," he said. "However, I am willing to fill them in for you--if the backstory doesn't leave this room and stays between us for the moment. Fair enough? I'll answer your questions as you need, but that stays between us until it becomes necessary to involve more people, which no doubt will come.

"As for the incident at St. Mungos, I am well--unless I would need to run. Then, I'm afraid I'm totally screwed. My dear friend was looking out for my best interests, I'm sure.

"The logistics might be tough to work out, though, Bishop. Much as I don't doubt your judgment, having a guard around me is one thing. Having anyone follow me home or into places where, frankly, I don't let anyone into, well, we might need to come to some sort of arrangement with that.

"So--ask your questions, and then tell me what you have in mind about my security--precisely."

He laughed and, while her instincts told her this was a good sign and she may have just (for the first time ever) managed to 'turn on the charm', she was not going to write off the possibility that he found her mild insubordinance here (which could only be considered that by someone recklessly proud, which Robert was not) ridiculous and would send her out of his office.

But he didn't. And she had to trust that it was for good reason, and that she might have found the foothold she so desperately needed. He guessed her contact was Tremaine and she smiled. It was Dyllan, of course, but she thought it might be good that people didn't know that there was actually some respect underneath their strange, unimpressed dynamic. It could come in handy.

And here he was... giving her license to ask for information that did not necessarily relate to his protection, that did not require her attention. This was information Graham would greedily take into his hands, the kind of information she had been sent for nearly three years ago... three years almost to the day. She had given nothing. Nothing. And now her chance was here. Her lips parted.

"Minister, I don't need to interrogate you," she said. "I trust you know what you are doing. But I hope you can extend to me the same privileges." She cleared her throat. "I have no intentions to send a stranger into your home. I have no intentions to find out what you do in your extra time. I just want to ensure you are safe. At work, at home, and everywhere in between.

"And I think you might like who I have picked out for you."

"The American school has put us in a delicate position," he said, selecting his words carefully. "Their school's board signed an agreement with ours regarding transparency, and they've violated it on a number of levels. Now that puts us in the position of having to clean up their mess and maintain our alliance. If I need to hold some Yankee boots to the fire, I have no problem in doing it. It won't, however, make me many friends."

"So you know," he continued, "It also means extra hours. I'm hoping whoever you've picked can keep up because there isn't any extra time, as you so nicely put it. Not right now, anyway."

He decided that if he didn't approve of who Bishop was placing with him, he had means of dealing with it that she might not like but that she could say very precious little about. He would allow her to put someone in his personal space, but only to a given extent.

"So, let's see exactly who you think is a good match," he said, intrigued.

The little information he gave her was quite a bit of information, really, something she was certain he was aware of. Her own owls to Graham regarding the train had gone unanswered, and she preferred to think it was because he was just as bogged down on his end as she was. The more likely option could be that the issues between the two schools meant that the communication between the American and British government was being heavily monitored. The latter would make her life a little more problematic, but she always liked a good riddle.

"Extra hours are something they are well aware of," she said, aware that using the word 'they' spoke volumes to the news she was about to give him. She smiled and stood, crossing back to the door and opening it.

There they were. The Dream Team.

She wondered how annoying Caleb would be to Hallie.

"Come on in," she said softly.

(ooc: completely sorry I was so delayed in getting to this, I guess it means there hasn't been much Hallie/Caleb interaction but I'm sure we can have plenty inside the office?)


It had been a while since the auror had found herself at the ministers office. In fact, the last time that she had been here had been to discuss her Father, or more the fact that she had suspicion her Father was actually alive. It was that day Minister Lupin had confirmed her suspicion, shook her life inside out and rewrote her entire history, what made Hallie Hallie had been fiction. Of course the blonde did get through the turbulent patch and was ultimately appreciative of the truth. Now, Hallie found herself outside the Ministers office for a different reason: For his protection.

Hallie had been honored to have been selected by Claire Bishop to be one of the aurors to form the guard for the minister and, given the current climate, Hallie was surprised that a guard hadn't been formed earlier. Of course decisions like this weren't to be taken lightly. To protect the Minister was of the utmost importance and the whole department had been inundated with work addressing the crisis that had struck Hogwarts, Hallie herself had cancelled a vacation (not an uncommon occurrence), dropped a date and sold her seats to the dueling championship semi finale.

It was only upon her arrival to the Ministers office that Hallie discovered who else had been chosen for the upcoming task. Caleb Flint. Although the pair were both considered skilled aurors the two hadn't actually worked much together previously, of course they had cases briefly cross over from time to time but never had the pair spent as much time together as they were due to endure and to be honest Hallie wasn't sure how to feel about Bishops choice. From what she'd heard of Flint he was a hard worker, skilled, knew the role inside out. Hopefully it wouldn't make the job too difficult for them, but there was something else about him that made Hallie question him a little. What is was she couldn't put her finger on it and what it was she was questioning him she didn't know that either, all that she knew was there was something different about him than those she'd worked with before.

Hallie smiled politely towards Caleb after Bishop ventured into the office, leaving them in an awkward silence. It wasn't like Hallie to be stuck for words, she could strike a conversation up with anyone but prior to a serious meeting the auror wanted to have her attention fully focused on the matter at hand... Naturally the awkward silence was over consuming and the blonde couldn't resist.

'Have your team had any leads on what may be behind the incident with the Hogwarts Express?' Hallie asked, her headed tilted with interest as she leaned against the wall besides the door.

'We haven't had any luck yet, I've literally just been talking with the department of magical transportation to garner a better understanding about that area of magic for the past four days that I'm a little behind on any updates.'