The meeting that should've happened AGES ago

Alan Wake did not like Mondays. It was a fact that he never reconciled with. Mondays were terrible all around. There was no hope on Mondays, no breaks. Then again, Alan's job had little demand. Nobody wanted to deal with Alchemy. Alan watched his exhaled carbon dioxide crystalize before his eyes, his mind whirring. How many grams had he exhaled into the frigid weather. He placed his hands in his well-trimmed brown overcoat. His glasses fogged up slightly. He was too lazy to wipe them magic. He actually enjoyed pretending magic did not exist at times.

He stood in the snow, staring at the Shrieking Shack, and wondering what fool had named the decrepit manor. Maybe if somebody took some initiative and rebuilt the manner, then maybe, just maybe, the house could be considered something of redeemable quality. Sure enough, Alan turned around, and scanned the road he had come from. The blanket of snow made everything appear white. He was not enjoying the manner in which the light reflected from the blanketing snow.

Then he heard footsteps.

Shacklebolt hated staying inside the castle. It was so murky, dark and full of evil little students who always seemed to be scheming new plots to annoy him. Not that Hogsmeade wasn't, but Hogsmeade was home to his favirote place.

No, not the Hogs head. Though he liked the hogs head, nice firewhisky.
The Shrieking Shack.

Who didn't like spooky mansions which weren't actually that spooky at all after all? Well, Shacklebolt hadn't actually ever been there, but he liked seeing the Shrieking shack from that little hill at Hogsmeade.

As he walked, Shacklebolt eyes the snow with annoyance, as if every bit of snow that fell had done him personal insult. He hated snow, hated the cold. Muttering to himself grimly, he made his way over to the Shrieking Shack. One good thing about this place, was that it was empty. Nice place to think without the disturbance of children and adoscelents talking to each other annoyingly.

Unfortunately, today someone had been brave enough to come to this area near the Shrieking Shack. Shacklebolt frowned, and took out his wand, planning to stun this newcomer who dared invade his place.

"Relax Kingsley. Its just me." Alan did not need to turn around to hear the drawing of wand. He did not need to see the man to recognize his footsteps. Alan sighed. Shacklebolt was a powerful ally, but his attitude left much to be desired. Alan Wake could understand why the man would attack him though. He was crazy. Alan felt compelled to pull out a cigarette, though it was an old, washed-out habit of his from days long since passed. But he had more important things to do.

"I assume you forgot about our first meeting. I, however, remember you quite clearly. It is painfully obvious that your job has done you less a service than I had hoped."

Kingsley stopped as he heard the mans voice. He had heard it before, but where? He still couldn't see the person correctly, he had his back turned towards him. Then, he suddenly realized.

"Wake! Long time no see," Kingsley said, finally remembring him. It was James father. James Wake studied at Hogwarts and was one of the less troublesome students. "No, I remember, Wake. And as for my job, I don't exactly enjoy it, but it is an important job, and I am compelled, if not glad, to be able to do it."

"I am sure. Tell me, how has your... family been?" Alan asked. It seemed that Shacklebolt did not remember him correctly. He would not have ever smiled and said what he said had he remembered the man that gave him the path to become the Headmaster. Of course, it had all been done under the table. He would not remember. "I understand that James has not exactly learned anything of use under your professors' tutelage. I do not blame the school of course. That boy is bright to a fault."

"Now then, Headmaster. I understand that you may be facing some troubles. Tell me, what do you believe is necessary to create a safer school at Hogwarts. Do you really believe that it is enough to enjoy your job?"

"Family?" Shacklebolt asked, confused. "I don't have any... as you well know." He was behaving strange indeed, Shacklebolt did not know why. He wasn't feeling all that well today, students had just played a prank on him, and now he was beginning to get annoyed again. "He's been at Hogwarts for 5 years, you think that he hasn't learned anything?" even if he hadn't at classes, he had outside them. Not to mention he had proved useful at the Battle of Hogwarts.

"What do you mean a safer school?" Asked Shacklebolt proudly. This was insulting, Hogwarts was safe! Probably the safest place in England. Besides the few kidnappings, several murders and injuries, there had been nothing bad going on there. "Hogwarts is safe already!"

"... James did not attend Hogwarts until this year." Alan nearly sighed. The man's insanity would of course cause him to forget certain things. But at least it was only about the boy. "James is merely my nephew. And his training took place under my tutelage and at Durmstrang where he was taught for five years." Today might be good for Alan to practice his patience. "Whatever he did at Hogwarts was done because you or I commanded him to perform as thus."

"And as for Hogwarts being safe, I ought to have you know that Dark Artifacts find themselves within your hall at an alarming rate. Couple that with rising kidnapping rates, a number of mysterious disappearances and reappearances, I'm afraid you might need to check your tongue." He patted the snow on the fence in front of him.

"Oh he didn't, thats odd. I swear that he started at 1st ye- oh, no wait, yes. I was thinking of James Potter. The two look remarkably alike, and have the same names," Shacklebolt said with a chuckle. Really, it was his parents fault, of course people would confuse him with others if they gave him a common name like that. Now, Kingsley, that was a unique name.

"Dark artifacts? What dark artifacts? And all that is not my fault. Its hardly possible to defend the school when thousands of dark forces are trying to attack it. My meaning that it was safe is that both the aurors and the Order protect it 24/7!" Shacklebolt said, proudly. "But wait, how do you know about the dark artifacts, about the kidnappings and dissapearances? Are you planning against me Wake? We're supposed to be allies!" Shacklebolt yelled, hand going for his wand again.

"Against you? Me? That would seem... counterintuitive. After all, without my influence, you probably would not be where you are today. No, I know this because the boy manages to sneak things in and out of small apartment. And if one boy can do it, a hundred others can. I know about the kidnappings because I keep my eyes and ears clear of disillusions. James ran from one such kidnapping. And as for the disappearances? I just happen to get around." Alan did not really feel concerned with the Headmaster's suddenly violent motions. They were close enough that disarming the headmaster would be a rather simple and feasible trick.

Where he was today? He was a bloody headmaster, he hated his job, he was once minister after all! This didn't help Shacklebolts temper, he was about to curse Alan and transform him into a slug and squash him, but decided against it. Alan was an important ally after all. However, he obviously knew to much, where did he get his darn information? Oh from James, not good. But then, Alan could be trusted, slightly. "Are you critisizing the way I run my school Wake?" asked Shacklebolt, glaring. he tried his hardest to keep it safe, and in his opinion was doing a good job.