The loss of a pure blood would be regretted, as was any loss of life. But even the Glorious Mother admitted that some sacrifices had to be made for the cause.

McLaggen was seated at his habitual table, and she sat down across from him with a coy smile. Seeing him sitting nervously across from her was enough to make her forget about her low cut blouse. Almost.

"Mr. McLaggen. A pleasure to see you again."

Cormac smiled his greeting. "The pleasure's all mine, Miss Ashe," he said, eyeing her blouse.

Her smile turned frosty. She had momentarily forgotten how lecherous he was. Which was silly considering that she was wearing the blouse especially for him. And by the direction of his gaze, it was working to her advantage.

"I assume that you're here to talk about our offer and not oggle my chest like a muggle. Do you have any questions for me? Perhaps about how your deal with Miss Parkinson will fit into our arrangement."

"Please, forgive me. I was just taking in the sights; your blouse is quite revealing and I am a man, after all." He grinned for a moment and then his expression turned more serious. "I do have a few questions, yes, regarding Miss Parkinson. Mostly, I want assurances. She is not part of this deal. Her relationship with me has nothing to do with my relationship with your...organization. She will not be under any obligation to you, implied or otherwise."

"Of course not, Mr. McLaggen. It is my understanding that Miss Parkinson's experiences with the Dark Lord's followers have made her an unlikely candidate for our organization despite the fact that she shares our views. Your concern itself is colored by the way Voldemort dealt with the families and friends of his followers. Let me assure you that we are not Death Eaters, Mr. McLaggen. We have no interest in undue death, wizarding or Muggle."

Deaths were sometimes necessary, though. To teach the Muggles their place. And unfortunately the couple the Liberi had that were supposed to cover up such necessities had gotten sloppy. The Glorious Mother would deal with them. And McLaggen would take care of their other problem, the auror that was getting too close, once he agreed.

Cormac took in what Elle was saying with a certain degree of skepticism, but she certainly seemed sincere though. "As long as that continues to be the case, and she, nor any of my close friends are put in harm's way, then I am at your service," he said.

Elle smiled, the first real smile she had revealed in either of their meetings. "Welcome to the Liberi, Mr. McLaggen."

She pulled a cloth-covered piece of silver from her purse and held it for him to see. "This is how we will contact you, and how you will contact us. The principle is the same as the business card I gave you earlier, though this can be transfigured into any shape you wish. Most of us turn it into jewelry of some form." She held out her wrist for him to see her bracelet before slipping it off and showing him the inner ring. "With mine, the message inscribes itself on the inside. Each piece is bespelled to only work for the first person who touches it."

She set the piece on the table and carefully pushed it towards him, making sure it was protected by the cloth.

He hesitated only slightly and then reached forward and scooped up the silver piece on the cloth. Cormac McLaggen  flashed briefly before disappearing. He discreetly pulled out his wand and fashioned the metal into a ring of simple design and slipped it onto his right hand. He was taken aback; it was quite cool upon contact and yet it seemed to him that it burned briefly. "So, do I just talk into it?" He smiled and said into his hand, "Elle, your blouse is cut too low." 

Elle glared at him, both for the comment and for using her given name without permission. "Epistula," she said, making sure that she didn't ridiculously talk to her wrist. "To Cormac McLaggen. Auror Archer Havershames must be dealt with. Finis."

She watched with grim satisfaction as McLaggen shook his hand. The burning the jewelry used to signal a message didn't hurt, but it could be startling the first few times.

"If I hadn't used your name to indicate which piece to contact, the magic defaults to send it to a wizard who evaluates who the recipient should be before passing it along."

He smiled wryly. "I see. And does it always impart such a pleasant sensation? Or was this a special gift from you to me?"

"You'll get used to it," she replied, unconcerned with his whining. "Are you familiar with Auror Havershames?"

"In passing," he replied. "I know of him. He's a Muggle-born. That's about the extent of my familiarity with him," he answered. "Why?"

"Because the message was real. Havershames has been... Exploring incidents he should not be. Other Liberi within the MLE, yes, you are not the only member in the MLE," she said when shock appeared on his face. "Other Liberi have reported that he has a nose for certain cases and keeps at them like a dog with a bone. You have the resources to make sure he's not a problem again."

Cormac was still for a moment, pondering exactly what would be required to make certain Havershames wouldn't be a problem. "Removing him from his employment with the Ministry would be sufficient?" he asked. Because I'm not a murderer, not even for you, Miss Ashe of the low-cut blouses.

"Perfectly. As I said before, Mr. McLaggen, we have no interest in undue violence."

He nodded. "Then consider it done."


{Summary: Cormac accepts the offer from the Liberi.}