Cormac hated running late. It wasn't typical of him.  Too much to do in a day to be late. Stepping out of the shower, he dressed hurriedly, putting on his signature blue shirt, black tie, and black trousers. Running his fingers through his hair and grabbing his wand, he Flooed into work. Arriving in the Atrium, he was relieved to see that not being punctual had it's benefits. There were very few people loitering about, not the normal hustle and bustle of a workday morning. Spotting Anthony Goldstein heading for a lift, Cormac quickened his steps in his direction. Just the man I needed to see. How fortunate.

Seeing a familiar face hurrying toward the lift, Anthony held the doors open. "In a hurry?"

"Always," Cormac replied. "How've you been, Goldstein? Keeping busy?"

"Not today. Seems that no one needs to be Obliviated. You? I heard you're down on level two. Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You're the Undersecretary, correct? What does one do as a secretary? UNDERsecretary, sorry." Anthony smirked and glanced at the dial above that showed what floor they were on.

Cormac grinned; he liked Anthony's sense of humor. "No apologies necessary. Officially, I act as the liason between the department head and the rest of the department. In truth, I do obscene amounts of paperwork. Nothing exciting like Obliviating people, I'm sure."

Anthony made a face. "Don't worry, I have loads as well. Wonder where all of it goes, this paperwork? I mean, I've heard some people are actually making triplicates? Mental." He smiled back at the man, reaching out his hand. "You can call me Anthony, by the way. Might do to keep things friendly. Never know when it'll come in handy."

Reaching out his hand to shake Anthony's, he said, "Please, call me Cormac." Actually, an Obliviator is exactly what I need. Tumblerose and his imbecilic 'Muggle Safety' research. Merlin's pants! Who ever heard of such an oxymoron. "Anthony, would you happen to have a few minutes?"

Slightly curious, Anthony replied, "Yeah, sure." The lift door opened and a disembodied voice rang out, "Level Three. Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes." Instead of getting off the lift here, Anthony stayed on. The doors closed and after a moment opened again. "Level Two. Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Anthony waited for Cormac to exit and followed.

Cormac weaved his way through the open area of cubicles before reaching his office. He pushed the door open and Anthony followed him inside. "Good morning, Hildi. This is Mr. Goldstein. We'll be in my office. I am not to be disturbed. By anyone. Do I make myself clear?"

Hildi sat up straighter in her chair. "Yes, Mr. McLaggen." She smiled towards Anthony. "Very nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Goldstein," she said.

Anthony returned Hildi's smile with a brief, yet charming, one of his own and followed Cormac into his office.

Shutting the door behind them, Cormac gestured to Anthony to have a seat. "Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Brandy? Firewhisky?"

Anthony thought about this. I really should just have tea, but I do have a lot of paperwork. "Brandy, please." As Cormac got their drinks, Anthony glanced around the office. It was a bit dark, to Anthony's liking. The drawback of not advancing any further was being stuck in a cubicle. If it weren't for my hobby, I'd have an office much like this I suppose, he thought wistfully. He concentrated on the magical window behind Cormac's desk. It was full of stormclouds and rain, much to Anthony's liking. If he couldn't have an office, let the ones that do have stormclouds. He smirked as Cormac handed him his drink.

Cormac raised an eyebrow. "Enjoying the view? I had to get Magical Maintenance to quit it with the sunlight. The bloody window was giving me migraines." He took a long drink from his glass. "So, Anthony, do you, er, freelance?

Anthony looked to Cormac and nodded. "Yeah, great view. Freelance? Well, that was unexpected. Course, I haven't had a conversation with you in years so, I guess it's all unexpected, n'it?" Anthony took a sip from his glass and continued, "Well, it all depends. What is it you want?"

"Well, I'm assuming you don't want the full details-but let's say hypothetically, there's a person in my department who simply does not belong. This person is a very," Cormac gave a short pause, "stubborn fellow, if you get my drift. I am assuming he would require a bit of a shove in the right direction, and then forget about it. You understand? Would this be your area of expertise?"

Anthony took a moment to consider. "So what you're saying is, you want me to Imperio and then Obliviate someone?" he said, rather bluntly. At Cormac's cavalier nod he continued, "You realize that is highly illegal." Pausing to think it over Anthony replied, "I'm in, but on one condition. You Imperio the man and I Obliviate after. Seems only fair, right? Not leaving me with all the blame."

Cormac was silent for a moment, contemplating the various ways in which this could blow up in his face. And could he trust Anthony? Time for a leap of faith. He sighed. "I do realize the legal implications. And I'm not thrilled about it, but I agree that would be equitable."

Anthony smiled. About time something fell into his lap like this. Muggles always were a bit boring after a while. "All right. Should we discuss my fee, then? When did you have all this planned out for? I've got to warn you, I might be a bit busy this weekend." Damn. He should not have said that. Anthony took another sip of his drink and looked to Cormac.

"The fee won't be a problem, I assure you." Cormac grinned wryly. "And I understand, weekends aren't the best for me, either. I'd actually rather do it sometime during the work week. I don't like mixing business and personal matters."

Anthony nodded. "Next week then? I guess it really all depends on when you need him gone by. Do you have a deadline to meet that you don't feel like meeting?" He smirked. "I am assuming it's someone you work for? Or it is someone else that has your pants in a twist?"

"No, no deadlines, and it's not a superior, just an irritation that needs to be dealt with." He fisted his hands, took a deep breath, and shook them out. "A horrid Muggle-born is pushing for a Muggle-safety act. Rubbish is what it is, and I'm the one who needs to take care of it."

Smiling to himself and wondering if Cormac knew he was talking to a Muggle-born, Anthony thought, A little odd that he would talk to a Muggle-born about stopping a Muggle-safety act. Cormac was lucky though; Anthony didn't have any loyalties there, they were quite flexible. "Right. I'll want payment before we do this. The day of is fine. Do we want to meet again soon? Go over the details, or do you want to wing it?" Risky, I know, but my favorite kind.

"I'd like to meet again, if you don't mind. If something goes wrong for you, all you have to do is Obliviate someone. I'd like to feel a bit more secure in our plans before we proceed, if it's all the same to you." Cormac stood. "Thank you for meeting with me. I have a feeling our arrangement will be enriching to the both of us."

Chuckling, Anthony got to his feet. "Of course. So you'll owl me with the date and time, then?" At Cormac's nod he finished his brandy. "Good. Well, hope you have a pleasant rest of the week with that Muggle-born you like so much." He grinned and walked out.

Cormac sat back down in his chair and finished off his drink. Now we're making progress.


{Summary: Cormac propositions Anthony. No, not that way.}