Meeting of the IA in England(IA members only)

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It had been a rather busy time for Dave as he not only had to keep up appearances as a bounty hunter, but to also do his real job. Lead the International Aurors. Currently he was in his office, which was a very rare thing for him to be found there. But he had called a meeting with all of the International Aurors that were stationed in England. These men and women just so happened to be the best that could be found anywhere in the world. They always worked as a team seeing as how there were only ten of them in total, his deputy James Ward, the chief interrogator/commando Walton Grey, interrogators Sasha King and Milan Merisi, and then the commandos Dorian Steele, Christina Saree, and another, and then 2 healers. They did everything that they could in order to complete their assigned tasks. His office had been enlarged to accommodate the amount of people coming to meet with him. There were several things that he needed to discuss with them about what was going on, but what he really wanted was their reports, especially from Walton about the potential recruits and what he knew about what Reynolds was doing. Dave knew just how important each report was and he would receive them with respect for that is what he had for each of the members of the International Aurors.

It was late or early however you wanted to look at since it was nearly two thirty in the morning but it was not unusual for meetings to be called at such times. The headquarters of the IA were always busy with the members of the organization came and went, some were there training, others were busy taking care of their respective duties on the Island, and they also came in to rest or do whatever it was that they needed to do.

Dave looked out the window of his office just as he saw several of the people that he had told to be here for the meeting appeared out on the grounds of Headquarters. He stood there watching the people move about their duties, and off in the distance he could see a small jet of fire paint the sky over where the magical creatures were kept. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought about all of the magical creatures that could be found over there. There were all types and kinds of creatures from around the world. All he had to do now was wait for the people to show up.

@ward @waltongrey @sasha @milan @dorian @nazirah @crystal6

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Dorian looked around him, and noticed just how many things that he could see, including the prone forms of several wizards and creatures that he had taken out. It had been one hell of a fight, well not really, ok fine maybe the chimera was a real piece of work, it had even scratched his arm up pretty good before Dorian blasted the beast into multiple pieces. Dorian had healed his arm and he would have the healers look it over just to make sure that he had done it right.. He almost never slept anymore due to being a werewolf/vampire hybrid, well he did get a few hours every night. He put all of the corpses of the dead creatures and wizards into a pile before he apparated away.

He appeared on the shore of the Isle Fhinnuisce Oilean that was home to the headquarters of the International Aurors. Dorian breathed in the fresh ocean breeze as he began walking towards the castle at a quick but not to quick pace that would get him to Jones’ office just in time for their meeting.

Upon reaching the castle he looked around and saw many people going about their duties. One of these people was the head of the International Aurors’ Healers, a kind woman who was also very stern. But she was like a mother to all of them since she always took good care of all the International Aurors. That woman had seen more and has done more for the organization than most of the other members. When the healer saw his arm Dorian received a withering scowl from the woman. “Hey this is from a chimera that I had to blow up into pieces so it would stop attacking me. It doesn’t really help that there were four of those beasts, coming at me from every direction. Now could you please make sure that I healed this correctly?” Dorian said in his defense as the woman had come over without saying a word to him and finished up the healing process. “Thanks.” Dorian said before entering the castle and made his way up to Jones’ office.

Upon entering the office he saw his boss standing at the window overlooking the grounds. “Well this is a first, me being here before anyone else.” Dorian commented as he walked over to where Jones was standing and he too looked out the window seeing several of his friends enter the main grounds of headquarters. However he had smelled and heard a couple of them coming into the room behind him as he had walked in.

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If there was one thing that strongly bothered Nazirah about Hogwarts, it was two things, rather. One, the consistent mangling of her name - truly, were they so unused to people not having a name in the applicable Western Order that they constantly got it wrong? The next time she was addressed as Professor Saree, she would hex someone, she was positive. Her surname was not Saree. It was her mother's name. Gah. Hopefully, with the fact that she was flat-out telling every class what exactly to call her, it would spread quick enough.

The second thing that she didn't like were the wards - specifically, the anti-apparition wards. It was really annoying to have to march down, out of Hogwarts and nearly to Hogsmeade, in order to apparate anywhere. Nazirah knew she couldn't constantly compare Hogwarts to Uagadou, but it was a fact of life that she did - and she was still much more of a fan of her old school. When she had to leave - though she was beginning to enjoy teaching, actually, so she might see if (if this case was solved within a year) she could stay and take on something else within England - she thought she was going to give the headmaster a list of suggestions, perhaps. Just... things to consider.

She doubted it would change anything, but it was something.

Pushing that aside, the woman apparated easily, appearing as close to the headquarters as she could - which was closer than she could at Hogwarts, something she found ridiculous. This was the headquarters of a group of aurors - yes, it needed to have protection like this. Hogwarts? Not quite as much... They needed to edit it so that at least some people could apparate. Apparate out, and not in? That could work nicely.

Regardless, the woman walked quickly up the rest of the way, a bundle of tests to grade in the bag at her side - why be unproductive when waiting for the others to arrive? - glad that she had worn boots and black robes today. It was work clothing - when she was a professor, of course she wore slightly more ~exotic~ clothing. Though she did like her clothing, the fetishization was annoying, but necessary - it helped people focus on something else, other than her possible status as an auror/suspect/[insert something else here]. Nazirah didn't stop for anything - gave a few nods to the people that she recognized, and a wave for one person she had worked with the last time she was in England, she'd have to speak with him later - but smartly made her way to the office.

She was not the first, it seemed, something that caused her a minor twinge of annoyance, but she pushed it back. "Not for long," she commented easily, stepping into the room and commandeering one of the chairs, promptly pulling out her folder of parchments so that she could studiously get at them. True, it did not seem like she would have a lot of time, but if she could even get one question on one test graded, it was worth bringing them...

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It was late in the evening or early in the morning but then this was a standard time for a meeting of the IA to take place. Walton had many things to report on, and this was the time and place to do so. He was already at the Headquarters, and he had just finished talking with Ward about some things, for example like getting another commando and or interrogator stationed in England. It would make their work go a lot faster if they had at most to more members of the IA assigned to England. Granted they would have to be selected by him since he was in charge of all the IA members in England right now.

Walton had been standing in Jones’ office in the shadows, as was a habit that one picked up as an interrogator. But then yet again he was also a commando of the IA, or I should say he has been doing the job of both interrogator and commando since he joined the IA. And now as the Chief Interrogator/Commando, this is what he did. Sometimes he even took the time to train other IA members in being both, since most only focused on one of these positions. But those that did both were a different class altogether for they were the infiltrators, and the name speaks for itself.

He smirked as Dorian entered the room and then was soon followed by Christina, who had recently returned from being in Australia and now taught at Hogwarts. When he heard mention from Dorian, who happened to be his best friend , that he was the first one here, Walton could not wait to disappoint his friend. “You are not the first one here Dorian, I have been in here longer than even Jones. So don’t get your hopes up my friend.” Walton said in a casual tone as he stepped out of the shadows. To most it would seem creepy and what not when a person walked out of the shadows but it was rather a usual occurrence here in the IA headquarters.

“Christina so glad you could make it. How was Australia?” Walton asked as he looked over at his friend and fellow IA member. The last time that he had seen her here at headquarters she had hexed him, as he had stepped in stopping her from killing one of the other IA members when the man had said Argus’ name. It was then that the decision was made to send her to Australia for a bit and it would give her time to calm down.

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It had been quite some time since he had been within the walls of the headquarters for the International Aurors, but he was here tonight of all nights for a meeting that had been called by Dave. James was currently down on the beach staring out over the ocean and marveling at the sight of the moon and stars reflected in the water that was so far below them. He glanced down at his watch and noticed that it was almost time for the meeting to start. Turning around James turned into a black wolf and raced across the distance that was between the shore and the castle. As he raced across that open ground James saw several of the people that were supposed to be at the meeting tonight.

Upon entering the grounds of the castle that served as the headquarters James looked around before entering the castle as quick and silent as a black wolf was. Lucky for him all of the doors and passageways were either open or not blocked. After a short period of time he found himself just outside of Dave’s office. Turning back into his regular self, James walked into the office and remained silent until he made his way over to Dave. “Well it looks like we are only missing a few people, but I think that they will be here shortly, that is if my hearing serves me right, they are ascending the stairs that lead up here.” And with that being said James moved over and stood off to the side.

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The concept of punishing one for actions of wrong doing dated back to about five thousand years ago. It was said that pain was the best teacher when it came to the implementation of a lesson and to an extent this was true. Throughout history under the power of the whip mankind always obeyed for fear of pain. Through punishment a society of little to no crime was invisioned. Consequence stopped people from doing bad, but there were always those who didn't fear laws and what they represented. They lived outside of them and instead strove to break them. They were called outlaws and with every outlaw came a 'servant' of 'The Hand'. Police were the muggle variation of the 'servants' and Aurors were the wizarding world's equivalent.

Then there were those like Milan who operated like the lawless, but were really on the side of the law. This simply meant that the rules could be bent a little just for them. Working for the IA, Milan had front row experience in bending the rules. As an interrogator for the unit he sometimes did some questionable things to his suspects. Things the Ministry wouldn't write off as completely legal or humane, but given the results his methods achieved no one really complained. There were so many ways to make a man talk and Milan just happened to know all of them.

He knew how the mind worked and how to exploit each and every inch of it. He could break even the toughest of men. He could get into heads and turn one's whole state of mind around before they could even notice. He tortured to get information and he often didn't even need to touch someone to get what he wanted. It was his skill in psychology that made him fit for such a job in the IA and he had grown to enjoy what he did. Not that hurting people for information brought him pleasure, he just valued the fact that the same information could save lives.

Though, he had to admit that there were people he felt deserved the pain of torture. People like the man in front of him who played with the lives of the innocent as if it were a sport. They preyed on the weak and used death as a means to satisfy their undying hunger for chaos, destruction and pain. In a barren room there sat a convicted dark wizard who held valuable details about the recent occurrences within their world. After days of interrogation, Milan had gotten what he wanted from the man and he was now looking at a morbid piece of insanity through the glass
window that separated the two rooms.

"Prep him for the Ministry. Be ready by the time I get back." he gave the order to two guards standing at the door of interrogation the room. Right now his presence was needed elsewhere and that was a meeting with the head of the IA and all it's members. Peeling his eyes away from the window he glanced at the guards before turning and heading out of the door. He further headed outside of the old abandoned house that he used for his multiple business ventures and apparated to the grounds of the IA headquarters.

Taking the long walk up to the castle, Milan greeted all the familiar faces he passed. Finally making it to the office he of course wasn't the first one there. Looking around the room he saw a handful of people, some which he recognised and others whose faces were just foreign to him. "Gentlemen and lady." he greeted the whole room as he pulled up a seat and sat down beside the seated female.

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Sasha was out walking through a field near where the IA kept their magical and non-magical creatures, and with her was Kira her dog and then there was also a unicorn and a baby unicorn walking besides Sasha. She loved coming out to this field at night and getting to take a walk with whatever creature decided to grace her with its presence. And more often than not she found herself with at least one or two unicorns that would walk with her or just lay there and let her stroke them. It was really something to have such pure creatures let you touch them and that they would also walk with you. It was like a bond had formed between Sasha and the unicorns that were found here on the island.

Glancing at her watch Sasha noted that it was time for her to go. She bid farewell to the unicorns, whom Kira stayed with. She made her way towards the Castle and waved in greeting as she passed the familiar faces of the other members of the IA. Once inside the Castle she made her way up to David Jones’ office where the meeting was to take place. Upon entering she couldn’t help but notice that there was only one person in the room whom she had not had the chance to work with yet or let alone talk to and that was Milan Merisi, an Italian if she remembered correctly. But all of the others she had worked with before. Sasha walked over to Walton, her friend/mentor and stood next to him. “Is there anyone else coming for the meeting tonight?” She wasn’t sure if there was and was therefore curious as if they were going to wait or start the meeting.

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Most of the International Aurors that were currently working in England were here in Dave’s office now. He grinned a little at the banter between some of the members. These people were the best and that is why they had received the task of working in England on this particular assignment. Walton was always appearing out of the shadows somewhere or another and that didn’t phase him one bit. There was Dorian and Christina who had been among the first ones to arrive besides Walton and himself. James was also there and Sasha was there as well. He watched as Sasha went to stand by Walton. Those two had been friends for a long time, then Walton became Sasha’s mentor, and now he noticed that there was something different about them. Dave knew what it was but refrained from commenting on it.

“Welcome to one and all. I am glad that you could make it tonight. There are still a few who are running a bit late but that is their loss as I am quite sure that you will fill them in on what they have missed up to the point of their entry.” Dave said in greeting to those that were there. “Now just so that everyone knows who everyone is I shall introduce them. We have James Ward, my deputy as you all should know. Next we have Walton Grey Chief Interrogator/Commando you better all know him. We have Christina Saree, Dorian Steele, Milan Merisi and Sasha King.” He pointed to each person as he said their names.

“Milan I assume that you were able to get the information that was needed from that wretch of a wizard that you interrogated. If you would, tell us what you were able to learn from him.” Dave said addressing Milan. He knew what most of them had been up to but he needed to know where they stood as of right now in figuring out this whole mess that was England and how to stop it. Granted they already knew how to stop it, for he had sent out most of those here on missions together, to bring down dark wizards, lords and ladies. These people were and are the best at their jobs and are well equipped to handle these things.

@dorian @ward @sasha @waltongrey @nazirah @milan @crystal6

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Seated quietly in his seat, Milan took some time to get a better look at all the people in the room. Faces seen and unseen he could tell you something about each and every head in the office. As a thief he had learned how to snoop around without turning heads and secretly getting intel on a certain matter was basically part of his job description. He had done some digging around in the International Aurors headquarters and through his mouse-like tactics he had managed to pull some files out on every member who would be attending the meeting.

The first file he had read and probably the most interesting was the one of the werewolf/vampire hybrid, Dorian Steele. Milan's eyes fell on the man at the thought of him. The story of how he had become what he was, was in all aspects remarkable and so unheard of that Milan didn't believe it when he read about it. An extremely rare occurence his condition was and equally chilling too. Next was the hot tempered Egyptian beside him; Nazirah or more simply, Christina. If he had read correct she hailed from a powerful wizarding family he had heard of during his travels to Cairo. He thought of her as a feisty cat that knew exactly what she wanted and how to pounce on it to get it.

Next file and a face Milan would have never guessed to be amongst the IA ranks was the Hogwarts Defence Against Dark Arts teacher, Walton Grey. The man with a passion for teaching, Walton was raised by a single father and was an excellent chaser for the Gryffindor team back in the day. Moving on an interesting character stood in solitude on one side of the room. Shifting his gaze onto James Ward, Deputy Head of the IA Milan was quiet intrigued to read about the man's upbringing with the natives of North America.

One thing Milan respected was preservation, especially within old knowledge and teachings and the natives of that land were conservationists in the highest honour. They took only what they needed from the world around them, nothing more, nothing less. Their teachings spoke of always returning what you owe and giving back was a lesson Milan had been taught from his days as a baby faced monster. His mentor's tutelage was an integral part of his life growing up and it was now that he appreciated Mr. Calaway's influence as both a father and teacher the most.

Suddenly the entrance of a dark haired beauty brought Milan back to reality. His eyes were glued to her as she joined Walton and began conversating. That was Sasha King. He had not had the pleasure of meeting her so this was their first formal introduction.

An interesting bunch of people were all of them...

As the meeting got underway, Milan invested his attention in the proceedings. Introductions were first and the spotlight was soon on him when Dave questioned him about his interrogation with a dark wizard.

"What we've been speculating lately seems to be true. The Death Eaters are once again on the rise and their numbers are growing with every passing day. They are a small force at the moment but I'm concerned at how long they'll stay small...What I understand is that people are uneasy at the thought of joining their numbers in fear of what happened all those years ago, but this isn't slowing them down at all. The killings and disappearances is most likely a way for them to set a statement. They kill someone and everyone knows they mean business. Its basically fuel for their cause." Milan reported as he fiddled with the ring on his finger.

"They've worked out how the Minister and his underlings think and are using that as a way to get forward. People are in fear and with the Ministry neglecting the obvious the Death Eaters are fully exploiting that. They're careful about every move they make too. I tried getting names and plans out of the suspect but he gave me nothing but a bunch of cartoon characters with minor roles in the whole scheme. I'll keep pushing and see what more I can come up with. In the meantime I think we should prioritise making them feel as small as possible. They may be a step a head, but we have the numbers on our side we should work with that and hit them where it hurts the most."

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Jia wasn't really one for making extravagant entrances, unless it was needed. But the international aurors needing no such thing from her. She entered the headquarters and sat down near James Ward, ready to listen and actively participate if necessary. She did love her fellow aurors though, and gave them all smiles, waves and short greetings before the meeting officially started. She tried to stay somewhat objective, however, because it was hard being close friends with people who did such dangerous work as they did. You never knew when someone was going to get killed, or worse.

She listened as Milan gave his report and, of course, rolled her eyes at the thought of the Minister not paying any attention to what was really going on right under his nose. "I agree with Milan," she spoke up at the end of his report, "We have more numbers than they and we are more organized. We've got to put a stop to this while it's still low profile." There was nothing Jia wanted less than an all out wizarding war, and she'd do anything she could to prevent that.

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Arthur was running late. It was nothing something he took great pride in doing. Generally, he was very punctual, or at least tried to be very punctual. But this was just one of those days. Or rather, one of those weeks. The entire week he had been swamped with work. The last time he slept was the quick nap that he managed to snag a couple of days ago and at the moment, he was powered mostly by coffee and a strict addiction to work. A week of meetings, writing document, signing and stamping documents and then going to other meetings before he could return to more writing and more stamping. He took a quick glance at his watch, that hung loosely on his left wrist, before putting his hand back down and continued to listen to one of the confederacy ministers continue his incoherent rant about troll taxation. Deep down inside he wanted to sigh, but at the same time he didn't want to seem unprofessional.

Had his next meeting been one he could disclose, he had excused himself a while ago, but saying "I have a secret meeting with my secret society" isn't really going to convince anyone, or help his reputation as a trustworthy politician. Just today alone he spent several hours sitting in front of the Wizengamot, arguing with them about international laws and policy, before having to rush to a meeting with the minister's assistant to coordinate some diplomatic efforts. Luck had it that he could get two hours of peace and quiet, which he spent hunched over a piece of parchment in his office, dutifully scribbling a reform and a editing his co-worker hastily written proposition about wizard zoning laws that needed to be reformed to match the growing "problem" of muggle expansion. He was about to fall asleep, when his ears manage to catch the words "and so" which swiftly drew to the conclusion of the man's proposition and the thereafter dismissal of the meeting. He quickly stood up, but then had to rearrange himself when everyone's gazes fell on him, for standing up so quickly, regardless, they all followed suit soon after and everyone began to make their way towards the doors. He glanced at his watch again, only to concern himself even more.

An elder, balding wizard quickly stepped up to him and tried to spark a discussion about one of the upcoming confederation meetings. Arthur apologized and excused himself, saying they'd talk some other time. The man understood, but still there seemed to be an expression of disappointment on his visage. Despite that, Arthur broke into a swift walk, carefully making sure he didn't bump into any of the people who were walking the halls of the ministry. Once he reached his office, he stashed his briefcase, and flicked a finger, that promptly put out all of the light and locked his office door. Then, he disappeared.

He apparrated to his flat in London, where he quickly used magic to disperse of his cloths and change into slightly more comfortable, yet still rather professional looking attire. He wanted to grab a cup of coffee, but then realized he probably would only piss off David by being so late. And with that thought, he disappeared again. In a couple of seconds he appeared on the other side of the British isles, north of Scotland. He promptly made his way from the beach to the large fortress like establishment that they called the headquarters. The hall were empty and he didn't see any people anywhere, that caused a bit of concern for him. If he missed the meeting, he'd get an earful from the other members, not so much David - Arthur was pretty sure he could bribe him off with a bottle of good muggle whisky. As he passed through the halls an elderly woman who had helped Arthur tend his wounds more than once glared at him sternly, she opened her mouth to speak, but Arthur didn't stop to catch up with her, only blurted out a he passed her

"I know, I know- I'm late"

He picked up his pace a he moved through the hall, stopping only to catch a reflection of himself in the mirror and brush a hand through his balding hair, to make sure he wasn't too much of a mess. He had also stopped a bit to catch his breath. Little sleep, lots of work in the confederacy as well as for the international aurors had left him slightly drained, yet this was something he was more or less used to, at this point. With the international aurors being such an elite force, there was only so few people who could contribute and with them spread so thin, Arthur often found himself having to spend days at their headquarters and about England and Europe, jumping around everywhere he could to contribute as much as he could. Up the stairs, turn left, down the hallway, straight, straight, straight. He stopped next to a large, dark, wooden door - David's office. He knocked once, slowly and paused for a second, before opening the door and stepping inside.

"Evening," He said in a calm, yet strong voice "Sorry I'm a bit late, ministry meetings have a tendency to drag on."

As he spoke, he quickly looked over all of the people standing the room, nodding at them. He met Dave's gaze for a moment, it seemed like the man had just stopped talking and then he followed the man's eyes to look at Milan, who was standing at his own side. He closed the door behind him and stepped aside. crossing his arm at his chest and proceeding to listen. He knew everyone in this room by now, maybe not as closely as he would have liked, but he definitely has had a few words at the very least with all of them. His gaze however, fell on Milan as he began to speak. Impatient, even if by a bit, Arthur used legilimency to peer into the mind of the younger man, to browse through his thoughts, even if just for a moment. He had to bite his lip a bit to not smile at the fact that the young man snooped through their stuff in his free time . It didn't concern Arthur too much however, there was nothing about his life that he felt he needed to hide, it was all rather boring - travelling, adventuring, office work, helping settle disputes, crisis, putting down minor insurgencies, but mostly office work. A lot of office work. He listened intently as the interrogator explained what he had discovered.

The ministry slacking on its job was nothing new to Arthur. It upset him. More than any words could say, it upset him that he held an apparently "esteemed" position, but couldn't do anything to change things, no matter how many hours of work he put in. He was almost 40, he devoted his life to a career, to adventure, to becoming a powerful and knowledgeable wizard, yet thing haven't change. He held a meddling, 5th level position. He often wondered, had he spent less time working with the international aurors, maybe he could have became supreme mugwump, maybe even the minister of magic. But he felt good helping people and by working with the IA, he had done more good than he had ever done behind a desk. Arthur had made his beliefs well known to David about the current state of the ministry, as well as the state of politics in other countries as well, he had hoped he would eventually get a chance to change things. The ministry feared change. So much so that it refused to acknowledge obvious problems, because they were scared, they knew they couldn't handle it and they were scared that people wouldn't stand for their incompetence if they found out. After Milano stopped talking, Arthur calmly took over

"Keep in mind, Mickey, torturing the poor sod won't get you far. A man will say anything you want to hear as long as it will stop him from hurting." Torture, was sometimes necessary, but in the grand scheme of things, it was rather barbaric. He had seen torture being executed first hand knew full well, that most of the time, your victim will say anything you want to hear after a certain point, regardless whether or not it's true. "Not that I'm telling you how to do your job, just something to keep in mind." Milan was a smart guy, Arthur had little doubt that the man was more than capable, however, things like these often get forgotten in the face of duty.

"I think being small, in this situation at least, is beneficial to them." He continued, looking at David, but also making eye contact with the other aurors from time to time. "Less loose ends, less need for intense logistics and less people to control makes it easier for them to manoeuvre themselves. The muggles call it guerrilla warfare," His gaze blanked for a bit as he looked down "And it's highly effective, when the guerrillas are mixed into society as they are and the society in question is bloated and large enough for them to conceal themselves as they've have and I think our biggest weakness here is that we are spread so thin here in the U.K. we can't be everywhere at the same time." He paused for a bit "With that being said, we have people in the ministry" he referred to himself and then glanced at Christina and Walton "Professors Nazirah and Grey as well as Professor King have Hogwarts pretty much locked down in terms of security, so that only leaves us with a few places that we need to look out for, and I fear, for now, at least, that's as much as we can do without putting ourselves into a spotlight" His voice was calm and collected the entire time, also very soft and careful, as if to help people understand just how dire the situation is.

"I have already drafted a proposition that I plan to present to the international confederacy about strengthening security at Azkaban as an international venture" He continued, somewhat already sensing that he had overstayed his welcome, yet these are things that he felt he needed to present to everyone, his voice was picking up steam " the last time people started disappearing and dying, it didn't take long for Voldemort to break everyone out and with so many former death eaters there, I think it's only right that we make sure history doesn't repeat itself, and while I doubt the I.C.W. will agree with me, we personally need to start monitoring the prison, the ICW not positioning more security might even turn for our benefit - we could perhaps use it as a way to draw these people out" Politics was tricky business. A lot of people didn't want to draw attention to problems, and stationing more security at Azkaban, while smart, would tell people that the ministry and the world are scared.

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Late! He was late! Damn it all!

Jamie cursed softly as he made his way towards the boss' office. He felt like he was about to drop onto the ground (he was that tired) but he still maintained a brisk pace as he rushed to the meeting--that he was already five minutes late for! Hopefully he had not missed too terribly much. And he supposed that if he had then someone would fill him in. It was still pissing him off though. He was running late. He never ran late before! He was not someone who let time get away from him! And yet he had! He had dozed off and before he knew it --it was past time for him to get going. And now here he was running like a right fool to get there before he missed things. Cause if he knew anything -- it was that David did not lolly gag around. He started a meeting at the precise time he said it was suppose to start. And not a moment afterward.

He looked at his watch again. 2:36 in the morning. Six minutes late now. Drat!
So some might call meetings at this hour of the morning weird, strange and unusual but for the IA--it was all part of the job. They were all busy people with other jobs to work at and so it wasn't that uncommon to have meetings at this time.

So what was his problem?
He knew what might have been the problem. It had been a full moon the night before last and even though he took wolfsbane like a religion when the full moons came about--it was still rough. The worry for starters. He always worried about loosing control. About hurting someone. He never wanted to be a werewolf...and here he was saddled with the responsibilities of making sure he didn't hurt anyone. It was a weight he'd rather live without. And especially around full moons when it felt like he had a million little bugs crawling right underneath his skin. It was annoying and it made it hard to sleep. So too did the fears. The fears of loosing control. The fears of hurting someone. The fears of becoming a monster.

And so yes he had been without a wink of sleep for nearly 55 hours at this point--part of why he was tired and part of why he dozed off. Ahh but excuses, excuses! He cleared his mind of such thoughts as he walked on. He gave several of the healers and such friendly nods as he finally made his way to the boss' office. He gave a short knock before entering--nodding in acknowledgment to everyone, "Hello all. Sorry for my lateness." he said simply...not wanting to explain why he was late. David probably would have put two and two together but he was just that good like that.

He looked around and made a mental note of everyone there. David of course. Then there was the deputy head of the IA James. Then Walton, Christina and Sasha who had cover jobs at Hogwarts. Then there was Dorian, Milan, Jia and Arthur who he didn't know much of either. He has missed Milan's report but he had arrived just in time to listen to Arthur. A man who clearly knew what he was doing and what he wanted to suggest. All good things indeed. Jameson had his own words to say thought and say them he would. It was yet another thing that had been on his mind for the last couple of weeks actually,

"We should also keep an eye out for any suspicious activity from werewolves as well. I have overheard concerning things at the inn I work at. Things that insinuate that there could be an alliance between them and the death eaters."

[Deleted]

Would Jones hold it against him if he had been just a teensy little late? Like, just five minutes? Anthony knew that he should've waken up earlier in advance, he knew he should've.  But, if you were a really active and alert person like him, you either were a light sleeper or you pretty much melted into dreamland completely out of exhaustion.  Unfortunately, the latter happened to Anthony.  He had already set his alarm for the correct time, but when it hollered he had rolled over and continued to sleep, until some moments later his eyes snapped awake and he remembered the meeting.  Anthony had been panicked, but relieved that it wasn't too late.  The good thing was that he had already dressed in advanced.  He had slept in them and he hope that they weren't too wrinkled.  

But, whatever.  His objective was to get to the headquarters and up to David Jones' office as soon as possible.  Luckily for Anthony, he absolutely didn't mind not being able to apparate out from the school grounds.  He was a proud muggleborn and usually liked to do things the natural, scientific, non-magical muggle way.  He definitely did not have anything against magic or the magical world that he lived in--why else would he be part of the IA if he couldn't care a fig about it--but it was just a preference of his, followed by his philosophy that if he were to lose his wand at any given time, he could still survive by knowing how to do things by hand.  Too much magic made one lazier and it would hurt the poor bloke who found himself without his wand any day now.

The good thing was that he wasn't too off with his timing.  Once he stepped into the office, having first been admitted into the headquarters with some kind of identification, Anthony brought tow of his fingers to his eyebrows to mock salute everyone in the room.  "Greetings, everyone.  Lovely morning it is, ain't it?" he said with a friendly smirk.  His eyes rested upon Walton, Christina, and Sasha for a moment, for he remembered them at school.  He waved at them as a gesture of recognition.  And then there was Milan the Italian (or so he assumed) interrogator, James who was the deputy head, and Jameson, Dorian, and Arthur who were commandos like him.  They were his partners in action.  Anthony usually got along well with his colleagues because he was easygoing, or so that was what he believed he was.  Sometimes he could seem rough on the edges, but in truth, he wasn't dramatic.

And...lastly, there was Jia, another interrogator.  Anthony looked at her for a moment.  The beautiful part Asian casino dealer.  There was just something about her that was...intriguing.  Femme fatale, maybe? Anthony had seen her around the Pecunia Casino before.  He didn't gamble a lot, but he mostly hit the bars.  Anthony winked at her before walking over to the wall to stand against it.  There weren't many chairs left, so he'd just have to keep on his feet.  He didn't mind, really.  If he was one to complain about not being able to sit, then he didn't know he was anymore.

The meeting started.  Anthony listened to Milan's report grimly.  The Death Eaters may be small, but Milan was right.  The Ministry wasn't doing anything about them and that could work to their advantage.  Anthony nodded at Jia's comment.  "Right.  I say we take this into our own hands and actually do something about it if the godforsaken Ministry can't be arsed into budging," he agreed.

Arthur spoke wisely, too, and Anthony agreed with him as well.  He didn't have much to say, so he simply nodded, but that did make him think about the students and how they would get involved in this business.  Didn't the brats of those Death Eaters work alongside their parents in the last war?  He arched an eyebrow when Jameson spoke.  Anthony wasn't familiar with werewolves, so he thought that was quite interesting.  He had heard about a freak werewolf named Fenrir Greyback, but if Anthony was correct Fenrir was known to be more into being mean to the kids than following Voldemort.  However, that wasn't to say other werewolves weren't into the DE cause, and if Jameson had cause to believe that the werewolves were up to anything fishy, then they should be wary, indeed.

And now it was time for him to voice his own concerns.  Others might find it unimportant and silly, but if Anthony felt concern, he was not shy of stating so.  "Shouldn't we school staff members keep an eye on the little hooligans belonging to those ancient, discriminating, pureblood families, especially those who have been former Death Eaters? After all, it's not a secret that a number of them flaunt their values and beliefs around, and their folks can influence them to do some sneaky things to keep the flame burning.  Mind you, kids are capable of doing much more than we think they can.  We find ourselves gaping like codfish when the damage is done."  Anthony shrugged.  "I'm just remembering the student participation on the other side of the last war. But correct me if I've said anything erroneous.  After all, the complex workings of your world are still a mystery to a mere muggle like me."  Although Anthony was adept to the wizardry world, it still wasn't the one in which he originally belonged.  Therefore, he might not be all that savvy about ancient bloodlines and the ways of the wizarding gentry.  "But even if my concerns are pointless, I'd sooner be safer than sorry."  He didn't mind being contradicted.  It was not good to ignore a worry, even if it might seem "dumb", because chances were that bringing it up could minimize damage.  Plus, he really didn't want to think of students doing such things.  Granted, Anthony disliked the snobby kids, but he wanted them to just enjoy school, not wreak havoc on it.