Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling or Timothy Zahn.

Ron Weasley stands before the Wizards' Council in London, among them Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold, Senator Hermione Granger Weasley of Scotland, Admiral Murcus of the Black Lake, and Senator Rufus Scrimgeour of Dartmoor.

Murcus. So once again your smuggler friends refuse to commit themselves. You'll recall that I disagreed with this idea all along.

Ron. It's not a matter of commitment, Admiral. It's a matter that most of them just don't see any real gain in switching from their current activities to straight shipping.

Scrimgeour. Or else it's a lack of trust. Could that be it?

Ron. It's possible.

Scrimgeour. Possible? You said possible, Captain Weasley?

Ron. [sighs] Some of the groups I've talked to don't trust us. They think the offer might be some sort of trap to bring them out into the open.

Murcus. Because of me, of course. Haven't you tired of retaking this same territory, Senator Scrimgeour?

Scrimgeour. I merely seek to clarify the situation in my own mind, Admiral. It's hardly worthwhile for us to continue sending a valuable man like Captain Weasley out on these contact missions if each is predoomed to failure.

Ron. They're not predoomed to failure. The kind of smugglers we're looking for are conservative businesspeople. They don't just jump into something new without thinking it through first. They'll come around.

Scrimgeour. [shrugs] And meanwhile, we expend a great deal of time and effort with nothing to show for it.

Ron. Look, you can't build up any . . .

Bagnold calls for silence.

Bagnold. What the smugglers are waiting for is the same thing the rest of the galaxy is waiting for: the formal reestablishment of the principals and law of the Old Ministry. That is our first and primary task, Senators.

Ron and Hermione exchange looks.

Captain Weasley. We thank you for your report; and, too, for your efforts. And with the Captain's report, this meeting is adjourned.

Exit all but Ron and Hermione.

Ron. So, are we out of here?

Hermione. The sooner, the better. I just have to give these things to Parvati.

Ron. I take it things were going a little rough before they called me in?

Hermione. No more than usual. Scrimgeour and Murcus had one of their polite little dogfights, this one over the fiasco at Flourish-Blotts, that lost Muggle force, with some more of Scrimgeour's veiled suggestions that the job of Supreme Commander is too much for Murcus to handle. And then, of course, Millicent Bagnold . . .

Enter Bagnold.

Bagnold. A word with you, Hermione?

Hermione. Yes?

Bagnold. I forgot to ask you earlier if you'd talked to Harry about going with you to Nottingham. Did he agree?

Hermione. Yes. [to Ron] I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't get a chance to tell you. The goblins sent a message yesterday asking that Harry be there with me for the talks.

Ron. They did, huh? They give any reasons?

Bagnold. The goblins are rather hero-oriented. And Harry's part in the Battle of the Forbidden Forest is rather well known.

Ron. Yeah, I'd heard that.

Hermione squeezes Ron's hand; he squeezes back.

Hermione. We'd better get going. We still have to collect our droids before we leave.

Bagnold. Have a good trip. And good luck.

Exit Bagnold.

Ron. The droids are already on the Anglia. Hagrid got them aboard while I came here.

Hermione. I know.

Ron. Right.

Hermione. It will be all right, Ron. You, me, and Harry together again . . . It will be just like old times.

Ron. Sure. [sighs] Sure. Just exactly like old times.

Exit all.