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

Aberforth Dumbledore sits in his office, at his headquarters on the Isle of Drear. At the table in front of him sits bottles of wine and an extravagant meal.

Enter Ginny Weasley.

Aberforth. Ginny.

Ginny. Yes. You asked me to join you for dinner.

Aberforth. Yes. Please come in.

Ginny steps into the room.

Ginny. You didn't say what . . . this was all about.

Ginny studies Aberforth coolly.

Aberforth. No, it's not what you're thinking. This is a business meal, no more, no less.

Enter Quintius, Aberforth's pet Quintaped.

That's right, Quintius, a business meal. Come on, out with you.

Quintius glances at Aberforth.

I said out with you. Come on. Your dish has been set up in the kitchen. MacBoon's already there. Chances are he's eaten half your supper by now.

Quintius moans.

Don't give me that poor-little-me act. Here-this should cheer you up.

Aberforth tosses a slice of meat out of the room.

Now go and enjoy your supper.

Exit Quintius.

All right. Where were we?

Ginny. You were telling me this was a business meal. It's certainly the nicest business meal I've had in quite a while.

Aberforth. Well, that's the point, really. I think it's occasionally good for us to remember that being a smuggler doesn't necessarily require one to be a barbarian, too.

Ginny. Ah. And I'm sure most of your people are so very grateful for that reminder.

Aberforth. [aside] So much for the unusual setting and scenario throwing her off balance. I should have known that particular gambit wouldn't work on someone like Ginny. [to Ginny] It does often make for an interesting evening . . . particularly when discussing a promotion.

Ginny. A promotion?

Aberforth. Yes. Yours, to be precise.

Ginny. I've only been with the group for six months, you know.

Aberforth. Five and a half, actually. But time has never been as important to the universe as ability and results. And your ability and results have been quite impressive.

Ginny. [shrugs] I've been lucky.

Aberforth. Luck is certainly part of it. On the other hand, I've found that what most people call luck is often little more than raw talent combined with the ability to make the most of opportunities. Then there's your talent for broom flying, your ability to both give and accept orders, and your ability to adapt to unusual and unexpected situations. All highly useful talents for a smuggler. [pauses] The bottom line, Ginny, is that you're simply too valuable to waste as a backup or even as a line operator. What I'd like to do is to start grooming you toward eventually becoming my second-in-command.

Ginny. What exactly would my new duties consist of?

Aberforth. Traveling with me mostly. Watching me set up new business, meeting with some of our long-term customers so that they can get to know you, that sort of thing. You don't have to answer now. Think about it or talk to some of the others who've been with the organization longer. They'll tell you that I don't lie to my people.

Ginny. So I've heard. But bear in mind that if you give me that kind of authority, I am going to use it. There's some revamping of the whole organizational structure . . .

A transmission comes through.

Aberforth. Yes?

Enter the Floo image of Anthony Goldstein.

Goldstein. It's Goldstein. I thought you'd like to know we've got company: a Ministry cruiser just made orbit.

Aberforth. Any make on it yet?

Goldstein. They're not exactly broadcasting identification signals these days. The lettering on the side is hard to read at this distance, but Salvage's best guess is that it's Nurmengard.

Aberforth. Interesting. Grand Admiral Grindelwald himself. Have they made any transmissions?

Goldstein. None that we've picked up. Wait a minute. Looks like . . . Yes, they're launching a broom. Make that two brooms. Projected landing point . . . projected landing point somewhere here in the forest.

Aberforth. Not in any of the cities around the edge?

Goldstein. No, it's definitely the forest. No more than fifty kilometers from here, either.

Aberforth. Still only two brooms?

Goldstein. That's all so far. Should I call an alert?

Aberforth. On the contrary. Let's see if they need any help. Give me a hailing channel.

Goldstein. Okay. You have hailing.

Aberforth. Thank you. [into transmitter] Ministry cruiser Nurmengard, this is Aberforth Dumbledore. May I be of any assistance to you?

Goldstein. No response. You think maybe they didn't want to be noticed?

Aberforth. If you don't want to be noticed, you don't use a Ministry cruiser. No, they're most likely busy running my name through the ship's records. Be interesting to see some day just what they have on me . . . if anything. [into transmitter] Ministry cruiser Nurmengard, this is . . .

Enter the Floo image of Tiberius Ogden.

Ogden. This is Captain Ogden of Nurmengard. What is it you want?

Aberforth. Merely to be neighborly. We track two of your brooms coming down and wondered if you or Grand Admiral Grindelwald might require any assistance.

Ogden. Who?

Aberforth. Ah. Of course. I haven't heard of Grand Admiral Grindelwald, either . . . certainly not in connection with Nurmengard. Or with some intriguing information raids on several areas in the Flourish-Blotts region, either.

Ogden. You're very well informed, Mr. Dumbledore. One might wonder how a lowly smuggler would come by such information.

Aberforth. My people hear stories and rumors. I take the pieces and put them together, much the same way your own intelligence units operate, I imagine. Incidentally, if your brooms are planning to put down in the forest, you need to warn the crews to be careful. There are several dangerous predator species living here, and the high metal content of the vegetation makes sensor readings unreliable at best.

Ogden. Thank you for the advice. But they won't be staying long.

Aberforth. Ah. Doing a little hunting, are they?

Ogden. Information on Ministry activities is very expensive. I'd have thought a man in your line of work would know that.

Aberforth. Indeed. But occasionally one finds bargains. It's the hinkypunks you're after, isn't it?

Ogden. There are no bargains to be had here, Dumbledore. And expensive can also mean costly.

Aberforth. True. Unless, of course, it's traded for something equally valuable. I presume you're already familiar with the hinkypunks' rather unique characteristics. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here. Can I assume you're also familiar with the somewhat esoteric art of safely getting them off their tree branches?

Ogden. [suspicious] I was under the impression that hinkypunks were no more than fifty centimeters long and not predatory.

Aberforth. I wasn't referring to your safety, Captain. I meant theirs. You can't just pull them off their branches, not without killing them. A hinkypunk in this stage is sessile. Its claws have elongated to the point where they've essentially grown directly into the core of the branch it inhabits.

Ogden. And you, I suppose, know the proper way to do it?

Aberforth. Some of my people do, yes. If you'd like, I could send one of them to rendezvous with your brooms. The technique involved isn't especially difficult, but it really does have to be demonstrated.

Ogden. Of course. And the fee for this esoteric demonstration . . . ?

Aberforth. No fee, Captain. As I said earlier, we're just being neighborly.

Ogden. Your generosity will be remembered. I'll signal my brooms to expect your expert.

Aberforth. He'll be there. Goodbye, Captain.

Exit Ogden.

You get all that?

Goldstein. Alderton and Borgin are already warming up one of the Cleansweeps

Aberforth. Good. Have them leave an open transmission. And I'll want to see them as soon as they're back.

Goldstein. Right.

Exit Goldstein.

Aberforth sits across from Ginny.

Aberforth. Sorry for the interruption.

Ginny. You really not going to charge them for this? They'd certainly make you pay if you wanted something. That's about all the Ministry really cares about these days, gold.

Aberforth. [shrugs] We get to have our people watching them from the moment they set down to the moment they lift off. That seems an adequate fee to me.

Ginny. You don't believe they're here just to pick up hinkypunks, do you?

Aberforth. Not really. At least, not unless there's a use for the things that we don't know about. Coming all the way out here to collect hinkypunks is a bit of an overkill to use against a single Auror.

Ginny. Maybe it's not Potter they're after. Maybe they've found some more Aurors.

Aberforth. Seems unlikely. The Dark Lord supposedly made a clean sweep of them in the early days of his regime. Unless, they've perhaps found Severus Snape.

Ginny. Snape died on the Dark Mark . . . along with the Dark Lord.

Aberforth. That's the story, certainly . . .

Ginny. [cold] He died there.

Aberforth. Of course. Still, if a Grand Admiral thinks he has a good reason to carry hinkypunks aboard his brooms, we might do well to follow his lead.

Ginny. What for?

Aberforth. A simple precaution. Why so vehement?

Ginny. It seems like a waste of time. Grindelwald's probably just jumping at shadows. Anyway, how are you going to keep hinkypunks alive on a ship without transplanting some trees along with them?

Aberforth. I'm sure Grindelwald has some ideas as to the mechanics of it. Alderton and Borgin will know how to poke around for details.

Ginny. Yes. I'm sure they will.

Aberforth. And in the meantime, we still have business to discuss. As I recall, you were going to list some improvements you would make in the organization.

Ginny. Yes. Yes. Well . . .

As Ginny speaks, Aberforth listens thoughtfully.

Aberforth. [aside] Someday, I am going to find a way to dig the details of her past out from under the cloak of secrecy she so carefully shrouds it with . . . to find out where she came from and who and what she was . . . and to learn exactly what it was Harry Potter did to make her so desperately hate him.

Exit all.