Disclaimer: If your only objective is to be popular, you're going to be popular but you will be known as the Prime Minister who achieved nothing. - Brian Mulroney
Yes Prime Minister
The Prime Minister looked up from his desk as the Cabinet Secretary, the country's senior civil servant, strode into his office in a manner that suggested the Cabinet Secretary, his nominal subordination, was the superior party in their relationship.
"Ah, Sir Humphrey, welcome," the Prime Minister greeted the other man with a wide grin. "What business do you have for us today?"
"Good morning, Prime Minister. I'm just here to informally inform you of a plan which has been proposed to informally apply what amounts to a bit of formal pressure on the government of the magical society which it is believed, if carried out correctly, may have the potential to give some amount of permanent leverage over the government of the aforementioned magical society which in turn would allow us to force them to reintegrate their section of the civil service, that is the magical civil service, into our own section, that is the legitimate section, of our fine nation's civil service. That action would, if successful of course, grant us permanent control over their government and in turn, one would suppose, the rest of their society as well thus resolving a problem which we have been dealing with for the last several centuries, that problem being a separate government within our borders which while de jure under our control is de facto unfortunately otherwise.""So, they'd have to follow our orders?" the Prime Minister ventured, trying to confirm that he'd understood the Cabinet Secretary.
"Yes, Prime Minister," the Cabinet Secretary agreed with a grin which mixed equal parts condescension and smugness. "They would indeed."
"How?"
"It is quite simple really; the proposer's proposed proposal is, to be brief, that the government, your government, use the widespread non-compliance of the citizenry of the magical society with the compulsory registration of their properties into Her Majesty's land registry, combined with their record of non-payment of taxes, to threaten seizure of said properties in question for non-payment. The threat of which will, in turn, be used as leverage against their branch of the civil service to accept an agreement which, briefly, would state that the magical civil service would rightfully suborn themselves to the office of the chief executive of the legitimate civil service in return for promises of non-prosecution, amnesty, and possibly even some debt forgiveness. Once that has been achieved, the chief executive will be able to use his position over them to guide their Minister back into the fold. Time permitting.""Ah." The Prime Minister pursed his lips. "I understand. But how do you suppose I could simplify it for my colleagues in parliament?"
"I don't see why there would be a need, Prime Minister, I believe that my brief summary of the proposal was perfectly clear," the Cabinet Secretary said in a tone that was somehow simultaneously bland and smug.
"It was of course, Sir Humphrey, but I'm afraid you must remember that not all of my esteemed fellow members of parliament are as intelligent as you and I. We'll have to simplify it a bit for them," the Prime Minister said bombastically. "So, what do you think is the simplest way you could explain it?" He leaned forward to hear, and hopefully understand, the details.
"I see." The nation's senior civil servant took a moment to consider the matter. "We, that is to say you, could tell them that during the course of a routine audit the Land Registry noticed certain...shall we say irregularities. Irregularities which, upon further investigation, revealed a number of properties that when cross referenced with the tax office, revealed no record of payment. Do you believe that explanation will be clear enough for your less able minded colleagues, Prime Minister, or do you wish me to redouble my attempts to simplify the summary of the proposal?""Yes, that's much simpler," the Prime Minister agreed. "But there is a major problem with your plan, Sir Humphrey."
"Oh?"
"How do we prevent them from wiping everyone's memories?"
"I've recently been made aware of an offer to provide contracted security personnel to prevent that situation, Prime Minister." The Cabinet Secretary said smoothly. "I've been assured that this solution will be both cost effective and . . . well . . . effective. There is no need to spend another minute worrying about the matter, Prime Minister."
"I see." The Prime Minister smiled dumbly. "A great shame we can't go back more than five years with this."
"Why ever couldn't we?" Sir Humphrey asked. "Prime Minister?" he added after a moment of careful consideration.
"Well, that's the statute of limitations, isn't it?"
"Six years, Prime Minister, which of course does not apply in this case."
"Why ever not?"
"According to the law, any deliberate scheme of concealment, which I'm sure the courts would agree that memory charms absolutely count as, stops time running at all."
"Exactly how far back can we go, Sir Humphrey?" the smile on the Prime Minister's face was distinctly predatory.
"On the most draconian reading of the appropriate statutes, I believe that we can get them on income tax back to seventeen ninety nine and stamp duty back to sixteen ninety four."
"Well done, Sir Humphrey, please pass my regards to the Land Registry for thinking this up."
"Oh, I didn't get this plan from the Land Registry, Prime Minister," the Cabinet Secretary stated with the barest hint of condescending amusement.
"Inland Revenue?"
"No, Prime Minister."
"Then who did you get it from?"
"The Home Office, Prime Minister."
"I suppose that makes sense," the Prime Minister agreed happily.
"Who of course was laundering a plan given to them by the Ministry of Defense."
"The Ministry of Defense?" The Prime Minister's brow wrinkled. "Why were they thinking up plans to bring the magical society under control?"
"They weren't, Prime Minister." The Cabinet Minister laughed at the very idea of the Ministry of Defense coming up with a workable idea to resolve the magical issue. "They were, of course, laundering the plan for the Secret Intelligence Service."
"Who were they laundering it for?" the Prime Minister asked, beginning to understand how things were going.
"They got it from the Granger family, Prime Minister."
"The Granger family?" the Prime Minister echoed.
"Yes, Prime Minister."
"Those Grangers?" the Prime Minister resisted the urge to look around nervously to check for hidden listeners.
"Yes, Prime Minister. Those Grangers."
"Do we know what their interest in the situation is?"
"The daughter is a magical. I am given to understand that Philip Granger is quite unhappy with some of the things he's learned about magical society. I believe he intends to break them. Happily, it seems he intends to do so in a way that allows us to bring them to heel."
"I see." The Prime Minister nodded. "I want you to set up a group of men to look into the matter, tell them I want to be able to move on this as soon as possible."
"Already done, Prime Minister."
"You set it up without telling me about it?"
"Only in anticipation of your orders, Prime Minister, and then only in order to expedite the process," the man replied with his most condescending grin.
"Yes, well, good work, Sir Humphrey, that will be all." The Prime Minister glanced at the Cabinet Secretary. "Won't it?"
"It will be, Prime Minister," the Cabinet Secretary agreed. "Good day, Prime Minister."
IIIIIIIIII
Horatio Prewett regarded the intercom on his desk with a sense of betrayed annoyance. He'd told his secretary not to disturb him unless it was urgent. Stubbornly, the device buzzed again and then again, insisting on an answer.
He keyed the mic. "Yes?"
"A mister, Theodore Snow, is here to see you, sir. He states that it's urgent." There was a long dramatic pause. "He . . . uh . . . he also states that he used to work with you when you were in government service, sir." The woman's voice sounded unsure. "I think he's one of . . ." her voice lowered. "Those people, sir."
Horatio snorted, it was taken as an article of faith among the staff that he'd been in the nation's security services, an idea that no amount of denial had done anything to dissuade them from. "Tell him to wait a bit, I'll page you when I'm ready for him to be sent in."
"Yes, sir."
Horatio opened his desk's top drawer and removed his seldom used wand. Then, after a moment of consideration, he picked up his phone's receiver and dialed a number from memory. "Yes, darling, it's me . . . A coworker from my first employer has chosen to come visit . . . I'm not sure, I just wanted to make sure you knew that there was a possibility that I would be home late today, I think we may wish to catch up on old times and all that . . . I love you too, darling."
Horatio took a moment to look around his office, everything was in place save the door to his private water closet which was slightly ajar. His finger pressed down on the page button. "Send him in, Helen."
"Yes, sir."
The man that entered hadn't changed much in the years since Horatio had last seen him. Sure he was a bit older and his limp was a bit less pronounced, but he still moved like a wolf in a flock of sheep, his eyes darting around to take in every detail as he entered.
"Have a seat," he said, waving the other man towards the plush leather chair across from his desk. What can I do for you?"
The man's eyes widened a bit before he carefully and deliberately placed his hands on the armrests. "First want to tell you that I never blamed you for what happened to Sara," Theo stated, being careful to clearly enunciate each word. "Even if I did have some misguided idea that I needed to take revenge for her, I have a family and would never do anything to risk them."
"Oh?" Horatio raised an eyebrow. This was not how he expected their reunion to go. Seems old Theo had changed in the intervening years.
"No offense, but you were supposed to be a desk slug. Even if you did get run through a short field course-" though, admittedly the one the Ministry gave pureblood technicians was still better than the one they gave the muggle born emergency Aurors. "-you were never intended to get much of a chance to use it."
"Thank the Minister's position that purebloods were too valuable to be placed in danger," Horatio replied mildly. "I joined the war effort to fight and I did not intend to let some stupid policy prevent me from carrying out my intention."
"I always respected the fact that you went out with Sara as much as you did," Theo admitted. "You could have stayed safe and shuffled papers, done the job you were hired to do, but you went out anyway. Took real stones to do that."
"Everyone has a duty to do their part when there's a war on," Horatio agreed. "Why is it you came, Theo?"
"First to tell you that I never blamed you for what happened with Sara," Theo stated. "Always assumed you wouldn't have survived if she . . ." Theo licked his lips. "Well, the Ministry was never going to let her go free, not with who she was and what she did, so I kinda figured that what happened was inevitable. Better to come from a friend, someone that would ensure that the end would be clean." Theo grinned. "Also figured you'd have never come back if she decided to fight back."
"What do you want, Theo?" Horatio asked blandly, deciding to get to bring matters to a head. This dancing around the matter didn't do anything more than waste his valuable time.
"What?" the other man went very still.
"You glanced at the picture on the wall behind my right shoulder as you entered the room and six times during your statement," Horatio pointed out. "Should I assume you want something to stay quiet about it?" Should have told the front office to take the remainder of the day off, he thought to himself, would have been a lot easier to deal with the cleanup without any witnesses.
"She favors her mother," Theo admitted. "Your son has a bit of her in his jaw and nose, but your daughter is the spitting image."
"Well?" Horatio prompted.
"I didn't come here to blackmail you, Horatio. I didn't know. Not till I walked into your office. Now I know and I have no intention of trying. To be honest, I'm a bit hurt that you'd think I'd sink to that. I've done some ugly things but I'd never stoop so low as to try to blackmail an old colleague. Grant me some credit at least."
"You have my apologies for that aspersion to your character. If asked in the future, I will agree that you are a; liar, a cheat, a murderer, a thief, a general scallywag, and a leach. But I will deny to my dying breath that you are a blackmailer."
"Thank you," Theo snorted.
"So what are you here for?"
"I came here to warn you that the bastard is back," Theo stated, trying to be as motionless as possible. "Doing the same for as many of us that went into the muggle world as possible in my copious amounts of spare time."
"I see."
"Made an absolute dogs breakfast of that, didn't I?" Theo grinned, being careful to move nothing but his lips. "Put me off my game when I saw that picture. Knew what I was going to say until I saw it and realized what it meant, then all I could think of was to tell you that I wasn't any sort of threat. Like I said, I have a family now and I really want to see them again."
"What do you think, darling?"
"I think he needs to explain his statement that the bastard is back," a woman's voice stated from the water closet.
"Hello, Sara," Theo said cheerfully. "Let me congratulate you on the fact that the reports of your death were greatly exaggerated. Am I allowed to move again, or would that be a bad idea for my continued health?"
"We're all friends here, Theo, why wouldn't you be allowed to move?" the woman stated, stepping out of the water closet and into the office proper. "Well?"
Theo relaxed. "Just found out about it myself, came back in some sort of ritual and started rebuilding his organization."
"Do you have names?"
"Not any that are above ground." Theo grinned. "From the sound of things, they aren't having as easy time of it as they did the last go round. Bastards attacked Hogsmeade on a student weekend. Some of the kids got hurt, none of the other side got out alive. Hit the Ministry after that and they lost even more."
The grin on Sara's face was angelic. "I'm going to want to hear every detail you've got about those fights."
"I don't know much about what went on at the Ministry, supposed to have been an absolute bloodbath. From what I hear about Hogsmeade, my new boss put most of them in the ground himself. Not sure how true that is, that's just what's been going around the magical world," Theo reported. "Don't know much more than that. Bastard can't have more than a handful left if half the casualty figures are correct."
Sara created another plush leather chair with a wave of her hand. "First you are going to tell me everything you know about that fight. Then you are going to tell me everything you know about the current situation. Finally, you are going to tell me about your family. We have a number of years to catch up on."
"First he is going to tell us about his new boss," Horatio disagreed. The man smiled across the table. "Never thought you'd go back to the Ministry, Theo, I'm curious to hear about that."
"Hoping they need a good forensic accountant?" Sara asked with a grin.
"Just as much as you're hoping they need another Auror, my love," Horatio retorted. "Well, Theo, what can you tell us?"
"Don't work for the Ministry," Theo laughed. "Bastards aren't much better than they were in the old days. Only good thing about them is that Amelia Bones is in charge of law enforcement."
"Probably the best of the permanent Aurors aside from Moody," Sara conceded. "Alright, who do you work for?"
"I assume you both remember how the last war ended?"
IIIIIIIIII
Dumbledore was waiting when Narcissa came through the gates. The woman looked happier than he could remember seeing her since her student days. A bit odd when one considered the fact that she was newly widowed, completely understandable when one considered everything else.
"Narcissa," he greeted her with a grandfatherly smile. "How wonderful to see you again."
"Albus," she smiled back. "Always a pleasure."
"To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"
"I've recently decided to move to the continent for my health," she stated. "Being a doting mother, I naturally couldn't bear the thought of leaving my son behind to face life without me so I've come to withdraw him from the school."
"I see." He frowned. "Have you given any thoughts to his continued education?"
"Private tutors, I think," she replied. "Thank you for your concern."
"I always strive to do the best for my students, Narcissa, current and former." He motioned for her to follow him. "Best get started on the paperwork soon, we don't want to delay your exit from the country. Speaking of which, I trust you've gone to the Ministry to arrange travel documents? If not, I would be happy to extend my services."
"For a bit of consideration on my part," Narcissa laughed. "I'm afraid that won't be necessary, Albus. I've already made arrangements with Amelia Bones. I found her price much easier to pay than what I presume yours would have been."
"Oh?" The old man gave a mental shrug, easy come easy go. "May I inquire as to the specifics of your arrangement?"
"With Amelia, it was a simple business transaction. I give her every bit of information I can find and she permits me and my son to leave the country with our wealth intact. With you it would have been a much more permanent arrangement," Narcissa stated. "I have seen what you did to Severus and I have no wish to trade one master for another."
"Some people are better off having someone available to give them a bit of direction from time to time," Dumbledore replied. "I presume you did not attempt to make a deal with young Harry for similar reasons."
"In many ways, the Potter would have been the best choice. With Amelia I was able to pay for a clean break, with you I would have been purchasing a new set of chains, with him I believe I would have been buying the best protection available. A pity I couldn't have afforded the price."
"I see. What price would that have been?"
"I'd have had to give him something he wanted more than my son's death." Narcissa smiled. "Do not misunderstand, I'd have been perfectly willing to pay the price if I had it. I've heard rumors about what happens to anyone that goes after one of his. Sadly I did not, so I went with Amelia. Had something happened to me, my elves would have gone to you. Had something happened to you, my elves would have given Potter everything and begged him to say it was enough. I'm told he's quite fond of house elves, perhaps it would have worked."
"Perhaps," Dumbledore agreed. He led her into the castle and directed her into one of the anterooms near the entrance. "Your son will join you soon, Narcissa, you may both wait here while the elves pack his things."
"Thank you, Albus."
"Not at all, Narcissa. I would also like to wish you luck on the continent, I think you'll find the climate much healthier than you would on our damp islands."
"I agree, Albus, I do not believe my son or I will be returning for a number of years ever."
IIIIIIIIII
Draco didn't know what to think when he was excused from class and told to report to one of the anterooms. He doubted it was for any good reason, he wasn't that lucky. Things had been falling apart since well before the Dark Lord's unsuccessful attack on Hogsmeade but it wasn't until the attack's aftermath and the first whispers about what had happened at the Ministry that he realized just how bad things had gotten. Slythern, His house, was slipping out of his grasp the Dark Lord's failure stripping much of his faction's support both outside and inside the castle and allowing Potter's half-blood strumpets to make their move.
Draco had no doubt that he would emerge victorious in the coming fight, he had his father to call upon after all. Who did they have? A merchant family and a Gryff? He snorted. A pity so few of his housemates were willing to consider things as they would be rather than as they were. A pity so much of his time was taken up trying to keep things from slipping more than they had.
The boy's ruminations ground to a halt when he opened the door and entered the room he'd been directed to.
"Mother?!" Draco blurted, shocked to see the woman at Hogwarts.
"Pack your things, I'm withdrawing you from this school," she said abruptly.
"What! Why?"
"Your father, your aunt, and your uncles participated in the attack on Hogsmeade. Draco, dearest, it is no longer safe for us to stay here."
"Are they?"
"Dead? They are. They all are," Narcissa sighed.
"What?" Draco gasped, feeling faint. "Father's . . . he can't be . . . dead."
"He and nearly everyone who accompanied him are. The dark lord lost close to a hundred people in Hogsmead and at least as many, likely more, in his failed attempt on the Ministry. He's got almost no one left but creatures so he must be desperate for anyone he can find which is why we're going to the continent while we still can." She pulled her son into a hug. "I've spoken to some old friends and they've pledged their aid in hiding us and continuing your education."
"I can't leave, mother." Draco tried to pry himself out of the woman's arms.
"With your father dead, we've become useless to the dark lord as anything but cannon fodder and object lessons to others. Bones is using the attack as an excuse to station a large number of Aurors at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. If we don't leave now, there's a good chance we'll never be able to." Not strictly true considering her deal with the woman but her son did not need to know that until they were well away.
"But-"
"You want revenge?" she seemed amused. "Would you swear vengeance on the wind if they were killed in a storm?"
"No, but-"
"But nothing, it's the same thing. One wizard faced over two dozen in single combat and walked away from it. One wizard faced the best the Dark Lord had, and not just broke them, he killed every one of them. One wizard whose power dwarfs yours, who could crush you as easy as you would crush a bug. Draco, you have no chance against him."
"Mother, I-."
"Would you be as eager to face Dumbledore or the Dark Lord?"
"No, mother," Draco admitted.
"Good. We shall wait here until the elves have finished packing your things and then we shall be off," she stated firmly.
"What about the cause? What about the war?"
"Draco," Narcissa said gently. "Do you know the name of the first pureblood witch to marry into your father's family?"
She continued before he had a chance to reply.
"Narcissa Black. Me. Lucius wanted the status marriage to a Black would bring him, the Blacks wanted the money he would bring them and an arrangement was made. I went along with it because I did not find him unattractive. I gave him a heir, he gave me a son."
She pulled the boy into a hug.
"Both of your great grandparents were French muggleborn, as was your grandmother. The majority of the Dark Lord's forces are the same, at least those of the monied class. The vast majority of real purebloods, those such as the Longbottom family want nothing to do with him. I want you to think about that fact. As to the war?"
The woman gave a heavy sigh.
"Do you know what this war has gotten me, Draco?" she asked gently. "It's gotten me a sister I no longer speak with and a niece I've never met. It's taken my husband, my sister, my brother in law, more cousins than I care to count, and . . . and your older sister. It's brought nothing but pain to our family, it's time to cast it aside and start anew."
"I had a sister?" the boy asked faintly.
"A twin, older by five minutes." Narcissa's jaw clenched in remembrance of old pain. "She was . . . she had magic, but not nearly as much as you seemed to."
"What happened to her?!" Draco demanded. "Did . . . did father . . ." The boy felt sick, he couldn't force his mouth to form the question at the forefront of his mind.
"What happened is in the past which is where we shall leave it until after we are well away from this place, is that understood?" she asked sharply.
"For now, mother," Draco agreed. "And only so long as you understand that we will revisit this subject in the future."
"Of course, dearest, I promise."
IIIIIIIIII
Narcissa glanced at her son after the elves informed her that his things had been packed and were ready for their trip.
"Wait here, Draco, there is one more thing I need to do before we are off."
"Yes, mother," the boy agreed, sounding subdued.
Narcissa stepped out of the room and hit the door with a quick locking charm. No sense taking chances with the safety of her little boy.
"Hogwarts elf," she ordered.
"Yes, Missy Cissy?"
"Please ask one of the professors to have young Crabbe and young Goyle made available," she stated.
"They is waiting in the next room, Missy Cissy."
"Wonderful. Please ensure my son does not wander while I meet with them and please have someone deliver my son's things to my elves. They should be waiting on the edge of the wards."
"It will be done, Missy Cissy," the elf promised.
Narcissa swept into the next room to find her son's two bodyguards waiting for her. They both stood when she entered.
"Hello, boys. Were your fathers fortunate enough to survive the death of my husband?"
"They were, madam," Goyle replied.
"Excellent. Please pass on my best to both of them and to your mothers."
"We will, madam."
Narcissa sighed, it was a shame that her husband and son couldn't have treated their contracted security with even a touch of respect. "You may be wondering why I requested a meeting with you boys. I am exercising my option as regent of the Malfoy family to end our contract with your families early. I have instructed Gringotts to pay the standard penalty along with a bonus for good service. I would also be happy to give you both letters of reference if you so desire."
"That will not be necessary, madam, we have already made arrangements for our next contract," Goyle stated.
"In that case, I wish you both the best."
"Thank you, madam."
"Good bye, boys."
"Goodbye, madam."
IIIIIIIIII
The sun was setting as Theo arrived at his new place of employment. While it was never pleasant to flip one's schedule from days to nights, the amount of money he was getting to do so more than made up for it.
"Welcome, Mr. Snow," Ballcracker, the senior auditor said with a wide toothy grin. "I trust your extra curricular activities bore fruit?"
"Maybe. Any interest in hiring an accountant and an arsonist? They may be a bit rusty, but they made a name for themselves in the last flare up."
Ballcracker's smile deepened. "I thought she was dead?"
"Happily, that turned out to be false."
"I'll pass it up the line, the Potter will likely wish to personally hire them on himself. Good work. Your bonus will be included in your next paycheck."
"The wife will be pleased by the extra if nothing else," Theo replied. "You said you had something special for me today?"
"Yes. We have finished phase one and are ready for phase two of the operation in London. Your part is to threaten-"
"I don't threaten," Theo interrupted. "If he's worth threatening, then he's worth killing since chances are it'll get to that point anyway. Threatening wastes time and gives them more chance than they deserve. You want him dead, you tell me why and I'll arrange it if I think your reasons are good. I think they're not good and we'll discuss it further."
"You are of course correct. I'm afraid that I've spent far too much time around humans lately and their manner of speech has contaminated my own. Let me rephrase that; We would like you to warn them that some behavior is no longer permissible and to politely inform them that the consequences for ignoring our warning is to be terminated without further warnings."
"That I can do," Theo agreed. "Who's the target?"
IIIIIIIIII
Had you asked any of his neighbors what Richard Barney did for a living, they'd have likely told you that he worked as a clerk or accountant or at some other vaguely middle class white collar profession. Had you told them that he controlled a significant portion of the clandestine gambling establishments in London, they'd have laughed and politely informed you that you were mistaken. That good old Richard was far too boring to be involved in anything illegal. It was a reputation Richard had spent decades constructing.
He had entered the business when the infamous Kray Twins had dominated London's underworld and he considered the two mentors of a sort despite the fact that he'd never met either. They'd lived in the public, had driven expensive cars, had rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, and had done all but dare the authorities to do something about them. Their careers had been large, flashy, and short. Richard, being more intelligent than the average rock, had quickly deduced that publicly challenging the authorities to do something was perhaps the best way to get them to comply and had privately resolved to use the Krays as an example of exactly what not to do.
Richard looked up from his desk when he realized his outer office had gone dead silent. Something was wrong. His thumb hit the button on his intercom. "Mary, is everything alright out there?" His heart sank when there was no response. "Mary?"
"She's indisposed at the moment," an unfamiliar male voice replied. "May I come in? We have a few things we need to discuss."
Richard opened the top drawer on his desk and pulled out a revolver, it had been years since he'd had a gun in his hand, years since he'd needed to do anything personally. "Come in."
The door opened to admit a killer. "Good evening, Mr. Barney. My name is Theodore Snow. Let me begin by apologizing for not making an appointment through the proper channels. It was rude of me and I assure you that one way or another, it shall not happen again."
Richard felt a chill go up his spine at the statement. Just whose attention had he come to? "Are any of my staff still alive?" he asked, dreading the answer.
"Every one of them will wake up five minutes after I leave with no memory that anything untoward happened. It'll will be as if they all fell asleep at the same time."
Richard desperately hoped the man was telling the truth, some of his people had been with him since he'd started out and none of them had done anything to deserve a visit from anyone like the man in his office. "What can I do for you, Mr. Snow?"
"It's more what I can do for you," Theo replied. "I'm here because I've been informed that this part of town belongs to you and to inform you of why several of your competitors have chosen to commit suicide." Theo smiled. "You see, there is a new list of rules one must follow if one wants to succeed in your profession."
"I assume that my former competitors would have found those rules too restrictive to follow?" Richard asked.
"You assume correctly," Theo agreed.
"What are the new rules?"
"You will find a printed copy in your pen drawer under the cartridges that were loaded into your revolver," Theo stated politely. "I do not believe you will find them too onerous, one of the reasons we're having this meeting is that you already seem to follow most of them." Left unsaid was that they'd be having a very different sort of meeting if things were otherwise.
"I see." Richard resisted the urge to pull open the drawer to check. "Were there any other items you wished to discuss?"
"One more. I would like to enquire if you'd be interested in taking control of some of your former competitors businesses?"
"In exchange for what?"
"Fifty percent of the profits from any of the businesses you acquire due to our actions and information."
"What about my current businesses?"
"They are yours and yours alone. My employers feel that as you built them from the ground up without any aid from us, it would be rude to ask you to contribute anything."
"I would like more information before I agree to commit either way," Richard replied.
"The files will be on your desk tomorrow when you come in."
"Is that all?"
"It is."
"Then you can show yourself out, Mr. Snow."
"Good evening, Mr. Barney." The man rose to his feet, pausing at the door. "One last bit of business, Mr. Barney, though this is personal rather than business."
"Yes?"
"This is not a threat. You have a granddaughter, Mr. Barney, one who will be turning eleven in a week."
"What about her?" Richard growled.
"Again, this is not a threat, Mr. Barney, please remain calm."
"What about her?" Richard repeated.
"She will be getting a letter on her birthday. That letter may seem unbelievable but please allow me to assure you that it is real. Along with the rules, you will find a contact number for my employer's organization. Call that number and we will be happy to provide someone to answer any questions you might have and to provide any help you might need."
"Even if I do not choose to take your offer to acquire my former competitors businesses?"
"Even then," Theo agreed.
"I see. Thank you, Mr. Snow, I will keep your offer in mind."
"Your staff will be up in five minutes, Mr. Barney, do have a good night." He paused. "Oh, and you may wish to check on your establishment in the back of the laundry. My employers have noted that someone is pocketing a bit more than their fair share. My employers would also like me to pass on that they would be delighted to find out whom for a nominal fee. Contact us if you would like to secure our services."
