Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter… wish I did – a spare million would come in handy from time to time.

May 2nd, 2048

Phillip continued making his regular monthly reports; Sabina proved to be an eager apprentice; she was able to grasp concepts that Francine, even after years of reading his reports, had struggled with comprehending. She evidently reviewed each report with a critical eye, constantly querying his terminology and presenting her own theories for which further advances to appraise. Though she had some difficulty adjusting to Muggle culture, she needed to be advised of the correct behaviour or actions required on the initial occasion, only once.

However, in the first few years he worked with her, she never discussed anything other than the assignment, going so far as to refuse to answer questions of a personal nature. When asked about her family, she either avoided the question or blatantly responded with some mundane comment about the weather or the latest ridiculous Muggle fashion.

Finally, he quizzed her about the comment she had made when they had first met. She smirked and had told him about the diary, where her grandfather journalised his work as a spy. When Phillip commented that he must be an amazing wizard to converse with, she sneered and bitterly responded that he had died before her father was even born. Phillip tactfully steered the conversation elsewhere, and the topic was never raised again.

Today, just over six years later, he bided his time at their pre-arranged location - yet another report awaited her collection. The Muggles had explored further into the inner space of the quantum world. Quantum computers were already becoming more affordable, and scientists were already exploring other avenues. Two new applications had arisen. The first used nanotechnology and quantum mechanics to construct what was termed as a quantum assembler. The process would allow nearly anything be replicated by constructing it at the atomic level. The second was the application of quantum mechanics to what cosmologists termed the "Cosmic String Phenomena", to provide instantaneous, sub-dimensional travel from one location to the next, irrespective of distance travelled. Phillip found this latest science

somewhat difficult to understand, but thought of it as the Muggle's concept of Portkeying.

He glanced at his watch. Uncharacteristically, Sabina was late. Furrowing his brow with consternation, he took particular care to examine his surroundings. He could not discern her approach, nor was there any indication that the location was under surveillance - the only reason why she may have chosen to abort. Lastly, he checked his tiny communication device - Sabina also had one; if she were to be delayed for any reason, she was required to contact him. The interface revealed no sign of recent activity. He muttered a string of choicest expletives under his breath as he got up to walk away.

He irately shoved the report back in his satchel. Procedure now dictated that a substitute meeting had to take place in exactly two days at the pre-arranged secondary site. It annoyed him as it was the first time in this assignment he had had to presume they were compromised. What infuriated him more was the fact he had been scheduled to attend a technology convention over the next couple of days, and the time of the back up plan coincided with a symposium he had keenly wanted to attend.

He stormed out of the park, and up the street, seething with anger.

Two days later…

At the same time, but in a different location, Phillip waited impatiently in the shade of a tree. He glared at his watch again for at least the fifth time since he seated himself on the slightly damp concrete bench. Unconsciously, he tapped his foot, the tread of his boot making faint thumps that increased in tempo as time passed.

Finally, Sabina approached. Phillip rose - words of reprehension on his lips - when he saw, and comprehended, the poignant misery etched across her face. As she drew closer, anger also tinged her features; her mouth was set in a line and her eyes dull.

"Sabina?" he asked gently, pouring as much empathy into that single word as he could.

She brushed past him, and flopped resignedly on the bench he had just vacated.

He took up his seat again beside her. She shuffled away from him, hugging her arms to herself, as she stared obstinately down at the ground.

"Sabina?" he queried softly, concerned, touching her gently on her shoulder.

She hissed and flinched as if his hand had burnt her. Taking a breath, she snarled, "Give me the report."

Phillip snatched back his hand in consternation. Something was wrong, that much was apparent. Resuming procedure, he slid the report from his satchel, but before he could hand it to her, she reached across his lap and snatched it violently from him.

Before he could register her drastic actions, she had removed herself from his vicinity and marched away.

"Sabina!" he bellowed, bewildered by her behaviour.

She stopped in her tracks, but failed to turn back to him. When her upper body started shuddering, he realised that she must be emotionally wrought over something.

He waited some moments before making his way towards her. "What's wrong, Sabina?"

"What's wrong?" she whispered, almost to herself. She turned to glower at Phillip. "What's wrong?" she growled. "I'll tell you what is wrong, Phillip. Muggles…" she spat the word, expelling it with vehemence. "Muggles," she repeated, disbelief tinting her anger.

Phillip knew that something out of the ordinary must have happened for her to respond in such a way. She had previously shared the same opinion of Muggles as he – they were essentially no different to them. From her demeanour, something had occurred, and it was obviously horrific.

"Tell me," he directed gently.

Sabina's frame sagged as she resigned herself to the recitation of the reason for her anguish. Phillip led her back to the seat.

Her breath hitched as she began. "I invited my mother and brother into London with me – I wanted to show them around some of the beautiful parks and gardens, before I met up with you." She took another shaky breath. "We were enjoying the scenery in Hyde Park when this…man…walked up to mother and pushed her. He demanded her jewellery. My brother intervened, pulling his wand. The Muggle laughed at him and stabbed him in the throat. When I went to help him, the Muggle dragged our mother away." She gulped air then exhaled a keening cry. She cried for a minute or so before she composed herself enough to continue. "My brother died in my arms – I tried to heal the wound, but it bled so fast." She examined her hands, searching for further evidence of her failure.

Phillip sat - mouth agape in shock.

She closed her eyes, and, trembling, bit her lip nervously as she hiccoughed another lungful of air. "Those Muggle investigators came, removed my brother's body, asked me every question under the sun. They were suspicious when I couldn't produce a Citizen Card. I told them my family and I were tourists from Australia. They seemed to be happy with the documents I charmed." She sighed. "They found mother yesterday." The last was spoken as a strangled cry, and she pushed a tightly clenched fist against her mouth as she struggled to regain control.

Phillip watched, aghast, as she rocked with grief.

"They deduced that she was killed after she was…defiled." She tightened her jaw. "They showed me where the Muggle filth had left her - discarded in some scrub." She turned her tear-streaked face to his abruptly. "My beautiful, Pureblood mother, used like a common Mudblood, and tossed aside like garbage," she spat.

She waved the report in his face. "And still it's expected of me to ferry this…" She grasped the report and ripped it in two, then continued, "…news of 'Muggle advancement'." She ripped the papers into quarters. "The only thing Muggles excel at…" She rent the paper yet again, "…is perfecting the way they kill." She emphasized the last by flinging the fragments away from her.

Phillip watched as his report fluttered to the ground in jagged pieces. He opened his mouth to comment, but she beat him to it. "Don't," she commanded. "I don't want to hear about your precious Muggles," she sneered as she rose indignantly.

Phillip watched her stride off huffily; her shoulders thrust back and her navy blue jacket flapping against her. As he closed his eyes and shook his head, pondering these events, the scraps of paper were snatched away and scattered to the breeze - just as Sabina's enthusiasm had been, two days prior.

August 23rd, 2048

After over three months of mourning her mother, Stephanie, and her brother, Antonius, Sabina was moving on. Her intense grief had seen her locked away from the world; she had taken a leave of absence from the Ministry and they had assigned a temporary agent to collect Phillip's reports. Despite the initial fervent invitations from well-wishers, Sabina had refused to associate with her peers, choosing instead to retreat into her boudoir and weep for days on end. Spurred by her misery and his own, her father was rarely seen either. They passed each other occasionally in the house, but, as if strangers on a winter night street, they barely acknowledged each other, holding fast to their own coats of despair.

She had barely eaten through the ceaseless hours of wakefulness; her joy for anything life offered had died with her mother. She ate for sustenance only, bathed because it was necessary, and clothed her despondency with colours of midnight equanimity. She lost weight, her skin took on hollows and crags, her visage became sallow, her silky hair became lank, and her eyes diluted with pain. Her rest brought her comfort; only within her dreams, could she laugh and be beautiful, for it was only in her dreams now that she could see her mother and brother as they had been before; blemish less and whole.

Apart from her dreams, she found solace in her grandfather's diary. Now mostly alone in the world, she found she could concur with passages she had previously scoffed at. The cramped, spiky, handwriting comforted her, as did the no-nonsense adages and experiences penned within.

Her grandfather had been a solitary man; after losing the love of his life through his own actions, he had sought to rectify his fault. For years, he lived like a pariah, serving two masters if only to prevent himself from losing more of his heart. He had met her grandmother in the last year of his life, finally finding someone who could mend his heart and salvage his soul. He died a martyr's death, leaving the diary with her, as the only proof of his existence.

Sabina's favourite adage from the diary was one penned near the start, after her grandfather's heart-wrenching account of loss. It was a Muggle saying, and he had bolded it with many quill strokes; 'it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all'. She agreed; unlike her grandfather, she had been privileged to have had had loving parents and a brother; her loss carried within her heart the bitter representation of her love.

Today, she was preparing to return the world. Her cousin David Cornfoot had invited her to attend a recruitment information meeting held by the Life Association for Magical Purity that afternoon. When originally offered the opportunity to join whilst she attended Hogwarts, Sabina had been hesitant. During the first six years working with Phillip, she had seen, for herself, the truth behind the Pureblood propaganda.

However, the events on that last day of April had shattered her world-view. Everything that Muggles did that had seemed wondrous, she now saw as having a malevolent impetus. She had researched the Muggle World more in the last two weeks, and found it was like how she purported it to Phillip; each of the significant advancements in Muggle technology were applied to engineering better ways to maim and murder. It was due to the sheer absurdity of Muggles that when they discovered atoms over one hundred years ago, the first thing that they did was to investigate its potential destructive uses. The historical account of an atomic bomb being utilised to mass murder thousands of humans instantaneously, had jolted her out of her own grief. Another emotion replaced her angst; a grim rage blossoming in her heart.

Her rage was fuelled by the more instances of wide spread wickedness that she discovered in her research; on the one hand, technology was being used to better life, and on the other, it was used to destroy it. The more she found, the more she realised how disillusioned Phillip and she had been, prior to the violence that took her family away. In her opinion, despite their staggering technological advances, Muggles were still barbaric animals; just savage creatures trying desperately to imitate the superior knowledge and power of Wizards.

She could understand, now, why in 1793 the Wizengamot concluded that Muggles were inferior and their 'technologies' evil. Up until that time, the Wizengamot commissioned expeditions into the Muggle world with the view to adopting viable inventions. It had ceased when a group of Black Moors had exterminated an entire Pureblood family. It was then that Pureblood families decreed non-magical humans as weak abominations. The practice of snatching away Muggleborns had started; squibs left in their place. In the intervening years between then, and when Phillip had began his assignment, only brief forays had been made into the Muggle World. Each venture concluded the same thing; Muggles were inferior and struggled without magic.

Sabina made one final adjustment to her robes. Squaring her shoulders with determination, she Portkeyed to the Cornfoot residence.

July 16th, 2052

Annual General Meeting of the Life Association for Magical Purity (L.A.M.P.)

Held at the home of Delphinus Black, Secretary of L.A.M.P.

Sabina moved through the crowd of friendly faces on the arm of her beau, smiling demurely as other witches and wizards greeted her. In the four years, since she had joined as a social member of L.A.M.P., she had met many individuals who shared her ideals. Even though she still worked for the Ministry, and continued collecting Phillip's various reports, she worked neither as diligently, nor as interestedly as she had once done before. L.A.M.P. was her passion; tonight she was here to be inducted into the higher echelons of the organisation, where she would work as one of the administrative officers.

Delphinus Black had taken her under his wing shortly after she joined as a social member of L.A.M.P. He had consoled her loss and taught her to use her rage constructively. He shaped her raw emotion into the smooth ideology cultivated by L.A.M.P. members. He had descended from a long line of proud Purebloods. His great-grandfather, Alphard Black, had made only one mistake in his life – he helped his blood-traitor nephew. Though struck from the original Black family, Alphard sought redemption, and marrying as true Purebloods should, built the new house of Black. Immigrating to Russia just before Voldemort's downfall, his son forged an alliance with a Pureblood Russian family, marrying the heiress Irena Ivanovicz. His son, Delphinus' father, Altair, wed a German Pureblood before returning the House of Black to Britain. Joining L.A.M.P. whilst at Hogwarts, Delphinus had risen quickly through the ranks, attaining the office of secretary at the age of thirty.

Sabina glanced fondly at the wizard at her side; Delphinus Black was not only her sponsor, but also her fiancée. Even though she was what was coined as Noveau Pure (she couldn't prove her heritage more than two generations back), Delphinus considered her pure enough. In fact, a popular, though widely debated philosophy of L.A.M.P., was that Old Pureblood families should marry into the New Pureblood ones. Although they acknowledged the worth of this, some Pureblood families refused to adopt this idea.

She had been somewhat concerned when Delphinus had pulled her aside shortly after she arrived tonight, and announced that all potential administrative and executive members, were to consent to a short Veritaserum interview conducted in the presence of board members. Though her fiancée was aware that she worked at the Ministry, he only knew that she worked in the Department of Mysteries. As an Unspeakable, she was forbidden to mention specifics of her assignments outside of work, or even acknowledge that she was part of the most secretive Office in the Ministry.

Prior to tonight, other members of L.A.M.P.'s executive committee had interviewed her to determine where her allegiances lay. Even though individuals were permitted to have dual social memberships with both L.A.M.P. and the Order, executive and administrative members were expected to show loyalty to only one organisation. Those tendering for admission, as Sabina was tonight, were expected to denounce any other affiliations.

After some time socialising, the attendees were summoned to a large boardroom. As Sabina took her place next to her fiancée, she waited as the remaining executive members filed into the room. At the head of the table sat the Chief Executive; the white-haired Draco Malfoy, his Founder's ring glinting as he shuffled a pile of parchment. To his left reclined Gerhart Dolohov-Avery, his Chief of Operations. At thirty-five, he, like Delphinus, had risen quickly through the ranks. Hands folded neatly before him, he stared imperiously down the table at the members. To Malfoy's right was Maurice Nott, the dour wizard who was the Administrative Director of L.A.M.P.

Next to Nott, Malfoy's grandson, and Nott's son-in-law sat. Abraxas Malfoy, at just twenty-two, was the youngest member of the board. Having neither the intelligence of his father nor the ostentatious bearing of his namesake, Abraxas attained the position by familial ties only. Other members viewed him as a necessary irritation, and with his position entailing the administration of the social division of L.A.M.P., he was kept largely out of their way.

Next to Dolohov-Avery was the Educational Coordinator, Michael Cornfoot. Sabina's uncle's portfolio consisted of administering the Hogwarts branch of L.A.M.P, as well as procuring suitable internships and apprenticeships for their younger members. Next to Nott, was Sinclair Burke. The burly wizard was the Board's Legal Counsel and Director. Any changes to their constitution and any official actions partaken, would have to pass through his hands first. A variety of non-executive members made up the remainder of attendees.

Sabina and Delphinus were placed next to Burke, and the broad-shouldered wizard greeted them both with a solemn nod. As the Board Secretary, Delphinus prepared a fresh stack of parchment in front of him. Pulling out a fountain pen, he marked the date and time on the top sheet. Next to him, Burke chuckled. "You too, eh?" He pointed at the pen clutched in Delphinus' hand.

Sabina's fiancée lifted the pen from the paper, and regarded it. "Quite handy – never runs out either," he commented.

Burke reached into his robes, withdrawing a similar implement. He held it out for Delphinus. "Gold nib, one tap of your wand and the ink colour changes."

"Nice," he replied as he examined the pen. "I see more and more of these nowadays – and about time too."

Burke agreed. "I had one in school, but couldn't use it for anything but my homework, everyone that saw it pestered me to borrow it."

Delphinus laughed softly.

Burke leaned towards him, speaking softly. "Did you hear about the new system they're installing in the library at Hogwarts?"

Delphinus frowned in quiet contemplation. "That Muggle technology the Department of Mysteries has been developing?" he queried.

"Yes. Will supposedly revolutionise how the students study."

"Make them lazy more like," Delphinus snorted

Burke almost replied, but was interrupted by Malfoy calling the meeting to order.

Malfoy had stood, and he clasped the back of his chair as he spoke. "Welcome, friends and colleagues, to the 29th Annual General Meeting of the Life Association for Magical Purity. As you know, these yearly meetings give us opportunity to welcome our new candidates. This year, I would like to extend the hand of opportunity to Mario Belby, who seeks to join our Educational Division…"

A tall, brown-haired wizard rose to his feet at the far end, and the rest of the table clapped politely. Malfoy continued. "Rudolph Bagman… Everett Yaxley… " After each name, the individual rose to be acknowledged. Lastly, Malfoy gestured at Sabina, and she prepared herself for the introduction. "…and finally Sabina Cornfoot, who wishes to serve as an Administrative Officer." She rose gracefully, grateful that Michael had allowed her to take her mother's maiden name when she had died.

The meeting continued; reports were given, notes were scrawled and motions were passed. Finally, the majority of the meeting concluded, and everyone, except the seven executives and the four candidates, were asked to leave. After some hushed whispering between the executives, Abraxas Malfoy also left. Once the door had been shut, and warded, behind the sulking wizard, Dolohov-Avery addressed the four.

"You come before us pure of heart, mind and blood. You have proved yourselves both upstanding citizens of our World, and enthusiastic members of this Association. You each were recommended for advancement by either me or my colleagues. Over the past three months, each member of this Board has had the opportunity to interview you further, to advise you and mentor you. We have found each of you to be suitable for progression to a position of privilege." He gazed at each one of the four respectfully.

"However, there is one final procedure that must be adhered to. It is necessary that those within these privileged ranks are loyal and true to Our beliefs and principles, and therefore it is essential that I ask of you to comply to a Veritaserum interview. Each will be questioned by the Board individually, and if your answers satisfy us, you will proceed to the final stage." He glanced down at his notes. "Belby, Cornfoot and Yaxley, if you could please remain in the sitting room until you are called." He indicated a door opposite to the one they had come through earlier.

Sabina and the two other wizards shuffled silently into the room, where one of the non-executive members greeted them.

"Empty out your pockets and hand over your wand," he commanded, his face blank.

Sabina complied, handing over a sheaf of notes from the meeting and her wand.

The wizard then subjected her and the other two to examination by a thin golden rod – a Probity Probe - and an electronic device. Yaxley shied away from the unfamiliar device. "What in Merlin's name is that?"

The wizard smirked. "An idea we stole off the Muggles – sort of an X-Ray device."

Yaxley scowled. "I don't trust anything made by a bunch of monkeys."

The wizard sneered. "One of them, are you? Most of the Old Families rethought that particular philosophy years ago, not many hard-liners around these days. Let me guess, Dolohov-Avery's sponsoring you?"

Yaxley threw his head back haughtily. "Yes. I am the first, I believe," he said smoothly, arrogance dripping from his words.

A hearty chuckle from Mario Belby broke the icy atmosphere that had formed in the room. "I think Muggles are dangerous, but the things they have discovered or invented are amazing. Take for instance the lightbulb…"

Sabina snorted. "They are centuries beyond a mere lightbulb, Belby." She pointed at the electronic device in the wizard's hand, "Even that is outdated technology."

"And how would you know, Miss Cornfoot?" Yaxley interrupted snidely.

"Well, let me see…" she purred sarcastically, a thumb and forefinger around her jaw. "I do work in the Department of Mysteries…"

"You're an Unspeakable are you?" Yaxley disrupted her again, a touch incredulously, presuming that she were employed in the most secretive section of the Department.

"I can't answer that." Sabina's chilly remark prevented further questioning from either Yaxley or Belby.

Before any of them could comment again the door opened, and Belby was whisked away.

Sabina glared at Yaxley, before her visage softened and she spoke carefully. "I agree Muggles are animals, Yaxley, but I do think that assuming that they are harmless is dangerous. On the other hand, their technology is useful."

Yaxley merely nodded, and they sat in silence until Sabina herself was beckoned back into the boardroom.

Some time later…

Sabina sighed, her throat dry from talking. They had administered the second dose of Veritaserum a couple of minutes ago, and refused to allow her a glass of water until they had completed their questioning. The first round of questions consisted of those similar to when she had been interviewed for the position as an Unspeakable; name, address, place of birth, known family, had she committed any offences. As with the first time, she had been plied with Veritaserum, she hated the feeling that she could not think about her answers first; they just slipped from her brain and onto her tongue.

As she felt the same haze of uncontrollability fog her mind again, Dolohov-Avery recommenced his questioning.

"Where do you work?"

"Department of Mysteries"

"Which Section?"

"Office of the…" Sabina's mind went blank. All Unspeakables were Memory Charmed immediately upon entry to the Office.

Dolohov-Avery repeated his question. "Which Section?"

Again, Sabina's mind froze, it literally not finding the reference to her job as the Memory Charm went into effect.

Dolohov-Avery considered her quizzically. "Interesting…" he murmured.

Malfoy gestured him over to confer. After a few seconds of anxious whispering, Malfoy stood and addressed her. "How long have you worked as an Unspeakable?"

A memory not protected by the charm, Sabina tonelessly replied. "Ten years."

More whispering ensued, "What does your position entail?" Malfoy enquired, curiously watching her for a response.

A secondary Memory Charm initiated, and Sabina fell to the floor; her hands wrapped around her pounding head.

"Bloody hell," Delphinus snapped, "What in the name of Circe is going on?" He rushed to his fiancées side.

"Leave her and return to your seat, Black," Malfoy ordered, authority tingeing his voice. "It seems your fiancée is more than she purported to be." He looked at Black questionably, as if he presumed Black knew more than he, himself, did.

"All I know is she works in the Department of Mysteries, I never enquired further," he muttered.

"She is an Unspeakable, and evidently one of some importance as seen…" Malfoy waved his hand towards where Sabina lay on the floor breathing heavily, "by her reaction to the questions. Even Unspeakables do not use Memory Charms that inflict pain unless they seek to protect something immensely important." He glanced at the other board members. "I find it significant that she has had such a charm applied, and I propose we find a way to extract that knowledge," he emphasised, his voice strong with conviction.

Burke shook his head vigorously. "The legal ramifications are too complex to assess without proper consultation, Malfoy. You would have to deal with the consequences if the Ministry discovered that you forcefully extracted information from an Unspeakable, and bad press is not something we need at the moment."

Michael Cornfoot smirked. "We do have controlling interest in the Prophet now – my family owns forty percent, I'm sure a few strings can be tweaked to ensure this is kept under wraps if something does leak out."

Burke glared at him in disbelief. "You and Malfoy are alike – buying your way out of a situation does not relegate our legal obligations. The Wizengamot could annul our charter over an action like this; worse, we could be jailed."

Malfoy slammed his fist to the table, and all but Dolohov-Avery, jumped back in surprise. "Merlin! She knows something. I put it to you, my friends; what if she is an agent working to infiltrate our organisation? Her being an Unspeakable, alone, warrants suspicion."

Burke rose from his seat. "Obviously, you will not listen to reason, Malfoy. Hence I tender a motion to exclude myself from these proceedings. If you intend to progress on this path, I shall involve myself no further," he stated contemptuously.

Delphinus, caught undecided, seconded the motion. With a nod from Cornfoot, the motion was carried. Burke removed himself from the table, pausing at the door. "I beg you to reconsider, my friends. But since you will not, I shall take my leave; at least I will be able to plead plausible deniability if, in fact, the worst happens."

A hush fell on the proceedings after the door clicked shut.After several awkward seconds, Malfoy cleared his throat. He turned to Dolohov-Avery. "You are able to break the Memory Charm?"

"I can. I will also repair it afterwards, with a minor change to allow us further entry to any further knowledge she may obtain, if she is agreeable."

Malfoy nodded, satisfied. "Do it," he demanded.

Some time later again…

Sabina sat stiffly, her neck and shoulders aching from staring ahead as Dolohov-Avery had ripped apart one of the most intricate Memory Charms ever developed by the Department of Mysteries. Finally, something in her head broke, and she gasped as her thoughts tumbled with everything concerning her employment as an Unspeakable. Another dose of Veritaserum found her staring blankly at him.

"Are you sure she's alright?" A voice to the left of her buzzed through the daze she found herself in.

"She is fine, Black," a voice, she faintly identified as Malfoy's, snarled.

A figure came into focus in front of her; she blinked languidly and stared through heavily lidded eyes at Dolohov-Avery.

"Excellent," he murmured. "Now. Which Section do you work for?"

"Section K1."

"What is Section K1 responsible for?"

"The procurement of information about Muggle trends, technologies and political movements."

"What is your role in this?"

"I am the Section contact for a deep cover agent, who has lived in the Muggle World for the last fifty years. I retrieve reports from the agent, then analyse and distribute the information to both Section K1 and Section R1."

"What is Section R1?"

"Research and development. Mainly applying Muggle knowledge and discoveries to an equivalent magical development."

"What sort of developments?"

A long list of advancements, both old and new rolled effortlessly from Sabina's mouth. Some had already been in use for many years in the Magical World, and

others were still locked away in the Department of Mysteries. All the board members gazed at her; with everything from disbelief to amazement written across their faces.

After some time, Nott laughed quietly. "Priceless – to think we got the best thing in office management from the Muggles."

Michael Cornfoot gave a long look of contemplation. "My son, David, has been raving about the InnerWeb for years – now you'll have me believe it's a Muggle invention?"

Dolohov-Avery regarded Sabina thoughtfully. "How often do you make these expeditions into the Muggle World?"

"Every month."

He turned to Malfoy. "We could use this information if we had access to it first, or even if we could prevent the Ministry from becoming aware of certain advances; surely relying too heavily on what Muggles conceive is dangerous?"

Malfoy's forehead creased. "No," he said simply. "We found out that she is loyal to us, and I don't see how any of what she has access to can help us."

"We don't know what else that Department is holding from us; meddling with things they shouldn't," Dolohov-Avery expounded. "Think of what we can do…"

"Enough!" Malfoy's voice reverberated around the room. "I do not care to know what the Muggles are doing." He pointed at Sabina, who was drooling slightly. "Patch her up and let her fiancée take her home," he added wearily.

"One last question before we release her is in order, I think." Dolohov-Avery turned back to Sabina. "Why do you have an assignment concerning Muggles?"

Sabina's head lolled and she replied groggily. "No choice. I wish I didn't, filthy beasts they are…"

July 18th, 2052

Sabina relaxed on a recliner in her sitting room, anxiously waiting the arrival of her visitor. Her head still ached from the events of two days prior, and she hoped Gerhart Dolohov-Avery had no further intentions today of prying more information out of her.

Polite knocking sounded on the front door. Sabina allowed her house-elf, Madie, to greet her guest and show him in. Shortly afterwards, Dolohov-Avery entered her sitting room and made himself comfortable on one of the chairs. He regarded her seriously. "Thank you for granting me an audience, Sabina. I apologise for the inconvenience that occurred at the meeting two days ago."

"Inconvenience?" she scoffed, "Is that what they call mind coercion these days?"

"We had to know, Sabina…"

She cut him off. "Even though I was in agony you still felt it necessary to continue?" she spat testily, irked by his neutral response.

"I came to propose something you might find mutually beneficial," he said, ignoring her last comment.

"Considering I am not unintelligent, I would be right if I presumed my end of the bargain would consist of providing you and the Association with classified information," Sabina spoke slowly, "that just might have something do to with my current assignment. I am correct, am I not?"

"I would be concerned if you portrayed yourself as anything but intelligent, Sabina," he replied softly. "Nonetheless, you are correct in your presumption – after breaking the Memory Charm and gaining access to your occupation-specific memories, I repaired the damage with one difference – you can also speak to me about your work."

Sabina stared at him. "I hope you were careful – one slight fault in the charm, and the next personnel review I undertake, will be my last." Or worse, she considered.

"I am the best there is, Sabina. At least, I am within my Department," he replied, some pride lingering in his voice.

"Obliviator?" she enquired.

"Yes."

"Interesting. So – what is it you propose?"

"Two things; a copy of every report that goes back to the Ministry, and the option of altering the reports so that the Department of Mysteries receives only those," he replied, watching her reaction.

"Why would the Association desire to change the reports? Is there some purpose of which am not yet aware?" she inquired, unsure of the agenda.

"Some of us within the Association feel that we are becoming too reliant on Muggle technologies, others consider the knowledge dangerous. Myself, I am curious to see what sort of threat they pose to us," he answered her.

"What sort of threat?" Sabina repeated, alarmed.

"If they have made all that progress in such a short period of time – with their 'science' – do you not wonder how long it will be until they discover magic?" he stated.

He gazed at her perplexed face. "Do you not also wonder then, what they would choose to do to us once they realise that a group of magical beings have remained excluded from them, hiding this secret?" Gerhart Dolohov-Avery sat back, and the question hung in the air portentously.

A/N: Again, thanks to my beta Khantael.

Please review and tell me what you think so far.