Accord Ⅱ

The hooded figure calmly removes his cowl to reveal a rather grandfatherly figure with neatly trimmed white hair, a weathered face, and sharp yellow wolfish eyes. "I believe I do not require any further introductions, Urquart," Sanderson calmly spoke.

Elphinstone is rigidly sitting up in recognition of the infamous Potentate of London. Elphinstone is silent for a moment composing his thoughts, before saying, "You must surely be desperate, Sanderson. There is no other reason why you would take such a risk."

"Perchance," Sanderson said as he flicked an imaginary piece of lint from his cloak. "But then again as in the past, perhaps, it is the Ministry instead, who requires my select services."

Elphinstone narrows his eyes and says, "In that case are you admitting to having something to do with the disappearance of Harold Minchum?"

"I will admit to nothing," Sanderson matter-of-factly countered. "But I can vouch for all of those that serve under me. Not even one of them took a single coin and leaked the whereabouts of the pompous, old fool." Which was no lie for none of them had been the ones to kill Harold Minchum.

Elphinstone studies the calm and collected elderly wizard sitting before him. Relaxing just a tad bit, he leans back into his seat, before saying, "Suppose, I believe you, Sanderson. Then what are we doing here?"

"At last we come to the junction of the situation," Sanderson said. "I would like to propose a temporary, and even possibly a more permanent collaboration."

"The Ministry of Magic is not thugs for hire," Elphinstone growled in anger.

"I am well aware of that," Sanderson drily said as though he found such a remark rather amusing. "And no, I am not seeking such aggressive services rather I wish to establish myself as a legitimate businessman."

"What?" Elphinstone sputtered in disbelief.

"I will turn over-all small-time criminals and petty dealers. In addition, any wanted felon including robbers, and murderers to the Ministry," Sanderson smoothly answered. "In exchange, I will be permitted to ply my wares in the open as the only legitimate business permitted to do so."

With an almost mocking grin, Sanderson adds, "And it is not as though the Ministry and I have never worked in conjunction before, on the contrary, we are old friends. And it is not as though the Ministry has never employed some of my select services before, it would be a lie to deny that such a transaction never occurred."

"Is that all?" Elphinstone sharply said through narrowed eyes not believing that such an infamous character would suddenly become so very altruistic. A leopard cannot change its spots.

"Yes, that will be all," Sanderson said with a very tranquil smile.

Tapping his fingers against his desk, Elphinstone momentarily weighs the pros and cons of Sanderson's proposal, before instantly refusing the proposal in his mind. It would be madness to put any stake into Sanderson's words.

Trying to let the underworld Potentate of London down rather politely, Elphinstone slowly says, "You should know very well, Sanderson, but I do not possess the authority to accept such a proposal only Ogden, and the Minister of Magic can. And they are both busy at this time."

"I can wait," Sanderson rather serenely replied as he leaned back into his seat. "I have nothing, but time."

Elphinstone's face hardens, but seeing that he has no choice, he pulls out two slips of enchanted interdepartmental memo paper with the Ministry of Magic insignia imprinted on it. Grabbing a quill, he scribbles on the two notes, "Urgent. Guest. Now!" Before scribbling the name of the receiver of the memo and stamping the two memos with his seal. With a wave of his wand the two sheets of paper neatly folded themselves into small paper planes and begin to hover in the air.

Rising to his feet, Elphinstone opens the door and the two paper airplanes zoom out and speedily head on their way. Slamming his door shut with more force than necessary, he returns to his desk as Sanderson idly remarks, "My, my, that is certainly new. Well, that is a far better cry than the owls that used to zoom all about. Rather dirty, and unsanitary, if you ask me."

Elphinstone barely manages to keep his snarky reply to himself. He normally was a rather even-tempered man, but something about Sanderson just rubbed him in all the wrong ways. And he would have argued that it was because Sanderson was a Slytherin except the old git had never gone to Hogwarts.

Not that he was one to talk, Elphinstone admitted to himself. He came from a long line of proud Slytherins, and both his mother and father had been. And just like them, the two had ended up in Slytherin. It was not anything that he openly admitted not out of shame but just from force of habit.

Elphinstone's private thoughts are broken as the door of his office slams open to reveal the fierce-looking figure of a rather short, plump man with fiery eyes sparking dangerously from behind enormous think glasses. Slamming the door behind him with a crash, the head of the Auror Department, Bob Ogden points at Sanderson with his middle finger, and says, "What is that bastard doing here?"

Calming looking at his neatly trimmed nails, Sanderson mutters, "Why hello to you too, Ogden. It's been how many years now, since our first meeting?"

Ogden looks as if he is about to reach for his wand and hex Sanderson to death, when Elphinstone says, "Please wait, sir. Sanderson has a proposal that the Minister of Magic will want to at least hear."

"Don't be a fool, Elphinstone. You can't make a deal with the devil!" Ogden spat. "No, I'm going to toss him into a cell, and throw the key far, far away."

"Why I do believe that counts as corruption, illegal imprisonment under false charges, and denial of my right to council," Sanderson said with a cold smile. "Really, Ogden, I would think that you would have learned after all these years."

Ogden looks like he is about to throw himself at Sanderson not carrying the least bit for his dignity when the door opening caused them all to turn around. The figure of a stout female with thick bobbed hair can be seen, Minister of Magic, Eugenia Jenkins.

"What is this about, Urquart?" Minister Eugenia Jenkins sharply asked. "I was pulled out of an important meeting with foreign dignitaries, so this better be worth my time."

Seeing neither of the two men answered in respective to the stranger sitting in Urquart's office, Minister Jenkins impatiently snaps, "Well, I'm waiting for an explanation, gentlemen!"

Elphinstone clears his throat and glances at Ogden before his eyes linger over to Sanderson. "Minister Jenkins allow me to present the Potentate of London, Sanderson."

Minister Jenkins furrows her brows and says, "And that is supposed to mean anything to me?"

Ogden lets out a sharp bark of triumphant laughter. "You heard the Minister, Sanderson, get out."

Minister Jenkins sends her head of Auror's a sharp glance, before inspecting the weathered elderly wizard seated before her. "Perchance, a better follow up question would be, what exactly does that mean, gentlemen?"

While Ogden and Elphinstone are sharing wary glances, Sanderson flashes the female Minister of Magic an accessing glance, before interjecting, "I am the one who makes the rules for the underworld business transactions, Madam." A lapse of tense silence followed right after his stark declaration.