The other members of Minister-elect Potter's staff were already present in the utilitarian, institutional green-painted conference room as Severus Snape and Deckard Constantine each approached the doorway with long, fluid strides; Snape from the southern corridor, Constantine from the northern. The two men arrived at the room's entrance simultaneously.

They both stopped short, each nodding slightly and extending a hand in the most minimal possible gesture of invitation, each indicating the other should proceed first.

When neither moved, their eyes met. Severus' widened a bit to indicate his impatience with the other's reticence. Deckard raised an eyebrow to underline his own invitation for the other man to pass first. Both remained unmoving.

Lips pressed tightly together, Constantine displayed the barest of smiles. Parting those lips only wide enough to allow speech, he offered, "Welcome, Professor. I'm pleased you could join us. Mister Potter seemed quite enthused to have you participating."

Snape's slow drawl sounded almost bored. "I'm sure the rest of the staff wonders at my being present at all."

"Not in the least. Everyone here knows the Minister elect's story, especially that portion culminating in the events of a year ago. I'm sure all of us realize your importance to Mister Potter's crucial victory over Voldemort. Please, let's go in and get started." The Chief of Staff extended his hand in an ushering gesture once again.

This time, the Potions Master took the opportunity to precede Constantine into the room, reflecting upon what Constantine had revealed in their short exchange. Snape had noted the slight hesitation and look of revulsion on Deckard's face as he pronounced the defeated Dark Lord's name. But as he had said "Voldemort," there was an accompanying shift in the man's expression, a particular intensity that betrayed his thoughts. 'He still sees me as the spy, the double agent, the traitor,' Snape thought bitterly. 'Even though my defection was from an organization of pure evil, which would have brought our entire civilization down; even though my covert efforts within that organization helped destroy the most powerful and dangerous Dark wizard of our time - that will not matter to the people in this room. In government, traitors of any stripe are hated and feared. To these people, loyalty counts more than competence or innovation. Not that Constantine was loyal to his old master once he saw a better opportunity present itself. But somehow I believe that this staff would see their own desertion of Cornelius Fudge and embrace of Harry Potter as simple, practical politics, leaving them free to condemn me without considering their own guilt.'

These thoughts flashed through Snape's mind in an instant, but the Chief of Staff was wasting no time, and interrupted that bitter reflection by calling the meeting to order before he had even reached his seat at the table. There was no formal posturing about this gathering. There would be no reading back of minutes or routine requests for review of old business or submission of new business. The Chief of Staff ran a much more efficient organization than that. He dismissed the staff's most obvious question quickly. "You all know Professor Snape. Mister Potter has asked that he sit in with us starting with this meeting. Dobbs." A wizard with long white hair and an equally long, equally white beard sat up a little straighter upon hearing his name. "What is being discussed?"

Snape found a seat at the long table that dominated the room. Fourteen other wizards were seated around it. Deckard took a chair at the table's head and looked expectantly at Dobbs. Severus carefully remained expressionless, despite the obvious intentional irritation embodied in the Chief of Staff's question. Everyone else in that room would know what Dobbs was supposed to be listening for, and to whom he would be listening. Snape was, therefore, a step behind already, since he had no idea who might be discussing whatever Dobbs was supposed to report.

Dobbs may have been very old, but he answered as quickly as any junior executive. "Tariffs," he said, and glanced around the table, evaluating reactions. "The Eastern Europeans in particular are screaming 'protectionism' again."

"And yet, the countries that complain most loudly are the very ones which continue to subsidize their domestic producers so heavily that they are essentially paying their own people to lose money. That's not business; it's government trying to buy their way into our markets," Constantine replied dismissively. "We should continue to discourage such behavior. Those heavy subsidies merely insure that businesses in those countries remain dependent on government handouts. Allowing imports of ridiculously underpriced merchandise as a result of those subsidies hurts our people by taking business away from them. The Minister can't support lowering tariffs in that situation. Let the lawmakers know - Mister Potter will not be endorsing any softening of our economic protections."

"Mister Potter will not?" Snape murmured.

The corners of Constantine's mouth tightened, but his voice remained level. "This office. The Ministership. The executive branch of our government. How would you rather I put it? Mister Potter is the Minister-elect, and those measures to which he has - to which this office has - given his - our - support have been successful. Those which he has opposed have failed. Those which fail to receive his express support have fared nearly as poorly as those he has openly opposed. This year has been Mister Potter's year despite the challenges that have been placed in his way. It has been the most successful year ever enjoyed by any Minister in history. Government has been done his way. His programs have been the ones adopted. Programs not in Mister Potter's agenda have been forgotten. Officially confirmed as Minister or not, he is the most effective executive this government has ever had."

"Have you actually discussed tariffs with him?" Snape's quiet question was clearly audible throughout the room.

Constantine's sarcastic tone was as cutting as any Snape himself could have employed. "Considering that Dobbs just broached the subject here this morning, what do you think are the chances of my having debated its fine points with the Minister-elect?"

"Practically nil. But as I consider the pattern which has developed over the past year, I wonder whether you had discussed, oh, say... easement right of way regulations prior to the passage of your bill regarding them?" Snape persisted.

Constantine looked satisfied. He had successfully maneuvered the conversation to a point at which he felt comfortable. "Easements? No, Professor, I don't think I took up a great deal of Mister Potter's time talking about carriage paths built by the extremely wealthy. But we did discuss the principles which drove the formation of that very bill of which you speak. And we have discussed - on many occasions, and in some depth - our mutual concerns about fairness in our code of laws, especially as concerns the traditional bias toward pure-bloodedness which is, to this day, firmly ensconced throughout our legal system. Mister Potter, quite naturally, has an intimate understanding of the problems faced by the Muggle-raised wizard. He has, due to the experiences of his closest friends, a concern for the half-blooded and the Muggle-born among us. He has seen the difficulties faced by poor families. And he has, therefore, developed an ideal of fairness in government. He has seen the necessity of even-handedness in dealing with people from all sorts of situations. We have discussed, Professor, his hopes for the future of our civilization. And we have discussed his goals for his administration. It is my job to see that those goals are achieved, and his hopes have some chance of being realized." The Chief of Staff waited for the barest of moments to allow any immediate reply to his comments. He then turned to another wizard and asked, "Helstrom. What have you heard?"

Helstrom was much younger than Dobbs. His glossy brown hair was cropped short, and his face was clean shaven. He smiled and shrugged as his name was called. "Gringotts doesn't allow outsiders much of a view of their workings, but most of us who deal with them regularly think we know what's coming up. We'll see a slight rise in interest rates on loans made starting about a month from now. It won't be much, probably something like a quarter percent. The kind of adjustment they call a 'keeping us honest' increase."

"Who will that hurt?" Constantine prompted.

"New homebuyers, mostly. The youngest families. New business startups. But a quarter percent is not enough to prevent most qualified borrowers from making whatever loans they need. They'll just have to pay a little more for the privilege. And it's not like we can do much about it. The goblins have politely declined every overture we've made to them. Whether we've offered a tax break or a limited partnership or incentives for expansion - Gringotts is perfectly willing to accept any bone we throw their way, but they won't ask us for any favors and they won't agree to make any concessions to us. They refuse to join with us explicitly in any way. We can't say 'you owe us.' Consequently, they can do what they want."

"Good point," Constantine agreed with a curt nod. "We'll avoid the subject in speeches, and if there are any questions that address it specifically, Harry can charitably allow that the goblins' action will help keep inflation in check. Molnoth, could you come up with a bon mot or two on that theme?" A bald wizard with a bright red moustache nodded and dipped his quill into an inkwell. The note he made was the first incidence of writing that Severus had seen in that meeting. "We don't have a major address until..." Constantine held out his hand, fingers poised to snap. Instantly, one of the youngest wizards present said, "Two weeks from Wednesday. Builders Association. Most if not all of the major firms will be there. The greater part of the minor ones, as well, and most likely a good number of independent contractors."

"And they will be after...?"

A burly wizard with flowing brown locks and a medium-length beard leaned forward, scowling. "What won't they be after?" he demanded, looking around the room as though to remind everyone present of his previous statements on the subject. "About the only thing they've given up on is London itself, and they've abandoned that only because there's a snowball's chance of their squeezing another stone in between what's already standing and the Muggle city all around ours. Everything else is on the table, so far as they are concerned. The disturbing thing is that the several builders' associations have begun to cooperate with one another, and they're putting pressure on their local representatives to allow a lot more development than we have ever risked before. The competing builders, working together for a change, have adopted most of Scotland as their poster child to represent unfair government suppression of the construction industry. 'Look at all the empty space,' they say. 'Look at the Muggle disinterest,' they say. They don't give a Knut about the difficulties involved in staying clear of Muggle detection. They don't care that Muggle advances in aerial surveillance and surveying technology have made it nearly impossible to keep our existing homes secret. Their position is going to be that keeping the Muggles in the dark is a Defense priority - and thus, our problem, not theirs. They're also going to point out that if we don't start building some more dwellings, we are going to face a major housing shortage very soon. They have a point, at that."

"You seem to have considered this matter at length," Constantine drawled. "Have you a suggestion as to what our position should be?"

The burly wizard looked somewhat abashed. "Well, no. I mean, we had better start providing some place for people to live, or the whole generation that will be growing into adulthood in the next few years will be moving into Muggle neighborhoods. And whatever they do on the Continent, I don't think that mixed neighborhoods are good for Britain. I say we give the builders some of what they want. That way, we can get some of what we want in return. We could raise funds by mandating use fees for each development, require a certain percentage of developers' land be left pristine as parks and open space within the proposed construction zones, and maybe even ask that some provision be made for concealment and camouflage to prevent unwanted Muggle intrusion into our settlements."

As the staff members considered this, Snape offered a comment, very quietly. "This seems to be a topic that has been under consideration for some time, and yet I don't believe you have taken it up with Mister Potter even once."

Deckard flashed an irritated glance at the Potions Master. "Are you going to repeat yourself all day? I see why you were sent. I don't know why Harry couldn't have simply asked to be kept more fully informed of our discussions, but I have gotten the point. You may cease, now. Mister Potter wishes to be consulted more often and more broadly than has been the case. Fine. Done. I will bring him a full report on each meeting starting with this one. Now, may we continue with the business at hand, or is there another message you need to deliver?"

Snape was unfazed by the Chief of Staff's outburst. Calmly, he countered, "I don't believe you have 'gotten the point' as of yet. While I am sure that Mister Potter would be interested in receiving more detailed reports of the plans that are being made for him by his staff, my observation had a more immediate significance. I am sure that all of you have noted that the Minister-elect's magic often operates in ways different from the familiar spells with which we have all become accustomed?" Snape waited, allowing any one of the staff to interrupt. None did. When he was certain that he had their full attention, he continued. "I have seen the young man perform truly astounding feats involving manipulation of the very fabric of space and time itself. And he has performed those feats without the benefit of a fully-researched spell or even a wand in his hand. I am sure that each of you appreciates the power represented by the popularity of 'The Boy Who Lived.' I am sure that you can - theoretically at least - quantify such qualities as name recognition, and his status as a war hero. But have any of you considered the unique power of his magic? If concealing a new community beneath a twist in the fabric of space is a concern, perhaps the Minister-elect is precisely the individual you require to provide a completely unique and heretofore unconsidered solution."

The table erupted in a buzz of intense conversation. The wizard who had reported on the builders' associations spoke above the hubbub. "If we hadn't considered it before now, we certainly will before Wednesday week."

Constantine let the commotion continue for a short time longer. When the staff members' conversations began to quiet down, he took control of the meeting once again. "Moving on. We have our budgets to submit at the end of this month. The major items will be last, and the Minister-elect will present our grand budget proposal to the lawmakers in four weeks' time. But first, we need to submit our office budgets. Think of what you need, and what Departments will be charged for each requested item. And I want some specificity this time! We'll be looking to order Spellotape and parchment, and I hope you're ready to account for all the quills you've lost over the past year."

The meeting dragged on for another hour. At the end of it, each staff member hustled out of the room with his own assignments. Snape and Constantine were left behind. As both men stood to leave, Deckard asked the Professor a question in a deceptively casual tone.

"Professor Snape, was Harry Potter a good student?"

Snape regarded the other man. Suspiciously, he asked, "What do you mean? He passed his classes. He created fewer disasters than some others in his class."

Deckard smiled condescendingly. "You were his teacher for some five years. You instructed him in the demanding art of Potion making - an art in which I understand you are an acknowledged Master. So I ask you, as a Master, as an experienced teacher, as a perceptive human being: did Mister Potter pick up principles quickly? Could he extrapolate proper action from hints and suggestions? Did he appreciate more than the surface level of what you explained to him? Did he seek out more than the simplest, quickest path to a passing grade in your class?"

"As a child," Severus began, and paused to make sure the qualification had registered. "Mister Potter was egotistical, self-centered, impetuous and infatuated with his own legend. Even with those handicaps, he managed to foil an invasion of our campus by Voldemort himself, thwart a basilisk, and overcome a number of attempts to take his life. I think that I can overlook a certain quality of distraction that Mister Potter displayed in the classroom when I consider that his primary motivation during the first few years of his schooling was avoiding assassination at the hands of Death Eaters specifically assigned to the task."

"Still," Deckard mused. "As I understand it, he was not the most responsive of learners. He was not the most perceptive of students. He was not, in short, the sharpest tool in the shed."

Snape found himself strangely divided. He knew that Constantine had a valid point. And he knew that he, himself, would have propounded that point relentlessly in a different situation. So he observed his own discomfiture with a certain wonder. Nonetheless, he had a valid point to make in contradiction to Constantine's appraisal. "The boy was distracted. He did face a number of attempts on his life, and did suffer from the unwarranted attention his name brought upon him. Since taking on his adult responsibilities, however, Mister Potter has performed admirably."

"Taking on responsibilities, yes," Constantine said, staring into the middle distance. "Without finishing his schooling at Hogwarts, without formal military service, without... well, without any kind of token of accomplishment recognized by the adult world. He killed Voldemort. Or, made him disappear, at any rate. I understand that the so-called Dark Lord was not actually killed."

"A stroke of genius on Mister Potter's part. Voldemort killed becomes Voldemort reembodied quite readily, as evidence will attest. Voldemort has been eliminated."

"And that is Harry Potter's basis for acceptance in the world of mature wizards."

"That... and his development of wandless magic, especially in the field of temporal manipulation, acknowledged as masterful by no less an authority than Albus Dumbledore himself."

"And yet," Constantine paused, meeting Snape's gaze, demanding that his words be considered carefully. "Politics is a social art, developed over millennia by those who realize that working together may be the most difficult magic of all. One young man, whose greatest triumphs have been achieved while working alone, accustomed to circumventing authority in order to accomplish what he deems necessary, willing to trust only his closest friends - that one young man is not going to fare well in a theatre in which accomplished politicians strive for dominance in a game they have played every day for most of their lives. That young man needs my help. He needs the help of every man who was gathered together in this room today. Yourself included."

Snape stared hard into Constantine's eyes. "I'm sure he does," he acknowledged. "But I also know that, when you agreed to work for him, when you tied your fortune to his, you took the dragon by the tail. Mister Potter's sheer power is not to be underestimated. He might be content to remain the figurehead of this government. He might take some satisfaction in creating Muggle-blinding glamours to hide our new housing developments. But, believe me when I say I have seen the evidence. If he were to decide to impose his will upon us all, he has the sheer power to defeat any champion we might raise against him."

"You are saying that he could be tantamount to Voldemort himself."

"If Mister Potter is moved to wrath, we will pine for the days of conflict with our old adversary."

The two men left the room, but Severus worried that the only impression Constantine took from their meeting was that Harry Potter could make possible further property development in the Wizarding world.