Private message to Rachel Lamont

[alt_bill]

I understand that Marcellus Mann of Half-blood Affairs is no longer with Half-blood Affairs.

I also understand you had something to do with this.

Care to explain?

Comments

[alt_bill]

Bugger. Now I suppose Mulciber is going to demand that we investigate the background of every bleeding employee.

Thanks a lot, Lamont.

[alt_rachel]

I'll do my best to find all the interesting bits before you get there.

You're not going to be allowed into the files until I'm done with them, anyway. He could be instructing you to hide precisely the sorts of things I'm most interested in (which is not, in any event, secret half-bloods).

[alt_bill]

Don't be daft. As if I'd obey an order from him to hide things from MLE.

[alt_bill]

Never mind it being against my principles, he'd probably just take it as a tailor-made excuse to blackmail me. I'm not that thick.

[alt_rachel]

Believe it or not, Bill, I am trying not to put you into an awkward position between me and your boss.

You seem dead set on finding a way into that position all on your own, though.

In this case, under the circumstances, I wanted him out of the building before Mulciber found out. It didn't occur to me for one minute to let you know about it. First of all, it would have been your job to let Mulciber know immediately. Second of all, if you weren't going to do that, why the hell did you even need to know?

[alt_bill]

Bloody hell.

All right. You're right, okay? I'm being unreasonable. You were just doing your own job.

He's a friend. He's a personal friend that I went for drinks with occasionally. I had no idea he was a half-blood, I swear. I'm angry and I'm taking it out on you because I'm worried about my friend, who has just lost the only job he's had for twenty years. Now that he's outed, he'll probably not be able to find anything else but some shite job, like being a janitor or something.

Will he lose his pension?

[alt_rachel]

It's perfectly reasonable to be upset when a friend is fired, no matter what the cause.

I don't know about the pension. He'll need to talk to personnel about that.

[alt_bill]

If they'll even let him in the building again.

[alt_rachel]

Wait, YOU'RE not secretly impure, are you?

[alt_rachel]

No, that can't possibly be it. Forget I asked.

[alt_bill]

Gladly.

[alt_bill]

What, you're not going to tell me to be un-diplomatic? Good god, Lamont, what a question!

[alt_rachel]

Well it clearly didn't bother you that Mann's a half-blood.

[alt_bill]

Why the hell should I care what someone's blood status is, as long as they can do the work? What, do you expect me to think like Mulciber?

[alt_rachel]

No, but apparently it's really offensive that you might conceivably have a drop of impure blood yourself.

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insult your family.