After so many months the note that appeared in her perpetually organised in-tray came as quite the surprise to Marlena and she stared at it with deep suspicion for a long moment, her mind conjuring up possibilities ranging from the note being sent in error to some kind of inter-departmental disciplinary over her surreptitious investigations into the dig site. On the other hand she had not forgotten about her request - quite the contrary in fact - but she had been quite sure that Mr Crouch had.

Her eyes ran rapidly over his neat handwriting twice to make sure she was not mistaken and though Marlena read Mr Crouch's instruction regarding communication as clearly as his other words she quickly compartmentalised them as Not Being Important and was in the lift before anybody could stop her. People seldom did stop her. Not her parents when she had insisted upon the Ministry, not her potions Professor who had insisted that certain ingredients oughtn't be mixed together, no-not-even-for-research-Miss-Scamander, and certainly not the department's secretary who she breezed past without so much as a greeting.

She knocked rapidly on his door and barely waited a moment before throwing it open, the note still in her hand, her eyes wide with rapturous expectation that she had misjudged this man and might get her way after all.

"What did they say?"

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MJ: still raising the graphics bar as of 2022