Aldous looked up from his paperwork with a start, having not at all anticipated an intrusion—in fact, his secretary had been specifically informed to ensure he was not interrupted, though a quick glance at the Unspeakable's face suggested to him that his secretary was ill-equipped to restrain her.

"Miss Scamander," he offered by way of greeting, more courtesy than she had afforded him. "I was not expecting you until next week."

Like most of his colleagues, Aldous Crouch was altogether in the dark about how they did things down in the Department of Mysteries. He, however, was a man of schedules, appointments, with a diary as thick as a maiden aunt's thigh. The witch before him, though, clearly did not play by the same rules; he had suspected as much at their last meeting, some months ago, but supposed now he could add 'general disregard for order' to her list of traits.