If he wasn't used to Thom asking questions involving the word 'legal' by now, August likely would have had a sense of dread. As it was, he simply leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. As Thom expanded, he started running through options in his mind; insider trading, maybe, bribery, perhaps, 'irritating the league' likely. Irritating the league was not illegal, but it was frowned upon, and would make future contracts more difficult to execute.

If it wasn't for Thom, August would know significantly less about Quidditch. As it was, he had a strong sense for the ins-and-outs of the sport, and had known about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup almost as soon as it had been announced. (This was entirely a Thom-thing - the details of Siegfried's career were not particularly interesting to August. As it were.)

Or the legal ramifications could be nothing at all; payroll could fit under a wide definition. August took another sip of his drink before setting the glass down, the questions bouncing around inside his head.

"It depends on the services for which you were paying them," August said, "What do you have in mind?"

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