Samuel wasn’t a fool - he knew he was being dodged – knew that the Head of the department of magical co-operaiton for the United Kingdom was trying desperately not to be in the same room as him. Not that he could blame him. If Roscoe had absconded with another man’s intended he might not have wanted to take tea with him either.

He was been a little late on purpose, not enough to be construed as an overt slight, but about 4 minutes, enough to make a distinct point about his mood going into this negotiation, and his views on the man he was about to deal with.

The affront to Samuels pride hurt more than Miss Finch’s abandonment – that was the smart that he would never forgive. And that was the afront that he felt when the door opened and he came face to face with Mister Aldous Crouch for the first time. He had never met the younger Mister Crouch, but he imagined him to look rather like the man across the table.

As an aid pulled out the seat for him, Samuel unbuttoned his suit jacked so he could sit, opened the document folder in front of him and without looking at Aldous said ’Alright Mister Crouch, lets make this as brief as possible shall we?’. He bit back a barb that was perhaps a little too personal. When he finally met Mister Crouches face his expression was beyond impassive: - stony was a better descriptor but there was a thinly veiled anger in the Americans grey blue eyes. ’what exactly can the UK get from us today?’