Re: Meeting with James and Alastor
Hermione's expression didn't change, although she almost felt sorry for whoever came after her, because dealing with Moody on a permanent basis would require a lot of patience.
"Mr. Moody, in politics expedience isn't always the answer. In fact, politics are the opposite of efficiency, but this bureaucratic lag is what gives us democracy. I understand that it's possibly the opposite of everything a military person likes, but you'll still have to tell me before we get people in place," she said.
Jamie snorted at the answer, because he knew how politics worked, and he knew how Alastor worked even better. "The short answer is that Voldemort released an unknown hex. It looks like the contamination time is about two months, a bit less than that, but there's the potential that everyone is exposed. You might as well get all the details from Stephen and then get some sort of ad hoc division within the health office to deal with this. I'm not sure you'd want St. Mungo's involved, because it'd be a matter of time before it gets leaked." He looked at Alastor. "Have I forgot anything? And please never, ever talk to the press about anything before talking to me. Ever. Even if they ask you how you're doing, you talk to me first."