I read the rules before I break them

When there wasn't a meeting going on, the house at Grimmauld Place reminded Terry of his childhood home. It didn't resemble it in any way. His parents' home was light and airy, perfect for reading, which they did in spades. It was more the feeling he got as he wiped his shoes at the entryway. Like entering a time capsule, or Narnia. However much time he spent here, when he left, no time would have elapsed at all.

Although, Terry reflected, people were only ever called into Narnia when something awful was happening.

After the Ilvermorny incident, Oliver was trying to regroup and get himself - and the Order - back on track. It was rarely possible for him to get a single thing done in meetings, given the arguments brought up for argument's sake, but perhaps he could have a discussion with Terry while the house was empty. What he needed, really, was to bring more people onto his side. The fact, of course, that the Order had sides at all was endlessly irritating.

When Terry arrived, Oliver came out of the kitchen, cup of tea in hand. "Cuppa?" He asked casually, gesturing back towards the teapot on the hob. "Just made it. I'm not usually a tea drinker," he admitted, glancing down at it, "but I figured it would be appropriate for a chat."

Cool and calm as he seemed, Oliver had been a bit stern in his letter. They needed to discuss the last meeting, as it had been something of a disaster. What he needed to know, actually, was how it had happened at all, considering the wards he had set up. Perhaps he would need to improve them. But it was probably best to start politely.

Well, this was interesting. It seemed that Oliver had opted to dress this up as a friendly chat, and that unsettled Terry. One of the reasons he enjoyed being an unspeakable was because the rules and regulations were incredibly stringent. At least when he bent them, he was entirely aware that's what he was doing.

"Thank you, but I'd prefer to get straight to the point," he replied stiffly.

"I know you're not happy that I brought Michael to the last meeting."

And Terry wasn't happy with the issue unspoken between them, as if they both didn't know why they were there. Life was always easier when everything was laid out plainly, like a neatly solved arithmancy problem.

Oliver couldn't help but sigh when Terry decided he was having none of it. It wasn't something he disapproved of, but he half wished he had the energy to get into a fully-heated row, because the other man certainly appeared to be up for one. But then, Oliver was bound to think like that about anyone who opposed him. He was properly sick of it, and thinking about how poorly the Order was working merely made him frustrated.

"Very well," he conceded. The tea was abandoned on a nearby table, though he knew he would inevitably tidy it up before long. Habits and all that. "You're right, of course. Though I should think you'd understand why that might be. If our wards can't keep people without permissions from coming in, what happens when one of our own is imperio'd? Do you remember the girl that was taken by Lorcan for a time? He could very well have forced her to bring him round during a meeting.

"Our world never seems to calm down. You cannot blame me for trying to block the rest of it out of this house. If we're truly meant to help people, we need to be free to leap into action, without the worry that someone will just pop in and take us all out." Oliver shook his head, though not at Terry. At nobody, really, but rather at the circumstances.

"I recognize that Michael is a part of your family, but the problem is not about bringing in potential allies. It's about keeping threats out. I need to know what to change about our wards."

"Michael isn't a potential ally, Oliver," Terry said carefully. "You can't trust him just because he's related to me. You can't trust anyone just because they're related to another member."

He paused and adjusted his glasses, even though they were perfectly fine.

"I think, maybe, it would be better to change our approach," he suggested.

He meant your attitude, but there was no reason to be rude about it. It wasn't Oliver's fault. The Order's standards had been slipping for years.

"If you don't mind my saying so, I don't really understand the purpose of these endless meetings," he went on. "I only have Dumbledore's Army to compare to, but we certainly didn't let every single member have an say."