The communications box chimed from the corner of the desk—a soft sound, like a loose piece of metal inside its casing being jostled. Douglas turned sideways, twisted open the box's knob, and took out an envelope slightly smaller than the one that had been sent out. The sealing wax was dark green, stamped with the eagle crest reserved for the Director's Office. When he opened it, the seal split neatly in two along the impression, without a crumb falling away.
He unfolded the letter and read it once. After finishing, he did not put it down immediately. Instead, he reread the second paragraph, then folded the letter and placed it back on the desk, pressing a finger along its edge to smooth it flat.
"The higher-ups approved it," Douglas said. "There is no time limit. You will handle your own supplies. There will be no rotations and no backup. An additional clause has been added to your authority—you may move freely throughout Azkaban as a Special Inspector, and the Aurors have no authority to remove you from any area. But you have no command authority over them either. They do not have to listen to you."
Douglas looked at him for several seconds. "For the foreseeable future, you will be the only one on this island. I'll have the squad leave extra food and supplies behind. As for the exact boundaries of your investigative authority, work it out with the Aurors yourself after they arrive. I won't mediate."
He pushed the letter half an inch toward Morgan. "That Special Inspector title was added at the last minute. They probably thought putting 'lone wolf' in an official document would look bad, so they found some wording to give you a nominal position. You can use it, but use it sparingly. Every