Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This fanfiction is not written to make money. No profit is being generated and no copyright infringement is intended. All events in this story are based on the Harry Potter series.
A/N: Thanks to all who very kindly reviewed my fic. Also thanks to RLupin1003 for the heads-up on the typo. I originally meant MI6 and not M16, but my cousin, who was the one who typed the text of Chapter Three, confused "I" for "1". Anyway, the mistake's been rectified. Watch out for Chapters Four and Five, they're coming soon!
Chapter Three
Harry and Hermione made their way through the crowd of Ministry workers and people with transactions with the different departments at the Ministry. They waved at the security wizard at the desk next to the golden gates, and he waved back, not bothering to stop them and check their identity. They boarded a lift to the second level and their headquarters. There they met Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head of the Auror Department. He beckoned them inside his cubicle-office, and handed them a piece of parchment.
"We have a new clue on him. A Muggle witness surfaced just last night to report that he caught a glimpse of a man dressed in funny clothes who went in to call on the doctor's residence the night before the dead doctor was found," he told them. "He's now at Scotland Yard. Here-"
He handed them a pair of identification cards.
"Your cover will be MI6 special agents, so you can ask for interrogation time with the witness. The Muggle police will not think twice about granting you that."
Harry examined his MI6 ID. Agent Harry Potter, it said. He remembered the Muggle movie he saw with Ron and Hermione, which was about an MI6 special agent, code named 007, and whose real name was James Bond. He extended his hand to Hermione.
"The name's Potter, Harry James Potter."
Hermione laughed, and shook his hand. "I'm Galore, Pussy Galore, Mr. Potter."
Kingsley looked incredulously from one to the other, his eyebrows raised. Harry and Hermione laughed at his expression.
"What was that all about?" Kingsley asked.
"Oh nothing," Hermione said, still chortling. "It was just a movie we saw about a Muggle MI6 agent."
"Oh," he said, looking relieved. "I thought for a moment that my best Aurors were losing their marbles. "They all laughed at this.
"So, how do we proceed with this one?" Harry asked.
"You have carte blanche, Harry. Just do what you think is best," Kingsley told him.
"That's okay, then," said Hermione, discarding her cloak, and threw it to hers and Harry's cubicle next door. "But what about our clothes?"
"Go straight to the Auror outfitter. They'll have Muggle agents' clothing and accessories there," said Kingsley. "So, any more questions?"
"I have," said Hermione. "What do we do with the suspect when we find him?"
"If you can take him alive, do it. If he resists, and endangers your lives, you can eliminate him. It's only a matter of time before the Muggle police places a shoot-to-kill order for him anyway."
They thanked Kingsley, shook hands with him, and went to Mr. Weasley's office at the end of the floor.
"Hi Dad!" Hermione said brightly as they entered. Both she and Harry were considered adopted children of the Weasleys, though Hermione's parents were still alive and well.
"Hermione! Harry!"
Mr. Weasley rose from his table, went around it, and shook their hands. He made to conjure chairs for them but Harry stopped him.
"We can't stay long, Dad. We just came over to say hi and tell you about our new assignment."
"Oh, yeah. I've already heard about it. Just be careful, you two, okay? This is a dangerous murderer, and you must not take chances."
"Sure, Dad," said Hermione. "Say hi to Mum and the others for us, will you? And kindly tell Mum that Ron will be alone in our flat for a few days, so maybe she can go and help him."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "You know what Ron's like. He loves eating but he can never cook his own food properly."
Mr. Weasley laughed at this and told them not to worry. After kissing him good-bye, Harry and Hermione went to the outfitter's and got their cover clothes. Each of them donned suits and a tie (Hermione's had a feminine cut and style). They also carried Beretta handguns as additional props.
They went up to the Ministry parking lot, where a Ministry driver pointed them to an MI6 car. They got into it, and with Harry in the driver's seat, headed for Scotland Yard. They arrived at the London Metropolitan Police Force's headquarters at a quarter past ten. Harry flashed his fake MI6 ID at the sentry at the gate, and they were waved through. Harry parked the car, and he and Hermione proceeded to the information desk.
"'Morning," Harry said to the officer on duty. "I am Agent Potter of the MI6 and this is my partner, Agent Granger."
"Yes, sir. What can I do for you?" the office said after checking their IDs.
"We believe that a certain Mr. Howard Travers had been taken into custody by one of your inspectors for interrogation?" said Hermione.
"Yes, ma'am. On the account of the series of murders that had been happening over the last two months. He says he saw the murderer approach the house of the latest victim."
"Well, the head of the MI6 was given the order to participate in the investigation by the Queen herself, and we are here upon his orders. May we talk with the witness, please?" Harry asked the officer.
"By all means, sir. I'll refer you to the officer in-charge of the case, Inspector Bradsheet."
He called for a constable to escort Harry and Hermione to the inspector's office. Bradsheet offered no objection to their request.
"Lucky you turned up so early," he told them, as they trudged down the corridor to the interrogation room. "We're supposed to let him go just about now, after we'd finished the interrogation."
"Lucky indeed," Harry said, looking sideways at Hermione. She nodded. Then Harry noticed her hand slip inside her coat pocket, and he knew she was holding her wand.
"Well, here we are," Inspector Bradsheet opened the interrogation room. It was a small, dingy, but fairly comfortable room, the one designed for witnesses, not suspects (Harry could just imagine what would that room look like). Mr. Travers was seated behind a small table in the middle of the room. He was a big, beefy man, and Harry was horribly reminded of his Uncle Vernon, except that Mr. Travers had no mustache. He had dark hair with no trace of gray, though Harry estimated him to be about fifty years old, and his expression was good-natured. He greeted them warmly and agreed to answer their questions.
Hermione asked the inspector if he could leave them to interrogate Mr. Travers, and he obliged. Harry took out his wand, put an Imperturbable Charm on the door, and Silencing Charms on the walls. Hermione, upon entering the room had already taken care of the hidden cameras and microphones by bewitching them so that they show a normal interrogation process to the observers in the monitoring and security center with her wand hidden inside her pocket.
Mr. Travers looked astonished with their actions, but kept silent. As Hermione conjured an additional chair for them (there were only two chairs in the room, Mr. Travers sitting on one of them), Mr. Travers let out a cry of surprise.
"How'd you do that?" he asked, his face a picture of surprise, and, to some extent, fear.
"No need to fear us, Mr. Travers. We're wizards, and we came here to question you because the murderer appears to us to be a wizard, too, and a Dark wizard at that," Hermione said, and she sat down. Harry conjured a piece of parchment and a quill. He placed them on the table in front of Mr. Travers (who recoiled slightly), waved his wand, and muttered, "Escribio Automatum!" The quill stood up and balanced itself on the parchment, ready to sketch.
Mr. Travers's eyes were now as large and round as ping pong balls, and his mouth was hanging open. He closed it, and, taking a deep breath, muttered, "I-I d-don't believe it!"
"Calm down, Mr. Travers," Harry said, sitting down beside Hermione, facing the dumbstruck witness. "We just wanted to ask your help so that we can catch the killer. Your policemen and even your secret service agents will stand no chance against this man. If you help us, then we can end the terror that is spreading throughout the country right now."
"If you can just describe to us this man you saw approaching Dr. Holmes's house," Hermione continued, "perhaps we can identify him. This quill will automatically sketch the portrait of the man as you describe him."
Mr. Travers cast a terrified look at the quill and parchment in front of him, then at Harry and Hermione.
"W-who exactly are you? And why are you so interested in this case?"
Harry let out an exasperated sigh, but Hermione shot him a warning look and said, "We're Aurors, Mr. Travers, Dark wizard catchers. And like I said earlier, this murderer seems to be a wizard, because of his killing method. You have nothing to fear from us. We're law enforcers too, and we're the counterpart of the police and the Secret Service in the wizarding world."
Mr. Travers calmed down a little at her words, but he is still looking at them as though he expected them to jump at him and stab him with their wands. Nevertheless, he started to relive the events of that night, and he described the man's appearance in stark accuracy that Harry was impressed with his memory. When Mr. Travers finished with his recounting, Hermione deactivated the Auto Sketch Charm, and showed him the quill's rendition of the suspect's appearance.
"That's him! That's him!" Mr. Travers shouted excitedly. "That's exactly how he looked like!"
"Well, thank you very much, Mr. Travers," said Harry, as he and Hermione stood up. With a wave of his wand, the chair and the quill vanished. "Your assistance has greatly helped in our investigation." He held out his hand to the witness.
"I'm delighted to hear you say so," Mr. Travers replied, shaking Harry's hand, then Hermione's.
They bade him good-bye, and got out of the room. Before closing the door, Harry disabled the Silencing, Imperturbable, and Alternate Illusion Charms that he and Hermione had performed on the room. Then he pointed his wand at Mr. Travers and said, "Obliviate!"
Inspector Bradsheet was waiting for them.