AN- Thank you all for your reviews for the past few chapters. They have made my day over and over again. Thanks soooo much. We are getting to the part of the story that is my favorite; the mystery. So be patient, and if anyone can figure it out before hand, please tell me. I am curious. Hehehe. Anyways, have fun with the chapter, and hopefully the next one won't be too far behind.
And again, Muchos Gracias to Teri, my AWESOME beta. I don't know what I would do without her…I mean really…you rock, Teri!
Chapter Ten:
The atrium of the Ministry was as it always had been. Not much had changed in the few years since Harry had been there. Of course, the statues had been rebuilt, but that was to be expected, the workers had wanted the place to go back to normal as much as possible. The thought of `You-Know-Who' being in their building seemed to have frightened them, so they had kept the original layout. Harry got chills as he looked at the gilded statues and remembered them bursting to life.
When they got to the front desk they had to leave their wands there. It was standard protocol, and none of them protested. The second wand was still tacked to their calf, and of course, the gun was holstered on their thigh, all of which was hidden under the sleek black robes. The teens smiled at one another secretly, and walked down the hall, minding their own business. Following the directions that the attendant had given them, they quickly found the office.
Gabriel stood and offered his hand. "Good to see you all! I am very sorry about your sister, Mr. Weasley," he said, looking genuinely sad for Ron. Ron nodded mutely in return. What was really expected to be said anyways?
"Well, I asked Mr. Potter here today so that we could discuss a job opportunity. I understand that you three didn't even make it out of Hogwarts yet?" he asked, settling into his chair.
The three nodded. "We won't be going back for the final year either," Harry said strongly.
"It doesn't matter. The only reason we require NEWT's is so that we don't have complete idiots applying for jobs. I have seen you three work together though, and I know for a fact that you don't need to go through the training," Gabriel said, using a dismissive hand gesture. "But since I am head of the Auror department, I can make that call." He smiled and leaned back.
"Let me make something clear before we get down to it," Harry interrupted. "I will not be used as a poster child for the Ministry and I will not speak on behalf of the Ministry." Harry said this while looking Gabriel determinedly in the eye. He wasn't kidding. "Don't think that a job offer will get me to do Scrimgeour's biddings," Harry finished.
"Do what now? He wanted you to do what?" Gabriel said, and then erupted into laughter. "I never did think that man had all his screws in place. Only a fool would ask you to do that. After all the mess we put you through, Mr. Potter? He really wanted you to do that?" He laughed again, swaying in his chair.
His response was similar to Harry's first reaction, except with a little more humor than Harry had shown.
"No, I wouldn't ask you to do that. In fact, if that is what Rufus is trying to do, then I have an idea. If he was to find out that you were working for me, he could technically hold that over your head," Gabriel said, steeping his fingers in thought. "So really I am torn. I want you in the field, we need agents like you. But then on the other hand, I wouldn't put you in that position, Mr. Potter." Harry was grateful for the fact that Gabriel wouldn't do that to them.
"Could we work as undercover agents? Then he wouldn't know that we were working for you?" Hermione asked.
"That is a very good idea, Miss Granger," he said, leaning forward suddenly. "He can't force me to disclose any names of the Unspeakables." Gabriel now had a devilish grin on his face.
"And would we be able to tap into the Ministry's records and information, correct?" Harry asked, liking the man more and more. Based only on Gabriel's opinion of the Minister, Harry liked him.
"Of course, we wouldn't send you out there blind!" he said taken aback. "And as I mentioned yesterday, once you are labeled under my Agents, you have license to kill. And this would prove useful to your defense in a dangerous situation. The only reason that I wasn't forced to take you into custody yesterday, Mr. Potter, was because you didn't use AK. I don't know what it was, but it certainly killed him. There is going to be a change in the law as of next week though. Any spell that kills, is considered an Unforgivable," he said, now looking somber. "That saved you this time, but next time I can't do that. I wouldn't want to take you into custody because I know you have no ill intent, Mr. Potter, so taking these jobs would highly benefit you," he finished. At this point, it was on Harry.
He looked from side to side, and got nods of approval from his `team'.
"Mr. Madalin, we will take the jobs," Harry said, "but we function as a team. I won't be split up from these two, or vice versa."
"Don't worry; splitting up you three would be the stupidest move of my career. You work together better than my best trained agents. But if I remember right, you three have been doing this together since you were eleven," he said with a smile.
Harry had to laugh at the expression on his face. He smiled back at the older man; he trusted him.
"Well, since you are a team, I am going to place you under a code name. Anything in particular?" he asked, starting to scratch away at a piece of parchment on his desk.
Harry thought about it. The three of them were a symbol of hope, to them at least. They had a very important mission, and they needed all the encouragement they could get. What was encouraging?
"Phoenix Cry," Hermione blurted out. Harry smiled at her, and nodded in agreement. Ron was doing the same.
"Good choice! You three will be Special Team Phoenix Cry 1. Other wise know at SPC-1. What do you think?" Gabriel asked.
"It's perfect," Harry said.
"Good, let me get your wands from the front desk, and we will be almost done." He stood and left the room, leaving the new team alone.
Ron sat down in a chair, and crossed his legs. "SPC-1, huh? Sounds really awesome to me. I never thought I would get good enough grades to get into the Auror program, but I guess I didn't need them, huh?" Ron said, smiling. It was good to see Ron smile again.
"I agree, I wanted to do this from square one, and I am so glad that we are here together. Most of the time, they split friends up in the training program," Hermione said, fingering the hem of her sleeve.
"I am just glad that we aren't under Rufus's thumb. That would be the absolute worst," Harry said, looking at his friends.
"I agree, mate," Ron replied, grinning.
Gabriel walked back into the room holding the wands that the teens had checked at the desk. "Here are your wands. All I have to do is place the charm on them that will allow us to identify your spell work." He waved his wand over them and they all glowed a silver color for a moment, and then it dissipated. With a closer glance, Harry saw that on his wand it now said in small black letters "Harry Potter. SPC-1," down the length of it. He knew that the other two wands would have the same markings.
"Never let your wands away from you. They could be misused now," he said to them. The three quickly holstered their wands, and waited for a dismissal.
"Before you leave, I have one more thing for you." He reached into a pocket, and pulled out three small leather wallets. "These are your badges. Now, obviously since you are undercover, you wouldn't flash these all the time. But if the situation requires it, or you need more access to a business or something of the like, flash this. It will get you in anywhere, and it will also allow you access to any part of the Ministry."
Harry opened his and inside there was a small golden shield with two swords crossing over it. Engraved on the badge was the same lettering as his wand, but over the top of the shield it said, "Special Team Phoenix Cry". Harry liked the look of it.
"So this will get us just about anywhere we need to go?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, in any country these are recognized as passports, and freedom passes. No one can stand in your way now," Gabriel said to Hermione. She nodded, but Harry knew the look. She was thinking something else.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Madalin." Harry said.
"Call me Gabriel. You're my agents now," he said and smiled.
"Then you can call me Harry," Harry replied, and stuck out his hand. The two shook hands, and Harry could tell that they had made a good choice. They walked out of the building, and to the apparition point in the lobby. Within seconds, all three had Disapparated.
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"They are gone, Draco," Gabriel said to the empty room. But then again, it wasn't empty. A shimmer appeared in the corner, and out stepped the platinum blond teen with a wide grin on his face.
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The cracking noises echoed around the yard in front of the cottage, and the three newest agents for the Ministry walked into Godric's Hollow. Once they were inside, Harry rounded on Hermione.
"What were you thinking back there? I have seen that look a thousand times. Every time you come up with something new, you get that look," Harry said, leaning on the banister.
"Well, he said that no one can stand in our way. And the first thing that I thought of was Borgin," Hermione said nonchalantly. "We could walk in there at any time, and take what we needed, and do what we wanted. Based on the law, of course. We are full fledged Ministry Agents, we have more access to the Wizarding world than many people could even imagine," Hermione said, twirling her wand between her fingers.
"Good point. But why would we go there? As far as we know, he doesn't have anything we need?" Ron questioned. "I know he keeps all those dark things, but would he really have a Horcrux in there?"
"Not that he knows he has," Hermione said. "Where else would Tom hide one? He worked there. It makes sense," she finished.
"No, I don't think so. He worked there, but he never trusted Borgin, he was always playing against him. He wouldn't leave anything that important there." Harry said, remembering the scene with the old woman. Borgin was certainly not the first thing on Tom's mind.
"Okay, so that takes that idea off the map," Hermione said, having to cave under the boy's logic. "But I have been thinking about the locket, and I think I know who might have taken the real one." Hermione walked over to one of the many maps posted on the living room walls and she pointed a finger at a familiar spot. "That is where I think it is," Hermione said with a grin on her face.
Harry and Ron's reactions must have been hilarious. Harry closed his mouth, and coughed. "Hermione, dear, darling…that is Number 12…I don't think you are pointing to the right place on the map…." Harry said, trying to break it to her nicely.
"No no no, you dimwits! I know where I am pointing at! That is where it is," Hermione said laughingly. "I realized who RAB is!" she continued.
"What does that have to do with my other house?" Harry said questioningly.
"Everything. Remember what Sirius told us, about his younger brother…? Regulus Black?" Hermione was full out grinning now. She loved to figure things out.
"Of course! The ex-death eater who chickened out and got killed!" Ron said surprisingly.
"He must have known what was going on, and tried to stop it," Harry said putting it all together. "There is a good chance that it would be there at Grimmauld." Harry was preparing himself to leave in an instant.
"Correct," Hermione nodded, glad that her boys had caught on without much trouble.
"Let's take the rest of the day to rest, and then tomorrow we can go over there. Good?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan. I am beat," Harry said yawning. Even though he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible and take out another portion of Tom, sleep seemed to be more important at the moment.
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