Muggle Summer
Disclaimer: Not my characters, no money being made, etc., etc.
Chapter 52: Cabinet Office Briefing Room A
Sunday, July 8, 3:00am
Brixton Metropolitan Police Station
Brixton Hill, London
Having yet again reached the bottom of her coffee cup, Police Inspector Kathryn Miller decided that it was time to stretch her legs and visit the station's lunch room. The Community Support Officer who had been assigned the task of keeping water on the boil greeted her with a smile and a full pot of coffee.
"What's this, then, Kate…number four?" she asked, as she filled the officer's mug.
"It's five, Helen…but on a night like this who's counting?" she replied. "Cheers."
The CSO nodded. "Heard rumors of terrible things...makes me wish I had something more useful to do."
Inspector Miller smiled as she gave the elderly woman's elbow a light squeeze. "With a full house of constables and the rest of the night ahead, I dare say you've got the most vital task in the station."
Just then one of the inspector's colleagues entered the room.
"Excuse me, Kathryn, but the Super wants to see you."
Kate acknowledged the message, offered her thanks to the CSO, and walked down the hall to her boss's office. She found him at his desk, reading an e-mail message on his computer display.
"You wished to see me, sir?"
Superintendent Dale Cartwright glanced up and nodded. "Close the door behind you and have a seat, Kate."
"Yes, sir."
The superintendent grabbed some output from a laser printer and pushed it across the desk for the Kathryn's review.
"New orders, Inspector," the station chief stated simply. "Or should I say, Chief Inspector?"
Kate looked down at the message and was shocked to see that she'd been given a full grade promotion and posted to the Home Secretary's Office.
"Know of any reasons why my most junior police inspector has been promoted and ordered to immediately report to 10 Downing Street?"
There was a likely reason, based on the reports and notices that had crossed her desk that evening, but Kate chose not to share it.
"No logical reason, Sir," she replied. "This is to take effect immediately, then?"
"Apparently so, Chief Inspector," he replied sardonically. "Have one of your former staffers drive you …you've got a meeting to attend to, and I need all of my cars down here where the little people still work and live."
"Yes, sir," Kate replied. "Sir…I hope you don't think that I've done something untoward to…."
The Superintendent shook his head. "No, no, Kate…I've got no reasons at all to think that. You're a fine officer. It's just rather…unprecedented." He paused then added, "Although…after tonight what's topsy and what's turvey is anyone's guess, eh?"
"Erm…yes, Sir."
"Right…off you go, then, Chief Inspector...the Commissioner is expecting you."
"Right, Sir."
"Oh, and Kate," her former chief said with a smile. "Do let me know when the promotion ceremony is to be held."
"Of course, sir, thank you, sir," Kate said absently, as she reread her orders. With her dismissal in hand, she grabbed her suit jacket from the back of her office chair and called out to one of her former staffers for a ride across the Thames.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
3:30am, RAF Benson
Oxfordshire
Once Captain Ron Weasley had completed his mission brief and dismissed the Phoenix Teams, Hermione and the Prince announced their need to return to London and Windsor, respectively. A RAF officer attached to the Prince led him towards his waiting helicopter, while Hermione gave Harry another strong hug and some tender kisses before disapparating back to 10 Downing Street.
Not having any other immediate battles to fight, Harry climbed into a transport vehicle that was to carry the others out to the two SA 330 Puma helicopters primed to carry them into battle. He made a point of sitting next to Hermione's parents, whom he noted had carried rather grim expressions during the meeting.
"Alright, there, Mr. and Mrs. Granger?"
Emily, who was sitting to Harry's left, started to put her arm around his shoulder. She stopped short, though, and asked, "Will I get in trouble if I give my commanding officer a hug?"
Harry shook his head dismissively and wrapped his own arm around her waist. "I'll hex the person that tells me you would, Mrs. Granger." He gave her a squeeze and said, "I heard about the werewolf attacks, and…I'm sorry that you've both been brought into all of this."
Roger Granger, who was on his wife's other side, leaned over and said, "Don't worry about us, son…we were just glad we were in the right place at the right time with that silver ammunition."
"Still," Harry said, "I know how hard it is to deal with the first time you…"
"And we are sorry that someone as young as you has necessarily faced that situation as well," said Emily. "How are you holding up, Harry?"
The Queen's Wizard shrugged. "So far all I've tangled with tonight is Dementors, and there's no bad feelings watching my Patronus take them on. Quite the opposite, actually. Now Hermione, on the other hand…"
Roger nodded. "We know…we had a chance to talk with her before you arrived. Afraid that she's on automatic pilot, and that it might all fall apart once she has a chance to catch her breath."
"At least she didn't see her werewolf transform back to human form," added Emily, as she shuddered. "Makes me think about Remus, and how it could have been him."
Harry nodded in understanding, even as he disagreed with her fears. "You two both need to realize that even though those werewolves weren't in their right mind at the time…they did have a choice. Remus made sure he was tucked away safe before the sun set tonight, and so could have they."
Roger and Emily replied with silence, as they thought about Harry's words.
"Not that it makes it any easier," Harry added.
By that time their transport vehicle had come to a full stop, and the Phoenix Team members jumped out of the back of the truck. The two helicopters were parked next to a hanger, within which were tables stacked with personal gear and various mission supplies. Harry shook his head in disbelief at the sight of his own pile of goodies, topped off with a aviator's flight helmet with the nickname "Seeker" scripted across the top. As he swapped out his beret for the helmet, a muggle supply sergeant handed him a helmet customized for Hermione. Thanking the corpsman, Harry stuffed it into his never-full rucksack.
As the rest of the group donned their own flight helmets and stocked up on ammunition, Seamus Finnigan pulled Harry aside and asked for a moment of his time.
"What's up, mate?" Harry asked
Seamus looked down at the insignias on his flight suit, then back to Harry. "Why did it have to be the bloody First Paras?" he asked quietly.
"What?"
"This army unit, Harry," Seamus explained, waving towards the others. "Why did they put us in the First Battalion of The Parachute Regiment?"
"Erm, because the Prince is the Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment and I'm Queen's Wizard, I suppose… what's the problem?"
"Bloody Sunday," Seamus said quietly. "They were the ones that killed the thirteen unarmed protesters in Derry on Bloody Sunday."
"Northern Ireland?"
"Yeah…my Republican muggle dad would think it the same as me signing up with the Death Eaters."
Harry nodded, finally understanding Seamus's concerns. "Look," he said quietly, "I don't know much at all about muggle politics, but I don't want to force anyone to do something they're uncomfortable doing. Right now, I'm worried about getting to the werewolf pack that tried to kill the Weasleys tonight, and we could really use your wand out there."
"Yeah, I know that Harry, it's just…"
"They didn't swear you into the Army while you were waiting for me, did they?"
Finnigan shook his head. "They said it was a field appointment, and that all the other official stuff would come later."
"So you aren't too far gone just yet," Harry concluded. "Would it help if, before we go to much further down this road, I arranged a little chat with you and the Prince? Or maybe we all sit down with your mum and dad and explain things?"
Seamus looked appraisingly at Harry. "You could arrange a visit between the Prince of Wales and my parents?"
Harry shook his shoulders. "Don't see why not, particularly if that's what it would take to keep you with us."
The Irish-born half-blood sighed, looked down again at the First Battalion insignia on his jacket, and nodded. "Thanks, Harry…dunno if it will help, but it means the world to me that you are making the effort." He then pressed his hands down the length of his jacket, stood up straight, and gave the hanging edge of his beret a tug. "Let's do this, then."
Harry smiled and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Thanks, mate, and be careful."
"Be careful about what?"
"About showing your mature side too often. You're scaring me."
Finnigan laughed, and gave Harry a cheeky salute. "Yes sir, Major Queen's Wizard, sir!"
The Queen's Wizard mobile phone chirped, interrupting the retort that had been gelling in Harry's mind. With a nod towards Seamus, he stepped away and took the call. After a terse conversation, he turned and scanned the group with a concerned expression.
"Ron and Fred, front and center," he called out.
The two Weasley brothers broke off a conversation with George and his muggle co-pilot and strode with a purpose towards Harry. They shouted out "Sir!" and snapped their fingers in salute against their helmets (labeled "Keeper" and "Freater".)
"Knock it off, you two," Harry admonished. "A few stray Dementors are causing trouble again up North. Fred, you and I are off to Fort George."
"Sure you wouldn't rather have George go to Fort Fred?" Ron snarked.
"Very funny, 'Keeper'…just for that, you're in charge."
Ron nodded, then asked, "I'll be flying solo, then?"
"Yeah," replied Harry. He paused for a moment, then added, "You might want to go with one attack squadron of five, and put PT2 and PT3 in a scouting role. 'Driller' and 'Painless' are still a little shaken, and they have had the least time to train with the rest."
"Makes sense," said Ron. "Might take a bit longer, but that would allow me to fly topside and keep track of things."
After exchanges hugs and crisp salutes made only partly in jest, Fred and Harry disapparated into the night, while Ron let the others in on the change in battle plans.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
10 Downing Street, London
Scotland Yard's newest Chief Inspector was having a devil of a time getting past what were obviously SAS troopers guarding the Prime Minister's residence.
"Yes, I know my badge says that I'm only an Inspector, but I assure you that I am the very same Kathryn Miller whose name is on your admittance list."
"Sorry, ma'am, but you need to step away from the gate…"
"It's alright boys, she's with us," said a voice from over the guards' shoulders. The harried looking constable who made that statement pushed her way through the line of troops waving a plastic identification card in front of her. Once explanations were made about the very recent promotion, and the Prime Minister's need to meet with the Chief Inspector straight away, Kathryn was allowed to pass through the gate.
"Constable Jenkins, mum…please to meet you."
"Kate Miller, and thanks for the help…it's been a nightmare getting through all of the security."
"No worries, Chief Inspector," the aide explained, as she handed Kate the identification card that bore her image and new rank. "I'll need your old ID, ma'am."
Kate nodded as she unclipped her old badge and offered it to the aide. She was then led unchallenged into the Prime Minister's residence, nodding at the Met Police guards who saluted as she walked past them and down into the bowels of the building. Sir Robin Babbitt, the head of the Metropolitan Police Department, was waiting for her outside of a conference room whose opened doors were labeled "Cabinet Office Briefing Room A."
"Ah, there you are Chief Inspector," the man said. "Thank you for joining us on such short notice."
"It is an honor, Commissioner Babbitt," Kate replied, as she shook the offered hand. "I must say, a bit of a surprise, though."
"That's understandable, Chief Inspector," the man replied with a smile. He waved inside the room and noted, "The meeting will start in a few minutes…you'll be sitting between the Home Secretary and myself."
"Thank you...Sir," Kate replied absently, as she gaped at the jaw-dropping array of titles printed on the name cards scattered around the table.
The Commissioner took note of the CI's expression. "They're all just like you and me, CI Miller...trousers and legs one at a time, and all that." Retrieving a small box from his pocket, he added, "Before I forget…"
Inside this box were two diamond-shaped pins, which he fixed to the shoulder straps on Kate's jacket. He gave her a salute, shook her hand, and said, "Congratulations, Chief Inspector."
"Thank you sir," Kate replied, as she turned her head to look at the sets of three diamonds on each shoulder that indicated her new rank. "Don't know that I deserve the honor..."
"Oh, you do," Sir Robin replied. "And you will by the time we've sorted through this mess, I'm sure of it."
Kate nodded stiffly as her stomach decided to twist another know. "Is there time for me to straighten my tie?"
The Met Commissioner smiled. "Down the hall, second door on the left, I think."
"Thank you, sir."
0o0o0o0o0o
The Chief Inspector was in front of a washbasin splashing cold water on her face when she heard a loo flush behind her. A few moments later a stall door opened and someone stepped out wearing a black jump suit and a gun strapped to her hip. The young woman. (still a teenager, perhaps?) was struggling a bit as she adjusted her black leather equipment belt and thigh packs. She was armed to the hilt, and would have fit right in with the SAS guards on the fence line. Except, the Chief Inspector noted, for a few accessories that were decidedly not standard military issue - a wooden wand strapped to a black leather arm holster, a silver dagger strapped to her leg, and a starbust-shaped brooch fixed above her left breast.
The woman looked up, and after a moment's pause said, "Chief Inspector Miller, I presume?" She started to extend a hand, but thought better of it and made her way to the washbasin. "My name is Hermione Granger...I'm a Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister."
The police inspector nodded. "Kate Miller," she replied, as Hermione washed her hands. "Metropolitan Police Force, and now, apparently, the Home Office."
"Yes, I know," Hermione replied, as she dried her hands with a towel. "I'm looking forward to working with you."
Kate nodded. The teenager was so serious, with her hair tied back severely and her eyes red and tired-looking. "You're friends with Harry Potter, the Queen's Wizard, right?" she blurted out.
When Hermione squinted her eyes Kate added, "Sorry for asking, but my daughter subscribes to a few magazines and, well…I'm trying to make sense out of my sudden promotion and summons to this meeting."
Hermione seemed to accept the explanation. "No worries…and to answer your questions, Harry Potter is my boyfriend, and the fact that you are the Met's senior-most card-carrying muggle officer did have much to do with your summons. Not so much with the promotion, mind you…from what Sir Robin says, he's had his eye on you as you've moved up the ranks for some time."
"Thank you, erm…Senior Advisor Granger."
"Oh, please call me Hermione…at least in private," the Senior Advisor asked. "Or Agent Granger, if need be…that's what I've been using with this crowd."
The Chief Inspector caught Hermione in a quick yawn.
"It's been a very long night, hasn't it?" she asked.
Hermione nodded, looking rather blankly at the mirror in front of her. Kate took in that expression combined it with a sidearm that was sitting a bit off in its holster, and reached a conclusion.
"You've been in the thick of it tonight, haven't you?" she ventured.
Hermione's eyes darted towards Kate's. "Do I look that bad, or have you been chatting with someone?"
Kate snorted. "Sorry, you don't look bad at all, it's just…well, I thought I recognized the look of someone who has just come under fire."
Hermione let out a small sigh. "I had the chance to skim through your resume, Chief Inspector…you've been there as well, right?"
Kate nodded. "Six years ago." She took a step closer to Hermione and said, "If you need someone to talk to about, you know…unless you've already made arrangements..."
Hermione's lips pursed into a tight smile. "Thanks for the offer…right now, it's all I can do to keep things straight that are straight ahead of me, but maybe we can sit down for tea later on?"
The Chief Inspector smiled. "I'd like that, Agent Granger." She then turned back towards the mirror and as she straightened her tie, asked, "As for what's straight ahead, any hints on what I'll be doing?"
Hermione snorted as she looked the Chief Inspector's holster. "Let's just say that we'll need to check on our stock of nine-millimeter silver bullets before you go back out into the night."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Fort George, Moray Firth
Ardersier, Scotland
Harry and Fred apparated into a casement-turned-command post within what had, up until a few hours previous, been the mightiest stone fortification in the world never to have come under attack. Ernie MacMillian was there doling out broomsticks and assignments to a small queue of witches and wizards.
"Can't cast a Patronus, eh?" they heard him ask a elderly wizard at the front of the line. He looked down at his map and said, "Well then, take a broom and cross the firth, aiming for the muggle lighthouse. Just past there are two campgrounds. Make sure they're still clear of muggles, and check on the repelling wards set along the road to Fortrose. You see any Dementors, use your wand to cast red sparks up into the sky, then fly away from'em."
"But what if the muggles see it?" the wizard asked.
"That's the idea," Ernie barked with annoyance. "The muggle Aurors will be looking to see where they need to evacuate. Now off with you!"
As the wizard headed towards an open window the soon-to-be Seventh Year Hufflepuff spied Fred and Harry.
"Found time to visit a tailors, eh?" he asked.
Harry looked down at his military fatigues and shook his head. "We got drafted into the British Army."
"Well good," Ernie replied. "Might make it easier for us to deal with the muggle soldiers upstairs."
"So where's the fire, Ernie?" Fred asked.
The Hufflepuff pointed at a spot on the map in front of him. "The town's called Cromarty…northside of Black Isle, about seven miles north of here."
"And there were three, you said?" asked Harry.
Ernie looked down at his wrist watch. "Yeah, as of ten minutes ago…there's two 'silver-misters' keeping them at bay, but…"
"Understood," Harry replied. He reached into a jacket pocket and retrieved a miniaturized Firebolt. Fred was just a heartbeat behind as he enlarged his own broom and yelled, "Up!"
"Rank before beauty, Lord G," Fred said with a grin.
Harry snorted as he mounted his broom and flew out a window. Fred followed close behind, as they took a moment to orient themselves over the open water.
Fort George was a massive 18th Century fort built on a spit of land about eleven miles up the coast from the city of Inverness. The fort had been built on the east side of Moray Firth, at the point where the inlet opened up into what was essentially open sea.
Harry and George flew their broomsticks across the firth then turned north, following the cliff edges that formed the southern shore of a peninsula known as "Black Isle" After a few minutes of 80 mph flying they climbed up above the cliff face and turned west. As this part of the "isle" was less than two miles wide, it took almost no time for them to reach the opposite shoreline of Cromarty Firth. A cold sense of despair beckoning to the north was clear sign that they were on the right track.
They came upon two broom-riding wizards who were nervously patrolling the coast just north of the town of Cromarty. These two "silver-misters," as Ernie had called them, had been able to cast weak Patronus spells, generating just enough silver mist to keep the small group of Dementors away from the inhabited parts of the Isle. The wizards directed Harry and Fred farther north towards the Isle's end.
A mess was waiting for them.
The group of three Dementors had come upon a merchant oil tanker that had been bound for Inverness with a half-million barrels of fuel oil. Five minutes and a kissed-crew later, the now unmanned single-hulled ship had run aground and ruptured, spilling its cargo out into the sea.
A large oil slick was threatening the coastline by the time Fred and Harry had arrived on scene. The Dementors were still there, perhaps waiting for fresh souls to arrive on salvage and rescue ships. The two wizards cast Patronus spells on the fly, with Harry's stag and Fred's hawk using the brooms' forward momentum to fly towards their targets at unheard of rates of speed.
Harry and Fred pulled up short of the ship with wands drawn, ready to conjur additional Patronuses as need be. But there was no need …after a brief battle the stag and hawk returned to the spell casters, with Prongs seemingly prancing atop the thick mat of oil. The conjurations bowed to the two wizards before dissolving into the darkness.
As they cautiously approached the ship, Fred asked, "So what's all this then?"
"Oil," Harry replied. "It's what the muggle burn to heat their homes, and as fuel for their cars and airplanes."
"Nasty black mess, isn't it?"
Harry nodded as he looked down towards the see. "Strange thing, though…it's as if you can see Prong's hoof prints on top of the slick."
Fred took a look and said, "Kind of a strange orange color, isn't it?"
"Yeah…I'll have to ask Hermione about it when we get back."
A quick inspection of the ship revealed the smoking black cloaks of three "dead" Dementors and the soul-less shells of the entire ship's crew. They tried to magically seal the breeched hull, only to watch it rupture again as the tide carried the ship back against the rocks. Without the magical strength required to push the tanker off of the rocks and back out to sea, the two found that the best they could do was banish the oil as it leaked from the ship. They called for both muggle and magical help managing the situation, then went back to the task of keeping the potential environmental threat from getting any worse.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Cabinet Office Briefing Room A
10 Downing Street, London
The Prime Minister of Great Britain reconvened the latest incarnation of the civil contingencies committee (better know the British public as COBRA) and made introductions for the few who, like Chief Inspector Miller, had just joined the group. The principal parties included the Home Secretary, the Defense Minister, both intelligence department chiefs, the Met Commissioner, Kate Miller and Secret Agents Wally and Hermione. Various aides and secretaries were seated behind their bosses, which made the fact that she was sitting at the big boys' table seem all the more surreal for Kate. Both Kate and Wally were introduced as lead Investigators for the terrorist activity that had caused so much chaos across the country.
The Prime Minister then said, "I'm afraid that we've put Chief Inspector Miller at a severe disadvantage, as she has no doubt had little opportunity to review the tasks ahead of her. Am I right?"
"Yes, Prime Minister," Kate replied.
"Right, so perhaps a quick review is in order," he replied. "Chief Inspector Miller you should know two things. First, everything discussed here in this room is covered under the Official Secrets Act."
"I understand, Mr. Prime Minister."
"Yes, well as for the second key point…that fact that everyone in this room is cognizant of the existence of magic and the wizarding world. is, in and of itself, covered under the Act."
Chief Inspector Miller sucked in a shallow breath as she glanced around the room. "Yes, sir, understood, sir," she replied.
"Wonderful," said the Prime Minister. "Now, Wally, if you would…"
"Yes, sir," Wally replied, as he stood up and walked towards a large video display screen that displayed relevant graphics and photographic images as he provided his report.
"Early yesterday afternoon three Inner-Circle members of the Death Eater wizard terrorist organization, or WTO, were spotted milling about an apartment building on Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End. Intelligence reports indicated that the three were likely looking for a rogue Death Eater named Lucius Malfoy, who has taken up residence inside the building. Given the likelihood for a magical attack upon Mr. Malfoy a decision was made to evacuate the area under pretense of a fake car bomb. This extreme measure was undertaken in a desire to limit both civilian casualties and the need for wizarding police forces to attempt memory erasures on a massive scale."
"Excuse me, Agent Wall..am I to understand that Aurors were notified and were on the scene?" Kate asked.
"Yes, Chief Inspector Miller," Wally replied. "Unfortunately, the team of five Aurors were ordered away from the evacuation zone in response to the coordinated attacks at 2000 hours across the country."
"They were all magical attacks, then?" Kate asked.
Wally nodded, showing a map with dots over the affected cities. "Twelve separate cities, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Reading, Bath, Southampton and Norwich. All of these incidents now appear to have been the work of lone attackers." He then proceeded to provide updated causality statistics, and noted that Aurors at each of the scenes had completed their work reversing the magical injuries and repairing, to the extent practicable, the associated property damage.
"Has the issue of memory modification been resolved?" the Home Secretary asked.
Wally turned to Hermione, who replied, "Not as such, Mr. Home Secretary. Our incident commanders are still negotiating with the Obliviator Squads on the necessity and feasibility of preserving wizarding world secrets through mass memory erasures."
"Do these oblivatiors have any authority to mess with the minds of the injured parties?" the Defense Minister asked.
"As a matter of practice, I'd have to say yes, sir," Hermione replied. "It has been standard practice for hundreds of years, and justified under the home-rule authority provided the wizarding world by treaty."
"But aside from the questionable ethics involved, does this memory erasure work?"
"If you're asking whether memories can be magically erased or modified, the answer is yes," Hermione replied. "As for whether the process is effective in keeping knowledge of the wizarding world away from the non-magical citizenry…well, that's clearly a separate issue."
"I'd say that based on the video coverage these events have already received the answer to that question is an emphatic no," stated the MI-6 chief.
"It is doubtful that we'll successfully resolve the issue until our wizarding world counterparts are engaged," stated the Prime Minister. He turned to Hermione and asked, "Still no word from the Ministry of Magic?"
"None officially, Prime Minister," Hermione replied. "We have, though, heard from reliable source inside the Minster's office that they plan on stalling for as much time as possible before they reply to your inquiries."
"For what purpose, do you think?"
"So that can make up a story, and endeavor to get said story straight," the Home Secretary opined.
"Moving on, then., any new attacks or counterattacks to report on, Agent Granger?"
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied. "TPOMS-1 is in transit to Dartmoor to address the Devonshire werewolf attacks, and there are still sporadic Dementor attacks outside of Inverness."
"Which the Queen's Wizard is handling in his elegantly efficient manner, I presume?" the Prime Minister asked with a smile.
"Yes, Prime Minister," Hermione replied. "Agent Weasley and he are presently on Black Isle, containing a oil spill associated with an oil tanker that ran aground after an attack incapacitated its crew."
"Which Weasley, Agent Granger…the one that tried to gas us?"
Hermione shared a smile with the MI-5 and MI-6 chiefs, despite the pressures they were all facing. "The very one, Mr. Home Secretary."
"Better there than here, then," the Home Secretary grumbled.
"Moving right along," interrupted the Prime Minister, "what's the latest on the flying cars?"
"I can answer that, Prime Minister," the Met Commissioner replied. "Over the last hour we have learned that the three motor vehicles involved in the Shaftesbury building assault were stolen from a South London parking garage at 2005 hours. We have secured the CCTV images from the facility, and I have the relevant few seconds available for your review."
The Met Commissioner nodded to Wally, who opened up a new MS-Powerpoint presentation on the laptop computer linked to the display. While Wally was doing this, the head of Scotland Yard stated, "Interviews with the vehicle owners established that they had parked adjacent to each other on the uppermost level of the facility. The last of the three vehicle owners to enter the garage positively identified the three Death Eaters suspects, placing them loitering on the rooftop at approximately 2018 hours. Here's a rather grainy CCTV clip with that date stamp."
Wally clicked on the flash presentation embedded within the MS-Powerpoint slide, showing Rookwood and the two Carrows leaning on the rooftop railing of the garage, looking north towards Big Ben and Westminster. Once that clip ended, he moved on to a second bit of video.
"This next clip comes from a few minutes past ten. From what Agent Granger tells me, it is somewhat miraculous that the camera remained operative with all of the magic being cast about."
The next video clip played out, showing (from a distance) Rookwood hexing Amycus, then all three of them shrinking down four vehicles and pocketing them before disappearing from the rooftop.
"So they did that disappearing trick that Agent Granger's been doing all night?" the Home Secretary asked.
Hermione sighed almost inaudibly then answered affirmatively.
"So four cars were stolen, but only three were used in the assault?"
"Yes Prime Minister," the Met Commissioner replied. "The fourth vehicle appears to have owned by the suspects." Wall clicked on the next slide, showing a static image of the Cooper Mini as it entered the garage. "The suspects drove the vehicle into the facility at 1745 hours."
"It was a getaway car that they kept shrunk in their pockets, then?"
"That scenario is consistent with available facts, sir. We've running the license plate number now."
"Good work, Sir Robin," the Prime Minister stated. "Do keep us updated."
"Yes sir," he replied.
"On to the werewolf investigation, and Chief Inspector Miller's assignment?"
"Yes, Prime Minister," Hermione said. She stood, gave Kate a reassuring glance, than dove in.
"Apart from the already discussed attacks there were multiple incidents involving two small packs of werewolves. The timing is synchronous with the others, suggesting that they were linked in some way. One group of approximately fifteen werewolves attacked a wizarding household in Devonshire, just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole."
"It was the family home of Sir Ronald and the Weasley Twins, correct?" asked the Prime Minister.
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied. "Ron and five family members were successfully evacuated from the home before it was overrun by the pack. The werewolf pack then appears to have run towards Dartmoor National Park, stopping along the way to attack two muggle households. Three muggle civilians were killed in these two attacks."
"So they are in Dartmoor's woods, Agent Granger?"
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied. "But perhaps the Defense Minister should…"
"Quite right, Agent Granger," the Defense Minister replied. "A MI-5 ¾'s agent apparently tracked the progress of the werewolf pack from the Weasley residence to the forest."
"Excuse my interruption, sir," said Hermione, "but we should note that Luna Lovegood, the witch who tracked the werewolf pack by broomstick, is not employed by the government in any capacity that I am aware of."
"At least not until we can get our hands on her," the MI-5 chief noted, as he shared a wink with his MI-6 counterpart and Hermione.
"Merlin help Her Majesty's Government," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"Yes, well, as I was saying, this Ms. Lovegood reported the position of the pack to Agent Granger, who passed it along to the Defense forces. Surveillance and Apache attack helicopters were deployed to the area, and have managed to constrain the pack's location to a one-square kilometer area. It is to this location that TPOMS-1 is transiting, via 33 Squadron Puma helicopters." He looked at his watch, then added, "Their ETA is approximately fifteen minutes from now."
CI Miller had worked hard at keeping quiet, but couldn't help but ask, "I'm sorry, sir but what is TPOMS-1?"
"The Prince's Own First Magical Squadron," the Defense Minister said with a smile. "A mixed wizard-muggle broomstick-flying cavalry unit attached to The Parachute Regiment."
Kate shook her head slightly as she tried to contain the chagrin on her face.
"You find that funny, Chief Inspector Miller?" the Home Secretary asked.
"No sir," Kate quickly replied. "It's just that…well, as you all seem to know, I've known about the wizarding world almost all of my life, but thought that I had to guard that secret with my life for fear of hurting my muggle-born wizard brother. Now, I find out that this wall of secrecy between the muggle and wizard worlds isn't as strong as I've been told."
"Quite all right," the Prime Minister replied. "Many of us have had to deal with drastically changed perceptions of our world as well…Hermione, we need to move on to CI Miller's assignment."
"Right, sir," Hermione replied, not as confident as she otherwise had been. "The second werewolf attack originated in Diagon Alley, the wizard quarter of London hidden behind Charing Cross Road. The primary target again appears to have been wizard-related, but sometime during the attack four of the werewolves split off and made it out onto Charing Cross Road. Security forces guarding the muggle side of this exit killed three of the werewolves and injured the fourth. They then proceeded to track down the fourth werewolf to a location four blocks away, and killed it before it could escape into the muggle population. Fortunately, and perhaps not coincidentally, the werewolf attack occurred within the evacuation zone created in response to the Shaftesbury Death Eater sightings."
There was a pause, and then Kate asked, "How were our muggle security forces able to kill these werewolves?"
"Silver bullets," Hermione replied. "Two of the agents involved in the incident were card-carrying muggles who knew that it was a full moon."
Kate nodded. "So we have four dead werewolves…transformed back into human form, I presume?"
"Five actually," Hermione said softly. "One of the werewolves that remained within Diagon Alley was felled and its body recovered as well."
MI-6 Chief piped in, "Agent Granger, you are far too modest." He turned to Chief Inspector Miller and proudly stated, "She put five slugs into the creature's skull as it approached her at a dead run."
Hermione looked down at her briefing papers. "Yes, sir…thank you sir."
Sensing Hermione's discomfort, the Met Commissioner said, "Chief Inspector, we've brought you on as lead investigator into the werewolf attacks both in London and Devon. We want to know who these people were, why they attacked, and who ordered them to do so. Your status as a card-carrying muggle will make it possible for you to liaison with the wizarding police forces that will no doubt also be involved."
"Yes sir," Kate replied. "I should say straight out, sir, that I know nothing about werewolves, other than that they really exist."
"Quite all right, Chief Inspector," her boss replied. "I'm told that we have some excellent tutors available to get you up to speed, and you'll be working with someone that has, shall we say, first hand knowledge of the condition?"
Kate's eyes went wide at the implications of this statement.
"No worries," Wally quickly said, having taken in her concerns. "Remus Lupin might be a tad furry, but he's on our side."
"Time for a break, I think," the Prime Minister concluded. "Some of us have another oversight meeting to attend to…we'll reconvene in one hour."
The committee members and their support staff all stood, with many scurrying off to get updates from their own departments. This gave Wally an opportunity to wrap Hermione into a one-armed hug, and offer words of support. It also gave the Prime Minister the opportunity to walk halfway around the table and quietly cut into his MI-6 Chief.
"Rather bad form calling attention to Agent Granger's first kill, don't you think?" he whispered.
The Director General cast a nervous glance towards Wally and Hermione before replying, "Yes, sir…sorry, sir."
"I don't think that I'm the one you should be apologizing to," the Prime Minister said. "You seem to forget that for all of her brilliance and competence, Agent Granger is still a seventeen year old school girl whose parents are about to be sent into battle."
The MI-6 chief nodded and let out a deep sigh.
"I do hope that you have counselors on hand that can offer her more than a teaspoon's worth of empathy," the Prime Minister stated.
"Yes, sir…should I bring them in now?"
The Prime Minister let out his own sigh as he shook his head. "Unfortunately, Agent Wall's sympathetic shoulder will have to do until we've got Dartmoor and Inverness…"
The sudden and unexpected appearance of a broom-borne Queen's Wizard above the conference room table kept the Prime Minister from finishing his statement.
"Bloody Hell," the Home Secretary shouted," as Harry inched the broom forward and down, so that he could pull Hermione into an embrace.
"Ah, I see Wally has called in reinforcements," said the Prime Minister. He paused, and then added, "Not that it should keep you from begging forgiveness in the meantime."
"I'll get right on it, sir."
The Prime Minister nodded, as Hermione whispered something into Harry's ear. The Queen's Wizard smiled, looked over his shoulder, and said, "Sorry for the interruption, Prime Minister."
"Not a problem, Major," the Prime Minister replied. "Here to offer an update on the Dementor situation, then?"
"Erm, yes sir," Harry replied, a bit sheepishly. "No contact in the past few minutes, and my old Quidditch captain has shown up with his teammates from Puddlemere United with their brooms. So we've got broom patrols covering eighty miles of coastline…and Fred's still up there in case we need to tangle with them again."
"Good show, Major Potter," the Defense Chief said.
"Yes indeed, Agent Potter," chimed in the MI-5 chief, not wishing to be left out of the loop.
"Thank you, Sirs," Harry replied.
"Harry, you can get off of your broomstick, now," Hermione chided gently.
"Well, actually…" Harry replied. He turned back towards the Prime Minister and asked. "Would you mind if I borrow your Senior Advisor for a few minutes?"
The Prime Minister smiled. "Not at all, Harry."
"Are you sure, sir?" Hermione asked, shifted glances between Harry and her boss.
"Get some fresh air, Hermione," the Prime Minister said. "With Agent Wall here, we can contact you directly and there's a secure travel link, right?"
Hermione was still hesitant, prompting Harry to ask, "You're not afraid of the broom, are you Hermione? Because if you are, I've got just the thing…" He then opened his magical rucksack, and retrieved her personalized flight helmet.
Hermione frowned when she took the helmet into her hands. "And just who was it that decided on my nickname?"
Harry turned sheepishly towards the Prime Minister, who smiled and said, "It was a group decision, although I must confess to having originally suggested it."
A curl came to Hermione's lips as she loosened the ponytail holder just enough to allow the personalized helmet to fit on her head. "Well, I guess I can't complain too much, then," she said. "Thank you for the compliment."
And with that issue decided upon, "Seeker" pulled "Chequers" up onto his broom, and the two badge-jumped into thin air.