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Once upon a time there was an author called JK Rowling who wrote the HP series. I didn't...

Chapter 14- Of Dating Agencies and Domini

Harry peered anxiously at Dumbledore.

He replied, "You are old enough now, Harry, if you are sure you want to know. Some of the things you will find out, you may not like."

"I want to know."

"Perhaps..." Dumbledore turned to Ron and Hermione, "perhaps you should-"

"No. Let them stay. I want them to hear," interrupted Harry.

Dumbledore made no reply and leaned back in his chair, "Your mother did not need to die, Harry. However, it would have been very helpful for Voldemort to eliminate her. I'm sure he went to Godric's Hollow with the intention of killing her as well."

"Why?"

"Your mother was what is known as a psychic."

"A what?"

"A psychic. A person who to some degree can predict the future."

"My mum was a seer?" asked Harry in surprise.

"Not exactly. Your mother was quite a peculiar psychic."

"In what way?"

"A psychic is a person who can see things which are invisible to the normal eye. A sixth sense, you could say. People have varying degrees of it. Some people can tell that something is slightly out of place. I knew a psychic who could tell when the ink in a pen was run out. Then there are the great psychics who can predict the future. Claire de Montford, a French seer of the 18th century predicted that a great war would start on the 4th August 1914 and last for four years."

"And my mother?" pressed Harry.

"Well, your mother wasn't a seer-"

Sirius snorted, "You can say that again! She was dreadful at Divination- she really hated it."

"Yes," added Arabella, "do you remember when she threw the teacup at Professor Trelawny?"

"No, did she? I was sensible, you see. James and I didn't take Divination."

"So how do you know she hated it?"

"Well, if you've got someone doing their homework next to you and every five minutes they start an ostinato of, 'I hate Divination! Divination is a waaste of time! Why are we studying Divination? Professor Trelawny is a fake!' then you begin to get an idea."

"Your mother threw a teacup at Professor Trelawny?" said Hermione in a voice that suggested admiration.

"If she couldn't tell the future, what could she do then?" said Harry, reverting back to the original topic and ignoring Hermione.

"It's difficult to say. Some people thought that her powers weren't those of a psychic at all."

"And..." punctuated Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore could get on so much faster if you didn't keep interrupting him, you know."

"Thank-you, Hermione. Anyway, to cut a long story short, your mother, Harry, was, I think the only word to describe it is perceptive. She was extremely perceptive."

"Perceptive?"

"Yes. She couldn't predict things at all, but to some extent she could predict the very near future of people. Not just their future, but their characters and their deepest secrets."

"Wow," breathed Harry.

Arabella licked her lips, "She also knew some things about people that they didn't know themselves. Hence the dating agency. She could tell who was in love with whom, even if they didn't know themselves. The way it worked was that she would tell me who was in love with whom and tell me their characters and I would devise a way of getting them together so that they wouldn't know it wasn't them. It always worked too."

Sirius laughed, "And the things they came up with Harry, you'd never believe. We gave them all names, 'remember Bella?"

"Yeah, the Quidditch phobia system-"

"What's that?" asked Harry.

"Oh, that's one of the most clichéd techniques ever. Here's an example. John and Jane fancy each other but for some reason they aren't together yet. Lily finds out the following info: John is fond of quidditch and is on the house team. Jane however, is not good at quidditch, is scared of heights, whatever. During John's quidditch practice, Sirius as Padfoot chases Jane up a high tree near the quidditch pitch. There's an excellent tree made just for that purpose- easy to climb up, but not so easy to climb down! Anyway, Jane is stranded up the tree with a fear of heights. So naturally she starts crying, shouting for help etc. As the quidditch ends John must pass the tree and sees the object of his secret affection. There is nothing so becoming as a female in distress. He jumps on his broom and rescues her. When they reach the ground John will help Jane off the broom and just remain holding her hand, the way one does. Then Jane will say, staring into John's eyes, 'Oh John, you rescued me! My hero!' or words of that sort. By this time, mind, it will be dusk. John will reply softly taking her other hand, 'Oh Jane...' And that's about it."

"Did it work?" asked Hermione skeptically.

"Oh yes! It was amazing how often it went exactly like that."

Harry laughed, "It sounds really good fun."

"Oh, it was." Arabella smiled with a far-away look in her eyes.

Dumbledore looked at his watch in a significant way, "Well, I was never quite sure just how Fruitful Heavens opperated and I was very interested to hear about it. However, time is getting on and if we want any sleep tonight I suggest we continue."

Hermione re-opened the conversation, "I don't understand, Professor. If Mrs. Potter could read characters like this, why didn't she know Wormtail was betraying her?"

Dumbledore frowned, "As always a good question, Miss Granger. That I don't know."

"I do," this was Sirius. "She didn't know Peter had changed sides because she promised very early on not to read either me, Bella, James, Remus or Peter ever in that way."

"And she always kept her promises." finished Arabella.

"And could she then predict that Voldemort was going to kill me as well?" asked Harry after a short silence.

"It's very possible," replied Dumbledore, "that she decided to save you in cold blood as it were. She was very clever, was your mother, she'd have been perfectly well aware of the consequences if she died to save you."

"She must have been very brave to decide to do that," said Hermione.

No-one replied. Eventually Harry said, "So Voldemort killed my mother because she could have betrayed loads of his spies to you?"

"That's right."

"So why did he kill my father?"

Dumbledore looked around the room then turned to Sirius and Arabella, "Do you know?"

Arabella frowned, then her face cleared, "Oh, you mean DOM?" She said it in a slightly hushed voice, like she was saying something forbidden.

Hermione gasped and Dumbledore noddded. Ron frowned, "I've heard that before, but I can't think where..."

Harry had no idea what they were talking about. Not for the first time he wished he hadn't been brought up by muggles.

Dumbledore looked piercingly at Harry, Ron and Hermione, "What I am about to say is top secret information and must be on no account whatsoever revealed to anyone. Is that understood?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded.

Dumbledore turned to Sirius, "Who else did he tell apart from you?"

"Lily," replied Sirius, "no-one else. He didn't tell Remus or Peter."

Arabella spoke again in that same hushed tone, "We took ages to persuade them that the fact James was married was OK. They don't like their members to be married except to other members. We did persuade them in the end that Lily was suitable though."

Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. Who were they? And why did they object to marriage?

Dumbledore was speaking, "Have you ever heard of the Department of Mysteries?"

Harry nodded.

"Do you know what they do in that department?"

Harry shook his head.

"Do you know who works there?"

Again Harry did not know.

"Do you know how big it is?"

"Well, no-one knows anything at all about it, do they?" asked Hermione, "that's why it's called the Department of Mysteries, because no-one knows."

"Your father, Harry," said Dumbledore, "worked in the Department of Mysteries."

Harry's mouth formed an 'O' shape, but he said nothing.

Dumbledore continued, "No-one knows what happens in the Department of Mysteries, or DOM for short unless they themselves are a member. Even then most don't know everything."

"So how do you know?" asked Ron.

"I was myself offered a place in DOM. I turned it down because I had also excepted the post here as Transfiguration teacher. I wanted to dedicate my time to education."

"And what actually goes on in the Department of Mysteries?"

"Well, they work a little like Aurors. Arabella, if you could just give us a breif on the job of an Auror."

Arabella folded her hands in front of her and recited clearly, "An Auror must protect the general wellfare of the magic populus and free the state from unforseen danger. He must work against crime and faithfully serve the current Minister of Magic."

"You forgot something." said Sirius.

"Did I? Oh yes, and an Auror may not use the Unforgivable Curses except in exceptionable circumstances and when advised to do so by their superior."

"Where in the world did that come from?" asked Harry.

"The Junior Auror Handbook Level One, Section A, pages 13 and 29. It's the sort of thing you remember."

"So what does the Department of Mysteries do?"

"The members of the Department of Mysteries work undercover," replied Dumbledore, "Whereas Aurors are like your plain bobby on the beat ("your what?" from Ron), the DOM members, the Domini as we call them work undercover. They hunt for things that don't fit the normal pattern, for things that aren't quite right. Then they investigate them, and well, the enemy usually comes out worse for wear if they come out at all. Domini have a licence to kill, though they don't use it often."

"Did my dad kill anyone?"

Sirius shrugged, "James didn't talk to us about his job much. He didn't mention if he'd killed anyone. I hope he didn't."

"Whether he killed anyone or not," Dumbledore continued, "James was a good Dominus. That's why he was at the top of Voldemort's hit list."

"But how did Voldemort know about the Department of Mysteries?" enquired Hermione.

Dumbledore sighed, "To this day I don't know. There was a fly in the ointment. That's all. Someone who was in the know was betraying DOM. People were disappearing more often than before. James and Cidilla were very worried. They were sure they were the next target. I got them both Secret Keepers. Cidilla survived; James didn't."

"Who was Cidilla?" asked Harry.

"Ah, Cidilla French was James' partner, and a very good Domina she was too."

"What do you mean?"

"The Department of Mysteries on the first level, that which James got to is divided into groups of six people and a group leader. The group leader is responsible for his or her Domini, for their missions etc... He or she receives orders from the next level and passes them on to the Domini. The group leader is called a Princeps or Principa. There are three Domini and three Dominae for each group. They always work in pairs. This is because it is so much easier to escape notice as a couple sightseeing on holiday, than alone. Cidilla was James' partner."

"Why did they disapprove of marriages?" asked Hermione.

"Because the Dominus or Domina would confide in their spouse which they don't like, and the Dominus would be in love with their spouse and therefore not notice if she was, say, a gossiping type. It took us a long time to persuade James' Princeps that Lily could hold her tongue, fight and win a duel, disguise herself, solve riddles; everything that would be needed. In fact, when they knew her they thought she was a perfect wife for a Dominus."

Hermione frowned, "So how big is the whole department and is it controled by the Ministry?"

"That's the clever thing. No-one knows. The Domini only know their group and their Princeps, no-one else. The Principi know a bit more, I don't know how much. I don't know how many Domini there are, I don't know who DOM is controlled by, it's definitely not the Ministry, however."

"How is that clever?" asked Harry.

"Oh come on, Harry, use your brain. If you don't know your fellow comrades then you can't betray them, can you?" This was of course Hermione.

"My dad must have been very young when he started," mused Harry.

"He was," replied Dumbledore grimly, "he was enrolled at his Laurels' Ceremony. They like them young because they don't often survive very long."

"It all sounds very grim," said Ron.

"Well in a sense it was. However, Domini were often sent round the world and it is well paid. Very well paid. That's where you got your fortune from, Harry."

"It would have to be well paid, considering the risk," put in Hermione.

A silence set in. Harry didn't know what to think. His mother had been psychic and his father had been, there was no other word for it, a spy. And he had been killed because of it.

Ron yawned heavily and Dumbledore stood up, "I must see Severus and Minerva now and put them in the picture. I'll leave you together a bit; I'm sure you must have a lot to discuss, but I want you in bed by ten thirty. Go to the hospital wing, tonight."

Harry glanced at his friends and nodded. Sirius and Arabella chorused, "Yes, Professor!"

Dumbledore told them again that they had all shown great bravery and initiative in what they had dealt with that day and it should not go unoticed, before leaving the roon.

Arabella shifted her slightly on the piano stood. She remarked gravely, "Professor Dumbledore was right, you know-" before she was interrupted wearily by Hermione, "Oh, please can we talk about something else?"

Arabella looked surprised, "Well, all right if you want. What do you want to talk about?"

Harry replied immediately, "Tell me something more about the dating agency."

Sirius and Hermione groaned audibly.

Arabella laughed, "You're really interested, aren't you? Well, fetch the photo." Harry did so. "What are all those things written at the bottom of the stall?" he asked.

"Those? Ah, you see, if you think running a dating agency is a slightly frivolous thing to do." She glanced at Hermione who was vigorously nodding, "then you're wrong! It was very interesting, and my knowledge of people was built from it to a very great extent. Lily and I discovered that all the people who came to our help, or we helped without their knowing, fell invariably into six categories."

Sirius groaned again, "Here she goes."

"Which were?" asked Harry.

"Look at the photo. They're written at the bottom."

"Um...it says...'Are you'...er...'In separate houses'...arrow...'Romeo and Juliet?' What does that mean?"

"Here's an example. John of Slytherin loves Jane of Gryffindor but the enmity of the two houses is too great to let them dare a date. Hence the Romeo and Juliet idea. Next."

Harry read on, "er...'Always quarreling'...arrow...'Love slash hate?'"

"Yes. John and Jane are always arguing but actually they fancy each other deep down. Go on."

"Erm...'Too shy'...arrow...'Are you a wallflower?'"

Arabella explained, "John likes Jane, but she's probably older than him and he can't manage to ask her out."

Ron snorted, "That's Harry about Cho all right!"

"Ha ha. Very funny," Harry said with a fake grin. "Anyway...'Best friends'...arrow...'Don't-want-to-spoil-the-oh-so-innocent-frienship?' What on earth?"

"It does look a bit ludicrous, doesn't it? But believe me, it's awfully popular. John likes Jane but so far they've been best friends. Now John's afraid that Jane won't like him in any way if he tells her about his real feelings."

Harry raised his eyebrows but continued the list, "'Ignored'...arrow...'Your prince hasn't noticed you yet?'"

"I can guess that," said Ron, "it's what Ginny thinks every night about Harry."

Harry looked daggers at Ron but Arabella looked amused, "Does your sister fancy Harry? Hmm...Carry on, Harry. Last one."

"'A triangle'...arrow...'We both love her!'"

"Now that occured so often. John and Tom both like Jane, or John likes Jane but she's already going out with Tom. You know... Anyone who didn't fit into these categories didn't need our help."

"What solutions did you have?" asked Harry.

Sirius laughed and was soon joined by Arabella, "Oh some of our ideas we came up with were simply hilarious. Oh Sirius, do you remember the Hufflepuffs and the dog lead? It's all coming back!"

"The Hufflepuffs and the dog lead?!" queried Harry incredulously.

Arabella's elbow collapsed loudly onto the piano keys as she laughed, successfully stopping her mirth and waking Hermione up.

"That was one of our best ideas. It's done so often in films, but I never thought it would actually work... Anyway, Lily and I worked on the principle that if you get a couple accidentally in each other's arms then nature would work the rest. We had a problem with two Hufflepuffs who were in the 'best friends' syndrome. We hatched the following plan. It was a Hosmeade weekend and, what were their names, oh...what were they? Got it! Terence and Adela! Terence and Adela were going into Hogsmeade together. What was more natural then, for Lily and I to go in as well walking a dog, Padfoot on an extendable lead?"

"I think I see where this is heading..." said Harry trying to suppress a grin.

"What was more natural than, just when Terence and Adela were walking in front of us, for Padfoot to suddenly chase a rat that ran across the street in front of Terry and Adela. The rat, of course being frightened, just happened to rush in circles and Padfoot therefoot chased it in cicles as well. And what was more natural than for Terry and Adela (who we ascertained was scared of rats) to cling to each other in fright, while the extendable lead wound round their legs?" (Ron snorted at this point) "At that moment, just when they're in danger of falling over the lead being so tight, a very ashamed and out of breath Remus Lupin comes out from behind a building saying, "Is that my rat? Oh dear, I see he's caused some trouble," and picks up the rat. Lily and I unwind the dog lead and apologise profusely for Madame Rosmerta's cousin's son's dog which we were walking. Of course neither Terry nor Adela is listening, having just discovered that their friendship has changed slightly. Another success for Fruitful Heavens!"

Even Hermione, who had told herself that she wasn't going to listen, found herself smiling at the end.

Harry laughed, "Did you really do that?"

Arabella nodded, "Of course we did!"

"Why was the agency called 'Fruitful Heavens'? It sounds a bit corny if you ask me."

"Ah, it comes from out names. A fig is a fruit, so Fruitful and Heavens sounds like Evans. And yes, it sounds corny on purpose. Isn't a dating agency pretty corny in the first place?"

Sirius looked at his watch, "Er, Arabella, I know Dumbledore said we could have till half past ten, but I think some of us are rather tired." He stifled a yawn himself and glanced at Hermione who looked as if she wasn't completely rivited by the discussion.

"Well, you can go to bed, Sirius, no-one's stopping you."

Sirius didn't budge.

"Hmm I thought so." Arabella ran a hand over the piano keys in an arpeggio, "Here, I'll play you all something to wake you up."

Still facing sideways, she attacked the famous Minuet in G with great panash.

Sirius groaned, "Can't you play anything else?"

"Sure." She sat down down properly and coughed, "The great Arabella Figgarotti will now play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata for pianoforte."

Sirius groaned even more, "Do you really think that's going to wake us up?"

Arabella ignoed him and started drumming out the sonata. Far from waking Harry up, his eyes seemed to close of their own accord. He was sure he would have fallen asleep if, just when Arabella had started the Right Hand and pumped the pedal, there was a squeal from under the piano and Crookshanks who had been dozing on the pedals ran out and into Hermione's lap. Everyone sat up, fully awake now and Arabella immediately left off playing, "Oh the poor cat. Is he all right?"

Hermione nodded, "I think so. He just got a shock."

Crookshanks certainly seemed shocked. He scrabbled around in Hermione's arms and actually scratched Arabella when she tried to pick him up. Arabella, however, kept a tight grasp on him, "Whoa old thing. I gave you a shock, didn't I? No need to scratch me to pieces though."

Hermione apologised, "He hasn't been like this for years. I can't understand it."

"No, the last time was with Scabbers," Ron commented.

Arabella looked at Crookshanks properly, "Oh, so this is the famous Crookshanks then, is it? I've heard all about you." She was holding him at arms' lengh and then she frowned. She turned him upsidedown and rummaged in his long fur.

"Hey-" began Hermione.

"It's OK, Hermione. I know what I'm doing. My mother always has had an average of ten cats at one time. I know something about them, and it seems...rather more than the person who sold you him. This cat is a female, Hermione."

"Er...oh." said Hermione.

Arabella couldn't have been frowning more, "Sirius, look at this cat. Doesn't it remind you of anything?"

Sirius shrugged, "I can't say it does. Should it?"

"I don't know." Arabella stared at the cat thoughtfully a minute, "Bizarre, definitely bizarre. I could have sworn... How old is this cat, Hermione?"

"I don't know. I bought him, I mean her in Diagon Alley it must be five years ago. The previous owners had been a wizard who had had Crookshanks for three months. Then she got in a mood and the wizard had to sell him to the pet shop. Before that she beonged to cousins of that wizard. They were muggles and they had Crookshanks for about twelve years."

"Twelve years! That's an awfully long time to have a cat that was mature when she arrived. That's seventeen altogether. What about before then?"

"I don't know."

"Crookshanks is a very old cat if he was fully grown when he came to those muggles."

"He doesn't behave like an ancient feline," mused Sirius.

Crookshanks was certainly being very lively in Arabella's arms of steel.

"Why can't we just leave it?" asked Hermione. "Crookshanks is very old. All right. Let's go to bed now, I'm tired."

"Wait a moment, Hermione. Sirius, don't you think it's odd. Crookshanks is accounted for for seventeen years. Harry is seventeen. And don't you recognise the cat?"

"You're not trying to suggest that Crookshanks is actually Harry's long lost twin sister are you?" guffawed Sirius.

"Nonsense! Harry doesn't have a sister. But I do think she may be an animagus."

"Crookshanks, an animagus!" cried Harry.

"Ever get the impression history is repeating itself?" Ron muttered, "first Scabbers, then Crookshanks. What about Hedwig?"

Arabella sighed, "If I didn't know better, I'd say this was definitely an animagus. However, I do know better. Still..." Arabella shook her head, dissatisfied, "Well anyway, it's odd."

"There's no harm in checking, is there?" asked Harry.

Hermione snorted, "That's my cat you're talking about!"

"But you know Sirius, it's absolutely impossible it could be, well, who it would have to be."

"I don't know who it could be, Arabella," said Sirius sounding like he was explaining something to a very young child.

Hermione interrupted, "This doesn't make sense! The only recorded animagus that is a cat is Professor McGonagall and she's a tabby! Are you saying that there is yet another unregistered animagus apart from the four marauders?"

Arabella looked at Sirius for confirmation. He glared at her, "For heaven's sake, stop looking at me! I don't know anything about unregistered ginger cats. Crookshanks is clearly a highly powerful magical cat, but I wouldn't go as far as to say an aimagus."

"You mean you didn't know?"

"No, I didn't know and I still don't," replied Sirius, exasperated.

Arabella stared at him, "Wow, I'm the only person in the world who was told. Amazing! Hermione, I apologise in advance for your possibly losing your cat. If I'm wrong, which I hope I am, for the alternative is rather far-fetched, then there'll be no harm done. Anyway Sirius, will you perform the spell while I hold her or vice versa? I think I'd better keep a grasp on her, since I know more about cats...good girl..."

This last remark was made because Crookshanks was now behaving very well in Arabella's arms. Sirius raised his wand and Arabella took one arm away from the cat to scratch her head and whisper, "Now this won't hurt at all, as you probably know," she added grimly. Arabella's grip relaxed and Crookshanks took that opportunity to jump out of her captor's embrace. There was a slight pop as Crookshanks proved herself to be an animagus.

Sirius' jaw dropped and Arabella looked both worried and disbelieving. Ron made a face and pointed his finger at her mouthing, "You!" Harry, if it was possible, started forward and backward at the same time. Hermione looked first a little shocked then nodded her head once, without removing her eyes from the face of the beautiful stranger.

She was quite middle height and she wore a dirty pink dress. Her face was pale and fine boned. Her hair was the very finest light gold; every brunette hair dyer's dream colour. Apart from the fact she was looking rather stunned, her face was handsome and betrayed intelligence. She must have been a little under forty. She was blinking quite a lot, but between blinks you could tell that her eyes were the colour of a well cared for aspidistra, or sparkling emeralds, depending on preference.

To cut short a long description; Lily Potter stood in Arabella's office.