"Harry Potter!" Head Auror Ron Weasley slammed a stack of papers down on the table.
"I doubt there is a need to remind you who he is. All of you know he is the Boy Who Defeated the Dark Lord," he said to a group of Aurors.
He was at the head of a long, rectangular table in a new wing of the expanded Auror division. Ron Weasley had been the youngest Head Auror in nearly twenty three decades and commanded the respect of his peers with his continual work on the case of Harry Potter. He was rarely seen outside of the office except on the rare occasions when Hermione Granger would force him to sleep.
"Although I need not to inform you that he is more than capable of taking any of you down, I'll just state some of his credentials. Harry Potter holds the highest score ever in "Escape and Evade" holds the second highest score in "Concealment and Disguise" and scored in the upper echelon of Aurors in all other subjects," Ron flipped through the several pages of Harry Potter's reports.
"Needless to say, he is more than capable of avoiding detection and more importantly impersonating one of us. After this meeting, some new security regulations will be handed out," there was a soft, collective groan from the group of Aurors.
Ron Weasley narrowed his eyes as he overlooked the nearly dozen Aurors that sat before him. They were hand selected for their competence in all of the major Auror subjects as well as their level of loyalty and anonymity. Ron Weasley did not want them to spill secrets to an extended family or most of their close relatives.
"You were hand selected for this job. If the reports we have been receiving are correct, he may even be a potential security threat against the Ministry," Ron barked. The group fell silent, fearing his wrath. Ron quickly reigned in his emotions in fear of another outburst.
"Mr. Potter was spotted this early morning by Dennis Creevey, brother of deceased Colin Creevey," Ron said as he walked towards a blackboard and lifted his wand. An uncannily accurate drawing of Harry Potter sketched itself on the blackboard while the rest of the Aurors took in the new face of Potter.
"The first question I pose to you lot; where has Mr. Potter been?" Ron continued with his back turned to the Aurors as he stared at the picture of Harry's face oddly.
"Forming his Dark Army?"
"Recruiting new Death Eaters?"
"Maybe he was kidnapped?"
"Perhaps he went on a sabbatical?"
Ron Weasley wheeled around on his heel and paced at the head of the desk.
"Those are all miserably horrible ideas worthy of a second year that just soiled himself from accidentally walking in on a girl," Ron said with a bemused expression. The Aurors chuckled at Ron's attempt to break the ice.
"Seriously, as extravagant and supposedly detailed the stories of Rita Skeeter are, that is all they are. Stories people. All her evidence is circumstantial at best and usually second hand accounts. We already know several of those pictures were magically altered by professionals. I've already set a tail on Skeeter because she obviously has an agenda."
"Sir, does that mean you think that Harry Potter is not dangerous?" one of the Aurors asked with a confused expression on his face.
"Not necessarily," Ron picked up an item from an adjacent table.
"Does anyone know what this is?" Ron held up the item for all of the Aurors.
"It's a gun," said one of the Aurors.
"Dennis Creevey reported that Harry Potter threatened him with this weapon. So we can obviously gather some information from this little tidbit," Ron waved his wand and a piece of chalk started writing a checklist on the blackboard, "Harry Potter has not did not obtain a wand, nor did he choose to take Mr. Creevey's wand. Why would that be?"
"He doesn't want to be detected."
"Exactly, and if Harry doesn't want to be detected, he won't," Ron finished. Ron watched an Auror squirm in his seat while writing something down on a notepad.
"Is there something wrong?" Ron asked quietly.
"No, sir, just noting an observation," the Auror quietly said.
"Care to share it with the rest of us?" Ron said as he leaned forward on the table, his eyes predatorily watching the squeamish Auror.
"Sir, haven't you ever thought of the possibility that Mr. Potter has fallen over? To the other side I mean?" the Auror asked nervously.
"That is a possibility. We certainly have to plan for that scenario but my gut tells me that Harry hasn't fallen over," Ron said contemplatively. The Auror nodded in hasty agreement and ducked his head, avoiding eye contact. The Head Auror instructed the rest of the Aurors to investigate any leads on the Harry Potter case before dismissing them with a nod of his head.
As the Aurors filed out of the room, there was a shimmer and Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared from thin air. He gave Ron a curt nod before examining the Harry Potter files.
"What did you think?" Ron asked.
"They're smart enough," Shacklebolt said in his usual booming voice, "They question your motives however."
Ron looked curiously at Shacklebolt.
"Why do you say that?"
"You have to admit Ron, you have very close ties to this case," Shacklebolt observed.
"I'm a professional, I will carry this case out in the best way possible," Ron said stiffly.
"I do not question your dedication to your profession Ron. I question your ability to hit Mr. Potter with the appropriate curse when the time arrives," Shacklebolt raised his eyes to meet Ron's eyes. They exchanged a meaningful glance before Shacklebolt stepped away from the files.
"Good luck with this Ron. Merlin knows that there is more at stake than most people believe," Shacklebolt said in an authoritative voice. Ron nodded again, his back stiff and his eyes out of focus. Before Kingsley left, Ron asked him a question.
"Do you really think Harry's that important?" Ron asked.
Shacklebolt stood in the doorframe, his back to Ron.
"Harry's always been important Ron. You know that," Shacklebolt paused, "There are some people who believe that there is another war on the horizon and not just in the Wizarding world. There is something afoul in the streets of London. Something unnatural. Harry's disappearance may give us at least some information on what the hell is going on."
"Any updates?"
"Word from the spies indicates that there is a large recruitment of heavy Dark forces. I want to put an end to this recruitment before history repeats itself," Shacklebolt said, "Update me."
Shacklebolt swept out of the door with a wave of his robes, leaving Ron in contemplation of this new information. As Ron was packing, an ordinary brown owl flew into the room and dropped a hastily written letter on the table. Before Ron could even leave a tip in the pouch on the owl's leg, it swept off with a soft hoot, leaving Ron alone with the white envelope.
Ron.
Ron's name was scribbled at the very center of the envelope with no return address. Quietly waving his wand over the letter, Ron found there to be no curses or jinxes within the envelope. His curiosity peaked; Ron tentatively opened the letter and found a small note written on the piece of parchment within.
Ron,
Grimmauld at 3. Come alone.
HP
A feeling of trepidation crawled across Ron's skin as he read the brief letter. It was written in the same half-scrawl that clearly identified the writer as Harry Potter or at least someone who could fake the handwriting with shocking accuracy. He stared numbly at the letter for a couple of moments before snapping into action. Waving his wand deftly, Ron conjured a Patronus and sent it off for the Aurors that had just left the room.
***
"We're here," Ron said as he peered through the windows of Grimmauld Place. A half dozen Aurors stood behind him, clad in thick, protective robes. Ron inspected the formerly untouched front door of Grimmauld. As homage to Sirius and Dumbledore, Harry had locked the doors the old fashioned Muggle way; he had looped a thick, steel chain through the handle of the door and locked it with an enormous canine shaped padlock.
Ron signaled for the group of Aurors to advance slowly. They emerged from the small forest in a spearhead formation, warily watching the streets for any signs of a trap. As Ron approached the door, he raised his hand and made a fist, indicating for the group to stop. At once, the Aurors flattened their formation until they were parallel with the gate outside Grimmauld Place.
The canine shaped padlock lay unlocked within the fallen steel chains. It confirmed Ron's suspicions that Harry had been here. A gust of wind rustled Ron's robes as he stared at the lock mutely. There was a rush of blood to the head as Ron slipped back in time.
"Are you sure about this Harry?" Ron asked. Harry was feverishly looping the steel chains around the door handles repeatedly with an intense look on his face.
"I'm never been more sure in my life," Harry grunted as he looped it around another time. He finally stood up and dusted his hands on his pants as he stared at his creation.
"Oh, one more thing," Harry reached from behind him and produced a thick canine shaped padlock.
"There are magical enchantments that prevent the lock from being broken through any sort of magic. It can only be unlocked with this key," Harry held up a golden key, "We shouldn't disturb this place."
Ron and Harry looked up through the several windows that faced the street. For a moment, Ron thought he could see Kreacher passing through one of the windows but as he blinked again, he saw nothing.
"I still don't understand why we're locking this place down. We can still use it," Ron said.
"They told me to," Harry said in a half whisper.
"Who told you to?" Ron asked.
Harry turned to him, "Mr. Weasley?"
"Mr. Weasley?"
Ron snapped to attention as the highest ranking Auror addressed him.
"Orders?"
"Group into pairs. Follow me," Ron commanded as he walked swiftly towards the door. He waved his wand to check for jinxes. Ron carefully opened the door. It gave a large moan from lack of use and Ron could see the individual particles of dust wafting in the air.
An old musky scent assaulted Ron's olfactory senses as he crossed the threshold into Grimmauld Place. At once, the torches that lined the hallway lit in a bright flurry, revealing the cobwebs and spiders that infested the dank hall.
The Aurors pressed themselves against the walls as Ron led the way. Mrs. Black was strangely quiet as Ron passed her frame and walked into the kitchen. A layer of dust covered the long table and Ron could distinctly hear the Weasley family laughing in the distance. Memories gripped the Head of the Auror Department until the same Auror interrupted his sojourn into the past again.
"Orders?" the Auror said with a little more impatience.
"Investigate the house. Be careful, Harry's well trained," Ron said vaguely. The lead Auror nodded and made a couple of hand motions, indicating the directions that the other two pairs should take.
"You two stay with me," Ron said as he walked around the kitchen table, his finger trailing through the dust. Ron kept walking around the kitchen, bewildering the two Aurors that watched as their leader walked almost drunkenly around the table. Ron stopped near the sink and leaned closer.
"He's here," Ron whispered as he watched a drop of water fall from the faucet. One of the Aurors behind him cursed softly, and Ron heard shuffling behind him.
There was a thud directly above them followed by a similar thud. Dust fell from the ceiling, indicating that whatever had fallen was directly on top of them.
"What was that?" one of the Aurors whispered shakily.
"Check for the teams," Ron ordered. The lead Auror conjured a bubble and whispered it instructions before it raced off into the heart of the darkness. Before the bubble could even reach the top of the stairs, two bodies tumbled down the staircase.
"Who is it?" Ron asked.
"Murtogg and Mullroy," the head Auror answered as he checked their pulses.
Ron shook his head as he looked up the staircase. The three Aurors stared upwards and watched as a hooded figure emerged from the top of the banister. He stared down at them, his face shrouded by the darkness of the house and his hood. As quickly as he appeared, the person was out of sight.
"The other pair is probably down. Stunning and disarming spells only," Ron ordered as he brandished his wand. Quickly ascending the staircase, the trio kept their eyes upwards, wary of an attack. The ancient wood creaked underneath the pressure of their feet as they swiftly made their way to the top of the staircase.
"Hold," Ron said as he peeked over the top stair. He rotated in a circle, quickly identifying the possible rooms where Harry might hide. Just as Ron had completed his revolution, he heard a snap and watched as something hurtled through the air and collided with one of the Aurors. The object collided with such force that it sent the Auror tumbling over the railing. Ron watched helplessly as the Auror fell out of sight.
"Levicorpus!" the lead Auror cast in desperation. Unfortunately, the spell did not work as well as he hoped as the falling Auror was yanked upwards and smacked his head into the adjacent wall. Ron winced at the harsh sound before casting his own spell.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The Auror froze, suspended in mid-air as gently laid him on the ground below. He shot a look at the shaken Auror besides him and said, "Levicorpus doesn't work as well when the target's already in the air, Thomas."
Thomas nodded with a grim look on his face. Ron picked up the object that had collided with the Auror.
"House-elf," Ron chuckled despite the situation. He rolled the rotted head in his hands and said mostly to himself, "Hermione would not be happy with you."
"Sir," Thomas addressed him formally, "We need to take Mr. Potter down."
Ron nodded in vague agreement as he climbed the stairs again. There was another snap as Ron spotted another house-elf hurtling through the air. Ron and Thomas easily side stepped the swinging head and waited until the movement stopped. Mesmerized by the rotten head, Thomas stuck his hand out to yank it off the rope that was attached to the house-elf's ears.
As soon as Thomas touched the head however, it snapped off the thin rope and two planks of wood fell from above his head and collided with his skull. Ron barely caught Thomas as he crumpled to the ground, preventing just a little more damage to the poor bloke's cranial area.
"Not a smart fellow is he?" a voice called out from the darkness.
Ron snapped around to the sound of the voice, his ears straining for the locale. All of the doors remained closed as the little sunlight that poured through the half-circle window did nothing to improve the lighting.
"Put your wand down, Ron," the voice said again.
"Harry. We need to talk," Ron projected.
There was laughter. It started softly at first, just a slight snicker. The laughter continued until the person was almost shrieking and Ron was eerily reminded me of Sirius' laugh in the Shrieking Shack during his 3rd year.
"That is you, right Harry?" Ron asked again.
The laughing died down as quickly as it had started. There was a shuffle of footsteps and Ron saw a shadow move out of the corner of his eye.
"Put your wand down, Ron," Harry said.
Ron hesitated for a moment, his body jerking forward. Eventually he tossed his wand to the ground and watched as it rolled out of sight.
"Your other," Harry said.
Ron reached for his ankle holster slowly. As soon as Ron had a firm grip on the wand, he fired off two spells; he fired one at where he thought Harry stood and he fired another one at the half-circle window, flooding the top floor with sunlight. Using the broken window as a distraction, Ron attempted to open the nearest door only to find it locked. Cursing his luck, Ron crouched and pressed himself as closely as he could against the wall.
Ron surveyed his situation and deemed it decidedly unfavorable. He had no cover and Harry could plainly see him in the bright sunlight. He distinctly heard the hammer of a gun cock back.
"Wait! Wait! I'm putting it down!" Ron yelled as he laid the wand down and kicked it away. He stood up with his hands in the air in a surrender position, still trying to find Harry.
"That was a nice trick, Ron. Trying to hit me and cast as much light as possible at the same time," Harry said in the same omniscient voice.
"Too bad it didn't work. Always did outthink me, didn't you Harry?" Ron asked.
Ron watched as the trap door lowered from the ceiling and the same hooded figure walked down the stairs with a gun pointed at Ron. Ron could see that Harry was dressed in Muggle fashion with faded jeans and a dark hooded sweatshirt. The sleeves were pulled all the way down to the wrists with black leather gloves covering his hands.
"There's no need for the gun, Harry," Ron said.
"Why not Ron? Am I not a psychopath on the loose?" Harry mocked.
"Well it sure looks like it but if you wanted me dead, it would have happened long before I got up here," Ron reasoned.
"Who says I'll kill you afterwards?" Harry asked quietly.
Ron's heart thumped a little faster at Harry's question. It was certainly not out of the question for Harry to first interrogate him before executing him. Still, Ron would give Harry a chance before jumping to conclusions.
"I need to ask you some questions," Harry stated, his gun still pointed at Ron.
"As do I, Harry. There's no need to point the gun at me," Ron said again.
"DON'T PATRONIZE ME!" Harry roared. Ron started and stepped backwards in confusion, losing the status quo. He needed to keep Harry calm. Ron held his palms outward as a sign of peace.
"Listen, I'm not patrozin-" Ron started.
"-Yes. You. Are," Harry emphasized his word with a jab of his gun. He chuckled hysterically before speaking again, "Just because I've been gone for six years doesn't mean I've forgotten the tactics of negotiation."
Ron cursed himself silently for underestimating Harry. For all the warnings he had given the other Aurors, Ron certainly did not follow his own advice.
"Now, I need some answers," Harry said with a calm voice again. Ron was slightly disturbed by Harry's sudden change in emotion.
"You know I can't just do that, Harry" Ron repeated.
Harry stopped his advances, looking as if he were weighing his options.
"Harry, it's just me," Ron pleaded. Harry stood still, not speaking.
"Let's play game," Harry said, "I'll ask a question. You answer. You'll a question. I'll answer. Simple enough for you?"
Ron deflected the obvious jest at his mental acumen and responded, "Yes."
"How did you become Head of the Auror Department?" Harry asked first.
"I…after you disappeared, I led the search team and captured nearly all of the remaining Death Eaters in my attempt to find you. After the old Head retired, Shacklebolt chose me to replace him. One of his more controversial decisions actually, making such a young person the Head of a Department," Ron shrugged. Harry nodded his approval.
"Where have you been?" Ron asked.
Harry paused and Ron saw his eyes flicker underneath the hood. His shoulders bunched together and his feet shuffled, indicative of an unnerving question.
"I've been here the whole time."
Ron cocked his head curiously, "Harry, let's bring you in."
Harry shuffled his feet again and let out a snort.
"You think I'm crazy don't you?" Harry asked calmly.
"You've been gone for a long time. I can see that, you didn't even know when I was promoted. You don't know…" said Ron in what he hoped to be a soothing voice.
Harry growled and yanked back his wood, showing his untamed hair and growing beard. While his face definitely looked worse for wear, his green eyes still burned with fire, striking a sort of awe within Ron.
"Look at me. Do I look crazy?"
"Well, I never imagined a beard on you," Ron half-heartedly joked. Harry was not amused.
"It's my turn to ask a question again," Ron stated.
"What? No, I never asked mine," Harry started.
"Incorrect. In fact, you asked two questions," Ron needled. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Ron was correct.
"Now I'll ask again, Harry. Where were you?"
"I was here. I've been here for six years, three months, and some odd number of days. You can comb my memory all you want Ron. I want answers as well. Like, for example, why no one was in England for the past six years and all of you pop up like life's normal," Harry ranted, his eyes flittering unnaturally.
"Harry, you were the one that was gone for six years. You were the one that left us all in shambles!" Ron countered furiously.
"DON'T BLAME THIS ON ME!" Harry roared, "I. DID. NOTHING!"
"Well then tell me where you really were Harry. Tell me what you've been doing for the past six years," Ron said sarcastically, advancing towards Harry.
"Don't move," Harry whispered.
"You're not going to shoot-"
BANG. A shot rang through the house, grazing Ron's ear. Ron yelped in pain as he kneeled down, clutching his ear. A trickle of blood seeped through his fingers.
"Dammit, Harry."
Ron looked up, but Harry was no longer there. Looking over the railing, Ron met Harry's eyes.
"Harry! Just come in! We have answers!" Ron yelled desperately.
"No, you don't. You just proved it to me," Harry responded before yanking the hood over his head and vanishing out of sight.
"Merlin's beard," Ron whispered as he attempted to mend his ear. He was unsuccessful however as blood spurted in a new diagonal arc.
"Fuck."
Staggering out of Grimmauld Place, Ron sent a Patronus back to Auror Headquarters before Apparating away. The familiar feeling of being squeezed through a pipe enclosed Ron. With a gasp, Ron landed on soft sand. The sound of crashing waves reached Ron's ears as he made his way to a little house perched on a small bluff overlooking the ocean.
Ron shivered as he passed through the magical barriers surrounding the cozy home. He pounded furiously on the door, still grasping his ear.
"Hermione! Hermione! I need to talk to you!"
***
School makes it hard to update.
It felt strange writing a Ron-centric episode after the numerous Harry-centric episodes.
Even more questions. Still not enough answers.
All is not well in the Muggle world.