After over four months, I finally have an idea for this chapter. At long last.
I don't own Harry Potter.
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Chapter 6 - Placing the Pieces
Standing alone on the top of the Astronomy tower, Harry sighed heavily, his breath fogging in the cold March night air.
It had been several months since he was broken free from Azkaban, and they had made considerable progress. Hermione and the other rebels had successfully captured and interrogated seven additional Ministry officials, their knowledge of the once impregnable site growing larger every time. Unfortunately, information on the Ministry building was still not quite complete enough to stage a successful coup.
Harry had also changed in the past several months. With a combination of adequate nutrition and physical training, Harry's physique had changed from being malnourished nearly to the point of being emaciated to a man that was physically healthy, even though he still remained one of the thinnest men in Hogwarts. He continued to neglect his magic, instead opting to continue his training firing the pistol that Hermione had provided him. Several weeks previous, Hermione had also provided him with a silencer; Harry decided it was best not to inquire as to how she had obtained such a device.
"Knut for your thoughts?" a voice asked behind him. Harry turned around to see Hermione standing by the trap door, dressed in warm winter clothes. Harry shrugged and returned his gaze to the sky.
"Just admiring the stars," he said. Hermione chuckled as she walked up to his side.
"I never figured you for a stargazer," she said as she tipped her head back to look up at the night sky.
"It's more fun when you're not doing it for an Astronomy essay," Harry clarified, shrugging, causing Hermione to laugh lightly. For several moments, they just stood together, enjoying the comfortable silence between them.
"So, what are you planning to do after this?" Hermione asked bluntly, causing Harry to look at her in surprise.
"Excuse me?" he asked, not quite understanding her.
"What are you planning to do, after all this is over?" Hermione asked, shifting her gaze to him. Harry expelled a breath loudly and turned to watch the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"To be honest, I hadn't thought that far ahead," he admitted. "But I suppose I could start by moving somewhere quiet."
"Dumbledore said that you were planning on becoming the next Minister of Magic," Hermione said, raising an eyebrow. Harry snorted with humor.
"I was angry, and just said that to piss him off," Harry said. "To be honest, I don't want anything to do with the government." They let his words linger in the air for a moment before he turned to her. "So what are you planning to do after this is over? Going to stay Headmistress, or going to be the next Minister of Magic?" he asked cheekily. Hermione laughed and shook her head.
"No, I'm not going to be the next Minister of Magic," she said. "I mean, I'll stick around to make sure that things go as planned, but after that, I was thinking of spending a couple of years just traveling the world," she continued, smiling softly to herself. "After that, I was thinking of maybe getting a degree in medicine and become a doctor, like I wanted to do before I went to Hogwarts."
"You'd make a good doctor," Harry said, wrapping an arm around Hermione's shoulders. Hermione chuckled mirthlessly as she looked down at her hands.
"I'd certainly feel a degree of empathy for amputees," she said blandly, staring at the black glove concealing her silver prosthetic hand. "Come on," she said, pulling herself from under Harry's arm and taking his hand, "let's get out of this cold before we freeze to death." She pulled her friend into the warmth of the castle, and sat down in front of the fire that flickered brightly in "their" bedroom. They said nothing, the room silent except for the fire crackling, and they both fell asleep on the sofa.
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"Okay people, all of our hard work is almost at fruition, just one more prisoner and we will have sufficient information to storm the Ministry and have the greatest chance of success," Hermione said sternly as she waved her wand, the projection crystal displaying an image of a dark-skinned man along with scrolling text containing vital information. "Blaise Zabini," Hermione said, identifying their next target, "head of Ministry security. He is in charge of patrol routes, shift rotations, security scanner locations, et cetera. Capturing him will be a major advantage to our cause, for the information that he carries will allow us to know exactly when the best time to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic will be, as well as the knowledge for us to disable, or at least dodge the scanners.
"It took a while, but we've eventually figured out a routine for Zabini," Hermione continued, pointing to the folders in front of all people present. "It seems that on the third Friday to Sunday of every month, Zabini goes to a hotel to meet a mistress; the address is in your documents. It has also been observed that Zabini enjoys a cup of tea before their…activities. The plan is to bribe his mistress to drugging him for us for pickup, or if that falls through, to intercept her and send a Polyjuice agent in her place." Harry looked up from his folder to see that the majority of the selected agents were female. "After we capture Zabini, we have at least 48 hours to pump him of any and all information we may require. You have your duties; we move out in one hour. Dismissed," Hermione finished, and the assembled agents stood up and began to mill out of the room to prepare for their upcoming mission.
Several minutes past an hour later, and Harry - disguised as a nondescript Muggle - found himself ringing the doorbell of a flat in a rather desolate building. Several seconds later, the door opened slightly to show a blonde woman slightly taller than Harry.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked.
"Yes, you can," Harry said in a serious tone. "I understand that you have an appointment with a certain individual over the weekend." The woman narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Maybe," she said, drawing her wand behind her. "What's it to you?"
"The people that I work for have expressed a particular interest in your client," Harry assured the woman, smiling gently. "However, you are in a unique position where he is concerned. It will only require a minor deviation in your normal routine, and you will be compensated for your cooperation." This caught the woman's attention, as she leaned closer in interest.
"Compensated how?" she asked.
"Your usual fare plus say…fifteen galleons?" Harry offered to her.
"What do I have to do?" the woman asked, the image of fifteen gold coins dancing in her eyes. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a small zip-top bag containing white powder.
"Just stir this powder into his tea," Harry explained as he offered her the item, "and after he falls asleep, just lay the baggie on his person and tap it with your wand three times. After that, you will receive your reward." Bidding her good-bye, Harry walked out of the building and into an awaiting car, a disguised Hermione at the wheel. "That was easy," Harry sighed as he slid into the passenger seat.
"I imagine it was, seeing as we offered her almost a full month's rent extra," Hermione said as she shifted the car into gear and pulled into the street. Harry merely shrugged in response.
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Two days later, Harry and a female agent that Hermione had identified as "Matthews" were hiding in the bushes near the rendezvous place where Zabini and his mistress would meet. They watched through binoculars as first Zabini, then the woman that Harry had bribed Apparate into the house. They spoke for a few minutes and prepared tea, then as Zabini went into the bathroom, the woman spiked Zabini's cup with the drug that Harry had provided.
"How long does that stuff take to work anyway?" Harry whispered as he readjusted his grip on his binoculars.
"About five minutes after consumption," Matthews replied, shifting her position slightly. They watched with malicious grins as Zabini drank the tainted beverage, and they lowered their binoculars as Zabini reached for the clasp of his robes, neither of them wanting to be traumatized by Zabini's activities. "So, you and Granger, huh?" Matthews asked after several minutes had passed, briefly glimpsing into her binoculars before lowering them with a shudder.
"What about us?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
"Nothing," Matthews said innocently, "just making small talk." Humming skeptically, Harry lifted his binoculars to see the woman, now covered by a bed sheet, laying the plastic bag on the now unconscious Zabini's back and tapping it three times with her wand before Zabini disappeared with a pop.
"Great," Harry grunted as he lowered his communicator to his mouth. "Mission is a success, target is in custody, move out and return to HQ," he muttered into the device before he and Matthews crawled out of the bushes and took a portkey back to Hogwarts.
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When Zabini slowly drifted back into consciousness, he noticed a few things. Firstly, his head felt like it was being split in two. Secondly, he was in a dark room that most definitely was not his getaway house. Thirdly, he was tied to a chair with no way to move his extremities. He heard a door open, and he saw a silhouette standing in front of the light. The door closed, and several torches burst into flames, revealing his companion to be none other than Hermione.
"Ahh, Granger," Zabini sneered. "What an unpleasant surprise."
"Hello to you too, Blaise," Hermione said, smiling. "I apologize for your accommodations, but that was all we could gather on such short notice," she said insincerely.
"You're never going to get anything out of me," Zabini sneered again, although beneath his display of bravado he was becoming nervous. Hermione chuckled evilly at his statement.
"Yes, that's what they all said," she said flippantly. "But they all cracked soon enough, and it'll be two days before anyone even notices that you're gone," she continued, sitting down on a chair that she had conjured. "I think I'll crack you too." Zabini could not help but gulp nervously.
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"Okay, the major patrol units will be in the Atrium," Hermione dictated as she pointed to a holographic projection of the Ministry of Magic building. "Two teams, lead by Mr. Potter and myself, will enter through the sewers here," she continued, waving her wand to zoom in on a particular section of the structure. "There's one scanner by the exit, which Mr. Potter can take out. From there, there'll be another two scanners in the next room.
"Right outside of the office, which incidentally used to be occupied by our guest Seamus Finnegan, is an entrance to a stairway that leads all the way up to the level where the Minister's office is. Luckily for us, there are no scanners inside the stairway; however, there are scanners inside the main levels, and I highly doubt that we could destroy every single one we run across without getting discovered. Therefore, our first destination will be here," she said, waving her wand again to zoom to a different section of the building. "This is the security office, operated by our former guest Zabini, and controls all scanners within the building. If we can get in there and deactivate the scanners, the security effectiveness will be severely crippled.
"From there, we have three primary targets," Hermione said, the hologram displaying three images, as well as highlighting three areas near the top of the structure. "Ronald Weasley, head of Magical Games and Sports; Ginevra Weasley, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and Dolores Umbridge, Minister of Magic. If they attack, you are all authorized to retaliate to defend your lives, but try to capture them alive if at all possible." Her eyes flickered to Harry briefly before she shifted it back to the assembly. "So, any questions?" One man raised his hand.
"Yeah," the agent said, "if we're going in through the sewers, what's to keep us from being detected just by people smelling us?" he asked curiously.
"Don't worry, we've got that covered," Hermione assured the man. "Anything else?" A different agent raised his hand.
"What do we do if someone sees us?" he asked.
"You stun them, confiscate their wand, bind them and stash them somewhere where they won't be found," Hermione explained. "Anything else?" she asked again. No one else raised their hand, and Hermione nodded in satisfaction. "Very well then, you're dismissed. We move out in two hours." Harry stayed behind as the rest of the agents left to prepare for the upcoming mission. "So, are you ready for this, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry turned to her and smiled darkly.
"I've spent the past thirteen and a half years getting ready," he replied.
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I don't know how much rent is in Europe, but here in the paradise state, 15 Galleons (approx. US$150) won't get you very far (I think a studio apartment costs at least $200 a month).
This fic is almost done; I reckon two or three more chapters until the end.
Don't forget to read and review!
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