Unofficial Portkey Archive

Prince of the Dark Triangle

Details, descriptions, items and characters of the Harry Potter series are the sole property of J.K.Rowling, et al and used only within the context of this story and my not be otherwise reprinted, sold, or used for any other purpose. Original characters and plot are mine and my not be used in any other {for profit} form without permission…

Chapter 3

Early the next morning Hermione hit her office first and called for a de-briefing on the anomaly from the previous evening. She stopped for a quick spot of breakfast and a cup in the compound's dining area then headed to the Situation Room as soon as she was done.

Hermione no longer spent much time outside the walls of the Special Operations Unit compound. She was the Clan of the Dark Triangle's number one target and it was pretty clear they were looking for any opportunity to take her out. With Hermione Granger out of the way, they knew the whole resistance would probably fall apart or at least suffer a debilitating and crippling loss.

It was a completely self-contained secret facility that housed all of the agents as well as most of the support staff. Some chose to live in London but since the attacks on Muggles had increased most had decided to move to the fortress-like facility.

There was only one outside the Special Operations Unit who knew the true location of the place and that was the Commander of the D.M.L.E., Kingsley Shacklebolt…and he wasn't telling anyone. For anyone who wasn't a part of the operation, the only way in or out was through the Commander's flue in his office unless brought in by one of the team.

She walked into the Situation Room like a woman on a mission as usual and all her team was there. Pricilla Piffle, the other Communications Tech sat in to take the minutes as usual.

She nodded at the plethora of `good mornings' from her staff as she settled in her seat at the head of the large conference table.

"Good morning everyone," she said sitting stiffly upright in her seat, "let's get right to it shall we. Tobias, if you please."

Tobias Fox, Hermione's second in command she affectionately tagged as her Number One was the first recruit selected from over three dozen possibilities the first go round to find competent agents for the S.O.U.

He had passed all competency tests and placed higher than anyone on his aptitude test scores, physical ability and magical ability assessments. They had also discovered he was a natural leader and went out of his way to help his fellow trainees improve their own abilities. He had helped her get the team as well as the facilities needed up and running and to her he was an indispensable asset.

Tobias developed a very healthy respect for the Director, not because she was undoubtedly in command but that she had also gone through the training with her recruits. She had shown them all very quickly why she was more than qualified to head the S.O.U. She had left all of them in the dust in many cases without breaking a sweat.

It was also during the development stage of the S.O.U. that Hermione Granger got her new nickname.

It came as a result of a police action she had some of her new recruits go on with Kingsley's Aurors. It was to investigate a complaint that there were some dark types recruiting for a new group in a pub in Knockturn Alley. When the unit dispatched got there they were met by over 30 individuals all looking to wipe out the Auror detachment.

In seconds Diagon Alley was a bloody war zone and neither side was giving in or giving up.

When word had finally reached the Ministry Hermione wasted no time jumping right into the middle of the fray. Some of her new recruits watched as their future Director went on a killing rampage that made the old Death Eaters look like meek little puffskeins.

At one point Hermione summoned a small oil lamp sitting just inside one of the shop windows. When it landed in her hand she proceeded to explode the lamp creating a huge fireball just in front of her. With her magic she controlled the fire and started spraying it all over the dark wizards setting them ablaze.

Many came screaming out of their hiding places only to be cut down by the Auror team and the future agents of the S.O.U.

In the aftermath no-one could believe what they had seen but everyone agreed to what it had looked like…so Hermione was, from that day forward, known as…The Dragon!

"Agents Hudson and Listell were dispatched to the Falconer Pub at 1:17 a.m. this morning to investigate a strange anomaly that took place in Muggle London at just around 11:52 p.m. last evening as reported by the watchdogs over at the Ministry Department of the Illegal Use of Magic Division."

"Seems a Muggle by the name of Byron Humbolt, a United States citizen now residing here in London cast a modified reducto against another Muggle inside the same establishment and did so without a wand. The Agent's report also stated their preliminary investigation showed the Muggle had no knowledge of the use of magic and he is not registered at the Ministry for Magic at all."

Murmurs passed over all present.

"Interesting," Hermione said listening intently, "So you're saying this Muggle had no idea he possessed or was capable of using magic?"

"Yes Director," Agent Hudson interjected, "That's correct. He was rather disoriented and confused when we spoke to him last night. He was also a bit frightened. The burst of magic used on the victim broke the man's neck. He was dead at the scene when we arrived."

"Merlin's ghost!" someone exclaimed under their breath.

Hermione's mind was working in its usual efficient and organized fashion.

"While it's highly unusual for someone with magical ability to escape detection of the Ministry we are all aware of their fallibility. However, a foreign-born adult Muggle that did not use his or her magic could fly below the radar for a time I suppose, if they were very careful but I just don't see that happening."

"The power needed to cast such a spell with the force necessary to do that kind of damage had to be significant enough to rule out the possibility of the subject being a Squib. I take it you did not identify the true nature of your investigation to this Muggle?"

She eyed both Agents.

"No Director," Agent Listell added, "He believed we were a part of the Muggle investigation."

"Of course," she nodded, "I don't mean to sound trite gentlemen. I've just become accustomed to covering all my bases, you understand."

"Understood Director," Listell replied grinning slightly.

"I take it there were no charges brought since the Muggle authorities decided not to detain?"

"Yes ma'am," Listell answered, "That's correct. That was one of the reasons Agent Hudson contacted you for confirmation."

Hermione nodded making some notes on her parchment.

"I think Agent Hudson has additional information he acquired from the Ministry on the way in last night, isn't that correct?" Tobias inquired.

"Yes sir," Hudson said looking at the Director a bit worried, "I hope you don't mind Director but there was just something about the Ministry having no official cognizance of an adult Muggle who could perform magic that simply didn't set right with me so I paid a visit to the Ministry and the D.M.L.E. to try and find some answers."

"And what did you find Agent Humbolt?" Hermione asked.

Agent Hudson pulled several pieces of parchment from his briefcase and began…

"I learned some rather surprising things during my inquiry. My first stop was to the Department of Magical Detection. I discovered that they use the same process to detect foreign witches or wizards coming into the country as they do to identify adolescent Muggles who display magical abilities for indoctrination into our society. Although it's not infallible, as you stated Director, the system is fairly efficient."

"There might be quite a few magic folk who go unregistered but it's very rare Muggles with active magical ability go undetected. The Ministry simply doesn't have the resources to track them all down for official registry but they are watched by the D.M.D. for any signs of subversive activity."

"As I'm sure you already know Director, The Commander has ramped up efforts to expand detection as a result of the activity of the C.D.T in Muggle Great Briton…"

"Indeed, I do Mr. Hudson," Hermione nodded, "Go on."

"As you might be able to assess, that still left the fact that we have an adult Muggle with no knowledge of his own magical ability living in Muggle London completely undetected. I simply wasn't satisfied with the `shrug of the shoulders' attitude from the D.M.D. so I dug a little deeper."

"I went to talk to an Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries about this situation and I was a bit…shocked by what I learned."

With that declaration everyone in the room seemed to lean forward and paid a little closer attention.

"It was difficult, as you might expect, to get an audience with one of them but I'm nothing if not persistent. I finally got an interview with an unidentified member who gave me this information."

"It was the fact that this Muggle was from the United States that I was able to get what I was looking for. The Unspeakable said that Great Briton is very adept at identifying, contacting, registering and indoctrinating adolescent Muggle-born magical types, much more so than any other country."

"In a country like the United States, for example, the Muggle population is much larger so the chances of Muggle children who possess magical ability falling through the cracks, so to speak, are much greater."

"The Unspeakable had a word for these untrained adult Muggles. He called them Latents."

"Latents?" Hermione asked a bit shocked herself, "I've never heard that term. I've never really considered there were those with magical abilities who did not possess any type of formal training either. I wasn't aware they even existed."

"I'm not surprised," it was Agent Listell who interjected, "Although we're not certain it's an official term it's not such a common thing so the term isn't used much. Like Agent Hudson said, we're pretty good at spotting them young."

"True," Agent Hudson continued, "but there's more Director and I'm afraid it gets a bit dicey."

"Dicey, Agent Hudson," Hermione asked completely intrigued now, "Please explain."

"Yes. There seems to be a potential risk for Muggles who possess magical powers but have no skill or knowledge on how to use them. I was told that several conditions can occur. First, the individual should experience some major physical discomfort as a result of a build up of energy in their system."

"For Muggles who are identified and educated young to use their magic and are issued wands, or what was referred to by the Unspeakable as a focus instrument, the energy is dispersed on a regular basis. For someone with absolutely no knowledge of their magic abilities the energy builds up. As they get older it becomes even worse."

"One of the main symptoms of this condition is that the Muggle may suffer terrible physical pain or blinding headaches as a result of the constant pressure on their system. Another problem is the manifestation of strange occurrences such as sudden apparition or loss of memory or other sudden bursts of uncontrolled magic…"

"Like punching a full grown Muggle man clear across a pub without physically touching him?" Tobias asked.

"Precisely," Agent Listell said looking significantly at Number One, "but that's not the worst of it!"

They all sat silent for a moment as those words seemed to sink in.

"I'm afraid he's right," Hudson said, "The Unspeakable also told me if the condition in the adult Muggle is left untreated it can be…erm…fatal."

There was a collective gasp from most everyone at the table.

"You trust your source Agent Hudson?" Hermione asked. She was beginning to get concerned.

"Well yes, Director," Hudson added, "I have no reason not to at this point. He told me, in no uncertain terms that an untrained Muggle who possess magic left to their own devices could eventually self-destruct. There have been a few documented cases of things as strange as spontaneous combustion to the magic pressure simply burning out the cerebral cortex. No matter the cause, he said it was a horribly painful and excruciating way to die."

"Great galloping ghosts!" It was Brandy Honeywell, one of the S.O.U specialists, "How horrible!"

Hermione sat in thought for a long moment. Her first reaction was that she had a million other things she needed to be doing. Playing nursemaid to a Muggle who was close to coming apart at the seams was not one of them, however, she was also perfectly aware if he went off in a crowded place he could kill literally hundreds…and if she did nothing to stop it when she knew she could she would never be able to live with herself.

She groaned internally. She knew she should let Kingsley's people handle it but they already had the intel necessary to at least contain the problem and the skilled teams in place to execute. She wondered if she was starting to develop her own saving-people thing.

Morgan fecking le Fey…I hope not!

She covered her face with her hands for a moment until she had made her decision.

"Ok," she stated, "Here's what we're going to do. Number One and I will assess the situation. We need to know if this guy's an immediate threat or not. The only way to do that is if we get up close and personal…but we're not going to let him know he's being watched. If he's radio active will deal with the problem accordingly…"

"Radio active?" Someone asked.

"Erm…Muggle expression," she smirked, "The point is, if this guy's about to go off like a cracker he needs to be contained but if he's no threat we leave him be and let the Ministry handle him at their usual snail's pace."

She turned to Tobias.

"I need you to find out where he works, where he lives, where he hangs out, etcetera, etcetera. Get us a way in."

"I'm all over it Director," he replied without the slightest hesitation, "How soon?"

"Yesterday," she said with a slight smile, "Use what support you need. Everyone else stick to your assigned patrol schedules unless requested otherwise and you two…"

She pointed at Agents Hudson and Listell. They looked a bit taken aback for a moment.

"Damned fine work gentlemen," she said grinning, "Well done. That was certainly…educational."

"Thank you Director, just doing our jobs," was the combined response from both agents.

"You know it's so nice to have such an undemanding superior…" Tobias quipped under his breath.

Hermione just gave him that look, which from Hermione Granger, could be fatal in itself.

---@>---

The following Monday morning found Byron Humbolt standing in the office of the Director for Armed Security Division of the Prestige Security Company.

Captain Guilforth Banyon was one of the most upright, stodgy and priggish people Byron had ever met. An ex- British navel officer turned elderly English gentleman the man was by-the-book steadfast in every aspect of his life.

He was the picture of proper grooming and personal hygiene. He was always impeccably dressed with his ever-present bowler hat and his office was a neat and painfully organized miniature museum of British military maritime history.

The Captain did not suffer incompetence nor did he tolerate dishonesty of any kind. Byron was also almost certain Captain Banyon was mostly responsible for his getting hired on in the first place.

As the tall, debonair looking man with a perfectly trimmed white handlebar moustache sat scanning the document lying on his desk, peering down through his half-lens reading spectacles that had no arms and hung on a fine gold chain around his long neck, he glanced up at Byron with a bit of a frown.

"Are you certain this is what you want Mr. Humbolt," the Captain asked as he continued to read, "I've read the reports of the incident very carefully and can find no reason you should be concerned about the matter any further. While I realize that taking someone's life isn't something to be taken lightly this is a clear case of self-defense, nothing more."

"In fact, this is the very reason we consider you one of our more competent and capable agents Mr. Humbolt. However, if you feel you need a leave of absence I can certainly understand…"

"No sir," Byron replied before his superior had an opportunity to continue, "Thank you for the consideration but no. The last thing I need is time off," he sighed heavily, "I just think a change of position is in everyone's best interest right now sir."

Captain Banyon regarded Byron for a long moment before he nodded. The fact that this young man was standing before his desk at formal military attention, hat tucked under his left arm in a manner even the most strident drill instructor would be hard pressed to find fault with, was not lost on him in the least.

It said more about the young man's character than anything else as far as he was concerned.

"Very well, if that is your assessment then I feel compelled to accommodate you Mr. Humbolt. I have quite a few personnel requesting first shift so I don't think it will be a problem to find someone willing to change with you. Are you certain you want night watch?"

"Yes sir," Byron responded without explaining further.

Captain Banyon pulled a ledger from the top left drawer of his desk, placed it in front of him and opened it to a particular page and skimmed down a column of names and numbers all penned in a perfect swirling cursive script.

The good Captain did not use computers…they were for children and lay-abouts as he once commented when Byron had asked.

His finger rested on a name half way down the page.

"Ah yes," he said not looking up, "The next in line for consideration is a gentleman on night watch at the Morrison Hotel. It is a five-star hotel not far from Heathrow and they are one of our first, oldest and most distinguished clients. I think that would be a perfect fit for both of us, is that acceptable Mr. Humbolt?"

"Yes sir," Byron replied bowing slightly, "That's fine sir."

"Done and done, young man," the Captain said. He took out a legal pad and fountain pen and began copying some information from the ledger. When he was finished he pulled the sheet free and handed it to Byron.

"You will meet with Winston Ogilsvy. He is our Chief of Security for the Morrison. Fine fellow, been with us for twenty seven years. I'll call ahead and let him know you're coming as well as make arrangements for the transfer."

"Thank you Captain," Byron said, "I appreciate your help and understanding on this matter, sir."

"Indeed," his Director stated, "Very well. I won't mince words with you Mr. Humbolt. I'm not exactly keen on loosing one of our better agents on dayside due to all the strange occurrences and attacks lately but I am attempting to…read between the lines of this incident report and we shall leave it at that. That is all Agent Humbolt."

"Yes, sir," Turning on his heel as if he were in formal drill in the Marines he left the Director's office only feeling slightly better about everything that had happened three days before.

After going back to work that Saturday morning it had been just as Byron had feared. Almost all of his fellow security agents treated him as some strange oddity and a freak.

Even though the press reported the incident as nothing more than a drunken scuffle in a pub that ended in tragedy everyone that was there saw exactly what had happened even though they couldn't seem to explain it.

The only one who didn't shun him like the plague was the freaky little Gothic chick Benny. She had approached him during shift change Sunday morning eyes bright with excitement wanting to hear every detail of what she had heard from some of the others.

Before that Byron couldn't remember the girl saying more than a handful of words to him over the past two years. The way the girl was looking at him gave him the willies. It was like she was a wild predator and Byron was a rather tasty snack or something.

He just wanted to forget the whole thing but the stress of it all just became too much so that's what prompted him to change to night watch and get as far away from it as he could without quitting his job. Jobs were hard to come by and Prestige was one of the best security companies to work for in the U.K.

What he didn't know, could not have possibly foreseen was the strange chain of events set in motion that would change his life completely and forever in the very near future.

He had no idea he was about to meet HER and come face to face with his destiny.

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