A Cloak & Dagger State of Affairs - Chapter 12

MISSION HOGWARTS

Chapter 5 - Freedom

The photographer's manic scream was immediately followed by a dozen stunning spells and widespread panic.

Rita Skeeter screamed as she was used as a shield and blasted off her feet when the stunners crashed into her. The power and quantity of the spells were sure to leave some brain damage behind.

Reginald Bixlow slipped away from the panic and exited the great hall with worry and fear weighing down his shoulders.

"Everyone be calm!" boomed Dumbledore and Bixlow heard a series of bangs from the hall signaling the capture of Barty Crouch junior. He began to run when he felt he was safe from being seen and sprinted towards the main gates of the castle as the panicked screams faded away.

Outside a man was waiting.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"The portkey worked," Bixlow said in a rush. He quickly drew his wand and focused on the tracker he had put on Harry before temporarily freezing him.

A hazy map shimmered out of his wand but it wasn't close enough.

"Wherever he is, he's quite far out. Let's change location," muttered the man.

"We have to be fast Croaker," said Sirius Black, barely containing his panic at sending his godson into the devil's nest.

"Relax Black," said Croaker. "I'm sure Harry can hold his own until we get there."

"He's my godson," Sirius mumbled, his eyes shifting from side to side in panic. "He's James' son and I sent him to his murderer."

Croaker sighed and grabbed Sirius's elbow to disapparate. The mark of Azkaban never truly left those imprisoned there.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Little Hangleton

Harry's magic burst out the moment he landed on his feet. He drew his wand and set his mind to red alert. The plan to abduct him had worked and he hadn't even seen it coming. He was furious with his failure but it wasn't over yet.

His eyes darted around what seemed to be a dark desolate graveyard looking for a threat to incapacitate. He crouched, keeping his body low and his magic sharp.

Whoever had planned this was definitely out there.

Harry moved sideways, slowly and carefully, trying to keep the sounds of his boots crunching against the gravelly dirt as low as possible. The rising moon provided sufficient light for him to see but not enough to find his kidnappers.

A stunning spell came hurtling from his right and Harry snapped a shield in place while following it up with an explosion curse.

The ground where the spell came from blew up and he heard a small cry.

"Come out coward!" Harry shouted and kept on the move.

"Hurry Wormtail!"

A weak, high pitched cry pierced the silence of the invisible battle and Harry turned towards it. He noticed a cauldron lit up by flames beneath it and was forced to duck when binding ropes came flying at him.

Whoever it was, was disillusioned and Harry mentally cursed.

He moved away from the cauldron and the direction of spells and kept turning 360 degrees to find the source. But he couldn't spot any distortions in the atmosphere nor the voice that had cried out. Whoever this was, was good with magic.

Instinct saved Harry from the next attack.

He spun around and powered another shield in place to block a massive snake from attacking him. Its size made Harry's eyes widen and then narrow when it reared back to strike again.

His body moved like water.

He sheathed his wand, while dodging a spell at the same time. His feet moved like a predatory dance and his eyes began to crackle with power.

He side stepped another spell and walked into the path of the lunging snake.

"Bad move," Harry hissed dangerously and pointed a finger at the snake.

The snake never stood a chance. A bolt of crackling raw magic burst out of Harry's finger and blew a hole into the snake's head. It fell before his feet, dead as a doornail.

"No! Nagini!" the voice cried out. "Wormtail!" it screamed.

This time Harry noticed a slight distortion in the air just a few feet away from him and without breaking his movements, he directed the magic streaming out his finger to attack the hidden Wormtail.

Wormtail never stood a chance either and Harry's magic tore through the hurried shield he had put in place before tearing into his gut.

Wormtail fell to the muddy ground. Dead and in two pieces.

Adrenaline was rushing through Harry and the use of Amazon magic left him half drained. It was a double edged sword that left no survivors when used.

Panting and releasing the magic Harry turned towards the cauldron.

In the dim light of the bright moon and the fire crackling under the cauldron, Harry noticed a shadow move.

Harry moved forward with caution.

His feet crunched under the tiny gravel and his eyes were focused on the thing crawling away from the cauldron and towards the dark cover of the forest which was a long ways away. Faint shadows of gravestones passed him by as he weaved his way forward and then, ignoring the cries of the crawling thing, Harry kicked out hard.

Harry sucked in a breath at the sight of the ugly thing. It was a baby but it wasn't. It was a thing with thin, frail arms and stubby legs. Its face was large and it had red slits for eyes, a crooked nose, thin black lips and terribly gaunt cheeks. Its skin was peeling off its body and beneath it, a black ooze was constantly on the flow.

It was revolting and Harry knew its identity.

A sadistic grin pulled his lips wide and Harry's adrenaline rush began to wear off. It was replaced by triumph. Voldemort's plan had failed and now the great dark lord was at the mercy of Harry's boot.

"Well well well," drawled Harry and then he carelessly kicked the baby Voldemort in the ribs.

Voldemort squealed and cursed and tried crawling away.

Harry laughed and quickly strode forward and put his feet on Voldemort's back to crush him into the ground.

"Is this how you imagined your return to be like?" Harry mocked. "That's what I assume all this was about. The Cauldron, the plan, although I don't know why you needed me."

"Harry Potter," Voldemort cried out in rage. "How dare you….!"

Harry kicked him in the face, cutting him off. His grin grew broader and eyes gleamed with vengeance. "Look at you," Harry laughed. "What a pathetic thing you've become. Do you like the smell of my boots?"

Harry's strike had left baby Voldemort on his back and evil red eyes glared hatefully at the boy who lived. His lips had cracked and more ooze began to drip out of his cracked skin. Through the glare that would have made other men cower, Harry could see the terror playing inside the dark lord's mind. It gave him a pleasure he had never felt before and kicked Voldemort again.

"Having fun?"

Harry turned around sharply and saw a man he had least expected to be there. The other man standing beside him was even more shocking.

"Croaker?" Harry gasped. "Bixlow?"

Harry drew his wand and pointed it at Bixlow in a flash.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down cowboy," Croaker said loudly, raising his hands defensively. "Bixlow was our inside man in Hogwarts so don't go killing him!"

"He stunned me and let me get kidnapped," Harry growled.

"All on my orders," Croaker said calmly. He then sighed, pulled out his wand and shot a stunning spell at the whining baby dark lord and smiled in satisfaction when Voldemort was knocked out. "Let me explain."

Harry paused but his eyes were furious. Pieces were falling into place and Hugo's refusal to give him information was making sense. "Explain," Harry said shortly and sheathed his wand.

"Bixlow here is an asset I picked up years ago," Croaker began. "A story made short, he put us on the trail of a known death eater by the name of Peter Pettigrew aka Wormtail, who you just killed, about a year ago."

Harry blinked. What?

"Don't think too much. Bixlow here is very familiar with Wormtail and he spotted him in a newspaper clipping which put us on his trail. We sent him to capture the rat but Pettigrew escaped."

Harry was tempted to interrupt and ask one of the million questions running through his mind but he kept silent and took deep breaths to calm himself. He then let go of his metamorph powers and slowly reverted back to his six foot intimidating frame; his clothes automatically adjusted their size.

Bixlow's mouth dropped open at the change.

"Now we already knew the dark lord was moving. The signs were there. Bertha Jerkins disappearance was the first clue and when Pettigrew escaped the signs grew clearer and the world cup was a prime example."

"You mean the dark mark's appearance?" Harry asked.

"Yes. But we couldn't find Pettigrew until your little adventure in Crooked Corner."

Harry looked at the broken body of Pettigrew and realized he was the same person he had seen in the rundown shack. Bixlow too, had his eyes fixed on the man with an unreadable expression on his face.

"After that I flooded my network, both muggle and magical, to find Pettigrew and low behold, he found him in the same shack with both the Crouch's! It was then we realized Crouch Jr. was alive and senior was under the Imperius curse."

"Huh." So that's why Crouch was acting so suspicious. I'm an idiot for not seeing it.

"Ever since then we've never lost our eyes on them and with Bixlow at Hogwarts to coordinate things and keep tabs on Dumbledore with his skills, we were able to manipulate events to end in our favor."

"Well clearly that didn't work," Harry broke in sarcastically. "Was my name coming out of the Goblet part of your grand plan?"

The look Croaker had said it all.

"Son of a bitch!" Harry gasped. "You mean to say… fucking hell… was I the bait to lead you to Voldemort!?"

"Yes. For all our surveillance the two were extremely careful when returning to the dark lord and it was impossible to get to him. So when we found out about their plan to put your name in the Goblet and take you to Voldemort, we had the perfect opening."

"So all this time. My mission in Hogwarts wasn't really a mission. I was just there to ensure your operation went smoothly. I was just a fucking idiot who thought he had something important to do but in reality he was being played by his own boss."

Harry was furious. Croaker had pulled him out of the States for his own selfish reasons. His mission had been abandoned just to allow Croaker to pull his off.

"Spies use other spies all the time, kid," Croaker said with a dry smile. "I guess this is a good lesson for you to learn. But take heart. You just kicked the shit of the creep who killed your parents. Maybe this will give you a bit of closure and satisfy your thirst for revenge."

"I never gave a crap about all that!"

"You don't care this monster killed Lily and James?" Bixlow asked, his tone bordering indignation.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Who the fuck are you to ask? And on another note, how the fuck did the portkey work inside the Great Hall?"

"Your mind not working, kid? It was a Ball. VIP's from all over were coming and going and to facilitate that the wards had to be lowered. Of course there was added security but when you have Alan on the outside and Bixlow on the inside. Making a criminal think he's smart enough to smuggle a portkey in is quite easy."

A frog croaked and Harry absently blasted the region the sound came from. The sounds of the night ceased after that and Harry felt like the forest and the moon were laughing at him. Even the unconscious Voldemort and the dead Wormtail seemed to be laughing at him.

"So what now," Harry asked through gritted teeth. Humiliation and fury were surging through his veins like poison. He absolutely hated being used without his knowledge.

"As a reward for your good work I have an offer for you," Croaker said, his voice softening.

"What?" Harry snapped.

"One, we can declare you dead. Your role as Auror Harry Potter will end and you don't have to bother with political machining anymore. Your assignments will be more specialized, tougher even. Or you can return to Hogwarts as a hero and continue your path in the Auror department. 

Alan, after a great deal of hard work, has persuaded the ministry to start an undercover department in the DMLE. Aurors will be trained to infiltrate criminal groups and in secret, the DOI will have full control over the intelligence gathered. If you choose to, you can join that department and localize yourself to England and build a future here."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," affirmed Croaker.

"Declare me dead," Harry said without much thought. "I don't want to be tied down by a title. I want to be free."

Croaker pursed his lips. He had the briefest of hope that Harry would choose the other option, the better option. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Harry said firmly. "Declare me dead and give me the address of Chekhov."

This time Croaker was shocked. "You want Chekhov's address? Not going to happen kid."

"Declare me dead and give me Chekhov's address or I walk away and never look back," Harry said again and he meant it. There was ice in his voice, a fire in his eyes.

"Chekhov is never going to tell you anything about your runes, Harry."

Harry kept silent and his eyes told Croaker all he needed to know. Harry wasn't going to budge.

"Harry, you have laid a good foundation for your own network not only in Hogwarts but the new generation of the wizarding world. Are you sure you want to let that go? Even though you were played there are a lot of positives to take away from this mission. Don't make this decision rashly."

"I'm not being rash," Harry retorted. "You heard what I want. Now am I going to get it or not?"

Croaker sighed.

"Fine. But I can't give you a promise on Chekhov."

"No. I want Chekhov more than I want to be dead."

"Harry…."

"Those are my terms."

Croaker glared at Harry for a whole minute before his expression softened and he smiled. "Good," he said approvingly. "You're learning already. I'll get you the address by next week and declare you dead by morning. Although, I can’t promise you Chekhov won’t know you’re coming.”

Harry felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and the tension left his face. He nodded and grinned. “I can deal with that.” He was going to keep an eye on Croaker. 

"Bixlow, take this deformity to the department and arrange for a clean up crew along with Sanders asap. I want to know what the ritual was going to be."

"What about our deal?" Bixlow asked.

"Soon," Croaker promised. "Now go."

Bixlow disapparated and Croaker turned to Harry feeling quite satisfied with the outcome of his long mission.

"So how do you feel?" Croaker asked Harry.

Harry thought about it for a moment. "I feel fucking great."

Croaker smiled. "I'm glad Hogwarts didn't affect you too much. The magic of the castle can change the way you think and change you as a person quite literally. It's why Dumbledore clings to the place like a leech because it's easy for him to influence the future generation of children." Croaker glanced at the place where the unconscious dark lord had laid. "It's why this moron wanted the castle so bad. The magic there is unique."

Harry went silent. “It is a unique place,” he agreed. “I did things I would never do."

"Well don't dwell on it. Take a couple of days off. Have some fun. I'll have Hugo find you an assignment next week."

Harry nodded.

He looked around the graveyard absently while they waited for Bixlow to return when Harry spotted a wand near Wormtail. Curiously he walked to it and picked it up.

A rush of bliss overcame his mind for a second and Harry gasped out loud. "Wow!" he said, his eyes wide. "What the fuck was that?!"

"What happened?" Croaker asked concernedly.

"The wand," Harry said, feeling amazed. He put the wand in his left and drew his own in the right. The power surge through his body made Harry gasp again. "Holy fuck!" he cried out.

"What happened?" Croaker asked again, this time more forcefully.

"This feels so right," Harry said in awe. He remembered the long hours spent in Ollivanders under a disguise before coming to Hogwarts. He had gone through wand after wand but none had felt right and the only one that felt reasonably comfortable was Holly with the feather of a Phoenix. And now, holding this other wand was making him feel complete. The feeling was incredible.

Croaker frowned.

"That wand," he said slowly, recognition flooding his eyes. "That's Voldemort's wand."

Harry was stunned and then he grinned. "Cool," he said. "For some reason my magic is feeling quite happy with both in my hands."

"Strange," Croaker muttered. "Maybe you should give it to me for now." He stuck out his hand to emphasize his order.

"I'll see you back at the department boss," Harry said, suddenly feeling quite cheerful and then he disapparated.

Croaker could only growl under his breath.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hogwarts

Hermione was ready to turn in for the night after a mentally and emotionally exhaustive Yule Ball. Harry was still missing and they were still searching for him. So it was reasonable to understand that when she saw him sitting on her bed, like nothing had happened in the last couple of hours, her emotions ran from shock to rage and without thinking, she socked him in the face.

"Ow," Harry groaned, rubbing his jaw. "What the hell Hermione?!"

"What the hell?" she whispered furiously. She didn't want to wake her dorm mates. "What the hell? You have the gall to say what the hell after sneaking into my dorm in the dead of the night after getting kidnapped from fucking Hogwarts!?"

Harry grinned, unrepentant. "I like your knickers," he said. "You've got nice legs."

It was then Hermione realized she was, indeed, standing there in just her knickers and a t- shirt. She blushed from head to toe before grabbing her bed sheet and wrapping it around her quickly while swearing vicious vengeance against the bastard sitting on her bed.

Harry quickly sobered when he saw his death flash in her eyes and suddenly turned very serious. Hermione sensed the change in the mood and reined in her emotions temporarily.

"What happened," she asked.

"That doesn't matter," Harry said dismissively. "I came here against all reason because I felt you deserved to know the truth.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, suddenly afraid.

"Tomorrow's paper is going to come as a shock and I wanted you not to be shocked. That's all I can tell you."

"What?"

Harry got up and smiled. He wrapped his hands around her and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Goodbye Hermione Granger."

"Wait, Harry!" Hermione cried, confused and afraid but it was too late. There was a broom suspended outside her window and Harry was already melting into the darkness out of her sight but never out of mind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"One down," Harry thought grimly as he flew around the castle and this time towards the Hufflepuff common room. There was no way he was going to let all his efforts at Hogwarts go waste and he was ensuring that the assets he was molding were not abandoned.

There were three on his list: Hermione, Susan and Daphne.

The night at the Graveyard had reaffirmed what he was and he tried to crush the budding feelings he had for Hermione and yet, she was the only one he chose to visit in person. She knew he was alive and she was going to cling to his memory making it easy for him to approach her in the future.

For Susan and Daphne he wrote a letter but he still wasn't sure whether to leave it on their beds or not. It was a risk and Harry didn't like taking risks. For some reason he trusted Hermione but Susan and Daphne were wildcards.

Harry hovered outside the Hufflepuff girls dorm and scanned the windows for sight of Susan.

He found her sobbing in Hannah Abbot's arms and rolled his eyes. Maybe he could trust her after all.

Grinning, he discreetly levitated the letter, addressed to the future head of the DMLE, onto Susan's pillow and watched the two for a little while longer. He hadn't signed his name but he had left enough romantic hints and regrets in the letter to ensure Susan knew it was from him and would always keep a space for him in her young lovestruck heart. Someday, Susan Bones was going to follow in her Aunt's footsteps and Harry would be there to take advantage of that fact if the time ever came.

He turned his broom and headed towards the bottom levels of the castle near the lake. The cold wind biting into his flesh made him feel alive.

The Slytherin windows were a bit difficult to locate and when he did find Daphne's room his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

The Slytherin girls, each, had a room to themselves and after spying through the windows to see sleeping girls, reading girls and changing girls, he found Daphne's adobe.

It was a very neat room, with an artfully decorated bathroom door, a wall size shelf that was neatly stacked with books and a very naked Daphne, sliding her fingers between her legs on an acid green four poster bed.

The sight was incredibly erotic and highly unexpected to say the least.

Her face was flushed and taut with pleasure, her toes were curling on the mattress and her right hand was rolling her tits between their fingers.

Her eyes were closed and she was lost to the world.

Harry's pulse quickened and his pants tightened as he observed the highly private act. He was amazed that in spite of the events of the evening, she was apparently unaffected. That was cold on levels he could appreciate. He burned the letter he had for her. There was more to Daphne than he realized. She was one to keep an eye on. 

He had seen her flirt with a few good looking boys and accepted offers to dance before blowing them off when things got intimate. He knew she had enjoyed herself and had danced with him too for a while with smoldering sexy eyes.

But here she was, fingering herself after giving the cold shoulder to every male attracted to her.

Harry chuckled and thought maybe that was exactly what made her moist. He shook his head dryly, knowing at this stage letting Daphne in on the secret was a mistake and directed his broom towards the Forbidden Forest.

Inside, Daphne's eyes snapped open and she suddenly froze. She quickly pulled her sheet to cover herself and turned towards her window in alarm. For a brief moment she had felt like someone was watching her.

She tiptoed to the window and opened it, letting a blast of cold air in and poked her head out to look around. She found nothing and shivered when the wind blew again.

Daphne frowned and shook her head. Maybe it was all the excitement of the evening. All the dancing, teasing and drama had her more aroused than she had felt in a long time. 

She chuckled and shut the windows before languidly sliding into bed. She couldn’t wait for morning to come.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next Morning

Hermione stared at the headline with a blank expression. To the people around her she looked no different and was stoic as usual but inside, Hermione was feeling emotional after a long time. She didn't if it was sadness or anger or even need. Her heart was twisting in its place, making her feel all kinds of pain and her mind raced to conclusion after conclusion.

Daily Prophet

A hero yet again!

By Rita Skeeter

Harry Potter does it again. The boy who once vanquished the Dark Lord at the tender age of one has done it yet again!

Hermione read through the article, drawing in all the facts and leaving out all the jargon. Harry had faced the dark lord and stopped him from rising again at the cost of his own life. But of course Hermione knew that wasn't true. Harry was alive and she didn't understand why he chose to hide after such a great feat.

The answer came to her unbidden. In her intimate moments with Harry she got the feeling that he hated his life. He hated being in front of all the cameras and he absolutely detested being the Ministries golden boy. Did he fake his death to be free?

The DMLE has confirmed the death of both, our beloved Hero and the plague that once terrorized our homes! However further reports add that the true reason for Harry Potter's victory was research on arcane magics conducted by Lily Potter in the Department of Mysteries where she worked for a time! A source inside the Ministry adds that if only the DOM had the funds to continue her research then maybe Harry Potter needn't have died!

Hermione's eyes bulged at that and she couldn't understand what exactly that meant but she definitely knew it had nothing to do with Harry's supposed death since he was alive and that led her to conclude Harry had ties with the DOM. She was beginning to suspect Harry's persona as an Auror in training.

Minister Fudge has declined to comment on the rumors suggesting he ignored the signs of the Dark Lord's failed attempt at resurrection and has instead declared today a national holiday in memory of the brave Harry Potter whose life was ruthlessly cut short in a battle with dark forces and has also commissioned a statue to be built in his honor in Diagon Alley Square!

Hermione rolled her eyes. The rest of the article covered parts of his life with the Savage’s, a few heroic comments on Harry's parents and brief interviews with students in Hogwarts who claimed to be close to Harry in the ministry. She was amazed that in the short time since his apparent death, reporters had made their way into Hogwarts and held interviews with Angelina, Daphne, Susan, Cedric, Fleur and Draco, who shockingly had only good things to say about Harry. Daphne described him as a visionary whose life was cut short and Susan, through teary eyes, had spoken of him as a gentle human being with a passion for peace.

She was glad no one knew about her closeness with Harry and what they had done together. Fleur spoke of him as a chivalrous gentleman and that made Hermione feel angry. She was the one who was truly intimate with Harry and the bastard had abandoned her after revealing himself to be alive!

What was the point of that? She huffed in her mind. Why did he tell her the truth when he could have just as easily let her think he was dead and gone? Did he do that because he cared for her or was it just because he had something nefarious planned. His ties to the DOM had her extremely suspicious of Harry's behavior in Hogwarts and suddenly it struck her maybe that was the whole point! He was building relations! Getting people of importance close to him but why did he choose her!?

She scowled and a powerful feeling of resolve overtook her senses. She was going to find him and she was going to get answers from him. She was going to hunt him down and dump him in a world of pain if she found out that he was simply using her like she had suspected all along!

Hermione's scowl grew fierce and her doubts about her career disappeared. She enjoyed research and had a passion for investigating things. She was going to become an Auror.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Susan was miserable. She had found a letter on her bed and on reading it her heart had soared. It wasn't signed but she knew it was from Harry. He had survived but had been forced to go into hiding because apparently things were not as it seemed and there were people inside the Ministry who wanted him dead. Worry and fear clouded her mind and she prayed the man she was falling in love with was safe. He had begged her to keep silent about his survival and had promised to find her when his life was no longer in danger.

Susan's lips trembled as she read the article and her eyes watered. Are you safe Harry? Are you okay? She thought to herself.

"You okay Susan?" her best friend Hannah asked.

"I'm fine," Susan said heavily. She desperately wanted to share the details of the letter with Hannah but she couldn't betray the promise Harry had asked of her. "I just can't believe he's gone."

"We all can't," Hannah sniffed sadly. "He was a wonderful person."

Susan swept her eyes across the Great Hall, searching for people she knew to be close to Harry and spotted Luna first. The blonde was idly picking at her pancakes and looked absent minded as usual. She didn't look affected at all and Susan felt a rush of anger against her air headed friend. But when she saw Daphne her anger grew. The dark haired beauty was neatly cutting her pancakes and chatting with Pansy like nothing was wrong in the world.

She couldn't believe it and a vicious hate rose in her heart. Daphne had been close to Harry as well but now she knew it was only because of her ambitions that she stuck close to Harry. And now that he was gone, though he wasn't, Daphne had moved on without a care in the world.

But the sight also made her happy because it meant Harry had shared his secret only with her. It meant he had feelings for her even though he had been going out with Fleur.

Said French was seated at the Ravenclaw table and was soaking up the attention of being the girlfriend of a hero who saved the world from a coming darkness.

The young redhead scowled and then smirked. No one knew the truth. Harry was alive and one day he was going to come back. Until then she was going to wait and rise up the Ministry ladder just like her Aunt and root out the corrupt politicians who wanted her friend dead.

She never noticed the look of angry determination on Hermione's face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

In another place, hidden in the bowels of the Ministry, Harry was feeling quite accomplished. He was confident of securing the confidence of two assets in Hogwarts and he had successfully managed to keep it a secret from the DOI. Croaker's words were etched into his memory and he now knew that even his fellow spies weren't to be completely trusted.

It was a shitty scenario but it was one he could live with and in many ways it was a monumental occasion for him.

It was the first time he lied to Hugo's face and wasn't called out. It was his first step to a strange independence.

"So what did you do all night?" Hugo asked, his fingers nimbly rolling a joint.

"I went to get a blowjob," Harry replied. He was back in his comfortable self, taller, more filled out, hair a bit longer, messier and was wearing khaki pants with a black shirt untucked. 

He looked bigger than the lithe Hugo and it didn't escape Hugo's notice.

"In that get up I doubt you'd fail but you know you can't lie to me. What were you really up to?" Hugo asked, chuckling. He passed the joint to Harry, who lit it with his finger.

"I went home and slept," Harry said, pulling the intoxicant deep into his lungs. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh that was accompanied by a column of sweet smelling smoke.

"Well deserved I guess," Hugo said and set about to roll another one when Harry refused to pass the first along.

They sat in silence for a while as the room was slowly engulfed by a cloud of smoke. Harry was lost in his own thoughts and his eyes were set on the newspaper on the table that was glorifying his death.

Harry laughed.

"What?"

"You do know pushing the DOM's name in the paper is going to reveal our existence to the smart people out there don't you? Sure it's going to pressure the Minister into pushing more funds into the department but it also breaks our first rule," Harry said.

"We're expanding," Hugo said with a shrug. "The world is moving forward aggressively and our ideals are holding us back."

"Chekhov wouldn't approve."

"Chekhov isn't here anymore," Hugo retorted. "Besides, Croaker agrees with me."

Harry hummed. "So that new division in the DMLE is yours?" he asked.

"We need more ground troops we can control," Hugo said. "Until now we'd relied on our own personal networks but with the amount of activity going on in the underground, we're going to need more eyes and fast. We need alliances as well."

Harry frowned. "What activity? I've been completely in the dark since I've gone to Hogwarts."

"Cromag is coming to London," Hugo said, prompting Harry's eyes to widen. "And if we're right, he's coming to see Lucius Malfoy."

"No shit!"

"Lucius is slippery as hell but we know he has ties to Vampires. And Cromag coming to London means those blood suckers are planning to try and re-enter our grounds."

"But why?" Harry asked. "It doesn't make sense. What do they have to gain from Britain?"

"Well that's what you're going to find out," Hugo said. "Your girlfriend's accompanying her dad and I have no doubt she's going to contact you as soon as she lands."

Harry groaned. "Which means I have to become James again. Fuck."

Hugo chuckled. "Looks like your vacation is over before it even began."

"Fuck."

Hugo leaned back in his chair and put his legs on the table. "So did you get any action in Hogwarts? I've heard the birds there are quite loose and something to behold."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, the girls in Hogwarts aren't sluts. They're privately a horny bunch sure, but not loose."

"And you didn't take advantage of that? You didn't bend any school girl over a teacher's desk?"

"I had an image to maintain you moron. And I was fourteen and a model of discipline and chivalry. Not some playboy stud."

"Didn't stop you from dating that French Veela," Hugo said grinning. " Please tell me you at least got to third base with her."

"You're such a pervert Hugo," Harry grumbled. "And we just got to second base. Could have been more after the Ball but that bastard Croaker ruined that as well."

Hugo winced sympathetically.

I got to second base with Hermione too, Harry added mentally. Kissing Fleur just didn't compare to making out with Hermione, he thought, remembering the passion behind every time he locked lips with the brunette.

"Imagining what it would be like huh," Hugo laughed, noticing the look on Harry's face.

"Shut it," Harry retorted, fighting down his arousal.

"Well you might be getting some action sooner rather than later," Hugo said. "Your American girlfriend should be here at noon."

Harry stubbed the remains of the joint on the table and then stood up. "I better prepare myself to meet Jenny," he said. "James is quite the romantic."

"Before you go, Croaker is waiting to see you in his office," Hugo said. "He has something important to share."

"More secrets?" Harry asked snidely.

"Yup."

"Fuck."

"He's been waiting for an hour now," Hugo added. "I thought it might make you feel better, making him wait."

Harry blinked and then he grinned. "Thanks boss," he said with a short laugh and walked into the fireplace.

Hugo watched the man he once almost called son disappear in the green flames and then sighed. "Kids still got a lot to learn," he said and then stood up as well. He too, had work to do.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Deep in the Department of Mysteries, a deformed child like Voldemort screamed as glowing brains sunk tentacles through his ears to latch on to his brain.

"Come on Tom," goaded Hugo. "Tell us everything you know."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-