AN: Hey guys, so here it is, the long awaited rewritten version of Justice and Power, originally published on my old account swimgirl07. For those of you who have read the original, you'll recognize most of this chapter, the plot has remained the same, with only small details having changed. Let me know what you think of those changes, and follow for the rest of the rewritten and newly written story. If anyone is new to this story, let me know what you think of it, and feel free to check out the original to see if you think I've improved. See the end of the page for more notes.
-SlytherinBB07
Chapter One
Monday January 7, 2008
-Harry's POV-
Harrison James Potter-Black stepped off of the plane at the Baltimore Washington International Airport, fighting a yawn as he carried a sleeping Teddy over his shoulder. Dressed in a coal gray fitted muggle style suit, (with the jacket currently wrapped around his son as a makeshift blanket) a burgundy silk button-up and black tie. His and Teddy's outfits (a Doctor Who t-shirt and blue jeans) both showed the trials of travel, disheveled, wrinkled, and soda stained. They had left France the day before, a week after receiving his next assignment from the International Confederation of Wizards or ICW, the organization he'd been employed by for a little over four years.
Careful not to disturb Teddy, Harry hoisted their carry on bags higher on his shoulder and followed the crowd to the main waiting area. His supervisor had told him there would be an agent sent to pick him and Teddy up, but he didn't know who the FBI would send. Several minutes of wandering later, he saw a man in a suit and tie (what Harry had been informed was FBI standard) holding a small poster board with "Potter-Black" written in black marker, who looked right past him.
As Harry made his way over to him, the man stopped a handful of men, and seemingly became more annoyed when none matched the name he was looking for. He snickered quietly to himself as he realized that he would most certainly not be what this agent was expecting. Each man stopped was older, at least early thirties, some graying, each poised, confident, and (Harry was pleased to note) all in good physical shape.
"Excuse me." Harry apologized to a man he bumped into, mere steps in front of the agent, who had turned to face another set of stairs, nearly opposite of Harry. He tapped the man on the shoulder, noticing, as he turned, that the cartoon character tie he wore was most assuredly not FBI standard, even if it was within regulations. The man was obviously tired and grumpy, but forced himself to smile kindly at Harry, becoming more genuine when he saw Teddy's sleeping form.
"Can I help you?" he asked, politely, with an air of confidence that suggested he was used to helping people. Harry smiled warmly and held out his hand, balancing Teddy and the bags.
"Hello, mate. Officer Harrison Potter-Black, at your service." he greeted, impressed by how quickly the agent covered his surprise.
"Special Agent Seeley Booth, nice to meet you." he replied, shaking Harry's hand, he tightened his grip for a few moments, and Harry knew it was simply the first of many tests he would need to pass. He didn't begrudge Booth for it in the slightest, it didn't matter who had sent him here or whose orders Booth was following, Harry was, for all intents, an outsider, and in this line of work you didn't fully trust or respect outsider until they'd proved themselves, at which point they no longer qualified. Harry had experienced both sides of this phenomena many times, he like to believe he understood it.
"You as well. I hope you haven't been waiting long." he offered an acknowledgement of Booth's time being taken from him.
"Not too long." Booth shrugged it off, then gestured to the baggage carousel. "Do we need to get your other bags?"
"Oh, no, this is it." Harry replied, "Teddy and I have always traveled light. We'll just buy whatever else we need later."
"Alright then, I guess we ought to get going."
"Yes, lets." Booth turned and led the way through the airport and out to the parking lot.
As soon as the brisk winter air hit them, Teddy groaned, burying his face further into Harry's neck. He pulled his suit jacket more tightly around his son and silently cast a warming charm over it.
"We still on the plane Daddy?" he asked, voice muffled by Harry's neck, shirt and tie.
"No, pup, we're in DC now." Harry explained as they reached a black SUV. "Let's get you buckled in the car, ok?" Teddy nodded, allowing Harry to set him down and rearrange his limbs in the booster seat. He closed the door and walked around the vehicle to the passenger seat.
-Booth's POV-
Booth did his best to ignore the awkward silence in the car as he drove through and out of the parking lot. This was not what he'd signed up for, well, what he'd been signed up for anyway. Deputy Director Cullen had barged into his office two days ago and given the orders from above. The FBI had come to some kind of agreement with the ICW (an organization no one could tell him about, no one even knew what it stood for) and he'd been assigned to babysit the liaison. He hadn't planned on actually babysitting. Officer Potter-Black didn't look older than twenty and Booth didn't want to be saddled with some kid just starting to grow chest hair as he tried to solve murders. Just as he thought this, the kid cleared his throat and began speaking.
"I realize I'm not quite what you were expecting Agent Booth, but I assure you I am very good at my job and I am not here to get in your way."he stated, staring determinedly out the front window, Booth snorted, it was kind of ironic that the kid knew what he was worried about.
"Well, that's good to hear, but, and I don't mean any offense of whatever, you're a kid." Booth said, deciding to test Black's ego a bit. "I'm sure you've got potential, but I just don't see how you can have the rep you do."
"'Rep?'" Black repeated, brow furrowed in confusion. Booth laughed.
"Reputation. My boss acted like you could walk on water." he told him, not entirely true, but Black didn't need to know that.
"Ah, well, I don't know what you boss has been told, but I've certainly never performed holy acts." Black said, turning to his son in the backseat, handing him a stuffed wolf before continuing. " I hope to prove myself to you and your organization."
Booth nodded, wondering just how much he could torture the liaison before he got in trouble. He'd give it some more thought over the next few days, but for now he changed the subject.
"So, how old are you anyway? And your boy?" he asked.
"I'm twenty- three and Teddy will be six in three months." the kid answered with a smile, confirming Booth's guesses. "Teddy, this is Special Agent Booth of the FBI, I'll be working with him for the foreseeable future. Agent Booth, this is Ted-"
"I can introduce myself Father!" Teddy exclaimed with hurt pride.
"Of course, by all means." Black waved a hand in acknowledgement, though he wore a proud, slightly exasperated smile.
"Hello, Agent Booth, my name is Edward Lupin Potter-Black, I'm very please to meet you. Please, call me Teddy." the boy said somewhat pompously, puffing out his little chest, still gripping his toy. Booth barely contained his laughter at the adorable sight in his rear view mirror, glad he wasn't the only one as his passenger silently shook.
"It's nice to meet you too, Teddy."he replied after a second. "How would you like to see where your dad's gonna be working?" he asked, looking to Black, who nodded his permission.
"Ok, that sounds like fun." Teddy nodded, kicking his feet and beginning a diatribe of questions that lasted through the remainder of their drive.
Booth answered what he could while thinking about Black's age. If his math was right, then Harry would have been only seventeen when Teddy was born. He couldn't imagine having been responsible for a child at that age, especially alone, like this kid seemed to be.
It counted in his favor that he had obviously shouldered the burden of fatherhood with joy and love instead of ignoring or denying it. Booth wondered where the mother was, if she was in the picture at all. If she wasn't and Black had no outside help, he really didn't understand how the kid could possibly have managed to graduate high school and college since Teddy was born, let alone become a liaison for a mysterious organization and have earned so much respect from the FBI.
So far as Booth know, Officer Potter-Black, as a liaison for the ICW (whoever the hell that was) would initially observe the working of a forensic investigation between the FBI and the Jeffersonian, then is a few months, begin actively helping on cases until he was assigned elsewhere. So long as he pulled his own weight, Booth didn't really care much about the kid's past. Even if it did seem sort of off.
AN 2: Thanks so much for reading! Just for your information, Deputy Director Cullen is a minor character from season one that is not seen in canon afterwards, but I like to think he's still hanging around (along with Dr. Goodman). Please, let me know what you think in a review!
-SlytherinBB07