Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, i am only using a few of her characters in my story.
A/N: This is basically a fic for what happened after the war. I have a cast of characters set, even though i will probably add some more as time goes by. Keep in mind that Cho will be my main with some of my other fav characters, and I'm making her a little harsher. Remember, she's a war veteran, and she's lost a few things in the war, so making her sweet and loving is out of the point. This will probably be a love/ hate fic.
"Didn't I tell you?" Orla Quirke said. She folded the newspaper neatly and gazed at her companions. "Didn't I say she would end up dead?"
"Sush it, Ly, someone might hear you and blame you for her murder." Marietta raised the eye patch from her left eye, revealing the white orb that stared blankly at the younger girl. She gave a shiver and waved her hand in dismissal.
"Put the patch back on, it creeps me out." Orla scrunched her nose up in mock disgust "Wouldn't want to be called Mad-Eye Marietta, would we?"
"Don't you joke like that! It's bad enough they sent me as a replacement after the man died, I don't want to carry his old nickname!" The curly haired girl said angrily. Beside them, a nervous looking Marcus Belby twirled one hand around the other, often shooting a glance at his left, where the door stood. "Anything you want to say Belby?"
"A-ah? No- no, just checking for anything suspicious outside. Ca-carry on then…" His head twitched to the left, and a loud creaking noise came from his joints. Marietta flinched at the sound, and Marcus shot her a strained smile.
"This sucks!" Orla said suddenly. She picked up her half finished cup of cold coffee and took a sip. Her mouth twisted in disgust, but she still swallowed it down "Ever since the war I've wanted to be something, you know? I wanted to help people."
"You became an Auror." Draco said. All eyes shifted on him. He grimaced at Marietta "Potter wasn't much help after the war, was he? I mean, we fought alongside him; we lost as much as he did, and he does nothing to help us in the aftermath. I'm kind of glad that this happened to him" Some of the people nodded.
"Then it is true then?" Zacharias Smith asked boldly
"What is true?" A woman with long dark hair asked from the counter, her back turned to them. She placed a few galleons on the manager's hands before facing the group, a worn smile on her lips and a cup of tea on her hands. Her shirt was buttoned half way, exposing skin at her midriff and chest. Her jeans were faded and torn on the knees and her once black leather boots were graying. She carried a black robe, or what remained of it, slung across her slight shoulders.
"Is it really true that some mad man is killing people that helped Potter?" He asked " I mean, Ginny Weasley is the third victim. Oliver Wood, Cormac McLaggen, Weasley,…"
"What? Scared?" She teased as she sat down in the vacant chair next to Marietta "Where's Michael?"
"Busy." Her best friend said. The girl's eyes fled from her to the ocean-themed decorations and she decided not to pressure her for answers. "Why didn't you answer your cell phone? I was beginning to worry…"
"Busy" She said simply. "And yes, Zach, there's a madman chasing after wizards, not necessarily Potter's acquaintances, and killing them. I received a letter from the Auror department in London."
"And?"
"They want me there as back-up. The Ministry of magic is short on Aurors since the war, and they want me to take two of my companions with me." She took a sip from her cup "So who's coming with me?"
"That's a pleasant thought!" Marcus laughed " S- some crazy son of a bitch is running around, c-cutting people up like they were meat at a butcher's and y- you want us to come with you?"
"Yes, pretty much."
"Then I'm in" He unlocked one hand from the other and raised it " J-just tell me where to s-s-sign up."
"Anyone else?"
"I'll go" Orla rested her face on her hand and gave the lady a nod "If it helps…"
"If it helps" The woman mimicked "What is wrong with you? An Auror needs to be secure about everything she or he does. Why are you so doubtful?"
"It's just that, when I finished Auror training I thought that I would change things. Help the people who suffered, those who are still suffering and make a difference. I wanted to be a hero"
"You'll grow out of it." Draco leaned on his chair with his eyes closed. Sweat beads gathered on his forehead "Every decision you make changes the way you see things. The best life is the one no one notices. If you want to live freely sow your mouth. Heed my advice and keep what you know to yourself."
"It's a bad thing, when the Ministry panics." Zacharias muttered " They're losing control down there. The need at least twice the Aurors they have there to sniff out a few of the remaining Death Eaters. It's like they're waiting for those men to reel themselves in."
"And that's why we are here in Ireland and they are there in London. I want nothing to do with those people at the ministry. Half of the hell we've gone through was because of them." Marietta touched her eye patch gingerly before lowering her hand on the table. She turned to the woman sitting next to her. "And because Harry Potter is no longer considered an ally, I wouldn't recommend accepting the invitations that Remus Lupin sent to join this new 'Order' of his."
"But what if this-- this meeting is important?" Belby asked, cleaning his glasses on his shirt. "This could m-mean the start of something better"
"I won't hand my head on a silver platter!" Draco snapped. He almost jumped out of his chair as he stood up "Sure, I was in the dark lord's army, but it was because I had no choice. It's not like I could refuse him, he was too powerful. And I'm not the only one forced into it"
"Draco, please sit" The lady grumbled "I want to say something." The muscle in Draco's jaw twitched, but he sat down nonetheless.
"I know that our experiences with Potter and his crew weren't…pleasant, but I need to accept this job. We could find some allies in case of an attack, and those who once joined Voldemort's side can prove where their loyalties lie."
"I have nothing to prove. I'm an Auror, I help people, and that won't change. Potter is a selfish bastard that only thought of himself when others where in need." Draco grunted. Orla glared at him from behind Zacharias and huffed.
"Well, I'm going, regardless of what you think." She said.
"I'll go…" Marcus nodded.
"Me too"
"What about you, Marietta. They are paying us, so it's more like a job, than a club meeting."
"Oh, all right! I'm coming…" She said grudgingly. She shot Draco at questioning glance, and he shrugged.
"You sick fucks…fine, I'll join this little expedition, but I won't promise anything."
"Look on the bright side, we might become famous" Orla said jokingly with a weak smile.
"That's a nice one!" Marietta said. She moved her hands together and separated them in a gesture of welcoming "I can see the headlines now 'Ireland's Aurors join Harry Potter's new Order of the Phoenix and most of them can't even pay for coffee'!"
"Broke and famous, eh Cho?"
Somewhere outside the coffee shop, dogs barked loudly. She sighed and laid her feet on the small table. The manager of the small shop sent her a nasty look, but said nothing. Good money was hard to come by these days, and the small crew of Auror had been constant and steady customers.
"If you say so"
"One day, one day I'll get my revenge. I don't care how, but I will get it."
"You're not like other prisoners I have released." The man hissed, shrouded under a veil of darkness that surrounded him like a cloak, hiding him from her sight. "You almost remind me of myself"
"But I'm not."
"But you're similar"
"The world" She said "Doesn't need another failure"
Serverus Snape appeared before her, eyes narrowed. The biding magic that had been constricting her arms loosened, and disappeared, and she stood up, waiting for anything that would happen next. He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. The wall on her right disappeared, revealing an exit. She glanced at the opening, then at her ex teacher. He smiled thinly at her, and she smirked back.
"You gave us all the information we needed. You may leave now. No harm will come to you."
She looked back at the door in the room. Behind it, the dark lord tapped his fingers on the moldy surface of a desk. She took a deep breath. The place smelt of moist and rust and decomposing wood. Her smirk widened, and she glanced back, aware of the dark red slits that stared at her from behind the metal door. She was quite pleased with herself as she walked out the hole without glancing back. Near the woods, a large metal gargoyle stared at her, eyes glowing purple and metal creaking as the wind slapped against it.
The quarters behind her burst into flame, erasing any evidence from the meeting. The air now reeked of burning cloth, wood, paint, mortar and something else, something familiar. The bodies inside the wooden house caught fire, and the smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils.
"Even a girl can make a point". She thought darkly with a grimace. The sign in the gargoyle's hands swung with the wind once more. Arbiter grounds would catch fire, burning the antique village to the ground along with the elderly wizards that were sprawled across the brick-colored floor. For a long moment she sighed, wrapping her cloak around her shoulder for comfort. Then she felt a prickle of pain as her mind was invaded.
"As you say, lass, as you say"
A/N: That is just the prolong, where i'm showing some of the characters that will appear on and off. Please review, give advice, ask for a pairing. I have someone in mind for Cho, thought. Pick anyone else's.