Disclaimers: Once again I do not own Magnificant Seven and its characters, Harry Potter and its characters and Lenny. They are respectively owned by: CBS, J.K. Rowling and Bernadette. And I'm still broke so please do not sue (not that you'd be able to get anything, anyway). Also while I had originally posted this on the BrigaDears List, I have made some changes.
Major spoilers for Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban, and The Order of the Phoenix.
Who knew?
Larabee, was angry.
No, scratch that.
He was mad.
He hated...this.
It was supposed to be a nice, ordinary case. Good guys get the bad guys and... Well, okay, that part did happen. It was just...
'Shit!' he thought as he thought about the case, heading towards, Ezra Standish, JD Dunne and Lenny Hoskins.
It had been three months since this case began. Three months of Ezra undercover as an intermediary, trying to get the goods on one Eric Zyles, a weapons supplier who had a very nasty reputation. No law enforcement agency had been able to get near him, with every single undercover agent, soon dead. There was twelve in total.
No way was there going to be a baker's dozen. Not on his watch.
Originally it was supposed to have been him who was to act as Ezra's employer. But upon Ezra reporting everyone who had been working with Zyles, he had to back down. He had busted one of Zyles' more trusted employees and couldn't do it, and neither could Buck for that matter for the same reason. Then Lenny had dropped in during one of his visits one weekend (which was strange, because upon looking--or rather, hacking--into everything, they couldn't find a plane ticket in his name with any of the airlines).
It was on a Saturday night that Zyles and company had dropped in on Ezra as he was entertaining Lenny, and to avoid having Lenny killed (though Larabee could admit that having Lenny having a flesh wound would be good for the team morale. Well, mostly everyone), introduced the FBI agent as 'Stephen Black.' In other words, as the guy he was supposed to be.
That was two months ago.
Even though it was originally not in the budget, they were going to put Lenny up in a fancy hotel, but the latter would have none of that. Hoskins explained to Zyles that he and 'Eli' were cousins, and that it would be bad manners for one not to put up family in their 'abode.'
Apparently Zyles smiled at this. He liked the idea of having family involved, as they would be least likely of turning you in. So Lenny became a 'temporary team member.' Chris still shuddered at this. His recent annoyance of Hoskins went up for a few reasons. One, was that Lenny and Ezra were still tight as a drum, creating word play and mind games that seemingly only Josiah and Nathan could get at times.
Though he was pretty sure that he had seen a head jerk in surprise when the word 'Squib' was uttered by the twosome.
Another reason had to do with the fact that Hoskins didn't do what he was told, and took off with Ezra for an entire day those months ago. And it was them who had informed Hoskins that something was wrong with Ezra! He should have at least stayed there so that they could see that Ezra was okay.
Or at least to not seem so amused when being yelled at.
But the thing was that it did do Ezra some good. Chris had to admit that Ezra went back to his normal self afterwards. And it was Lenny who did that. Not them. And that brought his last reason.
Maude. It was finding out that Maude had called Lenny. He had heard of how intensely the two disliked each other, but it was Hoskins she went to for help, not Team Seven. And that hurt. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he had to admit that it hurt. Sure there was justification for that, with the two Southerners being long-time friends and all, but...
Then came the events of tonight. The bust was supposed go down smoothly tonight. After three months of worrying about Ezra and two months of worrying about Lenny (even though Larabee didn't like Lenny, he knew that if anything happened to him, that Ezra would never be the same), it would be payday tonight. They all wore mikes faithfully. Lenny, Ezra and JD (who was Eli's 'little brother') went in to make the transaction. Upon execution of that, then the bust would happen.
Then all hell broke lose.
Just before the bust, he had heard, "Crucio," quickly followed by the latter three taking off their mikes. When this happened, the word was given and the calvary rode in. They found out that Zyles had taken off, with the three federal agents in pursuit. When the team finally caught up to them, the three were breathing heavily, shaking, and seemed in pain, while Zyles seemed...unconscious.
And what the hell was 'Crucio'?!?
Which led him marching up to the three federal agents who were draping themselves over a patrol-car at that particular moment.
"JD, why did you take off your mike?" demanded Chris who then turned to the Southerner. "And that goes for you, too! We've had this conversation before, Standish! You do not take off your mike--"
"We didn't take our mikes off, Chris, they did. It seems that Zyles knew about me, because I live with Buck. When I showed up at the meet tonight, he knew that I was a Fed, and that Ez and Lenny were probably Feds, too," JD explained.
'Oh, this kid is good,' Lenny thought, stealing a look towards Ezra.
'Shit! How have I not seen this before?' Ezra asked himself, sending that thought to Lenny with his eyes.
'For the same reason why he did not suspect that of you,' Lenny seemed to send back.
Ezra had to smile at this thought. It was true.
"Ezra!" Ezra turned his thoughts to the immediate matter. "What happened?"
As Ezra began his obfuscation, Lenny gave a quick glance at JD before thinking of what really had happened.
They had just completed the transaction when Zyles gave a great big grin.
"Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure doing business with you," Zyles began as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick. A stick that Ezra and Lenny knew to be a wand. "However, I must introduce you to my right hand man, Alex Prescott. He gives me information I need. And for this, I only have one thing to say. Crucio!" The three agent bent down in pain. Ezra and Lenny took off their mikes as did JD without being told to. Zyles smiled in glee. "In fact, Prescott had been arrested by one Mr. Christopher Larabee and Mr. Buck Wilmington. Isn't that correct, Mr. Dunne?"
"What are you talking about?" JD scoffed, trying to get the dogs off of their scent, despite how they've been uncovered.
"Come come, now, Mr. Dunne. You know Buck, I mean, after all, you are his roommate. Isn't that right, Mr. Standish? As for you, I have to admit that I don't know your last name, but I have been informed that your real name is Lenny."
"Go to hell," Lenny said.
Zyles smiled at this as JD reached towards his backside. Zyles saw this and turned towards the young agent. But before anything could be said, they heard Standish say "Stupefy!"
Zyles ducked with Prescott being hit and falling down. The former than ran towards the other side of the building. Ezra, Lenny and JD, despite being in pain, gave chase. They heard a commotion as back-up arrived, but concentrated on Zyles. Lenny heard more "Stupefy," followed by some "Impedimenta," and even a "Petrificus Totalis." But the kicker came when JD pointed a wand at Zyles and said, "Expelliarmus!"
Zyles didn't duck in time, was hit and disarmed. Ezra followed this with a, "Stupefy!" that knocked Zyles out. Lenny stared at JD who was holding the wand, who was staring at Ezra for using wandless magic, who in turn was staring back at JD for the same reason as Lenny.
Who knew that JD was a wizard?
He was brought back when he heard his name. "Pardon?" he asked.
Larabee sighed. He could see that Lenny was in pain--hell he could see that they were all in pain, but claimed to be fine and they they hadn't been harmed. And if he believed that, then there was a bridge that he should buy in Brooklyn. "I said do you have anything to add?"
Lenny shook his head. "No, that about sums its up."
"Fine, whatever. Get back to the office and do your reports. We'll do the debriefing tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."
"Aye, Aye, Sir," Lenny said, making a military salute to Larabee, then went with Ezra and JD to the car they arrived in.
'Yep,' Chris thought as the car drove away, 'The sooner he finishes his report, the sooner he'll be out of town.'
The trio didn't speak in the car. Nothing was said in the elevator to Team Seven's office floor. Silence was the key when writing their reports. It was only when Ezra and Lenny were leaving that Standish went to Dunne and asked to have a talk at the townhouse.
Dunne agreed.
The doorbell rang. Ezra and Lenny had been enjoying a glass of whisky on the couch. "Who is it?" the Southerner called out, knowing who it already was.
"It's JD," came the answer.
Ezra lifted his wand and waved it. "Alohomora."
Lenny smiled as the door opened and JD came inside. He saw where the two long-time friends were seated and shook his head.
"Yeah," said Lenny, "He's a bit lazy. And a bit of a show-off"
"Lenny! I am not lazy, nor am I a show-off!" Ezra protested. "I just used my wand, that is all!"
"Ezra, you said, 'Accio,' because it was in your room and you didn't want to go back upstairs to get it," Lenny chided.
"It is not like I do this all the time, Leonard, because I do not!"
"Besides, I already know that he can do wandless magic. 'Stupefy' remember?" JD commented as he sat down on a chair. "You have to have powerful magic for that."
"Not necessarily," Ezra rebutted. "One just has to have more practice." He looked at JD hard. "Salem?" he asked, meaning the wizarding school there.
JD nodded. "You too?"
Ezra shook his head. "Hogwarts."
JD's eyes went wide open at this. Hogwarts was even better than Salem. And that was one of the best schools in the world. Dunne then turned to Lenny. "Did you go there, too?"
The FBI agent smiled. "Just think of me as the Squib."
"Mom or Dad?"
"Neither."
JD's eyes narrowed in thought. "If your parents weren't either a witch or a wizard, then you wouldn't be a squib. You'd be a Muggle. Yeah, you'd be a mug..." he trailed off and got up. "You told a MUGGLE about us?!? Damn it, Ez, you know the rules! Right? And you still told a muggle?!?"
The Southerner gave the young wizard a hard glance, worthy of Larabee himself. "JD, do you really think of me as some sort of moron? I had no choice at the time. Oh, and for the record, my father was an Auror, so I do know the rules."
Dunne sat back down. He looked at the two friends. "So, you have no choice?"
"Not when a perp points a stick at you and yells, 'Crucio,' followed by some reducto curses, while chasing him. Nine years ago," came Lenny's glib answer.
JD winced. "Yeowch. Yeah, that would be difficult to get out of," he admitted.
"Especially when one sends word to the Auror's about the said perp," Lenny continued.
JD went pale at this. "Shit! Zyles is a wizard! They have to be owled!"
Ezra waved his hand. "Do not worry, Mr. Dunne, for I have already done so." He took a sip of his beverage. "I take it that Mr. Zyles has not yet awakened from his slumber?"
JD nodded. "Yeah, and the docs can't figure out why, either, since we didn't lay a hand on him." Lenny snorted at this. "Well, we didn't!"
"Oh, I know that JD. I'm just imagining what Larabee's reaction will be when a group of Auror's take custody of his collar. And that nothing he says or does will make a difference," Lenny said.
JD and Ezra smiled at this. "He will most definitely not be pleased, Lenny, as you well know."
"Why do you think I'm smiling?" JD glared at Lenny for this. "So, kid, from which side of the family do you get it from?"
JD looked at Ezra and upon gaining a nod turned to Lenny. "My mom. My dad was the muggle."
Ezra nodded. "I will have to claim the opposite."
JD snorted. "Doesn't surprise me in the least that Maude's a muggle. But what about your dad?"
There was silence as Lenny glared at JD. "Lenny," Ezra began, noticing this, "Mr. Dunne does not know any better, so please do not take it out on him." Lenny relaxed at this. "My father was an auror. Until the age of eleven, I was raised in England. With his demise caused by Deatheaters, my mother decided that moving to and living in the U.S. would be much safer."
"Who killed him? Sirius Black?" JD thinking of one of Voldemort's most famous followers.
Lenny closed his eyes, preparing himself for the eruption. His friend did not disappoint.
Ezra stood up. "JD, for one thing, Sirius Black was much too young to have murdered my father at that particular time. And for another, he was innocent! He spent fourteen years in Azkaban for a crime he did not commit! It was Peter Pettigrew who was responsible for the deaths of James and Lily Potter. It is Peter Pettigrew who is still alive and working for 'You Know-Who' or if you like, we can call him 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.' Or perhaps Voldemort like Harry does. Though I have to admit that he has more guts than anyone else I have ever met. And that rubbish about him killing all those people? Rubbish! Once again, it was Peter Pettigrew whom killed those people. Sirius was a good man and a good wizard! And I will not remain silent while you perpetuate this...this...myth!" He then stormed into the kitchen.
JD thanked god that he was already seated as he was stunned. He looked at Lenny quizzically as the latter only shook his head. "Kid, what was the name of Ezra's friend who was killed a few months ago?" JD's eyes opened wide upon remembering. Sirius. But Josiah said that it was Sirius Padfoot.
He realised that he must have said this aloud when Lenny replied, "Padfoot was only a nickname, not his last name. Ezra was afraid that maybe Josiah had heard of Sirius's reputation across this side of the pond. He didn't want to face any recrimination for being friends and mourning a 'criminal.'"
"He's dead." Lenny nodded. "How?"
"By his cousin, a follower of You-Know-Who. Who apparently has come back, according to Ezra."
JD shook his head. "No! No! He's dead! We were told that he was dead!"
"It's a long story JD, but unfortunately, he has come back," Ezra said, bring out a cup of coffee. He went to sit back down on the couch.
"And Black was innocent?" Ezra nodded. "Why didn't they use veritaserum on him or something?"
Standish snorted. "Because most ministry workers are idiots! God, Hagrid probably has better magical sense than him!"
Dunne's raised an eyebrow. "Hagrid?"
"The Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," Lenny replied.
"Oh." JD remained silent for several minutes. He had a lot to take in, to process. But in the end, he decided to believe in his friend, Ezra. A person who had never lied to him. Up front. But by omission... Well, he could be accused of the same thing. "So Black was innocent and is now dead." Ezra nodded. JD gave a look of sympathy at seeing the pain in his friend's eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Thank-you, Mr. Dunne," Ezra replied as he took another sip of coffee.
"And He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back." Ezra and Lenny nodded. JD got up. "God, I have to have a drink! Do you mind if..."
"By all means, Mr. Dunne, help yourself to a glass."
JD retrieved a glass from the cupboard and went to Ezra who had poured the younger agent some whisky. "So, then the war is on again," Dunne commented. Lenny and Ezra silently nodded. "So, what do we do?"
"Live, Mr. Dunne. Live. What else can we do? We cannot stop life just because of some megalomaniac. We just have to continue living life as we always have been," Ezra replied.
JD nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." He looked at the fireplace. "You know, Ez, would you mind if I hang out here with you sometimes? Yu wouldn't believe how hard it is not to practice magic around Buck. I would love to talk to someone who knows of our world."
"Anytime, JD. Anytime," Ezra said smiling at first to Lenny, then to JD.
The End
Meanings:
Accio: A summoning spell.
Crucio: An unforgivable curse. It inflicts from great to unbearable pain upon its victim.
Stupefy: A stunning spell that knocks a person unconscious.
Impedimenta: A spell that freezes the victim.
Petrificus Totalis: A full body bind spell. Inflicts immobility upon its victim
Expelliarmus: A disarming spell
Squib: A non-magical person belonging to a magical family
Floo powder: a type of powder thrown into a fireplace that is a part of the floo network. It transports a person from one connected fireplace to another.