Okay, if you haven't read the Wood Series, then probably don't bother. I did a thing with other stories in the series where I posted chapters I ended up cutting, and this is similar, but different. If you've read the series, then you'll know that around book 6 or so, I completely changed the direction I was originally heading in. Thing is, I didn't delete some of the stuff I had already written going in the original direction. Couldn't bring myself to do it for some reason.
So now that the series is done, thought it could be fun for followers to see what I had originally planned. Some stuff I kept, but most of it is drastically different.
The first chapter is parts of chapters that I had originally written for "Through the Veil of Secrets."
Enjoy, I hope...
Through the Veil of Secrets Cuts
Overlooked and Underpaid
Dominique huffed slightly as she rushed down the hall. She had wanted to be 20 minutes early in the hopes it would make her boss happy enough with her that he'd consider her for the next special assignment, but thanks to her roommate yet again taking too long in the shower, she was now rushing just to be on time. She was seriously considering Molly's offer to take her spare room now that Lucy had moved in with her boyfriend. At least then she would always make it to work early.
"Morning, Weasley!" her team member Charles Whitehall called as she rushed in.
"Morning. Mr. Grifford in yet?" she asked as she ran to her desk. She looked around and noticed they were the only ones there.
"Not yet, though should be here shortly. He has the department heads meeting in about 20 or so minutes," he called from his desk on the other side of the room where he was sipping tea while reading the Daily Prophet.
"Any word on that next special assignment?" she asked as she sat and looked around her meticulously organized desk.
"Not yet, but should be making a decision soon if he knows what's good for him. The auror's office wanted one of us last week," he said, not looking up from the paper. Dominique pulled out a file folder and started to look through it. "Still hoping he'll choose you?"
"It's about bloody time. He's overlooked me the last three times despite the fact that I have the highest success rate," she muttered. Charles looked over at her.
"Growing tired of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad already?" he asked with a grin. Dominique rolled her eyes.
"Just thought it'd be a bit more exciting. Or that I'd move up faster. I'm almost wishing I had followed Dad's advice and looked into curse-breaking," she said. Charles chuckled.
"And miss out all the fun here?" he asked. At that moment, Toby rushed in and plopped down at the desk across from Dominique.
"Not late, am I?" he asked, huffing.
"You're the third one here, so I'd say you're on time," Dominique said, glancing up at him. He grinned and started looking around his desk for a pile of reports that he needed to finish up. She had to admit, she enjoyed working with Toby miles more than the last obliviator she had been paired with. Thanks to his close friendship with her cousin, he had always been around and she had liked him since their Hogwarts days.
In quick succession, the rest of the team arrived and made their way to their desks. The last to arrive was a particularly cocky man named Rich Warlow. He stumbled in, obviously still recovering from whatever late night he had last night. Dominique couldn't help but roll her eyes, causing Toby to chuckle. Ever since he had joined the team, Dominique had been in constant competition with him. She beat him clearly in the number of resolved cases, and yet their boss always seemed to give him the special assignments.
"Missed you at the party last night, Weasley," Warlow said from his desk, smiling. Dominique glanced over at him, a manicured eyebrow raised.
"Is that so?" she said.
"Yea, did a few shots with that boyfriend of yours, Cunningham. Had a good match yesterday. Beat the Magpies," he said. Dominique bristled slightly.
"I told you… we broke up two weeks ago," she said, not looking up from her reports. Warlow grinned.
"Oh yea… that's right… must have slipped my mind," he said. Toby shot her a sympathetic look. Being practically a Wood since childhood, he had been let in on the family secret - that her cousins Jamie and Daisy had developed some seriously insane gifts thanks to their mother and now the whole clan was convinced some large scale catastrophe was on its way. It was the main reason she had broken up with Cunningham, not wanting to drag him into her family drama. It was easier than keeping the big secret from him, and honestly she didn't know how Daisy and Lucy could do it.
She sighed as she organized the reports. As always, anytime something big happened, it was usually the Woods at the center of it. Or the Potters. Meaning that much like at her job, even in her own family she was usually overlooked.
Her sister was making waves as a healer, being at the top of her class and now one of the lead healers in the emergency department. Married to one of the top aurors at the Ministry and one of the youngest team heads. Louis was quickly advancing in the fashion world. And then there was her in the middle. Languishing away on the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, where the most exciting thing to happen was usually when some kid accidentally blew up their mean aunt.
"Morning, team. Assignments are being sent as of now," Mr. Grifford growled as he walked in waving his wand. A number of paper airplanes flew throughout the room, landing on the desks of various people. Dominique picked hers up and looked over it as Toby leaned towards her.
"Where are we headed?" he asked, smiling. Dominique huffed and read over the order.
"Looks like some wannabe potioneer accidentally turned his assistant into a dog and can't reverse it," she said boredly. She looked up at him.
"Ah, so no need for me, huh?" he asked.
"Suppose I could still use your help. You're good at other things besides memory charms," she said with a smile. Toby grinned. She knew he hated being stuck in the office just as much as she did.
"Weasley! A word before you head out!" Mr. Grifford shouted from his office. Dominique's eyes widened as a small smile graced her face.
"Maybe this is it," she whispered. Toby shot her a thumbs up as she stood, smoothed her skirt and fixed her perfectly pressed robes then walked into her boss' office.
"Yes, Mr. Grifford?" she asked, ever the picture of professionalism.
"The aurors are after me to give them one of you for a special assignment. They need someone skilled in charms. You have the highest track record with those," he said, looking at a report. Dominique could barely stop herself from smiling.
"Thank you, sir," she said.
"But Warlow is just as good and he's got more experience working with the aurors," he continued. Dominique took a deep breath.
"In all fairness, sir, I believe I could work well with them, if given the chance," she said, keeping her voice calm. Mr. Grifford looked up at her.
"I'm going to make my final decision tomorrow," he said, before looking back down at the reports. "You can go now." Dominique nodded and then turned on her heels and stepped out of the office.
"Let's go," she said, walking passed her and Toby's desks.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, standing and following her.
"I believe that was a new record," Toby said as they left the building. It had taken a matter of minutes to reverse the potion, once Dominique had figured what went wrong in the first place. She wasn't as strong in potions as she was charms, but was decent enough.
"Maybe it will get Grifford to finally give me the assignment," she said, huffing slightly.
"D'you think they'll send me with you?" Toby asked. "Seeing as we are partners and all." Dominique shrugged.
"I certainly hope so. And that it's not with Teddy's team. Merlin knows I spend enough time with him as it is," she said.
"Working with Teddy surely wouldn't be that bad," Toby said with a grin.
"You aren't related to him," Dominique countered. "And for once I'd like do something on my own without my family involved."
"Chris doesn't seem to mind it so much," Toby said.
"Of course he wouldn't. He just as annoying," she replied.
"Alright then. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how it goes," Toby said. "In the meantime, it's nearly lunch. Maybe we should find somewhere on the Alley rather than the Ministry canteen?"
"You're on," Dominique said with a smile.
Dominique rushed into Molly's apartment later that night, slightly late for their weekly get together.
"Sorry! I know I'm late!" she shouted as she walked in and collapsed on the sofa. "Finished up some more reports to try and get on Grifford's good side. He's announcing which one of us is going to work with the auror's tomorrow."
"If he knows what's good for him, he'll send you," Molly said as she walked out of the kitchen, two glasses of wine in hand. She held one out to Dominique and sat next to her.
"Better," Dominique muttered before taking a sip. She glanced over at her cousin. The two had been best friends practically since they were born only a few weeks apart. Being the two most sensible of the brood, they naturally were drawn to each other, often beyond put out by the shenanigans of the rest of their cousins.
"Give anymore thought to moving in?" Molly asked.
"Yea, think I'm going to do it. Cheryl has become impossible. She's been borrowing my clothes again without asking," Dominique said, wrinkling her nose. Molly snorted into her wine glass.
"You two have vastly different tastes in clothing. I've no idea why she insists on taking yours," Molly said. "When do you think you can move your things over?"
"I can move in tomorrow night, I believe. Shouldn't take long to get everything packed up," Dominique said. "And hopefully we'll be celebrating my new assignment as well."
"I'll be sure to get the champagne," Molly said with a grin. "Shouldn't you give Cheryl more notice?"
"To be honest, I don't really give a damn," she said.
Day of Recognition
Dominique strode into her department confident, her head held high. She felt good. Like it was finally her day. She was the first one in the office - as usual - and sat at her desk, preparing her reports to turn in that morning. She was wearing her favorite robe of navy blue that made her look as though she meant business.
She had thoroughly enjoyed telling Cheryl that she was moving out - she even got up early to pack all her things. They were now safe and snug in an overnight bag that she had brought with her so she could go directly to Molly's after work.
She sat at her desk, silently working. Toby walked in and sat down across from her, shooting her an encouraging smile. She smiled back at him and glanced towards the door to the hallway, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her boss.
The rest of the team slowly made their way in. Warlow was the last to saunter in, smirking in Dominique's direction.
"Warlow, Weasley, my office," Grifford said as he strode through. Dominique stood up and straightened her robes, then walked purposefully into Grifford's office, Warlow not far behind her.
"Have you made your decision, sir?" Warlow asked, glancing over at Dominique. She pulled herself to her full height, glad that she was in heels that gave her a few more inches.
Grifford studied the two of them a moment and then sighed.
"I wanted to send Warlow. To be honest, Weasley is the best asset we have on the team. You resolve more cases than anyone. But, they specially requested you and wouldn't take no for an answer this time," Grifford said. Dominique fought hard to maintain a straight face. She wanted to grin and shove it in Warlow's face. Of course, that was then followed by the urge to scowl. Just how many times had they asked for her in the past?
"You may go report to the auror department now," Grifford said, dismissing them.
"Yes, sir," Dominique said, grinning. She turned and walked out of the office, her face betraying her joy to Toby as she walked to her desk and grabbed her purse, bag and wand.
"You got it?" he asked. Dominique nodded.
"I need to head over there now, but I'll see what I can do to get you there with me," she said before exiting the room.
Dominique strode purposely down the corridor to the auror department, a smirk on her face. She nearly ran out of giddiness, but kept her excitement in check. She was supposed to check in with the auror team to get briefed on the assignment.
Stopping in front of the door, she looked at it and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. This was it. She opened the door and stepped into the department. The room was abuzz with movement and noise. It was large - large enough to fit several groupings of desks into teams. Along one wall there were a series of offices with large windows where the various team heads worked. A large corner office housed the head of the auror department. Dominique knew that her uncle once held the position, but he now had a large office down the hallway where he ran the entire Magical Law Enforcement Office.
Dominique smiled to herself and walked through the room over to the department head's office. Most of the aurors were busy and paid her no mind. She glanced over and saw her brother-in-law wasn't in his office. Probably off investigating something. She knocked on the door and straightened her robes.
"Come in," a voice called from within. Dominique pushed the door open and stepped into the office.
"Dominique Weasley from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad," she said. A man in his mid to late 30s looked up from the desk, taking in the petite woman. He had dark, curly hair and brooding, dark eyes.
"Right, I'm Walter Pace, head of the auror department," he said. He waved his wand, sending a parchment airplane out of the office. "I've just sent for the head of the team you'll be working with." Dominique nodded as he returned to the document in front of him. He glanced up at her. "You were specifically requested, Ms. Weasley. So I hope you are up to task." Dominique could feel her cheeks turn slightly red.
"I assure you, I'll do my best," she said confidently.
Suddenly the door flew open. Dominique turned and fought the desire to groan.
"Dom! Good! You made it! I was worried Grifford was gonna refuse to send you. Would have been about the 10th time I've requested you that he's refused," Teddy said as he shut the door behind him, his hair the usual shade of outlandish blue.
"Lupin, this better not be favoritism," Pace said, looking up at the two.
"Of course not, Mr. Pace," he said with a grin. "Dominique here has just the skill set we need for this case." Pace nodded and motioned them out. "Follow me, Dom."
Dominique followed him out and down the line of offices to his own. He whistled before stepping in, his sister-in-law following him. As soon as the door shut behind them, Dominique huffed and stomped over to the chair in front of Teddy's desk, collapsing into with a glare as she dropped the bag on the floor next to her.
"Really, Teddy? Merlin, of all the teams to be working with, it had to be yours," she said with a groan.
"Come on, you're not excited to be working with family?" he asked, grinning.
"I should have known it was you when Grifford said I had been specifically requested," she said with a sigh. "What is it you need me to do?"
The door to his office opened and Dominique looked over as Chris Abbott walked in, causing her to roll her eyes again. The tall blonde had been best friends with her annoying cousins at Hogwarts - often joining in on their pranks and trouble when he wasn't fawning over her other cousin Daisy Wood. He now was reinstated as Jamie's best friend and had been assigned to Teddy's team last summer.
And even though years had passed since they graduated, he still annoyed the hell out of her.
"That's a lovely way to say hi, Weasley," he said, smirking. Dominique swore the man lived to antagonize her.
"Teddy, get on with it. What is it I'm supposed to be doing now that I'm here?" she said, turning her view back to Teddy.
"You'll be working with Abbott. We've had a string of burglaries. Muggle businesses. By a wizard or witch. They're using magic, whoever it is. We need someone with your skills to help alter memories while we continue questioning," Teddy said.
"What?!" both of them said at the same time.
"I don't need any help on this case," Chris shouted.
"And I can't work with him," Dominique said. "I refuse."
"What's so wrong with working with me," Chris said, scowling at the blonde woman.
"You're annoying, that's why. I specifically remember a certain disastrous potions project in fifth year," she said, scowling in return. She looked back at Teddy, who was failing to cover his amusement. Dominique stood to her feet and glared at Teddy, her hands on her hips. "We need to talk. Alone."
"If this is about the case, then I need to be in on it," Chris said.
"No, you don't. This is between me and Teddy," she said, not taking her eyes off her brother-in-law. Teddy sighed and looked at Chris.
"It'll only be a minute," he said, looking at Chris. He huffed and walked out of the office. Dominique waved her wand, putting a silencing charm around the office so that no one could overhear them.
"Is this about the marks?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Teddy asked.
"Did you bring me over here to the aurors so that I can secretly investigate whatever made up disaster our family has created?" Dominique said.
"It's not made up-"
"For Merlin's sake, not you too, Teddy. It's ridiculous. Just because Daisy and Jamie can do a few more things, it's all doom and gloom now and the return of some dark wizard out to take over the wizarding world. Again," Dominique shouted.
"Dom, it means something. It may not be something that big, but it definitely means something," Teddy said. "But I brought you over here because I do need you. This blasted wizard or witch or whoever is using magic to break into muggle stores is vexing me. They've been at it months now - hit up about 10 so far. Chris won't admit it, but he's stumped. I thought some fresh eyes and charm work might be good."
Dominique stared at Teddy a moment before taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.
"Very well," she said. "Since I'm over here, do you mind sending for Toby as well? He's the best at memory charms and if we're going to be working with muggles than we'll need him. Not to mention, he's half muggle as well." Teddy studied her a moment and then nodded.
"Fine, I'll send for him," he said. "You can go. They've set you up with a place next to Chris. I'll get them to bring in another desk for Toby - will probably need him to run interference with you two, anyway. In the meantime, Chris'll fill you in." Dominique nodded and turned to leave.
She stepped out of his office and looked over, seeing Chris sitting as his desk, glaring at a piece of parchment in front of him. She huffed and walked over.
"This mine?" she asked, motioning toward the desk opposite his. He looked up at her.
"I suppose," he said. Dominique walked over and sat, glaring at the blonde man across from her.
"So, are you going to fill me in?" she said, placing her hands on the desk. Chris sighed and sat up. He looked around the desk for a file and tossed it over to Dominique.
"They've hit up about 10 shops so far. They're completely random - a pharmacist, grocer, bookstore, clothing shop and so on. So far what's been taken makes no sense," he said. Dominique took the file and began browsing through it, seeing reports on eyewitnesses, itemized lists of things taken. She set the file down and pulled her wand out, quickly making copies of everything for herself.
"How often are the break-ins happening?" she asked, glancing up at him.
"No pattern to them either," Chris said boredly. "Every few weeks or so. And none of them are in the same vicinity."
"How do you know it's magic?" she asked. Chris frowned at her, obviously not happy to be assigned a partner.
"What little surveillance footage found shows them using some sort of disillusionment charm," he said. "We've confiscated all of it and altered the memory of everyone who saw or knew about it. The muggle police aren't even close." Dominique nodded.
"Well… guess the best place to start for now is to go over the reports, see if I can find anything new," she said with a sigh.
"You probably won't find anything," Chris said, still frowning. Dominique scowled at him.
"Look, I'm not any happier to be placed with you, but it is what it is, so we should make the best of it," she said. The two continued to glare at each other a bit longer before Chris sighed.
"Fine," he said.
"Hello, team!" Toby said brightly as he walked in.
"Thank, Merlin," Dominique muttered.
Never had Dominique been happier to get home. She walked into the flat and found Molly there with several bottles of wine.
"Thought you might need it," she said with a grim smile. Clearly she had received her many airplanes sent throughout the day. Dominique made short work of unpacking and then the two were settled on the sofa with food and wine in their pajamas.
"Really, Teddy should be more careful. It's obvious why he chose you," Molly said. "Merlin, I'm surprised Uncle Harry even approved it." Dominique stared at her cousin.
"Really, Molly. When has Uncle Harry ever played by the rules?" she said with a sigh. "Our family seems to thrive on thwarting them whenever they can." Molly chuckled.
"True. Merlin knows I've heard enough about it from Dad," she said. She stared at her glass before looking up at Dominique, suddenly seeming quite serious.
"Do you think that your placement… does it have to do with the mark?" she asked. Dominique sighed.
"Teddy said no, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did," she said. "Probably trying to pull everyone they can over to investigate."
"Aunt Hermione asked me to do some extra work in the archives when I'm free," Molly said. "Do you… do you think it could be serious? As serious as they think."
"Molly, I'd rather not think about it, to be honest," Dominique said. "The Dark Lord is dead and gone. All his followers have been rounded up and out of the picture for decades. I highly doubt there would be anything like another war."
"But you heard what Daisy did. And we've both seen the marks," Molly countered.
"So? It doesn't mean, anything, Molls. Just that they're even more gifted than they already were," Dominique grumbled. "Now they can apparate wherever they want and do magic without bloody wands."
"Don't get too happy about it," Molly said with a smirk.
"As if the Woods need another reason to be famous," Dominique continued.
"Says the woman who dated a quidditch player for over a year," Molly replied. Dominique glared at her.
"I did actually love Paul," she said. "I didn't want to break things off with him."
"So why did you? Lucy and Daisy didn't end things with Ryan and John," Molly said.
"Because I couldn't stand the thought of lying to him," she replied curtly. Molly was quiet. "Mum and Dad aren't as understanding as Uncle Oliver and Aunt Iris. They would have flipped if I mentioned anything to him."
"Still can't believe they let Jamie get away with telling Lila and her father everything. Especially considering their history," Molly said. "I overheard Aunt Iris tell Mum they were even okay with Daisy telling John. She just decided not to."
"Probably because he'll be part of the family soon enough," Dominique said with a sigh. "Same with Ryan. He and Lucy have been talking about getting married since before all this happened."
"I'm not so sure there," Molly said. "With John and Daisy anyway. Daisy doesn't seem too keen on marriage anytime soon. At least from what Lucy says."
"She only bloody just turned 20," Dominique said with a huff. Molly laughed at her cousin.
"I think we've had enough talk about our cousins," she said. "Now… how about we talk about your new assignment." Dominique glared at her glass.
"I'm working with Chris Abbott," she snarled. Molly chuckled.
"He's not that bad, Dom," she said.
"He's an arrogant prat," Dominique replied.
"I thought you got on well at school," Molly said.
"We only got on well because we didn't talk," Dominique said. "We got paired up a few times for projects and it never worked."
"You might as well give him a chance. You have to work together whether you like it or not," Molly said reasonably. Dominique sighed.
"I suppose," she said. "But I don't have to like it." Molly laughed.
"Of course not," she said rolling her eyes. Dominique stared at her cousin a moment.
"Sometimes I feel like we're the only sane ones in our entire family," she said finally. Molly smiled.
"I might just have to agree with you there," she said, holding her glass out. Dominique clinked her glass against her cousin's. "Here's to the start of a beautiful new life."
"Alright, I lied," Teddy finally said. Dominique stared at him, eyes wide. "I lied. I did ask for you so I could have you working on the mark."
All Dominique could see was red.
"You brought me over here so I can work on some stupid family project?" she spat.
"It's not stupid, Dom. It's real!" Teddy shouted at her.
"You've just gone and eaten up all of Uncle Harry's shite," she shouted back.
"It's not shite, Dom."
"How do you know that? Have you found anything?" she asked incredulously.
"Not yet, but-"
"But what? This could all be some fantasy. Harry and Iris wanting to play hero again," Dom said.
"It's not like that, Dom-"
"But how do you know? Maybe Daisy and Jamie are just developing their magic a bit later. Maybe this all is just belated genetics. Have any of you thought of that?" Dom shouted.
"Of course we have," Teddy shouted back. "But we'd rather be safe than sorry. We have to look into it. Because in case something does happen, we need to be prepared. We have an opportunity here to be more prepared than they were back the first two times around and hopefully we can stop whatever this is from happening before it happens. Do you honestly want us to go through another war? To lose more of our family than we already have?!"
Dominique was silent. She swallowed as she thought to her Uncle Fred. Teddy's parents. She knew the toll it took on her family. They had gotten better an managing it, but she knew they couldn't stand to lose more. Harry had also lost his parents and Iris her sister and brother-in-law. Her thoughts flipped through her many cousins, aunts and uncles. As annoying as they may be, she knew that she wouldn't stand it if they lost any of them.
"Of course I don't want to," she said. "I just… I can't help but think we're making this bigger than it actually is."
"Merlin, Dom, I hope this is nothing. I hope that we are making it bigger than it is, because I don't want to see what happens if it is something big. Voldemort nearly destroyed our world twice. Twice. And that only brought about Iris. Now, there are three protectors. What does that mean?" he said. He stared at the young blonde woman, letting it sink in.
"We need to find out what those marks mean. The prophecy. Any information we can," he continued. "And we need to keep our eyes and ears open for anything that could mean danger."
Dominique nodded and swallowed.
"I understand," she said.
"I need you and Toby to do whatever you can," Teddy said. "As of now, you are the only two that I can trust to look into this. I can't tell anyone in the department yet. Not until we have something more substantial than an ancient prophecy that's been destroyed and marks."
"What about Chris?" Dominique asked. "How are we supposed to be looking into that when we're supposed to be helping him on his case?"
"Let me worry about that. You'll still be helping him, but I'll send you two on special assignment when I can," Teddy said. "You report to me on a daily basis. Once a week, we'll report directly to Harry."
"And you think Chris is not going to get suspicious?" Dominique asked, again resisting the urge to roll her eyes. He may be annoying but the man wasn't stupid. He was an auror, after all. He'd pick up on it very quickly if Teddy had Dominique and Toby off doing stuff on their own. Teddy sighed.
"I'm talking to Harry about it, but we might need to bring him in," he said. "He's been the triplets' friend since Hogwarts. And he's a good auror. He can be trusted." Dominique nodded.
"Are we done here?"
"Yea. Keep working the burglar case for now. I'll let you know when I have something for you to look into in regards to the other case," he said. Dominique turned and walked out of the office and straight for her desk where she slumped down into her chair and began massaging her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Everything alright?" Toby asked. She glanced over at him, noting the concern in his light blue eyes. Dominique sighed.
"Our lives just got more complicated. If that's even possible," she said.
"And how's that?" Chris asked, stepping up and sitting at his desk.
"Nothing that concerns you, Abbott. Family business," she said curtly. Chris snorted and shook his head.
"Everything with your family is complicated," he said with a smirk.
"Even more reason for you to want to stay out," she said, leveling a cold glare at him.
"Trust me, I learned a long time ago to stay out of any family business of yours," he said.
"And yet, you're still Jamie's best friend," Dominique countered.
"Someone needs to give him sound advice. He's not getting it from Remus and Alan, that's for sure," he said with a laugh. "Though lately he's been spending most his time with Lila." Chris frowned slightly.
"Thought you all were on board with that?" Dominique asked casually.
"I am. Just… it'd be nice if he'd save a bit of time for his best friend," Chris replied.
"Am I paying you to sit and chat or work?" Teddy asked, stepping out of his office.
"Technically, you don't pay us. The Ministry does," Dominique replied, scowling at him. Teddy rolled his eyes and dropped a parchment on her desk.
"Need you to go pull all these old files for me," he said before starting to walk away. Dominique unrolled it as her eyes bugged out at the sheer amount of them.
"I'm not your damn secretary, Teddy," she shouted.
"Take Toby! It'll be faster!"
"And where are you going?" she said, standing.
"Meeting with Harry," Teddy said with a grin before he disappeared out the door. Dominique huffed and turned to Toby.
"Best get started if we want to have any hope of finishing in the next century," she said, rolling her eyes. Chris chuckled as he watched the two walk out, Dominique glaring at him occasionally.
"Just you wait, Abbott," she muttered.
Molly's eyes widened as she saw the boxes filling the flat's living room.
"Just what exactly does Teddy have you doing?" she asked.
"You mean us," Toby said with fake cheerfulness.
"Us?"
"These are records - old investigation files - from all the dark wizards and witches from Voldemort up until now," Dominique said. "We need to go through them and see if any of them stick out."
"Stick out how?" Molly asked.
"Dunno… like.. If anyone could be amassing followers. Or… just seems particularly bad," Dominique said with an exasperated sigh.
"I thought they were all rounded up and sent to Azkaban?" Molly said.