AN: All Harry Potter characters and all related indicia are trademarks of WB and JK Rowling.

James Potter is eager to prove himself and step away from his parent's shadow, and working as an undercover muggle operative in the Muggle Wizards relations office he discovers more about himself than he ever thought he would….

The snow had come down thick and fast overnight and the houses gleamed in the early morning January light. In the freezing cold there were jackdaws swooping across the white covered gardens of Gildersome Avenue. At the very top of the avenue there was a young man walking across the white covered ground fidgeting with his pockets. The call of the jackdaws pierced the cool crisp air and each one began gliding towards the garden walls and landing lightly on the fluffy white edges.

'Damn it,' he cursed sucking on his fingers. His keys were entangled, shaking them out of his fingers with his hands shaking he placed the key slowly in the front door. 'Oft, feckin' 'ell '

Snow hit the ground violently and the hinges squeaked as the door swung open, the little round portholes which are like windows are frosted and little icicles were clung to the leaden frame.

It was light in the house and Mr Harold Bennett, still shivering begun his uneasy awkward descent up the staircase. The house groaned and writhed with his every step, the bannister creaking under his weight. Huffing and puffing he coughed reaching the last step, his left hand reached for the landing rail.

'Too old for this,' Harold grumbled almost doubled over. He rested his eyes and breathed in deeply before raising his feet to the landing. The landing was littered with piles of magazines and newspapers tied with string, ribbon and pins. Harold shuffled his way towards his bedroom as if the newspapers weren't even there. There was no heating in the house and Harold had several blankets lying on his bed. An electrical heater was at the end of his bed Harold flicked it on and his cat Pip jumped on the bed.

'Oh give up Pip,' he moaned Pip just purred in response weaving across the bed as Harold swiped for her. She purred louder as Harold shoved her to the floor. He then gingerly took his shoes off and swinging his leg up he scrambled backwards into bed pulling the covers and blankets up to his head. His breathing slowed down to a low whisper shallow and rapid as his eyes shut and his body slipped beneath the covers and greeted a deep sleep.

Pip purred. A flash of green light. And Harold Bennett never opened his eyes again.

The landing was softer than James Potter thought, he looked down and patting his arms he checked every body part was in order. With a last quick touch of his nose James flung the toilet door open and stepped out.

A whooshing sound greeted him as millions of tiny airplanes shot past his ear. James took a deep breath and braced himself. There were hundreds of witches and wizards rushing around, striding across the hall and James looked round searching for any familiar face (which would not be completely unlikely) but couldn't spot his Uncle Ron or any of his older cousins who all worked for the Ministry of Magic. Several thoughts flew through James' head each one as nervous as the last until his eyes found focus on a doorway halfway across the hall and up two flights of stairs.

James stepped carefully and waded between the busy gaggles of witches and wizards, each one busily marching on a mission, and James was acutely aware of his minority as he was pushed and pulled in every direction as he aimed for the spiral green staircase.

'This was not meant to happen-'

'And I'm telling you I never intended it to -'Adrian Royales was standing in the small office on the third floor of the Muggle Studies Department standing against his miniscule cramped desk.

'Don't tell me you didn't know what you were doing Ady!' Robyn screamed, her wand aimed at his chest. Adrian held his hands up and ducked as Robyn sent curses flying in his direction.

'You knew how I felt- urgh that's it! WE ARE DONE,' and she stormed out of the office, and James Potter was almost knocked off his feet.

'Another squib, perfect,' Robyn growled and flew down the stairs. James blanched; he gently knocked on the open door.

'Was that one of your girlfriends?'

'One of them,' Adrian said, his sandy coloured hair was dripping wet and the office had a dim smell of soap bubbles. He was reaching for an emerald coloured towel 'Robyn there she er-'

'I have no comment to pass,' he said diplomatically 'I live with my Aunt Hermione I know when a women is pissed at you Ady,'

'You didn't get lost today then?' Adrian surmised drying himself off as James settled himself at the opposite desk. 'Not lost in any ladies loos?'

James scowled.

It had been nearly a week since James Potter had started his new job in his grandfather's old department and he had so far encountered very little active wizard work. His Aunt Hermione thought the idea of her nephew working for the Muggle & Wizard Statute of Secrecy office a waste of his magical talents and had tried desperately to get James to come work with her at the Stonehenge Research Centre in Cornwall, but James did not want to work under her close scrutiny. He wanted to fly on his own willow the wisp and find his own way, was it too much to ask?

'They all look the same, as dirty as the last,' James replied 'why do we insist on using toilets as public transport?'

'Think of it as our version of the Tube Jimmy boy,' Ady said 'cheap cheerful, easy to manage and stinks of piss,'

'But it's disgusting,' James protested 'hasn't anyone ever questioned it?'

'Most wizards in my experience don't ever ask a lot of questions for fear they won't like the answer,'

'We have a meeting with Debora after lunch Jim; she wants us in for the Squib Report,' Ady said checking his schedule on his laptop.

Adrian was not a wizard, nor was he really a squib in fact he was an extraordinary muggle. He was what some wizards and witches called a Watch Wizard, a muggle so in tune with the world that his attention to it allowed him to see magic, witness it and experience it.

He had been picked up during a raid on a Wizards Hut (a nefarious place where wizards dealt with muggle drugs) nearly 5 years ago and rather than sending him to Azkaban the head of the Investigation Division had instead put his talents to use in the Secrecy Office. It was part of his job to maintain the balance between Watch Wizards, Muggles, Squibs and the Wizarding community.

'Are we up to date with it?' James asked nervously, it had been his first assignment and he had been eager to get it right. He had spent the best part of his first weeks here cataloguing and helping Adrian interview squibs. 'I don't want Debora thinking I've missed someone or-'

'Jim, as long as we have done our job the way we do it will never be called into question,' Adrian surmised 'look, let me do the presentation and you deal with the Magic side of things. I think she's expecting great things from you,'

James sighed, who didn't expect great things from him? There were drawbacks to being the son of the second most famous wizard of all time, even when you followed your own path everyone still expected you to be something you aren't.

'Can I just be me an ordinary me?'

'You're already great Jim,' Adrian said watching him, reading his mind 'no one expects you to be your dad, well I don't. Your dad has always sounded like a bit of an insufferable prat,'

James smiled; it was sometimes a good thing to work with someone who could read minds…