Officer
Chapter 1
He stepped over the threshold of the house gingerly, despite the assurances from his superiors that all protective enchantments had been nullified; it never hurt to be careful in his line of work, especially if one wished to retain all their body parts. He unfortunately had an anecdote that would qualify that statement. A body brushed past him and made their way down the front hallway, wand held outstretched in front of them. It was another of the new recruits that had flooded their office as Minister Bones attempted to capitalize on the discovery of a cache of dark wizard identifiers in time for re-election.
It was an incredible stroke of luck really, a low-level bust on a suspected dragon bone smuggler uncovered an underground dark artifact market, or rather a location of its dealings. The rather lucky bit was that the shopkeeper kept blood samples of all his illegal clientele, presumably in order to confirm their identities. Bones quickly recognized her chance and she and Dawlish created warrants for every name the officers uncovered. He had spent the last few weeks methodically checking off every name off the ministers list, by breaking into their house, confiscating any Dark objects, and bringing in the wizard to be tried. Not many of them came peacefully. Not that he could blame them really, they were already headed towards Azkaban, there was really no reason not to. Yet his least favorite part had been the brief statement he had to give to the press after every arrest, smiling graciously and making grand statements about the steps the ministry was making to completely secure Britain from Dark wizards.
In order speed the process up as much as possible Bones had pressured Dawlish, the head of the Department, to promote dozens of low level ministry workers into positions with the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. He had heard that if you had gotten a NEWT in Defense Against the Dark Arts then you were a possible recruit. The extra pay was enough to keep the employees from making an uproar. Unfortunately, it led to every Auror having to deal with leading teams of unskilled, untrained, and usually petrified civilians into raids on dangerous houses filled with deadly magic.
The loud expletives that suddenly started screeching out of the houses back drew his attention and he dashed down the hallways, wand already slipping into his hand. As he entered he had to bite his tongue from screaming at the woman in front of him. She stood in the corner of the room, near several shelves that had been mounted on the walls and filled with various books and knick knacks he didn't recognize. She had her hand wrapped around an innocuous green sphere, the color dull and worn out, that was sitting in a golden wire frame. The slight glance he took at it was enough to make him to take two steps toward it before he shook his head and straightened out.
"Mild compulsion charm." He muttered raising his wand. The woman seemed to have realized that as well and was desperately attempting to move away from the shelve with a lack of success. "A sticking charm as well then." He added as he noticed her hand seemingly glued to the sphere as her whole body attempted to jerk away from it. Before he could cast a spell the woman raised her hand and jerked it violently at the shelve, "Reducto!". The bright light slammed into the wall and exploded violently, shaking the whole foundation. Instead of freeing herself from the sphere the woman instead brought the shelves crashing down onto her, all still undamaged by the blast.
The items covering the shelve spilled out over her, he winced when a particularly heavy tome bounced off her head. One of the items gave a slight shiver and with popping noises identical copies of it burst into existence. The room was soon filled with a constant ripping noise, as the objects continued multiplying. A broken vase emitted pulses of sickly purple gas that swirled up through the air on invisible air currents. The woman stumbled over the replicas and fell to the floor. The orb stuck to her hand slowly lost its dimness. A glowing speck of light deep in its center flickered into life, emitting tendrils of luminescence throughout itself. They flashed and pulsated to a silent beat and slowly expanded till the ball was glowing like a lamp with a glaringly bright light. The woman touched her wand to the orb and quickly muttered the countercurse for a sticking charm. A beam of light left her wand and was swallowed up by the sphere. It drank hungrily from her wand, its emerald glow flaring in size. She gave a scream and slammed back into the ground, wand thrown from her hand carelessly. A loud hiss undercut the room and he saw the skin around the ball start to blister.
Three other officers joined him in the room, and all of them failed to stop the effect of the charm. It ate their magic effortlessly and the woman's screams escalated for every spell cast upon her. Soon all attempts at rescue halted and they all stared solemnly at the writhing woman. Eventually the light started to dim and she stopped her screaming. He heaved a heavy sigh. "Go get the enchanters." The order wasn't directed at anyone but all three of his peers saluted and hastily exited the room.
As he waited for the room to be cleared one of the senior Patrol members debriefed him on the rest of the house. "We found a few Tier three artifacts behind enchanted closets and an Armenian winged viper egg in a room that had an Unnoticable enchantment on it. Enough to get a conviction for sure."
He nodded and turned back to the enchanters waving their wands over the pile of trinkets. Nothing especially strange or dangerous, relatively routine for the list. However, the sphere drew his attention. He could throw off the imperius of skilled wizard with ease and yet it took him a distinctly longer amount of time to notice it. He suspected that the enchantments on the sphere were only noteworthy thing in the house. Soon the woman was separated from the orb and he was relieved to see her still breathing. A stab of guilt shot through him when he realized he hadn't bothered to learn her name yet.
A loud ringing noise pierce the air and all the officers pulled out their wands. "The owners back sir.", one called out to him. He gave a brief nod and walked to the front door, wand already outstretched. The door swung open and a small middle aged man walked inside. His pale, sunken face widened n shock at the sight of a wand being pointed at his face. "Under the authority of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Minister of Magic you are under arrest for the possession of illegal items. We have a -", the man didn't wait to hear the full statement and pulled out his wand. A flickering pulse of orange shot down the hallway, interrupting his speech.
Auror Harry Potter twirled his wand and carelessly deflected the curse away, letting it dissipate harmlessly against the wall. "Very well then." His shield charm flared into existence, covering the hallway in its entirety. Two more weak spells splashed against its glowing shape to no effect. His attacker turned and made to run out the door but was caught in the back by Harry's return stunner. The red light impacted squarely between the man's shoulder blades and lifted his body off the ground and flying out the doorway onto the front steps. His body laid still on the stone. Harry walked out and levitated the body up to waist height.
"Finish securing the Dark objects and take them to Department. Make sure the sphere is kept under heavy security. It's extremely dangerous." His subordinates gave him quick nods and headed back into the house. He grabbed the arm of the unconscious wizard and twisted on the spot. There was a loud crack as both disappeared from the steps.
"With all due respect sir this needs to stop." Harry seethed at his superior. "We can't keep entering potentially threatening situations with untrained civilians. We nearly lost another one today, from one of the simplest curses we'll encounter. One of those names will have something actually worthy of an auror bust and people will be hurt. Badly."
Dawlish looked back at him with a bland expression. "What do you want me to say Potter? You know I agree with you, there isn't a soul in this office who doesn't. I don't have any say in the matter unfortunately, and the Minister intends to keep the pace up as long as her popularity continues to rise."
"Let me go in alone. These wizards are amateurs; they're just stumbling around with magic they don't understand. None of them have given me anything more than a nosebleed." Dawlish sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"You know I can't do that either. We have to follow protocol, and it sure as hell doesn't allow for an auror to enter a suspected dark home with no assistance. If you mess up it's my head on the chopping block. Or yours in more literal sense." Harry scoffed and folded his arms.
"I already told you these guys are amateurs."
Dawlish leaned forward and fixed him with an intense stare. "You also said that one of the names is going to end up as a serious threat, so am I to assume it just won't be any you deal with? Through reliance on sheer luck? No Potter we have to be careful on this one. Besides I'd hate to imagine what would happen if something happened to you. I know most of your generation at Hogwarts has become use to you but you have to realize that most of magical Britain still idolizes you as some sort of savior, and your recent successes have only magnified it. "
Harry scowled but stayed silent. Dawlish leaned back and looked satisfied. "I think you'd be interested to know that the cursed object that injured your squad member has already been processed. Tier two at least."
"At least?"
"Well there's been some trouble in analyzing it, it has almost an unprecedented resistance to magic. Their still not quite sure the extent of its abilities. That's not relevant to you, but what is, is that there's more of them." Harry's eyes narrowed.
"Was veritiserum used on the target?" Dawlish smiled and gave a nod.
"The Department of Mysteries has gotten involved and taken the sphere in for private study. They've declared the retrieval of all of them to be of an utmost importance."
Harry gave him a grin. "Is it safe to assume that you telling me this means I will be investigating?"
"You are correct, however, you won't be the lead for this. In fact no auror will. The Department of Mysteries has some unspeakables working on it. They've called for you and a few others to be brought in. I think this is going to be big."
"Bones'll be happy."
Dawlish inclined his head in agreement, "Yes she will be, so you better not mess this up Potter. You attract trouble like a dog does fleas."
Harry grinned and made his way out of the office.
'You look awfully happy about giving a debriefing." A voice called out to him. Harry turned and saw when of his fellow aurors leaning against the wall outside of the office. Her short pink hair clashed horribly with what she was wearing.
"You know the boss Tonks, always a delight." She rolled her eyes at him. He smiled and continued. "I got a new case, a big one. No more raids for me." She groaned and gave him a sour look.
"Of course you did. I swear if I didn't know better you were sleeping with the boss." He chuckled and walked by her as she made her way into the office. She had always been pretty friendly to him since he joined the department, probably due to their closeness in age. It wasn't that small of a gap but it was smaller than anyone else in the office when he started. He was a kid among veterans. He had found his place quickly enough.
He was among the last to arrive. There were already 5 people sitting in the chairs arrayed around a central table. "Am I last?" He didn't direct the question at anyone but one of the three hooded figures spoke up. A distinctly female voice left the cowl. "We are still waiting for one more." Harry nodded and took his seat.
After waiting a few more minutes a familiar face made its way into the room. Tonks. Of course he thought with a smile. They exchanged a quick nod but made no further attempt at communication.
The same cloaked figure that spoke to Harry waved her wand and sheets of paper appeared in front of all the rooms occupants. To ensure the utmost level of confidentiality we are requiring these contracts to be signed before any information can be given." Harry and the res nodded in acceptance. It was common practice and they expected noting less from who Harry suspected was an unspeakable. Bright flashes filled the room as each occupant bound their magic to a contract. When they were all done the sheets of parchment dissolved into the air with another wave of the wand.
"We are here to discuss this." A small cage appeared floating over the table, containing the same green sphere Harry had seen before.
The hoods were pulled back to reveal the faces of the three unspeakables. Two were nondescript men in their early thirties, But the last one drew Harry's attention. A woman around his age with longs curly hair and an air of confidence around her. "As we continue to experiment this item becomes more and more incredible. By which I mean deadly. It has a latent compulsion effect, drawing in even some of the strongest minded wizards. Direct contact with it has the rather terrifying ability of feeding off a wizard's magical energy. Prolonged contact can lead to lethargy, mood swings, and lack of magical capability. After interviewing a subject who had been in contact with the item for weeks, we determined that it can lead to the destruction of the magical and mental state. As far as we can tell it merely stores the stolen power inside of itself. "
Harry smiled as he finally recognized her. He hadn't seen her in a few years but he would never forget that lecturing tone. Hermione Granger, an old school mate of his. She hadn't been particularly close to him, she hadn't been particularly close to anyone as far as he knew, but he had worked with her over the years as her knowledge was unparalleled in the school. He felt no surprise that she found a profession in studying complex and esoteric magics.
"It has proven itself resistant to all but the most powerful surveying magics and through testing we have found it to be capable of nullifying most known spells. For a demonstration would one of you like to take the opportunity to destroy it? We will most likely need to learn how to for the future, so do not be worried about success." He noticed Tonks start to make a motion but she stopped herself, and they both held still. Another of the group, on the opposite side of the table as Harry raised his wand. He was a few years older than Harry, but didn't appear to have the same professional edge gained from constant encounters with murderous opponents. He had a languid carelessness to him that spoke of confidence. He smiled with a toothy grin and let loose a blast of white the size of tennis ball. It impacted with the sphere in a deafening bang, a glowing shock wave escaping outwards before sucking back in on itself just as fast. The sphere shuddered as the light swirled around it before finally exploding in a bright wave of fire that swirled up towards the ceiling of the room.
The man gave an even wider smile and laughed. "Perhaps too much for such a small room?" Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't help but let loose a grin at the man's infectious smile. Hermione scowled at him and shot the laughing man a disapproving glance that Harry was quite familiar with.
"Well I did ask for a demonstration I suppose. Thank you Mr. Isaev." He grimaced and gave her a lopsided smile.
"It's Arseni."
The groups attention was drawn back to the floating sphere, levitating quite undamaged. "We have also learned that there are more of these items in existence and not in the Ministry's control. You are here to remedy that. These are quite dangerous and more than likely their owners don't understand what they are or what they do. They will die unless we can find them."
"So we'll be saving them so they can enjoy the comforts of Azkaban?" Tonks snickered. Instead of her normal scowl Hermione gave a small smile and a nod.
She waved her wand and the sphere disappeared. "We'll begin our investigation in three days." One of her compatriots stepped forward and gave them all a notebook. "Its charmed so that all our pages will always look the same. We will be able to communicate through them and any person who's not in our contract will merely see blank paper." Harry took the notebook and looked it over curiously. "You are dismissed."
Harry walked into the Burrow and a smile found its way onto his face. He couldn't help it whenever he visited the building he considered second only to Hogwarts. "Harry's here mum." He heard someone call out. No sooner than the graying matron of the Weasley family rushed into the room and enveloped him in a crushing hug.
"Oh, Harry dear it really has been too long, you haven't bee to a family dinner in weeks.'" Harry grinned ruefully at her.
"It's been busy in the department; we've all been swept up in Minister Bones re-election push."
"Same here my boy." Harry turned and saw the entrance of Mr. Weasley. "I'm glad you could make it today Harry." He said smiling earnestly.
"Me too," Harry replied honestly. They made their way into the kitchen and into the presence of the rest of the Weasleys. He was swept up in the tide of hugs and inquiries of his wellbeing. "How are the Cannons doing Ron?"
His longtime friend gave a groan and shook his head. "Still haven't won a match. Honestly, Harry you were a better seeker in your second year than the one we have right now. Sometimes I feel like he doesn't know he's trying to catch the snitch. If you ever decide to stop being cursed and take quidditch back up?" He trailed off with a note of hopefulness.
Harry gave a small laugh and shook his head. "Sorry Ron but I don't think I'll ever be playing for the Cannons."
"Damn." His friend swore with a grin. Two of his older brothers cut in between them, almost blinding Harry with their outfits. The twins, Fred and George, had achieved some quite surprising success with their joke shop and liked to flaunt it in the most unusual ways. This night they both seemed to be wearing some sorts of incandescent yellow and pink robes that had revolving patterns of a neon lion. It was jarring to look at.
"Well hello there Harry. We haven't seen you at the shop in quite some time."
"No we haven't indeed. So we decide to bring some of our products to you. You may find them quite useful." The twin gave him a wink and passed a package into his hands. He had discovered that the twins were creative geniuses of some sort and after giving them the necessary money to start their store, their success skyrocketed. They would never forget his help in giving them their start and often gave him some of their creations that were a bit too strong for a joke shop. He had a suspicion that recently they were creating them purposefully for being an auror. Perhaps they were growing out of pranks?
Harry smiled as the family was corralled to the dinner table. He would never get over the sense of belonging he felt here. His smile grew even wider.
The wet stone path in front of them stretched far up the side of the hill and disappeared into the fog above them. "Not a pleasant place this." Arseni commented behind him, his normal cheer seemingly having eroded under the ominous pressure the island exuded. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Do they teach about Azkaban Prison in Durmstrang Mr. Isaev?" Hermione questioned staring carefully into the darkness ahead.
"It was covered." Hermione nodded and set her face.
"Then you know what we'll encounter here. Mr. Potter can we rely on you for protection?" Harry grimaced at her formality and gave her a quick nod. "Good. It's only a short walk to the facility." She immediately started a brisk gait up the path. The two men followed after, keeping a careful eye on the surroundings.
The fog swirled around them ominously, restricting awareness to a few arms lengths. The air seemed heavier on the island, laboring down on their shoulders as if they were underwater. The chill nipped at all exposed skin and even Isaev was shivering after a few minutes of exposure. The cobblestones beneath their feet glistened with moisture and their loud slapping footsteps rang out as the only occupants of the islands sound.
It didn't take long before the chill sharpened into a bitter cold that pierced through all layers of clothing no matter what enchantments lay on them. The pressure increased till Harry could almost feel a weight on his back, making him stoop slightly lower with each step. A cold knot tied itself in his stomach and a familiar prickle scratched at his neck. Then they came.
Swooping down unseen from above, the black shrouds whirled around them in a silent wind as whispers swirled through the air. Blackened, gnarled fingers moved through the air and stretched out towards the trespassers. Pure despair filtered through Harry's veins, cold as ice and as thick as lead. His limbs froze and his rapid heartbeats shook through his entire body. He noticed his two companion's similar reactions on either side. He gritted his teeth and reached for his wand as the distant whispering slowly grew in volume, till screams rang in his ears, screams begging for mercy.
"Expecto Patronum!" A beaming white stag of shimmering light burst into life and reared up to kick its glowing hooves at the abominations. The mass of dementors recoiled back collectively, letting loose screams of rage. They fled en masse back towards the large fortress that now peaked out through the fog. The pervasive chill was slowly worked out of them as the glowing creation radiated heat in waves. All three visitors leaned in subconsciously towards the gleaming construct and Hermione let loose a quiet sigh as the warmth rushed through their bodies.
"Thank you Harry."
The rest of the walk was done in silence as they made their way up to the black stone of the prison in front of them. The looming walls stood solemn guard over its inhabitants, lacking any sign of life from the outside. The trio made their way through its winding corridors, the slight scuff of their footsteps the only sound echoing of the walls.
They finally came to a stop before a small cell occupied by a lump laying in the back corner covered in a worn blanket. "Mr. Bartram?" Hermione tried through the bars. There was no response. "Mr. Bartram." The lump gave a small shudder but no move to reveal itself. Isaev gave a snort and flicked his wand carelessly towards the prisoner. A small red spark shot out and impacted with the prone figure. It rolled over with a curse and fixed a bleary eye on his visitors.
"Didn't know you got visitors here." He remarked with no small dosage of sarcasm. Hermione gave Harry a small nod of the head and the glowing stag that had been stationed behind them pranced forward and slid its incorporeal form through the bars of the cell. Bartram gave an audible gasp and slid forward on all fours to preen himself in front of the creature. He held up shaking hands and came within a hair of touching it but held himself just short as if contact would shatter the dreamlike image. Color slowly rushed into his face and he slumped backwards onto the ground and a shudder passed through his body.
"We've found ourselves in need of your assistance Mr. Bartram." He looked up from the almost reverent gaze he had fixed to the patronus to peer at Hermione.
"You do, do you? Well I don't know what I'd be able to do for you from in this cell."
Hermione gave him a small smile. "Fortunately what we're after doesn't require your exoneration. All we need is few bits of information."
He glared at her from the floor of the cell. "You already got my register. I don't have anything left the aurors haven't ripped from me."
"Well actually, I believe a bit more specificity is needed. We discovered recently that borderline tier one dark objects have made their way through your business. I presume that you already know to what I'm referring to?" He grimaced and gave them a nod. "We know that there is at least one more in circulation, possibly more, and unfortunately you don't record your illegal inventory. Just the customers."
"Why should I tell you?"
"It would be in your best interests. Do you have some bargaining power I wasn't aware of Mr. Bartram?"
He gave a weak laugh. "You just gave it to me. I'm already a dead man miss, I know that. The sort I deal with won't take too kindly to being betrayed. And believe me that's how they'll see it, intentional or not. Why should I just give you what you want, without anything in return. I was asking for payment."
The powerful stag next to him gave a small snuffle and his attention was drawn back to it. His glazed over slightly and he stared at it with almost disturbing reverence. It gave a small of shake of its head and evaporated back out of existence, disappearing with a small flash. Bartram's eyes lost their serene luster and widened in horror. He scrabbled over the stone floor and dove towards where the stag had stood proudly. His hands frantically weaved through the air and the residual glowing particles generated by the patronus as if to pull the stag back into existence. He gave a small croaking wheeze and collapsed to his knees. Shudders slowly started wracking his body with increasing intensity.
The three stood over him in silence. The despair was so visceral, so unbridled that Harry felt embarrassment in his presence, as if he shouldn't witness the scene. He felt a stab of pity at the damaged man, who had put on such a strong face for his captors previously. He waved his wand and the stab burst back into the cell with a gleaming ferocity. The harsh glare of the beast almost blinded them as it trotted towards the cowering prisoner. His face was lifted from the cold floor and he glared at it suspiciously, as if it would vanish at any instant. The stag took a few steps forward and lowered its head to him. He took a deep breath and the sharp lines of his body relaxed into a casual slump.
"We'll give you thirty minutes of time with a patronus twice a week. The caster will not be Harry but they will be skilled enough to cast the patronus at a passable level. Are you amenable to these conditions?"
A raspy, phlegm filled cackle burst from Bartram. "You know damn well I'd do anything. You know what this place turns you into."
They waited expectantly for him to regain his breath. "Allan Donovan. He fell for its curse as soon as he saw it." He gave a small snicker. "Charged him about five times what he would've paid normally. Messes with your mind, kinda like firewhiskey, impossible to think straight."
"How long ago did you sell it to him?" Bartram's face screwed up in concentration. His brow furrowed and furrowed as he muttered unintelligible under his breath.
"It would be – well I suppose it was right before I was thrown into this shithole." He burst into a fit of rabid laughter.
"Well, thank you for your cooperation Mr. Bartram." Hermione turned and strode away from the cell. Harry gave one last glance at the pitiful figure inside before he too turned and followed the others.