The Secrets that we Keep
Chapter 1 – The Mysterious Youth
A/N: LOVE the Cedric/Harry pairing (as well as the Sirius/Remus pairing) to BITS! I'm not really all that fond of the Draco/Harry ship even though it's the most popular with Sirius/Remus coming up second. I think it's because that in lots of Draco/Harry fics, Harry is the Dominant one. HE MUST ALWAYS BE THE SUBMISIVE ONE! And who better than to be his strong and handsome Dominant partner? Why Cedric of course! Wow…that went on for forever and a day…hope you all enjoy!
Summary: AU. Non-Magic. Cedric Diggory is one of the world's most top-ranking spies. He has solved and cracked some of the most difficult cases and encountered some of the world's most dangerous criminals and crime lords but one in particular, Lord Voldemort, stands out as the one above them all. Though being a spy under an alias to hide his enemies from his friends and loved ones, Cedric still goes through life like an ordinary person, unknown to the rest of the world. During the day, Cedric runs the family company. At night, he becomes a secret agent. His ordinary life and his spy life were fairly balanced so he was capable of living the double-life without too much stress. That is until one night, he is completely trapped by his enemies, with no way to escape and completely out of ideas. Out of no where he is saved by a mysterious youth, a spy just like him. Just who is this boy? And how was he capable of captivating this lone-wolf spy?
——†——
It was about 5pm and Cedric had arrived home. He parked his car in one of the garages of the Diggory Estate. The large home became a lot quieter ever since his parents were murdered on the night of his graduation just hours after receiving his Legal Studies degree. He was out with a couple of friends that night to celebrate their graduation, but when he came home, the house was covered with police officers and ambulances. Cedric was paralyzed when he found out that his parents had been the recent victims of another one of Lord Voldemort's murders. Lord Voldemort was the number one crime lord in every single country. His minor crimes involve theft and terrorist alliances. He satisfies his quench for terror in killing, for no particular reason whatsoever. Many officers have tried countless times to find a pattern to his murder victims, but as sad as it was, they were all just ordinary civilians with nothing in common. Ending innocent lives seemed to be the sick freak's idea of a harmless hobby.
From that point on, he decided to put his barely-begun lawyer career aside and base the majority of his time on continuing his father's legacy as the President of the Diggory Steel Company which had been recently renamed, U.K. Steel (1). Although he didn't want to take over the family business, he knew he had to since he was an only child. His father could've easily picked out one of his executives to run the company by the time of his death so that his son could live his life as a lawyer, but Amos Diggory put his utmost trust in his only child.
In addition to continuing the family business, unknown to his friends and other family members, Cedric worked as a secret agent under the British Government. He wanted revenge and he vowed to get it no matter how long it took and no matter how many injuries he sustained. By day, he was President Diggory, the youngest president of a major industrial company in history (at 22, he is now 25), but by night, he was Agent Brock: secret spy. Cedric stared at an old family painting hanging high above the wall for all visitors to gaze upon entry to their home
"I'll do my best mother…father…I'll keep everything going the way it supposed to be. I hope you're proud."
When Cedric stepped into the library, he saw the head butler Abraham ("Abe" for short). Cedric smirked.
"I have finished washing the Badger master Diggory."
"Please Abe, just call me by my real name. I'm still not ready for formal titles just yet."
"My apologies Master Cedric." Cedric rolled his eyes.
"Can I get you something for Dinner?"
"Just a simple pasta dish for one if you don't mind. Just make sure it has a cheese sauce. I don't really care which one. Drop it off in my room when it's finished okay? Thanks again Abe."
"I shall return momentarily sir." Abe headed towards the kitchen.
Cedric walked his way towards the master bedroom. He engaged in a bit of small talk with the other maids and butlers on the way. He could never be more proud of such a friendly hired staff in his large and sometimes lonely home. He sat on his bed and pulled out some files on his night stand. There in his hands held the very case that had further inspired him to continue being a proud fighter for justice: "Case 48: The Genocide of the Potter-Evans Bloodline and the mysterious disappearance of their youngest heir".
When Cedric was 8 years old, the news channels and papers were hit with the story of the century. Lord Voldemort went on a killing spree and murdered the Aristocratic Potter Family. Every single member with the Potter Blood, even those by marriage were all killed. His followers in other countries have murdered even distant relatives of the Potters, resulting in the tragic end of a once well respected bloodline. The 6 direct members of the Potter Manor had their home raided and bombed on the night of July 29, 1987. Each family member had undergone stab wounds and multiple gunshots ensuring their death…or so it was reported. James, Lily, and three of their children Holly, Steven, and Cammy were all killed (2). Their bodies were only partially incinerated as firefighters were able to extinguish the inferno before the house burned to the ground. What shocked reporters and officers alike was the missing body of their youngest child, formally disclosed to the public at the time of his birth (last year) as Harold Jamieson Potter – known amongst the general public as "The boy who vanished".
At first, the police wanted to inform the maternal side of Harold's family of his disappearance that night giving them hope of the possibility that he may be alive. Tragically Lily Potter's (neé Evans) only sister – who had a family of her own – was killed as well as their own distant relatives. From that moment on, all ties connected with the marriage of the Potter and the Evans families ended that fateful night. The death toll was 349 lives. Even if young Harold was alive, he would have no living relatives to take him in. Most of the family's friends never got a chance to know Harold all that well as he was not even a year old at the time. It was a dark moment in the history of the world. That was when Cedric's young heart went out to the Potter boy. He grew to have feelings of resentment towards Voldemort and everything he stood for.
Now 17 years later, the case had grown cold, but selected officers were still determined to find the missing Potter child. To this day, many people assumed that he had been taken in by a family and renamed or that sometime during those years, the poor boy had passed away. Many hearts, both young and old still continue to grieve for the wandering soul that cannot be put to rest.
Cedric was not going to give up. He was going to fight to the bitter end until Voldemort was destroyed and Harold was found. He himself had also wanted revenge against the bastard for killing his parents 3 years ago. Unlike the Potter Family, he and his relatives were spared, only his parents were the ones who got killed. They let him live and killed them as if they were just another point on their ever expanding list. Voldemort had sealed his coffin, and Cedric was going to be the one to bury him.
"Your pasta sir." Cedric jumped at the sudden voice.
"Oh…thanks Abe. It looks great." Cedric took a few bites before Abe spoke.
"Are you going out again tonight sir?" Cedric finished swallowing his recent bite and looked at Abe.
"Without a doubt Abe. It'll be a good way for me to stay calm."
"Stay calm sir?"
"Think of it as my stress reliever."
"I shall prepare your suit sir." Abe exited the room.
After a few more bites and glances at the case, Cedric dropped off the empty plate in the kitchen and headed for the library. He walked up to the second floor and grabbed a few books from different shelves. He then placed the books in specific empty spaces, on different shelves in a specific order. After the last book was in place, one of the pillars had a small section that slid open, revealing a hand and eye scanner. He placed his hand on the scanning pad and his eyes in front of a tiny camera.
"Confirmed…Welcome back…Agent Brock."
The bookshelf to his left slid open revealing a large tunnel. He walked through the tunnel and the book shelf returned to its original place. At the end of the tunnel was an elevator that he went through and down into the subterranean area of the Estate. Once he reached the bottom, he was at the heart of his hidden base: The Cavern. Inside the cavern was high tech machinery everywhere. Computers, vehicles for land, water, and sky, and a lab surrounded him on all sides. Right in the centre was a large circular table with a glowing blue light in the centre. One of the large computer screens flicked on and displayed on it was a man in a Military General's uniform.
"Agent Brock, welcome back."
"It's a pleasure to see you too General Colins."
"We have received news about Wormtail's latest heist."
"Voldemort's little rat?"
"It's not just your regular jewel or ancient artefact heist either. He broke into one of our meter stations close to the south eastern boarder of the community Bromley."
"What has he taken specifically?"
"Nothing seemed out of order. All that was missing were some online files regarding the Potter-Evans genocide."
"THAT old case? But why now?"
"We are not sure. We strongly believe however that he knows something that we don't. Why else would he go for something that would be of particularly no use to him or Voldemort. Whatever that rat is up to, we'll get him for it."
"Seems much too suspicious for my liking too but either way, he works for Voldemort, and we'll fork information out of him even if we have to torture him for it."
"No need for such drastic measures Brock. There are plenty of other ways to get a man to crack rather than brute force."
Cedric made a somewhat maniacal smirk. "It does however provide some therapeutic comfort"
Colins cleared his throat and continue on. "Now, our agents have kept an eye him upon his escape from the station." The light on the circular table shone upwards revealing a holograph of the city of London and then zoomed in to the south eastern community of Bromley. The meter station was a blinking red light. "He escaped, eventually ceasing all activity around 26 miles east, towards the end of the country on the shore of the North Sea. There is an old and abandoned shipping warehouse that is situated there. Our agents continued to follow him but we have not received any other information ever since his escape. We can assume that he has not moved ever since he arrived at that location."
"How long ago did this occur?"
"About 1 hour ago."
"This appears to be too much of an obvious attempt to trap intruders. But either way, this is the only lead we've got. Who knows, that warehouse could be a rendezvous point to hook up with Voldemort."
"Either way Brock, take extra caution. Wormtail may not be the most intelligent of henchmen, but he can finish the job properly. Also, check up on our agents should you find them there. Since we have received no reports from any of them for sometime, we have the suspicion that Wormtail may have captured them."
"Understood. Thank you sir. Agent Brock signing off!"
Colins gave a nod to Cedric before the screen shut off. Cedric then headed towards the change room and began to suit up for the capture(3). For the finishing touch, he put on a black visor that he uses to not only conceal his identity but to also provide him with other abilities such as scanning and night vision. After moving around in the suit for a bit to gain its flexibility, Abe walked up behind him.
"Thanks again for getting it repaired Abe. I must say that this new design is MUCH better than the old one. It has more flexibility; it lets in air so my body doesn't over heat and, the gold designs on the shoulders add a REALLY nice touch."
"You're very welcome sir. I have also taken the liberty of having your utility belt's limited components restored. Are you off now sir?"
"Yes Abe…I'm ready."
Both men walked up some stairs towards an upper platform which held a black, armoured Jaguar XK Mark II which Cedric loved to call "The Badger". Cedric opened the door upwards and set himself in the driver's seat. He closed the door and adjusted himself. He brought down his window for a few final words to Abe.
"Abe…I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me."
The butler made a smile. "It is no problem at all Master Cedric. You have been gracious enough to keep me in your Estate even after your parents' unfortunate tragedy. I have been serving your family even since your birth and am more than happy that you have given me the honour of continuing to do so. Your limitless hospitality is payment enough."
"Speaking of payment, remind me to give you a raise when I get back." Cedric gave him a 'thumbs up' and sped out of the cave.
"Be careful Master Cedric…"
——†——
"Computer, how much longer till we reach the old warehouse as these coordinates?"
"Roughly 20 more miles. Approximate time…18 minutes and 54 seconds."
"Thanks"
Cedric sped his way through the highways of Britain deep in the night.
No matter what happens Voldemort, I will live to see the day that your blood is spilled and everyone that has lost their life at your hands will rest in peace, especially the Potter Family. I will find out what happened to Harold Potter even if it kills me. A kid like him deserved his right to live with a family…and you took that from him when he was still an infant…what you have done is unforgivable.
——†——
Sure enough, his computerized Jaguar was right on time. He parked the vehicle some distance away from the warehouse and used the cloaking device on it to make it invisible. Thanks to his visor, he had the night vision adequate for an evening of kick ass. He was in the mood to beat someone up. No light, no witnesses, and no other sounds other than the light tide splashing against the rocky beach.
Cedric stealthily made his way towards the back of the warehouse. He turned on the anti-gravity device of his boots and activated the small spikes on the palm of his hands. He quietly scaled the concrete wall and made his way to the metal roof. Conveniently, there was large hole in the top of the warehouse – probably from a violent hailstorm. He peeked inside the hole and inside the warehouse. He attached some climbing wire onto the side of the hole and trailed his way straight down inside the building. Once he landed, he detached the wire from his belt buckle and scanned his surroundings. The place seemed empty except for a heat emitting source ahead of him. He was about to walk towards it but all of a sudden the lights were flicked on, and in front of him was a hunched figure wrapped in a cloak.
"Wormtail!" The figure made a whimpering noise and then a maniacal laugh. The voice was definitely not wormtail's but a woman's.
"Who are you!"
"Who am I? My dear boy, you shall have the honour of gracing you with my presence." The woman stood straight up and tossed the cloak aside. She was beautiful, but her eyes showed that she was definitely sinister. Her long black hair trailed down her back and the elegant black dress she wore was swaying the slight breeze. Her right leg was partially exposed due to the long slit in the dress from her hip to the bottom.
"Y-you…you're…"
"That's right! Lord Voldemort's leading lady: Bellatrix. I must say, our lord sure attracts very handsome enemies. If every other man of justice is like you, I should suggest to my lord to kill more people." She let out a howling laugh.
"You disgust me!"
"Oh ho ho. Quite the tongue you got there. You're as feisty as you are handsome. I love a man with a backbone."
"How can you serve a man such as Voldemort? He's a monster!"
"On the contrary, he's a saint! He's merely cleansing the world and getting rid of the filthy trash that pollutes the land."
"You bitch! How can you think if innocent lives as garbage? They've done absolutely nothing to you. How can you laugh at them as if their lives mean nothing?"
"Simple! Like this!" She let out another howling laugh. "Nothing else matters to me other than the reign of my lord and eternal beauty. I myself care not for filthy humans. Like those Potters for example, they gave us noble rich families a disgusting reputation by marrying a commoner. All the more reason for them to go out the door and into the dumps." Bellatrix gave a sinister smile as she made that last comment.
"I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that love. I refuse to repeat myself to a mere boy such as you. Although, I might reconsider if you show what lies behind the visor."
"May you burn in the fires of Hades!"
"And may you suffer eternal torment for stepping into the wrong territory." She snapped her fingers and out of no where came out countless henchmen armed with weapons of all kinds.
"Oh and by the way…if you were looking for Wormtail, he left some time ago. My guess is sometime between our little 'lover's spat' so to speak."
"YOU–" Cedric was about to advance forward until a thug stepped right in front of him.
"Ciao for now handsome. Take care of him boys. But make sure he lives, I'd like to see him again next time." Bellatrix walked out of the warehouse with her hair and dress elegantly flowing behind her.
"Come on Pretty boy…let's see what you got!"
The sound of a car was heard driving away in the distance.
Damn…Cedric then focused his attention on the 50+ ugly henchmen.
"You wanna dance? Then let's dance." Cedric made swift kick for the nearest guy's head and knocked him aside. Immediately, the rest of them advanced on him. Kicks and punches were thrown left and right. He was able to successfully knock some of them out but not without consequence. He had multiple blind spots which resulted in him getting attacked by a weapon or a fist. Cedric didn't know how long he'd been fighting. No matter how many he was able to take care of, more just kept coming for him. The numbers seemed endless. Cedric was given a swift kick to the gut which slammed him up against the wall. He was clutching the wall as his exposed arms and a bit of his face were cut, bruised, and bleeding. His torso was stinging and his breathing was becoming ragged.
"Not bad…for a kid. What do ya say? Although Bella wants you alive, we'll spare you the pain and kill you quickly so you won't have to suffer anymore." The rest of the standing guys made a laugh. Cedric smirked and gave a little laugh as well.
"You're pretty terrible henchmen if you do the exact opposite of your superior's orders. She's not gonna be too thrilled should she find my lifeless body fallen by your hands."
Cedric reached for his grappling hook and shot it up towards the hole in the roof that he came from. He flew up towards the hole and hopefully out into safety. Unfortunately, the arrows from multiple crossbows were shot at him. None of them made contact with his body and he was relieved, but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw what they were aiming for: the hook's cord. A bunch of them made contact with the cord and it eventually snapped.
He flipped through the air a bit but he shot out a second grappling hook towards the open windows. This time, a few henchmen threw scimitars at the cord as if they were boomerangs. As the second cord snapped, Cedric tried to pull out the garrotte wire from his watch, but out of no where, multiple smoke bombs were flown in his direction, completely blinding his sight. He had no time to react for the scanning tool on his visor and consequently he began to fall haplessly from his height.
He screamed as he fell, painfully landing on top of a pile of crates.
"unnngh…" His visor was cracked, but it wasn't broken. He tried to regain his focus. Once he did, he was surrounded by the guys again, all towering over him with grins on their faces.
"We knew you'd escape the way you came in. Did you like it? I made the hole myself."
Dammit! This was planned!
"You're getting boring now since you're probably tired. So we'll be nice and kill you now." Every single one of them aimed a gun right at him.
Bastards…I'm not going to let myself get killed THIS easily…
Cedric's right pointer finger was right next to a little latch on his belt that would release a blinding flash of light used to blind large groups of opponents. He was about to unleash it but he heard the sound of a gun being fired. For some reason it didn't hit him. One of the guys let out a piercing scream and fell to the ground in a dead heap. Cedric opened his eyes and struggled to sit up. Along with all of the standing henchmen, their eyes were directed up towards the figure standing on one of the windows, illuminated by the moonlight.
"Hold it right there!" Cedric's eyes widened in surprise. Who had sent him help?
The figure flipped off of the window sill and landed on the ground with silent grace. The light of the warehouse lit up the figure completely. It turns out that Cedric's 'assistance' appeared to be a boy who looked no older than 17 - 18 at the most - much to the older spy's (as well as the goons') surprise. Like Cedric, he was wearing a visor to conceal his identity. The boy's attire consisted of a navy blue sleeveless turtle neck with a silver lion design located on his left pectoral. Adorning his lower body were (what seemed to be) very formfitting combat pants which were tucked into his black, knee-high, laceless combat boots. His hands were covered with fingerless gloves and situated around both of his biceps were two black lycra bands - Cedric assumed they were merely for aesthetic purposes. The boy's pitch black hair shone in the light.
"Who do you think you are brat?"
"My name is of no importance to you, but since you asked, you can call me…Godric." Without even a chance for the thugs to respond, the boy leaped into the air and gave a very heavy kick to one guy's face. He began to throw kicks everywhere while combining them with gunshots. Through Cedric's eyes, it was a sight to behold: a magnificent dance of death.
With all of his might, Cedric stood up and joined forces with the boy. He clenched his right fist and out of his knuckled gloves came out five brilliant, platinum claws (A/N: ok ok I give. I admit I basically copied wolverine…DON'T SUE ME!). While most of the guys had their backs turned, Cedric made a heavy kick to the nearest guy's head, knocking him unconscious. Along with the mysterious new boy, Cedric combined his deadly fighting skills with the aid of his weapon. The henchmen were out matched.
Within minutes, all but one of them was on the ground, either dead or knocked out. Only one guy was left and he was cowering in fear. Godric stared at the pathetic henchman through his navy blue visor. Although the man was scurrying away in fright, the boy showed no remorse and shot the escaping henchman without a second thought; well…if you could count a severe gunshot to the leg as showing 'no remorse.'
Cedric collapsed to one knee and grunted as his abs gave out a sharp pain. Godric walked up to Cedric and knelt next to him both pulling off his gloves and taking out a tiny canister from his utility belt. He placed the ointment that was inside of it in his bare hands. He began to rub it on Cedric's injured arms earning him a hiss from the older man.
"I can sympathize…although this stuff hurts like hell, you'll be better by tomorrow." The boy offered a small smile. "However, you're on your own for the injuries underneath your armour."
"W-who are you?"
"In a moment."
Without warning, the boy then placed some more ointment in his hands and began rubbing it on Cedric's face to which the older spy froze in surprise. The boy's hands were soft and smooth to the touch, and even though the faint scent of leather was present amidst the action, Cedric found that he didn't mind it one bit. The boy was gentle. His cheeks were being caressed as if they were made of thin glass. This thought, coupled with the relaxing and almost sensual motion of the body's massaging hands made Cedric's face heat up in both gratitude and slight embarassment. Acting on impulse, Cedric grabbed the boys' wrists and held them in place. The boy gasped but exhaled softly as Cedric held on to the boy's wrists in a gentle manner. The older spy brought the two them together as he clasped the younger boy's hands within his own.
"I can't thank you enough for saving me. Please…if there is any form of repayment that you wish, don't hesitate to ask."
Godric gave a little 'hmph' as he tossed the little canister of ointment into Cedric's hands. Cedric easily caught it and tucked it safely away.
"Just brush up on your escaping skills."
Cedric blushed and gave a smile at the boy.
"I'll keep that in mind."
The pair stood up and looked at each other. The younger one spoke up.
"There are some officers I found underneath this warehouse before making my way in here. The bad part is that the basement is slowly filling up with water. If we're not fast enough, they could drown. Come on."
Cedric followed the boy to a door in the distance. Through them they went down a few flights of stairs and eventually into half-flooded basement.
"I'll get the four officers here, you grab the remaining two on the right."
The boy nodded and dove into the water, swimming for the tied up officers. It took some time, but they were able to save all six of them and bring them up out of the flooded basement and onto the grass outside. Thankfully they were all breathing but it seemed as though they've been drugged not too long ago. Cedric called the paramedics and gave them their location. He then turned around and noticed the boy walking away.
"Wait!" He ran up to him. "I never got the chance to introduce myself. I'm Agent Brock, and I am in your debt."
To Cedric's surprise, he was gretted back with a slight scoff from the younger spy. "Don't flatter me. I may have saved you tonight but don't count on me doing it too often. I know that you're after Voldemort, but don't think that you're the only one whose got a score to settle with that wretched excuse of a human. No matter who gets in my way, I will be the one to put an end to that bastard's miserable life for plaguing our societ, and no one is going to stop me."
Cedric was taken a back. Just a little while ago, this boy saved his life, tended to his wounds and helped him save a couple of incapacitated officers with a stern but nonetheless professional attitude. Now it seemed like he was talking to a completely different person. But just then, Cedric had a thought.
"You know, since we have similar goals, why don't we pair up? We both want Voldemort gone right? I won't ask for your reasons why but all in all, I believe that we have the same ulterior motive."
Cedric hoped that he could work with this boy. He was good. He seemed to be a spy just like himself and so by simple logic, two minds together would work a lot more efficient and faster than both of them individually. But once again, Cedric was greeted back with resistance.
"Thanks but no thanks. I work alone. Consider tonight your lucky break as it is very unlikely to happen again."
He began to walk away until Cedric grabbed his arm and unconsciously brought their bodies close together.
"Why won't you accept my help?"
The boy blushed but thankfully for him, Cedric didn't see it.
"Just as I said, I don't need any...AND I work alone." The boy gave a swift punch to Cedric's stomach with his free hand and back flipped away while he was hunched over. When Cedric finally regained his composure he looked up: the boy had vanished from sight.
"…Godric…"
TBC
——†——
A/N: I know I kind of gave this story a little bit of a Batman-motif but hey, trying new things feels good. Not a bad start if I say so myself. All you readers out there tell me what you think by Replying! Flamers will obviously not be tolerated. I will tolerate constructive criticism but obvious hate replies will be dealt with personally.
(1) Idea based off Andrew Carnegie: founder of the Carnegie Steel Company later named U.S. Steel.
(2) I actually know some one named Steven Potter so that's why I used his names. The other two girls I tried to name then in a similar fashion to their mother: after flowers. Holly and Cammy (short for Camelia)
(3) Visual for Cedric/Agent Brock's "Spy Uniform" - If any of you watch X-Men: Evolution, my idea for Cedric's uniform is basically Wolverine's outfit (the navy blue one, not the orange one) but in place of the "X" located on both the belt buckle and on the left pectoral, silver "Crown of Laurels" design