Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
Written for Seriously Important (Not) Challenge July 2018
Written for The Houses Competition, Round 1, Year 3
House: Hufflepuff
Position: Head Student
Category: Short
Prompt: [Weather] Rain
WIBI? Callenged By: Magi
SI(N) Fill: 01
Representation: Dark Protector; Assassin AU
Bonus Challenge(s): Fruit Fly; Zucchini Bread; Second Verse (Unwanted Advice; Tomorrow's Shade; Middle Name; Not a Lamp; Unicorn - Bisexuality)
Stacked with: Terms of Service; Seriously Important (Not); Wouldn't It Be Interesting?; The Houses Competition; Hogwarts
Word Count: (Per Google Docs) 2,946
Beta(s): Jet
Author's Note: This is my take on an AssassinAU.
Smoke & Mirrors
A late spring rain pelted against the windows of 12 Grimmauld Place, cooling the warmth from the day as evening settled over the neighborhood. Harry thumbed through some paperwork Luna provided him in the sitting room, oblivious to the rhythmic tapping outside as he scrutinized the politician in question. Pennington Corksworth, 32, half-blood. Official Ministry Employee since 5 February, 2001. Transferred from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures on 8 August, 2001 to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Luna emerged from the kitchen holding two mugs of tea, offering one to Harry as she approached. She sat down close enough to him that their sides touched before she quietly sipped at her tea with that pensive stare. Harry took a quick drink before discarding the mug on an end table, adjusting his glasses as he leaned back into the couch and closer to Luna. The contact alone helped clear his head. Her presence always had a way of calming him down when he got worked up.
"You see it, too," Luna said, feeling the shift of mood in Harry. "It's a registration that will stealthily find information from the Hogwarts student records on their heritage, as well as find unusual abilities. On the surface it is cleverly hidden as a type of school grant, but he wants to single out children who have creature blood in them."
Harry removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in the process. "It was only a matter of time before someone decided to disturb the peace."
"Unfortunately." The room grew quiet for several ticks of the clock on the mantle before Luna continued. "He transferred departments because they kept blocking his creature bills. No one else found the strange regulations he pitched overly suspicious except for myself. I am glad I looked into him when I did."
"An unneeded toxicity," Harry almost spat out.
A lot was accomplished in the five years since the war, but once the fear was removed from the Wizarding World, everything settled and harmonized in its newfound peace. It was almost too easy how everything started to run like clockwork within the Ministry. There was a brief moment where Harry thought fast-tracking himself to become Head Auror was almost pointless based on how eerily successful everything turned out. Desk work was not his forte, but it had to be done by someone who had the best interests of others in mind.
Harry knew that the peace he gave to society was going to give eventually if it was left unattended. So he took the job and used it as a means to keep a close eye on everything. But eyes weren't always enough, so Harry made sure to put an ear to the ground as well.
If he knew anything about how history worked, it was that it had a habit to repeat itself, and since society was a heavy influence on history, both tended to sway off the beaten path after a while when things got too comfortable, too predictable, too blind to see when potential harm presented itself that sought control. So Harry decided – along with a couple trusted and close friends – to make themselves the failsafe to this common flaw on humanity. There were some things that could never be handled legally when it came to the best interests of others.
"So it is settled then. Corksworth cannot continue to run freely amok in the Ministry," Luna concluded, placing the mug down to grab a red stamp from nearby and slapping the red ink on the folder.
"There's no need to convince me twice. This toerag is a threat to several of my family and close friends alone." Harry helped Luna collect the parchment. "Better to get it over with as soon as possible."
"The Ministry's Annual Collective Dinner on Saturday at the park seems like an adequate time for a stealthy execution."
He looked at the witch with a smirk. "You want to formulate a solid plan of action between us in four days? You really want to test our capabilities, don't you?"
Luna smirked as he teasingly nudged her arm with an elbow before tucking the folder in her bag. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and let out a soft breath.
"We are more than capable. It shouldn't be difficult at all, really. I'll owl Neville and we'll plan from there."
The front door slammed from behind them, snuffing out the sound of heavy rain just as quick as it was heard. Harry looked up to meet the not-so-friendly expression on Ginny's face as she towered over the pair beside the couch.
"Evening Luna. I wasn't expecting you here so late." She said in a clipped tone.
"Hello, Ginny."
"Hey, Gin." Harry and Luna greeted back-to-back.
The ginger looked to Harry as he reached for his tea. He knew that Luna laying against him was stirring Ginny up, but he didn't understand why she took such gestures so literally. "How was practice?"
"Exhausting and long," Ginny said, looking to Luna. "Am I interrupting something?"
Luna slung the book bag over her shoulder as she stood. "Oh, it is nothing. We were coordinating the Minister's event taking place on Saturday."
Ginny just folded her arms as the blonde moved around the couch. "But it is quite late. I should be going. Goodnight, Ginny."
Harry got up to walk Luna to the door as Ginny watched their exchange. "You sure you don't want to use the Floo?"
Luna pulled her umbrella out of the bag. "I'll be alright. I quite like the rain."
"Okay. Goodnight, Luna."
"Goodnight, Harry." She turned and stepped out into the gentle rainfall.
The door was barely closed before he was met with a fresh fiery glare from Ginny. Harry wasn't going to be baited with her jealousy and suspicion over something that was not there.
"Why are you like this?" he asked, genuinely confused.
Ginny scoffed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Me? I'm not the one being all weirdly cosy with someone who is our friend. Yet, here you are all cuddly on the couch with her at eight in the evening, discussing work?"
He simply shrugged. "You summed it up."
"You always use that excuse, yet you never say exactly what that is! What are you, an Unspeakable Auror?"
Harry scratched the back of his head. "You knew what you were getting into. Auror work isn't always open to the public. So yeah, something like that. Confidential business."
The lack of a reaction enraged the witch even more.
He brushed past her to collect the mugs. "You need to quit reading into things that aren't there, Gin."
"Ergh! I seriously cannot believe how nonchalant you are being about this!" Ginny shrieked, following close behind Harry as he entered the kitchen. "Do you even care about how I feel on how weirdly close you two are?"
Harry deposited the mugs into the sink before turning to her, grabbing her left hand and lifting it to eye level. Her ring glimmered with his in the candlelight. "Who did I marry?"
Ginny swallowed hard, glancing at their hands in-between them, but her voice was lost. He released her hand after a long beat, placing them on the counter behind him. "Your lack of trust and insecurity about Luna and I hurts. She does the same things with you – cuddle and such."
"That's different," she hissed back.
"No, it's really not."
Ginny went quiet, but the fury radiated off her to the point where it was making Harry tense himself. He sighed and subconsciously rubbed at his scar. "Look—"
"I'm going to Mum's."
Harry stared at her retreating back. "Goodnight, then."
"Ricinus communis," Neville declared the following evening as he looked between the two. "It'd be perfect. I can prepare a lethal dosage of ricin and it can be discreetly mixed in his dessert. Symptoms won't kick in until he is home and in bed, and he won't know it isn't just a nasty bug until he is staring death in the eye. I'd give it five days at most. No one would suspect anything but the flu should he seek medical aid."
Harry and Luna looked at Neville apprehensively as he described the poisonous substance they were to use as their weapon to off Corksworth. He gave a crooked smile. "Sorry, I know the git a little too well in person, myself. He came to me some months back and asked for a lot of information on certain plants that could be used on creatures and beings. The tone he used put me on edge, like he was there simply shopping for a pest repellant."
"So you picked up on it, too." Luna said.
Neville nodded in response. Harry loved these two, they were so in sync with each other when it came to these special tasks. It didn't take much to agree upon their course of action or targets.
"I wasn't able to volunteer as a waiter, otherwise this would be too easy," Neville continued, the twitch in his eye showed a restrained flinch of disappointment. "I was asked to do a speech, so I won't be able to slip the substance to him. One of you will have to."
"I won't be able to, either. I was nominated to be the Unspeakable representative since the Senior Unspeakable is unavailable." Luna's silver eyes rested on Harry as he ruffled the hair at the back of his head. "Are you able to manage?"
"He's a part of my department, and he has been wanting an in depth conversation with me for a while now. It won't be difficult to get close to him."
Luna was biting her lip, pensive stare plastering her features as she processed Harry's words before reanimating herself. "It will be tricky, and it will have to be precise, but we know you can do it, Harry."
She placed a hand on his bicep, settling Harry's nerves almost instantly. Neville nudged his shoulder against his, offering a confident reassurance to Luna's statement. Harry let out a soft breath, allowing himself to relax with their touch. He wasn't necessarily nervous about the task, but was more eager to get it done knowing it was for a good cause. Pennington Corksworth, if left unchecked, would be a toxic plague on the Wizarding World if he started the scare over mixed species being a threat.
"You two know I don't mind being Smoke. It keeps your hands cleaner," Harry said, nodding his acceptance of taking on the job.
Harry, Neville, and Luna had drawn up the perfect plan in record time, and Harry was quite confident that it would be successful. The trio had decided the slower method to kill the target was to be used instead of a quick one-off, they didn't want to cause a dramatic scene at such an important event, after all.
Harry stood in front of the floor length mirror, fixing the cream colored bowtie that he chose with his black robes. The distant knock on the door signaled him to make his way to the foyer. Descending the stairs, he watched Ginny answer the door and overhead the exchange of words between the two witches.
"Hi, Luna," Ginny said stiffly. "Did I forget we had something planned for tonight?"
"I'm not here for you," Luna stated matter-of-factly as she entered the foyer and smoothed out the wrinkles on her cream colored dress as she looked Ginny over. "It is the Ministry's Dinner tonight at the park."
Harry could feel the eye roll radiate off Ginny as he found the bottom of the stairs.
"Right, the dinner," she said, tone clipped. "I thought you were attending with Neville?"
"Oh, I am. He had to deal with a last minute debacle. So I thought I'd accompany Harry." Her silver eyes connected with his over Ginny's shoulder.
"I see."
"You are right on time," Harry cut in, grabbing the cloaks from the hook and handing Ginny hers. "Shall we?"
The Ministry's Annual Collective Dinner was draped with large white canopies to keep the unexpected drizzle of rainfall off the guests. Harry, Luna, and Ginny arrived early since Harry always needed extra time to prepare for these things – being the one who saved the world came with endless obligatory social events and planning.
Ginny slipped away shortly after arriving, which gave Luna ample time to switch his right cufflink with a charmed identical one that contained the ricin. "You will have to brush a finger over it for it to activate, but it will release immediately. Make sure you are very well positioned."
"A little faith, Luna," Harry said, smirking.
"He's here already." Luna inclined her head slightly to indicate he was behind him.
Harry turned to hone in on Corksworth who was chatting up Kingsley and Hermione, of all people. Ginny had joined up beside Hermione during the exchange. The Minister had a large smile on his face while Harry's best friend seemed quite interested in their conversation.
"It seems they want to believe anything that man says," Harry observed.
"Silvertongues make them all the more dangerous."
The dinner went the way it always did. Speeches were made, a silent auction was held, employees were awarded for their performance, and the five-course dinner was gradually served throughout to those who didn't have their fill on horderves. Harry was finally free enough to approach Corksworth as the desserts of coconut-mango sorbet was being served.
"Evening, Mr. Corksworth." Harry held out his right hand as he approached. The dessert was right below his arm; coconut flakes the perfect cover for the poison. He brushed his left pointer against the cufflink, acting as if he was adjusting the watch he wore there to check the time. The powder that was released dusted the dessert with precision, now to coax the man to take at least a bite or two.
"Ah, Mr. Potter. A pleasure to have your attention." Pennington smiled as he accepted the offered hand. "I suppose you have a moment to spare? I'd love to discuss some things with you."
"I could use some conversation over the dessert they just brought out," Harry said, taking a seat at the table. "I hear you—"
"Harry! There you are!" Hermione's voice bellowed as she approached. "I've been looking all over for you," she continued once she was right beside him. "Sorry for the interruption, Mr. Corksworth, but could I steal Harry a moment?"
Harry looked between his best friend and Pennington slowly, feeling his nerves go haywire at the thought that this man would not be supervised consuming the poison if he left.
"We were actually in the process of discussing something semi-important, Hermione." He looked at her with a look he knew would register with her on it being non-negotiable.
She opened her mouth and closed it, and before she could speak, Pennington cut in. "If it is personal, I really don't mind waiting. I'm a patient man, and you are a very busy one, Mr. Potter."
Harry took a heavy breath then in an attempt to calm himself. This was not going according to plan.
"It's about a situation from a day or so ago, Harry."
"Hello, Hermione. It has been a little while, hasn't it?" Luna said, appearing from nowhere it seemed.
Her silver eyes looked at Harry, giving him a silent nudge to continue the task as she distracted the other witch. She fiddled absentmindedly at her necklace as she turned her attention back to the witch.
"Hey, Luna," Hermione replied. "You know how work is, never ending and long."
"Are you a fan of mangos, Mr. Corksworth?" Harry asked, drawing the other wizard's attention back to him and away from the other two walking away. "I personally am not much of a coconut person, but I know the chef who made the dessert and he makes some of the best dishes."
He ate a small spoonful of his own then. "It simply melts in your mouth."
"Oh, it has coconut in it? That's a personal favourite." Pennington gave the sorbet a proper look, now seeing the light shavings of the fruit. "It looks delectable."
The man took a large scoop and gladly ate the portion, giving a nod of approval. "Amazing. Your chef knows his stuff."
"He certainly does." Harry spotted Neville then, who briefly caught his gaze and gave a half-smirk before being pulled away soon after. "He is very good with his tools."
Harry laid the Daily Prophet down on the table in front of Luna and Neville, the large image of himself dressed in his Head Auror robes, glasses flashing from the cameras, as he silently spoke to the reporters on the latest case of a ministry official's death.
The headline was simple enough, 'Illness Tragically takes Pennington Corksworth's Life'
"I say it's a job well done," Luna said almost dreamily.
She approached him and gave Harry a light hug, absently combing her petite fingers through his unruly hair. "It takes guts to be as gentle and kind as you are by continuing to give the world the peace they so easily take for granted."
Neville picked up the paper and tapped on it lightly. "You sure pull off those robes well, mate."
Harry laughed some, giving Neville a warm smile. "Thanks."
It had only been five years since they started their underground work, and they only had to snuff out two people. 'Not too shabby,' Harry thought.
They were nothing but the smoke in the darkness and mirrors to the public.
Ami's Audio Admirations - Rocky Flintstone: Write about someone who goes by an alias.
Lyric Alley: 20. 'cause there's nothing that your mind can't do
Count Your Buttons: 4. [Object] Glasses 4. [Dialogue] "I'm not here for you." 4. [Song] Look For The Silver Lining (Here's the happy secret of it all - Just look for the silver lining)
Showtime - 28. The Room Where It Happens: [Emotion] Jealousy
Book Club - Moon Eye: [Word] Pensive [Character] Luna Lovegood [Dialogue] "It seems they want to believe anything that man says."
Shannon's Showcase: 26. [Title] Smoke and Mirrors
Disney Challenge - 4. [Song] Heigh-Ho: Write about someone's day at work.
Character Appreciation: [Word] Scar [Character] Harry Potter
Emy's Emporium: - Italy 3. The Olive Groves: [Trait] Resilient.
Spain 2. The Nightlife: [Setting] Takes place at night.
Angel's Arcade - Roxas: [AU] Assassin [Emotion] Confused [Object] Necklace
Bex's Biscuit Barrel - Flapjack: [Word] Suspicion [Emotion] Insecure [Dialogue] "Why are you like this?"
Lo's Lowdown - Character Based Prompt - 15. Javert: [Occupation] Police/Auror
Sophie's Shelf - Vault 34: [Word] Weapon
Days of the Year - Superman Day: Write about someone with a secret identity.
Shay's Musical Challenge - Dreamgirls: Write about a tough job.
Gryffindor Themed Prompt: [Character] Harry Potter [Trait] Impulsive
Fire Element - Characteristic Challenge: Write about someone who always tries to be a hero.
Flowers - Peony: [Sexuality] Bisexual
Birthstones - Ruby: [Dialogue] "It takes guts to be as gentle and kind as you are."
Summer Prompt: [Word] Park
Color Prompt: Cream
Star Chart - Mars at Opposition: [Emotion] Anger
Insane House Challenge: 4. [Character] Harry Potter
365 Challenge: 16. [AU] Assassin!AU