Chapter 2
The team looked at their old colleague with disbelief. Gideon began to explain…
"I was originally called to England to find someone who could kill without leaving any mark on the body. Autopsies couldn't reveal anything, the victims' hearts just stopped, and they couldn't find a cause. The MO was all over the board, families, couples, single kills. Some showed signs of torture, some didn't. There were disappearances that still cannot be explained. The only thing that I could figure out is quite obvious, that there were multiple unsubs, a pack.
After a few days, I asked the wrong questions, or the right ones, depending on how you look at it. Two men came to me at my hotel. They told me that they were wizards; I thought they were playing a prank until they showed me what they could do. Reid, your tricks are brilliant, but these guys made me fly around the room. I am not exaggerating.
At first they tried to convince me to stop looking into the murders, that it wasn't a good idea that a muggle, which is their word for non-magical people, from a different country, get involved. But I was young and stubborn, and I refused. They agreed to give me as much information they could, in exchange for a vow that I would never tell anyone without their government's permission and that I would work with them to find who was doing all of this. They pulled out an old sock and when we all held it; I felt something pull at my navel and the next thing I know I am in an underground ministry building.
I met the Head Auror, their form of police. He worked for the government but he was also part of an underground group that combats the murders, it was called the Order of the Phoenix. He took me to the leader of this group, Albus Dumbledore, the rest of my time I was there, I worked with these people. I was called back a week later, the profile wasn't near complete, but I was needed here." Gideon paused, he had only told Hotch before this and it was hard to put it all together for people who didn't experience it to understand.
The whole team just looked at him like he was crazy. They turned to Hotch, who answered their unasked question.
"It is all true, I swear."
Morgan wiped a hand down his face in disbelief. He wasn't the only one who was hesitant to accept any of this. Everyone's desire to trust in the words of their old teammate was fighting against their sense of the world.
Rossi in particular was staring hard at his old friend. Out of everyone in the room he has the most negative feelings when it came to the supernatural. He watched Gideon as the story become more and more fantastical. Reading the look in Gideon's eyes, he made his decision.
"We need current information" Rossi reasoned, he would trust his friend "No offense but all this happened before Reid could walk"
"When I left, there was no way to contact them, I haven't been able to add anything to the profile, which you can see isn't very much. All I know is that I got a call from someone high enough in our government to know of these events. They said the British don't know what to do. They thought it was over, but it has started again."
"Again?" JJ questioned.
"Apparently, a few months after I left, on October 31, 1981, the Unsubs made their last kill. I wasn't given any information on who it was. Then, thirteen years later they started up again, but I don't know anything about that either. All I do know is that Dumbledore got a message to our government. The Order is asking for our help."
"We are going to England to help wizards find a group of terrorists?" Prentiss asked.
"Sir, I don't see how I can help," Garcia stated "It doesn't seem like wizards would have a lot of computerized data"
"No they don't, but they do have some sort of network you can plug into"
Hotch took the lead "We leave in 3 hours, bring a bigger bag then usual"
The plane ride was silent. The whole team had a lot to wrap their heads around. Reid had something extra "Is 'Lis in danger?". He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was incredibly worried about his British friend.
"What about your original profile, Gideon" Prentiss asked.
The older agent looked up. "Very minimal, when I was taken to the Order of the Phoenix I found out that they already knew that there was a group. It was quite large actually, not so much a pack but a mob or cult, and they act like terrorists. While any individual of this group was feared, it was leader that was truly the nightmare of everyone who knew about it. He was feared so greatly that a majority of the people I met could not say his name or even hear it without flinching. I met only three that would say as if it were any other name."
"What is his name?" Garcia wondered aloud.
"Voldemort, self-proclaimed, Lord Voldemort. When you hear someone we meet say You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, they are talking about Voldemort"
"I realize that these people have a different culture, therefore different names, but Voldemort, what were his parents thinking" Garcia voiced what everyone was thinking.
"Dumbledore believed it to be a name that he gave himself, but he didn't know his real name" Gideon answered.
"Our main job is not going to be finding out who the Unsub is, but how to get ahead of him." Hotch explained.
"We are going back to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Now, a warning, it is a school. There will be children from ages 11 to 17 there. Most of them probably have never seen a muggle in their lifetimes. We don't look any different, but when they find out we aren't witches and wizards, we could get swamped with questions and…insults" Gideon hesitated for only a moment.
"Insults…why?" Reid asked
"This…war we are going into isn't just wizard against wizard. I worked with over 100 victims when I first arrived and those were just the ones we found, and just the muggles"
The whole team looked up at him as he continued. "Voldemort's real targets aren't the Order of the Phoenix, it is muggles. He hates us, believes that we should be subject to wizards, because wizards are more powerful than us. The only reason this is war and not genocide is because there are wizards that are willing to fight for our survival. I have seen what Voldemort and his followers can do. If the Order wasn't standing in their way, the entirety of England would already be under his control. Many of his followers have children and those children go to the school where we will be. The majority of those children will think just like their parents and believe they are above us."
The team was used to unsubs not liking them, but this was new, and Reid was even more worried about his friend than before.
The rest of the trip past slowly while each member thought through and accepted this new reality.
They landed at the airport and were greeted by a tall, stoic black man and a shorter man who was covered with scars and had a hat pull over one side of his face. Gideon walked up to the men and warmly shook hands with the shorter of the two. "Moody, it has been a long time. I wish that we met on better circumstances."
"We all wish that, Gideon. Is this your team?" the tall one prompted
"Yes, Agents Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer Jaraeu, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, Dr. Spencer Reid and our technical analyst Penelope Garcia. Everyone this is Alastor Moody, he is an Auror."
"I am retired now, Gideon, a lot has happened in 26 years." Moody gruffly replied, "This is Kingsley Shaklebolt, he is an Auror, but also a member of the Order."
"A pleasure to meet you all." Kingsley greeted. "We will take you to Hogwarts now."
The wizards turned around and lead the Americans to a car.
"You have cars, no flying carpets" Morgan joked.
"There are some muggle inventions that we cannot mimic with magic, but we can enhance them." Kingsley open the door to let them in and they found that the small car had been enlarged and there was plenty of room for everyone. Their luggage easily fit in the trunk. They climbed in and the car started.
"The main members of the Order are waiting to meet you all." Moody stated.
"We will need plenty of help from everyone; we don't have much to go on."
"When Gideon was here before we gave all we had, but we have a lot more now, everything will be available to you"
The rest of the trip was passed by the asking of small simple questions. The team wanted to be able to understand as much as possible about this culture. Soon they were pulling into a small village.
"Welcome to Hogsmeade, Hogwarts is just up the main road." Kingsley and Moody set off with the FBI agents following closely behind until they reached the carriages. Morgan approached one of the creatures pulling them, it snorted at him, and he jumped back.
"What in the world?"
"Thestrals, I am not surprised you can see them. They are winged cousins of that unicorn, great sense of direction and smell. They can smell blood from miles away" Moody explained while petting one.
"Blood?"
"Well, they are carnivores" The whole team, including Gideon stepped back.
"Why were you not surprised we could see them, it is not like they are hiding" Prentiss asked.
"They are invisible to any person who has not seen death with their own eyes. More and more people are able to see them these days, but I am always glad to see the look of wonder on the first years faces when they see carriages moving by themselves" Kingsley mused.
They all got in a carriage and quickly moved towards the castle. When they left the forest and could see the school they all looked in awe.
"It looks even better at night." Moody bragged.
They got out of the carriages. There were students everywhere enjoying the fall sun. It didn't take long for the group and Aurors and muggles to be noticed. The talking and laughing among the students quieted down into whispers as the group made their way across the lawn. They swiftly entered the castle to get away from the stares.
"We should hurry. Everyone is waiting."
They quickly walked the corridors and got to the stairs.
"Dumbledore's office is on the second floor." Kingsley explained.
"Don't let the stairs startle you." Gideon warned while the Aurors chuckled.
They climbed a little, "What do you m…" JJ started but got cut off when the whole section of stairs began to rise in the air "Oh" she finished.
"It is like an escalator." Prentiss observed.
They reached the second floor and quickly walked through the seeming maze towards a dead end. The agents, besides Gideon of course, were confused when they stopped in front of a gargoyle.
"Skittles." Moody grunted.
The group of muggles jumped with the gargoyle as it moved aside. The two wizard guides didn't pause, only quickly scaled the stairs and the team was forced to follow. They reached a door and could hear discussion on the other side. Kingsley knocked, the taking stopped, and the group heard a clear "Bring them in."
The door opened and the agents saw a large group of people with an old man sitting behind a desk. They all thought that this man was the epitome of what the world believes wizards to be, long white hair and beard, and garish robes.
The man stood, came around from the desk, and enthusiastically shook Gideon's hand "Jason Gideon, it has been a long time."
"Professor Dumbledore, you haven't changed a bit."
"Thank you, you have gotten older and your mind is far more troubled since the last time we spoke."
"A lot can happen in 26 years."
"True, true…you will find many new faces here. Very few of the original Order still live"
"Yes, I have noticed and I am sad. I got close to some that I no longer see here." He paused, "Let me make introductions, this is Agents Aaron Hotchner, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, David Rossi, Jennifer Jareau, Dr. Spencer Reid, and our tech analyst Penelope Garcia. Everyone this is Professor Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix."
"You are welcome here. I have told the Order what you purpose here is. You shouldn't encounter any trouble; we are willing to help and are glad for yours."
"Thank you, we would like to start as soon as possible" Hotch took over "We want to concentrate on the finding out why Voldemort stopped for those 13 years."
"We need information on his last victim in 1981 and his first in 1994." Gideon continued "There must be something about those that explained the cooling off period."
The group of witches and wizards shared looks, no one spoke.
"We realize that it might be hard to think about, but it is important to building our profile." Rossi, like the others, sensed a hesitancy to talk.
"Professor Potter would be the best to explain I think" Dumbledore looked slightly behind them and to the left.
"Potter?" Reid thought
"I will do what I can" a feminine voice replied.
The agents turned and all were shocked.
"Amaryllis?" Reid didn't understand.
"Hello Spencer"
Edited 8/22/2015