Chapter Three

AN: In continuing with my tradition of author's notes before chapters, I have an announcement: Doctor'sLittleDalek and I are hosting a fic exchange over at the forum Revival (see her profile for the link). If you're interested, please PM her or me :D


The black cat which had once been a glass of coke rubbed itself against Alex's legs as he stared at the man before him. He'd always felt that Smithers had secrets, and when he'd learnt that the gadget-master was actually an Irishman in a fatsuit, he'd been surprised, but not overly shocked. But this was too much. Magic? It was laughable. It was completely unbelievable. And yet, as far as Alex could tell, it was true.

"Now can I call my friend?"

Unable to formulate a proper response, Alex just nodded.

"Okay." The Irishman shook his arms out as if used to wearing long dangling sleeves that often needed shaking out of the way, and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Expecto patronum! Er, hello, if you can just follow my patronus and apparate here, I think I've found someone who can help."

Alex stared at the silver fox which had appeared, cocked its head listening to Seamus' message, and then disappeared in a wisp of silver.

A loud crack and a man, of similar age to Seamus, appeared in the room, startling the black cat and making it dig its claws into Alex's arms. He let it go, and it disappeared under the drinks cabinet, trailing what looked like a mix between cat hair and coke.

The two men clapped each other on the arm. "Seamus!" said the new appearance. "Not exploding feathers anymore?"

Seamus grinned. "Nowadays I get permission to blow up much bigger things, Harry," he said.

"That's right… If only Flitwick could see you now. McGonagall told me you helped explode the bridge in the Battle."

"When did you see her?"

"She called me about the Defence job."

"Why didn't you take it?"

"Are you kidding?! Me, a teacher? Cho took it instead."

"Maybe she'll break the curse," returned Seamus, tucking his stick away.

Alex got the feeling that there was a lot he was missing. The new arrival turned to face him, suddenly critical. "This is your help, Seamus?"

"Oi, you were a champion at his age," Seamus retorted. "And that's with you living with muggles every summer. My boyo here has been prepared ever since he was born."

"Not for this."

"Near enough, Harry."

"Really?"

The two men stared at Alex and he stiffened under their combined gazes.

"What's his story?" the man named Harry finally said, rabid curiosity in his eyes. "Is he..?"

"His Uncle trained him," said Seamus.

"And..?"

"And then a similar thing to you happened; some people saw he was useful, and they used him. No 'Chosen One' thing, though."

"Was it his school?"

"No."

"And his parents let his Uncle do this, and they all let him be used?" Harry's eyes were gleaming, almost yearning.

Alex opened his mouth. "I'm an orphan," he said. He winced at the ensuing silence. "Look, d'you want to sit down while you two talk? Do you want tea? Coke?"

As if called by name, the black cat peeked out from under the cabinet, and padded over to Alex.

"Er, tea is fine," said Harry.

"I'll have my coke," Seamus said. He waved his… wand, and then suddenly at Alex's feet was the restored glass of coke. Alex felt a twinge of unexpected regret, but he shook off the feeling and retreated to his kitchen.

As Alex began boiling the kettle and spooning out the tea into two mugs, he tried to listen in on the next room. However, even though he had relatively thin walls, all he heard was buzzing. Seamus or Harry must have done something to prevent eavesdropping. Magic, probably. The water in the kettle boiled, and he poured it over the teabags automatically. It was a relief, he supposed, to finally learn what had occurred on his fateful last mission. But equally, he didn't feel as fulfilled as he'd expected. It seemed like too easy a solution.

Maybe Smithers' gadgets seemed so amazing because they were run on magic. If that was so, then that changed a lot of things. Alex had always believed that much of life was down to the person. With only a few instances of luck, it was possible to achieve greatness by working hard, thinking wisely and gaining help from others. Magic – magic was a cheat. Who knew how many battles had been lost, just because the other side had magic in its arsenal? What if he'd faced, unknowingly, an enemy with magic?

Alex was momentarily stunned frozen by that thought.

A lull in the buzz from the drawing room broke Alex from his mental paralysis. He checked the time, and took the teabags out. "Er, milk?" he called.

"Milk," was the reply, "no sugar."

He returned to the drawing room to see Harry and Seamus seated on the worn leather sofa, facing each other with no room for Alex in between. Alex gave Harry his tea, then went to sit in Ian's wingback chesterfield. He'd never sat in it before. Harry and Seamus were both staring determinedly into their drinks.

"What do you want me for, Smithers?" Alex asked, aiming for casual.

Smithers winced and Harry snorted. "He doesn't even know your name, mate."

"Seamus," Alex corrected, affecting calm. "A mistake."

"How much has Seamus told you?"

"Apart from his name? Just that magic is real."

"Well," said Harry. He leaned forwards. "Magic sounds brilliant, right? No limitations, etcetera, etcetera."

Alex kept his face blank as he brought his tea to his lips. 'Brilliant'. Right. Only if you were the one with the magic, or, if your magic was more powerful than the other guy's.

"That's wrong. There are limitations," Seamus continued off from Harry. "And the main one around m - non-magical folk is that magic doesn't work around electricity. All the toys I've given you… If I'd been able to imbue them with magic, it would have been so much easier."

Well, that answered that question. "What about the Bonneville?"

"It wasn't really a motorbike," said Seamus. "It just looked and felt like one. One of my better conjurations, if I do say so myself."

"Anyway," Harry said, "That's the reason we need a muggle like you. We need someone who knows how to get in and out of places that have electricity without being caught, without using magic."

"So why not use someone more experienced than me?" Alex asked Seamus. He wondered how much Harry knew of Seamus' current job.

"That's another problem," Seamus grimaced. "Some employees from The Bank are in on the other side, and we can't tip any of them off. I knew you were safe, because, well," he gestured vaguely towards Alex apologetically. "You don't have any contact with the Bank anymore."

"Do you think you can do it, then?" asked Harry.

Alex smiled flatly. "You haven't exactly told me what 'it' is."

Seamus leaned back. "We, uh, we need to get an object."

Refusing to break the silence, Alex took another sip of his tea.

"Er, a flag. Well, it'll look like a flag, but it's not just a flag. If you see what I mean."

Alex didn't, not really, but he decided to go along. "Is there any security? Where is the flag?"

"It's in the Magdalen College Chapel," Harry said.

Alex felt his mouth drop open. There were congregations there every day of the week, not to mention other activities, like rehearsals for the choir. Sure, the public were allowed in for general visiting, but there was no way he could do anything remotely suspicious with all the scrutiny.

"Underneath," said Seamus. "It's in a cavern underneath. Some of the SAS have been stationed to guard it at all hours, and electronic surveillance has been erected all around, to act as magic detectors."

This was an impossible task, thought Alex, and he said as much.

"Not impossible," Harry said. "Merely… difficult. I have full faith in you."

"We've only just met."

"Kiddo," Seamus said, eyes twinkling. "We will be there to help you every step of the way. I can provide you with all the gadgets you could expect on a normal mission, plus you'll have a slew of our lot as advisors. Your job is merely to get in there, and grab the flag."

Alex didn't miss the glance Seamus and Harry shared. "Alright," he said after some consideration, "I'll do it."

Seamus grinned at him. "Good boy. Now, do you have any pressing engagements this evening?"

"We're beginning today?" Harry rose his eyebrows.

"Sure, why not?" Seamus looked to Alex, who shrugged.

"I'll just contact the others, then, get them ready," said Harry. "Is six o'clock too late for you to make your entrance?"

Alex looked at the clock. It was a quarter-to-six.

"No, that's great," said Seamus.

And then Harry popped out just as immediately as he'd appeared.

"Right, boyo," Seamus rubbed his hands together. "I'll give you the down-low: you already know Harry. He's our leader, but more out of force of habit than any real skills –" he smirked – "Hermione is our real leader; you'll recognise her by the bushy hair and bossiness… Who else? Ron: he's the tactical thinker and Neville for the resources." Seamus rubbed his chin. "They're the main ones. There's Lavender Brown, too, and Padma Patil…"

Alex interrupted him. "Sorry Seamus, but unless this is integral to my mission, I'd really rather being introduced when I've got their faces to remember."

"Understood. Do you have any questions, then?"

Alex considered. "Are you the magical army? The police? Why are you doing this?"

"Only Harry and Ron are aurors – that's our police; we don't have a military force." He paused. "Actually, that's a good question. I'd say it's because we're the representatives of our world for liaising with the m- non-magical world."

"M-what?"

"Muggle. Non-magical."

"So, you're like a unit that deals with anything magical connected to the non-magical – muggle - world?"

"Something like that." Seamus avoided his gaze.

A few months ago, Alex wouldn't have bothered, but this whole situation piqued his curiosity. "What has stealing a flag got to do with any of that?"

"It's not stealing! And it's not just a flag."

"What is it, then? Why does the magical world want it?"

Chuckling slightly, Seamus shot him a grin. "I can see why they made you a spy, Mr Curious." He sighed. "Let's just say the flag is an important magical artefact. We don't want it getting in the wrong magical hands, and we don't want the muggles to have it either."

"Why not? Is it dangerous?"

"No, it's… Well, yes. Yes, it's dangerous."

"How?"

"It's hard to explain."

Alex raised his eyebrows and watched as Seamus shifted in his seat, though his mouth remained stubbornly shut. He decided to let it go. For now. This precarious friendship was worth more than his desire to satisfy his curiosity. In time, he might get to know this Smithers as well as he'd felt he'd known the old one, but until then, he'd treat him as he would any colleague. Respectful, amicable, but distant. "So, do I need to bring anything special tonight?" he said finally.

"Nah, you're fine." Suddenly, Seamus reached out an arm and ruffled Alex's hair. "You're a good kid. Thanks for agreeing to this despite the lack of warning."

Alex smiled politely.

Seamus withdrew his hand and then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Is that the time?"

Alex followed his gaze. Six o'clock already.

"Come on, my boy," he held out his arm. "Grab on. Tightly."

As Alex did as bid, he felt a huge spasm that seemed to come from his abdominal organs and lurched forwards as the world condensed around him. It was like rushing to the bottom of the ocean head-first.

He stumbled as they landed, and only Seamus' bracing of his arm kept Alex upright. By the time Alex had stopped his head from spinning and was able to stand upright, a few seconds had passed and everyone in the room had noticed him. He stiffened under their combined gazes.

"Oh, I'm sorry," came a voice from the side. "How rude of us! I'm Hermione." She held out her hand. Though her hair was thick, she looked as though she'd never had a hair out of place in her life – the kind of person who'd never slept in late.

"Nice to meet you," Alex murmured, taking in her smiling face and all the other faces behind her.

"…And this is Ron, and you've already met Harry…" The bespectacled man waved his hand languidly from where he lounged in the corner.

"I'm Lavender," enthused a flash of pinkness.

Alex blinked as the proffered hand drew him into a hug. A very warm hug. With bounteous assets. He flushed further.

"Honestly, don't smother the poor boy," Hermione reprimanded. The pink warmth drew back from him with a giggle and a waft of perfume. Alex managed to catch a glimpse of a stunning face before another hand was thrust towards him.

"Finch-Fletchley. Lawyer."

Alex shook the hand in bemusement.

Seamus pushed in front of Alex. "Alright, that's enough," he announced. "Let's get down to business." In a flurry of organised chaos, all were seated in seconds. Alex was manoeuvred into a seat near the door, beside Seamus.

"What's first on the agenda?" someone said.

Everyone looked towards Hermione. She smiled, and clasped her hands. "Tonight isn't a general meeting, so I thought we could elucidate our progress in the mission for Alex. We can introduce ourselves properly and give him an overview of what we need from him."

There were nods around the table. Hermione looked towards Alex, and he inclined his head in agreement.

"I'll start, then. Hello, I'm Hermione. I'm muggleborn – that is, born to two non-magical people, but I work in the ministry – just general jobs, really. I'm the main organiser for this mission."

"Ron, pureblood, auror, strategist."

After Ron came Harry, then Neville (teacher), Lavender (a fashion designer), and Seamus. There was a pause when they got to Alex. He cleared his throat. "Alex, muggle, student." They didn't need to know his full qualifications in MI6.

Then was Justin Finch-Fletchley, the lawyer, and Padma, who said she was a Healer. Hermione explained that they'd been classmates. "We were in a club in our later years, so when I got the call for the mission, these were the first people I thought of." She smiled around at them. "Of course, there were a few others, but I wanted a balanced, relevant crew."

"You succeeded," Ron assured her. Alex noted his adoring smile and her warm, flushed response. There was what looked like a smudge of purple playdough on Ron's collar. A couple, then, with a young child.

"Thanks, dear. Now, why don't you tell Alex our current position?"

Obediently, Ron leaned towards Alex and folded his arms on the table. "Harry told me you know the location, and the general gist of our problem."

"Magdalen College Chapel, you need to grab a flag, but there's electronic surveillance."

"Yep. Someone told the muggles that magic screws up electronics, so they covered the place. Any weird things happen, they'll move the flag."

"Can't you just… teleport in and grab the flag before they have a chance to act?"

"Teleport?"

"Apparate," said Padma. "And no, we can't. Apparition only works for places you've been to, or that you can see."

"But how did Harry get into my house, then?"

"You can also apparate following a patronus," Seamus explained. "The silver glowing animal you saw."

"And patroni can only lead people to the caster," Hermione concluded. The fox. Alex wondered if it was always a fox. Perhaps different animals performed different tasks.

"We're not as good at getting into places without magic as Seamus says you are," Ron said gravely.

That was too perfect. Almost as perfect as the reasons the Bank had given for Alex's missions. "Do you know what other security there is?" he asked wearily.

"Not really." Hermione was apologetic. "We never got past the guard on the door to go underground."

He'd have to do everything himself. Scouting, investigation, and the actual theft. Alex sighed.

"We're all be here for you," Ron pointed out. "Other than the extraction itself, we can give you any resources you want."

"What can you give me, then?"

Seamus smiled. "You know what I can do," he said. "My gadgets are designed to work without magic."

"I've got access to the entire Hogwarts library, plus the Hogwarts gardens, for potions," Neville said.

"Hogwarts?"

"Our previous school," explained Padma. "Some potions won't emit any magic. For myself, I'm a healer, as I've already said."

"What can potions do?"

"Oh, anything at all!" Neville gushed, before blushing slightly. "Well, lots of things. It's simply a matter of asking."

Alex looked to Finch-Fletchley. "I'm just to ensure the muggle Government won't retaliate against the Ministry of Magic, should anything go awry," he said.

Lavender said she'd give a practical demonstration of what she could do. She waved her wand around her face, and as Alex watched, lines began to appear over her face. When she had stopped changing, he realised the lines were scars, around her cheek, through her nose and lips, making her eye sag. Half her ear was torn off, and as far as Alex could see, the scars continued down her neck, hidden by her frilly collar.

She smiled sadly at him, and Alex tried to stop staring so obviously. "Wolf attack," she said. "I've studied human transfiguration – I'll be able to make undetectable changes to disguise you, and the changes will be permanent until I reverse them. Glamours emit magic that can be detected."

Alex noticed Seamus reach out to hold her hand. Interesting.

"Well, that's all of us," Hermione declared with false lightness.

Shattering the moment, an old, wooden clock in the corner called out, "Dinnertime!" Alex just managed not to flinch. He glanced at the clock: seven o'clock. "I should get going," he said. "I need to prepare dinner…"

"Don't worry about that," Ron said. "My mum gave us too much food, so we brought it for the meeting. If you don't mind roast beef..?"

"That's fine," Alex acquiesced after a moment. "If it's not too much of an imposition…"

"Nonsense," Seamus clapped Alex on the back. "Molly always provides food for our meetings. I tell you what; you haven't tasted real food until you've been fed by Molly!"

He still had the same enthusiasm for food as he'd shown in his fat suit, but now the persona was at odds with his slim, muscular build.

Harry and Hermione had gone to the kitchen to get the food, but now they returned. They waved their wands over the food, and it began to steam.

Alex felt his mouth water as he took in the warm, meaty aroma, rounded off with buttered vegetables, and countered by a sweet, vinegary gravy. He joined in with the others in passing around plates, glasses and cutlery. Ron carved the beef with his wand, and Padma poured the drinks with hers: a smooth, orange-coloured juice that smelled of pumpkin and caramel.

For a while, there was no talking as everyone dug in. Alex couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd had a meal that wasn't ready-made with sauce from a jar, or takeaway. Even when he'd been living with Jack, she hadn't cooked like this; life was for more things than cooking anything that took longer than ten minutes, was what she used to say. But it reminded him of the Christmas dinners he used to have with Jack and Ian at the pub.

When the meal was finished, Seamus showed Alex to the door. "I'll give you the actual address of this house, so you can come here any time you want to message us. We've packed up all the dangerous items, so you can go anywhere in the house without worrying. If you want to contact us, just use the floo –"

"The floo?"

"There's a pot of floo powder beside the fireplace; it's green. Through the powder into the fire, and call the name of whoever you want, then stick your head in. It's perfectly safe," he said to Alex's astonished face.

"Right."

"Now, we have a timeframe of a few weeks, so don't feel you have to rush anything, but we'd appreciate it if you didn't dawdle," Seamus said as they stood outside in the garden.

Alex nodded. "Where are we?" he said.

"Islington. Here –" he handed Alex a scrap of paper. "You have to keep this somewhere safe. You need the paper to remember where the house is – it's a remnant of the war," he explained when Alex quirked his brow. Curiouser and curiouser.

He looked at the scrap of paper:

12 Grimmauld Place

When Alex looked up, Seamus was gone, leaving Alex with his hands in his pockets, staring at the dim street. He glanced at his watch: eight o'clock. Usually he got to bed by about ten, so that left enough time for him to get home without transport – if he jogged.

It would have been faster if he'd had his bike – which was stolen, anyway, he remembered. Besides, the exercise would do him good while he arranged his thoughts in regards to the revelations of the day.

Contemplating the mysteries of life, and the merging of two shadowy worlds, Alex set off.