-1Part 4: The Visitor
Hermione took to Felipe, or Phil, as Ron called him, very easily. The two were looking over her books and talking animatedly at her small desk in the Department of Mysteries. Harry looked on, rather bored after the second hour of complex discussion between the two. Ron was doing his best not to fall asleep, while Tonks was waiting diligently for him to nod off so she could mess with his face using a quill she'd found. Shacklebolt was still talking to the head of the Department of Mysteries, with Amelia Bones and other high ranking officials.
Their foreign visitor had shed a lot of new light on the attack last night, after Harry had finally gotten him to calm down and gotten some coffee into him. Phil had apparently been traveling for several days, trying to get across the Atlantic and find Harry as quickly as he could to warn him. He had overloaded Harry with information on the subject, until he finally convinced his unexpected guest to catch some sleep on the couch and wait until they could talk to everyone in the morning.
Hermione was very excited when it was confirmed that they had indeed been attacked by a Mayan totem, and now they were discussing aspects of Central American Dark magic. Harry had been able to gather that Phil was from the Mexican Wizarding government, and had been sent to help after their department of law enforcement had uncovered information on a plot by some group in their country to attack Harry. Unfortunately, Phil had explained sheepishly, it had been his government's fault that the group targeted him in the first place.
The Mexican wizards had been trying to deal with this cult, the New Sun, for several years. Their motives were rather sketchy, and all anyone had discovered was that their intents were very Dark in nature, and connected to ancient American magic. The Mexican wizard law enforcers, known there as the Mejicano Magia Militar, had discussed ways to help their investigation, including a plan to enlist the help of the world's best known defeater of Dark wizards, Harry Potter. The New Sun had discovered this, and had apparently sent the totem as a warning for him to stay on his side of the pond.
After this, Harry sort of blacked out, and Hermione had drawn Phil deep into a discussion of Mayan magic and other subjects. The Ministry was now trying to come up with a plan regarding all this, but Harry and his friends had vocally been in favor of going to Mexico and putting a stop to all this. That is, Ron had told Kingsley Shacklebolt that's what they needed to do, Tonks jumped in excitement, Harry shrugged, and Hermione had simply rolled her eyes. Still, Felipe looked very happy that they wanted to help.
"Mrs. Lupin, please stop torturing Mr. Weasley," Amelia Bones said sternly, as she walked into the small office area followed by Kingsley and the other department officials. Tonks snapped to attention, looking the picture of innocence and hiding the feather quill behind her back. Ron gave a rather loud sneeze that managed to shake him fully awake. Harry and the others stood to hear what their superiors had decided.
"Mr. Mercador, we would like to thank you for all the assistance you've provided in this case," Shacklebolt smiled warmly at the small man, who looked blustered at the praise and gave an awkward sort of half bow, obviously unsure how he should answer. "However," the Auror added good naturedly, "we would ask you to come directly to the Ministry with issues such as these. You'll find it much easier than entering one of our employee's homes."
Felipe looked down in obvious embarrassment, but Hermione gave him a comforting pat on the back. Amelia Bones cleared her throat, reminding everyone that they were still in the middle of a meeting. Pulling out a piece of parchment, she consulted it briefly before addressing everyone, "Well, we've reviewed the information provided to us by Mercador, and after receiving a few trans-Atlantic albatrosses from the Mexican wizarding government, we've decided the incident in the Ministry last night and this apparent threat from the New Sun group is now a direct threat to Great Britain."
The others exchanged glances, before Harry spoke up, " I suppose that means we're going to Mexico, Miss Bones?"
"Very astute, Mr. Potter," Amelia said with an annoyed glance, though Harry knew she had an appreciation for his sometimes dry wit. "You and your partner Mr. Weasley will be escorting Mr. Mercador back to his country, and when you're there, you will provide any assistance you can to his government. Mrs. Weasley will accompany you, as an expert advisor. And finally, Mrs. Lupin has…volunteered her services as well. You'll all be departing this afternoon, so prepare well. Dismissed."
Harry gave Tonks a questioning look, but she only smiled mischievously. Hermione began gathering her scrolls, while Phil bustled about excitedly helping prepare to leave. Ron just shrugged and followed Shacklebolt to the lifts so he could get some things from the office. Looking around, Harry decided this was going to be a long trip."
"Should we contact Hogwarts?" Harry asked, eating a quick lunch as he shouldered several bags of Auror equipment, headed toward the apparition points in the Ministry. "Maybe someone will be willing to help. Hagrid would certainly be useful against anymore of those totem things."
"Harry," Tonks said, shaking her head, "this isn't a mission with the Order of the Phoenix. We're on official Auror business here. Which means no making up your own rules. At least not till we get out of the country."
Harry sighed, knowing she was right. Ron had already left with Hermione to their home to pack clothes and such, and Phil was waiting happily in the Atrium, waiting for the others to get ready. Harry checked his watch, making sure he had time to grab some clothes before they left for the airport. Ron had already voiced his concern with boarding a large tube of metal built by Muggles, but Hermione had stared him back into silence. Turning, Harry said, "Are you sure you're okay with going, Tonks? What about Remus?"
"Remus is…" Tonks said sadly. Harry regretted asking, but she continued, "He'll be okay. You know him, he needs to prove he can take care of himself. That, and he insists on keeping his distance during the full moon. I tell him I'm an Auror and I want to be with him, but he just…couldn't take the guilt if something, ya know…"
"I know, Tonks," Harry patted her on the shoulder gently. He knew the two of them had been through rough times because of Lupin's affliction, but their love had held strong through it all. Still, the two were both rather hard headed, and they could have some bad disagreements at times. Tonks had only volunteered just so she wouldn't have to be around while Remus pushed her away, too afraid of hurting the woman he loved. It was okay, though, Harry though, she was a great person and a talented Auror, and she could only be an asset on the trip.
"Okay," he said, switching gears, "If I can't bring a half-giant with me, I'm at least stopping by Fred and George's. Some of the new prototypes they mentioned the other day sounded like they might come in handy on a dangerous assignment like this." Tonks gave Harry a big smile, grateful for his ability to always make her happy. The two had only grown closer during her years married to Remus, and she considered the big hero one of her best friends.
"Whatcha need, Master Potter?" Fred asked with a mock bow. George stood next to him, presenting a display case like a woman on a game show. "We have all the finest and most ridiculously dangerous in modern espionage and warfare weaponry. Please, take what you need and don't be afraid to browse. Only the finest for our first and most beloved investor."
The two businessmen had whisked the two Aurors into the shop as soon as they had come in, passing the random school kids and rather eccentric wizards and witches that frequented the Wizarding Wheezes. There were several shops around Britain now, the most popular being the one in Hogsmeade, but the twins still called their small place in Diagon Alley home, not least because they lived in the apartment on the second floor.
"All right, all right," Harry sighed, Tonks doubling over next to him. "Cut the showboating. We're going out of country for some Dark wizard hunting, and I wondered if you guys might have anything useful for us. Maybe something not ready for…public sale?"
"Aha," George said, turning from the display and stepping toward a curtain set in the back of their shop, "our honored guest has impeccable taste, as always. I think we might just have a few things of interest. Follow me."
The twins disappeared into the back, and after a quick glance exchanged with Tonks, Harry followed, passing a small cage of slimy little things that appeared to be jibbering and giggling madly. The sign identified them as "Joke Slugs, disgust your teachers and entertain your friends all in one". Harry sighed but couldn't hide a smile at the dumb sense of humor the two Weasleys always had. Passing through the curtain in the back, Harry felt an odd sensation, as if he'd just walked through a wall of water.
Looking back at the doorway, Harry noticed many intricate runes placed carefully along the wood. Tonks had a serious expression, and Harry could tell these were some serious security wards. George had his hand on a small switch, which was most likely what had let the two Aurors enter. Whatever the twins had back here, it wasn't any of their normal little pranks.
"As you guys know," Fred said, much more serious, but still visibly excited, "the Aurors have contracted us to make several of our little inventions exclusively for them, including that blackout powder that caused some trouble during the War. What you might not know is that the Department of Mysteries has also asked us to develop a few things for them. We can't tell you about all of it, but we have a few prototypes not suitable for mass production we've been saving for you, Harry."
Tonks's expression showed she was just as surprised by this news as he was, but Harry was now very interested in what they had to show him. The twins had never failed to impress in the past. Reaching to a high shelf, George pulled down a harmless looking box. Pulling back the lid, he said, "We noticed how nasty those little bugs were at the Ministry last night. We certainly wouldn't want you to face a swarm like that again unprepared, especially when they could be a bit more dangerous than annoying next time."
Harry accepted the box and looked in, squinting due to the bad light in the back room. It contained a smooth metal object, with delicate metal wings folded up against the body. Reaching in hesitantly, Harry drew out the contraption, seeing it resembled a small bird, like a swallow, only entirely mechanical. Fred spoke up as Tonks peeked over Harry's shoulder to get a look, "The Automated Pest Catcher, just wind her up and let her go. Very useful for mosquitoes and such, too."
Harry marveled at the little device, and wondered if it could actually fly. It was certainly a feat of engineering, but not exactly awe inspiring, especially when going up against some weird cult. He placed it neatly back in the box and looked up to see the twins struggling with a huge crate stuck under one of the work benches in the dim room. Harry hurried to help, but Fred waved him back, saying, "Watch out, Harry, this one can be pretty cranky."
Tonks and Harry backed up and pressed against the wall as Fred and George dragged the box to the center of the floor, the padlock now shaking as whatever was inside moved about. The two Aurors were almost frightened to ask what was inside, let alone have a look. Harry was about to tell them they could manage without it when Fred turned, now brandishing an ax. Everyone shrank further back as Fred took the ax to the lock and stumbling back as the top of the crate flung itself wide.
After thirty seconds of very tense silence, the twins edged back toward the center of the room, Harry following behind hesitantly. Tonks was happy where she was, perched atop one of the higher shelves. Looking gingerly inside, Harry was surprised by what he saw. With a certain amount of uncertainty, he said, "It…it looks like a trunk. A trunk with…legs?"
"Yeah, that about sums it up," George said, still keeping his distance. "We didn't actually make this one, per se. Most of what it is sort of fell into our laps. We have been doing our best to calm down its temper. It will listen to its owner…mostly. And it's stopped eating most of the cotton clothes stored inside it."
At this, Harry was surprised to find he could make out a row of very many, very sharp looking teeth, the seemed to be made out of wood. A soft growl rumbled deep in the trunk's hinges as it flexed its strong, mahogany jaw and stretched out its four clawed and well varnished legs. Harry looked up to see that Fred was still holding the ax at the ready, and George was edging behind his brother. Harry swallowed and noticed that his mouth had gone rather dry, and croaked, "Uh, thanks, guys."
The two sprung forward in sudden determination, George slamming the lid shut and sitting down on it hard for good measure, and Fred running up with a new and bigger padlock. The two looked up with identical grins and said, "No problem."
