Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all recognizable items from it belong to J.K. Rowling & Warner Brothers. Bones and all recognizable items from the show belong to Hart Hanson and the 20th Century Fox. Anything else that you don't recognize (and is original material) is all mine. I am merely a fan putting some of his favorite characters into one place and watching what happens… like an experiment lol.
Genre: Romance/Mystery/Humor/Drama
Rating: M (just to be safe)
Warning: Slash, violence and gore. After all, this story is about evaluating dead bodies to catch killers. The bodies usually aren't in the best shape.
Summary: While investigating a murder in London, Booth and Brennan interrogate the victim's assistant, Harry Potter-Black. With his boss murdered, Harry decides to take a position at the Jeffersonian Institute under Brennan's guidance. SLASH.
Author's Note: This chapter is epically long. It's easily the longest chapter of the story so far. It's even longer than most of my Supernatural chapters. There was supposed to be about five more scenes in this chapter but it was already too long. I also didn't want to wait any longer before updating.
This chapter is based on the episode "The Skull in the Sculpture" and this chapter introduces Caroline Julian. Caroline is a prosecutor who works for the U.S. Attorney's office. Basically she's the one who carries out justice against the people the Jeffersonian and the FBI accuse of murder. She is a very humorous character and another one of my favorites!
Finally, this chapter shows Harry working a bit with Dr. Clark Edison, which means that Harry has now met and worked with everyone at the Jeffersonian. Because of this, I've put a poll on my profile page asking each of you to vote for the interns you like the most. I'm not saying those will be the ones kept… but they might sway my mind a bit.
Don't forget to read the Author's Note at the end of the chapter!
Yanked from the U.K.
Moriarty's Minion
Chapter 9
"The Name On Everybody's Lips Is Gonna Be…"
When Harry returned from Vincent's apartment he immediately sought out Andromeda. As his partner in raising Teddy (and in most things) he felt he should fill her in on what was going on.
"Someone at work recognized my tattoo," he announced unceremoniously as he collapsed onto her bed face first.
Andromeda sucked in air. "Another wizard?"
Harry shook his head into the comforter. "A son of two squibs… at least as far as I could tell."
"As far as you could tell?"
Harry rolled over onto his side to face her. "He knew what the Dark Mark represented but not who I was. He also didn't seem to understand what set him apart from the Death Eaters."
Andromeda nodded her understanding. "So clearly his parents never discussed the wizarding world with him?"
"Apparently," Harry shrugged. "I mean why would they? They probably grew up feeling inadequate to their families. Why put Vincent through that?"
"Vincent is the boys name?" Andromeda asked.
"Vincent Nigel-Murray."
"Sounds British."
Harry nodded at her. "His parents sent him abroad for his schooling so that the Death Eaters wouldn't target him."
"That's all they told him?"
"Yup."
Andromeda mulled over the information. "I'll speak to my contact at the American Ministry as well as our own. I'll see what information I can dig up on him and his parents. We can't risk him lying about how much he knows."
"I seriously doubt he knows anything at all," Harry suggested. "After all, he didn't even recognize me. Not much of a wizard, huh?"
Andromeda laughed. "Conceited much? First you hate that everyone knows your name, now you're affronted he hasn't heard of you?"
Harry blushed. "I didn't mean it like that."
Andromeda patted his leg comfortingly. "I know, Harry. So what did you tell him to explain it?"
"A variation of the truth – just without the magical parts."
"Meaning?"
Harry sighed. "I told him that MI-5 recruited me to infiltrate the Death Eaters and spy on them."
"Basically true," Andromeda nodded.
"Except for the fact that I sought MI-5 out with the idea," Harry reminded her.
Andromeda's face paled at the memory. "You weren't yourself back then, Harry. We were all consumed with hate that the Death Eaters were claiming imperious. If I could go back and stop myself from supporting you in that decision I would."
"I know," Harry whispered, staring down at his Dark Mark. "Neither of us knew that the Dark Mark would brand onto me even though I was under disguise with polyjuice potion."
Andromeda also looked at the horrible symbol of Voldemort's terror. "You had no idea it would still be as strong even after you took down Voldemort."
"I should have known."
Andromeda patted his arm sharply. "Let's not discuss this tonight. Go say goodnight to Teddy, I'm sure he's waited up for you to get back."
Harry smiled at Andromeda and gave her a kiss to the cheek. "Goodnight, Andromeda."
"Goodnight, Harry."
Despite their pact not to speak of it the rest of the night, both Harry and Andromeda thought of little else until sleep claimed them.
"Oh no!" Daisy whispered hoarsely. "He's finally come to kill us!"
Harry looked up from his paperwork and saw how wide and frightened Daisy's eyes had gotten. He quickly tracked their line of contact. Standing in the doorway of the intern offices was Hodgins and he was holding a gigantic piece of machinery.
"I only wish this was for one of you interns," Hodgins replied, his eyes glossing over in the daydream of attacking Daisy with the machine.
Harry quirked an eyebrow at the man. "Relax, Daisy, Hodgins isn't here to kill us."
"What is that thing?" Vincent asked from his desk, instinctively holding a clipboard in front of his chest for protection.
"I believe that's what is referred to as the 'Jaws of Life'" Fisher answered for Hodgins, rushing forward to get a closer look at the machine. "I've only seen them at crash sites before."
"You need to get a life, Fisher," Clark interjected before brushing past Hodgins. "Some of us have jobs to do."
Hodgins puffed his chest out. "I am doing work!"
"So you finally got permission to crack open the crushed car?" Harry asked, putting the pieces of the situation together in his mind.
"Yup," Hodgins grinned at him. "And I absolutely cannot wait to try this puppy out!"
Earlier in the week Booth and Dr. Brennan had been called out to an auto yard where some drunk teenagers had discovered a body. The rub of the situation was that the body had been put into a car before the vehicle was demolished and squished into a small square piece of metal.
"Who wants to watch me?" Hodgins asked before walking out of the room without waiting to see who replied. The interns looked at one another for a split second before rushing out of their office and following the sour man to the main platform.
Dr. Saroyan and Angela were waiting for the group with another woman who Harry had never seen before. Apparently Hodgins knew who the mysterious woman was because as soon as he saw her his good mood evaporated.
"Oh no," Hodgins muttered in disappointment. "Please tell me you're here to watch and not to stop me from cracking open that car?"
"Sorry, Cherie," the woman apologized, her own sour expression never changing. "Apparently this piece of junk is actually a piece of art."
"In what world is that scrap metal priceless art?" Hodgins demanded, hugging the machine close to his chest as if afraid the woman would take his toy away.
The woman shrugged. "You'll have to ask the judge that question."
Dr. Saroyan cleared her throat and stepped between the two. "For those of you who don't know her, this is Caroline Julian. Ms. Julian is a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office."
The interns nodded at her in welcome.
"Real lively bunch you've got here, Camille," Ms. Julian commented sarcastically. Harry was beginning to suspect that that was the woman's permanent personality setting.
"Don't mind them, Caroline," Booth interrupted as he and Dr. Brennan joined the group on the main platform. "They're just more squints in training."
"Well look at you, sugar," Caroline replied, giving Booth a thorough look over. "Been awhile since I've seen you outside the courtroom. You've been working out."
Booth practically preened at the compliment, going so far as to tighten his tie and smooth out his suit in response. "Looking pretty good yourself, Caroline."
The woman rolled her eyes and waved the comment away. "Don't lie, Seeley, it's not your strong suit. I'm about 20 years too old and 50 pounds too wide for your tastes. We both know you like these skinny young girls."
"I'm actually the perfect size for my body type and age," Dr. Brennan corrected her, completely missing the compliment she was being given.
"Hello, Dr. Brennan," Caroline greeted her. "I see you haven't changed much."
"I don't understand," Brennan turned to Booth for clarification. "Is she still talking about my weight?"
Booth gave her a shushing motion while Caroline merely harrumphed at Harry's boss.
"So what's this about the car being a work of art?" Dr. Saroyan interrupted the conversation, trying to bring the group back to focus on the matter at hand.
"We tracked down the owner of the car," Booth explained. "Turns out the guy is an artist who crushes cars and paints them. Sells them for hundreds of thousands of dollars a piece at an art gallery downtown."
"I wish I'd known that was such a lucrative field of study," Wendell whispered to Harry. "I might not have so many college loans to pay off."
"Turns out the artist has gone missing and his co-workers say he's suicidal," Booth continued his explanation. "Once they'd heard the guy might have crushed himself in one of his art pieces, the gallery owners called a judge and got an injunction against damaging the crushed car."
"It's a crushed car," Vincent reiterated with incredulous eyes. "How much more damage could be done to it?"
"Luckily we don't rely on your eyes to perceive art," a new voice interrupted the group. Harry watched as an extremely pale woman with a wig and a much younger, prettier woman were escorted to the platform by one of the Jeffersonian security guards. Apparently it was the pale woman who had insulted Vincent because as Harry finished examining her she was still insulting the scientists.
"Everyone, this is Helen Bridenbecker, the gallery owner, and Roxie Lyon, the victim's personal assistant," Booth introduced the newcomers, barely hiding his annoyance at the pale woman. "They're here to make sure the, uh, 'art work' is still intact."
The Jeffersonian workers smiled at Booth's use of air quotes to signify the crushed car as art work. The two artists looked less amused although the younger one – Roxie – had a humorous glint in her eye.
"I'd love to see her gallery," Fisher whispered to Harry from his other side, nodding his head towards Roxie. "See if she has any self portraits… maybe some nudes?"
Harry and Wendell both stared at the normally depressed intern in mock judgment. At least they now knew what brought Fisher out of his states of depression.
"Roxie?" Angela asked in shock as she cut in front of the group of interns and approached the woman.
"Angie?" Roxie returned the shocked sentiment.
The group watched in amusement as the two women embraced each other and began chatting happily.
"I love working here," Vincent muttered as he stared at the two women. "Did I mention that yet today?"
"Are we the only non-perverts here?" Harry asked Wendell jokingly. Wendell shrugged and nodded back to him.
"They know each other?" Booth asked Brennan.
Angela overheard and answered instead. "This is Roxie. We were college roommates and, um, friends… close friends."
Vincent's eyes went wide and the word "Lesbians" exited his mouth before he could stop himself. The entire group on the platform stared at him until his face turned bright red in embarrassment.
"If you must know," Angela replied, glaring at Vincent, "yes, Roxie and I were once lovers."
Hodgins' grin was as wide as that of the Cheshire cat. "Excellent."
"Now I am depressed," Fisher muttered as he walked dejectedly off the platform.
"Alright, everyone!" Dr. Saroyan shouted, getting everyone's attention. "That's enough of that. Interns back to work! Ms. Bridenbecker and Ms. Lyon may inspect the artwork with Dr. Brennan and Ms. Julian supervising. Booth go find our killer please."
"Yes, mum," Vincent muttered in compliance, moving to get off the platform as fast as possible.
"Not so fast, Mr. Nigel-Murray," Dr. Saroyan said sternly. "You and Mr. Potter-Black will come to my office now, please."
"Me?" Harry asked surprised. "I didn't say anything inappropriate!"
Dr. Saroyan rolled her eyes. "Now, gentlemen."
"What about me?" Hodgins demanded. "Can't I just open the car a little bit?"
"No!" Dr. Saroyan, Caroline, the pale woman and Roxie all shouted at him at once.
"That sucks," Hodgins moped before turning to Daisy. "Can I try it on an intern?"
Daisy's horrified squeaks were the last thing Harry heard from the platform as he and Vincent were led upstairs to Dr. Saroyan's office.
"I assume you know why you two are sitting in my office right now?" Dr. Saroyan asked them, alternating her expectant gaze from Harry to Vincent and back again.
"I apologize for that slip of the tongue out there," Vincent offered meekly.
Dr. Saroyan smiled shortly at him. "Nice try. Care to guess again?"
"Clark thinks we're too unprofessional?" Harry guessed.
"Dr. Edison thinks everyone is unprofessional," Dr. Saroyan sighed. "This is about Mr. Nigel-Murray's complaint against you, Mr. Potter-Black."
"Oh?"
"Which he asked to withdraw this morning."
"Oh."
Dr. Saroyan nodded. "I'm not sure what transpired between you two but when I last checked, Mr. Nigel-Murray wanted nothing to do with you. And you, Mr. Potter-Black, had no idea of who had reported you."
Both interns nodded their heads.
"I assume this means you've patched things up?"
Both interns nodded a second time.
"In that case I have no choice but to fire Mr. Nigel-Murray for filing a false report," Dr. Saroyan said, dropping the bombshell on them and leaning back in her chair for the fall out.
"You can't!" Vincent replied in shock. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"It's true," Harry backed up his fellow intern. "It was simply a misunderstanding."
"I can appreciate that… if it's true," Dr. Saroyan replied. "However, I can't set a precedent of having you interns filing reports against one another over little tantrums or as means of getting back at each other."
"It was not a trivial matter," Harry assured her.
"I thought it was just a misunderstanding? Sounds pretty trivial to me."
Vincent and Harry looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Harry had confided parts of his past to Vincent, parts that couldn't be revealed to Dr. Saroyan. However, they couldn't just let Vincent get fired…
"He thought I hit on him," Harry lied quickly, hoping Vincent would just go along with it.
"I did?" Vincent asked, before immediately rushing to rephrase his question into a statement. "I mean, I did… think he hit on me."
"So you see?" Harry asked their boss. "It was trivial because it was a simple misunderstanding but could have been construed as sexual harassment and thus Vincent was correct in reporting it."
Dr. Saroyan eyed both of them for a moment. "In that case… I'm putting both of you on Administrative Notice. A letter of warning will be placed in each of your personnel files detailing the incident. Mr. Nigel-Murray, hopefully this will teach you to think twice before accusing another member of the staff of anything. Mr. Potter-Black I hope you keep your own comments in check so that no one else gets the wrong idea."
Harry and Vincent nodded in agreement, both happy to be getting off with simple warnings.
"Now for your punishments…"
"What?" Harry asked incredulously. "Surely the warning is enough?"
Dr. Saroyan grinned evilly at him from across her desk. "Yes, but then how will the other interns learn from your mistakes?"
Vincent gulped audibly. "What are you going to do to us?"
"You, Mr. Nigel-Murray, will be working closely with Dr. Hodgins for the next month," Dr. Saroyan informed the nervous intern. "For all intents and purposes, you will be his personal assistant. You will do whatever he asks you to do… that is, as long as it doesn't risk your health – or cause you bodily harm."
"And me?"
Dr. Saroyan turned to face Harry. "You will work with Dr. Edison and Ms. Wick for the remainder of the case. After that you'll join Mr. Nigel-Murray as a second assistant for Dr. Hodgins."
"All due respect, Dr. Saroyan," Vincent interrupted. "But won't Dr. Hodgins be most displeased by these assignments as well?"
Dr. Saroyan grinned. "Oh, believe me, Hodgins is being punished as well."
"For what?" Harry asked, surprised. He hadn't heard that Hodgins had done anything to earn Dr. Saroyan's wrath.
"Every time we have a mandatory dinner or event Hodgins always finds a way to escape going," Dr. Saroyan answered. "With that new gallery opening next week, I've been instructed to bring the entire staff, including Hodgins. Until he RSVP's that he's going to be in attendance I'll be unleashing you two on him."
"So… basically, we get out of our punishments three weeks early if we get Hodgins to attend the exhibit opening next week?" Vincent clarified.
"Exactly," Dr. Saroyan replied before seeing Harry's murderous expression. "Is there a problem Mr. Potter-Black? I thought you'd be pleased to bring some hardship down on Hodgins?"
Harry plastered a smile on his face and nodded his agreement. Inside he was a fuming mess. If he didn't get Hodgins to the exhibit opening than he'd be stuck with the man for three extra weeks of torture. But if Hodgins did go he'd find out first hand about Harry's family and background.
Damned if I do, damned if I don't, Harry thought to himself as he followed Vincent out of Dr. Saroyan's office.
"I need to get laid," Angela announced as she sat down across from Sweets, her purse hitting the tabletop between them. "It's been way too long."
Sweets – who had been taking a gulp of his drink – finished choking at her statement. After pounding his chest a few times he ventured to ask, "Please tell me that's not why you wanted to have our session at the diner and not in my office?"
Angela smirked at him and reached across the table to pinch his cheek. "You're sweet, Sweets, but you're not exactly my type."
"Thank God," he replied before pausing to think about her statement. "What do you mean I'm not your type? I'll have you know many women find me very attractive!"
"Of course they do," Angela replied dismissively, turning her attention to the waiter and gesticulating her order to him from across the room. Sometimes being a regular had its privileges. "So… back to my sex life."
Sweets looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Right, err… how long exactly has it been since you… you know… got release?"
"Almost six weeks!" Angela moaned miserably. "Isn't that horrible?"
"Horrible… right," Sweets muttered. "Is that really a long time to go without sex?"
"The longest I've gone since I lost my virginity at 16. Which is the average age to lose it!" Angela defended after seeing the scandalized look Sweets shot her.
"Sometimes waiting until you're older is just fine too," Sweets replied quietly into his glass.
Angela wisely decided to pretend she hadn't heard him. "And then Roxie comes back into my life…"
"Roxie?"
"An old girlfriend."
Sweets began to choke on his drink again. "As in a lesbian relationship?"
Angela nodded. "No one told you that she's a suspect in our investigation? She worked as our victim's assistant in the art gallery."
"She's also part of the investigation?"
"I'm speaking English, aren't I?" Angela joked, waiting for the psychologist to catch up and get over the shock of her announcements – although Angela was enjoying flustering her young friend.
"I'm sorry," Sweets apologized though his expression was fairly stern. "I'm just not certain that you're being guided by your brain, that's all."
Angela chuckled. "Did you just call me a dude? Cause I'm pretty sure that only men let their libidos drive them."
"Need or libido – whatever you'd like to call it – can be confused with love. Fantasy can convince us that what we are feeling is love," replied Sweets. "You should tread carefully."
"So you think that my feelings are based purely on my need to rebound from Hodgins? You don't believe that me spending all this time with her on the case has rekindled old emotions at all?"
Sweets sipped at his glass before answering. "Pretty much, yeah."
Angela shook her head as she stared at her friend in pity. "I just don't think you understand love, Sweets."
"I'm not as innocent as you might think."
"You have this bourgeois notion that in order for love to be real it has to be permanent," Angela explained, ignoring the man's snort at her assessment. "Nothing is permanent, Sweets. That's a fact of life. We move in and out of loving other people. That doesn't mean that the love we feel is any less real."
Sweets let Angela's comment roll around his mind, staying quiet as he thought about what she said and how to respond. "Perhaps you've never found the love of your life?"
"Actually, I have," Angela shot back seriously. "Several times."
"Than why do you always leave yourself an escape hatch in your love life, Angela?" the psychologist asked. "Do you think it's because you're afraid of commitment?"
"I commit to every person I love," Angela defended herself. "Ask Hodgins, he'll agree with me."
"Yes, let's talk about Hodgins," Sweets suggested. "You married a complete stranger while on vacation and then conveniently forgot about it because you were drunk at the ceremony. That first marriage compromises your relationship with Hodgins, forcing it to end. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
Angela looked away from him. "Not really, no."
"You say you have these feelings for your ex-lover… one whose heart you've already broken," Sweets continued, leaning further towards the center of the table. "Don't you see the potential disaster there? Is that not yet another escape hatch?"
Angela refused to make eye contact with him. "I… I don't want to hurt Roxie again. I really do care about her."
"Then don't!" Sweets said, exasperated. "Put Roxie's welfare first. Put her feelings first. Let Roxie decide if she's ready to pursue this relationship again."
"What if she doesn't?" Angela whispered brokenly. "What if she doesn't want me anymore?"
"Then you have to live with that pain."
Angela took a moment to collect herself, filling the awkward pause by ordering a refill on her coffee. "Are you sure you're not being a little biased about this?"
"Excuse me?" Sweets asked, his eyebrows crossed in confusion. "I don't understand."
Angela leaned in and lowered her voice, not wanting to be overheard. "You and Harry, I mean."
"What about Harry and I?"
Angela merely glared at him. "Seriously, Sweets? That's the route you want to go with this?"
Sweets shrugged. "Harry and I are just friends."
"You sure Harry knows that?"
"Of course," Sweets assured her. "We've discussed my feelings for other women before."
"That doesn't mean you can't have feelings for someone of the same sex," Angela reminded him. "Believe me, I know."
Sweets sighed. "I'm straight, Angela."
"How do you know?" Angela shot back. "I was pretty set in my orientation until I met Roxie. We started off as friends, too… until I realized just how compatible we are. Friends led to love and sexual tension… and then…"
"Women tend to be less concrete in their sexual identities."
Angela laughed. "What psychology book did you memorize that out of?"
"A good one."
"Look, all I'm saying is that you were barely halfway through puberty when you started college. There's no way you've had enough sexual experience to have experimented outside your comfort levels, right?"
Sweets blushed slightly. "I've had plenty of sex, Angela, though your concern is noted."
"Surely you know he's got a little crush on you… right?" Angela asked, suddenly afraid she'd let something slip that she shouldn't have.
"I'm a trained psychologist, Angela," Sweets replied with an arched eyebrow. "Harry's not exactly subtle when he's drunk, either."
"Did he try something?" Angela asked, slipping into gossip-mode.
Sweets shook his head. "Like I said, we're just friends."
"But you know he has deeper feelings for you," Angela lectured him. "Shouldn't you be concerned about hurting him?"
"Neither Harry or I make friends easily," Sweets replied, flushing a little. "I'm not going to shut down the beginning of a potential friendship simply because I don't return his crush. Harry knows this."
Angela eyed him skeptically. "I think you're fooling yourself if you think that issue won't bite you both in the ass, Sweets."
"Don't worry, if it comes down to it I'll follow my own advice and put Harry's feelings ahead of my own," Sweets assured her.
"You sure you don't find him attractive?" Angela pried. "Not even a little bit?"
Sweets' blush gave Angela all the answer she needed… even if Sweets wasn't prepared to admit it himself.
Harry laughed to himself as he watched Clark and Daisy fight over the endoscope – a microscope with a long, thin tube with a camera on the end to get into tight corners of a body. In this case the two interns were using the scope on the wrecked car, the idea being that since they couldn't harm the car they could use the endoscope to see inside of it.
"Did you have like buckets of coffee this morning?" Daisy asked Clark in a clipped tone. "Because your movements are extremely shaky to be working with an endoscope."
"My movements are precise and measured," Clark replied as he slipped the scope further through a crack in the car. "Unlike your constant criticism."
"I'm just trying to help," Daisy muttered as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Besides you've tried for the last twenty minutes to get to the body."
"And you had it for the twenty minutes before that!" Clark reminded her, his normally professional demeanor slowly being worn down by Daisy's personality.
"Which means it's my turn," Harry interrupted the two. He held out his hand patiently until Clark gave in and handed him the endoscope.
"I hope you're very dexterous," Daisy said, her face practically resting on Harry's shoulder as she looked down at his work. "I happen to be very dexterous."
Harry sighed and pooled his mental focus. After years of playing seeker he'd developed excellent hand-eye coordination. He'd been the fastest in his year with an endoscope and he planned to prove just that to the two interns who looked down on him the most.
Over the past few days he began to realize that Daisy was exasperated with everyone because she honestly believed she wasn't being given a fair chance to compete with the boys. Clark Edison – the only doctor of the group – just thought himself better than the rest of them.
A skull appeared on the television screen next to them.
"I'm in," Harry announced proudly. "Only took me two minutes."
Clark nodded at him in acknowledgement of his prowess but otherwise remained silent. Daisy harrumphed and was about to say something when she squeaked – a noise Harry realized she only made when Hodgins spooked her – and hid behind Clark's athletic form.
Sure enough, Hodgins appeared next to Harry and stared at the screen. "Good work, Brit. I thought one of you idiots would get it eventually."
"Thanks… I think," Harry muttered, before noticing the bucket in Hodgins' hands. "What's that for?"
Hodgins grinned before lifting the bucket onto the wrecked car and dumping the contents out. Hundreds of domestic beetles poured out of the bin and began to crawl deeper and deeper into the structure.
Daisy screamed and leaped backwards. "What are those things?"
"Three hundred domestic beetles," Hodgins smiled proudly. "They'll crawl down to the body and strip the flesh from the bones within hours."
"And who has to clean them up afterwards?" Harry demanded, already knowing the answer.
"Not my problem," Hodgins shrugged before seeing Dr. Saroyan approaching the platform. Apparently Daisy's shrieks had brought her running.
Hodgins tossed the now empty bucket at Clark. "Catch!"
Dr. Saroyan ran up the last few steps and approached the car. "What happened? Who screamed?"
Daisy raised her trembling hand. "Well, there were all these domestic beetles…"
Dr. Saroyan's eyes swept the room until she found Hodgins with a mocking smirk standing next to the wreck. "Did you put domestic beetles in this hunk of junk?"
Hodgins shook his head. "I'm not the one with the bucket."
Clark clicked his tongue angrily. "Dr. Saroyan, I can assure you…"
"Dr. Edison?" Dr. Saroyan asked in surprise, seeing the bucket in Clark's hand. "I'm surprised you had the ingenuity to think of such a brilliant tactic."
"I, err… thank you?" Clark replied, unsure of how to react to the change of demeanor in his boss. "So you… approve of the beetles?"
"I wouldn't normally," Dr. Saroyan whispered conspiratorially. "But it was basically the only option that wouldn't destroy the car but would let us examine the bones."
"Which we can now do since I got the endoscope working," Harry interjected.
"Excellent work, Mr. Potter-Black," Dr. Saroyan complimented him. "You three work very well together."
Hodgins looked outraged. "That's it? None of them even get fired?"
Dr. Saroyan quirked an eyebrow at him. "They're young and reckless, Dr. Hodgins. Believe me, had an experienced forensic expert like yourself done something so reckless my thoughts on it would not be so kind."
Hodgins nodded. "Noted."
"We'll reconvene in a few hours and see if we can determine cause of death," Dr. Saroyan ordered before walking away from the platform.
"Nice try, Hodgins," Harry teased at the man's failed attempt to get them in trouble.
Hodgins grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and went to work at the computer station. Harry shared amused looks with Clark and Daisy before the interns went back to work. Through the endoscope Harry watched as the beetles devoured the flesh piece by piece. Even he had to admit it was a pretty brilliant idea.
"Enjoying my babies?" Hodgins asked, stepping up next to Harry to watch the progress the beetles were making. "Beautiful aren't they?"
Harry nodded warily. "Although it's a little creepy that you call them your babies."
"I'm an entomologist," Hodgins shrugged as if that explained it all. "So what do you think about Angela and Roxie?"
"I hadn't really thought about it much, actually," Harry admitted honestly. "I have been working all day. Why? Did you think I'd have something to say about it?"
"Well, you are gay."
Harry stared at Hodgins. "And…"
"And… I thought maybe you'd have some insight into the situation," Hodgins suggested quietly. "You know, why she'd date a woman? That sort of thing."
Harry chuckled. "You want to know if it reflects on your manhood that Angela dated a woman, don't you?"
"Hey, man, my manhood is doing just fine," Hodgins replied. "I just never knew that she was so… experimental in her tastes."
"You seemed fine with it before," Harry pointed out. "Second thoughts?"
Hodgins shook his head. "No, I still love Angela. Maybe even a little more now that I know she likes women too."
"I don't think it's women in general, Hodgins," Harry theorized. "I think it was this particular woman that caught Angela's heart."
"So do you think there's a woman out there who could make you go straight?"
Harry grimaced. "That's a different story."
"How so?" Hodgins asked, seemingly genuinely curious.
"I'm gay, like a 100% into men," Harry explained. "People like Angela – bisexual, experimentalists, whatever you'd like to call them – are attracted to people at a level deeper than just sex. It's about the person and not what body they happen to be in."
"So you have to be a little curious in the same sex?" Hodgins clarified.
Harry nodded. "As far as my experiences have been."
"Good to know," Hodgins replied, sounding relieved.
"Why? Wondering if there's a guy out there who could turn your head?" Harry teased.
"Don't be ridiculous," Hodgins grinned back. "I'm 100% pro-ladies."
Harry chuckled.
"Excuse me?" Clark interrupted them with an exaggerated choking sound that reminded Harry of Umbridge. "Do you think we could leave the personal chat at home and just focus on the work? Please?"
"Of course, Clark," Hodgins agreed sarcastically. "Heaven forbid we be unprofessional at the Jeffersonian."
At the end of the workday, Harry showered and changed into his work out clothes. As he was leaving he decided to stop by Dr. Saroyan's office to apologize one last time for the incident with Vincent. When he climbed to the top platform he saw Dr. Saroyan, Hodgins, Angela, Dr. Brennan and Booth all leaning against the railing and staring at something.
"What's going on?" Harry asked as he joined the group. He set his gym bag on the ground and leaned against the railing.
"I asked Sweets to give Daisy a little talk about office demeanor," Dr. Saroyan explained.
"What for?" Harry asked as he watched Sweets approach Daisy. "I mean, out of all of us interns, I didn't think Daisy was the one who needed a good talking to."
Dr. Saroyan sighed. "I can deal with interoffice issues like yours and Mr. Nigel-Murrays, but when it comes to personality issues…"
Harry nodded reassuringly at the woman. "I work with Daisy, I get it. Believe me, I get."
"That and she broke our victims skull into a gazillion pieces this morning," Hodgins muttered.
Harry's eyes went wide. "I thought someone just made that up! Did she really?"
Dr. Brennan nodded. "Took me all day to glue it back together."
"How do you think he'll do it?" Angela asked, looking concerned for the girl's well being.
"I hope he crushes her," Hodgins replied hopefully, eagerly leaning further over the railing. Angela smacked him in the head.
"I'm sure he'll just explain to her rationally that she has to work on her demeanor in the lab," Dr. Brennan assured them all. "That and to handle the skulls with more care."
"Nah, he'll use some psycho mumbo-jumbo on her," Booth disagreed. "She'll walk away thinking it was her idea to be more careful."
"I don't care how he does it," Dr. Saroyan summarized her feelings. "As long as she improves."
The group looked down at Daisy and Sweets straining to hear what they were speaking about.
Sweets tried to ignore the audience he knew was watching him and Daisy from the upper levels of the lab. So far Daisy had been very receptive of his comments and suggestions for improvement.
"Was that all you wanted to ask me about, Lance?" Daisy asked when Sweets had finished giving his suggestions.
"That's it," Sweets confirmed for her. "Was there something more you'd like to discuss?"
Daisy looked nervously at him. "Actually… there was."
"Oh?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to the new exhibit opening next week?" Daisy asked. "As my date, I mean. I didn't know if I was being clear about that."
Sweets swallowed nervously. "Uh, Daisy… I'm not sure what to say…"
"How about yes?" She suggested, her expression hopeful. "I figured that since we both had to go that we could go together. After all, we have been flirting with one another since we first met…"
"We have?" Sweets asked.
Daisy nodded. "Well, I assumed you were trying to flirt with me. Seeing as your pupils dilate and your skin flushes when we talk I assumed you engaging me in conversation would only lead to a sexual relationship. After all those are the signs of biological attraction and sexual stimulation."
"Wow… that is, um, descriptive," Sweets replied. "And you picked up on all that?"
"Of course, silly," Daisy smiled at him flirtatiously. "Haven't you noticed I also flush and dilate when speaking with you?"
"Aren't you worried about what your colleagues might say?"
Daisy shook her head. "Only if you don't want to be seen with me… Are you ashamed to date me, Lance?"
Sweets looked up at the upper platform, wondering if people were still watching them. "Of course I'm not ashamed."
"Are you sexually attracted to me?" Daisy asked, completely innocently.
Sweets nodded. "Of course, you're a beautiful girl."
"Than can you think of any reasons for us not to date?" she asked.
Sweets shook his head.
Daisy smiled and moved forward to close the distance between them. "Good."
Had Sweets been able to see Harry on the platform above them he might have found a reason not to kiss Daisy Wick.
"I did not see that coming," Dr. Saroyan muttered. Hodgins merely nodded, unable to look away from the kissing couple.
Angela watched with sad eyes as Harry left the platform silently and took the long route out of the lab so as to not run into Sweets and Daisy. When Angela turned to her colleagues, she was surprised to see that Booth also looked concerned for their newest intern.
One thing was for sure, the Jeffersonian was certainly getting interesting.
Author's Note: If it's not already apparent, this is not going to be one of those stories where Harry just instantly finds love. That is one of my biggest pet peeves in stories – especially crossovers – and I find it terribly cliché… and annoying. Most people find love after an extended period of time and not the instant they meet the person. Hook up? Sure. Get turned on? Sure. Fall truly, madly, deeply in love? Not so much.
Harry and Sweets will be the main pairing in this story but it's not going to be a short or easy road by any stretch of the imagination. However, the journey to a happy ending will be a fun one :)
I had previously mentioned that Harry would probably have a few companions before Sweets… surely you didn't assume that Sweets wouldn't? As annoying as Daisy is, I find her and Sweets kind of cute on the show. Thus, I didn't want to completely ignore their relationship… merely use it for my own purposes to bring Harry and Sweets together ;)
As promised, the next chapter will be the opening of the exhibit at the Jeffersonian. And I know you think that Harry revealing his massive fortune will be the biggest surprise… but you'd be wrong. Anyone who reads my Supernatural crossover knows how much I enjoy turning that last paragraph into a cliffhanger… now you will, too. LOL.
*Insert evil maniacal laughter here*
Finally, I hope that the bit about the Dark Mark at the beginning of the chapter clarified why Harry has the tattoo and how he successfully infiltrated the Death Eaters. After the wide-range of theories last chapter I figured I should give some more details.
Thanks in advance for leaving a REVIEW! And don't forget to VOTE IN THE POLL on my profile page for your favorite interns!
