Chapter Nine

Of Aurors and Vigilantes

1

EEERRRT!

The over turned table scraped against the floor as another spell hit it's top, which was now being used to shield Logan Bireley from Harry's spells. Logan had his back against the underside of the small table with his feet pressed flat on the kitchen wall, his legs bracing for every impact.

Harry was having a nearly one sided conversation with him from behind the kitchen door, where he leaned casually against the wall of the foyer.

"You see," he was saying loudly enough for Logan to hear, "I'd like to know what made you people think you could get away with meddling in Ministry affairs. Even if you thought you were doing the right thing, didn't you consider that you might be interfering with something bigger going on?"

Logan hadn't said much before now - he was simply too concerned with not getting blasted - but this time he replied. "So what's the Order of the Phoenix been doing all these years? Sitting back and allowing the Ministry to take care of everything?"

Harry didn't like his response very much, and sent another jet from his wand at the table top.

EEERRRT!

Logan winced as the table screeched closer to the wall and compressed his knees ever closer to his chest.

"The Order is that 'something bigger', Bireley," Harry told him, irritated. "And don't compare your group to the Order of the Phoenix. You people don't even know what you're doing yet."

He shot yet another spell at Logan's table and heard the werewolf grunt with the effort of keeping the object from crushing him.

"You're insane!" Logan shouted.

"I'm not insane," Harry replied. "I'm just pissed off. You know I'll stop shooting if you just give up your wand and come out."

"Right," Logan scoffed. "I just bet you'd stop shooting."

"Hey, you're the one who blew your chance," said Harry. "I gave you the option of walking away without being in chains, and you say you'll take me to Agape. Then you take me here - which is most definitely not were Agape is - and I can't even open the door or break a window to leave after you pull you wand on me."

"I told you I didn't pull my wand on you!" Logan insisted furiously. "And the reason you can't leave is because this is our safe house! You have to be one of us or know the password!"

"Oh, really?" Harry looked over his shoulder at the front door for a second before turning back to Logan behind the table. "So what's the password?"

"Sicuro," said an unfamiliar man's voice from the living room. The front door gently unlatched and opened slightly.

Harry jerked his wand toward the new arrival and saw that it was Roman Luciano, fresh out of the fireplace and ready to hit him with another overzealous stunning spell. Not far behind, Augustus Schmitt – Garry Moore's assistant – dropped out of the fireplace as well, nervously extending his wand outward in defense. Logan craned his head to the side and back to see over the side of his shield.

"Logan," Roman called, peering around the house with his wand still trained on Harry.

"I'm here," he answered. The werewolf stood up cautiously at first, but seeing that Harry was preoccupied, he moved to join Roman and Augustus.

"I'm not going to let you stun me again, Luciano," Harry warned the black-haired man.

Roman never answered because the front door was pushed open from the outside and two more people stepped in with wands at the ready. The first to come inside was a young blond fellow. Harry recognized the son of this mother's friend, Ferris Thorpe. Behind Thorpe came a woman with cold blue eyes and pale blond hair wearing silver winter robes.

This had to be the infamous Julissa Culver.

While Roman, Ferris, and Logan looked either edgy or very tense – and Schmitt looked down right near an anxiety attack – Miss Culver stood calmly before him, appearing very business-like. Before she could say anything, Harry spoke up.

"Are you the real Julissa Culver?"

"Well, technically, that's not my name anymore, and legally I'm dead," she told him dryly, "but I guess I'm who you're looking for."

"Where's Agape?" he demanded.

"I wish I knew."

2

Earlier that day Ginny had persuaded McGonagall to send her old friend, Melencolia Snook a letter. They passed it through the fireplace to save time, which is where Mrs. Snook found it when she arrived home. The letter read:

Dear Melencolia,

It seems you and Kermit have gotten yourselves involved with Ministry affairs once again. As I have recently been informed, not only is Harry Potter curious about the interruption you caused during one of his interviews, but now his wife, Ginny Potter, is convinced that you know the whereabouts of Agape Eishorbgy. I'm sure you have seen that name in the papers by now. Miss Eishorbgy was kidnapped a week ago and the Ministry is very concerned for her well being. I informed Mrs. Potter that you would never aid a kidnapping even under the most extraordinary circumstances, but she still insists that you might have some knowledge as to where she might be due, to your obvious connection to the Blood Traitors.

If it is currently within your power to contact Agape Eishorbgy, please pass this letter on to her. Mrs. Potter would like to speak with her as soon as possible to make sure she is quite alright. If this cannot be arranged, I'll be forced to remind you how much I disagree with keeping her wellbeing from the Ministry. You know that the secrecy of your abode would certainly be jeopardized if the Ministry becomes more involved. Hogwarts would be the first place they would come looking for your address, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you. I would hate for them to bully me for it, so perhaps you should consider your best interests, and those of your wards'.

Mrs. Potter and I are anxiously awaiting your reply.

Your old friend,

Minerva McGonagall

Of course, upon receiving the letter, Melencolia took her friend's advice. She was even amused at their bravado.

Mere minutes later, Ginny and McGonagall received her reply in a small drawstring bag accompanied by a Muggle mobile phone. Ginny had ripped open the letter and read out loud:

Dear Minerva and Ginny,

I'm afraid I cannot arrange any meetings between you and Agape. I'll have to leave it up to her. Dial the number I've written down and a young man will answer. If you ask for Agape, I doubt he would protest. However, if he does, I suggest letting Minerva speak to him. She should be able to handle him just fine.

Sincerely,

Melencolia Snook

Ginny had looked at the Headmistress for a moment, then she hurriedly snatched up the phone and dialed the given number. Even if she wasn't very familiar with mobiles, Muggle Studies and living with Arthur Weasley had given her enough knowledge to work it with ease.

Now she was bounding into Schuler Memorial Library and through the broom closet to get to the Magical half. She tried not to look too anxious or in a hurry but she wanted to meet Agape in the arranged section (Potions) as soon as possible. She only wished she could have found Harry – but when Harry's assistant was the one she was going to find, she supposed there was no one else in the office to pass along the message to him.

She zoomed by Magical Literature and Social Sciences and finally found Potions. She saw no one there, and was afraid that maybe Agape hadn't been able to get away after all. She walked the length of the isle, turned the corner and found that the section jackknifed into a V shape, at the mouth of which was a single study table. Agape and a man with ridiculously red dyed hair sat there half concealed behind large Potion Encyclopedias.

Agape saw her and leapt up from her chair, letting the heavy volume fall with a baritone thud against the table top. Ginny grinned hugely and ran to meet her in the middle where they embraced like sisters.

3

"I think there has been a major misunderstanding, Mr. Potter," Augustus Schmitt said, lowering his wand and stepping forward. He was at least six feet, three inches, with rusty brown hair and square glasses set upon the bridge of his rather large nose. He was pale and trembling – definitely not cut out for the vigilante business – but at least he was trying to be civil to his fellow Ministry worker.

Harry still eyed the three people who had wands up. "I think that is a huge understatement, Mr. Schmitt," he replied coldly. "How is your pneumonia, by the way?"

Gus looked sheepish as he said, "much better, thank you…"

Then from the doorway, came a woman's voice with a light French accent: "Sorry to interrupt the fun and games,"

A young woman with the emaciated figure of a fashion model and rich golden hair swaggered up the front steps of the safe house, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. She carried a snobbish air and looked very uncomfortable about something until she stepped inside the building.

A girl of maybe sixteen – if that – came running up behind her and entered as well. It was the same black haired girl from Remus's office. She really was one of them and that was why Logan left with her.

"Celeste tells me we have a problem," the model said to Jules. "Alton called."

"What did he say?" asked Jules. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, softening her hardened expression of determination.

Harry perked up too. Maybe he could find out what happened to Agape. Had she gotten away by chance?

"Celeste said he's in a bit of a bind," the French woman answered casually. "He says he, Agape and Mrs. Potter are having a hard time fending off some Optimates. Celeste ordered me to come and get you since I was on my way to help them."

They all looked at Harry and shock had come over his face. "My Mrs. Potter? Where are they?"

"It's some library in London. Shew-lair or something," the woman said.

"Schuler Memorial Library," the younger girl corrected.

It was at this point that the Auror and the Blood Traitors regarded each other – a moment that would define their relationship from then on. With their fellow, Harry's wife, and a woman that was almost a second daughter to him being threatened by a common enemy, they were forced to come to some kind of an agreement.

"I can't Disapparate here, can I," Harry inquired, wondering if he could just leave them there and go help his wife.

"No. We'll have to use the fireplace," Jules told him. "Hopefully they're still there." She suddenly flew further into her role as leader of the group, and Harry found it hard to argue until he was off of their territory.

"Roman," she barked suddenly, "where do you think they would go? Odin's island?"

Luciano shook his head. "No, not if they expected an Auror to come after them. There are other places they can go."

"I'm sure Ginny and Agape will keep them at bay for a while," Harry commented.

"And Alton won't be taken back to one of those places without a fight," Ferris agreed.

Culver's determination deepened. "Yes, we may have time. I don't see how we have much of a choice here, Mr. Potter. It looks as though we'll be working together for a while. We certainly have no time to argue."

Harry nodded grimly in acceptance.

"We'll head to Schuler first," Jules instructed her group firmly. "Keep your heads down if you spot any Hit-wizards or Aurors. Showing up in a group will make us pretty obvious. Roman, if it turns out the Optimates have already gone, you lead the way."

The Italian nodded. "Yvette," he addressed the model-like woman, "You should get Ima – we'll definitely need her."

"I've already contacted her," the model said smoothly. "She'll probably beat us there."

"Good, she can update us. Let's go," Jules said. She turned toward the living room and the fireplace, but stopped short, realizing something. She spun on her heal to face Logan.

"Is tonight the full moon?"

"Yes!" the small black haired girl answered for him. "Celeste asked if she should come."

"We can really use her help," Jules responded. "Go back and get her to the library through the fireplace."

The girl rushed back out of the door and Jules called after her: "Syd! Make sure her gun is loaded."

Harry gave her a questioning look and asked, "A gun?"

"There are some of us that utilize Muggle technology more than others," she told him flatly. Then she was going back toward the fireplace, and the rest of the Blood Traitors followed suit.

4

Meanwhile, the other people at Schuler Memorial Library were ducking for cover and fearing for their lives as menacing figures in black hooded robes infiltrated the building through a conference room on the second floor, where the only fireplace was located. A very tall figure, obviously a man, was leading the body.

He hung back and let the other disguised figures do most of the work, but he seemed to be keeping a watchful eye on the scene from his vantage point on one of the study tables out in the open. It was impossible to see any part of his face – even his eyes were shielded by shadow. When his black visage looked toward a light in the room, the torch did nothing to hint at his features. It was just as black as if he were standing in an unlit cell. But his head turned and watched every move his minions made as they flooded the isles, searching for three individuals.

Said trio were currently hiding behind the staircase.

"Stunning worked on one bloke," Alton was saying, pointing over his shoulder at a closet where they had shoved an unconscious Neo. "I think we could snipe the rest. We could have 'em all waiting for the Aurors to pick up."

"Don't be ridiculous, Drake," Ginny snapped impatiently. "They'd kill us all before we'd get away with that."

Agape agreed. "Ginny and I are close to Harry, and you're a Blood Traitor," she said to Alton. "They'd have no qualms about offing us."

Alton frowned, and after a moment he corrected them. "I don't think so. I think they're aiming to take us alive."

He looked very disturbed at the thought. Agape knew now what he had really gone through when the Optimates had captured him the year before. The horrors he'd seen and experienced there were the reason he'd joined the Blood Traitors.

"Well, we can't just let them terrorize these people," Ginny said, "We have to get out there and help. Hiding won't do anyone any good."

"But we don't want to be captured either. You can imagine what kind of position that would put Harry in," Agape reasoned. "No to mention putting all of the Blood Traitors at risk as well."

There was a terrified shriek from the Librarian's desk and a flash of red sparks. The hulking, black-faced man in charge turned toward the noise on his table and muttered orders that only the Optimates seemed to hear. Several of the masked people immediately changed course in their search or moved toward exits to stand guard.

Ginny rounded on Alton and Agape, which was an accomplishment in the close quarters of the crawl space. "I can't do this. We have to fight back. We can't just keep hiding back here until they find us."

"Uh… I don't remember agreeing to play hide the Mudblood from the Death Eaters," Alton replied. "I don't intend to sit back her all day, you know. I just haven't thought of a way to go out their and live yet."

"Exactly," Agape insisted with some indignation, "I work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Auror or not, I was trained for this."

Alton suddenly perked up and he turned to Agape excitedly. "I could torch them," he offered.

The dark haired woman frowned and shook her head.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," she told him. "You don't want to set the building on fire."

"We need to lead them away from civilians," Ginny said. "If we can get to an exit, then get their attention at the last minute, they'll follow us out of here."

They all twisted around in their hiding space when they heard a rasping nasally voice say: "Just like you blood traitors. Always hiding and looking for an escape."

It was a thin Optimus with a slightly hunched back. He stood over them beside the stairs with his wand trained on them. "You're all such cowards," he added, narrowing young black eyes.

"And yet you're the ones hiding your faces," Alton pointed out.

Without warning, there was an amazingly fast movement and Alton had kicked the young man's legs out from under him. The hooded fellow hit the floor in a heap, but he shot a spell just as he landed. Alton was thrown against the wall next to the closet they had locked the first Optimus in. His face contorted in agony and he clutched something invisible in front of his stomach as if a great stake were slowly piercing his middle, keeping him pressed to the wall.

In between cries of pain he rasped, "Go! Get out!"

The now royally pissed off women left the crawl space, but ignored his orders and pointed their wands at the Neo. All three fired at once; Ginny put a soundproof plate over the man's mouth so he couldn't call the attention of his peers, Agape bound his feet with heavy chains, and the Optimus closed Ginny's airways.

The redhead choked then was silent because absolutely no air was coming or going through her lungs. The man shot a jet of sparks at her that blew her against the stairs' railing before she hit the floor, struggling.

Agape lunged toward her friend to rescue her when searing pain ripped down her back. Blood spattered the railing as her scream caught in her throat.

"Agape!" Alton shouted.

The faceless leader of the Optimates suddenly turned toward the staircase. He couldn't see what was going on behind it, but he lifted one arm and pointed in that direction, like the Reaper marking its next victim. His followers silently executed his command.

The Optimus rose from the floor and stood over them as his chains wouldn't let him walk closer without falling. He used his wand to lift Agape into the air and hurl her at a shelf of books, his command silenced by the plate over his lips. The bookshelf collapsed with a tremendous crash. He finally had a chance to remove his chains and the silencer.

"Idiots," he hissed. "If you're not willing to us dark magic, you should at least come up with a better defense."

THWACK!

The Neo's eyes flew wide open as he pitched forward and went face first into the floor. Ginny was standing behind him with a huge book raised at her side like a Beater's Quidditch bat. Her lips were blue and her eyes were swiftly glazing over. Staggering and swaying badly, she glanced around her feet desperately.

"Behind you! It's behind you," Alton yelled, the pain rising sharply in his diaphragm. "Get it quick!"

Ginny whirled and snatched up her wand from the floor, pointed it at her throat and lifted the hex. She gasped and fell to her knees, trying to recover. As oxygen flooded her senses, she silently looked through a dizzy haze at Alton still pinned to the wall, loosing his ability to breathe with every second of constant pressure.

Panting and well aware of the sound of the other Optimates approaching, Ginny rushed over to Alton.

"Get Agape," he gasped. "Take her out of here."

She paid him no mind, but concentrated on the familiar curse. She'd seen the original Death Eaters use it, and it could crush a person to death if not taken care of. She did a reverse spell that was a bit like unscrewing a giant bolt. Alton soon fell forward and started panting as much as she was.

"You know – I didn't get myself caught – for you not to escape," he gasped.

"I have to get Agape," Ginny said. "The rest of them are coming, so be ready."

He nodded and stayed on the floor, guarding the fallen Neo, while she ran over to the toppled bookshelf. Agape lay at its base, in pain but moving. Ginny wished she had more time to wrap her bleeding back, but she could only get her to her feet and help her walk over the books spread about pell-mell, some of which had Agape's blood on them.

However, they couldn't move fast enough. By the time Ginny had lead her friend to where Alton was still recouping on the floor, they were surrounded by what seemed like an enormous black shadow. Ginny and Alton raised their wands, but the Optimates had already pounced.

5

For the second time in two days, Harry found himself arriving on the scene a minute too late. He and the Blood Traitors had sneaked into Schuler Memorial through the single fireplace in the conference room to discover not a large group of Neo Death Eaters, but a crowd of Ministry officials. Several of Harry's fellow Aurors were there, heading the investigation of why the Optimates had attack such a benign target. Two of them were talking about the absence of their higher level comrades not far away, while Harry listened from the open hallway on the second story. He decided to stay out of sight for now, lest he should be called to help them with the situation. He had bigger things to handle.

"I would've thought Tonks would be all over this one," said a gray-haired older fellow named Neeley.

"She's got her hands full with Crocker," replied a tall Scottish woman named Betts.

Harry stayed out of sight, but kept listening. He wondered what foolish thing Crocker had done now that could keep Tonks from an investigation.

Apparently Neeley was thinking the same thing, because he gave Betts a questioning look.

"Ye mean ye huvnae heard?" she asked, her eyes huge with surprise. "Tonks got a tip this mornin' tha' Crocker has been passin' information t'the Neos. So she went tae see him right after – asked him a few questions, so she did. He got fair jittery an' slipped up. Now she an' Kinglsey are askin' the bastirt jist how much he's been givin' awa'."

Harry was shocked. Crocker a spy? He'd always thought of the man as bit of an idiot, but never a traitor. He'd worked together with Crocker for the last four years and had never known him to act strangely or suspicious. Could Betts's information be correct, or was it merely a rumor?

Culver and Thorpe were positioned just to Harry's right behind the banister of the open second story hallway beside the staircase. They gave each other a side glance that told Harry they knew more about this than he did. Of course, that Vampire woman had told him someone in the Ministry was a leak. Perhaps they had left Tonks the tip. Harry just hoped it was genuine.

These thoughts were pushed out of his head by the appearance of the sage-eyed vampire herself – the one that had slit his throat. She climbed the stairs from the ground level, apparently unnoticed by the Ministry officials, to join the rest of the Blood Traitors on the second floor.

"What did you find, Imogene?" Luciano asked her from his crouched position against the wall left of the stairs. She settled lightly onto the floor before him and held out a wand.

Eyeing Harry, she said in her cool voice, "It's not Alton's so I'm guessing it must be one of the women's."

Harry knew it was Agape's. It certainly wasn't Ginny's. When he told them who it belonged to Roman took it from the woman's pale fingers and tossed it across the mouth of the stairs to Jules, who in turn passed it over Ferris to Harry.

"You can give it back to her when we find them," Jules said.

"The victims said that a tall, frightening man gave the Optimates orders," Imogene told them.

"How tall?" Jules asked immediately.

"Very tall and strong."

"Did it sound like Dante," Jules persisted.

The vampire nodded.

Harry noticed a dark look pass over Ferris's face at the mention of this name. The Auror wondered how they knew the name of one of the Optimates when the terrorist group only went by codenames.

But then Roman spoke again, this time to the head of the group. "We need to go now. It's obvious they've already been taken away from here."

Culver nodded silently and lifted the sleeve of her right arm, exposing a long, narrow holster strapped to her forearm, which she slid her wand into before rising to a crouch to swiftly cross the stair mouth. Ferris followed close behind.

Harry watched as Roman and Ferris also holstered their wands beneath their sleeves and moved deeper into the enclosed part of the hallway that couldn't be seen by the Aurors below. He went with them back toward the conference room.

A short ways down the hall, Logan, Gus, and the model-like woman called Yvette waited. They had hung back as instructed between their only escape and the stairs to keep an eye on things in both directions. Culver silently gestured and they too put their wands away and moved in behind her.

Harry was steadily growing more and more impressed by their organization and skill. It was strange coming from such a young group of people – most of them just fresh out of school – and he wondered where they had received any formal mission training. Perhaps Schmitt had helped them with it… or maybe the Optimates had taught Luciano a thing or two about formation.

When they had last left the sizable conference room, no one had been guarding the fireplace. Now it seemed the young girl they called Syd had indeed gathered Celeste (who Harry hoped was the last of their number) and brought her to help. Celeste was a hefty woman of twenty with mousy brown hair and a lot of eye makeup on. She was the only one of the Blood Traitors who wasn't carrying a wand; instead she held a Raven handgun. Harry eyed the Saturday night special as she put it away at her hip just before they left. It turned out he and Agape had been right in assuming the rumors about a Muggle being part of the BT was correct. And if the fact that a nonmagical person was fighting dark wizards wasn't bad enough, Harry had a very bad feeling that she was possibly the only Muggle werewolf alive today. Otherwise why would they need her during the full moon?

This time Roman gathered them together and gave a few orders. He informed them that Alton and the others had to have been taken to one of three locations. However because the heard that Dante was involved they could basically count on a single structure in particular. They would have to go by Floo network to a town near the location, then Apparate and walk the rest of the way.

It would be dark soon, and once the moon had risen, the werewolves and the vampire would be at their greatest advantage.