Harry Potter and the Wizards of Malta
Chapter 10.
"You two take off," Penny instructed Jimbo and Harley. "We'll be there as soon as we get this business cleared up," she said to Harley and pulled her carry-on bag off his shoulder.
Harley nodded reluctantly and then pushed Jimbo into the boarding queue. The two bodyguards looked back at Penny like a couple of puppies left at the veterinarian. Harry was beginning to realize she could have that effect on you.
The mystery woman tapped Penny on the shoulder and pointed down the concourse.
"It's that way," she said, dryly.
Penny turned and began the walk down the long concourse. The woman followed Penny and Harry followed her. The footsteps of the tall slender man could be clearly heard behind Harry's left shoulder.
After a few hundred paces, the woman paused to speak.
"Down this way please," she said and pointed to a narrow hallway. Penny nodded with a smirk and made the right hand turn down the hall.
"Right here," she woman said and unlocked a door to a business office. Harry looked back to see the tall man instructing the two policemen to remain and the entrance of the hall.
They entered the room and the woman pointed to a long and oval business table.
"Have a seat please," she instructed.
"Okay, what's this all about?" Penny demanded as she pulled up a chair and plopped down.
"Are you Electra Penthane?" asked mystery woman.
"One and only. So what have I done?"
"Are you in a hurry to leave Amsterdam Miss Penthane?" the woman asked coolly.
"Not really, but what of it - is that against the law?" Penny quipped and woman ignored the remark.
"Were you in the red-light district last night?" the woman asked in a firm professional tone.
"Okay – okay, just a minute," Penny said and raised her palm. "Just who the hell are you?"
"There's one more question I must ask before I tell you," the woman said.
"What's that?" Penny asked with raised brows.
"Are you a witch? And your friend," she asked and glared at Harry. "He's a wizard?"
"What kind of question is that?" Penny asked at length.
"It's the kind of question I have to ask before we can continue this conversation," the woman explained calmly. "Otherwise, we may be here a while."
Harry felt it was time to pipe in. "U.K. Ministry of Magic..." The woman snapped around to face him. "And you are?" he thought to ask.
"Netherlands Institution of Magic. Is that what you're looking for? Now can we talk?"
"Okay, we're all on the same page now – so what's the problem? Why are we here?" he asked.
She squinted as if unsure of herself.
"Could I see that card again," she said and extended her hand. Harry handed her the NCIS credentials wallet.
"Mister Potter then," she said as she eyed the card critically. "This card says NCIS."
"Yes, that's what we use when we travel abroad," Harry explained.
"What you're supposed to do is contact the Netherlands Institution of Magic before you come into this country."
Harry began to answer and the woman raised her hand. When she did, Harry spotted a black wand holster under her left armpit. That explained why he couldn't spot any protrusions under her jacket lapels.
"Okay – what we have here is this. Police last night, stumbled on something in the Red-Light district they couldn't explain," the witch said and cleared her throat. "Would any of you care for water," she asked and got up get a bottled water from a cooler.
"Sure," Penny said and Harry nodded.
"Frederick?" she asked the tall slender one. Harry didn't hear the man respond but the witch handed him a bottle.
"What's your name?" Harry asked the witch. "You've asked us ours now tell us yours."
"Vanderviere. Amy Vanderviere. Now, getting back to the Red-Light district. The police called us in after they found these men bound by the vines of an Incarcerous curse."
"That's right," Harry said and nodded.
"Under questioning, the two men said you tortured them with a Cruciatus curse and killed one of their friends the night before," she said and took a drink of water.
"That's a lie," Harry said firmly. "These wizards have been stalking Miss Penthane. They killed an Auror and badly injured another in London."
"Right now, all I have is your word against their's," she said. "You didn't kill a wizard or use the Cruciatus curse?"
"I did, while questioning the wizard, use the Cruciatus curse to obtain answers. But I didn't kill him."
"We found the body," she snapped.
"I didn't kill him – he killed himself to avoid further questions."
"So you've admitted to using an unforgivable curse. That's illegal," she said sternly.
"I have a license to use the unforgivable curses in the line of duty."
"Not in the Netherlands Mister Potter. You don't even have the right to be here without permission. And, I'll have to ask for your wands – we know you carry two,"she asked, rather smugly.
There was an uncomfortable silence for several moments. Being an Auror of the special branch, Harry was aware of a few codicils in the laws between countries.
"First, there's a couple of things you need to be aware of," he said as if explaining to a child. "One: an Auror never gives up his wand – you know this. And two: there are exceptions to the law you mentioned. Under a threat to national security we do indeed have the right, with fleeing criminals, to enter without notification."
"So you call these men a threat to your national security?" she asked and pulled a face.
"They claimed to be an order. Our Ministry was attacked last year by men who called themselves an order," he replied.
The woman took a deep breath and thought about what Harry had said before constructing a reply.
"The wizard that died – his wand was sent to you. You can check the last spell," Harry injected.
She gave a brief sigh and then looked up. "Okay, I'll check your story out. Who do I speak with at your Ministry?"
"Kingsley Shacklebolt," Harry replied.
Ms Vanderviere left the room and Harry could hear the door lock behind her. He wondered if the room was magically locked as well. He assumed it was.
:
It was two hours later when Ms Vanderviere unlocked the door and re-entered the room. She had a small pile of papers in hand and looked a bit flustered.
"I have some papers for you both to sign," she said at last.
"What kind of papers?" asked Harry.
"Shacklebolt confirmed your story – and your other reasons for being here," she said and glanced at Penny. "But if it turns out there's more to this story than you've told us, then you'll have to return. Maybe that's another addition to the law you didn't know about," she said with a smile and divided the papers out between Harry and Penny.
Quickly, they both signed the papers and looked questionably at Miss Vanderviere.
"Can we go now?" Harry asked, impatiently.
"Yes – and don't come back," she said firmly. "Not without going through the proper procedures."
Harry nodded, thinking he would never come back under any conditions. The tall slim man was still seated and looked at Harry and Penny without being able to hide his disappointment.
Ms Vanderviere unlocked the door and held it open for Penny and Harry.
"We were going to Rome - are there any flights left?" asked Penny.
"No, I'm afraid not. If you need assistance in finding a room – we can help," she added, unconvincingly.
"Thanks, but we'll make do," Penny said with polite but firm indifference.
‡‡‡‡‡
The morning sun poured into the window of the big airbus as it banked on final for the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. Harry gave Penny the window seat and she was tentatively peering out at the rooftops below.
They had immediately booked the earliest flight for Rome after telling Miss Vanderviere to sod-off. It was nearly ten pm when they finished a a small meal and a few drinks in the new concourse for the smaller flight. After a few more drinks they discussed the possibility of finding rooms, but Penny didn't want to risk more trouble by leaving the airport. They found the terminal for the morning flight and spent the night in most comfortable chairs they could find. Awake, Penny was cool, diffident, and professional, but several times during the evening he found her resting her head on his shoulder. By morning, he desperately needed the loo but held it for another hour to avoid waking the sleeping beauty.
As the bustling of morning traffic roused Penny from partial slumber, she rose and disappeared into the women's lavatory with the large glove leather carry-on. A few minutes later she emerged as fresh as the month of March, with new heeled sandals, fresh jeans struggling taut from her lower body muscularity and a clean button-up top. Her misbehaving coal-black hair was plaited behind her and the Ran-Bans covered her eyes, pink from sleep depravity.
Harry doused water over his face and hands to wake up and took off down the concourse to fetch the morning coffee. After the coffee, he felt sorely awake and somewhat refreshed. He was happy to be out of Amsterdam and felt recharged after the quiet evening. Penny, on the other hand, had appeared troubled and out of sorts when apart from the band and it's members. She was polite and smiled kindly to his attempts at conversation, but she appeared to suffer in spirit.
With a squall of protest and a small bounce followed by a short screech, the Airbus touched down and rolled gently to a stop before turning off the runway. Out of it's element and as comical as a duck walking, the big plane bobbed up and down as it wallowed along the narrow taxi lane. The planes wasn't fully booked and they un-boarded with little delay.
"Let me text Harley," Penny said as they rushed to the baggage area. "Hopefully they took our bags to the hotel."
"Sure."
Penny finished texting the message and smiled. After a few moments the phone played a musical tone to signal his reply.
"They've got the bags. Good. Let's go," she said and spun toward departure lobby leaving Harry in tow.
Twenty minutes later they were nearing the Grande Hotel de la Minerve. The closer they got to the hotel and to the band the more Penny's mood and spirits began to lift.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked.
"These streets are as narrow as Diagon Alley," he replied, ignoring the taxi driver.
She laughed but didn't reply. Within a few minutes they were in the middle of the Piazza de Minerve, which amounted to a large cobblestone square or close. The majestic Pantheon was on the opposite side of the square and just a few steps from the hotel. Jumping out of the taxi, Penny was almost in the hotel before she remembered the fair. Harry was digging in his pockets for loose change, but didn't have nearly enough. She stopped, turned to see what was the matter, and let out a little gasp.
"Sorry about that – completely forgot," she said and raced back to the taxi while unzipping the big leather carry-on. She dug out a wad of bills and handed to the driver and immediately turned back toward the hotel. Harry guessed Jimbo or Harley normally took care of things like that. The driver made a face, shoved the money into his pocket, and sped away.
The atrium entrance of the hotel was palatial and completely mood altering. In a state of humbled awe, Harry had never seen anything like it. Penny just looked around and smiled at the cold marble accented by warm wood and butter smooth leather furniture. The deep domed ceiling was artificially illuminated behind stained glass. Mirrors, statues, and glass doors led to halls trailing away from the stunning centerpiece of the great room.
Finding the hotel desk hidden in a small room behind one of the doors, they confirmed their reservations and headed toward their rooms. Since they were due to arrive the night before there would no waiting for the room.
"See you at dinner tonight Harry," Penny said with a smile and quickly scurried off.
"See ya tonight," he said casually, trying to pretend he wouldn't miss her a bit.
After signing in and acquiring his room key card, he suddenly felt an acute and urgent need for a shower. After spending a night in the airport gating area, the resulting sticky feeling was overpowering.
Popping open the door to his room, he was relieved to find his oversized garment bag hanging on a hook. It was a moderate room for a five start hotel, but nothing to complain about. The city view outside the window wasn't bad at all. From where the hotel was located, there would be a famous view in any direction.
While putting away his things he noticed a little light on his mobile phone was blinking. He fumbled with the phone, trying to identify the caller. He almost never used the mobile and he cursed his clumsiness. After a minute or two, he found the menu to identify the caller, and it was from the Ministry. He gently laid the phone on the dresser with the intention of returning the ring later.
He took a hot shower – hot enough to eliminate that oily feeling you get when it's been too long. In a fat terrycloth gown, he sat down in the chair by the window and pulled up the padded footrest. He dialed the Ministry number.
"Ministry of Magic," the operator answered with a professional voice.
"Yes... Harry Potter here..."
"Good morning sir. How can I help?"
"I'm in the field you understand, but apparently I missed a call from someone at the ministry," he explained.
"And you don't who it was sir?"
"No I don't. If you could get a message to Kingsley to ring back."
"Yes sir – right away."
"Thanks..."
A few minutes later, the unfamiliar ring tone from the mobile interrupts the silence.
"Hello..."
"Harry!"
"Hermione! Was it you that called?"
"For sure – I hate to interrupt your holiday. But it's been a while you know and we've been wondering."
"Well it's been rotten, but it's good to hear from you."
"Did you get that business in Amsterdam cleared up?"
"Yeah. Apparently they cleared my story through the Ministry," he said.
"And where're you at now?"
"Rome!"
"Hmmm. That must be nice."
"It is – from what little I've seen. We just got here."
"So, what happened in Amsterdam? Sounds like you're happy to be out."
"Exactly right! Too many hooded wizards," he explained.
"That's strange – why the hoods?"
"An Order of some kind. You know anything about them?"
"There's all kinds of wizarding Orders Harry. Can you narrow it down a bit?"
"Well, they all wear the crudely woven cloaks and hoods."
"That's not much to go on," she barked. "Anything else? Marks, tattoos, badges, rings, anything to signify rites of initiation or passage?"
"No, I'm afraid not Hermione."
"That's not much help Harry. Is there nothing else?"
"Well, they all mention a wizard named Lasaurus," he said.
"Lasaurus? Okay, I'll check into it."
"Good, I'll ring back then."
"Are you planning to get back here anytime soon?" she asked.
"Uh... yeah. I think the band has the weekend off. I'd been thinking of then."
"You might want to look Ron up. He's back at the Burrow now," she said with a hint of enthusiasm.
"I'll do that – tell him I said hello – and you take care."
"You be careful Harry," she said at length.
"Always. See ya Hermione."
"Goodbye Harry," she said, affectionately and rang off.
He leaned back, reflecting on their conversation. He wondered if Hermione's concern was professional or personally motivated, and then he scolded himself for the thought. If she had been on assignment and out of the country for more than a week he would be more than a little concerned. But sometimes, he wondered if he never returned home and his wands were mailed back to the Ministry, would anyone really give a damn? He turned off the thought. He was trying to feel sorry for himself again.
A short break would do him good and he was beginning to miss Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. He wished he could get a message to Hannah, but that would be difficult, stuck in the middle of Rome. He still thought about her and wondered if her promise to go to dinner would still be good when he got back. He remembered her sun bleached hair and golden skin. Wallowing in luxurious thoughts as long as possible he reminded himself he still had a job to do.
A quick tour around the hotel and then going up to the roof, Harry found nothing out of the order or anything that might be a significant weakness. There was a nice area on the roof set aside for sunbathing. He had a quick vision of Sandy dropping her top and then clicked off the thought. After a walk around the hotel, he also felt the alley around the property was safe enough with no hidden entryways or other means of access. The delivery gate stopped at the rear entry for the kitchen. Anyone trying to sneak into the hotel that way would have to go through too many employees to make it a feasible means of entry.
Because the band's arrival was several days early, the evening meal was rather simple. Mary Ann was sitting with the same guy he saw her with at the airport. When she saw him she waved and he nodded back with a smile. Earning some new respect, he was seated down from Penny behind Harley and Jimbo. Jimbo had cooled off a bit, but possibly because of his massive physicality, he still sneered at Harry whenever he could.
It was difficult to judge, by the way she was dressed, if Penny was planning to go out for the evening. He hadn't received any notes to warn him and he felt out of the loop. Ace Varney was sticking around her pretty close and he guessed the pair were probably planning an evening out. The meal was breaking up. Better to catch her now.
"Can we chat for a moment?" he asked.
"Sure. What about?"
"Your plans for the weekend," he said and canted his head to a door leading to a convenient sitting room. She nodded and followed.
"I'll be careful – I promise," she said, once they were inside.
Harry nodded. "Good. But, there's something else..."
"Yeah, what's that?" she asked.
"Since the band isn't playing this weekend, I was hoping you could stay out of trouble long enough for me to slip back to London?"
"Over the weekend?"
"Well, of course. I'll be back in a day or two," he said and nodded.
"Why sure Harry – has something come up?"
"No... I just need to get back for a little while," he said at length.
Penny just stood there, looking hard into his eyes with an expression like she was reading his mind.
"Sure Harry. I guess it never occurred to me you had much going on back there. Besides work."
She stood there patiently, obviously wanting more of an answer than he was willing to give.
"Well, I'd like to check with Ron," he finally said.
She nodded a little animated nod. "Do I know her Harry?" she said and curled the corner of her mouth into a wry grin.
"Look Penny – you will be careful?"
"Absolutely." she replied, still smiling.
"Are you going out tonight?" he asked.
"Just for a few drinks – we won't be out late."
"You've got my mobile number?"
She nodded, then smiled. "Goodnight Harry."
He watched her until she was almost out of the door. Just before she disappeared, she turned to smile and waved goodbye.
‡‡‡‡‡
He really should have taken a port key. It was the longest jump via apparition he had taken yet. He seemed to spiral through the rubber tube of apparition forever before touching down behind Grimmauld Place. Taking a few extra moments to pull himself together, he took a deep breath and then entered Grimmauld Place from the yard. He looked around for Kreacher, but the old house-elf was nowhere to be found.
Penny had stayed out of trouble the night before. She was at breakfast and at a decent hour. He had touched base with her one more time before heading out. She promised him sincerely that she was staying at the hotel during the weekend and cautioned him not to worry. He had come to believe Penny's promises weren't worth the paper they were printed on.
His plans for the day would start with him dropping in on Ron around mid-morning. If Molly insisted he stay for lunch, he'd stop by the Leaky Cauldron sometime that afternoon.
With a little zip and a pop, Kreacher took corporeal form in the kitchen. The old elf was carrying a couple of bags of groceries from Diagon Alley.
"Good Morning Kreacher."
"Good morning sir. Didn't expect you in – can I fix something for breakfast sir?"
"Oh no Kreacher," he replied, "I've already had breakfast. Maybe tomorrow."
"Very good sir," the old elf replied and scampered off toward the cupboard with his large feet slapping the floor.
"Oh Kreacher."
"Yes sir?"
"If you could clean these today?" Harry asked and lifted the garment bag full of clothes.
"Certainly sir," he said and continued to the cupboard.
It was nice to be back at Grimmauld Place. He stayed longer than he planned before quietly sneaking out the back door. From the yard behind Grimmauld Place, he let his mind relax and focused on the garden around the Burrow. With a flash of morning light, he could feel his feet go light and then heavy again as he settled on the ground of the Burrow. He opened his eyes to the familiar and idyllic sight. The door was open and Molly Weasley was sweeping something toward the door in a checkered apron. She looked up to see him pausing by the entryway.
"Harry! You gave me a start dear, come in," she said with a huge smile.
"Didn't mean to do that," he said grinning, and Molly raced over to give him the usual hug. As usual there was smells of food cooking on the hob. By the strength of it, lunch was not far away.
"How have you been dear?" she asked. "We've all been worried you know."
"Well please don't – things are fine."
"Good. Can you stay for lunch?"
"I hadn't planned to. But if you insist."
"Of course I insist Harry. I'll set out a plate," she said and pursed her lips.
"That sounds fair," he said. "I hear Ron is doing Better."
"Oh yes, much better," she said, nodding. "See for yourself. He's out back."
Molly went back to her broom as he walked the path to the outdoor table under the small grove behind the house. Sitting in a comfortable wicker chair was Ron looking out over the orchard. A mild morning breeze was tickling the leaves into movement at the top of the trees.
"You ever coming back to work?" Harry bellowed.
"Harry! It's damn good to see you mate."
Grinning ear to ear, he pulled up a chair next to Ron's.
"How do you feel Ron? Better?"
"Oh yes – loads better actually. I think I had everyone a bit worried for a while."
"You sure did. It was all such a shock."
Ron nodded and looked quietly over the orchard.
"So Harry – how's the chase going?" he said at length.
"Not bad, it seems we're dealing with an Order of some kind."
"An Order you say? That sounds bizarre. How would Penny be involved with something like that?"
"Can't imagine," Harry said, shaking his head. "Really can't."
"So you've faced them then?" Ron asked.
"Well, not the one that got you. Hopefully it won't be to long. But we got one for Jerry," Harry said and clenched his jaw.
Ron gave him a firm look and nodded.
"How did it happen?"
"He turned up at Penny's show. I ran him down. Hit him and secured him, but I overlooked one of his hands was loose and he managed to pry a wand free."
"Yeah," Ron said, eyes glued and mouth gaping.
"Well, to make a long story shot. He killed himself to avoid more talking and torture. Will never know for sure I guess."
Ron nodded solemnly.
"He said the wizard we're after is called Lasaurus."
"Lasaurus?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah."
"Harry," Ron said at length and paused. "I think my memory of that night is damaged."
"Don't worry mate."
"No, no – I mean it's not good. But I do have a recurring dream and I think it may be real."
"What's that Ron?"
"That night – when we encountered him in the alley. He wasn't just one. No, he split into more than one Harry. We weren't just fighting just one wizard."
"But you said this is a dream Ron?"
"Yeah, it's just a dream – just a dream. But I think it may be memories trying to come back," he said and then gazed again out over orchard.
Molly had no trouble twisting his arm enough to stay for lunch. It was good to be back at the Burrow, but after he and Ginny had gone through a row, it also left him a little melancholy. The fix for that was coming up. A trip to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron to check on Hannah would put his spirits back in place.
It was great to be walking down Diagon Alley, and he paused to say 'hello' to various shopkeepers, before coming to the magical passageway to the Leaky Cauldron. With a few taps on the bricks in the usual pattern they began their jerky dance with much clicking and turning. When the passageway was open he stepped through and reached for the Leaky Cauldron door handle.
Strangely, there was a sign hanging on a string around the door handle. He turned the handle to find it was locked. He pulled the sign off and read the small print in dim light.
The Inn is CLOSED
Will back after Holiday
Hannah Abbot
Replacing the sign carefully around the door handle just as he had found it, he wondered just what the bloody hell was going on.
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A/N: Grats for the new favs and follows. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review/comment etc. :)