Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling or Timothy Zahn.
In the library, Harry searches through records until he finds the history of Bartemius Crouch, the late Auror Master. Searching through Crouch's biography, a cool female voice narrates.
Voice. Bartemius Crouch. Human. Born in Caspar, Charis on 10 May, 1920. Attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1931 to 1938. Received further training on Informous. Instructor unknown. Granted title of Auror Knight. Officially assumed title of Auror Master. Summary ends. Further details of schooling and training?
Harry. No. [aside] Crouch assumed the title of Auror Master? I was under the impression that that title, like the rank of Auror Knight, was something that was granted by the Order of the Phoenix and not something simply self-proclaimed. [to the cool female voice] Give me the highlights of his record as an Auror.
Voice. Member of the Dark Force Defense League. Member of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Advisor to the Minister for Magic, Tom Riddle.
Harry freezes.
Harry. Stop. [aside] Advisor to Tom Riddle? [to the voice] Detail Crouch's service to Minister Riddle.
A moment passes.
Voice. Unavailable.
Harry. Unavailable or just classified?
Voice. Unavailable.
Harry grimaces, disappointed.
Harry. Continue.
Voice. Member of Auror force assembled to oppose the Death Eater insurrection on Avalon. Assisted in resolving the Scottish ascendancy contention. Assisted Auror Master Caradoc Dearborn in mediation of the centaur-elf conflict. Named ambassador at large to the Scottish Borders by the Wizengamot. Highly instrumental in convincing the Wizengamot to authorize and fund the Advance Guard project. One of six Auror Masters attached to the project. No record exists after its departure from Trafalgar Square. Highlights summary ends. Further information?
Harry leans back and does not reply.
Harry. [aside] So not only was Crouch once an advisor to the man who would someday declare himself the Dark Lord Voldemort, but he also was part of the attack against those Dark wizards from the Nimbus region that Hermione mentioned . . . one of whom survived long enough to face Master Albus on Mould-on-the-Would. . . .
Enter Parvati.
Parvati. Commander?
Harry. Hello, Parvati. Looking for me?
Parvati. Yes. Princess Hermione would like to see you whenever you're finished here. [sees what Harry is doing] More Auror research?
Harry. Sort of. [to the voice] Computer: copy complete record of Auror Master Bartemius Crouch.
Parvati. Bartemius Crouch. Wasn't he involved in the big ascendancy flap on Scotland?
Harry. That's what the record says. You know anything about that?
Parvati. No more than any other Scottish. The question was whether the line of ascent to Viceroy should go to Senator Granger's father or one of the other family lines. After the third voting deadlock they appealed to the Wizengamot to mediate the issue. Crouch was one of the delegation they sent, which took less than a month to decide that the Grangers had the proper claim.
Harry. Did you ever see any pictures of Crouch?
Parvati. There was a group picture in the archives that showed the entire mediation team. Crouch was . . . oh, about average height and build, I suppose. Fairly muscular, too, which I remember thinking seemed rather odd for an Auror. [realizes what she said] I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to sound derogatory.
Harry. No problem. What else?
Parvati. He had graying hair and a short, neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing the same brown robe and white undertunic that a lot of Aurors seemed to favor. Other than that, there wasn't anything particularly notable about him.
Harry. How old did he look?
Parvati. Oh, I'd say somewhere around forty, plus or minus five years, perhaps. Age is always hard to ascertain from a picture.
Harry. That would fit with the record here.
Harry retrieves a datacard with the information about Crouch, then gets to his feet.
You said Hermione wanted to see me?
Parvati. If it's convenient. She's in her office.
Harry. Okay. Let's go.
Harry and Parvati set off together.
You know anything about the region Charis. Specifically, anything about how long its people live?
Parvati. I've never read anything that mentioned it one way or another. Why?
Harry. [hesitates] The problem is that if this alleged Auror out in Little Hangleton really is Bartemius Crouch, he has to be over a hundred by now. I know there are some species that live longer than that, but he's supposed to be human.
Parvati. [shrugs] There are always exceptions to a race's normal life span . . . and an Auror, in particular, might have techniques that would help extend that span.
Harry considers this.
Harry. [aside] It is possible. Albus certainly lived a long life - a good nine hundred years. And as a general rule, smaller species usually meant smaller life spans. But usually does not mean always. The problem is I still I have no idea what species Albus was. . . . I suppose a better course of action would be to figure out how long the Dark Lord lived.
Parvati. So you think Bartemius Crouch is alive?
Harry and Parvati enter the Atrium.
Harry. I had a brief mental contact with another Auror while I was on Cornwall. Afterward, Hermione told me that there were rumors Crouch had been seen on Little Hangleton. I don't know what other conclusion to come to.
Parvati is silent.
Any comments?
Parvati. Anything having to do with Aurors and the Magic are out of my personal experience, Commander. I really can't comment one way or another on that. But I'd have to say that the impression I got of Crouch from Scottish history makes me skeptical.
Harry. Why?
Parvati. It's just an impression, you understand. Nothing I would even have mentioned if you hadn't asked. Crouch struck me as the sort of person who loved being in the middle of things. The sort who, if he couldn't lead, control, or help in a particular situation, would still be there just so he'd be visible.
Harry. I suppose that fits with what I read. I don't know if you knew it, but he apparently promoted himself from Auror Knight to Auror Master. Seems like kind of a conceited thing to do.
Parvati. Yes, it does. Though at least by the time he came to Scotland there didn't seem to be any dispute about it. My point is that someone who likes the spotlight that much wouldn't have stayed so completely out of the war against the Ministry.
Harry. And a good point it is, too. New subject, then. What do you know about this Advance Guard project the Old Ministry put together?
Parvati. Not much. It was supposedly an attempt to search for life outside the galaxy proper, but the whole thing was so buried in secrecy they never released any details. I'm not even sure whether or not it was ever launched.
Harry. The records say it was. They also say that Crouch was attached to the project. Does that mean he would have been aboard?
Parvati. I don't know. There were rumors that several Auror Masters would be going along, but again there was no official confirmation of that. Are you thinking that might be why he wasn't around during the war?
Harry. It's possible. Of course, that would just raise another whole set of questions. Like what happened to them and how he got back.
Parvati. [shrugs] I suppose there's one way to find out.
Harry. Yeah. Go to Little Hangleton and ask him. I guess I'll have to.
Harry and Parvati enter Hermione's office.
Enter Percy.
Hello, Percy.
Percy. Master Harry. How good to see you again. I trust you're well?
Harry. I'm fine. Hedwig said to say hello when I saw you, by the way. They've got him over at the spaceport helping with some maintenance on my Firebolt, but I'll be bringing him back later this evening. You can see him then.
Percy. Thank you, sir. Princess Hermione and the others are expecting you. Please go on in.
Harry. Thank you. Let us know if anyone else comes.
Percy. Of course, sir.
Percy leads Harry and Parvati inside.
Enter Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid.
Hermione. Ah, Harry. Thanks for coming. [to Parvati] That'll be all for now, Parvati.
Parvati. Yes, Your Highness.
Exit Parvati.
Harry. [to Ron] I hear you dropped a double-size thermal detonator on the Wizengamot yesterday.
Ron. [grimaces] I tried. Not that anyone really believed me.
Hermione. One of those instances where politics drifts off into the realm of wishful thinking. The last thing anyone wants to believe is that in our sweep we somehow missed one of the Dark Lord's Grand Admirals.
Harry. Sounds more like willful denial than wishful thinking to me. Or do they have another theory as to how we got edged so neatly into that Nimbus trap?
Hermione. Some of them say that's where Murcus's collusion comes in.
Harry. [aside] Ah. So that's the thrust of Scrimgeour's scheme. [to all] I hadn't heard any of the details yet.
Ron. So far, Scrimgeour's been playing the cards close to the fur. He claims he's trying to be fair. I think he's just trying not to rock all the stabilizers at once.
Harry. [frowns] And maybe something more?
Ron and Hermione exchange looks.
Ron. Maybe. You notice how quickly after the Nimbus attack Scrimgeour dropped the hammer on Murcus. Either he's one of the great opportunists of all time . . .
Hermione. Which we already know he is.
Ron. Or else he knew in advance what was going to happen.
Harry glances at Hermione.
Harry. You realize what you're saying. You're accusing a member of the Wizengamot of being a Ministry agent.
Ron. Yeah, I know. Isn't that what he's accusing Murcus of?
Hermione. The problem is timing, Ron . . . as I've already tried to explain. If we accuse Scrimgeour of anything now, it'll just look like we're trying to take the pressure off Murcus by turning Scrimgeour's charges back against him. Even if it were true, and I don't think it is, it would still come across as a cheap and rather mindless trick.
Ron. Maybe that's why he was so quick to finger Murcus in the first place. So that we couldn't turn it back on him. That ever occur to you?
Hermione. Yes, it has. Unfortunately, it doesn't change the situation. Until we've cleared Murcus, we can't go making accusations against Scrimgeour.
Ron. [snorts] Come on, Hermione. Political waddlefooting is fine in its place, but we're talking about the survival of the Wizards' Council here.
Hermione. Which could fall completely apart over this without anyone ever firing a shot. Face it, Ron. This whole thing is still being held together with hope and crating tape. You get a few wild accusations flying around, and half the races in the old Dumbledore's Army might decide to pull out and go their separate ways.
Harry. If I can say something . . .
Ron and Hermione turn to look at Harry.
Ron. Sure, kid. What is it?
Harry. I think we all agree that whatever his agenda or possible sponsors, Scrimgeour is up to something. Maybe it would help to find out what that something is. Hermione, what do we know about Scrimgeour?
Hermione. [shrugs] He's a Gryffindor, obviously, though he grew up on the Gryffindor colony of Ilvermorny instead of on Dartmoor proper. He joined the real Army right after the Battle of Hogwarts, bringing a good-sized group of his fellow Gryffindors in with him. His people served mainly in support and reconnaissance, though they saw some occasional action, too. He was involved in a number of wide-ranging interstellar business activities before joining the Army - shipping, merchandising, some mining, assorted other ventures. I'm pretty sure he's kept up with some of them since then, but I don't know which ones.
Harry. Are they on file?
Hermione. [shakes her head] I've been through his file five times, and I've checked every other reference to him I could find. Nothing.
Ron. That's where we want to start our backtrack, then. Quiet business stuff is always good for digging up dirt.
Hermione throws Ron a patient look.
Hermione. It's a big galaxy, Ron. We don't even know where to start looking.
Ron. I think we can figure it out. You said the Gryffindors saw some action after Hogwarts. Where?
Hermione. Any number of places. Let's see.
Hermione looks through the files.
Ron. You can skip any battle they were ordered into. Also any time there were only a few of them there as part of a big multispecies force. I just want the places where a bunch of Scrimgeour's people really threw themselves into it.
Despite not seeing Ron's trajectory, Hermione follows his suggestions without comment.
Hermione. Well, I suppose the only one that really qualifies would be a short but violent battle off Ottery St. Catchpole in the Devon region. Four Gryffindor brooms took on a Ministry cruiser that was snooping around, keeping it busy until a selkie cruiser could come to their assistance.
Ron. Ottery St. Catchpole, huh? That region get mentioned anywhere in Scrimgeour's business stuff?
Hermione. Uh, no. It doesn't.
Ron. Fine. Then that's where we start.
Harry and Hermione exchange looks.
Hermione. Did I miss something?
Ron. Oh, come on, Hermione. You said yourself that the Gryffindors pretty much sat out the real war everywhere they could. They didn't take on a Ministry cruiser at Ottery St. Catchpole just for the fun of it. They were protecting something.
Hermione. [frowns] I think you're reaching.
Ron. Maybe. Maybe not. Suppose it was Scrimgeour and not the Ministry that sneaked that gold into Murcus's account? Transferring a block fund through Macusa from the Devon region would be easier than sending it in from any of the Ministry regions.
Harry. That takes us back to accusing Scrimgeour of being a Ministry agent.
Ron. Maybe not. Could be the timing of the transfer was coincidence. Or maybe one of the Gryffindors got a whiff of the Ministry's intentions and Scrimgeour figured he could use it to take down Murcus.
Hermione. [shakes her head] It's still nothing we can take to the Wizengamot.
Ron. I'm not going to take it to the Wizengamot. I'm going to take Harry, and we're going to go to Ottery St. Catchpole and check it out ourselves . . . quiet-like.
Hermione glances at Harry.
Harry. There's nothing I can do here to help. It's worth a look, anyway.
Hermione. All right. But keep it quiet.
Ron. [smiles] Trust me. [raises an eyebrow] You ready?
Harry. [blinks] You mean right now?
Ron. Sure. Why not? Hermione's got the political end covered here okay.
Harry senses something from Hermione, but she urges him to keep quiet through Legilimency.
Hagrid. Rarrrghhh araaggh rararrr rrr. Aarghh.
Stunned, Ron turns to look at his wife.
Ron. You promised what?
Hermione. Ron. I had no choice.
Ron. No choice? No choice? I'll give you a choice: No, you're not going.
Hermione. Ron . . .
Harry. Excuse me. [rises] I have to go check out my Firebolt. I'll see you both later.
Ron. Sure, kid.
Harry catches Hagrid's eye, and the two step out of the room, both eager to give Ron and Hermione some privacy for their personal discussion.
Exit Harry.
Hermione. I have to go, Ron. I promised Amarillo I'd meet him. Don't you understand?
Ron. No, I don't understand. These whatever-they-ares . . .
Hermione. Vampires.
Ron. These vampires have been taking potshots at you every chance they've had for a couple of months now. You remember Avalon and that mock-up of the Anglia they tried to sucker us into getting aboard? And the attack on Nottingham before that - they came within a hair of snatching us right out of the middle of a marketplace. If it hadn't been for Harry and Hagrid, they'd have done it, too. These guys are serious, Hermione. And now you tell me you want to fly out alone and visit their region? You might as well turn yourself over to the Ministry and save some time.
Hermione. I wouldn't be going if I thought that. Amarillo knows I'm Severus Snape's daughter. And for whatever reason, that seems to be very important to them. Maybe I can use that leverage to turn them away from the Ministry and onto our side. Anyway, I have to try.
Ron. What is this, some kind of crazy Auror thing? Harry was always getting all noble and charging off into trouble, too.
Hermione takes Ron's hand.
Hermione. Ron. I know it's a risk. But it may be the only chance we ever have of resolving this. The vampires need help. Amarillo admitted that. If I can give them that help - if I can convince them to come over to our side - that'll mean one less enemy for us to have to deal with. [hesitates] And I can't keep running forever.
Ron. What about the twins?
Hermione. I know. But what's the alternative? To lock them away at Headquarters somewhere with a ring of half-giant guards around them? They'll never have any chance of a normal life as long as the vampires are trying to take them from us.
Ron grits his teeth, considers her response, then reluctantly concedes.
Ron. Can I at least go with you?
Hermione caresses Ron's cheek.
Hermione. I promised I'd go alone. Don't worry. I'll be all right.
Ron. Sure. [rises] Well, if you're going, you're going. Come on. I'll help you get the Anglia prepped.
Hermione. The Anglia? But I thought you were going to Ottery St. Catchpole.
Ron. I'll take Dean's ship. I've got to get it back to him, anyway.
Hermione. But . . .
Ron. No argument. If this vampire of yours has something besides talking in mind, you'll stand a better chance in the Anglia than you will in the Felix Felicis.
Ron heads for the door, but pauses upon seeing Hagrid's look.
Ron. What?
Hagrid. Rarrfghh.
Ron. Well, I don't much like it, either. What do you want me to do, lock her up somewhere?
Hermione gets to her feet and approaches the two men.
Hermione. I'll be all right, Hagrid. Really, I will.
Hagrid. Raaaghhhrrgg.
Ron. If you've got any suggestions, let's hear them.
Hagrid. Rahhhjjjggh eergghh rr.
Hermione. Hagrid. I'm sorry. I promised Amarillo I'd come alone.
Hagrid. [shakes his head] Rrrrghhh.
Ron. [to Hermione] He doesn't like it.
Hermione. I got the gist, thank you. Listen, you two, for the last time . . .
Hagrid lets out a bellow, which causes Hermione to jump backward.
Ron. You know, sweetheart, I really think you ought to let him go with you. At least as far as the rendezvous point. [at Hermione's glare] Come on. You know how seriously half-giants take this life debt thing. You need a pilot, anyway.
Hermione. [sighs] All right. I guess Amarillo won't object to that. But once we reach the rendezvous, Hagrid, you do as I tell you, whether you like it or not. Agreed?
Hagrid considers, then agrees.
Hagrid. Rrrghh.
Hermione. Okay. Let's get going, then. Percy?
Percy. Yes, Your Highness?
Hermione. I want you to come with me, too. Amarillo spoke English well enough. But the other vampires may not, and I don't want to have to depend on their translators to make myself understood.
Percy. Of course, Your Highness.
Hermione. Good. [to Ron] I guess we'd better get going.
Ron. I guess you'd better.
Exit all.
