Please Don't Stop the Rain

By October, the skies were steadily pouring water down on them. Harry had started bringing two changes of clothes with him to work, as he hadn't quite mastered the drying charm everyone else was so fond of. He sat at his desk that chilly Halloween morning, contemplating whether or not to ask Kingsley for an office with a fireplace.

"Er…Captain Potter?"

"Morning, Rivas," he said, beckoning the recruit inside. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm…a bit worried about my placement," he admitted. "I love working with the interception group. I just don't know how much Menkin trusts me. It's more than a newbie thing," he added, seeing Harry about to say something. "I know it's normal to tell the new kid 'sit here and don't break anything' but I don't think he's exactly thrilled to have me on the team."

Harry nodded. "I understand. And, frankly, you're right. Menkin doesn't trust anyone. On one hand, it's kept him alive in many situations. On the other…well, anyway…. Just remember, I recommended you for this team for a reason. You're a damn hard worker. You know when to keep your head down, when to ask questions, and how to get things moving. Menkin's never going to take you under his wing, so to speak. He's not me, or Tonks, or Ainsley, or Seekins. Part of becoming an official Auror is letting go of the mentor feeling. You're a part of the team now, and you have to show them that. Just keep working like you did in training. He may not like it, but Menkin can't ignore a team member who's always at the ready. And remember… if something's really bothering you, stand up for yourself. You have the right to ask questions."

Rivas nodded. "Right, thanks. Happy Halloween, Captain."

"You too, Rivas."

Harry smiled as the younger wizard left the office. The new recruits were having more stage fright now that they'd been placed with teams. He didn't have long to dwell on it, though. Rhydderch came running in a second later.

"Potter, there's been another attack."

"You're joking!" Harry said. "It's been quiet a whole month now! I thought this was settling down."

Rhydderch gave a mirthless chuckle. "When you see these pictures, you'll really wish it was settling down. Come on. Tonks is already down there."

They walked down to one of the meeting rooms off the main hall. Watkins, Tonks, Kingsley, and Anwyl were in there already, and the pictures from the last attack were tacked to the peg board.

"Bloody hell…."

"Delightful, isn't it?" Tonks mumbled.

"How…?"

"Disassembled postmortem and reassembled," Kingsley said.

Harry looked at the pictures more closely. Some of them he'd seen before, during the first string of attacks. The bodies were less contorted, but still looked grotesque. "I've seen this before," he muttered.

"What?" Anwyl asked. "Where?"

"I…I remember them from a book, I think. But I don't know which one," he explained, omitting the fact that he'd also seen them in his recurring nightmare. "A book about curses, I think."

"No curse can do this," Kingsley said. "As I said, they had to be—"

"We got it, Kingsley," Rhydderch said.

"What is it, Harry?" Tonks asked.

"Do we have a History of Magic book somewhere close?"

"Pictures and texts such as these," Tonks read, "can be found in Muggle museums around the world. They show the primitive view Muggles had of wizards and magic. The view that magic could, in fact, do anything. Due to the religious nature of the times these texts were written in, most of the depictions of magic were negative."

"So they're giving Muggles the wrong idea on purpose?" Anwyl asked.

"They would be, except for the fact that your team is hot on their arses," Harry said. "They've been finding the victims before the Muggle police can. If this gets out…."

"It could expose the magical community," Kingsley finished. "Not only that, but it would be exposing us as something we're not. I'll alert the Prime Minister, and our contact at Scotland Yard."

"I want to go back in the field," Harry said.

"Me too," Tonks agreed.

"No," Kingsley said. "We need you here training. Besides, you've both been working nonstop lately. You have time off coming up, and I want you to take it. Anwyl's team will handle it."

"Glad you made it, Harry," Hermione said, hugging him.

"This place looks great!" Harry said, surveying the over-the-top Halloween decorations. "How did your interview with Kingsley go?"

"Wasn't really an interview," she said, laughing. They walked through hallway to the living room. "He offered me the job on the spot."

"Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures…. Looks like 'spew' has made it big, eh?"

"It's not spew, Harry!"

"Harry!" Ron yelled, making his way over.

Harry gave the redhead a hug and asked, "Sports announcer, right?"

"The Prophet blew the surprise, did they?" Ron muttered, but he was smiling.

"That's great, both of you," Harry said, beaming. "We've missed you around here."

"By 'we' you mean 'I', right?" Ron asked.

"Exactly. When is the rest of the family coming?"

"Should be here any minute."

"Where's Tonks tonight?"

"She said she had some stuff to take care of," Harry said. "She's started cleaning out her parents' old house, so I'm guessing it's something to do with that."

"Well, mate, let's get a drink and we can discuss all of the cool free stuff I get from the Prophet merchandise store."

Harry laughed and followed his best friends into the kitchen.

LbN: Bit of a shorter chapter this time, but I'll make up for it next time. The poll for my next series is up on my profile. Right now, Teddy's story is in the lead. As soon as I get a few more votes, I'll post previews of the winners. Once I'm done with Edge of Night and Give Me a Sign, I'll start writing.