Harry unintentionally gulped rather loudly when he entered a huge, Greek-inspired mansion. There was a secretary with the guest list, who gave them a close look; however, she merely gave a nod when she recognized the uniform.
They headed straight to the kitchen that was located at the back of the grand hall. There were already about thirty people in the kitchen. The one who seemed to be leader called out, "You finally arrived." Harry instantly recognized the voice as one of Aurors he had met. He glanced at the room with fresh eyes. He was amazed by Raquel's ability to disguise people with no magic. He could recognize some people, but only because he knew their features very well. Besides, no one was going to stare at the waiters that closely.
"Make sure that your wand is tucked under you vest. We do not want them sticking out of our back pockets." Auror gravely warned. He further explained the basic techniques of catering and serving.
"Please remember," Auror reminded them earnestly, "that no magic is allowed in the hall and the hallways. If you do, it will trigger the alarms and you will see those nasty guards you had to walk past. I am fairly certain that you will not want to see them again." After making sure that everyone's wand was tucked in properly, they were let out one by one to serve the party. Harry felt pats on his back and saw a reassuring nod from Auror. Harry dearly wished that he was as confident as him and carefully stepped outside.
The grand hall was filled with many elegant people with gorgeous attires. Harry marveled at the luxurious mosaic floors and extravagant tables and decorations. The florid and pleasant music filled the hall that was already buzzing with delightful chattering. Amazed by the grand hall, Harry accidentally bumped into a man in a nicely tailored robe.
"Watch it!" The man haughtily barked at Harry. He was about to point out the man's rudeness, but he quickly remembered his role; one of the many things he learned was to stay in the character until the very end. He curtly stopped himself and bowed his head to the rude man. "My apologies, sir." He tried his best to sound sincere. The man huffed at Harry, but left with no more words.
"Impressive." Harry turned around to face his Mentor. "Months ago, you would have shown signs of distress." She smiled. "You have learned well." Harry secretly smiled at his Mentor's rare compliment.
From there, the night went on without any event. Harry took a while to learn serving food effortlessly, but he caught on fast and was able to perform the duty well. He noticed Acton and Valerie walking in. As soon as they stepped into the hall, the tables filled with soft murmurs.
"Isn't that Valkyrie next to Head of Auror?" One woman gasped. "I've heard such horrible stories about her. They say she has no mercy, friends or foe."
"However, we can not argue she is the best of Aurors. People in the Ministry say without her, Death Eaters would have squashed the government a long time ago." A man huffed. "I do not even wish to think what would happen if she turned out to be our enemy."
Harry tuned out all the gossips with great difficulty and glanced at LeRouge who was still catering everyone skillfully. He noticed that everyone had the same feeling toward LeRouge: respect and fear. Harry wondered how she could compose herself so well when people were talking about her.
"Stop staring at her so much or people will think you are interested in him." An unrecognizable Auror teased Harry rather deviously. Harry blushed slightly and quickly went back to his duty. The man laughed silently and pointed to the section of the hall where there was a little bit of elevation like a stage. He could see a man walking in and hear people gasp. No one had to tell Harry who he was-their target, Benjamin Kreager.
He was a man in his fifties with powerful build. His huge stature reminded Harry of Acton. However, his scarred face did not resemble anything the stern warmth that Acton possessed. The man sat on a huge chair as if it were his throne. His dark, deep voice boomed across the hall even without the magic. "Welcome," he began as if this were the normal party. Harry could see that Kreager's eyes lingered around Acton's group and Hoffmans.
Harry quickly turned his attention to an Asian girl who was standing behind him. She was a petite girl with a clean bob, wearing a kimono inspired dress. Although she was small, Harry could see that she was a trained Auror. Her eyes were bright honey color, but they also had a strange metallic shine that he could not identify. He could see her carefully scanning the room, and he quickly averted his gaze so that he would not be caught staring at her. When she was done, she whispered something to Kreager's ears and he nodded in satisfaction, paying his close attention to Acton.
"Good," Harry heard LeRouge whispering to Nate. "It seems that Rei has not noticed our identity. With Acton and fake LeRouge there, hopefully they will not pay attention to us." Nate nodded gravely. They had gotten through the initial test, but the mission was still far from safe.
The night seemed to go on without a hitch until Harry heard a loud crash with scream. He swiftly turned around to see Tina crying next to an angry, drunk man.
"You spilled drink all over me, girl!" The man shouted to her, full of rage.
"But.. But you…" Tina stammered and continued to cry. Harry came to her to get her up. LeRouge also came to the rescue. "Take her to the kitchen in the back and calm her down." Harry nodded and followed her instruction.
In the kitchen, Tina continued to weep louder. "He touched me!" She shrieked. "He touched where he should not have!"
Harry had no idea how to comfort the poor girl except hug her and let her cry. Soon, LeRouge and Nate came in, rather displeased. "You caused too much commotion." She commented flatly without any sympathy.
"But LeRouge…" Harry tried to stand up for his friend, but Nate stopped him.
"We know exactly what happened." Harry flinched at Nate's unusually cold tone. "Tina, I understand why you are upset. However, the job of Auror requires you to be calm and prepared for any kind of situation. By breaking down and crying, you have cast suspicions on us that we are not professional caterers."
"Aaron is having a great time covering you up, saying that you are a new employee who had to be replaced at the last minute." LeRouge pulled out her wand. "I suggest that you go back to your quarter and think about what had happened today. And do think hard if you really think you have what it takes to be an Auror."
Tearful Tina disappeared soon. Harry gaped at his Mentors in disbelief, who returned his gaze coolly. "You can not be serious!" Harry gasped. "You can not expect someone to be completely calm after that kind of experience!"
"But you have to," LeRouge answered nonchalantly. "Because you are an Auror."
When Harry gazed into their determined eyes, he realized what they meant when they said Auror was a cold job. Auror had to be prepared to face anything with a logical, rational mind, completely away from emotions. The moment that they allowed their own emotions, the thin veil of their secrecy was going to be exposed. Putting a greater goal before themselves was the meaning of the true Auror.
"Many people come to Auror Office, thinking we are superheroes that they read in novels. Tales told in fictions are not completely false, but you have to understand that they are also mystified and dramatized." Nate let out a defeated laugh.
"Frankly, there is nothing remotely romantic about this job." LeRouge dryly commented.
"But, but," Harry stammered as his visions of Auror were slowly breaking.
"You will know when you realize that you are not meant for this job." LeRouge cut her recruit short. "If you do not think you can handle this, then it is better to admit it now than jeopardize the entire mission."
He met his Mentor's gaze rather fearfully at first. Then he noticed something behind her stern gaze—trust. She trusted that he had what it took to be an Auror. He realized that her unusual coldness toward his quitting was because of her possible disappointment.
Harry clenched his fist in frustration, not believing the weak thoughts that dominated his mind even for a moment. His Mentor, who he became to respect greatly, had this much faith in him, and yet he could not believe in himself. He smirked at himself and answered confidently. "I will carry out this mission and many more."
Both Mentors smiled at Harry's changed determination. They gracefully headed out of the kitchen as if nothing had happened. Harry routinely glanced the hall when he was instantly nagged by something—or rather, lack of someone.
"Jaden is not here." They pointed out almost simultaneously. Nate immediately headed to Acton to report the situation, while Harry wildly glanced around the room. He barely caught a glimpse of a burgundy robe that Jaden wore. Noticing Harry's gaze, LeRouge instructed, "Follow Jaden. Do not do anything to stop him since we are not allowed to use magic. When you lose him or are not able to follow him, come back and contact any Aurors or Acton immediately."
Harry nodded gravely at his Mentor and asked, "But what about you?"
"I have to follow her." His eyes followed her slender finger, which pointed to the Asian girl. She whispered something into the host's ear and he wearily nodded. With the master's approval, the girl inconspicuously, but swiftly, left the hall.
"I am certain that she is following Jaden or even to check upon the security around Lauren. I will follow her and see what it leads." LeRouge answered defiantly. "I am warning you, Potter. Do not try to handle things by yourself. You have a penchant of sticking your nose into something you rather should not. For today, we can not risk any mistakes, understood?"
Harry slightly blushed at the mention of his eagerness to be involved, but he understood his Mentor's concern. He vowed to follow his Mentor's instruction to the letter since the situation not only involved himself but his colleagues and, more importantly, Lauren.
Watching LeRouge heading for Rei, Harry also took brisk steps toward the hallway that Jaden had taken. Once he was safely out of the hall, he sprinted to catch up to the Auror. Luckily, the hall way was only one way, preventing him from getting lost. When he turned about his fifth corner, he finally caught up with Jaden pointing a wand to him.
"Jaden," Harry started, but Jaden stopped him.
"I know why you are here. And I am going to tell you that anything you say will not matter to me."
The moment he saw the distraught Jaden, Harry already formed a simple, but effective plan. He stepped toward Auror. "Jaden, if we just talk…"
"There is no time to talk! No one understands how much I need to see her!"
Harry was surprised by Jaden's choice of words. Who was he talking about? He could worry about it later. For now, the most important thing was to take Jaden back so that no more commotion would happen. Harry took another brave step toward him, hoping that his plan would work as nicely as he hoped.
"Jaden!" Harry shouted frustrated. "I told you we have to—"
"Stupefy!" Jaden shouted as loud as he can with the flick of the wand. Harry closed his eyes in half-anticipation. But nothing had happened—just as he planned. Harry slowly opened his eyes to find bewildered Jaden, looking at his wand. Then he looked at the recruit, questioning the situation.
The explanation came very fast. Two guards that Harry recognized from before apparated on both sides of Jaden and grabbed his arm. Jaden was instantly alarmed and demanded to know the reason, which was simple: No one was allowed to use magic anywhere in the building. Jaden's mouth opened and his gaze shot to Harry, who was smiling ever so slightly that only those who were looking for it could see it. Jaden let out a defeated sigh and mumbled, "Very clever. Very clever, indeed."
"Would you like to explain yourself?" The guards asked tersely.
Harry expertly pulled out a pocket watch that he borrowed from LeRouge. "It seemed that this gentleman lost this valuable watch while he was back here. I was on my way to return it to him when he thought he was getting attacked. I would daresay that his job cased paranoia."
Jaden merely laughed at Harry's rather out-of-place attack. "You must be right," he played along. "We Aurors can not even sit and enjoy this great party."
After Jaden was securely escorted back to Acton, Harry finally resumed his duty in the hall.
"You have been gone," Bernard noted when he came back. "And so has your Mentor."
"Yeah, but we were tagging different people," He pointed to Jaden. Bernard gave a careful nod. Harry noticed that he did not say everything on his mind. When asked, Bernard noted his concern. "The building is comprised with three stories and a basement. The first floor only consists of this grand hall, garden, kitchen, and several rooms for caterers. The higher floor is off the limit for tonight and there are guards at every staircase. Even if LeRouge followed Rei everywhere on the first floor in a circle, which is highly unlikely, she should have been already back."
Harry was amazed at Bernard's observation prowess. He had no idea about the half of the things that Bernard mentioned. However, Harry realized that his concerns were valid.
"Why don't you go to Nate and tell him what you just told me? I will make a quick round on the first floor hallways to see if I can find her."
Bernard raised his eyebrows, clearly not happy with the fact that Harry was going out of his instruction. "It will be very quick," Harry promised. "Besides, if I meet the guard, I will tell them that I have forgotten something."
Harry gingerly headed to the door leading to the hallway again, wondering what could have possibly happened to his Mentor. When the door closed, the music and the chatter silenced—too quietly and too fast. Before he could even think of the problem, he heard a mischievous laughter and "Gotcha!"
That was the last thing he heard before he was knocked out.