They sat together with cold untouched drinks in front of them. The small Ministry restaurant was empty for now, but lunch was approaching and would soon be full. A member of staff was going from table to table waving wands over them, which cleaned the table and made the chairs move around into their correct positions in a ballet which was fascinating Adam.
Tony broke the silence. "Any memories yet?"
"Lots." He turned his head towards Tony, his eyes showing a sadness he hadn't seen in them before. "Yes, I killed my partner." His voice was flat. "I complained at the time that the most disturbing and insidious thing about the wizarding world was the ability to allow a certain commodity, to be freely available, although difficult to make, but has no restrictions on its use of any kind. There's not even a law against its misuse."
"l suspect I know the name of this commodity?" Tony asked, knowing Adam was still trying to piece together the new and alien memories now invading his brain.
"I think you already know, you'll already told me you have been under its influence before and we have come across several times recently."
"Polyjuice."
Adam nodded, his eyes dropping to look at the table as he was forced to assimilate more memories.
"I also know the reason for me becoming a DCI. It was not actually a promotion. I did not want the chance of killing a colleague again. The modern police force all train and wear firearms, it's the law. However, a DCI does not have to carry."
"You didn't want to carry a gun again?"
"Correct. I tried to quit the police, apparently, strings were pulled that would keep me in place and I was promoted to DCI."
"And then they took your memories?" He asked.
"I met Maldue Ledford and his wife after the trial. They both thanked me, even though it was their son I had killed."
Shock appeared on Tony's face. He waited saying nothing while Adam sorted himself out and continued.
"Pereguin Ledford had been knocked out, he was good with a wand, nearly as good as you, but he wasn't quick, someone got the better of him." Adam took a deep breath, recalling long gone memories was obviously painful. "We were moving in for the final take down, we had several wizards cornered. They fed Pereguin Ledford some polyjuice potion, it made him look like the man we were after, a particularly dangerous individual, who had killed many times. Pereguin came round and walked out the door, wand in hand right in front of me. I didn't hesitate, I shot him twice right in the middle of his chest." Adam's head came up. "If we had gone to him straight away, we would have saved his life, we thought we had the man and no one, including me, bothered to check. It was some time later while the area was being cleared that they checked him, the potion had partially worn off." While he spoke his head had dropped back down, his head came back up again. "I think that is the reason for the two murdered girls were different after they died, they were killed while under the influence of polyjuice. The effects don't fully reverse if someone dies while using it."
Adam leaned back, pulled his gun from inside his jacket, he flicked the button on the side, which ejected the cartridge containing the rounds. He threw them both on the table, along with the second cartridge containing the trancs, which he also took from his pocket. He followed this with his tablet, pulled the camera from his shirt and pulled the earpiece out.
"Tony, do me a favour?"
"Anything."
"Can you put them," he gestured at the items on the table, "on Nugent's desk?"
"I can't, I don't have a wand."
Adam reached into another pocket and pulled the four wands he had accumulated, placing them on the table. "Will one of these help?"
Tony smiled as he took the first wand, Ninian Ferhe's again, before flicking the tip at the items, which disappeared. He dropped the wand back onto the table before pushing them all back towards Adam.
"Put them away. I have no need of them."
"I assume you need to wait for Pinne to sort you a new one out?"
"No. It's time to put wands away for now." Adam nodded at the comment, not knowing what he intended, but was willing to wait until he told him.
"It's funny," said Adam after a moment, "that our worlds are so different, but underneath they both have the same shitty problems."
Tony nodded back smiling ruefully. "Have you remembered why you've been made to retire yet?"
"Nope, but somehow I think Maldue is behind it." Adams head came up and the shrewd look came back into his eyes as he stared. "How did you know where to put the gun?"
"I know where Nugent's desk was."
"How?"
"I've been in there a few times."
"When and why?"
Tony's smile turned into a full grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
The conversation ended as Lee came in and called them both. She led them along various corridors and stairways, ignoring any movement by the lift until they arrived a small office. She opened the door for Adam.
"Sorry Tony, you're not allowed in." He was about to push past her.
"It's all right Tony, they're hardly going to harm me after they've given me my memories back, plus I think I now know what's about to happen. I'll talk to you in a bit." Adam entered the room, closing the door.
"Come on Tony, Mr Weasley want a few choice words with you."
"What the hell does he want with me?"
"I have no idea, but there's talk among the Auror's that you've handed your notice into the Ministry. I told them it was rubbish, but you know how rumours travel." She walked off up the long corridor, Tony followed realising he had no choice.
"Actually it's true."
Lee looked around while continuing to walk, concern on her face. "Hell teeth Tony, your about to get your own department, why would you do something so stupid?"
He stopped walking, forcing Lee to do likewise. "I don't feel that being an Auror is what I want to do with my life."
"What the hell are you going to do?"
"I have a plan which is probably well on its way to success. I hope." He added more to himself that Lee. She shook her head at him, turned and walked along the corridor, forcing him to follow.
Two minutes later they entered a short green corridor, Tony recognised it from his first visit to the Ministry. At the end, a single door faced them, the numbers four and two, polished to a bright sheen. On either side of the door, two figures stared out from paintings on either side of the door, a man and a woman, unknown to him. He reached up to knock, but the opened on its own.
"Thank you Auror Martinez." Came a voice from inside. "Come in Mr Garrett."
***
"Adam, finally we get a chance to talk alone." He gestured to the chair opposite him. "Please take a seat." Adam sat and looked at Maldue. "I can tell by the look of misery your memories are returning."
"Yes, they are."
"You must know that I hold no blame on you for what happened to my son."
"I know, but it still doesn't take away my guilt."
"I don't suppose it does, however something you will not know is that my wife and I adopted my cousin's two children some years ago and brought them up as our own. They have given us so much joy."
"What happened to your cousins?"
"Sometimes magic bites back if you push your luck once too often." Adam accepted this comment, knowing this was not the reason for the chat.
"The pain of what I did is raw and new, which it shouldn't be after all this time."
"You were warned of this, but still, you wished your memories to be hidden until sometime in the future."
"You knew I'd be back?"
"We did, we knew of the prophecies, other than the one's Edlyn showed you."
"There's more? Edlyn knew?" Surprise in his voice.
"Yes and no, she didn't know about the rest, but we asked to show you certain prophecies if asked."
"I'll have words with her."
"That may be difficult as she has already left for the AMC." His smile changed to a grimace.
"What are you going to do now she's gone?"
"I'm sure I'll be able to find my wand without Miss Balsom's help." Adam could not stop the huge grin breaking out on his face.
"I assume it's important that I come back somehow?" He asked.
"Very much so. The importance and the sheer disruption caused by this future event is so large it would be impossible for many seer's not to see something of its nature." Maldue crossed his arm and leaned back from the desk. "By the very fact that you have left your police force and that Tony has left the Ministry, is exactly what was foretold many years ago, before you were both born."
Adam held up his hand. "Someone forced me into retirement, someone in this Ministry."
"My predecessor, one Percy Weasley."
"I really am becoming very confused, your predecessor?"
"This was Percy's department before he became Minister for Magic."
"I thought Percy didn't want us here?"
"What Percy wants and what he is allowed, are two very different things. Politics, it doesn't matter where you go, it is always a constant thorn in the side. He has to appease as many people as possible; you know all this." He took a deep breath before continuing. "When Percy left school, he joined the Ministry. He was a very ambitious and single-minded young wizard. He was in, as we call it, the thick of it during the blood wars and he learnt that knowledge is power. So, after the war, he spent much of his spare time looking at records and prophecies. Which I might add, is the reason he is such a good Minister for Magic. He knew about the prophecies that would bring about another war, one far worse than the blood wars. He, Luthor Crabbe and a young woman, who shall remain nameless for now, are probably the foremost experts on a war that is still yet to happen."
"What use is all this knowledge if you can nothing about it?"
"Contrary to popular belief, and Percy will back me up on this, prophecies can be changed."
"Tony thought that." Maldue nodded. "So you think you can stop this war?"
The smile dropped from his face. "One thing we are sure of, the war will happen, its ferocity can, to a degree be negated, but the war will happen."
"A war between wizards and muggles," Adam replied knowing in his head what the outcome would be.
"No, the war is between muggles. However, the effects will have a huge negative impact on the wizarding world."
"How big is this war going to be?"
"I'm not at liberty to tell you; however, one particular prophecy calls the war, 'The end of days.'" Adam felt shocked at this comment.
"The end of days, that sounds ominous?"
Maldue nodded, his face showing a forlornness. "We still have twenty years to do whatever we can for both muggles and wizards."
"So this prophecy." Adam stopped, looking for the correct question until Maldue raised his hand.
"A single prophecy on its own is useless. Bring many together, find the link or common denominator and they give you knowledge, knowledge to plan for the eventual outcome, knowledge that will allow the outcome to be adjusted in someone's favour."
"So Tony and I are being manipulated?"
"Very much so, just as we all are to a degree." He shrugged his shoulders, the smile back.
"What about Luthor Crabbe?"
"Percy and his family spent time with Luthor and his family every year in the extensions; they also share the common interest I have already mentioned. I think that tells you all you need to know about that."
"And there was me expecting you to tell me the case has come to a grinding halt, with Arcadius and his cohorts hiding in the AMC." Maldue's smile grew larger. "But I can't get to the AMC and Tony has gone off somewhere else, or at least I expect him to do so very soon."
Maldue nodded, his smile never faltering. "Tony is now being briefed for his new assignment by Minister for Magic himself."
"But he's left the Ministry."
"He is due to start his new job, under the agreement of the Ministry in the New Year." Maldue raised his hand again to stop Adam from asking more questions. "Before then he has to have some training, which you, I hope, will provide. In January he will begin a new short period of training with his new people, upon him passing a few tests."
"Which means what?" He looked at Maldue suspiciously.
"The details I will leave for Tony to explain. You see prophecies show that two people in Tony's life are very important in bringing about a change in the future timelines. As I have said, prophecies can be moderated to a degree, you," he pointed at Adam, "have an effect on Tony that changes things in the future." He frowned for a moment. "For the good of course. What we do not know is who the second person is, but they will have an even bigger impact on him than you."
"I still don't know how I can help now I'm retired."
Maldue sat back, the enigmatic smile still on his face. He waved his hand over the desk and an intricately carved box appeared. Maldue lifted the top and reached inside. First, he produced Adam's phone, camera and earpiece. "I've been looking forward to this day for many a year. These are yours I believe."
"I'm no longer a policeman." He said wondering why Maldue had them and not Commission Nugent.
"I'll come to that." He reached inside again and took some papers from the box, which promptly disappeared, leaving the desk empty save for his phone. He placed a piece of parchment, neatly rolled up and held closed with a red ribbon and two smaller pieces of paper in a row. He pushed the smallest card across the table towards Adam.
"Permanent pass for the Knight bus, I believe it calls at the Canu Cochran upon request." Maldue pushed the second small card across the desk, this card Adam recognised at a pass for the Tube. "A permanent pass for the tube, all stations. Both of these two items are for yourself and your family." Adam's mouth had dropped open and resolutely refused to close.
"Now for this last item and the main reason for this meeting." He picked up the roll, pulled the ribbon off, discarding it onto the table as he unrolled the parchment. "This parchment confers one Adam Croft, muggle, the position of Minister for Investigation, Science and Technology. This is mainly a teaching post, whereupon we, the Ministry, would like you; to train our Auror's in the art of Investigation, Science and technology. Welcome to the Ministry, Minister Croft."
Adam's mouth along with his brain had both up trying to come to terms with Maldue's comments.
"As the post is not due to start until the New Year, you have some spare time to; perhaps travel to other Ministries with your new assistant before he starts his new job. Of course, the correct paperwork will have to be sorted, but that's all in hand."