CHAPTER 17: The Briefing and Good Advice
"Right, Briefing over." Amelia Bones said. "Thank you both for your oaths. If it is any consolation, I made Captain Shacklebolt take the same one and he has been in this department longer than you two have been born. That is how seriously I am taking this. Secrecy is imperative. Now, any questions?"
A.I. Christina Johnson was the first to answer.
"Boss. Not so much a question, but a thank you, for giving me my chance to run with this enquiry. After the Malfoy error, I thought I had blown my chances of being involved in any decent cases for some considerable time. So, to be trusted with an enquiry this big and involving such high-profile personalities, well, I'm a bit choked actually. I will not let you down."
Madam Bones smiled, but inwardly only. Her visage was its usual deadpan, serious self.
"Bloody well right you won't! Anyway, you will sit well with madcap Tonks here. Between her off the wall idea of looking at things and affinity for lateral thinking, then you; you're are a solid thinker, have good judge of character, a methodical way about yourself and your actions; you compliment each other very well and over and above that, you two get on well and you like each other. You have a good laugh with each other, I have seen you converse over work stuff, running facts of a case past each other to try and get a better angle on things. I have heard you both discussing both your successes and failures with each other, sussing out the other's thoughts on evidence, snippets of information, how you would have handled an informant differently. These are the things that a Captain and a Head of Department notice and want to see from their junior officers. Now, the Captain here has informed me that neither of you have had a pairing up with anyone in particular. He has preferred you both to do a bit of work with everyone, getting experience of good and bad ways of doing things. You are keen, quick on the uptake. You are overdue for a steady partnership. Well, now you have got one. You two will be the start of something a bit good and a bit different, I hope. Two young investigators, both witches. You will be frowned upon by many wizards who are old fucking dinosaurs that think that witches shouldn't even be in the Job, never mind pairing you up and there will be others that will look at you as two silly young tarts that are only there for a good shagging. Ignore them, they are not running with the times. There will be others who will totally disregard you as silly girls, they will chat about stuff that they will perceive as being way above your understanding and eventually forget that you are even there. Those are the one's I need you to listen to. They will eventually let slip that piece of information that you can use. Bits of information that will get added onto one piece, then another, until you have an inkling about what this case is all about. Building up pieces of a jigsaw, coming together to gradually make the whole picture. Now, I need the pair of you to be very subtle about the way you get evidence, be the young investigators that you are, keen as mustard and eager to show your Captain and the cranky old Head of Department you are good. Let it be seen you are in way above your heads, that you are way too inexperienced for this investigation. I need them to be taking the piss out of you, let them see you are pissed off about that. Lull them into a false sense of security. Dora, be the clumsy idiot that you can be, at times, but on purpose. Then, use your metamorph skills, change into one of the old codgers and sit in his or her's favourite chair in their secret clubs when they are not around. Do what you need to do!"
Tonks was shocked on hearing this.
"Madam Bones, you're serious? Captain Shacklebolt has had me keep a tight reign on my morphing abilities. Said I should keep them hidden."
"Yes, he did, on my orders. The true extent of your capabilities are not to be advertised; they are a precious thing for anyone to have and especially for an investigator of crime. But he has sought clearance at the highest level for your use of your skills for this job, namely, me! So, use those morphing skills, Dora, but chose wisely where and when. 'Tina, that's where you come in. You have a clever and logical brain in that head of yours. Advise Dora when and where to use her unique abilities. Good, old fashioned, solid investigating will work ninety odd percent of the time, so don't go on overkill with the disguises. Only when nothing else is working, OK?"
A nod from both her young Aurors was all she needed.
"Good. Any problems, queries, doubts, anything come and see me or the Captain, no one else. This is between us four." Then turning to her senior Captain, she asked, "Anything to add Shackles?"
The deep baritone voice of her acting Commander said,
"Nope, you said pretty much everything Ma'am. But you two, watch each other's back, … and be careful out there. This is dangerous territory we are wandering into."
