Less than an hour later, Bill and Malfoy walked in Hermione's front door, each of them carrying a stack of papers. Hermione pointed them to her massive office upstairs, a two-story, circular room was a glass dome at the top and bookshelves lining the walls. Harry still remembered when Hermione had moved in. When he had first seen the room, he had only one question.

"How much money did you throw at them just so that you could have this library?"

Currently, those bookshelves were covered in large sketches and etchings. One of them was a drawing of The Arch itself with various locations circled. Others were enlarged versions of the runes that had been engraved on the Arch.

"This is something else," Harry said as he looked around the room.

"This is the result of hours of research," Malfoy replied. "Now, are we ready?"

"We're ready whenever you are," Hermione said as she took a seat.

"Good, good," Malfoy said, buzzing with nervous energy as he spoke, a strange look for the typically calm Pureblood. "Now, for weeks, we looked into these runes and found nothing. That was until Potter brought us the key."

"Ogham," Bill said. "It's the key to all of this."

"Right. We had managed to figure out a lot about the design of the runes, specifically how their location related to their function," Malfoy added. "But without knowing what those runes actually said, there was nothing that we could do."

Malfoy reached into a bag that he had brought with him and pulled out a sheet of parchment.

"Once you had figured out that the runes were written in Ogham, Weasley gave me this key and I got to work on translating them. As we all know, Ogham wouldn't translate into English as we speak it today. It turns out that it didn't even translate into Old Irish like we expected."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, once I had translated all of the Ogham figures into letters, I began trying to translate the language to Irish. But none of the words appeared in any of the Old Irish references I found. In fact, the words didn't appear to be of British origin at all."

Harry had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly where they were from.

"Scandinavia?" Harry asked.

"Exactly!" Bill replied. "When you think about it, it's a brilliant trick by Peverell. By the time that Legion was captured, most of his followers would have spoken some form of English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh. Using an Irish runic language to translate into a Scandiavian language added a twist that would make it nearly impossible to crack the runes. You would have to know both languages and how they related to each other to even begin working out the runes."

Harry couldn't say that he was particularly surprised. He knew almost nothing about Gallahad Peverell, but when you considered that his sons were some of the most brilliant wizards to ever set foot on the Earth, it wasn't a stretch to assume that he was quite gifted in his own right.

"You've completed the translations then?" Hermione asked.

"We did," Malfoy confirmed. "It took awhile. I had to dig into collections of old Nordic languages, but eventually I was able to find one that matched the words in question. Once I had the language, then I was able to translate those words into Norweigian and then, finally, into English."

"Thank you," Harry said, amazed at the amount of work that Malfoy had put into translating these runes.

"I didn't do it alone," Malfoy replied. "Bill did most of the initial translation since I'm not quite as gifted in runes as he is, although I doubt many people are."

It was rarel to hear Malfoy give a compliment to anyone, but even rarer for him to compliment a Weasley.

"Alright, we can all talk about how great we are later," Hermione suddenly cut in. "What do the runes say!?"

At this, Bill took over the demonstration.

"Well, the runes are not all exactly runes," Bill said as he pointed to three shapes that had been circled on the drawing of the Arch. "These runes are what we believe activate the Arch itself. On the left side is a rune that says Birth and on the right is one that says Death. At the top of the arch is a third symbol that quite literally translates to "a place between life and death."

A place between life and death.

Immediately, all Harry could think of was the moment that Voldemort's Killing Curse had struck him. At that moment, Harry had been sent somewhere, a world in between worlds.

"Unfortunately," Bill groaned, "that's all we can tell about those runes for the moment. We believe that they were used to create some sort of effect. Each of them is charmed differently, but we haven't yet been able to quite discern how exactly they were used. For that, we'll need more access to the Arch itself."

Harry turned to Hermione, who looked at him nervously. Harry was obviously not the right person for this particular job at the moment, which meant that, by default, the job fell to her.

"I'll talk to Kingsley in the morning," Hermione replied, although he could tell that she was not pleased by that thought. "Is that all you have?"

"Not exactly," Bill said before moving to the other side of the room where a list of symbols hung from one of the shelves. "On the back side of the Arch were a number of symbols that had no runic magic connected to them. Nevertheless, we translated them."

Bill took his wand and waved it over the runes. Suddenly, those markings, which held no meaning for Harry or Hermione, changed into easily recognizable letters, spelling out the words Fjolnir, Auoun, Svipall, and Wodin.

It took only a second for Harry to read that list of names and realize that Malfoy and Bill had likely come across the clue that Harry had been looking for.

"Wodin," Harry muttered to himself.

"What is that?" Hermione asked.

"Wodin. While I was looking for information on the runes, I also went looking into Nordic culture and mythology. I spent hours reading about their gods and the stories associated with them. Wodin was one of them."

Then, it all clicked for Harry. For months, Harry had feared Legion and rightfully so. But Harry hadn't yet realized just how fearful of Legion he should have been.

"Merlin…" Harry said, his face feeling hot as realization washed over him.

"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked.

Harry found it difficult to talk, but he managed, stumbling through the words as he fought to get them out.

"Wodin is one of the earliest forms of the name of the All Father, Odin, chief of the Norse gods," Harry said, his pulse racing at the thought. "Some of the scholars suggested that the Norse gods in particular were likely just powerful wizards. I think we found one."

"Wait a minute," Malfoy said. "Are you suggesting that Legion is a god? That can't be possible, can it?"

"I don't think so," Bill replied. "Legion is old, but the stories in that mythology go back nearly two thousand years."

But all Harry could focus on was the image in his mind. When Harry had used the Killing Curse on Legion, something about him changed. With his power damaged, he had seemingly reverted to his original form, an old man with a thick beard and a scar over one eye.

The same man that had been at the helm of a Viking ship in Legion's mind.

"It makes sense," Harry replied. "We know that Ogham was a form of Irish and you said it yourself that the Nordic invasions resettled a lot of Ireland. Plus, the Ogham runes translate to a Nordic language, which likely suggests that Peverell did it as some kind of ironic trick."

"But most of those invasions occurred much earlier than when the rumors of Legion first started," Bill replied. "There's not much history of it at all, but what we could find didn't start any earlier than 1000 AD. Most of the invasions had already happened by that point and Odin had been a key figure of Norse cultures for centuries."

"That doesn't mean that there weren't stories about Odin here," Malfoy said, a strange look on his face. "One of my family's old horror stories, legends Dad used to call them, involved a group of Vikings, wizards from Scandinavia. They came to England and they tore through the countryside, killing Muggles and wizards alike. According to the legend, they were led by a mysterious wizard. No one knew his name or where he was from, just that he was very old and far more powerful than any other wizard. It's possible that this mysterious wizard was actually Legion or Odin, if you honestly believe that's his name."

"This is insane," Bill replied.

"Is it?" Harry asked as he rose to his feet. "Have you seen what Legion can do? I have. Hermione has. Odin was famous for being a shapeshifter and for his ability to read minds, two skills that Legion possess in spades. Odin famously lost an eye. I've seen Legion's true form and he's got a mark over an eye, a blind eye at that."

"Think about this. There were stories for centuries about Odin. We know that Legion possesses an unnaturally long life. What if Odin was taking magic from others, using it to bolster his own so that he could live longer? What if he decided one day that taking magic from others was becoming too much? What if he thought that he could find a way to become something more than just a powerful wizard?"

"That kind of magic doesn't exist," Bill countered.

"It doesn't exist anymore," Hermione replied. "Magic two thousand years ago was wild by our standards. To be honest, we don't know what did or didn't exist then. It's not entirely impossible."

"More than once, Legion has hinted that it was once a man who was made what it is now. If that can be possible, could it not be possible that Odin figured out a way to prolong his own life? Then, he learned of a ritual that would enable him to effectively become immortal. What he didn't know is that it would remove any semblance of his humanity."

Harry turned away from Bill and the others and began pacing the far corner of the room, collecting his thoughts.

"I got a look into his mind," Harry thought aloud. "The ship that I saw him coming across was used primarily between the seventh and ninth century."

"That's around the same time that the rumors of the band of Nordic marauders started popping up," Malfoy added.

"Is it unreasonable to think that Odin, already powerful beyond any measure that we currently possess, came to Britain sometime during that time. Based on everything that I know of the stories, he was a warrior, a man capable of great wonders, but also unimaginable cruelty. He came here with the intention of taking over."

"At some point, Odin completes the ritual that turns him into Legion. He begins a reign of terror that becomes the stuff of legend until sometime in the thirteenth century when Gallahad Peverell sacrifices himself to trap Legion inside the Arch."

Harry turned to Hermione, hopeful that she, above everyone else, would follow his line of thinking. Instead, he saw that she was scanning the room, looking at each of the symbols on the walls.

"What do you think, Hermione?" Harry finally asked.

"I think that it is possible," Hermione admitted, "but I don't see how it can be true."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"First, there are simply too many holes in the timeline that we can't fill in. That doesn't mean that Legion is not Odin. It just means that we can't prove it."

"Fine."

"More importantly, why does it matter?" Malfoy asked.

"It matters, because if this guy is Odin, the Odin," Harry said as he marched around to the list of names, tapping at them wildly, "then I think we're underestimating the power that he might possess, even if we would somehow manage to reverse the ritual that gave him his power, which we will likely have to do before we can get him back inside the Arch."

"Isn't that something we should worry about once we've figured out the ritual?" Bill asked. "I understand that the ritual is certainly important, and I get that knowing just how powerful he'll be without his extra power is going to be essential, but at the moment, the priority should be the Arch. If we don't figure that out, then the rest of it is meaningless."

Harry couldn't argue with that logic. He also knew that it was very possible that Legion wasn't Odin at all, but someone who had adopted that title. But the pieces seemed to fit. Based on what Harry knew of him, the man who would become Legion came from a Nordic country, had a scarred eye, and was likely incredibly powerful.

Plus, Legion seemed to believe that he was beyond simply being old, but ancient. Could he have been born nearly two thousand years ago? With the power that he seemed to possess, Harry couldn't rule out the possibility. Obviously, being trapped inside the Arch for the last several hundred years had affected his lifespan, but none of them knew exactly how the Arch worked. Legion seemed to have some sort of awareness of the world outside the Arch, which implied that he was awake the whole time. Maybe something in there prevented him from aging or maybe he just simply didn't age any more?

There were dozens of questions that still needed answering, but for the first time in months, they finally had real leads and were moving in the right direction towards answering those questions.

Those questions would have to wait however. Just as Harry opened his mouth to speak again, there was a knock on the door. In unison, all four of them turned to see none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt standing in the doorway. For a moment, he looked at the four of them and then began to scan the walls.

"You have made some progress, I see," Kingsley said. "That's good to see."

"What can I do for you, sir?" Hermione asked as she approached the Minister.

"Well, Hermione, I was hoping that I could speak to Mr. Potter here," Kingsley said, vaguely gesturing towards Harry. Despite the fact that Harry was not at all interested in speaking with Kingsley, he knew there was no way to deny the request.

He was the Minister of Magic after all. Hermione nervously looked back at Harry, who nodded gently.

"We'll give the two of you a few minutes then," Hermione said, motioning for Bill and Malfoy to follow her.

As they left, Kingsley entered the room in earnest, setting his cloak over the back of one of the chairs before wandering the room as he examined the scrolls on the walls.

"Have you figured out the runes yet?"

"We're close," Harry said shortly, his eyes never leaving the Minister.

"That's good," Kingsley replied, although Harry wasn't even certain that Kingsley was talking to him.

Harry allowed Kingsley to wander around the room for nearly a minute, all of it in total silence, before he spoke up again.

"Kingsley, I don't mean to be rude, but what the hell are you doing here? This isn't even my house," Harry finally said in frustration.

"No, but I knew that you would be here," Kingsley replied. "You see, I ordered Hermione to leave this business alone."

"You did?"

"Weeks ago," Kingsley said, finally turning back to face Harry. "It's not that I didn't want people working on it, but I needed her to do her job. I told her that Malfoy would be able to handle it with Bill's assistance just fine."

"Which is mostly true," Harry admitted. "Hermione has barely done anything in the last couple of weeks."

"And yet they still came to you with the results. You, who last I checked, had rather forcibly tendered your resignation from the Ministry."

Harry winced at the memory of him Stunning Kingsley and Amos. While he would do it again every time, he wasn't particularly proud of himself at the moment.

"Whether I'm a member of the Ministry doesn't matter to Legion. He's coming after me whether I'm an Auror or not. That means that I'm taking him down and Bill and Malfoy and Hermione are helping me."

"I understand," Kingsley said as he took a seat at the large table in the middle of the room. "That's why I'm here."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he sat across from Kingsley.

"First, you'll be pleased to know that the Wizengamot will clear you of any wrongdoing related to your conflict of interest with Hermione," Kingsley replied. "There were some who wanted to see you burn, of course, but there wasn't enough evidence in either direction to sustain the charge of gross misconduct."

"Why does that matter?" Harry questioned coldly.

"Because I would like you to come back to the Ministry."

Harry didn't know how to react to that. Of all the things that Harry had expected Kingsley to say, that was certainly not it.

"Kingsley, I don't know that I can do that," Harry replied. "You haven't given me any good reason to trust you. You've publicly condemned me and Hermione more than once over the last few weeks. You sure as hell didn't support me when Teddy was taken."

"You have to understand that a man in my position-"

"Don't give me that horseshit," Harry snapped. "A man in your position has the power to make real decisions, enact real change. Ten years ago, when I heard that you had been named the new Minister, I couldn't imagine anyone better. Someone who wasn't a part of the political machine, someone who would push back against the Pureblood nonsense that permeated the Ministry, someone who would fight for those that couldn't fight for themselves."

"My son couldn't fight for himself," Harry said, his voice cracking at the thought of seeing Teddy tied up in that chair. "My son couldn't fight for himself. The son of Remus Lupin, one of your best friends before his death, was in trouble and needed your help, Minister. I came to you and I asked for this very thing. Do you remember what your response was?"

Kingsley looked down at the table rather than look Harry in the eye.

"You were concerned with politics in that moment. When you heard that Teddy was taken, you could have mobilized the entire Auror Office like that," Harry said with a snap of his fingers. "Instead, you took the time to tell me that you had a problem with my relationship with Hermione. You're right. My relationship with Hermione was not exactly above the board when it came to the rules of the Ministry of Magic. I understand that."

"What I don't understand is that you heard that my godson had been abducted and you wanted to talk about politics!" Harry said, finally unable to stay seated anymore. In a single motion, he stood and swept the table clear of its contents, sending them flying across the room.

"When you took the Minister's job, you were a man of honor. Now, you are nothing more than a garden variety politician, capable of doing good, but only when it suits you."

Kingsley finally looked up at Harry and Harry was surprised to see that he had tears in his eyes.

"I know, Harry. I know," Kingsley shrugged. "I got wrapped up in being the Minister of Magic. It was the exact thing that I told myself I wouldn't do when I got the job. It's how I know that my time has come."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm resigning Harry," Kingsley said. "Regardless of however this Legion thing works out, I'll be done by the end of the year."

To say that Harry was surprised was an understatement. While Harry certainly had recent problems with Kingsley's leadership, he had been a wildly popular Minister for the last decade among all but the most staunch of Purebloods. The idea of him simply walking away was wild.

"I must say that I'm surprised."

"As am I, if I'm being honest," Kingsley admitted. "But it was this incident with Teddy that made me see what I had become. You're right when you said that I should have mobilized the Aurors immediately. Ultimately, my decision to resign didn't have much to do with that. It was the fact that one of my closest friends' son, as you so eloquently pointed out, had been kidnapped and my first thought had nothing to do with his safety. Honestly, the first thing that popped into my head was what we would have to do if Teddy died."

Kingsley finally broke down, his hands cradling his head as he sobbed into them.

"Remus was one of the few people that I've ever been truly close to and his son was taken and I was worried about optics," Kingsley sobbed. "Once I realized that, once I truly understood the change that had come over me, I decided that enough was enough. I didn't like the man that I had become, even if I am a popular Minister. I've never felt so shameful in my entire life."

"The public will know soon. I'll likely announce it within the next few weeks. But as part of my transition, I want the Ministry to be as strong as possible, especially if Legion hasn't been captured yet," Kingsley said firmly. "This means that I need my best Auror back. The Ministry needs you if it has any chance of beating Legion and you would have full access to the Department of Mysteries again."

Harry had to admit that he was considering the idea. He had felt a sense of freedom when he had resigned, but part of that had come from the rage that Harry had been feeling that day. Now that reality had set back in, Harry knew that Kingsley was right. While Harry would figure out a way to defeat Legion, with or without the Ministry, the access to people and materials that the Auror Office would provide would be invaluable.

"Say I was considering it," Harry suggested. "I attacked the Minister of Magic and the Senior Undersecretary."

"Not to mention the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a Senior Auror, and two Rookie Aurors."

"In my own defense, Hermione told me to Stun her," Harry replied. "In any case, the Ministry would approve of bringing me back?"

Kingsley's face twitched ever so slightly and it was in that moment that Harry knew that there was something about this proposal that Harry was not going to like.

"In a way. I went to a number of influential Wizengamot members with this idea before I came to you. While none of them came out and said that they would block the move, a number of them did suggest that having a check on you would be helpful."

"A check? What kind of check?" Harry asked scathingly.

"If you return to the Ministry, then Arthur Weasley will name another Senior Auror as Assistant Head Auror. They will essentially act as a bridge between you and the Senior Aurors. They will also be present for all meetings between you and the Head of the DMLE."

There it was, the thing that caused Kingsley's face to twitch.

"I'll have a babysitter then?"

"Not at all," Kingsley countered. "They will not outrank you or be able to countermand your orders. They will simply be present to assure both the public and the Wizengamot that there is no potential for any further issues between you and Hermione."

"And if I say no?" Harry snapped back.

"If you say no, then I'm willing to support you for the position in any case," Kingsley replied. "I firmly believe that you are going to be the best Head Auror in a century. You just need the opportunity to prove it. But I will warn you. If you don't accept an assistant, the Wizengamot will contest your hiring and they will pull you and me and Hermione down into those courtroom. It could be months before you would be able to officially join the Ministry."

"And in the meantime, Legion will have killed half of London," Harry growled. Harry wasn't happy about the idea of having someone there to look over his shoulder, but if that's what it took to get the resources necessary, then that's what he would do. Of course, that was assuming Harry took the job. There was still a strong part of him that wanted to tell Kingsley to shove it.

Still, Harry wanted to know more.

"Who did you have in mind for this position?" Harry asked, finally taking the seat across from Kingsley again.

"Well, we've had Paul Dawlish running-"

"Stop."

"What?"

"The fact that you replaced me with Paul Dawlish is enough of an insult. Don't you dare suggest that I will deal with him looking over my shoulder and putting his two cents into every meeting I have with the Head of the DMLE."

"What about-"

"Actually, you know what?" Harry said, suddenly cutting Kingsley off mid-sentence. "There's only one name I'll accept."

"There's a name you'll accept?" Kingsley asked. "To be honest, you're not on good terms with any of the Senior Aurors at the moment."

"No, but there's one that will work," Harry replied. "Let's be real here, Kingsley. I might be a good Head Auror, but I might also be dead in a few weeks. So, if we're going to do this, and I'm going to have someone sitting in my office every single day, then it needs to be someone that would actually be capable of doing the job in my absence."

"I have to assume you mean Elaina Andrews?"

"I do."

"The Auror that you Stunned just two weeks ago?" Kingsley chuckled. "That's who you want watching your back?"

"She's brilliant, gifted, and she has a gift for organization and investigation."

"She's also twenty-four years ago," Kingsley countered. "She's already one of the youngest Senior Aurors in the history of the Aurors. No one will go for her as Head Auror."

"They will if I say so," Harry replied. "This is it, Kingsley. It will be her or no one at all. From the way it sounds, you need a Head Auror more than I need your resources, especially if I can keep getting Malfoy and Hermione to work with me outside of the Ministry."

That seemed to be the straw that broke the hippogriff's back.

"Fine," Kingsley replied. "You'll be reinstated tomorrow and Elaina will be promoted to Assistant Head Auror at the same time."

Kingsley stood and began to collect his things. As he walked to the door, he turned back to Harry.

"There's one more thing," Harry said before Kingsley could speak.

"Yes?" Kingsley said with amusement.

"I need to temporarily deputize some people,' Harry said firmly.

"Who exactly did you have in mind?" Kingsley said.

"Well, there are a few people that Legion has threatened. They should all be informed. I imagine all of them will sign up to fight after I tell them that."

"After they yell at you for not telling them in the first place," Kingsley retorted.

"Right," Harry said. "So?"

"I will make sure that the paperwork is on your desk when you arrive in the morning," Kingsley confirmed. "You understand negotiations very well, Harry. Have you considered running for Minister of Magic?"

"Good night, sir," Harry said as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious," Kingsley replied. "We all know that Hermione will be Minister one day and she will be excellent. But don't sell yourself too short, Harry. You certainly have the skills to do the job and the popularity to get it."

"And I don't want it."

"For now," Kingsley mused. "Good night, Harry. I'll see you at work in the morning."

Once Kingsley was gone, Harry, Hermione, Malfoy, and Bill spent the next few hours attempting to discern exactly how the runes worked. They had made a little progress when the clock struck midnight. Sensing that they had reached a wall, they went their separate ways.

The following morning, Harry awoke and showered quickly before Apparating from his front step to the Apparition point at the Ministry. Unlike the last time Harry landed there, no one stepped forward to confront him. Apparently, word had gotten around that Harry had been reinstated.

That also meant that there were a hoard of reporters waiting to speak with him. Normally, he would have pushed his way through them, but for a reason that Harry couldn't quite explain, he instead stopped in front of them.

"I will take three questions and three questions only," Harry replied before pointing to one of the reporters in the front.

"Mr. Potter, have you heard from your relatives about your cousin's death?"

Harry laughed. "I haven't heard from my aunt and uncle since the day I moved out of their house. I regret that their son got caught up in all this madness, but I doubt they had any interest in talking to me about it."

Harry then pointed to another reporter, this one a short, wiry man who stood near the back.

"Mr. Potter, what do you say to the people who believe that you shouldn't be reinstated after your attack on the Minister of Magic?"

"First, I say that I regret my actions on that day. I would also say that the Minister understands that I was under a lot of stress that day, considering my godson had been abducted."

Harry scanned the crowd once more before smiling as he saw a familiar face.

"Mrs. Macmillan?" Harry smirked.

"That's Patil-Macmillan," Parvati replied with a smirk. "I suppose if I get the final question then I will ask what everyone wants to know."

"And that is?"

"Are you and Hermione Granger a couple? Officially, I mean."

Harry considered the question for a moment. He knew that there were dozens of ways that he could answer the question, most of which involved obfuscating the truth. But Harry had spent years hiding the truth and he was tired of it.

"I suppose we are," Harry replied. "Obviously the last few months have been tough on both of us, but we're in a pretty good place right now."

Parvati smiled as she scribbled his words on the pad in her hands.

"Thanks, Harry!" Parvati replied.

"Not a problem," Harry said. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got a lot of work to catch up on."

Unlike the usual scrum that occurred after Harry talked, everyone simply took a step in one way or the other, creating a seam for him to slip through. Only Parvati followed him, matching his stride as he approached.

"I didn't expect you to answer," Parvati admitted. "I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks," Harry said as he approached the lift. "Off the record, we're still trying to figure some stuff out."

"I can imagine. Off the record, are you Teddy's guardian now?"

Harry nodded. "He's staying with Arthur and Molly for the moment, but once I'm done with this Legion thing, then he can come home."

"How worried are you about this Legion?" Parvati asked as the lift doors opened in front of him.

"Off the record?" Harry asked.

"Off the record," Parvati answered.

"Off the record, I'm terrified," Harry admitted. "Honestly, I think we'll figure it out. But I'm not certain that everyone is going to make it in one piece."

"Well, we have faith in you, Harry," Parvait said warmly. "Take him down."

"Working on it," Harry said just as the lift doors closed between them.

Once the lift reached the proper floor, Harry marched into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. While it wasn't exactly a hero's welcome, there were a few people who applauded Harry's return.

As expected, the person that he wanted to see was waiting just outside of his office.

"Inside," Harry said, jerking a finger towards the door roughly.

Once they were both inside, Harry pointed to the chair in front of his desk.

"Sit," Harry ordered. Elaina Andrews knew better than to protest when Harry was only giving orders in one word and so she sat.

"Sir, I want to-"

"Stop," Harry barked. "This is going to be easier if you don't talk for the moment. Am I clear?"

Elaina nodded in response. Good, Harry thought, she's listening.

"Now, things between you and I have certainly been better," Harry said firmly. "You ratted me out to Kingsley and I knocked you unconscious. For that, I'm sorry."

"What?" Elaina asked.

"I'm sorry that I knocked you out," Harry repeated. "I'm sorry that I gave you grief for reporting me. You were doing your job and looking back, I appreciate that."

Elaina gave Harry a soft smile but remained silent.

"Now, we need to be looking forward," Harry said as he reached into his bag and pulled out the file that he had on Legion. Months ago, the file had been nothing more than a description. Now, the file was several inches thick with information on Legion, possible connections to Odin and the Peverells, the Arch, and a dozen different things.

"You and I are going to be working together from here on out," Harry said. "Take the rest of the day and get up to speed."

"Yes, sir," Elaina said, taking the folder in her hands.

"Now, I need you to understand something. You may be my subordinate, but I still expect you to speak up when you think I'm going off the rails. I may not listen, but I still want you to speak. I give you permission to do that and know that I will not fire you if you do."

"The reason that is important is that we are going to be throwing the rulebook out the window for this one," Harry said, reading the expression on Elaina's face as he spoke. She betrayed nothing, so Harry continued.

"Legion isn't going to be captured using conventional means. We have full access to the Department of Mysteries and I've been authorized to deputize a number of people outside the Ministry to act as temporary agents of the Ministry. I'm going to be meeting with them on Saturday at Safe House Four and I would like you to be there."

"You would?"

"I would," Harry confirmed. "I asked for you in this position, Elaina. You are a brilliant investigator, but if there is one thing that you could improve upon as an Auror, it would be working in the grey areas. The rest of this case is going to live in the grey. We're going to be shirking the rules, just like the way I used to do with Dumbledore's Army. And the people that we're going to be working with? They're heroes, legends to the rest of society."

"But they will be working under the purview of the Ministry and the Aurors, which means that regardless of the fact that you will be working with some of the most famous and talented witches and wizards of our era, the only people you will report to are myself and Hermione. So, you will be at that meeting and you will introduce yourself to my people."

"And they'll trust me?"

"Of course they will."

"Why would they? They were children and helped you defeat Lord Voldemort. Who am I compared to them?"

"That's true," Harry replied. "They are a truly gifted bunch. They also trust me, which means that if I tell them to trust you, they will trust you."

"You're sure?" Elaina asked nervously.

"I'm sure," Harry said with confidence. "You follow me and they'll follow you. All I need is for you to trust me and we'll make sure that we put Legion back in his hole.