Chapter 21: A New Player

Harry glanced down at his watch. "I've got about an hour before I should be heading back to Hogwarts. Want to give me an update on how things are going?"

Dan nodded. "Where would you like me to start?"

"The prison," Harry replied without hesitation.

If the business consultant was surprised by this, he gave no sign. "You already heard the fancy PR speech, so I'll get down to the details. Initial construction should be finished in about a month. We'll have room for twenty inmates to begin with. Right now, there are ten Death Eaters in Azkaban." Dan paused. "Well, ten members of his inner circle, if you will. There's plenty of others who were arrested for supporting Riddle, but they were just low-level thugs. We've already gotten confirmation that six of them will be transferring to our prison. Which needs a name," Dan added, pointing to Harry, who nodded in acknowledgment.

"Which Death Eaters?" Harry asked.

"The three Lestranges, Rookwood, Travers and Selwyn," came the reply. "Nott was considering sending a few more our way, which would add Dolohov, Mulciber and maybe a few of the thugs, but since he only found out about the prison tonight, I don't expect him to make a firm commitment for a few weeks at least."

"I thought he was pretty involved in this place," Harry said. "Wouldn't he have heard about it before?"

"Nott comes to fundraisers and has donated some money, but he's not on the Board of Directors. He has signed the contract, though, so that's good," Dan replied.

"And since you didn't say anything, I assume that he didn't spot the trap we put into it?" Despite his casual tone, deep down Harry was quite concerned.

"None of them have," Dan answered with a chuckle. "After all, it's not magically binding, so they don't see the contract as a threat. I don't think any of them have read it thoroughly enough to put the pieces together, not to mention they would need to reference the Foundation's bylaws to understand the full scope of what they're agreeing to."

"So, we'll have everything set up when we decide to go public?"

"From a legal perspective, yes," Dan said. "There are a few more things that I'd like to push forward while Fudge is still supporting us. Once everyone knows the truth, we'll be facing a lot more opposition. Best to take advantage of having all the blood bigots on our side while it lasts."

"Right. Fudge." Harry frowned thoughtfully. "I'm surprised he was so supportive of the new prison. Doesn't that technically take power away from the ministry? I'd think he wouldn't like that."

"Just the opposite," Dan scoffed. "He's happy to make it someone else's problem. Azkaban is an absolute disaster for the ministry in almost every way. While most people are fine with Death Eaters or other violent criminals being imprisoned there, non-violent criminals are a different story. Just as an example, trespassing on government property carries a minimum punishment of six months in prison. A six-month sentence in Azkaban has about a fifty-fifty chance of killing the inmate. So, when someone gets sentenced to Azkaban, you've got a lot of people protesting, which the Minister certainly doesn't like. But if he were to propose building a more humane prison, that would mean increased taxes, which people don't like. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Allowing us to build a prison gives him a third option that solves a lot of problems for him."

Harry nodded, eyes looking off into the distance as he thought about this. "Is it possible that people will demand that the Death Eaters be sent back to Azkaban once they know the truth about the Foundation?" the teen wondered.

"People who support the Death Eaters might," Dan replied after a moment's thought. "After all, they're transferring their people here because they think our goal is to get them healthy and ready to help their Dark Lord when he returns. Finding out that our prison will actually be more secure than Azkaban will be an unpleasant surprise."

"Then we'll need to make certain that we have plenty of time to interrogate the prisoners before Malfoy gets his Citizen's Award," Harry said, the sarcasm clear in his voice as he said the last two words. He frowned as a thought came to mind. "Not that I really care, but could we get in trouble if people find out that we're using veritaserum to question them?"

"No, it's allowed by the contract. A bit of a stretch, granted, but technically it is permitted," Dan replied.

"Seriously? They consented to veritaserum interrogations?" Harry was flabbergasted.

Dan rocked his hand back and forth. "Not as such. But they did agree to the use of limited duration potions at the discretion of the prison healer for the purposes of ensuring prisoner health. And since…" he frowned thoughtfully. "Did we tell you about Diamond Protocol?"

"No," Harry stated.

"Okay." Dan paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "The prison is underground, as I'm sure you are aware. The original design was to have an elevator that takes you down to the prison, but now that Chad and Connor have found a way to reliably construct vanishing cabinets, we changed that. Now, the elevator is just a decoy housing the oversized cabinet, allowing us to keep the location of the prison a secret. Which brings us to Diamond Protocol. Obviously, we're not advertising it, but if any unauthorized person manages to enter the prison itself in an apparent attempt to free the prisoners, we will kill any prisoners who have been given a life sentence."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't heard that one, but it did make sense. "The Wizengamot ordered that they spend the rest of their life in prison. So, we would be ensuring that sentence is carried out," he said, nodding.

"The exact logic we would use if it ever came up." Dan replied. "Which, hopefully, it never will, but best to be prepared. And since anyone attempting to break them out therefore poses a severe threat to their lives, the terms they agreed to give us the option of questioning them under veritaserum, with the approval of the healer, to identify anyone who might try to free them, and give us the information we need to stop such an individual before they attack the prison."

"Such as Riddle," Harry realized.

Dan nodded. "And, of course, since they might feel the need to harm themselves when they discover that they have betrayed their master, it's also acceptable for us to obliviate them afterward."

Harry whistled appreciatively. "And nobody can complain if they discover what we've done because it's all justified in the contract and the prison's official standard operating procedures."

"Exactly," Dan agreed. "A bit of a stretch in some places, but not enough for anyone to say that we have violated any of the agreed upon terms."

"I'm impressed. You did good work," the teen said.

Dan shrugged. "You were the one that came up with the idea of the prison. I just fleshed out the idea and found ways to give us some semblance of legal cover without the Death Eaters knowing. With any luck, most of legal safeguards and loopholes I put in will never be needed."

Harry fell silent for a few moments. Ferdinand Falkenson had proven himself to be a capable addition to Harry's little cabal, but, as was so often the case, Harry couldn't help but wonder why. Dan had admitted that the amount they were paying him was substantially less than he could make through his normal occupation as a business consultant helping to improve the efficacy of large corporations in the non-magical world. So why had the man agreed to help them? Before he could voice this question, the door opened and Malcolm Weasley appeared, though he was still in his guise as 'Mister Malcolm', a pureblood from Canada.

"We've got a problem," the man said.

Harry looked around the room, faintly surprised. "Why is there an interrogation room in the basement?" It all looked straight out of a crime show from TV. Harry, Dan and Malcolm were standing in a dark room, looking at a brightly lit room with a sturdy table and several chairs through a large, one-way mirror built into one wall

"We figured it might be necessary at some point," Dan replied tersely. "Never thought we'd actually use it."

Seated in a chair in the other room was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing the uniform of the employees at the Foundation.

"And you're sure he's not who he claims to be?" Dan asked, eyes fixed on the subject of their discussion.

"Davidson first reported he was acting unusually. Nothing major, but enough to make him suspicious. When I approached with two security guards, Monroe, or whoever that really is, tried to slip out, but we caught him," Malcolm said. "Couldn't answer the security questions. Failed to respond appropriately on all three."

"Polyjuice?" Harry theorized. "Or maybe the imperius?"

"He would still have been able to answer the questions under the imperius," Malcolm replied, shaking his head. "Polyjuice is our best guess, but there isn't a way to test that I know of."

"We really need to figure out something to test for both," Dan remarked offhandedly. "Especially if we're expecting to have to fight in the Blood War, part two."

"I'll tell Peter to have our people start working on it," Harry agreed, "but that doesn't answer the question of what to do with him."

"We'll question him under veritaserum," Dan finally decided. "It's the best option we have. In the meantime, Malcolm, send a pair of guards to check Monroe's home."

Harry remained in the dark observation room patiently watching 'Monroe' while Dan and Malcolm set to fulfilling their tasks. A few minutes later, the door to the interrogation room opened, and Dan walked inside, in his disguise as Victor Grey, accompanied by two security guards.

"Hello, Monroe," 'Grey' said.

"Hey, boss," the large man seated at the table said, sounding more confused than nervous as he glanced at the three men who had just entered. "What's going on? Why'm I in here?"

"As you should well know, when you began work here, you created several question and answer challenges to ensure you are who you say you are, and also as covert ways of indicating that you were under duress. When Mister Malcolm asked you those questions tonight, you failed to respond appropriately. We need to know why."

"I… I don't remember any of that," the man confessed. "I don't…" He shook his head. "Have I been obliviated?"

"That's what we need to find out," the chairman replied. "The easiest way would be for you to take veritaserum. I can't require you to do so, but that would be the quickest way for us to get to the bottom of this."

"I'll do it," Monroe said immediately.

Harry frowned. Why would an imposter be so willing to take truth serum?

The door to the observation room opened at Malcolm reappeared. "The guards didn't find anything immediately suspicious at Monroe's home, though they'll keep looking," he reported with a frown as he went to stand next to Harry.

"Well, he agreed to be questioned," Harry informed the other man. "So maybe we'll get some answers."

It didn't take long for the guard to bring a sealed vial of veritaserum. "Open your mouth," 'Victor Grey' ordered Monroe as the guard approached.

From his perspective, Harry couldn't see the potion being administered, but Dan could. When the guard stepped away, Monroe had a slightly vacant, glassy expression.

"What is your name?" 'Grey' asked.

"Thomas Markus Monroe," the other man responded in monotone.

"What is your date of birth?"

"July 2, 1965," came the reply.

"How long have you been an employee at the Foundation for the Future?"

"Five months," was the response.

"Why did you come here tonight?" The chairman's voice gave no clues as to his current thoughts.

"I was scheduled to work as an usher at the banquet."

"Have you ever reported anything about the Foundation to anyone without authorization?"

"No."

"What is your relationship with Lucius Malfoy?"

For just a second, Harry thought that he saw a look of surprise or maybe panic cross Monroe's face, but it was gone almost immediately. "I have seen him at meetings for the Foundation. I've never met him outside of that."

Similar questions about Agamemnon Nott, Cornelius Fudge, and many others produced similar responses.

The interrogation continued for another twenty minutes without any significant revelations.

"Why don't you remember your security questions?" 'Grey' finally asked.

"I don't know," came the reply.

Silence filled the room, stretching on for some time as Grey studied the man seated before him. Finally, he left without saying a word. A few seconds later, the door to the observation room opened and he entered, nodding at Malcolm.

"Did the guards find anything suspicious?"

"Nothing," Malcolm reported.

Dan sighed. "I don't know. I'm not an expert by any means, but I've conducted a fair number of veritaserum interviews here, particularly with new hires. From what I can tell, he's telling the truth. He answered the initial baseline questions correctly. He is, or at least, he truly believes himself to be Thomas Monroe."

"Is it possible that he can resist the veritaserum?" Harry asked.

"Is it possible? Yes. Is it easy? Not in the least. While there is a counteragent that a person can take to protect themselves from veritaserum, it prevents the serum from having any effect on the person at all, which is quite easy to see. There are signs when a person is under the effect of veritaserum, and Monroe displayed them all. The glassy eyes, the monotone voice, pupil dilation, even slight discoloration of the fingernails… it all fits. Unless this guy has the ability to perfectly control his physiological responses, I don't see how he could be faking it."

"Then why doesn't he remember the security questions?" Malcom wondered, giving voice to the question that was plaguing them all. "That's an odd thing for someone to obliviate him of."

"He seemed surprised when you asked about Malfoy," Harry remembered.

"Now that you mention it, he did, just a bit." Dan paused thoughtfully. "Which would be a very odd thing under veritaserum," he added, frowning.

"How much do the guards know about the real purpose of the Foundation?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Malcolm replied.

"You're pretending to be a bunch of blood bigots with a thin veneer of respectability," Harry said slowly, as an idea came to mind. "Our first assumption was that he's working for someone like Malfoy, but that might not be the case. It could be someone who is opposed to the Death Eaters and blood bigots, and he sent an agent to investigate in the hopes of finding proof that we're not the upstanding organization we pretend to be."

"That does make sense," Dan agreed. "But who, and why? And if they successfully managed to get Monroe in place, why remove his memory of the security questions?"

"Are we sure that's really Monroe? We've got ways of looking like other people," Malcolm pointed out. "We're using them right now."

"An anchored transfiguration to look different to yourself is very easy," Dan countered. "Looking and sounding exactly like someone else without Polyjuice potion is incredibly difficult. Not to mention that he passed the veritaserum questioning."

The two older men continued to debate the issue for a few minutes, but Harry ignored them, choosing instead to study the man still being held in the interrogation room.

"I'm going to tell him the truth," Harry finally decided.

Dan and Malcolm's discussion cut off immediately, and they turned to stare at Harry, identical bewildered looks on their faces.

"The truth…" Dan prompted. "The truth about what?"

"Everything," Harry replied. "Who I am, the purpose of this place, everything. There's a chance he's on our side, and if so, that's the best way to find out."

"And if he's not on our side?" Malcolm asked delicately.

"Then we obliviate him and take him to the cabin for further interrogation until we know what's up with him," Harry replied, though he wasn't thrilled with his own answer.

"I'll have the guards step out," Dan said with obvious reluctance. "But they'll be right outside the door, just in case."

Harry entered the interrogation room a few minutes later.

"Who're you?" Monroe asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Well, in this appearance my name is Andrus Masters, a young man from a wealthy family in Australia that owns several large plantations growing many different herbs. Sort of the Australian equivalent of the Longbottoms," Harry replied.

Monroe regarded him curiously. "And in your normal appearance?"

"This is the device that allow me to change forms," Harry explained in lieu of answering directly, pointing to the gold ring on his left forefinger. "It has an anchored transfiguration, that when active, gives me this appearance. If I take it off, I will resume my normal form."

Harry slipped the ring off, and Monroe blinked in surprise. "Harry Potter?" The man's voice was filled with shock and confusion.

"Yes, I am Harry Potter. The Foundation for the Future is one part of my endeavor to expose the crimes of the Minister and his cronies, such as Lucius Malfoy. My goals are to get justice for the murder of my godfather, Sirius Black, to eliminate the corruption in the Ministry and the Wizengamot that allows the rich and powerful to get away with murder, while less fortunate people are sent to Azkaban for minor crimes without a fair chance to defend themselves, as well as to eliminate the economic monopolies that allow select old families to control magical Britain. And, also, to prepare to fight against the man who calls himself Lord Voldemort should he ever manage to return."

Monroe stared. "Why are you telling me this?" he finally asked.

"Because I believe that you somehow faked being under the influence of the veritaserum, and that you are here investigating the Foundation. Given the public perception of the Foundation, I think that you suspect we are secretly working for Voldemort, when in fact, it is just the opposite. I hope that by telling you the truth, I have shown that we can work on the same side. Obviously, you have goals. That's why you snuck in here. And the fact that you were very nearly successful, and managed to pass an interrogation even under veritaserum proves that you have skills." Harry took a deep breath. "So, let's work together. I've told you why I'm here and what I'm doing. What about you?"

Seconds ticked by with no response. Instead, Monroe was studying him carefully. "I was here looking for more information about what you're up to. And my goal is to get justice for the murder of Sirius Black."

Harry frowned. "Why do you care about Sirius Black?"

Monroe's face blurred, reforming into an attractive woman of about twenty with pink hair. "My name is Nymphadora Tonks," she said. "Sirius was my mother's favorite cousin."

The discussion with Tonks (as she insisted on being called) was enlightening, but much too short. After all, Harry needed to get back to Hogwarts before anyone knew he had ever left. Still, there was enough time to convince Tonks that she should work with him and his team, while convincing Harry that he had been right to take the chance of telling her the truth.

Not only did Tonks have access to secure ministry records, her ability to shift her appearance to look like anyone she wanted was an incredible ability, and it didn't even stop there. She had complete control over her body, as she had proudly informed him, though she did tend to be a bit uncoordinated when she wasn't intentionally using her powers. In fact, that had been the secret that allowed her to overcome the veritaserum. She had temporarily morphed the lining of her stomach so that it no longer absorbed anything, while using her powers to give the appearance of being under the effect of the potion.

As Harry snuck back into the school, his mind was whirling with thoughts of new ways that someone with such an incredible ability could be used. Tonks had been thrilled at the idea of someone finally wanting to make use of her exceptionally rare ability. She had joined the Aurors with the notion of being an incredibly effective undercover agent, but most of the other Aurors seemed to think her skill was nothing more than an interesting parlor trick.

Well, if she was looking for a chance to use her shapeshifting abilities for a good cause, Harry would be happy to provide her plenty of opportunities.

Harry hid under his cloak outside the classroom where his previous self and Hermione were practicing, waiting for the knock on the door. Counting to ten, he quietly crept inside and was unsurprised to see that the room was empty except for Hermione, who was unconscious on the cushions. As he looked at his friend, he couldn't help the swell of guilt eating away at him.

He was such a hypocrite. He'd been angry at her for going behind his back and making decisions that affected him without consulting him first, and yet, he had been so focused on sneaking out to the Foundation meeting that he ignored the fact that he did the same thing. In some ways, his actions were even worse. Time turners were heavily restricted, and if it became known that Hermione had allowed him to use hers, she might get in trouble for it.

He tried to tell himself that his situation was different, but deep down, he knew it wasn't. I guess we're all good at finding excuses to justify our actions. Still, now wasn't the time for a crisis of conscience.

Checking that Hermione was still unconscious, he pulled her into a sitting position and carefully slipped the time turner back around her neck and down her shirt, doing his best to ignore the inadvertent glimpse this allowed him of his friend's cleavage.

Finally satisfied that there were no clues of the escapade he had taken while Hermione was stunned, Harry revived his friend. "Can't let your guard down just because the other person doesn't seem to be threatening you," he chided gently as though he had never left.

Hermione mock glared at him. "I should have known you would do something tricky like that," she said with a scowl.

"I'm sure you'll be prepared next time," Harry assured her.

"You better believe I will. And you better be prepared as well. I'll have my revenge someday," she promised, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Harry laughed. "Hermione, thanks for being my friend. I'm sorry I got mad at you before."

Hermione looked startled. "You're welcome. And thanks for being my friend," she finally replied, her voice soft, but filled with genuine emotion.

They tidied up the classroom, then left. "Does this mean that you'll tell me what your project for Saturday is?" the bushy-haired girl inquired innocently.

"Still won't let that go, huh?" Harry said with a chuckle. "Okay, fine. It's an idea I had over the summer, but I just haven't had time to work on it yet. I bought a cloth-covered binder that zips closed and some very thin wooden trays that are about the right size to fit in the covers. I want to use space expansion charms on the trays to make them deep enough to hold all my schoolbooks in one and space for lots of rolls of parchment in the other. I'll attach the trays to the inside of the binder with the book one in front and the parchment one in the back so I can always carry everything I need for all my classes, and it's more organized than the bookbags we use now."

Hermione stared at him, startled. "That's a clever idea," she replied enthusiastically. "I've wanted to bring a binder with lined paper for a while now, but I was afraid that it would look too muggle. It would be much easier to use for keeping notes in, for sure. But why carry so many rolls of parchment?"

"I'd only need one or two actual rolls, but having a space for each class means that I could have a specific spot to store my completed essays, rather than having to remember to grab them before class, or risk them getting crumpled in my bookbag after I finish them."

"Oh, Harry, that's a brilliant idea," Hermione gushed. "You've really put a lot of thought into this."

"Well, we'll see how it works. I'm going to try the expansion charms on the trays, and I wondered about trying to find some sort of charm so things don't shift and bump around when I carry the binder." He knew such a thing was possible because the emergency kit he carried had one, but it was just a matter of finding the correct charm in the books he 'officially' had access to.

"I'll help you look, if you don't mind me copying your idea," the girl promised.

"Of course," Harry said immediately. "I just wanted to try and figure it out on my own so I don't get dependent on you doing all the tricky spellwork for me."

The pair continued to discuss idea as they walked through the halls, all the tension and awkwardness of the past few weeks gone.