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Kinglsey was alone in his office. He was writing a rather long letter that he hid in one of his desk's drawers when the two men bursted into his office.
He saw their long faces and understood that something terrible must had happened. He looked at them in the eyes and he read what he had feared for some time.
« Kingsley something terrible has happened. It is about Audrey. » announced Percy who was still panting.
He was not used to run. Why would he? He did not have to train like the Aurors and he did not like sport in general but for Audrey he would run to death if needed.
Kingsley closed his eyes, he knew what was coming. He told them to go ahead while he was trying to calm down. His nightmare was about to become a reality.
...
...
As he was listening to the two redheads, guilt, anger and rage were engulfing him. He could not believe that he had been so mistaken. He had thought that he could do better than his predecessors, he was wrong. He was just as bad as they had been.
Dumbledore was right, power was the most dangerous thing in the world, it changed people.
...
Kingsley had been suspecting for weeks that there was a spy at the Ministry but at the same time he was believing that he was in control of the situation.
He had suspected many but he had never suspected the Head of the Aurors's department, the brilliant American witch that he had begged to move to England to help them.
« Don't blame yourself, it is not Audrey, not our Audrey, it is a Death Eater.» comforted Percy
The Minister was trying to hide his trouble but it was very hard. Audrey, that just could not be true, it was so hard to believe. If something had happened to the young witch, he would never forget himself.
How could he have been so clueless this all time? He should have investigated more when his best team had been sent to St Mungo. He should have properly questioned Audrey instead of just asking her few questions at the hospital but how was he supposed to know that she was no longer Audrey, how could he have guessed?
Why had his radar failed? He knew the answer, his quest, the time turner. He had been focusing on his personal quest for weeks. Andromeda had warned him, he should have listened to her.
Nevertheless, he had not been wrong, the Death Eaters were after the time turners, both but instead of doing something to stop them, to really stop them, he had been looking for the person who had taken McGonagall's time turner. His priority was to protect whoever had taken this time turner from the Death Eaters. He had failed twice.
Now, they were all in danger, the girls were in danger because of him, Hermione was in danger because of him.
...
The two brothers were feeling helpless. They told Kingsley to do not flay himself. It was not his fault, it was their fault, to all of them for refusing to see further, for refusing to think that things could become dark again. Charlie and Percy had both very good reasons to feel as bad as Kingsley but should they share those reasons? They weren't sure yet.
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Kingsley was shaking his head, not listening to the Weasleys. It was his damn fault, period. Hermione had been invited to Luna's party and Andromeda had accepted to let her go because Audrey and Alicia would be there too. Without knowing, he had sent Hermione straight to the enemy's trap. Andromeda would kill him, and he would let her, if something happened to Hermione.
Percy and Charlie were still trying to calm him down. They needed him and his sharp mind to get out of this one. They had not expected to see the Minister almost falling into tears. They knew why though. They knew that he was growing a very soft spot for the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place and that they had become his family. Harry and Hermione were becoming the kids that he never had.
...
It was not the only reason why Kingsley was feeling so bad but the brothers were unaware of the fact that Kingsley believed that Harry or Hermione had taken the time turner or that he believed that Hermione certainly knew where it was.
He swallowed hard but did not speak, he could not. It was like if he had lost his voice. Anger against himself and fears were so strong that they had formed an enormous knot in his throat.
What the two young men told him did not matter anymore. Indeed, the second that they had stepped into his office, he had understood that he had made a terrible mistake.
...
Since they had listed the missing Death Eaters after the battle of Hogwarts, Kingsley had been waiting for that moment, the moment that would lead them to the very last battle of this war. He had tried his best to anticipate every move of the Death Eaters to stop them but he had failed just like he had failed to decrypt the time turner's puzzle on time.
Yes, he had collected precious informations there and there but it had never been enough to find out who had taken the time turner. He had three suspects, each member of the Golden Trio. However, even if he was sure that one of them had stolen McGonagall's time turner, he had never found the nerve to confront them directly.
He had tried, mostly with Harry as logically Harry was the one who had come back from the dead that night but Harry's speech had disconcerted him every time. Yes, he was the Minister of Magic and yes he could investigate as much as he wanted but what could he really do against the chosen one, the boy who lived, Harry their savior, the one who was destined to kill Voldemort, not much.
He had done what he could do with Harry which was not much so he had kept him on his list of suspects before to try his chance with Hermione, his suspect number two or perhaps number one.
Harry was too brave and fierce to try to trick Fate and Death with a time turner. Hermione was the brain of the trio and she would have done everything to try to save her best friend. She would not have let Harry died.
Unfortunately, Kingsley had not been able to learn anything that could help him to clear the sky. He had not got any real proof that Hermione and Harry had played with the time turner again. Yes, Hermione knew where the time turner was the night of the battle, she knew how to use it and she had motives to use it but there was an problem, Hermione had not been alone during the battle. She had always been seen with someone and when Harry had gone to the dark forest, she was with the Weasleys at Fred's bedside.
He had tried with Ron, in vain. He did not believe that it could have been Ron anyway. Ron was brave but not smart enough to use the time turner without being seen twice that night.
Of course, it was possible that because of a change in time, nobody could remember seeing the trio or one of its member twice but Kingsley could not point any action, except Harry going to the dark forrest, that could have been rewritten.
Something was missing and no matter how hard he had tried to find out what it was, he had not been successful.
He broke the pencil that was in his hands and repeated again that it was his fault.
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Charlie who was feeling more guiltier by the second said that if it was someone's fault, it was his for not paying attention, for being distracted. He was Audrey's teammate, if someone should have noticed something that should have been him. He decided that he had to reveal the truth about his lack of attention.
« I really am sorry. Alicia and I have violated the rules. We had a one night stand a couple of weeks ago. We both wanted it, we weren't drunk but on the morning after it was another story, I've been avoiding her since that day. »
As he was speaking, he realized that he needed to talk about what had happened. He should have done it sooner. The timing could not possibly be worst and Percy and Kingsley certainly weren't the right people to talk about what happened but he did not care. He had to get it out off his chest.
« I had never slept with a woman before, never and I have been disturbed since that night. Audrey found out, well whoever has taking her identity had guessed. That person confronted Alicia, something that the real Audrey would have done by the way. This is why they fought. I knew it but it was easier to lie and pretend that it was not my fault. » said Charlie who was making an effort to do not look down.
Percy and Kingsley were astounded.
Motionless, Percy was staring at his brother. Alicia Spinnet, really? Who would have ever believed that Charlie would have his first experience with a woman with the skinny brunette.
Alicia was a wonderful witch and an amazing auror but she was shy and not as outspoken as her best friend Angelina.
Fred and George were always saying that Alicia was the smartest of their group of friends however she was too shy to stand out for herself. Angelina had dated Fred, Katie had dated George but Alicia had not dated Lee. They all wanted it to happen but Alicia had said that this game of dating between the six of them could break their friendship. Lee had been in different relationships but Alicia had just been dating no one.
Alicia seemed to be always hiding herself in the shadow of someone else, it was one of her strength actually. When she was training to become an Auror, it had become her skill. Nobody was ever expecting her to be the one that they should fear.
Percy could remember perfectly when Charlie had taken Alicia at the Quidditch team. He had said that she was skilled. He had been amazed by the twelve years old girl skills but unfortunately he had judged her too shy to standout. Angelina had made it to the team while Alicia had made it to the reserve team. After Charlie's graduation, Oliver became captain and did give a real chance to Alicia.
If they were not in such a dangerous situation, Percy would find the all story funny. His brother having sex with Alicia Spinnet. The cool dragons' tamer falling for the girl that he used to see as an annoyingly shy little girl.
Percy looked at his brother and thought that this surprising fact should give him hope. Maybe, one day he would have his chance with Audrey.
...
Charlie asked his brother if he was ok. Percy nodded and Charlie carried on with his story.
« Alicia did play fair and asked to be paired with a new team, just like I should have done. It is written that Aurors from the same team aren't supposed to be more than friends so the team can always be focused on its mission. I had not taken this seriously. I had not think that a night with Alicia could have blinded me. » explained Charlie
« I agree and I will make sure once this is over that you aren't going to work with Audrey or Alicia ever again but it is not the first time that it happened and it won't be the last. Look at Tonk and Remus. Remus fought hard to do not fall for her but Teddy is here so technically, they did violate the rules too. Besides, it had happened after the attack. Your problem appeared less than two weeks ago. So I am still the one to guilt for not seriously questioning Audrey. » stated Kingsley
« Well to be completely honest, the problem is older than that. I should have asked to be paired with another team when I first overheard Alicia and Audrey talking about me. It was more than a month ago. I was not sure what Alicia was really thinking but I knew that Audrey would like to get to know me more personally. I ignored it just like I ignored the fact that Alicia and Audrey were, let's say, competing to get my attention. » confessed a red Charlie
Charlie could feel Kingsley's eyes dissecting him. Was Kingsley about to fire him? He did not care anymore. All he wanted was to make sure that the girls were ok, that Alicia was ok.
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After a couple of minutes Kingsley cleared his throat and said that it was definitely a lot more complicated than he would have ever imagined. He was having problems but he was not the only one. Of course his mistake had been major but Charlie was right, he should have asked, along with the girls, to be paired with other aurors.
Perhaps, they really were all to blame like Percy had suggested earlier. Kingsley stared at Percy. It was time to open Pandora's box.
...
Being straightforward, he asked Percy what he knew about McGonagall's time turner.
Percy thought that he was going to faint. He sat on one of the chairs and looked at his feet.
« Percy, what do you know. It is time to speak. How come did you put everything together.» pushed Kingsley
Percy flushed and said with a quivering voice:
« Well, you told me about the time turner, your doubts and what the Death Eaters could do with Mr Lovegood's time turner combined with any other time turner that could have been used on the 2nd of May like Pr McGonagall's missing one so I thought about it myself and after finding Audrey's attitude very odd. »
Kingsley interrupted Percy, he needed facts, not the all story.
« You thought that they could have decided to infiltrate the Ministry to get information and who better to get informations than taking the place of the Head of the Aurors' department. Brillant Percy, really brilliant though I must ask why did you give yourself so many headaches about the time turner and what could happen. Percy, please speak. » ordered Kingsley
« I was just worried, you know for my family, my friends. My brother is a member of the golden trio, my little sister is dating Harry Potter and another of my brothers is dating the last member of the Golden trio so anything that could put our lives in danger makes me think. » lied Percy
« And he is in love with Audrey. » added Charlie who had decided that it was not the time to let Percy drowned
Whatever Percy was hidding, it was to protect Hermione and Fred so Charlie had assumed that as the older brother, he had to defend Percy. Percy certainly had his reasons to do not explain everything.
This time Kingsley lost his nerves and angrily asked if Hermione had taken the time turner.
Percy still looking at his shoes mumbled a yes. He had not wanted to betray Hermione's secret but she was in danger. Besides, it was now pretty cleared that Kingsley had been suspecting Hermione.
...
Kingsley took another pencil and broke it then he jumped out of his chair ordering Percy to send an owl to all the member of the Order and to call back all the aurors.
« Charlie, find Harry and Ron and join me at the entrance, we have to go to Azkaban even if I don't believe that this is where the spy is taking Yaxley, Greyback and the other two. Percy, you better find Fred and George. We will meet you at the Burrow.» he said in a quite gentle tone even though his anger was notable
« What do we do about the girls? Ginny and Hermione are there, should we tell them» asked Charlie who was not sure what the plan was
Kingsley sighed and said:
« I am afraid that we have to let them go to that party. We can not tell them anything. It is our only chance to finally arrest the Death Eaters, that's why we have to hurry up if we don't want to be late for the party. It is 5pm, party starts at 6pm, we have an hour ahead of us. »
The two brothers found the plan dangerous. They tried to insist, they should inform at least one of the girls but Kingsley did not budge.
« If one of them know, they will try to fix it on their own and no matter how skilled they are, it won't be enough. Death Eaters had weeks to prepare this plan and you can bet that they have thought about everything. Charlie, I see you in 5min at the entrance. Percy, I see you at 6pm sharp at the burrow.»
And with that said they left knowing that they were about to fight into another deadly battle.
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Last chapter won't come before the end of June. I have to go back to work after 3 months so it won't be easy at the beginning but I am glas things are getting better in Europe. For all of you who are still in countries where the situation is crazy, be safe.
Xx