Disclaimer: This is a fan-fiction work. The events depicted herein did not happen and will not happen in real life. The Author of this work does not claim to own the Harry Potter Universe or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work that may resemble a real person, living or dead, is not intended to represent such person, and any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental. Please note that some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal and should not be imitated in real life.
HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM
TWO
Harry stared at the wand that Sir Matthew had retrieved from within the briefcase that he had carried with him when he went to the podium that the Minister had just evacuated. To the auror captain, it felt as if the man in front of them was using the wand that he was displaying to them as proof of the complicity of the ministry in particular – and the magical world in general – with what had happened that had caused him to come here in the first place.
There was no look of hostility on the part of the man as he displayed the wand that he had retrieved, and Harry was forced to ask himself exactly why he felt as if the man in front of them was accusing them of being complicit with the theft by simply showing the wand. Indeed, Sir Matthew turned his attention away from his audience a few moments later so that he could turn it back toward the briefcase that he was carrying, and he returned the wand that he had retrieved inside the same.
The position that Harry was in prevented him from actually seeing what was inside the briefcase, but despite the fact that he felt as if the representative of the muggle government had just wordlessly accused them of being complicit with the theft of highly sensitive material, there was nothing else that would give Harry the basis with which to doubt the words that had just escaped from the mouth of the man, which meant that as far as Harry was concerned, even if Sir Matthew had not actually shown them the contents of the briefcase, there was no doubt that he was speaking the truth.
A quick glance toward the direction of the Minister was all that Harry needed to do in order to see that Shacklebolt was staring at the direction of the representative of the muggle government with a serious expression. It was not exactly the expression that Harry would have expected to see upon the face of his friend if the Minister had truly believed that Sir Matthew was not being serious with them, and that look on the face of the Minister added more to the credibility of Sir Matthew.
The auror captain returned his attention toward the man in front of him, and he turned his attention toward Sir Matthew just in time to see him turn his attention toward the direction of Ron. This time, the look of irritation on the face of the man was quite obvious as he stared at Ron, but if he were to be honest with himself, Harry realized that he could not blame the representative of the muggle government.
If those wands were indeed found in the scene of the crime, then it is highly likely – indeed it was almost impossible for the opposite to be true – that members of the magical world had taken part in the theft of the nuclear material.
Harry could also forgive Sir Matthew for acting the way that he did – with the hostility that he had already shown – when the auror captain realized that the man is tasked with retrieving material that is the core of the most dangerous weapons ever devised by human hands – magical or otherwise.
A shudder went up the spine of Harry as he realized that, as fearsome as Voldemort may have been, he at least did not have the power to destroy an entire city in the blink of an eye. Indeed, he actually found himself thankful that the most recent Dark Lord in British history had held the muggles in so much contempt that he never thought of crossing over the line and obtaining muggle weaponry for himself and his followers.
The Dark Lord that came before Voldemort had made no attempt on his own to obtain nuclear weapons as well, but that may have something to do with the fact that Grindelwald rose to power – and was defeated – before and during the Second World War, which meant that by the time that he was defeated by the mentor of Harry, the world had yet to enter the nuclear age, though there is evidence to believe that the German Dark Lord had visions of the nuclear age.
In the aftermath of the war with Grindelwald, the magical world attempted to increase the divide between the magical and the muggle worlds, which meant that the development of nuclear weapons and the fact that they could destroy the world was largely ignored by the magical world. That, of course, would also explain the apparent lack of knowledge of Ron – and the other magical world raised in the conference room – as to the destructive potential of the missing nuclear material.
Harry forced himself to return to the present at that moment. Taking into consideration the ignorance of the magical world in regards to muggle weaponry, he would have to admit that he found it hard to believe that there are magicals who would orchestrate such theft, yet the fact that wands had been left in the site – at least according to the report of Sir Matthew – could be taken as conclusive that magicals were, at the least, involved in the incident.
Right now, however, the background of the person or persons who had stolen the material is a secondary matter. The fact that there are wands in the crime scene had given the muggle government the excuse that they need to find the culprit, and Harry realized that even if the perpetrators were not from their world, they would still offer their assistance given the sensitivity of the stolen material.
He doubted if his colleagues would understand that, though he vowed that he would make them as soon as he is able.
He glanced toward the direction of Hermione and saw that she was also deep in thought. If he did not think that it was inappropriate, Harry would have smiled there and then as he considered that his best friend was now thinking of the possibilities, and because of the raw power of the mind of Hermione, the auror captain knew for a fact that she would come up with more plausible possibilities as to the presence of the wands at the scene of the crime.
There was one thing, however, that Harry could contribute at that moment, and at that thought entered the forefront of his mind, the auror captain turned his attention toward the direction of the representative of the muggle government who had remained silent, seemingly allowing his revelation to make the most impact upon those that are present in the conference room.
It was Harry who broke the silence that had descended into the room, though before he could speak, he raised his hand to indicate that he wished to do so. He was relieved to see that his action caused the man in front of him to turn his attention toward Harry, though before Sir Matthew could say anything, the auror captain said, "Excuse me, Sir Matthew, but have these wands been cross-checked against the Registry?"
The Registry that Harry was referring to was something that Hermione had suggested during her first ever day at work. Using the argument that a wand is far more than just a useful tool, she was able to convince the Wizengamot to pass legislation requiring that all wands then being used in the Magical United Kingdom be registered with the Ministry.
Under the old regime, the wards that are used to monitor the use of underage magic was limited to the use of the magic itself, something that Harry was painfully aware of given his experience with Dobby prior to his second year at Hogwarts.
In the proposal of Hermione, the magical signature of the registered wand would also be recorded and monitored, and while it does not discount the possibility that the wand was used by someone else, at least there would be a starting point in the investigation, which would be the person who is the registered owner of the wand in question.
There were many who had resisted the effort, but at the end of the day – and through some rather clever manipulating on the part of the DMLE – a reasonable number of wands had been registered.
They had even managed to convince the biggest wand-makers in Britain to turn over a copy of their own sales registry, which meant that they have a rough idea of who brought which wand even before the Registry was brought to life.
Of particular interest to those behind the Registry would be the wands of those that have fought at the side of the Dark during the Second Blood War, and because they had been of particular interest, most of the attention fell on them. There are claims that most of them still have unregistered wands, and it is possible that those unregistered are the ones that are now in the hands of Sir Matthew, but even if that would be the case, then at least the pool of suspects could be narrowed.
There is also the chance that the wands in question could actually belong to people who had registered the same, which would make the job of Harry and the other investigating teams easier. Of course, the fact that they are here right now would indicate that that is not the case, and that was something that the Minister himself confirmed a few moments later.
"Unfortunately," the Minister began, and his words made everyone in the room – not just Harry – turn their attention toward the direction of the dark-skinned Minister. Harry, for his part, turned his attention to the Minister just in time to watch as he said, "We know who the wands belong to."
There was actually a collective sigh of relief that escaped from the lips of most of the wizards and witches inside the room. Harry could not blame them, after all, the Minister had just announced that they actually know who their primary suspects are.
Harry, Hermione, and some of those who are the most experienced aurors and investigators in the conference room, however, are not among those who had let out a sigh of relief at the announcement of their Minister, after all, the Minister had said that it was 'unfortunate' that they know who the owners of the wands are, which meant that there is a complication with the identities of the owners.
That complication was revealed by the Minister a few moments later, "Of the eight wands that were found at the scene of the crime, two belonged to people who were killed during the Second Blood War," the Minister said, "Three belonged to people who are believed to have been killed during the War, while the remaining three belonged to people who have survived the War but who have claimed that their wands had been taken from them during the course of the same," there was a brief pause before the Minister added, "All three are underage students during the War."
'Which meant that there is little chance that they have fought with Voldemort during the War itself,' Harry thought, yet if he was being honest, he would have to admit that he had entertained the possibility that the wands would be stolen from their rightful owners.
After all, no criminal worth his salt would leave behind evidence that could be traced back to him.
"Then, is it not obvious that it is the former Death Eaters who are behind this?" the voice of Ron tore Harry out of his reverie.
Even Harry could not understand the feeling of horror that he felt in the aftermath of the words that have escaped from the mouth of his other best friend. By chance, he glanced toward the direction of Hermione and saw that unlike him, she had not even bothered to hide the look of horror on her face.
It took Harry a few moments to realize what the reason behind the horrified feeling was, though it was Hermione who voice out those thoughts, "We cannot jump to conclusions," she said in a forceful tone that Harry imagined would be right at home in a court of law, "Especially not when such conclusions could lead to unwarranted persecution."
Ron turned his attention toward Hermione, "Come on, Herms…," he began. He paused a few moments later when he saw the glare that his girlfriend was giving him, and he could not help but flinch before he amended his words, "There are no other suspects and they are the only ones who would do something like this."
'No, they are actually the ones that we can probably rule out almost immediately,' Harry thought, though he did not voice that out loud. The reason for that would be the fact that the former Death Eaters are all purist purebloods who have no idea of the things that had been accomplished in the muggle world. Unless they have been incredibly lucky, they should have no idea what the purpose of the stolen material would be.
A quick glance toward the direction of Hermione was all that Harry needed to do in order to realize that she was thinking along the same lines as him. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could push the words out through her lips, Ron cut her off.
"Minister," Ron suddenly said, turning his attention toward Shacklebolt who responded to the fact that his attention was being called for by turning his own attention toward Ron. This, in turn, allowed Ron to continue with his proposal, "Please give us permission to raid the mansions and hovels of the 'former' Death Eaters."
Even Harry could see the quotation marks around the word 'former' when his best friend spoke.
A quick glance toward the other members of law enforcement in the conference room told Harry that a majority of them agreed with the suggestion of Ron. As Harry would have expected, however, Hermione was not among them, and the beautiful brunette did not bother to fury on her face as she turned to regard Ron, "Under what basis?" she asked.
Harry knew her well enough to be sure that if they were in a relatively private setting, she would already be shrieking. Despite the look of anger that was already on her pretty visage, Hermione was at least able to keep herself from advertising her anger when she asked that question.
"We have wands stolen during the War at the scene of the crime," Ron replied, and Harry also knew him well enough to know that his red-headed friend was also beginning to lose his temper. In the case of Ron, the color red beginning to take over his face was a tell-tale sign, "They are the only ones who could have done it."
Hermione dismissed the claim of her boyfriend, "Death Eaters were not the only ones to procure wands that were not theirs during the War," Hermione replied.
There was evidently something in the words that Hermione had just uttered that made Ron see red. The youngest Weasley male of his generation did not even bother to lower his voice as he asked, "Are you implying that we stole wands during the War?"
If he did not think it was inappropriate, Harry would have punched his friend there and then. As it stands, at that moment, he actually wanted to cradle his temple with both of his hands. It would appear that Ron had forgotten some of the things that they had done while they were on the hunt for the Horcruxes on what was supposed to be their seventh and final year at Hogwarts.
"I don't know," Hermione suddenly replied with a sickly sweet voice that should have alerted those who knew her that she was being sarcastic, "Did we use wands that were not ours during the War, Harry?"
If he was being honest, Harry would admit that he did not like the fact that he was being dragged into what he would have labeled as a row between Ron and Hermione. The fact that he did not like it, however, would not hide the fact that he was already involved, and a few moments later, he let out an exasperated sigh before he stood and turned to face Ron, "We used wands that were not ours during the Hunt, Ron."
Harry did not think that it was possible for the face of his other best friend to become redder than it already was. In an obvious attempt o save his face, the red-headed auror blurted out, "That was different…"
Before he could finish what he wanted to say, Hermione interrupted him again, "How is that different?" she asked. Ron looked ready to say something, but she cut him off, "And don't you dare say that it is different because they are Death Eaters and we are not."
The look on the face of Ron was all that Harry needed to see in order to conclude that that was exactly what Ron was about to say. Left with no rebuttal, Ron wisely chose to not say anything, though from the look on his face, it was obvious that he wanted to continue the argument.
His decision not to say anything was probably helped by the fact that a few moments after Hermione had spoken, Harry turned to face his red-headed best friend, and as their eyes met, the black-haired auror captain did his best to convey to Ron – without the use of words – that it would be in his best interest to shut up at that moment.
Harry could not be sure if his attempt had been successful, but at least Ron backed down a few moments later.
Sir Matthew reminded every single one of them that he was still in the room when he spoke a full thirty seconds after the argument between Ron and Hermione had ended, "While I do agree that there is a need for us to have a reason to conduct raids," he began, "In this case, I do think that we have enough reason to ask for a proper search warrant."
Hermione turned her attention toward the representative of the muggle government, "No," she replied, "If we can take the fact that these wands were stolen at the height of the war as our only basis to issue warrants, we would be setting a precedent against the Death Eater families."
A smile formed on the face of Sir Matthew as he said, "I was under the impression that they are not friends of yours, Miss Granger."
Hermione replied rather curtly, "I am not, and that is exactly the reason why I would prefer that we follow the rules before we drop the hammer on them."
The words that escaped from the lips of his female best friend was not enough for Harry to conclude as to whether she truly believed that the Death Eaters have something to do with the theft of the nuclear material or not. He decided that he would have to talk with her about it as soon as he could find the chance to do so.
"In a related note, Sir Matthew," Hermione suddenly said, once more forcing Harry to return his attention toward Hermione, "Can we visit the scene of the crime?"
There was a brief pause on the part of the representative of the muggle government, and Harry caught him turn his attention toward the red-haired woman that had entered the conference room after Sir Matthew and the Minister.
It was only at that moment when Sir Matthew turned his attention toward the woman that Harry remembered that she had not actually been introduced, and the way that Sir Matthew turned her attention toward her convinced the auror captain that Sir Matthew had no intention to introduce the woman to them. Still, she gave him a nod a few moments later, and the representative of the muggle government turned to regard Hermione.
"That should not be a problem," Sir Matthew replied, but then he quickly added, "Given the national security considerations in regards to the location, however, we would prefer it if you would limit the number of people who would be entering the scene."
Before Hermione could reply, the Minister reentered the conversation, "We would have Auror Captain Potter, Auror Weasley, and Miss Granger with four others enter the scene," he said in a tone that announce that he would broker no argument in regards to his decision.
Harry knew that he was always going to be a part of the team that would be sent to inspect the site, and since Hermione was the one who made the suggestion, it was also a given that she would be a part of the team, though if he was being honest, the auror captain would have to admit that he found the decision of the Minister to include Ron in the inspecting team as rather odd.
The reason for that would be because Ron had already expressed his ignorance in regards to the importance of the missing items, but then again, Harry realized that that is probably the reason why the Minister had appointed Ron.
"Sir Matthew," the Minister suddenly said, and before anyone could say anything, he added, "Please tell them about Contingency Sabre."
Harry could see the look of surprise that appeared on the face of the representative of the muggle government, but he was hardly the only one who was surprised by the request of the Minister because when he glanced toward the direction of the other representative, Harry caught her flinch, leading him to conclude that even she was surprised by the request.
"Are you sure that you want to reveal that?" Sir Matthew suddenly asked.
The Minister did not verbally reply to the question of Sir Matthew, instead, he simply nodded his head. Despite that, Sir Matthew hesitated for a full ten seconds before he turned to regard the others in the conference room, though for Harry, it looked as if the muggle representative was staring straight at him as he said, "Given the relative seriousness of the situation that we are in, Her Majesty's Government had decided to place Contingency Sabre on standby, just in case there is a need to resort upon the same."
Harry noted that he did not actually say anything in regards to what 'Contingency Sabre' actually is, something that Hermione picked up on rather easily, because she was the one who called him out on it, "Exactly what is this Contingency Sabre, Sir Matthew?" she asked.
Again, the representative of the muggle government hesitated, but after a few moments, he finally replied, "It is the deployment of non-magical assets in the magical world," he said. Harry found that there was something wrong with that statement, especially since it would be impossible to do as Sir Matthew had said, considering that the Statute of Secrecy prevented the same, though before he could say anything about it, Sir Matthew continued, "To do so would require that we void, or suspend, some parts of the Statute of Secrecy."
Harry was the only one who was stunned by that announcement, and in this case, even Hermione could do nothing but stare at the man in front of them. Predictably, however, it was Ron who recovered first, and it was also quite predictable that his reaction was one of indignation. The red-headed auror stood from his seat and regarded the representative of the muggle government in front of him.
"What?" he asked in a tone that advertised the fact that he did not believe that that was even possible. He had also not bothered to lower his voice when he asked that question, though he was able to continue speaking only because there was no one who could tell him to stop given that everyone else was too stunned by the announcement to stop him, "You can't do that."
This time, it was the turn of Sir Matthew to lose his patience, and much like Ron, he did not bother to hide his indignation as he regarded the red-head in front of him, "There is a clause in the Statute that says that the problems of the magical world should remain in the magical world," he said, "We have had cause to break the Treaty since even before the Second World War, but we chose not to on the apparently mistaken assumption that you could fix your own problems."
Harry was certain that the glare that appeared on the face of Sir Matthew was not directed toward him, but even if that was the case, even he could not help but flinch – and in the case of Ron, he actually took a step back, crashing against the chair that he had so recently just stood from with an audible sound – as the representative of the muggle government added, "Now we find ourselves with a situation that could see the destruction of an entire city and millions of lives lost because you failed to keep your own problems within your own borders."
Sir Matthew turned his attention away from Ron at that moment, but even if the glare that was still on his face lost some of its intensity, it was obvious that the next words that came out of his mouth were still a warning, "I do not know when and how the Contingency would be placed into effect, but I do know that Her Majesty is serious in regards to that, so I suggest we work together to find the persons responsible for this mess as soon as possible, and the sooner that we find them, the sooner that we can get out of your hair."
"There is something off about that man," Harry heard his friend say as he turned the knob on the door that would lead them to the office that they share with the sixty or so other active duty aurors of the Ministry. Harry pretended not to hear the words that have escaped from the mouth of his friend as he pushed the door open, but he could not continue to pretend that that is the case when Ron addressed him directly, "You must have felt it too, right, mate?"
Harry did not bother to hide the sigh that escaped from his mouth in reaction to the words that have escaped from the mouth of Ron. As he crossed the threshold separating the interior of the office from the hallway that would lead them back to the conference room – where they had left Hermione so that she could coordinate with Sir Matthew and his companion in regards to visiting the scene of the crime – he turned his attention toward his friend and asked in a serious tone, "Are you sure you are not just being biased because he called you out on something?"
The auror captain could see the color red spreading on the face of his friend, a tell-tale sign that when Harry asked that question, Ron felt a spark of anger, but after a few moments, the color red withdrew from the face of his friend, and Harry knew that he was barely controlling himself from losing his temper. The fact that he was speaking with Harry, the auror captain knew, was a factor that made Ron control his temper faster than he usually would have.
"That may have something to do with it," the red-head auror admitted a few moments later. Harry did not need to turn his attention toward his friend to know that he was embarrassed, and as was typical of Ron, when he felt embarrassed, he sought his best to change the topic, "But you have to admit that there was something strange about him."
As the two of them were talking, they were walking toward their own designated offices. As an auror captain, Harry had been given his own personal office which he shared with no one. Ron is an auror lieutenant which meant that he would usually have to share an office with another, but because of his clout as one of those that had played a direct role in the downfall of Voldemort, the Ministry had seen fit to assign him his own office.
Another sigh escaped from the lips of Harry before he paused, forcing Ron to stop beside him. The auror captain turned his attention toward his best friend – and technically, his subordinate – and before Ron could say anything, Harry asked, "What about him is strange?"
The look on the face of Harry told him that Ron could not answer the question that he had posed, but even if that is the case, it was exactly that same look that was on the face of Ron that told him that his red-headed friend was convinced that he was correct when he said that there was something off about representative of the muggle government.
"I can't quite put a finger on it, mate," Ron admitted a few moments later, "But I tell you, there is something off about him."
Ron briefly paused and Harry allowed him the silence so that his friend could come up with a more plausible explanation other than his gut feelings. Harry realized, however, that he may be expecting too much from his male best friend, and that was something that he felt was proven a few moments later when rather than giving him a more concrete explanation, Ron suddenly said, "When I look at him while he speaks, I felt as if I was seated against a chess grandmaster."
Harry actually let out an exasperated sigh before he turned his attention away from Ron, turning it instead back toward the direction of his office. His intention was to resume walking to his office, and indeed, he had already taken his first step, but at that precise moment, Ron suddenly grabbed one of his arms, forcing the auror captain to once more pause and return his attention toward his friend.
The auror captain could honestly say that he had seen Ron sporting a serious look on his face before, but when he turned to look at the face of his friend at that moment, he was certain that it was the most serious look that Ron had ever had on his face since Harry had made his acquaintance and became his friend when they were both eleven years old.
"I'm serious, Harry," the red-head said, and his use of the proper name of Harry rather than the terms of endearment that he usually use when speaking with either Harry or Hermione did much to convince the auror captain that his friend was being serious, though before Harry could say anything, Ron quickly added, "Its like I am playing against someone who already knows what my move would be before I could even decide."
Harry actually allowed himself a short laugh before he asked, "If you do not even know what move you are going to make, how does he already know how you are going to move?"
Ron did not reply to the question, but the serious look on the face of his friend was more than enough to convince Harry that he needs to change the topic fast, before Ron decides to sprout off some more nonsense that could see their working relationship with Sir Matthew and his people ruined. If the man was being serious with having the option to void the Statute of Secrecy, then it would be in their best interest to maintain that working relationship with the man.
Unfortunately, there was only one topic that Harry could think of at that moment that would be of sufficient interest to Ron. It was also a topic that Harry did not want to talk about given that it is a private matter between Ron and Hermione.
"What did you do this time?" he asked his friend. He could see the confused expression on the face of Ron, prompting Harry to continue, "Why did Hermione looked as if she wanted to curse you when I arrived at the conference room this morning?"
This time, it was the turn of Ron to let out a sigh, "She was being mental," he replied. Apparently, he thought that would be enough of a reason for Harry because he did not say anything for a good five seconds. Ron was quick to realize that Harry was not satisfied with the answer that he had given, though then again, that may have something to do with the stare that Harry gave his friend in response to the words of Ron.
The look on that Harry gave Ron prompted the red-head auror to let out another sigh, but before Harry could say anything, Ron added, "I asked her to move in with me, you know,"
Harry let out a sigh even if he did not want to as he told himself that, in retrospect, he should have realized that that would be the reason behind the row. He told himself that he could not even label this row as recent given that Ron and Hermione had been at this topic for three months now. The last row that they had – before, apparently, this one – had been so bad that Hermione had threatened to break-up with Ron should he bring it up again, leading Harry to wonder what had changed that caused Ron to bring up the topic again.
There was not even a need on the part of Harry to ask Ron how Hermione had responded to the suggestion of Ron, and at that thought entered the forefront of the mind of the auror captain, he could not help but let out another sigh.
In the immediate aftermath of the War – indeed, even before the dust had settled and they had finished counting the dead – Hermione had left for Australia to see to her parents. She had not said anything about it to either Harry or Ron – and Harry suspected that she had not said anything about it to anyone – but while she was successful in bringing her parents back, something about her relationship with them had changed.
It had changed so much that Hermione had opted to rent a flat of her own rather than return under the roof of her parents, and while most would say that it was probably because Hermione had grown up, those who knew Hermione had long realized that that was not actually the case. For one thing, Harry knew for a fact that Hermione visits her parents only once or twice a month.
It would not have taken a genius to know that whatever change in relationship had occurred between Hermione and her parents, it had something to do with the War.
Ron had already seen fit to complain to Harry – and anyone who would listen – that he had never been introduced to the parents of Hermione as her boyfriend, and that was another topic that caused a row between the two of them.
"I just do not understand what it is about moving in with me that angers her so much," Ron said.
Harry turned to regard him with a baleful look, but it was obvious even to him that Ron had not even seen the menacing look that Harry was giving him, causing the auror captain to subtly shake his head.
Like Hermione, Ron had also moved out of his parents home, though he did so after he had become financially stable. It was not as if Ron had asked Hermione to move in with him while he was still billeted in the Burrow because he only asked recently, so being forced to live in the Burrow is not the reason why Hermione had not responded favorably with the proposal of Ron.
Then again, it may also have something to do with Ron running back to the Burrow every chance he could get.
At that moment, the door to the aurors office opened again, and both Harry and Ron turned their attention toward the direction of the same just in time to watch as Hermione entered the room. She turned to regard the two of them before a weird expression appeared on her face, and Harry noticed that she was intentionally ignoring Ron, "Good, you're here," she said, giving Harry a nod that made him frown, though before he could act on the same, Hermione continued, "I need to talk to you and your companion about visiting the scene of the crime."
E/N: As always, the next two chapters are available through p atreon