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Almosts Lost to Time
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The realization that she couldn't keep going the way she was, Rynan knew she had made the right decision. Though she was reelected, she had come to an agreement with Kingsley and the Prime Minister so that when the session ended, Percy would be replacing her as the magical liaison in the muggle world. They both approved and her job was to integrate him into her team so when it came time to announce her retirement, he would be the obvious replacement. It went flawlessly and she had no regrets stepping down and handing the reigns to him. If she was honest with herself, she had no idea why she entered politics to begin with.
It was a welcomed relief. While she liked working and setting up programs to help children and veterans, the job had begun to weigh on her. That environment wasn't suited for her. She was never one for bureaucrats, it was a wonder she survived as long as she did!
Her first stop as a retiree? Visiting a fellow retiree in Southwest England to see if he was up for some reminiscing about his travels.
She had done some research on Mr. Newt Scamander after her failed tracking mission to the US back in 2007. She knew that if there was one person who could help her, it was him. His books were a testament to that. She needed advice. The last few years had done nothing but highlight her severe lack of knowledge on the diversity of magic. There was so much more out there to learn and if she was on some psycho's hit list again, it would be in her best interest to learn as much as she could.
Newt had not only traveled all over the world, he had interacted with the different magics utilized and manipulated by the various societies. She was coming to learn that no two countries practiced magic the same. While he probably couldn't help her with the magic portion, he was sure to be able to push her where to go. Learning about the various creatures, plants, and sacred grounds was just another part of the immersion he would've had to take when searching for his creatures.
He welcomed her into his home. Her exploits had reached even his old ears. Tales of dragon rescues, basilisk slaying, and house elf befriending had sparked an interest in her beyond her propagated image. Luna also helped increase his interest in him her. His granddaughter-in-law thought very highly of the last Potter. She had asked him to help her old friend in her quest to learn the different types of magics across the world.
It only took him an evening to understand and conclude that he genuinely liked Rynan Potter. He recounted his memorable travels to her. Detailing the places that would serve her purpose. The deserts of Egypt held secrets of magic that still eluded desperate historians; the Jaadoogar of the Ganges who used ancestral magic and where reincarnation dominated the culture with necromancy being freely taught; Uagadou, where the best scholars in Alchemy and Self-Transfiguration taught; the depths of the Amazon Rainforest where every herbologist and magizoologist dreamed of going; the volcanic peaks and chaotic whirlpools of Japan where elementals dictate the weather to keep curious muggles away; or the Outback, a persevered culture that had remained unchanged for centuries but where the practitioners were wary of outsiders.
If she wanted to learn wandless magic, it would be best to travel to Africa and North America, where the native cultures and tribes still practiced wandless magic. Children, from a young age, were taught to control their magic and manipulate it to their will. Rarely, if any, go on to acquire wands. Most do if they are traveling to different countries where wand registry is mandatory. He had learned that wandless magic, according to some traditions, reflected the intentions of the wizard or witch which was why many of the people native to those lands held a distrust of wands. With her ability to perform some wandless magic, she shouldn't find it too hard to learn how to properly control it. Being able to perform nonverbal spells was an essential part of being an Auror in MACUSA and, according to Ron, England.
It was actually Tina who made the suggestion that the best place to learn offensive magic was in the United States. With the strict laws MACUSA had enforced over the years and the increase in traffickers and black-market activity, the Aurors in the US needed to be highly skilled in defense if they wanted to do their job and survive.
With her options limitless, Rynan decided to visit Uagadou first. Their wandless ability was what she needed to learn before anything else. She had been caught out too many times without her wand and a few of those times could've resulted in her death. She couldn't keep relying on uncontrolled bursts of magic to save her.
Teddy, having another year until he could attend Hogwarts, journeyed with his godmother.
There were certain perks to being a national hero. She had all the permits and registration forms filled out before she even left the country and had international portkeys available for all the places she planned to visit. Rynan planned to come back from this journey stronger than ever.
/
Spending a year abroad was a completely different adventure and a more enjoyable one than any of her previous ones. She loved being away from the crowds, it was just her and Teddy, no expectations, just a godmother and her godson.
Rynan and Teddy were in Arizona on a side trip to find a nest of Thunderbirds when her old mirror from Sirius began to vibrate persistently. Pulling Teddy away from the edge of the Grand Canyon for the third time, Rynan kept a firm hold on his collar as she fished the mirror out of her bag. It was Hermione.
"Evening 'Mione. What's up? Why didn't you call me?" Rynan inquired. The best friends usually used cellphones to communicate, it helped for when they were in a muggle area. For muggles, it wasn't considered normal to talk to a mirror...who knew?
Rynan could see Hermione's face go red. "For your information Rynan Lily Potter, I have called you a total of EIGHT times and each time the call refused to go through! I went straight to voicemail!"
Oh…that wasn't good. Sheepishly, Rynan tried to fix her mistake. "Er...I must not get service out here. Teddy and me are pretty deep in the desert."
"Is that Hermione! Tell her about how I saved that S-." The adolescent was cut off by his impatient guardian.
"Yes, I'll be sure to tell her all about how you almost fell into the Canyon, THREE times." Exasperation laced every word as Rynan wondered if this is what McGonagall felt like every time she had step foot in her office.
"Rynan." The seriousness in her friend's voice grabbed Rynan's attention. Hermione had something important to tell her. "There was an assassination."
"And?!" Hope swelled in her chest. It had been years since anything had popped up. She was also weary. There had been some unrest in Britain with the recent passing of the Equal Right's Werewolf Act, shortened to Lupin's Law. Quite a few in the old crowd had been fundamental in the legislation and passing of it.
"It matches his MO and a SHIELD agent was involved. It's not definitive, but with the involvement of SHIELD, it's a high probability that this was the work of the Winter Soldier." Hermione's eyes flickered to her left, Ron must be with her. "I know you were planning to spend a few more weeks abroad but we are working on limited time. It could be years before our next lead."
Rynan didn't even have to think about it. She had spent the last few months preparing for this moment. They had never figured out why HYDRA had targeted her but they all knew they would try again. Hopefully, with this information, they could take the fight to HYDRA.
"We'll be home in 6 hours." Hermione nodded before signing off.
"Did Hermione find James?" Teddy had only heard part of the conversation, too put off that his godmother had brought up those incidents…it was a total accident!
Rynan wasn't sure what to think, all these years, waiting for a lead and now she had one. It was impossible to believe.
"Yeah, er…sorry kiddo, trips cut short. I'll make it up to you, promise." She knew Teddy was going to be disappointed. He had been looking forward to visiting the Shapeshifters of the Northwest.
The harsh desert sun was beating down on the duo. Rynan felt sweat sliding down her shirt and she knew not all of it was from the heat. She was anxious, if they pulled this off, there was a chance that they would be pulled into another war. She wasn't sure if she was prepared for that. She was different from her seventeen-year-old self, she had more to lose now. It was different, times were different. She was pulled into the war as a child because the adults refused to do their job. But they were the adults now and she could understand some of the challenges Dumbledore had faced with them. Like him, she had the knowledge and ability to do something but in doing so, she would expose Teddy to a life she didn't want him to live. He had already seen too much. Exposing this information to those outside their grouped risked it getting leaked and they couldn't lose any upper hand they had just like Dumbledore couldn't risk information about the Order getting out. So maybe she needed to have another conversation with the former headmaster.
Her inner battle continued as she apparated them to LAX, where MACUSA had the floo network connected for cross-continent travel. It was annoying, the rules of MACUSA, the paperwork was highly unnecessary but at least her friendship with Bernard got her along faster than others. She nodded to him as he handed her the documents for the international portkey. Signing her and Teddy's name, she was still struggling with her thoughts as Teddy rattled off to Bernie about where he'd been. Bernie laughed and congratulated the kid before he had to remind him to take hold of the CD unless he wanted to be left behind.
Her landing was rough, she had never got the hang of landing, something George was quick to make fun of her about when he saw it. Fortunately, Ron was there to balance her before she face planted into the ground.
"Most powerful witch of her generation and you still can't use a portkey right." He teased her. She responded with a gesture Teddy couldn't see but based on the gasp from an older witch passing by, it wasn't very nice. "Pleasant as ever." Gesturing to follow him, Ron started off to the elevator. "Mione's been working nonstop since she called you. She got a few names she had cross-referenced from previous reports. I sent a few Aurors out to trail the guys but not engage."
Rynan gave a nervous look at that. "Should we be involving the Ministry so soon? We don't want to chance exposing our world."
Ron waved off her concerns. "They're some of the best in espionage. They're muggleborn so they know how to blend in."
Rynan wasn't entirely convinced but she also struggled to let others in and help. She would trust their judgment with this.
Closing the elevator doors, they began the decent to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Why're we going to your office?" Rynan had fidgeted the entire time in the small elevator. She had noticed that they were going the wrong way to get to Hermione's suite.
Ron gave her a worrying look. He could tell that she was troubled by the news, they all were, but she was really spacing out. Over the years he had picked up on the few tells Rynan showed when she was worried or nervous. "We didn't think this conversation should be something Teddy should hear. We're taking him to my office so he can't get into anything while we talk."
She could've slapped herself for not thinking about that. "Um, yeah, that's a really good idea."
Teddy was ready to put up a fight when he heard he was getting left behind. He had traveled all around the world, he was old enough to hear whatever it was they had to say about James!
"That's completely not fair! I deserve-."
"Middle-right drawer, my candy stash is all yours." Ron interrupted before Teddy could go any further. There were no arguments after that. They left the sugar high ten-year-old locked in Ron's office as they took off to their meeting.
It wasn't a long walk between the couple's offices but it was enough of a distance Ron knew he couldn't finish the conversation he wanted to have with Rynan.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable but Rynan just couldn't stand it anymore. "You know you can't bribe your kid with candy to get them to do what you want, right?" Her eyes crinkled in amusement as she imagined Ron chasing after little Rosie with candy.
"Well Rose isn't old enough to bride yet. She just eats and cries. Honestly, you had it easy with Teddy. He was already eating solid foods and sleeping through the night when he came to stay with you. Rosie has us up four times a night and every time I feed her she spits it up all over me!" Ron practically wailed, moaning in despair about the troubles of a new baby.
She found herself bending over, not even trying to control her laughter. His face was priceless but she conceded; he was right about Teddy. By the time he came into her custody he was way past that stage and was almost potty trained. Tonks and Remus had been amazing parents to Teddy and Andromeda was an even better Grandma. There wasn't much work she had to do by then.
"Just be thankful she doesn't have a twin. Remember when Freddie and Roxxy were that age? Your mom was over there every weekend helping them!" Ron's face went white at the possibility…never, they were never having twins!
They stopped outside the office for the Deputy Head of Magical Law Enforcement. It was just weird to think that Ron was technically the boss of Hermione but they both knew that in a few years their little know-it-all would be vying for the top position and there were no questions that she would get it.
"Honestly you two, stop loitering and come in!" Hermione's exhausted voice rang out. Apparently, they had taken too long to enter.
Opening the door, Ron let Rynan in before following and closing it with a wave of his wand and a silencing spell. Wasting no time, Rynan went straight to the notes splayed across the desk. Hermione had notes on the scientist, the shooting victim, SHIELD deployment, and the suspected HYDRA agents she had crossed referenced as being suspiciously near previous episodes of suspected HYDRA activity.
Rynan held the notes with the information of Dr. Ameer AlJahni, studying what exactly could've drawn Hydra's interest. "Why exactly was an Iranian scientist assassinated? I didn't think Iran had nuclear weapons?" She pulled all relevant information about Iran over, looking over anything that could've changed in the last year while she was away.
Hermione sat down as she pushed the information Rynan was looking for towards her. She had been able to follow an email and phone conversation trail that alluded to why AlJahni may have been targeted. It hadn't been easy getting this information.
"Officially, they don't. But Ameer AlJahni, a nuclear engineer, was pretty high up in the program and if the rumors are correct, was defecting and willing to sell information for protection. SHIELD was called in to get him out and to Geneva safely. If there was confirmation of nuclear weapons in Iran, the UN would have no choice but to act against them. Troops would be pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan."
"But why kill him? Isn't that what HYDRA does? Create as much destruction as possible?" Ron didn't really know what nuclear weapons were but he was able to grasp the importance of them.
Rynan was quiet for a moment. She hadn't heard anything about Iran from her contacts when she was still an MP but that didn't mean anything. They had often received information late concerning the Middle East. "What if they were doing more than nuclear weapons? What if Hydra is working with Iran?"
"There's nothing more powerful to create yet, at least of whats been discovered. And that's impossible; they wouldn't be able to hide a connection like that. Someone would notice if there was a shadow government." Thoughts immediately went to their year on the run when Thicknesse was the Minister.
"But it's simpler than that." Ron interrupted. He had been trained to think like the enemy for years. This was why he was seeing it before the girls. "They didn't want SHIELD to have him. No one wants their enemy to have the advantage. This Ameer would've been useful to SHIELD, no?"
Would he really have been that useful? There were hundreds of other scientists out there with nuclear knowledge, many of them already working with SHIELD. His conclusion made sense when looking at the bigger picture but Rynan couldn't help the feeling that they may be missing something.
"So they're eliminating anyone that may pose a threat to their plans, present or future?" So dropping off the face of the earth for the past few months had actually been a good thing. Get her off their radar for the time being.
Hermione moved forward with the conversation. They were here to discuss Hydra's reasoning. She pulled out a new set of photos and set them in front of Rynan. Ron leaned forward on the desk to get a better look as well.
"I was able to pull satellite feed from nearby satellites and found these pictures from that time frame. They were shot in Odessa. Here's a picture of the car traveling north and with the delay we now see the car here." She pointed to the dark pile at the bottom of a cliff.
That looks like a long drop. How they initially survived it was a miracle.
"By all accounts, the two survived the crash. A single gunshot to the heart is the cause of death for Dr. AlJahni."
"James." Rynan knew right away this was where Hermione had connected the dots. The range and target could only have been taken by an expert sniper who was able to move without being seen. She had only been able to get a single, grainy photo of the perpetrator but Rynan could make out the glimmer of metal on the left side of the assassin.
"That was my conclusion."
Ron was studying the pictures, trying to put himself there in Odessa. "How do you know the SHIELD agent survived?"
Here Hermione blushed. "I hacked into SHIELD servers and found the report before they were able to block access. The agent was stated to be in the hospital but in stable condition."
Rynan gave her an impressed look. She was getting better at hacking into secure servers. "You'll have to be careful. If they know someone is hacking into their servers, they may set up some spyware to try and track you."
Their bushy haired friend sent her a smug smirk. "I also left them a little surprise." She went on to explain what exactly she had done to get this information.
She had located what she believed to be active bases of HYDRA but couldn't say for sure how many total there were. She had implemented viruses into both the Chinese and Russian satellites that had been orbiting the area around the time of the attack. The activity on the surrounding buildings painted a picture of where these people had been located. She would never have made the connection without the information provided by both satellites and the pictures a freelance photojournalist had uploaded.
Hermione figured that HYDRA had to be in control of multiple air force bases or airports to be able to accomplish their missions. It would be hard but not impossible to get James onto a plane with no questions asked. With an organization like HYDRA though, Hermione knew they wouldn't want to take chances like that. They had to have their own bases. This was why she focused on the active air force base in Odessa and Melitpolo. Both were on the coast and provided easy access to the Middle East if their theory was correct about HYDRA supplying the Iraqi War.
Hermione wasn't only the brightest witch of her generation, she also graduated at the top her class at university. Over the years, the internet had become like a second brain for her. While she didn't agree with hacking government websites, her loyalty to Rynan trumped governmental secrets.
"This is brilliant!" Rynan knew Hermione was intelligent but this was just something else. "You did all this…in two days?"
"Remember how you talked with that computer scientist about setting up tracers and certain key words or actions to track the mental health of returning troops? You were researching the benefit of more intervention in veteran mental health?" Seeing the two nod, she continued. "I used that same concept but created a program that would alert me to any activity that matched Hydra or the Winter Soldier's methods."
"Wouldn't that generate a lot of hits though?"
"While originally, yes, I created an algorithm and input a function of probability and statistical significance to narrow the results to within a 95% value so I had something manageable to work with. I have only gotten 12 results since I set it up."
All of that went over the Rynan and Ron's heads but they knew Hermione was a genius. Hermione gathered up the scattered papers and spoke to the two as she cleared up her office.
"I suggest you get Teddy," she directed to Rynan before turning to her husband. "And you can pick up Rosie from the Burrow. I start setting everything up in my office at home."
Wrapping up their meeting and signaling their departure to Auror Carmichael, the trio left to do as instructed.
With all the new information, Rynan had forgotten her previous apprehension about going after Hydra. Hermione had instilled a new confidence in her soul, a thought that they might be able to avoid an all-out war against the terrorist group.
Teddy was happy with the news when they made it to the Weasley-Granger household. Since Hermione had narrowed the possible suspects to the two air bases, the flight manifests with the actual arrival and departures needed to be sorted through to find the two abnormalities. This was something delegated to Rynan and Teddy as Ron took care of feeding, bathing, and putting Rose to sleep.
Rynan was pacing around as Hermione gathered the information for them to look over. "And you're sure MI6 can't track this? I don't need you getting arrested for helping me. My connections can only go so far and this breaches so many of them already." She was worried and Hermione could hear it in her frantic pacing. Enough time had passed that her earlier conviction and confidence had waned. Back was her apprehension and anxiety.
Hermione threw her friend an irritated look. "Yes, I'm sure. I've thrown in separate viruses, with no commonality, at the various servers. I've also scrambled our signal even though I'm operating on a DNS. When they go to trace it, they'll think the perpetrators are in Italy and Turkey, if they can even get that far. I'll be surprised if they even connect the two attacks."
Rynan stared at her friend in slight fear. She was glad Hermione was on her side and not bent on world domination because she would succeed, without a doubt.
The list wasn't as extensive as a normal airport but it still took a few hours to go over the patterns of daily flights and days to search the records of two weeks before and after the attack. It was well into the morning when Rynan finally saw the two flight patterns. It wasn't easy to spot as the flights were actually on the manifest. What gave it away was the model. No planes on the base were that new and when she followed the flight paths, its final destination was Washington DC. She went over it again and saw the arrival, though it made two stops before, had also left DC. She didn't believe that to be a coincidence, not when DC had been on their list of potential bases for years.
Something else caught her eye. Washington DC was the headquarters for SHIELD, the organization that grew from the now defunct SSR. The same SSR that took on HYDRA during WWII. It looked like DC just jumped to #1 on her places to visit list.
Content that she had finally had a break through, she circled the flights and joined Teddy, who had fallen asleep on her bed, for a little shut-eye.
Things were looking up.
/
September 1st arrived faster than anyone realized or liked. Rynan wasn't ready to let go of Teddy to Hogwarts but she knew she had to. He would have the time of his life there and he would finally be able to make friends his own age.
Teddy Lupin was hopping around like it was Christmas morning and Rynan couldn't keep the smile off her face at the sheer joy radiating off her godson. He had been waiting for this day for months, ever since he had gotten his letter over the summer.
It was 9 o'clock on the dot when the floo went off, signaling Andromeda's arrival. The two adults watched as the young metamorphmagus ran around making sure he packed everything, grabbing a pancake every time he passed the kitchen table.
"Granma!" Mouth full and crumbs falling out of his mouth, Teddy greeted Andy as he rushed by looking for his pictures of the past year.
Rynan took a seat at the counter with a hot cup of tea. "He's been up since 5:30 like this. It was hell getting him to go to bed last night, I almost tied him down."
Andy laughed. She remembered when it came time for Nymphadora to go to Hogwarts. Nothing could keep that girl calm. "He gets it from his mother you know. I just hope Minerva is prepared for him. Merlin knows they weren't for Nymphadora."
Andy poured herself her own cup of tea, taking the time to properly study Rynan. The circles under her eyes were darker and she could see the visible sag in the young girl's body. She was exhausted. She could also see how her shirt was slightly looser on her. She wasn't taking care of herself.
"I expect the woman taking care of my grandson to take better care of herself." Andy, blunt as ever, surprised Rynan with her out-of-the-blue statement. She knew what she was talking about though.
"It's been a rough couple of weeks since we got back from America. It's sorted out now." She tried to placate the woman who had integrated herself into her life.
"You may forget, but I also lost my husband. Disappearing with hardly any word only to find out of his death weeks later." Seeing Rynan flinch at that, the former Black realized she could've stated that differently. "What I mean, is that you can talk to me and I'll understand. I won't give you false hope but you need to take care of yourself. You're no use to anyone half dead."
Silence permeated the room as Rynan thought about Andy's words. She was right but there was also-
"Do you think I made the right decision? With Teddy?"
"About taking him in? You're about eight years too late to back out now. If you're talking about whatever it is you and your accomplices are getting up to, that's your call. See, that's what it means to be a parent. You have to make a decision. No one can tell you if it's the right or wrong one. We're not perfect and you'll clash heads with him eventually but what matters is that you try. Dora and I didn't see eye to eye on her becoming an Auror but she was a damn good one. We do what we think is best for our children." With her parenting advice imparted, Andy took off to find her grandson. Rynan watched her walk away, thinking on her words.
"Edward Remus Lupin, you have 5 minutes and we are leaving! …I don't care if you can't find your Chocolate Frog collection. You will not embarrass your godmother and I by making us late. And for Merlin's sake, act like you were raised with some manners and stop running around with food in your mouth!" Andy scowled her grandson who actually stopped running around and took the time to properly chew and swallow his breakfast.
A smile found its way onto Rynan's tired face. While Teddy had gotten her up at 5:30, she hadn't gotten to bed until 2ish. But she wasn't about to ruin the best day of her godson's life.
With a quick summoning spell, Rynan had all of Teddy's things downstairs and packed away into his trunk. She was very liberal in her use of magic around Teddy. She had even taught him a few useful spells once they got his wand, though he had been using wandless magic all throughout their travels the previous months.
Once Teddy was inspected and deemed presentable by Andy, Rynan apparated the three of them to Kings Cross. Platform 9 ¾ was one place Teddy had never been and was just as excited about visiting. The two adults let him enter by himself, following at a more sedate pace.
It was still as breathtaking as ever. Rynan remembered her first time stepping through that barrier and thinking about how different her life was about to be. The gleaming red Hogwarts Express sat puffing plumes of smoke and the sounds of families saying their goodbyes and friends greeting each other filled the air. There were several whispers that followed the trio as they recognized Rynan but thankfully no one approached her.
Rynan went on ahead to place Teddy's trunk on the train to give grandmother and grandson time to say their goodbyes. She didn't recognize any of these people but that was predictable; no one her age had children old enough to attend Hogwarts yet. If she slipped a certain map into his trunk, well, it was his birthright and she no longer had any use for it.
Heading back, she was able to catch the final hug before Teddy came to say goodbye.
Crouching down so she could speak to him, Rynan started her speech, vowing not to cry. "Now, I don't want to be hearing from Professor McGonagall about you misbehaving. I expect to receive a letter once a week, I don't care what it's about. Don't eat too much chocolate and please try to eat your vegetables."
"I know Aunt Ry. Granma already gave me this speech." Teddy rolled his eyes.
"Well, I expect you to listen to me as well." Rynan huffed, playing around with him. "Be sure to make lots of friends and have fun. I'll see you at Christmas." Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes and her voice slightly cracked. She didn't think it would be this hard to see Teddy off.
"I will. " Teddy wrapped his arms around his godmother, tightening them as he also willed away his tears. "I love you."
"I love you to, little cub." Pulling away and composing themselves, Rynan watched as he grabbed his bag and took off to board the train.
"He'll be fine." A voice behind her spoke. Andy had moved to her side when Teddy boarded the train. "He has the best of his parents and you raised him. I expect him to be making friends before the train even departs."
Rynan wiped the wetness from her eyes as she continued to stare at the train. "Merlin, how are you so calm? You make this look so easy."
Andy let out a laugh. Being raised a Black had left a mark it seems. "You're doing well, better than Ted even did. He was balling his eyes out by the time Dora boarded the train."
It served its purpose. Rynan barked out a laugh, any traces of tears gone. And right on time. They spotted Teddy leaning out a nearby window, frantically waving goodbye and pointing at his new friend. Andy and Rynan could do nothing but smile. Like the rest of the parents, they waited until the train had left the station before making their way out.
They had a lunch appointment and a discussion Andy thought was long overdue.
/
The house was quiet when she got home later in the day. There was still evidence of the earlier disaster but nothing a quick charm couldn't fix. Instead, Rynan opted to pick everything up by hand. She didn't think it would be that hard to see him off. It was going to be a change, for both of them. She knew eventually things would have to change, she just wished it didn't feel like he was growing up so fast.
Placing everything neatly in his bedroom and closing the door, she dragged her body into her study. She was tired but she knew sleep would elude her if she tried. It was better to be productive than waste her time trying to sleep.
Kingsley had asked her to come in and help train the new Auror's coming through the Academy. He knew if things had been different, she would've joined the Aurors right after the war; she was one of the best fighters he had. He also knew she had the free time, now that Teddy was at school. He was hoping he could somehow convince her to join but he wasn't holding out hope. She did agree to help though, which was why she was in her study going over plans: what spells they should know, tactics, stamina, basic combat, and advanced spell chaining.
After their initial breakthrough, things had slowed down. Hermione and Ron had their jobs and daughter to worry about. And Rynan was okay with that, she understood completely.
She knew spending all her time focused on this was unhealthy which was why she spent more time with Teddy before he left and took Kingsley up on his offer. The Department of Mysteries had also offered her a job that she was still on the ropes about accepting. Her first visit hadn't exactly been something she cared to remember too fondly, if at all.
So that's how she spent her time. Keeping busy with the Aurors helped her sleep better and she had gained back the weight she had lost. She was happy. She hadn't realized just how stressful it had been living in both worlds. It was like living two separate lives.
She still kept in contact with her muggle colleagues. She was still the wizard representative in MI6, though her time there had dwindled in recent years. She was currently training an Auror, Mattis, to take over for her. He only needed a few more months of training before he was ready.
Before she knew it, Christmas break was upon them and she was at Platform 9 ¾ to pick up an excited Teddy. She was almost plowed down with the force of his hug but she returned it in kind. She had missed him. Grabbing his bag, she apparated them home, knowing he would want to tell her all about Hogwarts and decorate the house, per tradition.
She wasn't disappointed. He had stories to tell, none quite as adventurous as taking on a troll but they were pretty daring especially since he had found the Marauders' Map. Fortunately, she had only received two letters from McGonagall. He was top in a few of his classes the exceptions being transfiguration and herbology. He was a natural at Charms and DADA according to the professors.
"Your godmother must have been teaching you everything you now. You are exceptionally talented at Potions, just as she was." Teddy recited what Slughorn said to him after a few weeks of class.
Rynan just stared at him when she heard that. To her knowledge, Tonks nor Remus had been particularly gifted in Potions and she had never brewed Potions at home for Teddy to learn and she sure as hell was not 'exceptionally talented' in Potions. It was great to hear though. She couldn't have been prouder.
Being in Hufflepuff was worrisome for her. He was right next to the kitchens and she knew how he could be. She would have to write McGonagall to tell the house elves to limit the amount of chocolate they give the child. She could only imagine the cavities and sugar highs he was sure to get. She had learned at a young age that too much sugar caused his abilities to start malfunctioning seeing as his focus decreased unconsciously.
They finished putting up the last decorations right as Andy arrived. They were having a small Christmas together this year before they went to the family dinner at the Weasley's. The holidays seemed to be the only time everyone could get together so Rynan made sure she could always attend them. Teddy also couldn't wait to tell Victoire all about Hogwarts. He would be the only one in the family attending school for the next two years so he had a while before they could join him.
Just like that, Christmas holidays were over and Teddy was back to school. Rynan, much to the dismay of Hermione, turned down the job offer from the Department of Mysteries. She knew she would probably like it but there were too many restrictions and no one knew exactly what was conducted within those rooms. Ron had been glad when he heard of her decision; he still had the scars from the brains.
The time she wasn't training the new Aurors was spent collecting the data Hermione had collected from her program. At her insistence, Hermione had shown her how the program worked and how to change the parameters for a new search.
She spent most evenings going over everything, which involved pulling up everything they knew about HYDRA. She had added a new room to her house that was dedicated to this research with a chalkboard spanning the far wall. While the research was geared towards finding James, she was also searching to see if HYDRA knew about their world. That was their biggest threat at the moment. They were pretty positive they didn't but they wanted to make sure. If there was any mention of witches and wizards in any of the files they found, Kingsley would be alerted and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would be put on alert as the entire ministry was interviewed.
It was towards the end of March when they felt they had all the evidence they could get on not only the attack but HYDRA's past. If they were going to do this, they were going to be prepared; they weren't going in making plans up as they went, not like what they did with Voldemort. It was fairly easy to trace HYDRA's activities throughout the decades. They just had to find the highest profile murders that were currently unsolved or surrounded in suspicious circumstances. The memories James shared with her, following the movement of ex-KGB members abroad, and known HYDRA agents simplified what would've taken years to connect. It also helped when Ron looked at the data. His mind was able to piece together strategies that were able to predict future movements. If nothing else, Ron had certainly earned his place as Head Auror with his tactical mind.
"Bloody hell!" Rynan cursed as she organized the information.
She was connecting the dots and her anger grew with every revelation. She couldn't believe that SHIELD had recruited HYDRA scientists! She knew the name Zola; how could she not when James had been captured and experimented on by him. He was a frequent occupant in his nightmares, so much so that Rynan eventually caved and asked why he recited his name and military number in his sleep. So yes, Rynan was very familiar with the name Arnim Zola.
When she tried to follow his movements after he was captured, she hit a dead end with his death in 1973. She worked her way back, trying to find any projects he had been connected to but she hit a dead end each time; the files were secured by SHIELD firewalls and encryption. They couldn't risk tipping them off so the files had to wait. She saw that he had frequent conferences in Eastern Europe for almost two decades after the war. This was where her connections to the Russian Ministry came in handy. Anton, an old acquaintance, was able to acquire the files she needed from that time period. It seems the top officials hadn't trusted the former Nazi turned American scientist and had him monitored whenever he visited. The monitoring had been a highly classified operation, only known to Stalin and later Khrushchev along with the single agent monitoring Zola. It appeared the leaders knew HYDRA was festering somewhere in their ranks. She connected Zola to no less than three bases James had remembered operating at.
Looking over the files, Rynan wanted to kiss whoever had been in charge of this operation. They were phenomenal at gathering the intelligence, placing the names and occupations of the men in all pictures. It made her job a million times easier. She now had a web of connections that would help her take down HYDRA. If she couldn't convince others to help then she would go on a one-woman crusade.
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I don't think I put in a disclaimer before so here it is: I do not own Harry Potter or Marvel.
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