In a Tower overlooking Central Park, a Woman wearing a scarlet red latex catsuit, looked out her lofty window as the sun set.
"Tell me, Ten of Hearts, what information you have for me."
"Mistress. It distresses me to report that I have found nothing." the young woman in a 'candy apple red' suit knelt not three feet from the woman. A Heart on her lapel and a '10' tie pin denoted her rank and position. "Almost as much as it distresses that there is someone, somewhere that can hide their presence from our Eyes and Ears." She looked up from where she knelt, "Every trail I think I find runs cold, loops back into my search, or deadends with a stupid children's website for Alice in Wonderland."
The Scarlet woman snapped about. "Alice in Wonderland?" She snapped, with a gesture for the 'girl' to stand. "As in the Red Queen and her Suits? Soldiers that are playing Cards?"
The young woman touched her tie… Her eyes grew large, "Oh Shit." Her tablet came up, and she tapped out a few things. "Here it is." She did something and made a throwing motion at a big screen across the room.
The Screen bloomed to show a blond teen in a blue dress that was common around 1900. A two toned purple Cat floated over her shoulder, as she picked her way through a rose bush based maze. At the Top of the Page;
Alice's Adventures
Coming to an Arena near you!
At the bottom was contact information and concert data… three years old.
"Whatever you do," the Boss hissed, "DO NOT click on the Cat!"
"Why?" the tech girl asked.
"There is a reason I chose the Red Queen and her Suits for my Organisation. She was a bloodthirsty bitch. And of the minions directly under Her, numbering Fifty-two. If I took such pains in the building of my outfit, what do you think someone, who can match, if not beat your skills, could do… would do with a web page like this one? Now filling in my ranks has taken me some time. I fear that Ten is as high as you are going for now. I need a Queen of Hearts, but you are showing a lack of seeing the big picture. Hopefully you will improve in the next year. My Aces have commented that you have improved my IT systems and tightened my Cyber-Security. I am thinking of pulling you from the Suits, but where to put you?"
"Ma'am." the Suit swallowed. "A word that strikes fear into the Hacker community, that has an origin in the tales of Alice… The Jabberwocky. A beast that was at the command of the Red Queen." She Frowned, "But The Red Queen was the Queen of Hearts… was she not?"
"Yes." The Rubber Suited woman turned back to the Window. "But If I took the Queen of Hearts… then the Aces and Kings might think they were Ranked above me."
"Of Course my Empress." Ten bowed. "I also kept an Eye and an Ear out looking for the Five that were delivered on that plane. It took hacking the computers of the back gate cameras, but found a Van service that arrived just before the Plane touched down, and left just after. I traced the driver himself, and found him off shift at a bar. A bit of Rex's help, and I had him talking. He drove them to a storage warehouse in the south of Queens. I sent an Eye to look it over. The place has some damn good Security, but after three days of watching, only this man is seen entering or exiting the building." A picture of a scared man in a patched and threadbare overcoat and rumpled fedora stood shivering on the corner waiting for a cab. "As for what is happening inside… All I can say is it's very good Security."
"Post an Eye and an Ear on the place. Have a second set follow this poor fellow about."
HPRQ
Harry finished tack-welding an iron rod to the three inch orb of steel. He then turned and placed the orb into the box-forge, and allowed it to sit in the flames of hell. He stepped back, and grabbed his sports bottle and took a mouthful of water. He was working in the Forge today.
Hermione was next door, in the wood shop. Today she was crafting a walking stick. Something to get her some skill and to act as a walking aid. He could hear her using the 'pedal lathe' as to the 'power lathe'. It gave them the faster and smoother carving of the power lathe, but it also required them to be a part of the process more.
He smiled, as he took another mouthful, slung his water bottle, and drew out the glowing while orb of steel. He crossed to the 'pedal powered' power hammer, and after a few pumps to spin up the flywheel, he fed the orb into the Slamming machine. First he squared up the orb, then he drew it out until it lost its cherry glow, and he returned it to the flames in the box.
"Have you decided on what you are going to make?" Dan sat on a stool watching the lad work up a sweat.
"No." Harry smiled at his watcher. They always had an adult watcher when they were crafting. No matter what they were crafting. "The Steel has not told me yet. I am leaning towards a Palm-Katar, but It is not feeling complete."
"Have you thought about Damascus?"
"More than one metal?" Harry moved his bilit in the flames to judge the colour. "What should I use?'
"If you cube what you got and allow them to cool enough… you should find a handful of cubes in the third drawer." Dan sipped his coffee.
Harry opened the third drawer… and found rough inch cubes of a darker metal. He nodded and dropped three of them on the counter, before closing the drawer and drawing the red steel from the flames. Using a cutting tool he spun up the power hammer and cubed his steel. Using two sets of tongs, he aligned his cubes up, tacked them into a two by three bilit and fluxed them. Into the flames they went. He pounded it out and folded it over, using the power hammer. He heated it again, and then pounded it into shape.
At first it was a Tee shape… but the handle wanted to be both that of a palm Katar and a regular dagger. But then the blade wanted to be long… and snake shaped. When he was done he had an eight inch kris blade, with a full tang and punch hilt. (think the knife that Ivan had in 'the Kingsman' with a wavy blade.) He wrapped the hilt in black paracord and slid it home in a black leather sheath.
It took him three days to make all of it.
Hermione, meanwhile using a tree branch cut to little over four feet, trimmed it to a diameter of two inches, except the head that she kept at three. She then sanded it smooth. Then she marked it… the head, she left eight inches. Every other inch after that was shaved down one half of a centimetre.
Taking up a hammer and chisel, she began to carve cat faces into the larger orbs of the shaft. For the top two feet she perfected her carving skill. The lower twelve orbs she marked and carved for strength, hardness, and indestructibility. The Last two she left incomplete…
Then She resanded everything and set it to dry.
It took her three days.
Harry frowned at the two items on the bench. They had taken just about the same amount of time, and while he was smaller, he had finished the blade and the leather sheath.
"Why did mine take as long as yours?" Hermione asked with a smirk. "What if I told you that I was not finished?"
"What more is there to do?"
"Concealed sword blade in the cane? Stain and finish the wood?" she grinned at him. "Not to mention the runes are incomplete."
Harry nodded. "Our current box forge can not do more than eighteen inches, blade and hilt. Will need to talk to Dan about getting a bigger forge if you want to do a full sword. But a dagger, or better yet, a stiletto for now…"
"That works for me." Hermione nodded her furry head. She had taken to wearing her kitty-face when just her and Harry. Infact, the only time she wore her human face was when they went out. Given that they had not gone out for the last two weeks, she was a complete 'furry'.
Harry grinned at her. "Well, I do know about you, but I need a good romp and a nap. Race you to the roof?"
Hermione kitty kissed him by rubbing the area just before her ears along his jaw. [One is agreeable. A bath in the sun just before a cuddle…] she shimmered as she became a twenty pound cocoa brown striped kneazle and bolted from the workshop area.
"You Witch!" Harry roared as he drew on his inner puma. As destructive as he was inside when he was chasing her tail as the black feline answer to Fenrir Greyback, he was even worse as an owl or gryphon. Emma had seen the mess the first and only time he had donned his owl form, a beauty twice the size of Hedwig and the reverse of her colouring, and put her foot down. He was allowed to fly at night, and hunt with Hedwig, but the snowy was the only bird allowed inside, and only in the loft.
Where his powerful build and longer stride was faster in straight lines, she could corner better, and fit through holes, forcing him to take the long way around.
As she hit the catflap that allowed her and Crookshanks access to the kitchen from the deck area, he caught her with a swat of massive paw, sending her rolling across the stained and sealed wooden 2x6s, into the grass of the roof-top lawn before he pounced and pinned her in the sun drenched Green.
[A Bath One wants…] the puma rumbled, [ A Bath One gets!] His large wet and rough tongue swept down raking her silky fur from her haunches to between her ears. Not only was he rough, wet, but he was also stroking her the wrong way. That he was bathing her as one cat to another ment that he knew that he was rubbing her the wrong way!
Hermione could do nothing but yeowl, and take it, as he pinned her down and licked her.
Emma yelled out her bedroom window, "Damn cats!" but when she looked outside, she started laughing. "Knight! Get off her! You do anything beyond lick her, and I will neuter you myself!"
The Black beast just licked his chops, as he sat back, lifting his paw from the smaller cat. He then began to clean said paw. He then stretched, made a show of circling a spot before dropping into a feline sprawl… before rolling over and pinning Hermione under his paw again. This time he drew her to his chest, and he licked her from ear to shoulder, then from shoulder to haunch, before 'hugging' her close as he lay back and closed his eyes.
From where she was being held, Hermione began to clean herself, before cuddling closer to the black beast.
Once the two human-turned-felines stilled, first a blob of Orange with a smushed face exited the lotf, and climbed onto the black brute's side and made himself a bed. A black dog pranced out, stretched, cuddled up to the back of the cat-beast, and resting his chin it's neck, Padfoot joined the midday nap.
Emma stood at her window, smiling down at her family, when the window was slammed shut in her face, as she was grabbed by the hair. "Slut… you have been neglecting your duties." She was then thrown to the bed.
She smiled for a second as her hair hid her face, "Please… my Husband and daughter will be home soon… make it quick." she hurried to undress.
A meaty hand clapped her exposed bum "Just for that, I am going to take my time… and make you scream my name."
HPRQ
It was the weekend of the Quidditch World Cup Final.
Ron had wanted to go, but no Potter, and Bagman had pulled the tickets. With no Potter and no Weasley presence, the stolen wand found at the site of the Dark Mark turned out to belong to one Draco Malfoy, but he was home within hour of Krum catching the snitch… Auror Shacklebolt signed him out himself. Because the wand had cracked, splintered, when a spell of such power was cast (only the Dark Lord's elite could cast it) whoever had cast the spell was now wounded, but had escaped into the night, leaving behind only the damaged wand and the Dark Mark.
But those in Power had a deeper fear…
There still was no sign of Harry Potter. It was as if the Earth had just opened wide and swallowed the Boy.
Every contact Albus had was coming up dry, as were their contacts.
Snape reported that no Death Eater had Potter, as those who could take him, and would take him, would either leave some kind of trail, or be bragging to someone that they had the brat.
What was almost as worrying, that both Lupin and Black had gone dark as well. But Albus just believed that they were laying low while Black recovered from the last year and the decade before.
The Grangers were gone, but they often went on trips to the mainland.
The only time Albus tried to have Fawkes take him Potter, the ruddy bird had dropped him, tail feather and all, in the Black Lake.
HPRQ
Ron was pissed…
Potter had forgotten him.
How was he to brag about what his best mate was doing, when said mate never wrote. How was he to prove he was best mate when he had no letter.
Oo, food !
What was he pissed about?
He will remember later… FOOD!
HPRQ
Remus Lupin entered the moss and ivy encrusted marble Hall. In the office to the left of the main entrance, he met with the vice headmaster. He filed the paperwork to let his charges attend the School as day students, rather than as boarders. He received the uniform requirements, and a date and time for them to be tested. Hey paid the yearly admission fees along with the yearly fee for reusable portkeys.
On the way home, he popped by the Salem shopping market, and found the local answer to 'Madam Malkin's Robes for all occasions'. He made an appointment for two fittings, and paid a deposit to keep the slot.
He picked up a set of books on foci crafting as well as a few supplies needed to craft and finish said work. He could not really buy wand blanks and core material as those needed to be harvested either personally or professionally.
He then took the train to NYC Central Station where he changed to subway out to south Queens and the six block walk to the loft. The train from Salem Mass, to NYC was quiet, calm, and relaxed. He sipped a paper cup of earl grey tea with honey, as he read the Times. As he packed into the 'tube', with 'half the city' felt the wolf growl at being crowded, but comforted by the press of the other folks as they too were heading home after a long day.
He caught the scent of 'timmy' and 'spanly' as he turned on to the street where the 'Loft' was. He first noticed the two lurkers shortly after he arrived at the place. They blended well with street level scum they were pretending to be, but they smelled of the soap they used to clean the street off them each night. Only because the Grangers had him use the underground exit two blocks over when he drove them in the Van or Limo, that these fools never caught sight of the Family.
He bumped fists with 'Spanky' who was dressed as a street thug in tight denim jeans, leather jacket, and chains. Dropped two dollars in mixed change into 'Timmy's' 'alms cup' as passed the faux-bum, and fished his keys out of pocket, to enter by the side door.
As the door clicked shut, he felt the wards wash over him, and when nothing popped, fizzlied, or sounded he removed his trench coat and hung it on the hook just out the 'airlock' as Dan called it. A small room to leave the outside, outside and such. He also removed his shoes and slipped on a set of slippers. The only shoes worn inside were when the Family were dressing up.
He rode the cargo lift to the top floor where he exited into the hallway of the private chambers. He shared a room with padfoot, as the old dog needed someone close to quiet the ghosts in the night. Most nights, the Grim slept with Harry as they both had trouble sleeping alone,it was often amusing to peek in on them and see a puma using a grim as a teddy bear or vice versa.
He changed into a pair of baggy sweats and a sweater, then went to the kitchen to make himself a cuppa. He patted Doppy on the head as they passed in the hall. The elf had no doubt started the water to boil, but allowed the old wolf to dig out his mug, the tea ball and all. It was part of his meditation. He allowed that elf would take care of everything else, including refills and refreshing the cuppa, but that first cupp when he got home was needed to shed the long day.
He smirked at the image of the sleeping animals on the lawn. Before joining them on the patio as he eased into a deck chair.
He raised an eyebrow as he heard a muffled scream from Emma's sealed bedroom window. She and Dan were really trying those silencing charms. He smirked. Maybe should see if he could find a female during the 'wolf run' next week.
HPRQ
M. Fletcher walked into DMLE, arm in arm with a man whose face you would forget the minute you looked away. Many Aurors knew the wizard as a CI and a master of second hand merchandise. If he did not have it, he could get it. That he was not only in the Ministry Building, to enter the DMLE by the front door ment something was up.
Runcorn strode forward and grunted. He knew that the others joked that he was half gargoyle, so often played it up.
Fletcher swallowed, adjusted his ascot, and stretched his neck. "Ah yes.. I …ah we need to speak to the Director,"
"Give here." Dawlish stepped forward "I give it to her."
The quiet man poked something into Fletcher's side.
"Yeah." the weasley sneak-thief smiled nervously "Has to be Bones. Already crossed the Headmaster on this. Get this man to her custody… so I can fulfil me oath." his nerves showed as he lost control of his english.
"I am here." a fading redhead with a monocle stepped forward.
The mystery man snorted. "You almost had me." he shook his head. "While Director Bones might wear boots, I doubt that they are muggle combat boots."
"I am going to have to rethink that option." Bone stepped past the sweating wizard. "I have grilled you for hours, Dung, where we had 'dead to rights' and you never cracked, not even a breath out of place. But here you are sweating like the Minister during election week."
"I swore an oath to Albus. Need to get this muggle into your personal custody before I can report in and my Oath is demanding obedience." Fletcher whined,
"Director. Do you accept custody of my person?" the muggle asked.
The redhead director sighed "yes."
The muggle released dung, who immediately bolted for the department's floo, threw a pinch of power into the flames, yelling "Headmaster's office!" he never broke stride…
As Runcorn clapped a meaty paw on his shoulder, the muggle said the two words that froze everybody.
"Harry Potter."
"What about him?" the fake Bones asked.
"He and Black have joined the Queen's court."
"Shite!" Bones swore, "Tonks take him to my Office, try not to trip over anything. And lose my face. Dawlish, off to report that we have a lead on Black and Potter. Fudge is going to shit himself over this one. Shack, report to John. I do not believe that they are talking about Elizabeth's court. The rest of you have your duties. Go!"
HPRQ
TBC